END OF THE ROAD

Kaepernick Dazzles as Niners KO Pack

It all started with such promise.

And – it ended in the same disappointment of last season. It was the end of the line.

As the Green Bay Packers close the books on their 2012 -13 campaign with a decisive 45 – 31 loss in the NFC Divisional Playoff game they walk off the field not wondering what happened to the best team in football, like last year, but knowing they were beaten soundly by perhaps the best team in football this season. The opportunities were there; the Pack could not capitalize on them often enough and the one thing a coach as meticulous as Mike McCarthy fears most, a mistake at a key time, turned the momentum and the direction of the game in the 49ers favor.

The game opened with the Packers bolting from the gates and jumping on Colin Kaepernick’s mistake. The 2nd year QB in his first ever playoff game, on his second throw of the game, laid a flat ball out that CB Sam Shields grabbed after he jumped the route and undercut his man and it was off to the races. No one in the NFL can match Shields stride for stride and before the Bay area faithful had even settled into their seats San Francisco was staring down the wrong end of a 7 – 0 count.

This was the mistake the Packers were hoping, even expected Kaepernick to make. At midseason SF Head Coach Jim Harbaugh made a bold move in benching his season long starter and former #1 overall pick QB Alex Smith and rolled the dice on a gut instinct that he felt Kaepernick would give his team the best shot to win it all. Smith had been performing at his best since entering the league along with Aaron Rodgers. Harbaugh’s decision was made all the more shocking that the Niners were in first place and Smith’s numbers were among the league leaders at the time.

But an injury that put Smith in the bench opened the door for the athletic Kaepernick who made the most of his chance. Smith may become football’s version of Wally Pipp, the unfortunate sap who was playing 1^st base for the powerhouse New York Yankees in the 20’s who sat out a game with a minor injury and the Yanks inserted a young slugger named Lou Gehrig into his position, a spot he would not give up for the next 2,000+ games.

The 49ers struggled at times towards the end of the year causing many to question whether or not Harbaugh had made the right move. The Patriots lit the Niners up. And when Seattle dumped 48 points on them Harbaugh and his young QB really felt the heat. Now with the red hot Packers coming into town it was gut check time.

Many a young quarterback has wilted like a flower under the heat and pressure of the brightest lights when those lights shine brightest. Such was not the case with Kaepernick. He immediately answered any questions about his grittiness and resolve. He shook off the early game jitters and led the 49ers right back down the field and knotted the game on a nifty read-option run into the end zone. If any of his teammates had any doubt about the kid he quickly allayed their doubts with his decisiveness.

But the question of how Kaepernick would respond to Aaron Rodgers’ ability to shred a defense and light up a scoreboard remained. Rodgers has the ability to buckle the knees of many in the NFL and to dazzle with his icy cool persona. Rodgers led the Packers right back and RB DuJuan Harris took S Donte Whitner right out of his jockstrap on a run and fake up the gut that landed Harris in the end zone and put the Packers in front of the 49ers. At this point the feeling across the Bay area was “Uh, oh… here we go…” as the Packers moved the ball with precision against a 49er defense that was ailing with DE Justin Smith playing in a brace to protect a torn triceps muscle. Justin Smith’s value to the D cannot be stated enough; in his absence his running mate Aldon Smith, he of the 19.5 sacks through 13 games, registered exactly zero in the 3 games Smith missed. Justin Smith’s presence and strength that allows him to occupy two blockers create havoc for an offensive line that must deal with the stunts and twists Justin and Aldon Smith like to employ to get to the QB and runner. For their early efforts it appeared the Packers would have the answers for the young guns in San Fran.

Momentum is a funny thing and has been known to appear and disappear just as quickly. After taking a 14 – 7 lead and looking sharp in the process the Packer D help SF to a 3 and out and was about to hand the ball back to Rodgers and momentum was on the side of Green Bay. Another score this early could undo the young bucks in red. Green Bay was up 7, and had shown they could move the ball against the Niner D and was poised to make a long, clock killing, back breaking drive. The game was following the Packer script perfectly. There was no reason to believe that Rodgers and his merry men would not marshal another drive to open up a 14 point lead and run Kaepernick and his team right out of their own building.

It was precisely at this moment the Packers committed a mistake, a mistake that saw Ol’ Mo(mentum) jump right across the field in a single play.

Jeremy Ross had been mired deep in Indianapolis’ roster, buried on the practice squad. As the injuries to the Packers kept mounting at the wide receiver position – Greg Jennings- abdomen/ Jordy Nelson- hamstring/ Donald Driver – hand/ Jarrett Boykin – knee and finally Randall Cobb – ankle – GM Ted Thompson went shopping. Long known for his ability to find diamonds in a trash heap Thompson looked to have done it again when he snagged Ross from the Colts. When Cobb went out McCarthy inserted Ross into the lineup and Ross was electric in the handful of returns he had throughout the end of the regular season. Ross’ performance was so good it raised a valid question. With the multitalented Cobb becoming such an integral part of the offense what sense did to make to risk him as a punt returner? And when Ross responded clearly the question became do you want to put a proven commodity (Cobb) back as a kick returner risking injury or a rookie (Ross) that has been terrific so far but has yet to play in 3 NFL games yet a playoff game?

