THE NON-REVENGE BOWL

Packers Face Seahawks at Lambeau in Opener;

 McCarthy Says "Don't Call it 'Revenge'"

 

Don’t call it revenge. There is no such thing as a ‘revenge’ game in the NFL.

On Sunday night before what is anticipated to be a huge national audience the Green bay Packers square off with the Seattle Seahawks, team that dealt them two of the cruelest defeats in the Pack’s storied history. No one will ever forget the epic Fail Mary and the replacement officials’ egg laying performance. And at the same time no one in Packerland wants to be reminded of the mind numbing impossible to this day to fathom meltdown in the last 3:56 of last year’s NFC Championship game when the Pack blew a huge lead and the game and the season all in one fell swoop.

In a brief synopsis in order for the Seahawks to advance the Packers had to misplay a fake field goal,

watch a 2 point desperate flutter ball by ‘Hawks QB Russell Wilson gently connect, blow an onside kick and watch a bomb explode in overtime to go home for the year… all with less than 4 minutes to play after manhandling the Hawks with a 19 – 0 lead.

At the outset of his career Mike McCarthy was tepid and indecisive. As his tenure grows so does his grasp of the moment. Most coaches would burn the tape, go home and hope his team would sleep it off and face the next season wanting to get even. Not McCarthy. He was back with his coaches the very next week dissecting  the tape of the disaster and preparing for the 2105 – 16 campaign - the very next week.

What McCarthy saw brought about sweeping changes both in personnel and philosophy. The first and most obvious move was to fire his buddy and Special Teams coach Shawn Slocum. The Packers special teams were a flop last season and McCarthy made it clear he would have a more direct influence on that element of the Pack’s game by being the 3^rd coach in the room. To clear the decks to facilitate the move McCarthy also turned over the play calling duties to Tom Clements to allow McCarthy to have more input on all the elements of his team.

Next was gassing the players responsible for the mistakes. Brandon Bostick was a promising tight

end who will join the pantheon of goats with Bill Buckner, Chris Webber and Mickey Owen for his fumble fingered flub of that fateful onside kick. Now he is out of Green Bay and out of the NFL. The 2 linebackers responsible for allowing the TD toss from holder Jon Ryan were also cut loose. A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones were both pink slipped for their slip up in coverage. The only player to survive the purge was rookie Ha Ha Clinton Dix who just watched the 2 point floater. However his 2 picks and drop of a 3^rd in that contest helped the rookie to grow albeit at a stiff price.

McCarthy is adamant. “I know who’s next” he said when asked about the upcoming game against Seattle. “We all do. We’re going to approach this as a game and nothing more. I’ve put too much emotion on teams in the past and we all learn from our mistakes so I’m not going to do that.”

McCarthy’s once indifferent style has been hardened over the years. 2 years ago he promised the running game would get better… and it did. Last year he stated the defense would be better… and it was. Now he is putting his neck out there saying the special teams will improve. While one game is not a large enough sample size it certainly would appear the return game is better with rookie Ty Montgomery.

With a win in hand already and the rest of the NFC North taking a beating last week McCarthy will have his team focused. “Look, it’s just one game. Our goal is the same as it always is. We want to come of our first home game 2 -0” said McCarthy.

For Seattle some fault lines have started to show early. Russell Wilson leads the Hawks attack but

the biggest gun in Seattle’s arsenal is heavyweight pounder Marshawn Lynch. As Lynch goes so goes the Hawks. Right now the going is as tough as it’s been in Seattle in some time. The offensive line was somewhat questionable entering the season. After losing in overtime to the St. Louis Rams an accusatory finger is being pointed at that line.

The Hawks gambled by dealing a first round pick to the Saints for All World TE Jimmy Graham but also had to include G/C Max Unger. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell was raked over the coals for not giving Lynch the ball on the goal line in the Super Bowl, a move that paved the way for the Patriots’ Malcolm Butler to steal the ball and the championship in the waning seconds of the game last year. In the opener the Hawks were facing 4^th and 1 after the Rams booted a field goal to go up in OT. Naturally it was Beast Mode time. Everyone in the house knew what was coming. So did the Rams.

DT Aaron Donald led a ferocious penetration that stuffed Lynch 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage and in the aftermath Lynch’s mother took to social media to call out Bevell labelling him “The stupidest play caller in the NFL.” So much for the warm and fuzzies on the offense.

If the Seahawks have questions about the offensive line then there has to be grave concern over the amount of yardage surrendered to Nick Foles. Foles is a fine, capable NFL caliber QB but he isn’t Aaron Rodgers. Without S Kam Chancellor the Legion of Boom has looked more like the Region of Gloom. Chancellor is in the midst of a holdout after reneging on the 5 year deal he sigend just 2 years ago. So much for the warm and fuzzies on the defense.

