Comparing the Defenses

In Super Bowl XLV the Packers and Steelers both have offenses that are capable of putting up extraordinary numbers and both are capable of going MIA and disappearing altogether. The hallmark of both teams is most certainly not the offenses. No offense, but this is a game for the old fashioned purists as the Pack and Steelers are bringing some tough, gritty, and stingy defenses to the party.

These defenses are fast, rangy, ballhawking with a devastatingly dominant LB and an all Pro Safety. In a game this large it will be up to the OCs of each team to try and devise a game plan that can squeeze point out against defenses that give them up by the thimble full. The Steelers led the league in points against, and are trailed by the Packers. The oddity is how similar the D’s of each team are and yet how singularly unique to their own squad they have become.

Mention hardnosed, smash mouth football and it goes together with Pittsburgh like a shot and a beer. The precursor standard of LB in the Steel City has its bloodlines in Jack Lambert, and Jack Ham and run all the way through to James Harrison. Mel Blount and Donnie Shell have paved the way for Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor. The Steelers play defense in an overused term of a way – old school. Nothing fancy, no sound bytes, no braggadocio. They just lace ‘em up and get after it fast, hard, and mean.

The Packers have returned to glory on the strength of their vastly improved and underrated defense. When Green Bay comes up in conversation the sexy pick is to talk about Aaron Rodgers or his stable of receivers. To do so would be to ignore what got the Packers into the Super Bowl – a defense that bends but never breaks. While they will yield more rush yards than their black and gold counterparts they have an incredible resolve in the red zone and make teams earn every point, every yard.

It is no secret that both teams employ a 3 – 4 base defense with Dom Capers turning the Packers fortunes around with his and Dick LeBeau authoring the book on the 3 – 4 in Pitt. Both men have a lot of respect for each other and both teams not only play this brand of D very similar they both play it very well. Capers imported some of his old Steeler cronies to assist on the Packers Defensive coaching staff – Darren Perry (DB Coach) has garnered much notice and is rumored to be a hot ticket for a DC job somewhere soon, like say, Philly, and first time ever coach anywhere Kevin Greene who has brought his own brand of psychotic toughness to Clay Matthews III and the rest of the Packers ‘backers.

In the days of Vince Lombardi and Chuck Noll each coach built his team around its collective ability to impose its will on the opponent. This game ultimately comes down to how the defenses will fare against formidable offenses. We compare these two Super defenses by starting with:

DEFENSIVE LINE –



The Man in the Middle -
Steeler NT Casey Hampton



Pittsburgh may, or may not have, their best Dlineman in Aaron Smith for SB XLV. Smith is still nursing a bum wheel but will make every effort to be back out there. In the interim the fort has been ably manned by the triumvirate of Ziggy Hood, Brett Keilsel and NT Casey Hampton. This is as ferocious a front 3 as there is in football today. Hampton is a load up front, stronger than Paul Bunyon’s ox Blue and harder to move. Hood is showing all sorts of promise after a so so rookie campaign while Keisel can stuff the run and go after the QB. The 3 – 4 is so reliant on the front 3 occupying linemen and space that these 3 make the LB’s jobs that much easier. While the Pittsburgh line can stuff any running game they can be held off in a big passing game. How tired they get will go a long way in either stuffing the Packers or watching Rodgers go up top.

Cullen Jenkins' Sack Dance

On Green Bay’s side of the ball Cullen Jenkins and Ryan Pickett surround blossoming 2^nd year man B.J.Raji. Raji has been the glue that has held the Packers defense together all year. His enormous size (6’2”/ 337 lbs) belies his nimble feet, witnessed when he dropped into coverage for a game winning interception he ran in for a TD against Chicago. Raji is capable of and routinely handling 3 and 3 interior linemen at a time, freeing up space for Jenkins and his LBs to run wild. Jenkins had been hampered by a club he had to wear on his broken hand earlier this year as well as a recurring calf strain that limited his mobility. The one area of concern for DC Dom Capers will be the Packers ability to stop the run as this group and the Packers are middle of the Pack in run D. The Packers will have to contend with Rahsard Mendenhall and they are well aware that containing him is the key to this game.

