Gregor’s Packer Analysis
Week 1 Preview
In this issue:
Minnesota hosts Jacksonville
Detroit hosts St. Louis
The Bears Indy
San Francisco comes to Lambeau
It’s the beginning of the 2012 season. While injuries, breakout seasons and luck can lead to surprises during the year and in the playoffs, three of the four teams in the NFC North look like they have a chance to get into the post season. The Vikings can plan on watching the playoffs.
The Jags head to Minnesota in a game matching teams that struggled in 2011. Both teams turned to rookie quarterbacks last season. Blane Gabbart started for the Jags, and Christian Ponder took over for Donovan McNabb during the season. Both teams have big name running backs: Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew, who recently ended his holdout.
Both teams were bad last season. The question is, which team got better in the off-season. Too soon to tell. They are both below average teams until they prove otherwise. The Vikings are 4 point favorites. Do the Jags hang in there, or not show up on the road. The Vikings can be good at home and it can be loud there. MJD might take a few weeks to get back to game shape. Peterson is on the injury report but is expected to play. Reluctantly and with virtually no confidence in this pick, Vikes by 6.
The Detroit Lions made the playoffs last year and look to get there as they start 2012 hosting the St. Louis Rams. The Lions were a high powered offense last season, and the Matthew Stafford – Calvin Johnson connection is one of the best in football. They don’t have much of a running game, and the defense can give up big points. But they open against a perfect opponent—a team that can’t score and doesn’t play well on the road. The biggest knock on the Lions is the lack of self-control / discipline. That includes on-field personal fouls and other penalties and off field arrests (multiple).
Talent wise, the Lions are a playoff team and the Rams probably aren’t, although they should be better with Jeff Fisher taking over as head coach and some new acquistions. The Lions are an 8 point favorite. The Lions score early and often, the Rams can only watch. Detroit by 14.
The Chicago Bears host the Indianapolis Colts in the first game for Indy in the post-Peyton era. It’s fun to pick on the Bears when they are down. It’s fun to pick on them when they aren’t bad, but lose. Unfortunately, I like what Chicago did in the off-season. I think this is the best team they’ve had in the Lovie Smith era. Yes, they made the Super Bowl against Indy, but they didn’t deserve it and had no chance of winning—a very enjoyable (and profitable) Super Bowl. They are a long shot to get to the Super Bowl, but they have a chance to win the division, and a good chance to make the playoffs. You gotta be in it to win it.
They found a way to pay Matt Forte, and added Michael Bush. They brought in Brandon Marshall so Jay Cutler has a real receiver to throw to. On the down side, Brian Urlacher is missing time due to injury, and while he says he’ll play week 1, if this remains a week-to-week issue, it is a big problem for the Bears.
The line is Chicago by 9. Hard to imagine things going well for Andrew Luck on the road against the Bears defense. Luck looks like he’ll be a very good (or better) quarterback in the NFL, but even Peyton Manning struggled as a rookie. It’s déjà vu all over again (as Yogi would say), and Chicago gets out with an easy win. Bears by 17.
The 49ers come to Green Bay Sunday afternoon to take on the Packers. San Francisco has a great defense led by Patrick Willis. The Packers have the best quarterback in the NFL, Aaron Rogers. The 49ers have a pedestrian offense—Frank Gore is good, Vernon Davis is a play-making tight end. Alex Smith wasn’t bad last year, but he’s more middle of the pack or below among NFL quarterbacks. This is a quarterback league. Who knows what this year’s version of Randy Moss looks like.
The bad news is the Packers only have one cornerback—Tramon Williams. Charles Woodson has officially moved to safety, a position he’s played at least some of the time the last few years. Davon House, the leading candidate hurt his shoulder so he isn’t an option this week. Jarrett Bush is an excellent special teams player, but there’s a reason he was down the list of defensive backs. Casey Heyward looked good, but probably won’t start as a rookie. Sam Shields looked good as a rookie but looked bad last season.
Then there’s the O line. The starting 5 are fine, and if all 5 can play every game there’s nothing to worry about. If they need to bring in a backup, that would be a problem. Especially at tackle, where things got ugly with Marshall Newhouse out. Newhouse is the biggest worry among the starters, but there’s no other option, at least not until Derrek Sherrod comes back. Cedric Benson showed he could run hard and fumble.
The line is Green Bay by 5. Vegas isn’t still in business by getting things wrong. The teams with the best chance of winning the Super Bowl: New England, San Francisco, and Green Bay all have the same odds. The Packers find a way at home to win by 7.
