FanHouse Nick Barnett

Editor's Note: Bruce Ciskie, a lifelong Packers fan, opines about the state of his beloved team.

High expectations greeted the Green Bay Packers in August, as the team arrived at training camp. Practices -- held across the street from Lambeau Field -- were very physical, as the Packers tried to show they wouldn't be bullied around like they were far too often in 2008.

That 6-10 season, we all were told, was a memory. It was a fluke. It wasn't how things would be conducted in Green Bay. Bad tackling, soft defense, poor special teams play, and stupid penalties were going to be a thing of the past.

Or not.

The Cincinnati Bengals have not played a regular season game at Lambeau Field since 1995. That means wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has never had an opportunity to play a game that counts in Green Bay.

It all changes Sunday, when Ochocinco's Bengals visit the Packers. In advance of that game, Ochocinco took part in a teleconference with Green Bay reporters. The results were predictable, as hilarity ensued.

As noted by the Green Bay Press Gazette, Ochocinco seems to have some interest in trying out a longtime Packer tradition if he finds the end zone.

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Injuries are not an excuse. It's also not permissible to point fingers at guys on the other side of the ball when your team has problems. No one in Green Bay will do this, despite the way things went down last year. The Packers lost eight of their ten games by a combined total of 30 points. Despite this, no one in the locker room pinned the blame on the three-ring circus in training camp, major injuries on defense, or anything else.

GREEN BAY, Wisc. -- When head coach Mike McCarthy hired Dom Capers as defensive coordinator, it was all about changing the culture. What had been a passive defense under former boss Bob Sanders would be passive no more.

Capers installed the 3-4, which puts the onus on linebackers to make plays in space. While not everyone on last year's Green Bay roster will end up a perfect fit in this new defense, it's clear that the team is high on a few young guys who could become major players.

News of Brett Favre's decision to hop on a plane from Mississippi to Minnesota traveled fast Tuesday. While Viking fans reacted with elation and nearly rioted on team headquarters, there was also reason to reach across the border for reaction from Green Bay.

The Packers were practicing when the news broke, but reporters flocked for the chance to ask players, coaches, and the general manager for their thoughts. To the surprise of precisely no one, the media didn't get much out of their energy and zeal for a story.

It was no surprise when the Green Bay Packers fired a chunk of their coaching staff after an awful 6-10 season. The big move was on defense, where coordinator Bob Sanders was shown the door, and veteran Dom Capers was hired to take over.

Capers is known for his work in the 3-4 defense. Not only that, but he normally coaches a very detailed and complex defensive scheme. While some may think that a greater variance to their look might help the Packers, there's reason to believe that Capers' complicated teachings could cause more problems, at least in the short term.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Packers inside linebacker Nick Barnett has no idea why he failed his training camp physical and has started out on Green Bay's physically unable-to-perform (PUP) list.

No doubt it has something to do with that ACL reconstruction Barnett underwent after blowing out his right knee at Minnesota in Week 10 last season.

Now, he's a sideline observer while Packers coach Mike McCarthy puts his team through some of the most hard-hitting, intense training camp practices in the NFL this preseason. That's probably a good thing at this early stage for Barnett, who needs to give his surgically repaired right knee plenty of time to heal.

As the Green Bay Packers start training camp Saturday, they will be missing just two players. First-round pick BJ Raji is still unsigned, but as head coach Mike McCarthy pointed out Friday afternoon, "there's a long time" yet before he officially misses a practice.

The other missing player Saturday will be linebacker Nick Barnett. After suffering a season-ending knee injury in November, Barnett's recovery has not progressed enough for him to practice yet. McCarthy announced Friday that Barnett is going to start camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list.

I heard Michael Jackson died at approximately 5:30 PM ET. Hours later, I still don't think it's fully hit me. This was the man I idolized growing up as a kid ... I watched Moonwalker about 80 times on VHS (Joe Pesci was the villain). I once furiously outbid someone $159 for a replica Beat It jacket with 13 zippers. I actually have an 8x10 glossy of Billie Jean Michael taped next to my bedroom door.

Everyone -- from celebrities to sports stars to ordinary people -- had their way of trying to feel connected to the King of Pop. In his mere presence, fans have fainted and needed medical attention. So when news broke that Jackson had passed away, the reverberations on social media sites like Twitter were immense. Outspoken wide receiver Chad Ochocinco even went on to tweet "this is just as sad as 9/11" and then tried to play damage control after his offensive comment.

After the jump, read the emotional reactions from current and former athletes.

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Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

By dealing up into the last part of the first round for Clay Matthews, Ted Thompson may have forever changed his image in Green Bay. He went from being consistently ripped for his trade-downs and seemingly passive nature during the draft to being branded a genius. Of course, if either of his first-round selections fail, he'll be back to being an idiot again.