We need help at running back, left tackle, and safety.

After the bye Atari Bigby, Brandon Jackson, and Chad Clifton will be healthy. Aaron Rodgers and the offense is starting to put things together. The Minnesota game actually made be optimistic. Our defense showed they could stop the run, but for some reason we refused to blitz on third down passing situations. That is correctable.

The Packers are 2-2. They are not yet a great team.

The Bears are 3-1, but we did beat them.

The Vikings are 4-0.

Sure, this all seems to be trouble. But let's look at the schedules first.

Week 5
GB - BYE GB - 2-2
Min @ Stl - MIN 5-0 (Everyone riding the jock)
Chi - BYE CHI - 3-1

Week 6
Det @ GB GB 3-2
Bal @ Min Min 5-1
Chi @ Atl Chi 3-2

Week 7
GB @ Cle GB 4-2
Min @ Pit Min 5-2
Chi @ Cin Chi 4-2
(Now it gets serious)

Week 8
Min @ GB (To decide the season) GB 5-2 Min 5-3
Cle @ Chi Chi 5-2

Week 9
GB @ TB GB 6-2
Min BYE Min 5-3
Ari @ Chi Chi 6-2

Week 10
Dal @ GB GB 7-2
Det @ Min Min 6-3
Chi @ SF Chi 6-3

Week 11
SF @ GB GB 8-2
Sea @ Min Min 7-3
Phi @ Chi Chi 6-4

Week 12
GB @ Det GB 9-2
Chi @ Min Min 8-3 Chi 6-5

Week 13
Bal @ GB GB 9-3
Min @ Ari Min 9-3
STL @ Chi Chi 7-5

Week 14
GB @ Chi GB 9-4 Chi 8-5
Cin @ Min Min 10-3

Week 15
GB @ Pit GB 9-5
Min @ Car Min 11-3
Chi @ Bal Chi 8-6

Week 16
Sea @ GB GB 10-5
Min @ Chi Min 11-4 Chi 9-6

Week 17
GB @ Ari GB 11-5
Nyg @ Min Min 11-5
Chi @ Det Chi 10-6


Playoff Seeds

1 - Saints
2 - Phi
3 - GB
4 - SF
5 - NYG
6 - Min

Wild Cards

Min & GB -- Brett Favre broken down, outside in the snow at Lambeau.
NYG @ SF

Divisional

GB & Phi -- Redeem for 4th & 26
NYG @ Saints

NFCC

GB @ Saints -- Superdome Brees v Rodgers shootout

Super Bowl

GB v Bal -- Flacco Rodgers, last game for Ray Lewis. Slugfest.


So, aside from the hysteria on my Tuesday morning past week 10 or so, the next 4-5 weeks will give us a great shot here.

I feel better already.
but now looking back again, that's wins against Dallas, San Fran, and Minnesota...........

Maybe you're underestimating San Fran.

Not to mention that it's a win against Minny twice. Hmmm... time for revenge for '04 (I think it was - the WC loss to Minny)?

I agree with the premise of this post and what NeuBrew has laid out...but instead of making a new thread I will keep my comments on this as the Optimism thread...

Changes and updates we could make iin short order and should help...

1. Bigby and Jackson and Clifton--Not saying it fixes it all.. But it should help...Not a change unless we could use someone elses Med Staff , cause it sure takes our players longer on returining to the field...
2. Lang looked pretty good considering he was limited with the first unit...But I have hopes on that...coudl be better choice then flipping over the whole line depends on Item 1 with Cliffy..
3. Desmond Bishop needs more playing Time..Not sure why we hold onto Barnett..But That seems to be a possible trade bait along with I hate to say it but Kampy..Either use him to his suite or get something for Kampy... Kampy or Barnett should be able to get us some immediate help in areas of need( RB, Safety, and OL)
4. I would not mind using Chillar/Hawk/Bishop/Mathews/Thompson and maybe that LB Kid Greene Likes...
5.Also keep Nelson returing Kicks....
6. Maybe just maybe Jags could come back to help Campy with the Line.... The line was decent in 2007 with Jags there

Not sure on JAGS contract with the Bucs..But It would not hurt I think...