 

Ross gave McCarthy that option and McCarthy gave Ross the chance. In the cruel irony of the NFL it was just last week that Washington Head Coach Mike Shanahan decided to play an injured Robert Griffin III and RG3 left after seriously re-injuring his already banged yup knee. The fans and media cascaded to screams down on Shanny. In this situation McCarthy spared the versatile Cobb in favor of Ross on the bomb squad.

Unfortunately the bomb exploded in McCarthy’s face.

As Andy Lee’s punt drove Ross back to the Packer 9 yard line Ross did the unthinkable on several counts in a single play. He made a poor decision in trying to field the punt, a ball that most likely would have gone into the end zone, then chose not to signal for a fair catch then, as instant slow motion replay clearly showed, took his eye off the ball to see what was coming just prior to making the catch. The ball hit Ross between the numbers and fell at his feet where C.J. Spillman jumped on the gift.

To lay the defeat of the Packers at Ross’ doorstep would be categorically unfair and also untrue. But the momentum shift was palatable. After SF punched it in the reality of the game was a tie score. Green Bay saw a golden opportunity to take control of the game literally slip through their hands. The new life given to SF neutralized the early mistake made by Kaepernick and gave the 49ers hope and a renewed life.

To compound the felony on the next drive the usually reliable Rodgers was picked off by Tarrell Brown who returned the ball 39 yards setting up another 49er TD. The momentum swing was eagerly grabbed by SF as they took a 24 – 21 lead in at the half as struggling K David Akers hit a field goal as time expired in the half. Even a Rodgers to Jones TD pass was not enough to hold back the 49ers.

The 49ers dominated the game to that point. Time of possession, running yards and offensive plays were piling up for the Niners while the Packers seemed to be out of sorts. The offseason will be riddled with the same burning questions from last year – what went wrong, how could the defense give up so many yards, is the Packers time truly over?

Have the Packers come to the end of the line?

So completely had the Niners dominated the Packers in the first half lost among the finality of the final score is that the Packers were not so far out of the game as to render the outcome hopeless. Getting the ball back in the second half Crosby hit a field goal to tie the score up at 24. But the inability to protect the lead or even regain the lead came into play once again as the Packers D and Dom Capers had no answer at all for Kaepernick’s capers. In the first game this year the Pack gave up 186 yards rushing, mostly to Frank Gore. The key to stopping  SF is keeping Gore from piling up the yards. The Packers did not keep Gore in check; he would rush for 116 yards and Kaepernick was the dagger that ended whatever hopes Green Bay would have of advancing by rushing for an NFL record for quarterbacks 181 yards, a number that was almost the same amount they vowed to not give up again.

The 49ers exploited the left side of the Packers defense repeatedly, and Eric Walden was the target. Last week Walden set the edge against Peterson, but in this game Walden repeatedly lost contain on the outside allowing Kaepernick to jettison into the second level. When Walden stepped inside Kaepernick bounced outside leaving Walden in his wake. When Walden held his contain Kaepernick beat him to the inside like a cheetah. The Packers other linebackers were no match for Kaepernick’s speed. The return of rookie Nick Perry will help immensely but the Packers issues on stopping the run go far beyond Walden.

The 49ers completed drives of 80, 93 and 93 yards to put an exclamation point at the end of their very loud statement. They are for real and have become the favorites to win it all. WR Michael Crabtree had a great outing going over 100 yards and some Kaepernick scoring throws to heap more misery on the Packers. It can only be left to speculation the outcome had Green Bay been able to force San Francisco to play from behind and not the other way around. San Francisco’s time of possession was a gaudy 38 minutes to the Packers paltry 21 minutes. Even with a world class QB in Rodgers that is the death knell of most teams.

This is the second straight season to end in a divisional ass kicking. Last year the problems were the defense and the paltry pass rush. GM Ted Thompson addressed that issue by going after 6 players on defense in the draft. The defense rose from a bottom of the barrel 32^nd last year to 11^th overall this year and the Packers were in the Top 5 in sacks. But now the issue is stopping the run. Teams like the Niners have gashed the Packers almost at will. Clearly the 49ers are on the rise and for Green Bay to get back into the mix they will have to address the issue of how to bridge the gap between themselves and San Francisco and that gap is becoming large enough now that the Packers may need to construct their own Golden Gate Bridge to catch up.

But have some of the Packers themselves also come to the end of the line?

