LION IN WAIT

Pack Looks for Revenge Against Improved Lions in Detroit

After opening the season with such promise at 6 – 0 the Green Bay Packers are in danger of becoming only the 3^rd team to post such a start and not make the playoffs. The losses to the equally undefeated Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers are understandable given the strength of each team but the Pack got dumped by not only the Detroit Lions but last week blew a golden opportunity to a flawless Jay Cutler who (*gulp*) outplayed Aaron Rodgers. Yes, the Pack managed to squeeze in a convincing victory against the first place Minnesota Vikings but dropping 2 out of 3 to divisional rivals doesn’t help the cause.

Now going into Detroit the fact is although the Packers have a firm hold on a Wild Card playoff position at 7-4 and are a game ahead of 6-5 Seattle another loss to the Lions could very well torpedo their post season aspirations. More disturbing than the losses to the Lions and Bears is how they lost both games by such narrow margins. On the night Brett Favre officially had his number retired and with Packer legend Bart Starr in attendance Green Bay dropped the ball from the Bears 8 yard line with 4 downs and less than a minute left in a 17- 13 loss. Giving Aaron Rodgers 4 shots from the 8 with the game on the line used to be a no brainer. Not anymore.

In their previous encounter the Lions finally overcame their 2 decade long drought in Lambeau Field when K Mason Crosby booted one of the ugliest kicks in NFL history as they were dumped 18 – 16. Now Green Bay travels to Detroit to face the Lions in yet another attempt to right the ship. Both Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers looked and sounded irritated and frustrated by the sloppy play offensively after last week’s loss to Da Bears. Both men are too professional to get into a public calling out but the inalienable conclusion is the Packers receivers this year are killing the Packers and Rodgers.

No one had to use the name Davante Adams when the subject of drops came up. Rodgers threw a very uncharacteristic interception against the Bears last week and looked like Jay Cutler in the process. His throw was true and clean and straight into the hands of Tracy Porter. It was Adams’ route and afterwards both Rodgers and McCarthy used very generic terms. But McCarthy did not mince words either.

When asked about Adams’ route on Rodgers pick the Pack’s boss was bluntly succinct. “It’s a basic route,” he said. “It didn’t look like it was a very good route [by Adams]. [Adams] Didn’t have a very good day today. The consistency we’re getting in certain areas needs to pick up.” The specific areas are Adams’ route running and his drops. Rodgers tried to deflect some attention away for the 2^nd year wideout by saying “I’m obviously going to have to make sure my preparation is as high as it’s ever been because we need to get on the same page, the passing game,” Rodgers said. “We’re just on different pages. When you miss throws, when I’m throwing at a certain depth, when receivers are running at certain depth — we’re obviously on different pages.”

For the press it sounds good but the tone is unmistakable. Rodgers reference to ramping up his preparation means every receiver is going to have some extra time in the film room and on the practice field. Adams simply is not where Rodgers expects him to be and it has been a consistent flaw thus far. Randall Cobb has also had a few drops of his own and has had a hard time breaking free of coverage as have the Packers receivers as group. McCarthy is looking less patient each week and he and GM Ted Thompson went so far as to import some street free agent wide receivers for a look during the week leading up to Detroit.

It is not for a lack of attempts for Adams. He set a new NFL low against Detroit when he was targeted 21 times and caught just 10 for 79 yards and that trend has continued. In Green Bay’s last 2 losses to Detroit and Chicago, Adams has had 32 targets. He's caught just 12 of them for 93 yards. That's 2.91 yards per target. Even worse is a 37.4% completion rate. And were still talking about the NFL’s reigning MVP in Rodgers.

How much longer Adams can survive before McCarthy yanks him is anyone’s guess. Jared Abbrederis is coming back from a rib/ chest injury and hopes to be ready. Jeff Janis has continued to show flash when he touches the ball and he may get a shot. As Vince Lombardi once said to a young player he was cutting “Son, I can get anybody off the street to drop the ball and for a helluva lot less than what I’m paying you.” Adams may be on the shortest leash of all and Janis just may see some real playing time. Earlier this week Mike McCarthy said about Rookie Ty Montgomery “Ty is not making progress [with his ankle injury]” which only further depletes the Pack’s receiving corps.

Adams wasn’t alone against Chicago with the dropsies. On that fated goal line disaster James Jones dropped a TD pass on 3^rd down but in a loss misery does not love company, it only exacerbates the issue. Eddie Lacy had his first back-to-back 100 yard effort of his career these past 2 weeks but also earned some time on the pine for what McCarthy described as “Carelessness with the ball.” Lacy had a fumble that led to Chicago’s ultimate game winning TD and was very sloppy as he crossed the goal line when he nonchalantly flipped the ball away after scoring.

Going into the season, a season of such high hope and promise hardly anyone would have expected the Packers would be flourishing on defense and struggling on offense this late in the season. All of which is a shame as the defense, after 2 sub-par performances against Denver and Carolina, has been the backbone of the team. The defense has surrendered only 48 points in the last 3 games for an average of 13 points and has a 1- 2 record to show for their effort.

Detroit has since reeled off a small winning streak of their own going from the cellar of the NFL after upsetting the Pack and another W puts them right into the thick of a congested Wild Card conglomeration that would take an MIT professor several discourses to unravel if the Lions were somehow able to sweep the Pack this year. During that streak Detroit has found help for Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford. Abdullah Ameer has been handling more of the load rushing the ball and the Lions have had key contributions from Theo Riddick who along with Golden Tate has helped take the full load off Megatron.

On paper this game is easy… the Packers win by a big margin. But that’s only on paper. Losing 2 of their last 3 to Detroit and Chicago but smoking Minnesota shows clearly just how risky life is in the NFL these days. Green Bay has an outside shot at the NFC North crown but will need help to get there. Losing to the Lions all but ensures there will not be a 5^th consecutive crown.

For the moment the Packers are going to have to put away pride and ego and stick to just putting away the Lions. Lacy will be back and should be a load. His absence against Detroit was felt although James Starks has been very reliable coming off the bench. If Lacy can get rolling the Pack can get going. There will be no 7 men in the box without repercussions this time. Detroit stormed Rodgers with pressure and blitzes and the Packers had no ground game to counter and it was an illustration of futility in the passing game. This time they’ll be better prepared.

It sounds trite and smacks of homerism but McCarthy is right in his assessment of how close the Packers are. It is not about who calls the plays. It comes down to the most fundamental elements of the game – blocking, tackling, running, passing, and catching. When the Packers D improved it wasn’t because of a change of personnel. The D as a group began to tackle and cover better and played their positions. If Green bay’s D can hold the Lions under 20 again it goes in the Packers’ favor.

Aaron Rodgers is wounded and ticked off. Adams has said he wants to get back out there to show he can get the job done. It will take more than words. There will be no lack of preparation this week, not with Rodgers demanding more. If Adams doesn’t show up there’s a good chance someone will take his spot. With Dallas and Oakland next the Packers close out against Arizona and Minnesota.

Every streak begins with one win. Green Bay will begin their streak while they end Detroit’s and leave little doubt in the process.

  GREEN BAY 29 




  Detroit 16