THE NEXT STEP

Rebuilding Steelers Come into Lambeau to Test Pack

There is no point in looking ahead to next week’s season ender against the Bears. For the Packers the business at hand is right in front of them as they prep to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in frigid Green Bay. With the weather a typically balmy 20-something and a forecast of snow the call has gone out to the citizenry of Green Bay to come in and help clear Lambeau. You’ll get $10 an hour and the Packers will provide the shovel. And the Packers expect to do a turn away business.

The Steelers would like nothing more than to use that shovel to bury the Packers. Don’t call this a rematch of Super Bowl XLV… it isn’t. More than half the members of the Steelers Super Bowl team are now gone. Football is for the young and the Steelers are not young. Mike Tomlin found out this season that Bill Cowhers’ team got old.

The Steelers have been forced to go to a youth movement due partly to injury but mostly to attrition. RB LeVeon Bell was taken well ahead of Eddie Lacy and the two rookies have distinguished themselves as the cream of this year’s running back draft crop. While Bell possesses more speed Lacy would not have been out of place in a Steeler uniform. His low pad level bulldozer running style is a punishing, painful and raw brute force style that is similar to Jerome Bettis’. Bell is more of a flashy cut and run type of back – nimble on his feet and can accelerate into the second level.

Lacy can push the pile into the second level. For the season Lacy has already eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark, the first Packer to do so since Ryan Grant in ‘09. The Packers rookie rushing record of 1,105 yards held by John Brockington in 1971 is also a mark the Lacy will likely pass. Lacy is but 78 yards shy of the Packers record and may become the second Packer along with Brockington to be named Rookie of the Year. Lacy’s contribution in last week’s epic comeback against the Cowboys cannot be ignored. After looking thoroughly whipped in the first half last week Lacy opened the second half with a 60 yard run that energized the Packers and kick started a stagnant offense. His 141 yard 1 TD day was complimented by his being named Player of the Week in the NFL.

The Steelers were supposed to have been contenders in the brutal AFC North division with the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and resurgent Cleveland Browns. It never happened. The Ravens have been sluggish all year; the heart of their team gutted in the offseason. The Browns have slid in a youth movement and only Cincinnati has played up to an expected level. The Steelers opened the season by losing all of their preseason games and then losing the first 4 of this year.

Bell has been their prize rookie. His start was less than stellar and it took him some time to adjust to the life in the pros. QB Ben Roethlisberger was coming in after offseason surgery and the former WR Mike Wallace was jettisoned to Miami. If any single area in the Steelers attack has suffered it has been in their passing game. TE Heath Miller had been one of Big Ben’s most reliable outlets but he too lost significant time to the injury bug filtering throughout the NFL. Roethlisberger has had a frosty relationship with new offensive coordinator Todd Haley but of late Big Ben has been performing quite well. 12 TD’s and only 1 INT in 9 games is a great stat line no matter the coach or player, and they are numbers treat speak volumes.

While Roethlisberger has gone several weeks since being sacked the fact is he can be pressured if not necessarily brought down and that is exactly what the Packers will need to do. Green Bay cannot afford to keep playing one half of a football game. While the Pack has clawed, bitten, struggled, worked and fought their way back into contention and have a serious opportunity at the playoffs it has been an inconsistent, uneven season. No question the Packers have missed the biggest gun in their arsenal in Aaron Rodgers. When Rodgers went down the Pack was 5 – 2. Only those living in a cave with cable know the woes that ensued.

They didn’t merely manifest themselves in the offensive side of the ball. The defense suddenly went AWOL and only recently has started to show up. The incredibly soft start against Dallas last week was juxtapositioned against a defense that fought tooth and nail in the second half. At some pointy Mike McCarthy and Dom Capers are going to have to get a full 60 minute effort from their defense if Green Bay is to be taken seriously as a contender. If anything even playing against then worst statistical defense in football in Dallas that comeback may just ignite the fuse that carries Green Bay. The Packers need it. They are out of giveaway games and they must win out to make it in regardless of what Chicago does this week against Philadelphia. Green Bay has the simplest of equations – just keep win. Lose and go home. It really doesn’t get more basic than that.

