Yes, it's the gimmiest gimme on the schedule, but the St. Louis Rams are coming to town to try to win a football game and the Packers need to be sharp, attend to business and move to 6-0. We all thought the Dolphins were a gimme on last season's home slate and we know how that turned out.

That said, the Packers are an entirely different team from a year ago. They play with confidence, intelligence and mostly, surgical precision. Come back from 14 down on the road against a conference heavyweight without your starting tackles? No problem.

So here come the 0-4 Rams. If not for the Eagles, Jets and Chiefs, they would be the biggest disappointment of the season. Coming off a 7-9 season where they just missed the playoffs, St. Louis was seen as a team on the rise: I had them winning the rotten NFC West. But a few things happened along the way this season, starting with the hiring of head coach flameout Josh McDaniels as the new offensive coordinator. Sam Bradford has struggled in the new offense. He has weak receivers, a lousy offensive line and his great running back Steven Jackson has been banged up.

The Packers are favored by 15--a number you don't see often in the NFL. They will win this game. Here are 10 things we need to see:

1. This is the game where the pass rush needs to wake up and make its presence felt. Bradford is getting killed. He's been sacked 12 times in his last two games. 12! They're coming off their bye, so they may have figured some things out, but they're allowing a sack every 8.2 passes. The Pack needs to continue the trend. They benched right tackle Jason Smith, the second pick in the draft two years ago. Their left tackle Roger Saffold isn't much better. This unit is the main reason the team is 0-4.

2. Contain Steven Jackson. After being slowed with a quad, he's back to 100% and will be fed early and often to keep the dogs off Stafford. The Pack's defensive game plan revolves around Jackson, who always has big games against them. When healthy he's a top 5 running back and he's the only real offensive threat the team has. The Packers did a nice job against Michael Turner last Sunday (after the first two drives). If Jackson can't find room to run, Bradford will be a sitting duck. And along those lines...

3. Jump out to a quick lead. Grabbing a two touchdown lead will force McDaniels to abandon the run and go to the air. The Rams receivers give the Bears a run for their money in awfulness. It didn't help that they lost Danny Amendola (85 catches last year) in the opener. They brought in former Jag Mike Sims-Walker but he's yet to show anything. Their other top guys are Brandon Gibson (slow) and Danario Alexander (five knee surgeries). Put it this way: Randall Cobb would be a starter for the Rams. Wisconsin fans will enjoy watching former Badger Lance Kendricks, a second round pick who could become a star in this offense.

4. The Packer tackles. Marshall Newhouse gets his second start at left tackle and will face veteran James Hall and maybe rookie Robert Quinn. I'm already a little nervous about his matchup next week against red hot Jared Allen at the Dome, but Newhouse has proven to be a quick study and a capable replacement. I'm not sure if Bulaga or Sherrod will start at RT. My hunch is they'll see if they can give Bulaga one more week to get healthy, but we'll see.

5. Welcome back, Al. Here's all you have to know about the Rams secondary: Al Harris is a starter. The Packer fan favorite and soon to be 37 year old is starting by default. The Rams have lost their top three corners for the season. Harris and Rod Hood, the starters, weren't even on the roster a year ago. Another former Packer, Josh Gordy, may serve as the nickel back. Talk about mismatches: Aaron Rodgers should be able to play pitch and catch on Sunday.

6. The Rams can't stop the run either. Both Ryan Grant and James Starks should put up big numbers on Sunday. The thing about the Rams is they're old: the fifth oldest team in the NFL when the season started. Defensive end Chris Long is the only starter on the line under 32. Their DTs are not getting any pass rush and are getting pushed around.

7. Hi Brady. The former Packer linebacker has landed with the Rams, along with former Viking Ben Leber, but it looks like both guys' best days are behind them. The leader of this unit is unquestionably James Laurinaitis, the Wayzata kid and former Buckeye star. He's a Pro Bowler in waiting and is the leader of the defense.

