We were in Milwaukee on Sunday, and we picked up a few more preseason publications featuring Aaron Rodgers on their covers. While the issues below are Fantasy Football-oriented, the Lindy’s issue above has the following 2012 predictions:
NFC North Champions: Green Bay
Other NFC Division Winners: Philadelphia, New Orleans, and San Francisco
NFC Wild Cards: Chicago and New York
NFC Champions: San Francisco
Super Bowl Champion: Houston(?)
Also in the news today was the death of the one-year Packer, but later Oakland Raiders star Ben Davidson (above). From the San Francisco Chronicle: “Ben Davidson, a towering pass rusher who wore a handlebar mustache and terrorized Raiders opponents in the 1960s and early '70s, died Monday night of prostate cancer. He was 72. The 6-foot-8 defensive lineman was a three-time All-Star in the American Football League, playing 110 games with 70 starts for Oakland from 1964 to '71. Although he started just two games in college, he was taken before any of his teammates in the 1961 NFL draft. The New York Giants picked in him in the fourth round, then traded him to Green Bay in training camp. He played a limited role on the Packers team that won the 1961 NFL title, using the $5,000 winner's share to buy a three-unit Seattle apartment. He spent two unimpressive seasons with Washington before being cut. The Raiders claimed him, and his career took off. When he arrived at training camp in 1966, he had a full beard. Davis, then the head coach, wanted it shaved off, but the mustache emerged as a compromise. It became Mr. Davidson's trademark.”
