WOUNDED BEARS HUNGRY FOR A WIN

Ailing Chicago Meets Equally Ailing Green Bay

It was supposed to be a big game. In many ways the Sunday Night contest renewing the age old rivalry between the Bears and Packers still is a big game but the big game hunters if the NFL have already bagged a few trophies.

The Chicago Bears come into Lambeau Field injured and altering. If there is one team that can relate to the injury woes of the Bears it is Green Bay. The Bears will be without the services of their two most important pieces on each side of the ball. QB Jay Cutler is out along with LB Lance Briggs. Without Cutler at the helm the Bears have been flat, uninspired and listless. New coach Marc Trestman has had a very stabilizing effect on Cutler and the Bears bolted from the gate early and were running neck and neck with the Detroit Lions for the lead in the NFC North. The Pack was stumbling thru a slow start sandwiching losses to SF and Cincinnati around a win over the inexplicably tepid Washington Weneedanamechanges.

Chicago comes off a bye week and the healthy should be rested. This will be the 2^nd divisional foe to

come in missing a star. The Lions had little to no offense when Megatron Calvin Johnson was sidelined and now the Bears have to make do without Cutler and Briggs.

Don’t expect any pity to come from the Pack. The Next Man Up battle cry is resounding in Green Bay and without players that could stock an All Pro team – Randall Cobb, James Jones, Jermichael Finley, Clay Matthews, Nick Perry and Casey Hayward – the Packers are actually playing better. The injuries have forced call ups from the practice squad and WR Myles White has not just filled a roster spot he has been involved in getting the ball and making plays. His catch and run bubble screen against Minnesota showed why he was kept around and in dropping 44 points on Minnesota the Packers Offense is rolling.

It helps that Eddie “The Hammer” Lacy has been relentlessly pounding the ball so well. Add in a returning James Starks and the packers once flaccid running game has morphed into an “uh oh” moment for opposing defenses. The yardage being gained on the ground serves several purposes – the Packers are now winning  the time of possession battle, keeping their defense off the field, creating more scoring chances for Aaron Rodgers and opening up the passing lanes. Against Minnesota the Pack held the ball for just under 41 minutes. There is the crash course in how to stop the Vikings – keep the ball out of Adrian Peterson’s hands keeping him off the field.

In the process the Packers put up their highest point total of the year. After spotting Minnesota an

early lead thanks to a tremendously good kick return (or tremendously horrible coverage of said kick) by Cordarelle Patterson Rodgers took over and promptly shoved the ball down Minnesota’s throat to knot the game and then Green Bay began the python like squeezing out the air of the Vikes. Even when the Vikings knew Green Bay was going to run the ball they could not contain, delay or stop Lacy. Starks also broke a huge run for a TD looking like a racehorse pulling away from the field. Giving Rodgers the option of running or throwing has reduced Rodgers overall numbers but along the way it is making him a far better field general. Rodgers has become very efficient in checking the opposing defenses at the line and making the necessary adjustment and has been able to exploit mismatches.

The best example was in the 2^nd quarter against Minny last week. As Rodgers saw the Vikings safeties creep towards the line to bolster the run defense against Lacy Rodgers audibled to a pass and hit Jordy Nelson on a slant against a hopelessly overmatched Chad Greenway. Nelson did the rest after the 12 yard toss by streaking in for 6. Now defenses are forced to make adjustments to the new look, balanced Packer attack.

Trestman has been a breath of fresh air in the Windy City. He has established himself quickly and his low key style has done much to calm the oft times erratic Cutler. The entire Chicago coaching staff has undergone and overhaul. Lovie Smith is out and gone also is the so-smart-he’s-stupid Mike Martz as offensive coordinator. But the changes have had an immediate stabilizing effect on the Bears.

If anyone is expecting a rollover and stroll through the park win against Chicago better guess again. As overmatched as the Vikings were last week they never quit and put up 34 points, a total made more impressive when realizing the Packers defense had not allowed more than 17 in the past 3 games. The Packers have played without their stars with no excuses and are getting the job done along the way.

