GIANT BEATDOWN

           Giants Embarass Packers in Blowout

 

 

Will the real New York Giants please step forward? For that matter will the real Green Bay Packers also step forward?

Wow.

After an episodic ass-kicking delivered by the reigning Super Bowl Champs over the previous holder of the title fans in New York, Green Bay and the rest of the NFL are asking the same question. These were the struggling Giants, led by Eli Manning who has been far less than reliable all year against the Packers led by Mr. Consistency Aaron Rodgers. And the Giants dumped the Packers with relative ease 38 - 10.

Manning had gone 4 games since his last TD pass. It has been 100 attempts as well. The Giants were reeling having lost 2 in a row and the Packers were rolling ready to extend their 5 game winning streak. The Giants were fresh off a bye week and the Packers just concluded the soft part of their schedule.

The Packers seemed to have forgotten to pack their ‘A’ game for the Meadowlands Sunday Night. The Giants looked like they found it and honed for 2 straight weeks. Given Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s association with boot-camp like practices it would shock no one if the Giants were working on a plan to dismantle the Pack during the entire bye week. They certainly found the right formula. The G-Men pound relentlessly at the middle of the Packer’s line with their run game piling up 147 yards rushing. And when the Pack managed to fill the gaps Ahmad Bradshaw and Andre Brown bounced it outside. The Giants also used their backs effectively in the passing game. After Manning hooked up with a short pass to Bradshaw in their opening drive the catch and run afterwards for 59 yards put the ball at the 2. When Andre Brown punched it in 2 plays later the Packers were down 7 -0.

Rodgers and crew have faced this situation before. Arod promptly put the Pack onto the scoreboard when he dropped a perfectly thrown bullet into Jordy Nelson’s arms and it was off to the races. The 61 yard jolt made the game look like it was going to a shootout type game. It didn’t quite follow the script. The Pack D held the Giants to a 3-and-out series when New York the drive stalled the Giant 28.

Rodgers drove the Pack right back into scoring position but then lost yards when the Giants front four steamrolled the left side of the Packers Offensive Line and sacked Rodgers for a 2 yard loss, setting up a Mason Crosby 55 yard attempt.

Mike McCarthy wanted to show the support for and confidence in Crosby, and Crosby responded with yet another miss. While a 55 yarder is far from a chip shot the McCarthy is waiting desperately for Thunderfoot to return while he will be all too glad to see Dr. Shankentein leave town. The Giants had relatively good field position and it was a 10 play drive that ended Manning’s shutout streak when he and Reuben Randle hooked up for a 16 yd. TD pass.

It was somewhere about here the Packers ‘A’ was discovered missing and the Giants, the real Giants, the team they thought they would be showed up. And with a vengeance. Rodgers looked more than mortal when he tossed a pick on the first play, a ball that was directed somewhere at Randall Cobb’s knees that was picked off by Corey Webster, who would shadow Cobb all night. So close was Webster to Cobb that when Cobb used the men’s room at halftime Webster was there to hand him the paper. Packer killer Lawrence Tynes hit his long kick and it was as close as Green Bay would be at any point in the game. New York dropped 17 first quarter points on the Pack and simply overwhelmed and outmuscled the Pack much in the same way they manhandled Green Bay in last season’s playoff romp.

Give the Giants and Coughlin credit. They came in with a good game plan and executed it on both sides of the ball. New York already employs some of the most ferocious pass rushers in the game. With players such Osi Umenyiora, Jason Pierre- Paul and Justin Tuck it is hard to understand why the Giants have struggled this year. On this night there would be no such struggle. Knowing the Packers had a depleted line the Giants stormed the left side of the line repeatedly overwhelming Marshall Newhouse and Evan Dietrich-Smith. Rodgers was chased about and sacked 5 times, and that, friends, gives the Packers a dubious record of allowing the most 5+ sack games in the NFL.

Even when Rodgers had open receivers he had little time to get the ball out cleanly. Jermichael Finley complained loudly once again about not getting the ball. He made his case in the media laying blame at Rodgers doorstep for not trusting him anymore. The problem, clearly, is Rodgers, and given his own way Finley would just throw the ball to himself. Rodgers found his mercurial tight end open and fired a strike right between the numbers, splitting the 8’s on Finley’s jersey. And when Finley got the ball – he dropped it. Maybe Finley’s complaints were heard. He was targeted 3 more times, all passes he caught.

