{image1}The Brewers have been trying to reach and exceed .500 all baseball season. It would be a step in the right direction for a franchise that has had 12 straight losing seasons.
But, the Packers look like the team that could end up .500 in the NFL season, which starts this weekend. It would be a step in the wrong direction for a franchise that has been one of the best in football for the last 12 years.
A defense riddled with holes and a patchwork offensive line are the main reasons the Packers could slip to .500. The secondary includes some of the worst tacklers this writer has seen on a Green Bay team.
Veteran Al Harris is supposed to be the best of the lot, but is inconsistent. Ahmad Carroll can't cover receivers without holding or committing pass interference.
The linebacking corps is better, but Nick Barnett still makes rookie mistakes in the middle. The Packers did trade for another linebacker, Robert Thomas, over the weekend. The defensive line is strong at the ends, but soft in the middle. The Packers cut Cletidus Hunt, a former starter in the middle, as part of the weekend shakeup. Hunt had become overweight and soft, but Grady Jackson and the remaining middle linemen aren't exactly chiseled specimens either.
Unless new defensive coordinator Jim Bates -- the third Packers' defensive coordinator in three years -- can work some miracles, the defensive unit will have difficulties stopping many NFL teams.
Nobody has really stepped up to make you feel secure that Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle can be replaced at guards on the offensive line. Center and the tackles should be strong again, but the guards are very important in the Packers' running game and in protection for quarterback Brett Favre.
Favre was banged up in the last pre-season game, in part because of poor protection. If he can get the time, he can still eat up an opponent's defense. His receiving corps still is strong. But, will Favre and those receivers get adequate time to be effective?
Ahman Green and his backups can still be explosive backs, but they also need holes to be effective. The Packers also have committed too many dumb penalties on both sides of the ball.
The Packers' coach and players recognize they have work to do to shore up these weaknesses. "We have a long way to go," coach Mike Sherman said after the last pre-season game. "We're going to be a work in progress, and it doesn't stop at the end of the preseason. It's going to have to continue. Hopefully, we'll make some improvement."
Receiver Javon Walker said. "We're still at a point where we don't want to be. Obviously, we've got to come out and really lose a lot of the penalties."
The good news for Packers' fans is that .500 could still get them into the playoffs as a wild card. The Vikings look to be the strongest team in the NFL North, but we've seen them turn into choking head cases in past years. Of course, it might help that Randy Moss -- who despite his talent was perhaps the biggest choking head case of all -- is gone.
The Lions believe this could be their year, but their quarterback, Joey Harrington, still has to prove he can become a winning quarterback. The Bears again will be without their No. 1 quarterback and should bring up the rear in the division.
Outside of the North Division, the NFC, with the exception of the Eagles and Falcons, looks like it could have a lot of .500 teams. So, the Packers could still be in the hunt while only breaking even.
What will be interesting to see is if the media and many fans will start to cool off on the Packers if they do finish only .500 or worse and miss the playoffs. A couple readers this column last week and said they disliked the way the Packers take over coverage and interest as soon as late August arrives.
This writer agrees to some degree. The Packers are in the inevitable slide that all franchises go through after reaching the top. That slide will become more severe once Favre retires. The Brewers, meanwhile, do seem to finally be on the upswing. Will the media eventually switch the emphasis on coverage? And, will the fans actually maintain their interest in baseball after Labor Day?
We'll have to wait to see, but there is no doubt that while a .500 season would be considered a step up for the Brewers it would be a disappointment for the Packers.
Brewers' Player of Week
Geoff Jenkins continued his red-hot second half during the week to earn the honor. Despite back problems, Jenkins went 5-for-5 in the Brewers' win over the Reds on Labor Day night. It was Jenkins' second 5-hit game since the All Star break.
Hot Tix
Kickoff for the Packers' opener on Sunday is 3:15 p.m. against the Lions in Detroit. In NAFL play, the Marauders travel to Aurora, Ill., to meet the Kane County Eagles at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Racine Raiders host the Columbus Fire at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The UW Badgers host Temple in an 11 a.m. game Saturday at Camp Randall. In small college football, the most interesting state matchup is Concordia at UW-Oshkosh at 6 p.m. Saturday.
The Brewers blew a great opportunity to get to and exceed .500 by going 6-6 in a 12-game homestand. They'll try to do better in a three-game weekend series against the Astros. Game times at Miller Park are 7:05 p.m. Friday, 6:05 p.m. Saturday and 1:05 p.m. Sunday.
Wave United ends its soccer season by hosting the Chicago Fire at 7 p.m. Saturday at Uihlein Soccer Park.
