In hindsight I was too critical of the play of the Packers' secondary on Sunday vs. Arizona because I failed to critique the Packers weak pass rush. It wasn't great on Sunday, no sacks were recorded, and its inefficiency did not help the secondary. I still think the secondary was more at fault because they gave too much cushion, were not able to cover the crossing routes, and had trouble defending at the first down marker. Arizona has a big offensive line and seemed to me in maximum protection (running back and tight end pass blocking on the play) on passing downs, which is hard to pass rush against. The running backs and tight ends were not thrown at, except for the last touchdown drive when Arizona realized the Packers were not picking up Arizona's fullback James Hodgins and called two pass plays for him, because Arizona's wide receivers were getting open, which allowed Arizona to play a max protection. The moral of this story was that no one on the Packers defense had a great game, and it allowed Arizona's offense to succeed and to protect Jeff Blake.

Packers 13, Arizona 20. The Packers and Arizona were two evenly matched teams on Sunday and it was decided on the last play of the game. It would be a hard fought battle on an opponent's field, if Arizona wasn't the worst team in the NFL. This doesn't make the Packers the worst team in the NFL when there are a number of other disappointing teams (Eagles, Jets, 49ers, Browns) struggling to return to the playoffs this year, but losing to the worst (alright, maybe Cincinnati is the worst, but Arizona is second worst) begs the question. Brett Favre threw the game deciding interception in the end zone, but he was not one of the three reasons the Packers lost the game.

First reason: Ahman Green's fumbling woes. Mike Holmgren did a big "I told you so" watching Green cough up the ball on consecutive first quarter possessions. The second fumble was recovered by Arizona and led to their first touchdown. Usually the Packers offense has enough chances to come back from a turnover like this, but not today due to the second and third reasons.

Second reason: Time of possession. The Packers had the ball almost 27 minutes to Arizona's 33 minutes, which isn't too bad except the way in which Arizona had the ball. Arizona had two drives of over seven minutes (7:29 and 7:09) in the second half, leading to 10 points, and led to Arizona controlling the half. Add in the record Arizona heat (its saying something when Arizona has a record heat day) and the defense could not get off the field. Reason three is the reason why Arizona was able to control the second half.

Third reason: Awful secondary. I thought Arizona was having success running, but the Packers held Arizona to under 100 yards rushing even with 20 carries by Emmitt Smith. Al Harris had a costly phantom pass interference call when the referee saw a mirage in the desert, but that wasn't the problem. Arizona's ROOKIE wide receivers were running successful crossing routes, even on 3rd down, as if the Packers secondary had never seen a crossing route before. Bhawon Jue is the nickel corner responsible for covering the slot receiver but he couldn't keep up with them. Darren Sharper had a poor second half, he had no passes defensed credited to him, and he seemed out of position in coverage. Arizona did a great job of picking on a soft middle in the Packers secondary and was very successful throwing on 3rd down to keep their long drives alive. The Packers must have been playing a lot of man-to-man because the linebackers rarely dropped back in the passing lanes and were not a factor in the second half pass defense. Jue and Sharper are both coming back from injuries and playing on a very very hot field, so I don't know if this is a long term problem or just a one game mirage. Either way, the Packers pass defense looked outcoached by Arizona's pass offense. Jeff Blake had a solid game for Arizona which was a major advantage for them because he is a very streaky quarterback and he had to have a turnover free day for them to win. But Blake's passes were flying to open receivers and given that Arizona has the worst receiver group in the NFL bar none, that shouldn't be happening.

Although it is terrible to lose to an awful Arizona team, it is far from the end of the season. Minnesota has a great start to the season, winning its first three games against its division, although they should have some concern with Daunte Culpepper's injury. Recent Minnesota teams have been streaky so hopefully this is the end of their winning streak and they struggle once they play teams outside of the NFC North. The Packers and San Francisco are the only two teams with losing records that have outscored their opponents, so the Packers aren't getting blown out. Hopefully these close loses can start becoming close wins.

Packers 31, Lions 6. Due to Direct TV technically difficulties, I missed almost all of the game on Sunday (I did get to see Ahman Green's great 1st quarter touchdown run). I also got to see Joe Johnson tackle Olandis Gary behind the line on Detroit's first run play which showed that Johnson might contribute for the Packers in 2003 and Detroit can't run the ball.