The Bears know clearly what is at stake. The ingredient to playoff success is getting there in the first

place. The formula is simple – win at home, play .500 on the road, and win your divisional matchups. Even without Cutler the Bears still have weapons. Matt Forte is running well to no one’s surprise while Charles ‘Peanut’ Tillman is still a huge factor for the defense. And don’t think for a second the Bears won’t look to take advantage of Green Bay’s special teams. By now Devin Hester has watched enough tape on the Packers cover units he could probably tell which way each man is going to move before he even hits his spot.

Green Bay has to contain Hester. By contain the edict will be clear to Tim Masthay. Do not, under any circumstances, kick the ball to Hester. Masthay’s only mistake last week was not kicking the ball out of the end zone to open the game. Hester already has another return for another touchdown. Winning time of possession becomes irrelevant of Hester cannot be stopped or at least limited in his ability to change a game.

In addition to Cutler and Briggs DE Julius Peppers has been slowed by a knee along with Tillman, TE Martellus Bennett and S Major Wright. But RB Matt Forte is healthy and teaming with Michael Bush to give the Bears a tandem of backs capable of keeping Rodgers off the field. One of Trestman’s first items was addressing the Bears sieve-like offensive line. Imports rookie Kyle Long and Matt Slauson have helped tremendously in fixing the leaks in the line while opening up the running lanes. It will come down to how well the lines play for each respective team.

Even wounded Chicago is dangerous. Their once rock solid grip on first place has slipped and Detroit is coming on. The Bears are facing an almost must win game which makes it all the more urgent for them and now the Packers will have to answer the bell. But this is not a game the Pack would expect to be soft. Even though Chicago looked uneven against Washington last week against the Packers they will be tougher. But against Green Bay the Bears are always tougher.

With Cutler out the ball now goes into Josh McCown’s hands. Jordan Palmer, Carson’s little brother, was signed as an emergency fill in. There is a huge drop off in talent from Cutler to McCown so expect the Forte/ Bush combination to see the ball heavily. The Packers newly stout run defense will be tested. The run D kept Peterson in check and even if Forte can be stopped the Bears still have WR threats with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Rodgers will have to find Tillman at the line and it shouldn’t be too hard. Tillman will most likely draw the task of covering Nelson who is in the middle of another quietly successful season.

If the Bears know what is at stake it’s a safe bet the Packers do as well. The Packers put the throttle down and hammered Minnesota last week. This week they will unapologetically do the same to the Bears. Yes, a wounded Bear is dangerous. But a Hammer can put it down for the count.

 

 

 

GREEN BAY 27

  Chicago  17   

NOTHING TO PONDER

Packer Offense Shines against Vikings

Maybe this is the vision Mike McCarthy had all along. By now every fan, opponent and member of the media knows McCarthy has made a running game the point of emphasis of the off season. As the season has ground on the Packers are like a rough lump of coal been rounded and polished by every encounter in the NFL. It was a rocky start, going 1 – 2, but since the running game has begun to gel the look of the Packers offense is starting to resemble that of a bona fide juggernaut.

In the not too distant past the Packers offense was Aaron Rodgers throws left, Rodgers throws right, Rodgers over the middle, Rodgers scrambles, run and either gains 12 yards or loses 5 yards, Rodgers goes deep, Rodgers under pressure, Rodgers finds ________ (fill in the name of Jordy Nelson or James Jones or Randall Cobb or Jermichael Finley here) open in the end zone, touchdown Packers.

This was only an okay formula. While the Pack was piling up points Rodgers laser like tosses

covered many of the Packers’ blemishes. Blemishes that were the lack of a running game, a pass poor defense, a defense that could not tackle, and a shaky special teams unit. As each season since the ’10 magic carpet ride the Packers looked more imposing on offense and less threatening on defense. And let’s not forget Mason Crosby’s stunningly sudden case of the shanks last year. Since winning it all in ’10 the Packers have been impressive against the lesser fare of the NFL. Against the big dogs in the big games? Well… not so much.

The ‘Cover 2 defense’ became the battle cry for opponents. As fans scrambled to find out what exactly a ‘Cover 2’ defense was opponents began preparing to stop Rodgers and his receivers and nothing else. Cover 2 became the ‘Ah Ha!’ moment of the teams that employed a solid D. The Giants became the Pack’s personal Rubicon along the way. The 49ers ignored the Packers running game, loaded up on the back end, spotted the Packers a 14 – 7 lead and then Cover-2ed Green Bay right out of the playoffs.