ADVANTAGE – STEELERS

LINEBACKERS –



The Monster of the Steelers
LB James Harrison



There is a good reason the Steelers D is known as ‘Blitzburgh’. This is a veritable “Who’s Who” of the NFL’s best LB’s. The Steeler have James Harrison, James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons on their side while the Packers have Clay Matthews III, A.J. Hawk, Desmond Bishop and Erik Walden on theirs. Mr. Walden will be excused from this class as he was a midseason practice squad pick up who has been a very pleasant surprise and fill in for GB. But the remaining LB’s are that good. Harrison is tougher than a 2 dollar steak and he and Farrior combine to create all sorts of upset for the OLine and OC in keeping them off the QB. Harrison has that edge of craziness to his play and trying to contain him will be a full time all game long proposition. Both Capers and LeBeau employ their LB’s in a variety of blitz packages and use them often. The Steelers D is well suited for the bruising AFCN division and plays the run as well as anyone. The Steelers LB’s can sometimes flounder in a pass happy attack unless they can generate enough of a push to get inside on the blitz. Age is a factor here as Farrior and Harrison are the elder statesmen in this group, and have been known to gas deep in a game.

Clay Matthews III doing what he does best

The Packers can pin the defensive resurgence on 1) the hiring of Dom Capers 2) the drafting of B.J. Raji and 3) GM Ted Thompson doing the unthinkable in making a draft day trade UP to nab Clay Matthews III in the same draft. Matthews has become the centerpiece of Capers D and will line up anywhere and can exploit any weakness. He blitzes from all angles, can support the run and will also be seen in coverage. Hawk and Bishop have emerged as the # 1 and 2 tacklers on the defense, and Bishop’s sudden rising may spell the end for MLB Nick Barnett, out on IR and in a contract year. Walden literally came out of nowhere to become a solid contributor to this D. The Packers youth at LB with Bishop the senior member will keep them going. This one is close, but youth is served here.

ADVANTAGE – PACKERS

CORNERBACKS –

The Steelers will be excused from the downward glances cast at the mention of their corners. The trio of Ike Taylor, William Gay and Bryant McFadden will have a long day. Gay has been singled out in single coverage on numerous occasions in isolated 1 on 1 match ups and has not produced. The strength of the Steelers corners is not in their ability to make plays it is in the team’s ability to pressure the QB into bad throw and having the comfort of knowing Troy Polamalu is back behind them ready to clean up whatever mess the make. Of all the potential matchups on the field this one against the Packer WR’s will be the tallest order to fill.

Sir Charles and Nick Collins with another pick
against Detroit

Green Bay counters with what can be called the best CB’s in the business as a group. If Charles Woodson needs any more hype at this point someone has been in a cave or a fan of baseball. Woodson has had his steadily spectacular year again while Tramon Williams has exploded onto the landscape of the NFL. Williams rise is phenomenal; an UDFA who went unrecruited in college who was cut from the Texan’s practice team who has simply put up a Pro Bowl year and has been lights out in the playoffs. His Jordan-esque leap to pick off Matt Ryan in the Divisional Final against Atlanta was nothing short of spectacular, and it came against a team and a QB who does not throw picks. While on the subject of meteoric ascensions Sam Shields, yet another UDFA from Miami (the ‘U) has also blossomed with 2 dandy picks of his own against Chicago last week, the last of which sealed the game and the trip for the Packers. Shields emergence has in turn freed up Woodson to more of a rover’s position where he can line up to cover, take the slot, or move around in blitz packages. This one isn’t even close.

ADVANTAGE- PACKERS

SAFETY –

One of the very best ever
Pitt Safety Troy Polamalu

Quick – when was the last time Troy Polamalu played and was NOT the flat out best S on the field in a game? This is intriguing because while the Steelers have an All Pro in Polamalu the Packers can roll out their own All Pro Nick Collins. This is great vs. great here, with both players being the right man for their teams at the right time. Polamalu is a first ballot Hall of Famer and does everything so effortlessly. He can stuff the run, break up the deep ball, grab a few picks and has a briefcase full of highlights of ESPN made moments. Slowed by a nagging leg injury Polamalu would need to be carried off the field on a gurney to not show up. And when he does he packs a wallop. The Packers WR’s will have eyes in the backs and sides of their helmets when crossing over the middle on slants as this is where Polamalu inflicts punishment. The injury has hampered Polamalu’s overall effectiveness however and his ability to change a game, a fact not lost on GB.  As good as Polamalu is Ryan Clark can still get beat like a rented mule. The Steelers will give up long pass plays far too often for Mike Tomlin to be happy. It will be up to Clark to not make mistakes, a tall order considering what the Pack will bring to the table.

