By Doug Russell Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Sep 05, 2012 at 3:00 PM

Another NFL season kicks off Wednesday night at the New Jersey Meadowlands as the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants host the Dallas Cowboys. Of course, Packers fans had all but penciled in Wednesday night for the re-coronation of the second installment of Dynasty III of the storied history of the most storied team in football history.

So what happened? In short, the Packers could not stop anyone on defense. And while the Green Bay arial attack bailed out the putrid defense time and time again in the regular season, they could no when the offense sputtered once the playoffs began. So began the long offseason of asking where it all went wrong after a 15-1 regular season had Titletown thinking back-to-back.

2012, however, is a new season. A season that looks at what went right, what went wrong, and what new faces can correct the deficiencies:

Quarterbacks: Assuming that Aaron Rodgers stays healthy, the Packers are as good as anyone in football at the most important position on the field.

Backup Graham Harrell had a potential job-saving performance against Kansas City in the final game of the preseason, but otherwise looked out of his league when given the chance to play. If the reigning league MVP stays upright, the Packers will be fine. If Rodgers misses any significant time, they will miss the departed Matt Flynn's steady hand.

Running Backs: The Packers still employ running backs? Sometimes it seems this way with coach Mike McCarthy's high-octane passing game, but every once in a while he likes to mix it up. Gone this year is veteran Ryan Grant, a steady if not spectacular leader and in his place is a rejuvenated Cedric Benson, eager to show that he is not the headache that he has been in career stops in Chicago and Cincinnati. No one disputes his ability; what is in question is whether or not he can hang on to the ball and stay out of trouble at the same time.

Offensive Line: Last season, reporters kept asking Rodgers about LT Marshall Newhouse. Week after week, Rodgers continued to defend his then second-year tackle, saying he was doing a fine job in pass protection. Of course, Rodgers was full of hooey, because the rest of us could plainly see Newhouse was struggling. Simply put, in Newhouse's third season, his protection will have to get better because as No. 12 goes, so go the Green Bay Packers. Newhouse's only job is to keep No. 12 clean.

RG Josh Sitton will need to recapture the consistency he showed in 2010 for Benson to have a chance to rack up another 1,000 yard season. Sitton looked lost for the first half of 2011, leaving many fans to wonder where the Pro Bowl caliber player was from the previous year.

C Jeff Saturday will anchor the line after 12 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. The five-time Pro Bowl performer is used to high-flying passers having been Peyton Manning's center during their decade of AFC dominance. How much game he has left is the only mystery surrounding one of the most respected players in the game.

LG T.J. Lang and former first round selection RT Bryan Bulaga both remind me of a slightly rusted out jeep. It isn't spectacular, it is certainly nothing to write home about, but it gets the job done most of the time.

What is alarming is the lack of depth the Packers have on the offensive line. Backup Evan Dietrich-Smith can play just about anywhere on the line, particularly in the interior, but after him, the talent level sharply drops off.

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends: Jordy Nelson's breakout season was the most pleasant storyline of the 2011 campaign. His 15 touchdown receptions lead the team and his on-field rapport with Rodgers paced the NFC's most prolific offense.

Donald Driver is a fan favorite, as evidenced by his Wisconsin supporters voting in droves during his recent stint on "Dancing with the Stars." Many did not expect Driver, a borderline Hall of Fame candidate, to return for his 14th season in Green Bay. While Driver can still play in this league, how much impact he will have on its top-ranked offense is questionable.

Pro Bowl performer Greg Jennings will again be Rodgers' other bookend receiver and appears fully recovered from the knee injury that sidelined him for the final three games of the 2011 regular season. However, Jennings was slowed by a concussion suffered in the preseason. Look for him to have a solid 2012 season, as he is looking at a big payday after his contract expires. That payday likely will not come in Green Bay, however.

Randall Cobb will get more chances to show he can be more than a kick returner, James Jones will get opportunities if for no other reason than he can be used as trade bait, and even Jarrett Boykin might get a catch or two.

