The Monday Morning Quarterback

I’m trying to find a few positive things to write about in the Packer’s deflating 22-30 loss versus the SF Forty-Niners this afternoon...

(sound of crickets chirping)

...but I can’t seem to locate one. 

Seriously, I was slightly impressed by the Packers making a game of it in the second half (ahh, the good old glory minutes) but I can’t even bring myself to revel in that since they were ultimately short-lived and unsuccessful. 

Before I get to dissecting the failures, a word about the replacement referees: BAD. There were so many missed calls, blown calls and just outright wrong calls, my head started to spin. At one point they missed three (3) false starts on one SF series. They totally blew the call on Cobb’s TD return play. They completely missed an egregious face-mask against Aaron Rodgers on the Packers final series. How many times were Packer receivers mugged and no flag thrown? The list goes on and on, for and against both teams in all three phases of the game. I was worried that the replacement refs might have an adverse affect on the game. My fears are correct. MMQB to Roger Goodell: Settle this labor dispute NOW! Why wait until they foul up so big the coaches and fans storm your office and force you to do it? Seriously: the regular zebras screw up quite enough, thank you. Send these guys back to the Podunk U campus ASAP!

Did the refs cost the Packers the game? Absolutely not. They played poorly enough to do that all on their own. Let me count the ways:

• The addition of Cedric Benson was thought by many (including your humble scribe) to add an extra dimension to the Packer offense. Thanks to indifferent blocking, that was not the case. Benson ran 9 times for a total of 18 yards with a long rush of a whopping 4-yards.
• Even with the poor quality of officiating, the Packers were flagged early and flagged often. They were flagged 10 times for 77 yards. 
• The defense, more specifically the pass rush and the pass defense, were huge areas of emphasis for the Packers during the off season. How’d that go? Well, we did get four sacks and held to Smith to only 211 yards, so I guess that was a positive but the catches and the yards that were made were all in key situations. When Randy Moss (anybody remember him? No?) can walk unmolested into our end zone and catch a TD pass, something is seriously wrong with your scheme and your players.
• The rush defense gave up almost 200 yards and allowed Gore to gash up the Tundra for over 100 and a key touchdown.
• The passing attack with Rodgers and crew took WAY too long to make itself felt in this game. We could see it, in flashes and spurts but that consistent, juggernaut of the Packer offense from most of 2011 looked more like the offense we saw against the Chiefs and Giants. That is NOT a good sign!
• Where was Nick Perry, the Packers new bookend for Clay Matthews? He had some tackles but no sacks and I didn’t really notice him in pressuring the passer.

I have to admit: the Niners are a really, really good team. Their defense is just as tough and aggressive as it was last year. Their rushing attack is truly a throwback, but it is a potent weapon nonetheless. Add in Smith who does just enough with his arm to be dangerous and you have a team that is tough to beat. And the Packers found out today that they are not tough enough (right now) to beat a team like San Francisco. One of the keys to this game was the difference in tackling. When the Packers made a play, there was an SF player right there to make the stop. When the Niners made a play, it took two or three Packers (the first two just showing up in the general vicinity) to bring them down. Didn’t I hear that tackling was a point of emphasis in training camp this year?

Some bright spots? Any? Well, the emergence of Randall Cobb as an offensive weapon is certainly cause for celebration. 9 catches for 77 yards doesn’t sound world-changing but the scheme to work him out of the backfield was extremely intriguing to me. Donald Driver was a total non-factor (I  think I saw him on the field twice when the Packers went five-wide) and his role as the possession guy has been completely taken over by Cobb. Finely had 7 catches for 47 yards and a TD and there were some big, big catches. But there were also some big drops, too. 

It’s only the first game of the season and it’s only one loss, no reason to panic. There were some very disquieting things going on in this match-up but we can all hope they are not indicative of the team in general. Even if they clean up just the penalties (the legitimate ones, anyway) we look a bit better. We probably don’t win this game, but it becomes a better contest. Unfortunately, there is no time for corrections: it’s a short week and it’s Bear week. Thursday will be telling. Chicago looked absolutely awful to start on Sunday but won going away. Obviously, the Colts are not a tough test, so it’s unclear just how good Chicago is. And I’m not so sure we know just how good the Packers are after the failure-fest today up in Lambeau. 

MMQB Preseason Special

Hi, all! Another historic season of Packer football starts up on Sunday and we at the MMQB compound have fired up the laptops, hired another group of expendable interns (Hey, I'm sorry but if you bring Miller products into the office, your done!) and started shifting our snarkiness into high gear. As is my custom, I've got a few things to say about last year and a couple about the new season before it gets going...

If you ask any of the legion of Packer fans littering the Wisconsin (and beyond) landscape, many of them would say that 2011 was a disappointing season. How could you consider it a success after that soul-crushing defeat at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants? And you know what? It didn’t go as planned. There was supposed to have been a coronation of a new Green Bay Packer dynasty and that didn’t happen. But you have to look at the season as a whole and not just one or two games. Yes, I know: that one game was a very important one.

The Packers went 15-1 in the regular season. They set team records for wins, consecutive wins and a dozen offensive categories. Aaron Rodgers was named MVP of the entire NFL. He put up historic numbers all over the stat chart and set new standards in efficiency and passer ratings. From the preseason on, they were a lock to waltz through the playoffs and clobber some poor collection of schlubs in the Super Bowl. Short of hoisting a consecutive Vince Lombardi trophy, no Packer team has ever done better. Disappointing? The final result was certainly disappointing, but the season? Disappointing? Preposterous!

We had a lot to be thankful for during that ride in 2011 and I for one felt privileged to watch it. I’ve been a Packer fan all my life and last year ranks right near the top of my all-time favorite seasons. There were low points, absolutely. The puzzling descent from an elite defense to a collection of human turnstiles was hard to watch every week. When the Chiefs came up with a way to beat the Packers in week 16, it was painful but we all treated it as an aberration. Of course, the Giants used it as a blueprint and the Packers chipped in with their worst performance in more than a year and the dream was over.

