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.