Packers Weekly: From the Lions Den to the Battlefield

The banged up, beaten up, injury wracked and playoff seeking Green Bay Packers go into the great white northeast with a showdown with the healthier, rested, and dominating New England Patriots who are seeking another coronation with a Super Bowl win. After dismantling the New York Jets and Chicago Bears on consecutive weekends by he combines score of 1,568 – 3 the Pats are hitting on all cylinders.

The Pack, on the other hand, gift wrapped an early present for the Detroit Lions and started playing the Patriots a week early. Too bad they forget to take of business in Big D before hitting Boston.

The Packers new logo

As has been the custom this season, to start with Green Bay look in the infirmary to see who is going onto the IR list.

There are cruel jokes and then there is this season’s staggering list of injuries. At the top of the list add the one player the Pack simply cannot afford to lose – QB Aaron Rodgers. With his 2^nd concussion this year his ability to play will not be determined until Saturday… maybe. Ugh. Now toss in Cullen Jenkins whose recurring calf pull may keep him out the rest of the year. Double ugh. Oh, yeah, LB Frank Zombo and LG Darryn Colledge both left the Lion game with knee injuries. Add Chad Clifton’s balky knee that has him struggling at LT of late. Now toss in Clay Matthews III nagging shin injury that is hampering him, Chas Woodson’s toe, Donald Driver’s thigh and the picture is pretty bleak. It gets more depressing. The Division leading Bears get to play the Vikings on Monday night who are down to a 3rd string QB. Favre is out as is Tavaris Jackson, leaving Joe Webb to lead the floundering Vikes against the surging Bears. And the Bears have their own injury troubles - Jay Cutler recieved a paper cut openeing his bonus check while MLB Brian Urlacher strained his vocal chords whooping it up at practice. WR/ PR Extraordinaire Devin Hester has a hangnail also. While the Pack looks like a M*A*S*H unit the Bears have been sickeningly healthy.

But the Packers have a shot.

Or they have no chance.

It all depends on your perspective, so we’ve enlisted the aid of some ghost writers in this pursuit. Meet our guest writers ~

ANGELA HOPEFUL ~ The eternal optimist. It is always a nice day in Green Bay and a great day for football. She see all the positives and lives for feeling that a W brings.

Then there is her counterpart, LUCIFER B. ELZEBUB. A notorious pessimist, he sees only the disaster waiting around every corner and simply knows that the world is conspiring against his beloved Packers to lead to a defeat. No matter how good it is, LUCIFER knows the sick feeling of having victory torn away at the last second all too well.

Patriots LB Jerod Mayo

ANGELA HOPEFUL says if Aaron Rodgers can go, so can the Packers. With Rodgers at the helm the Patriots are vulnerable to a balanced and strong passing attack, something the Packers certainly boast. Outside of NT Vince Wolfork and LB Jerod Mayo the Pat D is really just average. Rookie CB Devin McCourtey has 6 picks but gets beat deep like most rooks. LB Brandon Spikes was just whacked with a 4 game suspension, so he will assume the video tape duties this week to keep busy. But the Pats have an ability to turn it on when needed. So Angela says that after 2 big games against playoff teams Arod will pick apart the Pats like a holiday turkey the day after dinner.

QB Matt Flynn will likely be
practicing running for his life this week

LUCIFER B. ELZEBUB says forget it – there’s not a hope in hell that Rodgers gets back after the shot he took last week. Not this year, not the way the injury bug has decided to sit itself on Green Bay’s face this year. Rodgers is out, won’t play, and the very capable Matt Flynn takes the Packers playoff hopes against Tom Brady. And Flynn is very capable if you buy into MM’s post game coach-speak. Flynn’s noodle armed tosses will be blown back in his face and without a strong running game or a coach willing to deploy one, the Packers are cannon fodder for the odds on favorite Patriots to extend an impressive string of ass kickings. Bill Belichek aka the Hoodie, is heard cackling in the distance.

ANGELA says pish posh… the Lions game was a fluke and MM has seen the film, addressed the issues and cleaned it up. The running game will be used to set up the pass and keep the Pats off balance and the Pack can win in an aerial shootout. The Packers defense has been stout all year and will be the difference maker in this one. They only gave up 7 points and lead the league in scoring defense, so Pretty Boy Brady will have a hard time carving up a better defense than he has seen in this little run of his.

The always cheerful Bill Belichek
in an upbeat mood

LUCIFER says that even if ARod does play with the weak play lately of the OLine the Pats will run them over like it was Bunker Hill. The Packs line has given up 4 sacks in each of the last 2 games, a disturbing trend that has the team pointed in the wrong direction. NE’s D will gobble up and stuff whatever run GB tries as they manhandle the Packers Oline and force them into a pass only game and it gets hairy for Rodgers as the Hoodie devises a blitz D he has never shown and unveils against the Packers catching MM completely off guard. Hoodie does these things… that’s what good coaches do. MM will ask for Hoodie’s autograph after the game as he is impressed - and completely befuddled.

ANGELA points out that any team on any given Sunday can win – look at Detroit last week. GB underprepared and underplayed against them and the Lions played well enough to win. GB looked right past them and paid the price. New England, having secured a playoff spot and first place, has nothing to prove and is looking forward to the playoffs, so GB can steal one right back. It could happen. Yes, it could. Really.

LUCIFER states that Hoodie does not under prepare or take anything for granted. That’s the difference, Hoodie points

Maybe MM will get to kiss one this week

out, between good coaches and bad coaches. He says this as he is polishing his Super Bowl rings, and the mere fact that the word ring is in plurals and multiples causes MM to be blinded by the shine off Hoodie’s bling. MM asks for another autograph.

ANGELA counters with the fact that Green Bay’s defense will rise as they have all year to meet the mighty Patriots. Good defensive coverage teams can tie up the diminutive Pats WR’s Deion Branch and Wes Welker. Tiny RB David Woodhead gets pounded by a BJ Raji led storm. The Pats can run – some – but GB boasts a bend but don’t break D. And GB’s LBs are good enough the stifle the still learning rookie TE’s Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. Green Bay has enough on D to impact the outcome and the offense gets untracked.

QB Tom Brady. Totally unfair
that a guy this good looking
is that good a player

LUCIFER retorts with big deal – getting into Fort Knox is easier than getting through the Pats Oline. With Matt Light and Logan Mankins Tom Brady usually has enough time to drop back, check his look, look off the D, toss his hair, eat a sandwich, complete the pass and tousle his locks. His uniform never gets dirty and he exits the game to his next photo op and MVP Award Dinner. Hoodie knows this and surrounded his franchise with a line that lets nothing thru. That’s what good coaches do. They protect their investments. MM looks confused and asks to borrow a Polaroid. Hoodie confounds MM again as he used invisible ink for the autographs. MM is in over his head.

ANGELA says that if Rodgers plays the Packers have a chance. If they can get a running game going. If the D plays well. If the receivers hang on to the damn ball. If they get no more injuries. If the injuries they have currently can heal. If MM can dial up a great game plan. If it doesn’t snow. If the plane doesn’t get lost around Newark. As longs as Rodgers plays, they always have a shot.

LUCIFER says Duh. Even a moron knows that while he casts his eyes towards a certain Packers coach and whistles nonchalantly. He also says if Flynn has to go the only backup will be Graham Harrell, and look for the Patriots to wallop the Pack.

As it is we’ll let both our protagonists make their own call...

ANGELA HOPEFUL praying for a victory says if Aaron plays: