{image1}As a sports fan, it is my God-given right to panic. In fact, I sometimes treat it as more of a responsibility -- I've been known to write off a game after the opening drive. Heck, I've been known to write off seasons after an opening drive.

As a sportswriter, however, it is my duty to temper that right. So I am here today to hold the hands of nervous Packers fans and help them see the light, for it is a dark time in Title Town.

Sunday's opening 17-3 defeat to Detroit was certainly a panic-inducing affair. Not only did Green Bay look inordinately sloppy in losing by two touchdowns (to a team quarterbacked by Joey Harrington, no less), the Packers also lost star wide receiver Javon Walker to a season-ending knee injury. As far as season openers go, it doesn't get much worse.

But there truly were some encouraging things on display at Ford Field Sunday. With that in mind, here are 10 reasons to refrain from panic as we move ahead to Week 2.

1. Green Bay always loses in Detroit: Not always, and the Packers had taken eight of the last nine overall games from the Lions. But Brett Favre is now just 5-9 in Detroit over his career, and the Packers have had better teams than the Lions in at least 13 of those games. This year is yet to be determined.

2. The defense was solid: The Lions and their stable of talented receivers only gained 254 total yards, or 4.2 per play. That's hardly a jailbreak. Jim Bates' scheme looked solid, and the Packers were generally stout up front and covered well in the secondary. Penalties and some bad field position eventually helped Detroit put up 17 points, which normally would translate to a Green Bay victory. But Sunday wasn't a normal day: the Packers gained just 201 yards and didn't score a TD for the first time in nearly five years.

3. Ahman Green looks fresh: Green had just 12 carries but earned 58 yards, just shy of 5.0 per attempt. He also had a strong run of 19 yards to the Lions 15 wiped out by a penalty in the second quarter, negating a possible TD drive. He added 5 catches for 34 yards, including a 20-yard reception. Overall, he looked strong. And, hey, no fumbles!

4. The guards did fine: Part of the reason Green did well was that new guards Adrian Klemm and Will Whitticker did well, too. Favre took some heat on pass plays, and the Packers didn't ever fully establish the run. But considering both players were making their first starts with Green Bay, it was a respectable debut.

5. The offense will be fine: Even without Walker, this offense will score points. Walker's explosion will be missed, but Donald Driver is still a quality top receiver. Favre wasn't sharp on several touch throws Sunday, while Antonio Chatman and Tony Fisher both had drops. Holding and false start penalties also bogged down drives. Injuries aside, it does make one wonder why the first unit doesn't see more time together in the preseason.

6. Ryan Longwell has still got it: Longwell won four games with last-minute kicks in 2004, and he may be called upon to do it again a few times this year. After winning the exhibition opener with a 53-yard bomb in the rain against San Diego, Longwell was 1-for-1 with a 50-yarder Sunday. A botched hold by B.J. Sander cost him a chip shot field goal in the first half. Much was made of ex-punter Bryan Barker's stellar holding last year, but how hard can it be? The placement of a snap on NFL field goals is routine, despite periodic feature stories about its difficulty and importance by beat writers on a deadline during a slow news week. In other words, I expect Sander will be fine.

7. Nick Barnett and Mark Roman made plays: Barnett and Roman were both busts under Bob Slowik last year -- neither was a sure tackler, and Barnett was routinely beaten at the point of attack. Both were active Sunday, chasing down plays and making hits. Barnett looked a step quicker, and Roman (and his secondary mates) was generally good in coverage -- though tight end Marcus Pollard shook loose far too often.

8. Penalties will decrease: Some are blaming Mike Sherman for the Packers 14 penalties on Sunday, while others are citing ticky-tack calls by the refs. I'll take a dash of each as well as an ounce of opening-day sloppiness. The numerous illegal hands to the face calls seemed awfully touchy to me, but the refs can't call them if you don't hit the opposing player's facemask. Sherman freaked out about poor special teams coverage in the exhibition season, vowed to clean it up and did so. I expect the same will happen with the multitude of penalties.

9. Ahmad Carroll isn't that bad. Really: When the official accidentally called Carroll's number (28) for a penalty on a punt return instead of the actual guilty party (Vonta Leach, #48), I began to think a conspiracy was afoot. Carroll needs to stop using his hands, but he's obviously a marked man. You can't tell me that Al Harris never did any of the things that Carroll was flagged for on Sunday, not to mention Dre Bly or anyone else in a Lions uniform. Carroll also covered pretty well, other than a 31-yard reception by Charles Rogers on the Lions final TD drive; so did the entire secondary. Carroll is an easy scapegoat, but remember that it was actually Jason Horton's illegal hands penalty that kept Detroit's first TD drive alive.

10. Brett Favre didn't get hurt: Javon Walker is integral to this offense, and there's no getting around that. But the Packers simply couldn't overcome an injury to Favre. I'm not sure what Ted Thompson and Sherman have planned to replace Walker, but at least they have time to figure it out. Speaking of which, does anybody have Jerry Rice's cell number?