Gregor’s Packer Analysis
Week 1 Preview
In this issue:
Minnesota hosts Jacksonville
Detroit hosts St. Louis
The Bears Indy
San Francisco comes to Lambeau
It’s the beginning of the 2012 season. While injuries, breakout seasons and luck can lead to surprises during the year and in the playoffs, three of the four teams in the NFC North look like they have a chance to get into the post season. The Vikings can plan on watching the playoffs.
The Jags head to Minnesota in a game matching teams that struggled in 2011. Both teams turned to rookie quarterbacks last season. Blane Gabbart started for the Jags, and Christian Ponder took over for Donovan McNabb during the season. Both teams have big name running backs: Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew, who recently ended his holdout.
Both teams were bad last season. The question is, which team got better in the off-season. Too soon to tell. They are both below average teams until they prove otherwise. The Vikings are 4 point favorites. Do the Jags hang in there, or not show up on the road. The Vikings can be good at home and it can be loud there. MJD might take a few weeks to get back to game shape. Peterson is on the injury report but is expected to play. Reluctantly and with virtually no confidence in this pick, Vikes by 6.
The Detroit Lions made the playoffs last year and look to get there as they start 2012 hosting the St. Louis Rams. The Lions were a high powered offense last season, and the Matthew Stafford – Calvin Johnson connection is one of the best in football. They don’t have much of a running game, and the defense can give up big points. But they open against a perfect opponent—a team that can’t score and doesn’t play well on the road. The biggest knock on the Lions is the lack of self-control / discipline. That includes on-field personal fouls and other penalties and off field arrests (multiple).
Talent wise, the Lions are a playoff team and the Rams probably aren’t, although they should be better with Jeff Fisher taking over as head coach and some new acquistions. The Lions are an 8 point favorite. The Lions score early and often, the Rams can only watch. Detroit by 14.
The Chicago Bears host the Indianapolis Colts in the first game for Indy in the post-Peyton era. It’s fun to pick on the Bears when they are down. It’s fun to pick on them when they aren’t bad, but lose. Unfortunately, I like what Chicago did in the off-season. I think this is the best team they’ve had in the Lovie Smith era. Yes, they made the Super Bowl against Indy, but they didn’t deserve it and had no chance of winning—a very enjoyable (and profitable) Super Bowl. They are a long shot to get to the Super Bowl, but they have a chance to win the division, and a good chance to make the playoffs. You gotta be in it to win it.
They found a way to pay Matt Forte, and added Michael Bush. They brought in Brandon Marshall so Jay Cutler has a real receiver to throw to. On the down side, Brian Urlacher is missing time due to injury, and while he says he’ll play week 1, if this remains a week-to-week issue, it is a big problem for the Bears.
The line is Chicago by 9. Hard to imagine things going well for Andrew Luck on the road against the Bears defense. Luck looks like he’ll be a very good (or better) quarterback in the NFL, but even Peyton Manning struggled as a rookie. It’s déjà vu all over again (as Yogi would say), and Chicago gets out with an easy win. Bears by 17.
The 49ers come to Green Bay Sunday afternoon to take on the Packers. San Francisco has a great defense led by Patrick Willis. The Packers have the best quarterback in the NFL, Aaron Rogers. The 49ers have a pedestrian offense—Frank Gore is good, Vernon Davis is a play-making tight end. Alex Smith wasn’t bad last year, but he’s more middle of the pack or below among NFL quarterbacks. This is a quarterback league. Who knows what this year’s version of Randy Moss looks like.
The bad news is the Packers only have one cornerback—Tramon Williams. Charles Woodson has officially moved to safety, a position he’s played at least some of the time the last few years. Davon House, the leading candidate hurt his shoulder so he isn’t an option this week. Jarrett Bush is an excellent special teams player, but there’s a reason he was down the list of defensive backs. Casey Heyward looked good, but probably won’t start as a rookie. Sam Shields looked good as a rookie but looked bad last season.
Then there’s the O line. The starting 5 are fine, and if all 5 can play every game there’s nothing to worry about. If they need to bring in a backup, that would be a problem. Especially at tackle, where things got ugly with Marshall Newhouse out. Newhouse is the biggest worry among the starters, but there’s no other option, at least not until Derrek Sherrod comes back. Cedric Benson showed he could run hard and fumble.
The line is Green Bay by 5. Vegas isn’t still in business by getting things wrong. The teams with the best chance of winning the Super Bowl: New England, San Francisco, and Green Bay all have the same odds. The Packers find a way at home to win by 7.