Donald Driver was not even suited up over the last part of the season but was in uniform for the playoffs, but his smile was as absent from his face as the familiar #80 was on the field. Driver’s days in Green Bay may be numbered, along with fellow WR and free agent Greg Jennings whose numbers may be too large for Green Bay to afford. The Packers are faced with large contracts due to Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji and Jennings’ may be the odd man out of the equation. With Rodgers, Matthews and Raji the cornerstones of the franchise there may simply not be enough to go around, and at age 30 coming off two injury filled years Jennings may be deemed expendable. With the defense against the run and the paucity of athletic and speedy linebackers like Matthews A.J. Hawk and his large contract could also be a casualty. Hawk has been a solid pro since being taken #5 overall but his lack of speed and deficiencies in pass coverage could see his hefty contract being moved.

And what to do about the mercurial Jermichael Finley? His talent is finally blossoming, but are his ill-timed tantrums too much of a distraction? Over the last few games, right after Finley popped off about he and Rodgers not being on the same page, Finley has come into his own with big games and big catches, minus the drama. There has been much debate about whether or not McCarthy and Thompson are ready to cut ties with Finley and his hefty salary, a salary about which he is pointedly referencing when it comes to the long term in Green Bay or if he has finally grown up enough to become the player MM and TT thought they would get when they took a flyer on the former Texas standout.

The questions abound on the defense as well. Is Ryan Pickett done? The big fella has been a key member of the defense and in a league that stresses youth, speed, and replacement perhaps Pickett’s needle is fluttering near ‘E’ on his enormous tank. The same could be said for Charles Woodson. Sad as it is to cut ties with the onetime heart of the defense the Packers will definitely need to retool but not necessarily rebuild. Woodson is 36 and has had collarbone breaks in each of the past two seasons along with a nagging turf toe injury and commands a hefty paycheck. Has Woodson come to the fork in the road where he is playing out the string? No one will ever question Pickett’s or Woodson’s heart; the painful reality of life in the NFL is the parting and the goodbyes.

We want to see our heroes play forever. We would have loved to have seen Lombardi coaching Rodgers who pitches the ball to a sweeping Paul Hornung behind the lead of Jerry Kramer and Chad Clifton as Hornung pulls up quick and fires a downfield strike to Sterling Sharpe who makes it into the end zone behind the block of William Henderson.

But the end of the road comes calling for everyone eventually.

This year the end of the road came in San Francisco. For many of the Packers, they may be facing the same fate.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Pack/ 49ers Resume Old Rivalry in Playoff Clash

 

 

Everybody pretty much figured it would come to this – a playoff showdown between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams entered the season as prohibitive favorites and most thought they would be right in the hunt for the NFC crown. They weren’t wrong.

With all due respect to the Atlanta Falcons, who are becoming the Rodney Dangerfield’s of the NFL in that they can’t get much respect in spite of their NFC leading 1^st place record, the game of the week, maybe even of the entire playoffs will be between the Pack and the Niners in San Francisco on Saturday night.

The Packers easily rolled past the Minnesota Vikings in moving on while San Fran enjoyed the week off in preparations. Both teams are dynamic, exciting squads and the field will be littered with star power from both sides. The Packers famously flamed out early against the Giants exposing their defensive deficiencies in the process. The fiery Jim Harbaugh has rapidly rebuilt a contender that is defense heavy and has aspirations of taking the next step. Only a last second fumble of a punt by Kyle Williams kept the 49ers from moving into the Super Bowl last year as Williams muff gave the New York Giants an opportunity they did now blow to get in to the Supe.

Now both teams look for redemption from last year’s disappointing exits from the playoffs.

We’ll take a look at the position by position matchups to give a closer look to both teams.

QUARTERBACK –

Any conversation involving a quarterback now must include Aaron Rodgers’ name. Rodgers already has an MVP award, a Super Bowl win and a Super Bowl MVP on his resume. That alone gives the Packers a clear advantage at the position against almost any team in the NFL. Rodgers’ numbers since replacing the irreplaceable Brett Favre have been beyond even the wildest hopes of the Packer brass that drafted him after he twisted in the wind on draft day and falling to #24 in the draft. San Francisco took Alex Smith #1 overall and passing up on the hometown kid who had 49er posters on his bedroom wall, and Smith was taken largely because the Niners offensive coordinator at the time campaigned hard for Smith. Of course, since that coordinator found a new job he has done a complete turnaround on the topic. Mike McCarthy must have had a few sit-downs with Rodgers after he took the Packers reins to explain his thought process at the time. Since then Rodgers and McCarthy have become joined at the hip and McCarthy’s decision to pass on Rodgers as a Niner assistant is the best thing he could have done for himself as the Packers Head Coach. Smith began the year as the 49ers #1 QB only to get replaced by Colin Kaepernick who brings a Michael Vick quality to the table. Kaepernick is a far more mobile and athletic QB than Smith and is capable of gashing defenses with his running ability. But is the time since Kaepernick has taken over for Smith the Niners overall passing game has gone down. While Kaepernick presents more of a headache for Dom Capers and McCarthy the advantage at the QB slot is clearly in favor of the reigning MVP. Rodgers has been there before and has the hardware as well as the tools to succeed. How will Kaepernick respond when the glare gets bright and the heat gets hottest?