Matt Flynn is prepping to be the starter once again. The quarterback carousel in Green Bay since Rodgers’ injury has been dizzying. Seneca Wallace didn’t last one game, Scott Tolzien was called up from the practice squad and after a bumpy start Flynn seems to have found his niche and has stepped in nicely to mind the store. Rodgers’ collarbone and the question that lingers about his return have made for much ink in the media. Will he play? When asked after practice on Thursday Rodgers gave a non-committal replay of “…I have a good idea what they [the team doctors] are going to say”. His non-answer is answer enough and don’t expect Rodgers to start.

A key in that statement is just that statement. Rodgers in all likelihood will not start. But if the Packers can get themselves a lead and carry it into the 4^th quarter Rodgers may, in fact, get some reps to knock the rust off. If Green Bay can hold a lead getting Rodgers back on the field even in a limited capacity will vastly aid him if the season does come down to the showdown in the Windy City.

The Steelers age on defense has finally caught up to them. There may not be a cornerback in the league singled out more than Ike Taylor. Troy Polamalu is still a quality defense but he is no longer the game changing disruptive force he once was and hasn’t been that way since Rodgers and Greg Jennings undressed him in the Super Bowl. Polamalu is that rare player whose instincts are so great he can guess what is coming and he has usually been right. But as he has lost a step so too has Polamalu been guessing wrong and more frequently.

LB James Harrison is no longer in the Steel city but that doesn’t mean the Steelers do not have any linebackers. Lamar Woodley and Lawrence Timmons have both shown signs of slowing down but newcomer Jason Worilds has been a breath of fresh air. DE Brett Keisel has battled injuries all year and the Packers will need to be able to air it out to bag the Steelers. As Flynn has settled in with each passing game his passing has improved. Flynn has shown his value as a quality backup QB to Green Bay even after being unable to land a starters spot in Seattle, Oakland and Buffalo.

This will be a game of balance. Flynn has been very good in the short routes. Lacy has missed practice this week nursing his sore ankle but he will be there to answer the bell. Flynn still has to cut down on holding the ball too long but as he gets more playing time that has also declined. Jordy Nelson and James Jones have had support from unexpected areas; Jarrett Boykin has made some key catches in the last several games while Andrew Quarless is finally finding a place to fit in. Quarless has had back to back 6 catch games and scored a key TD against Dallas and Atlanta. But the breaking news has to do with a healing broken leg.

Lost in the fallout of Rodgers collarbone was Randall Cobb’s broken leg. Cobb has been cleared to practice and has been on the field wearing a childlike ear-to-ear grin, happy to be back out on a field playing even in practice. Cobb may suit up and see some limited action as he works his way back to game ready. Flynn has enough of an arm to bring down the Steelers. Pittsburgh is coming in after an impressive whipping of the Bengals last Sunday night and is not a pushover. It will be yet another challenge and opportunity for the Packers to rise as one.

There is something in the air in Green Bay besides the snow. Adversity brings out qualities from which lesser men run. Far from rolling over and playing dead the Packers have shown a resolve and resiliency by continuing to fight on. If the comeback against Dallas last doesn’t show heart and character nothing will. It wasn’t too long ago many of the uninformed in the fan base were crying for McCarthy to just shut Rodgers down for the year and play for a higher draft pick.

The stupidity of that notion is being played out in Washington right now and Mike Shanahan and the entire Redskin organization is wearing the hat of the village idiot for shutting down a starter in Robert Griffin so he DOESN’T get hurt.

Shut it down? Tank the season? Give up hope?

Never.

The season is now and this week it’s Pittsburgh. Getting hot at the right time is what will be needed for the playoffs. Weapons will be coming back. No need to look ahead to Chicago. The Steelers may be in for a long afternoon that hastens their winter hiatus. For the Packers hot at home for Christmas sounds like a winner.