JMO

No all is not lost, I for one just hate losses heading into a bye week because have so long to wait before another game. Still that may actually be a good thing for the players, they need to be a bit embarrassed and make sure that it never happens again.

I agree guys will be coming back that will make this team better. Bringing back Jags is interesting, is that something that could be done at this point?

Some additional points:
1- I have recently got on the the bring Tauscher back bandwagon. Breno, can't be worth much if he did not get on the field last night considering all the injuries. Besides Tausch is a good locker room guy.
2- Chris Mcallister is still available, put Blackmon on IR and sign the cagey vet. Maybe move Al Harris to saftey(Favre went after him a lot last night)..
3- Get the player believing in the team again by turning them loose. Woodson is saying he feels foolish for talking about the super bowl given the play of the team last night. MM and DC were way too conservative in their calls. The offense opened up once they were behind and started getting aggressive, so why not just be aggressive right off the bat. DC is known as a blitz guy, he was not last night...

Harris cannot play saftey. The big issue on the TD pass was help on top and he got zero. Without any pressure on the QB, our DB's are on an island.

By the way Nuebrew really like your forecast, I think that generally that is a pretty fair forecast. I think that the Blat and Pit games for both GB and Minny are a bit of wild cards. You have the both Min and GB losing to both where I think that there will be at least 1 win and that could be the difference in who wins the division. The other games of concern IMO for the pack are the Dal and 9er's games. GB should win these, but they should have beat Cin too. For Min I think they could have loses against Cin and or AZ.

GB is in a hole, but the season is far from over...

Go Pack, go!!!

Yes, that was 95% Martin's fault. Still AH was never fast and seems to be slowing more now. I know AH has never played safety, but that does not mean he can't. Look at the way he tackles, he has had open field tackles of Adrian Peterson and Steven Jackson over the past few weeks, and playing back would help cover for his lack of speed. I'll admit I have been a proponent of moving CW in the past and that would be crazy now considering how he is playing. Yes a pass rush would cure all this, but last night GB had no pressure...

I don't think Harris has the built for safety. He's too skinny and lanky, not enough bulk. He's listed as 6'1" 190. The closest weight safety we have is Martin at 198, however he's only 5'10. Even Woodson is 12 lbs heavier than Harris at 202. Bigby is 213. Harris couldn't hold up to the pounding a safety takes in comparison to a CB. Yes he makes decent tackles in the running game every now and then, but can you see him being asked to blitz against a FB?

we continue like this i see a 5-11 season.

Loss going into bye week - I see it as bad for fans but maybe good for team. If they win last night, they're riding high for no reason. Let's face it, GB isn't playing that well overall. O line, running game, pressuring the QB. They've got quite a way to go. They've got the bye week to dwell on it and get a chip on their shoulders. McCarthy will be on them harder after the loss. I expect them to get better as the year progresses.

The Vikings on the other hand look like they're at their best. They look like they should be a dominating team but they're not. That's probably the best game Favre will have all year and they won by 7. Remember week 4 last year Favre threw 6 TD's. I just don't see them playing better as the season progresses. I see Favre tiring out and getting worse the later the season gets. I actually thought the Vikings would win by 17.

So I'm optimistic about improvement. Not to the same extent as Neubrew, I don't see a Superbowl this year or even NFC championship. But if they can shore up the O line and get a little more pressure, I could see a playoff berth.

ok, the good news is that the Pack whiffed on 3 red zone (or near red zone) opportunities and still only lost by 1 score. They totally shut down the best running back in the NFC if not the NFL. If I would have told you before the game that AP would rush for under 100, you probably would say the Packers would win the game. This was a game in Minnesota that the Queens were supposed to win. They did, and the Packers just need to even the score at Lambeau. Allen shouldn't be nearly as fast on grass and the O-line won't have to contend with the crowd noise.

