Super Blown

I have almost nothing to say about how the Green Bay Packers manage to loose the NFC Championship Games and Super Bowl appearance to the New York Football Giants. For some reason the home team decides to make themselves one dimensional by running the ball on only 13 plays when the horrific cold screams for the kind of ball control ground game the team has played so very well recently. Toss in defensive penalties at crucial moments and the whole sorry affair lookes every bit like a young team unprepared for a game of this magnitude. The Wisconsin Sports Bar has lots of thoughts but for the moment I’m way too disappointed to be coherent.

Green Bay 42 Seattle 20

First, we the Green Bay Packers are going to remind you the fans how disheartening bad football makes you feel. Next, we the Green Bay Packers, are going to demonstrate to you the fans how poise and perseverance combined with youthful energy and veteran leadership makes for an exhilarating contest. A classic game in the long history of the National Football League’s old franchise. There will undoubtedly be commemorative snow globes for sale in the very near future.

13 - 3 and More To Come

This is wonderful. The Green Bay Packers finish the 2007 Season 13-3 with a win over the Detroit Lions. It is everything Coach McCarthy can want in a season ending game. Brett Favre leads the team on three touchdown drives on the first three possessions. He then comes out for good two plays into the 2nd quarter, after successive completions to newly returned veteran TE Bubba Franks. Backup QB Craig Nall then takes the reserves to a final 34-13 victory. The GB Game 16 Stats make the case this is a disciplined team with a depth of talent.

RB Ryan Grant and CB Will Blackmon are knocked out of the game with injuries, but afterwards both insist they are not serious and expect to be ready for the first playoff game January 12, 2008. The Packers rest several key starters and with the extra bye week, the team will be at optimal readiness to contend for the Super Bowl. In his post-game conference, Brett Favre says “At times we played pretty good football but once the playoffs start, at times doesn’t count”.

Coach McCarthy: (Did the Chicago loss shake your team's confidence?)
I'd like to say that it didn't affect our confidence. I think it punched us right in the mouth. It was a good wake-up call. The most important thing about a wake-up call is how you respond to it. I really liked the way our football team responded today. That's what you're looking for, a decisive win at home, great crowd, perfect day at Lambeau Field. It's an excellent way to finish a 13-3 season.

"Perfect Day at Lambeau Field" -- I have to agree. This has been a special season, and no matter what happens going forward it has been a remarkable story that none of us can honestly say we saw coming.

Returning the Favor

Winter storm warnings and travel advisories cover the upper Midwest as the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears prepare to play football, outside in the blustery gusts of late December. The GB Game 15 Stats lists the game time temp at 16 degrees. Nasty 22 mph winds in Soldier Field make both long snaps and short passes a game of whiffle ball. The Bears are poised to take advantage of every mistake by the Packers and they blow the Wisconsin boys away in a 35-7 victory.

Every business has the company line and the workforce reality. No player in the NFL is going on record as saying 'we went through the motions because that was all we needed to do today', but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Last year the Chicago Bears were headed for the Super Bowl and rolled over letting the Packers win the last game of the season. Today the Packers return the favor. All the high ideals of competition aside, the Bears need a win, the Packers don’t, and everyone on the field knows it. The message is sent when the Bears pound the football downfield on 18 plays over nearly eleven minutes on the first drive of the game.

Preparing for this match, Coach McCarthy holds the practices inside because he thinks it is more important to keep the precision in the reps, rather than experience the reps in the probable game conditions. In hindsight he is probably correct. The Green Bay players know they have the cherished first week bye in the playoffs, and truth be told, most of the team would rather deal with a second road game in Dallas than yet another bitter cold contest at Lambeau. Brett Favre will tell you, no one really enjoys playing when the wind chill is eighteen below.

Winter Football

In the press conference after the Green Bay Packers 38-7 victory over the Oakland Raiders at Lambeau field, the first thing Brett Favre starts talking about is the cold. The GB Game 13 Stats have the game being played in 18 degree windless cold and Favre says the cold gets colder as the afternoon goes on. He then talks about starting the game with numbness in two fingers, from the hit knocking him out of the Dallas contest, and ending the game with numbness in every finger. Yeah, the weather outside is tough. It's part of the unique legacy of this team and their fans.

PackersNews: Mark Murphy is scheduled to become the Packers’ next president in January, but he showed up at Lambeau Field on Sunday to get a sneak peek at his new team. Instead of watching the game from the warmth of an indoor suite, Murphy and his wife braved the elements and sat in the stands. It’s another indication Murphy plans to be a man of the people.

