2012 Green Bay Packers season Preview

The past five season have seen the Packers be among the most successful in the league. The Packers take aim at 2012 with a renewed sense of focus and drive, and are again among the favorites to take home the Lombardi trophy. To fully understand where the Packers stand this season we are going to start by recapping each of the past five Packers seasons.

2007: The Packers stun everybody by rolling to a 13-3 record, thanks to a rejuvenation of Brett Favres career. They fall in overtime in the NFC championship game thanks to a late interception from Favre, the last pass of his Packers career.

2008: Aaron Rodgers takes over QB duties and does a fine job for a first year starter. Unfortunately the defense doesnt do so hot, especially in fourth quarters. A five game losing streak, four of which coming on last minute drives, dooms the Packers to a 6-10 season.

2009: A tale of two seasons. The first half sees Aaron Rodgers get sacked an ungodly amount of times, The Packers being beaten by Brett favre twice, and heavily upset twice more, to take on a 4-4  record. The second half sees the Packers offense soar to record breaking heights, the o-line tighten up, and the D play well, at times. The team goes 7-2, a playoff loss included. The losses sees the defense put up staggeringly atrocious performances. Nonetheless, the good second half sets up a run for 2010.

2010: For the first time in 13 years, the Packers open the season as a top three super bowl favorite. However, a myriad of injuries, coupled with a crazy amount of heartbreaking last second losses, lead to the Packers being 8-6 and needing two wins to make the playoffs. They get those two wins, and roll through the playoffs en route to their fourth super bowl victory in team history. The defense is dominant from start to finish on the season, Only giving up more than 25 points two times in twenty games.

2011: The Packers are favorites to repeat, and the offense doesnt dissapoint. The second most lethal offense in NFL history puts up 34 points a game, 40 a game at home, leading to a 15-1 regular season. However, the defense is alarmingly bad, leading to a number of shootouts. compared to last year, they gave up more than 25 points seven times in seventeen games. They lose in the divisional round of the playoffs, in what was probably the worst game the Packers played since Favre beat them at Lambeau over two years ago.

That brings us to 2012, what follows is a position by position breakdown of what we can expect from our Packers this season.

Quartberback: Aaron Rodgers is arguably the greatest player in the NFL right now. He is coming off a season in which he set the record for best QB rating in a season, thanks in part to a staggeringly low interception total. With the same weapons as last year, another great year is rightfully expected. Another year with 40+ touchdowns and single digit interceptions is likely. Graham Harrell has backup duties for now, but his play worried many fans during the preseason. He did put up a sharp performance in the last game however, and he seems adequate at the position as long as the O-line gives him time.

Running Back: The Packers should have their most potent rushing attack since the 2004 season. 1,000 yard back Cedric Benson will be starting, and he will certainly help take the load off Rodgers. He may not get to 1,000, but expect 800-900, good enough for this offense. Behind him is Alex Green and James Starks. Starks dissapointed last year, but in a backup role may be effecient. Green will probably get limited reps. Fan Favorite John Kuhn will be resuming his fullback duties.

Wide Receivers: Jordy Nelson had a breakout season last year, getting 15 TD receptions. Hes on my gameday shirt this year, so hopefully another good year is on the horizon. Jennings returns as the number one receiver, and Randall Cobb is coming off an impressive rookie year, and should have an increased role this year. Donald Driver will have a more limited role, but is still a threat for a big game. And Jarrett Boykin currently holds the fifth receiver spot, hoping for a chance to make an impact.

Tight ends: After a dissapointing 2011, Jermichael Finley has been given a chance to come back to Green Bay and try to prove he can live up to the hype as one of the best tight ends in the game.With Andrew Quarless on the PUP list,  Tom Crabtree should be number two on the tight end depth chart, giving him an increased role, and young guns DJ Williams and Ryan Taylor both have the potential to impress. Keep an eye on Williams, I think he has the potential to be the diamond in the rough that Thompson seems to find every year.

Offensive Line: Bryan Bulaga and Marshall Newhouse will man the guard positions. Its do or die time for both of these guys, as Bulaga has been adequate, but not first round pick adequate since his NFL debut, and Newhouse has been increasingly dissapointing. Josh Sitton and TJ Lang will take the Guard spots, and are about as reliable as guys you can have there. Free Agent signee Jeff Saturday wil have Center Duties this season, and is one of the top players in that position in the NFL.

Defensive Line: Ryan Pickett and CJ WIlson will man the inside, while First round pick Jerel Worthy will take Defensive End duties, hoping to fill a void the Packers had last year. BJ Raji will also be here, hoping to bounce back after a dissapointing 2011 season.

Linebackers: With Nick Perry being drafted and Jamari Lattimore stepping up, AJ Hawk has heard the message loud and clear that he needs to step up or he may lose his job. Clay Matthews returns hoping to return to a double digit sack nummber, but dont let that make you think he was ineffective last year despite the decreased sack total. he just found ways to help in other capacities.

Defensive Backs: With Charles Woodson moving to the secondary, its Tramon Williams time to shine as the number one corner. The Number two corner may be the overall weakness on the team, as it appears Jarrett Bush may be given a chance to start the season at this spot. Bush has been, at times, a disaster here in his time in Green Bay, but appears to have improved somewhat, judging by limited preseason action. If he cant fill the void, any number of players can step in, including Sam Shields, Davon House, or MD Jennings. Morgan Burnett returns to the free safety position.

Special teams: Mason Crosby returns to kick field goals, and he has been one of the most consistent guys in the league in doing so in his time in Green Bay. Tim Masthay returns to punting duties and is also one of the most reliable guys in the league at that position.

Now its time for the position power ranking, of the eight groups above, I will rank which units are the best, and which may be a weak point for the team this year.

8. Defensive Backs
7. Running Backs
6. Defensive Line
5. Offensive Line
4. Tight Ends
3. Linebackers
2. Wide Receivers
1. Quarterbacks

Taking a look at the Packers schedule, the first strecth of games is brutal. The Packers face one super bowl candidate right off the bat in the 49ers, then return three nights later to face another in the Chicago Bears. They then travel out West for a night game in Seattle, one of the most difficult environments to play in, then are faced with a short week to prepare for Drew Brees and the Saints. After this brutal four game swing, the Packers are dealt three straight road games, highlighted by a Sunday night game against another super bowl favorite in the Houston Texans. After the Houston games thing finally settle down; after a trip to St louis, the Pack have back to back games at Lambeau against much inferior teams Jacksonville and Arizona. Then a bye before two tough roadies against Detroit and the defending champion New York Giants. The december schedule is pretty favorable as it sees the Packers take on the Vikings twice, plus tennesse and Detroit both at Lambeau. The toughie in december is at Chicago, which could have major playoff implications.

Hopefully the Packers will rebound from last years playoff defeat and put together another great season. I see some predicting 16-0 for this team, and Id love that, but I dont think the schedule sets up very favorably for it. The old saying "its not who you play but when you play them" may be very true for the Packers here. Playing two tough teams in the Bears and Saints on short weeks could trip them up. Playing night road games in Houston and Seattle could trip them up. Getting the Giants off their bye could work against them. Only time will tell. et the games begin, and Go Pack Go!