ROCK BOTTOM

Lions Maul Pack in Thanksgiving Day Rout

It doesn’t get much worse than this. In a game that had so much riding on it the Packers went out against the Detroit Lions and fell flat on their collective faces. The Lions put an old fashioned ass whipping on the Packers the likes of which has not been seen in the Mike McCarthy era in a blowout 40 - 10 win that sent the Lions home happy and the Packers just wanting to get the hell out of Dodge. The beatdown in the playoffs last year by San Fran is close but the Packers were in it for a much longer time than on Thanksgiving Day. The turkey was not on the table; the turkey was the game the Packers put up. With their playoff future literally hanging in the balance Green Bay did little to stop the Lions march to the playoffs.

The much maligned Packer defense looked as if it had finally woken up from their season long funk.

Coming into the gamer they had caused 10 turnovers in 11 games ranking them 28^th in that department. Clay Matthews forced a Reggie Bush fumble deep in the Pack’s territory and Nick Perry, finally back after a another injury riddled season stripped the Lions Matthew Stafford on a drop back and Morgan Burnett scooped up the loose ball for what would be the Pack’s only TD and final tally for the day. Sam Shields also had a pickoff went he went up against and stole the ball from Megatron. Calvin Johnson was beaten in the end zone and that, ladies and gentlemen, is the sum total of the highlight reel for Green Bay.

Matt Flynn started in place of Scott Tolzien. Tolzien had fared okay in relief of Aaron Rodgers but failed to deliver a W in the process. It has now been a month officially since the Pack last won a game and not so coincidentally that’s the last time Rodgers was under center. When Flynn was signed the Hosannas singing his praises were heard from Ashwaubegon to Milwaukee. Flynn had famously departed via free agency 2 years ago but failed to hook on as a starter in Seattle, Oakland, and Buffalo. As the Packers took hit after hit to the QB slot Flynn got a call and came back home.

His arrival and entrance into last week’s blowout against Minnesota was the breath of fresh air Packer Nation had been waiting for as he provided an immediate spark as he moved the Packers back from a huge 23- 7 hole and salvaged a tie. Flynn showed he could once again ignite the offense, command the huddle and provide some veteran leadership missing since Arod went down. It was against these Lions two years ago Flynn posted a franchise record 480 yards thru the air. But the Lions pride was stung and some payback was being prepared along with a holiday cornucopia.

That Flynn was named the starter came as no surprise to anyone. Flynn was more than filling in last

week. He deserved the shot in spite of his short week of preparation. And when the Packers needed to stand up, man up and make a serious bid to grab the NFC North Flynn showed why so many teams passed on him as a starter. There isn’t a single aspect of the offense that merits a positive comment from the debacle. Josh Sitton rattled the Lions cage earlier in the week by calling the Lions defensive line “scumbags and dirtbags”. His rant wasn’t limited to merely the players. “I’d never want to play for them. It all starts with their friggin’ coach.  The head coach (Jim) Shwartz, he’s a _____ too.” Afterwards Sitton said “I stand by what I said but I don’t want to discuss it either.

The Packers came in expecting them Lions and in particular Stafford to turn the ball over and the Lions did not disappoint. After causing only 10 turnovers all year the Packer D came away with 4 in

the game alone. But it was nowhere near enough to put a dent in the Lions. For the day the Lions hung an embarrassing 561 total yards offensively around the Pack’s defense. For the second consecutive week a team has had its’ second back put up over 90 yards rushing. Reggie Bush finished with 117 yards but Joique Bell added 94. When the likes of Toby Gerhart and Joique Bell are putting up those types of numbers it paints a pretty ugly picture of a defenses inability to stop the run. Stafford threw two picks but was otherwise able to shred the defense with 330 yards thru the air. Johnson had over 100 yards for the day and the Lions put up 37 straight points after Burnett’s TD had given Green Bay a glimmer of hope early.

The overtime game of last week took its’ toll on the Packers and with a short week to prepare for Detroit the extra stanza could not have come at a worse time. After the 10 – 3 lead the Lions came roaring back and took a bite out of the Pack. Not only was Flynn unable to move the Packers – at one point Green Bay had gone 4 consecutive 3-and-outs – Eddie Lacy was held in check by a ferocious Lions front. Lacy had his worst day as a Packer rushing for a meager 16 yards and a miniscule 1.6 yards/ carry average. Flynn wasn’t much better. Flynn had 139 yards passing but 56 of them came in a way too late to matter pass to Jordy Nelson on a 56 yard completion.

