A Look Back – The 2009 Green Bay Packers season had to be considered an encouraging one if you’re a Cheesehead. The Pack are officially back and as dangerous as they ever were from the Brett Favre days. QB Aaron Rodgers looks like the real deal, as last year marked the second straight since effectively starting his career in which he threw for 4,000+ yards. Pair that with a DC Dom Capers stop unit that ended up finishing the season ranked point-spreads.com2 overall at 284.4 yards per game.
Key Addition – OT Brian Bulaga – The Packers didn’t really need a massive offensive lineman to bring with them to the 2010 season, but with aging tackles on both sides of the line, the depth certainly isn’t going to hurt any. Bulaga was tabbed as a potential Top 10 pick in this draft, so for Green Bay to snare him in the back end of the first round was really a steal. Rodgers will appreciate Bulaga’s athleticism against some of the quick defensive ends that this division has to offer.
Key Loss – DE Aaron Kampman – Truth be told, Kampman was probably at the end of the road in Green Bay anyway. He really wasn’t a great fit in Capers’ 3-4 scheme as an outside linebacker, but he wasn’t big enough to play as a down linemen either. Yes, Kampman ended up with 3.5 sacks in just nine starts in 2009, but with names like Barnett, Hawk, and Matthews in this linebacking corps already, this isn’t going to be a tremendous loss. The Pack did a fine job of keeping the rest of this team intact from ’09.
2010 Will Be a Success if… – The defense continues living up to its abilities. Many felt as though this defense overachieved in 2009 by being ranked point-spreads.com2 in the league, especially after watching it get torched for 51 points in the Wild Card round of the playoffs by the Arizona Cardinals. DB Charles Woodson picked off nine passes a year ago, and if he can continue to find that fountain of youth and keep the secondary in order, the Packers are going to be very, very dangerous.
The Crucial Game – Keep a close eye on that game against the Vikings at home on October 24th. Favre got the best of his old mates in both games last year, and that’s what made the difference between winning the NFC North and having to go on the road for the first round of the playoffs. Especially if point-spreads.com4 comes back in purple this season, everyone in Cheesehead Country is going to have this game circled on their calendar, and it becomes all the more important because it will be Green Bay’s fourth home game before Halloween.
Predictions - We love the Packers this year regardless of whether Favre comes back or not. This is a team that is only going to get better offensively for as long as Rodgers keeps showing signs of improvement. Anything less than a dozen wins, even with this atrociously difficult schedule, would be a brutal disappointment.
2010 Green Bay Packers Regular Season Schedule
9/12 @ PHI (Pick)
9/19 vs. BUF
9/27 @ CHI
10/3 vs. DET
10/10 @ WAS
10/17 vs. MIA
10/24 vs. MIN
10/31 @ NYJ
11/7 vs. DAL
Bye
11/21 @ MIN
11/28 @ ATL
12/5 vs. SF
12/12 @ DET
12/19 @ NE
12/26 vs. NYG
1/2 vs. CHI