McCarthy had seen enough. Talking about developing a running game was falling thin. James Starks was looking like he could become the man. But Starks history of injuries has kept his star from rising. The offseason imported new faces with Eddie Lacy and Jonathon Franklin. The Packers look like they have scored an ‘A’ for last year’s draft and have plugged holes on both sides of the ball. The term ‘Next Man Up’ has become a rallying cry as new faces eager to make an impression are doing just that.

The question lingers as to just how good could this Packer team be by the end of the season? The answer is scary good. With Lacy now pounding the ball Rodgers has become far more judicious and efficient with his throws. The problem with the Pack has never been Aaron Rodgers. It has been that even Rodgers had a hard time finding men open when teams like the Giants and Niners, teams that roll out hefty front 4 and 3 looks that can generate pass pressure while dropping 7 and even 8 men back into coverage. Cover 2 was the terminology used for a defense leaving the 2 safeties back in pass coverage and thumbing their nose at the Pack’s backfield.

Green Bay was not winning games in the process as much as merely outscoring their

opponents. But after the pretenders and unprepared fell along the way the NFL’s best found a way to beat Green Bay. In the process McCarthy set about rebuilding his team into a fully balanced squad. Just shy of the halfway point in the season the Packers are now beginning to build some momentum and are picking up a head of steam. The Lions and Bears broke fast from the gate but have slipped. Green Bay has already knocked off Detroit and now Minnesota. It is not beating them that is the story; it is how they are doing it.

The Packers offense rolled over and flattened the Vikings by a count of 44 – 34. The game opened with the Pack’s special teams looking very unspecial by laying an egg on the opening kickoff. As the Vikes Cordarelle Patterson grabbed Tim Masthay’s boot a mere 2 feet from the back of the end zone and to the delight of Packer fans began to run it out. Those fans stopped laughing as Patterson broke off an NFL record that can never be broken by going 109 yards and putting Green Bay in a 7 -0 hole.

The Vikings are struggling clearly. Adrian Peterson is mortal and has been unable to shake the funk off of Minnesota’s tepid QB’s. Matt Cassel bombed in relief of Cristhian Ponder and Josh Freeman was an unmitigated disaster last week in a woeful Monday Night performance and the fallen savior Ponder was sent back out the turnstile. The Vikings have holes in their defense and Josh Sitton, Evan Dietrich Smith, T.J. Lang, and newcomers Don Barclay and David Bahktiari kept opening enormous holes for Lacy and Starks to hit. Rodgers took the ball and marched the Packers right down the field to knot the score.

Offense is not the only area to get a facelift. Over that past 2 years McCarthy and Ted Thompson have done an overhaul of their defense emphasizing younger, faster, more athletic. This approach is paying dividends. The list of players sidelined looks like an All Pro lineup. Cobb, James Jones, Finley, John Kuhn and Starks (both back after missing a month with injuries) as well as Morgan Burnett (back after opening the season injured), Clay Matthews, Nick Perry and Casey Hayward have been out with season interrupting dings.

The likes of Davon House and Micah Hyde have stepped in on D to fill the void. 2^nd year

man Mike Daniels chipped in with 2 sacks and has become a solid relief man on the now stout defensive line. Ponder wasn’t awful against Green Bay but trying to match Rodgers point for point is an uphill climb the kid could not master. Ponder has shown he can play (at times) but also he can play well against the Packers (most times). For the improved Packers defense stopping the run, in this case headache-giving Adrian Peterson, has been a marked improvement from last year. Peterson did not light up the Pack. Keeping Peterson to a meager 60 yards on 13 carries is an impressive feat. Ponder didn’t throw any picks but could only muster 145 yards thru the air. It bears mentioning that Greg Jennings, who was very vocal when signing a lucrative deal in the offseason, took revenge on his former team and signal caller with 1 catch for 9 yards. As the teams met at the end of the game Jennings was seen bending Rodgers’ ear for a long time.