When Ndamukong Suh blew past Marshall Newhouse and collared Flynn in the end zone rather

than embellish his already specious history Suh was content to simply put Flynn on the ground for a safety that gave the Lions an insurmountable lead at 26 -10. Despite or perhaps in spite of Sitton’s criticism the Lions defense played a thorough and rugged game. Mike McCarthy talked of “tilting the field to your favor” after the game. “We wanted to exploit the outside” said McCarthy. “We felt we had an advantage there.” But it never quite materialized. The Lions pass rush was stout and they dared Flynn to try to throw. The Lions made life miserable for Flynn all game long. They ended with 7 sacks and a safety and continually harassed Flynn into making poor throws.

Flynn showed why he isn’t starting somewhere else in the NFL. He held the ball too long and when he did deliver his passes were off target on too many occasions. Underthrows hurt the offense and without Rodgers as each week passes without him and the losses pile up it has become obvious to anyone who watches the NFL how much Rodgers means to this franchise. There will no doubt be much howling in the media this week about the Packers not having a suitable backup for Rodgers.

The Packers invested in their draft picks and signings of Graham Harrell and B.J. Coleman, but both were busts and released. For the first time since George Bush was president – and that’s George H., not Dubya – the Packers have a quarterback problem. In the past 20 years the Packers have had exactly 3 starters: Brett Favre, Rodgers, and Flynn. This year they have had 4 different starters in 5 games – Rodgers, Seneca Wallace (IR), Tolzien and now Flynn.

Rodgers is an elite QB – one of the Top 3 in the game. All that could be done is to fill the position in his absence. But replacing Rodgers is all but impossible. To underscore the point where would the Saints be without Brees? Or the Broncos without Manning? While losing a starting QB is always a possibility finding someone else to play at the same level is an entirely different matter.

Injuries have racked the Packers hard this year. To be fair not having key personnel available is a daunting challenge. But injuries cannot be used as an excuse for failing in what McCarthy calls “…the fundamentals. Blocking and tackling. We’re just not getting it done. Our defense and coverage unit, the missed tackles (today) were more than I can ever recall. I think that was a key to our downfall on defense and special teams and we clearly lost the battle there. [It was a] very poor performance in all three [phases of the game] today. They (the Lions) got after us good.”

In the process it has become cliché to call for defensive coordinators Dom Capers’ head. A convenient excuse has become the questioning of Capers’ 3 -4 scheme and when pressed after the game McCarthy became visibly irritated when asked if it was “…more than just the players on defense…” McCarthy was quick to bite back with a flat “No.” McCarthy became more and more angry as he continued and even the head coach can’t defend his defense. “We can talk about the scheme… but you try to learn from your experience of the past. Scheme is not a crutch. When you’re in run defense you play with leverage. You’ve got a gap; you need to get off the damn block and tackle the ball carrier. You can cut it any way you want but we’re not doing that right now. We haven’t done it in a month.”

McCarthy still believes he has the players, but those players are just not putting in the work. And he

has hit the woes of his defense dead on. Yes the Packers are banged up. Tackling is a physical, painful process that necessitates an almost inhuman ability to ignore the pain of injury and make the physical play. One other area of unmentioned concern is the lack of speed and pass coverages of his inside linebackers. A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones were beaten over the middle by Johnson, Bush, Kris Durham, tight end Brandon Pettigrew and former Packer Jeremy Ross who had an extra incentive against his former team.

While the loss doesn’t officially eliminate the Packers from playoff contention the buzzards have

been seen gathering on the perimeter. Green Bay no longer holds their fate in their own hands. But with each passing week without a win and with every loss mountain in front of them gets higher and higher.

When the Packers won it all in ’10 they overcame the injuries. This year they have been overwhelmed by not only the injuries but by their opponents. The Lions came in hungry and feasted on the Pack. Green Bay gets some much needed time away over the next 10 days. Maybe Rodgers will be back. But even so by then it could just be too little too late.

WHAT’S AILING THE PACKERS DEFENSE?

Defense Continues to Struggle in Rodgers’ Absence

As the Packers get the short week to prepare for the Detroit Lions and a shot at first place in the NFC North there are big questions hanging over them. The biggest would be the most obvious – will Aaron Rodgers play on Thanksgiving Day? After Mike McCarthy took the podium on Monday he let it be known that “… the chances of Aaron (Rodgers) playing are slim to none. He’ll have to practice on Wednesday but at this point the decision will be Aaron’s and the medical staff…” The short translation is Rodgers will not be ready for this week’s critical tilt.