ADVANTAGE – GREEN BAY (By a lot)

RUNNING GAME –

Lost in the Adrian Peterson comeback tour was the 49ers stellar back in Frank Gore. There are a handful of truly high level backs in the NFL led by Peterson, but Gore, the Texans Arian Foster, the Hawks Marshawn Lynch and the Ravens Ray Rice are also elite backs. Gore’s style is more nimble than Peterson’s, more physical than Foster’s and is the center around which the Niners build their success. Gore enters the game the 10^th leading rusher in the NFL with 1,214 yards while the Packers counter with **ahem** DuJuan Harris, who had been trying to make it as a car salesman about the time Gore was hitting 800 yards this year. Clearly the advantage goes to the 49ers. But the Packers have the benefit of having played against Peterson 2 weeks in a row and that has to count for some type of prep work for Gore. If the Packers are to have any shot at all of beating the 49ers it has to lie in their ability to do as they did against Peterson last week – bend but don’t break and contain Gore. Gore is more likely to try to exploit the interior holes his line opens up while Peterson bounces outside better. It will be up to A.J. Hawk and Eric Walden to keep gore from breaking off a long one. The 186 yards surrendered to SF on opening night came at the expense of some wide eyed Packer rookies who have since had their eyes opened to what real running back look like, and they will be put to the test again here. For Green Bay to advance they cannot afford to let Gore run wild and have to cut down on the 186 yards he gained in week 1 against them.

ADVANTAGE – SAN FRANSISCO (By a lot)

OFFENSIVE LINE

The key matchups in this game are going to be in the trenches and how the offensive lines match up against the defensive lines. In both areas the 49ers hold the advantage. But that’s only if the game is played on paper. G Mike Iupati leads a stout group of earth movers for SF and anchors the left side along with LT Joe Staley. Both have helped the young Niners transform themselves into an effective smash mouth team and excel in the running blocking game. RG Alex Boone has played nothing like the player he was expected to be and has turned into a more than capable component of the line. The matchup of Staley vs. Clay Matthews will be fun to watch. While Staley is beast-strong he may not have an answer for Matthews speed and will need help from All Pro FB Bruce Miller to chip in. Miller is both an excellent lead blocker for Gore on the backside and also in protecting Kaepernick’s backside. For the Packers to be successful much will be demanded from their left side in Marshall Newhouse and T.J. Lang. Newhouse was more than adequate against Jared Allen and Lang tends to struggle and disappear at times. But when they are in sync and Rodgers is releasing the ball quickly they can be effective. Since rookie RT Don Barclay has stepped in the Packer running game has utilized the right side of the field more frequently following Barclay and Josh Sitton who gets better every game. When Jeff Saturday informed McCarthy he has little left in the tank he stepped aside to allow Evan Dietrich-Smith enough time to get in and get some much needed experience. When the Packers line up across from Justin Smith and Aldon Smith they will need to play one of their best games of the year. Justin Smith is a horse on two legs, able to move blockers around to create the lanes the lightning quick Aldon Smith uses to get inside to do his damage with his pass disruptions and sacks. The Smith Boys utilize stunts, switches and brute strength to impose their will and it will be a collective effort needed to slow them down. How well each team’s lines protect and open holes dictates the course of the offense for both squads.

ADVANTAGE – SF (But not by much)

RECEIVERS –

If the discussion in the pass game begins with the quarterback then it ends with the receivers that catch the ball. This one is a short discussion. Aaron Rodgers had a routine big day again in the Wild Card hookup with Minnesota and hit 10 different receivers with passes. So the question for the 49ers is who do you cover? And how? For the first time since the first meeting against SF in Green Bay the Pack should have every weapon available for Rodgers to use. Jordy Nelson limped off last week but returned later to grab a 73 yard catch and run that a healthy Nelson would have punched in for 6. Greg Jennings is rounding into shape and Randall Cobb is becoming a slot threat superstar. This doesn’t even account for the NFL’s leader in TD grabs James Jones, who will always be the 4^th receiver on this team. Oh, for other teams 1^st receiver to be so cursed. Now throw in TE Jermichael Finley who, since publicly bellyaching about Rodgers in the press, is developing into a possession target. Not limiting himself to the wideouts or the stars Rodgers can distribute the ball to his backs as well, making the Packers arsenal a very imposing one. From the 49ers side of the ball Michael Crabtree is very much like the Packers A.J. Hawk – a solid, serviceable pro but not exactly the type of player you’d expect given his lofty draft status. Crabtree went #10 overall, held out, and SF is still waiting for his big breakout year. Mario Manningham jumped from the Giants but is now done for the year after a knee injury and Randy Moss is running on fumes and a fading reputation. TE Vernon Davis is a matchup nightmare possessing WR speed and a TE’s body and will be key in Kaepernick’s success. Davis shined last year against New Orleans in the playoff with a superb career changing game. But make no mistake – the vulnerability of the Niners is in the passing game and as proficient as they are in the run and on defense it could spell an earlier exit than anticipated, especially if Rodgers gets untracked early in trying to stick it to the team that passed him over. The 49ers simply cannot match the Packers in the pass game. All Rodgers needs is the time to deliver the ball.

