When Nick asked me to be the Mystery Picker this season, I was extremely honored because I’ve always considered the Buboltz family an extension of my own family. Al Buboltz was one of my favorite people in this world and I miss and think about him often.

My Packer loyalty runs long and deep but had an auspicious beginning as my first Packer childhood recollection was the press conference when Vince Lombardi handed over the reigns to Phil Bengston and it was all downhill from there. Apart from the brief glimmers of hope in 1972 with John Brockington & MacArthur Lane, and the wild 1982 strike-shortened season with Lynn Dickey at QB, there were a lot of lean years growing up as a Packer fan.

Like Al, my dad Lyle was a life-long season ticket holder and was in the stands at Lambeau Field for the Ice Bowl on New Year’s Eve 1967. Around the age of ten I was allowed to attend one game per year with my dad and naturally it was always the last game of the season because no one else wanted to suffer the brutal cold of a December game in Green Bay. My attendance at that last game each year was not without purpose because as a youngster I was tasked with sneaking in the flask of brandy since the children never got searched back then.

My fondest Packer memory is by far the 2011 playoff win against the Atlanta Falcons on the way to their last Super Bowl victory. The Packers snuck in the playoffs with a 10-3 win over the Bears in the last week of the season and survived the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card game to meet up with the Falcons who were the #1 NFC seed that year. Doug, Don Mathiebe and Dale Rosin (Roz) flew to Atlanta for the game. As you’ll all remember the Packers thoroughly dominated the Falcons that day and by the end of the third quarter there were only Packer fans left in the Georgia Dome (see picture below).

I’m more than a bit disappointed and embarrassed by my showing as the Mystery Picker this year. I made few brief appearances near the top of the leaderboard earlier in the season but faded down the stretch and finished closer to the bottom than the top.

I’m optimistic the Packers can make a deep run in the playoffs again this year and I’m confident they have the young nucleus to be a force in the NFC for years to come. So, if you hear some loud screams this Sunday coming from the Southeast you’ll know the origin.

I want to thank Nick for reviving this awesome tradition and for letting me be a small part of it.

Go Pack!!

Paul Schwahn

Why the Packers Will Beat the Eagles

by Coach V

Attending a game at Lambeau Field is always enjoyable, despite the outcome. This time, I got to sit with Blake for the first time and I had a lot of fun talking football with him throughout the game. Another enjoyable aspect of the game was quietly making snarky comments to each other about the boisterous Packer fans behind us. The verbal onslaught from the two gentlemen began in earnest already on the opening drive. On the Packers opening drive failed 3rd down conversion attempt, Love was forced out of the pocket and threw the ball at the feet of his receiver, (which looked like to my eyes that he was throwing the ball away rather than risk a potential interception). That sparked an immediate response from behind, “See, that is why I am still not sold on Love. I just don’t think he has it.” Much of the first quarter brought similar comments.

The auditory assault on our ears continued much of the game, although it brought both Blake and me much enjoyment to discuss how different the two gentlemen’s discourse changed once Willis entered the game. It was interesting to me how when Willis managed to twice spike the ball in the ground several feet in front of his receiver, it was strictly due to the cold temperatures. Because after all, as these two gentlemen would tell you, he is from Tennessee.

At least we got a whole new topic of conversation in the second half. As our beloved Packers continued to struggle, we were serenaded with ironclad declarations of the Packers being “one and done in the playoffs.” We were fortunate enough to hear that expression upwards of a dozen times, but lucky for us, it was only a half of football, even though he “has been saying it for weeks.” (Trust them, you can “book it”)

The Packer bashing did not end as the final horn sounded, however. Once I returned home, I bravely delved into the social media abyss known as “Packers Twitter.” There, I was regaled with all sorts of suggestions on how to fix the Packers this offseason, despite that Green Bay does in fact have a game this Sunday. It seems many fans have already given up and credited the Eagles with the win. Green Bay may as well save the cost of the plane ticket and stay home.

I, on the other hand, refuse to give up. I understand that the last two weeks have not been as much fun to watch and you may be struggling to find some level of confidence heading into Sunday. Well, have no fear. Your Buboltz family eternal optimist is here to tell you exactly why the Green Bay Packers will defeat the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday.

1. There is a narrative out there that Green Bay can’t beat good teams. After all, they were unable to beat Detroit, Minnesota, or Philadelphia. (and yes, Chicago, but more on that later). The Packers lost those five games by a combined 22 points, coincidentally, the same margin of defeat Minnesota suffered Sunday night against Detroit. *Side note, the Packers have not lost a game by 22 or more points since Week 1 of 2021.

