Reaction: Packers to retire Favre's #4

With it being the early offseason, there isn't much to talk about around the NFL. However, there was one piece of Packers news this week: the overdue but still likable announcement that Brett Favre will have his number retired by the team this summer. 

Ever since the months leading up to Favre's 2008 trade to the Jets, it seems few in the Packers' fanbase are still supporters of the former quarterback. The common argument appears to be that his playing for the Vikings is simply unforgivable, no matter how much he previously did for Green Bay. 

But I guarantee you: those 16 seasons from 1992-2007 would've been a lot worse had Favre not been there.

He won a Super Bowl, simple as that. Some teams only dream of contending nowadays.

We should just admit it, this generation of Packers fans is spoiled. While the Bears and Vikings get a new quarterback every few years, the Packers have been blessed with Favre and Rodgers. They've made us view an 8-8 season as a failure and an appearance in the conference title game as okay. Some people's refusal to like Favre right now is an obvious side effect of their unfamiliarity with losing.

I'm a younger fan, so I'm more attached to Rodgers than Favre. But I will say that if Rodgers takes off in six or seven years to become a Viking/Lion, I'd forgive him. He'd still have done a lot for the organization, as is the case with Favre.

Bottom line: I'm happy Favre's getting his number retired. I don't think it'll be as well received as it should be since some still view him as an enemy, but I'm glad to see it finally happening. 

You should be too. 

Quarless Fined By NFL for Role in Jets Endzone Fight

Packers Tight End Andrew Quarless' role in Sunday's endzone fight with the Jets is apparently not being ignored by the league. 

According to ESPN.com's Mike Mazzeo, Quarless has been fined $8,268 for his actions during the scuffle, the same one that has also led to fines of Jets Defensive Linemen Muhammad Wilkerson ($20k), who was disqualified, and Sheldon Richardson (same amount as Quarless).

Quarless, though he was clearly in the center of the issue, was not penalized on the play, a successful two-point conversion pass from Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb in the middle of the third quarter. 

McCarthy Impressed After Packers Rally to Beat Jets

After the Packers rallied from an early 21-3 deficit to beat the Jets yesterday, team Head Coach Mike McCarthy was impressed by the team's staying focused. 

"It's a game of adversity," McCarthy told ESPN Wisconsin following the W. "It's a game of momentum swings. It's a game of big plays. We were in a spot, but our players stayed the course."

Yes they did. Though it wasn't an ideal victory by any means for the Pack, it was definitely a good showing of patience, as most clubs wouldn't turn things around in that kind of situation much less eventually win.

Reaction: Packers Beat Jets 31-24

Well, yesterday's game wasn't what we thought it would be.

Going into it, I was pretty confident in an easy, 17+ point victory, a fact that made the Jets' early 21-3 lead a little surprising. 

Still, at the end of the day the Pack got the win, which I guess is all that matters. So, since this is in fact a reaction post, here's two things I'll take away from this weekend's W:

1. It doesn't matter that this game was close:

It's week two right now guys. As long as they got the victory we should be okay. 

2. A lot of games could go like this this year:

It's not news to any of you that the Packers have a great offense and a terrible defense. So then why is it surprising that this happened? In my opinion, when facing the Green Bay D Geno Smith is just as good as Cam Newton. He'll keep his team in the contest, but will still fall in the end due to the Pack's home field advantage.

NFL Week 2 Predictions

I wanted to do this last year, but never quite got around to it. Anyway, from now on I'll make my NFL predictions every Sunday here on the site along with the phrases "easily" or "in a close one" to describe how I think the games will be won. So, without further ado, here they are:

Game: Jets at Packers

Prediction: Packers win easily

Game: Dolphins at Bills

Prediction: Bills win in a close one

Game: Lions at Panthers

Prediction: Panthers win in a close one

Game: Falcons at Bengals

Prediction: Bengals win in a close one

Game: Saints at Browns

Prediction: Saints win easily

Game: Patriots at Vikings

Prediction: Patriots win easily

Game: Cardinals at Giants

Prediction: Cardinals win in a close one

Game: Cowboys at Titans

Prediction: Titans win easily

Game: Jaguars at Redskins

Prediction: Redskins win easily

Game: Seahawks at Chargers

Prediction: Seahawks win in a close one

Game: Rams at Buccaneers

Prediction: Buccaneers win easily

Game: Chiefs at Broncos 

Prediction: Broncos win easily

Game: Texans at Raiders

Prediction: Texans win in a close one

Game: Bears at 49ers

Prediction: 49ers win easily

Game: Eagles at Colts

Prediction: Colts win in a close one

By the way, I know these picks are late since the Steelers and Ravens played Thursday. I'm doing these on Sunday on purpose because this is the day people seem to care the most.