This is a complete team victory. The return of Charles Woodson to the secondary brings the defense to back to normal after their substandard mistake filled outing at Dallas. The unit allows Oakland only 10 first downs the entire game, and two of those come from Packer penalties. Cornerback Will Blackmon returns one punt for a touchdown and scores a second TD by falling on a fumbled Oakland punt in the end zone. Ryan Grant continues providing an effective running attack to balance a passing game in which all members of the receiving corps are productive.

Now 11-2 on the season, the victory seals the NFC Central Division Title and assures the Packers a place in the playoffs. I suspect Coach McCarthy will remind the team they have yet to clinch a first round bye, and admonish them for being assessed more penalty yards than the Raiders. Photo: Dan Powers/The Post-Crescent. No NFL team should ever be penalized more than the Raiders.

Tough Night In Dallas

The Green Bay Packers come up short in Dallas tonight, losing by 10 points to the Cowboys. Over the next several days, the concern will not be about the loss of a road game to a very good football team, but whether the hit that knocks Brett Favre out of game in the second quarter is the streak ending blow. Aaron Rodgers comes in and plays a very good game in relief, but since the Packers have only two quarterbacks on the team, the question arises just who plays the position in an emergency.

JS Online: Upon further review, these are the Packers players that have played quarterback in high school: CB Al Harris -- Don't think the right elbow is going to let him do it. LB A.J. Hawk -- Just imagine the possibilities. WR Ruvell Martin -- Maybe he can throw it to himself. Actually, he was a two-time all-conference and got all-state recognition as a QB at Muskegon (Mich.) Catholic Central. Might be the guy.

Mike McCarthy keeps starting cornerback Charles Woodson out of the game and his absence as the director of the secondary is obvious all game long. Joining Woodson on the bench are Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Johnny Jolly and Aaron Rouse. If these four defenders are ready in the event of a rematch, the outcome may be different. A 10-2 record is something no one expected coming into this season and there is a lot of the season still to come.

The Sobering Joy of Ten Wins

The Green Bay Packers 37-26 victory over the Detroit Lions moves them to 10-1 for the season. There are lots of stories in the GB Game 11 Stats but what strikes me is the tone in Brett Favre’s voice in the post-game interview.

The exuberance in his face that the cameras catch during the course of the game is absent. The big smiles as he completes a personal and team record 20 straight completions are gone. Instead there is a reserved and reflective veteran player cautiously picking his words as he speaks on record. Pressed for a statement about the quality of this team he simply says, “I consider us lucky, I consider us pretty good, umh, I consider us kind of an unknown”.

You can sense Favre is weighing the balance between lucky and good in his mind and perhaps for the first time wondering if there is enough discipline and talent in this team to be better than Dallas. It’s those unknowns that keep pushing optimism back into place. He has been this far up the difficult path to the Championship before. He understands the seriousness of purpose required to reach that goal and how far away he is from the finish.

Some sort of confidence trigger appears to get switched on in the Halloween week Monday Night overtime win at Denver. The phenomenal 82 yard TD pass ending that game is only the 19th point of the night, and the fourth game in a row where the Packers score 23 points or less. Over the subsequent four games the team puts 33, 34, 31 and 37 points on the board as the offense begins to perform consistently. The Green Bay Press Gazette message boards dare to use the “P” word.

Tom Pelissero: Favre is sold on this team. Even when he smirks and says they're "not bad," c'mon, they're 10-1. Favre is not a guy who is going to broadcast to the nation that he thinks his young squad can challenge the Patriots. And going into a game like Thursday's showdown in Big D, this team needs to embrace the underdog mentality, not go through the week with bravado.

The team has the expected damage that comes from playing a collision sport and nothing in the future is guaranteed or predictable. Yet as the Packers head home for Thanksgiving night, they have every right to believe they are legitimate contenders to be the best of this season. That’s both a delightful and sobering thought.

Just Riding The Wave

The “Trap Game” concept is all the rage these days. The idea is that a superior team fails to prepare properly for an allegedly weaker opponent when their concentration is diluted with thoughts of other challenges. Because the Green Bay Packers are such a young group of men having such an unexpectedly victorious season, there is concern the Carolina Panthers may be able to come in Lambeau Field and spring the trap. Well, not this time. GB Game 10 Stats. One very sweet 31-17 Packers Victory.

A successful football operation efficiently runs all three aspects of the game. The Packers special teams open the scoring when Tramon Williams fields a pooch punt and with the help of excellent downfield blocking, runs it back 94 yards for a touchdown. Things like this happen in football, but they are more likely to happen if the coaching staff is doing their work correctly.