8. Continue to spread the ball around on offense. The attention that Mike McCarthy's reaction to the Donald Driver's question this week is amusing. If you believe Driver or the Packers are concerned about how many balls he is getting, you haven't been paying attention. One week it's Jennings, another it's Finley, last week it was James Jones. When your QB can find 12 different guys in one game, you know the offense is humming and as long as everyone stays healthy, the passing offense should be getting minimal scrutiny.

9. Stats for Clay Matthews. He continues to rest all week and it may take the bye week to get that quad feeling right, but against this opponent, at home, you'd like to see the Claymaker deliver a multi-sack game.

10. Health. Let's come out of this one clean and healthy and get set to take on the Queens in the Dome next Sunday.

It seems too obvious, but I can't imagine a letdown this week. Pack 42 Rams 10.

Yes, it's the gimmiest gimme on the schedule, but the St. Louis Rams are coming to town to try to win a football game and the Packers need to be sharp, attend to business and move to 6-0. We all thought the Dolphins were a gimme on last season's home slate and we know how that turned out.

That said, the Packers are an entirely different team from a year ago. They play with confidence, intelligence and mostly, surgical precision. Come back from 14 down on the road against a conference heavyweight without your starting tackles? No problem.

So here come the 0-4 Rams. If not for the Eagles, Jets and Chiefs, they would be the biggest disappointment of the season. Coming off a 7-9 season where they just missed the playoffs, St. Louis was seen as a team on the rise: I had them winning the rotten NFC West. But a few things happened along the way this season, starting with the hiring of head coach flameout Josh McDaniels as the new offensive coordinator. Sam Bradford has struggled in the new offense. He has weak receivers, a lousy offensive line and his great running back Steven Jackson has been banged up.

The Packers are favored by 15--a number you don't see often in the NFL. They will win this game. Here are 10 things we need to see:

1. This is the game where the pass rush needs to wake up and make its presence felt. Bradford is getting killed. He's been sacked 12 times in his last two games. 12! They're coming off their bye, so they may have figured some things out, but they're allowing a sack every 8.2 passes. The Pack needs to continue the trend. They benched right tackle Jason Smith, the second pick in the draft two years ago. Their left tackle Roger Saffold isn't much better. This unit is the main reason the team is 0-4.

2. Contain Steven Jackson. After being slowed with a quad, he's back to 100% and will be fed early and often to keep the dogs off Stafford. The Pack's defensive game plan revolves around Jackson, who always has big games against them. When healthy he's a top 5 running back and he's the only real offensive threat the team has. The Packers did a nice job against Michael Turner last Sunday (after the first two drives). If Jackson can't find room to run, Bradford will be a sitting duck. And along those lines...

3. Jump out to a quick lead. Grabbing a two touchdown lead will force McDaniels to abandon the run and go to the air. The Rams receivers give the Bears a run for their money in awfulness. It didn't help that they lost Danny Amendola (85 catches last year) in the opener. They brought in former Jag Mike Sims-Walker but he's yet to show anything. Their other top guys are Brandon Gibson (slow) and Danario Alexander (five knee surgeries). Put it this way: Randall Cobb would be a starter for the Rams. Wisconsin fans will enjoy watching former Badger Lance Kendricks, a second round pick who could become a star in this offense.

4. The Packer tackles. Marshall Newhouse gets his second start at left tackle and will face veteran James Hall and maybe rookie Robert Quinn. I'm already a little nervous about his matchup next week against red hot Jared Allen at the Dome, but Newhouse has proven to be a quick study and a capable replacement. I'm not sure if Bulaga or Sherrod will start at RT. My hunch is they'll see if they can give Bulaga one more week to get healthy, but we'll see.

5. Welcome back, Al. Here's all you have to know about the Rams secondary: Al Harris is a starter. The Packer fan favorite and soon to be 37 year old is starting by default. The Rams have lost their top three corners for the season. Harris and Rod Hood, the starters, weren't even on the roster a year ago. Another former Packer, Josh Gordy, may serve as the nickel back. Talk about mismatches: Aaron Rodgers should be able to play pitch and catch on Sunday.

