Poe was a Packer Fan

If Edgar Allen Poe was alive today, he would most assuredly be a Packer fan. So, here is what his poem "The Raven" would likely look like had he written it this week. Enjoy!

Once upon a Thursday evening, while I sat with the fish I was cleaning
That I had caught on the ice not more than three hours before
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping
As of some NFL team rapping, rapping at my stadium door
“Tis some dumb-ass Viking fan” I muttered –
“only this and nothing more.”

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December
And as the Vikings fell on their ass then as they have always before
Eagerly I wished the kickoff; - As these “fans” began to piss off
Piss me off even more – So much I hoped we would run up the score
It is time for the man who has beaten them time and time before –
Time to bring out number Four.

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Look dumbass, your team and offense is a bore.”
“Your receivers are all lacking, and your losses are all stacking
Your team unity is simply cracking – your offense cannot even score.”
“Your coach is a moron” this I stated many times before –
“only this and nothing more”

And the purple painted loser, wobbling like some drunken boozer
Thrilled me filling him with fantastic terrors never felt before;
For he cannot help agreeing that no living Viking being
Could survive without fleeing – Fleeing from the number Four
Sharper, Williams, Childress, Johnson or even Mewelde Moore;
Not even their mascot, Pauly Shore.

The scrawny Vikes fan stood shaking, in his stupid Helga hat quaking
Teared up eyes begging that the truth he hear no more
But the thought of cold Lambeau, either with or without snow
A place where no Viking really wanted to go – A place of hallowed lore
With quivering lip full of fear, nay dread of the final score –
He peed himself upon the floor.

We're #4! We're #4!

The Badgers men's B-Ball team is now ranked #4 in the AP poll after demolishing the previously undefeated #2 Pittsburgh 89-75.

Without a doubt, this is the best team the Badgers have had, well, ever. Tucker is playing like a man among boys, Taylor is a very solid PG, and if Butch can keep playing like he did against Pitt with that agressiveness inside, this is going to be a very tough team to beat come March (and hopefully April). Many pundits were willing to give the Big Ten title to OSU before the season even started, now the Badgers are proving that thinking flawed.

Tune in tomorrow for a very special Packer/Viking poem.

Could Jenkins have been the key?

In an undoubtedly better season than last year, the Packers finally reached that magical 6 win mark for the year with a sloppy 17-9 win over the Motor City Kitties.

The running 1-2 punch of Green and Morency clicked for the 2nd straight week of getting over 130 yds rushing. Morency punched in 2 TDs as well (both very nice runs). I have to admit, I was not a big fan of the RB-by-committee approach that some teams use, which apparently the Packers subscribe to now. However, the results have been good this year so while I won't gush over the practice, I'm sure as heck not going to complain about Green not getting enough touches.

As good as the RB were, Favre was about as poor with 3 INT, 2 of which were unforgivable being in the red zone. He is getting ever so much closer to that all-time INT record, which is just as far away as the TD record, and Favre having an equal shot at hitting either one first. Given Favre turned the ball over so frequently, how did America's Team win this one? Defense.

Yes, that's right, the much-maligned Packer defense came through big yesterday: 6 sacks, 2 INTs, multiple QB pressures and a fumble recovery. Normally the Packers D makes pedestrian QBs look good and helps them keep their jobs a bit longer. Not so yesterday. Kitna had a horrific day with only a QB rating of 42.9 and only 135 yds passing.

The running defense was even more impressive with limiting Detroit to 58 yds rushing on 20 carries (2.9 yds/carry avg). Granted, Kevin Jones being out was likely a big part of that, but another move that happened a week ago perhaps had a big part of it as well. That being Cullen Jenkins being moved from DT to DE replacing KGB.

Jenkins has flourished since moving to DE and showed it as such with 3 sacks yesterday. Jenkins is a playmaker and the more of them you get on the field, the better your team is. His move to DE has had 4 big impacts with this defense so far. Granted, I am fully riding the big game he had yesterday, but the changes are noticable.

1 - Teams can no longer game plan to run at that side of the line where KGB was. Jenkins is far more stout against the run and does not take himself out of plays as KGB did and has proven this in the last 2 games. Plus, he's got about 40 more lbs for OL to move and is stronger than KGB.

