Yes, you read that correctly…Little ole Marcellus has ties to two NFL teams. The Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers have Marcellus alumni associated with them. These are two historic and successful franchises but they are tales of two very different seasons. One team is trending towards the Super Bowl while one is treading towards missing the playoffs. Why is one successful while one is floundering and who is to blame and who is to be congratulated?
Let’s start off with the good. The 49ers have put together one heck of a season. They are trending towards having the best record in the NFC only behind the Eagles. But has this been a dream season for the 49ers? Absolutely not! They are down to starting their third string quarterback, who is a rookie and was drafted in the last round of the draft. They started the season with quarterback drama with Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo only to have Lance go down in week 2 with a season ending ankle injury. Jimmy G took over and it was as if he picked up where he left off last season. Fast forward a few weeks and Jimmy G goes down with a foot injury and then the Brock Purdy era starts. He has won each game he has played in and played very well. Aside from the quarterback, the team has suffered numerous injuries across the board. This lead to a trade deadline deal with the Panthers to bring in Christian McCaffrey to help bolster an already extremely talented offense. There are Pro Bowlers at almost every level on both sides of the ball. Even with star receiver Deebo Samuels suffering an injury that offense hasn’t missed a beat. This is a scary team looking forward to the playoffs. This defense is scary and the offense is loaded with weapons. Good luck beating this team in the playoffs.
Now, the bad. The Packers are one of the most polarizing teams in the NFL. They have the two time reigning MVP in Aaron Rodgers, who himself is extremely polarizing, back with a new contract in hand. Aside from Rodgers, the big news surrounding this team was the departure of star receiver Davante Adams to the Raiders in the offseason. This is huge because Adams is in the conversation of the best receiver in the NFL. So how will the Packers attempt to replace his production? Will they draft a receiver high in the draft? Will they trade for an established veteran receiver? The answer was no to both questions. They did draft two receivers later in the draft but nothing blockbuster. Now I will say is that both receivers have outperformed my expectations but they are not the game breakers that this offense is missing. The run game is by far the best part of this team, but it seems like they tend to shy away from this as games go on. The defense, which was supposed to be the backbone of this team but they have been horrible. So, seeing that this team has massive holes on both sides of the ball, one would think this team would be extremely active at the trade deadline right? Wrong. hey did nothing. I guess it was an Aaron Rodgers or bust. In Rodgers we trust right? I guess so. The Packers brass have a ton more faith in Rodgers than I do. He is an awesome quarterback, hands down. But there isn’t a quarterback in the history of the NFL that can compete in this NFL having so few weapons and a subpar defense.
Now that we have traveled both roads let’s answer the question at hand. Who is to blame for the Packers struggles and who is to congratulate for the 49ers successes? It is the front office of each team. The 49ers are in the win at all costs mindset whereas the Packers are in the mindset of Aaron Rodgers is superman. The 49ers are prime for a Super Bowl run and the Packers are dangerously close to having coaches or GMs fired and Aaron Rodgers retiring or asking for a trade. With Jordan Love sitting behind him who knows what the future holds for both Rodgers and the Packers. I just feel as if they wasted a year of Rodgers already Hall of Fame career, which is a shame.
So as a member of the sports media, I look forward to seeing what happens to both franchises as this season and offseason going forward.
***
Until next time, check out the podcast and YouTube channel. Search The Turbo and 2ks show wherever you get your podcast content or go to www.youtube.com/turboand2ks to watch the livestreams.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.