ADVANTAGE – GREEN BAY (Big Advantage)

DEFENSIVE LINE –

Last year the Packers were one of the worst teams in the NFL in almost any and every defensive category, including sack totals. What a difference a year makes. Green bay’s D has steadily improved throughout the year and the rookies, while far being considered grizzled veterans, have contributed mightily to the cause. Mike Daniels also is a regular part of the cause and Mike Neal is now playing well after he missed the first game while sitting out a suspension. B.J. Raji has seen his sack totals tumble yet is still the anchor in the middle of the line. Raji and Ryan Pickett will have to clog up the lanes to keep Gore from goring the Pack. But the real news is the SF defensive line, among one of the very best in football. Aldon Smith is the hybrid ‘tweener’, not a defensive end yet not a linebacker either, although he will line up in both spots. Aldon Smith rang up a whopping 19.5 sacks for the year putting him right up there with the Texans J.J. Watt among the league leaders. The Niners employ the same 3 – 4 defense the Packers use and are frighteningly similar. Justin Smith is what makes this line so imposing. While Justin sat out a few games with injuries Aldon was largely absent. It is Justin’s pocket collapsing bull rushes that open in the interior lanes for Aldon Smith to penetrate and use his pterodactyl-like wing span to devour opposing quarterbacks. If Justin Smith is on it will be a long day for the Packers blocking and backfield. If, however, his injuries slow him the scales move closer. But SF has the decided edge in this category.

ADVANTAGE – SF

LINEBACKERS –

At first glance the 49ers, on paper, look to be a runaway with this position. Patrick Willis has become one of the premier inside linebackers in the game, and when NaVarro Bowman and Ahmad Brooks get added to the fold along with Aldon Smith the Niners have maybe the best 4 LB’s in football. A hectic, fast, and rangy they all can get after the QB. Rodgers will need his head on a swivel to keep up and the Packs offensive line will be tested as severely as possible by the 49ers LB’s and pass rush. But don’t sell the store quite yet – Green Bay counters with some pretty fair backers themselves. Clay Matthews leads an active bunch and all A.J. Hawk does year after year is to lead the team in tackles, call the plays on the field, never miss a game and yet Hawk is perennially poo-poohed as overpaid. Eric Walden continues to improve every week. His pass disruptions on the Vikings’ Joe Webb made Webb’s day miserable and now Walden has to match the heat he brought against Kaepernick. Getting to the SF QB is the key. Forcing the inexperienced Kaepernick into forcing the ball plays directly into the Packers hands. The much overlooked yet steady Brad Jones will also see time with Dezman Moses and keeping Kaepernick from tearing off big gainers on the run will be a game long proposition.

ADVANTAGE (And it ain’t by much…) – SF

DB’s –

Quick – name any of the 49ers corners or safeties. Anyone who responded with Carlos Rogers, Tarell Brown, Donte Whitner or Dashon Goldson can move immediately to the head of the class. If there is an exploitable weakness on the 49ers it is in their defensive backfield. Rogers and Whitner may be the only names folks outside of the Bay area may have heard as San Fran DB’s play largely in anonymity and in the shadow of the pass rush. Much like the Pack’s turnover makers last year both teams have seen their takeaways radically reduced but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are playing worse. The Niners backs simply have to cover their men while the big fellas up front get after it. The simplest recipe in beating the 49ers is for the 49ers to have an off day in the rush dept. and have the QB attack the corners and exploit mismatches, something that suits Aaron Rodgers perfectly. In the 4 losses and a tie sustained by San Francisco this year the common denominator was 1) Frank Gore was held largely in check and 2) opposing QB’s relentlessly attacked the corners. Granted, when Justin Smith isn’t on the field it makes attacking the Niners DB’s that much easier. But the Rams and Seahawks both carved up SF’s D. Mike McCarthy will have plenty of film on how to get past the 49er rush to get the matchups Rodgers wants in the next round. As for Green Bay most can recall when cornerback was considered the weakest area on the team. Not anymore. Rookie Casey Hayward didn’t see the field in the first game and yet is poised to become the NFL’s Defensive rookie of the Year with his 6 picks and rapidly improving play. Sam Shields has returned from an ankle injury and has shown great improvement in his coverage skills and especially his tackling, a sore spot from last year. Tramon Williams is still the Pack’s lead dog on the corner. The development of Hayward, 2^nd year man Davon House and Shields has allowed Capers to slide Charles Woodson into the S slot alongside hard hitting Morgan Burnett. Not only do the Packers have a clear advantage at the position Green Bay may even have the more favorable matchups than SF in the WR vs. DB dept. With the playoff inexperience of Kaepernick Green Bay has a larger advantage that SF would want to admit.