2 - He's got good pass rushing skills to go along with his run stopping ability. He's deceptively quick and has good power and can go with a speed rush as well as a bull rush and be equally as effective vs the on-trick pony that is KGB. His ability to rush the passer will take some pressure off of Kampman as teams will need to account for him. This has already beared some fruit with Kampman getting 2 sacks himself yesterday to end his latest dry spell.

3 - He is able to occupy OL on running plays better than KGB and thus gives the LB that much more room to flow to the play and frees them up to make a play. With our LB, this is an absolute must.

4 - This also allows one of my favorite players to get some more playing time, Corey Williams. Williams has been a project for several years and has shown some flashes of the player he can be. With Jenkins moving to DE, Williams gets more playing time and has now been given the opportunity to display that talent. He's big (313 lbs) and like Jenkins is surprisingly quick for a DT as his sack yesterday attributed to. He is a playmaker, and I will say this again, you get more playmakers on the field, the better your team is.

This DL (Jenkins, Pickett, Williams and Kampman) has the potential to be a very good one. They all are very good against the run and they have proven to be good pass rushers. With a better pass rush from the front 4, the rest of the D can only be better in pass coverage.

Since Jenkins has been moved to DE, the Packers have given up just over 100 yds in rushing over 2 games (SF had under 50 after the move was made) combined and the Packers have given up only 21 total points. Granted, it was against SF and Detroit, but that's what they are supposed to do against them. Plus, add in that in the 2 games (and one possession) prior to that, they gave up 76 points, it's too coincidental.

There is a very good running team in the Vikings coming to town on Thursday and Jenkins is going to lined up against their $500 million left side of the OL. The true test is coming then, but I'm feeling pretty good about it.

$1 billion? You gotta be kidding me

That's right, the Cowboys are building a new stadium that will cost $1 billion. All I have to say is "Holy crap" (ode to Peter Boyle there).

• The stadium is going to seat 80k, 100k if they sell tickets to the standing room only area in the endzones (who the hell wants to stand for 3+ hours at a football game anyway?).
• They are putting a scoreboard that is 60 yards long and 50 feet high hanging over the field. Dear heavens. Just wait until that falls someday. You know, I may just have to rethink my dead pool to include some Cowboy players.
• At the unveiling party, several things disturbed me. One, Bob Costas was there to be the master of ceremonies and called it "the most extraordinary athletic facility ever conceived". I used to hold Bob in such high regard due to his thoughts on and passion for baseball. But to schill out on this monstrosity like this is beneath you Bob. Two, they played videos of the Pyramids and the Colosseum as if this stadium is on the same level as those structures. That's ridiculous. This is nowhere near as great as those. You never saw Nero clamoring for better luxury suites, more wine and women perhaps. Plus, this stadium will be considered "out of date" in about 30-35 years anyway and be torn down.

Clearly Jerry Jones has a big case of stadium envy. Think he's trying to compensate for something? Hmmmmm? No matter how hard you try Jerry, you'll never be able to top the masterpiece that is Lambeau Field.

To me, this is being built because it can, which is never a good reason to do something. You want a legacy Jerry, donate a bunch of money to a university to help research a disease (not like ED which you cleary have).

One thing that has been discovered about the new stadium that is going to be a problem:

There's not enough room in it for Jones' ego.

The alarm didn't go off

I have to admit something, I didn't watch the game today. My children had their annual Christmas program this afternoon and I gladly missed the game to see them sing and store away some great memories, as my kids were simply fantastic and exceeded all hopes I had in their performance. Afterwards, we went out to eat and I had completely forgotten about the Packer game.

Got home from a great dinner with my family and we started to decorate the Christmas tree. It was fairly late (7pm) when we started. After about 30 minutes of decorating with some incredibly great Christian music softly playing in the background, my wife asks "So, how did the Packers do?"

I didn't know. The evening had been so much fun that I had blanked out about the game. So, I quickly ran downstairs to the computer and pulled up the Yahoo! Sports page (it loads way quicker than anybody else), bracing myself for the impact of another bad Packer loss. Then I saw it: Packers win 30-17. A smile came across my face as I quickly went to the boxscore.

Favre: 22-34 293 yds 2 TD 0 INT. I quickly figure a QB rating of 111.52 (I am the Oracle after all).

Green & Morency combine for over 140 yds rushing and a TD

Driver: 160 yds receiving and a TD

Packers D got 3 turnovers and were actually good for a game.

