The Packers played too well last night to lose but that’s exactly what they did despite outgaining the Bengals 383-241!  Aaron Rodgers made his debut as the starting QB and he looked pretty good completing 9 of 15 passes for 117 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Brian Brohm didn’t look too good as he was the only QB on the Packers that didn’t excel as he completed 8 of 17 passes for 70 yards with 1 interception.  Fellow rookie Matt Flynn followed Brohm and he almost brought the Packers all the way back.  He completed 12 of 21 passes for 97 yards with a TD pass to RB Kregg Lumpkin.  Brandon Jackson got the start last night at RB and he looked good carrying the ball 6 times for 44 yards (7.3 ypc).  Kregg Lumpkin also had a solid game as he carried the ball 7 times for 36 yards (5.1 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 20 yards including a 11-yard strike for a TD in the 4th quarter from Matt Flynn.  Noah Herron was busy rushing for 17 yards on 4 carries (4.3 ypc) and catching 2 passes for 11 yards.  Dexter Wynn didn’t have his best game rushing for 10 yards on 4 carries (2.5 ypc).  James Jones led the Packers in receiving yards with 44 on 3 catches (14.7 avg) with a TD grab from Aaron Rodgers.  Donald Driver pitched in with 4 receptions for 39 yards (9.8 avg) last night.  The Packers finished up with 112 yards rushing on 22 carries (5.1 ypc).  They also completed 29 of 53 passes for 271 yards last night.

Linebackers Abdul Hodge and Tracy White led the way for the Packers with 6 tackles apiece.  DE Jason Hunter also had a solid game with 5 tackles and a sack.  Safety Aaron Rouse pitched in with 4 tackles and a interception last night.  The Bengals finished up with 123 yards rushing on 33 carries (3.7 ypc).  They also completed 14 of 27 passes for 118 yards as the Packers were impressive on defense last night.

The Packers have traded 38-year old QB Brett Favre to the Jets for a conditional draft pick that hinges on his performance this season.  Good Luck to Brett Favre as he will still be wearing a #4 in a green uniform.  We will see soon enough if this was a smart or dumb move for the Packers.  Still, they shouldn’t have treated him like they did.  Aaron Rodgers better play well or the Packers are really going to look bad because of this.

23-year old Mason Crosby had some accuracy issues last season for the Packers on field goals but he’s hoping to make up for it in 2008.  He has a strong enough leg to nail the long ones so the Packers are hopeful for improvement.  Crosby played in all 16 games for the Packers last season and he connected on 31 of 39 field goals (79.5%).  He also converted all 48 of his extra point attempts. 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Packers have so many playmakers at other positions that the defense usually doesn’t pay much attention to the tight ends and they have a talented bunch.  27-year old Donald Lee had a breakout season for the Packers in 2007.  He played in 15 games for the Packers last season and he caught 48 passes for 575 yards (12.0 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Look for Lee to have even better numbers this season as he’s clearly the #1 TE on the Packers heading into this season.  Lee has now played in 77 games in his NFL career and he has caught 111 passes for 1,239 yards (11.2 avg) with 10 TD grabs. 

21-year old rookie Jermichael Finley has a nice upside but the Packers will probably bring him around slowly.  Finley played in 13 games (all starts) with Texas last season and he caught 45 passes for 575 yards (12.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Packers hope that Finley will be ready to play in 2 TE sets as a rookie as he is clearly the second most talented TE on the team.  Finley played in 26 games (17 starts) in his career at Texas and he caught 76 passes for 947 yards (12.5 avg) with 5 TDs.

The Packers keep raving about Tory Humphrey but he never makes it to the field before breaking down.  The 6′2″, 250 pound Humphrey did not play in a game with the Packers last season.  He last played in 2005 with the Packers and it was only 1 game.  He has yet to catch a pass in his NFL career which could be over if he doesn’t do something this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Packers are really stacked at WR for the 2008 season.  24-year old Greg Jennings appears on the verge of becoming the new go-to receiver on the Packers.  He is super fast as he blows right by defenders often on his way towards the end zone.  Jennings played in 13 games for the Packers last season and he caught 53 passes for 920 yards (17.4 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  Look for Jennings to have another outstanding season for the Packers in 2008.   He has now played in 27 games in his NFL career and he has caught 98 passes for 1,552 yards (15.8 avg) with 15 TD grabs. 

33-year old Donald Driver still makes all of the tough grabs in traffic that no one else wants to and he has great hands.  Driver still has enough speed to get deep once in a while but not as often as he used to.  Driver played in 15 games for the Packers last season and he caught 82 passes for 1,048 yards (12.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Driver to have another solid season in 2008 unless he starts to show his age.  Driver has now played in 128 games in his NFL career and he has caught 503 passes for 6,977 yards (13.9 avg) with 38 TD grabs.

2nd year man James Jones had a very solid rookie season for the Packers and he has the edge for being the #3 WR for the Packers in 2008.  Jones has a good speed/size combo which projects to him being a future starter down the road for the Packers when Donald Driver decides to hang up the cleats.  Jones played in all 16 games for the Packers last season and he caught 47 passes for 676 yards (14.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs. 

The Packers couldn’t resist drafting another WR last April despite already being loaded there and that’s because Jordy Nelson was the player available.  Nelson is a big guy at 6′3″, 217 pounds and he had a great year last season at Kansas State.  Nelson played in 12 games (all starts) for Kansas State last season and he caught 122 passes for 1,606 yards (13.2 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  Don’t look for Nelson to have a big role with the Packers as a rookie unless they suffer some injuries above him on the depth chart but he does have a bright future.  Nelson finished his career at Kansas State playing in 36 games (32 starts) in which he caught 206 passes for 2,822 yards (13.7 avg) with 20 TD grabs.

25-year old Ruvell Martin is a big guy (6′4″, 210 pounds) and he can get down the field.  He appears caught in a numbers game as he projects no higher than the #4 receiver on the Packers.  Martin played in 15 games with the Packers last season and he caught 16 passes for 242 yards (15.1 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Look for Martin to just pick up scraps from under the table for the Packers in the passing game.  Martin has now played in 28 games in his NFL career and he has caught 37 passes for 600 yards (16.2 avg) with 5 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A