ADVANTAGE – GREEN BAY

SPECIAL TEAMS –

 

The 49ers once superb K David Akers has had an awful year, so bad that it forced 49er coach John Harbaugh to lose confidence in him and go out and sign another K in Billy Cundiff as insurance. The Packers once superb K Mason Crosby has had an awful year, so bad that it forced Packer coach Mike McCarthy to lose confidence in him and go for more 4^th downs than he would like from distances of 40 yards or more. Both kickers have inexplicably struggled with accuracy this year leaving both teams scratching their heads and wondering what the hell can go wrong on this kick. Akers has gone a meager 27 of 52, just barely over 50% and Crosby hasn’t been much better. Unlike Akers Crosby shows signs of getting back on track in his recent kicks. But it will be interesting to see how each team plays it with a 45 yarder if the winds in SF are swirling. In the punting area both teams have big legs and nothing to apologize for. SF P Andy Lee is an All Pro and Packers P Tim Masthay has boomed them so far and so well it has rendered the Jon Ryan fiasco into the unspoken and unheard box. Pinning opponents deep is the strong suit for both kickers. And while the 49ers have decent enough returners in Kyle Williams and a disappointing Ted Ginn Jr. who has never quite become the home run threat many thought he would be coming out of college the Packers have Randall Cobb and now Jeremy Ross running the kicks back. McCarthy may take a long look at the Redskins Mike Shanahan’s decision to play his QB, Robert Griffin III that resulted in an ACL injury before deciding if he wants to throw Cobb back there as Cobb has become vital to the Packers offensive thrusts. If Cobb is back there, advantage Pacerks. But, if he gets hurt back there... If either team has an advantage it is only in Crosby showing more signs of rebounding than Akers. The winds will neutralize that though.

ADVANTAGE – GREEN BAY (By Just a Little)

COACHES –

 

Put up a fence and stick Mike McCarthy and Jim Harbaugh on opposite sides. One is explosive, fiery, animated, emotional and coaches more like a high strung player while the other is stoic, solid, cool under fire and coaches more like he expects his players to simply get the job done. A study in contrasts earmarks the differences between the two men. A perfect example is how McCarthy handled the disaster of the Fail Mary in Seattle. It was only a scant year ago Harbaugh was embroiled in a controversy after slapping the Lions Jim Schwartz on the back and disdainfully pushing him away last season. After witnessing that vignette play out can would anyone care to hazard a guess as to the invectives that would have flown liberally from Harbaugh had it been he and not McCarthy getting hosed by the replacement refs? McCarthy’s laid back style belies his intensity. McCarthy has grown as a coach and is a man so comfortable in his own skin that the only opinions that matter to him are those of his players and he really couldn’t care less what the press or fans think. His grace under fire, refusal to engage a debate on the Seattle theft earn McCarthy high marks and he is more than deserving of a Coach of the Year Award for his ability to continue to cobble together winning teams from lineups decimated by injury. The 49ers heartbreaking loss last year may actually help Harbaugh into becoming a better coach. But McCarthy has the distinct advantage in having won the Big One already, a feat at which Harbaugh can only envy.

It’s close here, but…

ADVANTAGE – GREEN BAY

HOME FIELD –

Surprisingly Green Bay has performed well on the road in the playoffs with the noted exception being the shootout in the desert when the Cards beat the Pack in OT by score of 351 – 346 in the highest scoring game ever in NFL post season history. The playing surface could affect play. A slick, wet, muddy track could slow down the Packers’ receivers. It could also bog down the Niners ground game. Both kickers will be wishing they had just signed with a dome team. The advantage will be negligible, even with the noise. The Packers experience and poise offset the crowd.

ADANTAGE – NEITHER TEAM

In the first game of the year the 49ers broke fast and never looked back. Setting a tone they would repeat throughout the year Green Bay fell behind and had to play catch up. But with a season under their belts the Packers rookies are not so easily intimadatible. The 49ers were the darlings of the NFL and were running away with, but then began to stumble along the way. Both teams have made significant changes, the most noted being the Packers loss of Cedric Benson and the 49ers replacing of Alex Smith. A Divisional Game might be more than a 2^nd year young QB is ready for, and Kaepernick could be the one to make the mistakes. Rodgers is so cool under fire his shoulder pads need to be checked for an air-conditioning unit.