6. The Rams can't stop the run either. Both Ryan Grant and James Starks should put up big numbers on Sunday. The thing about the Rams is they're old: the fifth oldest team in the NFL when the season started. Defensive end Chris Long is the only starter on the line under 32. Their DTs are not getting any pass rush and are getting pushed around.

7. Hi Brady. The former Packer linebacker has landed with the Rams, along with former Viking Ben Leber, but it looks like both guys' best days are behind them. The leader of this unit is unquestionably James Laurinaitis, the Wayzata kid and former Buckeye star. He's a Pro Bowler in waiting and is the leader of the defense.

8. Continue to spread the ball around on offense. The attention that Mike McCarthy's reaction to the Donald Driver's question this week is amusing. If you believe Driver or the Packers are concerned about how many balls he is getting, you haven't been paying attention. One week it's Jennings, another it's Finley, last week it was James Jones. When your QB can find 12 different guys in one game, you know the offense is humming and as long as everyone stays healthy, the passing offense should be getting minimal scrutiny.

9. Stats for Clay Matthews. He continues to rest all week and it may take the bye week to get that quad feeling right, but against this opponent, at home, you'd like to see the Claymaker deliver a multi-sack game.

10. Health. Let's come out of this one clean and healthy and get set to take on the Queens in the Dome next Sunday.

It seems too obvious, but I can't imagine a letdown this week. Pack 42 Rams 10.

After witnessing Aaron Rodgers' finest hour and official coming out party in their own house in January, the Falcons' braintrust made a bold, daring draft day decision: If you can't stop 'em, try to score along with them.

They traded two #1s, a number two and two #4s to move from 27th to sixth in April's draft to select former Alabama stud receiver Julio Jones. Yes they had the sturdy, above average runner in Michael Turner and Pro Bowl receiver Roddy White. But missing was someone to go deep, to remove all the attention from White and to open up the middle for ageless tight end Tony Gonzalez.

Matt Ryan needed another toy, because the Packers offense only figured to be better this year with the return of Finley and Grant. So the Falcons plucked Jones from the draft and the returns are already in. They love him. Last Sunday in Seattle, Ryan targeted him 17 times. 17! In a game they led throughout. He caught 11 passes for 127 yards and is the early favorite for offensive rookie of the year. You can argue they've gone too far away from Turner, but they know they need to be able to put up 30 points against the Packers and Saints.

They also recognize that their defense is not going to send offensive coordinators running for the hills. There are some nice pieces, but even the addition of for Viking defensive end Ray Edwards has done nothing to improve the pass rush. They're defense gives up 26 points per game, 27th in the NFL. The Pack are now #1 at 37 points per game.

This game feels like a shootout. And Thomas Dimitroff and the Falcons feel like they are better equipped to score with the Pack, with Julio Jones lined up opposite Roddy White. Expect Dom Capers to show some things he's been holding back. The offensive line is the Achilles heel of this team. They've been a bit better the last two weeks, but Chicago almost knocked Ryan into retirement in the opener and this is the best defense that line has faced this season.

Is it Sunday night yet?

If someone would have stopped you on the street around Labor Day and said the Packers defense would be ranked 29th in the league after three weeks, you would have said, okay, here's my mortgage, I'll bet you my mortgage you're wrong. OK, maybe you would have wagered a Chipotle burrito or something.

But here we are, sitting nicely at 3-0, the only playoff team from a year ago to win its first three games. The Packers' streak is at nine in a row going back to the Giants game last December which kindled their historic march to the Super Bowl title. Yet the pass defense is getting torched, currently ranking ahead of only New England, a team many (including yours truly) believe will meet the Pack in Indy next February.