In fact had Minnesota not been aided by two very shaky pass interference calls against Tramon Williams this game could have been uglier. How ugly? Try this one on for size – the Packers held the ball for almost 41 minutes and ran 30 more plays than the Vikings 73 – 43. A ball control, ground attack game complementing Rodgers air mastery is exactly what McCarthy was envisioning. That it would come together like this, at this time with many of the key components sitting it out does not bode favorably for the rest of the NFC. As the Packers’ Kiddie Corps cuts their teeth in real, live competition it will only serve to make this team better.

In spite of giving up Patterson’s electrifying opening kick return the Packers countered with their own newest weapon. When Jeremy Ross was assigned the kick return duties and let the opportunity – and the ball – slip thru his fingers Randall Cobb went back to do one of the things he does best in returning punts. That didn’t exactly sit well with McCarthy or anyone else who knows how integral a component Cobb is to the offense with his diversity.

No Cobb? No sweat. Rookie CB Micah Hyde slid into the punt return role and Franklin

now handles the kickoffs. Hyde matched Patterson’s gallop with an eye popping return of his own by channeling his inner Charles Woodson and taking the ball the distance with a 93 yard return. Anything you can do I can do better. McCarthy is on record calling Hyde the most “…natural return man he’s seen since Charles Woodson. He even catches the ball like Woodson...”

For the day Rodgers was a ho-hum 24/29 for 285 yards, 2 TD’s and 31 yards rushing. While the Vikings were credited with 2 sacks those sacks resulted in a cumulative loss of 3 yards. Jared Allen has been a stalwart and standout for Minnesota since arriving from Kansas City. Rodgers made it clear he did not want to see Allen doing his famous steer roping celebration of a sack in this game. The assignment for dealing with Allen fell to LT David Bahktiari, a 4^th round rookie banging heads with one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers.

Chalk this one up to the kid. Not only did Bahktiari keep Allen from garnering a sack Allen had exactly 0 tackles for the game. Zero. This while opening up Mack truck sized holes for Lacy who put up 94 yards. In his first game back since wrenching his knee Starks showed why the Packers have stuck with him. Starks moved fluidly and showed no ill effects as he posted 57 yards and a brilliant 25 yard bolt to the end zone.

The rock solid run game has now given Rodgers more at his disposal. As Lacy repeatedly gashed the Vikings interior to support the run the Vikes safeties began peeking and coming in to support the Vikings once potent/ now puny run defense.

That is not a wise move against Rodgers. Seeing the safeties creeping Rodgers was able to hit Jordy Nelson on a quick middle-in slant. Nelson grabbed the ball, shook off Viking LB Chad Greenway, blew past the now hopelessly out of position safeties and raced 76 yards to give the lead back to the Pack, a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. The Packers so dominated the game from the offenses’ perspective that not only did they win the time of possession and field position battle punter Tim Masthay did not have to punt at all. For the day the Packers were 15 for 20 on 3^rd and 4^th downs (80%) in keeping the chains moving and Masthay idling till the next kickoff.

That is an efficient, balanced ball controlling clock killing offense. As the season moves along the rookies, unheralded and 2^nd year players are taking up the flag. The next man up is doing his job begging the question just how good could the Packers be when – and more importantly if – all the starters return.

In the interim McCarthy keeps finding new and inventive ways to impose the Pack’s will on a game. But then again, he knew what he was doing all along.

THIS ONE COULD GET UGLY

High Flying Packers Meet Muddling Minnesota

At the beginning of the season the matchup between the Vikings and the Packers looked to be one of those circle it in red ‘cause it’ gonna be a BIG one types of games.

Now? Not so much.

While the Packers have now reclaimed first place in the NFC North after a somewhat slow start the Vikes have gone from the penthouse to the outhouse. Last year Christian Ponder was hailed as the new savior and this year he has becoming a part of the Vikings revolving door QB situation that seems to have existed in the Vikings history. Even Fran Tarkenton left the great white north.

What is so puzzling about the Vikings is the fact they have talent, in some cases tremendous

 

All Pro if not Hall of Fame) talent. Start with the raison d’etre of the Vikes, their premier, numero uno alpha dog of the pack in Adrian Peterson, as sure fire a lock for Canton as there has ever been. Last year Peterson defied the odds, medical science and virtually anything else in his way as he not only returned early from a massive knee injury he loaded the entire franchise onto his broad shoulders and carried Minnesota into the playoffs against the Pack and damn near broke the all-time single season rushing record in the process.

