Packers Blog Roundup: Flynn States His Case

The only time for Matt Flynn to audition for a starting job might be in the preseason. That and more in our Packers Blog Roundup...

August might be the most important time of the year for quarterback Matt Flynn, according to Zach Kruse of Packer Chatters. "With the possibility of limited opportunities during the regular season, it’s important for Flynn to have a good preseason," writes Kruse. "It might be the only audition period for him during the 2011 season."

While most observers seem to think T.J. Lang should be the starting left guard for the Packers, Al Bracco of AllGreenBayPackers.com provides a counterargument. "So it seems just about everyone is leaning towards Lang as the starter. Everyone except for me," writes Bracco. "I just don’t see the ability in T.J. Lang that I see in Sherrod. Just as I wanted Bulaga on the field last year, I say let Sherrod start at left guard and keep T.J. Lang as your 'Super-Sub' who can fill in at any O-Line position, when needed."

Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette calls on the NFL in general and the Packers in specific to stop playing preseason games on Fridays that conflict with high school football. "It’s not enough for the NFL to play its games on Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays," writes Vandermause. "The league feels the need to showcase its preseason games on Fridays too."

The new Green Bay Police Department badges honoring the Packers as Super Bowl champions get some attention at Packer Fans United and The Wearing of the Green (and Gold).

The Packers' second preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals is previewed by Matt Loede of Packers Gab.

Some of Ted Thompson's notable misses as general manager are chronicled by Dan Blakley at AllGreenBayPackers.com.

Mike Davidsen of Green Bay Packer Nation looks for ways for the Packers to keep six tight ends. I personally can't see that happening.

A training camp practice report appears at Packer Chatters.

Ray Nitschke is listed as the number five Packer of all-time at Green Bay Packer Talk.

Week 1 of the preseason is looked at in retrospect at BrentFavre.com.

A picture of Mike Holmgren appears at Packerville, U.S.A.

Brian Carriveau is the editor of the Maple Street Press Packers Annual. To contact Brian, email [email protected].

Second-hand news sources are not included in the Blog Roundup unless they also include meaningful commentary.

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Comments (23)

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CSS's picture

August 18, 2011 at 09:41 am

I can barely bring myself to read a Vandermause article anymore. It's one thing to write an editorial of substance where you lay out a reasonable arguement. Vandermause is taking equivocation to an entirely new level of stupid.

Kareem Copeland, whatever their paying him, it isn't enough. His addition keeps me going back to GBPG and likely attracts all the web-hits that would otherwise go into a black hole along with most of Vandermause's reasoning.

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MarkinMadison's picture

August 18, 2011 at 10:14 am

If the game had been on Saturday or Sunday, I'd probably be taking my daughter's boyfriend to his first Packers game ever this week. As it is, he has other committments.

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CSS's picture

August 18, 2011 at 10:20 am

But that's the opposite stance that Vandermause takes. He's objecting to the 800lb. gorilla (NFL) intruding on high school football's domain. He states:

"Is it necessary to stick it to prep football teams in the process?"

He fails to support how playing a pre-season game on a Friday evening 'sticks it' to amateur athletics on a high-school level. It's absurd.

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MarkinMadison's picture

August 18, 2011 at 11:52 am

Well, I was probably too subtle, but my point was that the kid is playing in a high school game on Friday, so I can't take him to this game. High school football players, their families, and their friends, are fans too. It'd be nice if the NFL didn't force us to choose.

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CSS's picture

August 18, 2011 at 01:12 pm

Totally understandable, I get that. Maybe this is just the last straw for me with Vandermause. He lacks substance. Journalists with better credibility can get away with it, I fail to see how anything he writes is insightful or adds to the fans understanding of the game.

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PackersRS's picture

August 18, 2011 at 03:01 pm

Exactly. If at least Vandermaus talked about things he thought he thought, or had some paragraphs about coffee... THAT's what good journalists are supposed to publish.

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PkrNboro's picture

August 18, 2011 at 11:10 am

CSS,

I think the word you're looking for is "advocation," instead of "equivocation."

Equivocation would mean that Vandermause is being deliberately misleading or vague, which he's not. He doesn't want pro football played on Friday, where it conflicts with high school football. Vandermause is very clear that he believes prep football deserves "its own special platform one night a week."

Perhaps "advocation" would be a better word -- and an argument could be made that Vandermause is arguing for a cause, or pleading on another's behalf. Certainly, it seems that Vandermause is a defender of high school football on Friday nights.

I can sympathize with you -- you likely go to packersnews.com for info on the Packers; not some tangential, unrelated opinion.

Regards,
PnB

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CSS's picture

August 18, 2011 at 11:16 am

He leaves out the 'why' in his narrative, and he's intentionally vague. How exactly is the NFL 'sticking it' to high-school football programs?

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PkrNboro's picture

August 18, 2011 at 11:38 am

I don't think Vandermause is intentionally vague.