Even Cobb got into the dropsies act. The litany of Packer errors began piling up with more fumbles and penalties. Whatever Manning was doing he corrected for this game as he hit for 3 TD’s and reduced the Packers defense to looking like last year’s chase and miss version of the Keystone Kops. Rookie Casey Hayward in particular was targeted and he missed a golden opportunity early when a potential pick slid through his hands.

So complete was the Giants domination of the Packers that McCarthy yanked Rodgers, not necessarily for his play but more likely for his health, in the 4^th and sent Graham Harrell in to mop up. The Giants came in with a plan that they executed to a ‘T’. Justin Tuck had stated earlier the Giants wanted to pressure Rodgers…check. Manning needed to rebound and get back into the form that led New York to its’ Super Bowl victory last year…check. Coughlin was dedicated to the run and establishing an inside presence…check. And by opening with 17 first quarter points New York forced Green Bay into a one dimensional form of passing to catch up, much like Green Bay did to the NFL last year.

When Green Bay defeated Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV afterwards Steeler coach Mike Tomlin was gracious when asked what went wrong. “This (game) wasn’t about us (Pittsburgh) not making plays. It was about them (Green Bay) making plays.” And so it was on this one as well. Give the defending champs their due. They made the plays the Packers couldn’t. Even when the Packers could make plays – Rodgers bomb to Nelson looked for all the world like the high octane attack was back for the Pack – they couldn’t sustain it.

There is an old adage in sports that goes “You’re not as good as you think you are when you blow someone out and you’re not as bad as you think you are when you get blown out.” Even the best of teams will lose a few along the way. Last year New York lost to Green Bay in the regular season and hardly looked Super Bowl ready, yet somehow they managed to regroup. That is what professionals do. McCarthy, to his credit, shouldered much of the blame afterwards. But McCarthy can only protect his troops so much. He is correct in his assessment that for every man in green and gold it is gut-check time.

In reviewing the tape from this game McCarthy may just decide altogether to scrap this one and start pointing out to the Pack what they did that was right. But he must face one inevitable truth – the Giants exposed the Packers Achilles heel – the left side of their offensive line. Newhouse had an awful day and on one sack he was reduced to guessing, lunging and missing as Rodgers was walloped and hit hard as he was driven into the turf. The loss of RT Bryan Bulaga is greater than originally feared. LG T.J. Lang has slid over to Bulaga’s spot and has not performed as well as the Bull. Dietrich- Smith has assumed Lang’s spot and he has not performed as well as Lang. The defense also took Giant steps backwards in surrendering the big plays they have managed to limit thus far. Correcting that is at the top of DC Dom Capers list this week and there isn’t a player who won’t hear about it this week.

As the Packers close out the last 5 games of the season and now face their NFC North foes 4 times time is of the essence. Getting some healthy bodies back won’t hurt either. Clay Matthews and Greg Jennings should rejoin the mix while Cedric Benson and Charles Woodson are a few weeks away yet. A decision on LT Derrick Sherrod is coming this week. Will the reinforcements help? The grip on the NFC North title has been given back to the hated Bears but the Packers have a solid stake in a Wild Card slot.

As the Packers prepare for Minnesota this week from McCarthy on down the team must find itself within itself. The weak teams fold under such scrutiny and after an embarrassing loss. The good ones fix the problems. The great ones use it as kindling to light the fire. Are the real Green Bay Packers around still, the team that was the pre-season favorite of almost everyone? Time will tell.

Which team the Packers truly are this year will make itself apparent over the next 5 weeks.

THE MOUTH THAT ROARED

Finley’s Tirade Becomes distraction as Pack Preps for the Giants

 

 

Now that the Green Bay Packers are on a roll after a dismal 2 -3 start the road ahead to the playoffs is becoming clearer. With the stench of having a game stolen away and a horrible second half against the Indianapolis Colts the Pack has righted the ship, weathered the storm of a rash of injuries,  torn off a 5 game winning streak and moved into a first place tie with Chicago in the NFC North. With a game against the Giants this week and another against floundering Tennessee in December the Pack has 4 more games in their division and they hold the hammer this time. Already up 2 – 0 in the division the fate of the post season lies in the hands of the Pack. And all is well in Titletown making it more for which to be thankful.

Not exactly.

