By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. –   There is comfort in seeing what the Brewers’ off-season acquisitions, Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich, are doing at the top of the order to start the season.

Green Bay’s GM, coach sing praises of Packers’ free-agent acquisitions

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Cain, the All-Star centerfielder, bats leadoff.
He is 8-for-14 with three doubles, three RBI, 11 total bases and three stolen bases. Cain, a Gold Glove defender, is hitting .571.
Yelich, the left-handed hitting left fielder, went a cool 5-for-5 in the Brewers’ 7-3 victory over San Diego Saturday at Petco Park. It raised Yelich’s batting average to .500 (7-for-14) with a double, three RBI and eight total bases.
Yelich, like Cain, is a first-rate defender.
The Brewers’ 3-0 start isn’t merely based on top-notch pitching and timely defense. It’s also based on making aggressive off-season moves to upgrade the team, which is what the Brewers’ owner and front office did in acquiring Cain and Yelich.
So what does that and the Brewers’ hot start to do with the Green Bay Packers’ upcoming season?
It has this in common: The Packers, like the Brewers, acquired proven, top-rate help in Muhammad Wilkerson and Jimmy Graham. If Wilkerson and Graham perform like the Brewers’ Cain and Yelich have – and there’s little reason to think they won’t – the Packers will be considerably better on both sides.
The Packers also added veteran cornerback Tramon Williams to provide insurance and depth. Frankly, if Williams can still run, he will likely start in the Green Bay secondary.
Williams, 35, was Pro Football Focus’s 9th-ranked cornerback for Arizona. He played far better than anyone the Packers lined up with, and should have a key role in new coordinator Mike Pettine’s defense.
In fact, Wilkerson, the sometimes-dominant veteran defensive end, and Williams both played for Pettine in past NFL lives. They also both played well for him and speak highly of him.
While some focus on the details: Does Wilkerson want it bad enough? Can Williams still run? The obvious reality is this: The Packers have built – and bought – a defensive culture.
The Packers’ Mike McCarthy wanted Pettine as his new defensive coordinator. Then he empowered him – along with GM Brian Gutekunst’s support – by acquiring not one but two players with experience in his system.
Meantime, Graham’s presence at tight end helps in many ways.
Let me count them:
** Graham is a monster in the red zone. He had 10 red-zone touchdowns last season with Russell Wilson in Seattle. This season, he and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers might combine on 15 or more touchdowns. Rodgers is that great, and Graham is still that good.
** Graham’s ability to move the chains by catching first down passes on third-and-short to medium-range down-and-distance, coupled with his underrated ability to set an edge in the run game.
Graham is OK with doing his share and more as a run blocker, so long as the offense reciprocates by getting him the football in critical situations and the red zone.
Graham is a team player and appears to be a tremendous off-season acquisition by the Packers.
If he and Wilkerson can provide the one-two punch that the Brewers have been getting from proven talents such as Cain and Yelich, Green Bay should contend for the NFC North title.
“Free agency, we’re going to be really good at it,” McCarthy said at the league’s owners’ meetings last week, “because we should be.”
Gutekunst called Green Bay the perfect place for “players who love the game of football.”
That may sound like provincialism at its finest – and it is – but what Gutekunst is saying at the heart does ring true.
What better place than Green Bay to refocus and rededicate a career that may be flagging for whatever reasons?
Graham’s career is far from foundering, and Wilkerson’s got the resume (double-digit sack seasons and well-regarded endorsements) to expect him to make an immediate impact.
Furthermore, Williams is an upgrade over Damarious Randall, Kevin King 2.0 will be better, as will Josh Jones.
The Packers dearly need a pass rusher at No. 14, followed by (in any order) a cornerback, a receiver and another pass rusher with the next three selections.
Meantime, free agency has been a viable and active option.
“I think when (free agents) come to Green Bay, despite how much snow is on the ground, they understand how important it is to us and how much of the resources we put into our club,” Gutekunst told reporters at the owners’ meetings.
“I think those guys see that right away, and that’s really important for us as we try to acquire players, too, is (to) find guys like that. If guys are looking for the beach or nightlife or things like that, that’s not really necessarily the kind of guy we’re looking for. We’re looking for guys who are fully invested in the team, and guys who are wired that way.”
That is a polite way of saying, “Only serious candidates apply.”
I agree with the sentiment, especially if it’s backed by action that furthers this philosophy and agenda.
Players such as Santana Dotson, Reggie White and Sean Jones were much-accomplished in football, but came to Green Bay because of a common belief that a Super Bowl was possible.
In fact, they almost made it seem inevitable.
I’ll be curious to see how quickly the Packers’ locker room dispatches the Martellus Bennett-type foolishness and conducts itself like a team that expects to win big.
Veterans such as Wilkerson, Graham and Williams foster it.
It’s not unlike the Brewers’ acquisitions of Cain and Yelich. It’s no coincidence the Brewers opened 3-0 at San Diego. There is no way that happens without the big-name free agents.
Graham and Wilkerson raise expectations.
Fortunately, they’ve got the game to back the hype.
It’s a gamble the Packers, like the Brewers, need to make if they want to be something more than so-so. In that regard, don’t criticize the Packers (or Brewers) for not doing more.
Give them a “that a way” for daring to be the best.

By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. –   It has been an emotional week for the Packers’ fans during their team’s current off-season makeover.

