While Colt McCoy went campin' with the boys' this off season, Aaron Rodgers talked to his teammates only via phone. With no new players to count on to produce and no new offense to install, practice seemed like, well, like telling Ron Turcotte how handle Secretariot around the first turn.
Not needed.
The Pack has been running some form of the West Coast offense for, oh, twenty years or so. The Browns, notta one. Two weeks.
The Packers won the Super Bowl last year. The Browns picked sixth in the draft in April.
So, yeah. A lot to learn tonight.
The Browns bring a mixed-bag of firsts into the match: First game with with a first-year head coach; First game with the new offense, new defense. First game for first-year position coaches.
The Packers bring ten returning starters on offense, ten on defense. An offense and defense that at last glance was clicking. Like Clicking. The New Gunlsinger, Rodgers, had 'em rolling up the points down the stretch last year on their run to reclaim the Lombardi - and bring it home.
Galluping really.
Meanwhile, Colt McCoy got his feet wet with a 1-5 team against, in order now, the Steelers, the Patriots, the Saints, and the Jets. McCoy would probably admit that at some point in the middle there, the water rose well past his feet.
But he actually won a couple of 'em. Kudos to him. This is a new season, one with expectations. He won't win one tonight. He won't win one quarter tonight, actually.
The only measurable section of pre-season game number one in any season is the first quarter with the starters. So, he's got, at best, three series? I'll bet Colt scores on one of 'em. Maybe a toss-in Dawson field goal on another...just to see.
Just to see how close they can get to where an NFL team that wants to win in the post season needs to be. And then they can get ready for the rest of the ponies in the league.
So, do the Browns have the horses to beat the Pack to the Wire? Doubt it. But it'll be a good first turn through to be sure.
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