Just when the Pack thought they were free from internal conflict up jumps TE Jermichael Finley once again in the press this week. In an article published this week by the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel Finley came out in an interview and called out his QB and current NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers by saying that the lack chemistry between Finley and Rodgers has led to a marked drop in Finley’s production. After catching his first TD since week 1 Finley said “Both of us need to just go out, maybe have a drink or two and just spill everything. It sounds easy, but it's not. He's throwing it to who he's comfortable with. I think (Randall) Cobb's taken my position from '09. I want to line up where Cobb's lining up because I know the ball's coming there.”

"But me and 12 (Rodgers) just ain't been on. He's had some guys come through this year, and he's gone to them instead of me. And really, it's out of my hands at the end of the day. If I could throw myself the ball and run under it, I'd do it every play because he's just not throwing me the ball like he used to."

Never at a loss for words and self-adulation Finley continued his rant against Rodgers. When asked where he views himself in the order of the Packers very deep receiving corps Finley said “"I'd say about fourth". I don't really want to put a number on it, but I'd say four if I had to. I'm pretty disappointed in it. I'm pretty disappointed in the numbers side of it, but I ain't had the opportunities either.”

True enough. Finley’s numbers have been down and Cobb’s opportunities have gone up especially in the absence of Greg Jennings who has only managed a handful of snaps all year and is now coming off surgery to repair an abdominal muscle. Finley was signed to a 2 year deal that will pay him an estimated $6.25 million in bonuses before next season, and that’s provided he is still a Packer.

When asked directly about the future and where he might be playing Finley said "I love that question man, I don't know. All I know is I have talent. And if Green Bay decides to do something with me, I'm 25 years old. I got a decade under my belt, yet. Who knows at the end of the day?"

With Jennings in his contract year and Father Time shadowing Donald Driver, 38, Finley is all too aware of what the future in Green Bay could be.” Just picture that, 85 (Jennings) and 88 (Finley) gone and 80 (Driver)," Finley said. "If that happens, you tell me. That's a lot of playmakers. End of the day, I'm saying good luck."

Finley has a well-documented history of dropping the ball in crucial situations. But Finley also seems to have that one figured out as well. The problem, according to Finley, is squarely on Rodgers’ shoulders for Rodgers’ apparent lack of trust in Finley as a receiver. “"What's frustrating is he trusted me. He threw the ball to me," Finley said of Rodgers. "I dropped balls in '09 and '10, but I came back. I made up for all that and nobody talked.

"Nobody said anything because I was catching the ball. I still might have one drop a game, but I'd have eight catches. Now, it's one target a game and if I drop that everybody just focuses on that. It's a little frustrating, but I keep my head up and I keep pushing, man."

Finley’s complaints have also been voiced publicly by his agent Blake Baratz who took to the Twitter airwaves to also have a go at the leader of the Pack on September 14 by calling Rodgers’ leadership qualities into question.

After having every Division 1 NCAA team pass on him for a scholarship, then watching his draft stock fall to 24, and finally being famously snubbed by Brett Favre upon his arrival in Green Bay Rodgers has grown a thick skin. Rodgers was cursed and vilified and even had children telling him he sucked for the mere notion of replacing Green Bay’s iconic Favre.

But that thick skin masks a white hot fury that Rodgers keeps well hidden from the public. When the naysayers lined up after Favre’s departure and tore into Rodgers he also developed the ability to hold an immeasurable grudge and shove it back down the throats of his detractors. No Division 1 team wants me? Fine. I’ll play Junior College ball at Butte instead. My favorite team, the 49ers wooed me only to take Alex Smith ahead of me? Let’s see who has a better career. Nobody picks me before 24? Every time I face your team you’ll wish you hadn’t made that mistake. Favre wants to humiliate me in public? Wait till I get my shot and my feet wet. I’ll show you – and everyone else who booed me – you are dead wrong.

Even 60 Minutes has felt the icy heat of Rodgers intensity. No sooner did a piece on Rodgers air was Rodgers offended by the presentation of it. Don’t expect Rodgers to do many more sit-downs with the television media anytime soon. Rodgers does have a well-earned sensitivity and has been slighted by so many he has had to learn to roll with it, harness it and use it to his advantage.

Rodgers has fostered a near legendary ability to catalogue, document and hold any slight and in turn have it feed his inner beast. Once he found his footing in the NFL Rodgers led a furious Packer charge that dismantled Favre and the Vikings on the way to the Super Bowl. Rodgers Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP were less acknowledgements of his play and more symbols of in your face to his doubters.