Packers’ GM Gutekunst releases WR, adds TE while search for CB continues

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It has been high-fives one minute and furrowed brows the next.
It has been an up-and-down ride that is still rattling and rolling along its merry (and occasionally not-so-merry) way throughout free agency, the draft and into the regular season.
Much of the fans’ fussing and fretting is rooted in reality. That would be the reality that the Packers, and in particular first-year GM Brian Gutekunst, face a significant challenge.
The Packers aren’t in need of a simple refurbishing. They’re in need of a full-blown remodeling that’s just shy of a rebuild.
The Packers’ fans revel in the euphoria of signing Jimmy Graham only to be subdued by word of Jordy Nelson’s release.
They bask in the addition of Muhammad Wilkerson only to be disheartened by word that the Chicago Bears, as expected, matched the Packers’ offer sheet to Kyle Fuller. The Bears had five days to match; they took what seemed like five minutes.
They realize that Graham’s presence is apt to re-establish the Packers’ offense among the NFL’s most explosive. And they recognize that Wilkerson’s talent and experience are likely to bring a much-needed tenor and toughness to the front seven.
Still, they worry, as Packers’ fans are won’t to do.
I can’t say that I blame them.
It’s reflected in their reaction to recent events.
They see moves that, in the past, would’ve called for cartwheels but now merely elicit a, “Yeah, but what about X, Y and Z?”
Or, as in Green Bay’s case, the letters “C” and “B.”
The most glaring hole is at cornerback, where the Packers have second-year pro Kevin King, oft-injured and inconsistent Quinten Rollins, unheralded Josh Hawkins and the receiver-turned-cornerback Herb Waters.
PS: Waters is coming off a back injury.
Perhaps Gutekunst will augment the position by adding a slew of stop-gap veterans. Maybe players such as Davon House (again), Tramon Williams (again) and/or Brashaud Breeland if/when he gets healthy from a reported ATV accident (he failed Carolina’s physical and is a free agent) can lend a hand or two.
Tyronne Mathieu and Rashaad Melvin – veteran cornerbacks who might’ve filled the Packers’ void – have signed elsewhere.
The top cornerbacks are all gone, although I still give high marks to Gutekunst for signing Fuller to an offer sheet. The fact that he also engineered the Damarious Randall trade is a bonus.
DeShone Kizer is going to be a starting-caliber quarterback some day, and the Packers’ leapfrogged 25 spots in the draft. Plus, they got rid of a player it appeared that the head coach really didn’t care to have on the roster.
The good news is Green Bay still has the fringes of free agency, as well as the upcoming draft, to add more cornerbacks.
A pass rusher at 14, a cornerback in the late-first round (combining the 45th pick and others to move up), and a receiver at 101 would make a lot of sense.
Clearly, second-year pro Josh Jones will have an expanded role and the Packers may wish to re-sign Morgan Burnett once the veteran safety gets realistic about his market value.
Meantime, fans should be excited about the offense’s prospects with a healthy Rodgers throwing to Graham, who is far and away the most talented tight end he’s played with.
Graham, at 6-7, 266, is a monster.
He caught 10 touchdown passes in the red zone last year. He uses his great size to shield defenders, and his great hands to pull in the football. He is the tight end that Packers’ fans hoped Martellus Bennett would be a year ago.
Fortunately, Graham is no Bennett. He is much better.
The Packers’ running game should benefit from Graham’s presence. The massive tight end is a willing blocker, so long as he’s also heavily included in the passing game. Some suggest that’s a problem. I say what’s wrong with a player wanting to make a major impact on his team’s fortunes?
Graham is a difference-maker. So is Davante Adams.
Aaron Jones might be. Randall Cobb once was.
If both stay healthy they could be big-play weapons. The combination of Jamaal Williams and Ty Montgomery as the team’s primary runner (Williams) and No. 1 receiver out of the backfield (Montgomery) in established roles has great potential.
The offensive line remains anchored by David Bakhtiari, Bryan Bulaga, Corey Linsley and Lane Taylor. Justin McCray, Adam Pankey, Jason Spriggs and Kyle Murphy are all decent options.
Now, it’s time to shake the shrubs for cornerbacks.
The Packers’ fans are in need of reassurance as this most critical position, and an infusion of anybody who isn’t a “nobody” would be welcome.

By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. –  The concern over Packers president Mark Murphy’s alleged power grab, GM Brian Gutekunst’s potential to be Ted Thompson’s clone and head coach Mike McCarthy’s clout being undermined was grossly exaggerated.

