“All the other teams in the NFC North, it seems like every single year, I think their fanbase and their teams feel like, ‘This year is our turn to win the North.’ Hasn’t really been the case during my time, for the most part.”

This is a quote from Aaron Rodgers in the locker room on Wednesday afternoon.

This is a classic Rodgers sound byte. The subtle dig and smugness, no doubt delivered with a wry smile. The kind of thing that gives Packer fans glee and drives opposing divisional fans nuts.

Because it’s true.

Once again, the Green Bay Packers open a regular season with the division being essentially theirs to lose. Barring significant injury, it would be a significant surprise for the Packers not to finish the season with their fourth consecutive divisional title, tying the team’s own division record since the NFL’s realignment in 2002. 

Since the Aaron Rodgers era began in 2008, the Packers have won the division eight of a possible 14 times. One of those six was a year in which Rodgers missed half the season with a collarbone injury. Another was his first year as a starter. And in another, the team still managed to win the Super Bowl.

Needless to say, it is a level of dominance rarely achieved in the division since the NFL implemented its salary cap rules. Only the dynastic New England Patriots have managed to eclipse the Packers’ extended run of divisional dominance.

The Packers get to open their schedule with back-to-back contests against NFC North foes, beginning with a road contest in Minneapolis against the ever-feisty Vikings.

Once again, word out of Minnesota is that this is the “Vikings’ year.” They’re the “most talented team in the division” and “could be a darkhorse contender” or even upset the Packers in the division.

We’ve heard it all before. The names on the office doors and the backs of the jerseys may change, but the Vikings’ ongoing legacy is one of underachieving, and there’s no reason to believe the 2022 season will be any different. 

Until Rodgers is gone, the North belongs to the Packers. The quest to yet another divisional crown (comparatively a mere trinket in the Packers’ collection of accomplishments) begins this weekend, as the Vikings get put in their place after yet another offseason of hype and big talk from fans and sports media alike.

Wisconsin Beer of the Week

As the final days of summer die down I’m enjoying as many crisp and fruity summer-style beers as I can get my hands on. Soon, with the crisper weather, I’ll be digging into malty ambers, Oktoberfests, porters, stouts and more. 

Here’s a good one I just picked up the other week: Sombrilla de Lima from The Fermentorium, a brewery with locations in Cedarburg and Wauwatosa. This is the first beer I’ve featured from these guys, from whom I’ve had some other tasty beverages in the past.

This beer is a Mexican lager featuring lime and salt flavor. Basically it’s a higher quality version of having a Corona with a lime in it, without having to actually put the lime in. 

What’s great about this beer is that it’s not lime-flavored, per se. The lime does not at all overpower the crisp, pure lager flavor, but rather complements it. The hint of salt adds some extra depth of flavor. This tastes like summertime, an ideal beer to take to the beach or to enjoy outside while reading on your deck or while lounging in a chaise.

At 5.5% ABV, it’s not a beer you have to worry about drinking too much of (unless you have, like, six), and at just 20 IBUs it’s got a very low hop profile that makes for a very smooth taste and finish.

I found it at my local Woodman’s, so if you’re in southeast Wisconsin chances are you should be able to find it pretty easily. Get it before the summer officially dies out!

The weird Za’Darius Smith thing

It’s really hard to understand exactly what happened to Za’Darius Smith.

In an article written by Tyler Dunne, here’s what Smith had to say about the Packers this week:

“That’s why I felt the way I did with Green Bay; I gave that shit my all. I put my blood, sweat… I put my back on the f—ing line. I put everything. And that year three, I was treated bad. That’s why I’m here now. So I can play them twice a year.”

Whatever it was that soured Smith on Green Bay remains a mystery and likely will forever. Smith was perfectly happy as a Packer his first two years and quickly became a fan favorite, but *something* happened afterwards that made him feel negatively about the team. Chances are it had something to do with contract extensions?