So how do you improve on a 15-1, got-knocked-out-of-the-playoffs team? Well, you have to look at your weaknesses. First and foremost was the defense. Hard to believe in a 15-1 team but it was true. The 2011 Green Bay Packers gave up more passing yardage than any team in NFL history. As in EVER. This required the offense to be ON every week and score as many points as possible, which forced opponents to play wide-open, which put more pressure on the defense and on and on. A pass rush that evaporated was  the main culprit, coupled with a mediocre secondary, populated by lesser men due to injuries. If you think about it, the 2010 defense was so much better simply because their pass rush was so much more effective. Remove that rush and your defensive backs are exposed. So the brain trust, led by Ted Thompson, went out and found a couple of free agents and drafted a whole pile of defenders to enhance the rush and shore up the secondary. Based on what we’ve seen so far in the preseason, many of these players will be making immediate contributions, most notably Nick Perry, drafted as a bookend to Clay Matthews at outside linebacker. Upgrading the defense, even if it’s just a little bit, would have a huge impact. You just cannot expect your offense to play lights-out every single week. When the offensive troops do have an off day, you need a defense capable of winning the game for you. Remember 2010? That unbelievable run to the Super Bowl? How many of those games hinged on the defense? How many of those games could have been put away by the offense but the defense had to step up big? We were fortunate last year but you can’t count on fortune. You can count on a dominant pass rush and a defense that dictates terms and takes no prisoners.

Another issue is the running game. I’m sure there are many of you now saying “What? MMQB, you know the Packers are a pass-first team! It’s all about getting the ball to Nelson and Jennings and Finley and the run is just there to keep the defense honest!” and you’d be partially correct. With a guy like Aaron Rodgers and the corps of targets he has to choose from, the Packers are going to win through the air. With the yards and scores the Packers put up last year, with a fairly ineffective running game, why would it matter? Well, all you have to do is look at the two football games we lost last year to answer that question. Both the Chiefs and the Giants beat the Packers by dropping seven into coverage and rushing only four. Both of these teams have effective defensive lines and a great pass rushers. Do you not think the rest of the NFL has looked at those films? Clog up the secondary and put just enough pressure on our QB and the offensive juggernaut grinds to a halt. How do we combat this? RUN THE BALL! Whether it’s Rodgers tucking the ball in and scrambling (a tactic used to great effect on the Bengals two weeks ago) or handing it off on a draw or even a dump-off pass to a back curling out of the backfield (essentially a long handoff) you negate the effectiveness of the defensive tactic and gain yards. Sure, you’re not ripping off big chunks that a complete pass would get you but rushing yards are WAY better than an incompletion, a sack or a pick. The Packers attempted to upgrade the running attack from within but injuries to the RB corps again (seems like it’s been that way forever) caused them to switch gears and bring in Cedric Benson. Benson is not the second coming of Ahman Green but he is just the type of back to take advantage of pass-centric defenses, wear down a d-line with repeated poundings and grind it out in tough, short-yardage situations. If he can catch a few passes (again, the Cincinnati game was instructive) and learn to pick up a blitzer on occasion, we might just have something. Don’t think of the Packer running attack as a primary weapon, think of it as a force-multiplier: just how much better will our pass offense be if our opponents have to account for the possibility of a real running back on every play? When we need to run out the clock, won’t it be much more effective if we have someone capable of ripping off 6 or 9 yard runs, rather than just slamming into a pile of bodies and falling down?

So how do I see our chances in 2012? A lot will depend on the injury situation, as it always does. The defensive backfield is in flux due to injuries and the move of Woodson from corner to safety. The Packers are painfully  thin at offensive line. Watching Graham Harrell run for his life in the preseason should tell you something. In the final cuts last week, the Packer management thought so little of their current prospects on the O-line they canned almost all of them, leaving them with only two back-ups for five line positions. And speaking of our presumptive back-up QB, despite his reassuring performance last week, you can’t help but worry about the possibility of an injury to Rodgers and how big that fall-off truly is. Both Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson profess confidence that Harrell can get the job done. These guys see him in practice every day and we only get to see him behind a second-rate O-line throwing to also-ran receivers. How many people knew that Matt Flynn was as capable as he appeared when he was needed? An NFL season is long and difficult and simply the wear and tear on players is enough to grind them down. I will repeat my mantra as I have for so many seasons: your team will go as far as your back-ups will take you. Finding ways to win games in the face of adversity is the most difficult task for any team. In order to continue their great success, the Packers will have to fight through adversity and no one can say just what form that will take. But I think this team is up to the challenge. They are well coached at all levels and have the kind of experience in key areas that will serve them well. There is no way they will win 15 games again (the first month of the season is as brutal a test as you could get!) and you can treat that as a disappointment if you want. The truth is that 15-win seasons are rare in the NFL and you don’t need to go 15-1 or 16-0 to be a great, great football team. I think, however, the Packers will win no fewer than 13 games and again dominate the North: The Lions shot their wad and missed, the Bears’ offense will be improved but I think their defense will grow more suspect and the Vikings will never claw their way out of the cellar, much less challenge for a Division title. I’m predicting 13-3, a North win and another trip to the playoffs and decent shot at another Lombardi Trophy.

MMQB:The First Annual MMQB Awards

I’ve got more to say!

While the AFC contenders and pretenders fight it out to see who will face the Packers in Indianapolis and the Giants get ready to test their mettle at Lambeau next week, I thought I’d take the opportunity of the bye to reflect back on the regular season just completed to see who were the best (and the worst) players and influences on this team. So without further ado, (or at least minimal ado and in no particular order), we now present The First Annual MMQB Awards. (Cue the NFL Films inspirational music)

• Dual tri-fecta Award of Merit: Not only did the Packers win three professional football games in 11 days (Vikings 11/14, Bucs 11/20 and Lions 11/24) but they won on Thanksgiving Day (Lions), Christmas Day (Bears) and New Years Day (Lions again). I have no way of researching this but I can’t imagine that any team in the history of the NFL has done either of those things, much less both in one year.