Collins has earned his keep in a far less dramatic way. All he does is make the play. And when he hits he brings the wagon along. Collins will get lost occasionally in 2 deep coverages as he did with Woodson against the Bears and look embarrassing and then follow it up with a rocking blow that separates not only the ball from the receiver but the receiver form his senses. Charlie Peprah has gone from the Practice Squad to starting S ahead of Atari Bigby thanks to the job done by Darren Perry. Peprah has taken his sage’s advice and parlayed that into a consistent performance that has seen him make few mistakes. While he doesn’t make the big plays as his counterparts do he doesn’t need to. That job is already filled. He’ll need to make zero mistakes in this one.

ADVANTAGE (Ever so slight) – PACKERS

NEXT UP - THE SPECIAL TEAMS

Comparing the Offenses

The high of making it to the Super Bowl has now been supplanted by the work it will take to win the Super Bowl. We’ll begin by making some comparative analysis of both the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers.

These are two very, very good teams, and built almost in mirror images of the other. Both feature big, rangy QB’s, a solid receiving group, and punishingly stingy defenses that employ a 3-4 base. These are two of the oldest and proudest franchises in the history of the NFL, and among the most successful in terms of championships won. They play in far less than major markets yet manage to have fan bases that spread around the world. Both teams are blue collar, lunch bucket, roll up your sleeves and get dirty hard working groups that eschew the trash talk and big city nonsense. These are two teams that have respect for their opponents and come right out and play a good, old fashioned hardnosed brand of football better suited for the mud and snow of a field in a long gone era. The roots of the NFL are entrenched in Green Bay and Pittsburgh, and how fitting it is they should meet in the big one. Look closely at the Steelers and you’ll see the Packers and vice versa.

The Packers are the singularly unique entity in all of professional sport in that they are the only community owned team that exists. This can never happen again, not in today’s multibillion dollar deals that comprise the makeup of today’s sports owners. There is a board of directors, yet no single owner calling the shots. How quaint.

The Steelers are owned by the Rooney family and always have been. Arthur Rooney began the team and has seen it pass from his son to his son’s son. The Steelers, after the dark days of their existence pre 1970 have had but 3 coaches in 40 years – Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin. Talk about stability.

Both teams play before knowledgeable fans that demand as much of their players off the field as they do on the field and are as fiercely devoted to their respective teams as a mother bear is to her cubs. The Steelers faced tremendous adversity with the off field antics of Santonio Holmes, Jeff Reed, and Ben Roethlisberger in the past year. Holmes, a former Super Bowl MVP was dispatched to the Jets for a draft choice that was technically a move backwards for the Steelers. Reed was also sent packing, and when Roethlisberger displayed his moronic frat boy stupidity in the men’s room of an Atlanta night club, it is a fair guess that the entire organization heard the saber rattling.

While the Steelers have high expectations they are not stupid. Rather than expel Big Ben they offered him up on silver platter to Roger Goddell and the suspension committee to serve as a poster boy for off field bone headedness. While not in the room it is no stretch to say that Ben probably heard one of the Rooney’s tell him to take his lumps, shut his mouth, and clean up his act, an act that had worn thin the patience of the entire organization. To his credit Roethlisberger does seem chagrined by the whole mess and seems to have taken his job and role far more maturely and seriously. To be measured by his achievements on the field without the taint of afterhours activity is a testament to the demands placed squarely on Roethlisberger’s broad shoulders.

His counterpart in Green Bay had a much different trial by fire. After famously sweating the draft as he fell to #23 Aaron Rodgers then had to take a seat to a legend in Titletown behind Brett Favre. Faced with the dilemma of Favre’s waffling and Rodgers’ 5 year contract due to expire the Packers tossed the dice, forced Favre’s hand and went with the untested kid. To Rodgers’ credit he remained above the cacophony of noise that surrounded the ugly divorce. The Packers remained solid in their support of Rodgers. When Favre took an unfair shot at Rodgers saying he would not only compete for the Green Bay QB position but “… we all know who’s gonna win it…” was a left handed slap at his understudy. Rodgers simply went about his job in his California laid back style and avoided the fight. In the process he has earned the respect of his coaches, fans, and most importantly his teammates. At this juncture Rodgers has rewarded the faith placed in him so much so that he now has, at age 27, exactly one half the same Super Bowl appearances as the guy he replaced. While no one will ever make anyone forget Brett Favre, Rodgers has gone a long way in being the most successful player to ever replace a legend. The Packers are now his team, and in this game the obvious areas to begin the comparison is at the key position of quarterback.