But clearly Packer players felt a certain way about Smith to not vote him as a team captain for the 2021 season. Then Smith had a back injury mysteriously pop up that kept him out almost the entire season, an injury that Matt LaFleur was always very cagey about in his interviews. It always felt suspicious, and Smith stayed away from the team during much of the time he was out. 

I should make it clear that I do not question the legitimacy of whether Smith was injured. But in retrospect, I do have to wonder whether Smith used that injury as an opportunity to essentially ensure the team would cut ties with him after the season was over.

Smith’s social media antics and his bizarre, seemingly one-sided grudge against the Packers has quickly turned public opinion against him, and many have drawn comparisons between him and Greg Jennings, who was also weirdly upset with the team and tried to go to the Vikings to make a point. 

It’s hard to know what to expect out of Smith in Minnesota this season. He turns 30 in just a few days, and hasn’t played much football since the 2020 season. He’s still an immense talent, but we’ll see how much his body allows him to stay on the field this season.

Will his unrequited hatred of the Packers fuel him to excellence this weekend, or will his performance be a microcosm of his last 12 months: a lot of bluster with little to show for it?

That will certainly be one of the biggest stories to watch heading into this weekend’s game.

The Bears’ stadium plans are almost as lame as the team itself has been for 37 years

Subtitle basically explains itself.

In case you missed it, the Bears officially announced that they’re definitely maybe purchasing land in Arlington Heights to definitely maybe build a new *DOMED* stadium and entertainment district that would be able to host a wide variety of events, including concerts, a Super Bowl, the NCAA tournament and much more.

The best thing I can say for the project is that the Bears have claimed there will be no public money used to fund the stadium. Which, to be honest, should be the standard for every major sports franchise. There’s no need for owners worth billions to turn to the average Joe and ask them to pay for their ego palaces.

But everything else about this project is just… soulless.

The Chicago Bears playing INSIDE? That just runs counter to everything that franchise stands for, and frankly, it’s a slap in the face to more than 100 years of history and a long-touted brand as a hard-nosed, pound-the-ball-and-play-defense style of football in all weathers. As dumpy of a stadium as it is, Soldier Field has been the home to some incredible weather games. With there being so few outdoor cold weather stadiums remaining, it’s a big loss to the NFL.

It’s an especially big loss to the NFC North to have the Bears playing indoors. The Vikings left the outdoors decades ago in favor of the inflatable (and deflatable) Metrodome before building their current temple to bird murder. The Lions, well, they get a pass because they’ve never really had any mystique to worry about.

It is just so grossly… un-Bears-like… for them to even consider playing indoors. So much for the Black and Blue division. The Packers are the only team left interested in playing real football.

And yes, this is my most Boomer football take, and yes, I’m happily gatekeeping what is considered “real” football. It belongs outdoors in the elements!

Finally, the entire idea is just… lame. The Bears moving out to the suburbs is like how places like Oak Creek or Wauwatosa or Waukesha get their Cafe Hollanders or their Bel-Air Cantinas or their Pizza Mans just so they don’t have to “risk” going into the Milwaukee city limits because they’re afraid of anyone who lives outside their subdivision.

While there may not be any initial renderings yet, the entire idea of the project as described so far sounds like every other soulless tribute to architectural drollness that major sports franchises have been crapping out for the last decade. 

It’s definitely maybe a done deal at this point, so enjoy the last few years of the Chicago Bears having any kind of self-respect. 

Go Pack Go Act back up for discussion

I try not to get TOO *directly* political in this column, though if you’ve been reading me for long enough you know very well where I stand on pretty much anything. That being said, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin recently re-introduced the Go Pack Go Act, which would be of great benefit to Wisconsinites of all backgrounds.

Yes, it is very obviously just as much a publicity stunt as it is an actual genuine attempt at meaningful change. But despite the hokiness of the name, the legislation does actually aim to bring an end to some long-outdated broadcast practices that are of significant annoyance to fans who live in Wisconsin.

Currently there are 13 counties in Wisconsin that are actually assigned to out-of-market television stations (in Minnesota and Michigan). As a result, these in-state fans are technically considered out of market for the Packers, meaning they’d be shown Vikings or Lions games instead when the teams are playing at the same time. 