Ponder also had his moments against Green Bay last year. New T Matt Kalil was a plug n play from USC and looks to be a fixture for many years to come. DE Jared Allen should have welcomed the re-signing of Marshall Newhouse as Allen abused, ran around and bowled over the Pack’s Left Tackle last year in chasing down Aaron Rodgers like a hungry beast. Rookie Cordarelle Patterson showed a flash of what many expected of him when he broke a 105 yard kickoff return for a TD. Percy Harvin was another thorn in the Pack’s side and the playoff rematch was not one many Packer fans felt very good about seeing. The Packers did down the Vikes but it was apparent and obvious to everyone the Vikings were on the uptick and in a rapid fashion.

Over the offseason the Vikings had 3 1^st round picks, one a courtesy of dealing the oft injured and migraine prone Harvin to the Seahawks and another to the trade happy Patriots. The Vikings looked to have restocked the shelves nicely by adding DT Shairf Floyd, S Xavier Rhoades and WR Cordarelle Patterson. Much like the Packers the Vikings identified their weaknesses and went after them in the draft.

They also went shopping and found a bargain in Green Bay in WR Greg Jennings. Jennings

had been one of Rodgers favorite targets in Green Bay and a key component of the team that won it all in ’10. The Packers tried to learn from the painful divorce from Brett Favre how to let a former star leave without acrimony. GM Rick Spielman really has a thing about signing former Packers. Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy and team president Mark Murphy came to the conclusion that at age 30 and coming off 2 seasons marked by injury Jennings was too expensive to keep. They did submit a 2 year deal to Jennings but GJ chose the Purple Gang’s offer of approximately $1 million dollars more. With the talent at WR Jennings had become expendable.

So it should have been a relatively quiet summer.

Wrong.

In the time it takes to say “Childress flies down to Hattiesburg to pick up Favre in the Vikings’ owner’s private plane” Jennings was anywhere and everywhere a camera was and a reporter sniffing for a story was slithering. Jennings, the hometown hero, the family man, once so revered in Green Bay took the opportunity to lash out at the Packers, the organization and even Aaron Rodgers.

To be fair it began with a joke. When asked about how he would adjust to losing one of his favorite targets Rodgers grinned and replied “Who??” Jennings took the opportunity to up the ante.

“Brainwashed” was term he used in describing the Packers approach. In referring to Rodgers he did not even use Rodgers’ name; instead he opted to call him simply by his number – “12”. His shots at Rodgers were a litany of churlishness that made Packer fans blanch, the media drool and Head Coach Leslie Frazier cringe, so much so that Frazier finally called Jennings into his office to tell him to tone down the anti-Packer rhetoric. Jennings’ theatrics bought him much face time and much like the Favre mess the likes of ESPN simply could not get enough of it or dissect it enough.

Jennings attempted to downplay his comments but saying he was just messing around, you

know, goofing and having some fun. While there may be a kernel of truth for all the world Jennings words and barbs were not only unexpected but it took the shine off his star and replaced it with a dark smudge. Ticking off the likes of an Aaron Rodgers is not exactly the smartest move to make. To give a guy who has been so routinely dismissed and pooh-poohed as to pour gasoline on an open flame to try and douse it. And Rodgers needs more fuel to his fire like the Great Lakes needs another pond beside them. It’s already big enough. With this being the final season the Vikings would play in their Hefty Bag dome this was viewed all summer as a must watch game.

And so the Shakespearean plot lines were all in place. Funny thing happened on the way to the forum… the Vikings suddenly and inexplicably forgot how to play football. While the Lions and Bears broke fast from the gate and threatened to leave the Pack in the dust Minnesota began to find new and more inventive ways to lose football games.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the sum total of the Vikings season.

The offensive line has more leaks than a Holland dike. The defensive backfield couldn’t cover a bed with a sheet if they tried. The QB mess has now come full circle with the signing of the released Matt Cassel (a KC bust and jettisoned after Andy Reid found his man in Alex Smith) and the mid-season addition of Josh Freeman to go along with the next messiah in Ponder. And the erstwhile Mr. Jennings? For the season he has 24 catches and 2 TD’s. Good, but hardly great. On the Packers those numbers would have him 4^th on the team. In Minnesota he is right behind the Vikes leading receiver Jerome Simpson in catches, yards, and yards/ catch average.