 

 

 

 

 Green Bay 31 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pittsburgh 17  

STUNNING!!!!!!

Packers Pull Off Historic Comeback;

Cowboys Blow Huge Lead

Stunning. Unbelievable. Intense. Ridiculous. Are you kiddin’ me???

Those are among the superlatives being bandied about after A) - the Packers stunning comeback from a 26 – 3 hole they had dug for themselves in the first half or B) the Dallas Cowboys epic second half meltdown that saw them blow not one but two leads, one so large that the magnitude of its’ impact has yet to finish registering on the Richter Scale or C) the Detroit Lions bungled another W and now the Green Bay Packers now control their own destiny in the future. Win out and you are in the playoffs. With Detroit getting upended on a 61 yard last minute field goal to Baltimore the Packers need to close out against Pittsburgh and face Chicago for the NFC North crown. For all intents and purposes – it is playoff time.

But what about that comeback/ meltdown?

In the 90-odd years of the Packers existence then 23 point deficit that became a narrow, harrowing, thrilling, agonizing and entertaining 37 – 36 win over Dallas ties the franchises’ record for the largest come-from-behind win. For Dallas it is the biggest lead they’ve ever blown. 34 halftime points posted by the Pack. Eddie Lacy going over 1,000 yards. Matt Flynn tossing 4 touchdowns. Dez Bryant corralling 11 catches for 153 yards and another Tony Romo wrest-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory type of game that fill his resume. Even Mike McCarthy looks grayer after this one.

For the second straight game the Packers stayed lost in traffic on the bus for the first half of football. Whoever those guys posing as a playoff contender in green and gold were in that ignominious, putrid half of football were not the same team that took the second half by force and will in a furious comeback. The Cowboys put the wood to the Pack and nary a soul claiming to be a Packer Backer had to feel good about their prospects for the remainder of the game.

All the old nemesis and bugaboos were on display in the first half. No rushing defense. Horrendous tackling. Undistinguished secondary play. Matt Flynn struggling to find an open receiver. The offensive line leaking. Eddie Lacy playing valiantly but ineffectively on a bum ankle. About the only thing the Packers did marginally well was to limit Dallas to 3 field goals on drives that were potential back breakers.

The Cowboys bolted from the chute like lightning. Tony Romo was money in the first half finding Dez Bryant almost at will. Lost in the huzzahs of the final score is the 57 yarder that kicker Mason Crosby drilled right down Main St. At the time it seemed and inconsequential accomplishment lost in an avalanche of despair. Romo had over 200 yards passing by the half and the Packers were once again relegated to the role of the gang that couldn’t shoot straight.

Fortunately for the Pack the game was held at the scene of their ’10 Super Bowl title run. Imagine for a second the response the home crowd would have given the Packers at the merciful end of that awful first half. Perhaps the embodiment of the first half came on a Romo dump off to Bryant at the Packer 10. S Morgan Burnett lined up Bryant, squared his shoulders and launched himself. And hit nothing but the ground instead.

No one would have been excused had they turned off the set and just walked away to watch Perry Como Christmas reruns instead. It was not a wonderful life. The Pack was all but dead and there would be no happiness in Green Bay for Christmas, only a long, cold winter nap that would surely follow the second thrashing the Packers have endured this year.

26 – 3.

Yecccchhhh. Even the sound of it makes one cringe. A full 4 score lead. Surely the Cowboys could protect a lead that large at home, couldn’t they?

The Pack opened the second half at their own 20. On the first play from scrimmage Eddie Lacy broke off a 60 yard run that jump started the Packers comeback. WR Jordy Nelson has not had a TD reception since his main man went to the DL with a broken collarbone. It’s not like he has been forgotten but Aaron Rodgers and Nelson have a chemistry that has been developed and nurtured and was in full bloom when Rodgers went down.

