Hello Wisconsin: And They’re Off!

After seven and a half months, the Green Bay Packers are finally about to play meaningful football once again!

The significance of this first game is worth noting. For one, I can’t remember a time in my life that the Packers have played on a Friday. It may well have happened, but I certainly can’t pick an instance off the top of my head.

For another, this is the first NFL game being played in Brazil and on the entire continent of South America, which is huge for continued growth of the sport. It’s not an accident the Packers were picked for this game; they have massive global appeal, and have a well-organized fanbase that already exists in Brazil. Heck, we even have a couple writers here at Cheesehead TV who are Brazilians, who I’m sure have been anticipating this moment for a long, long time.

I’ve seen a few photos of the stadium in Sao Paolo where the game will be played, and it’s a really impressive feat of architecture. It’ll be interesting to see how the field holds up; any time you’re going to a stadium not designed for NFL play, there’s reason to be concerned about the quality of the playing surface. But then again, the NFL still allows games to be played at Soldier Field, so…

Perhaps more than anything, I’m excited to see what the Packers look like in year two of the Jordan Love era. 

How has this offense continued to grow and evolve? Who are the young players who are going to take their next steps forward this year as leaders and playmakers? 

There’s also the promise of a new season with a lot of healthy players. For example, we haven’t seen a fully healthy Christian Watson to start the season in his entire NFL career. What difference will that make for this offense? His ability to stretch and take the top off of defenses is what got him drafted highly to begin with, but his inability to stay on the field has hampered him drastically to date. With all the work he’s done on his legs this offseason to stay healthy, I am hopeful that he’s going to be much more durable this season. He’s sure off to a good start there.

There is the unknown that is the Jeff Hafley defense. Of course, it can’t get a whole lot worse than what Joe Barry produced. But how will this new scheme and approach to defense activate the talent that already exists on the roster? And how will guys like Xavier McKinney and other new additions complement the talented pieces already on the field?

There is so much cause for excitement out of this team. It’s not a surprise that there are so many national pundits picking the Packers as their dark horse contenders, and at some point you have to figure that the Packers no longer qualify as a dark horse.

It’s been a few years since we entered the season with actual expectations of greatness. It’s not Super Bowl or Bust, but this is a team that should be bound for great things. And that starts in Brazil on Friday.

Wisconsin Beer of the Week

Everyone who’s had a beer in Wisconsin is familiar with New Glarus Brewing. They’re known for their ubiquitous Spotted Cow, but there are plenty of other beers they brew that, at least to me, exceed its quality. I particularly like New Glarus’s Thumbprint series, which are generally seasonal or rotating beers that are outside their normal range of styles. 

This summer for the first time I tried the brewery’s imperial radler. A radler is a type of light lager that gets mixed with some sort of fruity beverage. They originated in Bavaria and are popular here in the United States, especially in summer. 

New Glarus describes its imperial radler as follows:

“This mighty citrus flex is powered by 8.5% ABV. Brewmaster Dan harnessed a fierce grapefruit tropic blast with his own proprietary pilsner malt. Wisconsin, Yakima, and New Zealand experimental hops conspire to push back into perfect balance the brute force of this Imperial Radler. A brawny brew to quench a powerful thirst.”

I enjoyed it quite a bit. Most radlers are much lower ABV (hence the “imperial” name here) and yet this one didn’t feel like it was all that strong, which may make it a bit dangerous.

I found this at my local Woodman’s. Even though summer has come to an end, perhaps you can still grab it as well at your local Wisconsin liquor store. But if you’re outside of Wisconsin, good luck… New Glarus is famously strict about its distribution, keeping all beers in state lines.

Brayden Narveson!

I love this dude. I have no idea if he’ll be a good kicker or not, but it’s hard not to be charmed by him. 

First, his wife grew up in Wisconsin as a Packer fan, so it’s sort of a homecoming. They had actually talked during the pre-draft process about how cool it would be for him to end up in Green Bay. And after a pit stop in Tennessee as an undrafted free agent, it actually happened. He said he called her as soon as he got off the phone with the Packers, and her response was along the lines of, “You’ve got to be kidding me! I’m going to be the coolest person in my home town!” Love it.

Narveson made 10 of his 11 first kicks with the Packers and nailed a booming 56-yarder for the Titans during preseason. Statistically he’s a clear improvement over the kickers the Packers had in camp. He’s still very much untested at the NFL level, but for a team that’s all about giving chances to young guys right now, he seems to fit the bill of a guy you want around.