Bulaga Questionable For Jets Game

Packers Right Tackle Brian Bulaga is "no better than a 50-50 bet" to play in Sunday's game against the Jets, ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reports.

In practice this week, according to Demovsky, Bulaga was a limited participant due to knee soreness, something that didn't change on today's injury report.

So, as is customary, the Pack will have to wait and see if the veteran experiences any improvement in tomorrow's short practice, the team's last one before Sunday's game. 

Bulaga, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, will likely be replaced by Derek Sherrod if he can't go.

Lacy Cleared to Play Sunday

In a move that allows us all to breathe a sigh of relief, the Packers have cleared Running Back Eddie Lacy to play in Sunday's game against the Jets, the team's official blog reports. 

Lacy, who won rookie of the year last year, is arguably the second most important offensive player Green Bay has, trailing only Aaron Rodgers.

So, obviously, it's good to see that his concussion wasn't anything serious, especially since the Packers have already had their fair share of injuries this season.

Lacy, 24, sustained the wound in last Thursday's opener in Seattle, a contest the Pack dissapointingly lost by twenty.

Packers Listed as 8 Point Favorites for Sunday's Jets Game

The Packers have been listed as eight point favorites for Sunday's home opener against the Jets. 

New York's AFC team, notorious for their mediocrity, beat the Raiders in their first contest of the season last week, winning a close one 19-14.

Still, since they did it in overall difficult fashion and this weekend's game is at Lambeau Field it seems reasonable to think the home team will emerge victorious in it, as they never lost in Green Bay last year when Aaron Rodgers played 2+ drives.

Leave your thoughts below on whether you think Vegas made a good guess here.

McCarthy Not Dwelling on Opening Loss

As ugly as Thursday's loss to the Seahawks was, Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy isn't letting it haunt him.

"We're not going to sit here and dwell on it," McCarthy told the AP earlier today. "Trust me, I get the disappointment. I felt very good going into the game. But I had to go back and check my preparation, because I think anytime as a coach when you feel your team's prepared and they don't perform, I think the first guy you have to look at is yourself and look in the mirror."

Unfortunately, that last statement is probably true. Still, since next week's contest is just a home one against the Jets I'm sure McCarthy's team will be ready for it, as it simply isn't that scary of a matchup.

Favre: "I Was Always a Packer"

Shortly after it was announced yesterday that his number will be retired and that he will be inducted into the team's HOF next season, former Packers QB Brett Favre attempted to downplay the time he spent with the Jets and Vikings. 

According to Fox 11's Drew Smith, Favre is now claiming that he "was always a Packer," before later adding that the time he spent outside of Green Bay was "like borrowed time."

You may remember that earlier this offseason Pack President Mark Murphy was reluctant to bring the retiree back to Northern Wisconsin, citing the possibility of fans booing as a reason.

Should the Packers consider signing Mark Sanchez?

I know this idea sounds stupid (it probably is), but considering that Matt Flynn has yet to be re-signed and it's unlikely that the Packers will just go with that Scott Tolzein guy as their backup this season, it could actually happen. I mean, recently-released Jet Mark Sanchez, whether you like him or not, is probably the best QB currently available, as he's got two conference championship game appearances under his belt, so yea, why shouldn't the Packers at least give him a look? Sure, he's inconsistent, but remember, the chances are strong that they'll probably never have to use him. 

Jets showing interest in WR James Jones

According to the New York Daily News, the Jets are expressing "real interest" in Packers WR James Jones. In 7 seasons with Green Bay, Jones has been pretty good, catching 310 passes for a total of 4,305 yards, making him an attractive replacement for the recently-released Santonio Holmes. 

Now while I personally don't want Jones back with the Cheeseheads, I guess this news is pretty good for him. I mean, he's obviously not a great receiver, but he's still good enough to deserve a job somewhere notable (yea, the Jets are terrible, but still, people care about them), isn't he? 

Favre: "I'd be leery of my son playing football"

In a recent interview with the Today Show, former Packers QB Brett Favre, who by some is considered the best quarterback of all time, was quoted saying that, if he had a son, he'd be "leery" of him playing football.

"I would be real leery of him playing football," Favre said. "In some respects, I'm almost glad I don't have a son because of the pressures he would face. Also the physical toll that it could possibly take on him, not to mention if he never made it, he's gonna be a failure in everyone's eyes. But more the physical toll that it could take."

I don't know about you guys, but this seems pretty big to me. Favre, whether you liked him or not, was one of the best players in NFL history. So for him to say that he might not let his son play the game is incredibly news-worthy.