After the Packers downed the Philadelphia Eagles in week one, I wanted to get some perspective on Green Bay from the other team's mouthpieces.
Cue 610 WIP. It's where all the sports talk in Philly goes down.
Following the game, of course, the hosts were miffed over a few muffed punts, wondering why a former Olympic skier wasn't returning instead of a few guys who had little experience.
That discussion brought nothing more than pity, but not much, because the Eagles have had their success against the league and - why mention it - the Packers. That team is due for a down cycle and appears to be headed in that direction.
When these guys did offer any insight into the opponent, all they had to say was that the Packers would win no more than four to five games, considering they had zero offense and won a game on the strength of another team's mistakes.
Get this, now. Fast-forward to the beginning of week three and the Eagles are another loss down, two games behind, tied with the team the Packers just sandbagged with 35 points. No poor offensive team that I know of scores five offensive touchdowns against any defense, no matter how weak the defense.
The point here isn't to issue an indictment against the sports media in Philadelphia - my opinion that sports media in general are no better at predicting than the informed sports fan is for another discussion.
The point is that the Packers finally seem to be on the rebound, having won six straight games dating back to last year, and they will be competing in the NFC this season along with the defending conference champions.
We'll know more after Green Bay plays host to what figures to be a vengeful San Diego Chargers team at Lambeau Field Sunday. But here's what we know to date:
The defense, which was predicted to be the anchor of the team, is just that.
The defensive line has generated enough pressure against two quarterbacks with household names, holding each to just 13 points. Quite the difference from last year, when the Packers gave up the same number of points in only one game against the not so offensively-minded Bears.
The offense rebounded from what amounted to a no-show in week one and played well in week two, albeit against a bad defense. Brett Favre is evidently not finished yet, and the offense will only be getting better when injuries heal.
What's encouraging is that the running game has no place to go but upward.
And perhaps the surprise of the season are the special teams, which have made plays in both of Green Bay's games.
That's in stark contrast to last year, when it was a rare event that special teams did anything of consequence.
Still, the cautious fan realizes that the season is only under way.
Linebacker Nick Barnett made it clear Wednesday that he doesn't view this weekend's game against San Diego as any sort of litmus test. But who's really going to believe that? Like the Chargers, the Packers are looking to make a statement this weekend.