But McCarthy now has another option other than the game but overmatched Scott Tolzien. Tolzien is far from a lousy QB. He just is not a game-ready NFL QB at this point in his career. Matt Flynn, on the other hand, is a game ready NFL QB. Flynn gives the Packers the best chance of winning outside of Rodgers. Flynn came on in relief of Tolzien against Minnesota when it looked for all the world as if the Vikings had buried the Pack under an avalanche. But Flynn provided an immediate spark and led a furious comeback that almost pulled the win out. He did manage to salvage a tie and with the Lions and Bears both failing at putting some distance between themselves and the Packers by losing the chances of Flynn not starting if Rodgers isn’t ready would also be slim to none. Tolzien has a career to develop. McCarthy needs wins now. Flynn could do it.

The larger question has nothing to do with Rodgers or his collarbone. It has to be asked- what is

going on with the Packers defense? After such a promising start in Rodgers’ absence the defense has gone MIA. Opponents are running at will on the Pack. There are precious few turnovers. The tackling has been suspect. How and why did the defense that looked so dominant against the defending Super Bowl champs in Baltimore suddenly look so feeble against the Vikings? Forget Adrian Peterson; the guy is a freak that will gain yards against any defense, anytime, anywhere. He has feasted on the Packers over the years while the Packers hold a significant edge in the W column.

But Toby Gerhart? Really?

Gerhart was even more shocking by putting up 91 yards and an 11.2 yards/ carry average. During the 0-3-1 slide in Rodgers absence the defense has plummeted down the NFL rankings. They now are at the bottom in Dom Capers’ key area – turnovers caused. Injuries have played a big role in the slide. The Packers’ top ball hawking CB Casey Hayward has been on the field for all of 1 quarter but the nagging hamstring injury he sustained in the preseason never fully healed. He has now been shut down and has almost a full year to heal. As a rookie Hayward came away with 6 INT’s and was being counted on to at least repeat the performance. Now all he can do is get ready for next season after being IR’d this week.

Sam Shields has also missed the past couple of games with his own hamstring injury. Nick Perry was having a breakout year when he broke his foot then reinjured it two later. The injuries belabor the obvious but do not adequately explain the ineffectual game the Pack has played. GM Ted Thompson went out and drafted athletic players and had a full bevy of talent in this year’s camp. Making the roster was going to be tough and many of the Packers cuts found work elsewhere immediately.

1^st round pick Datone Jones is anything but a bust. He has neither been a plug-and-play draftee. Jones was expected to be able to come in and add speed and size opposite Clay Matthews in

getting to the QB while holding the edge in the run game. It hasn’t happened yet. Some rookies need time to adjust to the speed of the pro game. Jones is one of them. While his play has improved greatly in the second half of the season he still has much more to go. The defensive line had been free from the injury bug that has plagued the Pack all year. Now they too are feeling the bite. Johnny Jolly has the inside track at Comeback Player of the Year. After a well-documented absence for drug possession that landed him in the clink Jolly has defied all odds and expectations by not only making the team but playing well. Jolly has slowed down as the season has ground on revealing an athlete who is not completely back to football conditioning. Jolly has been good at the point of attack but the grind is wearing on him. B.J. Raji has heard his name called less and less as well. Raji is in a contract year and his play won’t aid his cause for the lucrative big bucks. Odds are good he’ll stay in Green Bay and re-sign. Raji has not consistently been the disruptive force he was when he first arrived in Titletown. Mike Daniels has shot up the depth chart and now leads the team in sacks. His ascension has been the pleasant surprise along with Mike Neal’s adjustment to the hybrid DE/OLB position. Neal has had issues with injuries his entire career and this year has been no different with shoulder and abdominal injuries. His play when he is on the field is on the uptick.

Ryan Pickett has not generated any noise. Pickett is coming to the end of a great career and is now showing some bald spots on the tread of his tires. Jerel Worthy showed promise last season and has just been activated. A.J. Hawk leads the team in tackles but someone from the medical staff ought to draw some DNA from Hawk to ascertain his secret for staying healthy. Hawk can stay healthy while his teammates go out in bunches. While fellow starters at LB Matthews, Perry and Brad Jones have all been shelved Hawk has not missed a game. He still is slow in pass coverage and the middle of the field has become easy pickings for opposing QB’s. Brad Jones is back but has not exactly shown flash in the pass game and now the big plays allowed are the ugly stat jumping off the stat sheet.