I did manage to watch some of the Minnesota vs. Chicago game on ESPN Sunday night. I was critical last week of Daunte Culpepper focusing too much on Randy Moss vs. the Packers, but after watching this game it is apparent that Minnesota doesn't have another receiver capable of starting in the NFL besides Moss. Kelly Campbell can contribute one or two big plays a game (ala Corey Bradford), but D'Wayne Bates isn't more than a number four WR. Jimmy Kleinsasser caught a couple of touchdowns but he isn't a runner after the catch, and Minnesota put the franchise tag on him only because he such a great blocker. Byron Chamberlain is coming back in week 5, but he wasn't much of a factor last year anyway. Minnesota' offensive line is BIG and should have no trouble creating running room for any of their running backs, although their left tackle, Bryant McKinnie, is suspectible to speed rushers and allowed KGB in week 1 and Alex Brown in week 2 to put pressure on Culpepper and force fumbles.

Chicago is just what I expected. Kordell Stewart shows signs of talent, but this offense needs more time to play together before it is effective. Chicago's offensive line has been completely reassembled, with former Badger Aaron Gibson playing at right tackle, and only center Olin Kruetz remains from their 13-3 offensive line of 2001. David Terrell had a great touchdown catch, but also dropped a key 3rd down pass that was Chicago's last offensive play for nearly 10 minutes as Minnesota ran off a game ending touchdown drive. Marty Booker has done nothing so far, and Stewart and Booker need to get comfortable with each other. Chicago's defense surprised me in how bad its linebackers played. Brian Urlacher was running around making tackles, but it seemed like he was the only linebacker in the game. Once a Minnesota running back got past the defensive line, he was tackled by Urlacher in pursuit or one of the defensive backs, giving the running back a two or three yard cushion to make a move. Warrick Holdman is coming back from a major injury and just needs some time, but second year man Bryant Knight didn't seem to be a factor. Chicago's defensive line is solid, but unspectacular. Chicago's offensive line alone makes them look better than last year's 4-12 team, but as they showed against San Francisco, if Stewart turns the ball over a couple times, they will get blown out.

Packers 25, Vikes 30. An absolutely awful game because the first half was so poorly played and the second half was a MASH unit.

First Quarter: The Vikings open the season with an excellent touchdown drive. Daunte Culpepper is spreading the field; Randy Moss catches a pass, Kelly Campbell reverses and catches a pass, a little Moe Williams running, and a touchdown pass to John Avery. The drive takes over five minutes. This is how offenses excel, when they involve their stars (well in this case only Moss) in the touches, but also get it to the guys with single coverage who can exploit it. It is a staple of the West Coast Offense and it was a reason why Minnesota looked so good on their first drive. And I mention it because Culpepper spends the rest of the game with his eyes glued on Moss, however the Packers can never exploit it in part due to the injury by Moss' shadow, Darren Sharper on the drive. It didn't hurt Minnesota today, but other defensive coordinators will exploit it. Brett Favre almost throws an interception (overturned on review). Punt. A short field only provides a field goal because Minnesota starts becoming a three man offense (Culpepper, Moss, Williams). They want the Packers to get back into the game, but...a Brett Favre interception on a lucky richochet and later an Ahman Green fumble. Packers 0, Vikings 10.

Second Quarter: Culpepper first of two fumbles, so I guess his fumblitis of 2002 is still lingering. Denard Walker's first big play as a Viking is a long pass interference call that leads to a field goal. Another Minnesota drive of Culpepper, Moss and Williams is successful due to a D'Wayne Bates sighting in the end zone, due in large part to a mixup in the Packers secondary wherein Mike McKenzie got stuck trying to cover Moss and Bates. Favre interception when tight end David Martin trips over the 15 yard line. David Martin has become the new Tyrone Davis at tight end; showed some early promise but hasn't shown anything since. Minnesota tries to run out the clock, but can't get a first down and the Packers drive down to the 10 yard line when Favre throws one of the worst interceptions I have ever seen him throw. It was the type of pass a confused and pressured rookie QB would throw. I don't know if Donald Driver ran the wrong pattern (he froze in his route right after he passed the goal line which indicates to me that he did) or Favre just saw a phantom Packer. The long return sets up a Minnesota field goal. Many Packers missed playing time, or just sat out games as a precaution, during the preseason, and it seemed like the Packers played with a lot of rust while Minnesota had just spent 5 preseason games tuning up. It was an ugly half for the Packers, especially Favre with 6 completions and 3 interceptions. Packers 3, Vikings 20.

