32 in 31: Green Bay Packers

Another year of 32 in 31. Sports News on Tap takes the month of August to preview the National Football League. We spend every day of the month looking at a new team and how they will fare in 2013.

Naturally, when I am writing about the team I root for their 32 for 31 is completely different. Is it because they matter more than the other 31 teams? Yup. 100 percent. I am not someone Mitch and I rail on every week in the podcast, but at the same time, I still care about this team more than any others in the league. So instead of doing the whole model, we are going to look at the 15 most important players on the Packers roster this year (I like how this turned out so I am probably doing it for the Badgers tomorrow as a preview). There are some obvious ones, but some will be surprising for sure. Feel free to tweet me any suggestions or call me an idiot.

15.) DE Datone Jones - How big does his rookie season need to be?  The numbers really do not need to jump off the page, but Jones just needs to have an impact. The Packers have been looking to replace Cullen Jenkins for the last three years, if Jones can be that guy, Green Bay is in great shape.

14.) OT Marshall Newhouse - He had a rough year at left tackle, but moving over to right tackle could be all the different. Newhouse has a short leash without question with Don Barclay breathing down his neck, but there were games last season where Newhouse looked like an above average tackle. He just needs to be more consistent.

13.) LB A.J. Hawk - One of the Packers who takes the most shit from fans, but he had a great year last season. He had 120 tackles last season with three sacks. Additionally, Hawk did this when the defensive line was not at their best. If Hawk gets more help from the d-line, he will have a big year.

12.) S M.D Jennings - One of the more interesting players on the Packers roster this season. Jennings had a decent rookie year, and now he will be the starting strong safety to start the year. Strong safety is another position where they are still looking to plug a long-term hole after Nick Collins retired and Morgan Burnett moved to free safety.

11.) TE Jermichael Finley - He might be ranked lower than he should be, but a huge year for Finley as he heads into his final year of his contract. Finley looked great so far in preseason and it appears he is Aaron Rodgers number one target at least to start the season. I am curious to see Packer fans reactions if he has a drop or two combined with eight catches and 100 some years and a touchdown, I bet they will still be mad. I am also letting everyone know now I am probably going to be obnoxious if J-Mike has a great year.

10.) RB Johnathan Franklin/Alex Green - Franklin had an awful training camp, and maybe he will not do much this season leading to hashtags like #FreeTheMayor or something dumb like that. I still think Green can be a dynamic player for the Packers and has a chance to help lighten the load for Eddie Lacy.

9.) LB Brad Jones - He got paid in the offseason after having his best year of his career moving from outside linebacker to inside linebacker. Jones did not play at this level before the 2012 season making some Packer fans nervous why they gave him money.  My biggest fear is Jones and Hawk have to be the slowest middle linebacker group in the game meaning they could have some major problems with tight ends.

8.) WR Randall Cobb - One of the biggest breakout years in the National Football League. The hype for Cobb is gigantic and it will be okay if he does not live up to it. It looks like his bicep injury will be healed up for the San Francisco game. Cobb will continue to be a game changer for this Packer team. It will be interesting to see if the Packers still use him as a running back as he will not be returning kicks or punts.

7.) CB Tramon Williams - He really has not been the same player since the Super Bowl. Williams battled with injuries in the last two years and it looks like he could miss Week 1 with a knee injury. When Williams is playing at his highest level, he is one of the best shutdown corners in the game. Even when he plays dinged up, Williams still plays at a high level.

6.) OT David Bakhtiari - It is hard to really quantify how good Bakhtiari has to be this season. He is a rookie so the expectations have to be managed and will get tested right away playing San Francisco and Washington. I expect some mistakes in the first month. It is about that second month and if the mistakes keep happening, then it's a real issue.

5.) OLB Clay Matthews - Can we get a full year with Matthews not getting dinged up? Probably not because the way he plays, but Clay needs to at least play a little less reckless to avoid the occasional hamstring injury.  I also wonder if the zone-read stuff will aid that for Matthews as he said 'I need to slow it down a bit' to read the quarterback. When Matthews is at his best, there are not many players who are better than him at outside linebacker.

4.) NT B.J. Raji - The first round draft pick is up for a big contract. Raji did not get it this offseason when he might have expected it. Raji has been inconsistent in the last couple of years, but when he is playing at his best, he can be a great defensive tackle. If Raji plays well, he paves the way for the linebackers to make big plays.

3.) K Mason Crosby - Yes a kicker is the third most important player on this team.  Crosby looked great in the final day of training camp basically giving newbie Zach Ramirez the stone cold stunner. Kickers are weird birds and Crosby could have a Pro Bowl year after struggling mightily last year.

2.) QB Aaron Rodgers - Not much needs to be said here, obviously Rodgers' success will make the Packers better. I will be curious which media outlet comes out with an article about Rodgers struggling if the Packers run the ball more and Rodgers does not get the yardage he had in the last couple years.

1.) RB Eddie Lacy - Biggest year award goes to Lacy. Yes there is a ton of pressure on him to perform early on and it is probably unfair.  He is a rookie and like I mentioned with the other two, it still will be a feeling out process for the first couple of games. That being said, if the Packers have a 1,000+ rusher this year with Rodgers, they will be a damn good team
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Win total:

10-11 - I actually do not like Green Bay's schedule at all. I feel like they have a lot of tough games including road games against San Francisco, Baltimore and Cincinnati plus some difficult home games as well. They make the playoffs, but there is a chance they could be the Wild Card team instead of the division winner. 

Charlie.