Got to have this one

The Green Bay Packers can take a big step toward getting a wildcard playoff berth with a win today. With two of their main competitors facing off when Atlanta visits New York today a win and the Packers are in. If the playoffs started tomorrow, at the very least the Packers would control their own destiny. Win and your in. The Packers can help themselves in two other ways today too. Beat San Francisco and you pretty much knock the 49ers out of the hunt. It also means Arizona will lock up the NFC West early leaving them with nothing to play for when the Packers travel to Arizona January third.

I’m a little worried about the Packer ability to handle the 49ers front seven. Give Aaron Rodgers enough time and he will pick apart the 49er secondary, but that is a big if this year. Without Ahman Green the Packers will not have their screen game which has been effective slowing the rush since Green joined the team. Mark Tauscher is back at right tackle after missing the Cowboys game so that should help the protection a little.

I think this will be another defensive battle today and the Packers will come out on top again. Packers 21, 49ers 17.

I’ll be on Twitter @packernetblog.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 11:41 am and is filed under Al Davis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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  • RayL

    I find it troubleing that we can’t put teams away….and our wins are against teams with a 19-39 record.

  • PackerPete

    OK people, here it is…

    The Packers can only beat the teams we play. Think about it…

    We just beat a 4-5 team with real wild card aspirations.

    This on top of a thorough beat down of the NFC east leading and 4 game win streak owning Cowboys.

    OK, we lost three close games to good football teams and beat ourselves on ST and turnovers in TB.

    We are a top 10 ranked offense and a top 5 ranked defense.

    That is reality.

    Lets have a little faith and let the season play out.

  • http://www.myspace.com/themissingrocks DelawarePackFan

    They should get Mike Mckensie in for a work out at corner.

  • Steve Cheez

    I wonder what Estus Hood is doing these days.

  • oddball

    I’m with you, Pete. The wins against Dallas and SF have me convinced that this team is probably on the right track. Good pass pressure today. Reasonable run blocking. Good effort from Grant. Good run stoppage except for that one early play.

    I like what I’m seein’ for the most part. Kampman going down bites – I love the guy. But Harris going down is more troubling in my opinion.

    In good news, I’m watching the Bears now and there can be no doubt that the Bears have nothing in Cutler that we don’t have in spades with Rodgers. He looks absolutely horrible in the first half.

  • Jay

    THE TITLE OF THE GREEN BAY PACKERS WEEK 11 2009 CHAPTER: The Tale of Two Teams

    I am excited that the Packers got the win today to improve to 6-4 and making a push for a playoff spot. The season ending injuries of Harris and Kampman on the defense are huge, and now we get to watch Jarrett Bush get burned for the remainder of the season. I will definitely take the win today, but I am very concerned about what I witnessed in the 2nd half. That is why I have titled this post “The Tale of Two Teams”.

    The Packers earned the victory today with the effort of two teams: the first-half eam, which seemed to hit on all cylinders and wasn’t letting up; and the second-half team, which played an ultra-conservative gameplan that bent, bent, bent, and very nearly broke, but still got the win.

    A critical eye needs to be placed on coach Mike McCarthy. When you are 5-4 and struggling for a playoff spot (especially after suffering two devastating losses to the Vikings early on) you do not let up on an opponent. The Packers out gained the 49ers with 362 yards of offense to SF’s 57 in the first half, and Alex Smith could barely complete a pass. The Packers gained confidence and put the boot to the 49ers throat and kept it there. Until halftime.

    But the Packers decided to play back on their heels in the second half, going very conservative, as opposed to the team that called timeouts at the end of the first half to add to a 14 point lead. The 49ers are a team that is just as hungry as the Packers are to stay in the playoff hunt, and you could see the 49ers confidence growing as the second half went on.

    McCarty called for a prevent offense (playing not to lose) in the second half. There are two very bad things that can happen when you do that. 1) You give the other team more chances for scoring drives and place more pressure on your defense; and 2) You transfer your momentum away and often find it hard to get it back when you actually need it.

    The Packers were outscored in the second half 21-9, and if a couple of calls had gone in the 49ers favor, the game might have had a different outcome. McCarthy has to realize that you never let up in the NFL, ever. If you need to substitute players, great…but you keep them playing 100% with a full playbook.

    Isn’t funny how (well, it’s not really funny) when the Packers were playing lights out in the first half, they had no injuries. But, when they started playing back on their heels, the injuries mounted.

    In the end, the Packers came out on top. It’s amazing how the Packers nearly repeated the debacle at Tampa Bay, but this time, prevailed to stay in the playoff hunt. The cost for this win, however, may be dear…two of our defensive veteran leaders out for the rest of the season.