Third Quarter: The Packers start the half with an unimpressive drive and punt. Then Minnesota has its last good drive, and they dare McKenzie to stop Moss. McKenzie is left in single coverage, or Antuan Edwards was far too late in coming over to help, and Moss scores easily. It is now time for the Packers offense to finally wake up and start getting first downs. They do it by getting the ball to Green. Green is an effective running back, but his best play on the drive was one of those short throws to Green five yards out in the middle of the field and letting him run. The Packers are starting to mix up the play calling too. In the first quarter each drive was all Favre passing or all Green running and the results were turnovers. It is a simple philosophy but the Packers are finally starting to do it. It ends with a Green touchdown run and a wide open 2 point conversion to Bubba Franks who still had to jump high to get it on a high throw. Packers 11, Vikings 27.

Fourth Quarter: Minnesota has a nice drive running the football and killing time (time is the Packers enemy at this point) which leads to a field goal. The defense could have turned the game around 180 with a turnover, but you can't scheme turnovers on demand, but they needed to force a quicker change of possession at that point. Then the awful drive; Driver comes crashing down hard and Robert Ferguson twists his right leg around. The Driver injury reminded me of Robert Brooks; I love these guys but being a Packer wide receiver is very hard on your body. Favre leaves them hanging some times or leads receivers across the middle right into a safety. It is part of the job description and it happens. The good part is that Green runs for another touchdown, and Walker looked good. Walker looked much much better in this game then he did in the first preseason game, which he has to since he is the number one guy for a little while, although apparently an encore of the Antonio Freeman era might be in the works. The onside kick works on a beautifully designed and well executed play by the special teams. If this game was last year, it would have arguably had been the best special teams game of the season. Then the gunslinger reappears and Favre rifles a long interception. That one was inexcusable, not the first time Favre has done that in his career, and in hindsight ended the comeback. I would have hoped at the nearing the end of his career he has gotten that mentality out of his system on the field, but he hasn't. Minnesota tries to kill time but Culpepper fumbles again. The timeout before the fumble Mike Tice goes insane, comes onto the field, and screams at the refs. But they were coming out of a time out? Tice is the new Mike Ditka, screaming almost for the sake of screaming. Would Culpepper not have fumbled if he hadn't so much time to stand and watch his coach go insane? I don't know. Then the Packers execute a quick touchdown drive and exploit Minnesota secondary just like I expected them to do all game. The next onside kick doesn't work and the clock runs out. Packers 25, Vikings 30.

I didn't hear Nick Barnett's named called much this game, but I don't why Minnesota wasn't trying to run it more on a suspect Packers run defense either. Minnesota's newish linebackers, Greg Biekert and Chris Claiborne, didn't seem to make much of an impact either. Better luck next week against a first place(?) Detroit team.

I just read that the Packers cut Larry Smith in order to pick up Curtis Fuller. Smith is the defensive lineman the Packers picked up from Jacksonville after the former second round pick wore out his welcome with Jacksonville and probably didn't help his case by suffering from heat stroke in the first week of camp. But with his departure and Steve Martin's and Steve Warren's releases in the last week, the Packers are down to Gilbert Brown and Rod Walker at nose tackle. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with that, but I expect Brown to miss substantial time this year (he usually misses time and he already is playing with a torn muscle) so essentially there is no depth at the position. I understand the desire to pick up a backup safety in Fuller knowing that Darren Sharper hasn't played much this preseason and if Sharper can't go the next backup would be 3rd cornerback Bhawon Jue. As of today, I expect Sharper to play in many more games then Brown, so it seems to me that the depth is being sacrificed where it is needed in order to provide depth in a place that it is not. Although I have only read this once this preseason, Kenny Peterson might be used at nose tackle by the Packers and if he is that would solve that problem with depth. The one area where I feel depth should be its strongest is on the defensive line and it looks to me like that unit is being left short.

