Green Bay Packers 2016 Training Camp Preview

The Long wait is over. Football season is finally here! We can sense your excitement already. The Green Bay Packers opened training camp today, which means the 2016 NFL season is officially under way. The Packers and Colts open early because they are going to play in the Hall of Fame game to begin the preseason. Here is a quick index of what to look for throughout training camp.

First and foremost, there is “The Great One,” Aaron Rodgers. Recently head coach Mike McCarthy said Rodgers is in the best shape of his career. You want to know something funny? We here at Ticket King have a theory about older athletes. Our theory was that older athletes are in better physical condition because men, as they age, tend to feel a need to take better care of themselves, and for good reason. When a guy is 19-years-old, for the most part, he doesn't care about anything except how much fun he can have that day. When men hit that age 30, all of a sudden, this light bulb goes on that they need to take better care of themselves. Maybe that is what happened to Aaron Rodgers. The bigger question though, is can he bounce back from the worst season of his career since winning the Super Bowl in 2011? Some signs point to “no.”

Jordy Nelson, who was expected to return from injury, is now on the PUP list due to a new injury to his knee. It’s tough to depend on a 31-year-old wide receiver, coming off a torn ACL, with a history of hamstring and knee issues, to return to form. They do however, have a bunch of young, talented receivers. That's the good news. The bad news is these are the same receivers that were pathetically inept at times last season. The good news is they add 5^th round rookie Trevor Davis to the mix this season, and he can fly. Oh can he fly. The bad news is his chances of having an immediate impact on the offense are slim. The good news overall though, is these guys are young and talented. So stay tuned.

On defense, they will be looking to move Clay Matthews back outside full time. We’re not sure if  we like this idea. The numbers may not have shown it, and this is why we wish the NFL would embrace the modern era of “moneyball” and super-advanced Sabermetrics, but Clay Matthews had his best season as a pro in 2016 playing a hybrid role. They get Sam Barrington back, also Jake Ryan has a full season under his belt, and Blake Martinez has solid pro and tackling machine written all over him, so the inside linebacker situation may be in better hands then we think. Back in the secondary, the best trio of safeties in the game, Micah Hyde, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, and Morgan Burnett are ready to go. On the outside, the Packers top two draft choices from a year ago, first rounder Damarious Randall, and second rounder Quinten Rollins, are poised for huge second seasons after outstanding rookie campaigns.