I loved his response to a question about whether there’s pressure jumping into a team in this environment. He talked about how “pressure is a privilege,” and that people who don’t feel the pressure are either lying or don’t care enough, that it’s all about getting into the right mindset to overcome that pressure.

He’s got a big leg, a great story, and he’s saying all the right things in addition to having a strong start at practice. If he ends up performing well in games, I could see this guy really becoming loved by Packer fans quickly. 

Pretty great stuff for a guy I’d never heard of until getting the notification that the Packers had signed him.

Around the NFC North

As always, it’s time to go around the NFC North. This week, for week one, I’m picking how I think they’ll finish the season.

• The CHICAGO BEARS have some exciting pieces on paper with a brand new young quarterback who some consider a generational talent. They’re in a spot this franchise hasn’t been in for many years. While it’s too early to expect the team to be a playoff contender, it would be a massive disappointment for them not to be taking some significant steps forward this season. But they’ll still lose to the Packers twice. My guess: 7-10, third place.

 

• The DETROIT LIONS are the reigning top dogs in the division, but they have to be getting frustrated with most national media being more excited for the Packers than them. This is still a team with something to prove, especially with how close they came to a Super Bowl berth a season ago. While I don’t think they make it as far as they did last year, I do think they’ll be a formidable foe. 11-6, out in the divisional round.

 

• The MINNESOTA VIKINGS had a rough year a season ago and it’s probably not going to get a whole lot better. This is a team with just enough talent to win some games it shouldn’t but not enough talent to be a team that’s going to concern people. 6-11, fourth place in the division.

Response to first Brazil game has been disappointing but unsurprising

There has been a lot written and said about the NFL’s first foray into Brazil. While there’s a lot of excitement and enthusiasm as well as some understandable reservations, there has also been a lot of misinformation.

Depending on which people you pay attention to, Brazil may or may not be a crime-infested slum where the players and media are going to be at risk of robbery and muggings on a daily basis. Hint: it’s not.

The fear mongering and not-so-veiled xenophobia has been really disappointing, but also not particularly surprising. 

The absurdity has gotten so out of control that one Wisconsin lawmaker, Rep. John Macco (R-Brown County) is calling for the game to have the game moved back to the United States, saying “when you look at some of the riots and some of the other issues that have gone on there, that is not a place that we should be in right now.”

Much of this has been debunked numerous times by people way smarter than me already. But it’s just unfortunate that this continues to poison the atmosphere surrounding the game.

The thing is, there are actually legitimate gripes to this game. There’s always the concern about inequity over a team losing a home game. There are the travel logistics; this is a very long flight, and while the team doesn’t have to deal with jetlag, it’s still a lot of time to spend on a plane that includes lost opportunities to adhere to a normal schedule for practice. There are the always-present concerns about whether the field and facilities will be up to the NFL’s standards. 

But a lot of the concerns that are getting the most press right now seem to be coming from a place of unfamiliarity with Brazil and Brazilian culture. Remember, the country just recently hosted an Olympics and a World Cup. 

My guess is that the most drama to come out of this whole experience are going to be the long flight and the unnecessarily strict rules for players at hotels. 

The team that comes into the game with the better attitude will, in my opinion, be the one that wins. And that leads me into the next subject…

Packers vs. Eagles and Week 1 Picks

Alright, it’s finally returned–real football, and real picks!

Right now, everything about this game is screaming Packers W to me. The Eagles have had a number of players be vocally negative about the prospects of playing in Brazil and do not seem to relish the experience at all. It sure would seem like they’re not coming into this game with the right mindset.

In week one you can throw out what teams accomplished the previous year, but I have to say that the Eagles really started to fall apart in the final portions of last season and I was mildly surprised they brought back Nick Sirianni, who seemed to have lost the locker room. This is certainly a talented team, but I like the cohesion and the energy coming from the Packers. This is a strong young team with a whole lot of talent that’s only going to get better than they were a season ago.

It could very well feel like a home game in Brazil, and I expect a Packer victory. 

Packers 27, Eagles 23

And here are the rest of my picks for this week…

CHIEFS over Ravens

SAINTS over Panthers

GIANTS over Vikings

BENGALS over Patriots

FALCONS over Steelers

TEXANS over Colts

BILLS over Cardinals

BEARS over Titans

DOLPHINS over Jaguars

SEAHAWKS over Broncos

CHARGERS over Raiders

BROWNS over Cowboys

BUCS over Commanders

LIONS over Rams

49ERS over Jets