The Pack have 2 very winable games after the bye. Win the games you are supposed to, and 4-2 after the bye will look much better. The Packers must not falter anymore against beatable opponents (like Cincy) and must defend the home field.

Ed Reed is only 200 lbs. Have you seen the way AH tackles and plays? He already plays pretty physical. I know this is probably not going to happen, but given the state of the packs safeties right now it may be the best solution. He did ok on the blitz he got fined for earlier in the season...

I'm not drinking the kool-aid, Neu. It breaks my heart everytime. I love optimism, I do, but my realest views override it.

If we get to 11-5 it will be from the grace of God, and God alone, because if I'm a betting man, Rodgers is going to get seriously injured sooner than later.

No Rodgers = No Wins.

Right now what concerns me the most is not protecting Rodgers but getting something going on the ground. 6 of our last 7 are played in stadiums with possbile weather issues which may slow down the passing game. At this point this team is very one dimensional, not good in bad weather situations. On the other had Minnesota plays 7 of its 11 indoors which will not only help with home field, it will help Favre since we all know how he reacted in cold weather. IMO big advantage Minnesota

Good grief.

Even "The Optimism Thread" can't escape pessimism.

I'm all for healthy debate but this is too much for me.

See you all in November...

PEOPLE

Does anybody remember how the Mike Holmgren's Packer teams played in Minn during the 90s? Favre played terrible, the OL couldn't block Randle & Co. Favre fumbled and was sacked so many times in each of the games in Minn. I think Holmgren only won 1 or 2 games there.

We need to get back to the short passing game and get the running game going and play action off of that and throw deep.

I hope we can win at least 9 games, but every game will be difficult. Detroit is playing better so those 2 games are not guaranteed wins anymore.

You want optimism! I'll give you optimism! Anybody can run around going, "oooh, 20 sacks, we lost to Favre, we lost to the Bengals, the sky is falling!" Maybe that's fun for you, and if it is, then I have nothing against your masochism. But I, on the other hand, enjoy being happy. So stick this in your pipe and smoke it:

1. Bye week, Lions at home, Browns. That means 4-2 going into an outdoor home game against Favre and the Vikings in November. If they can pull that off they get the Bucs (awful), the Cowboys at home (falling apart), and the 49ers (beatable), then the Lions on Thanksgiving. That's right, I'm calling a 7 win stretch giving the Pack 9 wins leading to a home game against the Bmore Ravens on MNF ... after an 11 day rest for the good guys.

2. The Packers held AP to 2 yards a carry on 25 attempts. I know, I know, Brett killed us ... well, you know what? He HAD to kill us. They had no running game after the first quarter. This after hearing all week long about how AP was a "Packer Killer" although Im still trying to figure out when that happened. What, 2 good games in his whole career makes him a Pack killer??

3. Is there a team more primed for a big time crash and burn then the Minnesota Vikings? Favre has faded in November and December for the last 5+ seasons and is 40 years old and Mr. Noodle is one of the worst coaches in the NFL. No pressure guys, but anything less then a championship and the season is a total waste. So in other words, even if the Packers suck, you will most likely get to see the Vikings fail. At least for me, that never gets old.

4. We're not mathematically eliminated and we still have 3/4ths of the best sport in the history of the world (outside of foxy boxing) left to enjoy. The Packers will get their O-line straigtened out, win about 10-11 games and make the playoffs. Anything after that, after a 6-10 season, is gravy.

5. I know Brett is still playing and all, but honestly, did you ever believe we'd follow up one of the greatest QBs of all time with someone as good as Rodgers? You want optimism? Thy name is Aaron Rodgers.

Phishtar, while I appreciate your optimism, saying the Lions and Browns next means a 4-2 record is pushing it. When the Bengals were coming into Lambeau, didn't that mean a 2-0 start? Can't take anything for granted in the NFL these days.

A big reason Favre faded at the end was cold weather and injuries. He seems healthy and they get 7 or their next 11 indoors which will help both Favre and Minny

You have the Packers going 11-5 after watching this team perform for the last 4 weeks?

