PACK TO THE FUTURE

Rodgers Leads Pack to Big Win over Brady

The bandwagon for the Green Bay Packers is about to get even more crowded after the Pack’s impressive win over the New England Patriots by a score of 26-21 on Sunday. This year’s Game of the Century lived up to its’ lofty billing and did not disappoint. The two front runners for league MVP honors Tom Brady of the Pats and the Pack’s Aaron Rodgers put on a show of intensity and while Brady did not hurt his cause with the coolly efficient win Rodgers has just separated himself from the pack in the voting.

Rodgers and the Packers executed their game plan on both sides of the ball and it worked to perfection. Rodgers and Brady were both brilliant with neither throwing a pick and Brady throwing for 245 yards and 2 TD’s. Rodgers did a one-up by tossing for 368 yards and 2 long TD’s. The Packers dominated time of possession as Eddie Lacy ran for 98 yards on 21 carries good for a healthy 4.7 yards/ carry.

The Packers plan was to come out early and score – which they did. Mason Crosby staked them to a 6- 0 lead on a pair of field goals while Brady couldn’t get New England firing on all cylinders early. Green Bay has outscored opponents by a whopping count of 127 – 9 in the first half in the past 4 games and added New England to the body count. And this time the defense wasn’t suspect. The defense was more than good enough, the defense was good. Bill Belichick had some momentum late when Legarrette Blount began pounding the ball inside but the Packers pass D was solid all game.

It is all but impossible to shut down Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. Brady brought a level of intensity into Lambeau that was punctuated by his visible outbursts on the sidelines. Brady was also the unquestioned leader of what is largely considered one of the best, if not the best team in the AFC. Brady is enjoying another stellar season and at age 37 it’s hard to imagine Tom Terrific playing much better. Neither QB suffered an interception and this one will go into the books as one of the most entertaining games of the year.

It wasn’t too long ago that both Brady and Rodgers were taking some heat for their teams sluggish starts. After week 4 Bill Belichick was asked during a post-game press conference if “… the QB position was under scrutiny…” Fresh milk would have curdled in Belichicks’ mouth with the face he made. So ridiculous was the query that Belichick did not even grace it with a reply.

When the Packers opened 1-2 and the calls were bombarding the Packers with “what’s wrong with Green Bay?” Rodgers put the yoke on his shoulders with his now famous radio interview when he said “I just have one word for every9one out in Packerland. R-E-L-A-X. Relax.” He wasn’t kidding.

With Rodgers at the helm playing at the level he currently is enjoying anything is possible. A 7 game win streak by the AFC power broker Patriots? No problem. The Pats taking away his most dangerous target in Jordy Nelson? That’s cool; I’ll just hit Davante Adams for his first 100 yard game as a pro. You want to drop everyone into coverage, take away my receivers and rush 4? 4??? I’ll run it right up the gut and beat you with my legs. Oh, so now you want to try to jam our guys at the line? Here’s a dose of Eddie Lacy and a near 100 yard game.

Everything the Pats tried Rodgers found an answer. Green Bay did what Green Bay does best which is to stake itself to a lead and then outscore opponents. But it was much more than that. Not only did the Packers offense take care of its’ business the defense chipped in with a terrific performance against Tom Terrific. Granted Brady had an off day but it’s not like the Pack or the magnitude of this game somehow escaped him. Witness his profanity laced tirade on the sidelines as Rodgers was able to do what he wasn’t.

It’s not like Brady had a lousy game. In a first time matchup of two of the games marquee QB’s both played well. Brady threw for 2 TD’s and no interceptions. Rodgers throws an interception at a rate that is so low that to throw one is a complete anomaly. The Packers did a masterful job defensively of pressuring Brady and exposing the Pack’s huge advantage in WR’s. TE Rob Gronkowski is a load but did not see as much air time as normal. The combination of pressure and coverage helped immensely.

If there is a chink in the armor it is still the Packers woes against the run. As the game ground on Blount was able to penetrate and drive deep on his rushes. The only problem was clock killing drives from behind aren’t a great recipe for success. If this was indeed a portent of things to come you can bet his scowl Bill Belichick will come back next time and look to pound the rock early and often in an attempt to keep Rodgers in the only place he can’t hurt them – on the bench.

