Benster and D Pick Your Games-----LOLions Have Zero Excuses This Week Edition

Old dude, if the Lions don't win tomorrow, this will be on the level of the Packers going into Arizona and beating the Cardinals a couple of years ago on a short week with a wrecked football team. 

Seabiscuit is setting a narrative.

Oh yes, it's time to get revenge on the LOLions. 

The mighty Lions? Somehow that still doesn't sound right.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYPPPEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (+8) vs. Detroit LOLions So the Packers beat the Chargers by some divine miracle, and now they get a chance to visit the NFL media's favorite team, the Detroit LOLions. Look, my issue with the Lions isn't that they are good. What boggles my mind is that certain members of the NFL media are forgetting that the Lions were good under Jim Schwartz and Jim Caldwell. So while Dan Campbell is doing a fine job, it's not like the Lions have been consistently terrible in recent memory. Heck, the Lions were a playoff team the year that Barry Sanders quit on them for not being good enough. And I would argue that teams like the Texans and the Broncos have also been major improvements, to say nothing about the Jaguars proving that they are not a fluke. Look, the Packers are banged up, and this is a tough test against a good team on the road, especially after the beatdown in Green Bay in September. But what gives me hope is that the Packers have been quietly playing a bunch of close games lately. They just haven't finished. Don't forget, the Lions were incredibly lucky to escape against a bad Bears team on Sunday. Don't be surprised if the same old Lions show up right on time. Packers 24, LOLions 23.

They hope to dine on better fare this year

I've seen progress, too, but the injury list is daunting. It's going to be difficult to beat a very healthy Lions team when half the team doesn't suit up. Lions 27, Packers 20.

Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz Still Suck (+3.5) vs. Minnesota Vikings The Vikings last week lost because I thought that Brian Flores sat back a little too much last week. On that last drive, he was too slow to adjust to the Broncos dumping the ball off, and it was a departure from how he called the rest of the game. As for the Bears, last week was a brutal collapse for them. They were very vanilla on offense, and let Detroit march down the field. The Vikings need this one, and I will default to the desperate team at home to make sure that the Griddy Man makes an appearance down the line for the Vikings fans to experience maximum pain in January. Vikings 35, Bears Still Suck 0.

The Bears? They really really really really really really suck. Yes, the Bears still suck. Vikings roll. Vikings 31, Bears 14.

A School In Columbus (+3.5) vs. Michigan Release the Manifesto On a holiday weekend based on gratitude and respect for your neighbors, we have these guys playing. Ryan Day and Jim Harbaugh don't seem to get along very well, and this game might make the 2006 game look tame by comparison. For the Buckeyes, this game has taken on an air of importance for Ryan Day. If the Buckeyes don't win in Ann Arbor against a Michigan team dealing with cheating allegations and an interim head coach, the crazies will blow up the Ohio State fan sites and Ohio sports radio call in lines calling for Ryan Cooper to be fired. No pressure, huh? I like Michigan to win, as Ohio State is still under the Curse of the Six Game Minimum. If you don't know what I mean, look in the archives. You know what to do, Buckeyes. Michigan Man=Cheating is Okay? 50, #NotMy2020BigTenChampions 45.

A meteor strike seems in order here. On the field, I still think Michigan is the better team, especially with the game Up North. Michigan 31, Ohio State 28.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (-2.5) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat Thanks to Matt Rhule's genius clock management and some heroic performances by banged up stars, the Badgers were able to gut out a victory that means the bowl streak lives. For the Gophers, last week was strange. I know that PJ likes to control the time of possession, but they played very conservatively against Ohio State last week. I get that there is a talent gap, but seriously playing that scared? Lots of grumbling in these parts. I warned you, Gopher fans. But you didn't listen and said I had an agenda. The bottom line is that for the Gophers, this game is for bowl eligibility and to keep the Axe downtown among everything they want this season. Badgers 41, Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 21.

I don't think the Badgers score 41 points this weekend. But they may score more than the Gophers, which would be enough. Badgers 27, Gophers 24.

Enjoy your football this weekend. If your relatives start arguing about politics or stirring up some drama, go watch some football. You'll thank me later. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games-----Jim Harbaugh Can't Win On A Level Playing Field Edition

We will be talking about what is going on at Michigan later on. By the way, at least the NCAA is willing to go after one of their big brands. The Premier League could learn a thing or two from them. Longtime readers know I am an Everton supporter, and we got a worse penalty for a breach of FFP that gave us no competitive advantage than Manchester City breaking over 100 charges and Chelsea cooking their books, and the Big Six clubs for threatening to leave the Premier League during the whole Super League debacle. 

