PFT Preseason Power Rankings

8th is about right for what it is worth, but just like the top 100 players in the NFL the PFT power ranking is a lagging indicator. It is based on what happen last years.  The Super bowl teams will be those teams that have the least injuries and have the best young players who develop during the season.

My prediction is that Seattle will have a very disappointing season and they will wish they never traded Flynn.

After the defensive debacle in the playoffs last year you really can't fault them being a bit skeptical. It's all about getting hot at the right time and I'm not concerned about any so-called gap.

OL will be a concern with skeptics especially considering AR led the league in sacks and of course run defense and the ability to stop QB's like Kaeperdick.

 

Until GB proves otherwise, it's a fair assessment of the Packers IMO.

 

I'd prefer GB flys under the radar for as long as possible.

In any given year, the top 10 teams or so are probably interchangeable in the preseaon as we don't really know how effective teams have addressed their own weaknesses.  The fact that the Packers are ranked 8th doesn't mean the 7 teams ahead of them are clearly better.  If they're ranked 8th every year from here to eternity, then the franchise is doing things right!

Until the Packers beat the 49ers, Giants, or Seattle, I will not buy into the Pack being a SB contender.  However, if the Pack can get that running game established, then maybe.  Until then, I think #8 is an accurate assessment.

With GB coming off two consecutive early (and ugly) playoff losses, #8 seems in the ballpark of where they should be ranked.  The team looks to be well positioned to make the playoffs for the foreseeable future, so I'm not sure how much more I can expect as a fan.  It could be much, much worse.

 

Yeah, it could be worse and I like many Packer fans are spoiled; however, I still reserve the rights to "wet my bed" if and when the Pack takes an occasional dump.  I suppose I could lower my expectations, but that would not be any fun.

 

GO PACK!!!!!

I can agree with the ranking but claiming the Packers haven't "closed the gap with the Falcons" is absurd. They finally win a playoff game and all the sudden they're the cream of the crop. Not buying it..

 

Agree. Any gap is with the 49ers, not the Falcons.

I think most teams attitude is "make the playoffs & then see what happens". I've heard AR say much the same thing when referring to the 2010 season. The only thing now is that we have two very physical teams in the NFC in SF & Seattle, the type that typically gives us fits.  

bulletin board material.

I must have missed the day when Seattle became very physical. Weren't they down 27-7 in the 4th qtr in the playoffs and needed Matty Ice to throw a Q4 pick and generally crap the bed to make a game of it?

 

I'm not sold on Atlanta. I'm not at all sold on Seattle. I am sold on SF. That's a good team.

 

I'm even less sold on power rankings. 3rd, 8th, 6th, 12th. What's the difference? We'll find out who's good in January.

Al Davis presser?

If Jeremy Ross fields that punt....how different might that game have been.  

 

Yeppity yepperoo.  The hype of FA signings and a hot team that wasn't hot enough.  Now they settle into teams knowing what to scheme for and I wouldn't be surprised to watch Seattle be the major disappointment of pre-season hype-meisters.  

Disagree Henry.  I think Seattle will look very good in pre-season when they face all the vanilla defenses. But when the real games begin they will struggle. They could turn into the west coast version of the Jets.

But that's not what he said, is it...

Talked to a GB fan this weekend who said he thinks the Queens will probably move ahead of us this year because they improved through addition (Jennings, Patterson, Floyd, Cassel, etc.), while we did not add enough to overcome our losses (Jennings, Woodson, etc.). Granted, we got some RBs, he said, but they are rookies and it remains to be seen if they can play in NFL pads and stay healthy, and all we did with our oline was move some pieces. He predicted a record of 9-7. It was a different perspective, and I could see where he was coming from, but I think as long as we have Rodgers we'll finish one game up on the Queens.

 

I am predicting that teams who use a lot of read-option will all have a more difficult time this year as D coordinators figure it out. That said, SF will be the toughest of them and will still be a very good team.

I would love to be wrong on this, and as much as I hate to say this, Seattle will be a powerhouse this season.  And, I hate Seattle!!!   

Until the OL shows it can block ( for run or pass) and the defense shows it can stop the run, #8 is no better than Green Bay deserves. Especially in Dec. and Jan., teams must play physical football.  The Packers need to show they can do it.  They did in 2010.  They didn't the previous year or the last two years. This year maybe they will show physical football end of season, but home field is no advantage in the cold if they can't block or stop the run.

So there are 7 teams better than the Packers?   Not sure I agree with that at all, but it's a preseason ranking.  Personally, I'd rather they feel slighted because most teams seem to perform better when they aren't the favorite.  Hopefully that's the case with this team. 

I agree, but it is still a bitch to defend. The running game is all about numbers, having the QB run gives you one more blocker & a better chance to get a "hat on all defenders". In addition, if the guy carrying the ball can also pass, it deters DB's from selling out to stop the run, something Lombardi saw with his sweep (most effective when he had Gifford or Horning who could both throw). I think we will see SF run some QB sweeps where Kaepernick can run himself or throw. 