Gutekunst, McCarthy trade Randall to Cleveland for QB, better draft position

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While fans can quibble over the means to a happy ending – winning a championship – they have to admit there’s new aura at 1265. That positive energy should produce better than 7-9.
I believe this for two reasons:
** No. 1 – Murphy, Gutekunst and McCarthy share a singular goal: Making the Packers great again. Their combined egos – if rolled into a ball – would rattle around like a BB in a box car.
What this trio has in common with Bob Harlan, Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren is a “Packers first” mentality. It was much the same with Harlan, Wolf and Mike Sherman as well as Murphy, Thompson and McCarthy.
** No. 2 – Gutekunst’s early decisions strongly suggest that the GM and the coach are on the same page.
Murphy chose to oversee the hiring and firing of both the GM and the coach because he wanted them to work in tandem. It wouldn’t have been prudent to promote the GM over the coach.
Thus far, Murphy’s wisdom is being revealed in action.
The trade that sent cornerback Damarious Randall to Cleveland served several purposes, not the least of which was staying true to the adage “a good GM won’t force players upon a coach that doesn’t want them.”
Randall seemed to fall in that category and Gutekunst sent him packing.
Randall fell out of McCarthy’s favor after a Week 4 benching against the Chicago Bears. Then he responded by intercepting passes in three straight games before tailing off at the end. The final straw may have been Randall’s unwillingness to play in the final two games. Reports indicate the team felt otherwise.
McCarthy put Randall on notice in the player’s exit interview, a fact he chose to share at his season-ending news conference:
“I’ll tell you what I told Damarious: He needs to focus on himself. He’s got to clean his own house. That’s what I look for him to do in the offseason. We all understand what happened in the Chicago game, but I thought from the Chicago game on, he played at a very high level. He probably played the best football of his career, but then he didn’t play the last two games.
“He needs to go home and self-evaluate and clean his own house. We all need to clean our own house.”
Now, Randall can do his housecleaning in Cleveland.
The move also created true competition at backup quarterback.
Brett Hundley is going to have to play awfully well during training camp and the preseason to stave off DeShone Kizer.
Kizer, the 52nd player selected in the 2017 draft, was good enough to start 15 games for the God-awful Browns.
He threw 22 interceptions, had nine fumbles and produced a minuscule 60.5 passer rating.
However, the 6-foot-4, 233-pound QB also displayed the physical and mental toughness to hang in while absorbing a tremendous amount of punishment. He was sacked 38 times and constantly harassed, but still threw 11 touchdown passes and kept the outgunned Browns in most games.
I predict Kizer will be the opening-day backup, and Hundley will be part of a draft-weekend trade.
The other aspect of the Randall trade was Green Bay’s ability to swap picks in the fourth and fifth rounds.
The Packers leapfrogged 25 spots in the process. The Packers have 12 draft picks, including the first picks in the fourth and fifth rounds. Gutekunst will be able to reorder his board and determine which player to select with the 101st pick.
The higher picks also put Green Bay in a much better position to trade up into the first, second or third rounds if they wish.
McCarthy had to be onboard.
“We’ve spent pretty much our 12 years here really focusing on improving from within,” McCarthy told reporters. “But we need outside resources, we’ve determined that. But at the end of the day it’s still a (free agent) market, it’s a market that every team is involved in and we’ll see what happens.”
Thus far, I like what’s happening.
Packers fans should, too.
 

By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. –  North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb is the top pass rusher in the April 26-28 NFL Draft.

Green Bay should have at least one of four top “front seven” defenders to pick from

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Chubb will be long gone by the 14th pick.
Fortunately, the Packers are in a decent position with the 14th overall pick to draft a premier “front seven” defender. Most mock drafts have the usual fare of overrated quarterbacks, one great running back (Saquon Barkley of Penn State), a few offensive tackles and a couple of defensive backs going early.
That means the Packers should be able to stay put at No. 14 and still land one of the draft’s top defensive players. They may even end up getting one of the premier pass rushers.
Here’s hoping that one of these four players will be on the board when Green Bay turns in its draft card to the commissioner:
** Harold Landry, edge rusher, Boston College
Landry is 6-3, 252 with exceptionally long arms and a dynamic first step. He ran a 4.64 40-yard dash, which is plenty fast. His 24 reps at 220 pounds in the bench press were really good. His and his 4.19-second time in the 20-yard shuttle was all-world.
Landry started nine games as a sophomore before blossoming as a junior with 16 ½ sacks, 22 tackles for loss and seven forced fumbles. His senior year was slowed by an ankle injury, but he still played well and finished with five sacks.
He has a terrific first step and his burst suggests he could develop into a big-time pass rusher. However, he needs to develop a second move and improve his technique.
Some NFL scouts compare him favorably to Vic Beasley and Bruce Irvin. The Packers would be thrilled with either.
** Tremaine Edmunds, linebacker, Virginia Tech
Edmunds, the son of ex-NFLer Ferrell Edmunds, has exceptional size and quickness. He is 6-5, 253, with long arms to go with his rangy frame.
He ran a 4.54 40-yard dash at the combine and did 19 reps at 220 pounds in the bench press. He is a tackling machine, recording 109 in his junior year, including 14 tackles for loss, 5 ½ sacks and three forced fumbles.
Edmunds played inside linebacker for the Hokies, but his athleticism and speed should allow him to be a force as an edge rusher. Clearly, Edmunds would fit nicely into Green Bay defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s scheme.
He possesses All-Pro talent with the ability to spin out of blocks and still make plays. One scout compared him to – get ready for this – Brian Urlacher in terms of athleticism, size and range.
The Packers could only hope.
** Marcus Davenport, defensive end, UT-San Antonio
Davenport, at 6-6, 264, ran a 4.58 40-yard dash at the combine. He also put up 220 pounds an impressive 22 times. His 4.41 time in the 20-yard shuttle was good for a man his size.
A small-school player, Davenport turned heads when he notched 11 tackles, 1 ½ for loss and a sack against Texas A&M. He was at his best when the competition was fierce.
Davenport, a junior, has a ton of potential, although opinions range all over the place. He has been projected anywhere from the early-to-mid first round on into the early second round.
One scout compares him to the Vikings’ Danielle Hunter.
Again, the Packers could only hope.
** Roquan Smith, linebacker, Georgia
Smith is likely to be gone by the 14th pick. However, stranger things have happened and the Packers could get lucky.
Some believe Smith’s size is a detriment – he’s 6-1, 236 – but has long arms, huge hands and runs a 4.51 40-yard dash.
He’s a sure-fire first round pick. The question is when?
Smith is instinctive and elusive enough to thwart bigger players, but whether he can rush off the edge in the NFL is doubtful.
However, he has the lateral speed and striking ability to be an impact inside linebacker the likes of which Green Bay hasn’t seen in forever.
Again, the Packers could only hope.
Fortunately, it only takes one of these four players to be available at No. 14 for it to be a banner first day of the draft.