    That stated, the Packers have a very favorable schedule the rest of the way, with only Pittsburgh and Arizona sporting winning records. In fact, the Steelers got beat today by the Kansas City Chiefs, so nothing is impossible. But the Packers have to find a way to put together four quarters of football in every game over the last six weeks. And when they have a team down, put the boot to their throat. THAT’S FOOTBALL. If you want to win, you can’t let up. If any lesson is to be learned from today’s game and the Tampa Bay game, it has to be that one.

  • packer_bob

    Well we got the win, but my dreams of riches eluded me in the second half. We didn’t cover—-ugh! That’s twice the Pack have given me the bone this year.

    But we’ll be in pretty good position if we beat the the Lions on Thanksgiving, and we’ve ran the ball well against two pretty good defenses for successive weeks. I like what I’m seeing, although that second half sucked!

    Of the injuries, I’m way more worried about Al Harris. Time to cross our fingers and hope those two catch a break!

  • http://jlworden1suddenlink.net LarryTex

    Jay, your second paragraph after 2) should be 3). Its proven time after time, in every sport, when you lighten up and play safe; thats when you get the most injuries.
    The common thread of this GB team to those of the last 50 years is that they do not have a “killer” instinct, it gets so frustrating.

  • iccyfan

    I was determined to stay positive this week but find that impossible after reading Jarrett Bush will move into the nickel defense in the Tramon Williams role. It won’t work – look back two weeks to the Tampa Bay game! There must be a long-in-the-tooth street free agent out there somewhere; Ty Law just signed with somebody a couple weeks ago and played that same week. C’mon Ted, leave Trevor Ford on the practice squad and find us a savvy old-timer with a half-season’s worth of games left in the tank…

  • Pack4life

    The injuries are in large measure due to MMs lack of coaching. The running game was working but MM was hell bent on stats or whatever. Hold the ball kill the clock win going away. The Packer could have drastically reduced the number of plays SF ran in the second half simply by killing the clock. Getting the starters out of the game should have been a priority for a team playing 3 games in 12 days. But nope.
    I wish Harris and Kampman all the best. They are high character guys that arent just numbers.

  • http://jlworden1suddenlink.net LarryTex

    Oooh, that hurts Pack4, but when you’re right, you’re right. Yeah, and Kampy’s trade value just went down one draft pick level, and increased his replacements value by at least a million.

  • packer_bob

    p4L,

    Dead on accurate. I felt we went into coast mode the 2nd half when MM should have been whipping the horses to make sure we finished them off.

    I’m a bit bitter because it cost me some money, but the bottom line is it could have cost us the game, and may cost us the playoffs since we lost 2 Pro Bowl players on defense. This could have been avoided if we had simply put them hopelessly behind in the early 3rd quarter as we should have.

    I am not looking forward to watching Bush getting scorched every other play, but I’m afraid that’s what we are all going to have to suffer through.

  • Mike from Arizona

    Does Bush have pictures of TT & MM naked. Is this why he is still on this team? In his time with this team, I have never saw him bat a ball down or intercept one. All I see are balls thrown over his head for TD’s.

  • Dan

    With Thanksgiving fast approaching, just want to say thanks to Kampman and Harris for their years as Packers. They’ve both a part of teams that won a lot of games for us.

    We may disagree on their talent and their impact on the team.

    One thing I think most of us agree with is that they’re both the kind of guys we want on the Packers. Put the pads on go out and play hard, lineup and do it all over again. Neither one runs in front of the camera. Just hard nosed, physical football players.

    Sucks to lose two football players like them.

  • Pack4life

    As large Capers Playbook is supposed to be, there is no way that Collins could have been put on Davis yesterday S on TE? sounds pretty basic to me. On top of his coaching ineptitude MM now has turned into a liar. Last week we heard that we are a defensive football team. I thought defensive teams ran the ball. Now MM says Derrick Martin wont play corner. Jarrett Bush… oh the humanity.
    Now this Detroit game is a must win
    On the positive note the front 7 is finally generating pressure, that will be key down the stretch.

  • Bob

    Harris is a bigger lost than Kampman, just because we have no depth at corner, even though Harris is way overrated. Don’t get me wrong, Kampman is a stud and very talented player, just wasn’t great in the coverage area. I feel bad for the both of them. It seems like everytime the Packers take a big step forward, something happens where they take 2 back. let’s hope the Pack make a big statement on Thursday by dominating the Lions, these are teams we need to put away early, and not be letting back in the games like the Idiot MM did yesterday. He has to be one of the worst play calling coach’s, stick with the run idiot!!!

