Chicago Bears

- The Bears named Kyle Orton the starting quarterback over everyone’s favorite Rex Grossman.  This is not good for the Packers, as Bears-quarterbacks-not-named-Rex Grossman (aka Orton and Brian Griese) swept the Packers last year.  The Viking Age also puts forth some other scenarios that could come out of this.

- The age of some of the Bears offensive lineman is also appearing to become an issue.  Which just makes things easier for Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.  And whoever else starts at defensive end now.

- The Bears make the right choice for their franchise player on ESPN.com.

Detroit Lions

- Apparently, wide receiver Calvin Johnson is “scary good.”  Are you listening, Al Harris and Charles Woodson?

- The Lions fans and writers are pretty excited about a 2-0 preseason record!

- Another guy thinks Johnson is a beast.

Minnesota Vikings

- Overpaid free agent wide receiver Bernard Berrian is having toe problems.  Which is good for the Packers, bad for my fantasy team.  Damn autodraft.

- The Vikings defensive line depth is continually thinning.  Good thing for Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson.

- Is Chris Simms coming to Minny?

- Veteran quarterback Gus Frerotte will start the third preseason game for the Vikings due to Tarvaris Jackson’s sprained MCL.

That’s all folks.

It took 2½ months of healing for the Green Bay Packers running back to get to the point where he is comfortable enough to talk publicly about the burglars who broke into his home and tried to steal his valuables and ended up stealing a little bit of his faith in mankind.

Herron muted the TV, turned off his bedroom light and froze. When he could hear people forcing their way into his locked home, he called the police officer again urgently asking for help, then put his cell phone on vibrate. He unscrewed the solid wood post from his bed and tried to measure his breaths. He thought of Sean Taylor, the Washington Redskins player who died in November, one day after intruders entered his home and shot him. Herron felt his blood pressure rise. This was nothing like pregame adrenaline.

“Nothing. There’s nothing that even can describe it,” Herron said. “It was so much more. My heart was beating, like I could feel it in my throat. It was that intense. It’s not even a game. It’s life or death at that point. That’s what’s going through your mind. You know, the whole Sean Taylor thing, it’s like what’s going on.”

Although a lot of people admired Herron for fighting back and protecting himself, the incident traumatized him.

This incident flew a little under my radar, but I now hold Herron in higher respect than I did before.  This obviously caused a great deal of stress on him and the people he loved.  After the incident, he moved and ended up going to see a psychiatrist for a while.  I think people need to take events like these more seriously.  They need to see the mental effect it has on the victim.  My prayers are now with and will continue to be with Noah Herron as he tried to renew his faith in mankind.

“We just stunk,” offensive tackle Mark Tauscher said. “You can’t color it and put it in any other light. We flat-out stunk, and from an offensive standpoint, there’s nothing you can say. We flat-out were no good.”

I think that summarizes the overall performance. Since this is not a regular season game, I’m not going to go through and give all the individual stats and such. I’ll just cover the topics that I said I was not concerned about above.

Porous Offensive Line Play
The offensive line has long been a strong point of Green Bay Packers football. It wasn’t last night. Granted, they were playing a talented 3-4 defense, but people, it’s the San Fran-freaking-cisco 49ers. That’s not supposed to happen, even in preseason. The offensive line gave up six sacks last night, four of which were on the first team offensive line. Rodgers’ play was shaky from there on out.  I think the poor quarterback play could be a direct correlation from the offensive line play, but still, it was bad.

Despicable Backup Quarterback Play
So everyone thinks Brian Brohm is the backup quarterback.  Hell, some people wanted the Packers to ditch Rodgers for Brohm.  He had the job locked up from the time he was drafted, right?  Not so fast, my friend.  Brohm has been struggling.  Last night he was 4-9 for 33 yards and a fumble.  Not good.  Matt Flynn has quietly worked his way up into contention and could possibly beat out Brohm.  I’m starting to wonder if Ted Thompson is starting to regret his decision not to bring in a veteran quarterback, but something tells me he isn’t.  If he is doubting himself, he’s screwed as most of the decent backups are off the market.  A trade could possibly be in the works.  Possibly.

