Packers season ends

For all of you reading this, the Super Bowl opponents have been decided and every Packers fan is wondering what went wrong. Why did another trip to the playoffs end up in disappointment?
First let's look at the positives and what Packers' fans have to look forward to next year and the years to follow.
For all of you Packers or Brett Favre fans who were so angered when Green Bay moved on and gave Aaron Rodgers the starting job, let me first say this. Shut up.
Rodgers was the main reason the Packers finished 11-5 and his numbers were exceptional. Rodgers threw for 4,434 yards, 200 more yards than Favre and scored 35 touchdowns, which is two more than Favre. They both threw seven interceptions and Favre slightly edged out Rodgers in overall quarterback rating.
To give you a better perspective, Rodgers threw for 46 less yards than Peyton Manning. He scored two more touchdowns than Manning and threw nine less interceptions.
Where were Rodgers' MVP votes? Nowhere, but that's a totally different story.
Needless to say the Packers made the correct move because I can just about guarantee if Favre would have taken the hits Rodgers did this season and got sacked 16 more times than he did in Minnesota, he wouldn't be the quarterback. Rodgers took the most hits of any quarterback in the NFL and got up every time, when a lot of quarterbacks would not have bounced back.
Thus I will touch on the first thing the Packers need to find a way to improve. The Packers gave up 50 sacks this season which is way too many. As the season progressed the offensive line did improve and if it can continue to do so this offseason then little change needs to occur. However, not all of the offensive line is young, see left tackle Chad Clifton. A few draft picks for offensive lineman would be a strong suggestion from me, but then again I am just a spectator.
But let's get back to another positive. The Packers have one of the best receiving cores in the NFL, not to mention it is young and deep. No I am not saying Donald Driver is by any means young, but when you put Driver with the likes of Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley, the Packers are set at wide receiver for years to come.
Joining the receiving core, despite the criticism I have had of him in the past, Ryan Grant once again had a quiet but great season. Grant rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns. For a Packers team that is pass heavy, Grant did his job when called upon and will continue to do so for the Packers in years to come.
Now it's time for the main issue. The Packers defense was overrated all season to say the least and unless drastic changes are made it will become no better next year. Now everyone can sit their reading this and say well our defense had injuries and was ranked No. 1 in the NFL. Good for them, but last time I checked you have a full NFL roster for a reason and our defense fed on the bottom feeders of the NFL. Every time we played an experience quarterback, it was a shoot out to see who could score more.
There are some good things to the defense, but the bad outweighs the good. The defensive line is strong and deep. First round draft pick, nose tackle B.J. Raji began to emerge as an inside power for the Packers and with the return of Mike Montgomery, the Packers defensive line will be solid next year.
An area that many think the Packers are solid in, I beg to differ.
The Packers have an abundance of linebackers, all talented. The problem with the talented linebackers is they are not particularly made for the 3-4 defense scheme. A.J, Hawk is a great linebacker but not a great 3-4 linebacker. His coverage skills are lacking, as is the problem for many of the Packers' linebackers. The so called talented cover linebacker is Brandon Chillar, who on numerous occasions was burnt for big pass plays.
The upside to the linebacker core, rookies Clay Matthews and Brad Jones are solid 3-4 linebackers and will be staple linebackers for years to come.
Nick Barnett is a leader and solid linebacker. He will continue to be the defensive leader for the Packers. Brady Poppinga, I am unsure where his future lies, his cover skills are lacking and his talent is not as superior to previously listed linebackers.
Now you are all probably wondering why I haven't mentioned Packers' defensive star Aaron Kampman? Because I don't believe he is a linebacker. The Packers need to find a place for Kampman on the line. Put him as a defensive end and let him run wild at the quarterback. He is by far the best pass rusher on the team and can not be dropping into coverage when he should be going after the quarterback, it makes me sick. There are plenty of linebackers with the talent to drop into coverage; Kampman is not one of them.
And the number one reason why the Packers defense ruined our chance at a Super Bowl? The secondary.
Thank you Charles Woodson for saving your best years for when you came to Green Bay because he is the only good thing about our secondary including injured Al Harris. Harris you are a bump and run corner, that's it. You can not sit back in a zone or give a receiver cushion because you can not read a route. You jump routes and get burnt on a regular basis.
Everyone remember the Tampa Bay game when Harris was mouthing off to rookie quarterback Josh Freeman? I do. On the next play Harris jumped the hook route and was burnt for a touchdown. One of many mistakes Harris made this season before getting injured. Harris do me a favor, stay injured.
Nick Collins and Atari Bigby I have hope that you will be successful in the 3-4 and being both are still young talents, their future looks bright. But please Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy, do Packers' nation a huge favor and draft some true safeties, instead of trying to convert cornerbacks to play that position. It fails miserably as we all saw.
Now I will give the secondary the benefit of the doubt for Pat Lee and Will Blackman being injured, it did not help the defense. But in the same sense if the Packers are going to send Aaron Rouse packing, send Jarrett Bush and Josh Bell with him and instead draft some more young talented corners, such as Brandon Underwood and Lee.
Next season will be as good as this year, if not better. The Packers are full of young and rising talent that will continue to get better. All in all, the team did exactly what most people should have expected of them after last season. It rebounded well and made the playoffs, which with this young Packers team should be something its fans should get use to for years to come.