After being questioned and challenged and doubted at every turn having a teammate and his agent call into question Rodgers is a very unwise move. After Baratz called Rodgers out on Twitter Finley’s average catches/ game dropped from 5.5 to 2.6.

Having Finley now take to the press to snub Rodgers may very well be an awful career move for Finley. It is highly doubtful Rodgers will want to sit down with his mercurial tight end. Finley’s public bellyaching won’t sit well with either Mike McCarthy or Ted Thompson, both of whom have mastered the ability to hide their feelings from the public. Any organization that can temper their tongues in the wake of the replacement fiasco in Seattle will bristle at the notion of one of their own turning on another.

Finley closed his rant by saying “Of course I'm unhappy, but I'm tired of beating it to death," Finley said. "I'm in the heat. I'm inside the heat. I'm ready to start getting on my groove and prove everybody wrong."

Finley has had some issues with his maturity since his arrival in Green Bay. He does possess undeniable talent. He has big game capabilities. The potential is there.

Potential.

It is the curse of the young and self-centered. In layman’s terms ‘potential’ is a long French word that means ‘Ain’t worth a damn yet’. What is so curiously puzzling and at the same time so prescient are Finley’s own words. “…It’s out of my hands…”Truer words were ne’er spoken. His ramblings have taken on a selfish “Me me me” tone and Finley has either conveniently forgotten or completely minimized his far too frequent drops. What makes Finley’s drops all the more maddening is the timing. Third down/ key game/late in a contest. Jermichael can yap all he likes but the plain simple truth is he has yet to deliver on that promise of potential. He has disappeared altogether in big games, his blocking has been and continues to be suspect and that has been from day 1 and he has shown Randy Moss signs of “I’ll play when I feel like it” childishness. And when he says “… If I could throw myself the ball and run under it, I'd do it every play…” he might find himself just as frustrated when - not if but WHEN – he drops another key 3^rd down throw.

Another point worth mentioning is the fact the Packers won a Super Bowl without Finley’s services. Harken back to last season’s grim meltdown against the Giants and there is the essential image of Finley, legs splayed as he sits on the ground staring at his hands in disbelief after a key drop. If that isn’t enough in the off season rather than a supersized long term deal Finley re-signed with the Pack for a modest 2 year deal at less than $10 million.

And he still hasn’t gotten the message. Teams can get anyone to drop the ball for them. As Finley edges closer and closer to becoming a locker room cancer he may well find he has caught his last ball from 12 soon. With the tight end group playing well (see Tom Crabtree) and pass catchers coming back from injuries in Andrew Quarless and D.J. Williams Finley may have ridden his mouth out of Green Bay. It is not above obvious to suggest that before publicly displaying a case of verbal diarrhea Finley should put up the type of numbers that are above reproach.

Rodgers for his part has remained mum on the subject publicly. He will not give the media or public even a peek at his feelings, not after this. If Finley thinks Rodgers has lost confidence in him and is favoring Randall Cobb he would do well to look at the differences. Any quarterback with the brain the size of a Lesure Pea knows that hitting a receiver who can convert catches into yards and points beats the hell out of one who might catch it. Or drop it. As a game unfolds there is not a lot of time for Rodgers to scan the field, spot an open Finley and say to himself ”Naaaaah, I don’t like him. Lemme throw it to the new guy in double coverage.”

Sadly, Cobb has shown he is just as likely to come down with the ball as Finley is to dropping the ball.

If Finley found he had lost a connect with Rodgers he would be better off just working on his game, without the mouth and whining and self-indulgence. Maybe he could take a new approach – the next time he wants the ball he should just open his mouth. That would seem to be the bigger target for 12 to hit.

And now the Packers have to gear up for the Giants. Forget the ‘revenge’ aspect of the game completely.

Revenge is for the media and fans who seek to assuage last yeas shocking playoff loss. This game is a crucial test for the past 2 Super Bowl Champs, one of which is on the rise and the other struggling to stay afloat. The Packers do not need Finley’s distractions and the G-Men, like Detroit, face an almost must win game. The only panacea New York can find is even if they lose they should still win the putridly awful NFC East by default. QB Eli Manning has struggled with his accuracy this season and should the Packers be able to pressure him he may toss a few more. Green Bay’s defensive line has to slow down the Giants inside running attack. If they can't it makes Eli’s job easier. Even if they can’t sack him Dom Capers and the rest of the defense knows they have to harass, bother and hurry Manning to get him out of a rhythm. They will have to do it without the services of Clay Matthews who will miss consecutive games for the first time in his career with a lingering hamstring injury.