Agree- the OL has to be better, as does the run defense and pash rush. I think 8 is a little high based on how the season ended, but that was last year and we start with a clean slate. I am concerned about our inside linebackers and depth at safety. I'm hoping Manning will come on strong. I'm comfortable with Burnett and McMillian as the starters at safety, I just hope they stay healthy as I'm not sold on MD Jennings and Richardson is coming off of neck surgery.

Preseason rankings are always correct and play a vital role in the outcome of the season.  Man, I had high hopes for this year too.  There's always next season.  

Football futures in Vegas says Green Bay is the 5th best team in football in terms of Super Bowl odds.

 

SF - 6/1

Broncos - 13/2

Seattle - 8/1

Pats - 9/1

Packers - 12/1

 

Fans tend to focus on potential weaknesses while Vegas focuses on the ridiculous talent of Aaron Rodgers.

 

I think the Pats and Broncos odds are a little inflated on because their path to get to the SB essentially goes through the other team. GB has to deal with SF and Seattle and potentially Atlanta (14/1 favorites)

 

Is it a good thing to for GB to be so heavily dependent on Rodgers? No. It would be great if the running game forced defenses to stay honest in 2013. Anything guys like Perry, Jones and company do to help the D takes just a little more pressure of Aaron to have to be perfect for this team to win after January 1. They don't need to be pro bowlers. They need to be consistent contributors. But Aaron Rodgers is so good that as long as he's healthy and upright GB will always be one of Vegas' 6 teams most likely to win another Lombardi.

 

And regarding Minny passing GB this year.... After all their upgrades Vegas still has them slotted as a 40/1 longshot.

RE: The OL.

 

Yep definitely improvement needed there but I think Rodgers needs to shoulder some of that blame. I get he despises throwing INT's but there were enough sacks where the protection was decent and he just didn't throw it away. Hopefully he corrects that in 2013.

quote:

I must have missed the day when Seattle became very physical.

September 24, 2012

 

Seahawks have 8 sacks in the game and I believe 6 in the first half.  That first half was a debacle and I sure hope the Packer's woes were due in part to Seahawk physicality.

 

Packers muster a whopping 12 points and 268 yards in the contest and that against a team with almost zero offense (read: Packers had a ton of drives in the game.)

Throwing the ball OOB doesn't generally result in an INT. IMO, AR hangs on to the ball in hopes of making a play more than hanging on to it not to throw an INT...he needs to realize it's OK to throw it OOB.

I just sent him a text, he knows now

quote:

Running back is the easiest position to play, its all talent and instincts--the fact Lacy and Franklin are rookies is meaningless.  If either can produce a running game that can churn out 100 yards rushing a game, the two deep shell against us is gone.

It's not meaningless that they're rookies and you're being awfully dismissive of the RB position from what I'm reading. It is not an easy position- that why so few can truly be considered good at it. There is an art to reading holes, blocking, and play development, then having thr physical attibutes to execute and utilize the reads, it is IMO one of football's rarest commodities. It's part of the reason teams have devalued the position. Lots of guys can run- its rare that you can do it consistently and productively, and the shelf life on those players is awfully short.

If MM and our line/RBs can put together some 8-minute drives like we used to once upon a time, I like our chances. I think this past year it was obvious that we wore out our D when our O went three-and-out on so many drives, combined with our Dline allowing other teams' ground games to chew us up. They knew what was coming, yet they still couldn't stop it. Then, when our Oline couldn't respond with a ground-covering, clock-eating drive, we were in trouble as the D was back on the field on very short rest. If we can have some sustained drives and get some yards on the ground on offense, then our ratings/SB chances should rise. 

Agreed. What concerns me is that Kaepernick shows the skills to be elusive when the play breaks down, pistol or not, and the arm to get it downfield accurately. Question will be: Are the Packers faster and bigger this year to be disruptive before he has a chance to do damage?

I don't think it's that the RB position is easy, it's that the transition from the college to the pro game supposedly is. People are rightfully excited about the two draft picks, but I expect Harris to have a nice year and wouldn't be surprised if he ends up as the leading rusher.

Just a really bad day at the office from Bulaga. As bad as it was that day, it still took a gift from the referees for the Seahawks to win it.

Seattle has a good defense. Cam Chancellor is a physical safety. Sherman loves to play physical. But that defense isn't SF physical. SF comes at you with that D line backed by 4 really good LB's. Whitner and Goldson were both punishing safeties.

 

Regarding the game last year. Cobb missed practice the week prior to the game with a bad hammy. He wasn't a factor in the game at all. Jennings was playing at 60% with a groin injury that was worse than anyone knew. Sitton missed practice all week leading up to that game nursing a knee injury. Just a bad day all around at a place that's really hard win. GB still got it done if not for 3 really horrible calls on Seattles final drive.

...but to be fair, they were nursing Wilson along at that point & had an offense that was no where near as good as it was later in the season, so perhaps we were not at our best, but neither were they.