We are the champions, my friends! Green Bay Packers 31 – Pittsburgh Steelers 25. Packers are Super Bowl Champions!!

It’s all over. The Green Bay Packers are the Super Bowl 45 Champions. Aaron Rodgers is the Super Bowl MVP. Dreams really can come true. For the players on this team, they have. The Vince Lombardi trophy is returning to Titletown.  People in Green Bay will be dancing in the streets and wearing cheese on their heads. Some won’t be wearing anything but cheese on their heads. Can you blame them? 🙂 You know what goes great with an Aaron Rodgers “title belt” celebration? Having the Lombardi Trophy back in Titletown.

Congratulations to the veterans on the team, especially Donald Driver, Charles Woodson and Chad Clifton. While it was disappointing that both Woodson and Driver got hurt in the game, in my opinion they both still earned their Super Bowl rings. What a great season and what a great team. Woodson and Driver were definitely emotional leaders for the team, even if they couldn’t finish the game on the field.

Congratulations to Mike McCarthy, Ted Thompson and Mark Murphy. They deserve as much credit as anyone for this Super Bowl win. Congrats to Dom Capers and the entire Packers coaching staff. This team will go down in history as one of the greatest Packers team ever.  And yes, dad, as you promised, you will now have to call him MR. McCarthy now that he has a Super Bowl ring and a street in Green Bay named after him. (Sorry, no more Mike McFarty…. at least, not until they have a losing season.)

I will admit, I wasn’t always a believer in this coach, or this GM or this team president. But I will gladly eat some crow now and say that Mike McCarthy, Ted Thompson and Mark Murphy are all geniuses and have proved all of my doubts wrong!!! And I am so happy for them, for the fans and for the 2010-11 Super Bowl Champs – YOUR GREEN BAY PACKERS!!

There’s only one thing left to say, and that’s how great it is to strap on the imaginary “Championship Belt” with your friends. I am planning on doing it a lot in the months to come and I hope you’ll join me. In the return to TitleTown celebration at Lambeau Field Aaron Rodgers even said “you can steal my celebration. Now that we’re the champs, you go ahead and put that on whenever you want!” Thanks, Aaron. I’m sure we will. Ha ha, I can’t wait. And with the core of this team coming back in 2011-2012, I can’t wait for next year either. I can’t think of anybody who deserves all this success more than Rodgers, Woodson, Driver and this incredible team. And you can bet – you’ll always remember where you were when the Green Bay Packers won SUPER BOWL 45 and became World Champions!!! I know that I will.

Well, thank you all for reading my blog this year. I really enjoyed writing it and hearing from some of you, my lovely readers. This is going to be my last post for a while, but I’d like to leave you with a parting gift – my Super Fun guide to Packers nicknames. Some of these I made up, and some are actually true. But they all have some meaning for each guy.

Here they are, your 2010 GBP nicknames:

Aaron Rodgers gets more than one. That’s because he’s the MVP and he deserves them. They are: “The People’s Champ”, “The Legend-Killer”, “Brent Who”, “Title-Belt Holder”, “Photo Ninja” and “Man O’ Steel”. They should usually be inserted in between the first and last name. Or sometimes just shouted randomly at your television.

Here are the rest of the guys nicknames:

James “Gridiron Man” Starks, John “The Snowplow” Kuhn, Brandon “Baby Jacks” Jackson.

Donald “Double-Dee!!!, Quickie” Driver, James “Double-J” Jones, Jordy “White Lightning” Nelson, and Greg “The Natural” Jennings. Greg also likes the nickname “Superman”.

Chad “The Wall” Clifton, Bryan “the Whale” Bulaga, Daryn “Big Cajones” Colledge, Scott “Scotty 2 Hotty” Wells, and Josh “The Incredible Hulk” Sitton.

Now for Defense:

Charles “Chaz” and “White House” Woodson. Tramon “The Man” Williams, Sam “Laser” Shields. It’s also a good idea to yell “Shields Up!” whenever you see him. Nick “Prowl Bowl is my middle name” Collins and Charlie “the Doctor” Peprah.

