Green Bay Packers: Deep and mostly random thoughts
JAaron Rodgers was in the news this week … for good things. Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Another week has gone by placing us another week closer to the start of the NFL season. A lot has happened in Green Bay Packers land this week and even across the border in the land of ten thousand puddles.
First a belated birthday shout out to Clay Matthews (and his hair). Nothing like celebrating a birthday with a new contract and a revamped defense. Now maybe he will finish off the year with a nice shiny trophy and maybe even a Defensive Player of the Year award.
Moving on, Aaron Rodgers teamed up with Bart Starr for An Evening with Aaron Rodgers for the MACC Fund. All reports indicate that the night was a success. I think the best quote I read from the night was how Rodgers looks up to Starr. You have to love it when the past and the present mesh so well. Maybe someday we will be able to have all three of our Super Bowl winning quarterbacks together at the same time.
Speaking of Brett Favre, Mark Murphy again mentioned how it would be nice to have him back in the fold. Personally, I am still on the fence with the whole Favre thing. He did a lot for this team but his attitude and behavior at the end tarnished so much. Guess I still need more therapy to work through those issues.
The new batch of rookies had their orientation and a lot has been written about big toes and projecting who will do what. Two simple thoughts – first, the big toe held up fine last year so why worry unless it falls off; secondly, you have to love the attitude and demeanor of Datone Jones. I love how he is setting his goals to be on the level of Reggie White. If those dreams pan out, that would be a formidable defense with Matthews and Jones.
The Packers shareholders meeting was also announced for July 24. As an owner, I went for the first time last year and have my schedule set to return again this year. So there will be a full report coming on the heels of that trip. Hopefully the new concession stand registers are working and I don’t get a bill for $999,969.78 for popcorn and soda like last year. If you are a shareholder and have never gone, I highly recommend it.
The last thing I wanted to touch on was a little note to our friends to the West. It has been some time since I have commented about their happening only because I wanted to give their fans some aditional time to learn some new words for insulting me when I point out the obvious. Hopefully, they have moved on from the common vernacular of name calling and come up with something a little more intelligent.
Here’s what the Vikings’ new stadium is being compared to … it’s OK to laugh out loud here …
As our own editor Ray Rivard pointed out, the Queens have finally put together their plans for a new stadium to replace the inflatible garbage bag known as the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (sorry I am old school). Being smarter than the Twins organization, they understood the importance of having a roof over their heads. The sad thing is that they stole the plans from a Jawa Sandcrawler (Star Wars Episode IV reference). Ironically, just like a Sandcrawler, it is going to be filled with bits and pieces of scrap and throwaways and in the end the Queens are hoping they can assemble something that would resemble a team and not blow a modulator or ACL.
Interestingly enough along those same lines, rumours are swirling around the league that the purple tutus are looking at former Chicago Bear Brian Urlacher. It just supports my theory that they like taking scrap from other teams. Plus it just goes to show that they have no concept of how to draft and develop. Someday they may learn that history will repeat itself and like the Vikings of old, plundering will get you nothing more than a footnote in history. Oh, wait! They have that footnote, something about never winning a Super Bowl.
I also enjoyed the news that after this season, the Queens will be playing two years at TCF Stadium,
TCF Stadium will be the home of the Vikings in 2014 and 2015.
home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (full disclosure, I graduated from the UofM, I support my college teams no matter how badly we get pummled each and every season). I find it interesting that they did not try to work out a long term deal to play all their games there. With Christian Ponder at quarterback and the general makeup of the team being equal to junior college players, the Queens are finally playing in a stadium fit for their level of play. I would even give the Gophers a slight edge in a one-on-one matchup against the Vikings.
So guys, install the underground heating coils so you can take another step toward trying to be like Lambeau Field and good luck playing in the dead of winter at TCF stadium. Maybe, just maybe that Vikings heritage you try to foster will keep you warm as you shiver and shake your way to trying to be relevant.
Let the Viking fans begin the insults and hey, see if you can step it up a notch and try to add some class this time around. You disappointed me last time with the regular name calling. Try to do better for the sake of your team!
GO PACK GO!