Packers Versus Patriots Recap | Alonzo Harris Should Make The Team

As promised, here is our review of some of the individual performances within for the Packers in their first preseason game against the Patriots.

Aaron Rodgers: The 2014 MVP looked decent in his 2015 debut. Rodgers finished the night 11 for 19 passing for 117 yards, all in the first quarter. Ironically that sets the record for the most passes in the first quarter Rodgers has ever thrown in his career.

Scott Tolzien: Wow, what a difference two years makes. This is a completely different Scott Tolzien than the one the Packers were force to throw to the Wolves two years ago when Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone. Tolzien looks sharp, prepared, confidant, and ready to go if Rodgers gets hurt again. Tolzien finished the night 10 for 16 for 107 yards and a gorgeous touchdown pass to Jeff Janis.

Brett Hundley: The rookie looked like a deer caught in the headlights in his first NFL game, which is about what we expected of him. Hundley finished 4 of 6 for 60 yards and a touchdown. He's improved since the start of training camp, and showed some spark before giving up the ball in the fourth quarter to Matt Blanchard out of Wisconsin-Whitewater, who has no shot of making this team, but it was fun watching him.

Eddie Lacy: Eddie Lacy had a solid night, five carries for 36 yards before his night was done. We won't see much out of him this preseason.

James Starks: The Packers number two back had five carries for a measly 12 yards before his night was done. However, Starks did have three catches for 38 yards as well. Much like Lacy, we won't see much from him this preseason, so don't read into his numbers too much.

Rajon Neal: The first of the three competitors for the third running back spot finished the night with four carries for 15 yards, and did nothing to help his cause.

John Crockett: The candidate number two for the third running back job, had a little bit better of a night than candidate number one, finishing with 10 carries for 26 yards.

Alonzo Harris: On the other hand, candidate number three made a loud statement about his desire to be the third running back. Harris finished the night with seven carries for 41 yards and a touchdown, and found holes to run through all night.

The Packers Defense: The Defense had a solid night collectively, which shows McCarthy spending more time with the defense may actually pay off.

Packers 2015 Game by Game Schedule | Ticket King Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers 2015 schedule doesn't start off with a few easy opponents. Green Bay will start on the road, at Chicago. The Bears have something to prove, and knocking the Pack down in game one would be a huge boost for that hapless organization. Consider that one a "must win."  Following that game, it's the home opener at Lambeau Field. It's the Packers versus Seahawks on 9/20.  This one is a prime time game, with kickoff set for 7:30pm. All eyes will be on the NFC Championship repeat of last year. Although the "strength of their NFL schedule" finds them in the middle of the pack, it sure looks tough on paper.

On 9/28 it's the Packers versus Chiefs. That one is also a prime time affair, on Monday Night Football! Green Bay heads to San Francisco for a noon match up against the 49ers. Then it's back home to Green Bay for the next two weeks.  The Packers will play the Rams and Chargers. The bye week comes up after that.

November 1, the Packers will play a Sunday night game at Denver. Will Manning and Co. pick apart Green Bay?  Will the stout defensive line of the Packers take down aging Peyton Manning? The Panthers will host the Packers on November 8, then it's a home game against Detroit. Green Bay will hit the road for a game against divisional opponent Minnesota.

One of the biggest games in the way of Packers ticket demand is the Thanksgiving night game when Green Bay will retire Brett Favre's jersey.  Green Bay will take on the Bears that night. Getting into December, the team will head to Detroit on 12/3. Then it's time to host the Cowboys, who hope to make up for their loss in the NFC playoffs. December 20, it's Packers at Raiders. The final two games of the season are not going to be easy. The Packers head to Arizona on 12/27, then host the Vikings for the final game of the regular season. 

Packers Special Teams Coach Ron Zook Takes Over as Shawn Slocum is Sent Packing

The Green Bay Packers 2014 season was one for the ages. The team was just a minutes away from heading to the Super Bowl, before everything came apart. Some of us would like to forget the "muffed" catch during the on side kick that Seattle had certainly telegraphed to the Pack. Brandon Bostick is still having nightmares about that one. What can be done about the Packers special teams? Mike McCarthy is taking this task on at a level that nears "personal handling" status. First lets take a look at how the team did last season.

