Al,

Great post! You’re completely right, the loss (all of our losses in fact) have not just been the fault of the O. The defense certainly bears some responsibility, and the reason they probably didn’t have a special teams only gripe session was they wanted to avoid a mass suicide.

I’m shaky on the benefits of these kinds of meetings myself, and agree that it is curious that players have to call this kind of meeting to motivate themselves. Perhaps if we had Gunnery Sargeant Hartman from Full Metal Jacket as coach, the team would have had “the proper motivation!” from day one. I’m all in favor of a towel party for the entire team if it would help at this point.

But the chips are all in the pot for this game, and maybe face to face accountability and hostility will press our performance to where it needs to be. At this point I invoke the dictum “It’s time to do something, even if it’s wrong!”

So, we’ll see. Nobody saw last week’s loss coming, maybe we can be equally surprised in the opposite direction this Sunday.

Dear Ted and Mike

Please do not feel bad about your inability to build a winner in Green Bay. Packer fans are use to being downtrodden. After the glory years of the 60′s and the retirement of another HOF quarterback, the organization wandered for 30 years in the wilderness as one prophet after another tried to lead us back to the promised land. After basking in the land of milk and honey for the last 16 years, the football gods cast out the Packer Nation for being fat with gluttony. It is not your fault you do not know how to trade or draft talent Ted, nor Mike should you gnash your teeth because you get out coached every Sunday because you do not know that in land of Lambeau you need a solid running game and guards who can pull and run screens and backs who can catch the football and follow the guards. But Ted you let the light of Lambeau blind you into not trading for Mr Randy Moss who if you had brought to the land of cheese would have caught many touchdowns and give us the golden fleece we seek so much. You blame Favre for throwing the interception that cost you a Super Bowl appearance, but there was no way that the young Packer team could have beaten the Mighty Brady because he had Mr. Randy Moss. Al Harris could not cover Plaxico Burress let alone Mr. Randy Moss. Oh Ted if you had only traded for Mr. Randy Moss all would be well in Packerland today. Maybe the next time you get a job at the top you will be wiser. Its time for you and Mike to go now, as the next team is here to try and right the ship and draft linemen who can block and pull and run screens, and trade for running backs who can follow the linemen to the endzone. Its time for the next duo to make their mark in Packerland and try and bring out from the wilderness of no postseason games back back to the land of milk and honey known as the Super Bowl. Good Bye Ted and Mike…it wasnt you, it was the ZBS and the 3-4 defense that cast you into the pits of losing seasons.

Regardless of how disappointing our season has been, it sure was sweet to see Da Bearse go down in flames. Thanks, Jay, you are the new IM.

Bears fans are calling for Cowher. Browns supposedly talking to Holmgren.

If GB wants in on the bidding, TT has to go soon. We don’t want to make the same mistake we made when we hired MM (offensive coordinator of the worst offense in the NFL, so we make him head coach). Could have had Sean Payton had we moved quicker.

You know what Dan, I think we would have had more Super Bowls if only we had hired Parcells instead of Holmgren!

LT,

Cutler had a horrible game last night, just horrible. But living in the Chicago I can assure you, nobody around here, from the fans to the sports radio loud mouths etc., felt the Bears were just a QB away. The line from the start on the Cutler move was “we’ve got the QB, now we’ve got to build around him.” They expected the defense to look better and thought they had upgraded the line

I’m happy as hell THE BEARS STILL SUCK, but it is way too early to brand the Cutler move a mistake no matter how many picks he throws this year. That move should be judged 2-3 years from now, not this season.

It’s quite the predicament this organization is in. The team looked unemotive last week, and we’re all in the agreement that they need to be “breathing fire” on Sunday at Lambeau, or will it be quite obvious that the season could in fact be lost.

Now, what happens then? Do the players officially give up on the coaching staff? I dunno.

And in terms of a new coach for next year, TT could be talking to a few guys, but you know how quiet he likes to keep things. At the same time, this is a interesting period for him too, considering the level of talent on the field.