Packers’ 5 key moves:
‘To Do’ to ‘Ta Da’
 
Packers’ five crucial offseason moves
to contemplate as free agency, draft near
 
By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Thus far, the Packers’ offseason has been all about rearranging the front office.
Now, it’s time for the decision-makers to put it on the line.
Packers’ president Mark Murphy is more involved, according to reports, and head coach Mike McCarthy and GM Brian Gutekunst have charted a course to upgrade the operation.
Nevertheless, I suspect the Packers will need all the assistance they can get. So in the spirit of providing well-intentioned if unwelcomed advice, here are the Packers’ top five key moves this offseason (reverse order):
** No. 5 – The backup quarterback position demands an upgrade in terms of competition and quality. It is too important, as we saw in 2017, to yield any realistic chance of playing at a .500 level in Aaron Rodgers’ absence.
Brett Hundley will have an offseason to analyze, adjust and move ahead in his quest to become a B+ or better backup. Whether he can become a starting-caliber NFL QB remains to be seen, but in the meantime Hundley needs to be at his best.
Frankly, if he doesn’t show serious and sudden improvement throughout the offseason after seeing so much action in 2017 it will be disappointing.
Aside from that, the Packers need to decide whether it’ll be a draft pick, a free agent or Joe Callahan who will be Hundley’s primary competition this season.
If it’s Callahan it’ll be a signal Green Bay believes in Hundley. If the Packers believe they are a Super Bowl contender they can’t be derailed by the lack of a quality backup QB.
Therefore, I’d make a play for a veteran, competent, professional QB in free agency. Pay the price, bring them in, and pray that they’ll never be needed.
** No. 4 – Offensive line needs an infusion of talent and tenacity, and could get a measure of that in this April’s draft. My best guess is to look for an offensive lineman to Green Bay in the third round, a place where quality athletes will be available.
It’s a necessary counterbalance in case Bryan Bulaga doesn’t rebound from a variety of injuries. Bulaga is as tough as they come, and when he’s healthy, he’s an exceptional player.
The problem is he’s been hurt too much.
I’d look in the draft, then the second tier of free agency, for a competent backup tackle.
** No. 3 – A tight end is critical. The Packers would be best served to go get one in free agency. I know the sting remains from the Martellus Bennett fiasco. However, Gutekunst can’t be dissuaded by that.
The fact is the Packers are painfully, woefully thin at tight end. The Badgers’ Troy Fumagalli in the fourth round, or a veteran free agent, or both would be welcome.
** No. 2 – Iowa defensive backs such as Desmond King and Micah Hyde have been very effective in the NFL. There’s no reason to think the Hawkeyes’ Josh Jackson won’t be tempting and available to the Packers in the late first round, should they decide to move up in a trade.
Jackson is tall (six feet) and slender (180) but possesses tremendous ball skills, great instincts and terrific speed.
Jackson will be a situational defender early in his career, which might sound like a knock. In fact, it’s the way of the NFL these days.
** No. 1 – The Packers need the biggest, toughest and bad-^&% defensive end/outside linebacker they can get at No. 14.
This is one of Green Bay’s most pivotal picks in years. They can’t blow it. They can’t miss. It may not be fair, but the reality is that Gutekunst’s career begins with an immediate need to identify and acquire defensive help, on the double.
Marcus Davenport, a 6-foot-5 ½, 265-pound pass-rushing demon, hails from UT-San Antonio and is highly regarded among scouts and draft-nicks alike.
North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb is probably too much to hope for, but Virginia Tech’s Tremaine Edmunds, who can run like the wind and deliver a blow, should be there at 14.
If you’re wondering about a receiver, I believe in two things: Jordy Nelson’s ability to rebound and have a tremendous season, and Rodgers’ ability to make second-, third- and fourth-round receivers look like all-pros sooner than later.
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By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. –  The echoes from an epic Super Bowl LII scarcely stopped reverberating throughout US Bank Stadium when Packers fans came back to earth, to reality, to the truth …