Minnesota is in a death spiral and one more loss in the NFC North could all but ensure

another cold, lonely winter in the Twin Cities. After rah rah Coach Greg Schiano effectively ran Freeman out of Tampa Bay or Freeman was the victim of an abusive and overbearing coach - depending on whose version one chooses to believe - Frazier not only jumped at the chance to sign Freeman he inserted Freeman right into the lineup. The winless Giants and the one win Minny’s hooked up in laughable embarrassment of a game so wretched that even Minnesota fans were tuning in to watch reruns of “Welcome Back Kotter” than to bear witness to the fiasco on the field.

Freeman was absolutely wretched in his performance. 13 for 48 and a passer rating of 38.9. Freeman could not have hit the water of he threw the ball from a pier at high tide. His passes sailed high, wide, fluttered, fell short, skipped, bounced, missed, were tipped, blocked or intercepted. When the “Welcome Back Kotter” crowd tuned back in the game resembled not an expected key matchup but a tragi-comedy of errors on the part of both teams. Even the MNF announcers had a hard time in this game keeping it interesting. The Vikings only semblance of offense came not from their offense but their special teams. Marcus Sherels returned a punt 86 yards for the Vikings lone score of the night.

Now the floundering Vikings face the heating up Packers in the last dance in the Metrodome. Peterson has been lost in the quagmire this year. No matter how well he plays he cannot do it by himself. The Packers are defining their new image and it now begins with a running game that not only must be respected but feared. Eddie Lacy is proving to be one of the steals of the draft. Without donning Green and Gold glasses it is no stretch of the imagination to call Lacy the best of the rookie crop of runners so far. He has not disappointed.

Peterson will be the ultimate test for a Packers defense that got younger, faster, stronger

and more athletic. And this is a defense that will have to do it without Clay Matthews, Nick Perry and Brad Jones. Peterson is a beast but beyond Kalil the Vikings do not have road graders in front of him. The Pack must force the Vikings hand and keep Peterson from repeating the past few showings against them. The Packers defense, especially in the front line has not only escaped any major injury they have become a stout run stuffing D. The equally shockingly awful team in the Giants has now shown how to stop Minnesota. It is not only a strategy used to hold Minnesota and Peterson in check it is the very reason the Packers set out to improve their running game.

New York ignored the pass completely and routinely dropped 7 and 8 defenders into the box. As Freeman pressed and became worse in the process the Vikings line looked like it was being overrun by a swarm. Peterson was beaten, battered and bottled up. The 10 point differential forced Frazier to go to Freeman. The Packers saw the converse in the past two seasons. So unintimidated were defenses by the Packer paltry run game they would simply drop into coverage and force Rodgers to beat them.

Expect the Packers to do just that to Peterson. They will force Freeman, Cassel, Ponder or Joe Kapp to have to wing it to win. As the Packers become a more balanced ball control team it will be essential to not turn the ball over and put points on the board. The greater the differential the harder it will be for Minnesota to keep pace. In their current form the Vikings simply do not have the talent base to match the Packers. For Frazier he will have to pick his poison – the slow, painful death of defending the pass while Lacy pounds inside or stuff the run and let Rodgers run wild.

One expected key matchup to watch will be between DE Jared Allen and the Packers’ rookie LT David Bahktiari. Bahktiari is another late draft pick (4^th round) who has not only filled in but stepped up to become an integral member of the offensive line. While far from perfect Bahktiari has been a huge upgrade over Marshall Newhouse and has played well against the likes of Michael Johnson (Cincinnati) and Terrell Suggs (Baltimore). Unfazed and focused would be apt descriptives for Bahktiari.

Bahktiari is a player whose talent alone should never have allowed him to slip to the 4^th

round. But buried in a horrendous Colorado offense, coming out early and falling short of some of the (over) highly regarded NFL standards for a tackle in the NFL saw him fall. Thompson was more than happy to pluck him and McCarthy has been so impressed by his play he is now no longer a rookie tackle but a starting tackle in the NFL.