Flynn hit Nelson in the back corner of the end zone that the 6’4” Nelson literally went up and over and plucked from the hands of Cowboy CB Orlando Scandrick. Scandrick played Nelson almost perfectly; his only shortcoming was being shorter than Nelson. At 26 – 10 it hardly appeared that a franchise tying comeback was in the offing.

We had previously referenced Tony Romo’s moments of questionable play. Cowboy head coach Jason Garrett must have been smoking whatever Romo was smoking as his play calling in the second half raised eyebrows on everyone from Jerry Jones to Mike McCarthy. The Packers had shown no ability to stop the run or tackle effectively. DeMarco Murray finished the day with 134 yards but most of them were in the first half. The biggest favor the Cowboys did the Packers was to abandon the run and go to the pass. The ‘Boys ran a total of 30 plays and throwing for 23 of them. The Cowboys, with a lead, were THROWING on the team that needed to throw. Every time a ball fell short or bounced off a hand the clock stopped saving precious seconds for the pack.

Andrew Quarless has become a serious weapon in the Packers attack of late. Once relegated way down on the depth chart behind Jermichael Finley after missing almost all of last year, Quarless has suddenly become an explosive outlet for Flynn. Quarless has become far more than a safety valve; he had 6 catches on 6 targets and his 3 yard catch in traffic form the 3 for a touchdown closed the Cowboys lead to 29 – 17. Even with the point output the Cowboys still held a hammerlock on the game.

And then Romo became Romo.

Tony Romo has a well-documented history of the December blahs and Sunday was no different. Inexplicably and unexpectedly completely foregoing the run Romo dropped back and was met by a suddenly robust Packer defense. That is no typo – the Packer defense rose again in the second half much like they did last week against Atlanta and pressured and hurried Romo time and again. Romo tried to rally after the Pack closed the gap but misfired twice keeping the clock in the Packers favor. On a key 3^rd down rookie DE Datone Jones and Clay Matthews chased down Romo and sacked him at the 2 giving the Packers excellent field position as the D forced a Cowboy punt.

Jerry Jones dumped a boatload of money on Romo in the offseason and Jason Garrett remained the fair-haired favorite son. Jones may need to take a long, hard look in the mirror after this particular sequence. The 3 and out took a whopping 1:08 off the clock and gave the Packers the ball at the Cowboy 48. Had Micah Hyde done what the Cowboys expected it may have made a difference.

However, had the Cowboys done what anyone with a football IQ above 15 expected this column would be chronicling the collapse of the Packers and the end of the line on an inglorious, injury riddled season. Even Packer fans had to wonder what the hell Garrett and Romo were thinking. A 12 point lead and only one quarter left should be close out time for any team let alone a contender. The weak effort and miniscule movement of the clock gave the Packers a glimmer of hope that was ever so slight. The cadaver showed the faintest trace of a heartbeat.

Last week Hyde blew an opportunity to return a punt by signaling for a fair catch with plenty of real estate in front of him. The kid’s a quick learner. Seeing a crack in the coverage Hyde blew it wide open and raced all the way back to the Cowboy 22. With excellent field position and 1 full quarter all of a sudden the impossible looked possible. 2 minutes later James Starks took a Flynn shovel pass in for 6. Down by 5 at 24 – 29 the burning question was have the Packers fired all the cannons and are now spent or can Romo be the anti-Romo?

The real Tony Romo showed up and promptly threw a pick that CB Tramon Williams snagged just off the turf. The replay showed the tip of the ball making contact with the ground saving Romo and his reputation momentarily. The Cowboy drive was aided by a ridiculous offside call against Mike Neal after the Cowboys Doug Free flinched at the line.  Romo moved the ‘Boys. Dallas finally caught the break they were seeking. A facemask penalty on LB Brad Jones hurt and Romo hit Bryant in the back of the end zone as Bryant fought off two defenders, grabbed a tracer dart from Romo and managed to tippy toe the end line to restore some order to the Dallas sideline. Bryant is that rare mercurial sort that can somehow contort his physique to the moment. His exceptional catch expanded Dallas’ lead to 36 – 24 with just a shade under 8 minutes left.