Green Bay could select a top-end pass rusher with the 14th overall

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The Packers, at 7-9, have plenty of work to do in a lot of areas.
To complicate matters, the NFC shows no signs of being the weakling that it had been once-upon-a-time. That’s when life was as uncomplicated as the Bears’ offense, as unwieldy as the Vikings’ injury report, and as bedazzling as the Lions’ knack for consistently underachieving.
Those days appear to be at an end.
The Vikings came within a game of being able to toot their blasted horn as the NFL’s first team ever to host and play in the same Super Bowl. Good grief. The fact that Minnesota came so close is enough to make Packers’ fans want to retch.
The Minnesota Vikings’ vaunted defense is here to stay. What’s worse it’ll enter the 2018 season with an axe to grind. Regardless who quarterbacks the Vikings it’s pretty clear the Packers will have their hands full with them.
The Lions and the Bears boast several things in common. Each has a new head coach, a talented quarterback (one old, one young) and a front office that has its stuff together.
The Bears’ Matt Nagy and the Lions’ Matt Patricia are the NFL’s first two head coaches named “Matt” in history. Alas, neither appears to be labeled, “Door Matt”.
The Bears and Lions also have decent rosters and a chance to fill any void vacated by the Packers in the NFC North’s pecking order.
So what are the Packers to do?
Clearly, they are rolling up their sleeves and getting after it with a new front office structure, a new GM, a re-energized (seemingly) head coach, and a stated desire to explore every avenue to improve the roster, including free agency.
For my money, two clear needs in free agency are an edge pass rusher and a tight end of some accomplishment. Tight end is too demanding a position to leave to a rookie, regardless of which round they were drafted in. A veteran, pass-catching tight end is a must.
Also, a team can never have too many pass rushers, and that’s an accusation that couldn’t be leveled against the Packers in recent memory.
Simply put, Nick Perry needs to get healthy, Clay Matthews needs to play more inside linebacker, and the Packers need to add a pass rusher through free agency AND the April 26-28 NFL Draft.
Frankly, I’d be an advocate of a veteran receiver in free agency, too.
In terms of the draft, ESPN’s dynamic (and often at odds) duo of Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. agree which player the Packers will select with the 14th overall pick.
Both believe Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst will draft defensive end Marcus Davenport of UT-San Antonio. Davenport (6-5 ½, 259) brings the talent necessary to make a quick impact.
According to Andy Coppens of talkingten.com, Davenport is a really interesting prospect that jumps off the field at you.
“I’ve seen him several times and he’s really, really good,” Coppens told me during a Friday interview on 107.5 The Fan. “He’s super-quick, lean and lanky with long arms and stronger than you’d think. He’d look really good in a Packers’ uniform.”
He may be a rangier, but not as powerful (at least not yet) a pass rusher as the Bears’ Leonard Floyd or the Vikings’ Danielle Hunter.
Other possibilities at pass rusher, according to McShay, include N.C. State defensive end Bradley Chubb, Virginia Tech OLB Tremaine Edmunds and Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith.
The No. 1 priority for the Packers this offseason is replenishing the defensive talent. The obvious and necessary place to start is pass rusher. Beyond that, I would only consider a quarterback (you’d have to love him), a receiver (he’d have to be an immediate impact type pick) or a cornerback (he’d have to be the second coming of Kevin King, only better).
That doesn’t leave much room for debate.
Let’s be real: If the pass rush does its job, the defensive backs look a whole lot better. Also, if the quarterback is great (and Aaron Rodgers is that), merely good receivers can be amazing (see Greg Jennings, James Jones, et al).
Therefore, the Packers should select a pass rusher at No. 14 if one is available that they love. The only other possibilities would be a quarterback, again, only if they loved him, or a sudden-impact play-making receiver.
That’s it.
My guess is a pass rusher. My hope is the Packers can recreate not-so-distant history and acquire not one but two players the caliber of B.J. Raji at No. 9 and Matthews at No. 26 in 2009.
Now that would be nice.
 
 

By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. –  Philadelphia football fans embraced the Eagles’ first championship since 1960 by celebrating with a rousing chorus of “Fly Eagles Fly!”