The battle in the trenches determines this one. The up front slug fests between the offensive and defensive lines will be epic and this one will be a close one. It could just as easily be a blowout the likes of which Green Bay threw at a stunned Atlanta team from their Super Bowl run 2 seasons ago, but all signs point to a close, low scoring game and who makes – or more to the point DOESN’T make – the mistakes.

  GREEN BAY 20

 

 San Francisco 17



‘A.D.’ = ALL DONE

Packers Put Peterson Away/

Vikes Flounder WithoutPonder
 

 

The lead up to the NFC Wild Card game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers seemed to be ‘Adrian Peterson this’ and ‘Adrian Peterson that’. Peterson –also known as A.D. (‘All Day’ for his relentless pounding running style) had a remarkable MVP-worthy campaign in falling just 9 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s all-time NFL season rushing record and he did it on a surgically repaired knee that fixed both the ACL and MCL which were shattered only one calendar year ago. The Packers offense woke up and the defense rose mightily in turning back the Vikings with a 24 -13 win, and win aided largely when Viking QB Christian Ponder, fresh off his finest game as a pro the previous week against Green Bay, was unable to play after a whack he absorbed from S Morgan Burnett last week.

It would be up to the redoubtable Joe Webb and Peterson to run Minny further in the playoff race.

The praise heaped on Peterson was well earned. Peterson had strapped the Vikings on his back and carried them all year and ran them into the playoffs after he racked up 199 yards last week against the same Packers in a last do or die game. Peterson is respected, nay feared, in most quarters in the NFL and with good reason. His size, strength, speed, vision and cutting ability put him in a class by himself. His totals for the year were so astounding he was 500 yards ahead of his nearest competitor at the running back position. When considering the Packers leading rusher for the season Alex Green had a TOTAL of 464 yards that fact is staggering.

But sometimes ‘respect’ can turn into ‘fear’ rendering a defense unable to make a play and making the player even better.

In the opening round matchup the Packers defense simply had enough of the Adrian Peterson love fest and went back to a basic, smashmouth pound Peterson relentlessly and force him to beat them mentality. And – it worked.

Adrian Peterson is a great eventual Hall of Famer. Dom Capers is a pretty smart guy who has a pretty good defense at his disposal as well. After watching Peterson gain 418 yards against his defense the message was sent loudly about stopping Peterson and tackling better. Check and check; the Packers executed their game plan on both sides of the ball almost to a ‘T’ in running away with the win. The only area of any concern truly was the Vikings opening drive and the fact that, unlike Tennessee 3 weeks ago, the Packers could not finish off with authority against the pass starved Vikes.

When Ponder took the field to try to throw with a badly bruised elbow and triceps he got when Burnett whacked him on a blitz last week he could get nothing on hid throws – no velocity and less accuracy. Inserted into the lineup was the former 6^th round pick Joe Webb who could also have been mistaken for Cob Webb from sitting in the bench so long. Entering the game he became the first QB in NFL history to start a playoff game with zero pass attempts for the year. Yikes.

Some in the media, like the NFL Network’s Tony Dungy, had a serious case of man-love for Webb and his 4.4 speed and the X-Factor quality he brought to the table. Webb showed his elusiveness on the Vikings first drive in engineering a march that stalled at the Packers 11. Yes, Webb used his head and his feet to get Minnesota in position and was an early nightmare matchup for the Packers but sooner or later, in a passing league a QB is going to have to throw the ball and use his arm.

 

The Vikings would have been better off with Ponder. Webb’s throws sailed high, wide, long, short, skipped like stones on a pond and in general were an eye-covering disaster. His first pass attempt fell 3 yards short of a wide open Kyle Rudolph and bounced off the Lambeau turf and struck the Viking TE square in the shins.

Once the Packers and Capers realized what they would be facing after spotting the Vikings a 3- 0 lead it became open season on Webb. In the process the Packers defense finally found the answer to Peterson. Peterson’s vision and cutback on a dime ability gives him the chance to hit the edge and cut upfield where he does most of his damage. Knowing how AD had gashed the Packers in the past Capers stressed the importance of such fundamentals as gap control, patience and tackling. Peterson can put the fear of God into opposing CB’s who attempt to tackle a runaway truck when he gets going.

But this day and game would be vastly different. For one thing Charles Woodson was back after missing 9 games with a broken collarbone. No one will ever accuse Woodson of being afraid to lay a lick on someone. Energized by the return of their defensive leader the Packers contained Peterson by stretching defensive players along the outside edge and eliminating the holes Peterson could exploit.

