The Packers went into last April’s draft wanting to help the defense and the offensive line and I think they did that.  With the #9 overall pick in the NFL Draft (first round) the Packers took DT/DE B.J. Raji out of Boston College.  He played in 14 games for the Packers last season and he made 25 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss and he defensed 1 pass and had a sack.  The Packers will expect more out of him next season and down the road.  The best player the Packers took last April was their other first round pick (#26 overall) OLB Clay Matthews out of USC.  He played in all 16 games for the Packers as a rookie and he made 51 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, he had 10 sacks, 1 forced fumble and he defensed 7 passes.  The sky is the limit for Matthews as he looks unstoppable at times.  In the fourth round the Packers picked OT T.J. Lang (#109 overall) out of Eastern Michigan.  Lang played in all 16 games (3 starts) for the Packers last season and he has nice size at 6’4″, 316 pounds so he has a nice upside.  Fullback Quinn Johnson came to the Packers in the 5th round (#145 overall) out of LSU.  He didn’t run the ball but he caught 2 passes for 4 yards in 9 games.  OT Jamon Meredith was selected in the 5th round (#162 overall) out of South Carolina.  He played in 8 games (4 starts) for the Packers last season and he looks like a keeper just like Lang.  DE Jarius Wynn was picked in the sixth round (#182 overall) out of Georgia.  He played in 11 games and made a whopping 4 tackles for the Packers last season.  CB Brandon Underwood was also picked in the 6th round (#187 overall) out of Cincinnati.  He played in 11 games and he made 11 tackles including three of them for a loss.  The Packers really got themselves a steal with linebacker Brad Jones who they picked in the 7th round (#218 overall) out of Colorado.  He played in 14 games for the Packers last season and he made 33 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, he defensed 1 pass and had 4 sacks. 

GRADE FOR 2009:  B

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A-

33-year old cornerback Charles Woodson is the Defensive Player of the Year in the NFL.  He played in all 16 games for the Packers last season and he had 74 tackles, 2 sacks, 9 tackles for a loss and he forced 4 fumbles.  Woodson also defensed 18 passes and he intercepted 9 passes three of which he returned for TDs.  Woodson definitely deserved this honor as he helped get his team to the playoffs.

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers offense put up a ton of points against the Arizona Cardinals defense, but it wasn’t enough.  The Cardinals defense was able to come up with the play of the game when Karl Dansby grabbed Rodgers’ fumble before it even hit the ground and scurried 17 yards into the endzone to win the game.  It sure was an exciting game, with both quarterbacks putting up monster numbers in what would become the highest scoring postseason game in NFL history.  Rodgers came out and was intercepted on the first play of the game, but boy did he bounce back.  He finished with 422 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception on 28/42 passes.  Down 17-0 after the first quarter, Rodgers slowly got the Packers back in the game, trading touchdown passes with Cardinals’ quarterback Kurt Warner throughout most of the game.  He opened up the 4th quarter with 2 touchdowns, which finally evened the game at 38-38.  After another Warner touchdown, Rodgers came right back and tied the game with under two minutes that eventually sent the game into overtime, where the unfortunate game-losing fumble occurred.

The Packers’ defense really let the team down in this game, even though the Cardinals were expected to score a lot of points.  Kurt Warner did pretty much whatever he wanted in the passing game, going 29/33 for 379 yards and 5 touchdowns.  Warner is a great quarterback, but the Packers should have been able to keep him under a  88% completion percentage.  Even more discouraging is that they gave up 156 rushing yards to a Cardinals team that has not run the ball well this year.  Aaron Rodgers has proven he is a top quarterback in this league, but the Packers need to give him a better offensive line and a stronger defense for him to make a Super Bowl run anytime soon.

The Green Bay Packers took it to the Arizona Cardinals in their 33-7 victory last week, but I wouldn’t expect another blowout for the Packers in their rematch this weekend in the NFC Wild Card game. The Packers stuck with Aaron Rodgers and most of the other starters for the majority of the game last week, while the Cardinals played their reserves for most of the game.  They will be going up against a Kurt Warner led Cardinals’ offense, which can be very explosive at times.  They only average 93 rushing yards per game, so the Cardinals are a pass-heavy offense.  Warner helped the Cardinals make it all the way to the Super Bowl last season, and he is a very good quarterback.  He threw for 3,753 yards with 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while completing 66% of his passes.  He has some great receivers, including Larry Fitzgerald, so the Packers’ secondary is going to get challenged a lot.  Warner is old and slow though, so he is not very mobile.  If the Packers can close in on Warner and collapse the pocket, it will make things very difficult for Warner to make plays and it could cause some turnovers.

Aaron Rodgers has proven he is an elite quarterback, now he has to prove it in the playoffs.  Rodgers was sacked 50 times this season though, which is a big cause for concern going into the playoffs.  If the offensive line can hold up, then Rodgers will have a good game. He will need Ryan Grant to give him some support in the running game, which Grant should be able to do against a Cardinals defense that gives up 113 rushing yards per game.  This game will be a lot closer than last week’s game, but I think Rodgers is a great quarterback and will prove it in this game with a win.

