As we all very well remember last year, the Packers had possibly the worst injury rash of any Super Bowl-winning team.  With 15 members of the team returning from injured reserve in addition to 10 draft picks, not including players they have and will sign to futures contracts, the Packers already seem to be bursting at the seams. The Packers will have some difficult decisions on who to cut and who to keep in the upcoming season.  We can be almost certain that we sill see several of the players who will be released appear on other teams rosters.

Out of the returning players from the IR,  Jermichael Finley immediately jumps out as a game changer.  Finley is one of the most versatile weapons the Packers posses.  As the Lombardi Sweep has noted prior, Finley creates mismatches that can drive a defensive coordinator crazy.  With him back in the line up, it will also make it harder for the Bears, and other Cover-2 teams, to remain in their core defensive formation.  Which linebacker in the league would you trust to cover Finley over the middle without safety help? (more…)

Last year, I heard the sentiment that Dom Capers did not want to blitz Brett Favre, because Favre had seen every blitz, and you weren’t going to surprise him with anything.  He would not get rattled and he would read the hot route, and pick you apart.  We all remember those two bitter defeats that the Packers suffered to the Vikings last year.  Each game, Brett Favre picked apart the Packers.

This preseason, I read an article which included part of Sean Payton’s speech prior to the NFC Championship game against the Saints.  The brilliant basis of which turned out to be true:

“When you get older in life, you tend to get very careful, and a little more fearful,” Payton said, according to players and staffers who were there. “You start thinking about your own mortality. If it rains outside you might not go to the store, especially at night. You figure you’ll just wait it out. You might have somewhere to go and you tell yourself I don’t want to go there. You don’t want to get in a wreck. If you keep hitting him (Brett Favre) he’ll make a mistake. If we keep putting pressure on him (Favre) he’ll start being careful, he’ll start doing anything he can to avoid getting hit and he’ll make a mistake. I promise you, if we hit him for four quarters, he’ll turn into that old man who’s scared of the rain.”

To sum up, we need to hit Favre early and often.  He is old, he will get scared and he will make mistakes.

I hope that Dom Capers reads this article and watched the NFC Championship game.  It would be very disappointing to see the Packers rush three or even four against Favre.  I firmly believe, the key to stopping the Vikings is hitting Favre.  If he has all day in the pocket, he will pick apart our injury-plagued defense.  If he is put on his back frequently, he will produce turnovers and give the Packers the opportunities needed to win this game.