PACK RIPS RAMS

Green Bay moves over .500 and Claw Back in Playoff Hunt

Holy shades of 2010 Batman! The 2012 season is starting to eerily morph into the Packers magical mystery tour that was the ’10 campaign that ended in a Super Bowl win. Tons of injuries early on. Losing games they should have won. A middling start. And a sudden gelling.

It doesn’t sound as implausible as it seems. The Packers have been the NFL’s star-crossed team in the early stages of 2012 with all sorts of chicanery conspiring against them. Now, after the Pack put away the up and coming St. Louis Rams it was discovered that CB and defensive leader Charles Woodson has joined the ranks of the wounded with a broken collarbone, and it does not appear to be as bad as the other collarbone he cracked in XLV.

The Packers start has been rocky as they brought a 3-3 record into the Dome against the Rams. After a complete dismantling of the mighty Texans last week the Packers finally started looking and playing like the team many thought they would be. Having failed to put back to back wins together this season Green Bay now is above .500 for the first time this year thanks to a 30-20 win over St. Louis, a score that is much closer than the game actually was.

In a unique twist the Pack wore the home green in the Rams playground as the Rams home unis have already been stashed and stowed, packed away for the NFL’s annual dog-and-pony show across the pond in London next week. The Rams did not want to have any tears or repairs or worse so they opted for the white look.

A white flag would have been more appropriate.

The real Aaron Rodgers has rejoined the Packers and he has looked every bit like the NFL’s reigning MVP in the process. With 9 TD’s in his last 2 games Rodgers has jumped to the top of the heap of QB’s. Against the Rams he was all but perfect in going 30 for 37 for 342 yards, 3 TD’s and most importantly zero picks. Rodgers now has the Packer offense playing an uptempo game that is difficult for other teams to counter.

Uptempo is but one facet of a suddenly rejuvenated offense. Ball control and clock management have become the benchmark of the Packers. After the Rams opened a 3-0 lead Rodgers stormed right back as the Packers took another lead in at the half of 10 -6. K Mason Crosby missed a very long attempt at the end of the half with another knuckleball but the Packers controlled the first half that Rodgers highlighted with precision and another TD toss to his new favorite target Jordy Nelson. Mike McCarthy knew his team missed a few shots to turn this game into a laugher, and the Pack is perilously aware of how tenuous even a big halftime lead can be. So are the other teams in the NFL. Rams head coach Jeff Fisher was hoping for a quick 3 and out to open the 3^rd quarter, get the ball, drive it down and either close the gap or snatch the lead.

What he got instead was a balanced attack by the Packers that saw them march 80 yards in 12 plays in a drive that consumed almost 7 minutes and ended when Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for a 5 yard TD. In opening a 17 – 6 lead the Rams looked like a balloon at the end of a party, still with just enough air to be upright but certainly deflated to the point of resignation to their fate. After Mason Crosby hit a 23 yarder to end the Pack’s drive early in the 4^th, the annoying habit of keeping a lesser opponent sniffing around came back on the Pack. Ram QB led a Packer-like hurry up charge back down the field quickly as Ram RB Steven Jackson found the end zone on a 6 yard run. The drive was highlighted by QB Sam Bradford’s connection to rookie WR Chris Givens, he of the staggering 28.1 yards/ reception, for yet another long gainer. With the Rams hanging around at a 20 – 13 deficit they found new life.

Rodgers would have none of it. Suddenly playing like the player he truly is Rodgers was masterful in orchestrating another drive of 80 yards that ended when he hit Cobb for a beautiful 39 yard throw for the TD that pulled the Pack away from the Rams for once and for all. When the Packers are hitting on all cylinders they are tough to match throw for throw, score for score. Rodgers and the Packer offense simply apply too much pressure with their play and that pressure resulted in another interception by super rookie CB Casey Hayward. As Bradford underthrew WR Brandon Gibson Hayward calmly stepped in front of Wilson and latched onto the ball for his 4^th INT of the year, his 3^rd in the last 2 games. Hayward’s rapid progression will make the loss of Woodson easier on the coaches to digest.

While the Packers lost 2 yards in the next 4 downs Crosby connected on another kick, giving him 3 for the day, to put the game away and far out of the reach of the Rams. A meaningless TD throw from Bradford to TE Austin Pettis closed the books on the game and the Packers now look ahead to what has been considered the ‘soft’ part of the schedule as they head to the bye week in 2 more weeks.

Mike McCarthy has become the NFL’s Master of Deception. After Rodgers hit Nelson in the first quarter McCarthy ordered up a surprise onside kick that the Packers recovered after Jarrett Bush laid a tremendous whack on the Rams Tremaine Johnson. For those scoring at home that is now a successful surprise onside kick to go with a successful surprise punt snap directly to FB John Kuhn to go with a successful fake FG that P Tim Masthay converted with a deft shovel pass to TE Tom Crabtree for a TD. It wasn’t all that long ago the Packer Special Teams were the ugly red-headed stepchild of the Packers attack. Not any more; teams no longer have the luxury of sitting back for any ‘routine’ kick.

Clay Matthews added another sack to stay among the top 2 in the NFL with his 8^th sack of the year. DT B.J. Raji missed the game with an ankle sprain but the Packers did not completely miss him. Between vet Ryan Pickett and rookies Jerel Worthy and Mike Daniels the Packer line held Jackson and Ram rookie RB Darryl Richardson to combined 93 yards on 20 attempts. DE Mike Neal has returned from his suspension but he left the game early with yet another unspecified injury begging the question can Neal stay healthy enough to contribute regularly? If the Packers can continue their recent play until they reach the bye week they may just keep Raji out as well as ailing WR Greg Jennings to get them as healthy as possible for the tough divisional portion of the schedule that will follow the off week. The time off will also come at a time when Woodson can rest his injury and return for what promises to be the meat of the Packers schedule as they face their divisonal foes 5 times.

Jacksonville is next on the Packers slate and while nothing should be taken for granted it is imperative that McCarthy keeps the focus on winning them one at a time. Green Bay has lost its ability to fritter a game away and in order to become a true playoff team they must put away the teams they should beat along the way. As long as Rodgers is on the field, controlling the clock it keeps the Packers right where they want to be.

Part of the new approach is the trust McCarthy has in his defense and their ability to protect a lead. While the numbers say the Packer’s scoring is down and they are not the big play team they were a season ago it is a fact that they do not need to outscore teams anymore. They can dictate the pace of the game and impose their collective will upon a game in all 3 phases of the game – offense, defense, and special teams. The defense has a confidence that grows every week. A work in progress the collective efforts of the defense are already showing results. Turnovers are down but again, the Pack doesn’t need to rely on the turnover to stop teams. They are more than capable of just plain stopping teams on their own and in their own right.

Against the Rams the Packers were the superior team by far. As they return home they are a far superior team to Jacksonville. They just have to play that way and keep winning along the way. It was a formula that served them well in 2010, and it is a formula that is taking shape in 2012.