Tramon Williams has been up and down all year. At times he has looked like the Pro Bowler he was

before damaging his shoulder. He still has not gotten back to his shutdown form and the role is now filled by Sam Shields. Of course that is when Shields is on the field. Losing Shields and Hayward have been devastating blows to what was expected to be a stellar group. Davon House and rookie Micah Hyde have been game competitors but far too often potential picks have bounced harmlessly to the turf off a Packers defender. Finishing the play by catching the ball has been flat terrible. Check the films; it’s all there. Drops, misses, lost opportunities and no one is exempt. The number of drops of INT’s has been staggering and a cause for concern among McCarthy and DC Dom Capers. Simply hanging onto the ball makes all the difference. Where have you gone Charles Woodson/ a [Packer] Nation turns its’ lonely eyes to you…

More disturbing is the backsliding play of Morgan Burnett. Burnett missed the first few games with an injury but has done little to park the D in his return. Burnett has overplayed the run and been caught flat footed on deep throws. Burnett has 0 picks for the year and the play at the safety position has been shaky all season. M.D. Jennings has been a serviceable but not standout S. Sean Richardson showed promise last year as a rookie and has size and great hitting instincts, but he has just been activated after neck fusion surgery. Burnett has been a disappointment in his 4^th year. The volume of big plays yielded has been a combination of an injury riddled secondary and the overall underwhelming play at S.

Another disturbing trend is the incredibly poor tackling of late. The younger players coming in have a gross tendency to throwing a ‘sting’ as opposed to wrapping up and taking a man down. A ‘sting’; is the current vogue among younger players. Exchanging a form tackle of wrapping a man up and bringing him down the player instead lowers his shoulder an attempts to shoulder or ‘sting’ the opponent enough to knock him off his feet. The arm tackling of the Pack’s D has been woefully deficient. To tackle requires more effort and more commitment.

Then there is the Aaron Rodgers factor. The loss of Aaron Rodgers also extends far beyond the

offense. The best defense is a good offense. That in a nutshell encapsulates the Packers. With Rodgers the Pack can control the ball, the clock, the score to a degree and simultaneously do several things for the defense. By staying on the field it keeps the Packers defense off. Simple, right? With Eddie Lacy giving the Packers a bona fide workhorse at RB McCarthy can use his offense to keep the opponents D out there and his on the bench. The old saying in football is you can’t give up yards or points while you’re sitting on the bench.

Controlling the clock limits an opponent from tiring a defense out while at the same time wearing down the other guy’s D. It has become painfully obvious just how important Rodgers is not only to the offense but the overall success of the team. Look at the record: 0-3-1 in his absence. Not having Rodgers also means the defense has to be able to hold the fort and even win a game on its’ own. That just has not happened at all this year. In the first 7 games Rodgers has thrown 4 INT’s. In the past 4 Tolzien has thrown 5. The defense is not staying ahead in the turnover battle and is surrendering rushing yards by the ton. Without Rodgers the offense cannot match the big plays surrendered by the defense and has no ability currently to win a shootout.

No doubt injuries have affected the play. Injuries are an excuse and not a reason for not making the plays. How much has poor play and poor decision making factored into the equation? The off season will reveal what the brass thinks. While fans and the media can point fingers and lay blame it is really up to the players to make plays. When healthy not enough players have made enough plays. The interior linebacking corps could use an impact player, one who doesn’t fall behind on covering a tight end. The safety slot is one that will come under the microscope when this campaign ends. Raji may not see an expected windfall. Pickett may also call it a day.

In spite of that the Pack has game to play against Detroit. This is the game of the year for Green Bay and losing is not an option. Can the Pack muster enough D to shut down Calvin Johnson? In the early meeting Detroit was vanilla without Megatron as Green Bay yawned its way to a snoozer W. Will they be able to exploit Matthew Stafford’s tendency to throw picks? If ever there was a time or a game in which the defense needs to make a stand this is it. This is the Packers playoff life literally on the line.

