3. Band of Misfits

Remember the 2004 Boston Red Sox? They titled themselves a 'bunch of idiots'. The Sox were a group of misfits that just really didn't belong. Some of them really didn't do anything after that championship season such as Kevin Millar and Bill Mueller.  The Green Bay Packers are starting to look like the NFL version of them.

I am willing to bet that there will be 3 or 4 guys that will play a key role in Sunday's game will probably not be a factor on the Packers' roster. The artful job by Ted Thompson to pick up guys who no one even heard of. I know a lot of people, but I couldn't tell you who Howard Green, Erik Walden, somewhat Sam Shields, and James Starks did before this season.

Who would win an eating contest between Howard Green
and B.J. Raji. How much would pay to see it? 

Green got picked up for the New York Jets game after the Jets waived him because he gained too much weight after the Jets' bye week. People including me thought that Green would just be a filler for one game, but he ended up playing  a key part in getting the Packers to the Super Bowl.  Green played very well when Cullen Jenkins was out with his calf injury, and now gets put in on run packages. Green ends up making one or two big plays every game.

Another guy was Erick Walden who got picked up to fill the linebacker void as everyone got hurt in a three week span. I hope Walden plays on Sunday because he played so well down the stretch and actually looked the best out of Frank Zombo and Brad Jones. Walden provided a solid pass rush opposite of Clay Matthews, and honestly, I think he might get a shot for next season. Walden is an agressive pass rusher, and showed some signs in the pass defense.

I jumped on the Shields' bandwagon early, but I never thought he would be a great starter for the Packers. I just thought he ends up being a great special teams player, which the Packers haven't had since Desmond Howard. Instead, Shields played nickel cornerback and went from a guy that everybody picks on to a guy that is becoming a problem. I will like to see the matchup between Steelers Wide Receiver Mike Wallace and him on Sunday.

Switching over to the offensive side of the ball, James Starks came out nowhere. I saw people bang the drum about how good Starks was when we were watching Michael uhh Brandon Jackson dance in the backfield. I thought it was just typical Packer fans always looking at the greener grass on the other side. But that couldn't be farther from the truth. Starks played like a madman this postseason and will give the Packers a legit 1-2 punch in coming years.

These idiots aren't a bunch of wildy veterans who are finally getting their shot, they are just a bunch of young guys getting their first chance. Now that Green, Walden, Shields, and Starks all have that opportunity and they are not going to let it go with ease.

-Charlie.

7. The Balanced Question

Consider this the start of the 'SNO Tap Super Bowl Coverage'.  I am going to be writing one article each day devoted to the Super Bowl. We decided not to jump the gun last week because this is the true week that matters. The first six will be various topics regarding the Super Bowl, and I will finish off Saturday with a cumulative post about what it means to be here with my prediction included. I assume I am not the only who will be writing about the big game so strap in and sit down, it should be a fun week here on the Tap.

Chad Clifton has the toughest assignment
of the year dealing with James Harrison

One of the discussions this weekend between us was if the Packers should even to attempt to run the ball?  There were compelling arguments for each side, yet I still haven't come to a conclusion. I wrote off the Packers' rushing attack last week saying they had no chance with the powerful Chicago Bears' rush defense.  But my reverse jinx magic came in handy as the Pack proved me wrong by being fairly successful with James Starks rushing for 74 yards plus about 40 yards from Aaron Rodgers. I am starting to believe that Brandon Jackson might be worse than I believed. I see how Starks hits the hole, and it's like Ryan Grant.  When a team uses a zone blocking rush scheme, they can ill-afford to have a dancer like Jackson in the backfield.

If we use the analogy of supermodels to rush defenses... the Bears are like Marisa Miller and the Pittsburgh Steelers are Brooklyn Decker, both top notch. The Steelers have only allowed 62.5 yards a game to teams, which is one of the lowest in NFL history.  Premier running backs like Michael Turner, Chris Johnson, and Ray Rice didn't even gain 50 yards on the ground against the Steelers. The highest yardage they allowed was 87 to the Law Firm when the Patriots got the best of them.

That game stands out like a snorlax amongst a group of smokeshows. When the Patriots offense went Charlie Sheen crazy on the Steel Curtain, they spread the field using four and five wide sets to expose their average secondary.  Don't get me wrong, Troy Polomalu is a monster, but I really don't consider him part of their secondary. He plays like a rover like Charles Woodson so it's hard to really include him with the others. The others include Bryant McFadden who takes lessons from Jerry Azumah on how to get burned.  Ike Taylor makes big plays, but gets hurt by being overtly aggressive looking for the game changing play.  I do like Ryan Clark, although he likes to dish out the big hits more so than playing smart football at times. Trust me, I want McCarthy to get greedy a couple times and hit them over the top with a couple longballs.

Notice I said a couple times because I worry Mike McCarthy will start dialing up the twenty plus yard plays on every down instead of trying to run the football, and the slant routes that work very nicely for this football team.  At the end of the day, this is a good problem for the Packers. Against a team like the Steelers, I am thankful the Packers are a pass-first offense.  

-Charlie.