Maybe they should switch sidelines. Anything to get in the mindset that they have on the road. With their 30-19 victory Sunday in San Francisco, the Packers improved their record to 4-3 on the road this season. Because they're just 1-5 at home, the Packers are 5-8 overall. None of Green Bay's victories have come over teams with winning records.
One week after being outcoached by Eric Mangini, Mike McCarthy was able to pick on the 49ers secondary and beat his former boss, Mike Nolan. It was an encouraging sign for McCarthy that the Packers played with enthusiasm and showed no signs of giving up on the season. Brett Favre had another one of his good performances and Donald Driver was special, grabbing nine catches for 160 yards. With three rookies starting again on the offensive line, Favre was given enough time to make some big plays. Those rookie linemen will be at the heart of the Packers long-term future.
Perhaps inspired by the Packers taking away some of his snaps, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila showed some life. A.J. Hawk recorded his first NFL interception and the Packers defense rebounded from its hideous performance against the Jets. Nobody should get too excited because Alex Smith certainly didn't look like a top pick in the draft.
So now it's back home (oh, no!) for the next two weeks. The Packers will play two teams (Detroit and Minnesota) that they've already beaten on the road. If they can't defeat the Lions and Vikings at Lambeau, maybe the Packers should start getting on planes at Austin Stroebel Airport and just circle around for a while the night before home games.
Dennis Krause joined OnMilwaukee.com as a contributor on June 16, 2006. He is a two-time Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year and a regional Emmy-award winner. Dennis has been the color analyst on home games for the Milwaukee Bucks Radio Network for the last 10 years. He has also been involved with the Green Bay Packers Radio Network for 16 years and is currently the host of the "Packers Game Day" pre-game show.
Dennis started his broadcasting career as a radio air personality in the Fox Valley and Milwaukee.
He spent three years as a sportscaster at WMBD radio and television in Peoria, Illinois before joining WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee in 1987 as a weekend sports anchor. Dennis spent 16 years at Channel 4, serving as its Sports Director and 5 and 6 pm sports anchor from 1994-2003.
Dennis grew up in Hartford, Wisconsin and attended UW-Oshkosh. He lives in Thiensville with his wife and two children. He serves as the Community Resource Director for the Mequon-Thiensville School District.