I simply couldn't believe it. I thought I was dreaming, I was waiting for the alarm to go off and wake me out of this dreamland. After all, my kids who seem to be terminally shy come performance time were outstanding just a few short hours ago and the Packers won a game convincingly on the road.

The alarm never came.

So I went back upstairs and walked into the living room watching my wife and kids smiling and laughing while decorating the tree. The music was joyously perfect and there I was, realizing that sometimes, dreamland does exist outside of sleep.

Woodson's not a stiff

Remember back when the Packers were trying to decide if they should get Lavarr Arrington or Charles Woodson? Both were available and both played positions that the Packers desperately needed to upgrade. Many thought that at the time when Arrington chose the Skins that the Packers got the wrong guy in "settling" for Woodson.

You heard the critics:

• Woodson has lost too much to injury
• He's a loner
• Doesn't play well with others on his team
• Not a playmaker any longer

Well, Woodson has more than proved them all wrong. He leads the team with 5 INTs, which also happens to be near the top of the NFL. He has 15 passes defensed, again, near the top of the NFL. Add in that he has 3 forced fumbles (that makes 8 total turnovers forced) an has solid run support what you have here is a resume for an elite CB.

What was that? He's not an elite CB? Well, let's compare this to the stats of a well-known CB who is labeled as the best there is currently. This CB currently has:

5 INT, 17 passes defensed and no forced fumbles.

Who is this CB? Champ Bailey of the Broncos.

So it's perfectly clear that Woodson has come back to his pre-injury form. He's not as fast as he used to be, but that's just fine as he's still got the goods and is producing.

I've heard far too much from Packer fans that Woodson is average and is replacable. The above shows that this line of thinking is crap and completely unfounded.

Oh, and for that other guy the Packers missed out in getting? He's currently injured, has done nothing all season (only 16 tackles over 6 games) and is one of the biggest busts this year. We not only signed the right guy, but one of the best FA signings all season.

My interview with Mike McCarthy

Below is my "mock" interview with Packers HC Mike, McCarthy (and some, ok a lot, of help from Monty Python).

CC: 'Ello. I wish to register a complaint.
(The coach has his back to the register and does not respond.)
CC : 'Ello, Miss?
Mr. McCarthy : (turning around, very angry) What do you mean, "miss"?
CC : I'm sorry, I have a cold.
(The coach nods, understanding.)
CC : I wish to make a complaint!
Mr. McCarthy: (hurriedly) Sorry, we're closin' for lunch...!
CC : Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this defense, what I have been watching not more than the beginning of my life.
Mr. McCarthy: Oh yes, the, ah, the Green Bay Packers defense... What's, ah... W-what's wrong with them?
CC: I'll tell you what's wrong with them, my lad. They’re terrible, that's what's wrong with them.
Mr. McCarthy: No, no, they’re ah... they’re resting for the playoffs.
CC: Look, matey, I know a terrible defense when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.
Mr. McCarthy: No no, they’re not terrible, they’re, they’re restin'!
CC: Restin'?
Mr. McCarthy: Y-yeah, restin.' Remarkable team, the Green Bay Packers, aren’t they, eh? Beautiful stadium!
CC: The stadium don't enter into it. They’re terrible!
Mr. McCarthy: Nononono, no, no! They’re resting!
CC: All right then, if they're resting, I'll wake them up!
(shouting at the locker room)
'Ello, Sanders! Mister Bob Sanders! I've got a lovely fresh Lombardi Trophy for you if you wake up, Mr. Sanders...
(coach hits DC, Bob Sanders)
Mr. McCarthy: There, he moved!
CC: No, he didn't, that was you pushing him!
Mr. McCarthy: I never!!
CC: Yes, you did!
Mr. McCarthy: I never, never....
(CC pulls Bob Sanders off the bench and screams into his ear.)
CC: 'ELLO Bobby! Bob-EE! Bobby Sanders! WAKE UP!
(He bangs Bob’s head against the locker, horribly hard.)
TESTIIIING! TESTIIIING! THIS IS YOUR NINE-O' CLOCK ALARM CALL!
(He does it again, harder.)
BOB-EEEEEEE!
(He shows footage of the past several games where receivers are running free and running backs meet no resistance)
Now that is what I call a bad coordinator.
Mr. McCarthy: No, no.... No, he's stunned.
CC: STUNNED?
Mr. McCarthy: Yeah! You stunned him, just as he was wakin' up! Bob Sanders stuns easily, major.
CC: Look my lad, I've had just about enough of this. That coordinator is definitely terrible, and when I bought into his hiring not 4 months ago, you assured me that his total lack of movement was due to him being tired and shagged out after a long speech.
Mr. McCarthy: Well, he's... he's, ah... probably pining for Jim Bates.
(CC looks angrily back and forth, stuttering.)
CC: PININ' for JIM BATES? What kind of talk is that? Look, why did he fall flat on his ass the moment he got on the field?
Mr. McCarthy: Bob Sanders prefers fallin’ on his ass! Remarkable team, aren’t they, guv, eh? Beautiful stadium!
CC: (coldly) Look, I took the liberty of examining that coordinator when I got it home, and I discovered that he is extraordinarily terrible.
(pause)
Mr. McCarthy: He’s not terrible! If he had been terrible, I wouldn’t have hired him, you just wait, his scheme will work and the defense will go VOOM!
CC: "VOOM?" Look matey, this defense wouldn't "voom" if you put four thousand volts through it! He's bleedin' terrible!
Mr. McCarthy: He's not! He's pining!
CC: He's not pinin,' he should be passed on! This coordinator should be no more! It has ceased to be anything resembling a defensive coordinator! His time is expired and should be gone! He's a stiff! Bereft of talent, he should be unemployed! If you hadn't hired him to be the coordinator he would be filing books in the local library! His cerebral processes are history! This should be.... an EX-Coordinator!

