Packers Season Preview - Offense

Did you know the Packers have a new quarterback behind center this year?? Brett Favre was traded.

Not exactly a conversation you hear very much these days around Green Bay. It is impossible to be a football fan and not know that Aaron Rodgers will be taking snaps this year for the Packers, the first time a man other than Favre will start games for Green Bay since 1992. Everything that can be said has been said about the situation, so it is not worth spending a lot of time on. For all the question marks about Rodgers, there was a reason this guy was being considered as the number one pick in 2005. Also, remember that, unlike other highly-touted quarterbacks who came into the league, Rodgers has had three years to observe, has playmakers all around him and has a solid defense on the other side of the ball. Expect numbers around 22 touchdowns and 14 picks from Rodgers.

The man to whom Aaron Rodgers will hand the ball off has a lot of work to do. Ryan Grant was set to get the ball on the second play from scrimmage in the final pre-season game, but Rodgers and Greg Jennings had other plans. The end result is the Grant has had minimal contact since January, due to his hold out during contract negotiations and the short-term injury bug. The Packers are expecting big things from Grant, but it is not known whether he can handle a full-season workload (Had only six carries over the first six weeks last year). For that reason, Brandon Jackson and Kregg Lumpkin will be of utmost importance to the Packers down the stretch. Jackson did not play a lot himself last year, dealing with injuries on three separate occasions and taking a backseat to Grant. He has shown drastic improvement since last year and should get 80 to 100 carries this year. Lumpkin, an undrafted rookie who was given virtually no chance to make the roster over the recently released Vernand Morency and Noah Herron, will see some action but will probably not be asked to shoulder too much of the load. Green Bay surprised many in keeping two fullbacks in Korey Hall and John Kuhn.

The Packers receiving corps is rivaled in depth on the team only by the linebacking group. Veteran Donald Driver heads up a group of otherwise young receivers that will give trouble to defensive backfields across the league. Driver, Greg Jennings and James Jones all specialize in yards after the catch (YAC) and were among the league’s best in that category last year. On more than one occasion, Jennings used a 180 degree spin (catching the ball on an in-pattern and spinning away from the center of the field to run along the sidelines) to fool defenders and boost his quarterback’s numbers. Jones is built like a rock and showed in the pre-season that he can take a hit and still find his way into the end zone. Ruvell Martin and Jordy Nelson complete a five-wide receiver set that creates matchup issues for any team. The 6 foot 4 inch Martin and 6 foot 3 inch Nelson will be particularly attractive options in the red zone.

Of course, none of these guys will look any good unless the line can hold it together. The Packers were among the best in preventing sacks last year, ending up in the lower part of the league in sacks allowed. However—and this is where Favre may most be missed—they had a veteran quarterback who had over a decade and a half of reading defenses and making the right calls at the line. Favre’s ability to know when to get rid of the ball contributed to low sack totals, as well.

The bookends of the line, Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher, are mainstays for the Packers, and as long as they can stay healthy there are no questions. The Packers expect Scott Wells to be their center for the fourth year, but back problems may keep him out of the Packers first couple of games and could have lingering effects. The man to Wells’ right, rookie right guard Josh Sitton, is also expected to miss at least one week of action. Needless the say, the first few weeks of the season might prove difficult and frustrating for the Packers offense, but all should be in place by week four or five. It has to be, or this offense won’t click.