Archive for January, 2009

# Team Pick 1 Detroit Lions (0-16) Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia 2 St. Louis Rams (2-14) Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss 3 Kansas City Chiefs (2-14) Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech 4 Seattle Seahawks (4-12) Andre Smith, OT, Alabama 5 Cleveland Browns (4-12) Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest 6 Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1) Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia 7 Oakland Raiders (5-11) Everette Brown, DE, Florida State 8 Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri 9 Green Bay Packers (6-10) Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State 10 San Francisco 49ers (7-9) Mark Sanchez, QB, USC 11 Buffalo Bills (7-9) Duke Robinson, OG, Oklahoma [...]

You all remember how earlier I presented a plan for the Green Bay Packers to acquire Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers? Well things have gotten a little more interesting. The Packers hired former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Jeff Trgovac to coach their defensive linemen, a move seen by a coup by many, as Trgovac had just been offered a new contract to stay at the same post in Carolina. This move is a bit of a head scratcher for me, as Trgovac ran a 4-3 defense in Carolina, yet he is being brought in to coach a three-man defensive [...]

I’m going in to get wisdom teeth taken care of, so this may be the lat post for a few days. Recently, I’ve had a lot of people ask me about the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement that expires after the 2009 season, which would create an uncapped year for 2010. Most NFL fans cringe at the thought of an uncapped year as they feel the NFL would just be turned into MLB. However, the changes are deeper than just the thought of Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder dropping cash everywhere a la George Steinbrenner. It’s more than that. But unfortunately, [...]

Yesterday, I presented a plan to help boost the Packers back up into the upper echelon of the NFL by signing Dom Capers as defensive coordinator, inserting the 3-4 defense, and then signing Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers in free agency. Well that plan is halfway complete. The Packers have reached an agreement with Capers for him to be their new defensive coordinator.  Capers accepted head coach Mike McCarthy‘s offer after the two men spent much of the weekend discussing the Packers defense and what needs to be done to improve it.  Capers was the fourth candidate interviewed by [...]

Earlier today I posted what was good from the Arizona Cardinals 32-25 win over the Philadelphia Eagles to send the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl.  Now it’s the AFC’s turn.  The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 23-14 in a hard-fought matchup pitting two of the NFL’s fiercest rivals opposite each other. First off, Ravens fans can’t blame the referees for losing this game.  Yes, the referees missed two huge calls: the roughing the kicker call after Mitch Berger fell on his butt when Edgar Jones just happened to be lying on the ground next to him and Ryan [...]

This is the first of two blogs of playoff observations today.  First I’ll be tackling the Arizona Cardinals 32-25 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Glendale, Arizona, before going over the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-14 win over the Baltimore Ravens up in Pittsburgh.  So what I noticed about the Eagles-Cardinals matchup: Larry Fitzgerald is the best wide receiver in the National Football League, hands down.  I can’t think of anyone else who could come close to him.  Fitzgerald has the right combination of size, speed, and hands.  His statistics from Sunday (9 receptions, 152 yards, 3 TDs) back this up.  The [...]

This idea might sound crazy, but it’s crazy enough that it might work.  But like any good idea, there’s multiple parts to it.  I feel that this could turn around the Packers defense for years to come. Step 1: Hire Dom Capers. The vacancy Bob Sanders left at defensive coordinator is particularly glaring for the Packers.  The defense, although ravaged by injuries, always seemed to be a step behind the offense in certain games, most notably the Packers 51-29 defeat against the New Orleans Saints.  After a 2007 season where the defense was fantastic, the Packers defense looked old and [...]

In moving up in the technological spectrum, Lombardi Ave is now on Twitter!  You can find and follow us here.  I’ll be posting links to new blogs there so hopefully it will expand Lombardi Ave’s readership.  So please, if you’re also on Twitter, follow us! Also, please remember that Lombardi Ave is on Yardbarker, right here, as well.  Please take some time to bark us up as well. Thanks! –DJ

With the release of the 2009 schedules, the Packers appear to be looking at another difficult schedule.  The schedule for the 2008 season was deceptive, as many prognosticators had the Packers going anywhere from 8-8 to 12-4, but were basically flat-out wrong as the Packers stumbled to a 6-10 record.  So without further rumination on 2008, here is what the Packers are looking at for 2009. The following teams will be coming to Lambeau Field at some point during the 2009 season: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, and Cincinnati Bengals. [...]

Happy New Year’s Packers fans! With 2009 upon us, we can immediately cleanse ourselves of the dismal season that was 2008. It’s a new year filled with new opportunity for an underachieving team.  However, the new year also ushers in the fact that the team is one year older, which is both a positive and a negative. The 2008 season was a season filled with hope for the Packers.  Coming an errant Brett Favre pass away from the Super Bowl, the team looked to repeat their 13-3 performance and take it a step farther.  The offseason was marred by a [...]