At this point I was attacked by security but was able to elude them as they could not get near me or tackle me as Bob Sanders is apparently in charge of them as well.

Hodge Podge

Time to just on some topics that have crossed my mind.

Packers
What a mess this defense is. Sanders has not progressed in his prepwork, playcalling or adjustments this season. Here's hoping Bates is around in the offseason and willing to come back to fix this mess. I do not like this matchup against the J-E-T-S jetsjetsjets, no sir I don't. Remember, the J-E-T-S jetsjetsjets beat the same NE team that kicked the holy hell out of us.

Bucks
Kinda hard to win games when your starting #4 and #3 are out for over a month. Redd has been fantastic and is apparently immune to Stotts' horrendous coaching. Anyone else think Stotts looks like a guy you just would just want to give a wedgie to? No leadership comes forth from this man.

Badgers
The B-Ball team is looking very good. Some fans got all riled up after the Missouri State game and claiming it was unfathomable for Bucky to lose to them. Get over it, it's college hoops and most teams will lose at least 6-7 games/year and it's not like State was a 1-6 team or something like that. The Badgers are an elite team in the country and will likely be around for the Sweet 16 this spring, barring injuries or the academic issues from last year.

The football team is still awaiting it's opponent for the Capitol One Bowl. My belief is that it will not be Auburn as the COB folks say they do not really want a rematch. On this note, Arkansas is looking like the choice. Although, should ND be shut out of the BCS, the Capitol One folks would love to get them as between thier fans and the Badger fans, the game would be sold out in about 30 minutes after the matchup was announced. As much as I don't care for ND, they have great fans.

Jack Ikegwuonu is a moron! Here is a guy who has loads of talent, is starting on one of the better defenses in the country , reportedly is from a family that is rather well off and he and his twin brother are out stealing a friggin' XBox! Likely he is gone for the Bowl game as Barry will have none of this crap. Plus, it's a XBox! Doesn't he know that the PS3 is a much better system? Sheesh.

Just to continue on the college football kick. I am completely against an OSU/MI rematch for the national title. The game was not as close as the final score indicated. MI scored with 2 minutes left to bring it under 10 points. They were manhandled and had to play a perfect game while OSU played sloppy and being down by double digits for most of the game was their reward. Obviously if USC loses to UCLA, then MI likely will get the nod and that's that. MI would still lose the rematch anyway. OSU is clearly the best team in the country.

I just started a 6v6 football league on Wednesday. It's 2 hand touch above the waist on a 40 yard field with only a half width field. It's not co-ed though, my wife threatened me with severe bodily harm if I joined that one. Too bad, Hooters sponsors a team in that league... mmmmm Hoooooterrrrsss... Anyway, it's the first football I've played since high school and it's amazing how some abilities just never go away. I have no problem catching the ball and playing defense. The route timing and running needs some work, but that will come with more games. We lost our first game 18-26 to our opponents who had just won the fall league 3 weeks ago. It was a good showing and yours truly had 3 catches, one for a TD.

