GREEN BAY -- Things to ponder while I try to figure out what was weirder, the non-acrobatic portions of Cirque du Soleil's "Delirium" show at the Bradley Center, or seeing the Packers' go from completely inept against San Diego to borderline dominant against Atlanta:
You knew the Packers weren't as bad as they were against the Chargers. But you also know that they're not as good as they looked against the Falcons. The reality is somewhere in between, which is why I've been saying they're an 8-8 or 7-9 outfit from the jump. An easier schedule, the odds being in their favor not to suffer as many key injuries as last year and Brett Favre tossing even five fewer interceptions than his career-high 29 from last year and they're going to be in the thick of the race in a weak division. ...
We're not the I-told-you-so type, but rookie linebacker A.J. Hawk's performance should effectively quiet the inexplicable panic coming from some quadrants of Packer Nation over the No. 5 overall pick's slow start in training camp. Should be interesting to see where the kid is about midseason. The prediction here: Second on the team in tackles to Nick Barnett and involved in more turnover plays. ...
Speaking of which, anyone heard from Abdul Hodge lately? ...
Kudos to GM Ted Thompson for giving second-year kicker Dave Rayner a shot at being the next Ryan Longwell. Nothing against veteran Billy Cundiff, but you knew what you were getting with the ex-Cowboys kicker. In Rayner, who handled the kickoff duties in Indianapolis last year, you have a young guy (23) who may develop into a Longwell-like weapon someday. Cundiff is what he is. ...
Speaking of Rayner, I loved coach Mike McCarthy's response when asked if the decision was more about potential: "Oh, absolutely. I think some of the decisions we make here down the stretch are going to be more on potential and what we see on the come for a lot of players on our team." Packers fans, this is good news. Sure, you'd love to see them go to the playoffs, but don't you think it's better to make decisions that'll pay off further down the road, when the team theoretically has a more realistic shot at going somewhere? ...
One more thing about the kicking situation: The last time the Packers went with a relatively unknown, young kicker was 1997, when were coming off a Super Bowl title and GM Ron Wolf went with an undrafted rookie from Cal -- after wasting a third-round pick on Brett Conway. And while he did miss a potential game-winner at Philly early in the season, that Longwell kid turned out OK, didn't he? ...
The punting situation is a little murkier. Jon Ryan, whose leg strength is clearly superior to incumbent B.J. Sander's, didn't help himself by dropping the ball -- literally -- against the Falcons. Of course, give the Canadian kid some credit for improvising his way out of trouble and getting off a 42-yarder from his own end zone while in panic mode. It's just too bad that you can't put Sander's hang-time and Ryan's distance together. You'd have SuperToe. (I used to love that game.) ...
I don't remember the last time I was as impressed during camp with a rookie skill position player as I am with Greg Jennings. The kid has "it," if you know what I mean. I have a hard time believing that they'll start a rookie opposite Donald Driver, but veterans Robert Ferguson, Rod Gardner and Marc Boerigter have done little to make a case for deserving the job. The last rookie to make this much of an impression on me? Right tackle Mark Tauscher, a seventh-round pick in 2000. Talk about playing beyond expectations. ...
Classic Green Bay: I'm in Target on Ridge Road the other day and I come out of an aisle and almost get run over by Boerigter, pushing a cart with his infant daughter and walking with his wife. What an exciting off day in Titletown. ...
Not that Tony Moll should be painted as the offensive line's savior, but the kid got the job done Saturday night at right guard. Ditto for Jason Spitz at left guard. Again, with the caveat that it's only one game, Moll didn't do anything to merit moving back to the second unit. The rookie fifth-round pick allowed a couple pressures, but overall, he was solid. Spitz, a third-round pick, reminds me a little of Marco Rivera -- tough guy, works his tail off, overachieves. Since the coaches want to set the line this week, it'll be interesting to see what happens to rookie second-round pick Daryn Colledge, the one who was handed a spot with the No. 1 line right after draft day. ...
Did anyone else go to that Cirque du Soleil show this weekend? Having seen "Mystere" at Treasure Island in Vegas, I was expecting more gymnastics, trapeze work and feats of strength -- the kind of stuff that made the whole production worth the flak I took from my more manly friends for going to the show in the first place. Still, as dates go, it beat taking a girl to Leff's Luckytown for Wing Night.