With Reggie Bush Detroit has an explosive element in their backfield. Containing Bush while

keeping Johnson in check is at the top of the list on Thursday. Stafford enters with a propensity for throwing INT’s at the worst time. Detroit could not close out against Tampa Bay and has won some games with last minute heroics. How long can they keep dodging that bullet? Are the Lions guilty of looking past the Bucs and forward to Green Bay? The Pack already has one win at the Motor City Kitties expense and the loss by either side will be crippling to their playoff chances - for either team.

It will not come without a defense committed to the hard work of making the plays that need to be made. Whoever wins the defensive battle wins this game. Next man up?

Nope. In this one it is going to be Man Up.

 

 

GREEN BAY 24

 

Detroit  20

ALMOST…

Flynn Rallies Pack from Huge Hole

The dread hung in the frigid air over Lambeau Field. Some 80,000 strong felt as if they watching the end of an injury riddled disappointing season at the hands of their arch enemies from Minnesota. The Vikings held a 23 – 7 lead halfway thru the 4^th period over the Packers and hope had joined warmth in an early exit.

Scott Tolzien started his 2^nd straight game and made a highlight reel spin-o-rama move that left several Viking jockstraps on the field as he scrambled, spun, juked and launched himself into the end zone for his first rushing TD as a pro, a score that would give Green Bay its’ only lead for the day. After the score Tolzien, the Packers offense and the Pack’s rushing D all went into the deep freeze.

Playing Minnesota is a fairly simple equation – on paper. The Vikings basic format

reads something like this: Adrian Peterson runs left, Peterson runs right, Peterson up the middle, Ponder throws (lonely if he has to and we cross our fingers) and occasionally Toby Gerhart spells Peterson. The task? Stop Peterson.

Once again the Packers rush defense was bowled over and had no answers for the future Hall of Fame lock. Peterson had another huge day at the Pack’s expense with 146 yards, but the true backbreaker was found in his relief in Toby Gerhart who put up 91 yards of his own and a gaudy 11.2 yards/ carry average. As a team Minnesota rushed for 232 yards and in the process exposed the glaring inefficiencies of the Pack’s run defense.

It was only a month ago the Packers rushing defense was in the Top 10. 4 weeks – 4 games. But that was before. Aaron Rodgers was lost in the Bears game early with a broken collarbone and the Packers haven’t been the same since on either side of the ball. It was expected the offense would dip especially after Seneca Wallace went down with an injury for the year and Tolzien came from the practice squad to lead the team.

Under Tolzien the Packers offense has been sporadic, lifeless, and unthreatening. Eddie Lacy has become the Packers workhorse RB but he alone cannot carry the flag and hopes of the Packers by himself. Tolzien has looked at times promising. Against Minnesota that promise never quite materialized. Tolzien’s tendency to sling the ball side arm, a throwing motion most likely the culprit for him slipping thru the draft unchosen, resulted in only 1 big play – a 34 yard strike that Jordy Nelson jumped to catch but he was well off on his other deep balls.

Jarrett Boykin was underthrown on no less than 3 occasions while Christian Ponder

of Minnesota was looking like the franchise-savior he was supposed to be when he was taken in the Top 10 2 years ago.

Ponder was concise and deadly accurate for the day throwing for 233 yards, 1 TD but zero interceptions. For Ponder that is a great stat line. But in playing the Packers, a team that has single digit interceptions this year the feat pales to a degree. Once again the Packers defense field to pick off a pass, and only a missed facemask call on A.J. Hawk resulted in a fumble recovery. As Peterson collided hard with the Packers’ leading tackler this year Hawk’s hand clearly yanked Peterson’s head down on the grab but no flag was thrown. As Leslie Frazier, the head coach of the Vikings, threw the red flag to challenge the ruling on the field as a fumble the officials emerged from the review even more red-faced as Hawk was clearly caught red-handed. But since a flag was not thrown on the play it could not be applied retroactively.

It didn’t matter.

After marching the Packers downfield to grab an early lead Green Bay’s offense sputtered and was held by a Viking defense playing for pride. Ponder kept cool and kept finding open receivers while Peterson ran wild. 3 Blair Walsh field goals, a TD posted by Peterson and Ponder’s pitch to Rhett Ellison from the 12 staked the Vikings to a seemingly insurmountable lead. The Packers knew entering the fray what this contest meant. Losing would all but kill their chances for the playoffs this year.