Oprah Winfrey - Packer Fan

After yet another horrible loss by the Packers last night,24-34 to the Seahawks. I needed to chat with yet another loyal, famous Packer fan: Oprah Winfrey. So we got together at my place after the game to discuss how the team did and what to do about them:

CC: Thanks for coming by Oprah, I assume your International Foods Coffee is ok.

Oprah: Absolutely Craig. By the way, your place is gorgeous.

CC: Thanks Oprah. So, that was yet another sad loss by the Pack tonight.

Oprah: Oh dear heavens it was. I wrecked at least 5 of my TV's in my 48,000 square foot home.

CC: It sure was frustrating. So, where do the Packers go from here?

Oprah: Well, first off, I need to be put in charge.

CC: Really? You want to run the Packers? What would you do with the team?

Oprah: Yes I do. First off, I fire all the men on the coaching staff and replace them with women of all shapes, sizes and colors. No part of womanhood would be left unrepresented.

CC: Well, that's an interesting first step. Please, go on.

Oprah: Then, I would buy not only the staff, but all the players a new car!

CC: That's... something.

Oprah: I would have the players read books from my book club to help them become better players and people. For the pathetic secondary, I would have them read I Feel Bad About My Neck to help them with their problems of watching the opposing WR run past them.

The front seven would read How Stuff Works so that they see how teams running plays work so that they can stop them from having a RB who has been out most of the year from running over 200 yards against them.

The special teams definately need to read The Best Way to Play. They have been horrific this season and appear to not even be coached. They look like a bunch of Pop Warner kids out there.

For my dear, dear Brett Favre, he would have to read A Fine Balance, that way he can see the difference between forcing a throw to make a big play and just making the play to move the chains.

CC: You would have the team read books from your book club huh? That seemed to work out well with A Million Little Pieces by James Frey didn't it?

Oprah: Real funny Craig.

CC: What about having to deal with all the contracts and agents and stuff?

Oprah: If we win the division, I'd give all the players a new car!

CC: You really like that new car thing don't you?

Oprah: That's what I do. Besides, any agent or player that messed with me with all this holdout and contract nonsense I would flay him on my show and get all of America against him. After all, I AM OPRAH!

CC: Thanks for stopping by Oprah, you're truly an inspriation.

Oprah: Cars for everyone! Wheee!

Things to be thankful for

This Thanksgiving, there is a great amount of things to be thankful for for Cheeseheads.

I'm thankful that I'm not a fan of the other NFC North teams.
Detroit is one of the biggest laughingstocks in the league and are doomed to have crappy teams for the rest of their existence in the league. Along with season tickets, the team sends out brown paper bags for the fans to cover themselves in. The Vikings have no leadership or direction and the fans always puff their chests out each year about how great their team is, only to jump off the bandwagon, usually by midseason when their team puts forth their crappy performance year after year. To be a Bears fan, you have to live in a trailer by the railroad tracks and think that Keystone really is good beer *shudder*.

I'm thankful that the Badgers are an elite football and basketball program.
The football squad is ranked in the Top 10 yet again and are going to yet another New Years Day Bowl game, likely the Capitol One Bowl. The poor saps the Badgers have to play from the SEC will not know what hit them. The basketball team is also ranked in the Top 10 and is a preseason favorite to make the Final Four.

I'm thankful that there is great optimism for the Brewers.
They did finish under .500 last year, but that was with a patchwork PS. Sheets and Ohka stay healthy and with the young kids having another year of experience, the future is bright at Miller Park.

Plus, we have outstanding stadiums to watch all our teams in. Miller Park, Kohl Center, Camp Randall and of course, Lambeau Field; nobody can hold a candle to WI stadiums.

Have a great Thanksgiving all!

Tom Cruise : Packer Fan

After this latest embarrassment by the Packers in their 35-0 drubbing by the Pats, I decided that it was time to ask a famous Packer fan about his thoughts on the game. So I dialed up Tom Cruise at his Italian hotel where he is spending his honeymoon with his new bride, Katie Holmes. Here is our conversation:

CC: Hey Tom, thanks for talking with me today.

Tom: No problem Craig, that was one hell of a loss wasn't it? I had to watch it with my Eyes Wide Shut.

