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2012 NFL Team Preview: Green Bay Packers

How did the Green Bay Packers fail to repeat as the Super Bowl champions last season? On the outside, it’s hard to believe. Green Bay had a 15-1 record, Aaron Rodgers threw for 45 touchdowns and Jordy Nelson had a breakout season. When you dive deeper and realize that they had the NFL’s worst passing defense, Greg Jennings had a down year and their rushing attack was non-existent, it makes sense.

Detroit and Chicago have improved their rosters this off-season and are both preseason favorites to make the playoffs. The NFC is loaded this season and every team will need to be almost perfect to achieve their goals. Can Green Bay fight off the rest of the pack and make another Super Bowl appearance?

Here is our 2012 NFL team preview for the Green Bay Packers.

2011 Win/Loss Record: 15-1

Key Additions: C Jeff Saturday, DE Anthony Hargrove, DE Phillip Merling, DE Nick Perry, DT Jerel Worthy, RB Marc Tyler, CB Casey Hayward, S Micah Pellerin, DT Mike Daniels and OT Andrew Datko.

Key Losses: QB Matt Flynn, RB Ryan Grant, OT Chad Clifton, CB Pat Lee andC Scott Wells.

Non-Division Schedule: AFC South and NFC West

Fantasy Sleeper: RB Marc Tyler – James Starks has the starting job going into the season, but he has never had the job by himself. He split the carries with Ryan Grant last year, who is no longer on the team. John Kuhn is still around to vulture touchdowns in Green Bay. The backup running back job is up in the air. Marc Tyler has the best shot at winning the job over Brandon Saine. Tyler had a solid career at USC, a college known for grooming elite NFL running backs. If you draft Starks, make sure you grab Tyler or Kuhn as a handcuff.

Team Analysis: The winner of the NFC North will be beaten and bruised by the playoffs. It will be difficult for a team out of this division to keep it all together through to the Super Bowl. Rodgers is an elite quarterback, but will have little help from the running game. They signed veteran center Jeff Saturday to bolster up the line, but he has never been great at run blocking. The defense was a big problem for Green Bay last season. Clay Mathews and B.J. Raji had down years, but did see increased production from A.J. Hawk and Desmond Bishop. The Packers front office didn’t do anything to improve the secondary in the off-season. They drafted Hayward, but Green Bay’s secondary is still long in the tooth. Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford are drooling at the chance to face them. If they can’t get pressure on the quarterback, Green Bay will lose games because of their secondary. For that reason, I have them losing the NFC North, but still getting a wild-card spot. The Packers will not make the Super Bowl in 2012-13.

2012 Wins Over/Under Line: 12 (Prediction: PUSH)

2012 Projected Win/Loss Record: 12-4

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A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

NFL Football – Week 6 Betting Picks

I had a pretty good week last week with my NFL picks against the spread. There were a lot of bad games and a few blow-outs, but did fairly well. There are some big games this week with some strong teams coming off bye weeks. A few underdogs look to win ATS and maybe even win against the moneyline. Here are my NFL picks against the spread for Week 6.

Since my Indianapolis Colts are on bye week, I don’t have a sure bet pick this week. I can actually focus more on other teams than worry about Peyton Manning’s knee and Adam Vinatieri’s replacement. Oh God, they freakin’ signed Matt Stover! Okay Bobby focus…..let’s get to the picks.

Kansas City Chiefs (+6) at Washington Redskins (-6) – My pick is Kansas City

When two bad teams play each other, always go with the team that has the better coach. I am not sold on Jim Zorn since Day 1 and Kansas City is better than they have played so far this season. I like KC to put Jim Zorn and Washington out of their misery.

Houston Texans (+4.5) at Cincinnati Bengals (-4.5) – My pick is Cincinnati

Houston can’t stop the run and I expect Cedric Benson to run all over the Texans. Carson Palmer and Chad OchoCinco can also light up the Texans’ secondary. I love the Bengals in this game to cover the spread.

Cleveland Browns (+14) at Pittsburgh Steelers (-14) – My pick is Pittsburgh

The Browns are horrible and I can’t see them putting up more than two field goals against the Steelers. Pittsburgh can play their reserves at this point and win by two touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens (+3) at Minnesota Vikings (-3) – My pick is Minnesota

This is going to be a good game, but Minnesota’s defense is better than Baltimore’s offense. Joe Flacco is good, but he’s still only in his second year, the Vikings will give him trouble. I like Minnesota to win and cover the spread at home.