By the middle of the 3^rd quarter Mike McCarthy had finally seen enough. Under

Tolzien the Packers were stuck in the mud and beyond Lacy, who had 110 bruising yards on the day, were flat lining offensively. Tolzien, a week removed from “…hitting all his big throws…” according to McCarthy whiffed on them after Nelson yanked his early on. With the game and the season hanging in the balance McCarthy and Packer Nation turned their lonely eyes to an old favorite in the recently acquired Matt Flynn.

This is the same Matt Flynn that, by virtue of two starts and a monster day against Detroit 2 years ago as  a Packer, departed for the green pastures of free agency only to find even more disappointment in being cut loose by 3 different organizations. Whatever Flynn was not showing elsewhere was not evident as he entered the game and immediately provided a spark the Packers haven’t seen since a certain league and Super Bowl MVP went onto the shelf.

Flynn led the Packers in two long marches down the field. After Eddie Lacy thundered thru for 6 McCarthy wasted no time in doing what any coach in the league would have done – he went for two. And that one came up blank, a point that would be oh so tantalizing in the end. Flynn did more than provide a spark – he jump started the entire team. The defense stiffened. Flynn led another long drive that was capped off with a strike to Jarrett Boykin, cutting the lead to 3.

And in the most improbable of ways Flynn did it again in driving the Packers into position for the game tying field goal with 46 seconds left. The seemingly insurmountable lead had vanished for the Vikings. The Pack was back, and the momentum carried right thru into the overtime where Green Bay won the toss.

Naturally Flynn drove the Packers right down the field aided by a free play offside penalty where Flynn underthrew a prayer that Jarrett Boykin contorted himself to snag and do the tippy toe tap on the sidelines. From there it was Lacy who almost bulled his way in until enough Vikings piled on to bring him down. On 3^rd down Flynn missed Nelson altogether and the Packers took their first lead since Tolzien’s jaunt and turned the game over to the defense.

And the Vikings did what they do best – gave the ball to Peterson and his

replacement and ran the ball right back down the Packers’ throats. The defenses inability to make the big plays when needed has become a tired mantra. On 3^rd and 9 Peterson took a draw play for 15 yards and a key first down to extend the drive, a drive that saw Walsh knot the score once again. After 2 meaningless series the teams exited in a very strange tie. The point not taken when Green Bay went for two is truly a moot point. At the time it was the right move. Now there are options more than playing not to lose.

Thankfully the Lions and Bears shot themselves in the foot.  Detroit fell to a suddenly strong Tampa Bay squad that picked off Matt Stafford 4 times and killed them off when Calvin Johnson coughed up a deep ball late at the Bucs 8 yard line. Chicago fared no better against St. Louis by being whacked thoroughly. Now the NFC North is a real mess.

In spite of the tie the Packers till control their own destiny. By winning out they can clinch the NFC North. There are but 5 games left and 12 are against the Lions and Bears. Winning out is the same formula that was used in 2010. Can it happen again? Is Flynn the answer after all? Will Rodgers be back for Thanksgiving? Can the Packers rally?

McCarthy himself probably doesn’t know if his $43 million dollar man in Rodgers will be ready by Thursday. He doesn’t typically play the Bill Belichick annoyed with the media non-answer to a question game. The strong sentiment is as much as McCarthy wants to see Rodgers on the field and the fans and the media want an answer to the question about is he ready has to be simply “I just don’t know”.

If Rodgers can’t go on Thursday in the critical contest against Detroit McCarthy has to

like seeing what Flynn did on Sunday. McCarthy is far beyond sentiment and building for the future. The future is now, and Flynn gives the Pack the best chance at winning right now. Whatever shortcomings Flynn had elsewhere were not evident as he led the Packers once again. Flynn’s showing gave the Packers life.  And more importantly it gives the Packers and their fans hope.

It’s the best time of the year for football fans. The games all mean something now. There is no underscoring just exactly how huge a contest the Turkey day matchup is. No hyperbole, no hype, no build up. Just win fellas and first place is entirely possible.

Pack Preps for Peterson and Playoffs

It’s a ‘Must Win’ Game Against Vikings

The playoffs for the Packers essentially begin this weekend. Much like their charmed season of 2010 the Pack faces a mountain roughly 2/3 of the way through the 2013-14 campaign. At 5-5 Green Bay is a close 2^nd in the hotly contested NFC North race. The Lions fell to the Steelers last week and the Steel City became Packer Nation’s favorite village outside of Wisconsin as Ben Roethlisberger engineered a 93 yard drive at the ends of the game to knock off the Lions and keep Green Bay – and their playoff hopes – alive.

