Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Packers Really Have Some Explaining To Do Edition

So at about 2:30 on Sunday, I was thinking that the Badgers were going to be the subjects of a Very Special Comment. But thankfully for Luke Fickell and the Badgers athletic department, the Packers decided that they wanted to make me very angry. 

And, as Bill Bixby used to say on the old 70s television show:

That's right - Benster smash!

You wouldn't like Benster when he's angry

I thought using that vintage cheese was better than another Paul Finebaum picture.

I agree. We've had too many of those lately. Anyway, back to the topic at hand - at least the Badgers have a bye week before the gauntlet starts. Thankfully I am prepared for the worst and since I already had to deal with the Twins deadline fire sale. 

Are you done mocking me?

Yes, your Highness.

Well, I'll tell you what I'm selling, then. As always, you can trust this -- I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEEEEEE! and am ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+7) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat So when we last saw the Gophers, they were losing at Cal. This game marks the return of Athan Kaliakmanis back to the Twin Cities. Rutgers hasn't impressed me from what I have seen, and the Gophers look like they are going to be a solid if unspectacular team. I would like to see PJ continue to trust Drake Lindsay to throw the ball a bit more instead of running the ball all of the time. Thankfully for the Gophers, I like them to bounce back at home with a solid if unspectacular win. Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 25, Buttgers 10.

Fun fact - the headquarters of Campbell's Soup is in Camden, New Jersey. Where college football is concerned, the largest purveyor of chicken soup is in Piscataway, New Jersey. A game against Rutgers is usually good for what ails ya. Gophers 27, Rutgers 16.

Oregon Ducks (+3.5) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions This game is likely to be the Big Ten game of the year, and thankfully is going to be played as the Whiteout game. Both Penn State and Oregon have good reason to expect to win, and both programs need this game for different reasons. James Franklin has struggled in winning big games, and getting a top 10 win at home will go a long way to proving that this is the year that Penn State finally breaks through. As for Oregon, Dan Lanning hasn't won a big true road game in his time running the Ducks. Remember that his signature victory against the Buckeyes last October was at Autzen. A loss for either team isn't fatal because of the 12 team playoff and of course these two teams could meet again in Indy for the conference title game. Penn State seems like a team on a mission, and will use the fuel from the Whiteout crowd to prove their doubters wrong. Nittany Lions 31, Ducks 30. 

Penn State is tough in Happy Valley and those 100,000+ fans are intimidating, especially at night. The Ducks are becoming a Big Ten team and I think they'll continue to compete well, but this one feels like a slugfest and Penn State has the muscle this year. Penn State 28, Oregon 24.

Minnesota Vikings (-2.5) vs. Pittsburgh Days Of Our Steelers, in Dublin So in the interest of full disclosure, I was watching the Packers game and missed the entirety of the Vikings game against the Bengals. Considering the Vikings just mauled the Bengals, it seems like I didn't miss much. In fact, it would be hard for Vikings fans to find any faults with how their team performed. The Steelers are a team that has a lot of defensive talent, but they have struggled to break out of being good enough to make the playoffs but not win in the playoffs. A lot of that comes down to not having a clear plan to replace Big Ben and their brass not wanting to make too many changes. I don't want to talk too much about Aaron going there since I want to save some things for when the Packers play at the Yinzers, but the Steelers seem to be unsure about their long term solution at quarterback. The Vikings should win, but something tells me that Aaron might want to have one last great performance against the Vikings. Vikings 42, Yinzers 34. 

This one could be many things, but I don't think high-scoring is one of them. I was traveling on Sunday and didn't see the Vikings, either, but it seemed like the defense was on point. That's going to be a recurring theme this year and is going to be the key to whether the Purple break through. Based on talent, I think you have to pick the Vikings. Vikings 27, Steelers 21.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-7) vs. Dallas How Bout Them Cowboys? So apparently Micah Parsons is coming back to Dallas. It isn't like that storyline has been played to death over the past couple of days. Once again, thanks so much Jerry for giving him away. You would think that he would remember how Charles Haley was the final piece to their dynasty in the 1990s, but I don't know. The concern I have for the Packers is that the offensive line is going to be shorthanded again. I get the sense that the Packers have something to prove after the meltdown in Cleveland. If the coaches can actually do the right things and Jordan can avoid being dumb with the football, then I like their chances. Packers 48, Cowboys 32.