Gregor’s Packer Analysis
Week 1 Preview
In this issue:
Minnesota hosts Jacksonville
Detroit hosts St. Louis
The Bears Indy
San Francisco comes to Lambeau
It’s the beginning of the 2012 season. While injuries, breakout seasons and luck can lead to surprises during the year and in the playoffs, three of the four teams in the NFC North look like they have a chance to get into the post season. The Vikings can plan on watching the playoffs.
The Jags head to Minnesota in a game matching teams that struggled in 2011. Both teams turned to rookie quarterbacks last season. Blane Gabbart started for the Jags, and Christian Ponder took over for Donovan McNabb during the season. Both teams have big name running backs: Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew, who recently ended his holdout.
Both teams were bad last season. The question is, which team got better in the off-season. Too soon to tell. They are both below average teams until they prove otherwise. The Vikings are 4 point favorites. Do the Jags hang in there, or not show up on the road. The Vikings can be good at home and it can be loud there. MJD might take a few weeks to get back to game shape. Peterson is on the injury report but is expected to play. Reluctantly and with virtually no confidence in this pick, Vikes by 6.
The Detroit Lions made the playoffs last year and look to get there as they start 2012 hosting the St. Louis Rams. The Lions were a high powered offense last season, and the Matthew Stafford – Calvin Johnson connection is one of the best in football. They don’t have much of a running game, and the defense can give up big points. But they open against a perfect opponent—a team that can’t score and doesn’t play well on the road. The biggest knock on the Lions is the lack of self-control / discipline. That includes on-field personal fouls and other penalties and off field arrests (multiple).
Talent wise, the Lions are a playoff team and the Rams probably aren’t, although they should be better with Jeff Fisher taking over as head coach and some new acquistions. The Lions are an 8 point favorite. The Lions score early and often, the Rams can only watch. Detroit by 14.
The Chicago Bears host the Indianapolis Colts in the first game for Indy in the post-Peyton era. It’s fun to pick on the Bears when they are down. It’s fun to pick on them when they aren’t bad, but lose. Unfortunately, I like what Chicago did in the off-season. I think this is the best team they’ve had in the Lovie Smith era. Yes, they made the Super Bowl against Indy, but they didn’t deserve it and had no chance of winning—a very enjoyable (and profitable) Super Bowl. They are a long shot to get to the Super Bowl, but they have a chance to win the division, and a good chance to make the playoffs. You gotta be in it to win it.
They found a way to pay Matt Forte, and added Michael Bush. They brought in Brandon Marshall so Jay Cutler has a real receiver to throw to. On the down side, Brian Urlacher is missing time due to injury, and while he says he’ll play week 1, if this remains a week-to-week issue, it is a big problem for the Bears.
The line is Chicago by 9. Hard to imagine things going well for Andrew Luck on the road against the Bears defense. Luck looks like he’ll be a very good (or better) quarterback in the NFL, but even Peyton Manning struggled as a rookie. It’s déjà vu all over again (as Yogi would say), and Chicago gets out with an easy win. Bears by 17.
The 49ers come to Green Bay Sunday afternoon to take on the Packers. San Francisco has a great defense led by Patrick Willis. The Packers have the best quarterback in the NFL, Aaron Rogers. The 49ers have a pedestrian offense—Frank Gore is good, Vernon Davis is a play-making tight end. Alex Smith wasn’t bad last year, but he’s more middle of the pack or below among NFL quarterbacks. This is a quarterback league. Who knows what this year’s version of Randy Moss looks like.
The bad news is the Packers only have one cornerback—Tramon Williams. Charles Woodson has officially moved to safety, a position he’s played at least some of the time the last few years. Davon House, the leading candidate hurt his shoulder so he isn’t an option this week. Jarrett Bush is an excellent special teams player, but there’s a reason he was down the list of defensive backs. Casey Heyward looked good, but probably won’t start as a rookie. Sam Shields looked good as a rookie but looked bad last season.
Then there’s the O line. The starting 5 are fine, and if all 5 can play every game there’s nothing to worry about. If they need to bring in a backup, that would be a problem. Especially at tackle, where things got ugly with Marshall Newhouse out. Newhouse is the biggest worry among the starters, but there’s no other option, at least not until Derrek Sherrod comes back. Cedric Benson showed he could run hard and fumble.
The line is Green Bay by 5. Vegas isn’t still in business by getting things wrong. The teams with the best chance of winning the Super Bowl: New England, San Francisco, and Green Bay all have the same odds. The Packers find a way at home to win by 7.