QB –

Break out the mirror here. Both teams feature big, tough, rangy, mobile signal callers. Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger just might be the two best QB’s when it comes to extending plays, stretching the field and improvising on the run. They can kill you the same way in a variety pack of ways. Each man is the right guy in his team’s offense. Both are smart, rangy, and with enough machismo to believe they can make any throw. Roethlisberger is the bigger of the two and a harder load to bring down while the nimble Rodgers posses more speed. Neither QB wants to make his living with his feet however. Roethlisberger has played well with a broken bone in his foot while Rodgers has had 2 serious concussions this year. Roethlisberger has a flair for the dramatic while Rodgers has been tested under the fire of a 5 current game win-or-go-home streak of his own that has seen him catch fire. Both are capable – very capable – of loading their teams onto their shoulders and carrying them a long way. With the noted exception of Rodgers ill-advised toss that Brian Urlacher of the Bears almost turned into a nightmare for the Pack Rodgers has taken better care of the ball. He has learned to not force a ball into an area where he can’t get a favorable match and has also learned the art of dumping it off when no one is open. Roethlisberger can still frustrate Head Coach Mike Tomlin with what Tomlin likes to call Big Ben’s ‘John Wayne’ style of play. One thing Roethlisberger has that Rodgers doesn’t at this point in his career is the pedigree – Roethlisberger has 2 Super Bowl rings while Rodgers is looking for #1. Ben’s experience vs. Rodgers’ hunger?

ADAVANTAGE – NONE

RUNNING BACKS –

It wasn’t too awful long ago that when the subject of running backs came up that Packers fans everywhere were relegated to downcast eyes and visions of what might have been. When Ryan Grant went down at the time the conventional wisdom was he took the Pack’s hopes for any post season success with him. #2 back Brandon Jackson never quite became that #1 back, yet FB John Kuhn became an unexpected treasure and burgeoning folk hero as he rediscovered his Shippensburg and Dover Pa. High days as a feature back. The Packs game went from good to none to serviceable to okay to maybe we CAN run the ball when 6^th round draftee James Starks came off the PUP list. Starks showed early promise but followed that up with some incredibly piss poor practice habits that landed him in Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s doghouse and his butt back on the bench. Credit former Packer RB and current RB coach Edgar Bennett with sitting the promising rookie down and setting the first year man straight. Rather than sulk and pout Starks heeded the advice and responded with an explosive breakout in the playoffs. MM’s playbook is one half play action, and without a running game the defenses had a much easier shot at getting after Rodgers as the Dolphins and Redskins showed. Now with Starks in the Packers have a legit #1 back, albeit one who has also gone in 2 short years from Buffalo to a season long+ injury filled hiatus to a start in the Super Bowl. And, for the record, that was Buffalo University, not the Bills. The Steelers counter with bruising RB Rahsard Mendenhall who has had quite a ride in the Steel City. Big, powerful and fast Mendenhall can break it wide outside or run it up the gut and over any defender. A compact bowling ball of a runner Mendenhall has found his stride and when he goes, so goes the Steeler offense. Much like the Packers when the running game is working with Mendenhall that creates more options for Pittsburgh as Roethlisberger can use the threat of the run to set up his deep strikes. Mendenhall’s tendency to put the ball on the ground or disappear altogether in ball games still can cause Tomlin to bang his head on a wall. The key for the Steelers and their hopes rides on Mendenhall. If he can get loose, the Steelers will like their chances. If he is contained or doesn’t show up or has ball security issues, swing it back the Packers way.