So far, my conclusion on the Packers is that the defense is legit and the offense is a work in progress. They need the offensive line to get healthy. The Cowboys will likely make it tough on Josh Jacobs, but I think Jordan will be able to get the ball to his receivers. The Cowboys will struggle without CeeDee Lamb. And oh, by the way, the Packers have never lost in Jerry World. I think that trendline continues. Packers 31, Cowboys 14.

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

Benster smash!

What happened on Sunday made me the angriest I have been at the Packers since the playoff meltdown against the Niners in 2021. The defense and defensive coaches are excused from any criticism because they did their job and only allowed 13 points. 10 of those points were sudden change situations in which they had to defend short fields, and the blame lies elsewhere. How much you blame the following culprits is up to you, but all deserve blame. Matt LaFleur had some atrocious playcalling on Sunday. The Browns do have a very good defense, but running the ball consistently up the middle when it hadn't been working all day was the wrong call when the Packers offensive line struggled all day. But what really annoyed me was the play call when Jordan threw the interception. At that point, the Browns had just one timeout remaining and had shown no evidence that they could score a touchdown in a sustained drive. I realize that calling a run play would have been predictable, but forcing the Browns to use their last timeout to stop the clock on defense and have to get a touchdown with just the 2 minute warning to stop the clock would put your players in the best position to win. I knew that throwing was bad, and the worst happened. Even if the pass had been incomplete and the Browns had scored quickly to tie the game, the Packers could have at least taken it to overtime without the chance for the Browns to win at the gun as they did. You have to coach better and make better game management decisions. Matt LaFleur is not a young head coach anymore. It's been a recurring problem and one that puts this team in trouble. Jordan Love, that throw was dumb and terrible. Throwing over the middle and into trouble can't happen. I would have preferred that you had taken the sack or at least try and pick up the first down with your legs if the throw wasn't there. Or better yet, audible into a run knowing the situation. You have to make these decisions. You are getting paid superstar money, and have to elevate your team. You didn't on Sunday. I like you, but I can't defend that decision. Jordan Morgan didn't help the team by coming in. He had a number of penalties, was unable to keep the Browns from being in the backfield a lot, and failed to make a block on the guy that blocked the field goal in the 4th. For whatever reason, he isn't capable of being an NFL caliber lineman and seems like a bad pick. I hoped I was wrong, but the Packers need to realize that he isn't helping the team and that he shouldn't be out there in situations like this. 

I can see why you were angry. It's dumb stuff and you have to hope it doesn't bite them down the line.

Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.

Benster and D Pick Your Games-----This Must Be Like When The Packers Got Reggie White Edition

So this post is going up a day early because the Old Dude is going to be out on assignment this weekend. He and Mrs. D aka Mom are going to have a lot of fun.

Yes. Yes we are.

 Last week was a mixed bag for my two favorite football teams. Wisconsin at least didn't get blown out too badly, and the Packers once again made an NFC contender look foolish. Hard to argue with being 2-0 with 2 head to head wins that could be huge for playoff seeding down the line.

I dunno. Wisconsin didn't look too good, but maybe they get better this week.

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

 Maryland Terps (+10) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers So in the interest of full disclosure, I ended up watching about half of the Alabama game before I ended up going to a very good lunch place down in Ft. Smith. What ended up hurting the Badgers was throwing the pick after Alabama had been stuffed on the 4th down early in the first quarter. Also, Ryan Williams ended up having one of the best games he will have all year. So there is no reason for me to do a Very Special Comment, since that would be unfair. Maryland is going to be the last game for a while that won't require perfection to win. As of this writing, there is no way of knowing if Edwards Jr. will play, but I think that the Badgers are going to win against an equal opponent at home before the hard part of the schedule comes in after the bye next week. Badgers 35, Terps 17. 

The Badgers have never lost to the Terps. Could that change this week? Perhaps, but I don't think Maryland is there yet. Badgers have shown some signs of life, although I think Benster was being too kind about their performance in Tuscaloosa last week. I think the good lunch in Fort Smith may have fogged his mind. We'll have to talk about Arkansas one of these days. Badgers 27, Maryland 20.