At tight end, the big question will always be which Jermichael Finley shows up? The one that complains about not being in synch with Rodgers and drops everything in sight, or the Jermichael Finley that Packers fans have seen in spurts – the one where he looks like the best tight end in the NFL. Which one will show up? Unfortunately, that's a toss up question. Finley is easily the biggest enigma surrounding this entire team.

Defensive Line: Ryan Pickett, B.J. Raji, and C.J. Wilson. No one can figure out how Raji made the Pro Bowl last season. After a spectacular initial splash in the first two years of his career, Raji, perhaps missing the presence of Cullen Jenkins, regressed in 2010.

Pickett enters his 11th NFL season as the old man of the Packers interior defense, and while he has never been one to put up big numbers, his presence is desperately needed in the Green Bay rush defense. Even though his days as an every-down lineman are long gone, if he can defy Father Time one more year, Pickett will look like one of the great unheralded free agency pickups Ted Thompson has ever made.

Wilson is serviceable. That's about it. How long that cuts it in Green Bay is anyone's guess, but that is, unfortunately, all Wilson appears capable of being in the NFL.

Jerel Worthy might provide some help in the pass rush game, but any positive contributions from him have to be looked at as unexpected.

Linebackers: On the outside, certainly the focus is on Clay Matthews and the pressure he either puts on the opposing quarterback – or does not put on the opposing quarterback. Last season, without Cullen Jenkins up front to help shoulder the load, Matthews' sack total dropped to just 6.5, down from 13.5 in 2010. The Packers inability to put heat on the passer led to many of their defensive woes, as Green Bay's secondary, particularly after the loss of safety Nick Collins, could not keep up.

First round draft choice Nick Perry is expected to help shoulder the load from the left side. Perry, a converted defensive end, is adept at pursuing the quarterback, but has struggled when dropping back in pass coverage. Originally recruited to take Matthews' place at USC, he will now play alongside his fellow former Trojan. Perry won't win any Rookie of the Year honors, but is expected to help bolster a definite Packers weakness from 2011.

Once Erik Walden returns from his one game suspension, he is expected to contribute, but exactly how much playing time he sees will be dictated by Perry.

On the inside, A.J. Hawk and D.J. Smith will try to make up for the loss of Desmond Bishop, out for the season with a torn hamstring. There are high hopes for Smith, who makes up for being slightly undersized by being arguably the best pure tackler on the team. Entering his second season, Smith will be the biggest beneficiary of Bishop's injury and should make the most of it.

Conversely, at 28, Hawk is beginning to show age. Ray Lewis' age, not his own. Lewis, however, is still a feared and ferocious linebacker at 37 while Hawk is just another guy filling up a uniform. While Hawk has shown flashes of what made him the No. 5 overall draft selection in 2006, those flashes have been few and far between. If Hawk's production does not sharply increase in Bishop's absence, the Packers could be in trouble defensively in short-yardage situations.

Defensive Secondary: We'll start at safety. Last season, Nick Collins suffered a career-ending neck injury that devastated both Collins and his team. Fortunately, Collins will still live a productive life and shouldn't be adversely impacted otherwise. For the Packers, they simply never recovered in the secondary.

Charles Woodson will move to strong safety this season, with Morgan Burnett ready to emerge as a potential star. Packers players and coaches have heaped praise upon the third-year pro after just one season as a starter. If Burnett can learn some veteran savvy from Woodson, he may have a very long and successful career in Green Bay.

At cornerback, Tramon Williams has asserted himself as one of the top cover players in the NFL. He may lack the flash and bravado of a Darrelle Revis in New York, but flash and bravado doesn't play in Green Bay. Williams is deeply respected by his teammates for his hard work and humble attitude, letting his play speak for itself.

Jarrett Bush says he wants to prove that he is more than just a great special teams player. With Woodson moving to safety, this is Bush's time to shine. He has a knack for making big plays, but the Packers need him to be consistent more than anything else.

Likewise, Sam Shields will see plenty of playing time in the Packers' nickel defensive formation. That may give Packers fans pause, as Shields did not distinguish himself on or off the field in the past year. Shields gambled too much in 2011 and got burned more often not. Shields was supposed to be in the Packers base defense but lost his job to Bush. He was also the subject of negative headlines in the offseason for a personal matter, leading some to speculate whether or not he was worth the headache.

