Sunday, September 23, 2007

Paper Tigers?

Shouldn't I be more excited that the Packers and Badgers remain undefeated? Yet somehow winning ugly is not all that satisfying (in the case of the Badgers), nor is winning without any running game to speak of (Packers). It is exciting that Brett tied the record and that he will likely break the TD record before the INT record.

In the case of the Badgers, the jury will remain out until they have completed the gauntlet of the suddenly scary Wolverines, the apparently formidable Buckeyes, and the up-and-down Nitany Lions. We can hope that the vengeance factor plays a role against the Wolverines, and the Penn State is down and not up. If we can beat the Buckeyes at the O (now that they have closed the bottom part of the Horseshoe) I think we can consider ourselves a legitimate team. Alas, I do not see us in the National Championship game, even if we go undefeated. I think that USC, LSU, and OU will likely all also go undefeated, and the likelihood of 2 of the 3 losing is fairly slim. Florida may also not lose a game ever again with Urban Meyer at the helm, so they should also be in the mix. But I am getting ahead of myself. Sparty is next, and they can clearly score some points. They have fired the insanest coach in the world, and so may be less prone to blowing huge leads...Oh, and I would also like to take a moment and bask in the warm glow that is the 0-4 start for the Irish. It makes feel all cozy inside.

As for the Pack, it is hard not to be excited about the 3-0 start. Before the season I would have been happy with 2-1 and not horribly disappointed at 1-2. Even with their blemishes and lucky breaks, I think the Pack has shown that they are a legitimate NFC playoff team. I think they are better than the Lions and 'Queens, and should be able to split with the Bears. The AFC clearly has the two best teams in the NFL, and possibly the third if Pittsburgh is for real. The Chargers are clearly going to suck under Norv Turner (as every other he coached team did), so today's win is less exciting than it seems. Still, I am hopeful for some January football in Green Bay. If somebody has the time this week, could they page the 2003 Packers offensive line and tell them that we would like them back? That would be great.

1 comment:

Mr.Man said...

The Badgers are only disappointing because Donovan is an average to below average passer. He left a lot of points on the field against Iowa.

The Packers don't have much of a running game, it's true. But the O-line pass blocked very well, and the team ran decently as a change up. Also, no one can just run on the Chargers. Jamal Williams is the best run-stopping d-lineman in the NFL.

It's hilarious that the Chargers are unable to recognize that teams like the Pats and the Packers are going to come out throwing and pass until it stops working. I blame the new defensive coordinator--not Norv directly.