• Lineman of the year: Center Scott Wells. At one time I considered Wells the weak link on the offensive line. As the only lineman to start every game for the Packers, he has not only shown his durability but he has been consistently effective. Can you remember any bad snaps from  this guy? All year? Neither can I.

• Worst Loss to Injury: Nick Collins. After reviewing some highlights from 2010, I can see clearly why our defensive secondary can’t cover anybody. They are missing the leadership and skills of Nick Collins back there. With him on the DL and not the football field, you’ve got the likes of Jarrett Bush trying to cover people.

• Worst Loss to Free Agency: Cullen Jenkins. Look at the Packer front seven in 2010. Now look at that same group in 2011. Who is missing? Jenkins. Look at the sack total from both years. See anything? I don’t care about Ted Thompson’s reputation for penny-pinching on the veteran free agents and I don’t care about those that tell me it doesn’t matter, we’re 15-1. It does matter. With his push up the middle, there is no way QB’s are throwing for 400+ yards against our team every week. The sack totals go up (not from Jenkins but from his busting of pockets and forcing QB’s into the arms of our linebackers) and all those UGLY defensive performances are much less so.

• Best Back-UP: Matt Flynn. If you don’t know why, you didn’t see the franchise record-setting performance against the Lions. If you didn’t see that, I don’t want to talk to you.

• Biggest Disappointment, Offense: Jermichael Finely. This was to be his year. He stayed healthy and he had a pretty good year, but not a dominating one. J-Mike should have been dominating. Dropped passes in several contests exposed his hands. He still has the tools and the talent but I don’t believe he is the elite TE he thinks he is.

• Biggest Disappointment, Defense: Tie - Frank Zombo, Brad Jones, Vic So’oto, Erik Walden. We needed someone to step up and bring a credible pass rush opposite Clay Matthews. Haven’t seen it happen yet. So we’ve gone through two full seasons looking for another OLB  and we have yet to find the guy.

• Rookie Of The Year: Randall Cobb. He has made a minor impact as a receiver (as would be expected for a rookie with four great receivers in front of him) but his contributions as a return man have been outstanding. He’s got a kick return for a TD and a punt return for a score as well. In the last decade, the Packers haven’t even had a sniff at this kind of weapon. Sure, he’s had a few fumbles and made some poor decisions, but overall, he’s been a 1000% improvement.

• Best Running Back: Ryan Grant. Coming back from a season-ending injury in 2010, Grant was expected to compete with James Starks for the starting spot but he failed to impress in any way. But Starks had nagging injuries of his own and Grant came back and made valuable contributions, especially late in the season.

• Defensive MVP: Clay Matthews. His sack totals are way down but his impact on the game as a whole is way up. He requires a double-team or at the very least a chip on every play. That imposes a limit on what opposing offenses can do. He’s #9 on the team in tackles and #1 in sacks. He’s got three interceptions and a pick-six. He is around just about every play on defense. He’s a leader on and off the field. You could make an argument that Charles Woodson is a close second but his fading talents in coverage make me give Mathews the edge.

• Offensive MVP: Aaron Rodgers. No surprises here. A-Rodg has had, arguably, the best season ever for an NFL QB. Others may lead in certain statistical categories but if you look at yards, yards per catch, TD passes, interceptions, passer rating and (most importantly) wins, you cannot make an argument for any other QB. Not Brees, not Brady. Tim Tebow, the media darling, isn’t a pimple on Rodgers’ ass. After watching Matt Flynn dismantle the Lions, you could argue that it’s the team and the system that make Aaron so good. And you would be right. But you can have the best receivers, the best coaches and the best game plan in the world and if you don’t have that topflight guy under center, it’s not going to be pretty.

• Late-to-the-party Award: The MMQB. On Tuesday, January 3^rd at approximately 1935 local standard time, I finally (FINALLY) made it official and became an owner of the Green Bay Packers. To be a very small part of such a long-standing and storied organization is truly a humbling experience. I know there are thousands of owners and I know that this piece of paper isn’t even worth the paper it’s printed on. I can’t sell it and it will never make me a red cent. That doesn’t matter. I’ve bought houses, cars, toys, computers and phones that I was absolutely lusting after and I’ve never had the kind of thrill I had when I finalized that purchase. And if you are worrying about the “cannot criticize NFL teams or officials” clause in the stock offering, don’t: I used my alter ego’s name on the document, so yer ever-lovin’ MMQB is free to let the rants fly!

MMQB: XPOSED! Packers play their worst game in a calendar year and are shown up by Kansas City

Besides the normal black depression that all Packer fans are feeling right now after a loss, we are all dealing with the knowledge that we let a clearly inferior team beat us. It happens every year and I had hoped that we would get through this miracle season without it but you knew it was coming: the game the Packers mail in.

I should have seen it coming! We had one weak-ass opponent left on the schedule. Not going anywhere, no reason to think that they have anything but “please don’t hurt me” left in the tank. Last year we saw it against the Redskins and the Dolphins (and, to be honest, in the first Bears and Lions games) and here it was again!

Everybody and his mother are going to be all over this, looking at the loss of Jennings and the problems along the offensive line and the pressures of trying to accomplish the perfect season...blah, blah, yadda, yadda. You want to know why the Packers lost? I got it here for ya:

• Jordy Nelson: In what should have been the biggest opportunity of his career, Mr. Nelson was flagged for two offensive interference plays in the first quarter (first was good, second was totally bogus) and ended us with a pedestrian two catches for 29 yards. And he got flagged one other time for a false start. 
• Jermicheal Finley: He ended the day as the top Packer receiver for the afternoon (3 catches, 83 yards) and set up the first Packer TD of the day but his three (or four) drops in the first half set the tone for the rest of  the day. J-Mike makes those grabs and the Packers are maybe up by 10 at halftime. I am totally over him. 
• Aaron Rodgers: As good as A-Rodg has been in 2011, he stunk up the joint today. 17 for 35, 1 TD and 235 yards. An OK game for most QB’s but pretty poor based on his production so far. He was high, low and all over the place. He should have been picked off at least two times and maybe three.
• The entire Packer defense: one would think that forcing four field goals in four KC trips inside the 20 would be total victory for the defense but one would be wrong in that assessment. Those drives, while ultimately not successful in scoring a TD, chewed up large chunks of clock and kept Aaron Rodgers and his offense sitting on the sidelines. Win for the Chiefs. And if you add in a lack of turnovers (the Packer D never even got a glimmer) you  should have seen the loss coming.
• Mike McCarthy: With a stuttering offense, MM decides to attempt a 59 yard field goal. It missed but a defensive penalty allowed a second chance and darn if that one didn’t miss too. In the first quarter, those are the WRONG DAMN CALLS! You punt the freaking ball and you let your D do  their job. And if KC didn’t have a direct line into the Packer huddle, it sure looked like it.
• The KC defense:   No one else has been able to do it and I still don’t know how the Chiefs did it but they covered literally everybody and were still able to put all kinds of ugly pressure on Aaron Rodgers. No doubt some of that is due to the unsettled nature of the Packer O-line but you have to give a huge amount of credit to the KC secondary.
• The KC offense: If the KC defense looked like they had a direct line into the Packer huddles, the defense might have been even more in the know. When the Packers brought pressure, they had a screen called. When the Packers dropped off, the Chiefs found the seams. You want to know the difference maker? When the Chiefs needed a catch, the Packer defenders were playing soft and there was always a man open, completely undefended. Conversely, there was not one (no a singe damn one!) Packer wide-out who was open all day! Every single pass was contended. Even the completions were into tight coverage.

So you and I can go on an on all day long about how the Packers missed Jennings or they were looking past the Chiefs. Those are all just excuses. The reason the Packers blew their chance at a perfect season was that they were out-played, out-executed and out-coached (by Romeo Crennel!) in every phase of the game!

So now the 24/7 NFL media will be able, with a clear conscience, to devote 100% of their coverage to Tim Tebow and the Broncos. I’m sure the Packer’s pursuit of history was just a distraction from the true biggest story of the year. And maybe that’s an OK thing. Mike McCarthy said it best after the game: “We were beaten.” At 13-1, the Packers are still the #1 seed in the playoffs. They are still the best team in the NFL and they are still the favorites to get to and win the Super Bowl. The shot at legendary status is all done with. We can quite worrying about when and if Mike McCarthy will sit his starters. There is no reason to do so now. Now all they need to do is win.

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Visit The Packers Sandlot (http://packerssandlot.blogspot.com/) for the new home of The MMQB. 

MMQB: The Packers Pass the "Character" Test

The Green Bay Packers are the undefeated, consensus class of the NFL. You’ve got folks that talk about the Ravens and the Pats, some who put up the Steelers or the Saints and even the Niner-lovers. And if I hear one more word about the Tee-Broncos, I will absolutely vomit. But all of these teams are in the running for the Best Team Not Named Packers award. 

But there was one thing missing from the Packer’s win portfolio: the gritty come-from-behind, fourth quarter victory. This, to me, is the ultimate test of character for an NFL team. Can you absorb the bets shot from an opponent, get down and find a way to win at that very end. And they haven’t had that opportunity to pass that test for one very good reason: the Packers have not trailed in the fourth quarter for the entire 2011 season.

So when the Packer defense went into “please don’t hurt me” mode late in the game and pretty much handed a tie to the Giants, it was up to Aaron Rodgers and the offense with the ball on their 20, only 58 seconds remaining and one time out to go get the win. Four plays later Mason Crosby was set up with a 31-yard game-winner and the Packers were 12-0. They had passed the test.

Should the Packers have been in that position? No way. How did they get there? The reasons are many:

• The Packers had six dropped passes (I actually counted eight) with Finely being the worst offender. You just can’t drop that many passes and expect to win many football games.
• The Packer defense was torched repeatedly for long passes. Completions of 42 and 51 yards and a TD to former Wisconsin Badger for 67 made the Packers secondary looks foolish. I kept hearing the Benny Hill theme watching the DB’s attempt to cover and tackle.
• Mason Crosby has suddenly become a 50-50 kicker, missing a field goal as time expired in the first half off of fumble recovery. He looked so great through ten games but he’s missed two over the span of that many weeks.
• Aaron Rodgers was off target in several critical moments. The pick he threw was a pure and simple mis-read.
• The Packer offensive line, patched together after injuries have ripped up the starting line, is not doing well. Rodgers was facing more pressure that he should. The run game was almost laughable in places. Smith and Newhouse are not starter-worthy and it showed big time tonight.
• The play calling of Mike McCarthy was surprisingly pedestrian. How many times do you run the ball for under two yards on first down? Why call a reverse/wide receiver pass and take the ball out of Aaron Rodgers hands? I appreciate MM trying to create balance but he has to go with what’s working and not with what isn’t.
• The lack of pressure on Eli Manning was a huge factor. The younger Manning brother is well known for making errors when hit and sacked. The Packers made valiant attempts to rush him and they were successful in many instances but all too often the Giants double-teamed Matthews and then watched the rest of the Packer front seven flop around ineffectively and BOOM! Another big pass play!

So with all that going on, how did the Packers win this game? How did they win the battle of character on the last drive of the game?

• Clay Matthews and his pick-six in the first quarter was a huge turning point. If Eli Manning has time to make the correct read (one of those rare QB pressures) he might have a TD going the other way. A 14-point swing on one play.
• Donald Driver has four catches for only 34 yards but two of those were for TD’s. Double D stepped up for the second game in a row.
• Catches by Jordy Nelson on the last two Packer drives were absolutely crucial to the win. As with the phenominal run into and through the playoffs last year, Nelson knows when to step up his level of play.
• Rodgers, even with his slightly erratic play, was able to put together not one but TWO scoring drives to win this game. The passes to Finley, Nelson and Jennings to set up the winning field goal were as precise as you can get. When it was most important, Rodgers as most effective. Mason Crosby may have put that game winner between the uprights but it was Aaron Rodgers who made it possible.