Lack of a Rushing Attack
Kregg Lumpkin rushed for 51 yards on 10 carries.  That boy is supposed to be cut by now.  Noah Herron rushed for 35 yards on six carries.  I didn’t think he’d be able to stay on the team either.  His main competition for the number three running back, Vernand Morency, rushed for a single yard on his single carry.  He was the leading receiver for the team, however, with one reception for 20 yards.  Brandon Jackson had 10 yards rushing.  The rushing attack is not looking good.  Ryan Grant needs to get healthy and get his ass back out on the field.  It’s great and all that he came to the voluntary workouts while holding out, but come on man, I’d rather have you skip the voluntary workouts and come into training camp on time.  Grant has set himself, Rodgers, the offensive line, and the offense back by not coming into camp on time.  I am absolutely furious right now about this.  Of course, as I said about the despicable backup quarterback play, the running game’s lackluster performance (except for Lumpkin) can be based off of the offensive line’s horrible play.

Inability to Stop the 49ers Offense
The defense was disgusting this game.  It’s J.T. O’-freaking-Sullivan torching the Packers for 154 yards.  What the hell?  Bring this up to par.  Brandon Chillar may have moved ahead of Brady Poppinga in the race for the final linebacker spot.  Yeah.  I actually had already had this part written but it got deleted and I forget most of it.  The Packers D needs to shape up.  I know it’s only preseason, and preseason does not matter overall, but I am rather concerned.

We do have hope however.  I remember an epic year where the Minnesota Vikings went 4-0 in the preseason, only to sputter, and finish in last place.  So hope remains for the Packers.

But now the two teams are in different directions.  Green Bay is breaking in a new quarterback, while San Francisco is still trying to find the successor for Young.  Ironically, Aaron Rodgers could be in San Francisco.  In the days leading up to the 2005 NFL Draft, the 49ers were torn between Rodgers and Alex Smith.  They chose Smith No. 1, letting Rodgers free-fall all the way down to #24 where Ted Thompson snatched him up.  Rodgers got the job of holding the clipboard for Favre for three years before getting his chance.  Smith was thrown into the fire Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles.  Smith has gone through three offensive coordinators in three years and is now on his fourth in Mike Martz.  Rodgers had to deal with the Favre debacle.  Smith is now competing with J.T. O’Sullivan and Shaun Hill for the starting quarterback position.  Rodgers is the man in Green Bay.

Yeah, tough cookies Alex.

Anyway, five things to watch for in tonight’s game:

1. The aforementioned storyline between Smith and Rodgers.  Yes, I know it’s preseason, but I’ll take any storyline not involving Favre I can get.

2. The battle for the backup running back.  As I mentioned yesterday, the battle for third-string running back is heating up.  Ryan Grant is not expected to play, so Brandon Jackson, Vernand Morency, and Noah Herron should see the majority of the carries and a chance to show what they can do.

3. The 49ers defense.  They’ve spent loads of cash on this lately, so let’s see if the cash will come through for them.

4. The Packers defense.  The Packers defense is going to have to do more work than they did last season with the offense in transition, so it should be interesting to see how they feast on a pretty weak offense.

5. The battle for backup quarterback.  Brian Brohm was thought to have this job locked up as soon as he was drafted, but fellow rookie Matt Flynn has impressed coaches and is expected to challenge Brohm.  Intriguing.

I’m not going to be able to watch this game, but good luck to the Packers.  I’ll have a report on it tomorrow.

According to coaches, Jackson is supposed to be the third-down back, but has shown trouble picking up the blitz in practice and in Monday’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.  Herron and Morency have both shown they can pick up the blitz, but their overall skill set is not near Jackson’s.  Herron missed all of 2007 with a knee injury while Morency was primarily a pass blocker in 2007.  I did not expect Herron to be re-signed this offseason, but Ted Thompson sees something in him.

Also, it appears that 2007 sixth-round pick DeShawnn Wynn is running out of options, as he tweaked his ankle earlier in practice and took himself out of the Bengals game.  He is not expected to play Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers.  He was the Packers’ most successful running back in 2007 until a shoulder injury sidelined him for the season and gave Grant a shot.