Under this proposed legislation, cable, satellite and other video providers would be required to provide Wisconsin subscribers with access to programming from broadcast television stations located in a Wisconsin media market. This means anyone in those out-of-market counties would still always have access to Wisconsin-based news, info and sports, so long as they have a cable or satellite connection.

Now, in an era where many people are cutting the cord, this isn’t something that’s going to help EVERYONE, but it’s at least a step in the right direction. Really, streaming capabilities need to be significantly expanded.

Why should it be so difficult for me to find a high-quality live stream on my phone or computer of a football game that is free on broadcast television?

The NFL and broadcast networks really need to get caught up with this stuff, but it would likely take significant political interference, given the power these massive broadcast conglomerates have. Ultimately, though, it benefits no one but the corporations for there to be such strict limitation over which broadcasts can be accessed where, especially the ones that are on free over-the-air television.

Around the NFC North

Once again we’ll take a quick look around the NFC North at what the Packers’ rivals are doing.

• The CHICAGO BEARS host the San Francisco 49ers this weekend in a matchup of 2021 first round quarterbacks who may or may not actually be good someday. Justin Fields is probably the better prospect, but given that he’s playing with the franchise where quarterbacking dreams go to die, it’s not looking too good for him at the moment. Trey Lance, meanwhile, hasn’t exactly earned rave reviews from coach Kyle Shanahan in the preseason, while Jimmy Garoppolo is now the league’s most handsome and highest-paid backup quarterback. We’ll learn a lot about these two teams after this matchup. The biggest lesson will likely be that the Bears still suck.
• The DETROIT LIONS open their season against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that’s getting a lot of hype for its potential this season. The Lions, meanwhile, once again have very low expectations. They got a lot of fan attention for the team’s entertaining nature on Hard Knocks, but once the actual football season start it’s hard to imagine there are going to be a whole lot of people clamoring to have this team on their television screens. I have to admit, though, it would be funny if the Lions managed to upset the Eagles in week one, just because I enjoy chaos.
• The MINNESOTA VIKINGS are once again “threatening to dethrone the Packers,” meaning you can expect them to be out of the race by Thanksgiving. This is a team that will put up some pretty numbers at the skill positions, but has the depth the Colorado River in July and trenches with as much beef as a PETA picnic. It feels like we’re constantly being begged to take this team seriously but I simply refuse.

Final look: Packers at Vikings and Week One Picks

So how does this weekend’s game shake out?

Look, it’s week one, so literally anything could happen. There’s not a soul in the world who thought the Saints would so thoroughly de-pants the Packers in week one last year. There are always really strange results the first week of the year because everyone is rusty and nobody (well, almost nobody) is truly good… yet.

That being said, I expect the Packers to win. They’re the better football team, and I have to feel as though last year’s week one stomping has at least been mentioned among the veterans this week. The team knows they can’t come out as flat as they were against New Orleans in that season opener and have a prayer of winning. 

If the Packers are truly going to finally put it together and march toward the Super Bowl, they need to win their divisional matchups first and foremost, and they’ve lost too many against the Vikings in recent years. They’ll come out and win this football game, even if it’s not always pretty (and it rarely is in the first week of the season).

Packers 27, Vikings 20

AS FOR THE REST OF THE GAMES…

I’m starting something new. Each week this season I’m picking every single game, straight up. Follow along with me if you want–I’ll track my record throughout the year and you can compare your pick record to mine. 

Give me…

BILLS over Rams

EAGLES over Lions

49ERS over Bears

BENGALS over Steelers

DOLPHINS over Patriots

PANTHERS over Browns

COLTS over Texans

SAINTS over Falcons

RAVENS over Jets

COMMIES over Jaguars

PACKERS over Vikings

TITANS over Giants

CHARGERS over Raiders

CHIEFS over Cardinals

COWBOYS over Buccaneers

BRONCOS over Seahawks
 

ENJOY the first full weekend of NFL football of the season!