FanHouse NFL Season Preview: Green Bay Packers - Promise of a New Day

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterbacks: Did you hear that Brett Favre retired? Well, don't worry, because he changed his mind. And he did it too late, so the Packers wanted to move on instead of keeping him on board. So they traded him to the Jets. Got it? Aaron Rodgers is the new starter in Green Bay, and while I'm excited for him, I have to admit that this is all a little weird. I was barely 15 years old the first time Favre won a game for the Packers. That means Favre was the starter for more than half my life. Other guys - Rodgers, Mark Brunell, Matt Hasselbeck, Ty Detmer, and T.J. Rubley, among others - have taken snaps for the Packers, but Favre's been the only starter. He didn't even miss a pre-season start for the Packers until Monday night. Rodgers has the physical tools, he appears well-prepared, and he's handled this circus wonderfully. I can't rate him too highly because I just don't know if he can be as good as Favre, but he does appear to be better at reading coverages and making consistently good decisions than Favre was. Favre's improvisational ways were entertaining and often effective, but they also led to mistakes. Rodgers will play a safer style, but won't be nearly as dynamic. Heat Index: 7

Running backs: It's a question that I have to admit not being able to answer. How much credit does Ryan Grant get for the Packers' offensive resurgence a year ago? Or should I be crediting Favre with all the good things the team accomplished? I just don't know for sure. What I do know for sure is that Grant is a perfect fit for the Packers' zone running game. He is decisive in his cuts, has super vision, and is strong enough to break tackles. It remains to be seen if his holdout will negatively affect him. Yes, he worked out with the team throughout the off-season, but you can't put a price on the reps he missed in mini-camp, the first week of training camp, and Monday's preseason opener. That's where second-year back Brandon Jackson steps in. He had a good finish to 2007, and he's off to a good start in camp. Vernand Morency and DeShawn Wynn provide depth at tailback, and Korey Hall and John Kuhn will work as fullbacks. Hall, a converted linebacker, appears to have some ability as a receiver. You can expect to see coach Mike McCarthy use him in that role if he can handle it. Heat Index: 8

Receivers: The Packers are pretty loaded here. Donald Driver is a total pro. He runs great routes, gets open, can run after the catch, and is incredibly tough in traffic. Greg Jennings really blossomed in his second year, hitting double-figures in touchdowns. Both players carry 1,000-yard ability, and both can be counted on to help ease the transition to Rodgers. The depth here is more than adequate. James Jones had a great rookie year last year, even though he did struggle with his hands at times. Ruvell Martin has never had a great pro season, but he has established himself as a solid secondary option because of his size and improved hands. Look out for rookie Jordy Nelson, a second-round pick. He caught 122 passes at Kansas State last year, and the Packers aren't going to hide him on the bench forever. McCarthy liked using five-receiver sets last year, and he won't stop doing it just because Favre is gone. It's a great way to exploit favorable matchups in coverage, and if anything, it will make more sense for the Packers to do this now as a means of getting Rodgers comfortable. Heat Index: 8

Offensive line: Green Bay is rock solid at the tackles. Chad Clifton mans the left side, and he does so more than capably. Mark Tauscher works the right side in a contract year. It could be argued that Tauscher is one of the more underrated tackles in the league. But as good as Green Bay is at the tackles, they've got some work to do inside. Center Scott Wells is okay, but he's sorely undersized, meaning potential trouble against the likes of Pat Williams in the NFC North. The Packers have struggled at the guard positions for a couple years. Daryn Colledge is an okay player who has some attitude and is also versatile. However, he's not consistent with his technique and can be easily beaten. The other guard spot is in some flux. The team drafted Josh Sitton out of Central Florida in the fourth round, and he might win this job because of his sound fundamentals. Overall, it's a line that still needs work, and protecting the new starter in Rodgers will require they be better than they were a year ago. Heat Index: 6

Defensive line: The interior of the line saw a bit of a makeover. Tackle Corey Williams was dealt to Cleveland for a second-round pick. That means an increased role for 2007 first-round pick Justin Harrell, who has battled injuries and inconsistency since joining the team. Ryan Pickett isn't much of a pass-rusher, but he anchors the run defense very well. Depth is a major question. Will Johnny Jolly, expected to play a huge role, be suspended for his drug arrest? Can a guy like Daniel Muir or Colin Cole do well with expanded playing time? Aaron Kampman will be a monster at left end again. He had 12 sacks and led the team with 29 knockdowns, clearly establishing himself as one of the NFL's best. Cullen Jenkins will likely platoon with Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila at right end, and if the tackle play is lacking, Jenkins may move inside on passing downs. The Packers have a talented line, and it should be extremely productive if Jolly and Pickett play well. Heat Index: 7

Linebackers: A.J. Hawk continues to develop, and the coaches have talked about getting him in more playmaking positions this year. You have to like a guy like Nick Barnett, who flies from sideline to sideline and is getting better with his play at the line of scrimmage. Barnett is a very good tackler to boot. The wild card is Brady Poppinga. The strong-side starter struggled at times in coverage last year, but he's a good hitter and is actually a very smart player. The Packers signed former Ram Brandon Chillar to challenge Poppinga, but then signed Poppinga to a multi-year extension. Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders has talked about blitzing more this year, and these guys should be key players in that plan. Heat Index: 8

Secondary: Arguably, this is Green Bay's weakest position. Al Harris and Charles Woodson are aging on the outside. Worse, guys like Jarrett Bush and Tramon Williams aren't developing fast enough to take significant playing time. Second-round pick Patrick Lee should see the field a lot as Harris and Woodson get more rest this year. Safeties Nick Collins and Atari Bigby are both feeling the heat in camp. Collins doesn't take good angles on ball-carriers, and Bigby is mediocre in coverage while also lacking discipline. It appears second-year man Aaron Rouse will have every chance to steal a job here. Heat Index: 5

Special teams: Mason Crosby was a great find as a kicker, though he does need more consistency on his kickoffs. Punter Jon Ryan was good in some games, and awful in others (see: "Field, Soldier"). If he can cut down on the shanks, he should be able to put up some good numbers. The return game flashed some brilliance a year ago, and it should benefit from the presence of Nelson, along with improved health from backup cornerback Will Blackmon. Heat Index: 7

Coaching: I was never a fan of Mike Sherman, so anything would have been an upgrade. McCarthy, however, has been much more than anyone could have expected. He was known for his work with quarterbacks, and he did a bang-up job with Favre for two years. Now, we'll get to see how he did preparing Rodgers for the job. Defensive coordinator Sanders took some heat after the NFC Championship loss for a vanilla game plan, and he promises more aggression this year. He has the personnel to pull it off. Heat Index: 7

Intangibles: They've started to get their home-field edge back, going 8-2 there last year. However, the cold-weather mystique disappeared last year. The team seems firmly behind Rodgers, who has had his teammates over for regular get-togethers in an effort to build chemistry. This is a tight group that got a nice taste of playoff football last year, so experience isn't a big problem even without Favre. Heat Index: 7

Total Heat Index: 70

Favre's loss is huge, but the Packers are well-stocked. General manager Ted Thompson has focused on building this football team to be a 53-man machine, instead of one that relies on the success or failure of one guy. There is still work to be done, but this team appears to have what it takes to be a Super Bowl contender.

If Rodgers falters, things could get messy with two rookie backups. Luckily, I'm not being asked to predict who will stay healthy and who will get hurt.