It is reported that he should be ready for training camp next year following six to eight months of rehabilitation and provided there are no complications from his surgery.

Despite having Barnett in the lineup, the Packers have struggled mightily against the runnnig game this year, rankings 28th in yards allowed per game and 30th in yards allowed per carry.  In losing their best linebacker, the struggles have just compounded on each other.

Someone has to step up.  According to head coach Mike McCarthy, second-year linebacker Desmond Bishop could be inserted directly into the middle of the defense, as he was on Sunday.  Bishop came up with a key strip of Adrian Peterson on a fourth-down play late in the game, but also missed a tackle on Chester Taylor‘s 47-yard touchdown catch and blitzed the wrong gap on Peterson’s game-winning 29-yard touchdown run.  A special teams player in his rookie year, Bishop made the roster based on improvement this year and is attempting to make the most of his playing time.  McCarthy said the decision could be made soon.

Also in play are linebackers A.J. Hawk, Brady Poppinga, and Brandon Chillar.  Hawk could be moved to the middle linebacker where he played in college and insert Chillar into the weakside position.  Chillar was scratched from Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, however.  Hawk, the No. 5 pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, has played solidly, but not up to the high expectations that come with being a top-five overall pick.  He has had Barnett’s shadow to hide in, but now in Barnett’s absence he will have to shine.

I am not sold on Bishop completely, so I would advocate the second scenario of moving Hawk to the middle and putting Chillar on the weakside for the coming game against the Chicago Bears.  Based on how this linebacking corps works on Sunday, I would recommend McCarthy inserting Bishop into the game in certain scenarios to give him some time and figure out which linebacking corps to use use in the stretch run.

Barnett will be missed.  Is it time to start looking towards next year?

Coaching

Mike McCarthy really miffs me sometimes.  I give him props for owning up to making a mistake in challenging Adrian Peterson‘s touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, costing the Packers their second timeout, which would have been vital to a two-minute drill.  Having the second timeout would have given the Packers at least one more play, which would have allowed them another chance to get the ball closer for Mason Crosby.  No matter who the kicker is, I’d feel more comfortable with a 48-yarder than a 52-yarder.  Heck, a 50- or 51-yarder probably would have been good the way the ball was flying.

Tying into this, throwing a one-yard pass to Donald Driver with just over 30 seconds left on third-down was not the smartest decision on Aaron Rodgers‘ part and the play call was not the best on McCarthy’s.  I know the Vikings were bringing the house and if Driver breaks Madieu Williams‘ tackle, it’s a big gain, and Crosby’s field goal is a chip-shot.  However, a five-yard out along the sideline would have been a much better play call by McCarthy or a better throw by Rodgers.  I hate second guessing McCarthy, as I have tremendous respect for him, but that play just really left me scratching my head.

Another decision that I was really curious about was McCarthy going away from Ryan Grant and the running game.  Grant was having one of his better days, with 75 yards on 16 carries against a stout Vikings run D.  Earlier in the season, 16 carries would have barely netted Grant 20 yards against an average team, but Grant was showing that his stride is coming back.  McCarthy rode this horse to the NFC Championship Game a year ago; he needs to get back on it.  I love McCarthy was a coach, I have to say.  But that being said, he just makes some real head-scratching decisions.

Passing Game

Rodgers was fairly efficient in this game, completing 15 of 26 passes, but only for 142 yards and he could not connect with any of his receivers for a touchdown.  It would have also helped if he could have spent some more time on his feet.  The Vikings were in the backfield the whole entire game.  Jared Allen had two tackles, a sack, and helped force a critical safety.  Napoleon Harris was a human torpedo, leaping into the backfield on more than one occasion, getting a sack.  Linebacker Ben Leber probably had the hit of the game, as he absolutely laid-out (and I do mean absolutely laid-out) Rodgers as Rodgers attempted to go deep.  The Packers quarterback was visibly shaken up and you have to wonder how his shoulder has to be holding up after taking a beating like this.  I would say pass protection is the main reason that the passing game was struggling.  Chad Clifton was absolutely owned by Allen, and Scott Wells did not have a good game at center.