  • Oddball

    A hellfire pass rush will cover a multitude of sins among the DBs – that’s for certain.

    I would think with a guy like Davis, you’d be in nickel almost all the time. I can only imagine that they got stuck somehow and putting Collins on Davis was the lesser (gack) of two evils. Didn’t Davis catch his TD over Matthews?

  • Mike from Arizona

    Will miss Kampman and Harris Leadership. Kampman is a free agent next year and will not be resigned. His injury will take 10 months to heal, so he will not be available until week 2 as next season. Sad, but a 4-3 team will pick him up.

    As for Harris, at 35 it is hard to comeback as a corner with this injury. He will most likely be released in the off-season. Hopefully, Williams can step up.

    We need veteran talent for our nickel and dime sets. Bush is a joke and Underwood is still learning.

    TT… Good organizations built depth in there teams just for this reason.

  • iccyfan

    After a very quick web search, I submit the following list of seemingly available old but experienced CB’s who could come in tomorrow and be better than Jarrett Bush as the new nickel back. I hope TT’s burning up the phone lines…

    Mike McKenzie, Patrick Surtain, Adam (Pacman) Jones, Brian Kelly, Ricky Manning, Jr., R.W. McQuarters, Sam Madison & Aaron Glenn.

  • packer_bob

    Iccy,

    I agree, we need someone besides Bush but you wouldn’t actually pick up Pacman would you?

  • Reid

    Mike from Arizona Says: TT… Good organizations built depth in there teams just for this reason.

    Mike – I agree, Bush is not the answer. Do you think that Pat Lee (IR), Will Blackmon (IR), Brandon Underwood would qualify as the depth we were trying to build? I think TT deserves a little credit for these 3 that were on the roster to start the season.

  • iccyfan

    PB – Pacman’s been cooling his heels since January without a paying job, so he just might have learned his lesson, and he’s only been allowed two strikes thus far (Titans & Cowboys). There won’t be nearly as many distractions in Green Bay as he found in Nashville, Dallas & Vegas, and it’s doubtful that Nelly will come to visit him given it’s almost December. Lastly, if he spits in a Green Bay female’s face or roughs up a stripper, she’s likely to kick the crap out of him! He’d be silly to pull a gun on anybody with deer season in full swing. In short, I don’t see how he can get in any trouble so I’d give him a call. He gets a six week regular season contract plus the playoffs; if it doesn’t work out he’s gone and the Vikings can take him for next year (play on the Mossy Cade reference from earlier in the thread)….

  • Reid

    Iccy – guys like Pacman find trouble anywhere. We’re not that desperate are we?

  • packer_bob

    Normally I’m for taking chances, but Pacman is just bad news. I suppose if he’s changed his ways or realizes he can’t screw up anymore, he wouldn’t be a bad risk. Somebody would have to sit an talk with him to determine just how much a risk he would be.

    We can forget about Mike McKenzie–he signed with New Orleans.

  • Mike from Arizona

    Reid – Underwood is new and still has potential. As for Lee, he has been on IR for nearly two season. Blackman is a good returner and a great athlete, but was never drafted because of his cover skills. In fact, Blackman was injuried when he was drafted. This is why he was drafted so late on the boards. A gamble from the beginning….

    In the past three year, Williams is the only one who has developed. Remember, TT resigned Bush for a million plus after Tennessee wanted him. So much for a good judge of talent. He sucked before and even more after his resigning.

    All we had was Williams as a capable backup when the season started. It is not like the Packers have Cap issues. …More like a penny wise pound foolish situation now.

    Did we really need three FB on the roster at the beginning of the season. We also had five very capable Receivers at the beginning of the season. Why not trade one for better depth in the Secondary.

    It is much harder now to build depth at this point in the season with a new defense.

  • iccyfan

    With my references to Nelly, deer hunting and tough Wisconsin strippers, I thought it was pretty obvious my argument for bringing Pacman to town was facetious…

    I guess I’m not as witty as I’d like to think; only roy jamison seems to get me, since he cites my Frosty the Puntman musings periodically…

  • Pete H

    now that is a name that should be banned from the site

  • 4205

    Mike – everybody assumes there are a lot of willing trade partners – not really a real life situation. Did trade Tony Moll to get Derrick Martin after Smith release. All three fullbacks have contributed and with the injuries would have been really short – same situation at reciever with Nelson and Finley hurt and Swain out for the year. Had GB kept Anthony Smith other areas would have been hit. At any rate, keeping Rouse on hope he recovered didn’t work out, Blackmon, Lee and Harris are now out and drastic measures will need to be taken!

