When Aaron Rodgers and Jermichael Finley hooked up twice for big gains during the Packers' second possession of the exhibition opener a week ago, the two words that kept flashing red in my head like an ice cream flavor on a Kopps sign were, "Oh, great!"
As it is, Packers fans are among the most loyal in the NFL. Add in three potential superstar fantasy talents like Rodgers, Finley, and Greg Jennings and my hopes for at least two fantasy championships this season may be diminishing faster than Prince Fielder‘s trade value.
Is the Packers offense truly as good as advertised?
Oui, Hai, and Si. Translation: Yes, yes, and yes.
How did it stack up in 2009?
The Packers' offensive unit ranked sixth in the NFL in total yards (379.1), first in turnover ratio (+24), third in points per game (28.8), and third in total touchdowns (54).
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers ranked fourth in passing yards (4,434), fourth in passing touchdowns (30), and tied with Mr. Brett Favre for the fewest interceptions thrown (7) among starting quarterbacks who played in every game.
Then there was running back Ryan Grant, who shouldn't be forgotten, or at least so says his 2009 totals of 1,253 rushing yards (7th), 11 rushing touchdowns (7th), and 61 first downs (5th).
At wide receiver, Greg Jennings and Donald Driver were both targeted over 110 times, and recorded 1,100-plus yards each in 2009. Jennings caught 68 passes, while Driver hung on to 70. James Jones and Jordy Nelson combined for 92 targeted passes, and scored seven touchdowns.
And finally there's the immensely talented Finley, who caught 76 percent of the 72 passes thrown in his direction for 676 yards and five touchdowns.
What will fantasy owners see in 2010?
There won't be any crazy gaffes coming from Rodgers' right arm that will make Larry McCarren spew out mad jabs like "you can take a knee and try a 56-yard field goal," or "this is not Detroit." We'll let Paul Allen deal with those heartaches again when the Viking horns go flat.
And there certainly won't be any ducks flying around Lambeau Field ready to be shot down like a Jay Cutler 2009 wobbler (he threw 26 picks, to be exact). That's unless, of course, they're being hunted by either Morgan Burnett or Charles Woodson, or even by those in orange and lime outside the stadium.
However, I can tell you there certainly will be one thing you will see every Sunday. Now, you can call it by its proper name, but I'll be rockin' it as the Double-D, J-Fin, No. 85, and A-Rod greatest show on frozen tundra without the use of illegal steroids fantasy football special.
Ok, so that's a pretty long title and a mouthful, but you get the point.
The bottom line here is that I'm extremely concerned heading in to 2010 that I won't be able to live up to my expert status (if you want to call it that) because of what I expect to be green and gold fantasy football fireworks which will fill the NFL skies.
If I were a wealthy man with a penchant for gambling, I could probably buy my way to a few title belts with Mr. Franklin, but that's too large an investment for a peddling expert like me. Plus, only Packer homers would do something as absurd as that, and I'm not one of them.
Instead, I consider myself as an objective fantasy expert who wishes that all Packers homers were banned from fantasy drafts, so I, Eric Huber, can be the only owner to reap the benefits of this great offense by taking players like Rodgers and Finley one round too early.
