Saturday's Sign?

It's a weekend-long border war here in New Scandanavia. Before the Packers head to Minnesota on Monday Night, the Badgers played in Minesota on Saturday afternoon.

Even in that college football setting, there was an awareness of the larger pro football context. For, lo and behold, what was the Golden Gopher mascot wearing? A #4 Vikings jersey!

The disconnect between the two contests, I'm afraid, is in the running game. The Badgers were able to run the ball on Minnesota, including one of those pound-'em drives in the late 3rd and early 4th quarter for a touchdown and a two-score lead. That was a real thing of beauty: real in-the-trenches football. Wisconsin kept lining up and running it down Minnesota's throat, which is a demoralizing thing for a defense.

And then, even after that terrible fumble that the Golden Gophers ran back for a touchdown, the Badgers were still able to come back and chew up the clock -- as well as yardage. Plus the back-breaking runs by the QB and RB to make it a 10-point lead again.

This, however, is what I'm afraid the Packers cannot do against the Vikings.

There's a restaurant I used to frequent that had a great wall-sized photograph of an old Packers patented power sweep. It's a thing of beauty: a football work of art. Thurston and Kramer out front, looking like a couple of nimble bulldozers. And Jimmy Taylor churning along behind, one strong arm cradling the football, and the other extended, ready to push away any defender that might be left in the pulling guards' wake.

For all of McCarthy's "establish the run" rhetoric, I just don't see it. I don't see the development of the kind of power running game that can pick up five yards whenever it needs to; the kind of running game that can control the clock; the kind of running game that other teams are afraid of; the kind of running game that leaves the defense bent over with their hands on their knees. Make that happen, and I believe the current QB, receivers, and defense will get you to the Super Bowl. Without that consistent ground game, however, the rest of the team is left vulnerable.

Setting the Packers aside for the moment, however... The Badgers are a surprising 5-0 now! And we're just one of three unbeatens in Conference plan in the Big Ten.

Of course, next Saturday we go to Columbus. But, for now, it's all good!