We love this time of year. In the playoffs, primed and ready to go! Bring on them Eagles!!
It’s official – the Green Bay Packers are THE team no one wants to face.
With this playoff game Packer fans are reminded of ’04 against the Eagles. It is etched and indelibly burnt into the mind. 4th and 26…. Thus began the Mike Sherman Bataan Death March.
Lifetime in the playoffs the Eagles are 2 – 0 against Green Bay, their other victory being the 1960 NFL (pre Super Bowl) Championship Game. 2nd year (at the time) Head Coach Vince Lombardi gathered his troops after the game. As they were expecting a blistering tirade. Lombardi addressed his team and spoke these famous words: “Gentlemen, we got beat today. But this will never, ever, happen again. Ever. No one will ever beat us in a Championship game ever again.” And ~ he was right. The Packers rolled up a staggering 5 Championships in 7 years after that with 2 2nd place finishes. THAT’S a dynasty.
If there is an owner more deserving of a good run in the playoffs than the Falcons Arthur Blank we can’t find him. Blank had the courage to step up and not mince words and cut Michael Vick when his dog fighting scandal broke. Faced with the prospect of losing the most dynamic player in the NFL the Blank family and Falcons had to literally retool. What a job they have done. Integrity and class. Kudos, Mr. Blank. Good luck in every game (except, of course, when the Packers come back to town).
Another Lombardi classic. At his first ever team meeting when the 1 win Packers were introduced to Lombardi time (15 minutes early. A 9:00 meeting meant be there no later than 8:45) a half dozen players were fined $50 each for being late. Yeah – fifty bucks. It was 1959 and most NFL players had to work in the off season.
The Packer faithful has found its fan favorite. And he is none other than FB John Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhn from Dover, Pa. To hear Lambeau spontaneously erupt in a Kuhn call every time the Packers get near the goal line or a short yardage situation is what makes sports so great.
Of course, we can’t be certain that the Lambeau faithful is not booing the coaching. (okay, we’re kidding. Go ahead and laugh).
The week before the first weekend of playoffs is like the last week before Christmas. You KNOW you’re getting a present. You just don’t know if it’s a pony or a pile of horse manure.
And it is time to for once and for all get off Michael Vick’s back. Yes – what he did was horrible and cruel. But the man went to jail, served his time, was stripped of everything that he had, lost his job, lost his home, and gave 2 years of his life away. We do not condone what he did. No one does. But the man has manned up and paid the price. He is allowed to redeem himself. Mistakes are not exclusive to the rich and powerful and gifted. We applaud all Michael Vick has done to work his way back onto a team and earn a spot in the lineup. We wish Michael Vick well (except, of course, this weekend).
Has anyone ever won both the MVP and Comeback Player of the Year Award in the same season? Michael Vick really should.
Tom Brady will get the MVP. He’s way too pretty not too. He also gets the Miss Congeniality Award as well, along with a 12 month pass to the Supercuts of his choice.
Memo to the Packers equipment manager: PLEASE order some gloves with that sticky stuff for the wide receivers.
Aaron Rodgers should grow his Fu Manchu back for the playoffs.
Did Carson Palmer really make that awful of a throw against the Ravens? Anyone with an AARP card could have completed that throw. What was the point spread?
There will be a lot of doors hitting coaches in the fanny in the off season. We won’t be shocked if Marvin Lewis, Tom Cable, Gary Kubiak, Jeff Fisher, and Norv Turner don’t hit the unemployment lines. Some of them will be grabbed up by other desperate suitors.
Another Lombardi classic. At his first ever team meeting Lombardi told his team “Gentlemen, I’m not remotely interested in being ‘good’. We are going to relentlessly – relentlessly – pursue perfection knowing full well we can never attain it because nothing is perfect, but in the process we will capture excellence.” Bart Starr, an unheralded 17th round draft pick ran to the phone to call his wife to tell her “Honey, we’re going to start winning!”
Marvin Lewis was resigned by the Bengals.
So was Gary Kubiak (by the Texans). In a press release Texans brass was quoted as saying that “…losing will make Kubiak and the Texans better…”
Oh.
Vince just rolled over in his grave.
Jim Harbaugh of Stanford is the college coach flavor of the month.
And while we’re on the topic of college coaches look for Syracuse Head Man Doug Marrone to get consideration the not too distant future. In year 1 at the ‘Cuse Marrone inherited an awful squad, put up a winning record, and won his first bowl game. He’ll get a call eventually.
The Vikings are serious about Leslie Frazier. Really?