Packers at Titans. Brett Favre sat out. Ahman Green sat out. What is it with the Packers and lighting storms this preseason? Is this a good or bad omen? I missed the game but so did most of the Packers starters. The biggest weakness in the game was the two long touchdown passes allowed, but one of them was thrown by Neil O'Donnell and it so impressed the Titans management that they cut him this weekend.

The roster was worked down to where I expected it and there were not any surprising cuts. I wasn't expecting William Henderson to be cut. I always liked Tool Box, but Frank Winters time with the team was up. Bill Ferrario hasn't done much in his three years with the team, and his refusal to play last year in NFL Europe signaled his end with the team. I didn't expect Lamar Smith or Herbert Goodman to stick either. I am surprised the Packers gave up on Scott McGarrahan so fast, but his contract might be too big, and I wonder if he might be resigned later at the veteran minimum. I am glad to read the Packers are keeping Carl Ford on IR this year while he recovers from a not-too-serious MCL tear so the Donald Driver comparisons can continue with Ford for the next year or so.

The Packers signed LB Armegis Spearman to an offer sheet and Cincinnati matched it last spring, but now Cincinnati cut him? The Packers could get him for minimum wage now, so if Spearman can play special teams I wouldn't be surprised if he is signed. All the interest I have read about in MarTay Jenkins is disappointing in that it means the Packers haven't found an adequate return man. I am not happy about that, and I am not happy with comments by Atlanta regarding all the interest the Packers showed in trading for Allen Rossum who they let leave in free agency two years ago. The Packers have tried to filled the kick returner position on the cheap and its not working. Hopefully Antonio Chapman can perform better than last year's cast of kick return characters and this problem with solve itself.

The Akili Smith era is over. It's not too surprising after he played awful on Saturday and threw an interception returned for a touchdown against Carolina's backups, especially considering Doug Pederson and Craig Nall both have played better this preseason and both would be more likely to be able to step in as a starter than Smith. Some team might take him on as a number 3 QB but he would be better off on the practice squad for the Packers and learn how to play QB by watching Brett Favre. It is obvious Smith hasn't learned how to play the position, but I can't imagine his agent will let Smith sign up to anyone's practice squad. Tyrone Davis got cut too, which I feel is long overdue. He showed some promise in Mike Holmgren's last year (yes that long ago) but didn't live up to expectations and kept getting injured. This moment was inevitable the moment Wesley Walls signed. Steve Warren got cut which surprised me, because the Packers just signed Larry Smith for some emergency depth at defensive tackle and if one of the two got cut I would thought it would be Smith. This would have been Warren's fourth year with the club, but he has missed most of that time with injuries, notably a torn muscle that kept him out for over a year. But Warren has been working in the system for a while, so it must have just been obvious that Smith is a superior player.

Ahh...football Panthers style! I wasn't able to watch the Packers game vs. Carolina, nor get a sneak peek at the remodeled Lambeau, but I didn't miss much either. The Panthers offense is offensive and unable to run or pass the ball effectively, and the Panthers defensive line is one of the best, and probably the best young defensive line, in football. Three guys (Peppers, Rucker, and Jenkins) have 10 sack potential and are effective against the run too. Off the top of my head, as long as Simeon Rice continues to hold up against the run, only the Bucs defensive line is better than the Panthers. The Packers had trouble moving the ball against the Panthers just like the rest of the NFL will have problems with them all year long, unless the offense against the Panthers has an effective scheme and game plan devised against it, while the Packers aren't showing any of their tricks on offense in the preseason. Ahman Green scored the lone touchdown and it sounds like he is completely healthy which is great news. Akili Smith struggled big in the game, but that is why he has to be number 3 behind Craig Nall or Doug Pederson. Smith doesn't know how to read and react to NFL defenses. That is why the Bengals got rid of him. I was afraid that Smith had lost all of his physical ability to play QB but he has proved to me this preseason that he has a great arm and good footwork, he just needs to learn how to play QB in the NFL, which, not surprisingly considering his entire career up to now has been with the Bengals, he hasn't learned yet. I am looking forward to what Smith will show next preseason. The Packers made a great move by trading for Scott McGarrahan. McGarrahan will not play much on defense but was huge for the Packers on special teams in his first tenure with the team. He seemed to be involved on every special teams tackle. Special teams last year was a weak link in last year's team, and this is the biggest improvement to the unit in the last year. Really. The defense got a bye this week vs. the anemic Panthers offense so it will be important for Ed Donatell to put his opening game defense on the field vs. Tennessee this week to show that they are ready, or it could be like last year where the defense gave up a lot of points to Atlanta and New Orleans in the regular season before they finally put it all together.

