Those who wonder if the Packers were hurt by the absence of Brett Favre have some interesting ammo at their disposal. The Packers lost an amazing SEVEN games (won zero) that were decided by four points or fewer. That was one reason why they were only 6-10 and stayed UNDER the season wins total (that one cost The Bookie greatly). Favre surely wouldn't have let them lose all of them that were like that, say the detractors of Aaron Rodgers, who piloted the team for the first time after patiently waiting behind Favre in his first four years. Rodgers, for his part, threw for 28 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions and went over 4,000 yards. Standout Greg Jennings and steady Donald Driver spearhead the receivers and Ryan Grant will try to improve on a 1,203-yard season but could benefit from continuity up front in the Green Bay zone blocking scheme. Most of the pieces (at least at the skill spots) are in place from a solid Packer offense in 2008.

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Simply put, it was the defense that cost Green Bay. Head coach Mike McCarthy took drastic steps, letting go of five of his defensive coaches and bringing in respected Dom Capers to run the defense. He will switch to the same 3-4 base he ran in Pittsburgh more than 10 years ago, but will use both the 4-3 and 3-4 depending on the personnel and situation. DE Cullen Jenkins went down with a season-ending injury in the fourth week, and without him, Green Bay could not muster a pass rush. Aging corners Al Harris and Charles Woodson are back but will need the front seven to get to the QB more. They will play more zone now under Capers, relying on their veteran savvy and instincts rather than just jamming the receivers at the line. Two rookies (nose tackle B.J. Raki and linebacker Clay Matthews) were drafted in the first round and figure to get the chance to start immediately.

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