Packers Transplants - Favre's Homecoming

Join us tonight for Packers Transplants at 9 p.m. EDT. Tonight's guest is Jason Wilde from ESPNWisconsin. The guest panelist on the live blog will be Monty of Total Packers.

Packers blitz key to victory vs. Lions

If you're like me, you were incredibly irritated with the lack of pressure put on Brett Favre in the Packers' loss in Week 4.

Lucky for the Packers, is that they could very well get back on track Sunday when they face the Lions. They struggle in every facet of the game, including protection. That's where the defense will turn it up and make Daunte Culpepper's day a nightmare.

Living in Detroit, I'm subjected to watch the Lions every-so-often (when they sell out, at least). After watching Sunday's loss to the Steelers, I realized a couple of things. One is that they're not the 0-16 team from last year. They can do some things offensively, but a good defense can easily disrupt that. The other thing that I noticed is that when Culpepper sees frequent pressure, or even just consistent pressure, he gets very frantic and gets sacked a lot. On a crucial series at the end of the game with a first-and-ten on Pittsburgh's 23 with a chance to tie the game, the Steelers blitzes on three consecutive plays. The outcome? Sack, sack, sack, for a combined loss of 24 yards. Culpepper could have easily dumped off the ball, but he didn't. He panicked, and he got planted three times in a row in the most crucial series of the game.

This is where I feel the Packers can dominate. They showed aggressiveness against Chicago, forcing a premier quarterback in Jay Cutler to make some hideous mistakes. I can only imagine what the defense could do to the Lions, who will likely be without starter Matt Stafford and stud receiver Calvin Johnson. With Culpepper in the offensive backfield, the Packers can rattle him, force turnovers, and generate points.

This is a great chance for the defense to get on a roll and gain some momentum heading toward the middle part of the season. The opportunity is there, they just need to snatch it.

Clifton's return adds safety to Rodgers' blind side

Could this be the week where we see Aaron Rodgers' jersey at the end of a game nice and clean? It's quite possible.

Left tackle Chad Clifton will be returning to his starting role as the anchor of the offensive line Sunday against the Detroit Lions. That means Daryn Colledge, also hampered by a knee injury, will be back to guard. That's great news for the Packers' offense.

Colledge clearly couldn't cut it as a left tackle. He hadn't seen enough snaps at the position in training camp, and that really showed, especially against the likes of Jared Allen. His strength is clearly on the inside, where he has more help on the pass rush. He's obviously more comfortable inside, and I'm hopeful that he'll be able to get used to it again.

Clifton moving back to left tackle is the more noteworthy piece. Jared Allen destroyed Rodgers in the Packers' Monday night loss in Week 4, and that's simply something that cannot happen. Rodgers must be protected in order for the offense to succeed, and Clifton offers that. While he is aging and declining in ability, he's still a solid option at the left tackle position. It's definitely a position that needs to be upgraded, but that can be done in the offseason.

With the move, that means Jason Spitz will be able to move back to center where he practiced throughout the entire offseason. Not a tremendous move, but it seems everything is starting to mesh together a little more. The bye week couldn't have come at a better time.

Sunday we'll know how well the line is coming together. It's a far inferior opponent with a subpar line that even the weakest of offensive lines shouldn't have a problem dealing with. If Rodgers can stay protected, the possibilities of what the Packers' offense can do are endless.

How the Lions vs. Packers matchup will affect your fantasy team

In Week 6 of the 2009 NFL season, the Packers take on the Lions in Green Bay. If your fantasy team is Packers-heavy, much like mine, then you should expect solid numbers all around from your starters. But who are definite starts and who should you bench?

Start'em Up!

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers. Rodgers is coming off a career high in passing yards (384) in the Packers' loss to the Vikings. It was far and away Rodgers' best game, from a fantasy perspective, of his career. With the addition of Mark Tauscher, he should see more protection than he had in the first four games of the year, not to mention the lack of the Lions' pass rush. The Packers haven't lost to the Lions at home since 1991, so it's likely he'll have a solid game. Rodgers coming off the bye week can't be good for Detroit.

Greg Jennings, WR, Packers. Jennings hasn't been very consistent this year.After a 100-yard game at the rams, Jennings came back with only three catches for 31 yards. However, the Lions have tendencies to give up huge plays, and do it a lot (Did you SEE Mike Wallace yesterday!?) and it's likely it will continue. Make sure he's in your lineups.

Donald Driver, WR, Packers. Talk about Mr. Consistency. In three of the four games the Packers of played, he's gotten four receptions in each game. The other game, against the Rams, he got six catches for 95 yards and a score. With teams spending extra time covering Greg Jennings, Driver has been able to exploit struggling defenses. He's a great WR2 option any week, especially against the Lions.

Kevin Smith, RB, Lions. Smith hasn't been able to run for a lot of yardage, but he's the goal line threat for the Lions. He has 95 carries on the year for only 287 yards, but he has three touchdowns. He'll be sure to get the ball against a Packers' run defense that hasn't been amazing by any means, so he could very well have a good game.

Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions. If his knee is good enough to go, he has to be in lineups. In spite of his one catch for two yard performance, which was shortened by that injury, Johnson's one of the best receivers in the league. If Daunte Culpepper can get into a groove, Johnson could have a big day.

Ryan Grant, RB, Packers. Grant saw only 11 carries in the loss to Minnesota, but he gained 51 yards on those carries. The Packers HAVE to establish a run game to relieve some pressure off Aaron Rodgers, and going against the Lions is a good place to start. Expect a lot of carries and a lot of yards for RG in this one.

Jermichael Finley, TE, Packers. I don't think Finley's blowup against Minnesota was a fluke. He's tall, fast, and can catch. One more thing? Aaron Rodgers likes him. If he's not on your team, he should be. With so many average tight ends, Finley has the potential to continue putting up stud numbers down the stretch.

Sit'em DOWN!

Matt Stafford/Daunte Culpepper, QB, Lions. I wouldn't start any average QB against a ball-hawking defense like Green Bay's. The Packers blitz will rattle any quarterback, especially a rookie, who has never played against a 3-4 before. If Culpepper goes, it's likely he'll have to dump off a lot of passes to avoid sacks and turnovers. Things don't look good for the Lions signal-callers this week.

Jordy Nelson, WR, Packers. Nelson's only real value comes in his kick returning ability. He's worth a start if you're in a league that rewards return yardage, but not many do that. He's only useful should an injury occur to Driver or Jennings (knock on wood!).

Bryant Johnson, WR, Lions. Should Calvin Johnson be out, Bryant Johnson would be promoted to No. 1. That doesn't mean much. He had four catches for 35 yards in Week 5, albeit against a solid defense in the Steelers. The Packers have a good enough secondary where an average receiver like Johnson can easily be shut down.

Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Lions. I'd like Pettigrew more if Stafford was playing, and that's not certain yet. Pettigrew has the size and speed to be a great tight end, but isn't quite there yet. If Stafford becomes more comfortable with him, he'd become a great fantasy option being the rookie QB's security blanket.

What Mark Tauscher's return means for the O-line

According to the good folks over at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, former Packers' offensive tackle, Mark Tauscher, could return to the team as early as Wednesday.

This couldn't be better news for Packer fans, tired of seeing their star quarterback get planted time after time. Also, that means after the team's Week 5 bye week, there could be a completely new look to the offensive line.

Should Chad Clifton return as well, that would put he and Tauscher at left and right tackles, respectively. That means Josh Sitton and Jason Spitz can take over the guard spots with Scott Wells at center. Should Daryn Colledge be healthy enough, he could take one of the guard spots as well.

That makes me very happy. Sure both Clifton and Tauscher are aging, but they're better than what we have. I'd rather have experience than Colledge diving at Jared Allen's legs again.

The bye week should do wonders for the team. Injured guys can get healthy, and with Tauscher's arrival and Clifton's return, the offensive line will have the ability to gel a little bit. And with the next game against the Lions, it will be a great opportunity to get a little more comfortable.

Five thing that pissed me off in Monday's loss

I shouldn't say that last night's loss was a surprise. It was "Brett Bowl," on the road, and the Packers have had some serious issues recently that were once again exploited. But here are the five happenings from Monday that made me want to whip my cell phone at a wall.

1. The offensive line is really, really bad. Eight sacks?!? EIGHT!?!? I don't care if the Vikings do have the best defensive line in the universe. Watching Daryn Colledge pathetically diving at Jared Allen's legs made me want to puke. The fact that Aaron Rodgers threw for 384 yards is simply amazing. I don't care what has to be done; trade people, trade picks, sign nobodies. Something has to get done, or it's going to be another 6-10 season.

2. Donald Lee. You're seriously on my shit list, pal. With Jermike playing like a seasoned vet, you had to go off and drop a ball that jacked you in the face. Comon, man, you're a pro. You're not even a bad tight end. But you seriously have to catch those 100 times out of 100. That crap is inexcusable.

3. Was Dom Capers reserved Monday night? I felt like he did way too much max-zone plays and not sending the house like we've become accostomed to seeing. The perfect example? Brett Favre having seven seconds to complete a pass. That should never happen, even if three guys are rushing. Get Aaron Kampman going more!

4. Derrick Martin. That Bernard Berrian touchdown never should have happened. Martin needs to get over and make play on Berrian when it's a zone look. The sad thing is, Harris could have kept up with him, but didn't because he expected help. This should be addressed in film, but I hate how mistakes have to be fixed after the fact.

5. Ryan Grant with 11 carries. Grant had some solid runs, but didn't get the ball. Sure, the Packers were stuck in second- and third-and-long situations. But the lack of commitment to the run game showed Minnesota that there was no running game to defend. Don't you think that contributed to Rodgers getting planted every three plays?