And when the Packers tackled it was seldom one on one, an unfair advantage Peterson enjoys. Unless it was B.J. Raji or Ryan Pickett, both of whom were terrific in bottling up the middle of the field, the Packers were gang-tackling Peterson whenever and wherever they could. Keeping Peterson in check was made much easier without Ponder as Webb was in over his head.

Containing Peterson and tackling better were not the only things the Packers improved. The much maligned offensive line looked like a completely different unit. While DE Jared Allen was credited with 1 sack LT Marshall Newhouse more than held his own against the Vikings’ sack master. On the other side of the line rookie RT Don Barclay rebounded from an awful game against Brian Robison and Robison was held in check. Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy made some subtle adjustments to the blockings scheme employing his TE’s in chip blocks before releasing into their routes. In spite of an end zone drop TE Jermichael Finley had a good game especially in helping out on chips. Robison was kept off balance literally; a Finley chip sent Robison staggering into the middle of his own pass rush like a drunk looking for a lamppost on New Year’s Eve.

Aaron Rodgers wore the look of a man determined to shut up the talk heads’ gushing over Peterson. No one wears a chip on his shoulder better than Arod and Rodgers responded with a big game in a big game. In all Rodgers hit 10 different receivers throughout the day making it all but impossible for the Vikings to key on any individual. Former car salesman and rookie RB DuJuan Harris continues to grow and provide enough yardage to force defenses to respect the Packers running game. Harris picked up 1 TD on a sprint up the middle and he stretched the entirety of his 5’8” frame over the goal line for the score.

Longtime Packer folk hero John Kuhn resurrected the “Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhn!!” call with 2 TD’s of his own. Kuhn has grown so well into his role he even has his Lambeau Leap all but perfected launching himself into the seats on both of his touchdowns.

And yet, even as the Packers held a commanding lead at 24- 3 a blown coverage gave Minnesota the faintest flicker of hope and their final 7 points when Webb hit Michael Jenkins for a 50 yard bomb. Over the last 20 minutes of the game the Packers were more content to run the clock down and pin the Vikes deep on P Tim Masthay’s booming punts. And in those final 20 minutes Webb’s passing yardage went from a pedestrian 61 yards to 180 yards where he finished for the day.

The Packers deferred the opening kickoff once again and Minnesota marched down the field, stalling only when Webb was forced into becoming a passer. The tactic paid off as Rodgers led a furious hurry-up drive to end the first half when he zinged a missile into Jordy Nelson at the 2 and Kuhn bulled it in from there. Packers took the kickoff to open the 3^rd quarter and marched down the field much like the Vikings did, and when their own drove stalled Minnesota did what Minnesota does best… they loaded the gun, cocked the hammer, took aim at their own foot and then pulled the trigger.

On a 4^th and 4 from their own 12 as K Mason Crosby lined up for a field goal somehow the Vikings managed to slip a 12^th man onto the field. Viking coach Leslie Frazier’s actions said it all when he yanked off his head set and angrily rolled his eyes. The call of too many men on the field gave the Packers exactly what no team wants to do if they want to be successful; they gave Rodgers another bite at the apple, a bite he turned into another 6 points with a 9 yard toss to Kuhn who pinballed his way into the end zone. On consecutive half ending and half opening drivers the Packers drove the stake right through the heart of the Vikings with 14 points.

The Vikings self-destruct was activated fully when punt returner Marcus Sherels took his eyes off a punt as the Packers herd closed in giving Green Bay the ball and more time to kill the clock. Webb also sacked himself and Clay Matthews was given credit as he was lying face down on the ground and Webb tripped over the prone Matthews’ legs. Matthews looked more conventional later in a sack, strip, fumble and recovery on Webb later in the game.

Matthews’ play was made possible by the terrific outing by opposite OLB Erick Walden. When the season opened 1^st round pick Nick Perry was taking the snaps but after a season ending wrist injury put him out Walden stepped in and has stepped up his play. Walden had a great day with a sack and his constant harassment of Webb.

For his part Rodgers was 23 of 22 for 274 yards, 1 TD and no picks, but afterwards his description of the offense was they were just “average” and all too true assessment.

Now the Packers must fly to the left coast to take on a vastly different team than they faced in the first week of the season in San Francisco. But clearly, the Packers are not the same team they were when they lost by a count of 30 – 22.

The game against Minnesota minus Ponder was largely a laugher, a throwaway game. It was also a great warm up to another team with an athletic running quarterback, a strong ground game and a good front four that can generate a pass rush. Rodgers, McCarthy, and Matthews & Co. know they have no such luxury in preparing for the heavyweight match against the Niners. While Frank Gore is not Adrian Peterson, Colin Kaepernick is not Joe Webb.

It’s the 90’s all over again as the powerhouse Packers face the resurgent 49ers.