Specialists: Signing up to be a kicking specialist in Green Bay requires either a head examination or hazard pay. Maybe both. Harsh winter conditions for nearly half the season insure that no Packers punter or kicker will ever be named to a Pro Bowl. Nevertheless, Mason Crosby has proven to be adequate if unspectacular in his role, while Tim Masthay has shown flashes of absolute brilliance. Ted Thompson said of Masthay after the 2011 NFC Championship Game that he was the game's most valuable player for rendering Devin Hester ineffective.

The Packers have no serious concerns with either Crosby or Masthay; conversely, their relative consistency has been refreshing.

Oh, and the Packers long-snapper is a genial fellow named Brett Goode. You've probably never heard of him, and that's probably a good thing, because he never misses. Ever. Goode is easily the most anonymous player in Green Bay, and that's exactly what you want a long-snapper to be. If you want to really impress your friends and even win a bar bet or two, Goode is the answer to the trivia question of "who now occupies Brett Favre's old locker at Lambeau Field?" You're welcome.

My fearless 2012 NFL Predictions:

NFC North Champion: Green Bay Packers

NFC East Champion: New York Giants

NFC South Champion: New Orleans Saints

NFC West Champion: San Francisco 49ers

NFC Wild Card No. 1: Carolina Panthers

NFC Wild Card No. 2: Chicago Bears

NFC Champion: Green Bay Packers

AFC North Champion: Baltimore Ravens

AFC East Champion: New England Patriots

AFC South Champion : Houston Texans

AFC West Champion: Denver Broncos

AFC Wild Card No. 1: Oakland Raiders

AFC Wild Card No. 2: Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC Champion: Houston Texans

NFL MVP: Tom Brady, New England

NFL Coach of the Year: Gary Kubiak, Houston

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Andrew Luck, Indianapolis

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Michael Brockers, St. Louis

NFL's worst team: Cleveland Browns

Super Bowl Champion: Green Bay Packers

Yes, the Packers have enough to win the Super Bowl and scouring every justification to not pick them (and run the risk of being branded a homer) there is no reason to believe that the offense that racked up a franchise-record 560 points will not post similar numbers.

Yet Green Bay's defense remains the club's Achilles heel. In critical times Dom Capers' crew cannot go AWOL and just assume the lightning-like arm of Rodgers will bail them out. And while Green Bay outscored their opponents by more than 200 points in 2011, complacency and even a bit of arrogance crept in when the playoffs began, assuming that when the chips were down, the NFL's MVP would once again pull a rabbit out of his helmet.

But that arrogance and complacency has been replaced by a renewed sense of determination, anxious to prove that 2010's league championship was not a fluke, but rather just the signal to the rest of football that they were a juggernaut to be reckoned with.

Now they just have to go back out there on the field and do it.

Doug Russell Special to OnMilwaukee.com

Doug Russell has been covering Milwaukee and Wisconsin sports for over 20 years on radio, television, magazines, and now at OnMilwaukee.com.

Over the course of his career, the Edward R. Murrow Award winner and Emmy nominee has covered the Packers in Super Bowls XXXI, XXXII and XLV, traveled to Pasadena with the Badgers for Rose Bowls, been to the Final Four with Marquette, and saw first-hand the entire Brewers playoff runs in 2008 and 2011. Doug has also covered The Masters, several PGA Championships, MLB All-Star Games, and Kentucky Derbys; the Davis Cup, the U.S. Open, and the Sugar Bowl, along with NCAA football and basketball conference championships, and for that matter just about anything else that involves a field (or court, or rink) of play.

Doug was a sports reporter and host at WTMJ-AM radio from 1996-2000, before taking his radio skills to national syndication at Sporting News Radio from 2000-2007. From 2007-2011, he hosted his own morning radio sports show back here in Milwaukee, before returning to the national scene at Yahoo! Sports Radio last July. Doug's written work has also been featured in The Sporting News, Milwaukee Magazine, Inside Wisconsin Sports, and Brewers GameDay.

Doug and his wife, Erika, split their time between their residences in Pewaukee and Houston, TX.