I have to say this: at least Chicago fans make their presence known at Lambeau Field, maybe even more so than at home at Soldier Field – which is about all you need to know about that remodeled-but-still maligned facility.
The Unsung Heroes of Week 13 in the NFL
December 6, 2011 By 1 Comment
It was an eventful week in the National Football League.
Aaron Rodgers led a last-minute drive to give the Packers a win over the Giants, extending Green Bay’s winning streak to 18. Drew Brees became the first quarterback in league history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in 12 games. Tim Tebow led the Broncos to their fifth straight win and proved that he is more than just a pair of legs, throwing for 202 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Chris Johnson put to rest any doubt that he had emerged from an early-season, hold0ut-induced funk by rushing for 153 yards and 2 scores. Marshawn Lynch had similar numbers in the Seahawks’ Thursday-night thrashing of the Eagles. And the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski caught 3 touchdown passes, tying the record for most touchdown receptions in a season by a tight end with 13.
First-year coach Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers clinched the NFC West and earned their first Playoff bid in nearly a decade. During the Niners’ shutout of St. Louis running back Frank Gore became the leading rusher in franchise history.
These are the players you’ll see on the highlight shows and read about in the week-in-review columns. These are the players who sell jerseys and star in commercials for insurance companies. But, as is always the case in football, no team is successful apart from the contributions of several players whose exemplary work we often overlook.
Here are but a few of the unsung heroes from Week 13 in the NFL:
[Read more...]
Chicago at Green Bay Preview: Bears’ Strengths/Weaknesses and Matchup Analysis
September 12, 2009 By 4 Comments
It is sure to be one hell of an exciting weekend for NFL fans and for football fans in general. The first official Sunday games are only a day away, and there are plenty of good games to watch.
Out of all these great games, there is one that you can’t miss: the matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.
The Bears-Packers rivalry is the longest in NFL history, and it’s also one of the greatest. These two teams have played in 177 regular and post-season match-ups with the Bears currently holding the all-time series lead with a 91-80-6 record.
Before looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the Chicago Bears that will have the most bearing on Sunday night’s game, here is all of the info you need to be ready for kickoff:
Chicago Bears (0-0) at Green Bay Packers (0-0)
- Bears-Packers Date: Sunday, September 13th
- Bears-Packers TV & Kickoff Time: 8:30 ET on NBC
- Bears-Packers Location: Lambeau Field in Green Bay
- Bears-Packers Announcers: Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth
- Bears-Packers Point Spread: GB -3.5
- Bears-Packers Over-Under: 46.5
- Ronald Clements, MSF: Bears-Packers Preview and Analysis
- StubHub: Bears @ Packers Tickets
| Packers @ Bears tickets 12/13/09 as low as $79
- StubHub: 2009 Green Bay Packers tickets
- StubHub: 2009 Chicago Bears tickets
- StubHub: great deals on all NFL tickets
And now let’s take a lot at the strengths and weakness of the 2009 Chicago Bears, and how they will impact Sunday night’s game against Packers, as well as the rest of the season.
———-
Chicago Bears’ Weaknesses That Could Lead to a Packer Beatdown
Sunday’s matchup will be a test for how well these teams’ defenses will play in 2009. The Packers, with no doubt, were the best team this preseason. Their new 3-4 defense worked flawlessly and Aaron Rodgers looked sharp, just as he always does. That tandem — an improving defense and an emerging star at QB — could be a nightmare for the Bears.
The Bears had a modest preseason, with neither the defense nor offense really blowing any team away. What worries me the most is the Bears defense. It is a toss-up as to how well they will perform Sunday night because it’s really up to the defense to stop the pass. If they can’t do that, Rodgers and top WR Greg Jennings may make the Bears defense look like an intramural football team.
The receiving positon also makes me worry.
While I believe the Bears have a good enough receiving corps to make the offense work, I still, in the back of my mind, feel like the Bears need a proven go-to receiver. Devin Hester hasn’t shown enough talent as a route runner to show me that he deserves the #1 spot. In fact, no receiver has shown me that, and it worries me the most.
The Bears are going to need every receiver to chip in a little for this team to be successful.
Now that we’ve discussed the Bears’ weaknesses, let’s take a look at this team’s strengths.
———-
Bears’ Strengths That Could Lead to a Victory Over the Packers
Every team has their weaknesses and strengths. It’s just a question of which category will shine through on game day.
As a team, the Bears have a lot of reasons to be optimistic about their chances of winning Sunday night’s game against rival Green Bay.
First of all, there is Matt Forte.
Forte was just breathtaking last season. A steal in the 2nd round, Forte has the talent to be a Pro Bowler for many years to come. A strong, yet agile running back, Forte can run, block, and catch. Is there anything else you could ask for from a back?
I think not.
If the Bears have any chance of having a good game Sunday night and a good year in 2009, Forte has to at least repeat his success from his rookie year.
Jay Cutler also has to perform like a Pro Bowler.