The clock should have been the Cowboys ally and the Packers worst enemy. Not today. Not this time.

Flynn moved the Packers from the shotgun into the end zone without having a playing longer than 14 yards with the lone exception being the beautiful comeback adjustment catch of 27 yards made by Jarrett Boykin that put the ball on the Dallas 7. Lacy’s ankle injury had kept him from full gallop. For the day Lacy would rush for 141 yards becoming the first Packer RB to rush for over 1,000 yards for a season since Ryan Grant in ’09. Flynn hit James Jones from the 3 and Jones made a tough grab as his legs were being bent into the shape of a pretzel. At 36 – 31 with 4:17 remaining the Cowboy faithful began to cover their eyes as if they were in a Friday the 13^th marathon waiting for the boogeyman to jump from nowhere inflicting mayhem.

In our previous column we had referenced Tony Romo and his penchant for “what the hell was he thinking?” decisions. Well, Romo did not disappoint anyone except Cowboy fans. On 1^st down Romo gambled and went for it all – and missed. 2^nd down – a Mike Neal sack. A key 3^rd down conversion to Bryant forced Mike McCarthy to burn a precious timeout. Bryant finished with 11 catches for 153 yards with 1 TD. Garrett remembered he had a running game and Murray went up the middle for 4. Much like a well-crafted novel the stage was set for the climax of what turned out to be a thrilling nail biter.

It has been said football is a game of inches. With the Packers reeling someone either missed or forgot to block the one Packer that must be accounted for on defense. As Romo dropped back Clay Matthews came from the right side untouched with Romo dead in his sights… and missed. “Oh, man, I was mad for that [half second] when I missed [Romo]” said Matthews. “I was mad about missing the sack and then…”

The thought didn’t need to be finished. Under duress Romo threw one of his patented ill-timed, off balance throws on the run to Miles Austin, a play Romo checked out of a called run at the line. In all fairness Austin had CB Sam Shields beaten badly on the in route and Romo’s throw wasn’t awful. But it was slightly behind allowing Shields to do what he does best and fire the rockets, close the gap and make a diving pick giving the ball back to Flynn and Co with 2:46 left at the Dallas 48. After being humiliated for one entire half the Packer defense held strong and played every down, a tall order when staring down a 23 point deficit. As Cowboy coach Jason Garrett fumed at the audible Green Bay took over.

Flynn hit Quarless for a huge gainer. From then on it was Lacy, Lacy, a key pass interference call on a Quarless target, and more Lacy. The Pack’s prize rookie is closing in and should surpass John Brockington’s all time rookie rushing record and his bull like steamroller rushes thru the middle of the overmatched Cowboy line was a display of raw power football the likes of which have not been seen in Green Bay in for some time. After Lacy ground the ball to the 1 and another Packer timeout McCarthy went to the unconventional. Along with FB John Kuhn the McCarthy opened the Refrigerator and inserted DT B.J. Raji in as a blocking back as the Chicago Bears had once utilized William Perry. Raji is a big, big man and the hole he created was even bigger. Lacy went up and over and into the end zone giving the Packers the most improbable of leads imaginable.

Romo took one last shot at redeeming himself and clearing his name. The Eagles had already lost and Dallas was playing for the lead in the NFC East. A 9 yard completion stopped the clock and at this point Romo became…well, Tony Romo. Almost unbelievably Romo rolled out at the line and as he dropped back he fired a low ball on an out intended for Chad Beasley. But Beasley cut his route short and Tramon Williams, he of the previous almost interception, dove and snagged the ball with both hands, rolled over and secured it close to his body ending any confusion about an interception.

So when Williams looked up to see the side judge washing out the play indicating an incomplete pass Williams went almost berserk in imitating the throw of a challenge flag. “Man, I wasn’t giving that ball back” said Williams afterwards. “I have never been so certain about catching a ball in my life. The [ref] called for the ball like 4 or 5 times and I wasn’t going to let it go.” As Williams implored his coach to get the play reviewed Romo tried to get another play off to no avail. McCarthy wasted no time in collaring an official and the great states of Texas, Wisconsin and a national TV audience in the million held its collective breath.