The ‘Dome will likely see a significant amount of Green and Gold attendees. The media is trying to hype a “fear the divisional rival” slant to this game. Don’t buy into it. The Packers have the talent on their side of the field and the Vikings lack the horses to keep pace. Jennings, for his part, held a telephone press conference to backpedal and emphasize he was only just kidding with his acrid remarks from the offseason. He also proffered a ‘nothing but love’ posture towards his former QB.

This one could get ugly. Jennings will hug “12” in the end but Rodgers will leave the field with a smug grin. Rodgers said he would forgive his old buddy. But he added “I didn’t say anything about forgetting.”

Call it ugly. And ugly early.

 

 

 

 

 GREEN BAY 37  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Minnesota 6 

PACK WINS BUT AT A PRICE

Packers Roll Over Browns But Lose Finley

That the Packers beat the Browns on Sunday by a count of 31 – 13 is no surprise. The story is not the win; the story is the win came from the efforts of players most are still scrambling to know. The Packers have depth to be sure but the Browns are truly so bad in so many areas measuring a team against them is unfair. Yes – the Packers won. But – they should have won. There are very few areas where Cleveland can match up and play even let alone have an advantage.

The running game sought by Mike McCarthy is now on display every Sunday. Eddie Lacy is proving to be a steal in the 2^nd round as he had an off day for him by rushing for ‘only’ 82 yards on 22 carries. It wasn’t that long ago that those 82 yards would have been seen as a huge uptick for Green Bay.

But after rushing for over 100 yards in 3 of the last 4 games (with the 4^th being Lacy’s

99 yard effort against Detroit) the ground and pound game coveted by McCarthy is here to stay. And it is also a fact of the offense to do more than keep the D honest. It is a force in its own right that now forces the hand of defensive coordinators to pick their poison. Die the slow, painful death of watching Lacy pound the line repeatedly for gains of 4, 5, 6, 7 yards and knowing he could break one off or the quick strike death of an Aaron Rodgers play action pass or deep ball.

The pieces are now rounding into shape and a clearer picture of the Packers emerges. The depth of the Packers cannot be understated enough. Ted Thompson has learned how to cull the garbage heaps of the NFL and find talent. At first glance losing Randall Cobb, James Jones, Nick Perry and quite possibl6y Mike Neal going into any game should have been a cause for alarm.

But Thompson didn’t panic, nor did he finds a retread off the streets or even go after someone else’s practice squad player. Nope – he and McCarthy both looked no further than their own roster to call up and fill in. Out goes Cobb. Up steps Jarrett Boykin. The longshot UDFA last year that somehow grabbed a spot but also did not grab a few throws from Rodgers last week in Baltimore. Boykin more than redeemed himself in this game as he snagged 8 balls for 103 yards and a churning, twisting, lunging TD that had to have made retired Packer great Donald Driver smile. The fact that Boykin led the Packers in receptions and yards with no drops is hardly surprising.

In Baltimore Boykin looked unsharp, out of position and overmatched. His routes seemed to lack crispness and focus. With a QB like Rodgers throwing the ball he expects his receiver to be here, right here, when he delivers the ball. Rodgers appears to be taking the turnstile approach to his receivers group in stride. He doesn’t berate or yell at his young guns in the middle of the game and his faith in Boykin paid immediate dividends.

Jordy Nelson will draw the big coverage assignments. But Boykin looked sharp and at times almost brilliant in his play. Boykin does possess a great pair of hands. It certainly looked like he and Rodgers spent much more time after practice working on his cuts and routes. Running the proper route is key to Rodgers success. Rodgers has such a terrific football brain that he can not only see who is open but where they should be as soon as he releases the ball. This time Boykin was in those places. Rodgers took advantage of Boykin’s athleticism and launched a few high ones the Boykin climbed the ladder to bring down.

The highlight for Boykin came in the 4^th quarter as Rodgers marched the Pack

methodically down the field. He hit Boykin near the 5 and Boykin spun and was sandwiched by 2 Brown defenders but Boykin wriggled free, found a bit of room and as he was being hauled down somewhere near the 2 yard line he stretched himself out and the ball over the goal line for his first and the Packers’ final TD of the day. Boykin showed a wide eyed rookies innocence as he actually waited for the call to be confirmed and then at Nelson’s urging took his first ever Lambeau Leap. So giddy was Boykin it looked like he was going to join the fans and stay in the front row as he disappeared among the hands and arms of his now adoring public.