The Packers did bust out “The Big Five” for the first time this season, using the five-receiver set six times.  They netted four completions and 51 yards out of it, but it may have been counterproductive, exposing Rodgers to a vicious pass rush and some unnecessary hits.

Speaking of the wide receivers, the Packers star pass catchers were kept silent for most of Sunday.  Driver led all receivers with five receptions for 46 yards, including a great catch on a deflection during the Packers frantic two-minute drill.  Greg Jennings was shut down, catching only three passes for 37 yards.  He needs to have big games for the Packers to do well, and he was been neutralized in recent weeks.  One name appearing in the box score I haven’t seen in a while is James Jones.  Jones had one catch for five yards late in the game.  The second-year wide receiver was a key to the Packers early season success in early 2007, but has basically fallen off the map after his infamous two-fumble game against the Chicago Bears in Week 5.  I personally blame Brett Favre for Jones’ disappearance, but let’s not get into that.

Running Game

I just about covered this earlier.  Grant had a good game with 76 yards on the ground and a touchdown, but was basically written out of the game plan.  He needs to get going for the Packers to win.  It is absolutely imperative for Grant to have good games down the stretch for the Packers if they even want to make the playoffs, let alone win in them.  It was just total crap.  I know the Vikings have a great run defense that was holding Grant back and that the offensive line play was suspect, but give Grant the ball and let him make plays.

Pass Defense

The pass defense is what kept the Packers in the game for this one.  The secondary held Gus Frerotte to 151 pass yards on 15 completions out of 28 attempts.  The team picked him off three times, with Nick Collins returning one for a touchdown to cut the Vikings 21-10 lead to 21-17.  Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams also got in on the party.  Williams’ interception, however, was canceled out, as he gave up an early touchdown pass to Sidney Rice.  Williams foolishly gave up inside leverage on Rice near the goal line and Frerotte easily hit him for six.  Frerotte also had another touchdown pass to Chester Taylor after Taylor broke a Desmond Bishop tackle attempt and scampered for six.  Bishop was replacing Nick Barnett who had left with a knee injury.  Taylor was the Vikings’ lead receiver with four receptions for 84 yards with half coming on the aforementioned touchdown catch and run.  Peterson was the second-leading receiver with three catches for 33 yards.  Bobby Wade led all Vikings wide receivers with 24 yards on three receptions.  The Packers pass defense performed the best of all the units on Sunday.

Rush Defense

Can you say, “sieve?”  Well say it again, because that is what we were looking at folks.  The statline for Peterson: 30 rushes, 192 yards, one touchdown.  The Packers were absolutely gashed.  There is no way to really describe it, other than the fact Peterson was a man among boys, breaking tackles and turning gains of nothing into gains of something.  Just reading that statline should show how bad the Packers rush defense played.  There is really nothing else to say about it.  Young running backs seem to be the Achilles’ heel for the Packers: Peterson this week; Chris Johnson and LenDale White of the Tennessee Titans last week; how will Matt Forte of the Bears do next?

Special Teams

As I alluded to earlier, Crosby’s miss had a direct correlation to McCarthy’s timeout mismanagement and questionable play calling.  I trust Crosby’s leg moreso than any Packers kicker since Ryan Longwell.  People should not get down on the kid for missing this field goal.  It was makeable, but he missed.  Life goes on.  The Packers should have even been in this situation where they needed a game-winning field goal.  Why?  Field position.  The Packers took it somewhere oh so unpleasant on this facet of the game.  Their best field position came at the end of the game after a great kickoff return by Will Blackmon.  If the Packers field position had been better and they had not ended up with the ball inside the ten-yard line on numerous occasions for certain reasons (I’m looking at you, Blackmon), the Packers could have easily avoided those two safeties.  Take the safeties away, and what’s the score?  27-24.  Packers win.  But instead it was 28-27.  Packers lose.  So although I apologized to Blackmon yesterday for calling for bad things to be happing to him after his horrible decision and subsequent punt return for a touchdown, I’m not totally happy with him.  If he could get the ball out of deep in Packers territory, the safeties would have been avoided, causing at least a four-point swing.

The Packers could have come out of Minnesota with a 5-4 record and a share for the division lead.  Instead they come out 4-5, gasping for air and trying to stay above the water in the NFC North.