So mad at Kentucky they're gonna punish Cleveland State again, I see.

Tark was a cheat, but he was honest, old dude! Meanwhile, last week was a bad weekend for the football teams I love. The Packers at least lost to a better opponent on the road, but the Badgers have no excuses. They are lucky that I want to talk about the Michigan scandal instead.

Fickell is breathing a sigh of relief.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work. 

Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat (+27.5) vs. A School In Columbus The Gophers got blown out at Purdue Harbor, and it looks like Row the Boat Fleck will have to rely on the Axe game to get into a bowl game. While I would normally say that this is a trap game for the Buckeyes because they are going to be looking ahead to their trip to Ann Arbor next week, that would be too ridiculous even for my standards. Ohio State isn't going to be looking ahead, and they are going to get off to a better start than they have in their earlier games. While the Gophers will be game, this is a plain and simple talent gap game. Buckeyes 70, Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 14.

Gophers aren't very good. Ohio State is. Plan accordingly. Ohio State 48, Minnesota 14.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (+6) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers Last week was one of the worst Badger performances at Camp Randall I have ever seen. It's like they expected Northwestern to roll over and die for them, and I'm sure that Fickell was not happy. Nebraska must be the most snakebitten team in America over the last few years, as they find new ways to lose close games. If the Badgers have their crap together, then they can get a bowl game wrapped up, as you don't want the bowl streak to come down to the Axe game. Badgers 34, Cornhuskers 21.

National television. This game is on national television. What a terrible thing to do to the nation. Badgers will probably win. But I am not confident in the slightest. Wisconsin 17, Nebraska 13.

Los Angeles Chargers (-3) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers The Packers played a B quality game, but to win in Pittsburgh required an A game. The Chargers are a strange team. They have a ridiculous amount of talent on offense, but Brandon Staley has consistently done less with more and just like Mario Cristobal at Oregon has wasted Justin Herbert. The Packers looked better, but this won't be easy. What they are going to need to do is feed Aaron Jones and can someone please tell Watson that he can fight for the football? As much as I wish that the Packer brass would make changes at the end of the year, they will continue to bury their heads in the sand. Packers 21, Go Back To San Diego 20.

The Packers aren't good. The Chargers are indeed strange. Packers 24, Chargers 20.

Minnesota Vikings (+2.5) vs. Denver Broncos Remember when this looked like a terrible primetime game a couple of weeks ago? It turns out that the Vikings have life, and the Broncos proved that winning against the Chiefs was no fluke by beating the Bills. Josh Dobbs might be a hero, but a word of warning Vikings fans. This team will get your hopes up, before finding a new way to break your heart in brutal fashion. I think that the Vikings are going to win this game and put a ton of pressure on the LOLions. If the LOLions blow this chance to win the NFC North, I got something special planned for you guys. You don't want me to use it. Vikings 30, Broncos 20.

He's special, so special. Vikings should win this, but I sense a trap at high elevation. Broncos 24, Vikings 21.

You should have saved that video for my next topic! 

And now, it's time to dunk on Michigan. The Wolverines had one of the biggest temper tantrums that I have ever seen last week, and it was really incredible. The Big Ten was placed in a tough spot, and Tony Petiti couldn't win. If he didn't punish Michigan, then he would have ticked off the rest of the league. So by punishing Michigan, he ticked off Michigan. Jim Harbaugh has proven that despite Michigan having an overwhelming list of advantages over just about every other football program in the Big Ten, he still needed to cheat twice. If I was Warde Manuel, I would be very concerned about the culture in his department. Michigan football and men's basketball are both coached by alums who are "Michigan Men", and both have utterly embarrassed and disgraced the athletic department. Juwan Howard of course infamously punched an assistant coach in a handshake line after a game against the Badgers, and when he released a statement apologizing, he initially misspelled the assistant's name. Harbaugh broke NCAA rules twice this year, and it's not like they are arcane rules that the out of touch NCAA hasn't updated. The dead period and in person scouting rules aren't new rules. I've seen Michigan and their defenders say that Harbaugh didn't know, but that is a terrible defense. Harbaugh is in charge of the football program, and it's his job to be aware of what goes on in his department. To not know and/or not report it to his superiors is a failure of leadership. 

