When it comes to this dreck on offer from Ross Tucker over at CNNSI, where Tucker basically surmises that the Packers, as the only team to open it’s books due to it’s standing as the only publicly owned team, should have whittled away their profit margin by going on a spending bonanza. Why would they do this? To help the perception of the clubs as being strapped-for-cash institutions rather than the multi-million dollar money-prininting-machines we know they are.

I’ll let Bedard’s response say it all:

So the Packers should have chucked their carefully crafted strategic plan and spent foolishly in just this offseason thereby ruining the chances of signing any of those and their many other free-agents-to-be, just so the other 31 teams — many of which are greedy and/or poorly run — can keep more of their money down the road under a new CBA?

And just because the Packers are the lone publicly-owned team, while other teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are OK doing the same thing because they’re privately owned?

That’s what you’re telling me?

Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, maybe in theory there is something to what Tucker is saying. But not in reality. No way.

This is the last week of any organized version of Packers football until August 1st, so be sure to take in as much as you can this week during the Packers mandatory mini-camp. You can, of course, follow the Twitterings of Greg Bedard and Tom Pelissero and their respective blogs. You can check out Kevin Seifert, ESPN’s resident NFC North blogger, who has taken up residence in Green Bay for the week. And you can end it all Thursday evening by checking out the final OTA/Mini-Camp broadcast of Cheesehead Nation, with our special guests Andrew Brandt and Greg Bedard. My day job exploded on me this morning, so unless Jay Glazer reports that Brett Favre is an evil alien plot, I’ll be MIA for a few hours, but should be back latter this afternoon with thoughts  the days developments…

What started as a promising inquiry into Favre’s mindset as he makes his way into a Vikings uniform turned into a parade of softball questions from Joe Buck during his first live program for HBO. Buck, who was just about obligated to bring up what Green Bay fans might be feeling if and when Favre comes into Lambeau wearing a Vikings uniform, let Favre slide with some throwaway answer about Lombardi ending his career with the Washington Redskins. It would have been nice to get any kind of push back from Buck on this, especially since this is most likely the topic most people tuned in for, Packer fan or no. Favre has admitted wanting to ’stick it to Ted’ - how could Buck not bring up Thompson and his responsibility for Favre being where he is today? And how could he not point out that Lombardi was a) a million times more important to the Packers than Favre could have ever been and b) that Lombardi did not go back into coaching, much less for a hated division rival, to ’stick it to’ any member of the organization.

It was a great ‘get’ for Buck. But that’s where the ‘great’ part of the night ended.

Let’s straighten out something that I keep seeing thrown around a lot. In this piece from the USA Today (hat tip: Pelissero’s Twitter) authors Jeff Zillgitt and Nate Davis posit the following:

The offense, led by Favre’s successor, Aaron Rodgers, put up points — 26.2 a game, fifth best in the league. 

Averaging just under four touchdowns a game does sound good. But it does not take into account the six touchdowns that Nick Collins, Charles Woodson and Aaron Rouse scored, or the two touchdowns that Will Blackmon scored or the one touchdown that Jason Hunter scored.

I keep saying this. Yes, the offense was good last year. Yes, it moved the ball and piled up a lot of yards.  But it was not great. It bogged down at the worst possible times, McCarthy was mind-numbingly conservative at times and, of course, there were the soul-crushing pre-snap penalties that remained a problem all season long, no matter how many times McCarthy stated that they needed to ‘get that fixed”.

There is much, much room for improvement.

Tundra Vision goes for the media jugular. Excellent Tuesday morning read.

It’s fun to watch this video before you read it.

Of course we really appreciate this:

If you’re looking for today’s news with some biting commentary or a rimshot, check out the boys at CheeseheadTV, who are just as insightful (and occasionally snarky) as anyone making seven figures at ESPN.

That sound you hear from the top of Manhattan is Corey starting early…

Kornheiser is out. Gruden is in.

We previously posted a question to Packer Fans - “Could the current economy save the Packers?” with a video of Mark Murphy discussing that idea at Packer Fan Fest.

Don Banks at SI .com explores the mood and sentiments of some NFL owners and General Managers. Read the article. There are some real uncertainties after this season and the dialogue of what that means for the Packers needs to be kept in the air.

It sounds like some tougher times are coming in the NFL. After years of labor peace, the rumblings of trouble are very real and drawing nearer all the time. That’s why NFL fans would do well to enjoy this coming season, which in a small way got a bit of an unveiling on Monday. Because 2010 and 2011 might wind up looking and feeling very differently than 2009, this is a season that could be remembered as the calm before the storm.

Tired of free agency being an annual tradition that amounts to you wasting away in front of your computer pining for free agency news while you watch every other team in the league sign the guys you wanted? As a die-hard fan of the Green Bay Packers who follows every Blog post, every Twitter, every single mention of the team on the internet, this is a lonely time of year - and that has been your lot in life the last three years.

Well no longer.

We are pleased to present the latest feature from Cheesehead TV, The Other 31, a blog tool for die hard Packer fans that are die hard NFL fans as well. A collection of links and feeds from newspapers that cover the other 31 teams in the NFL, along with major NFL news feeds from around the league. In addition to the feeds, The Other 31 includes a blog for us to spout off whatever we might think about the latest happenings around the NFL. To be clear, this is NOT a ‘breaking news’-type blog, such as Pro Football Talk or National Football Post. It’s much more a meta-blog for us to start a conversation with other die-hard NFL football fans. Plus, it’s a one-stop-shop for Packer fans to find out what is going on with the rest of the league, and join in the conversation themselves.

We hope you enjoy The Other 31.

Packer fans will read a whole lot of swill over the course of the next two months regarding the draft and who the Packers may or may not be targeting. Well, I’m here to tell you one immutable truth: Mike Mayock is the only draft guru you need to pay attention to. 

Mayock came to the NFL Network in 2005 and quickly established himself as the main competition for ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. He then proceeded to blow Kiper and all others out of the water. I mean, it’s not even close. Now, his opinion is the only one I give any credence to this time of year. 

Tom Pelissero has a fantastic breakdown of a recent pre-combine conference call with reporters that Mayock partook in. Lots of food for thought for die-hard Packer fans during the second worst time of year. (The worst being mid-June when all OTAs and mini-camps are done and there is a month and a half until training camp)