When referee Walt Coleman emerged from the hood he confirmed what everyone already knew: Williams had, in fact, snagged the ball cleanly just inches from the ground, tucked it in and landed on his back… with the ball safely tucked away from harm’s way. The defense won the game after giving up 36 points.

In the most stunning and improbable Perils of Pauline twist of events the Packers held the ball and the Cowboys could do nothing but watch Flynn take 3 knees to complete the historic, hysterical, maniacal comeback. Make that the Cowboys minus one Dez Bryant. As the Packers went into their victory formation the mercurial man-child and full blown WR Diva Bryant stormed off the field in a huff in a classless, immature move where he could, his own words, not be seen crying in public. For Mike McCarthy it was “It was all I could do to keep from crying in [the locker room]” said McCarthy after he could breathe again when the game was done.

The numbers of the second half boggle the mind. As inept as they were in the first half the Packers were more than ept in the second half. 5 possessions/ 5 TD’s and 34 points after missing on a two point attempt.. The Cowboys’ stats beg the question what the hell are you thinking? For the 2^nd half the Cowboys ran 30 plays – 23 passes and 7 runs. Seven. S-E-V-E-N rushing attempts, and this against a team that has been awful against the run. DeMarco Murray was averaging 7 yards per CARRY. But 7 rushing attempts with a *gulp* 23 point lead? A 16 point lead? A 12 point lead?

As bad as the Packers were in the first half the Cowboys took the awful and raised it into horrendous. There will be many red faces in Dallas. Romo will have to answer even more questions about his December failures. Jerry Jones has already committed to Garrett and Romo. Is an ugly divorce in the offing? Garrett has already fired the first shot across the bow telling the media the Romo “…checked out of a called run at the line…” Garrett did not merely throw Romo under the bus – he drove the bus himself over Romo, backed up and run him over again.

The Packers eagerly took the Cowboys Santa Claus imitation and celebrated all the way out of Big D. As they settle in to root for the Ravens and whoever else is playing them Lions there is hope still in Green Bay. And… there is a certain quarterback waiting in the wings to take the field again. With the Lions having lost 18 – 16 to the Ravens the Packers and Bears now have to win out to take the North and Detroit will once again be on the outside looking in. Knowing that the Pack faces Da Bears in Chicago to end the season against each other makes the looming bareknuckle brawl all the more enticing.

There will be no joy in Dallas or Detroit this year.

But ~ it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

In Green Bay.

SHOWDOWN IN BIG D

Packers Face Cowboys; Playoff Berths at Stake

The next stop on the Packer express to the playoffs is in Big D against the struggling Cowboys. Dallas comes in after being mauled on Monday Night against the Chicago Bears who are winning big without the big arm of Jay Cutler. With the Detroit Lions getting snowed under by suddenly red-hot Philadelphia the implications and stakes riding on this game for both teams are enormous.

How enormous? With a loss it will all but eliminate one of the combatants form the post season extravaganza.

As it sits right now the Packers are ½ games behind both the Lions and Bears. Detroit’s loss was the key element in the Packers last ditch efforts to get to the Big Dance. Now Detroit has no wiggle room left and they take on the defending Super Bowl Champs when they meet the Ravens from Baltimore this week in the dome.

As for the Cowboys they are 1 game behind the Eagles and with only 3 games left there is no

throwaway game left on the schedule. Dallas is charged with the task of winning out and hopping for the Birds from Philly to get dumped along the way. It’s a familiar rendition of the Packers current theme song. Just win baby.

 Green Bay comes into the game in a better position than Dallas. The Packers much criticized and underperforming defense finally showed up to play last week. While the Packers surrendered 21 points it bears noting that 7 came from a missed block that saw QB Matt Flynn take a vicious blind side hit that caused a fumble at the Packer 13 and 7 more came from a goofy tipped pass the was booted up into the air and was snagged by Sean Weatherspoon who raced past a flat footed Green Bay offense for 71 yards and a TD.

