The Big Uglies

It starts tonight – one of the most impressive marketing machines around, the National Football League, opens its season with a game between the defending champion Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints, the feel-good story of 2006. It should be a compelling game featuring some of the biggest names in the league, Peyton Manning and Reggie Bush.

After all the events that have taken place in the offseason, I’m guessing the NFL is happy that the focus will now return to the games, rather than the anti-social and sometimes illegal behavior of its players. We’ve all had our fill of Michael Vick, Tank Johnson and various and sundry Cincinnati Bengals. Now the game is on and the Big Uglies (a Keith Jacksonism) are striding onto the field.

As regular readers of this feature know, I am a lifelong Green Bay Packer backer. I come by this affliction honestly, having grown up in lovely Appleton, Wisconsin, Green Bay’s better looking kid brother 30 miles to the southwest. Like most Cheeseheads, I am intensely loyal to the Green and Gold. The boys closed well last year, finishing 8-8 after enduring a dismal 4-12 campaign in 2005. Brett Favre returns for his 475th season at quarterback, this time surrounded by a young offensive line, the reliable Donald Driver and a cast of unknowns. Fortunately, the defense is pretty good, especially a talented front seven. The Packers could be a winning team this year but the tale may be told early. The first game is against the talented but flawed Philadelphia Eagles, who have lately been pounding the Packers on a yearly basis, although most of the recent contests have been in Philadelphia. If the Pack wins on Sunday, expect a good season.

The Packers have the great fortune of being in the NFC North, which has been a weak division for some time now. The hated Chicago Bears emerged from the slough last year and were able to make it all the way to the Super Bowl, even though they feature the execrable Rex Grossman as their quarterback. A lot of things went well for Team Satan last year and I suspect they’ll not be able to duplicate the results they got last season. Meanwhile, our purple-clad locals will take the field with the mysterious Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback, along with a flashy, injury-prone new running back (Adrian Peterson) and a stout but aging defense. If Jackson proves worthy, or even competent, the Vikings could be a lot better, but I’m guessing that Pat Williams and Darren Sharper will start to slip this year, which makes progress dicey. Meanwhile, the long-suffering Detroit Lions, who have not won a thing since 1957, really think that this year will be different. They said that in 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962….

What does it mean? It means the Packers have a chance to win the division. They also have a chance to finish last. But I’m guessing my boys will be 9-7 or so, which may just be good enough to make the playoffs in the NFC. Does ol’ number 4 have enough left to lead a final charge to glory? It’s the same question we’ve been asking for at least 6-7 years. I’m looking forward to finding out.

…1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005….