    Not sure how much gas left in the names iccy raises, but got to be better in the short term than what the current roster holds? No massive pass rushers appear available.

  • Pack4life

    I would love pair Pac-Man with Atari :-)

  • roy jamison

    PackBob, you nobel peace prize guys should know garbage time in a game spoils covering the spread! Sorry to hear about Harris and Kampman, but that’s football. Kampman especially got the screws hoping to get a higher contract next year which I guess could be a lockout anyway. Maybe Mossy Cade is still available.

  • packer_bob

    Yeah, I should get the Nobel Prize for being a dumb ass. Sure was fun in the first half though. I was counting the loot and already getting ready to dump it all on Philly over Chicago. Sigh. Not meant to be.

    P4L,

    The only thing you get combining Pac-Man with Atari are sore hands. My right hand still has cramps from screwing around with the blasted joysticks those things came with. And it never worked right, so my guys kept getting eaten from the controller screwing up.

    At least that’s how I remember it!

  • Larry

    How about Ahman Carrol or Fred Vinson. Doug Evans would be a nice fit. We could wheel them out there for cover 2. Even Bush can play against detroit.

  • PackerPete

    Ya know guys, I thought that Joe Porter played better than Trevor Ford throughout the exhibition season.

    Porter is out there.

    I actually like the idea of signing Pac Man to a minimum contract laden with a lot of incentives, only a few football related and more than a few behaviorial. Assign him a couple of “God-Fathers”, players and coaches, and lets take a risk.

    This is what TT has failed miserably at, he has not taken one risk yet. Wolf was a risk taker and we remember the rewards, not the failures, and he had plenty.

    I am ready to say it…

    I believe this team just needs management to express supreme confidence in the starters as championship contending caliber players and they will respond.

    It seems as if the team is playing to expectations and management isnt raising the bar high enough.

    We are top 10 offense and top5 defense, the team should be EXPECTED to WIN, not just provide good stats.

    WINNERS find a way no matter the situation. WINNERS can lose the stat battle and still come out ahead on the scoreboard. This team can be WINNERS, but I think they need a kick in the ass with heightened expectations and now is as good a time as any.

    Kampy, God bless his soul, has been a great Packer in all ways but wasnt a good fit in this D scheme and we can cover for his performance thus far with our current roster.

    AH, God bless his soul, has been a great Packer in all ways but is getting old and slower although within this scheme he was fitting in very well. Replacing him will prove to be more difficult with our current roster. That is why I am ready to take a risk on a younger, more athletic problem child like Pac Man, albeit on a very, very, very short leash made of thick chain.

    The time is now to show the rest of the starters on this team that management will not let the likes of Jarrett Bush flush their efforts down the can this season and that they (Management) are behind them and their efforts by shoring up an injury depleted secondary by any means possible even at high potential risk if it can be moderated.

  • PackerPete

    Larry, Larry, Larry….

    Please tell me you really meant Ahman Carrol and NOT Ahmad Carroll. Please do not inflict that loser upon us again.

    Fred Vinson?? Fred Vinson?? His greatest value was in trading him for Ahman Green and I would wager dollars to donuts that Ahman Green is a better cover corner than Fred Vinson even today.

    Doug Evans might as well be Linda Evans, he is so far over the hill he is not even a speck in the distance.

    BUSH cannot play vs Det. BUSH is quite simply not an NFL caliber defensive back. I do not want to debate his roster-worthiness or ST value, we are not talking about ST, we are talking about NICKLE-BACK in our Defensive scheme. This means he would be on the field for half or more of our defensive snaps. DOOM DOOM DOOM.

    Do you get it?? He would get lit up like Baghdad. He has a track record and it is very poor. Now is the time for our so called Management team to earn their dough. We need a DB, not a ST demon. They need to find a “FIT” and get him in here.

  • http://jlworden1suddenlink.net LarryTex

    `PackerPete, my intention is not to nit-pick because I agree with what your last two posts put forth – with one exception. I don’t see Wolf as much of a risk taker. Once he had his leaders on O and D he tried to build thru the draft and failed badly. In ’95 he had to jump big time into FA because of his draft failures and REGGIE wasn’t getting any relief for his deteriorating back – like, now or never, and he knew it. I will concede the risk(s) he took on O because of Jackson, Beebe and Rison. But, the D guys were solid and wanted to come because of Mr. White.

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