May 10, 2004

Is it Now or Never for the Green and Gold?

Marty Coultas <MartyCoultas@yahoo.com>

Welcome back Milwaukeeworlders. I want to start off this week’s column with a special birthday wish to my mom who celebrated her ?!*?*! Birthday on Saturday, and also wish her a Happy Mother’s Day. I love ya mom!

What a boring week for Milwaukee sports fans. The Bucks are done. The Brewers, although still very early in the season have proved again that the ability to save a game is still somewhat of a difficult task to achieve. But sports fans, do not fret, we still have the Green Bay Packers season to look forward to.

As I promised you last week, this article is all about our beloved Green and Gold and my predictions for the upcoming season, as well as a few remarks about some incidents and happenings that have gone on in GB since draft weekend. So readers, get ready, you may not like some of the things I am about to say…….

As many of you may know, Mike Mackenzie fired his agent this week (His fourth in his short-lived FIVE YEAR career), and has specifically requested to not be a member of the Pack for the 2004-2005 season. He missed the mandatory mini-camp held last weekend in Green Bay and his agent is not talking to the media at all.

Mack has decided that he is too brilliant and talented an athlete to play for the measly $17.1 million contract he signed with his previous agent and is now left with no legal representation and has insisted that he will not return to the Packers at all.

 Nice move jackass.

Because his ego was too large to let him attend the mini-camp last weekend as well as an optional off-season work-out seminar, Mack has already lost $20,000 in bonuses and come the regular season, if the arrogant SOB doesn’t come to play, the Packers do not have to pay him.

It’s that simple. Moron.

But, according to team leader Brett Favre, he sees things with Mack a bit differently. According to an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week Favre said he believes that once it’s time for a bank deposit, Mack may change his train of thought. “When paycheck time starts coming around and you’re not getting one, it’s amazing how quickly you start waking up,” the quarterback said. Uh, yeah Brett…..for us common folk that seems like a pretty reasonable approach to employment.

Seeing that the Pack drafted two cornerbacks in the first three rounds of the draft, it seems to me that Sherman has pretty much decided that Mack will not be an active member of the team this season. This, in my opinion is fine. We had a player like him on our team once, but not only was his ego a bit larger and his attitude towards his teammates and fans unforgivable, the guy could at least play some freakin football……Remember him readers? If not, it was a guy named Sterling Sharpe. Although Sharpe was a prick to all fans, coaches, players, and media alike, the guy could catch a football and run his ass off. He may not have been the gem of the city, but he was the gem of the team. Mackenzie ain't even close.

But enough of that BS. Let’s talk about the players on this team who are dedicated and committed to making this team the best in the NFL. For starters, Ahman Green, one of the best running backs in the league, who by the way actually is someone who could pick a bone with management about his contract, has chosen to take the high road. Green has said he is going to train and work extra hard physically and mentally to beat the stellar season he had last year. Ahman, who is coming off a franchise record 1,883 rushing yards has set his goals higher for the upcoming season and is looking to break the 2,000 mark.

Then there is Favre. Still one of, if not the greatest player in the game has said his only goal this season is to go all the way. Favre, whose father passed away during the Pack’s playoff run has not spoken publicly about his drive to win for his father, but any media figure who was at mini-camp last week can see the determination and focus our QB has. This is Favre’s season, mark my words Milwaukeeworlders, he will be the MVP of the NFL this year and if he can keep his interceptions low, he will also be the MVP of the Super Bowl come January.

The Pack has some serious work to do in the upcoming training camps, but we have some real potential on this team INCLUDING the punter that we all gasped about two-weeks ago. He was a stand out at Ohio State and pretty much the only positive member of the offense the Big Ten giants had last season. B.J Sander is a guy with accuracy, strength, and most of all POTENTIAL!! Something this team has needed for punting for the past two seasons.

It’s too early to tell what this team is going to do come opening day against Carolina, but with Sherman’s leadership and his assistants’ coaching resumes, along with the overall talent of the team in general, it’s quite possible that THIS WILL BE our year to come back and prove all those naysayers wrong.

I guess we will just have to keep reading the news and following the camps, but mark my words Milwaukeeworlders, I think 2005 is the season that the PACK WILL BE BACK!

Until next week, keep your ears open and your noses clean and we shall meet again next week. Same time, same place.

Marty the Sports Chick
Milwaukeeworld.com
MartyCoultas@yahoo.com

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