Of course the Giants look to counter that by doing the exact same thing. Getting to Rodgers has already been identified by DE Justin Tuck as priority 1. Keeping Rodgers off the ground against the Giants stout pass rush is what the offensive line must do to win this one. Establishing a running game early may also help keep the dogs from attacking. One potential problem will arise if this game needs to be decided by a field goal as K Mason Crosby’s accuracy and confidence has been rattled lately. McCarthy may have yet another dilemma on his hands when he goes to a jumbo package protection schemes. Does the Pack’s boss trust his young TE Finley to protect Rodgers?

While the Pack is among the hottest teams in the NFL right now the Giants are in the midst of another mid-season swoon. They come in having lost their last 2 games and are in dire need of a W. Manning has taken much of the criticism; while he has been sacked a league-low 12 times his misses and interceptions are up. Manning has a tendency to press and force the ball when pressured rather than take the sack and regroup. It’s been so long since Manning has thrown a TD pass the Giants can’t recall the last one. His last TD toss was 4 games ago against the Cowboys, and this is from a quarterback who would like everyone to include him in the ‘elite’ category. While Manning and New York have struggled at times they look to be in top form. They dismantled the 49ers 26-3 but got mauled by the Bengals to the tune of 31 -13. Now with a bye week they look to get healthy against a Packers team that is anything but.

No revenge here. The Pack has their eyes focused on one goal.

Make that every Packer except Finley.

 

 

 

     GREEN BAY   24 

 

 

 

 

     New York  17   

IT WASN'T PRETTY...

Young Defense Rises to Carry Pack Over Lions

 

Before anybody panics and is ready to jump off the top of the Atrium at Lambeau Field there are several points to be made in Sunday’s win over the Detroit Lions. On the surface it look as if the Pack narrowly escaped and only through the magic of Aaron Rodgers did the Pack eke out a 24 -20 come from behind win. To do so however would be an insult to the rest of the team and the Packers coaching staff.

Okay class, its pop quiz time. If I told you the Packers would be without Cedric Benson, Greg Jennings, Andrew Quarless, Bryan Bulaga, Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, Nick Perry, Desmond Bishop and D.J Smith against a divisional rival how many of you would have given the Packers a snowballs chance in Dallas of winning? And for those of you who still aren’t swayed it would also include a banged up Jordy Nelson, B.J. Raji, John Kuhn, Ryan Pickett, and Jerel Worthy and the defense would also be playing regularly with 7 players who are either rookies or in their second seasons with no regular season games under their belts. Still not convinced?

Okay, how about a game against a team that came in prepared not only for the divisional battle but a playoff team from a year ago that was literally playing for its entire season and playoff life. One last little caveat for anybody that truly believes the Packers stole a game. If this would also have included the facts that the Packers would be flagged for more penalties than the Lions and give up 3 sacks to their fearsome front four and have Aaron Rodgers toss an awful interception while throwing for less than 250 yards while the rest of the offense could best be described as lethargic and you still are skeptical then we want what you’ve been drinking.

Given those facts only a fool could give the Packers a huge edge in this game. The Packers of last year wiped Detroit all over the field twice and in convincing fashion. They outscored and outplayed Detroit. Last year. That was then; this is now. Last year’s team was so offensively gifted all they had to do was to show up and they had intimidation on their side. The Packers outscored every team except Kansas City and were the toast and class of the NFL. They won the new-fashioned way, by bludgeoning teams on the scoreboard and forcing teams to have to resort to the pass to try and play catch up. Not once did the defense have to rise to the occasion, and when they did it was after surrendering a lot of yards and coming up with a big play.

Last season the Packers won in spite of their defense, a well-documented defense that ranked at or near the bottom in as record setting a fashion in the photo negative of how well their offense played. The Packers did not have to win with defense, not when the offense was putting up points at a record setting clip. So when the Packers needed some grit, mental toughness and its defense to step up against the Giants it was too late. The die had already been cast. That was then; this is now.

Give the Packers and their defense credit. They won against the Lions the old fashioned way, with defense and with grit. This was far from the poetry of last year’s offensive ballet. And factoring in rookies Jerel Worthy, Mike Daniels, Dezman Moses, Casey Hayward, and Jerrel MacMillian along with 2^nd year players M.D. Jennings, Erik Walden and Davon House when looked at more closely this was by any measure an impressive win.