Philadelphia’s Pederson out-coaches Belichick en route to 41-33 victory

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The underdog Eagles’ 41-33 victory over New England came in a wildly entertaining Super Bowl LII on a frigid Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
It featured a record-setting 1,151 yards in total offense, a slew of tremendous catches (especially by Eagles’ receivers), and even a quarterback (Nike Foles) catching a touchdown pass.
It stood in stark contrast to the Eagles’ 1960 NFL Championship victory over the Green Bay Packers, a 17-13 slugfest at Philadelphia’s Franklin Field. That game is notable to Packers’ fans because it was THE ONLY championship game loss of legendary head coach Vince Lombardi’s illustrious career.
For the NFL’s modern-day Lombardi – Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick – it had to be equally devastating.
The difference is that Lombardi’s loss came at the beginning of his career and led him to declare that he would never lose another title game. Belichick’s third Super Bowl loss, compared with a record five wins in the big game, has the feel of finality.
Will the Patriots and the great Tom Brady ever get back to the Super Bowl? I doubt it.
Frankly, I believe the end is in sight.
Building a Super Bowl-caliber team is an incredibly difficult challenge. Sustaining it for as long as the Patriots, Belichick and Brady have is quite another.
It was previously unheard of.
Now, it appears, it’s the Eagles’ turn to rule the roost.
The bad news for the Packers is that Philadelphia is in the NFC.
The good news is the Eagles proved a team coming off a 7-9 season can win it all. They also proved that all is not lost if a team’s starting quarterback goes down, especially if you’ve got a capable backup, play-makers and a strong defense.
Furthermore, the Eagles reminded everyone that the NFL’s best teams – the elite, upper-echelon outfits – have true balance.
That’s balance as in an offense that can run as well as pass. That’s balance as in an exceptional offense backed by a sensational defense, all led by a gutsy, even-keel coach.
Pederson’s staff did an excellent job getting the most out of their players while putting them in positions to succeed. The Eagles’ use of center Jason Kelce and right tackle Lane Johnson as the driving forces in the running game was brilliant. Their speed, strength and football IQ gave the Patriots’ defense fits.
Foles, the Eagles’ quarterback, was voted the game’s MVP. He played wonderfully while executing the game plan.
However, if the media could vote for a head coach as the MVP, I’ve got to believe Philadelphia’s Doug Pederson would’ve received a boatload of support.
I can’t imagine him coaching a better game.
Pederson, the former backup quarterback to Brett Favre, displayed an unrelenting aggressiveness in his play-calling blended in with a calm, cool disposition.
His intelligence, communication skills and temperament are exactly what the job description of “NFL head coach” requires.
I covered Pederson during his seven seasons in Green Bay.
He never shied away from answering difficult questions – we had a great level of trust – but he always had the team’s and the quarterback’s best interest in mind.
If I asked about Favre or the offense, Pederson might say, “Well, that’s one way to look at what’s happening. But how about looking at it this way? Have you considered X, Y or Z?”
Pederson was thoughtful way back then.
On Sunday night, on the NFL’s grandest stage, Pederson’s performance under pressure was nothing short of amazing.
He made two gutsy decisions to go for it on fourth down.
The first came late in the first half.
Faced with fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line, Pederson drew up a direct snap to running back Corey Clement, who pitched it to tight end Trey Burton (a former Florida quarterback), who then threw an easy toss to a wide-open Foles in the end zone.
It made it 22-12 Eagles at the half.
The second extended a fourth-quarter drive with about five minutes to play and the Eagles trailing 33-32. That led to the go-ahead touchdown to make it 38-33 with five minutes to play.
Then the Eagles’ defense rose up to strip-sack Brady to set up a late field goal and make it an eight-point lead.
To those who worked with Pederson in Green Bay, I suspect most of what happened didn’t come as a surprise.
In 2006, Sherman Lewis and Gilbert Brown talked about Pederson’s role as backup QB on the Super Bowl XXXI winner. Those comments were made in the book, “A Year of Champions: The 1996 Green Bay Packers.”
Lewis described Pederson as extremely confident and a natural born leader, great attributes to have as a head coach.
“Doug showed he has outstanding leadership qualities,” Lewis said. “He showed the staff he can move the team and win. He’s got a nice presence about him in the huddle. In addition, he has a good strong arm with the ability to throw on the run.”
Brown appreciated Pederson’s professionalism.
“A pro’s pro,” Brown said. “Doug understood the game as well as anybody, and he used that knowledge to help Brett and the offense in every way possible. He didn’t get much attention, but he didn’t need any. He was great in the locker room.”
In his quiet, understated way, Pederson was a vital resource to Packers’ head coach Mike Holmgren, Favre and the offense.
Clearly, Pederson was paying attention to everything.
On Sunday night, he out-coached one legend to capture the prize named after another: The Lombardi Trophy.
 

By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. –  The Pro Bowl is terrific because it affords one time to eat, doze and think.

Here are 10 ways the XFL could show NFL how to solve some key problems

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Somewhere among Sunday’s half-hearted tackles and insipid play-calls I got to thinking about the NFL’s problems, the XFL’s 2020 return and how one might benefit the other.
Then, I got to thinking about how when I hear the surname “McMahon” these three come to mind: Ed, Jim and Vince.
Interestingly, there is a tie-in.
Ed, the longtime “Tonight Show” sidekick to Johnny Carson, had a sassy, cutting-edge humor that played well off Carson’s clever, sarcastic, rapid-fire wit.
Ed was like the in-your-facemask AFL: A wild, pass-happy, life-on-the-edge existence that had a certain maverick flair to it. Johnny was like the old NFL – always funny, incredibly dependable and (within certain boundaries) tastefully done. Carson’s appeal – like the NFL’s – relied on longevity, reliability and first rate, state-of-the-art quality.
There was that, of course, and the TV networks to promote it.
Jim McMahon, the former Chicago Bear and Green Bay Packer, was an outspoken lightning rod. He never failed to express his views on life, liberty and the pursuit of a good time.
The quarterback also won Super Bowls with the Bears and Packers, but in vastly different roles. In Chicago, he was the man. In Green Bay, he was a shadow of the man. In Chicago, they loved him when he played for the Bears and despised him when he played for the Packers. In Green Bay, they pretty much despised him both home and away.
Then there is Vince, the pro wrestling entrepreneur, who is bringing back the XFL for a return visit.
Vince’s rerun league is planned to open in 2020.
There will be eight teams, 10 games and no cheerleaders. There also will be no sitting or kneeling during the National Anthem. That is according to the XFL’s news release last week.
While some choose to ignore the XFL (and I can’t say I blame the NFL), and others choose to make fun of it, I prefer to view a new league as an opportunity to fix the current one.
Here is what the XFL needs to do to sell tickets, secure a crazy TV contract and remind the NFL what it should be.
If I’m the XFL, I take the best that Ed McMahon and Johnny Carson had to offer: In other words, the best of the old and new. I’d take the best of what the NFL could be and I’d combine it with the best that it used to be.
The rules, rosters and games would be immediately recognizable as the best of what the game of football should be.
Forget all the mega-substituting, sub-packages and trickery because at its best, at its core, it is a controlled series of collisions. Ultimately, it is a brutish primal battle of 11-on-11, a test of wills against each other and the elements.
Therefore, the XFL should be a basic game of 11-on-11, just like our fathers and grandfathers once watched. There are two receivers, a tight end, a quarterback, a fullback, a running back and the line on offense. That’s it.
On defense, it’s two ends, two tackles, a middle linebacker, two outside linebackers, two corners and a pair of safeties.
The only in-series substitutions are for injuries. If a player leaves due to an injury he can’t return until the next series.
It’s a man vs. man game of wills. The quarterbacks call the plays in the huddle. The headsets are gone. Look, a coach and quarterback spend the entire week together preparing, installing and practicing the game plan. After all of that the quarterback ought to be able to call the game based on what’s happening during plays and what his teammates are saying in the huddle.
Excluding timeouts, breaks and halftime, the players should execute the game plan on game day. The coaches already had their say.
Replays would be eliminated. I would also get rid of in-stadium replays, too. It’s not fair to the officials. Let the refs do their best and allow all of us to get on with the rest of our lives.
That’s about it.
The NFL has become too specialized, too replay-delayed and too arbitrary: “What’s a catch? What’s a penalty?”
Sometimes, it’s tempting to say, “What’s the use?”
Frankly, I believe the XFL will soon be the EX-FL. I just hope it has some fresh ideas – revolutionized (face-mask-less?) helmets, all natural grass fields, officials’ quicker whistles for safety – that the NFL might be wise enough to consider adopting.
Thank goodness for the Pro Bowl. It only comes once a year, and it forces one to consider what “fake” football looks like, and how perilously close we might be to actually becoming it.
 