Knox College Prairie Fire Baby! (NL) vs. Beloit College Buccaneers So it is homecoming weekend, and a lot of alums like the Old Dude and Mrs. D aka Mom are going to be expecting a win. This is where I tell you that I am a proud alum of Knox. Both teams are among the have nots, and while the good news for the Bucs is that something tells me that fellow Knox alum Todd Monken won't be allowed to guest coach by the Ravens. So while I don't wish Beloit ill, I can't root against my school. Prairie Fire 40, Bucs 24. 

Looks like football, but really isn't

Knox vs. Beloit is a dismal game most years. My beloved Bucs have been terrible for about a decade and Knox has approached mediocrity, so the smart money is on Knox, but I'll go with my homestanding Bucs. Beloit 27, Knox 24.

Cincinnati Bengals (+3) vs. Minnesota Vikings I think it's fair to say that nobody expected a Carson Wentz vs. Jake Browning battle at US Bank Stadium. Sadly for me, Joe Burrow was my quarterback in fantasy football. I know nobody cares about my team, but thankfully I have Jared Goff ready to go. The Vikings all of a sudden are looking very mortal with having a very banged up offensive line and not many weapons for Wentz to throw. What is going to be interesting to me is that if Wentz plays well until the bye week. I think that should Wentz play really well, then the Vikings have to consider if JJ McCarthy might not be the guy going forward. The Bengals are going to be a tough opponent, but the Vikings should get a win. Then, KFAN will be able to mine hours of content off a QB controversy that is bound to happen. Vikings 31, Bengals 30. 

Did you know that Carson Wentz is on his sixth team in six years? He's always available and there's a reason for that. Having said that, the Bengals without Joe Burrow are not particularly formidable. It's a get well week for the locals. Vikings 24, Bengals 20.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-8) vs. Cleveland Brownies Last week was a very impressive defensive performance, and Micah Parsons for two firsts and Kenny Clark is looking like Gutey pulled a Nigerian email scam of a heist on Jerry Jones. You love to see it. Now I am not going to lie, this game makes me nervous. The Browns have a very good pass rush and the Packers are banged up on the offensive line. The last two times the Packers and Browns have met, the Packers required close escapes. I feel like this could be the Matthew Golden coming out party, and something tells me that Jordan Love is going to make enough plays to pull away late in the 4th quarter. Packers 39, Browns 24. 

When I was growing up in the 1970s, you'd often see a banner hanging in the old Cleveland Memorial Stadium that said "Don't Clown With the Browns." I did a quick search for it and can't find an image, but that always cracked me up. The Browns of the 1970s were generally pretty good and Cleveland was a tough place to win. That hasn't been the case much recently. Packers could be overconfident here and I'm concerned that Tucker Kraft went on the injured list this afternoon, but if the Packers can block Myles Garrett, they'll roll. Packers 31, Browns 16.

 Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.

Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Badgers Have No Pressure Edition

Hi there, folks! We're going early because D and I are on assignment this weekend. 

Yes, very hush hush.

Should we give them a hint?

Sure. Try this:

Tell your mama, tell your pa, I'm gonna send you back to Arkansas

So how are you gonna send me back to someplace I've never been?

After we get there, you'll know.

Okay, old dude. Whatever ya say. What'd you say? Last week went very well for both the Badgers and the Packers. And we got to laugh at the Bears yet again thanks to the Vikings. You really hate to see it. 

I'm surprisingly okay with it, actually.

 Wisconsin ain't in as bad a position as you might think on Saturday, just saying. I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work. 

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (+20.5) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide The Badgers struggled a bit against the MTSU Blue Raiders, but got their crap together in the second half. Now, I am not going to lie to you and say that going down to Tuscaloosa is going to be easy. We all know that Alabama is very good, and that they destroyed the Badgers up in Madison a year ago. But I sense that there are issues. Remember, Wisconsin is a heavy underdog with nothing to lose. The spoiled Tide fans and boosters are already angry at Kalen Deboer after what happened against the Noles a couple weeks ago, and should the Badgers hang in there and keep it close, the Alabama fans are going to be nervous and direct a lot of anger towards them. I also get the sense that this Wisconsin team is a lot better then what people are thinking. To steal a quote from Florida State, Nick Saban can't save you now. Don't be surprised if Wisconsin pulls off an upset. I am getting the same feeling that I had when Wisconsin played Villanova in the 2017 NCAA tournament. Badgers 31, Tide Rolled 14. 