My pick: Morency beats out Herron for the third running back spot.

All of a sudden, Madden gets an idea.  Favre’s retired.  The curse won’t affect him.  Perfect!  Put that gunslinger from Southern Mississippi with the boyish enthusiasm and the rocket arm on the cover for Madden 09!  All of his wildest dreams were realized.  Or so he thought.  All of a sudden, Favre has an itch.  Of course, we all know Madden would gladly scratch it, no matter where it was located, but unfortunately, it was not that kind of itch.  And Favre came back.  With the New York Jets.

Oh shit.

The golden boy is on the cover in a Packers jersey, yet he now plays for the Jets.  He was supposed to be the first retired player to appear on the cover, but he unretired.  I’m not even sure if he is on the game (I had heard rumors he was placed in free agency).  So ultimately, it’s a snafu.  Or a faux pas.  Or some other fancy word.

I wonder if Aaron Rodgers is going to buy the game.

Bada bing, I got it!

The Madden Curse!

Everyone was wondering how he was supposed to get cursed if he was retired.  I think the favorite was a tractor accident.

Of course!

The Madden Curse curses retired players by giving them an itch to come back and play, which they ultimately do!

But now we have to see how it affects his performance on the field…

Aaron Rodgers.  Rodgers was drafted by Ted Thompson to be Favre’s eventual successor.  Rodgers was strung out along with the Packers organization during Favre’s waffling years, where Favre played a game of Should I Stay or Should I Go?  The offense would start to be built around Rodgers before it was quickly pushed back to Favre when he returned.  This offseason was probably the most tumultuous for A-Rod, as it was his, then Favre wanted to come back, aka a disaster.  But now it’s his and he can go his own way.

Tarvaris Jackson.  The Minnesota Vikings quarterback of the future.  Or at least that’s what the organization told him.  But then the tampering reports came out and many were left to wonder how committed the Vikings were to him as their quarterback of the future.  The Favre-saga definitely affected him, as he basically waited for Favre to come in and take his job at a few points.  However, that never happened and the starting job for him is safe, but I wouldn’t believe that he is 100% comfortable with the organization right now.

Kellen Clemens.  I honestly thought that Clemens would be the starter for the New York Jets this year.  He showed flashes of brilliance last year and would have won more games had it not been for the cases of the dropsies that affected Jets wide receivers.  Clemens felt he was in an open battle with Chad Pennington, one he ultimately could have won, but had the competition stripped from him with the acquisition of Favre, showing a lack of commitment towards him.  Favre’s decision that he was Moving to New York also affected Pennington who was released before being reunited with Bill Parcells with the Miami Dolphins.  Clemens will now have to wait a few more years before getting his shot.  Just like Aaron Rodgers.

Due to the fact I was on vacation, I had no access to write a preview for the Packers, so Daniel Evans from NFL Mocks was kind enough to write the YardBarker preview for the Packers.  He hit the nail directly on the head and I’m not sure I could have done that much of a better job myself.  Please go over there and comment and give Daniel a big thanks from the Lombardi Ave family.

Brett Favre is gone. To the New York Jets. With the way ESPN was sucking the teet of this story, I just wanted Brett to get traded to end the madness. I remember pushing the Packers to trade Favre to the Jets in July. And I was right. With Favre in New York, Aaron Rodgers is officially the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. I’m still going to wish Favre the best in New York and I’ll probably try to catch a few more Jets games than I would have. That being said, I am NOT becoming a Jets fan. I am NOT buying a Favre Jets jersey. Why not? Because I am a Packers fan. This whole controversy has divided the fans into Packers fans and Favre fans. The Favre fans wanted Brett in Green Bay and wanted him to start over Rodgers. Granted, some Packers fans wanted him to start. But these few did not use the “But he’s Brett Favre!” excuse to have him start. I think Rodgers can lead the team to a ten-win season. I can hear the Favre fans jumping on the Jets bandwagon.

This was an ugly affair, but nothing really comes that easy in the NFL. We all knew he would have somewhat of an “itch” to come back. I can safely say that I am glad he is gone and that the organization can move on.

