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.
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.
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.
Update (June 24): Jennings' extension is officially done, according to a press release issued this afternoon by the Packers. No terms were released, other than that the deal is a "long-term" one.
The Green Bay Packers have developed a bit of a reputation. While general manager Ted Thompson has made clear through his actions (or lack thereof) that he doesn't like overpaying for free agents, he does like to reward his homegrown players with contract extensions.
One of the primary reasons that Packers general manager Ted Thompson has saved up a significant amount of cap space is what's coming up this season.
Yes, Thompson detests free agency, but he was also smart enough to see the need for cap room in the summer of 2010. A number of Packer starters will be free agents unless they get contract extensions before then. One of those, safety Nick Collins, is not at all shy about his desire for a new deal.
We're well on our way to the inevitable. As much as Green Bay Packer fans may not want to think about it, Brett Favre, their 16-year icon, appears destined to play for the division rival Minnesota Vikings. How do the fans feel? Well, there are some who appear to be sticking with the team no matter what, while others are talking about following Favre wherever he goes -- even if that's to Minnesota. Who's right? Both of them have their points, which Bruce Ciskie will lay out as he essentially debates himself.
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.
I don't have to go out on a limb to say that 6-10 wasn't a goal for the Green Bay Packers in 2008. Yes, they lost Brett Favre to retirement/unretirement/trade. Yes, many thought the Packers would fall off from a 13-3 mark in 2007, even before Favre became a New York Jet. But last year was close to disastrous for the Packers, as a leaky defense blew numerous fourth-quarter leads, and the team slipped to third in the NFC North. Expectations are higher than that, and now there will be pressure on management, making its job even harder.
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.
When Nolan took the job in Denver, the talk turned to former Redskins and Jaguars coordinator Gregg Williams. He ended up going to New Orleans, leaving McCarthy to what was presumably his third choice for a coordinator.
The third choice for McCarthy is a veteran coach with a ton of credibility around the NFL. Former Carolina and Houston head coach Dom Capers, a very successful defensive coach, is going to take over the Packers' defense.
We told you earlier Monday of the firing of Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders. It was hardly a surprise, but the fact that head coach Mike McCarthy waited a full week after the end of the season made it possible that he had someone specific in mind to take over.
Now, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is reporting that Nolan is rounding up defensive assistants, and he is preparing to become the Packers' new defensive coordinator.
While this is certainly good news for Packers fans, as Nolan is an accomplished defensive coach, things aren't all rosy. There are some serious questions that surround this potential move.
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.
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.
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. 
One of the primary reasons that Packers general manager Ted Thompson has saved up a significant amount of cap space is what's coming up this season.
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call 
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 
Perhaps it took longer than expected for 
We told you earlier Monday of the firing of 
