Benster and D Pick Your Games ---- I Have Some Words For Certain People Edition

That performance last week in Detroit was a complete joke. And I have some words for some people. You have been warned. This might get spicy. 

Uh-oh -- Ben is breaking it all out:

Pour on the flavor

Spicy, but certainly not salt-free. 

Oh, it's been salty all season.

Meanwhile, this week has the most important rivalry in college football. It's called the Bronze Turkey Game, not something else.

I'm going to call it something else for sure.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYYPPEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. It's time to watch me work.

Northwestern Purple Nerds Voodoo (+15.5) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat It wasn't easy sailing for the Gophers in Lincoln, but the Gophers got it done against the Huskers. The big question is who is going to start at quarterback between Morgan and his backup. But it shouldn't matter too much who Row The Boat Fleck chooses. Northwestern is horrible and won't pull off any of their nerd voodoo this week. But if they did, that would be hilarious. Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 56, Purple Nerds 0.

Northwestern is not good. They dragged Ohio State into the Ryan Field tar pit a bit last weekend, but that was a fluke. And Fleck can handle flukes. Gophers 38, Northwestern 7.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (-1.5) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Last week went pretty well for the Badgers against Maryland despite the wind causing problems all day in Madison. Iowa has gotten back on track, but the Iowa offense still is a work in progress. Brian Ferentz only has the job because of nepotism, and long may it continue. This rivalry game is often decided in the trenches, and Iowa City is going to be a tough out as it has been in the past. The Badgers should win another physical contest. In fact, I even found a nature documentary.

You'll thank me later. Badgers 31, Hawkeyes 27.

Marlin Perkins will have none of that. Iowa, as usual, has an excellent defense, but they have an offense that is a crime against humanity. So your predicted score makes no sense. However, this one does. Badgers 14, Hawkeyes 12.

The Bronze Turkey Game: Monmouth College Scots (NL) vs. Knox College Prairie Fire This is one of the oldest rivalries in the history of the NCAA across all the divisions, and is the most important Knox game all year. Now, you can tell me that the inferior school down the road known as Monmouth has won 22 straight. You can also tell me that the Scots are trying to get a share of the conference title and potentially play in the D3 playoffs. But just remember one thing. This Knox team is at .500 and is competitive, and streaks are made to be broken. No matter what happens, I graduated from the better school. Once, when I was eating in the cafeteria at Knox, I got myself a salad. Monmouth gave me a degree in nutrition with highest honors. Knox 31, Scots are Trash 0.

Ah, it's the Turkey Shoot! And Knox is hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement! It won't be that bad, of course, but if you see any helicopters over Galesburg, you'd best find cover. Monmouth 42, Knox 17.

Minnesota Vikings (+3) vs. Buffalo Bills So the Vikings are Super Bowl contenders according to the KFAN Vikings Politburo, the Pravda of the Minnesota sports media. As much as I would normally laugh at the Vikings enablers in the media, they have a point. But now they have to go to Buffalo, a Super Bowl contender as well. We all know what happened in Philly back in September, but there is a twist this time. Josh Allen's status is up in the air, and the Vikings could be looking at Case Keenum. Yes, the same guy who was the author of the Minneapolis Miracle, where I have to remind you that that single play covered up the Vikings blowing a 17 point lead, allowing the Vikings and their fans to disrespect the Eagles and get smoked the next week. But I digress. The Vikings can quiet the doubters, but this will be difficult. Nobody Circles The Wagon Like the Buffalo Bills 24, Vikings Gonna Viking 10.

I don't know what will happen, but if the Bills win the game on a last-second Keenum to Diggs touchdown pass, I will laugh my butt off. Vikings have won all the close games this year. Not sure they can sustain that, even if they aren't looking at Josh Allen this week. Bills 24, Vikings 19.

Dallas How Bout Them Cowboys? (-4.5) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers So last week didn't go well, and I have words for certain people. The good news is that some of the wounded will go, and this game wasn't flexed out because of the ratings the game will get. Mike McCarthy returns to Lambeau for the first time since we fired him in 2018. Despite the ending of his tenure, McCarthy did win us a Super Bowl among other great things, and he is the best coach the Packers have had in my lifetime after Mike Holmgren. The Cowboys are good, but there is good news for the Packers. McCarthy still makes bonehead decisions at times, and has wasted talented Cowboys teams. This is the last chance saloon, and the Packers have nothing to lose. Just like in 2009, the Packers were in dire straits facing the Cowboys at Lambeau, and won that day. Skip Bayless is going to be a fun watch on Monday. Packers 38, Cowboys 24.