CC: No kidding. How do you deal with it when the Packers play this badly?

Tom: Well, I don't make any noise during or after the Packer game for 1 hour. It's just like the birthing event for my daughter. I watch in complete silence as do all others around me. In fact, I mute the TV as well.

CC: Seriously? That's got to be tough. I mean, I'm yelling and trying not to curse around my kids.

Tom: I know that I am in the Minority Report in regards to that, but I do have a Cocktail or two during the game and that helps.

CC: I see. So what are your thoughts on the Packers this year?

Tom: Well, Brett Favre is obviously still a Top Gun at the QB position, he's a Legend. The Young Guns on the OL and the defense are improving. In fact, I think that Pack are just A Few Good Men away from being a SB contender again. Some may think that dream is a Mission: Impossible, but not me.

CC: You seem really sold on the Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy plan.

Tom: This is Far and Away the best management we have had since Holmgren was here. It was a Risky Business hiring both Thompson and McCarthy, but so far they have made All The Right Moves.

CC: Your optimism is a great inspiration for me, Tom. Thanks.

Tom: You're welcome Craig, anytime. I have to get going on my honeymoon now. Katie is calling and unless I want the Days of Thunder to come and end up having the War of the Worlds, I gotta go.

CC: Say hi to Katie for me and next time you're in Minneapolis, stop on by.

Tom: Absolutely buddy!

Ladies and gentlemen, Tom Cruise - Packer Fan. Tune in next week when we'll hear from another famous Packer fan.

Six Pack is Back

With the big game coming up this weekend, and no, not the Badgers/Buffalo massacre, I figured I would bring back the 6 things to watch for for the Packers/Patriots game.

1 - Favre cannot turn the ball over. It's pretty clear that if Favre throws INTs, the Pack loses. Cannot be on the wrong side of the turnover battle in this one.

2 - Pass rush has to get to Brady. These are not the Pats from their SB days, the WR corps is not a good unit and if you can hurry Brady, he may start to force the issue and the Pack have to capitalize with getting the picks.

3 - McCarthy needs to get better at red-zone play calling. Coming away with FG instead of TD is a sure way to lose a game against the Pats.

4 - The running game needs to get back on track. Have to win the time of possession and this is the way to do it. With or without Tauscher at RT.

5 - Pass protection has to continue it's great streak. Last week the Pack put on a pass protection clinic and if they can continue to give Favre time like that, he'll pick NE apart.

6 - Cannot give up the 40 yd-oops-I-messed-up-my-coverage-TD that they have over the last 2 weeks. Brady will absolutely eat them up if they do that. He can see this far more quickly than Johnson did last week and Brady can eat the Packers DB's up if they play a good game, let alone leave WR uncovered.

I have a feeling that this could be a high-scoring game. Would not be surprised to see a team get 30 points in this one.

The sweetest win of the year

The Packers come out of the Big Inflatable Toilet with a very solid 23-17 win over the Queens and with it, they have already reached their win total from last year, Yeee-Haw!

There are several reasons for the win today and let's look at all of them in their cheesy glory!

1 - The OL was a stone wall on the Vikings pass rush. They gave Favre all day to throw and simply destroy the Vikings secondary. The numbers don't lie: 347 yards, 2 TD, virtually no pressure and nothing close to an INT.

2 - The Packers pass rush was relentless. It seemed as if everyone was able to get in a shot on Johnson today. They created turnovers and just demolished the vaunted OL of the Vikes. Big games by the LB corps today.

3 - Driver was in that rare zone with Favre where both knew where the holes in the D were and they exploited them to their fullest.

4 - Mike McCarthy outcoached Childress of the Vikes. MM had a great gameplan, stuck with the run even though it wasn't very productive, but in keeping the Vikes D honest Favre was able to throw easier. Remember all the hubbub about when Childress went to MN and the Packer fans were mad that we were "stuck" with MM? (I was not one of them) How many people out there now are still questioning the MM hiring? Not me, we clearly have the better coach and it's not even close.

5 - The Oracle said that they would win, and they did.

Rejoice all ye Packer fans! This team is improving every week, it's clear they are. We are on an upswing as an organization, which I cannot say about the team with the silly purple jerseys we whopped today.

