2009 Badger Football

Let me make myself clear: I like this year's Badgers.

I like our schedule. I like our running game. I like the attitude of our players and coaches.

I like our secondary more than I have in years. Jay Valai makes plays. Aaron Henry is an All-BigTen talent. I like our guys back there.

I think our LBs are underrated. I like what I hear about Mike Taylor. I worry about our DLine, but i don't tell anybody about that.

There is no way our QBs can be worse than last year. Our starting QB from last year is now #3 on the depth chart. I love Garret Graham.

Nobody with a press pass in the entire country like the Badgers this year. I do.

I will be not be in U-65 much this year. I will be at the LA Coliseum and it will be weird (I'm attending USC Marshall MBA). But that can't stop, and won't stop, my unabashed homerism.

I am psyched for the new year. I think Northern is pretty good, but fuck'em, Bucky. We are more talented than most people give us credit for. We're like a sneaky badger, with sharp claws, hiding behind a mud hill. Come forth and bleed, foes!

It's always hard to project in college FB, when you don't see any preseason action and you have to go on newspaper reports, and the whispers from program insiders. But I like the whispers, and newspapers are dying dodo birds anyway.

Chilly

Welcome to Minnesota, make I take your order please?

What does 3-0 mean?

So I don't usually care about preseason NFL football, and I still don't really. The Lions were 4-0 in the preseason last year, and that turned out pretty well for them. However, I can't ignore the success the Packers have had in their first three games. I have only managed to see bits and pieces of games, so I can't make a completely legitimate analysis. That said here are some thoughts:

1. Offense: I believed from the start last year, and I continue to believe, that Aaron Rodgers is the real deal. Is he going to be the Packers version of Steve Young? I don't know. Is he going to be a top 5 NFL QB? Yes. He is top 10 now, and he will get better. The O-line is a work in progress, and it will be interesting to see how they do when opposing defenses play more than their base packages. The running game, as always, is the key. Grant looks better this year, and we need a full year out of him. I was impressed by Tyrell Sutton, who heretofore shall be known as Wildcat. He runs downhill, and has a good sense of space and how to read the zone blocking schemes. I hope Jermichael Finley continues to show the promise he has shown this preseason. TE seems to have been our weak spot in the receiving game, so we could us another presence down the middle.

2. Defense: So far so good. If we can force 3-4 turnovers per game, we will have no problem winning games. Obviously that won't happen. However, in the interview I saw with Charles Woodson he seems happy with the new system. He is more comfortable in read coverage than the previous press coverage. I'm hoping for a huge season from him. Nick Collins is motivated by his contract situation, he fortunately is not named Brandon Marshall, and is out to prove that he fits the new system. Kampman is still learning, but I remain hopeful that he can make the same transition that Jason Taylor made and continue to destroy people. As I said, so far so good, but I'm a bit more reserved in my enthusiasm for the defense. I think more will be revealed in the early regular season. That said, I did draft the Packers D as my back up in Fantasy this year.

3. Special Teams: I have not paid enough attention to make a comment. I continue to wait for Crosby to be given a shot at a 65 yarder. He will make one.

Reason the Vikings (and their fans) Suck #43872

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-vikings-favreeffect&prov=ap&type=lgns

How is it possible that the Vikings hadn't sold all of their season tickets already? AP isn't enough for 'Queens fans? That franchise should hang its head in shame.

I've noticed nobody has rushed to post in re Captain Narcissus. I was going to, then I reread Mr. Man's post from 7/29 and realized that there was nothing more to add. Nothing has changed except it's August, not November. Even the media can't get excited this time. They seem to be doing their due diligence, but certainly aren't going crazy.

Question: Was there a game of significance (i.e. close playoff game) after the Super Bowls in which Brett didn't throw a pick that changed the course of the game? I can't think of one.

You stay classy, Rick!

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4392828

Don't you wish this guy was our coach?

Make sure you read about the incredibly romantic story of how this woman met her husband. Classic.

Give Break Please

Right, right so Favre says he's staying retired. But then he qualified it with baloney like this, as relayed by Peter King:

"I passed up the greatest chance I could have had right now, and it hurts,'' Favre said. "By saying no, I know I'm leaving an incredible opportunity on the table, and that opportunity is not coming back.'' There's no sense in asking the question about whether this is it for Favre. He said he was finished 17 months ago in Green Bay, and he insisted he was finished five months ago after leaving the Jets. Even he knows his gut feeling can't be trusted right now. "Very unlikely,'' he said. "I really believe this is it. I truly, truly believe it's over. But if someone calls Nov. 1, who knows?''

Dear God. Here's what he's really saying:

(1) I'm old;
(2) I'm spoiled;
(3) Playing football is hard, especially when the fans are mean to you and the team you're on isn't that good and everyone doesn't cowtow to you;
(4) I'm not interested in participating in a training camp or really practicing at all, especially not for a full season; and
(5) After Tom Brady shredded his knee in the first game of the regular season last year, I realized I should have waited to demand to be traded, so I could have selected a better situation for myself.

Sigh...

Favre Tidbits

According to this article, John Elway had the same biceps-disfiguring surgery as Favre just had, before he and Terrell Davis led the Broncos to two Super Bowl victories. Crap. The toothy car salesman from the San Fernando Valley is also egging on Favre to return. Haven't you done enough, Elway?

Also, providing further fuel for the "Favre is really just in it for the money" theory, Favre has filmed a commercial for Sears, featuring him, wait for it, waffling over a purchase at Sears. Sigh. I guess it makes fun of him, so that's good. But the man has no shame. Or at least, he has no shame now, when he knows he's nearing the end of his commercial viability. How much do you want to bet that he gets fat, and then gets thin again and jumps on board with Marino's Nutrisystem ads?