One school of thought is the Pack and Pats play with the lead most of the time, forcing teams out of their comfort zone and into more of an aerial attack. I'll buy that up to a point. We've also just witnessed the most prolific opening three weeks in league history, when it comes to points scored, passing yards and passing TDs. So most teams are dealing with catching up to teams' passing attacks.

The truth is the Pack, like most teams, are scrambling to get their legs under them. The lack of an offseason and the lack of live tackling in the new CBA deal has them in catch-up mode. Though they haven't been hit as hard as some teams, the Packers have also played without a starting defensive end (Mike Neal) and either a Pro Bowl corner (Tramon Williams) or a Pro Bowl safety (Nick Collins) the last two weeks and have been forced to alter the way they like to do things. Top it off with the fact that Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews are barely practicing, so as not to worsen the minor injuries they're nursing.

The good news is that while the Pack has been lousy against the pass, they've been terrific against the run, ranked #1 in the league, giving up just 55 yards per game. Just like the Steelers D they were patterned after, they are taking on an identity of an impenetrable front seven that forces you to throw and then unleashes the pass rush. While Matthews' numbers aren't there yet, the coaches insist he's playing at a higher level than he ever has. And the team is tied for fourth in the league with ten sacks through three games.

This week we'll get a much clearer picture about where this defense is. The Broncos are the definition of mediocre on offense. Kyle Orton is the de facto starter, while the entire fan base calls out for the beginning of the Tim Tebow era. The Broncos think so highly of last year's #1 pick that he's not even #2 on the depth chart. They list Tebow and A.J. Hawk's brother-in-law as co-number two's. Bronco insiders believe next year's starting QB is not currently on the roster.

Orton is working without two of his top receivers, Eddie Royal and Demariyus Thomas, giving former Gopher Eric Decker a chance to showcase his skills. But they have no Brandon Marshall, no go-to guy that could give the Packers fits. The running game, with Knowshon Moreno and Willis McGahee ranks 28th in the league--so they will have a hard time moving the ball on the ground.

Orton does lead the league in one category: passes deflected at the line of scrimmage, with seven so far. Look for the Packer defenders to have their hands in the air to add to that number. This is an offense devoid of true playmakers and the Packers have no business allowing them to score more than ten points.

If Orton puts up more than 250 yards (he's been averaging 210/game) at Lambeau, there is real reason for concern. This is a sandwich game between road games against the two teams the Pack beat before the Super Bowl, Chicago and Atlanta. There's no room for a letdown. This is the kind of game where the defense must re-assert itself. Or else, serious teeth-gnashing will ensue.

By: Dave Sinykin

Well, at least we got through one game unscathed this year. The season-ending injury to Nick Collins is a big blow to the defense. It won't cause Dom Capers to change his scheme, but it will force him to do things a bit differently.

In steps Charlie Peprah, who did a fine job filling in for Morgan Burnett last season. But Peprah will not make us forget about Collins. He's not as instinctive, can't cover as much ground and doesn't have Collins' speed. Expect Burnett to be asked to do more--my gut tells me he is up to the challenge. I love how physically he plays--I think he has star potential. There's also the chance Charles Woodson could play some safety down the road, if things aren't looking good.

The Packers face the potential of taking on the Bears minus three defensive starters (four, if you count Frank Zombo). Collins and Neal are out and Tramon Williams' status remains up in the air. Not the ideal situation heading into a key divisional game and rematch of the NFC title game a year ago. The Bears have injuries of their own: rookie right tackly Gabe Carimi dislocated his knee and will miss a month. Safeties Major Wright (head) and Chris Harris (hamstring) are nursing injuries and their status is unclear.