I so want to pick the Packers. I really do. But they have no receivers available, their offensive line is a mess and they have lost about three key contributors on defense. And Dallas comes in healthy with something to prove. And so they shall. Cowboys 31, Packers 20.

And now, it's time for a Very Special Comment. There are four indviduals who need to be on the hot seat in Green Bay. This list isn't in order, as all four men are culpable in some way. 

Aaron Rodgers, you need to put down the bong and produce. You are getting paid 50 million a year, and you have gotten the organization to bend to your will. You haven't been good with the young receivers, and you had a pathetic performance against the Lions. You knew that this season was going to be about getting used to your weapons without Davante. Maybe instead of spending the summer going on every single damn podcast and playing golf with Gisele's ex, Allen, and Mahomes, you should have attended OTAs and worked to get on the same page with your weapons. You are becoming late stage Brett. You are the leader of this team, and goddammit, you need to start acting like one instead of bitching to the media. This might make me a wanted man, but it's time to strongly consider moving on from Aaron and giving someone else a shot to play quarterback. Maybe Love, or someone else. 

What's not to Love?

Pay no attention to the old dude -- this is my comment. Matt LaFleur's decision making last week was some of the most baffling I have ever seen from a Packers head coach. Four trips to the red zone, and not a single point came out of any of those trips? Calling a tackle eligible pass on 4th and goal? Not telling Aaron to just pick up first downs on the last drive instead of going for the downs? Still not running the ball enough after being called out about it for weeks? That is snobbery, and this team ain't good enough. At some point, get back to basics first and master them before trying to prove how clever you are. He is falling into the same trap that Mike Sherman fell into in 2005. If the Packers miss the playoffs, he should be fired for his refusal to adjust to what he has and not maximizing the chances of success. That's his job, and what we hired him to do. Maybe it's time to take away Aaron's ability to change the plays, or have him give up calling plays. But he won't do it, and continue to bury his head in the sand as this team burns around him and he doesn't do the basic jobs as a head coach. 

Joe Barry, your defense was supposed to be the strength of the team this year. I get that there have been injuries, but there is no increased pressure, and we allowed a broken Jared Goff too much time, and were soft against the run. It turns out hiring the defensive coordinator of the 0-16 Lions wasn't a smart idea. Considering LaFleur basically hands the defense to you, I expect a hell of a lot better. Have fun being the yearly organizational sacrifice of a coordinator like Pettine Prevent, Shaun Slocum, and Maurice Drayton. You may want to polish up your page on the ol' LinkedIn.

Gutey, you are falling into the same traps that Tradedown Ted had. Some of these contracts have been questionable, and every unit somehow looks worse despite you continuing to follow the draft and develop mantra that this organization talks about. Failing to get a wideout at the deadline is weak sauce. I don't care what other teams were asking for, go and get them. This team is in a win now mode, and other teams have made moves at the deadline to improve. Instead of hoarding the draft picks, you should have offered the Steelers more than what the Bears offered for Claypool, or even gone after someone similar to him. You should be fired, and it's time to go outside the Ron Wolf tree. And no, John Schneider is not leaving Seattle. Those draft picks you saved? Maybe someone else will be using them.

Mark Murphy, you know what a winning culture is when you played in DC for Joe Gibbs in the 1980s, when you were athletic director at Colgate when they won consecutive Patriot League basketball titles with Adonal Foyle and Jack Bruen, and when you oversaw Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern. Your job is to run the organization for the shareholders, and the refusal to make necessary changes means that I expect you to hand in your resignation effective now. Not in a couple of years, but now. You hired everyone I have mentioned in some way, shape or form. Bob Harlan changed everything when he made the right hires, and made the fans believe that we would get back to what the organizational standards are. The Packers are the team who has won the most championships, and have always strived to have the best of everything in the NFL where we can win championships, and that no matter who is in the key positions, that the high standards of the organization are being met. This team isn't meeting the Packers tradition of excellence. And if you want to know why, I can send you a mirror. 

It's time for all of those men I have mentioned to leave, and find people who can return this team to being in position to successfully get the 14th world title. Our number one goal every year is to bring the Lombardi trophy home. There is a cancer within the organization, and it needs to be purged now for the betterment of the team. I used to trust all 5 of those men, but no longer. I will thank them for their contributions to the Packers, but the fans and shareholders deserve better. Only a real fan would say that, even though it hurts. But truths need to be addressed. 

Okay. I am not sure you can fire everyone, but I understand why you feel the way you do. I am glad you weren't around for the 1970s and the 1980s, because there was only false hope. We'll see what the rest of this year brings.

Fair enough. Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.