We said the Lions would catch the Vikings. We didn’t think it would be this year. My, how the mighty have fallen.
The Titans job all comes down to Vince Young. Jeff Fisher hates him and his selfish, me-first lazy attitude and has been there for 16 years, by far the longest tenure of any coach in the NFL. Titans management loves Vince Young. Hey Jeff? Sayonara, amigo.
Jared Allen’s sack dance in the end zone after he grabbed an interception and ran it in for 6 last week vs. the Lions looked so uninspired. Jared – your team lost. And finished tied for last place. What the hell are you celebrating?
Special Teams coach Shawn Slocum can rest easy this week after the coverage job the Packers did on Devin Hester and Daniel Manning. Manning broke one that resulted in nada for Da Bears, and the Pack did a terrific job of team containment. That is a must for the next 5 weeks or so.
P Tim Masthay looks more confident and better every week.
Is it us or has there not been a lot of discussion about what ails Mason Crosby this year?
Another Lombardi classic. Prior to Super Bowl I (when it was known at the time simply as the NFL/AFL Championship Game) Lombardi addressed his team. “To lose to this Mickey Mouse outfit (the Kansas City Chiefs) from this Mickey Mouse league would be an absolute and utter disgrace. You lose this game and you should all turn your paychecks back in.” THAT was a coach.
Next year is going to be a completely new look team. Not only do the Packers have 16 players coming back from the IR list, add to that the draft. This team just might be scary good.
Uh oh… we heard some whispers. Is Donald Driver looking old? Say it ain’t so…
Here’s hoping the veterans all took LB Eric Walden out to dinner after Sunday’s stupendous performance. A practice team pickup by Ted Thompson turned in 10 tackles and 2 sacks against the Bears. Mr. Walden may have earned a bus ticket back to camp next year.
Nick Barnett is all of a sudden looking like a man sitting in a sauna wearing fiberglass underpants.
If you were a teammate of WR DeSean Jackson of the Eagles and he pulled one of his famous end zone almost doing something stupid stunts on a touchdown, would you laugh or want to punch him in the head and say “Grow the hell up”?
Back on draft day the Pack took Jordy Nelson over DeSean Jackson. NOW we know why.
Mark this down – Green Bay will not carry 3 FB’s next year. Make book on it.
We would not want to be the guy who has to play across from Bryan Bulaga next week. While you are reading this understand at this very moment there is probably a coach in Green Bay who is chewing the young rookie’s backside like an overdone steak. Bulaga was hideous against the Bears and he is having his manhood challenged. He’ll be okay.
The Eagles secondary is not having a good night’s sleep this week. They all have their voodoo dolls of Rodgers and Jennings and Driver and Nelson and Jones and are praying for drops and misses and the maddening Packer inconsistency.
This just in: Mike McCarthy threw a challenge flag last week. While the challenge was unsuccessful it was a very effective momentum killer for the Bears. We think we all saw a light bulb over MM’s head click on there.
Seattle?? Really????
Brett Favre cannot be believed. If there is a lockout and the NFL goes to a 9 game schedule…. You know the rest of the story.
When Brett told Mark Murphy to “…Let me (Favre) worry about my legacy…” he really meant it. Brett… really???
And give Brett credit for including the Packers fans in his retirement speech (version 6.0) last week. Looks like he is reaching out in his lefthanded way and hoping for a welcome home after parading around like a damn fool. It’s okay Brett – we still love ya.
We are still trying to verify the hot rumor regarding Brett Favre. This one is for his on field exploits and not about his off field high jinks. Rumor has it Brett is considering coming back to play one more year with every team in the NFL to become the first player in league history to play for every team. His agent is busy working on a “This IS the last year!” promo campaign. ESPN, Fox, CBS, and NBC have all passed. The Hallmark Channel is considering it as long as there is a weepy interlude involving attrition and tears on Brett’s part.
Two New York Jets massage therapists have filed suit against Brett Favre and the Jets. Apparently Brett rubbed them the wrong way.
Kurt Warner would make a great Offensive Coordinator. Maybe even Head Coach.
The Vikes and Cowboys have drawn up blue print on how to beat the Eagles. Pressure, pressure, pressure. DC Dom Capers probably has some blitz packages he can throw together.
A healthy Cullen Jenkins would be a huge boost against the Iggles. Jenkins on one side, Matthews on the other and BJ Raji in the middle? Oooooh….
Hallmark has scrapped the Favre project. No tears.
On to Philadelphia.
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