A couple of notes on this week. Gilbert Brown is coming back and playing through the injury? At best I would imagine he would be playing with one arm, but the Packers have a couple more weeks of camp to determine if that is realistic. Larry Smith is an interesting signing, but Jacksonville wouldn't give up on a former 2nd round pick if he wasn't useful. Maybe he just needs a second chance, and at least he appears to be healthy. Robert Ferguson won the job for #2 WR but there is some degree of winning by default. Javon Walker hasn't looked good in preseason. All the speculation regarding Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher's availability appear to be over since they have finally gotten on the field in the preseason. All that appears left to be sorted out is who is playing where in the secondary, who is going to be healthy enough to play on the defensive line, and making sure the special teams are ready for opening day.

I blew it and missed the first half against the Cleveland Browns on Friday night. I missed the Packers offense looking good and the defense looking bad.

Third Quarter: The Steves (Warren and Martin) have an impact. Neither one is good enough to start but both are solid depth and a reason why the Packers second team defense looked better against Cleveland's second teamers then the Packers first teamers did against Cleveland's first team. Nice drive single handed by Herbert Goodman, but he still won't make the roster, unless Lamar Smith just looks done. Nick Luchey got some time at RB which surprised me, and Phil Simms got excited and compared him to Jerome Bettis. Luchey is still over 260 lbs. and just doesn't move that well like an Ahman Green, but he did have a nice touchdown run showing quick feet to the hole and he might become the short yardage back and take away valuable fantasy football TDs from Green. Jamal Reynolds is showing a nice speed rush to the QB but he can't stop the run. James Jackson got Cleveland's biggest rush of the second half through the whole vacated by Reynolds. Craig Nall has not impressed me this preseason, mostly because he is holding the ball too long against second team rushers. He isn't ready to be the #2 guy. Marques Anderson is still in the game which is proof he has completely lost the starting job to Antuan Edwards; no other projected starters are still in the game. I've liked Edwards when I have seen him play in past seasons, once he got a couple games under his belt each year, which was easier said then done due to his frequent injuries, and I don't have any problem with him starting as long as a reliable backup, Anderson, is on the roster too for the inevitable Edwards injury protection. Anderson was in the game and took a bad angle on a short yardage screen pass, allowing a touchdown (that wasn't a touchdown because Cleveland's RB stepped out of bounds but it still counts). Packers 31, Browns 28.

Fourth Quarter: Jamal Reynolds still can't stop the run. This was Akili Smith's quarter. He was playing against a bunch of guys that probably won't make Cleveland's roster, but he looked good. Much better than I expected. He probably doesn't know the offense, he missed all the mini camps, but he showed me that he can play, and the Packers probably have themselves a future starting QB. His feet looked good, his passes looked sharp with strong throws but with a light touch. He is still a work in progress, but he should be #3 this year and #2 next year if he keeps this up. Chris Johnson looks promising at cornerback, he got flagged for interference but he just got his right hand into the receiver's body which he will learn to avoid doing with more experience. Packers 38, Browns 31.

And I missed the Bryant Westbrook season ending ruptured achilles, the second time that has happened in his career. I have heard of multiple knee and elbow injuries, but never multiple achilles ruptures. Unbelievable. The loss of Westbrook is a major blow to the defensive back depth, and although the starting positions are strong (Al Harris, Mike McKenzie, Darren Sharper, and Marquis Anderson) the top reserves are now the frequently injured Antuan Edwards and Bhawon Jue, with rookie Chris Johnson thrown into the mix. Westbrook was the best of that bunch. And what the hell was Chukie Nwokorie doing in Monday's practice that led to Craig Nall hyperextending his knee? Nwokorie was going full steam when the offense, including Ahman Green who was assigned to block Nwokorie, wasn't. Mike Sherman chewed out Nwokorie but if Jamal Reynolds can continue to show signs of life, this stunt by Nwokorie might have just cost him his job. This week has been a big set back for the Packers.