It is also worth noting that GB did defeat the division-winning Houston Texans (10-7), as well as the Rams (10-7), and the Seahawks (10-7). They also beat three more teams that were 8-9. Green Bay is absolutely capable of beating all three playoff teams they lost to.

2. Is Philadelphia really that good? Their record would suggest so, but they don’t play in the NFC North. I don’t think anyone would argue against the NFC North being the toughest division in football this year. The Packers three divisional opponents won 34 games (yes, including 5 against the Packers) while the Eagles divisional opponents won 24. Both GB and Philly were against the AFC. Green Bay only lost one game outside the division (yes, to the Eagles), while the Eagles lost to both Atlanta and Tampa Bay (in addition to Washington).

Philadelphia has struggled at times against average or below-average opponents. They actually trailed entering the 4th quarter against the 5-12 Carolina Panthers. They were tied with the 3-13 Browns with 8 minutes left in the game. Saquon Barkley was held to just 47 yards rushing on 18 carries in that game. The Eagles lost to Washington just a few weeks ago despite the Commanders turning the ball over FIVE times! Admittedly, Jalen Hurts only attempted four passes before leaving the game with a concussion, which leads me to my next point.

3. Jalen Hurts is still in the NFL’s concussion protocol. While signs all seem to point to him playing on Sunday, he has not taken a live snap since December 22nd and has likely had very few reps at practice as he has gone through the required process. He will likely be a little rusty. Also, Hurts has a habit of turning the ball over. In his career, he has played in 77 games, he has thrown 39 INTs and fumbled 45 times. His interceptions are down this year, (he did throw two against GB in week one) but so are his pass attempts. His attempts this year are his lowest since his rookie year. All of this plays into the Packers' hands because I believe…..

4. Green Bay can stop Saquon Barkley. They have only allowed over 100 rushing yards in a game once since Week 12. That is not for a single running back but for the entire team each week. The one time they did was against Detroit with 34 carries for 111 yards, which is only 3.2 yards per attempt. Jahmyr Gibbs, who is averaging 5.4 yards per carry on the season, averaged only 2.9 that night. Barkley did have a decent day against GB in Week 1 with 109 yards on 24 carries, but that was a long time ago and the Packers' defense is much improved. Eddgerin Cooper in particular has elevated his game significantly since Week 1. I will feel even more bullish on this aspect of the game if Evan Williams is cleared to play.

5. Week 1: The loss to the Eagles in week 1 was a hard-fought game, but Green Bay was actually close to a building a huge early lead. Green Bay forced turnovers on Philly’s first two possesions, but both drives ended in field goals, both of which included an offensive holding penalty. The Eagles first TD drive was aided by two offsides penalties by GB, one on third down and one on fourth. Green Bay had two additional drives slowed by multiple penalties and a missed FG in the second half. If even half of those mistakes are eliminated, they win the game.

6. The loss to the Bears does not in any way change my feelings about Sunday. It was a relatively meaningless game in which Jordan Love left the game early, Jacobs played sparingly, Romeo Doubs was out sick, etc. On top of that, it is against a division rival that always seems to play their best game against the Packers. And, yes, the Bears are 5-12 on the season, but they also play in the toughest division in football. Keep in mind, this Bears team beat the Rams early in the season, took the Vikings to overtime, only lost to Detroit by 3 in their first game, and only lost to Washington because of a hail mary. The Bears actually had a larger margin of victory against both Carolina and Jacksonville compared to the Eagles.

7. Finally, the last reason I believe that the Green Bay Packers will defeat the Philadelphia Eagles this week is this: The NFL is a week-to-week league. As the expression says, “Any Given Sunday.” This is true now, more than ever. Teams will play their best game of the season one week and follow it up with their worst. It is why the Cleveland Browns can beat both the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers who are a combined 22-12, yet only win one other game all season. Nearly every NFL game is ultimately decided by three or four plays, and with the possible help of a well-timed penalty flag. Now, I will admit, the Green Bay Packers have not played their best football recently, but there is no time like the present: Green Bay 31 Philadelphia 17.

Touring Lambeau

By Rick Buboltz

As you can expect, the mood around Lambeau Field was not real cheerful on Monday.

Obviously, our play on the field Sunday did not get it done, but the play off the field ( i.e. the coaches) left something to be desired as well.

Our head coach - calling time out,

Our defensive coordinator- last play of the game,

Our special teams coach- the punt return, - were  just not good enough. 

Everyone will need to step it up a notch if we’re going to have a chance against the Eagles on Sunday.