Cool story, bro. I think that was the lingo at some point in this century. The Badgers look better than they did at the end of last season, but that doesn't mean they're ready for Alabama. Tide 34, Bucky 17.

  Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat (-2.5) vs. Cal Golden Bears The Gophers frankly did what was expected against Northwestern State. PJ didn't run up the score or anything, but he probably was glad to see his backups get a lot of playing time. What is concerning is that Darius Taylor went down, and that is going to be a huge storyline for the Gophers given that the Gophers love to be a physical team. Cal is stuck in the ACC because conference realignment has gone too far, but that is a discussion for another time. I think that Cal is going to be tough, but the Gophers should win a tight one as the Gophers have more support for their football team and Aaron Rodgers isn't there to save you. Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 23, Golden Bears 22. 

I don't have a good feel for Cal, because they haven't been a factor in football in a real sense in over a half century. They do have some talent, but on balance the Gophers have more. And absent any other obvious differences, talent will win out. Gophers 27, Cal 20.

 Washington Commanders (+3) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers It was really great to see the Packers win in such impressive fashion. The new look defense looked amazing, Jordan Love looked in command and let the game come to him, and order seems to be getting closer to be restored with the NFC North. However, the Commanders are going to be a tough test. Jayden Daniels is a very good quarterback, and this Commanders team has been very impressive. Also, Thursday Night Football games that are not Week 1 or on Thanksgiving are a terrible idea, but the NFL can't quit the Amazon bag. This should be fairly high scoring, but Micah Parsons is going to make a key play late. Having him in Green and Gold might be like what getting Reggie White was to the older generation of Packers fans. Packers 45, Commanders 34. 

It was an impressive performance, but I wonder if Detroit hasn't taken a step back. Washington is a good team and they have weapons. Daniels is elusive, much more so than statue-like Jared Goff. I do think the Packers will be able to move the ball on whatever the hell they're calling Washington these days. So your high-scoring thought may have merit. Packers 31, Washington 27.

Hotlanta Falcons (+3) vs. Minnesota Vikings So Mrs. D aka Mom was really happy with how things went on Monday. I thought that the Vikings do deserve more credit for making some adjustments and taking advantage the LOL Bears moments. Also, the NFL needs to change the ruling on the last play. DJ Moore didn't fumble. One interesting thing is that this matchup is a QB rematch of the Michigan-Washington matchup in Penix and McCarthy. The Vikings are going to be fired up and are going to continue building up what they are working on. Maybe they want to prove me wrong for wanting to trade McCarthy for draft picks? Vikings 21, Falcons 10. 

Vikings got it together. McCarthy could have folded but he didn't. I don't know what to think about Atlanta, either. Game is here, so I think that makes the difference. Vikings 24, Falcons 19.

 I'll try and enjoy Arkansas this weekend. Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.

Benster and D Pick Your Games -- We Got Micah Parsons Edition

Hey, we're back!

We are! So do we need a marketing photo?

Why can't you leave me out of this?

I'm not sure that's helpful, and besides, we'll get to him next week, I'm guessing.

Lotta things are getting to him, to be fair.

Good point, although if you wear that dirty Spurs cap no one will see it. Meanwhile, back to business. I can't believe that the Packers were able to get Micah Parsons. The Super Bowl window is wide open for the Packers. You love to see it, old dude.

It is a game-changer, potentially. It's also the sort of bold move the Packers rarely make. Makes things more interesting to be sure.

 Meanwhile, the Vikings are about to enter the JJ McCarthy era. Lots of discussion around here about how they are going to do and about the big quarterback decision. 

Presumably, you have an opinion, right? 