There is a real strong chance that the Packers offense heard the coaches politely reminded the offense that you play until you hear a whistle – don’t assume anything. Only T.J. Lang made an effort to stop Weatherspoon and his attempt to tackle the Falcon LB was laughable at best. But there is no joke to be inserted. The Packers went into the dressing room down 21 -10 and had their prize rookie Eddie Lacy twist and ankle on the last play of the first half. As the Packers exited the field they were treated to a little early holiday cheer as the denizens of Lambeau Field rained a chorus of boos on the home squad in the midst of an arctic snowstorm.

“It’s lonely being a warrior” said Packer coach Mike McCarthy after the game. McCarthy isn’t one much for rah-rah speeches that do not work on paid professionals. Instead he chose to point the catcalls out to his team and remind them they needed to be booed for their effort.

It was at that precise moment the Packers D finally showed up, rose up and stood up. The D shut down Matt Ryan and the Falcons the rest of the way pitching a second half shutout that may indicate there is still life in Green Bay. Seldom used Jarret Bush played the hero in the second half in an unlikely role as he has seen little of the field beyond special teams. His 4^th down slap of the ball from Tony Gonzalez’ hands and interception on Atlanta’s last drive sealed the W and now the Packers finally have a W – their first since October – and some momentum heading into the site of their Super Bowl triumph.

The Cowboys are reeling. Backup QB Josh McCown shredded Dallas’ D helping Chicago fortify its’

position while potentially creating a QB controversy in the Windy City. When Cutler returns form the injured list who will start? McCown has been nothing short of superb in a relief role and with the mercurial Cutler’s penchant for throwing picks when the games are the biggest it creates an interesting dilemma for the Bears.

There is no such looming dilemma in Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers is in week 6 of his healing process from the broken collarbone he sustained against the Bears that set the Packers skid in motion. It became a domino effect after Rodgers went out the saw the offense slip as expected but the defense shockingly went stagnant in the process. The run defense went into full reverse and for a while the Packers could not  - or more to the point would not - tackle anyone. 15+ missed tackles on Thanksgiving Day was the nadir of incompetence and the Pack collectively was embarrassed by a stunning 40 - 10 butt kicking that bolstered Detroit while wounding the Pack greatly.

When it comes to missed tackles, however, the Packers take a back seat to the Cowboys. Their once Doomsday Defense is now a Disaster defense. The Cowboys couldn’t hit water if they fell from a boat. To make matters worse the Cowboys best tackler LB Sean Lee is questionable to doubtful with an injury. The Packers dropped from 4^th against the run in their slide to 29^th while the Cowboys occupy the basement in total team D. No one surrenders more yards thru the air than Dallas, a team that yields almost 300 yards/ game in average passing.

The hopes of the Cowboys rest on the right arm of the extremely well paid Tony Romo. Perhaps the happiest man in football to see Romo get a $110 million dollar 7 year deal was Aaron Rodgers while the Packer brass just shook their heads at Jerry Jones’ largess. Romo’s signing came on the heels of Joe Flacco’s $120 million dollar deal in Baltimore. As Rodgers waited for a new deal he had to have been dizzy. The phone conversation between Rodgers and GM Ted Thompson after the announced signings had to have gone something like this:

Rodgers – Hey Ted? Yeah it’s me Aaron. How much did Flacco get? Really???? No… nothing else… thanks.

Rodgers – Hey Boss? Yeah, it’s Aaron. I saw Romo just signed. How much did he get? He got WHAT??? No… nothing else… thanks.

Rodgers – Okay Ted- MY turn. Just park the Brinks truck over here.

How and why Jerry Jones has the faith he places in Romo is hard to fathom. Here’s a guy who seldom makes the playoffs while routinely making specious decisions. Romo has a good arm and a great wideout in Dez Bryant but the two can’t seem to elevate Dallas much above .500. Miles Austin was a one-time heir apparent by he has vanished into this air. Jason Witten is having the worst statistical season of his career. Witten was once Romo’s bread and butter but he too has become persona non grata in Dallas’ up and down offense.