PREDICTION:  Green Bay Packers 27, Arizona Cardinals 24

26-year old Aaron Rodgers has stepped out of the large shadow of Brett Favre.  He played in all 16 games for the Packers this season and he completed 350 of 541 passes (64.7%) for 4,434 yards with 30 TD passes and 7 INTs (103.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 58 times for 316 yards (5.4 ypc) with 5 TD runs this year.  Rodgers has now played in 39 games in his NFL career and he has completed 726 of 1,136 passes (63.9%) for 8,801 yards with 59 TD passes and 21 INTs (97.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 125 times for 570 yards (4.6 ypc) with 9 TD runs.  Rodgers not only is a outstanding passer but he is very tough having started all 32 games the last two years for the Packers.

24-year old Matt Flynn is the back-up for the Packers and he hasn’t shown much yet.  In his defense he almost never gets to play and that is a good thing for the Packers.  Flynn played in 15 games for the Packers this season and he completed 7 of 12 passes (58.3%) for 58 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (36.1 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 5 times for -5 yards (-1.0 ypc) this year.  Flynn has now played in 22 games for the Packers and he has completed 9 of 17 passes (52.9%) for 64 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (37.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 9 times for -1 yard (-0.1 ypc) in his career.  If something happened to Rodgers the Packers would almost certainly try to sign another QB.

The Green Bay Packers (11-5) and the Arizona Cardinals (10-6) will be meeting in the first round of the playoffs.  The Packers went all out and they crushed the Cards because of it.  The Cardinals were sitting a lot of their key players in a preview of their first round match-up, so this game may not tell you much about the outcome of the playoff game.  The Packers do have an advantage when it comes to rhythm, timing, and not breaking their routine.  The Cardinals will have fresher legs and have had more rest, so we will see come playoff time which has helped more.  Either way, the Packers looked very good while the Cardinals did not.

Aaron Rodgers went 21/26 for 235 yards and 1 touchdown.   Donald Driver caught 6 passes for 65 yards and the receivers were clicking well with Rodgers.  Ryan Grant and Ahman Green combined for 93 yards and 1 touchdown on 23 carries.  The Packers defense held the 187 total yards, including only 48 rushing yards.  They also forced 3 turnovers.  This was a good win for the Packers, but they cannot let this game affect how they approach the rematch in the first round of the playoffs.

The Green Bay Packers (10-5) are on the road against Arizona Cardinals (10-5) on Sunday.  This matchup may be the same in the first round of the playoffs, so both teams have some extra incentive to play well.  The Cardinals may be resting up some starters, but their coach Ken Whisenhunt has been keeping things pretty quiet so the Packers need to be prepared for anything.  The Cardinals have an offense that is capable of making a lot of big plays and can put up a ton of points.  The Packers defense has been strong most of the season, and they give up only 290 total yards per game.  They are better at stopping the run, giving up only 86 rushing yards per game and the Cardinals’ passing game is their strength so the Packers should be able to shut down the Cardinals’ running backs.  Still, with Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin it will be a challenge for the Packers and hopefully those three don’t play a lot.

Most of the time the Cardinals need their offense to put up a lot of points for them to win, as their defense is not very strong.  They give up 347 total yards per game, so Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense should find success.  Rodgers has had a great season and made history this year by becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in his first two seasons as a full-time starter.  If Warner and crew play a lot, Rodgers should be able to keep up (or at least keep it close) with the the Cardinals high-scoring offense.  He will need some help from Ryan Grant though, who has over 1,200 yards this season including 97 yards and 2 touchdowns last week.  If the Packers are clicking and the Cardinals are resting, then the Packers should win.  I don’t know how much Whisenhunt is going to play his starters, so it could go either way.

PREDICTION:  Green Bay Packers 31, Arizona Cardinals 28

The Packers are sending Aaron Rodgers, Nick Collins and Charles Woodson to the Pro Bowl.  26-year old Aaron Rodgers has played in 15 games for the Packers this season and he has completed 329 of 515 passes (63.9%) for 4,199 yards with 29 TD passes and 7 INTs (102.4 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 56 times for 314 yards (5.6 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  Despite losing to the Vikings twice this season Rodgers has fully stepped out of the shadow of Brett Favre.  26-year old free safety Nick Collins has really played well this season and he deserves to play in this game.  He has played in 15 games for the Packers this season and he has 52 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 12 passes defensed and he has 6 interceptions that he returned for 110 yards (18.3 avg).  33-year old cornerback Charles Woodson could very well be the Defensive Player of the Year in the NFL.  He has played in 15 games this season for the Packers and he has 74 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, forced 4 fumbles, defensed 16 passes and he has 8 interceptions (134 return yards (16.8 avg)) with 2 TD returns.  The Packers would rather play in the Super Bowl so they hope they will have to cancel the plans for these three players.

The Packers have placed 24-year old OLB Jeremy Thompson on the Injured Reserve List with a neck injury.  Thompson played in 6 games for the Packers this season and he only made 1 tackle.  In two years with the Packers, Thompson has played in 15 games making 9 tackles.  The Packers won’t miss him much.