I missed the Packers preseason game at Atlanta on Saturday, not on TV in my area, but it sounded like a stinker. The special teams allowed big plays by Allen Rossum, and the defense couldn't recover from them allowing two early touchdowns, on what I would assume was the Packers first team defense. Yuck. It almost replayed like the wild card loss at Lambeau against these same Falcons; big special team plays, and no big plays on offense or defense put the Packers in a hole they couldn't come back from. They eventually came back to win this game, but neither team had a first team players left on the field at the end either. Maybe I would have felt better watching it, but reading the scoring drive descriptions and the box scores on jsonline.com left me disappointed. The team doesn't seem any better now then they were at the end of last year. Individual player notes: Torrence Marshall had a big game. I am really surprised, but he has finally come on after a couple of season's on the roster, similar to another linebacker the Packers drafted in the 3rd round a few years ago named Brian Williams. Marshall might keep his roster spot after all, which is good because the player he backs up, strongside linebacker Hannibal Navies, has had a history of injury problems. Bryant Westbrook is playing safety and he might make a good safety, but the Packers need a quality 3rd cornerback more than they need a quality 3rd safety, so I don't know if this is a good idea. Akili Smith, not surprisingly, did not have a good first game. I am still not a fan of Smith, and I would have like the Packers to have at least given Eric Crouch a chance before he quit on him. Crouch might not have been great, but neither the Packers nor Rams even gave him a chance at QB in a preseason game, and I would have liked to have seen him play. Could he have been worse than Smith's first couple of NFL seasons? Is Carl Ford the Packers best WR so far? That is really disappointing. I wouldn't be surprised if some "Antonio Freeman is coming in for a work out" rumours started up if Javon Walker continues to disappoint as he did for me in the game vs. Kansas City and Donald Driver and Robert Ferguson's injuries persist. Gilbert Brown; after the promise he showed in 1996, basically everything since has been a disappointment. Almost signing with Jacksonville, injuries, weight problems, almost signing with Washington, and now a possibly career ending injury. I didn't like Gilbert's 6 year deal he signed just a couple of weeks ago and I hate it now. Big Daddy Wilkenson's name has been mentioned as a possible signing, but anybody with some size and can plug the middle might be useful at this point. Better luck to the Packers next week. Three more preseason games to go to sort out the roster, defensive line starters, and starting wide receivers.

The Packers played their first preseason game yesterday and they looked in preseason form. A lot of players sitting out, including their best defender Darren Sharper, but I watch these games to see who is going to be making the second team.

First Quarter: I missed the first two "drives" by both teams so I didn't get to see Priest Holmes except on replay. Second offensive "drive" had poor tackle play with a Marcus Spriggs false start and Kevin Barry did a little matador blocking to allow a sack. That's why these guys are free talent playing on the second unit. Mike McKenzie and his twin brother Al Harris both defend lob passes from Trent Green. I am really looking forward to the McKenzie/Harris duo at cornerback this year, and I am expecting them to be the best pair of corners for the Packers that I have ever seen in person. Antonio Chapman has two returns so far and I would consider him to be the best returner the Packers have had since 2001 and Allen Rossum; that is how bad the return game was in 2002. Two 7th round picks in action; Chris Ford made a tough first down catch and Chris Johnson is getting a lot of playing time at corner. Packers 0, Chiefs 3.

