Woods Throws In His Green & Gold Towel » Brats & Beer

December 2, 2006
posted under: Mike Woods, Packers

What has four eyes and enough pessimism for the entire upper deck at Lambeau Field? Why, it’s Mike Woods of the Green Bay Press-Gazette of course, who turns in his report card on the Packers today with five games yet to play, and concludes that this year’s team is no improvement on last year’s model. Way to spread that sunshine, Mike.

Mr. Woods’ argument, and it’s not wholly invalid, centers around the fact that Green Bay went scoreless against bona fide playoff teams New England and Chicago, noting:

They call these measuring-stick games for a reason. It’s not the only indicator, but certainly the best way to determine whether you’re close to reaching the mountain top or have a ways to go.

In the case of the Packers, they can’t even see the summit.

The state of pro football is not great in the Dairyland, yes, but is it really that bad? Let’s not forget that Green Bay is a couple plays away from being 6-5 with an outside chance of landing a playoff berth. Considering from whence this team came, I’d say that’s pretty good progress.

At the risk of reaching too many conclusions too early, my own report card on the Packers is pretty optimistic. The team is just 4-7 but there are a lot of differences between last year’s four-win team and this year’s. Last season the Packers were falling apart, caught in a death spiral and twisting in the wind. This year, in contrast, Green Bay has struggled but has looked like a football team more often than not.

There are a lot of reasons to feel good about the direction of the team, namely the receivers and the linebacking corps. Greg Jennings is turning into an absolute stud opposite Donald Driver and with a couple year’s experience he could become one of the elite wideouts in the league. AJ Hawk has turned out to be the linebacker we thought we’d get in the first round, and with Abdule Hodge, an improving Brady Poppinga, and the club-handed Nick Barnett, Green Bay could have one of the most fearsome linebacking crews in the NFL for the next few years.

Question marks obviously remain for the defensive secondary, where the Packers need a real pro safety to replace that impostor Manuel Marquand, as well as some young players at corner. The offensive line still needs a lot of work, and it remains to be seen of Vernand Morencey is the answer at tail back. I’m certain those areas are high on the priority list for next year’s draft and free agent scouting.

The important thing to remember about this season, as disappointing as it has been, is that there is hope on the horizon. Ted Thompson seems to be a capable general manager, Mike McCarthy shows signs of maturing into a decent head coach, and there is young talent on the roster. We’re not done with this season yet, but there is reason to be optimistic about next year and the seasons after that.