2007 GreenBay Packers

The Packers, despite having an aged QB, have stayed true to a slow moving, build from within approach. 2007 could be the year that the Pack get back in the playoffs.

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The 2005 season was brutal for Brett Favre and Packers faithful. 2006 wasn’t looking a whole lot better until Green Bay was able to cap off the season on a four-game winning streak, narrowly missing the postseason. Despite this being Favre’s 17th season, his skills are still there. The youth has matured over the last few seasons and it now appears that they will be ready to make a playoffs run.

With Mike McCarthy came a West Coast-style passing game and a zone-running scheme. The passing attack is holding up on its end of the bargain finishing eighth in the league last season, but the run game is lacking. It finished just 23rd in the league last season. A constantly maturing offensive line should help the run game to see improvement instantly in 2007, which is only going to improve the passing attack into what could be a top-five unit. The time for the Pack has got to be this season. Favre is seconds away from hanging up his cleats and when he does, the Packers are going to experience an obvious setback. It will help soften the blow if the Pack can get a dominant run game installed now.

The defense’s improvement is really what makes this team a playoff caliber unit. I’m not sure what it was, if management threatened to shut off the heat in the locker rooms or what, but the Pack tightened the screws defensively in the second half of the season and it resulted in pure success. A.J. Hawk appears to have the makings of a star. He reminds me of a young Zach Thomas. The Packers finished in the middle of the Pack in total defense, rush defense, and pass defense last season which put them ahead of schedule. Last season’s late run has this team’s expectations higher than they have been in some time. We can expect more improvement in every statistical defensive category as these youngsters should enter the 2007 season with more confidence. A critical lineup change moving defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins outside last season shows why coaches get paid millions. This helped the defense against the run and really improved the pass rush. If the Packers’ run defense can hold its own against the talented run offenses of Chicago and Minnesota, Green Bay could be a sleeper in the North.

The books have set the Packers total wins number at 7.5 wins. We feel this is a gross underestimate as we have them chalked up for a nine-win year. We’ll gladly make an over wager here on the Green Bay Packers and collect on our bet.

By Jeff Alexander – 7/24/2007

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