Fearless Forecast - GB Style

Three pre-season games are in the books with just a home tune-up against the Kansas City Chiefs before opening out in Seattle against the defending Super Bowl Champs.

While none of the players will likely admit it, the "Fail Mary" from their last trip into Qwest Field might be part of a 2014 Green Bay coming out party.

This season?  12 - 4 is my choice with the Dolphins, Saints, at Minnesota, and New England looking the most fierce opponents on the docket.

I became a Packer fan at age 3 (or so I've been told), my parents discovered their colicky kid would stop screaming if they set him in front of the Green Bay Packer games playing Sunday afternoons on the black and white television.  That would have been 1966 - coached by Lombardi, quarterbacked by Starr, running by Taylor, defense with Nitschke, Wood, Adderley, Davis, blocking by Thurston and Kramer, catching by Dowler... you get the idea.

They won Super Bowls I and II.

Then there was a bit of a drought.  Other than an appearance under Dan Devine in the playoffs as the 1972 Central Division champs and another under Coach Bart Starr after a strike-shortened season in 1982, it wasn't until the arrival of Ron Wolf, Mike Holmgren, and two guys named Favre and White did the fortunes of the real America's team get restored.

Interesting little factoid - Dan Devine actually spent his early childhood years in Augusta, Wisconsin.  The same small town where we lived for more than 10 years representing Aid Association for Lutherans.

Brett, Reggie, and Mike drove the Green and Gold back to the playoffs in 1993.  Since then they have only missed the post-season five times.

Coach Mike McCarthy has this team where he wants it right now, and it's exciting to contemplate how it might look under the direction of Aaron Rodgers behind center and a variety of weapons at receiver and running back.

It becomes a "pick your poison" situation for the team on the other side of the ball.  Coach wants to see the Packers in no-huddle mode most of the time and rattle off 75 offensive plays every game.

As we learned last year when Green Bay had to hand the keys to someone other than to quarterbacks named Favre or Rodgers - it all comes down to the maestro of the gridiron when one is trying to determine how the team might perform.

So it is with this team.  But, also providing great hope this season is a re-tooled defense with a chip on it's shoulder the size of Detroit.

This edition of the National Football League doesn't produce a lot of low-scoring games, but my read on this team is that the defense may bend without breaking very often.

If the defense ends up even at the league average in points allowed - this team will be in the conversation all year long as a contender for another championship to the 13 banners already hanging in the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame.

The loss of nose tackle B.J. Raji is a tough one to take and he will be missed.  I think there is enough depth there to help fill the gap. 

Packer fans should appreciate the consistency of a team always in contention for the last 20 years, and slap on an extra layer of green and gold face paint for an eventful 16 game mini-series of ups, downs, thrills, spills, and chills.

The season is almost here - 10 days until the opener (Thursday, Sept 4) - LET'S GO PACK!