Now that Favre is in New York, the Jets have all of a sudden gone from pretenders to contenders. But are they really going to be able to make the playoffs in the AFC? I’m going to say no. First off, the AFC is crowded with teams with playoff potential. In the AFC East with the Jets, there are the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are one of my sleeper teams for the 2008. They could definitely sneak into the playoffs in the wild-card. In the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns will duel for the division title and the AFC South has four teams that finished at or above .500 in 2007 and two wild-card teams in the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. As usual the Indianapolis Colts are in the driver’s seat for that division while I could definitely see the Houston Texans overtaking the Titans in the division. As for the AFC West, the San Diego Chargers seem to have it under wraps, but never count out the Denver Broncos. There are eleven teams (including the Jets) that I just counted that have the potential to make the playoffs. It’s crowded.

The supporting cast around Favre in New York is remarkably different from the cast in Green Bay.  The offensive line has young building blocks in D’Brickashaw Ferguson at left tackle and Nick Mangold at center.  Alan Faneca and Damien Woody could fall under the classification of old and overpaid, but it is safe to say that Favre is playing behind a solid offensive line.  In the backfield, Thomas Jones has not lived up to his potential in New York.  He has hit the 1,000-yard mark multiple times, but he has split a lot of time with Leon Washington.  Together they form a good combination, but neither of them have been able to match the support Favre got from Ryan Grant down the stretch last year.  The wide receivers in New York are average as well.  Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery are solid, but are totally different from the wide receivers Favre had in Green Bay.  Favre had speed in Green Bay.  Now he has to adjust to possession.  With the speed receivers, Favre did not need as much protection from the offensive line as Donald Driver and Greg Jennings could get off of the line fast.  Against a good bump-n-run defense that’s putting pressure on him, Favre could have some trouble.  Brad Smith does provide some speed, but fact is he is taking forever to develop into a wide receiver.  Favre also has long-time Packers teammate Bubba Franks in New York, but there is a reason that the Packers let Bubba go.  He’s aging and his production has declined.  He may be able to rejuvenate in New York along with Favre, but it is hard to tell.

On the defensive side of the ball, the it is quite possible that the Jets could like total fools this year.  The secondary is solid with Justin Miller, Darrelle Revis, and star safety Kerry Rhodes, while Eric Smith made four starts in 2007.  The linebacking corps could have some questions.  The Jets shipped Jonathan Vilma to the New Orleans Saints in the offseason, clearing the way for David Harris to take over in the middle.  Eric Barton is aging somewhat in the middle with Harris while Vernon Gholston will push Bryan Thomas on the outside.  The riskiest linebacker signing in the offseason was Calvin Pace, whom the Jets threw a lot of money at and who has had only one good season which happened to be 2007.  In the defensive line, the Jets acquired Kris Jenkins from the Carolina Panthers.  With this, the Jets put a 4-3 DT in the nose tackle position of a 3-4 defense.  Hmm.  Eric Mangini could know something.  The defensive ends are nothing stellar as well.  Fact is, it’s hard to tell if these signings are going to pay off for the Jets.

Everyone seems to have guaranteed the Jets a playoff spot.  They seem to forget, however, that they could be stuck with the 2005 and 2006 version of Brett Favre, which was absolutely awful.  Was 2007 a fluke?

I really want to wish the best of luck to Favre.  So there.

Good luck, Brett.  You’ll always be a Packer.

Jarrett Bush is one of YardBarker’s finest and he has been very active for an athlete in-season. After only a few hours after the game Jarrett provided us with a recap of tonight’s game.

I felt really good about our performance and man and we would have kept our 1st string in we would had killed them. but so yea me and tramon got the nod to start this game because al harris and wood sat out this game. but it was alot of fun and teaching some of the young guys about game time things and just little technique things. be if you guys didnt know we lost 17 to 20 but it also showed alot of progress we made and things we need to clean up. Araron looked good after a shaky first drive but then came thru big time so, that showed a lot of promise. And we shut down chad johnson, i dont think he caught any balls tonight that i know of…and we felt pretty good about the secondary.

You can check out his blog here.