Not knowing things, or pretending not to know, is a central part of life these days, as any visit to a comment section will demonstrate. (Closed circuit to Brad - we aren't talking about you. As far as you know, at least.)

What really sucks in all this is that the Michigan players had nothing to do with this, and are playing football at a high level. JJ McCarthy probably is going to lose Heisman votes, which isn't fair to him. He wasn't stealing signs, and his teammates probably didn't ask questions about where their coaches got the information. I don't blame the players for being defensive of their results, as all they have done this year is win football games, and they should be proud. Blame the coaches, staffers, and athletic department officials who screwed up. 

How about global warming? Can we blame that, too?

Go right ahead, Geritol Fan. Now let's get back to my epic rant. What would I do if I were the Michigan president? I would have fired Harbaugh and Manuel for cause. The bottom line is that those men are responsible for running their departments in a clean manner, and they agreed to follow the rules when they signed their employment contracts. Regardless of if they knew, ignorance and/or not stopping the cheating is unacceptable from leaders in any industry.

Unless Merrick Garland reports to you.

You really need to get back to writing about politics, old dude. I can tell you miss it. But that's not what we're doing here. Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.

Benster and D Pick Your Games-----NFL Outdated Television Rules Screwed Me Over Edition

 Boy, the NFL and the CBS corporate suits in New York really screwed over Packers and Steelers fans in a lot of markets this week. It's almost like they want to leave money on the table and make me go to a restaurant to watch the Packers again. 

They take a lot of ads for Buffalo Wild Wings. Just sayin'.

Meanwhile, the Packers did calm me down a little bit with their performance last week, and it was good to see. 

It helps when you play terrible opponents.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYPPPPEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

The Bronze Turkey Bowl: Knox College Prairie Fire, Baby! (NL) vs. Monmouth College Scots Ah yes, the Bronze Turkey Bowl. This is one of the oldest rivalries in college football, and the type of local rivalry that is still maintained despite the best attempts of college presidents to chase the television dollar. Longtime readers know that I am a proud graduate of Knox, the greatest institution in the state of Illinois. Monmouth is our biggest rival, and this is the last game of the year. Knox has improved this year, and is going to finish in the lower middle part of the Midwest Conference. Monmouth is trying to win the league. This is where I remind you that Monmouth is an inferior school and when I got a salad at the cafeteria freshman year, Monmouth gave me a degree in nutrition with highest honors and I was named valedictorian. It's time that Knox ruins their season, and we get the Turkey back home where it belongs. Blaze The Knox Fox 24, Scots 21.  

Monmouth may be academically challenged, but they tend to kick big butt on the football field. And unfortunately your Knox squad is gonna get squashed. Monmouth 54, Knox 17.

Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat (-1) vs. Purdue Spoilermakers The Gophers were looking like they were going to have a good win against Illinois, before they inexplicably decided to play prevent defense and let the Illini score in the last minute. You really hate to see it. PJ has to rally his troops by using more of his motivational speeches and create new slogans to put on oar branded merchandise available at Goldy's Locker Room. Purdue hasn't claimed their annual how did they win this game win, and Purdue Pete needs to get his quota. Maybe Purdue could stop being mad at Michigan, but that is another topic for another day because that story is moving way too fast. The Gophers are officially on Spoilermaker watch. Spoilermakers 35, Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 28.

West Lafayette is not a pleasant place to visit. I think the Gophers will win, though, as Purdue hasn't shown much this year. Minnesota 24, Purdue 17.

Northwestern Purple Nerds (+10.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers That was a game that the Badgers shouldn't have lost last week, and it falls on the coaching staff. Indiana played hard, and the Badgers came out sluggish, played uninspired football, and Longo didn't put his offense in a position to win. You can't do that in Big Ten play. Northwestern has done a lot better than most people thought after their offseason from hell, and the Purple Nerds tend to save all of their annoying voodoo for Wisconsin. But if the Badgers can get healthy and play better, this game is very much winnable. Get the bowl game and those extra practices now, guys. Badgers 42, Purple Nerds 11.

Bucky will be motivated. Bucky is still a better team. The result? Wisconsin 27, Northwestern 17.