Much has been written about Aaron Rodgers’ injury… too much perhaps.  Replacing one of the top 3 QB’s in the game is not remotely possible. The Next Man Up has become, in the words of OLB Clay Matthews “Not just the next man up but the next man after him up too. These injuries have become almost comical in a way.”

But no one in Green Bay is appreciating the joke.

For a 3^rd straight game rookie Scott Tolzien will lead the Pack out into the expected frigid air of

Lambeau on Sunday against their long time hated rivals from Minnesota. The Vikings are the only team in the North to be out of contention. While Green Bay is struggling behind a 3^rd string rookie QB the Vikes are struggling to find a QB. They began the year with Christian Ponder who fell out of favor and was replaced by Matt Cassel who was bumped back after former Buc Josh Freeman was signed.

If the Packers are struggling at the QB potion the Vikings are struggling to even find a QB. Ponder has regressed in his sophomore season and has been woefully inaccurate. Cassel came in and was gone faster than a Minneapolis snow flurry. Freeman? His performance on the Vikings Monday Night game against the Giants is a forgettable, regrettable, laughable and horrible showing, one of the worst in the long history of Monday Night Football.

The Packers top gun is out in Rodgers. The Vikings are equally feeling the sting of injuries as the their Big Dawg Adrian Peterson is nursing ills of his own. Will he play? Make book on it. Peterson will be on the field against the Packers on Sunday. The weather is expected to be a balmy 30 odd degrees with a cold wind, possible snow flurries and in general a typical lovely day in Green Bay.

The weather will impact what the QB’s can and cannot do. Tolzien has shown a big arm with surprising accuracy. “I’ve never had a quarterback make all his big throws in a game” said GB Head Coach Mike McCarthy. “Every time we called a big shot he made the throws. I’ve never seen a QB hit his deep targets every time like that.” That is a mouthful coming from a man who has seen the likes of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers up close. Tolzien does have McCarthy’s confidence but “…He’s (Tolzien) got to cut down on the turnovers” said McCarthy.

Tolzien cannot turn the ball over for the Packers to be successful. The pick 6 he threw last week was

made by a spectacular play by Jason Pierre-Paul but it deflated the Pack just when the defense rose to make a stand. Missed in the play was the fact that both Eddie Lacy and Andrew Quarless were wide open on the left side with Jarrett Boykin out in front and a whole lot of field in front of him. Pierre-Paul’s play may have just saved the G-Men’s season while it severely crimped the Packers’ season.

Now Tolzien will have to somehow save the Packers’ season. This is without question a ‘Must-Win’ game and the Pack is in the midst of their make-or-break part of the season. In consecutive games Green Bay faces the Vikings and then the Lions on a short week on Thanksgiving Day. Forget the Wild Card shot – that ship has sailed. Green Bay is in the position of controlling their own destiny once again. Win out and the playoffs are a lock. It is as simple as that.

Right now the Packers are 2-1 in the division having lost to the Bears when Rodgers went out. Winning out puts them in the NFC North’s top spot regardless of what Detroit and Chicago do. It all begins this week. A loss to Minnesota would be beyond devastating. It may be a blow from which the Packers cannot recover. Green Bay has to muster everything they have and put it into this week and to hell with the rest of the season. There is no rest of the season without bringing the intensity needed for this week. That is a mantra McCarthy will pound into the heads of his players. Forget Detroit next week fellas – we don’t win on Sunday and Detroit can do whatever the hell they want and we can’t stop ‘em.

That is how simple it has become. The next 2 games go a long way to determining the fate of the Pack this year. In ’10 the Packers faced the same mountain so there is some historical significance to this game as well as a reminder it can be done. The injuries have piled up no doubt. As new faces come in the Next Man Up has a job to do. Tolzien will have to cut down the picks period. He can make the big throws – we’ve all seen it by now. And he is a long term keeper.

So why did Tolzien slip through the draft without a call? His mechanics are less than desirable for an NFL QB. His tendency to sling the ball sidearm on a flat trajectory has no doubt been the subject of much film review with Offensive Coordinator Tom Clements, a former QB from Notre Dame. Clements is a young rising star in the coaching ranks and will end up running the show somewhere in the league. If anyone knows about mechanics it is the QB staff in Green Bay. Rodgers has been helping the new kid out as much as he can. Now the question becomes can Tolzien improve in a 3 week span?