Second Quarter: Jamal Reynolds sighting! Speed move ala KGB around right tackle Willie Jones for the sack. But both of Jamal's fans shouldn't get too excited as Marcus Wilkins abused Jones for two more sacks in the quarter before Jones suffered a dangerous neck injury so if the injury wouldn't have happened Jones probably was in danger of losing his roster spot. The last I heard Jones had movement in his hands and feet and hopefully he will recover completely. On the fumble caused by Reynolds' sack, Kenny Peterson recovered the football while playing at the tackle spot. I really like Peterson and I expect him to effectively replace Vonnie Holliday on the line. I don't remember Holliday's name getting called at all by the Chiefs tonight. Javon Walker doesn't look fluid running his routes; he isn't ready yet which is a real disappointment. I haven't seen Robert Ferguson yet due to his injury keeping him out, but it probably will be him or Karsten Bailey starting opposite Donald Driver on opening day. Davenport fumbled but his fumble was a non-fumble so it shouldn't hurt his backup status. Craig Nall did not look good at all; first he holds the ball too long and gets sacked and then he throws two interceptions (one disturbingly right threw Walker's hands, Walker is not ready). At this point I think he is trying too hard and I need to see him in more preseason games before I can consider him further. Tony Fisher gets a long gain on a screen pass but the Chiefs completely blew the coverage. Nick Barnett looked good and made two open field tackles in this quarter while I can't remember a single one by Hardy Nickerson until past midseason last year. Packers 0, Chiefs 6.

Third Quarter: Wilkens gets his third sack of the night, but the Chiefs backup tight end also got a big gain on what appeared to be a blown coverage and he might have been Wilkens' responsiblity. Larry Johnson is the Chiefs' fourth string running back? Why did they draft this guy in the first round when they could have upgraded their defense with the pick. Rain, rain, rain, rain...Oh well, at least we got to see some Packers football. Final Packers 0, Chiefs 9.

In summary it was a sloppy game but that's the preseason for you. Barnett, Harris, Wilkins impressed while Walker was the real disappointment. Four more preseason games to go to see who gets to keep his roster spot.

A little roster management first as the Packers sign tight end Wesley Walls for the veterans minimum. For the second week in a row the Packers beat out the Redskins for a free agent (has there been a free agent this year they haven't bid on this offseason?). Walls says he's healthy but the Panthers have probably heard that story before. Walls wasn't very good last year but he has been a big touchdown threat near the goal line and teamed in the red zone with Bubba Franks they could be the best tight end pair since Chmura and Jackson in 1996. Hopefully this means the five (or six?) year Tyrone Davis experiment can finally be ended.

Add the eccentric Gilbert Brown with the free agent insane Washington Redskins and you end up with the Packers signing Brown to a six year deal. The length is surprising since it had been assumed by every publication I read this year that Brown would just sign for one year at the veteran's minimum. But after the stupid Redskins cut their starting nose tackle Dan Wilkenson without anyone on the roster able to replace him (huh?) they got desperate and contacted Brown, who almost signed with them. I think Brown is useful and the Packers are a better team against the run with him, but with Brown's injury history and the knowledge that you can't rely on the big man for a full season, he is just worth the minimum and not a true starter's salary. I don't know why the Packers waited so long to sign Brown, but I think it was more likely that it was Brown's odd character than the Packers procrastination that caused the delay. Unfortunately the $400,000 signing bonus spread out over six years is a lot more than the Packers probably expected to pay so the delay cost them time and money. Not a big deal, but every bit of money counts when the salary cap tightens up.

ESPN has spoken and the voice of the fan in the NFL is Rush Limbaugh? ESPN announced last week that their already unwatchable NFL Sunday Countdown show was made intolerable by the addition of Rush to its roster. What made this program so unwatchable last year was all the non-comments made by all the ex-players (e.g "This team is all about character!") like they were having a family argument over the Thansgiving dinner table. So they decided to "improve" it by hiring Rush? Did they need to find someone with the same physical dimensions to replace Bill Parcells? Politics aside, Rush is a multi-multi-millionaire with a daily radio show listened to by millions of people and has as much in common with the average NFL fan as Al Davis does. Maybe Rush is the average luxury box fan, but he is unlike the rest of us watching football in a sports bar or on the sofa in the living room. Does ESPN realize that Rush has made many racist comments about African-Americans on his radio program over the years? How do Tom Jackson and Michael Irvin feel about that? Its not like I plan to boycott ESPN, Chris Berman and Tom Jackson's Sunday highlights on NFL Primetime are still excellent and ESPN shows too many games I want to watch, but it does show how ESPN has lost all concept of who is watching their programing. They are believing in their "This is Sportscenter" advertising and thinking its all multi-millionaire athletes and celebrities watching instead of millions of working and middle class fans. On a totally unrelated note, doesn't Kobe Bryant's arrest and criminal charges make ESPN's "This is Sportscenter" magazine ad with Kobe watching Sportscenter on a bank of TVs while buying diapers at a Wal-Mart one of the most ironic ads of all time?