All eyes will be watching this guy after the Bears gave up a lot to get him. He could be the answer the Bears need at the QB position after failed attempts with the likes of Jim Miller, Chris Chandler, Rex Grossman, Kordell Stewart, Chad Hutchinson, Kyle Orton, and many more.
Most Chicagoans are optimistic about the 2009 season and the future with Cutler taking the snaps, but the truth is that it could be a hit or a miss for the Bears. If Cutler doesn’t perform it could be really bad. When you give away that many draft picks for one player, you better 100% believe he can drive your team victory. If not, there are going to be lots and lots of formerly optimistic Chicagoans who become angry and frustrated.
Probably the most underrated part of any football team is the O-line. In the Bears’ case, the O-line has to play well or, like with any other team, the whole season will be lost. If there is no protection, neither Forte’s nor Cutler’s talents will be worth anything.
The Bears’ O-line is significantly younger this year, and that’s actually a positive thing. It seemed that every year in the recent past the old O-line would be bullied around by the defensive tackles. It wasn’t a pretty sight to see the Bears suffer so much on offense. With the offense not killing time so the defense can rest, both parts of the team suffered.
This aspect of the Bears’ attack should be improved this season.
All strengths don’t have to be 100% percent perfect this Sunday, but they darn well better be close, or I sense a beat down by the Packers.
In reality, this game could be a spectacular coming-out party for the Bears, or it could be a nightmare. It can really go either way. That’s something you don’t want to think about as a fan.
No matter what the turnout of the game is, it’s still football season and that’s all I need to make me happy.
**********
* – Jay Cutler / Matt Forte photo credit: Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune via ChicagoTribune.com
As Expected, Packers-Vikings Tickets an Increasingly Hot Commodity
August 20, 2009 By 7 Comments
With Brett Favre shocking the world! no one and returning to the NFL this week, football fans across the country were annoyed and dismayed, with a few steadfast Favre supporters still delighting in his every move and lie word. Regardless of their thoughts on Favre and wishy-washy inability to retire, I think most football fans would be lying if they said they were not at least a little bit intrigued to see what happens when the Vikings play Favre’s old team the Packers this year.
Especially when the game is Lambeau, it will create one of the most ironic, unexpected, and seemingly preposterous scenes in NFL history. It would be like Derek Jeter playing shortstop in Yankee Stadium…but for the Red Sox. Who would have thought just a few short years ago that we’d someday be discussing the prospects of Brett Favre playing in Lambeau Field…wearing purple!?
Sorry, I know I’m beating a dead horse here, but the whole thing still seems pretty crazy…and a little silly.
Anyway, I was curious this morning to see what Packers-Vikings tickets were going for. I have to think that the value of Packers-Vikings tickets, in Minneapolis and Green Bay, had to skyrocket the moment news broke of Favre’s impending return. Let’s take a look, with ticket values all based on the current listings at StubHub. (And by the way, you can click on the links to go directly to StubHub if you wish.)
Packers-Vikings Tickets at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI on Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 1:00
- Cheapest Ticket: $291.67 (Lower Level, Corner 131, Row 27)
- Most Expensive Ticket: $5,000 (Suite 6040)
- Median Ticket: $501 (Lower Level End Zone 105, Roy 7)
By way of comparison, the average price for the cheapest ticket at the Packers other games is around $110-115. How about for the Vikings-Packers tickets at the Metrodome?
Vikings-Packers Tickets at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, MI on Monday, October 5, 2009 at 8:30
- Cheapest Ticket: $139 (Upper Corner 224)
- Most Expensive Ticket: $2,790 (Lower Sideline 109)
- Median Ticket: $345 (Lower Corner, Upper End Zone, others)
The high price on this one is lower because it looks like there are no suites available. Â But again, the cheapest ticket is well about the average for the other Vikings home games this year (which is around $20).
So, there you have it, breaking news: tickets for the Packers-Vikings games this year are more expensive than regular tickets in which Brett Favre isn’t playing his former team in Revenge Bowl 1 & 2!
It just dawned on me that there really wasn’t much of a point to this article.
I guess I was expecting eye-popping ticket prices, so I’m a little underwhelmed. As the games approach, especially the Lambeau, I’d imagine that we’ll start seeing ticket prices of StubHub, eBay, and other such sites start to rise. $290 bucks for one ticket is still pretty damn expensive though.
Anyway, a few more resources for you below if you want to do some comparison shopping. Otherwise, time to move onto something more interesting. Have a great morning everyone.
Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings Tickets
- All Minnesota Vikings Tickets
from StubHub
- All Green Bay Packers Tickets
from StubHub
- Packers-Vikings Tickets in Minnesota
from TicketsNow
- Packers-Vikings Tickets in Green Bay from TicketsNow
- Vikings-Packers Tickets in Green Bay
from RazorGator
- Vikings-Packers Tickets in Minnesota
from RazorGator
- Find Packers-Vikings Tickets
and other NFL tickets at TickCo
Update: Interesting post over at The Big Lead regarding a fan who purchased tickets from StubHub. Â May want to check it out if you’re thinking of purchasing from them.
* – Brett Favre photo credit: Unique News Network