St. Louis Rams (+9.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars (-9.5) – My pick is Jacksonville

I don’t like either of these teams this week, but Jacksonville will have a chip on their shoulder. The Jaguars were blown out last week and Mike Sims-Walker should be back this week to help the passing attack. Maurice Jones-Drew should have a big day and Jacksonville will win ATS.

New York Giants (+3) at New Orleans Saints (-3) – My pick is New Orleans

I would love the Giants in this game if Eli Manning was healthy and Brandon Jacobs was running the ball effectively. The Saints defense is better than expected and can hold a banged up Giants offense. The Saints will win a close game, but they will cover the spread.

Carolina Panthers (-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3) – My pick is Carolina

Carolina and Tampa Bay have looked very bad this year and if it was possible, they would both lose this game. Carolina was on a bye last week and they are rested and should be able to win and cover against Tampa Bay.

Detroit Lions (+13) at Green Bay Packers (-13) – My pick is Detroit

The 2009 Detroit Lions team is not the team that went 0-16 last season. They have stayed in games and have been pretty competitive. They seem to have trouble in the 2nd half of games, but I feel that they can keep this game within two touchdowns. I like the Lions against the spread, but the Packers will win the game.

Philadelphia Eagles (-14) at Oakland Raiders (+14) – My pick is Philadelphia

I really like the Eagles and they were my preseason pick to win the Super Bowl this season. Their offense is clicking and they have a solid defense. The Raiders are as bad as can be and I don’t see them scoring many points against the Eagles. I love the Eagles to cover in this game.

Arizona Cardinals (+3) at Seattle Seahawks (-3) – My pick is Arizona

Seattle looked amazing last week, but the Cardinals are always dangerous. Seattle has a true homefield advantage, their crowd is insanely loud, but I like Arizona’s passing attack against Seattle’s secondary. I believe that is the battle that will win the game for Arizona.

Buffalo Bills (+9.5) at New York Jets (-9.5) – My pick is New York

This could possibly be the last game that the Bills have both their head coach and/or Terrell Owens. The Jets had a rough game against the Dolphins last week, but they bounce back and win this game and cover the spread.

Tennessee Titans (+9) at New England Patriots (-9) – My pick is Tennessee

New England is having a hard time on defense this year. It has been good, but the linebackers are banged up and they just signed Junior Seau. Tennessee is on their last legs and Kerry Collins needs to take care of the ball if he doesn’t want to hold the clipboard for the rest of the season. Give me the points and I’ll take Tennessee against the spread, but the Patroits will probably win a close game.

Chicago Bears (+3) at Atlanta Falcons (-3) – My pick is Atlanta

The Falcons smoked the 49ers last week and the Bears are coming off of a bye. Chicago has had trouble on offense, if you throw out the Detroit game. I like Atlanta to keep up their winning ways and cover against Chicago on Sunday Night Football.

Denver Broncos (+3.5) at San Diego Chargers (-3.5) – My pick is San Diego

I’m not exactly sure why the Broncos aren’t favored in this game, but not many people are buying Denver yet. San Diego is coming off of a bye week and they are fresh and healthy. The Broncos have played very physical games the last two weeks and I like San Diego to actually win this game.

I hope you enjoy our picks. They are for entertainment purposes and please bet responsibly.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

2009 NFL Preview: NFC North

I recently went through every game on the NFL schedule and predicted every game. I will be using those totals to predict who will win the NFC North this season. Will Brett Favre help the Vikings this season? Will Jay Cutler compose himself? Can the Packets defense step up and help their offense? Will the Lions win a game? Check out out NFC North Preview.

Chicago Bears– (Projected Finish 11-5)

The Bears sold the farm and got their prized quarterback. Jay Cutler is going to be a nice addition to the Bears offense. They haven’t had a decent quarterback since Jim McMahon, Erik Kramer almost had that title, but one good season doesn’t count. Matt Forte is going to have a great season and I would watch Earl Bennett to be catching balls left and right from Cutler. The Bears offensive line is sold and with the addition of Orlando Pace and with Chris Williams having a year under his belt, Cutler will stay upright more than he was in Denver.