After a rousing and eye-opening win over Atlanta in Week 1, the Bears melted down in New Orleans. They fell behind in the second half, Mike Martz abandoned the run and almost got his QB killed. Jay Cutler was hit 16 times, knocked down 12 and was sacked six times, five in the fourth quarter after Carimi went down. Martz is getting torched in the media for only running the ball 12 times so he will over-compensate this week. Good lucj against the Pack's stingy run defense. The Bears' tight ends didn't catch a ball last week. With Greg Olsen gone, they're going with blocking tight ends, which their shaky offensive line needs. But it eliminates a weapon on a team very short of receiving weapons. Right now, to game plan against the Bears you concentrate on taking Matt Forte out of the equation and let someone else beat you.

Cutler was blitzed on 34 of 51 plays and he can expect to see more of the same this week against the Packers. Line coach Mike Tice is doing more shifting. He'll move guard Frank Omiyale to right tackle and center Chris Spencer to right guard. Roberto Garza is the new center. You can but Cutler will not get a lot of sleep this week.

By: Dave Sinykin

This one was ugly from the start. But when you have designs on winning a Super Bowl title, sometimes you win ugly. The Packers found themselves trailing the Panthers 13-0 in the second quarter--the largest deficit they've faced since the '09 season.

But on a day when Cam Newton added to his burgeoning legend with a second consecutive 400 yard day, it was his three interceptions that allowed the Packers to hold off the Panthers and improve to 2-0. Mike McCarthy is now a perfect 6-0 in home openers.

As for Newton, he was beyond impressive. This stat says it all: in NFL history, there have been four 400 yard passing days by a rookie. Newton has two of them in two career starts. The Packers sacked him four times, but he was able to elude the pass rush for much of the day and had lots of time to find receivers. After a 150 yard first quarter where his tight ends, Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey were consistently wide open, the Pack switched to more zone coverage. From then on, the screen game worked well and his receivers made some big third down catches to keep them in the game late.

After two games, the Packers defense has given up two 400 yard passing days. Concerning? Yes. But there's plenty of time to figure things out. On a positive note, the run defense was ferocious: eliminating DeAngelo Williams from the attack and forcing Carolina to be one-dimensional. And like the opener, the defense stood tall and made big plays when it needed to. Cornerback Tramon Williams missed the game: he would have drawn the Steve Smith assignment for much of the game and allowed Charles Woodson to move around more.

Instead, Woodson played more in coverage and delivered a brilliant performance, with two interceptions and a forced fumble. Morgan Burnett had another strong outing--forcing Steve's Smith's fumble.

The offense got its act together in the second half, once Mike McCarthy remembered that running the ball was allowed in the NFL. I know he was behind in the first half, but there's no excuse for four rushing attempts in the first half. James Starks busted some nice runs on the first drive of the third quarter--putting play action in play; Rodgers and Jennings hooked up on a long touchdown pass. Through two games it's clear as day that Starks is the Pack's best running back--and it's not close.

At the time of this post, it appears that Nick Collins is going to be okay. His head collided with Jonathan Stewart's backside and he was carted off the field. After spending Sunday night in Charlotte as a precaution, he will return to Green Bay for additional tests--but he had "normal feeling and complete movement in his extremities," according to a Packer press release Sunday night.

The Pack will need him and Williams back in the secondary next week when they head to Soldier Field for a huge early season divisional game against the Bears. Chicago got pounded by the Saints and will be ready for a hard-hitting defensive tug of war. Green Bay will take the field tied atop the North with the Lions, who put up 48 on the Chiefs and look like a team that has officially arrived.

The Packers have not yet arrived yet with a complete performance in 2011. They're going to need one next week.

If the Packers and Saints meet again for the NFC Championship, as I have predicted, they'll be hard-pressed to top this one--an instant classic that ended on the Packers' one yard line when Clay Matthews and Morgan Burnett stuffed Mark Ingram just short of the goal line to preserve a 42-34 win that had a little bit of everything.

It couldn't have started any better for the Pack, with TDs on their first three drives. Aaron Rodgers' first quarter line: 14-15 for 188 yards and 3 TDs, a perfect passer rating. They Pack came out in the no huddle and marched 74 yards on their first drive. A Saints fumble gave the ball right back and it was 14-0 before you could say, 'Who Dat!'