ADVANTAGE – STEELERS

OFFENSIVE LINE –

It would be unfair to call both the Packers’ and Steelers offensive lines anything other than “much maligned”. At times both teams have had issues with protection, run blocking, injuries and blown assignments. Ironically these two teams with supposed inferior lines are in the Super Bowl. The Packers line has finally stayed intact and has some success to show for the collective efforts. LT Chad Clifton is the workhorse Pro Bowler and is flanked by promising rookie Bryan Bulaga. Bulaga has looked like a rookie at times and yet has shown he is worthy of his first round status when he lined up across from Julius Peppers. Scott Wells is an undersized and undervalued C for the Pack while LG Darryn Colledge has been steadily if slowly improving. Colledge still may be the weakest run blocker on either team, while the best offensive lineman in this game is Packers RG Josh Sitton. Sitton has been a beast all year and makes no technical mistakes. He is a solid pass defender and excels in blowing large holes open in the run game. Big and strong as a horse this will be Josh Sitton’s last year in anonymity and he adds an element of nastiness that can spark the entire OLine. The Steelers will have to somehow get around this man beast to have any hope of getting to Rodgers. Super rookie Maurkice Pouncey of Pittsburgh may not even make it to the dance. After having his left leg rolled in the W over the Jets Pouncey is reported to have somewhere between a ‘high ankle sprain’ to a ‘broken bone in his ankle’. At last report he was not practicing and was seen in a walking cast. NFL injury reports are traditionally sketchy at best. Pouncey’s leg could be severed at the hip and dangling by sinew and the injury report will state he has a “leg contusion”. Without Pouncey Roethlisberger will have a case of the night sweats as Pouncey has been the Steelers best all year. LT Jonathan Scott has had serious issues in pass protection while RT Flozell Adams is on his last legs as he signed from Dallas for the year. While the G package of Chris Kemoeatu and Ramon Foster have strength enough in the run game they are not necessarily mobile. The loss of Pouncey, who draws the assignment of additional inside support, will be huge as the thought of B. J. Raji in the middle of the Pack’s D Line is an intimidating one and will give Tomlin fits.


ADVANTAGE – PACKERS

RECEIVERS –
 
The Steelers have learned to go from smash mouth to air it out. With Hines Ward, Emmanuel Sanders, Mike Wallace and Antwaan Randall El the Steelers have 4 very solid WR’s who are tough, nasty, and good. While both Ward and Randall El have both lost a step Sanders and Wallace both provide enough speed to open up the airways over Heinz Field. Ward’s toughness and leadership can never be questioned, but is worth noting that when the Steelers take to the air Ward is usually not seen on the field. Wallace has big play ability and Sanders is the X factor in the Steelers passing game. If the Oline can hold off the Packers ferocious rush Roethlisberger may have enough time to wing it in to his WR’s hands. TE Heath Miller also presents Ben with a solid target and the Steelers love him in short yardage situations. One advantage that the Steelers exploited against the Jets is one the Packers will be better prepared for than the Jets. In the AFCCG vs. New York the Steelers used a deployment of a 3 wideout set to create a numbers mismatch and set up a quick bubble screen, primarily to Sanders with Ward and Wallace plowing the road. The Jets foolishly continued to counter this set with a 2 deep zone and the mismatch worked heavily to the Steelers. That was the Jets… they will have no such luxury as the Packers will rotate between man and zone to keep the Steelers guessing.

The Packers counter with what may be the deepest set of receivers in the game. Led by All Pro Greg Jennings and vet Donald Driver the Packers WR’s are as scary as any in the league and tougher to cover than Brett Favre at a retirement announcement. Jennings has just gotten hot and is coming off an 8 grab game against the Bears, and showed incredible toughness in hanging onto the ball while being rocked by the punishing Bears D. It’s a good dress rehearsal as the Steelers will be bringing some pop to the party. While Driver has lost a step he is still one of the NFL’s toughest players over the middle in any type of throw. Call him the Green Bay version of Hines Ward. The Packers also have the luxury of James Jones and Jordy Nelson. Nelson had his own coming out party against Atlanta while Jones has quietly become a reliable target for Rodgers. While the Packers are without budding superstar Jermichael Finley TE Andrew Quarless has been forced into a more pressing role as he has been an improvement throughout the season. Look for Jennings to get a lot of attention. If he does the Steelers will be forced into guessing which poison they want to take. This could be a game for the # 3 and 4 receivers to shine.

Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson,and James Jones
may be the best in the business as a group

ADAVANTAGE – PACKERS

NEXT EDITION – THE DEFENSES

The Bears Start Recruiting Their Fans Early

An Overdue Apology to Mike McCarthy

Several editions ago we published an article that lambasted Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy. In that piece we were openly critical of Coach McCarthy’s play calling and direction of the team. We also found many things about Coach McCarthy we liked and published that as well.

In the instantaneous world of technology and information the immediacy available is sometimes an instrument of the devil. We are here to right an injustice, one of our own creation.

We were wrong.

No excuses will be offered; we will step up to the plate and very clearly retract our previously stated position and openly apologize to Coach McCarthy. We do this not because the Packers have fared well of late, we do this for but one simple reason.

We were wrong. Wrong, reckless, and premature.

The talking heads of professional sports are an arrogant lot. Those that write about the games people play have the mistaken belief that they hold all the answers. In the sterile environment of a room with a keyboard sportswriters are immune to bad judgment and quick as a hiccup decisions that need to be made. A screw up? Hit spell check. Flub up a line?  Cut it, paste it, and redo it. Stats incorrect? Research it and rewrite it.

But those luxuries come with the knowledge there aren’t 70,000 sets of eyes on us or 900 lbs of raw rage and fury closing in on us as we pound out a piece. How would the 4^th estate handle being booed for a mundane article? What if readers had a chance to call in a talk show?

As Jim Mora, the King of Really Great Sound bytes once said of the writers assembled at his feet who were questioning him on an in game play “…You think you know (about football), but you don’t. You think you do, but you don’t know. You. Don’t. Know….”

We’re going to gulp hard and man up here.

Jim Mora is right.

We don’t have a damn clue as to what really goes on out there. Yeah, we THINK we do, and it is great fun to speculate, but we really don’t. When it comes to the reality of pro sports we don’t know nuthin’.

In recent history we have hauled Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy over the coals for what we perceive to be his shortcomings. The funny thing about perception is how it colors the truth. A perception becomes reality the minute one believe is to be so. The truth is irrelevant. We believe it to be so, ergo it is so. The truth is a casualty of what we want to believe.

In other words, if you think you’re fat, you are. If you think you’re a genius, you are. All evidence to the contrary. And if you think you know pro sports, you do.

You don’t.

There is no possible way short of retiring from a major professional sports league to know exactly what it is like. We project and speculate and try to interject ourselves into the shoes of the men we love to watch play like starry eyed 8 year olds. It is one thing to watch Donald Driver shuck and juke his man out of his jockstrap and it is altogether another thing to be able to do it.

We can’t.

That’s why we watch, and do what we do best – write about it.

Truth be told the minute a 225lb. safety closed in on us we would probably dissolve internally so fast mom would need a second or third diaper for us. And if we had to take a hit from one of the 300+ lb behemoths that roam the gridiron chances are real high we’d be taking our meals through a straw for several weeks. We couldn’t play the game for all the millions that these guys make even if we wanted to.

And we, in our self-grandizing arrogance are so presuptuous that we believe that by virtue of having digested every Packers game since the days of Vince Lombardi that we know more than the men  charged with the resposnsibility of actually running the team. In one of the most outrageous statements ever made a conservative commentator named Tucker Carlson, who was recently subbing on Fox News' "Hannity" said that Eagles QB Michael Vick "...should have received the death penaly for killing dogs..."


There is a point to all this. When those that report of these events start taking such extreme, foolish and dangerous positions it is time for all to take a step back and do a gut check. It begs the question is there a point where freedom of the press is no longer a valid reson for irresponsibility?


To be critical of MM’s performance is to interject too much of our own selfish desires into the equation. We want the Packers to win and are immensely disappointed when they don’t. In the immature and pointless exercise of blame and pity McCarthy becomes a very convenient scapegoat.


In criticizing McCarthy’s early performance we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge his steady hand and vastly improved coaching, especially during the Packers win or go home stretch run. McCarthy has pushed all the right buttons and the packers have responded.

We have railed against those that have second guessed and Monday Morning Quarterbacked other players from other teams and yet have committed the self same infraction.

Too often we judge others on their actions and ourselves on our intent.

There is a damn good reason sportswriters, talking heads, commentators and web pundits stay a good distance away from the field. We simply don’t belong there.


