Packers suddenly 'irrelevant'? It seems more likely than not.
High-end football led by Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers helped seal the Green Bay Packers in a bubble of health and success for 30+ years, but times are a-changin' now that Jordan Love is the quarterback while Rodgers is in New York.
With a new era comes significant questions and until proven otherwise, Love is a former first-round pick who hasn't done much in the NFL. It's similar to the situation Rodgers was in when he took over for Favre in 2008, but there are stark differences that have most "experts" thinking the Packers are on the verge of a disastrous 2023.
“I have never sold my stock on a football team in an OTA faster than I’m selling Green Bay’s now," Colin Cowherd said this week. "I went and looked at the Packers schedule and I came up with six wins. I think we’re going into what the Packers were in the 80s, kind of irrelevant.
"They don’t have a great quarterback, it’s increasingly a quarterback league. This is not a time when if you, 10-15 years ago, had a great running back and great defense you could be a dominating team. Those days are over. I looked this morning [at their schedule], I’m moving to 6-11 for the Green Bay Packers.”
What can Vikings fans take from this?
First, it's refreshing that national media are starting to see what Minnesotans and Vikings fans were witnessing unfold last season. Remember when the Vikings thumped the Packers in Week 1 and then started the season 8-1 only to routinely trail the Packers, who started 3-6, in the weekly power rankings?
Green Bay's demise began in earnest last season. Love, unless he's a magic man, is in a very difficult position if he's expected to keep Green Bay's three decades as a true contender going. He just doesn't have the same foundation.
When Rodgers took over in 2008, he was throwing the ball to Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson. Love will be throwing the ball to Christian Watson and Romeo Dobbs, who are both entering their second NFL season. Good luck with that.
It all fuels and supports Cowherd's belief that Green Bay is heading back to an irrelevant status like that of the pre-Favre Packers.
How are fans dealing with this potential reality? They're not ready to go that far, with most saying Cowherd will change his opinion like talking heads tend to do. But there are plenty of Packers fans who think Cowherd is way off with his prediction.
Cowherd also recently ranked AFC quarterbacks and Rodgers came in at No. 7 behind Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes.
