All Entries Tagged With: "Opposition Research"

For the Packers to go into Soldier Field and raise the Halas Trophy, they'll have to expunge all of the demons that have followed them since week 3.

The Atlanta Falcons are sick and tired of hearing about how the Packers are going to waltz into Atlanta and win handily. They'd like to remind you that they're the #1 seed, they won the FIRST time, and they're going to do it again.

We'll find out on Sunday whether four months of game film was enough for Dom Capers to crack the secret to the Michael Vick-led Eagles offense.

If the Packers want to keep their fading playoff hopes alive, they'll have to steal a win from the Patriots, a team that's playing better than anyone else in the league.

In the year's last "easy" game, the Packers face the Lions, who'd love nothing more than spoil the Packers season and break their 19-game division loss streak.

The Packers need to win on Sunday, if only to save us from having to watch the 4-7 49ers make the playoffs.

Last year, the Packers got torched by savvy quarterbacks. Against Atlanta's Matt Ryan, Dom Capers has a chance to prove he's gotten that "cleaned up."

What comes AFTER that emotional release that comes with finally, finally, getting a win over Brett Favre? Potentially, a really good football game.

The Dolphins are bye-rested and healthy. After two ugly home losses, a win on the road, against the injury-riddled Packers, would set the team back on track.

The Washington Redskins love nothing more than to play the spoiler. Can they pull off the upset...and incite panic in Green Bay?

I keep saying that "these aren't last year's Detroit Lions," and I believe it...when everyone's healthy. Injuries are dooming the Lions early this year.

Welcome to another edition of Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the next Packers opponent, the Chicago Bears (2-0).  Before the season started, I’m not sure if there was a team I was less sure about.  Could Cutler adapt to a new scheme? Could Peppers be the key defensive ingredient? Or are Lovie Smith and the Bears just clinging desperately to unrealistic hopes of mediocrity?  Heading into a game that decides the early lead in the divisional race, I’m still not sure I have any answers.  What I do know, however, is that this game is going to be explosive.

Welcome to another edition of Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the next Packers opponent, the Buffalo Bills (0-1).  As far as home openers are concerned, this game has the potential to be a cakewalk…provided the Packers show up to play.  It’ll be my first ever game at Lambeau, and so I’m counting on the Packers to put on a clinic.  Let’s take a look at what’s in store for this Sunday, shall we?

Welcome to another edition of Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the first Packers opponent in the 2010 regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles.  As a programming note, I tried writing something for last week, but it’s awfully hard to write about a meaningless game.  This week, however, IS meaningful, and I must admit…I'm pretty excited.  Heck, I started looking for articles back in July.  But enough about my sad life…let’s take a look at the first match-up in what looks to be a pretty spectacular season.

The Indianapolis Colts are a perennial playoff contender. And as you look closer at the match-up, it's like looking into a mirror. Holly gets you caught up for tonight's primetime game.

There wasn't an NFL coach more excited about the start of preseason than Seattle's Pete Carroll. Clearly, you should be too. Holly helps you prep for Saturday's game.

Welcome to the second season of Opposition Research, where I take a look at Packers opponents and give you the inside scoop about who they are and what they’re expecting from a game against Green Bay.  The outcome of preseason games may be meaningless, but I’ll try to give you some insight about the team on the opposite sideline this Saturday, the Cleveland Browns.

Welcome to the first playoff edition of Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking stock of the Packers instant-replay wild card opponent, the Arizona Cardinals.  Considering that the two teams just played, there isn’t much to add or change from last week’s more standard take on the Cardinals.  With the national media descending on the match, there’s no shortage of articles, angles, and predictions.  Let me walk you through just a few as we get set for the Packers return to the postseason.

Welcome to another edition of Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the final Packers opponent for the regular season, the Arizona Cardinals.  This W17 match-up is unique, since each team has clinched a playoff berth and 6 of 8 scenarios have the two teams battling it out again a week from now.  Who’s going to play and for how long are the great unknowns, and with the coaches keeping mum, I’m going to wing it and assume that we’ll get a real game for at least a quarter.  With that in mind, let’s do this.

Welcome to another edition of Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the penultimate Packers opponent for the regular season, the Seattle Seahawks.  In light of the holiday season (and the fact that the Seahawks have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs), news on this match-up has been sparse.  But just because the Seahawks may phone it in this week doesn’t mean that we will, so let’s get started.