The function of a writer is to color within the lines and add something everyone can keep after a game. Part of the fun of sports is the ability to read about it after the fact. Discussing it over the water cooler the next day is a time honored tradition. Fathers and sons find it oft times difficult to communicate, but sports magically manages to transcend that gap. Sports are not just a diversion but a culture and a community. It brings people together. After the horror of 9/11 to simply be able to turn on a ballgame was a relief. It brought not only people but a country together.

As Packer fans we can piss and moan at Bears fans or Vikings fans. But we are neither Packers or Bears or Vikings. We are fans. Our common denominator is the teams for which we cheer.

And we recognize that we have a minute role in the process.

Our function is to make the games entertaining. We exist to give the fan a voice.

In this mea culpa we humbly offer this caveat. Mike McCarthy deserves a vote of confidence. While we can question things that happen we respect the job he has done with the Packers. The Pack is always in the game and that cannot be understated. And to have done so missing so many weapons is to let the expectation of winning a Super Bowl blemish a season that was by any definition daunting.

To criticize is to sink to the lowest common denominator and become reactionary to the ebb and flow of a season, wins and losses. One win does not a great coach make nor should one loss make him the Village Idiot.

Green Bay is the only team that was not blown out of any game. Injuries played an enormous factor in the Packs record this year. Ted Thompson found players and MM kept them in the ballgame. Like anyone who is human there are things he can do to improve. We hope he does. We would like nothing more than to see another Lombardi-like dynasty run for the next 10 years. It is with great anticipation we look forward to next year as well.

Coach? We apologize.

Packer FB John Kuuuuuuuuhn Post Game Interview

http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/RB-John-Kuhn-PC/1b35bd31-4bf9-4317-9f9f-75a488646ebc

Former Dover, Pa. standout and former Steeler John Kuhn on facing the Steelers and returning to the Super Bowl. As a member of the Steelers pratice squad Kuhn earned one ring already. He discusses the game, the Packers running game, and shares some insight to the big game.

Click on the link above.

Lean On Me - Packers D Carries Them to the Super Bowl!!

The 2010 Green Bay Packers are going to the Super Bowl. Say it again, and enjoy the taste of it as it rolls off the tongue like a delicious ice cream on a hot summer day. The Green bay Packers are going to the Super Bowl.

By virtue of their 21 – 14 win over their hated division rival Chicago Bears the Packers, QB Aaron Rodgers and Head Coach Mike McCarthy are doing what almost everyone thought was not only impossible but ludicrous. These Packers, they of the 16 IR’d players already, the team with such a horrible Special Teams unit and porous offensive line have taken the ball and run it down the throats of their critics.

The Packers are in the Super Bowl.



Aaron Rodgers took another
shot against the Bears

In a playoff season that has seen the high flying offense light up the scoreboard like a Vegas slot machine the Pack takes their seat at the dinner table by doing it the old fashioned way – they earned it. The defense carried the Packers into Dallas to face Pittsburgh. Their collective backs have been up against the wall since a hideous loss to Detroit (7-3) that saw Rodgers leave with a concussion and one more L to league darlings New England.

But something clicked in the Packers in that game. Matt Flynn came out of the bullpen and damn near pulled off the miracle upset. In defeat the Packers found a lot about themselves – in spite of the injuries and losses they were still a formidable team. And once they realized failure was no longer an option, they ratcheted up their game across the board.

Starting in week 15 they dismantled the Giants, gutted out a 10 – 3 squeaker against the Bears, hit the road after locking up the last available playoff spot and promptly dispatched the Eagles and destroyed Atlanta. Hot? There are islands in the Caribbean that only wish they could be this hot. Now peaking they flew into the Windy City and straight into the teeth of the ferocious Bears defense.

The Packers have all along sported one of the toughest and stingiest of defenses in the NFL this year. Bend? Sure. Break? Never.

For the Bears, a team built on smoke and mirrors all season the clock finally struck midnight. There is no questioning the Bears heart or defense. Their offense, however, is another story. Maligned all season with QB Jay Cutler at the helm the Bears felt poised to return to the Super Bowl and confident as they face Green Bay for the 182^nd time, and only the 2^nd time in history these famed rivals faced off.