I would be happy with 8-8 at this point. Actually, I'll be happy if Rodgers is alive in week 17.

Oh, where is that thread with the Super Bowl talk?

And people say I remind them of Monte Python!

He's just resting!

Yes. You can. You can take the Lions after the bye for granted. And you can also take the Browns for granted. But you don't have to take them for granted. I'll do so for you. As I did, with my prediction.
Teams Phishtar is taking for granted:
The Lions (check)
The Browns (check)



Well injuries ... he's playing with a tear in his rotator cuff and he's 40 years old. And he seems healthy, but it's also only the second week of October. Did I mention he's 40? I know popular opinion is that men are mortal, and then there's Brett Favre. We shall see. My optimism is based on the "Ravages of Time" which is currently undefeated when matched against athletes.

I'm sorry, but I have to object to the pessimism introduced to a thread that is clearly titled "The Optimism Thread". At a quick glance, I have noticed that the pessimism angle is covered quite thoroughly in other threads. In fact, almost all of them. Were this called "The Optimism and Misery Thread" I could understand.
I demand equal opportunity!

Equal Time

If you think about it last Monday we went into that house of horrors known as the Humpty Dump with a patchwork O line against one of the better D lines in football. If Lee would've caught that TD and we put any amount of pressure on #4 that game could've turned out very differently. With Rodgers getting slammed repeatedly and running for his life he kept making plays. I think the queens played about as well as they can the other night and Rodgers still carved them up for 342 yrds. If we can shore up that O line our offense can be a big headache for our opponents. In a few weeks well face those purple clowns again outside on grass with 70,000 screaming Packer fans out for blood.

But first things first. We have to go into the next 2 games with the same mindset we did with the Rams and just take care of business. Beat the teams you're supposed to beat. Looking back I don't think we underestimated Cincy. They are just that much better than they were last year.

Dude, did you check the thread title?


Of course 11-5 is optimistic.

Ah, yes, of course!

Terry: Help, help, I'm being repressed!

I think the excellent preseason faked a lot of people out and made them forget what they should have known: The 3-4 defense is going to take time to fully implement.

The offensive line gets a lot of attention because it's an obvious shortcoming. The fact remains, however, that in their losses this season the Packers game up 30 and 31 points. While the D has also scored some points based on excellent individual efforts, you simply cannot give up that many points and expect to win football games.

Happily, we've given up that many points because the 3-4 is still being installed. This is good news because we can realistically expect improvement as the season progresses -- players will be in position more reliably, the playbook available on D will get deeper and continued exposure to the defense will allow our playmakers to make those instinctive plays rather than concentrating on nuts-and-bolts like where they need to be on the field.

So even if Clifton's and Tauscher's returns don't improve the offensive line much, we can still count on improving throughout the season.

Excellent outlook by all the optimists. Go... Pack... Go!

Have a chat with my brother about sex. You'll feel much better afterwards.

I'll ask you how you feel when the Packers are 11-5.

Happy thought.

Many of the discussions of late sound just like the Giant fans did after week four of the 2007 regular season.

Coughlin needs to go, Eli will never be a winner......

Now that is a good analogy......

No, it's a horrible analogy. The Giants had a great O line and great D line. They controlled the line of scrimmage, and it just took a little while for the rest to fall into place.

Only the biggest optimists in the world would say the Packers O line will be a huge strength for the rest of the year.

Comparing The 2009 PACKERS to The 2007 Giants?

Now that is optimism!!!

I'm all for the end results being the same.

Ok, I'm back (please, hold your applause )

I'll trust most of the over-the-top pessimism has subsided.

As for the thread topic, win the next two and we're in FIRST PLACE!

Hey, if it wasn't for the Baltimore kicker's stupid miss, we would actually be ahead of the first optimistic projection in this thread. Not too bad.

If we can beat MN at home and beat Tampa, I'll feel real good about 6-2, even with the tough remainder of the schedule.