Lombardi Sweep

The Packers are in a great position to go 12-4 and win 8 games straight.   I thought the Packers would be content to get to 8-8 after the Tamp Bay disaster, but it is wonderful how wrong you can be.  The Packers are poised to turned their 4-4 season to a stunning 12-4 wild card team.  All the Packers remaining games are winnable.  The remaining opponents, the Bears, Steelers, Seahawks and Cardinals are a combined 24-25 with three teams out of the playoff hunt and a divisional winner.  These are the games the Packers have to win to finish 12-4.

Continue reading The Road to 12-4

One of the joys of being a Packers fan located in Chicago this year has been watching the Bears struggle.  They are downright terrible.  They just came off a four game losing streak, thanks to eeking out a victory against the hapless Rams.  Through the course of the season, the media in Chicago has gone from hyping the Bears to being disgusted with their crybaby quarterback to debating which person in management to fire.  The choices now include head coach Lovie Smith, offensive coordinator Ron Turner, and general manager Jerry Angelo.  Many Bears’ fans are suggesting all three. The Bears’ confidence is shattered and the coaching staff is exhausted.  The defects are glaring on both sides of the ball.  The team is dispirited and heartless. Continue reading After Further Review, the Bears Still Suck!

The Wild Card race has certainly tightened after last weekend.  We saw the 49ers fall out of the hunt after a loss to the Seahawks.  The Falcons suffered a decisive defeat by the Eagles and are all but eliminated.  The Eagles and the Giants both beat conference opponents.  The Packers won, and showed why they are the highest ranked defense in the NFL.

The NFC East division race is getting heated.  The Cowboys loss to the Giants puts the NFC East divisional title back within reach for the Eagles and the Giants.  Right now the Eagles and Cowboys both have an 8-4 record with the Cowboys having the head-to-head tie breaker.  Both teams will face each other again in week 17 in a match that very well may determine the divisional winner.

Conventional wisdom is that the Packers need 10 wins to secure a playoff berth.  The Packers securing a win against a solid AFC squad has really helped their case.   I believe that with games against the self destructing Bears and  the Seahawks at Lambeau, the Packers are in prime position to get those 10 wins and maybe more.

Cowboys (8-4) – If the season ended today, the Cowboys would win the head-to-head tie breaker against the Eagles and therefor, win the NFC East.  The Cowboys defeat by the Giants has put a serious question mark on their ability to win the division.  They have to play some tough teams to keep their slot.  Their remaining games are the Chargers, Saints, Redskins and the Eagles.

Eagles (8-4) - If the season ended today, Philadelphia would win the conference record tie breaker over the Packers and claim  the number 1 wild card slot.  The Eagles just trounced the Falcons this week and are looking good.  They do not have time to take a breather and travel to New York to play the Giants.  Their remaining games are the Giants, 49ers, Broncos and Cowboys.

Packers (8-4) -If the season ended today, Green Bay would win the second wild card berth.  The Packers were able to overcome sloppy play and pull out a win against a good Baltimore team.  The Packers get the privilege of going to Chicago next week to play the Bears.  Their remaining games are the Bears, Steelers, Seahawks and Cardinals.

Giants (7-5) – Even with a big win against the Cowboys, the Giants are going to have to fight hard to remain in competition.  They travel to Philadelphia this week and then finish out the year playing the Redskins, Panthers, and the Vikings

Falcons (6-6) – The Falcons host the Saints this week.  Unless they win this game, which the probably won’t, they are out of the hunt.

“The Dagger!”  That’s the call Wayne Larrivee makes when the Packers have pounded the final nail in an opponent’s coffin.  Unfortunately for the Packers, this call seems to come much later in the game than it should.  One clear weakness the Packers have had for almost two seasons is the inability to finish opponents.  This cost Green Bay several games in 2008.  It also cost the Packers the Tampa Bay game, where they were leading 28-17 with 13 minutes left in the game and failed to land a coup de grace on the Buccaneers and allowed them to come back and win.  Against the 49ers, the Packers were up 30-10 with 11 minutes back left in the forth quarter when the Pack allowed two touchdowns and were forced to run a successful four minute drill in order to win.

Mike McCarthy just doesn’t seem to have that killer instinct to finish a team when they are down.  When you watch teams like the Patriots, they will beat on the opposition until that team’s will and chances are completely shattered.  I’m not sure what it is, but the Packers offense and the defense seem all too often seem to slacken when the Packers have the lead in a game.

As the Packers head into this critical point in their season, it’s time to play for keeps.  It’s time for a 60-minute ball club to plunge the dagger in early and often–or rather early and decisively.

After twelve weeks, the playoff picture is coming into focus.  The Bears and Panthers  are both out of the playoff hunt after embarrassing losses on Sunday.  The Cowboys and Eagles are in a heated divisional race.  One of those two teams will win the NFC East and the other will be looking for a Wild Card slot.  Which team will win the division may very well be decided in a week 17 head-to-head matchup in Dallas.

The Packers will need to win at least 3 of the remaining 5 games to realistically clinch a Wild Card birth.  The Packers have a very good shot at this with 3 possibly easy wins against the Bears, Seahawks and Cardinals:  The Bears are playing poorly and worse than their 4-7 record would indicate. The Seahawks are not a good team and will be playing in Green Bay in the cold.  The Cardinals are likely to be playing for nothing in week 17 and may be resting many of their starters.  The other two games will be tough, playing both the Steelers in the Steel City and the Ravens on Monday Night Football.