The only thing to blemish the win is the loneliness and panic that has to be strangling K Mason Crosby after this game. For the record Crosby missed 2 key field goals but in actuality he missed 3 after he had 2 shots when the Lions chose to call time out just before he sent his first boot wide right. But then he pulled his second attempt wide left and after missing another kick Greg Jennings could be seen trying to cheer a despondent Crosby up on the sidelines, and so morose was Crosby he did not respond to any of Jennings’ playfulness. Another message was sent to the beleaguered kicker when Mike McCarthy opted to go for a 4^th down conversion in the 1^st quarter rather than send the suddenly shaky Crosby out to try a 49 yarder. McCarthy is publicly very supportive of his players but his post-game presser included the ominous statement “Mason (Crosby) has to make his kicks. We’ll work with him and do whatever we can as a coaching staff but he has to start making his kicks.”

Crosby is much like a golfer who has developed the case of the shanks. In the hilarious Kevin Costner film “Tin Cup” Costner plays a down and out former professional golfer named Roy “Tin Cup” McAvoy who can kill the ball but struggles with his emotions and self-control. After working his way into the US Open Costner’s McAvoy gets the shanks and begins peppering his fellow pros with stray shots at the driving range. So badly is McAvoy’s shot he resorts to a variety of bizarre, ridiculous and hysterical made-for-TV infomercial gadgetry in an attempt to regain his swing.

Crosby has to be feeling the heat and may succumb to such apparatus after another poor outing. Crosby has the leg and has shown the ability to be able to make the kicks, but it has become painfully evident that at this juncture of the season as the weather gets colder and the points become as scarce as fresh grass on a frozen tundra that Crosby is being given the pro kickers ultimatum – make them or you’re gone. His 39 yarder was a relief but everyone from McCarthy down to the ball boy knows Crosby has to become more reliable. Kicking killed the Ravens last year and cost onetime Packer Billy Cundiff his job when he blew a chip shot at the end of last year’s AFC playoff game that would have tied the game with the Patriots. As it is it would not be out of character for McCarthy and Ted Thompson to go shopping for a leg that may not be a strong as Crosby’s but more reliable.

The Lions played well and had their backs to the wall. With a record of 4 – 5 coming in with 3 losses within the division already this was a similar situation the Packers faced 2 years ago and the Giants faced last year – every week from this point out is a single elimination playoff game. The Lions came out hot and took a 3 - 0 lead in the 1st quarter when the Lions reliable Jason Hanson spilt the uprights. Rodgers responded with an 80 yard drive that ended when TE Jermichael Finley turned a soft toss into 7 points with a 20 yard scoring play. Finley played one of the best games of his career and also added a 40 yard catch and run later. As Finley matures he may just develop into the weapon McCarthy thinks he can be. The Lions took a 10 – 7 lead into the locker room after Mikel Leshoure scored on a 1 yard plunge.

The Packers grabbed the lead back when S M.D. Jennings snagged a tipped ball after Lion QB Matthew Stafford threw behind TE Brandon Pettigrew who had the ball deflect off his outstretched hand and into Jennings, who secured the rock, found a convoy and then the end zone 72 yards later. The play would be a key factor in the outcome. Stafford had a typically uneven day. When he found Calvin Johnson on a 25 yard strike that gave the Lions the lead at 17 -14 in the 3^rd he looked like the QB the Lions thought they were getting when he was a top pick. But far too often Stafford’s throws sailed wildly or into the turf in front of his receivers. Rookie CB Casey Hayward made Stafford pay for an errant throw with his 5^th pick of the year. Considering how little he played early Hayward’s career arc is beginning to resemble Clay Matthews who gradually eased into the lineup and stayed there as a result of his consistent play.

When Jason Hanson widened the gap to 20 – 14 with just over 4 minutes left the Packers fan base was feeling more than nervous. Leave it to Rodgers to come in and marshal a drive that is cementing his own legacy. The offensive star of the game was WR Randall Cobb who had another terrific game. As Cobb makes more plays Rodgers is more than willing to trust the 2^nd year breakout star with the responsibility. Cobb was used in the backfield, in the slot and at a split position making it difficult for the Lions to isolate him. Jordy Nelson is still limping with an ankle injury as well as a hamstring issue and was of little relevance to the Packers cause. No problem; Cobb was more than ready.