By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. –  It was supposed to Minnesota vs. New England in Super Bowl LII.

Ex-Packers QB Doug Pederson leads Philadelphia to SB 52 battle with Pats

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The NFL’s premature and incorrect release said so.
The Philadelphia Eagles had other ideas.
Once the toast of the NFC, if not the NFL, Philadelphia relied on a rugged defense, strong running attack and Carson Wentz to soar to the conference’s No. 1 seed.
Then Wentz was lost for the season to a knee injury in a Week 15 win at Los Angeles and most everyone discarded the Eagles. They quickly became afterthoughts on the NFL landscape.
Sure, head coach Doug Pederson was having a tremendous season and the Eagles’ balance plus veteran backup QB Nick Foles might carry them, but few truly believed it.
Perhaps the Packers’ example was on the league’s mind.
When Aaron Rodgers was injured Oct. 15 at Minnesota, the Packers’ Super Bowl LII odds plummeted and the season with it.
Green Bay lacked the offensive balance, defensive strength and overall confidence to move forward despite Rodgers’ absence. In some ways, the injury did the Packers a favor. It left little doubt as to where the team’s 53-man roster was at, and where it needed to go if Green Bay was going to reclaim its place among the NFC’s elite.
Then 7-9 and an ensuing housecleaning happened.
In Philadelphia, the Eagles’ critical injury to Wentz came much later than Rodgers’, and allowed them time to rebound.
They showed it in a matter-of-fact hammering of Atlanta, 15-10, in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.
Again, an underdog, the Eagles shrugged it off and proceeded to toss aside the Vikings in similar fashion.
Philadelphia’s dominant 38-7 victory over Minnesota – which included scoring 38 unanswered points – was as severe a dismantling as any in recent memory.
The Vikings, for all the talk about them being a “team of destiny,” the reality is Philadelphia was that much better.
Nick Foles was that much better than Case Keenum in this battle of backup QBs.
Vikings defensive end Brian Robison was asked if the NFC Championship game’s outcome was “surprising.”
“Surprising? Well, obviously, it was very surprising,” he told ESPN. “I didn’t expect to come in here and the s— kicked out of us. So yeah, it was surprising.”
Keenum opened with a workmanlike touchdown drive.
The Vikings’ 7-0 lead was as good as it got.
The undaunted Eagles answered with a 3 ½-quarter beat-down.
It was made possible by Foles’ ability to correctly and effectively run the Eagles’ offense, which features run-pass options (RPOs) and a lot of them.
The Vikings’ defense couldn’t solve the riddle. It was either a half-step slow attacking the would-be ball carrier, or it was a half-step behind defending the receiver on a shallow slant.
It had to be maddening to Minnesota’s brain trust.
The Eagles were doing exactly what they predicted and their powerful defense still couldn’t stop it.
There is a lot to be said for simplicity and great execution. The Eagles’ offense featured both. It was interesting to watch the backup QB run the same offense as the starter.
Pederson didn’t appear to make major philosophical changes to accommodate Foles. Indeed, he found it all the way to the Twin Cities and Super Bowl 52.
The lesson for Green Bay is clear: Make sure you’ve got a truly balanced team and a reliable backup QB just in case.
In the AFC, the upstart Jaguars pushed the Patriots to the limit before succumbing to Tom Brady’s greatness in the fourth quarter. For most of the game, Jacksonville played out its game plan to a ‘T’.
It grabbed an early 20-10 lead, pounded away with the running game and played field-position football throughout.
The trouble was Brady.
When the Patriots needed him the most he stepped up to find Danny Amendola for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown in a 24-20 thriller.
Frankly, I would’ve expected the AFC title game to be 38-7 Patriots, and the NFC game to be 24-20 Eagles. It played out just the opposite.
Clearly, the Vikings and their fans have to be crushed. Minnesota was so close to making Super Bowl history even before the opening kickoff.
Instead, they are forced to be the polite hosts to the perennial awesome and unlikable Patriots, and those damnable Eagles that flew up to KO the Vikings.
The Patriots opened up as 6 ½-point favorites – the biggest favorite since 2009 – which reflects the NFL betting public’s respect for New England coach Bill Belichick and Brady, as well as its continued underrating of the Eagles.
It’s too early for predictions, but I wouldn’t count out the Eagles.
 