The Bears still have a strong defense, but their Achilles heel would be their secondary, especially safety. The linebackers have to hold this defense together and makes sure that they control the running game, so the safeties can cheat a little to make up for the lack of athleticism at the position. They aren’t the same defense that made the Super Bowl a few seasons ago, but they are still very good.

The NFC North play the NFC West and AFC Central this season and they lucked out. Both of those divisions are a bit down, minus the Steelers, but Chicago gets them at home. The other non-divisional games are at Atlanta and they get Philadelphia at home, both should be very tough. The Bears should bounce back and make the playoffs this season and will at least garner a share of the division title this season.

Minnesota Vikings– (Projected Finish 11-5)

Brett Favre made the Minnesota Vikings as popular as the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers this off-season. There were more stories about them than both of those teams combined. Favre isn’t the quarterback that lead the Packers to a comeback season two years ago, but if he can stray away from the turnovers, he can help this team. All they need to do is give the ball to Adrian Peterson, throw some underneath passes to Percy Harvin and let him run, and go over the secondary and throw deep to Bernard Berrian. It’s a pretty simple plan and it will work.

The Vikings defense has been statistically one of the best defenses over last three seasons. The addition of Jared Allen added the extra pass-rushing presence that they needed to be elite. Pat Williams and Kevin Williams cog up the defensive line and make it near impossible for any running game to be established. The way to beat the Vikings would be to pass on them and allow the running back to help pass block. Antoine Winfield will pick off passes and make quarterbacks pay, but he is the lone star in the secondary.

The Vikings early season schedule is very favorable. It can allow Favre to get seasoned and get into better shape as the season goes by. The five out of the last six games of the year, they play possible playoff teams. They play Arizona, Carolina, NY Giants, and Chicago twice. If Favre can stay healthy all year, they will make the playoffs.

Green Bay Packers– (Projected Finish 6-10)

Packers’ fans have only two games circled on their calendar, at Minnesota, and home against Minnesota. I believe they realize that they won’t be a playoff team, but their season would be considered a success if they can beat Favre. Aaron Rodgers had a decent season last year and should have another decent year, if he can stay upright. Ryan Grant had an off-year last season and needs to produce or Green Bay could be looking for a new running back next season. James Jones and Jordy Nelson should establish themselves and up-and-coming receivers this season.

The Packers have put in a 3-4 defense and Aaron Kampman is going to play linebacker. It’s a change from a defense that looked like swiss cheese last year. The addition of B.J. Raji should help their run defense and look for decent seasons from A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett. Their secondary is old and they need to get younger. Al Harris and Charles Woodson have been in the league 12 years and are showing signs of age. Teams will be able to pass on them all day. They will need to score a lot of points to win games this season.

Green Bay is a tough place to play towards the end of the season. They get Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Arizona at home the last month of the season. They will need that extra Lambeau-edge to compete with those teams. The Packers are facing another tough season this year and need to re-build their secondary to be a contender.

Detroit Lions– (Projected Finish 2-14)

Good news for the Lions, they will win a game this season. Bad news for the Lions, they will lose a lot of games. It doesn’t matter who plays quarterback for the Lions, they aren’t going to win many games. Matthew Stafford will be starting by mid-season, but Daunte Culpepper might be a decent option to start the year. Calvin Johnson and Bryant Johnson are both nice receivers, but they need a QB to throw them the ball. They should rely heavily on Kevin Smith this year, but their offensive line still needs work.

Head Coach, Jim Schwartz, should help get this defense up to par, but they are still a long way from being good. They have some nice pieces there, but they will need to gel as a unit. Julian Peterson, Ernie Sims, Phillip Buchanon, Anthony Henry, and Stuart Schweigert should all help out. They have at least one good player at every area, but the depth is not there. If the injury bug hits the defense, it will be even worse.

The Lions will be searching for their first win in over a season. The third game against the Redskins could potentially be their first win, but that would be the earliest potential win and it is still a long shot. The sixth game agains the Packers or the seventh game againt the Rams could be when the winless streak ends. One game that I have to watch is the game on October 11th against the Steelers. I don’t think the game will be competitive, but it will be a good litmus test of how this team will react when they are faced with elite talent.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.