New Orleans Saints (-3) vs. Minnesota Vikings I have no idea how the Vikings won last week, and Josh Dobbs might bring back the magic of 2017. So in the interest of full disclosure, I only saw the last minute live because I was paying close attention to the Packers. But what I did see was the Vikings pulling out a game that they had no business even being close to winning after Hall went out. Now, Dobbs gets a full week as the starter, and will have a better command of the offense as one might reasonably expect. The Saints aren't great this year, but the good news for them is that they play in the putrid NFC South, where all 4 coaches are terrible, nobody knows how good each team is, and someone is going to get a home playoff game over a more deserving 5 seed. The Vikings are very much in playoff contention, and they could play their way back into something greater if the LOLions aren't careful. Vikings 28, Saints 0.

This season is weird. I don't know if the Vikings are legit or not. Dobbs is a pretty good stopgap until whatever quarterback future the Vikings will have arrives. Having the game here will help them, too. Vikings 24, Saints 20.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (+3) vs. Pittsburgh Yinzers So despite the fact that WCCO would love to air this game, they can't because the NFL wants me to watch the Vikings despite the fact that this game would get better ratings than the Chargers/LOLions game. Screw you, CBS and the NFL. Once again I will have to make plans to go to a restaurant to watch the game. The Packers last week finally played well, even though the Rams were terrible. The defense did their jobs, the offense looked better, and the team fought through some bad turnovers and more terrible penalties. The Steelers are above .500, which makes no sense. The Matt Canada offense is really bad, and the Steelers rely on their defense and high end talent to bail themselves out of trouble. What really concerns me is that the Packers are banged up on the offensive line. That won't go well with TJ Watt on the other side and the Steelers pass rushers. If you love ugly football, than the matchup between the stoppable force of the Steelers offense and the movable object of the Packers defense is the matchup you wanted. Now, I ask a Yinzer to comment on the Steelers. Warning, this video may include NSFW language. 

Now that we have that out of the way, a score: Packers 28, Steelers 20.

I agree with you that the Steelers aren't anything special this year, but the Packers have not solved their myriad problems. And if you hadn't heard, the Packers have not won in Pittsburgh since 1970. That was a different time. Steelers 24, Packers 20.

And now, time for me to rant about the NFL and how they should have fixed the broadcasting situation involving the Packers in the Twin Cities. I wouldn't be writing this if the Packers game was on Fox just like the Vikings game. I get that you gotta do what you gotta do in that situation, and it happens multiple times a year. But seriously not allowing CBS to air the Packers game in the early window here? What did they spike your deli with in the NFL office? People are going to hit me with, you live in Minnesota and you should just buy Sunday Ticket. Here is the thing, the Vikings game was going to sell out, and the Packers and Steelers fans here aren't going to watch that game in person. Not everyone in the Twin Cities is a Vikings fan, and there is a strong fanbase. Heck, KFAN has a Packer preview show. That's right, the flagship Vikings station has a show dedicated to the Packers because it makes money. The Steelers are a national brand, and this game is going to do very well and keep CBS competitive in ratings terms vs. Fox getting the Cowboys/Giants game as their top game in the late window. Also, I get a vast majority of Packers games in this market anyway between the Packers being on national tv a lot and WCCO and KMSP always choosing the Packers when the Vikings are not on their airwaves. Why should I pay 400 bucks for Sunday Ticket when it's cheaper to go to a restaurant to watch the Packers. What the NFL should have done is allowed WCCO to air the Packers-Steelers game opposite the Vikings game, and then have the Cowboys game be the only game in the late window. That makes the NFL and the local affiliates more money, and gives this market a slate of games that better reflects the NFL rooting interests of the Twin Cities. But when I emailed WCCO to mention that, I got a reply stating that the NFL makes the rules. But thankfully, I have an idea that would make sure that this wouldn't happen. 

Uh-oh, you've been brainstorming again.

Yes I have, old dude! Not cool your jets and listed up. So in this plan, each week is a double doubleheader week, similar to Week 1 and Week 18. What I would do is to take a page from college football, where as soon as the schedule is finalized but before it is released to the public, Fox and CBS get 8 weeks each where each network gets the first two picks of Sunday afternoon games. The first pick would be the featured late game on the network, and the same network gets to pick the best early game. Then, the network who doesn't have first pick gets to pick the third game for their featured late game, and the fourth pick is their best early game. The featured late game on both FOX and CBS is protected from flex, with NBC getting to pick from the rest. What I mean by taking a page from college football is that with the Big Ten, Fox, CBS, and NBC get to choose in order which week they want to have the best Big Ten game. Since Fox has the first pick, they naturally will take the Michigan-Ohio State game every year. 