Welcome to another edition of Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the next Packers opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Steelers are 10 months removed from a Super Bowl victory, and will be 41 days removed from a regular season victory when the Packers visit Heinz Field on Sunday afternoon.  In 1969, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross introduced a model mapping the stages of human grief.  The discrete five-stage model, which shows the transition from denial to acceptance, may shed some light on how the Steelers are approaching this Week 15 match-up.

Welcome to another edition of Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the next Packers opponent, the Chicago Bears.  To be honest with you, this game feels a little like a high school reunion.  Back in W1, we both thought we were cool, we both had primetime QBs and in-your-face defenses, and so we talked big games.  Now, meeting again after such a long time, the Packers have the hotter date and a brighter future, while the Bears are muttering under their breath about how unfair life is.  I’m not saying this isn’t a tough game for the Packers – it’s never easy to go back to a reunion without slipping into old (bad) habits – I’m just saying that this game will show just how far the Packers have come since the beginning of the 2009 season.

Knowing as little about the AFC as I do, I checked in earlier this week with a friend of mine, Aviel, who is as hardcore a fan of the Steelers as I am of the Packers. More so, in fact, since she went to the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers Women's Training Camp (dear Packers, please have one of these).  I expect that I'll pick her brain when the Steelers-Packers game approaches, but this week, she offered an AFC North insider's look at the Baltimore Ravens.

So, basically, I decided that my normal stats overview wouldn’t be enough for this game.  If this is a show-me game for the Packers, I ought to put in my best effort as well.  Through the lens of Football Outsiders, the matchup is a unique one for the Packers on both sides of the ball.  Instead of taking you to FO, I’ve decided to bring the stats to you.  I warn you that this post is not for the faint of heart – if you are anti-math, I understand if you don’t read further.  Numbers, ahoy!

Welcome to another edition of Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the Packers primetime opponent, the Baltimore Ravens.  Aaron and Corey covered a lot of ground during last night’s interviews with Ravens experts Chris Pika and John Eisenberg, so make sure you watch the show first.  As an NFC-oriented fan, the AFC has always seemed a little strange to me, so figuring out this matchup has been an adventure.  Without further ado, let’s dive in to Week 13.

Welcome to a special early edition of Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the Packers Thanksgiving opponent, the Detroit Lions.  It’s been 6 weeks since the 26-0 shutout at Lambeau Field, with the Lions spending the intervening weeks losing to the Rams, Seahawks, and Vikings by a combined 40-76, before earning win #2 over the Browns 38-37 (Btw, Mangini's an idiot).  It’s a quick turnaround for both teams, so let’s get look at what awaits the Packers in Detroit Rock City this year.

Welcome to Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the next Packers opponent, the San Francisco 49ers (4-5). Coming off the high of the victory over Dallas, many now see this as a winnable game. Not so fast, Packer fans. There are a lot of things to be wary about in this Week 11 match-up between NFC teams on the playoff periphery.

Welcome to Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the next Packers opponent, the Dallas Cowboys. At 6-2, the Cowboys are the first ‘real’ team that the Packers have to beat if they are going to be taken seriously by anyone this year. If it were up to me, Dallas would lose on account of the commercialization (read, bastardization) of the team and its players (BAL’s Jim Harbaugh agrees with me). But, since it’s not, let’s take a look at what the Packers are facing in this Week 10 grudge match.

Welcome to Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the next Packers opponent, the thoroughly winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  I'll admit that I’m actually looking forward to games against teams with winning records.  See, I like to add some snark, and I feel bad picking on teams that lose to the Redskins.  But, someone has to do it.  Let’s take a look at the team against whom the Packers can take out all their post-Vikings rage.

Welcome to Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the next Packers opponent, the (now 6-1) Minnesota Vikings.  I feel a little déjà-vu with this one, having done a Vikings post four short weeks ago, but that can’t be helped.  Now at the season’s halfway point, this game is as much about ownership of the NFC North as it is about Favre.  Win, and the Packers tie it up in the loss column.  Lose, and the season looks measurably bleaker.  With all the hype swirling again, let’s take a look at what the Vikings have been up to since Week 4.

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