The Bears pre game confidence fell like a soufflé in a nursery school as Rodgers methodically and purposefully marched the Pack down the field on their opening drive and called his own number on a naked bootleg to give the Packers a lead they would never forfeit. On a day when the temperature belied the heat of competition the Packers remained hot and jumped out to a 14 point lead in the 2^nd quarter when James Starks picked up a TD as he ran for 74 tough yards on the day.

At this juncture that Pack was in complete control and the defense had smothered Cutler and the Bears offense. So potent was the Packer defense that Cutler was ultimately taken from the game with an injury. There will be some that question Cutler’s heart for doing this but after the pounding the Pack put on him it is reasonable to expect that the hits that just kept on coming added up.

Of course, the term “complete control of the game” and “Packers” go together like Corn Flakes and motor oil. As Rodgers positioned the Packers for the deathblow as the second half was underway when he made an admittedly horrible decision, tossing a pick right into Brian Urlacher’s waiting paws. Had Rodgers not had the presence of mind to chase down Urlacher and trip him up the outcome could have been altered. Rodgers best play of the day may have been the game saving tackle.

Rodgers took another devastating blow to the head when Julius Peppers went helmet-to-helmet on a wicked hit. From that point on Rodgers did not appear as comfortable or even quite as accurate. But Rodgers had done his job. He did not need to strap the Pack on his back and carry them; today Rodgers did enough to have the Packers carry him. The D just stepped it up and let the offense lean on them for the balance of the game.

Greg Jennings returned to form just in time picking up many key first downs from Rodgers. On this day it was not the stars that shined brightest however. The trip to Dallas was bought and paid for through the efforts of the unsung heroes, especially on defense.

As 3^rd string QB Caleb Haine marched Da Bears in for 7 it was B. J. Raji who stepped up as huge as his frame. Raji’s interception and rumbling romp into the end zone will join the iconic images of Starr in the Ice Bowl and Favre in the Super Bowl in Packer lore. Raji has been the glue that held the D together when players were dropping faster than a march of penguins into the Antarctic.

Rookie UDFA P Tim Masthay was money all day and kept All World PR Devin Hester to a meager 3 yards in returns on 8 punts. Masthay’s improvements go far beyond the measurables. His distance, hang time and placement of the ball allowed ST Ace Jarrett Bush to reward MM and TTY’s confidence in him, pinning the Bears deep on coverage downs. In the battle for field position the Packers out-special teamed the Bears.

Once known as “Mr. August” for his robust play in pre season but disappearing when the big boys showed up Desmond Bishop also had a stellar outing. Second only to A.J. Hawk in tackles this year Bishop shed his iffy coverages and suspect tackling and plugged more holes than Josephine the Plumber.

The game hung in the balance when the 2 All Pros of the Packs DBs Charles Woodson and Nick Collins pulled the old “I got him/ you take him” routine on a ball to Bear WR Earl Bennett that pulled the Bears to within one TD. The Packers desperately needed someone to step up.

UDFA rookie CB Sam Shields was that player. It was not Tramon Williams or Charles Woodson or Clay Matthews but Shields who played hero grabbing 2 important picks. As Cutler tried to hit Johnny Knox Shields time his leap perfectly to come away with swipe #1. But it was his last minute pick to seal the deal that will propel Shields into the next level. As Haine launched a last gasp strike Shields cut the flight of the ball off and used his blazing speed to get the ball back to the 50 before he realized all he had to do was simply fall down to make his first trip to the Super Bowl. And with Shields blistering speed no one could catch him to tell him to plant it.

As Green Bay prepares to go to Dallas to face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers it is worth noting than despite his torrid start Rodgers had a far less than Rodgers-like day, finishing with a sore head, busted lip and an ugly QB rating around 55. For the Packers to be successful while Rodgers at times struggled is a portent of good fortune and things to come. No longer reliant solely on their big QB’s game to win the Packers fought and battled and won ugly. Over time the term ‘ugly’ will be removed.

In all fairness as high as Rodgers was there was only one place he could go. For Rodgers to not have his best game here may also work in favor of the Packers. To see their own mortality and rise above it these Packers may learn that, in this most demanding of season, they are truly capable of anything. A couple weeks rest and a refocusing on the only thing left will be on everyone’s plate.

The Packers collectively come away from this game saying “yeah, we won… but we KNOW we can play better.”

Aaron Rodgers can hardly wait. He is in the Super Bowl.