Not sure about not being here TT/MM next year. Would Marky Mark and the ownership committe really be willing to swallow 18 million dollars worth of waste? TT at least stays I think, and probably MM too. Horrible scenario I know, but you need to look at it economically. Because face it, if you fire MM, take the hit on that $, you’re going to shell out even more for a Cowher or Holmgren. Shanny or Chucky might be cheaper though, considering their recent tribulations…

That wasn’t just the company line, it was the line from everybody on sports radio that I heard and they are from parrots for the Bears front office. Most of them recognized that the Bears would have to add some talent at receiver over the coming years, I think they’re all surprised about the falloff by the D and there O-line is worse than they thought it was going to be.

If Cutler has an attitude problem, I would agree that’s an issue. I wasn’t making a comparison between Rodgers and Cutler, I think Rodger’s is clearly the better one. Just saying that no matter how bad Cutler looked last night, I wouldn’t be so sure it was mistake just yet.

Reid,

The Bears just got Cutler and had to give up their prime draft picks for next year to do it. That’s why I would judge the Cutler experiment two to three years in. This is year FIVE for both Rodgers and TT being here. Is that not enough time to have a team built around him, or do we need five more?

LT,

I don’t know what the feelings were in the Bear front office, but everything I heard around here had nothing to do with “we’re just a QB away.” I think coming off a 9-7 but no playoff year last year, most thought the Bears would be at least a playoff contender, and clearly they’re not. But most thought the Bears would give Cutler an extension to lock him up for an extended period of time, and then add pieces around him. They gave him the extension, so it sure looks to me like that’s the plan.

Cutler may not pan out. Maybe he is a mental case, hell, I don’t know. I hope they have to put him in a rubber room, I sure as hell don’t want to see him succeed in Chicago! I’m just saying dismissing the Cutler acquisition on the basis of last night is just as asinine as looking at the TB game and making sweeping conclusions about Rodgers.

From Peter King…

“The Bears are in a vicious cycle: Because they can’t run the ball consistently, they’re forced to let Cutler try to make every first down, and because the defense knows he’ll be throwing so much, the rush can break down the pocket and lead Cutler to mistakes. How to fix it? The only way to put scotch-tape on it now is to max-protect more with an extra blocker on every pass play, either with an extra tight end or extra back — or both. And in the offseason, GM Jerry Angelo will have to spend every waking moment finding a tackle and at least one guard. Blaming Cutler is fine, and much of it’s deserved. But it’s also the easy way out. In football, it’s never as simple as blaming one person.”

Now think about the Pack, and ask yourself; Self, if TT is still here after these 8 games, is he going to go out and find “a tackle and at least one guard”, in a possible uncapped year no less?

LT – thanks, you pretty much summed up my response. Objectivity is lost in the need to bash the current organization. I’m not defending MM or TT, just would like people to play fair and hold everyone to the same standards.

I’m waiting until the end of the year to voice my opinion on the MM & TT situations. I saw Sherman teams that started slow every year and then turned it on late. I will wait until enough games have been played to determine the outcome.

Until then, I will support this team, the players, the organization, the head coach, and the GM, and really hope that the head coach can get thru to these guys and they look like they are prepared each week to win.

LT,

No, AR is not in his second year. If you want to say he’s in his second year as a starter you’d be right, I just don’t much see the point in pretending last year was his rookie season. As a professional football player, he’s in year 5. Unless the Packers weren’t paying him for the first three, in which case he’s not too bright.

Many in the Chicago area were ready to fire Lovie last year, and many more are certainly calling for his head now. I’m not trying to defend Lovie, the Bears or Cutler. I’m just saying I consider dumping on the Cutler move premature, and is as wrongheaded as saying “Rodger’s hasn’t won anything, he can’t come from behind to win, etc.” Saying it on the basis of last night is particularly knee-jerk.

PackerNYC,

Good quote from Peter King. Normally, I’d say no, I don’t expect TT to pick up a guard and a tackle in the offseason, but assuming he’s still here after this season I think you might be surprised what you see.

TT changed his m.o. in the draft this last off season, so if he’s starting to feel the heat, I wouldn’t be shocked if we aren’t a little more active in free agency.