For linebackers we have Clay “the Clay-Maker”, “the Sack-Master” and “the Beast” Matthews. Then there’s Desmond “the checkmate” Bishop, A.J. “The Genius” Hawk, Erik “That Guy” Walden and Frank “el Zorro” Zombo.

On the D-line there is Ryan “The Boulder” or ”The FENCE” Pickett, Cullen “the Freight Train” Jenkins, “Mean” Howard Green and B.J. “The Freezer” Raji. With the Freezer of course being Raji’s own creation. Much like his weird touchdown gyrations.

We’ve also got Tim “The Master” Masthay and Mason “Chasin’ Jacke” Crosby.  Last but not least, there is Jarret “zero to hero” Bush.

Now, I know that’s not everyone, but that ought to hold you over until NFL draft time. Hope you enjoyed the ride. I know I sure did.

GREEN BAY PACKERS, SUPER BOWL 45 CHAMPIONS!!!!   Ahhhhhhhh, I never get tired of saying that. Time to go put on my “title belt.”

See ya!!!! GO PACK GO!!!

Packers vs. Steelers Super Bowl game preview

The big game is almost here, and I must say that it has been a magical ride. When I started this Packers fan blog back in September, I had no idea that the Packers would eventually be playing for a Super Bowl championship. This will be a great game and the hype is already at a fevered pitch. I am so glad that many of you discovered my blog this year and I hope you enjoyed looking at my posts and my after-game analysis. I really enjoyed writing them.

Here’s a great article written by Rick Reilly about why Packers fans don’t just want the Packers to win, they NEED them to win. My wife found this on article on ESPN.com, thanks Stacey!

In honor of the Pack’s first Super Bowl Appearance in 13 years, here is my game preview:

The Steelers had the number one scoring defense in the NFL this year, and they only allowed about 14 points a game. The Packers had the number two scoring defense this year, and they only allowed about 15 points a game. The Packers have a former defensive MVP in cornerback Charles Woodson. The Steelers have a former defensive MVP in linebacker James Harrison. Both team defenses like to use complex blitzing schemes to confuse opposing quarterbacks. And both teams have brilliant defensive coordinators: the Packers in Dom Capers and the Steelers with Dick Lebeau.

Now, with all that being said, I still do not think that this will be a low-scoring game or a defensive struggle. The domed stadium in Dallas is going to provide ideal conditions for the high-octane passing offense of the Packers. It will also be a fast track for the Steelers power running game with Rashard Mendenhall. I expect both offenses to put a lot of points on the board. Having two weeks to prepare for the game is going to be an advantage for both offenses. It is generally not an advantage for either defense.

If the Steelers do have one weakness, it is their pass defense. I believe that the Packers will be able to make some big plays through the air if they can spread out the Steelers defense with four and five wide receivers. I expect them to do just that and then mix it up with some power running formations for James Starks. The Steelers have two good cornerbacks in Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden and an all-pro safety in Troy Polamalu, but the rest of their secondary can be exploited. By contrast, the Packers have THREE great corners with Charles Woodson, the emerging Sam Shields and Tramon Williams. They also have an all-pro at safety with Nick Collins. I expect that the Packers will be able to play better pass coverage.

Keys to Victory:
I think there are three main things that the Packers can do to win this game,
1. Stop Rashard Mendenhall and the Steelers power running attack. This is easier said than done. Hawk, Bishop and company will need to bring their A-game when it comes to tackling and chasing the running backs.
2. Contain Ben Roethlisburger and get pressure on him during pass plays. Do not let him escape a sack, which he often is able to do. Clay Matthews will need to be in his face. Don’t let him get away, Clay!
3. Score early and often. If the Packers can get some early passing scores, this game would become much easier for them to win. The Steelers are a better running team than a passing team, and do not play as well when playing from behind. That means Aaron Rodgers needs to try to set up some early scores. I think he and his receivers can do it. He’s pretty good at escaping sacks too.

Regardless of the outcome, it  will be an amazing Super Bowl and I am so happy for the Green Bay Packers and their fans. Enjoy the game. Hopefully it won’t be another 13 years before the Packers next Super Bowl. But if it is, I’ll be watching… and waiting. Thanks for reading my blog! Have a great and safe Super Sunday and GO PACK GO!!!