There are two big questions in Green Bay these days – one is what’s wrong with the defense and the second is when is Rodgers coming back? The defense has to rise up much like they did in ’10 to get back to a point where the Packers are completive enough to challenge for a Super Bowl. It goes without saying that the urgency of this need has been impressed on the troops and the cutting of Jerron McMillian served as a wakeup call to everyone on the defensive side of the ball.

The safety play in Green Bay has been atrocious this year. Morgan Burnett was given a healthy bump with a 4 year deal but missed the early part of the season and has struggled in the pass game. M.D. Jennings has fared little better as both were burnt by the Falcons only legitimate TD vs. the defense last week leaving Drew Davis room to catch the ball and the inability to bring him down after the fact. Romo will certainly look to exploit the Packers’ vulnerability in the back of the coverage and Sam Shields will likely draw the assignment of covering Bryant. Keeping Bryant in check and pressuring Romo into one of his usual ‘what the hell was he thinking’ throws into tight coverage are at the top of the list on the defenses agenda this week.

On the offense how much Eddie Lacy plays is a mystery. Lacy injured an ankle on the last play of the first half last week and was limited in his carries in the second half. James Starks may handle more of the workload and newcomer Kahlil Bell will likely suit up for this one. Bell was recently signed after Jonathon Franklin was IR’d with a concussion. Some may remember Bell as the former Bear that racked up almost 150 yards rushing against the Packers a few years back subbing for an injured Matt Forte.

As for the burning question surrounding perhaps the most famous collarbone in history regarding Rodgers play has been answered. Rodgers will miss his 6^th consecutive game after being ruled out late Friday for the key contest in Dallas. McCarthy said Rodgers is”… frustrated and disappointed…” in not being able to play but McCarthy went on to emphasize “This is what’s best in the long term”. Having seen Mike Shanahan famously expose Robert Griffin III late last year and the ensuing epic meltdown in DC this year McCarthy is taking no such chance.

That doesn’t mean the Packers will not be throwing the ball. Matt Flynn has stepped in a filled the backup role well in spite of the Disaster in Detroit.  McCarthy and almost everyone else knows Flynn’s arm strength and deep ball are not his strengths; Flynn can be cool under pressure and after a week of reps and having seen live bodies hurtling at him in a game situation he should be that much better. Flynn has only improved every week since being signed as a late 4^th string QB after #’s 1 and 2 were injured (Rodgers and Seneca Wallace) and #3 QB Scott Tolzien showed he was a game if underprepared competitor.

Dallas weak passing defense will invite looks from Flynn. Getting the ball out quicker and checking down his progressions are paramount for Flynn this week. Flynn has held the ball too long on occasion but he readily acknowledges it. If Flynn can get hot and hit a few throws it could make for a very long day for the Cowboys. One huge key for the offensive line is to know exactly where DeMarcus Ware is at all times. the Packers can ill afford Ware to impact this game as he so often does.

There is still hope in Green Bay and the Packers know it. In the intangible department the Packers are coming off a superb second half by their defense and the Cowboys have a short week of prep time after the Bear attack. In this one there will be some surprise heroes step up. They always seem to in crunch time. Starks? Bell? Flynn? How about some takeaways by the D, something they have not seen enough of all year? Romo can be a turnover machine when the wheels come off the cart and has yet to show he is the Man in crunch time. And this is most decidedly crunch time. The Packer attack and balance between the run and pass will have the beleaguered Cowboy defense on their heels.

The Packers defense has not won them a game this year. Yet. There is something about the air around this game that says the packer D rises as a proud unit and plays like it on the field. The Packers will take care of their part of the race in this one and then they’ll settle in to root for the Ravens on Monday Night against the Lions.

 

 

 

 

 GREEN BAY  27  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Dallas   20