NYC – As I think another has said, unless we just totally collapse here in the second half, I have to think Ted Thompson is back for at least one more year. Given that and assuming our O-line doesn’t mystically form into a cohesive unit, I think he damn well better be beating the brush for whatever help he can get at O-line and running back.

But no matter what he does or doesn’t do, the final judgement has to be based on results.

OMG, I just read about McCarthy and the grounds keeper that was fired. Makes McCarthy look like the Grinch who stole Christmas.

I don’t know what was said or done, I wasn’t there, but McCarthy is getting asked questions about this when we’re about to be playing for our season, at home, against Dallas? Somebody made a piss poor decision unless the info I read is a million miles away from what actually happened.

Let’s pray that’s the end of it, sometimes these human interest stories have a way of blowing up in the media, especially if it allows them to portray it in a populist outrage kind of way. (Coach on losing streak has loyal Pack volunteer fired for asking for team to take it to em, what a bastard, or some such variant thereof.)

As I reccall, the story about the dog wasn’t true.

Lol….McCarthy is a douche. He was solely responsible for the firing of the groundskeeper. The comment was made, “Hey coach, you got them boys fired up to kick some butt on sunday?” It wasn’t yelled, or voiced in a way that could be taken offensive. It was a friendly salutation pretty much. The man that said the egg laying part, he is still working there and isn’t man enough to fess up.

Don’t for a second believe that MM is not at fault for this. It clearly shows the tensions inside the organization. Maybe if he didn’t suck so much, it would have never been taken this far.

Al, great article about Devine. Living in Miami at the time we only got second hand reports. Making the Hadl trade, one of the worst in NFL history, as a lame duck GM is something I didn’t remember.

I’m not positive, but I think Crayton has made bulletin board statements the last two times the Cowboys played the Packers…..Unfortunately, I can’t recall what was said….Didn’t seem to make much of a difference anyway.

The hour is late, I’ve had way too much to drink, so in honor of the Tennessee Tuxedo cartoon I just saw on TV Land, I’m going into the Way Way-Back Machine. Verbally I may be reduced to stuttering incomprehensiblility at this point (at least so sayeth my beautiful wife and current master right now) but I feel strongly that my synapses are still firing at an appropriate level and amazingly I still have the ability to type, therefore I soldier on.

For those of you that enjoy this forum but are illiterate, I have posted a verbal version of this on You Tube. For those of you that enjoy this forum but are illiterate, and deaf, I have also posted a link to You Tube of me delivering this entire post via sign language, just look for it under the heading that says “I’m sure God Has A Plan In His Infinite Wisdon, I Just Don’t Know What It Is.”

So anyhoo, this is from October 4th of last year, by me:

“But the bottom line for the Pack right now is that we haven’t looked good, especially against competent opponents. We can’t run, protect our quarterback, stop the run, get much pressure from the D-line——oh, and we’re turning the ball over, committing a boat load of penalties, our new punter sucks and let’s see, should I go on? I agree with those also who have commented about our lack of adjustments and would say that in large chunks of the last few games we have been outcoached.”

Sound familiar?

Then somebody said we couldn’t talk about Brett Favre “by Packernet Law” on this board anymore. So here was my response:

“New packernet law: Do not use the names “Brett” or “Favre”; in act, when possile avoid using the letters “B” or “F.”

I we don’t eat the Atlanta alcons today, we will e in ig troule the rest o’ the season.”

Sorry to subject the unwilling to this, was just running through old posts out of boredom and cracked myself up! I know it’s a little mastiburtory, but I’m drunk and in that kind of mood! If Al looked back to that time, he’d probably shut down the site again, so just take it for what it’s worth! (= not all that much.)

Peace y’all! And let’s whip them Cowpokes!

That scout’s assessment of the Pack from the last two games, on the article page, is a good read!!!!! I’m a bit surprised by Colledge’s play considering it’s a contract year. Instead of landing a big one, he may be shown the door…. has looked like shit!!!

Remember the movie the replacements? time to go to the nearest hell raising Bar and find us some mean hard core people, I’m tired of the soft baby players that we have on our team, with an exception of a few. Are offesive line are a bunch of Marshmellows. We need some character to this team, bring back Chuck Cecil!