Those who spent their Saturday night watching the Packers' first exhibition game of the season in the hopes of getting some answers about their football team were probably left scratching their heads.
The Packers' 13-9 victory over Pittsburgh seemed promising on some fronts, but it was about as significant as an extended workout and will have little or no bearing on the immediate future. In other words, it was not an accurate barometer of the talent level Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy has to work with this season.
Running back Brandon Jackson wasn't inadequate, but the second-round draft pick from Nebraska picked up just 57 yards on 16 carries. He has a long way to go if he hopes to be the top replacement for the departed Ahman Green and the injured Vernand Morency.
Quarterback Brett Favre is indeed back for season No. 16 in green and gold. Any delusions Favre has about the Packers being a Super Bowl contender this year have yet to be supported by actual facts. Favre played most of the first quarter,
Favre is another year older and not the same player he was during the 1996 and 1997 Super Bowl seasons. His decision-making abilities have suffered in recent seasons; due in large part to a lack of supporting talent. Despite an unimpressive 2-of-7 performance for just seven yards in four series of work, Favre is in no danger of losing the starting job.
Aaron Rodgers, though, put on a good show during the second and third quarters. He led a 12-play, 75-yard drive to close out the first half with a field goal from Dave Rayner then opened the third quarter with a 71-yard touchdown drive. Rogers - who is in the final year of his rookie contract - finished with 18 completions on 27 attempts for 168 yards.
He has a long way to go before he begins to look like Favre's' anointed successor, but he managed to look good, considering he suffered a season-ending injury in his last game action.
Defensively, the Packers are a team in transition. Linebackers Nick Barnett and A.J. Hawk had a quiet night, but will still draw the respect of opposing coordinators. The line is an iffy proposition at best and the secondary has a tendency to get beat on the big plays.
Justin Harrell is expected to help shore up the defensive line, which has taken its fair share of criticism in years past. The first-round draft pick (16th overall) from Tennessee has had injury problems in the past, but was highly regarded by general manager Ted Thompson.
There are a lot of young players in camp this week and Thompson's future and his job security is staked his job on their futures. The Pro Bowlers of the past are long gone, and it's up to these young players to get the team back to the postseason. That may be too big of a task for a team with so many voids to fill.
The only stat that matters after the first exhibition game is the number of injuries, and on that note, the Packers got lucky. Luck is probably the only thing the team can hope to take from this game. The Packers will need some - no, a lot of it - this season.
With gaping holes remaining in the backfield, a weak defensive line and an aging secondary, it's hard to picture the Packers as a playoff contender in the NFC this season. Luckily, they still have three games to work out the kinks before things get started for real.