Lee Corso can suck on my cheese balls

All season long, Lee Corso (photo on the right, preparing to suck up to one of his favorite teams) at ABC has railed against the Badgers. He has said that the Badgers do not deserve a high ranking as they did not play Ohio State this year and doesn't care about anything else that the Badgers are doing. Great logic, USC hasn't played them either, but you're willing to sing their praises all day long. Prior to today's game, he was asked who he thought would win, he just said "I really like Iowa in this game". Gave no other reason than that to support his view. Just a loud-mouthed know-nothing who gets national media attention just because he's "entertaining". He's a joke who just hams it up for the home crowd they are at each week and says outrageous things for the sake of doing it. I'm glad UW has stuck it to him time and time again this year.

The Badgers pulled out a close 24-21 win over the evil Hawkeyes. The Badgers D gave up some uncharacteristic big plays, but they nevertheless frustrated Drew Tate(r Tots) for a 10-31 day. No doubt Iowa played with passion today, as a win would have saved their dismal season. But given they loaded up against the run, Tyler Donovan, in his first start for the injured John Stocco shredded the Hawkeyes D and with 228 yds and 2 TD on 17-24 passing to go along with his 61 yards rushing. How good are Badgers that they can beat a team with a winning record with their backup QB?

Great job by Bielema to rest Stocco if he didn't need to play. In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if Stocco was saved until the Capitol One Bowl game in January as the Badgers get the lowly Buffalo, err Buffalos next week at Camp Randall.

Judging by all the losses in the top 11, with 5 teams losing, the Badgers could very well jump to possibly #11 themselves in the newest polls. This Badger team could go down as one of the best ones ever when all is said and done. They are now 10-1 and have a shot at 11 regular season wins for the first time.

This is it

The Badgers head off to Iowa and face the Hawkeyes (6-4) in their final Big Ten game of the season. This is a huge game as the Badgers are 0-4 in their last 4 meetings against them and a win tomorrow would make the Capitol One Bowl a stone cold lock.

The Hawkeyes have an average defense that has the ability to completely break down at any given time. Many Hawkeye fans realize that their Def Coord is behind the times and don't care for him. Thier offense is nothing special either and the Badgers D should have some good success in holding the Hawkeyes in check.

The big question mark is at QB for the Badgers though. John Stocco is apparently a game-time decision and this is going to make things interesting. With a healthy Stocco, this offense can explode at any time. With Tyler Donovan at QB, the WI offense has to be more run oriented and a bit more predictable. Tyler can run better than Stocco, but he's no Troy Smith Juice Williams or anything like that.

I would expect that Stocco will start if he is able to, but that the run will be heavily emphasized. Look for PJ Hill to get a lot of carries and for the Badgers to go for a ball-control heavy offense. I say the Badgers win by 13 in a low scoring game.

Top 10 Reasons for a Packer win against MN

Even though the Bills loss stings me like... a stingy thing does, I am still not giving up on the Pack. Not when the opponents are the Minnesota Vikings this week. Rivalry games are always great and this week is a desparate week for both teams. So today I am doing a complete 180 from yesterday's post. Let's review why the Packers will win this game.

10 - The Vikings offense is horrible and couldn't even come close to scoring more than 3 points against the woeful San Fran D.

9 - The Vikes new unis are silly looking, and silly looking teams don't win football games.

8 - The Packers new running attack will continue it's success and wear down the Viking defenders.

7 - The toughest guy the Vikes have is their mascot, Ragnar. He was seen crying while watching the Oxygen network this week.

6 - It bears repeating, the Vikings offense is horrible.

5 - The Packers DB's will eat up the Vikes so-called WR corps.

4 - Ryan Longwell will realize he loves the Pack too much and will intentionally miss the game winning FG.

3 - God hates the Vikings and loves the Packers.

2 - Even though the Packers have lacked that killer instinct, the Vikes don't have it either.

1 - Come on, it's the frickin' Vikings.

No winning instinct

I haven't written about the Packers' embarrassment from Sunday against the Bills as whenever I tried, I got too pissed off and stopped. Whether it was Brett having a ball snapped off his face, or 2 completely ill-advised throws to a covered Donald Driver on a quick slant, or the defense just giving up after that 2nd INT, it just all did me in.