Training camp started on July 19. I have never gotten the opportunity to attend a training camp but I would love to some day. JS Online's Packers Plus had a great article listing all the activities available to fans, and unfortunately how the Packers have restricted the fans access to the players over the last 10 years. One early bit of good news is that Nick Barnett was signed on the first day of camp and only missed a half-day of practice. That is great news since Barnett has to be a starter at middle or weak-side linebacker and the Packers need to find out which position it will be. All the probably starting linebackers (Hannibal Navies, Na'il Diggs and Barnett) have the speed to play outside but it appears that only Diggs has the size to play inside. The Packers seem to think Barnett can play inside too, but I expect Diggs in the middle, Navies at strong side and Barnett at weak side. In this case, all three players flexibility is a good thing and lets the coaches put each player in a position where they can best succeed as a unit. Kenny Peterson's signing was helpful because he will probably be part of the defensive line mix and he needs the entire camp too. It is amazing how many NFL teams blunder with signing their draft picks each year, and then the rookies miss substantial practice time. Its not that hard to anticipate, the draft picks are slotted meaning the player gets paid just less then the guy drafted before him and just a little more than the guy drafted after him. And the salaries just increase a few percent each year so it is easy to predict what the contract should be worth. The team might save money by holding the line but with the lost practice time factored in the team usually ends up getting what they paid for. Its all about ego, but ego doesn't win as many games as talent and execution in the NFL.

I am impressed with the Packers new policy to leave no stone unturned in their attempt to have a competant kick return game this year. They recently signed an Arena league player, Antonio Chapman, to throw another fast body into the competition. All four of this year's seventh round picks are fast and Johnson, Rubin and Ford will probably all get a chance to be the return man. Last year's special teams kick returners were awful. They never made any big returns last year, and I thought the Eric Metcalf fumble in the first half of the playoff game against Atlanta effectively ended that game, although it was not just Metcalf's fault. A better return game would probably have made a one or two game difference in the standings, although based on last year, home field advantage did not make a difference to the Packers. But next year might be different, and a quality return game might make the difference in a big game, like Desmond Howard's Super Bowl MVP performance in 1996. Remember, Howard was free talent just walking the street when the Packers brought him in and added a few years to his career and a few more millions into his pocket via the Raiders foolish free agent contract they signed him to the next year.

Torrence Marshall will be suspended for the first 4 games of the upcoming NFL season for violating the league's drug policy. Way to go Torrence! This guy was on the bubble to make the roster this year, I don't know how he managed to hang on last year with the attempt to change his position to fullback. I think this is the end of Marshall as a Packer, unless he manages to have a fantastic camp, which he hasn't been able to do the last two years. I'd expect the Packers to cut him early and give playing time to someone who can help all year long at linebacker. Its disappointing to me, because I thought Marshall looked like a steal as a 3rd rounder a couple of years ago and would give the Packers a good few years as a starting linebacker. The Packers kept Cletidus Hunt around when he was suspended for the first 4 games of the season for violating the drug policy, but Marshall has never shown the Packers the ability the Hunt has shown.

Almost as soon as Randall Godfrey hit the free agent market, the linebacker challenged Seahawks signed him for a $1 million signing bonus. That was probably too rich for the Packers to match with their snug salary cap. On the plus side, it looks like Kenny Peterson might just be a perfect replacement for Vonnie Holliday. Line coach Jethro Franklin and Joe Johnson both spoke well of him on Packer Plus and Sherman thinks Peterson might be able to start alongside Cledius Hunt at defensive tackle according to Pro Football Weekly. I still expect Gilbert Brown to be starting next to Hunt on opening day but with three starters on the defensive line who are known for missing time (Johnson, Hunt and Brown) the Packers need all the depth they can get.