Welcome to Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the next Packers opponent, the Dallas Cowboys. At 6-2, the Cowboys are the first ‘real’ team that the Packers have to beat if they are going to be taken seriously by anyone this year. If it were up to me, Dallas would lose on account of the commercialization (read, bastardization) of the team and its players (BAL’s Jim Harbaugh agrees with me). But, since it’s not, let’s take a look at what the Packers are facing in this Week 10 grudge match.
So here we are. It’s deep into football season, and I’m so disappointed by how my team is playing that I find myself loath to read any articles on JSOnline. Lucky for me, I have 31 other teams to write about, right?
Three weeks ago, I took a borderline-premature look at the state of the NFC. Around that time, the prognosticators were beginning to set postseason plans, Giants fans were booking hotel rooms in Miami, and it seemed like a race to the bottom between Tampa Bay and St. Louis. So, what’s changed?
After 6 weeks, patterns are beginning to form in the NFC about which teams can expect to compete into next year, and which teams will be out of the race before December. Of the two undefeated teams, the Saints have a 99-point advantage over their opponents, and, if they can make it past the Dolphins and Falcons, they’ll have a nice three-game cushion (Carolina, St. Louis, and Tampa Bay) before hosting Tom Brady and his 5-TDs-in-the-2nd-quarter. Sean Payton took $250,000 off his own salary to bring Gregg Williams to New Orleans, and now the Saints defense is scary good (thanks in large part to ex-Packer and – thank goodness – ex-Viking Darren Sharper). I know he’s not his brother, but if you can hold Eli to a 61.0 passer rating and hold the Giants tandem of Jacobs and Bradshaw to 81 yards total, you’re doing something right.
So, remember when the Giants went down to Dallas and spoiled Jerry Jones' coming-out party by beating the Cowboys 33-31? Well, allegedly, Giants QB Eli Manning left a note for posterity on one of the concrete columns in the visitor locker room:
Have to agree with Les Carpenter on this one. By signing Haynesworth and Hall to rediculous contracts, Dan Snyder has started back down the same road that he ventured down when he first bought the team - namely, throwing stupid money at name players without any kind of foundation in place underneath them.
Fans like to cite the team's track record of success when it comes to finding offensive line talent later in the draft but that doesn't mean the Packers will ignore premium talent if its available on Day 1.
On today's show, Andy is joined by PFF's salary cap expert - Brad Spielberger to discuss the expectations for Jordan Love's new contract, Green Bay's new contracts from the offseason, and what to expect from Eric Stokes' fifth-year option. Don't miss it!
Aaron is back from Orlando and ready to chat with Packers fans worldwide about everything that transpired this week at the NFL's annual owners meeting.