There were some pretty big injuries in this game and as I write I have no idea how severe they are. Starks went out on the cart and it doesn’t look so great for him. Grant needs to step up. Quarless’ injury looks to my uneducated eye to be season-ending. Good thing we have five tight ends on the roster. Woodson got his head impacted and we might be looking at a concussion. I’d love to point to someone in the secondary that is able to fill in but I don’t see them. But the way Woodson was playing today, it was probably an upgrade to the Packer defense. These are all worrisome.

Again, this game was touted by some as “the one the Packers are going to lose” and again, the Packers found a way to the W. With four games to go, the Packers have locked up a playoff berth and will win the North if the Lions drop one to the Saints tonight. Three of the four remaining games are in the friendly confines of Lambeau Field, so you have to give the Packers the edge. Can they go all the way? Sure. Does it have to be this exciting? No, but why would you want it to be boring? This is a special season and a special team. Let’s hope it can all result in a special trophy. 

MMQB: Turkey Day and another pretender is dealt with by Green Bay

Wednesday, right before leaving work, one of my fellow Packer fans asked me how I felt about the Thanksgiving day match-up between Green Bay and  the surprising Detroit Lions. I answered as honestly as I could: “I feel good about this game. Lions are going to be tough but I’ve seen them play a few times this year and I can’t see them beating the Packers right now.” Deep in my pessimistic MMQB lizard brain (the part that makes us fearful little animals instead of top-of-the-food chain predators) I knew that this game had the markings of a problem for the Packers. The relative strengths and weaknesses of the two teams did not bode well for our guys. To wit:

• Lions have an excellent front four that can get after a quarterback without blitzing - The Packer offensive line has not given Rodgers the kind of time lately he needs.
• The Lions biggest weakness is run defense - Packers have good backs but they are never going to win games by dominating on the ground.
• The Lions have a pretty good QB in Stafford and a legitimate star in Calvin Johnson - The Packer defensive backs tend to make even mediocre QB’s look like Hall-of-Famers.

 But this is why you play the games. This is why stats and tendencies can lie. This is why the pundits like to look at a game like this and teams like this and say, “yup, time for the Packers to lose one.” And Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers and Charles Woodson say, “nope, not going to happen!”

This team is starting to get into a groove and a rhythm that seems very familiar to me. It was the 2007 season and the almost-perfect New England Patriots were tearing up the entire NFL. Teams would play them tight and close and do everything right and they’d still look up at the scoreboard ten minutes into the game and be down by 21. You could almost hear them think “how the hell did that happen?” And the Packers are getting like that too. Teams have been giving it their best shot (well, maybe not the Vikings two weeks ago) and are still ending up on the short end of the stick. The Bucs played one of  their best games of the season and the Packers won. The Lions stayed nose-to-nose with the Packers in a typically gritty, first half, only to get smoked. 

Think about this team and what they have already accomplished: 11-0 record, pretty darn good. 17 wins in a row going back to last year, outstanding. Beating good teams of all stripes and schemes, can’t get any better. Here is the big one: winning three games in 11 days, against maybe our biggest division rival (Vikes), an up-and-coming team (Bucs) and the biggest revival of fortunes in many years (Lions). 

We have a lot of reasons to be thankful for this year, and as is my habit, I want to tell you mine:

I’m thankful that the Lions have such and undisciplined team. Seriously: 11 penalties for 82 yards is bad enough but two of them allowed the Packers to score touchdowns instead of field goals, total no-no’s in the NFL. Add in the ejection of Mr. Suh (if you’ve heard his after-the-game denial/shifting of blame/explanation, you know this guy is a total head case) and it all totals up to a pretty dysfunctional team. If you want to hand out a game ball, hand it to the Lions: they found a way to keep our drives going for us!

I’m thankful that Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy saw fit to hang on to James Jones. The Lions must have got word that Jordy Nelson could burn you if you took away Jennings and Finely. In their attempt to cover all three of those guys, they forgot about #89 for that one brief moment it took for Aaron Rodgers to find him. BOOM! Touchdown Green Bay. 

I’m thankful for a team that has grown and matured so much in the last three seasons. Not that long ago a sack or penalty or a lack of execution or concentration would have meant a stalled drive and a punt. Now we can rise above the mistakes and make positive plays. We don’t get impatient with ourselves. We know we can overcome adversity.

I’m thankful for team depth. Mike McCarthy deactivate not one, not two but three linebackers before the game and we had the misfortune to have both of our starting inside backers (Hawk and Bishop) go out with injury. A bad day for Green Bay? Nope. We saw DJ Smith and Robert Francois step right up and shoulder the load. Were they perfect? No, that’s why they aren’t the starters. But just like last year, if someone goes down, someone else comes in and plays at or above the level of the starter. Francois even got an interception. THIS is the kind of team character champions are made of.

I’m thankful for the bend-but-don’t-break defense. It can be awfully trying to watch but you just cannot deny it’s effectiveness. The opportunistic nature of this defense would seem to be something you shouldn’t be able to count on but week in and week out, they get the job done! When Charles Woodson RIPPED the ball from a receivers hands, you just had to smile and marvel at our good fortune.

Most of all, I’m thankful for Mindy, Matt, Sean, Becky, Dora, Toni, Jim, Mary, Fred, Joan and all my excellent friends, teammates and co-workers. I’m thankful for all of you read this little rant and from time to time, tell me you like it. I’m thankful for all the fine folk that contribute (in money, support and sweat) to our yearly biking/fundraising quest to eliminate the scourge of MS from Planet Earth.

The Packers have earned some time off before they take on the Giants and so have you. Bask in the afterglow, get yourself a big ol’ slab of white meat and take a few days to appreciate all you have.

