Am I the only one here who is smiling today?

This season the Packers rose above a 6-10 record last year, completely changed their defense, added some quality rookies, cobbled together an offensve line comprised of aging and younger players, saw the continuing development of some of its younger players, overcame various key injuries, improved its special teams play somewhat (except PK and P), saw its QB lift his game, saw its coaches get their team ready time and again, saw the team pick itself up time and again after TB, MN and Pitt losses, and saw the twam pick itself up and get back in the game yesterday after being down by multiple scores several times.

Face it, these guys are FUN to watch!

This situation reminds me of 1995 when the Packers suffered a far more emotionally devasting playoff game in Dallas. And we all know what happened the next year.

We just need to draft (and maybe sign) a couple of players, and this team could go deep in the playoffs next season. TT and MM officially get a passing grade from me for this season an dth eprceding off-season. We just need to keep getting better.

Al – Thanks again for running the best Packers info/blog/chat site on the ‘Net.

Jack I have to disagree. 1995 was the NFC championship game, you knew you lost to the best team in football. This was more like 1982 vs Dallas when mistakes cost us the game. I think this game is exhibit B (2007 vs Giants being exhibit A) that cant count on MM to coach a halfway decent in a big game. Killing the clock in 1st half was piss poor. Lining up Crosby from 54 and giving up that field position was moronic.
The last drive was a syllabus of errors. Someone needs to explain to MM the rules of overtime. Going for the home run would have been nice if we had decent field position. That play put us immediately behind the chains. Clock no longer a factor vs a gassed defense Run Ryan Grant he was fresh. Get some field position then take some shots. Then Daryn Colledge went and really lost the the game. (please take him and his wife back to Alaska) The was no reason to abandon the run in OT. Is it a coincidence the last 2 MM playoff games have ended on a turnover in OT??

JJ agree with you on both of your above posts. I don’t fault either Rodgers or Favre.

In both games, both QB’s played well enough to win, yet both made the critical turnover to lose the game so they share the blame, as both were team losses. Against the Giants we had no run game and the O-Line couldn’t slow down Strahan and Tuck all game long.

Yesterday, we spotted them 14 points & the Defense didn’t bother to get off the bus. We lost this game due to our lack of depth in the secondary. Jarrett Bush, Bell, Giordano, Underwood couldn’t handle Warner and their 3,4,5 WRs. Losing Harris, Blackmon and Lee to injury finally bit us in the ass.

Alot of positives to build on. Need CBs, Safeties and OTs and this can be legitimate SB contender in the next few seasons. Better pay Collins, and I think we need to bring back one of our 2 Tackles, as insurance. Don’t care to have a repeat of the 1st half of the season next year…

Pack4, I don’t understand why you’re griping about the first play call in OT.

It caught Arizona with their pants down and SHOULD have ended the game!!!

The only failure on the play was execution. Don’t blame a coach for a play call that results in a WR 5 yards past the deepest defender on a ball thrown to him.

Agree that the secondary and O line’s need upgrades BUT Arizona’s nickle/dime backs weren’t any better.

Jimmy Johnson (X Dallas coach) said against elite QB’s you play more COVERAGE than blitz…I’m cetainly not qualified to argue with HIM but given that KW only had 4 incompletes GB probably should have sent 6 or 7 a couple of times just to try to hit him…the worst that could happen was a completion….and that already happened.

GB cannot sign everyone that’s going to be a FA. It’s going to be interesting to see who’s in and out. We may see Dom Capers interview for a head coaching job..I’m not sure who runs the 3-4 if that happens.

A lack of physicality cost us the game. The Packers have been through multiple defensive coordinators and I think it is fair to say that the defensive problems are the fault of the personnel. While it may not be popular, I believe Nick Barnett, AJ Hawk, Jarret Bush, Atari Bigby, and Ryan Picket should be shown the door. I realize I may get a lot of blow black for Barnett in particular but he lacks the dynacism and stoutness to occupy the MLB position. He is fabulous at making tackles twelve yards down the line of scrimmage. We need wholesale changes on the defensive side of the ball.

On a positve note, we knew Jennings was a good player but he is going to be a very very special player. Also, Finley will be an elite TE in the NFL for the next decade.

Pack4Life, I have to agree with you on the MM bashing. I said the same thing about MM last week and was jumped all over. MM brought does not bring this team in ready to play. It showed just like in most big games this year (Minn, Pitt). I thought the same thing kicking the field goal knowing our kicker has the leg but will miss MM was saved by a turnover at that point. Watching the end of the game I thought Pitt game leaving too much time on the clock and we should have lost then. If we had come out and matched their energy to start the game the ending would not have had to come down to a failed call by the refs who really cost us the game in the end. The got rid of Dungy in TB and the next year they won the SB. Just a thought. But this I feel strongly about MM should not be calling the plays he needs to be the head coach and focus on management.

