Summertime Report, 2009

So it has been a while since we've updated the site here at Meat Packers Union, and Ike has been pesterin' me to gin up some fresh material. "You can't take the whole summer off," he says. "You're living in a digital age, and you'll lose your readers if you don't give 'em something new to chew on."

Pardon me, youngster!

The kid may be right, but it's summertime (well almost anyways), and there just ain't much going on in Green Bay this time of year. I mean, who really cares about Organized Team Activities? Meaningless! Meaningless as dissecting a cloud or worrying about an aero-plane that has fallen into the sea without a trace! It simply doens't matter, folks. There are things we will never understand and those that we need not attempt. Who cares why Rhubarb leaves are poisonous when the stalk they are connected to are so damned tasty?

Just Eat the Pie and Smile!

And I sure as heck ain't wasting my time, or your time, talking about that Crazy Fellow down south. I'll leave that to all the 'professionals' if you don't mind, until Something Actually Happens, dear readers.

And it will.

I thought about writing a column on "34 reasons the 3-4 defense will change our fortunes," but the crappies have been biting and my good wife Mooney sure likes a fresh fish fry, and I sure like sitting in my boat drinking ice-cold PBRs, so I decided to spend the better part of June doing that instead. Me and my cousin Walter hoot at the speed-boaters. Hey now, hey now.

Surely, you must be thinking, You've gotta have a better excuse for not writing than a Hot Crappie Bite, F.G. ...

Well, I've been keeping busy, folks, believe it or not.

- I fixed the garbage disposal unit yesterday with a big wooden spoon and a head-lamp. I've got no idea what kind of junk was stuck in there but it smelt almost as bad as the fish guts in the garbage can out back.
- I tell you what, that lawn has been growin' faster than a cannonball shot from the space-station. Wonder if grass grows in space? Probably not. I hope I never find out.
- I've been working on some paintings. I like to paint my pictures on scraps of old cedar planks. The one I'm doing now is a still life of a red bird and a cup of coffee. Maybe at the end of summer I'll take them to the flea market and trade them for goodies.
- Did I mention the hot crappie bite?

Anyways, the New Moon coming on Sunday signals the beginning of summer, and soon I'll be picking fresh tomatoes and getting back into my Packers Mindset. Even though the Brewers are doing well again this year, nothing can compare to the beginning of training camp and the pre-season and yearning for autumn, and when that time comes, dear readers, you can count on me to break out the type-writer on a more regular basis, so that Ike here can translate it all into glorious electronic text for your enjoyment.

I truly hope your summer is a splendid one, filled with short-slacks and picnic lunches and afternoons rocking in a boat with the hot sun splashing down.

Until next time, then.

Thunderous Draft

As the first day of the 2009 NFL draft came to a close, I sat on the front porch watching lightening pulse behind a pattering wash of cold spring rain. The first good thunderstorm of the year, I thought. It has been a great, great day in Wisconsin, dear readers.

While Mooney took down shutters for repainting, I slogged around the yard, admiring the rhubarb plant that has been growing a few inches a day and planning for future tree plantings. With the rain coming I figured today would be a good time to throw down some fertilizer and weed killer. I don't care for a huge chunk of grass, but the grass I have I like lush, you know? Old as I may be, I still get a thrill out of walking around bare-footed in the yard.

Your yard is only as good as the soil you plant it in, and your run defense is only as good as your defensive line. With the new 3-4 scheme coming to town, it was imperative that we grab us a big old beast of a nose tackle in this draft, and I argued a few weeks ago that we should grab the best one available with pick number nine - BJ Raji. As Ted Thompson said today, he's a rare talent. You don't find guys like Raji growing next to your rhubarb patch.

So pick one down and we have a projected starting line of Cullen Jenkins, Pickett and Raji. That, as my cousin Walter says, is a lot of beef.

Figuring I'd have a good chunk of time until our second round pick, I starting fiddling around the kitchen-room, fixing some biscuit sandwiches and such, thinking about need versus wanting. Raji was no doubt high on Ted's list, but he also filled a need with that rare talent. Ted has been pegged as a trade-backer, a fellow who likes to sign 10 new rookies every year in the hopes that 5 will pan out. But maybe he's going another direction now, looking for starters over projects.

Loh and behold, he went and traded up to grab another impact player, confirming my suspicions and filling another need at outside linebacker. With Clay Matthews, we have the young kid from USC, AJ Hawk and Barnett in the middle, and Aaron Kampman on the other side, with Chillar and Poppinga and a few others providing depth and competition at the second line.

I said this was a thunderous draft and it wasn't just cause it was turning electrical in the dark night sky, here in Wisconsin, dear readers. It has been quite a while since we had two players taken on the first day that should step right into the starting lineup, and in two positions where a quality starter was far from set, due in part to our schematic shift. In other words, it has been a helluva first day at the draft. And although we gave up a few quality picks to accomplish this, we still have a few more picks on day two that can be used to fill some remaining weak spots.

I would like to see us take an offensive tackle with the fourth rounder, and maybe another in the fifth. Although Ted's future as the GM may be now tied to his pick of Matthews and the hoped improvement of the run defense, it could just the same be tied to how the offensive line plays next season, and competition will be important in bringing the level of play to the next level.

It is going to be hard to sleep tonight, dear readers, not because of the angels bowling upstairs, but because of the excitement of a tremendous boost to the team I love so dearly. Good night until tomorrow, then.