Not much interest in the Rutgers/Nebraska tilt, I suppose.

I just about fell asleep at the mere mention of that game, old dude! But Fox and CBS also get a couple of other things. I would add 4 more international games, and Fox and CBS each get two of them to get a tripleheader that they can advertise. I'd also give them each a Saturday double header late in the season that is exclusive to their network, so that they can run with that. 

Speaking of international, is the game on at the International House of Pancakes?

Stop huffing the maple syrup, Geritol Fan! Is the idea perfect? Of course not. No idea is. But this would serve fans better by giving them better games, and Sunday Ticket would still be a thing. 

Don't count on it, but we'll see.

Roger, have your people call my people. In the meantime, as always, enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games----Packers Lack Accountability Edition

 I've had enough with the Packers pretending everything is fine and the title gives it away. I have no choice, and it's time to go hard on some people. You've been warned.

Appreciate the opportunity to gird my loins, Seabiscuit!

You seem a little too eager to do that, but we'll let that pass for the moment. I have business to attend to at this time. For the record, things have gotten to the point that I am mad. 

Well then, get to rantin'!

Give me a few minutes to get some requirements out of the way. I will note that our beloved Wisconsin Badgers, at the very least and despite the horrid offensive injury, are showing me they want to fight. 

But despite that, there will be hype?

Yes, of course. I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEE! Watch me work.

Illinois Cheating Illini (+2) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat The Big Ten West is a mess this year, with no team really showing something outside of the increasingly lowered standards of this division. The Gophers have looked better in the last week or two, and Row The Boat Fleck is looking to take this division and get the chance to have Michigan steal his signs in Indy. Illinois has gone backwards under Bert, and with the Gophers looking to keep pace with the alleged big boys in the West, this game will go a long way to untangling that mess. Therefore, it's the return of the Desperate Team at Home reasoning, which predated such wonderful phrases on this blog like the Curse of The Six Game Minimum and the steakhouse analogy. Gophers 25, Deion Thomas Sends His Regards 15.

Benster is playing the hits this week! Gophers are at home. They aren't a great team, but Illinois is something less than that. The line being this close makes me suspicious, but... Minnesota 21, Illinois 16.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (-9.5) vs. Indiana Hoosiers The Badgers can't catch a break with the injuries. No Braelon, Chez, or Mordecai for the rest of the year sucks. I'm not going as hard on the Badgers because Fickell has been making adjustments, and the Badgers gave the Buckeyes all they wanted and the skill gap is being addressed as Fickell gets his guys fully in the program. Indiana has gone backwards since winning the Big Ten East in 2020. What impressed me was how well they hung in there against Penn State in Happy Valley last week. This won't be an easy game, but the Badgers can win, and hopefully don't have to go deeper in the depth chart to do that. Badgers 35, RIP Bob Knight 24.

This is the type of game the Badgers could lose. But they won't. Wisconsin 24, Indiana 18.

Minnesota Vikings (+3.5) vs. Hotlanta Dirty Birds I feel really bad for Kirk after what happened last Sunday at Lambeau. The guy has been a good quarterback, despite all of the criticism around these parts, and the Vikings basically took a torpedo hit to their season. I get you can't blame the Vikings front office for the fact that everyone wanted to fleece them in a quarterback trade, but Jaren Hall and Josh Dobbs aren't the best options. Nothing against those guys, but they are going to have a tall task ahead of them to save the season. Atlanta is a team that plays hard, and even though they are going with their backup,  Heinicke is more experienced. Congrats on winning the NFC North, LOLions. Dirty Bird 21, Vikings 11.

If the game were here in the Twin Cities, I'd pick the Vikings. It isn't. Falcons 24, Vikings 20.

Los Angeles Rams (+3) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers So, the Packers need to figure some things out. The good news is that the Rams are still paying the price for both going all in to get a ring and for Stan Kroenke screwing the NFL out of a bunch of money for the way he screwed over St. Louis, and lest we forget, his other sports team in Arsenal, by blowing the Premier League last season much to the enjoyment of neutral fans and most especially Tottenham fans. Matthew Stafford is going to be banged up, but the problem is that the dude plays well against the Packers. This is a backs against the wall game for the Packers, and they need to at the very least show a consistent effort through all 4 quarters. Delusional homers like myself believe that they are going to do just that. Packers 50, Rams 0.

