Overcoming Adversity

Nothing comes easy for the 2010 Green Bay Packers. They have to scratch and claw and fight and dig down for every yard, every point and every win. With a lineup decimated by injury they came into Philadelphia after securing the last spot in the playoffs on the last day of the season. Some questionable coaching decisions. The same story applied in this game. While they played very well against a very stout opponent nothing came easy. A disastrous mental bungle on a punt. A turnover that opens the door wide to swing momentum the other way. A certain touchdown falling off the fingertips. Up against the most versatile of QB’s in the league.

Yet they hang tough every week. They compete in every single game. They bend, sometimes completely over. But they never break. Not even in defeat do these Packers look beaten.

Mr. Everything
Aaron Rodgers

Prior to this game the naysayers and doubters and non-believers were legion. Rodgers has not won a playoff game. McCarthy will be outcoached. No running game at all. They’ll find a way to blow it.

This team is maturing and growing right before our eyes. Call it exactly what it is.

Overcoming adversity.

The Packers came into this season with the loftiest of expectations and watched as their season began to swirl the bowl with every mounting players added to the Injured Reserve list. One by one they went down, and one by one the feel was more foreboding. The promise of what this team might be was replaced by the stark reality that no one can win under these circumstances. Adversity became as much a part of the landscape as snow and foam cheeseheads in the stands.

They left with a hard fought, well earned 21- 16 win over the Eagles.

The Packers came into Philadelphia on a roll. They KO’d the Giants in a blowout and battled the Bears to get the #6 seed. The Eagles had somehow fallen apart in the past 3 weeks of the season. Save an 8 minute last ditch miracle against the Giants the Eagles had been struggling in the latter part of the season.

No longer "Mr. August", LB Desmond Bishop
continues to shine

The game began as everyone hoped it would. Michael Vick was blasted by Desmond Bishop on the opening series sack that led to a punt. The Packers looked to start this game from midfield on their first drive.

Adversity? Step right this way please.

Brandon Underwood somehow managed to position himself near a ball that had the same chance of being picked up as Bella Abzug in a thong. After being pushed into and stepping on a rolling punt Underwood most certainly heard the words “what the hell are you even doing over there?” once he got back to the sidelines. Packer Nation held it’s breath – here we go… again.

Vick moved the Birds into makeable position for All Pro and noted Packer Killer David “Money” Akers.

Adversity? Meet good fortune.

And a sudden blast of wind from the north.

Imagine the relief on the bench young Mr. Underwood felt as Akers kick sailed wide and off course.

The Packers have been lacking in the ability to establish the run all season. The Eagles were ready.

Adversity? Meet James Starks.

RB James Starks sets a Packer record for
yards gained by a rookie

What the Eagles, and quite frankly even the Packers could not be ready for was the explosive breakout of rookie James Starks. His story by now has been well documented. He showed some pop early on but had been on the game day scratch list more than he saw the field. But he saw the field in this game plenty.

The Eagles got a good look at Starks, especially the back of his jersey as Starks set a Packer rookie playoff rushing record by carving up the Birds for 132 yards. The more Starks ran the more confidence he showed. Adversity?

Head Coach Mike McCarthy recognized the hot player and rode him all the way to the win. Give MM a ton of credit. He did not burn his young RB out early even when the weekly need to do so was pressing. He chose a far more deliberate path and prepared the kid for what he would face. While the world around MM was going Chicken Little and screaming for a RB MM stood his ground.

The Leader of the Pack
Head Coach Mike McCarthy

That certainly had to hurt in some games as MM’s playbook uses the run  to set up the pass. Without it GB becomes easier to defend. While Starks did not score his scampers led to great field position and something else sadly lacking of late – time of possession. The clock killing, grinding game was back and kept Vick where he could do the least damage – on the bench.

Starks' emergence along with red haired Red Zone specialist John Kuhn made Aaron Rodgers' toss to UDFA rookie TE Tom Crabtree possible. After freezing the D with a fake to Kuhn Crabtree reached out and plucked a plum for 6.

The defense played its typical game by being exactly what the Eagles did not expect. The Birds and Andy Reid has expected full out blitzes from the jump. Michael Vick has responded to full out blitzes by burning them deep with lightning strikes to DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin.