MMQB: Packers play perhaps their worst game of the season and still win by 9

If you were watching the Packers beat the Buccaneers this afternoon, you would not be in the minority thinking that this game should have been closer than the final score indicated. Was I the only one who felt like we were playing from behind all day? Looking at this game on paper, you would have come up with the same thing all the talking heads did: Packers win, somewhere around 35-17. And if you look at the final, you’d say “yeah, Pack gave up one more score than it should have but they still beat ‘em”. You wouldn’t be wrong, but you wouldn’t have seen the complete picture either.

If you watched the Packers beat up on the Vikings last week, you were probably just like this humble scribe in thinking that the Packer defense had finally turned a corner and had solved all those nagging problems (giving up 400+ yards a game) and found a way to stop offenses that were (literally) throwing caution to the wind and attempting to keep pace with the prolific Packer offense. But watching the mediocre Josh Freeman light up the Packer DB’s for 342 yards and 2 TD’s and the decidedly not mediocre Blount run over through and around the Packer tacklers for 107 yards and 1 TD, you have to question that defense again. Seriously: in the third quarter, a period that has been dominated by Green Bay all season long, the Bucs OWNED the game on both sides of the ball.

I have to ask: How did the Bucs take away both Greg Jennings (2 catches for six yards) and Jermichael Finley (1 catch for 30 yards) and STILL put all that pass rush on Aaron Rodgers? Sure, you had a career day by Jordy Nelson (6 for 123 and 2 TD’s) and a resurgence of Donald Driver (4 catches for 72 yards and two key first downs) but how does that happen? I can see every offensive coordinator in the NFL (especially the Detroit guy) pouring over that film, studying what went right for Tampa Bay. One big factor: Aaron Rodgers was not on his game today. Yes, yes, he still threw some great, great passes but he was off-target in many instances and the interception he threw in the fourth quarter was the only one so far that came off of a bad read and bad throw.

We got into the second half and the Packers were getting out-coached and out-played in all phases of the game. Very much uncharacteristic. The defense was embarrassed, seemingly in prevent but in actuality was just out of position. The offense sputtered and stalled. The special teams barely held on. 

But even with all that crap going on, the Packers were still leading the game! Think about that: they were totally messing up on both sides of the ball and yet they were still in control of their destiny. How weird was it?

• On the Packers first drive, Masthay came on for a seeming three-and-out punt, fumbles twice but runs for a first down.
• Aaron Rodgers was the second-leading rusher today, something that means the pass blocking is really bad.
• BJ Raji, a defensive lineman, gets his first rushing TD and second TD overall of his career. Shades of “the Fridge”?? Heck no: he’s now “the Freezer”.
• Tom Crabtree, the most handsome player in the NFL (Google a picture of him. I dare you) catches the first TD of his NFL career. 

Aaron Rodgers was not efficient. The Packer defense was soft and flaccid. Yet still they won. They made the needful plays in the right spots and found a way to win against an inferior opponent playing out of their heads.

So you have to ask yourself: how does this team beat the Lions on Turkey Day? You have a fine offensive team in Detroit (doesn’t bode well to the seemingly lax Packer defense) and a team that can be good on defense (against a Packer pass attack that suddenly looks mortal).  Can the opportunistic Packer D make up for their lack of backbone with picks? Can Aaron Rodgers and his receivers bounce back from a sub-par performance? The Lions ALWAYS play well on Thanksgiving Day and the Packers will have all they can handle. 10-0 is a remarkable record and a 15 game winning streak is unprecidented in Packer history. Is this the week it all comes crashing down? I don’t know. But I think they will have to play the best game of the season so far to get out of this week undefeated.

MMQB: Packers finally put together a complete game in demolishing the Vikings

When I sit down to write after the Packers have finished playing, I am usually looking for the faults and flaws, no matter what the outcome is. To me, the failures tell you far more about a football team than the successes. Tonight, facing the hated Vikings on a large, nationally-televised stage, the Green Bay Packers made my job here almost impossible! How can I fill up my allotted space with pithy rants and snarky comments if they play like they did? Come on, guys! Have a heart, will ya?

All kidding aside, it’s hard to find anything to pick about and I’m pretty sure you all know where I’m going to find the only blemish on an otherwise complete game: the Cobb fumble. Yeah, the rookie stunned the Vikings by putting up his second return for six after they went three-and-out to start the game. But his muffed punt and subsequent recovery by the Vikings would lead to their only points two plays later. Sound familiar? He did exactly the same thing in the first meeting this year between the Packers and Vikings and it allowed the Queens to climb back into that contest and make it a game. Not so much this time: Cobb redeemed himself by returning the ensuing kick-off to the 50 yard line. Five plays later Rodgers tossed his third TD of the night to Kuhn. I think all is forgiven, Randall. 

I’ve got one more: allowing Jarred Allen to rudely school Marshall Newhouse over and over again was a pointless blunder by the Packers. The guy completely dominated the line of scrimmage and disrupted our passing game, tossing Rodgers about on multiple occasions. When the Packers chipped him or double-teamed him he was much less effective. When they left Newhouse to his own devices, well, Allen had one sack, six tackles and I lost count of the hits and pressures. 

But aside from those two quibbles, I think this is the very first complete game the Packers have put together all season. Offense scored early and often. Defense almost pitched a shut-out. Special teams covered kicks, punted well and Crosby probably will have to spend time in the whirlpool from all the extra points he had to make tonight.

The biggest surprise was the defense, though I’m not sure what adjustments Dom Capers installed this week. Maybe it wasn’t anything new and it was just better, more aggressive play all around. Maybe it was the fact that Ponder isn’t that great, the Vikings wide outs are mediocre and Peterson becomes a non-factor when playing from a large deficit. But you have to be impressed by the play of Charles Woodson all night long. You have to notice that not only did Clay Matthews continue his stellar play at OLB, he also brought the hammer down twice on Ponder. I was wondering if we’d ever get to see that Predator move again but there it was! And the front seven holding AP to only 51 yards, well, that’s just unheard of!

