The Defense Rises

They all showed up to play. Yes, Aaron Rodgers made the party, along with Jordy Nelson Greg Jennings, Randall Cobb, Donald Driver and the rest of the magnificent 11, but it was the defense’s appearance that has Cheesehead Nation glowing this week.

Charles Woodson started it by telling the media to start talking about perfection. Wood’s words were “Yeah, why not?” to be specific.

When anyone, even a future Hall of Famer renders such an utterance there are some eyes rolled in its’ wake. Remember Vince Young of the Eagles publicly declaring a holiday and the Eagles a “Dream Team”? It can backfire.

One thing about bold statements – the issuer had damn well better be able to back it up, because the quote will surely land on the opponent’s bulletin board, and that’s right were Woodson’s proclamation found a home in Minnesota. Head Coach Leslie Frazier scoffed at Woodson’s shot and used it as a motivational tool for this week’s matchup with the Pack.

As it turns out it was a cold shot then Packers needed. As has become the case the challenge is coming from within the dressing room because there sure is not much in the way of resistance yet. No doubt that when the weather turns and the playoffs start the stiffs will fall off and the challenge will be there for the duration. In the interim Woodson took his own defense to the woodshed. The defense had been not up to snuff lately. At 31 overall and in the same neighborhood against the pass there was more than enough humble pie to go around for every member of the D. This is the point of the season that urgency and a sense of purpose must take over or no matter how glowing the stats are in a stat happy, offensive friendly league if the D doesn’t show up it’ll be a quick trip home from a playoff bust.

The defense got the message and showed up with a vengeance.

''I felt as a defense we owed it to ourselves to play a game like that,'' said Woodson. ''Owed it to our fans, our team, especially our offense who's been playing out of their minds this year. We needed a game like that. It feels good, but it's still one game.''

Christian Ponder no longer has the element of surprise, unless you take into account the look on his face when been continually chased by Clay Matthews, Eric Walden and Charles Woodson. The sack is back in vogue as Matthews picked up 2, and Ponder was forced into running for his life and numerous throwaways against Green Bay. Ponder was held to 190 yards passing and 1 pick. All Day Adrian Peterson became a non-factor as the inside rushers of GB manned up to stanch the run and keep Peterson into a mere mortal category with but 51 yards and the single gift TD.

So good was the Packers defense that the only Viking threat was the result of yet another rookie mistake by Randall Cobb. Cobb electrified the home crowd with a dazzling 80 yard punt return and giving GB a lead it would never relinquish. But Cobb also took his eye off the ball and gave the Vikes terrific field position that even a Pop Warner team could have run in. Head Coach Mike McCarthy stayed with the rookie. Allowing him to run the ball back McCarthy showed patience with his retrain man and Cobb showed a renewed intensity and focus by ripping off a 50 yard return immediately thereafter.

What MM will do is to make sure the kid catches hell privately and away from the cameras, when MM will show the kid the tape of not what he did wrong, but what he did right. Look at the focus – that is the message MM will impart to Cobb. You do THAT and our D gets a well-earned shutout. ''I guess when the lights come on my tempo and my game speed goes up,'' Cobb said. ''But I've got to get to where I'm doing it every game.''

More to the point Cobb needs to get to where he doesn’t give the ball away and give the opponents offense a second bite at the apple.

And don’t think for a second there isn’t a player in Green Bay that doesn’t already know that. There will probably be some ragging from the defense to Cobb, but it will only serve to make his stronger and better for down the road.

Rodgers had another *yawn* typical day for himself *yawn again *.

250 yards, 4 TD’s, 23 of 30, a passer rating of 135,467.96, just another day at the office for Mr. Rodgers. The best thing Rodgers can do now is to start working on his MVP acceptance speech. RB James Starks’ ability to mow down defenders is becoming more evident with every carry. His plows into the once vaunted Viking line saw him pushing numerous would be tacklers back repeatedly. Ryan Grant’s tippy toe cut backs gained little, and Starks also proved an increasing threat as a receiver until he dropped a Rodgers flick late. FB John Kuhn got in on the action as Rodgers looked off all the defenders to nail Kuhn at the 9 where he danced into the end zone untouched until he did his Lambeau leap, and then felt more pounding he did by the passive Viking D.

Backup QB Matt Flynn saw almost a quarter of action and showed why he is the hottest property not currently starting in the NFL. His dart like throws on the slants and his run looked almost Rodgers-esque, and Flynn capped off his own drive with a 3 yard rollout that resulted in his first TD as a pro rushing, and Flynn’s Lambeau Leap is one he’ll truly remember.

What is not being said now speaks volumes. If the Packers D can simply maintain this level week in and week out, if they can step up their game, if they get it in gear, how good could this Packer team be?

Charles Woodson can let a sly grin unfold on his face. He already knows the answer.