Rookie Randall Cobb exploded on the scene with a 32 yard touchdown catch and run over the middle. then midway through the third, after the Saints had cut the Pack's lead to eight at 28-20, he took the kickoff eight yards deep and brought it out. "I wasn't cheering for him until he spun out of that tackle," Mike McCarthy said after the game. "Then I was happy he brought it out. The 108 yard touchdown tied an NFL record and offset Darren Sproles earlier punt return for a TD. McCarthy mentioned how players have noticed that Cobb is a special player. "He's gifted," he said after the game.

Donald Driver finished the game tied with James Lofton as the Pack's all time yardage leader for wide receivers, but it was his grab of New Orleans' onside kick attempt in the final minute that was his biggest play of the game.

Concerns: well, the defense got torched through the air, giving up a 400 yard passing game to Drew Brees and nearly surrendering a 15 point lead in the final five minutes. When Tramon Williams left late with a shoulder injury, Brees went after Jarrett Bussh immediately. We'll have to wait and see on the severity of the injury. The Pack has 10 days before their next game and he could probably sit against the Panthers and rest up for the Bears the following week. Special teams was also shaky, despite Cobb's brilliant return. Darren Sproles caused the team fits: look for the team to make some adjustments for next week.

I thought the Pack's running game was solid, just shy of 100 yards--James Starks had 57 of them and averaged nearly five yards per carry and scored his first regular season touchdown. I maintain he will be the Pack's starter before long.

All in all, a thrilling opener for the Pack--maybe a little too close for comfort, but the Pack took care of a very good team and showed that with the return of Finley and the emergence of Cobb, points will be plentiful this season. Now, let Dom Capers work on tweaking the D and we will be on our way.

For a defending Super Bowl champ, the Packers have a lot of players with chips on their shoulders this season that should prevent any kind of Super Bowl hangover. There are the injured guys, who were stripped down to cheerleader status during the epic post-season run and now want to prove that they are key members of a championship team.

Then there is the team's 2012 free agent class. Ten guys who will either be playing for a new contract or to prove to someone else that they deserve new deals. Two players: Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant fall into both categories.

Following is the order I think the Packers will re-sign their free agents, a process that will probably start in the back half of the regular season as the team spends whatever cap money they have to lessen the hit on future years.

The Packers have 10 unrestricted free agents, and barring significant injuries I think the team makes an effort to sign five and lets the other five test the waters.

1. Josh Sitton: The Pack's right guard is on the cusp of being a Pro Bowler and is clearly an ascending and right now the most dependable member of the offensive line. The guess here is the Pack locks him up sometime after the trade deadline passes and Sitton locks up one of the richest contracts for a guard in the NFL. Think Logan Mankins money: 6 years, $52 million, $20 million guaranteed. With two young tackles, the Pack can afford to overspend a bit at this spot.

2. Jermichael Finley: The fact that Finley has yet to finish a season is the main reason he hasn't already gotten a long term contract. The Packers are in no hurry to get this one done and Finley has no leverage to gripe, but if he does finally stay healthy he has a chance to put up Antonio Gates/Jason Witten numbers and to be paid accordingly. At 24 he is just scratching the surface and has a chance to be a Pro Bowl regular.

3. Scott Wells: For a guy who was buried on the depth chart for a while, Wells has turned into a dependable, if unspectacular center who has a complete understanding of this offense and his QB. At 30, Wells won't command huge dollars, but without a real replacement on the roster (Nick McDonald maybe?), the Pack and Wells should come to a reasonable deal.

4. Jordy Nelson: Nelson will be under a lot of pressure to perform on a team with too many weapons to keep everyone happy, provided they stay healthy. The Super Bowl hero also had a number of drops in that game, something he continues to do in training camp. With Driver slowing down, there is a chance to step into a larger role with the Pack. But the signing of James Jones and the potential emergence of Randall Cobb will put the onus on Nelson to show he deserves to be considered a key component of the WR corps for years to come.