It’s hard to figure out what to write about Rodgers and his receivers that hasn’t already been said a dozen times over. Repeat all the great stats? Call out one or two dynamite plays? Bow respectfully? How about this: On the Packers first offensive possession, they faced a third and one from the Vikings 27. Obvious spot for a run or a QB sneak, since you’re already in field goal range, right? Well the Vikings had such respect for Rodgers’ arm that they had their corners playing off the Packer receivers and the safeties were 20 yards off the line of scrimmage. Rodgers went up the middle for three and the first down, tossing his first TD strike of the game to Jennings across the middle three plays later. That’s just nuts. 

Packers vs. Vikings used to produce an almost visceral reaction for me: I couldn’t wait for the game to start yet I was so apprehensive about it that I couldn’t sit still. It started during all those years when Randy Moss was racking up dozens of touchdowns on us and it came to an ugly head three years ago when the Favre-led Vikings made my Packers look foolish. Since  that day, however, all my anxiety has been pointless as the Packers have owned the Queens. Tonight I could feel the tension in texts from Brother Russ and I’ll admit to some trepidation in the first half and one moment of doubt right before the second half but I never felt like Minnesota was ever going to make anything happen past a few meaningless opportunities. It’s ALWAYS a good feeling, though, when you beat the Vikings. It’s a MUCH BETTER feeling when you humiliate them in front of a prime time TV audience. Yeah, do your little “hog-tie” move, Jarred Allen. Get your kicks, guy. I much prefer a Lambeau Leap and a John Kuhn TD. And then you get to see the absolute best sight there can be: Matt Flynn in victory formation to end the game. Love it!

So, we sit at 9-0 and just played our best game of the year. This is the first of three games in 11 days and it couldn’t have turned out any better. But the challenges abound: a short turn and then Tampa on Sunday, followed by an even shorter turn and Detroit on Turkey Day. Oh, and once you get past that mess, you get to go to New York to play the Giants. If the Packers have indeed started to peak, they picked a perfect time for it.

MMQB: Mid-Season Performance Evaluation

To: The Green Bay Packers

From: The Cheesehead Nation

Re: 2011 Performance Evaluation

We’ve been very pleased with your work so far, Mr. Packer. Our organization takes great pride in providing a nurturing and supportive work environment and your performance over the last year has been exemplary. The numerous award and achievements that you have earned reflects most favorably upon all facets of your work and upon our organization as well. We are, however, required to provide regular feedback to all of our employees and after careful consideration have found some areas that deserve some extra attention on your part as well as some specific areas in which we feel you have excelled.

Quarterback —

Your Mr. Rodgers was very well thought of at the end of last season and we counted ourselves extremely fortunate to have him under contract considering the rather tumultuous and ugly separation problems we had with the previous holder of that position. Many questioned the wisdom of the actions taken at the time and, thankfully, those concerns have proved unfounded and shortsighted. We didn’t think it possible but Rodgers has not only improved upon his work from last year, he has risen to the unquestioned peak of his profession. If we had one comment for Mr. Rodgers it would be that we have noticed, over the last two weeks, an unfortunate tendency to hold the ball too long, a habit from previous years we thought he had gotten past. This can lead to some unfortunate consequences and expose him to possible injury, something that would be disastrous to our goals.

Running back—

This has not been a primary focus of your weekly operations and we realize the wisdom inherit in that course of action: the performance and success of the passing activities precludes the need for a strong rushing game. We also recognize that you try to achieve a balance in the play-calling, necessary to ensure your ultimate success. The return of your Mr. Grant after medical leave has been helpful but we question if he has returned to previous form—at times he seems most tentative in his work. Mr. Starks, who filled in last year and has been working in tandem with Grant this year has lived up to expectations and has largely supplanted Grant as your best back. Mr. Kuhn, a favorite of ours, continues to perform well when needed. We would encourage you to spend some extra time with this facet of your work. We feel that a strong running game can do nothing but enhance our chances for growth and support and protect our number one asset, Aaron Rodgers.

Receivers—

The staff in your receiving department has been nothing short of spectacular this year. The senior member, Mr. Driver, has certainly dropped off his production but his leadership and experience has no doubt enhanced the performance of his less-tenured co-workers and, while he continues to be a valuable asset, we approve of the steps you have taken to ensure no drop-off of production when he eventually decides to retire. The wisdom of retaining Mr. Jones, in danger of being terminated only a few short months ago, has been proven on numerous occasions. Some questioned your faith in him after some issues last year but few do now. Mr. Jennings is and will continue to be your biggest asset (and we encourage you to utilize him even more) but the play of young Mr. Nelson continues to improve and provide timely positive plays when needed most. His work near the end of last year was instrumental in your ultimate success. Your newest acquisition, Mr. Cobb, has proven he can do the job but he needs a bit more seasoning and experience. Getting him into more positions where he can excel would be an important short-term goal for your organization and would cement his role in the eventual post-Driver years. The combined talents and abilities of these five employees are unparalleled in your business segment and provide real challenges to any competing organization.

Tight Ends—

Most of the trade publications were incredulous when you chose to retain five tight ends for this year. Mr. Finely was obviously going to be your lead man and see the majority of the work but to add four more to your employment rolls (at the expense of even one back-up fullback) seemed a bit more out-of-the-box than most would like to see. While we have been pleased with Finley’s performance, the contributions of the other four have been mostly in blocking and special teams, which has been a pleasant surprise. Perhaps a more traditional mix of 3-4 tight ends with at least two fullbacks would be more prudent but it has not been a problem so far this year.

Offensive Line—

With the injury to Mr. Clifton, many of the younger and less-experienced members of your line staff (specifically Mr. Newhouse) have been forced into larger roles that would have been better suited to more veteran personnel. And while Newhouse has played fairly well and this unit has not had the feared precipitous drop in performance, they are young in key areas (notably both tackle positions) and suffer occasional lapses, resulting in challenges for others facets of the operations. They are neither big enough nor skilled enough to dominate the competition, forcing Rodgers and other skill-position players to perform at an even higher level. Injuries and the drop-off in talent behind the thin starting line remains and will continue to remain one of the biggest threats to your continued success. If Mr. Sherrod had come in worthy of his first-round acquisition, (or had been given the opportunity to work at tackle rather than experimented with at guard during the preseason) that would have provided much-needed depth to this unit, but he remains a work-in-progress.