It's the 3rd game this year where the Packers should have won and didn't. The Packers lack that something that winning teams have. Some may say it's experience or talent. I say it's this: killer instinct. For example:

End of the 2nd Q, Packers driving and have a first and goal from the 5 with 10 seconds left. Wells snaps the ball to Favre who is simply looking to the right. He's not calling a play or shouting instructions, and the ball goes right off his face mask because he's not paying attention. The rest of the offense moved at the snap except for Favre.

Start of the 3rd Q, the Pack have busted off some huge runs, but then decide to quit running the ball, and 3 incompletions later, waste an opportunity inside Buffalo territory.

4th Q, the Packers D has owned the Bills offense all day. They have forced a 2nd and 20. Inexplicably, the secondary (Al Harris and the safety) do not cover Lee Evans, Buffalo's best WR and thus, a TD is scored.

4th Q, the Packers had been running the ball at will against the Bills in the 3rd and 4th Q. They had a first and goal at the one. The killer instinct would have been to give the ball to Green, step on the Bills throats and score the TD to tie the game. Instead, they step off of the Bills and call a foolish pass play that turned out to be the finishing blow against the Pack.

Time and time again, the team had prime opportunities to score points, and failed. The defense, while very good all day, failed miserably in the 4th Q, when the team needed them most. Some of it is play calling, other times it's miserable execution. But you don't see good teams meltdown like this as often as the Packers do. It's not as easy as just blaming the overall youth of the Packers, as the young kids did well enough. Simply put, the Packers don't know how to win right now, and it's showing.

Lion Tamers

Yeah, I'm sure this title will be used by a lot of other posts about the Badgers 13-3 win over Penn State, but I like it anyway.

This Badger defense is incredibly good. Say what you will about the level of competition, but they are dominating that competition. The PSU offense did nothing all day.

The offense did a fine job moving the ball and keeping the Badger D rested. PJ Hill had another solid day and showed why he is going to be a Heisman candidate next season. The injury to Stocco is very concerning though. I think there was no reason to call for that pass play that knocked him out of the game. The Badgers just needed to run the ball and take time off the clock. Why throw on 1st down? Bielema is going to be kicking himself for that move and will likely get an earfull from Barry during their Monday walks that they have. Hopefully Stocco is not seriously hurt, but I have a feeling this is not good.

Next week is the final Big Ten game against Iowa. Even if Stocco is unable to play, I expect the Badgers to roll over the Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes D is terrible and the team is unravelling this year. A win next week solidifies the Capitol One Bowl for the Badgers.

Bucks start strong

The Bucks manhandled the Detroit Pistons in their opener last night 105-97. Did I mention this was at Detroit? Against the team marked to possibly contend for the Eastern Conference and NBA title? Bogut was brilliant and is showing why he was the #1 pick last season now that he is in his proper position. Mo Williams played his usual turnover-free game. Villanueva gets 16 pts and 12 rebounds which is exactly why the Bucks traded Ford for him, a solid inside presence to compliment Bogut. Then there is Michael Redd, the scoring machine. The man drops 37 on a defensive-minded team on 63% shooting, that's all that needs to be said. Just a great showing all around.

The Bucks are being picked to be in the cellar of the division and I have seen 1 writer out of about 20 pick them to be the #8 seed in the playoffs. This is hogwash. These Bucks are going to surprise a lot of writers this year and be the #6 seed at least. I don't think a 46-36 record is out of the question for this year. This team is arguably better at every position than they were last year. It's all about staying healthy this season and living up to their potential. Last night was simply a great start.

Tony Romo is a Demon

Some may wonder why I am plugging a Dallas Cowboy QB of all people on the Oracle of Cheese. They say "Hey, he's a stinking Cowboy! He's one step short of a Bear, Viking or pondscum!" or "He's a one game wonder. He'll never make it as a legit starter in the NFL."

I put him on as I want to point out his bio on the Cowboys website (you'll have to actually click on his name for a pop-up window). Go ahead and open it and read it and come back here, I'll wait.

Ok, are you done reading it now? (and checking out the cheerleading squad) If so, you would have seen that he is from Burlington High School in Burlington, WI (the Demons). Coincidentally, this is my hometown and high school. Not too often does a kid from a town of 10,000 people make it in the NFL, let alone become a starting QB for a high-profile team. Damn proud of this. The Oracle is officially cheering for Tony to make it big in the NFL. He certainly seems to have the tools to be successful. And no, I don't know him as I graduated many years prior to him.

You may now return to the Cowboys site and view the swimsuit calendar, and you're welcome for the link.