5. Erik Walden: He's in a dogfight with Frank Zombo for the starting OLB spot opposite Clay Matthews. If he shows that the guy who destroyed the Bears in week 17 is for real, the Pack will look to re-sign him. If Zombo wins the job, or the team feels they can finally address that spot in next year's draft, Walden could be sent packin'.

6. Howard Green: A revelation picked up off the Jets' scrap heap, Green proved invaluable on running plays and will be counted on heavily in 2011. At 32, he's on the backside of his career, but could be re-signed at a bargain price to be a situational player on this defense for a couple more seasons.

7. Jarrett Bush: His big time Super Bowl performance, notwithstanding, Bush has more lives than a cat. His value on special teams, not his ability as a CB, has kept him on the roster. I can't imagine a lot of teams will clamor for his services, but if he's forced into action due to injuries, he could get an offer and the Pack is likely to let him walk.

8. Ryan Grant: The running back is 28, but has a lot more tread on the tires left than a typical back his age. He played very little with the Giants and injuries have shortened a couple of his seasons as a Packer. That said, barring a huge season, I can't see Grant back in 2012. James Starks and Alex Green will be looked upon to carry the load in 2012.

9. Pat Lee: Only Lee's status as a former second round pick has kept him on the roster. I'm not convinced he's a shoo-in to make the team this season. He's benefiting early from injuries to a couple of rookies, but didn't exactly take advantage on the field against the Browns. Zero chance he's back in 2012.

10. Matt Flynn: In a perfect world, the Pack trades Matt Flynn to a team like the Seahawks, Dolphins or 49ers before the trade deadline and collects an extra high pick in the draft. Meanwhile the Pack rides the arm of Aaron Rodgers to another Super Bowl championship. But there is no way that will happen. When Rodgers went down last season, Flynn showed he is ready to step in and lead this offense. The #3 QB, Graham Harrell is not close. The Pack can't afford to lose Flynn this season. Rodgers plays very aggressively and runs more than most QBs. If he goes down again in 2012, the Pack should be able to make do for a while. As the defending champs and a favorite to compete for another title, the Pack needs a strong backup and they have one in Flynn. At least for this season. Flynn will depart for a big money contract either as a starter or to compete for a job somewhere else in 2012.

Like most of you, I was surprised to hear the Pack resigned WR James Jones to a new three-year deal. But when the market tightened up in the last 24 hours, he realized his dreams of a big money contract and a shot as a #1 receiver somewhere else had gone up in smoke. The Jets brought in their latest reclamation project in Plaxico Burress and the Vikings went cheap with former Falcon (and Bill Musgrave fave) Michael Jenkins.

When Aaron Rodgers went public earlier this week saying, in his mind, Jones should be the team's top priority, you can bet the front office listened. They also discovered, to their delight, that they weren't competing with any other teams and were able to sign Jones at a palatable (and at the time of this writing, unannounced) salary.

Hey, it's great to have Jones back. It lessens the concern that the team could be thin there if Donald Driver is not healthy and it lessens the need for rookie Randall Cobb to take meaningful snaps until he's comfortable with the offense. Presuming a three year deal for $10-15 million on the high side, that's a workable number for a guy that has shown big-play ability in big moments. Unfortunately, they're usually tempered by key drops at inopportune times.

The Packers have also brought back fan favorite John Kuhn, who earned every dollar of his new deal, reported to make him among the highest paid fullbacks in the league.

So in a week where the Pack lost starters Darren Colledge and Cullen Jenkins, along with reserves like Brandon Chillar, Mark Tauscher, Brandon Jackson and Brady Poppinga, it's nice to close out the craziest transactional week in NFL history with two moves that keep the Aaron Rodgers Band together. The Eagles suddenly have a deep and dangerous defense. These two moves will help keep the Pack deep and dangerous on offense.