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Normally, when I put on my miner’s hat and go digging deep into the mind of Packers Coach Mike McCarthy, it’s after a game. I look back at certain situations in the game and try to figure out what in the world he was thinking at that moment. Usually, I’m searching for an answer to the question WHY did you do that, Mike?

Frankly, I just haven’t been that successful. Sometimes, I can come up with a rational approximation of his thought process, but most of the time, I remain flummoxed.

So I decided to try a different approach. This time I’m going to try to figure out what he’s thinking BEFORE the fact. We ll know McCarthy likes to do the unpredictable, like throw deep to the end zone with your weak-armed backup QB on fourth and one with a minute left in a game you’re losing by 4 pts. Can you say, “threw the game away?” But I digress.

I’m going to attempt to take his element of surprise (NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition) along with a little reverse psychology and tell you what McCarthy’s sometime unorthodox decisions have been leading up to.

Basically, my theory is that McCarthy has been setting everyone up. You, me, other teams, maybe even his own players. This game, he will unleash the lion and shock everyone. I’ve managed to dig deep into his brain, and here’s what he has planned:  Read more... (750 words + 3 images, estimated 3:00 mins reading time)

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I know a lot has changed from Week 1 till now, but there’s still stuff to glean from watching the Packers vs. Eagles film from that time and seeing some of the general tendencies of the teams. Here’s what I saw.

I hope the people who study film at 1265 Lombardi Ave. are seeing some of these things (certainly they’re massively more qualified to say if they are ‘things’ or not) and acting on them.

-Clay Matthews was unstoppable, as we know, but matched up against Brent Celek he was pretty much transcendent. Whether the Eagles’ No. 1 tight end was chipping him or assigned to block Matthews one-on-one, he trashed him nearly every time, including on the game-ending sack of Vick on fourth and one. If Capers can get Matthews matched up on Celek, look for him to make plays.

-Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton were awful against Trent Cole and Juqua Parker. Both Parker and Brandon Graham (since placed on IR) were able to blow past Tauscher with speed, or bull-rush him with power, or chop his hands down at will. Bulaga will have to be much better then Tauscher was in pass protection.  Read more... (875 words + 5 images, estimated 3:30 mins reading time)

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As they embark on a journey they hope will end with a victory in Dallas and hoisting the Lombardi trophy, the Green Bay Packers open the 2010 season on the road staring at what looks like a mirror image of themselves just two short seasons ago.

A franchise quarterback traded, despite deep divisions in the fan base. A new starting quarterback that remains largely untested. A core of young receivers that have shown great promise, yet they haven’t truly had that breakout season.

The 2010 Green Bay Packers no doubt look at the 2010 Philadelphia Eagles the same way the looked at themselves in 2008.

Playing the role of Brett Favre is Donovan McNabb, who was traded to the Redskins this past offseason. The part of Aaron Rodgers would be played by new starting quarterback Kevin Kolb, drafted in the second round in 2007 out of Houston.

Both teams enter their first game, as the other 30 teams in the NFL do, with Super Bowl aspirations. That said, the Packers are widely regarded as one of (if not THE) favorite to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLV while the Eagles are expected to finish second or third in an always difficult NFC East.

A loss by either team in this game is not the end of the world. For the Packers however, starting off another season slowly would severely jeopardize any hopes of getting home field advantage in the playoffs. Getting off to a fast start was a strong point of emphasis for Mike McCarthy this offseason. For the Eagles, they have rallied from holes in the standings before so a loss would not cripple their hopes either.  Read more... (1020 words + 1 image, estimated 4:05 mins reading time)

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