One thing the weather will likely do is to turn this game into a matchup of running backs. In years past Peterson was the trump card to anyone else’s running back. Finally the Pack can counter with a bon fide RB of their own. Eddie Lacy has become the bell cow for McCarthy and has helped to provide the balance needed for the offense to soar, albeit with Rodgers and not Tolzien. Peterson and Lacy will be expected to load their respective teams onto their broad shoulders and carry them as far as they can.

Peterson is still the Man in Minnesota. A banged up Adrian Peterson is better than almost anyone else’s #1 RB. With the temperatures expected to dip and a lousy forecast on the horizon this will be an old-time, smash mouth NFC North contest. The uniforms will get dirty and whoever can win the running game, the time of possession battle and field position will be in the best position to win. Peterson will play, and he’ll get 25 – 30 carries in the process.

As for Ponder he’ll be limited with targets. Greg Jennings has an Achilles injury and is listed as ‘doubtful’. Given where the game is being played Jennings will want to take the field. How well he’ll be received in Lambeau in his first game back since jumping ship and blowing his mouth off in the offseason about Green Bay, the management and “12” (Aaron Rodgers) is an altogether different matter. While the intensity of vitriol may not rise to a Brett Farve-ian level there will be some that may not appreciate what6 their former favorite son had to say about their current favorite son. If there is any silver lining in this game it is in Ponder’s less than ideal accuracy.

The Packers defense has been under the microscope during the recent 3 game slide. When the Pack

rose to 5 – 2 it was no coincidence that the DB’s had cut down dramatically on the big plays surrendered. During this 3 game losing streak those big plays given up have come back to haunt the Pack. The Bears used the height advantage of the receivers to win the first one. Nick Foles padded his stats at the expense of the Packers’ corners and Eli Manning shook off his season long funk to look like, well… Eli Manning again last week. The injuries have crippled the Packers corners this year. Sam Shields has elevated to a #1 shutdown corner and is playing the best ball of his career. His absence with a hamstring problem creates a huge hole in the coverage. Casey Hayward has played but 1 game this year with hamstring of his own. Rookie Micah Hyde has tweaked a groin in practice this week and surprise surprise – he’s ailing now as well.

Now throw in Johnny Jolly and Ryan Pickett on the line in the banged up department. Stopping Peterson will begin by winning the battle up front. The Vikings will ride Peterson as far as he can carry them. Mike Daniels has been getting better and playing stronger in every passing week. Mike Neal has also contributed and been a force, but he, too, Is hurting with an unspecified abdominal injury. Nick Perry isn’t back yet and Clay Matthews is still adjusting to the cast protecting his surgically repaired thumb.

This is not a time to feel sorry for themselves. Green Bay doesn’t have that luxury. After smoking the Vikings earlier this year Minny would nothing more than to close up shop for the Packers. Rookie LT David Bahktiari has been so far beyond expectation that he is no longer being looked at as a wide eyed, overmatched rookie but an integral part of the Packers Offensive Line. He not only held Jared Allen in check last time he kept the Vikings defensive leader off the stat sheet completely, When Allen exits a game with 0 sacks, 0 pressures, 0 tackles and 0 hurries someone has done his job very well.

Bahktiari needs to repeat his performance. It is also essential for RT Don Barclay to get back on the

field in the comparative watching Marshall Newhouse try to plug the leaks is almost painful. Newhouse was last year’s LT by default and now when he comes in his deficiencies become more evident. Newhouse has very slow feet and has consistently been beaten on the outside. He lacks the lateral movement to keep pace with the more fleet of foot and has been outmuscled along the way.

For Green Bay to have a shot Lacy is the key. The Giants loaded up against Lacy last week and kept the Pack’s young buck in check. James Starks may see more of the field as his change of pace touches has yielded some positive results. Tolzien will get a few shots – he has shown he can handle the challenge. The challenge now is to keep the ball out of Minnesota’s hands.

This one will not be an aerial battle. This one is going to be fought in the trenches where it gets real dirty and the yards don’t come cheap. The Packers have far more than their pride at stake here, and that’s about all Minnesota has going for them. Points will be at a premium and Mason Crosby’s big boot of 57 yards last week will put McCarthy’s mind at ease and it may come down to whoever can impose their will and win in the 4^th quarter.

Dress rehearsal is over. It’s time to start the long march to the playoffs.

 

 GREEN BAY    19  


 Minnesota     17