Green Bay was at the bottom of the rankings in almost every special teams category. First, with seven kicks blocked, the "all season - all types of kicks" debacle forced specific players to stay on the field for special teams plays, when resting them would have been the better bet. But that wasn't the worst of it. Green Bay had the third worst net punting average, so even if the kick was away, the team didn't hold opponents to minimal yards. The Packers were second worst in kickoff yards allowed, and near the bottom for field goals made.

McCarthy made the first move by firing special teams coach Shawn Slocum. He moved Ron Zook into that position, and the team has already started working on the fundamentals. Tim Masthay now has a competitor for the starting position at punter. Green Bay brought in Cody Mandell as an option at that position.

Who was the Packers return man in 2014? That guy they let go the day after the loss to Seattle. Well, perhaps it wasn't the day after, but DuJuan Harris was let go, and Ty Montgomery will be taking the lead at that position in 2015. Don't be surprised if Green Bay puts a few other streaky runners back there, just to see what works. What's the bright spot from last year? Mason Crosby.  Crosby did a bang up job kicking, hitting 81.8% of his kicks.  

Packers 2016 Draft Picks | Ticket King Green Bay

While we are waiting for NFL training camps to enter full swing, we thought it might be a good idea to take a very early look at the 2016 NFL draft. Keep in mind this is mostly speculation, as this could, and will change over the next 10 months.

As with any draft, the first and foremost question is who are the quarterbacks? As of this moment, there are three quarterbacks in play for the top of round one. First off, there is Penn State's Christian Hackenberg, who has been thought of as a number one overall selection in the making since he arrived at Penn State. Second there is Cardale Jones, who stunned the world when he filled in for the injured J.T. Barrett who was filling in for the injured Braxton Miller and led Ohio State to a miracle National Championship. Jones has all the skills in the world, but he needs to win the job first. Miller made Jones's road to winning the job easier when he stated he was moving to a pass catching role, so now Jones just needs to beat out Barrett, which many expect him to. Finally, there is Connor Cook of Michigan State. Cook is the classic enormous drop back pocket passer, and will need to tone down the mistakes in 2015.

Another key component to any first round of an NFL draft is offensive tackles. Usually there are several that make their way into the top half of the first round. Right now there are three in play for 2016. The first is Laremy Tunsil from Mississippi. The second is Ronnie Stanley from Notre Dame. The third is Taylor Decker from Alabama. All three are considered to be left tackles in the NFL at this moment.

The third most important component to any NFL draft is the impact defensive players at the top of the first round. Joey Bosa a defensive lineman from Ohio State, right now, is the best player eligible for the 2016 draft. Bosa is a beast who may have been the first defensive player selected if he would have been draft eligible, but he wasn't. He will be this year. Don't expect this one to change much. Jalen Ramsey, a safety from Florida State, is the best defensive back eligible for the 2016 NFL draft.

The "Soon to Be" Fifteen Worst Teams in the NFL | Ticket King Green Bay

It's been very good in Packers country, for a very long time. Yes, we Packers fans have had our share of lousy seasons, but overall, the team has been a contender for a long time.  Part of that comes from how Ted Thompson has managed to draft. Another part of that has been the luck of having two "Hall of Fame" quarterbacks playing in Green Bay. How will some of today's top ranked teams do in the next season or two?  Here we turned to our sports guru Tim Bryce for his take on what's coming up for some of the hottest teams, and not so hot teams.

17. Seattle Seahawks- The Seahawks have been the NFL's best team the last several years. However, time is almost up, as all of these young players are going to start asking for their contracts all at the same time.

18. San Diego Chargers- The Chargers will still be a decent team in several years, but they are without a doubt, on their way down.

19. Philadelphia Eagles- Chip Kelly's madness will either work, or blow up in his face. We are going to hedge an bet (no money involved, just a figure of speech) on the latter.

20. Detroit Lions- The Lions have a couple of great players in Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. That would be enough, if this was 1999, but it's not. It is 2015, and in this modern NFL, you need a 53 man roster stocked full of cheap young players, which the Lions don't have.

21. Dallas Cowboys- See the Lions comments above.

22. Kansas City Chiefs- The Chiefs are okay right now, but this is the most overrated team in the NFL at this moment. This isn't going to last, as any team built around Alex Smith can't last.

