Mike McCarthy is not a man to make excuses, but he is a man able to make a point.  McCarthy once pointed out that the Packers have really only had two healthy seasons since the Super Bowl victory, 2011 (15-1) and 2014 (12-4).  Outside of that, Green Bay has been forced to overcome major injuries on the fly, many of those suffered in preseason.

Jordy Nelson in 2015.  Bryan Bulaga, Jermichael Finley and Casey Hayward in 2013.  BJ Raji in 2012.  Nick Collins in 2011.

You guys understand the idea.  The Packers have repeatedly played left handed in the 2010s, and have made the playoffs every year.  More often than not, they’ve won the division.  Thompson and McCarthy have been dealt blow after blow and just keep on keepin’ on.  Winning in the NFL is hard with all your players.  Ask Jaguars fans.  Ask Lions fans.  Ask Jets fans.  It. Is. Hard.

Hey guys.  Knock on wood.  Throw salt over your shoulder.  Let the black cat cross the street in front of you and stay away from ladders.  The Packers should start the season with all 22 preferred starters.  These Packers are healthy, and healthy Packers teams under McCarthy win a lot.

Not only that, but the Packers are now favored to win every game they play in. Are they going to go 16-0? Almost certainly not, but you’d rather they be the favorite in every game than the underdog. That’s just how life works.

I said all offseason that this team just needed to be a combination of the 2015 defense and the 2014 offense.  The personnel is there.  The 2014 offense is all back, except Richard Rodgers likely got upgraded with Jared Cook joining the fold.

The 2015 defense is largely back, too.  Casey Hayward has been replaced by younger corners, and BJ Raji has been replaced by 1st round pick Kenny Clark.  The Packers have added Dean Lowry, Kyler Fackrell and Blake Martinez to the defense.

I have a hard time with people that view the Bridgewater injury as something that swung the division.  The Packers were the favorites before that happened and they’re the favorites afterwards.  Yes.  Minnesota won the division last year, but that was on the last game of the season and the Packers were playing with a musical chairs offensive line and no Jordy Nelson.

This is a very good team with what certainly looks like a very easy schedule.  This really should be a fun season.  Smile, people, you’re Packers fans.

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Ross Uglem is a writer at PackersTalk.com. You can follow Ross on twitter at RossUglem

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