Mike McCarthy post game: (What happened on the pooch punt for touchdown?) It was something we practiced all week. Mike Stock felt that he has something on the alignment of the kicker. Tramon did a very good job fielding the ball. That's what happens.

Both offense and defense play a nearly flawless first half and take a 21-3 lead into the locker room. When early in the third quarter, Donald Lee catches his second touchdown pass of the day, it appears the victory is safely secured. Then Vinny Testaverde leads Carolina on two touchdown drives. After the game the defensive players deny that complacency set in with the big lead. A.J. Hawk says “I wouldn’t say we relaxed at all, they just made some good plays”. Al Harris says at the end of games you “play black board defenses”. The head coach, however, notices some sloppiness.

Mike McCarthy post game: (When you're up 28-3, is it hard to keep the team focused?) When you're up 28-3 we're just in a different situation. Football is all about situations, whether it's four-minute situations, two-minute situations, red zone, they're all parts of your training that come up. Four-minute offense is something you'd like to be in a lot. We need to do a better job of finishing the games. When you're up 28-3, we can learn from that experience to put the opponent away. There was some sloppiness in our play down the stretch that we can learn from. 28-3 to me is just another situation that you're involved in.

If this season is demonstrating anything, it is the ability of the Packers coaching staff to correct flaws and game plan for opponents. Brett Favre, after another 3 TD passing day victory, says he is “just riding the wave”. The team is 9-1 in this very special season, so enjoy the moment.

Neighbors Beating Down Neighbors

The final numbers are: Green Bay Packers 34, Minnesota Vikings 0, but the game isn’t as close as that. GB Game 9 Stats. The combination of the Packers efficient ball control offense and shut down defense yields a time of possession differential more than two to one in favor of the Pack. Purple inclined pundits will find reasons to excuse the performance but the truth is Mike McCarthy’s utilization of Ted Thompson’s personnel is producing an elite team.

Consider this angle, the Vikings achieve only 11 first downs all game and the Packers commit only four penalties all game: two false starts, an illegal block on a return and a late roughing the passer call. Noticeably absent are the pass interference infractions haunting the secondary the last several weeks. Now admittedly former Wisconsin QB Brooks Bollinger doesn’t instill fear into pro cornerbacks, but even conceding that fact, it is deep into the 3rd Quarter before he connects with anyone other than a running back.

Whatever curse has been visited upon Minnesota, it manifests itself in one extended 4th Quarter sequence. The Vikings finally manage a drive deep into Packers territory only to have it end abruptly when Charles Woodson intercepts Bollinger at the 2 yard line. 96 yards back the other direction Favre flips up a completely interceptable end zone toss that bounces off the hands of two Viking defenders and over to Ruvell Martin who catches it for a Packers score.

The dominance is so complete that Aaron Rogers gets to walk on the field with a game clock running and pad his stats with a 102.1 quarterback rating. Two for Two baby for seventeen yards. Of course, he is charged for minus one rushing yards on two victory formation kneel downs. 8-1 and improving. Yeah Cheese!

All The Parts Working

The Green Bay Packers are trying really hard to show everyone they are a legitimate good team. For the second time in a week they go on the road to an AFC conference stadium and defeat the home team. Today is a 33-22 victory over Kansas City but the score does not truly indicate how close the game was.

Like many long time Packer fans, I watch two first half drives stalling in the red zone and settling for field goals with a sense of frustration. I suppose all sincere fans follow their team with some mixture of hope, pride, fear and memory. When Brett Favre throws his second interception and the Chiefs immediately turn it into a touchdown for a 7-6 halftime lead, the memories of all the bad Favre moments fire up in the synapses. Half a game of solid defensive effort nullified with one bad decision.

Donald Lee plays a remarkable game and I suspect our Tight End is a bit tired of hearing about the greatness of Tony Gonzalez on the other side. Still, Gonzalez is as good as it gets at the position and when he takes yet another reception 17 yards for a go ahead score late in the 4th quarter the task of winning is suddenly slipping away.

Of course, long time Packers fans understand good Favre is always a possibility. The next possession goes first down pass for 11 yards, first down pass for 11 yards, first down pass for no gain, second down pass for a 60 yard touchdown. Just another film clip for the Hall of Fame. Boom, Boom, click, Boom and three minutes left for the home team to rally.

As much as Favre is getting the limelight for the highlights it is the defense Ted Thompson has put together cementing the victories. In May 2006 he signs veteran Cornerback Charles Woodson to a 7 year contract. Now as the clock runs down near one minute, Woodson steps in front of 3rd down throw to Priest Holmes and runs it back for 46 yard touchdown. The Packers head home with yet another road win and a 7-1 record half way through the year. For true fans, it’s going to be pins and needles the rest of the way and that is tremendous.