Well, yeah. I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEEEEEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Northwestern State Devils (+43) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat So in the interest of full disclosure, I saw part of the first quarter of the Gopher game last Thursday because the Wisconsin game ended up stating around an hour later. That being said, the Gophers had a pretty comfortable win after Buffalo gave them a battle for the first half. Northwestern State isn't a particulary good FCS team, and I think that the Gophers should be able to win this one pretty comfortably. Drake Lindsey seems like he could be good, but will have the growing pains that a lot of freshmen QBs have. Let's face it, if the Gophers struggle in this game then there should be some concerns. Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 45, Devils 17. 

I suppose ol' Peej could have scheduled the University of Northwestern, the pride of Roseville. That would have been worse. Al and Alma would be tougher competition, most likely, but a paycheck is a paycheck. Gophers 45, Northwestern Mutual Life 0.

 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (+28.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers Last week was a strange one. I thought that Billy Edwards was looking good until he went down, but thankfully the Badgers were able to win because the defense made enough plays and Danny O'Neil settled in nicely in the second half after throwing a bad interception. O'Neil looks a lot better than Locke did, so that is a positive. Middle Tennessee didn't look good last week, and I feel confident that with O'Neil getting a full week to prepare as the starter that this should be a fairly routine game. Badgers 50, Blue Raiders 0.

Middle Tennessee lost to Austin Peay last week. For those keeping score, Austin Peay is located in Clarksville, Tennessee and is the alma mater of ABA legend Fly Williams. I also recall MTSU beat the Gophers in the NCAA basketball tournament back when Pitino Junior was coaching the squad. So that's amusing. More amusing than this game will be. Don't play with your food, Bucky. Wisconsin 31, MTSU 3.

Detroit LOLions (+2) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers The Packers took the leap from a team that was expected to be a possible contender to a team with serious Super Bowl ambitions thanks to Gutey swinging the Parsons deal. Job number 1 is for them to start winning division games, especially at home. Parsons is going to be a lot of fun, but it is going to take the coaches time to get him bedded into the system. The Lions are coming into this season in an interesting spot. Yes, they are healthier, but the problem is that Dan Campbell lost his elite coordinators to head coaching jobs. Also, the way that they melted down against the Commies last January felt like what happened to the Packers in 2021 against the Niners. I expect the Packers are going to need to protect Jordan Love and get Parsons to make a play or two against Jared Goff. This won't be easy, but the Packers have gotten a lot better in the offseason. Packers 27, LOLions Gonna LOLions 24.

Have the Packers gotten a lot better? I hope so, but I don't know if that's true. I do think the Lions take a step back, but there was more than a step separating these teams last year. The Lions come in with something to prove. Can they? Packers 31, Lions 27.

Minnesota Vikings (-1.5) vs. Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz Still Suck The Vikings and the Bears both have a lot of questions at quarterback. The Bears have surrounded Caleb Williams with a lot of resources to succeed, but it seems to me like he is behind a couple of his peers already, and though I am biased the Bears need to show that they are deserving of all of the hype they are getting from the NFL media. As for the Vikings, I personally would have kept Sam Darnold. The problem I see is that KOC has had success with veteran quarterbacks in the past. Goff, Stafford, Kirko, and Darnold all were veterans. JJ McCarthy is young and frankly has only played a little bit in the preseason.

 So what would success look like for him? I decided to ask Mrs. D, aka Mom. She indicated that success for her would be winning both games against the Packers and winning a playoff game. That is a good way to get the Vikings fans firmly on his side. 

Always trust content from Mrs. D.

I personally think that McCarthy is in a tough position. He has a lot of offensive talent around him and a QB whisperer as a head coach. It isn't like Jordan Love where he had few veterans around him or Caleb Williams with a badly run organization who has set other hyped QB prospects up to fail. McCarthy is going to have to win against the Bears and Lions as well to continue with Mom's thoughts. Monday night should go well. Vikings 36, Bears Still Suck 35. 

Until da Bearz prove it, I also have to pick the Vikings. I suspect it won't be a high-scoring game, though. The strength of the Vikings is on defense, as they kept their hotshot defensive coordinator, Brian Flores. And Da Bearz have been known to play defense. I am guessing they'll have something weird for J.J., but he has the weapons to beat those nasty ursine wretches. Vikings 24, Bears 16.

Wait, we agreed on everything?

Don't worry, that won't last.

 Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.