Week 1
Monday, September 8, 2008
Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers
7 PM ET
ESPN

This game is what I would call “interesting.” Longtime Packers quarterback Brett Favre was supposed to get his number retired before the game, but whoopsie, someone unretired and is playing for the New York Jets. My biggest curiosity surrounding this game is whether or not ESPN is still going to relocate their entire studio from Bristol, CT to Green Bay. I say no because they will most likely be too busy fawning over Favre’s New York debut to realize that there is a Monday Night Football game on their network. But then again, they do have to be there to criticize every Aaron Rodgers misstep, Mike McCarthy bad call, every Ted Thompson nose pick, and every thing else they can find wrong that’s going on and continue criticizing the Packers after they win. Oops. Did I give it away?

I can see John Clayton or Merrill Hoge talking on NFL Live after the Packers have beaten the Vikings.

“The biggest problem with the Packers now is their lack of experience. They only have one start between their three quarterbacks. I mean that’s ridiculous.”

And remember, they’re going to say that after every Packers game this year. I can see it after Week 17:

“The biggest problem with the Packers is still their lack of experience. There are only 16 career starts between all three of their quarterbacks.”

And then once the Packers make the playoffs:

“The biggest problem with the Packers now is that none of the three quarterbacks on the roster have started a playoff game. How ridiculous is that?”

Hey, guys, you know there was this dude named something like Fav-ray or something and, like, he started for 16 years in Green Bay and, like, never missed a single game, in, like 253 career starts, 270-somethinf if you include playoffs, right?

“I have no recollection of the quarterback you are talking about.”

Anyway, I digress. Less about ESPN and more about the game.

This game signals the big-time debut of an NFC North quarterback rivalry that seems to be in place for years to come: Tarvaris Jackson vs. Rodgers. Both of these players are surrounded by talented casts of offensive weapons. The Vikings have Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor and future-free agent bust Bernard Berrian surrounding Jackson. The Packers have Ryan Grant, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, and James Jones around Rodgers. Both of these defenses are top-notch as well. The Vikings acquired sack machine Jared Allen from the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason. The Packers have Aaron Kampman. Pretty even.

This game will come down to which quarterback makes the least amount of mistakes. Jackson has a full year of starting under his belt, while Rodgers has two preseason games. Both quarterbacks will be under the microscope for the whole season and will be scrutinized even more in front of a national audience. Rodgers will have a Lambeau Field boost, which should help ease the transition better than a hostile game in the Metrodome.

Matchups To Watch

Rodgers vs. the Vikings secondary: The Vikings secondary is full of ballhawks. Former Packer Darren Sharper mans the free safety spot and will be eying Rodgers the whole game, hoping to capitalize on a bad decision. And he will capitalize. The Vikings also brought in safety Madieu Williams in free agency from Cincinnati. Williams was probably one of the best players on Cincinnati’s defense. Which isn’t saying much. Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin will have all they can handle in Driver and Jennings.

Packers O-line vs. Vikings D-line: The O-line always used to be a strong point for the Packers. This preseason, not so much. Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton can handle or at least contain Allen and the Vikings defensive ends. The pressure falls on the interior lineman such as Scott Wells, Jason Spitz, Josh Sitton, and whoever else is in contention for a spot to contain Pat Williams and Kevin Williams. That will be a key to a Packers victory.

Vikings O-line vs. Packers D-line: The Vikings O-line is top notch. Bryant McKinnie and Steve Hutchinson make up a fantastic left side of the line. The Packers D-line lost Corey Williams to the Cleveland Browns and have had injury problems with Justin Harrell and Colin Cole at defensive tackle. There should be a sufficient pass rush on Jackson with Kampman and Cullen Jenkins. The trenches will most likely decide who wins this.

The Verdict: This is a tough decision. I’m going to take the Packers over the Vikings, 24-21. Yes, this is homerism shining through. But I do not see the Packers losing a Monday Night Football game at Lambeau to the hated Vikings. It’ll be close, but Rodgers will perform well enough to pull it out. Hell, maybe there will be a new “Monday Night Miracle.”

Packers record after Week 1: 1-0.