You knew the Packers weren't as bad as they were against the Chargers. But you also know that they're not as good as they looked against the Falcons. The reality is somewhere in between, which is why I've been saying they're an 8-8 or 7-9 outfit from the jump. An easier schedule, the odds being in their favor not to suffer as many key injuries as last year and Brett Favre tossing even five fewer interceptions than his career-high 29 from last year and they're going to be in the thick of the race in a weak division. ...
We're not the I-told-you-so type, but rookie linebacker A.J. Hawk's performance should effectively quiet the inexplicable panic coming from some quadrants of Packer Nation over the No. 5 overall pick's slow start in training camp. Should be interesting to see where the kid is about midseason. The prediction here: Second on the team in tackles to Nick Barnett and involved in more turnover plays. ...
Speaking of which, anyone heard from Abdul Hodge lately? ...
Kudos to GM Ted Thompson for giving second-year kicker Dave Rayner a shot at being the next Ryan Longwell. Nothing against veteran Billy Cundiff, but you knew what you were getting with the ex-Cowboys kicker. In Rayner, who handled the kickoff duties in Indianapolis last year, you have a young guy (23) who may develop into a Longwell-like weapon someday. Cundiff is what he is. ...
Speaking of Rayner, I loved coach Mike McCarthy's response when asked if the decision was more about potential: "Oh, absolutely. I think some of the decisions we make here down the stretch are going to be more on potential and what we see on the come for a lot of players on our team." Packers fans, this is good news. Sure, you'd love to see them go to the playoffs, but don't you think it's better to make decisions that'll pay off further down the road, when the team theoretically has a more realistic shot at going somewhere? ...
One more thing about the kicking situation: The last time the Packers went with a relatively unknown, young kicker was 1997, when were coming off a Super Bowl title and GM Ron Wolf went with an undrafted rookie from Cal -- after wasting a third-round pick on Brett Conway. And while he did miss a potential game-winner at Philly early in the season, that Longwell kid turned out OK, didn't he? ...
The punting situation is a little murkier. Jon Ryan, whose leg strength is clearly superior to incumbent B.J. Sander's, didn't help himself by dropping the ball -- literally -- against the Falcons. Of course, give the Canadian kid some credit for improvising his way out of trouble and getting off a 42-yarder from his own end zone while in panic mode. It's just too bad that you can't put Sander's hang-time and Ryan's distance together. You'd have SuperToe. (I used to love that game.) ...
I don't remember the last time I was as impressed during camp with a rookie skill position player as I am with Greg Jennings. The kid has "it," if you know what I mean. I have a hard time believing that they'll start a rookie opposite Donald Driver, but veterans Robert Ferguson, Rod Gardner and Marc Boerigter have done little to make a case for deserving the job. The last rookie to make this much of an impression on me? Right tackle Mark Tauscher, a seventh-round pick in 2000. Talk about playing beyond expectations. ...
Classic Green Bay: I'm in Target on Ridge Road the other day and I come out of an aisle and almost get run over by Boerigter, pushing a cart with his infant daughter and walking with his wife. What an exciting off day in Titletown. ...
Not that Tony Moll should be painted as the offensive line's savior, but the kid got the job done Saturday night at right guard. Ditto for Jason Spitz at left guard. Again, with the caveat that it's only one game, Moll didn't do anything to merit moving back to the second unit. The rookie fifth-round pick allowed a couple pressures, but overall, he was solid. Spitz, a third-round pick, reminds me a little of Marco Rivera -- tough guy, works his tail off, overachieves. Since the coaches want to set the line this week, it'll be interesting to see what happens to rookie second-round pick Daryn Colledge, the one who was handed a spot with the No. 1 line right after draft day. ...
Did anyone else go to that Cirque du Soleil show this weekend? Having seen "Mystere" at Treasure Island in Vegas, I was expecting more gymnastics, trapeze work and feats of strength -- the kind of stuff that made the whole production worth the flak I took from my more manly friends for going to the show in the first place. Still, as dates go, it beat taking a girl to Leff's Luckytown for Wing Night.
Jason Wilde, a Milwaukee native who graduated from Greendale Martin Luther High School and the University of Wisconsin, is a two-time Associated Press Sports Editors award winner and a Wisconsin Newspaper Association award winner.
His daily coverage can be found on the State Journal's Web site and through his Packers blog on madison.com.