23. New England Patriots- The Patriots have been great for a very long time. However, with how they are set up, once Brady leaves, so will Belicheck, and this organization may not be built to withstand the move from one regime to another.

24. Chicago Bears- The Bears have tried for years to make it work with Cutler, but are on the verge of giving up.

25. San Francisco 49ers- The 49ers have been one of the league's best for the last few years. However, as fast as they rose, they will fall even quicker. 

26. Buffalo Bills- The Bills are one of those organizations that has struggled to find their way. The hiring of Rex Ryan shows us why. We don't see that changing anytime soon.

27. New York Jets- See the above comments about the Bills.

28. Denver Broncos- Peyton Manning found a team willing to sacrifice their future for him. Well, it is about time to pay the bill, and it’s not going to be cheap.

29. New Orleans Saints- At the moment, the Saints are the NFL's “old team”. This is a franchise that is trending downward, and will be beginning a rebuild in a couple of years when these rankings take shape.

30. Cleveland Browns- Since returning to the league, the Browns have never been able to find a solution. They have tried different combinations, but nothing has worked. We don't see that changing anytime soon. 

31. Washington Redskins- The Redskins are another team like the Browns, who have been stuck for a while trying different things. Also like the Browns, we don't see that changing anytime soon either.

32. Arizona Cardinals- The Cardinals have never had much of success, so you can't blame them for going all in on the moment at hand. However, they will be back at the bottom in short order.

NFL Rankings Three Years Out | Which Team Has What It Takes For Years To Come? Ticket King Green Bay

Let us begin by stating these are not your typical power rankings. These are “future rankings” meaning that this is who we believe is set up to be very good in a few years. This week we will feature the first half of the rankings.

1. Green Bay Packers - The Ted Thompson strategy always plays well for tomorrow. This team will still be awesome in three years.

2. Indianapolis Colts- It is only a matter of time before Andrew Luck wins a Super Bowl, not if, when.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers - The Steelers spent of the offseason getting younger across the board. Usually youth movements bode well for future rankings.

4. Miami Dolphins- The Dolphins are a team on the rise, and their window is opening right now. Expect them to take control of the AFC East, maybe as soon as this year.

5. Minnesota Vikings- We really, really like the decision making of this organization the last few years. They have finally stopped trying to take shortcuts and have started looking for the long, but correct way to the top. This is a young team on the rise.

6. St. Louis Rams- If Nick Foles is healthy; this is a team set up for a prime run for the next few years.

7. Cincinnati Bengals - The Bengals are a young team that is loaded with experience. But can they finally win a playoff game?

8. Baltimore Ravens- The Ravens understand the value of loading up with cheap young players, which was reflected in their moves during the 2015 off season.

9. Oakland Raiders- The Raiders are finally headed in the right direction, and we believe David Carr is the man who will take them there.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- This is a young team that is definitely trending upward. But is Lovie Smith the man who can take them there?  

11. Jacksonville Jaguars- They are building something in Jacksonville. Too bad the city will not be the ones to see the end of this rebuild.

12. Carolina Panthers - The Panthers have stuck to their mode of building through the draft, and it will begin to pay off soon. Now they just need to add some offense, and they will be one of the NFL's best.

13. Houston Texans - The Texans are building a nice future. But now they need to find a quarterback.

14. Tennessee Titans - The Titans finally have the quarterback. Now can their defense take shape?

15. Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons are going to commit to the draft more now. They have tried to trade their draft a couple of times for that one big player and that have not worked out well for them at all.

16. New York Giants - The Giants have a nice collection of young players. But how long can Eli Manning play for?

Photo (c) David Owen

The Avett Brothers are on their way to Summerfest Milwaukee. The band will perform on July 4, with Brani Carlile. This is the last headline show to be booked, and it came very late. The wait was pretty good for Avett fans. Tickets are on sale now.

The Avett Brothers tour has a few gaps between shows, and it seems that they are choosing to spend a good part of the summer opening for musical acts like the Rolling Stones, John Prine, and the Old Crow Medicine Show. The last time that they performed at Summerfest was with the Violent Femmes. Will the band fill the massive amphitheater? We don't think so. But still, it will be a great time.