Rodgers has now bolted to the head of the class in MVP voting. His ability to utilize all of his magnificent talents was on display and there are few, if any, QB’s who have ever combined arm strength, accuracy, vision, check off at the line ability and the ability to extend plays with his legs AND rush the ball. Those types of players exist only in the old black and white movie versions. The Packers have had an extended run of all-time great QB’s that have led them to Super Bowl titles. Bart Starr in the 60’s and Brett Favre in the 90’s came before and Rodgers may be the perfect balance between the two.

Rodgers has Starr’s cool and accuracy. He just fell short of Bart’s all-time consecutive streak of passes without an INT. Vince Lombardi trusted Starr enough to allow him to check off at the line at will and Starr usually was right. Rodgers also has Favre’s cannon o an arm and creativity without the recklessness of a gunslinger. Favre could run people over when he took off and Rodgers has learned to take what he needs, slide into home safely and then calmly get up and call the next play.

This doesn’t mean that Rodgers is a one man band and does it all by himself. As the campaign has moved on the Packers have become a far more versatile and creative team with ball distribution. As Lacy has picked up steam he has become more integrated into the passing game. But which running back caught the longest pass of the RB’s? That would be James Starks who helped Green Bay and Rodgers extend a drive. Early on this year it was Jordy Nelson all but exclusively. But Randall Cobb has joined the mix and he and Nelson have combined to give Green Bay its first pair of 10+ TD wideouts.

The development of Davante Adams has not been coincidental. As the rookie has become more accustomed to the pro game he has become another target. His 6 catches will be remembered far less than his goal line drop late. But Adams is becoming that ‘other’ outlet that has made matchup nightmares. Even rookie TE Richard Rodgers is becoming a threat. His long TD grab put a black eye on the Pats and helped push out a Packer lead, a lead they held all game and never relinquished. For their part New England countered with the best CB in the NFL not named Sherman in Darrelle Revis. Revis did an effective job of hanging with Jordy Nelson. But even Revis isn’t perfect as Rodgers connected with Nelson on an outside fake/ slant in that Rodgers put right on the money. 45 yards later Nelson outran the Pats secondary and tucked the ball around the pylon for another big TD. A subtle yet definitive play also saw Randall Cobb seal off Revis with a downfield block that left the speedy Nelson one on one in a foot race.

Largely and unfairly overlooked in the Arod love-fest has been the play of the defense. If there is a knock to be laid on the Packers offense it was their inability to put up red zone TD’s. In the first half the Packers scored on all 4 possessions but 3 ended with Mason Crosby field goals. Green Bay was able to post and hold the lead all day thanks to a defense that finally looks as if it is ready to put it all together. The Packers’ D forced New England into doing what it wanted. Lost in the numbers is the unavoidable fact that the D held off the Pats on their opening drives allowing Green Bay to establish and maintain a lead. What makes life a tad easier is the approach Green Bay has forged – get an early lead and force the opponents QB to match Rodgers point-for-point – works in large part because few teams can counter with a QB the caliber if Rodgers.

New England has one of the few who are in Rodgers class in Tom Brady. Brady had an off day and was not as pinpoint accurate as his counterpart on the Packers side of the ball. Brady’s off day was in part forced by a relentless pass rush and some pretty good coverage thrown up by the Pack. Mike Daniels is becoming the unsung beast of the D and he and fellow lineman Letroy Guion have become entrenched in the trenches. With Clay Matthews having adjusted to life in the middle – or not depending on the scheme – all of a sudden Dom Capers is looking like a genius again. A stout D that can keep the Pack in against a legitimate Super Bowl contender can make any DC look brilliant.

It was a crushing blow to the Pats when Daniels and the vastly improved Mike Neal brutalized Brady for a backbreaking sack late in the game. After turning the ball back over to Rodgers all Brady and Belichick could was watch Rodgers and Lacy move the Packers enough to bleed the clock dry. Rodgers 3^rd down strike to Randall Cobb with at the 2:00 minute mark was not only good enough to ice the game it reduced Brady to a Tourette’s-like explosion of repeated profanity on the sidelines.

While the Packers now have a hammerlock on the NFC North the talk will be praising them to the high heaven’s McCarthy has been a master at grounding his team and making sure they keep their eye on the ball and the game in front of them. The biggest Game of the Century this season is now in the barn. After a night of letting his players enjoy the moment McCarthy already knows that the next task will be to face to Atlanta Falcons who at 5 – 7 actually lead their division. A letdown could be natural with the finale against Detroit looming on the horizon.

And once again the Packers hold the advantage in the Aaron Rodgers vs. Matt Ryan duel. As long as Green Bay has Rodgers all things good are possible.