NFL Draft 2009

The 2009 NFL draft took place over this past weekend, where the NFL teams can pick up talented college players. This was an advantageous one for the Packers because they had the 9th pick overall. This gave them a chance to grab a very important addition to their new defense. But, even better, the Packers stepped up to get the 26th overall pick as well by giving their next 3 selections to the Patriots. So, with two picks in the first round of the draft, I was extremely satisfied with the way Green Bay handled this event. With a total of 8 picks in the draft, here are the Packers' results:

Round 1, Pick 9: DT B.J. Raji Boston College

Round 1, Pick 26: OLB Clay Matthews USC

Round 4, Pick 9: OT T.J. Lang Eastern Michigan

Round 5, Pick 9: FB Quinn Johnson LSU

Round 5, Pick 26: OT Jamon Meredith South Carolina

Round 6, Pick 9: DE Jarius Wynn Georgia

Round 6, Pick 14: CB Brandon Underwood Cincinnati

Round 7, Pick 9: OLB Brad Jones Colorado

From the look of it, I think this is the Packers' best draft class in years. With a new defensive scheme that required new linebackers and defensive linemen, Green Bay really seemed to do a great job, getting the exact positions that they needed. B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews are both highly ranked at their positions, which is great. The Pack also managed to get a few additions on the offensive side of the ball to help out the line. Mel Kiper, an ESPN.com columnist, gave the Packers an A grade overall for the draft, one of only two A's that he gave for all 32 teams. With this great draft, I'm really pumped up for the upcoming season, and I can't wait to see how these rookies help out the team!

Favre Retires... For Real This Time

Now that it is officially the offseason, the annual discussion appeared again: Will Brett Favre decide to retire? The answer from Brett: Yes (for the second year in a row).

Favre announced on February 11 that he will finally end his glorious football career. Afterwards, when asked in an ESPN interview if there is any chance at all that he would return, Favre replied that there is no way he will.

After a legendary 18 seasons as a quarterback in the NFL, 16 of those with the Green Bay Packers, future Hall of Famer Favre will leave an everlasting legacy. He holds numerous notable NFL records for a quarterback: Passing yards in a career (65,127), touchdown passes in a career (464), pass completions in a career (5,720), pass attempts in a career (9,280), regular season wins (169), and consecutive starts (269 games). However, the Ironman of football also did set one not-so-great record, interceptions thrown in a career (310).

Although, even with all of these records, Brett Favre was one of the most exciting players ever to watch in the NFL. As a "gunslinger" and "magician," Favre always made appearances on highlight reels with his amazing, eye-catching throws down the field and his elusive, unbelievable escape tactics to avoid attacking defenders.

One of the things that made Favre so lovable to his fans was how "human" he really was. When he wasn't throwing bombs and improvising on the field, Favre experienced many heartbreaking moments while in the NFL. His wife, Deanna, was diagnosed with breast cancer, his brother-in-law died in a car crash, and his beloved father passed away, all within just a few years. What made Brett so incredible was that we saw his passion for not just the game, but life outside football as well. He started in a football game the night after his father passed, and he threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns to defeat the Oakland Raiders. Packer fans were infinitely attracted to Favre's dedication and heart.

While Favre spent his first season with the Atlanta Falcons and his last with the New York Jets, he will always be remembered as the face of the Green Bay Packers. The Packers still plan to eventually retire Favre's jersey with the number 4. Cheeseheads everywhere should be honored to have enjoyed him putting on a show for 16 seasons in Green Bay. Brett Favre will forever be known as a Packer, a hero, and a legend.

Picture: http://www.squibkick.com/brett-favre-is-facing-losing-and-surgery-ouch/

Super Bowl XLIII

As Kurt Warner completed a short slant pass to Larry Fitzgerald who dashed 64 yards up the middle of the field in between two defenders for a touchdown, I thought that the underdog Arizona Cardinals might actually have a chance to defeat the all-powerful Pittsburgh Steelers. After this intensifying, exhilarating play with 2:37 remaining in Super Bowl XLIII, the Cards grasped a 23-20 lead over the Steelers.

But Big Ben Roethlisberger and his Pittsburgh offense still had one more chance to score, and that is exactly what they did. With one last drive, the Steelers plowed all the way to Arizona's 6-yard line. With 48 seconds left in the game, Roethlisberger threw up a desperate pass to wide receiver Santonio Holmes in the back left of the endzone..... and the ball goes through Holmes's hands. Incomplete. But, the next play, Roethlisberger decided to try lobbing the ball again on the other side of the endzone to Holmes. The ball rainbows over one, two, three Cardinals defensive players. Holmes reaches as high as he can without his arms coming out of his sockets. The ball sticks to his gloves with both of his big toes barely grazing the turf inbounds. TOUCHDOWN. With 35 seconds left in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers managed to swiftly take back the lead.

When the Cardinals got the ball back, they failed to make it the length of the field to the Steelers endzone. On the Steelers' 44-yard line, the ball was hit out of Kurt Warner's hand with 5 seconds left, ending the Cardinals' last hopes. The final result: Steelers win, 27-23, in a stunning, mind-blowing, nail-biting, see-sawing, classic Super Bowl.

By winning Super Bowl XLIII last night, the Pittsburgh became the first franchise in the NFL to win six Super Bowls. Santonio Holmes (who caught the game-winning touchdown pass) was honored MVP of the Super Bowl. The game was bland and uneventful for the first three quarters, excluding one spectacular record-breaking play. With one play left in the first half, Kurt Warner threw a pass intended for receiver Anquan Boldin in the endzone, but Steelers' lineman James Harrison reached out, intercepted the ball, and scurried along the sideline 100 yards for a touchdown. The play not only gave the Steelers a dominating 17-7 lead, but it also became the longest play ever in a Super Bowl.

The final few minutes of Super Bowl XLIII put a fantastic finish to the 2008 NFL season, and next season can't seem further away as I await more moments like these!

For highlights of the game and more, follow this link: http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/43/videos/features#video:09000d5d80e86d72

or go to http://www.nfl.com/ for all NFL coverage.

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Packers Prepare for Next Year

After a disappointing season with a 6-10 record, the Packers are already preparing for the 2009 season. As the NFL playoffs are going on right now, Green Bay has released 6 assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Bob Sanders. With the 2009 NFL draft just a few months away, the Packers will be looking to take advantage because they have the 9th pick in the draft. They hold nine picks in the draft overall.

Also, the opponents for the Packers next year have been determined. Their home games will be against the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, and Cincinnati Bengals. Their away games will be against the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers. The schedule for these games won't be released until April.

Cheeseheads can hope for no less than maximum improvement in the 2009 season. It sure will be exciting to see the Packers play again!

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