See you all at the draft – not going to get pulled into this MM bashing and AR/BF comparisons that mean nothing at this point. There are areas that need to be shored up but QB and coaching are not two of them… I think the fact that this team made the play-offs at all with a very young and inexperienced group of players playing in a new defensive scheme is a testament to the coaching itself. Not often you see the team buying into a scheme they way the young Packers bought into this new defensive scheme. I credit MM, AR and CW with pulling this team together and getting us some exciting play into the play-offs. That will not change – I’ll be back come the Draft cause it seems everyone is going to get all worked up and argue about shit that really isn’t even of consequence at this point. Ya’ll have a been fun to chat with aside from a few Favre ball washers – even still – everyone has had some very good commentary to read…

We lost 20% of our defense w/the loss of two probowl players. Harris’ and Kampan’s biggest affect is in the pass game. They doubled Matthews sometimes and no one else got close. We needed Kampy to collapse the other side. Jones didn’t get it done. No one stepped in to fill Harris’ shoes. Take Allen and a starting CB off the purple faggots defense and see how they’d do…….. As for the facemask penalty that gets mentioned, the one Jolly(?) got called for on AZ’s TD that gave them their 37th point, that’s the one they should be pointing out. I don’t remember it being much worse than the the one they didn’t call on the last play. Plus the offensive lineman was tackling Jolly and Fitzgerald stuck his helmet into Woodson to knock him away to make an easy catch. Like I’ve been saying, the refs suck!@!!! They need to give teams 20 challenge flags and allow everything to be challenged so we can get the games correct. Sure the games would take longer, but I consider that a bonus!!!!

I’ll have more to say later but thought this was intereting from ESPN. If you add Favre’s Roethlisberger and Warner’s numbers together, combined they were like 71%
with a 140 rating and no INTS against 15 TD’s. Then this:

“It’s one thing to get beat by top quarterbacks, but it’s another to be gashed as if there is no resistance. I’m not sure where that dividing line is, but I’m pretty sure the Packers were at the wrong end of it this season. In-game adjustments seemed scarce at best. The team’s inability to so much as slow down top-level passing attacks must be a top offseason priority.”

No lies there.

You’ve probably noticed as teams start to fall behind the refs kick in a couple calls. Blowouts aren’t good for business or ratings………..

The fact that the NFL felt compelled to release a statement is very damning. I wonder if they took notes from the Warren Commission. Pro Football weekly ranks the Offensive Coordinators MM is #4 in all of the NFL for perspective Whisenhunt is #12 wow.
Saw that stat. on Big Ben, Warner and Favre, they all had the same gameplan spread em out Woodson can only cover 1 person Williams same thing eventually you will find you know who. Since this is a copy cat league I bet the Bears and Lions will find some 4 WR sets also. Here is another thought in light of yesterdays game how big is the Justin Harrell pick now??

Is anyone going to cheer for the Cardinals with me? OR are you going to support the Minnesota Brett Favres? Cowgirls, aint’s.

I would like to see AZ win the SB but they must tighten up their defense (of course now that the Pack is out).

On further review (seriously I have watched th eplay 20 times now), on the last play of the game, Rodgers kicked the ball but it did not go very far. The player that caught Rodgers’ “punt” — yes a punt — ran it into the endzone for the winning TD. Thus, Rodgers should not be charged with a fumble or interception, but rather a punt that was run back.

Also, the player seen pulling Rodgers’ facemask during and after his “punt”, was merely assisting Rodgers in the adjustment of his equipment, which is considered a professionbal courtesy in the NFL, like helping another player up from the ground.

You are all welcome for these rules and rulings clarifications.

+1 on the first paragraph, Zach.

From Fanhouse.com: “If it was determined the foul happened before the Cards gained possession, the Packers would have retained the football and been awarded 15 yards and a first down (they call this the “clean hands” stipulation, meaning you can’t get the ball on a change of possession unless you haven’t committed a penalty. If you had committed a penalty, you didn’t get the ball with clean hands).”

DA,

We haven’t exactly seen eye to eye lately but I don’t want this to seem like I’m taking issue with you just because it’s you.

But seriously—if you think refs make calls to influence the flow of the game for ratings, why do you watch the games? If I thought it was rigged, I’d give up on the game personally. Just curious.