Home is where the Pack is

What an unbelievable weekend for Packers’ fans! A blowout win by the Green & Gold and a loss by the despised Cowboys, which in turn leaves the NFC Championship game in Lambeau Field next Sunday. Sorry for the delay in this entry, but I had to let this weekend soak in so I wouldn’t get cocky and say “I told you so”! Unfortunately it didn’t work. I told you so! Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while. Hell, I even have a hole-in-one. Life is good.

Life is indeed good for the Green Bay Packers. I cannot believe that I am going to go to yet another game at Lambeau this year. I will have my pictures from Saturday up tomorrow, thanks to my nephew I have some really good shots. It was a glorious day at Lambeau and I enjoyed every minute of it after the Packers tied the game at 14. I did yell to the players to the best of ability as they left the field after defeating Mike Holmgren in the playoffs yet again, “You are not done yet” in memory of the 1996 Super Bowl Champions lead by the now Seahawks coach. Two more to go.

Sorry folks, but I again like the Packers, although, I know, you know, and the American people know, the Giants are not the Seattle Seahawks. The Giants have a tremendous defense, ranked seventh in the regular season and have been dominant in the postseason thus far, shutting down Tampa Bay and Dalllas. The Packers won’t score 42 points on Sunday, I promise you that. I like Green Bay because I think they can stop the Giants running game and despite the fact the Giants will be looking for revenge after the 35-13 beat-down the Packers laid on them in week two, the teams are so different now I see a totally different game. A defensive battle is my guess at this very moment in time.

You know how I hate to get overconfident but as I write this I am watching my DVD of Saturday’s game and this team has so many similarities to the the Packers’ Super Bowl teams of the 1990s it’s scary. They rely on Brett Favre for three months then turn the tables and grind it out on the ground in December and January. Back then the Packers had Edger Bennett, now the Packers running back coach, and Dorsey Levens as their two-headed horse. Now they have Ryan Grant, who just continues to amaze, and Brandon Jackson who has come on strong the last few weeks of the season and actually had the first touchdown pass by a running back this year against the Seahawks.

And now the game is in Lambeau in what is expected to be an a very cold day with the forecast at this very minute calling for a high of eleven and a twelve mile-an-hour wind out of the west. Sucks for me. Many layers this week. Makes the walk to Curly’s Pub that much more cumbersome. But great for the Green Bay Packers. I think the Giants are not a cold weather team. New York rarely has cold home games like the Packers do, much less the attitude of being a cold weather team. Yes, I know the Packers got worked in the cold and wind in Chicago a few weeks ago, and because it was the Bears, I will never forget it, but I think the Packers’ players have forgotten it, hell most of them are too young to know that the Packers and Bears are even rivals.

I’m not going to come out a predict a 37-0 rout like I thought was possible last week, and almost happened, I might add, because the New York Giants’ defense scares me big time. My early thinking is that the Packers will struggle to score but the Giants and Eli Manning will struggle even more, turning the ball over enough times to allow the Packers to get pummeled in the Super Bowl. That is not prediction, however. Don’t get carried away on Monday. This is the playoffs.

More to come…

  • Jon

    I don’t see Green Bay getting “pummeled” by the Patriots. They squeaked by Indianapolis and the Giants, and the Jaguars gave them a game. I think Green Bay is one of the few teams that can actually beat the Patriots.

  • Mel

    Lets Focus on the Giants. The giants have not had to play from more than 1 score down this playoffs. Hopefully the Packers can get up 2 scores and force Manning into mistakes.

  • I Luv Brats

    If the Green Bay defense can rattle Manning, he’s gonna make some huge mistakes.
    That’s the key of the game……………..putting pressure on Manning.

  • JeffN

    I’m going to go with Al’s approach on the I told you so thing. Last week I said “let’s keep it simple guys the Packers are a much better team than Seattle”. I’ll say the same thing this week. Let’s keep it simple guys the Pack is a much better team than the Giants. I say the Pack wins by 10.

  • I Luv Brats

    Packers 30
    Giants 20

  • TRIP

    One word: Kampman. If we can rattle Manning, the Packers are in the Super Bowl. It’s as simple as that. But he’s building confidence, if he gets 3, 4, 5 seconds to think, the pressure will be on Favre to put the TDs up. In this weather, you want to contain Manning and let Ryan Grant run to glory. Al said it will be a 12 MPH wind that day. Does anyone know what the MPH was in the Chicago game?

    My prediction is that the Giants will have trouble putting the ball in the end-zone. They’ll move it, but will collect mostly FGs and not TDs.

    Packers 28
    Giants 16

  • Doug R

    Seattle’s D-line was small and their quickness was neutralized in the snow. Recall the Pack really struggled the last time they played a large (and good) D-line in Dallas. Dallas has an outstanding O-line and Romo got murdered by Giants D-line in the last half. They’re going to have to be able to throw to get the pressure off or it will be a long day. Pack has huge edge in the passing game especially against banged up Giants secondary. If it’s really cold and windy that might work to Giants advantage as will neutralize the pack’s passing game to some extent. The good news is that I don’t see the Giants scoring a lot of points against Pack D and home field is huge to disrupt their timing and fire up home team (hopefully we’ll see Bigby gone wild again). Also, the Pack O-line has really come together (maybe they figured out this zone-blocking thing…) and they have been opening holes as evidenced by the fact that both Grant and Jackson have been productive when in. I think Pack -7 is fair line and I would lean towards taking Pack to cover.

    I was watching the replay of 1998 Superbowl of GB v Denver on NFL Network and the similarities of current GB team to that Denver team is scary. You had a 38 year old legend in Elway and stud running back in Terrel Davis (#25) coming in against a heavily favored GB team with a young stud quarterback and some aging legends on defense. Hmmm…sounds like story line if Pack gets to play Pats.

  • http://www.packernet.com/blog/?p=74 zman

    Come on dont be cocky now guys the giants are still a good team i think we will win but only by 3 or seven points eli has been playing good and we have been playing awesome but either way it will be close i see the score at
    Packers 38
    Giants 31

  • http://www.packernet.com/blog/?p=74 Zach

    Come on dont be cocky now guys the giants are still a good team i think we will win but only by 3 or seven points eli has been playing good and we have been playing awesome but either way it will be close i see the score at around
    Packers 38
    Giants 31

  • http://www.packernet.com/blog/?p=74 Pack fan #1

    I think it will be a close game on sunday but if we get to the super bowl no way we can lose to the pats or chargers i mean come on the pats are good but they piss alot of ppl off and the pakcers know it. Favre will come up big and we will win the super bowl
    Packers 28
    patriots 13

  • Todd C.

    All I got to say is Mike McCarthy put the Vikings/Giants game tape in from the weekend of Thanksgiving and watch closely. Eli Manning can and should get rattled by the Packers D. The defense was on a mission Saturday afternoon. The front 4 played their best game since the Viking game. Coincidence? :-)

    If the Pack get up 7 or 10-0 early I really think Manning will press and give the Packers LB’s and Secondary great opportunities for INT’s.

    Yet I am not going to get overconfident. The game has to be played. Hopefully it turns out to be a Packers win and a trip to Arizona in Feb.

    GO PACK GO!

  • Stallion

    Classic Favre, another postseason loss because of him. The Packers are overrated. Ryan Grant? Who he? Retire already Favre before you embarrass yourself again in the postseason. That’s assuming you make the playoffs again!!! Excuse me but I have a vacation in warm Arizona to get ready for.

    G-I-A-N-T-S