Given my preoccupation with the contest for our democracy – taken together with my belief that the NFL preseason reveals absolutely nothing about how one’s team will fare when the real games start – I have very little idea how the Packers will perform this season as they enter their first real game tonight against the Philadelphia Eagles in Arena Corinthians in São Paolo, Brazil. That said:
The one piece of news during the NFL offseason that did embed with me was Green Bay’s decision to let Running Back Aaron Jones depart (he ended up going to Minnesota, of all places!), and instead sign Josh Jacobs as the team’s primary back. I will be happy to be proven wrong – it’s a natural law that when an NFL running back goes downhill, he goes downhill fast; Mr. Jacobs is four years younger than Mr. Jones, has led the NFL in rushing, and I understand has spent less time on injured reserve over his career than Mr. Jones, all positive notes – but I have significant reservations about the move. Mr. Jones brought an explosiveness to the Green Bay running game that I consider matched in the Favre-Rodgers-Love era only by Ahman Green, if at all. While acknowledging Quarterback Jordan Love’s bravura performance down the stretch last season, during that string of victories the Packers’ opponents’ defenses were clearly acutely aware that they had to account for Mr. Jones, which took some pressure off the young starting quarterback. We have yet to see whether Mr. Love can maintain an elite level – as his predecessors, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, could – if the Green Bay running game sputters.
Hopefully, Mr. Jacobs will not sputter. I admit that I do not remember having seen him perform – opposing players rarely register with me, unless I’ve seen them a lot — and I am clearly of the “Go with the guy that’s produced for you” philosophy. We’ll see what happens. (We might also need to be ready to hide under our sofas when Mr. Jones starts carrying the ball against us for Minnesota – in two games. As someone – who I didn’t know; Packer fans readily exchange perspectives — recently confided to me: “When we play the Vikings, it could get ugly.”)
As many are aware, we have family members who live in Brazil, including one who has been a Packer fan from birth and has since leaving college seen a lot of Green Bay games on TV in faraway places (and at what were for him, unusual times 🙂 ) from Southeast Asia to South America. He and other extended family members, diehard Packer fans who happen to be visiting Brazil, will be in the stands tonight. May the Green and Gold make them proud!
McCoy's Noise 