I’ll begin with a hope…I hope AR12 is elsewhere and I hope we got a little something for him. Hope that the deal didn’t hamstring our Cap situation and hope we think of Rodgers historically from now on. That being said…what to expect from this upcoming Autumn and Winter of Love? Well, he has 3 years of building his speed and strength, 3 years of running an NFL Read-option offense with the same head coach, and 3 years of reading defenses, game preparations, and a solid understanding of what the life of an NFL QB is. The Packers had a once-in-a-lifetime dude, that could play through pain and misery and just get bigger as the meaning of the game increased. And for their own good, they were able to get a Top 5 talent very deep into the first round and they played the long game. And it worked out famously. And now for their own good, they moved up and got another rising talent in hope of covering “the most important position in sports” for at least another decade. Say what you want about any of the individuals involved in any of this process, but what I’ll say is I got nothin but respect for a team that seemingly stays true to who they are. It is really all you can do.
I believe the Packers would not nor will not hesitate to add a highly drafted OT or highly versatile “big” because I don’t believe Bak will ever truly be healthy again. And I think everyone kinda knows it and now it has become about compensation more than anchoring the LT position….I could be wrong…but I don’t think so. The upside is that I believe the Pack “OLine” people are good and united and one could almost be at ease knowing that gaps that need filling will be filled well. The skill players are fine. And now, they might actually look to incorporate a pass-catching TE. The WRs have a good foundation but truth be told, when you don’t have to “gain someone’s trust”, there are actually a TON of good WRs out there. And they change teams all the time…and people win SBs with them all the time. The RB duo is one of the best in the business and is still the focal point of this offense. I believe Jones to be the current face of the franchise…I really do.
The D was a joke last year and STILL was pretty damn good. They have plenty of talent….they just can’t possibly endure another struggle for power from within. The DBacks can’t play with their own game plan no matter how much you may disagree with the DC’s game plan. Did they fix that? I have no clue and neither does anyone else until we all see if it is fixed. The D was NEVER about talent or ability or who the Pack should or should not have drafted. That whole mess was internal and anyone with eyes, ears, or the least bit of ability to read between the lines knows that travesty had little to do with talent level. I like the guys they got on D, I want JA23 to be more spectacular and less spectacularly bad, I hope Gary is healthy because his style of play is the BEST thing the entire D has going for them. And I hope that some form of defensive unity allows for athletes to be empowered to make plays and not whatever last year’s train wreck was.
Special Teams…if Crosby goes, he’ll go with my respect and the respect of many. There is zero chance anyone sitting out here can know where he is at, where things are at, and the cost of keeping v the cost of moving on. That one ya just kinda have to trust the decision-makers. The return game looked pretty good. Nixon was a find and the quality of the people on Special Teams is a further testament to the overall quality of the depth of this roster. I marvel when people don’t seem to be able to grasp that concept and think GB’s roster sucks. By the time last season ended, there was actual optimism when GB returned a kick….and that has not been the case in many years so whatever that was evolving into…I hope it continues.
So it should be a competitive team. I can’t see any real reasons why it wouldn’t be. The division is completely winnable…I’d think you’d currently much rather trek to the SB through the NFC than the AFC, and it’s a new day and a new era in GB (if this “done deal” ever gets done). NOTHING will surprise me regarding the ’23 Draft. OLine, Edge, DB are always going to be Packer mainstays and who knows, maybe you get that Kelce-type TE and it works. I like the openness of it all. It doesn’t have to be this certain fit or certain type that can mind-meld into an already mind-boggling change of lifestyle. Just go get as many athletes as you can, that understand football, and let them go make plays. I believe the ’23 Packers have a GREAT foundation for that very type of approach. It is what I’d call a viewpoint from a Realistic Packer Fan.