Mile High Magic

Wow. I have no idea how hard it is to play good football at the professional level. As a schmuck watching on the tube, I'm furious at the penalties, furious at the wasted scoring opportunities. Then bam, miracle finish. Gilding on the legend. Favre going awh shucks at the post game podium, it was only single safety coverage after a bite on play action. Then, “I always thought I could throw the deep ball well”. Then, “You know, it don’t get no better than the end of that game”. 6-1 in an unforgiving league. Wow.

Red Rover Red Rover

The 2005 season ends with the Green Bay Packers emerging victorious in only three competitive games. Two wins at Lambeau against New Orleans and Detroit (in overtime) and one at Atlanta. A January 1st, 2006 victory over a “going through the motions” Seattle team tacks a fourth W next to the dozen L’s. Even Minnesota coaching lightweight Mike Tice figures out the Packers Defense falls apart against four receiver sets. The single combined General Manager and Head Coach Position was a very stupid organizational decision and the full horrors of the consequences are apparent to everyone. Mike Sherman gets the boot January 2nd.

Now six weeks into the 2007 season the Packers have five victories and only themselves to blame for the single loss blemishing their record. The media coverage has rightfully focused on what Brett Favre is doing or not doing but the foundation for this success is the defense. Today’s triumph over Washington, much like the Week 1 victory, is proof Ted Thompson actually knows what he is doing in building the team these last two years.

In theory, you don’t need any Offense to win games. Special Teams and Defense can put points on the board. GB Game 6 Stats When a good defense keeps opponent scores low, a serviceable offense that someone like Aaron Rogers can run may be sufficient for long term success.

Complacency Gets You Beaten

Packers v Bears - again. When the Packers open the game with a 7 play 83 yard touchdown drive of such beautiful efficiency and execution, the undefeated perfection adorning their season seems completely justified. Even when the Bears Tillman single handedly forces two lost fumbles from rookie receiver James Jones, the failure of the Bears offense to turn them into points on the board appears to legitimize the both the inept Chicago offense and the vastly improved Green Bay defense. The Packers proceed to roll out 341 moving the ball forward yards by halftime, but take only a 10 point lead into the locker room.

Brian Urlacher will later say that yardage doesn’t win football games, points do. Something changes during the mid-game break because the Packers come out like they spend the time gloating over their individual stats, while the Bears find the willpower to start playing like a team that reached the Super Bowl only eight months ago. When, with four and a half minutes left in the Third Quarter, Urlacher intercepts a bonehead Brett Favre decision at the Packers 19, the tide of the game is completely turned. The Green and Gold play the rest of night with the dazed realization they reached the moment when they could seize control of their division and they flinched. GB Game 5 Stats.

So where is the silver lining? It may emerge from a new grounding in reality for this very young team and their extremely aged player coach. If the sting of having given away a victory to the kids next door drives complacency out of the upcoming efforts, that will be helpful. If it keeps the phrase, DON’T BE STUPID, in between Favre and his arm, a lot of good things are still possible for this now 4-1 football team.

Undefeated at the Quarter Pole

... thanks in large part to our Quarterback. GB Game 4 Stats. One announcer says: “He’s never been about numbers which is probably why he has them all”. Beating a division arch rival at their place – great. Getting a record as the player with the most touchdown passes – ever – good too.

Near the end of the game as Minnesota is valiantly trying to score, I find myself concerned the Packers Defense has given up 16 points. Then the final ticks come off the game clock allowing me to reflect on the fact they only gave up 16 points. Not bad for the modern day “treat receivers like china dolls” NFL rule book. All in all, the D gives up only one TD while collecting 4 sacks and a fumble.

Of course the way Brett Favre ran the offense is getting the limelight. He completes passes to ten different receivers, nine of them more than once, and twice for touchdowns. The 1st of those TD throws sets a new quarterback record and the 2nd becomes the first in a hopefully long line of additions to whatever final tally Favre achieves.

With the record comes the bar talk speculation of what it means in terms of greatness. At the highest level of individual achievement in team sports, the discussions are really more about what flavor you like best. Since I’m a Wisconsin Homer, I am proud to defend the primacy of # 4 against his nearest passing rival and I can’t state it better than a news jockey from downtown Marino land.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Just because Marino played only 10 regular-season games outdoors in cold-weather cities in the late part of the schedule doesn't mean he belongs anywhere less than in the pantheon of great quarterbacks. But, if you're going to stand these two men up against each other on what could be an historic Sunday, why not note that Favre played 44 games outdoors in cold-weather cities and that 44 of his 420 touchdowns came under less-than-desirable-playing conditions?