Rodgers sent up a high lob throw into double coverage, a throw he would later call “Not exactly my best throw of the year” towards Cobb who somehow managed to contort his frame between two Lion DB’s to come down with the ball, the touchdown and the lead. But there was still an agonizing 1 minute and 55 seconds left, plenty of time for Stafford to move the Lions into field goal position to win the game.

The defense would have none of it. The Lions went 4 and out in a series of missed throws, a false start penalty and 2 impressive knockdowns of Stafford’s passes by Hayward and MacMillian. RB James Starks continued to play well as the Pack’s lead back all game and set up Crosby’s kick with 19 seconds left. The game finally ended on another defensive gem when a Calvin Johnson fumble was recovered by MacMillian.

Winning teams find ways to win even when they don’t play their best. As the Lions slip back into oblivion and the Vikings are beginning to falter the Packers depart with a 7 -3 record, a 2 -0 count in the division, a tidy 5 game winning streak and now will most likely become 49er fans as the Niners take on the Bears on Monday Night. Now right behind the Bears the Packers can end the night in the division lead tied with Chicago if San Francisco can bag the Bears.

Winning teams also know, sometimes painfully, that getting hot at the right time is far more important than running everyone over. In a game that had much more sub-plot than a typical midseason contest the Pack prevailed and now have their fate in their own hands and can dictate the terms of their post season.



PACK IS BACK AFTER BYE WEEK

 

Wounded Lions Playing for Pride

 

The much needed mid-season hiatus for the Green Bay Packers is over and it’s back to prepare for the meat of a schedule the results of which will determine the fate of the 2012 Pack. The break could not have come at a better time; the Packers needed the time to simply try to recover from some of their injuries. The last time Green Bay had so many bodies on the IR was the Super Bowl season of 2010. The Pack got hot when they needed to, put together a string of 6 season ending ‘must-win’ games and ultimately ran the table. They didn’t lose again until late last year. This year has been a much different story with the up and down play early on. The Pack has reeled off 4 straight and are looking to keep the ball rolling against the Detroit Lions who have fallen from the sudden rise last season.

The list of the walking wounded reads almost like the starting lineup. Greg Jennings (abdominal tear and surgery), Clay Matthews (hamstring), Andrew Quarless (knee), Sam Shields (shin), Charles Woodson (broken collarbone), John Kuhn (hamstring) are not expected to be ready for the Detroit Lions this week. Mike Neal, Jerel Worthy and Jordy Nelson are expected to play after their collective injuries. Already IR’d players include Desmond Bishop, D.J. Smith, and now RT Bryan Bulaga and OLB Nick Perry  join the list with a hip injury sustained against the Cardinals while T Derrick Sherrod has yet to be able to return from last year’s gruesome broken leg.

The Packers face a Lions team that can only be described as desperate and win-starved on Sunday. Standing at 4 -5 the Lions can ill afford another loss having already dropped 3 in the division (2 to Minnesota and 1 to Chicago). One more and it’s sayonara to the Motor City Kitties and time to start polishing the golf clubs. Both teams clearly know what is at stake – the Packers hold a 1-0 record within the division and with 4 of their next 5 and 5 of their next 7 games against their NFC North rivals their playoff fate is in their own hands. Thanks to a loss to the Texans the Bears lead over the Packers are now one game behind 7 -2 Chicago and the other loss by the Bears came courtesy of a thrashing by the Packers.

The Lions have their backs against the wall and this could be the dreaded ‘trap game’ for the Packers. The Lions are in danger of falling completely out of the playoff hunt and a loss to Green Bay would make it all but impossible to recover and make a stretch run. Last year’s renaissance has become this season collapse in the Motor City as Detroit has gone downhill all year. With the surprising Vikings bolting out of the gate the Lions have no soft teams against whom they could get fat. Their future is now.

Don’t think for a second that Mike McCarthy has not hammered that point home to the able bodied left to carry the Packer banner intro battle. The Lions will come in mean, hungry and relentless as they throw the kitchen sink at Green Bay with no compassion for the Packers woes. QB Matthew Stafford has been healthy most of the year but All Pro WR Calvin Johnson has been held to a stunningly low output this year. With only 2 TD’s Megatron has not dazzled with the scoring plays of years past and that has only added to the Lions woes.

