Rodgers Stays Perfect
Well, well, well… lookie who woke up and found a quarterback.
No, it wasn’t the Packers; they already have the best in the biz.
Write the date down and write off Donovan McNabb. The Christian Ponder era is officially underway in Minnesota.
We expected a bevy of points from the Packers, and we got it. What we didn’t expect was how well Ponder would come out of the chute. Ponder opened the game with a rainbow that all but went for 6 on his first ever play. Excuse the kid if he was smiling after a loss; he had to feel pretty good about his play.
Minny QB Christian Ponder. The Kid hits big on his first toss |
In addition to his good throws Ponder also played the part of the wide eyed rookie caught in the cross hairs as he dared to challenge Charles Woodson. Big mistake kid. For the ones you might make Sir Charles will bait you into the throw you shouldn’t have made, and Woodson did it twice. The Packers are still relying on a bend but don’t break defensive mindset, and while Green Bay sports a perfect record going into the bye, the whispers about ‘vulnerability’ are out there.
Rodgers shows the Kid how it's done |
At 7-0 it’s hard to argue with the record. Offensively not only is this arguably the greatest offensive team in Green Bay’s illustrious history this Packer offense is making a serious run at one of the greatest offensive teams of all time. Led by Mr. Perfect Aaron Rodgers at QB Rodgers towers above the rest of the NFL right now. The skinny kid no one wanted is now the darling of the dance. Brett who?? Rodgers’ numbers do not tell the story.
Just how good was Rodgers on Sunday against Minnesota? The convoluted Quarterback Rating System says Arod was statistically perfect on the day with a passer rating of 145.6. That’s out of a possible 158.3. Rodgers completed his first 8 passes to 8 different receivers. He also tossed 3 TD’s on the day, put up points from behind, was cool under pressure, took a too close game and turned it into a runaway win, got the girl, road off into the sunset and lived happily ever after.
Packer DC Dom Capers |
But wait… these are the Green Bay Packers, no stranger to danger and adversity. Nothing comes easy to this squad. It’s so easy to look at the record and Rodgers’ gaudy numbers and be dazzled and blinded. Upon further review, there is work left to be done for Head Coach Mike McCarthy and especially Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers. The Packers record is perfect.
The Packers are not.
Rodgers is leading an offensive scoring machine that is hitting on all cylinders right now. Both he and MM beat the “Yeah, but what happens when the offense goes cold?” drum and have been doing so for some time. It’s a fair point. The Packers defense, especially against the pass, is an Achilles Heel that other opponents are no doubt watching very closely. Out in San Diego the wildly inconsistent Chargers will really test the Pack when the mid-season break comes to a halt.
The Boss - Head Coach Mike McCarthy |
It’s not like the Packers can’t play defense. They can. But their collective performance has been inconsistent, so much so that they are at or very near the bottom in the NFC in pass defense. Granted, the AFC powerhouse New England Patriots are in the same category, so it’s pretty heady company. MM is no fool. Yes, his team can outscore anyone, anytime, anywhere. Then there’s that nagging little annoying word that keeps popping up.
But…
Green Bay, 2011 version. Outstanding world class offense. Among the best there has ever been. And a defense that is suspect.
The defense has the components. Against the Bears and Falcons the Packers played a tight defense and against very good offenses and QB’s. The Saints were overmatched offensively and in a curiosity of sorts for Green Bay they have been so utterly dominant in their other games that they haven’t truly been challenged.
Against the Vikings there was a funk, a malaise that hung over the Packers as they watched Ponder the Wonder Kid exploit their pass defense. It helps that Ponder has Adrian Peterson to carry the mail for him to take off some pressure. There were more than a few raised eyebrows when the Vikings took a 17 – 13 lead in at the half.
Cue Mr. Perfect.
Over the past half century of battles with their neighbors in Minnesota there have been hard fought battles where the outcome was not determined until the bitter end. This game had such a markedly different feel, as if it was preordained. Rodgers brought the Packers out and as quick as it takes for the roof to collapse on the Metrodome so did the Packers bury the Vikings under an avalanche of points.
Rodgers bought time in the pocket with his legs and found Greg Jennings who was so wide open that Viking backup QB Joe Webb threw his hands in air helplessly along the sidelines as Jennings literally half walked unmolested into the end zone from 40 yards out. A Woodson pick and repeat the result. And Again.
Yer nuts!!! Brian Robison introducing himself to T. J. Lang |
The Packers defense gives up yards. Bend but don’t break. The Packers turned their too close of a deficit into a laugher, and the rout was on. Even with CB Sam Shields out and S Morgan Burnett playing with a club on his hand the Packer D looked ready to put the hated Vikes away. How hated? Ask T.J. Lang who took a kick in an area most men would prefer not to take a kick from a flat on his back Brian Robison. After that exchange of ugliness Lang showed remarkable composure and restraint, and Mr. Robison can expect an NFL tariff leveed againast his wages for that stupidity. Game over, right?
But wait… stepping into a phone booth and out comes another rookie QB a la Cam Newton to make a game of it! Ponder marches the Vikings right back and gets them close, and finally, mercifully, thankfully Rodgers finishes them off. Ponder was able to justify his being taken so high in the draft. This kid is a bright kid and has a very promising future in the NFL. He’ll be all smiles knowing he can, in fact, play right now at this level, but it still adds up to a loss.
Still perfect after all these games |
Rodgers is succeeding by spreading the ball all over the field. He made a serious run at the All Time Packers consecutive completion mark until rookie Randall Cobb dropped the rock. Greg Jennings showed his displeasure with the kid on the sidelines, and that one will cost Cobb $400 in Best Buy gift cards for his fellow receivers as a penalty.
Thunderfoot!!! A revtitalized Crosby sets a Packer record |
Rodgers and the offense earned their break in this glorious opening to the season, the best a Packers team has ever done in it’s history. 7 – 0. Perfect. Speaking of perfect Thunderfoot himself is making huge impact this year. Lifetime 78% kicker Mason Crosby is hitting from every angle and distance, setting a Packers record with a 58 yarder that looked to have been good from 68 or more yards. Whatever MM dropped in his cereal in the offseason is working as Crosby, the once much maligned and now much improved Crosby has been money all year.
But far from a completed project. Knowing how the NFL will cast off its near greats like a certain New England team that was perfect until they lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl McCarthy and Capers have plenty to busy themselves while the players get away and heal.
The wait for DE Mike Neal continues... and he can't get here soon enough |
Getting Mike Neal (DE) back will help. The only question is when? Neal’s balky knee has kept him out longer than expected and the initial hope he would rejoin the team after the bye week is suddenly very unlikely. The operative word now is there is no timetable.
For now for the Packers their record is perfect. So is Rodgers. Time to savor and enjoy the moment as fleeting as it is.
But the NFL is an imperfect outfit. The tape is out there, and the rest of the dogs will come yapping at the Packers heels in a couple weeks.
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