So what? Wouldn't Marino have thrown as many touchdowns if he had played, on average, twice at Lambeau Field every December, or go to Soldier Field in Chicago when the wind whistling off Lake Michigan numbs your nose in about two minutes? Perhaps. Perhaps not. The reality is he didn't have to, and Favre did. Rather than diminish the importance of Marino's 420 regular-season TD passes, we need to further elevate Favre's 420.

So yeah, you can program a robot to accurately guide a football to a predetermined spot, but I prefer a scruffy old coot being knocked on his ass and still able to lead a slant route into a 33 yard pay dirt strike. --- AP Photo/Paul Battaglia.

Good Progress Down the Right Road

KGB introduces himself to San Diego Quarterback Philip Rivers a couple years ago. With any luck the acquaintanceship renews at Lambeau Field this afternoon. This is the ninth meeting between the two teams and Green Bay holds a 7-1 series advantage. The west coasters did the Packers a favor by beating the Bears Week 1, so it would be nice if Mr. Gbaja-Biamila says thanks to Mr. Rivers in the Chargers backfield several times today. (posted pre-game at the Wisconsin Sports Bar)

UPDATE: Well, according to the GB Game 3 Stats, KGB did indeed sack Mr. Rivers twice this afternoon. This is just one part of the defensive effort upholding their end of the game. As much as Brett Favre and the offense are deservedly getting credit for this victory, the game was not really in hand until Nick Barnett snags his second interception of the season and runs it down to the two yard line.

The Packers open this year by beating three playoff teams from last year. Given the talent on San Diego, this is arguably the first win against genuine top tier competition since they defeat Seattle in the January 4, 2004 wild card game. Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City are the only teams left on the schedule that make the playoffs last year.

Brett Favre looks completely comfortable in the pocket these last two weeks. He is playing like he trusts his offensive line, and is at least comfortable with his receivers as six players catch more than one pass today. His back to back weeks with three touchdown passes and triple digit quarterback ratings are evidence he has bought into the company line about how to play. He’s even running the scout team in practice to help out. What else? Oh yeah, and he is collecting some historical records as he clicks past the milestones.

Just Another Sunday Playing Around

The NFL website is running a blurb saying it was on this day in 1919 that newspaper writer George Whitney Calhoun first calls a Green Bay Football team "The Packers". This would be about five weeks since the acknowledged first meeting August 11th of that year, but it does make a good story on the day eighty eight years later when a Packers player becomes the Quarterback with the most wins ever in the league.

The GB Game 2 Stats will forever show this achievement as a quality victory over the New York Giants (35–13), with Brett Favre connecting for three touchdown passes and a Quarterback rating of 112.4. The 149th time No. 4 leads his team off the field with a Win.

The Packers are now 2 – 0 to begin this year and a lot can happen but I am beginning to believe that General Manager Ted Thompson knows what he has being doing since assuming responsibility for the organization at the beginning of 2005. For one thing, this very young group of players is beginning to perform very well as this is the sixth consecutive victory going back to the end of last season. Equally important, the club is in tremendous financial condition to preserve and expand talent.

Packers in salary-cap heaven: The Green Bay Packers are among the healthiest salary-cap teams in the NFL and in a pay-as-you-go cycle that should keep them in excellent cap standing for the next several years, if not longer. Not only are they $12.2 million under this year's salary cap of $109 million, they have player contracts for 2008 that count about $91 million in cap costs, or about $25 million under next year's projected cap of $116 million.

Thompson was a financial planner after finishing his playing career in the NFL and is, by nature and experience, more conservative with the Packers' money than his predecessors. … It's no different than anybody in any business," Thompson said this week. "You don't necessarily like to borrow into the future for today. It just makes more sense from a business model to do it that way.

Achieving goals in a framework of financial responsibility. I am tempted to do a compare and contract with our Governor, but today is too good to waste contemplating the ugly aspects of life. Congratulations Brett. Go Pack Go. - Photo: Tom Lynn (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Nick Barnett

46 rushing yards on 17 attempts. The GB Game 1 Stats reinforce the concerns about the Packers coming into the season as a one dimensional offence. The Packers defense did hold McNabb to a 60.7 passer rating but then the Eagles defense held Favre to a 58.2.

Nick Barnett is clearly the defensive player of the game with over twice as many individual tackles as anyone else, plus the interception he leaps up and steals out of midair. The youngest team in the NFL finds a way to seize and capitalize on opportunities and emerge with a win. Yeah Cheese!

Cross posted at The Wisconsin Sports Bar