KIDWCKED
01-25-2011, 02:15 AM
c/p from foxsports by
Updated Jan 24, 2011 7:33 PM ET
It makes total sense for Vegas oddsmakers to pick the youth movement over the graybeards, Pittsburgh’s proven commodity, and install the Green Bay Packers as 2-1/2-point favorites in Super Bowl XLV.
For four consecutive seasons, the Green Bay Packers were the youngest team in the NFL. That stat alone is pretty remarkable, and it shines a bright light on general manager Ted Thompson’s personnel prowess. And we all know how that youth was served. These Packers, the No. 6 seed, beat the three best teams in the NFC -- all on the road -- to reach the Super Bowl.
Like quarterback Aaron Rodgers says, they basically have won five consecutive elimination games when you count their final two regular-season wins they needed to qualify for the playoffs. Pressure? What pressure?
“The best thing about all our young players is that they don’t know how young they are and they don’t play like guys without a lot of experience,” Thompson told me after the Packers won the NFC title with a 21-14 victory Sunday at Chicago.
Yes, nothing seems to faze this Kiddies Korps. The Packers have only two players on the 53-man roster who ever played in a Super Bowl – defensive lineman Ryan Pickett with the Rams in 2002 and Charles Woodson with the Raiders in 2003 – and they both are returning hoping to win this time around.
Woodson, incidentally is Thompson’s lone major signee in unrestricted free agency. Thompson is a draft wonk, and this team is a testament to his selection skills, but he made the right call on Woodson when many Raiders weren't sure whether he was a cornerback evolving into a safety.
Today, Woodson seems close to totally embracing that exact role. He has been living on the edge on the defensive line, rushing opposing quarterbacks, while younger cornerbacks like Tramon Williams and rookie Sam Shields stick with receivers in the far reaches of the secondary.
We saw both of those undrafted players ranging far and wide Sunday in Chicago as Jay Cutler never seemed to possess the arm strength or the accuracy to beat either one of them.
The Packers were one of the sexy Super Bowl picks this summer. We all knew they were overloaded with young talent and that Rodgers had the big arm and the quick release. But things fell apart for them during the season as key players landed on injured reserve, including three starters on defense. But it has been a resolute bunch that pulled the young players through, led by such proven veterans as Woodson, Cullen Jenkins, speedy receiver Greg Jennings and old-pro left tackle Chad Clifton.
Updated Jan 24, 2011 7:33 PM ET
It makes total sense for Vegas oddsmakers to pick the youth movement over the graybeards, Pittsburgh’s proven commodity, and install the Green Bay Packers as 2-1/2-point favorites in Super Bowl XLV.
For four consecutive seasons, the Green Bay Packers were the youngest team in the NFL. That stat alone is pretty remarkable, and it shines a bright light on general manager Ted Thompson’s personnel prowess. And we all know how that youth was served. These Packers, the No. 6 seed, beat the three best teams in the NFC -- all on the road -- to reach the Super Bowl.
Like quarterback Aaron Rodgers says, they basically have won five consecutive elimination games when you count their final two regular-season wins they needed to qualify for the playoffs. Pressure? What pressure?
“The best thing about all our young players is that they don’t know how young they are and they don’t play like guys without a lot of experience,” Thompson told me after the Packers won the NFC title with a 21-14 victory Sunday at Chicago.
Yes, nothing seems to faze this Kiddies Korps. The Packers have only two players on the 53-man roster who ever played in a Super Bowl – defensive lineman Ryan Pickett with the Rams in 2002 and Charles Woodson with the Raiders in 2003 – and they both are returning hoping to win this time around.
Woodson, incidentally is Thompson’s lone major signee in unrestricted free agency. Thompson is a draft wonk, and this team is a testament to his selection skills, but he made the right call on Woodson when many Raiders weren't sure whether he was a cornerback evolving into a safety.
Today, Woodson seems close to totally embracing that exact role. He has been living on the edge on the defensive line, rushing opposing quarterbacks, while younger cornerbacks like Tramon Williams and rookie Sam Shields stick with receivers in the far reaches of the secondary.
We saw both of those undrafted players ranging far and wide Sunday in Chicago as Jay Cutler never seemed to possess the arm strength or the accuracy to beat either one of them.
The Packers were one of the sexy Super Bowl picks this summer. We all knew they were overloaded with young talent and that Rodgers had the big arm and the quick release. But things fell apart for them during the season as key players landed on injured reserve, including three starters on defense. But it has been a resolute bunch that pulled the young players through, led by such proven veterans as Woodson, Cullen Jenkins, speedy receiver Greg Jennings and old-pro left tackle Chad Clifton.