Adversity? Meet Dom Capers.

Green Bay blitzed but disguised its blitzes so well it kept Vick completely off guard. For this game Capers wisely decided to go to a more disguised delayed blitz package and eschewed in large part the 5, 6, and 7 man swarming attacks. On the first series Clay Matthews III was used as a decoy – a DECOY! – to allow Desmond Bishop to spring free and nail Vick from behind.

Eagle QB Michael Vick

The Packers disguise their blitzes so well that Vick could never be sure who was coming, or from where the blitz would come. This subtlety paid huge dividends as Philadelphia never looked comfortable or got their offense untracked.

Injuries have rolled the Packers this year. And the injury bug found a new playmate this time.

When DeSean Jackson had his ankle and knee rolled early in the 2^nd quarter the Eagles suddenly lost their biggest weapon. Without Jackson the Eagles were able to move the ball but not build anything resembling a drive.

When Rodgers threw a bullet to James “Ledfoot” Jones who scooped the ball off his shoetops the Packers looked like they were poised to run away with the game.

Adversity? Yeah, we know. Here it comes. Meet James Jones.

WR James Jones had a great grab and a great drop

The Iggles picked up 3 on an Akers FG and right before halftime the Packers had an opportunity to drive a stake into the heart of the eagles. James Jones did the nearly unthinkable and blew past the Eagles best cover corner Assante Samuel. Aaron Rodgers dropped a perfect rainbow into Jones’ hands. Jones did not have to break stride as Rodgers pass came down into his hands so cleanly. At this point he had a step or two on Samuel and all the stood before him was the end zone…

And the pass maddeningly, frustratingly fell from his fingers. Rodgers could not have stood next to him and handed the abll to him any cleaner than this throw.

Adversity? Yeah, we have a spot for you. Been waiting for you to show up. Have a seat.

A Rodgers fumble in Packer territory right after the opening kickoff gave the Eagles life and Packer Nation a sick feeling. 2 plays later and Vick throws the TD to a wide open Jason Avant to close the gap.

Adversity? We knew you were coming. Meet Aaron Rodgers.

At this point the naysayers and doubters began their chorus of ‘here we go again!’

But the Packers and Aaron Rodgers stared adversity straight in the eye and dind't flinch.

Rodgers adds a little punctuation to the big W

Rodgers took the field and calmly and deliberately marshaled a long drive that culminated in a beautifully executed screen pass that Brandon Jackson turned in a touchdown. This drive had a bit of everything. Running plays balanced with passes and a bit of luck. MM kept Starks in and to his credit was rewarded by a brilliant performance.

When Vick plowed over from the 1 the final minutes were dominated by Green Bay’s defense. It was only a short time ago when the masses were clamoring for a CB in the draft and that the Packers D was not up to snuff.

Adversity? Meet the Packer D. This is Tramon Williams. Nice to meet you.

Superstar-in-Training CB
Tramon Williams

The pressure on Vick took its toll. As Vick moved the Eagles into Packer territory he had no timeouts left, and when he tossed the dice with 30 seconds left Tramon Williams, he of the Pro Bowl snub along with fellow Pro Bowl snubees Josh Sitton, B.J. Raji and Aaron Rodgers, did what he has done all year. He lept and came down with the ball securing the win for the Packers.

The winds of fortune blew in the direction of Green Bay as another Akers FG attempt was blown off course. Akers has been lights out, especially against the Packers. Given the final score of 21 - 16 those two misses cannot be understated, and Philly will be left with an agonizing off season of what might have been.

The monkey is off the back. For Aaron Rodgers it is sweet vindication. For Mike McCarthy it is validation. McCarthy even had the presence of mind to show disdain in his post game press conference towards a reporter who asked a question he didn’t like. After a reporter asked if “… this win was a milestone for Aaron Rodgers…” McCarthy looked at his antagonist and said with a snarl “That’s what you talk about, we don’t look at it that way and I think you know that. I don’t understand why we have to talk about that today, but we’re just getting started” and looked much like Bill Parcells in the process.

McCarthy looked for all the world like a guy who had seen it and heard it before and didn’t like it, and didn’t mind saying so.

‘It’ was adversity, something McCarthy and these Packers know all too well.

McCarthy and the Packers did just that.

Overcame adversity.