Wes, whom should we be rooting for in this weekend’s AFC Championship game? It’s obvious to root for the Rams on the NFC side because of Davante Adams and the fact that Seattle hasn’t been forgiven for a certain unmentionable game. But it’s a little trickier on the AFC side. New England had the common courtesy to lose to the Packers in the Super Bowl, while Denver did not. Plus, Eliot Wolf is with the Patriots. But the Patriots have won too often lately, so that’s why I’d like your opinion.
I’m pulling for the Broncos and Marcedes Lewis. Even if Lewis isn’t elevated from the practice squad for Sunday, it’d still be cool to see him end his 20-year NFL career with his team advancing to the Super Bowl. Jarrett Stidham coming off the bench and randomly beating the Pats also entices me.
I understand the sentiment of some who would like to see Matthew Stafford in the Super Bowl, but as a Packers fan in Minnesota I’d prefer Sam Darnold making it to the big show. This would provide several months of cannon fodder to use against my Vikings friends and in-laws. How do you see that game unfolding?
I believe Stafford played his worst game against Chicago and it still was enough to beat the Bears. I think we’re gonna see his best version in Seattle. Will that be enough to beat the Seahawks? We’ll find out Sunday, but I expect Stafford and those wideouts to perform well. It’s a big moment for all of them.
Aaron Kampman was an incredibly kind human being as well. Back when he was at the University of Iowa, he was a teacher’s aide at a local elementary school, providing support for special needs kid in class. As you can imagine, the elementary school kids loved to hang on the big guy at recess. Very kind, gentle, and patient. He had to leave before the school year ended to continue his football career and I was brought in as the temporary aid with the dubious honor to try to replace him (impossible). I didn’t follow football at the time, so it wasn’t until years later when my coworkers at my new job were talking about the Packers and said Aaron’s name and I was like “What? Aaron is in the NFL?” Needless to say, my stories were a hit at the water cooler that day. Wonderful guy.
Kampman was already gone by the time I started covering the team in 2012, but I’ve heard many similar stories about the quality human he is from Spoff and other beat writers. It’s always great to see a player’s character away from the field match his on-field impact.
Wes, a follow-up from the question from Wes from Marengo, IL. First of all, you sell yourself short by referring to your insight, wisdom and wit as simple “musings.” Second, while we want LeFleur, Gutey and Russ Ball neck deep into their respective duties, I would think Ed Policy (who seems to be a man of the people anyway) would benefit from dipping regularly into II. What better way to stay abreast of the fan base he’s serving?
Ha. True, but Ed also has his own “Perspective,” too.
I guess now that we are in the off season for the Packers, I can ask you non-football questions. Like what is your favored go-to breakfast? And if you had to choose a day without coffee or a day without breakfast which one wins Weston?
I’m torn. I’m a big fan of chorizo burritos but I also don’t think I could give up coffee for an entire day.
Craig from St. Charles, IL
It seems appropriate that the Packers represent the NFC in Super Bowl LXI. After all, the game will be played for the first time on Valentine’s Day, and our QB is (Jordan) Love. Any thoughts?
Hey, maybe it is destiny.
Jerry from Grantsburg, WI
In my mind, the 2025 season came down to too many key injuries on the OL and DL. Add in the loss of Tucker Kraft, who is a blocking beast in Matt LaFleur’s zone-run scheme, and this is the likeliest reason for why the team consistently faded in the second half. The Packers didn’t lose all of their playmakers, but they did lose the guys who made them a four quarter team. LaFleur and staff had a winning recipe but didn’t have enough beef in the hamburger helper to make a complete meal. Am I wrong?
No…and now they’ll have a chance to run it back next season.
I love the response “It’s a good day to be adequate.” I was a theater major in college, and we were always told that if after a performance someone came backstage and said we did an adequate job that meant we did really good. So, from my standpoint and that of many others who read II religiously, keep up that adequate work – it means more to us that you know.
Adequately striving to do my part. Enjoy the games Sunday if y’all choose to partake. Have a great weekend, y’all.