If the Packers don't win this game, they may not win another the rest of the way. Didn't see the collapse coming this quickly, but I'm not seeing much that makes me positive. The Rams are trash, though. Packers 24, Rams 20.

And now, it's time for a Very Special Comment.

Are you suggesting I overdo this bit?

Maybe.

Don't care. Here goes. Everyone I am listing is responsible in some way, though how much can be debated. This isn't in a particular order. 

Jordan Love, you need to show me something. I have been patient with you, but you need to start making some better throws. Stop going for the downs all the time, and give your teammates balls to catch more often. I'd also like to see you get out more to use your legs. I get that you don't have the ability to audible as much as Aaron did, but you are looking like Kyle Boller 2.0. Get it together, man. 

Who's next?

Matt LaFleur, there are a bunch of things I don't like. One or two slow starts, I get that they happen. But every single week? What have you been doing to prepare this team? You have been calling some of the dumbest plays I have ever seen, and this team has culture problems. You are the head coach, and it is your job to get these guys ready. This team hasn't been put in position to succeed, and if you don't get it together then you should be fired. It's clear that the players have tuned you out, and that's on you to keep your messaging fresh. I expect more of the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, and demand better from you. After all, Mike Sherman couldn't maintain his success in his first couple of years, and ended up paying the price. 

Assuming there's more?

Brian Gutekunst, you botched the roster construction. I get that injuries happen and are part of the game, but the whole draft and develop philosophy hasn't worked. The constant defensive picks early in the drafts haven't plugged any holes, and continuing to hire bad coaches and keep bad coaches suggests organizational rot and people are too comfortable. The Jordan Love pick might be what costs you your job, and will be the decision that defines your time here. It's time to get away from the Ron Wolf tree, and get some new ideas from a new staff in the football ops department. It's time for you to go. 

I'll get some boxes.

Joe Barry, your defensive scheme is too predictable. Despite you getting a ton of resources and a free hand from your bosses to run the defense, the same problems pop up year after year. There is no pass rush, soft zone defense, covering other team's best weapons with bad matchups, stupid penalties, and zero run defense. I defended your unit after the playoff meltdown to the Niners, but the game has passed you by. It's time to retire after this year, and bring in someone like Jimmy Leonhard or Wink Martindale, or someone who can design a defense to the team's strength. What a joke.

But wait, there's more!

Mark Murphy, you are the team president. You were hired by the shareholders to run this football team. Considering you played in the NFL, you should know more about the NFL than most of the team owners. It turns out that this offseason should have been the time to fully cut loose from the past and begin again. Instead, it turns out getting rid of Aaron wasn't enough in removing the toxic culture and the arrogance that things are doing well. You should retire now. It's a shame, because your tenure as president has had a lot of great things. A Super Bowl title, continued success, and increased money thanks to the development of the area around Lambeau. But not taking decisive action to stop the rot within the organization and denying there is a problem with this team is your biggest mistake. 

Rot never sleeps. Or is it rust? Well, you get the idea.

The bottom line is that the Packers have arrogantly believed there was nothing wrong with the way things are going, and the rot is deeper than the fans want to admit. The best thing to do is to fully cut bait and bring in people who have no ties to the organization and a fresh mindset. I'm very disappointed in the Packers, and expect better because I've seen better. Call me spoiled all you want, but the Packers are expected to live up to the standard that championships are to be won, and everyone I just mentioned haven't lived up to the expectations that no matter who is employed by the team, the goal is to do their utmost to bring the Lombardi trophy back home where it belongs. I've defended this team, but I can't do that anymore. The alarm is ringing, Packers. I suggest you answer it and take the decisive actions you need to, no matter how painful it might be. 

I don't necessarily disagree with this, but I'd say two things. If the Packers need new people, who picks the new people, especially if you don't trust the existing people to make the decision? Remember, wholesale changes can make things worse. Ask a Cambodian who was alive in 1977, if you can find one. And speaking of 1977, may I present:

The heart of darkness

I don't mean to go "OK Boomer" on the deal, especially since I am a late-period boomer, but this particular season was particularly putrid. You haven't seen anything like Barty Smith and Eric Torkelson leading your offense. 

I'll take your comments under advisement. Meanwhile, enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.