Yes, it’s early but something glaringly seems to be missing from the Hawks pass defense. Even self-

proclaimed super CB Richard Sherman was toasted last week by Tavon Austin. Normally as loquacious a mouth as exists in pro sports Sherman has been so far under the radar regarding this week’s feature game it defies credibility. This is the same Richard Sherman who screamed into a mic after a playoff win over the 49ers “I told you he (San Fran’s Michael Crabtree) was nothin’!” When asked about Rodgers Sherman simply conceded the point “He’s (Rodgers) the best.” Hardly bulletin board material.

When Sherman was asked about his perspective on the Packers meltdown in the title tilt a season ago he was even more vague. “Man, I just don’t remember that” he said. “We were all tired out there.” Sherman is an educated, articulate if bombastic type and he is certainly wise enough to not tempt fate by rattling Rodgers’ cage. Perhaps it’s just early but there seems to be a lack of bite, a lack of focus or a lack of intensity on Seattle’s D. Maybe they were guilty of peeking ahead to the matchup with Green Bay. At 0 – 1 the Hawks would not be helping their own cause down the road with another loss.

It is far too early to call this a playoff preview. While these two squads are on the short list of potential NFC title combatants September football is a far cry from January football. McCarthy has been steadfast in just treating this as just another game against a quality opponent. There is no revenge to be had here. A win puts Green bay at 2-0 and exactly where McCarthy wants to be. He has said repeatedly he wants to “…open fast…” and 2- 0 is exactly what he’s talking about.

Even the players downplay the revenge aspect. “That was last season” said Clay Matthews. “There’s nothing that can be done about that game (last year)” said Julius Peppers. “It’s over and it’s a new season.” McCarthy has done a superb job of preparation as is his wont and has kept from overemphasizing the importance of this game. And he has been adamant about treating it as a game against one of the best teams in the NFL. Revenge has no time or space or place in McCarthy’s mindset. So much for the defeatist blues.

ILB Sam Barrington went onto the IR after sustaining a foot injury last week, so now the next man

up has to fill the slot on the inside. Nate Palmer will see much of the field as will rookie Jake Ryan. How much the loss of Barrington will be is anyone’s guess. The Packers didn’t exactly shine in Chicago as they surrendered 141 yards on the ground to Matt Forte. Palmer was up and down but did show some promise in the pass coverage game. While Forte is one of the league’s better backs in Lynch the Seahawks have arguably the league’s best back. Lynch is a punishing bruiser and when he is in Beast Mode he is at worst difficult to stop.

It will come down to the trenches. Can the Packer’s defensive line outplay the underwhelming Seattle offensive line and plug the gaps? Will the Pack have enough inside to off not stop at least slow down Lynch? Clay Matthews will undoubtedly see more time inside this week and the very green Ryan may see the field by attrition. The Packers get Datone Jones back from his 1 game suspension but it will be up to the players, not the coaches, to make then plays. McCarthy wasn’t happy with his defenses’ play against the Bears. “I think we were in double digits in [missed] tackles” McCarthy said. With a limited number of practices the onus is on the defense to make the plays when they are there.

The Packers will also have to deal with Wilson and Graham as well as rookie Tyler Lockett who ran a punt back 57 yards for a TD last week against St. Louis. If any team has a clear advantage it is the Packers offense. Even without Jordy Nelson Aaron Rodgers was all but perfect. His offensive line kept him clean and did not surrender a sack and Rodgers was barely touched. James Jones has stepped in and hasn’t missed a beat. Eddie Lacy is Lynch’s doppelganger and can be every bit the road grader his counterpart is Seattle is. He also displayed some very soft hands and could well be a target out of the backfield. If the Hawks get too aggressive the screen pass may reappear in Green Bay. If there is anything the Pack lacks right now it is a true home run threat on a deep ball but given the chance Rodgers can offset the odds and tip the field in his favor. Seattle’s once intimidating defense looked very ordinary last week and without Chancellor they lack pop. This is the matchup to watch, the Packers offense against the Seahawks defense.

Can Sherman and Earl Thomas cover every Packer? Will Rodgers have time? Can the Pack plug the

leaks in the middle of their defense? Can the Hawks plug the leaks in their offensive line? Will Russell Wilson make the Pack pay with his scampers? Who wins the big back battle between Lynch and Lacy? Of all the battles the one between Lacy and Lynch will be the one to determine the outcome.

There are far too many storylines to follow in this key but not (yet) crucial matchup. But most decidedly revenge is not on the menu. Winning and executing is the fare of the day. McCarthy will get the fast start he wanted and put the Pack in command of their post season.

 

 

 

 

  GREEN BAY 27 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Seattle  23