I think Vandermause is confident, especially after this summer, that most everyone understands that the NFL is $9 billion per year industry...
... and, in the case of the Packers, will attract 45,000 people for a non-game, non-contact event at Lambeau.

I don't think you need an accounting firm to determine that competition with the NFL will pull people, and their money and support, from community prep sports.

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CSS's picture

August 18, 2011 at 01:05 pm

NO. Most of Wisconsin is rural and they attend high-school games as an event. Fans, family, faculty and classmates don't stay home on a Friday to watch pre-season football. At most, it's a dent in attendance with no impact on the high school athletic department or budgets. It's (to borrow a Nagler phrase) absurd.

And as to Vandermause's confidence, I don't see the point. When it's uninformed it's called ignorance. He's vague,
Local papers filing 3 pages of high-school football coverage will file 3 pages of high-school football coverage following a pre-season Packer game. Does nothing to the coverage.

The NFL pull is negligible. The same 200 people that arrive for a rural football game in a rural state will do so regardless of pre-season NFL football.

He's vague, the column is without merit and the NFL is hardly 'sticking it' to high-school football.

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JL's picture

August 19, 2011 at 03:09 am

Wow....talk about a personal vendetta.

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MarkinMadison's picture

August 18, 2011 at 10:10 am

"This is eerily similar to last preseason with Bryan Bulaga. McCarthy gave the #1 draft choice every chance to win the job, but an injury eventually derailed that plan and McCarthy went with the safer bet, incumbent Daryn Colledge."

I think this is the key passage from Jersey Al's blog. I just feel like the Packers need to groom Sherrod more intensely at LT, and let Lang be the LG. LT is too important. And if this turns out EXACTLY like last year, then having Sherrod ready to plug in at LT will be less disruptive than using Lang as a super-sub, and either having him and Sherrod out of position, or disrupting continuity at two positions instead of one.

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MarkinMadison's picture

August 18, 2011 at 11:55 am

I was a little surprised by Lombardi's take on Flynn. Does anyone else look at this guy and think that he's not a quality prospect as an NFL starter? What is Lombardi seeing that other folks are missing?

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CSS's picture

August 18, 2011 at 01:09 pm

Count me as one of those who does not. I think he has starter qualities that can win you a few games, but not a guy you can have any type of run in the playoffs with.

I like his work ethic, like his competitive nature, and like what he does in with limited arm strength. That being said, he's still 0-2 as a starter against two of the worst defensive backfields in the NFL. Maybe my memory is bad, but neither defense were much more than vanilla against Flynn either.

Like the guy immensely, nothing personal.

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Franklin Hillside's picture

August 18, 2011 at 01:31 pm

Dan Blakely missed on TT's biggest mistake.

How quickly people forget.

I, for one, will not forget. Forgive, yes. Forget, never.

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MarkinMadison's picture

August 18, 2011 at 04:19 pm

Sorry, that was not a mistake.

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PackersRS's picture

August 18, 2011 at 08:47 pm

+1000

Tracy White should have that ring.

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Franklin Hillside's picture

August 19, 2011 at 07:13 am

Don't apologize for being wrong, Mike. We can't be right all the time.

RS, he should probably get two rings just to make sure he isn't angry. You won't want to see him when he's angry,

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MarkinMadison's picture

August 19, 2011 at 08:37 am

Nice. Here's how I see the facts.

Packers say "see ya," and win a Super Bowl three years later.

Jets say "we'll take ya," miss the play-offs and have to deal with a sexual harrassment case. Jets say, "see ya," and go on to two straight AFC Champ games.

Vikings say, "pretty please with sugar on top - and a $25M 2-year K," and get an off-season of drama and one NFC Champ game. The next year they get more drama, give Farve a raise, and then go 6-10. Coach gets fired. Franchise is a mess.

So exactly how did TT screw that one up?

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Franklin Hillside's picture

August 19, 2011 at 09:57 am

Mark, he went to the Eagles and is now with the Patriots.

Biggest. Mistake. Made.

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PackersRS's picture

August 19, 2011 at 10:42 am

If he was on our team, we don't lose to Atlanta and Chicago last year. So, by that count, he automatically adds 2 victories to each team he goes.

The Patriots were projected to go 12-4, but went 14-2. Coincidence?

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Franklin Hillside's picture

August 19, 2011 at 12:14 pm

No such thing as coincidences where He is concerned.

(Yes. I meant to capitalize he.)

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CSS's picture

August 19, 2011 at 01:47 pm

Hardly a personal vendetta with Vandermause.

Maybe I’m expecting too much for the sports editor, and one of the highest paid members of the GBPG to actually have some depth or rational in his articles. Even today’s ‘extra point’ from Vandermause titled, “Was letting College Walk the Right Move?”, where Vandermause then goes on to not even attempt to make a reasonable case one way or another toward his lead title and, you know, answering that question. Just a bunch of disconnected, random ramblings.

Green n' Gold today broadcast (today) basically calling the premise of Vandermause's article yesterday silly. And I fully agree.

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