Let’s look at a team-by-team breakdown:

Continue reading Packers’ Wild Card Picture After Week 12

At the same time many in the Midwest are starting to prepare their roasts, the Green Bay Packers will be having their cupcake.  The Lions will host the Packers once again on Thanksgiving for Detroit’s traditional game.  I was a little worried going into this game after the Packers lost CB Al Harris and DE/LB Aaron Kampman in last week’s game.  However, with Detroit QB Matt Stafford doubtful and probably out and WR Calvin Johnson likely being sidelined, I have little fear going into this game.  This is a great opportunity for the Packers to accomplish two goals.

Continue reading A Thanksgiving Day Cupcake

Watching from my seat in Lambeau Field, I saw the final transition of the Green Bay Packer offense. The protection was there for Rodgers. He was only sacked twice, and received an intentional grounding penalty for not getting the ball over the line of scrimmage. The offensive line opened beautiful gaps, which Ryan Grant had the patience to find and to hit hard. The offense culminated in a beautiful, game ending ‘four minute offense.’  After the struggling Packer defense gave up another touchdown in the late fourth quarter, the Packers led by six and got the ball back on the 9 yard line with 5 minutes and 50 seconds on the clock.  Running from a two tight end formation, the Packers ran for 3 first downs.  This allowed the Packers to run out the clock in victory formation. In back-to-back outings against solid defenses, the Packers offense did what it needed to do to win.  The Packers now control their own destiny in the Wild Card race.  It appears the Packers’ problems with running the football and protecting the quarterback are over, but (as the old the old English proverb goes) out of the frying pan and into the fire.

In this Pyrrhic victory over the 49ers, the Packers lost two defensive Pro Bowlers.  Both Al Harris and Aaron Kampman injured their left knees and are out for the season.  Al Harris is an icon on the Packers defense and his blanketing coverage will be missed.  Tramon Williams will be the starting cornerback for the Packers going forward.  He has some big shoes to fill and will be tested early and often by opposing offenses.  Jarreet Bush and Brandon Underwood have been moved to the nickel and dime positions respectively.  The Packers have just added former Bronco CB Josh Bell, who may get playing time at nickel or dime as well.

Aaron Kampman is a frustrating loss for the Packers.  He just seemed to be getting adjusted to the 3-4 defense (complete with a sack in the first half.)  He is a pass rushing specialist and will be dearly missed.  We are yet to see what is going to happen at left outside linebacker as no roster changes have been made.  I expect to see a combination of Brad Jones and Brady Poppinga at the position.  Brad Jones did an acceptable job against Dallas but his pass rushing skills are questionable at best.    Poppinga may be able to develop into more of a pass rusher to help fill the void left by Kampman.  This could change if the Packers pick up another linebacker.

Now that the Packers have solved the problems that have dogged them all season, they have a new set of problems.  I think the Packers still have what it takes to win.  We need Williams and Jones to play at an extremely high level.  Other players are going to need to step up and make plays to fill the void of Harris and Kampman.  I think the Green Bay defense has the personnel to come out and make big plays and force turnovers, we just need to get it done.  Go Pack Go

The Packers have clawed their way back into a Wild Card spot.  If the season ended today, the Packers would have earned a playoff birth.  With a Falcons loss in overtime to the Giants, the Packers move up to the number two slot.  Now, the Packers fully control their own destiny.  With losses for the Bears, Panthers and 49ers, these teams are effectively out of the Wild Card race.

Eagles (6-4) - The Eagles squeaked by the Bears, thanks in part to Crybaby Cutler’s inability to hit open receivers.  Next week they host the Redskins.

Packers (6-4) - The Packers have beaten the 49ers and now control their own destiny.  Next week they play Detroit in Detroit.  Normally this would be a welcome sight but with Stafford coming off a 5 touchdown game, Al Harris out, and only having four days rest, it could be trouble.

Giants (6-4) – The Giants come off of a close win over the Falcons.  On Thanksgiving, the Giants travel to Denver to play the now struggling Broncos.

Falcons (5-5) – Being on the losing end of an overtime loss is never a good experience for a team.  However, for most teams, playing the Buccaneers the following week at home is a good experience.

49ers (4-6) –  The loss to the Packers has all but killed the 49er’s playoff hopes.  They play Jacksonville next week.

Panthers (4-6) – The loss to the Dolphins has all but knocked the Panthers out of contention.  They travel to New York to play the Jets.

Bears (4-6) – The Bears are done and this will be the last week they appear in this blog.  The Bears travel to Minnesota to lose to the Vikings next week.

In 1995, “the real Super Bowl” was going to be the Cowboys and 49ers in the NFC championship, as no AFC team could compete with either powerhouse. San Fransisco was the favorite to beat Dallas and, by default, win the Super Bowl. All the 49ers had to do was to beat the Packers, the Cinderella team that managed to make it to the divisional playoff game, and they would be in “the real Super Bowl.” I remember vividly watching with my extended family when, in the opening moments of the game, Craig Newsome returned a fumble 38 yards for a touchdown. All of a sudden, it seemed like the 49ers were not so unbeatable. Favre followed this with back-to-back touchdowns to Keith Jackson and Mark Chmura to put the Packers up 21-0, a lead that proved insurmountable to the 49ers, who would lose 27-17. Green Bay and San Francisco would go on to become strong playoff rivals in the 1990s.

Continue reading The Packers and 49ers, Playoff Rivals

Aaron Rodgers’s victory over the Cowboys is his greatest triumph to date.  In this game, Rodgers led his inspired team out to the field, ready to steal victory from the heavily favored Cowboys.  With a bad loss against a winless Tampa Bay, the Packers had put their backs against the wall.  The Packers were looking to avenge their losses in recent years against the hated conference rival.   Both teams came out of the tunnel ready to play.  The first half of this game would be a defensive struggle, when the half time whistle blew, the Packers were up 3-0.

Continue reading Aaron Rodgers’s finest hour