FanHouse Jordy Nelson

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.

All that stuff about great quarterbacks slinging it around? Forget it. This is, after all, the oldest of old-school NFL rivalries. It's not usually pretty when the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears get together.

However, it is 2009. You don't win a football game without your quarterback making a big play. That's what eventually happened Sunday night -- Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers broke out of a game-long funk to find Greg Jennings on a game-winning touchdown pass with 1:11 to go, giving the Packers a come-from-behind 21-15 win over Chicago in a rather strange season opener at Lambeau Field.

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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. -- For Green Bay Packers wide receivers Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, there is little left to prove. They've already established themselves as top receivers, and easily the best on this Packers team. They've developed an impressive rapport with second-year starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

However, there are seven other wide receivers at training camp who aren't so lucky. With no more than four of them set to make the 53-man roster, they're all working hard to secure a spot.

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet The ...
The team that happily doesn't have to wonder if Brett Favre is coming to camp. Following a future hall of famer and face of the franchise isn't east. But, Aaron Rodgers make it look that way. In his first full year, Rodgers started all 16 games and threw for 4,038 yards and 28 touchdowns. Rodgers spread the love to two 1,000 yard receivers in Greg Jennings and Donald Driver and enjoyed a 1,203 yard campaign from his running back Ryan Grant, who battled through injuries and a somewhat slow start to the season. The key players from 2008 are still around heading into 2009 and there's no reason to think Rodgers shouldn't grow as a quarterback and the rest of the crew around him benefit from his experience.

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Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

On its surface, the 2008 season appears to have been an unmitigated disaster for the Green Bay Packers. After the Packers made the NFC Championship Game the season before, fans painfully watched the Brett Favre retirement/unretirement/stick-it-to-Ted saga play out, and then got to see new starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers play well before the team fell apart around him.

First, a disclaimer. This list is not necessarily a go pick this guy up right now type deal. If you play in an 8-12 team league and you don't have injury or ineffectiveness issues, this list is not for you. If you, however, play in a 16 or more team league with a deep bench, and you have been sitting there waiting on Willis McGahee to show up with a pulse for the past couple weeks, well, I may have something for you.

We call them "Hail Mary" choices because picking up some of these guys would be like throwing a Hail Mary pass. The odds of it winding up helping your team are slim, but there's enough of a chance FTW to hurl it up there. If you have dead weight on your deep bench, let us consider the following dudes.

I've attempted to list them in the order of their likelihood at helping you.

And, actually, the top guy is a sleeper is most leagues for this week ...

Maurice "MoMo" Morris, Seahawks
He's overtaken Julius Jones in the Seahawks backfield. Sure, he's done very little all season -- save for a 100-yard game in Week 12 -- but he gets the hapless Rams in Week 15. You could do worse.

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...

Team that won't miss a beat without a certain someone. Yeah, that's right. With Ryan Grant ready to keep this the same balanced offense that he made it in the second half of last season, a QB (Aaron Rodgers) that won't mind becoming a "game manager, and a very strong defense; the Pack is armed and ready to be just as solid as they were in 2007.

The Breakout

Aaron Rodgers has been waiting for his chance for three years, and the timing couldn't be better. Had it been last year that he took the reins, there would have been issues. Now the emergence of Grant makes the offense more balanced, though. The defense is good enough that Rodgers will never be forced to become a gunslinger, and the receiving corps is very solid with the growth of Greg Jennings and expected emergence of a couple young wideouts. He's got a good offensive line that knows how to pass protect, and a reliable tight end ... plus, he's in a place that loves their QBs. As long as he doesn't think of himself as the "replacement," he'll be a fantasy stud before the season ends.

Last Year: 7-6 (4-4), Unranked

Fans Are: Overly optimistic. After several declining years that hastened the departure of legendary coach Bill Snyder, Kansas State had a tough rebuilding road ahead for new coach Ron Prince. Thanks to a softer than normal Big 12 and an epic win over a Colt McCoy-less Texas, the Wildcats soared to a seven win season in Prince's first go-round.

There is still a long rebuilding road ahead as Prince attempts to recast the program in his image. The program lacks much star talent beyond the quarterback, tailback and star defensive end, has little depth, plays in a major conference and has suffered tremendous coaching and roster turnover. That means the Prince regime must fight uphill against some bad feelings in the background and the inescapability of returning a once moribund program to lofty heights in just his second season.

Expectations: Compete for the Big 12 North Division crown, make a bowl game, avoid humiliating losses.

Questions:

1. Will the run defense improve?

It's doubtful there will be significant improvement this year. The Wildcats surrendered 149 ground yards a game last year, good for 78th in the NCAA. In an increasingly pass-happy Big 12, that output was particularly pathetic. The team's best defensive lineman Ian Campbell happens to be a pass-rushing terror but is suspect against the run. And now the Wildcats may switch to a 3-4 depending on the whims of new defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar.

Tibesar's background is light, mostly specializing as a linebackers coach. Can his ingenuity trump personal inexperience and the overall inexperience of a fairly young defensive line? My money's on no, at least for this year.

2. Can hotshot quarterback Josh Freeman avoid a sophomore slump?

Probably. Most of the offense returns, although both of his tackles and downfield receiver Yamon Figurs have all graduated. A veteran line and the return of receiver Jordy Nelson should be a security blanket for Freeman to continue to develop as a quarterback and ignite the Kansas State offense.

3. What else should we be on the lookout for this spring?

How the new set of assistant coaches mesh with the team and coach Ron Prince's vision for the program.

The defensive players must potentially learn a new scheme, the 3-4. That puts a squeeze on certain defensive linemen and there may be a transfer or two just because. New receivers and defensive backs coaches are also certain to shake things up as they get used to the available personnel and sort out the players from the guys who can't cut it.