By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA
GREEN BAY, Wis. –  Mike Pettine was hired to fix the defense.

Former Browns’ head coach brings impressive track record to Green Bay

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That means closing the sizable gap between Green Bay’s defense and the fast and furious playoff-caliber units on display thus far throughout the post-season.
It also means closing the gap between the Packers’ veterans and the less experienced players.
In a league where injuries are the cost of doing business young players are going to be forced into key roles sooner than later.
It’s inevitable.
What matters is how they react when pressed into duty. Frankly, they weren’t nearly good enough in 2017.
Pettine, who joins the Packers with an impressive resume, faces a significant challenge in terms of overhauling the defense.
The Packers’ new defensive coordinator inherits a unit that was ravaged by injuries and opponents alike.
The Packers ranked 22nd in total defense and pass defense in 2017, not nearly good enough for head coach Mike McCarthy. So after nine seasons with Dom Capers, including a Super Bowl win in 2010, McCarthy pulled the plug.
Neither the move nor the new defensive coordinator was a surprise.
McCarthy’s hire of Pettine appears to be a major step in the right direction. Pettine, who has head coach experience, brings a track record of success to Green Bay.
In five seasons as a coordinator, Pettine’s units all ranked among the NFL’s top 10. In four seasons with the Jets, head coach Rex Ryan and Pettine combined to lead a defense that ranked first, third, fifth and eighth. Pettine left the Jets to become Buffalo’s defensive coordinator in 2013 and led a unit that ranked 10th.
Ryan, now an ESPN analyst, spoke glowingly about Pettine during an interview last week.
“He’ll be the best coordinator in the league; that’s how good he is,” Ryan told ESPN. “I think the big thing is – the fan base ought to be super excited about him because this is a good get. There (are) other names out there or whatever, but this is the best coach out there that they could’ve got.”
Two key questions will be answered this season.
The first is what does Pettine bring to the position?
The second is what does he inherit?
Pettine’s experience as a head coach is invaluable. It should allow McCarthy to focus on the offense – in particular play calling – while his new defensive coordinator runs the show.
The Packers’ defense has some talented players, but it never hit its groove as a unit working together. There were too many missed assignments, too many miscommunications and way too many missed tackles.
Pettine, who brings a no-nonsense approach, isn’t going to tolerate anything less than his players’ best.
Clearly, the Packers’ defenders know they have to play better in 2018 if Green Bay is going to be a factor in the post-season.
That means jobs will be up for grabs with few players “locked” into starting roles.
Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry and Mike Daniels represent a strong starting point. Whether the Packers play a 3-4 or a 4-3 is almost irrelevant to Pettine. He believes in being versatile and having the ability to play multiple fronts within an attacking style.
It’s similar to what the Philadelphia Eagles do under coordinator Jim Schwartz, except the Packers don’t have the personnel, at least not yet.
Blake Martinez blossomed in his second season and is another player to build around. Vince Biegel and Kyler Fackrell need to step up and contribute.
The future seems uncertain for Clay Matthews, although I would be mildly surprised if the Packers ask him to take a pay cut. If he declines the Packers might move on.
Nick Perry is a talented pass rusher, but his availability seems constantly in question. He has had to endure one injury after another and 2018 is a pivotal season. Will he be the 11-sack player from two years ago? Or is he merely a guy?
The secondary also possesses talent, but its lack of cohesiveness proved to be a detriment. Too many players were out of position to make plays, forcing Capers to scale back his defense.
That left the Packers’ defense as helpless as a vanilla ice cream cone on a 90-degree day. More often than not, the Packers’ defense melted in the clutch.
Pettine, who certainly looks the part, must decide which players are the core guys and who isn’t going to be back.
Ryan told ESPN that Pettine’s scheme isn’t too complicated and in fact will be user friendly to the young players.
“He’s not one of those guys who is going to play one or two fronts and three coverages,” Ryan said. “This guy is going to give you the gamut. We have a philosophy, and Mike has it, it’s a ‘KILL’ philosophy – keep it likeable and learnable – and that’s what we do, and that team is going to play fast and physical, and I can’t wait to watch them.”
The Packers’ fans are right there with Ryan.
 It was impossible to watch the Vikings, Eagles and Jaguars play defense without feeling envious. Those teams get after the opposing offense on every down, and they come in waves.
They play fast sideline-to-sideline, they get after the quarterback and they tackle as a group with a vengeance.
Perhaps the Packers’ defense will play like that this season.
One can only hope.