But the price of victory was very costly. Jermichael Finley became the latest Packer to go out after he took another vicious blow to the head. In the 3^rd quarter Finley took a pass from Rodgers on a slant and as he was being tackled he lowered his head when Browns S Tashaun Gipson drove his shoulder into Finley’s head. Finley immediately crumpled to the ground and lay motionless. This having been his 2^nd major blow to the head this year and only weeks removed from a concussion was great cause for worry.

Finley was taken off on a stretcher and after the game was admitted to a local

hospital where he spent the night in an ICU unit. McCarthy did not divulge many details saying only "Jermichael Finley suffered a significant injury. There (are) a lot of, more studies that are going on, opinions to be heard." At the same time McCarthy also sounded upbeat and positive for his young star emphasizing Finley as a person first and player second. "Jermichael is very, very upbeat, very positive," McCarthy said. "Always has a smile on his face, so I mean he's focused on what's most important, that's his health and his family."

McCarthy now faces losing his star TE for a significant period of time. Again Thompson and McCarthy went to their own shelves for their next player as TE Jake Stoneburner was added to the roster before the Brownies hit town. For the record that is the same Jake Stoneburner who was flagged for running into the Browns punter late in the game. Like most rookies he’ll have to learn where the line is to not cross it.

For now it appears that Finley will be lost for some time. Finley left messages via Twitter thanking the fans and the Pack for their support and has now been released. Officially it is listed as a ‘neck injury’ and also a possible bruised spinal cord. Most likely Finley’s role in the offense will be filled by Andrew Quarless. He, Brandon Bostick and Stoneburner must now man the fort. For his part McCarthy sounded resolute when discussing the mounting injuries. It is a topic with which McCarthy should be familiar; his Super Bowl team in ’10 had no less than 15 starters on IR for the season. In discussing the Packers current plight McCarthy said "It's a challenge that everyone in this league goes through (with injuries) and hopefully this challenge will come to an end and we can just get healthy and we can continue to grow as a football team."

Playing without ILB Brad Jones, OLB’s Clay Matthews and Nick Perry to go along with Mike Neal’s bruised shoulder could have been much more daunting. But the Packers assembly line of players kept pace and the next men up were Jamari Lattimore on the inside and Andy Mulamba and Nate Palmer on the outside. For his part Lattimore had 12 tackles, tied for the team lead with the ever-steady A.J. Hawk and also added 1 sack. Palmer finished his day with 6 tackles and McCarthy was pleased with both men’s performance calling Palmer and Mulamba “…solid…” in describing their efforts.

The Browns are hardly a fearsome foe. QB Brandon Weeden is in over his head and

when Brian Hoyer returns form the IR next season Weeden will most likely be weeded out. Once again the Packers run D was ferocious limit the Browns to a meager 83 total yards. The pass D also played well in giving up only 149 yards thru the air.

If there is any type of bright spot to be found in the sudden epidemic of Packers going down and out it is the depth the Pack as a team possesses and they are hitting a truly soft part of their schedule. Up next are the beyond woeful Minnesota Vikings who lost in one of the ugliest games ever seen on Monday Night Football to the now putrid New York Giants. Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier has taken his Mike Tice and Brad Childress pills and has pinned his future on Josh Freeman, a QB run out of Tampa Bay by rah-rah college guy Greg Schiano, who may very well be the next one run out of town as the Bucs are winless this year.

The Giants, as lousy a team as there is in the NFL in defending the pass, completely

ignored the pass against Minnesota by loading up the box to stop Adrian Peterson and dared and even let Freeman fire at will. But Freeman couldn’t hit water if he fell from a boat. Freeman turned in one of the most laughable showings in the history of Monday Night Football as his passes hit everything except his targets. The Bears are coming up but Jay Cutler and Lance Briggs have gone down. With them, Lions and Bears both dropping games over the weekend the Packers have now very quietly moved back into 1st place in the NFC North. They have the luxury of 0 losses in the division and 4 of the next 6 games are against their divisional foes. The Pack has made hay while plugging all the leaks.

The next few weeks will allow the Packers to get healthy in more ways than one. In the process both McCarthy and Thompson are praying they stay healthy while they get healthy.