Defensive Line—

It is rare that we find fault lately with the work of your Mr. Thompson but we must point out that the failure to re-sign Mr. Cullen Jenkins (or to even make a serious attempt to do so) must be considered, in hindsight, a major misstep. While you could not have foreseen the continued unavailability of his projected replacement Mr. Neil, we feel that Mr. Jenkins was a better option anyway. The loss of Mr. Jolly to his continuing legal issues has only exacerbated the situation. The lack of “push up the middle” has adversely effected the pass rush, sack and pass coverage facets of the operation. Mr. Jenkins continues to perform well in his new position in Philadelphia and, while we wish him the best in his future endeavors, we also wish he was still with your team. The lack of pass pressure from the three down linemen is of a major concern to us. Their performance on running plays has been adequate and acceptable, bordering on above-expectations on occasion. Until these issues can be corrected (either through scheme, training or personnel moves) it will remain one of our chief concerns.

Linebackers—

Considered a major plus during the last year, productivity, especially in the pass rush arena, has severely dropped off. While some of it can be traced to the defensive line issue detailed above, we believe that the continued inability of the company to field a top-flight pass rusher opposite Mr. Matthews is a major factor. Mr. Zombo can’t seem to make it in to work due to injury, Mr. Jones doesn’t seem to be up to the challenge and Mr. Walden’s inconsistency is both puzzling and troubling. Mr. So’oto, while new to the organization, showed in the preseason that he is capable of being a disruptive force and certainly has the size and skills to make an impact larger than the aforementioned trio. I understand there are some concerns over his abilities in pass coverage but he can hardly do worse than has been exhibited in that area already (see below). I would advise you to at least give him an opportunity to prove if he is able. The work of Mr. Hawk and Mr. Bishop in the middle has been solid and consistent, as would be expected of veterans in that position. We are especially pleased with Hawk’s rise as a leader given the departure of Mr. Barnett.

Secondary—

We feel that the loss of Mr. Collins, the early season injuries to Mr. Williams and Mr. Shields and the continuing handicap faced by Mr. Burnett with his hand problem have changed one of your greatest defensive assets last year (your pass coverage) into your greatest liability. Contributing to the lack of production are the factors surrounding the defensive line and the linebacking groups listed previously. You are forced to rely on the likes of Mr. Peprah and Mr. Bush in critical junctures and we do not believe they are up to the task. Another factor has to be the stellar work of Rodgers and his offensive group which forces opponents to rely even more heavily on a pass-centric plan, putting further pressure on this team. Furthermore, the relative youth and injury handicaps of the secondary forces one of your most disruptive and opportunistic employees, Mr. Woodson, to assume a more conventional role, further eliminating the pressure on the opponent’s passing efforts. They are definitely an opportunistic group as seen by their industry-wide lead in hostile acquisition of competitor assets but these opportunities cannot always be counted on to compensate for a lack of execution in coverage. Of all the different units in your firm, the secondary has perhaps the highest proclivity for potentially disastrous actions, leading to an inevitable failure in a key moment. 

Special Teams—

Collectively, your special teams units have performed far above expectations. The work done by Mr. Crosby has been absolutely perfect up to this point. Not long ago, every opportunity for him to make in impact upon outcomes was fraught with trepidation: would he miss the easy opportunity? Could he overcome the elements? Would he let his team down at a critical juncture? He hasn’t been called on to perform under serious pressure yet (thanks to the fine work done by the offense) but there is no reason to suspect that he will buckle. Likewise, Mr. Masthay has been a steady and in some cases a spectacular performer, tilting the playing field in your favor. He has had a decided lack of work this year, but I think we can all agree that that is a good thing. Coverage teams have so far performed well, with only a few lapses in execution, unlike the early performances from 2010 when an excellent offensive performance was usually followed by a special teams collapse. We attribute that mostly to the relatively few injuries endured this year when compared to last. The addition of Mr. Cobb as your return man has also been a plus, although one must question his decision-making at times, based on the depth from which he returns some kicks. His one spectacular success seems to be coloring his judgment perhaps. His obvious physical skills allow him to overcome these lapses and we believe that he can only improve as he gains more experience and hopefully become the asset we envisioned him to be.

Coaching—

Across the board, your coaches, led by Mr. McCarthy, have proven their worth. Even when faced with adversity: your team has fallen behind and come back, gotten out quick and defended a lead and fought off furious late-game challenges. Coming off a previous year at the unassailable peak of your profession tends to make you a target and you get the absolute best effort out of each and every opponent. The continued success this year has only enhanced this factor. Despite (or maybe because of) this challenge, your organization continues to excel, week in and week out. It remains to be seen if this level of excellence can be maintained throughout the rest of this year and the adjustments made by you defensive staff to correct some of the shortcomings in that arena will be key. The level of adversity faced by your organization in the 2010 season made everyone in it stronger. If that tempering still exists and carries over into a year with fewer catastrophic injuries, there is practically no limit to what you can achieve.

Summary—

While significant challenges remain in the year ahead, we cannot quibble with the results of your efforts, individually, as distinct departments and as a whole. We have not and will not expect perfection of you but are delighted in your potential to deliver it. On a weekly basis, we look forward to watching you compete and grow as a team. The unprecedented success you have achieved is no accident: The seeds were sown in 2010 and in previous years and now all the planning and effort put forth are paying off. Many in the industry media have gone to great lengths to tout your strengths and prowess but we are sure those same sources will be just as quick to diminish you if you would happen to have a setback. While we expect and demand a high level of performance and we tend to let our concerns overshadow our pride at times, please know that we are fully committed to you and have been so for as far as we can remember and will remain so for as long as we are physically able. We look forward to a long and profitable relationship.

Sincerely,

The Cheesehead Nation