Welcome to another successful installment of Five Questions with an Enemy Blogger, where each week, via email, I will be exchanging hot questions and [sometimes] answers with a rival blogger about their team and the upcoming matchup.This week I sat down with Brandon of Acme Packing Company, a Sports Blog Nation column that covers the Green Bay Packers.
Dan Benton: "Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Brett Favre ... Is there anything that guy can't do?"
Brandon: "Well, he sure can't run. He's always had good pocket presence, ability to avoid the rush, but you sure wonder if he's going to hurt himself on the rare occasion he tries to run for a first down."Benton: "I know the Packers running back situation is so confusing that fans don't even have a grasp on it, but you have to like what you saw out of Ryan Grant on Monday night. Should we expect to see more of him in the coming weeks?"
Brandon: "I think so, but this season has been so unpredictable that it's still subject to change at any moment. Over the past few games, Mike McCarthy has used DeShawn Wynn and Ryan Grant as his first and second down big backs, while Vernand Morency is his third down back. With Wynn done for the season, it looks like Grant is the number one back. That's what McCarthy said in his last press conference, but he also said that Brandon Jackson is now his number two "situational" (I assume he means third down back) despite not playing in weeks, and Morency is the number three back playing mostly on special teams. Kansas City doesn't have a great run defense, so it's possible McCarthy intends to give Grant 20+ carries, like he did last week in Denver."Benton: "Looking ahead to Sunday, what (other than Larry Johnson) concerns you most about the Kansas City Chiefs?"
Brandon: "Tony Gonzalez. He's not the same player he was a few seasons ago, but tight ends Tony Scheffler, Chris Cooley, Desmond Clark, and Greg Olson have all caught TDs against Green Bay over the last three games. Tight ends have killed the Packers for the past few seasons and 2007 is no exception."Benton: "This may be a stupid question given the Packers running back situation, but if you could pluck any player off of the Chiefs roster and add them to Green Bay's, who would it be and why?"
Brandon: "Despite Larry Johnson's production over the last couple seasons, I'd pick Tony Gonzalez. First, he's already been the answer to a previous question. Second, I'm not sure Johnson would be much better than current running backs on the Packers' roster because he doesn't make the offensive line block any better and he might have been struck by the curse of 370; rushing for over 370 carries in a single season that has stripped many running backs of their Pro Bowl caliber ability. Despite the fact that Bubba Franks has managed to sneak into a few Pro Bowls over the past several seasons, he's not a good receiving tight end, and Favre hasn't had a really good receiving tight end since Keith Jackson and Mark Chmura were on the roster during Favre's MVP season in the mid-90s. Donald Lee has played well this season, but he's a blocking tight end who's doing the best he can as a receiver. With most teams, except Denver, keeping their safeties closer to the sidelines to shut down the deep sideline pass, Gonzalez would feast on a wide open middle of the field in coverage against a linebacker."Benton: "Prediction time! Who wins, and what's the score?"
Brandon: "Except for week two against the Giants, every Packer game this season has been decided by seven points or less, so it's going to be a close game. Kansas City has only lost when held to 10 points or less and the Packers have not held any team under 10 points this season, so that doesn't look good for the Packers. Still, the Chiefs appear similar to Washington, a team the Packers beat three weeks ago in an ugly punt filled game. I'll say Packers 14, Chiefs 10."A special thanks to Brandon for taking the time for the second week in a row. Again, you can read his Packers coverage on Acme Packing Company over at Sports Blog Nation.