The paucity in the Lions running game has put more pressure on Stafford and as teams double and triple team Johnson neither Titus Young nor Nate Burleson has jumped off the page to bail out Stafford. While Stafford is spreading the ball around much more this season the Lions have declined from last year’s rise to respectability. RB Jahvid Best has not played and recently returned Mikel Leshoure has run for 400 yards this season. RB’s Joique Bell and Kevin Smith have been less effective at running the ball than the Packers backs after Cedric Benson went down with a foot injury. Through the first 9 games Detroit has had only 1 100 yard game and Leshoure ran for exactly 100 against Tennessee in an overtime loss.

The Lions are still victims of their own collective lack of discipline. Head Coach Jim Schwartz sets the tone and the Lions follow blithely along. Penalties and mistakes have hurt the Lions cause badly. All Pro 2^nd year DT Ndamukong Suh has not stomped on anybody’s arm – yet – but has only 14 tackles to his credit. While Suh and fellow Defensive Linemen Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch played well with Suh and Avril each collecting 4.5 sacks and Vanden Bosch 3.5, the same cannot be said of the rest of the Detroit D. Their defensive backs have been shredded by the likes of Jake Locker (Tennessee), Christian Ponder twice (Minnesota) and Alex Smith (SF). The Lions have not shown the ability to stop anybody through the air this year. Trying to do that against a Packers team that is missing some of its key components won’t be any easier.

The Lions offensive line has allowed 17 sacks and Stafford has only a QB rating of 85.4 to go with his 2,700 yards passing this year. Too often the Lions have played well between the twenties only to have a game and victory slip from their grasp. Stafford has been a gamer all year but it’s a safe bet to say the Lions talent level around him beyond Megatron isn’t enough to keep the wolves from the door.

The game against the Packers will have the Lions fired up. Any game in the division nowadays will do that but there has been a tad more animosity between the 2 teams in recent history. The Lions mugged and clawed and stomped their way through the NFL last year and came up short in the playoffs against the New Orleans Saints. That was then; this is now.

The Lions have not taken the next step forward this year. Seeing the Vikings pass them has to be embarrassing and facing the Pack now will only add salt to the wound. The Lions will do everything they can, legal and otherwise, to try to gain some sort of edge. Containing Green Bay’s receivers is the first order of business, and the Lions haven’t exactly shined in that department.

Aaron Rodgers will have to do without Bryan Bulaga at RT for the rest of the campaign. T.J. Lang will slide over from his LG spot and Evan Dietrich Smith will take his place. Lang is also hurting with a wrist injury and the Packers have reached the saturation point of injuries at the offensive line and linebacker positions. Any more dings and Green Bay will run out of players to field. Jordy Nelson may play, and rising star Randall Cobb will be targeted both by Rodgers and the Lions defense.

James Starks has shown a little giddy up in his step since returning from his turf toe injury, all he has to do now is to not fumble his chances away. He lost one and McCarthy promptly sent him into the corner with a dunce cap. Now McCarthy will impress on him just how important ‘ball security’ really is. Starks has the ability to pound out the big yards that Alex Green could not, and if Starks can justify his place on the field his presence would do much to aid the cause.

DE Mike Neal had another in a long succession of in season injuries and he should be back. When he’s able to get on the field Neal can contribute and has played better than expected this year with 2 sacks. Neal adds size and some much needed muscle to the D Line and takes some pressure of the linebackers who will be without Clay Matthews for a bit. Fortunately Erik Walden has been playing well of late and now someone else gets a shot – Frank Zombo or even Desman Moses. Even Jamari Lattimore may be pressed into service. One time preseason beast Vic So’oto is back, signed away from the Raiders, and at the pace at which the Pack’s backers are dropping Dave Robinson may get a call.

One Packer linebacker who has stayed on the field all year has been A.J. Hawk and he is quietly having one of the best seasons of his career. Hawk leads the D in tackles and has been far more proficient at chasing down the run and has been seen ball hawking in pass coverages.

Against Detroit the task is right in front of the Packers. Contain Johnson, limit Stafford’s outlets, keep the run inside and not let Detroit’s Nasty Boys get to Rodgers. Rodgers will extend a few plays but don’t look for him to try to run too much. After getting a serious whack against the Lions that put him out with a concussion Rodgers needs to stay healthy to give the Pack a fighting chance.

In a season already marked by significant losses to personnel it is looking like 2010 all over again. The Lions come out in a flash and disappear just as quickly. Once Rodgers gets the offense untracked the air will be filled with footballs until the ground game can take over. It is statement time, and the Packers make theirs in this contest.

 

 

 

 

  GREEN BAY 31 

 

 

 

 

  Detroit 17