I was walking in the woods the other day, and a big fluffy thunder-cloud passed on by to the south, heading east. It was a real monster of a storm. It looked like it wanted to scream like a freight train. It surely was screaming like a freight train, but I could not hear a peep. Along it went to the south and to the east and the sun came back out. It felt real nice on my back. All of Wisconsin was quiet.
So this is 2008? Sometimes I just don’t know…
The Packers traded the greatest footballer of all time this week. Jet Favre plays in New York now, but I’m not sure it’s the same guy. Based on what I’ve heard, this is what needed to happen, but how do you down-grade at the game’s most important position? How do you send a legend away? Ultimately, we won’t know what the right move was for three or four years. By 2012 we’ll have a better perspective on all of this. I don’t think it will be a down-grade if Rodgers works out. And by ‘works out’, I mean winning it all. That’s where the high water mark rests, folks. Rodgers, McCarthy and the Front Office are all in together on the Super-Bowl-or-Bust Express. And I won’t miss a game along the way. We’ve probably still got the best Quarterback in the Division. I bet my buddy a burrito platter.
Mooney made up pork chops for dinner the night of the trade, and they were quite a spicy batch. I fixed a cold pork chop sandwich in the morning for breakfast, watching rabbits out the window. I decided to go for a walk to let this all settle in.
The Jets-Browns game was post-poned on Friday night due to Thunderstorms in the area. Talk about an omen. That was Favre’s welcome to the AFC and his new teammates. Lord how I feel sorry for those Jets fans. Dear, oh dear. They have no idea what they’ve gotten themselves into. I say let them have the hulla-baloo. I’ve had enough. Yeah, I’ll probably watch a few of their games over at Cousin Walter’s house out of curiosity. I doubt they’ll make the play-offs, though.
It’s like walking through the woods. Even the best adventurers can find trouble in a strange section of forest.
Maybe some of you don’t go wandering in the woods. Maybe a better way to explain myself is in my pick-it-up truck. I can drive through my home range without thinking. I’ve got that map burned into my old brain and I can fiddle with the radio or ponder zone blocking schemes and still get to the bowling alley. But what about when you drive through a town for the first time? I’ll tell you, I was in Dubuque, Iowa this summer and holy smokes! That was the first time I had ever been to Iowa in my whole life and I had no idea what was going on. They’ve got that big muddy river and bridges and all sorts of ziggity roads. Now I’m a pretty darn good driver. My philosophy is: “Be aggressive, but be courteous.” But it don’t matter a lick how good a driver you are when you hit a new town. Everything is just weird. And you can’t be aggressive. Nope. You’ve got to start out cautious and go from there. If I had to go back to Dubuque again I would still be cautious with a map at my side. Probably would need to live there non-stop for a few months before I could find my way around.
You can all see where I’m headed.
I think it’s going to take Jet Favre a while to find that smooth rhythm. It’s like Dubuque times a million out there and their offense might as well be verbalized in Latin. Then again, I guess I wouldn’t bet against him.
So this is the way it goes? Sometimes I just don’t know…
The season starts in a few days and that wasn’t the last thunder-cloud I will see, probably I think. But I can only see so far out in those woods. There’s a fine birch and a solid defensive unit and a stand of quality wide receivers. I hear a Ryan Grant rustling in the distance. Even without the towering pine, it’s a mighty fine forest with loads of potential. Until next time, then.
