I know this was a tough loss that ranks right up there in annals of Packers’ history, but I don’t put it in the same category as games such as these, rated in terms of pain.
1. The Super Bowl loss to Denver. Nothing else needs be said here.
2. The T.O. game when Steve Young falls down leaving center and gets up and throws the game winner with no time left. Still haven’t gotten over that one. More than likely the Packers would have had their chance to avenge their Super Bowl loss the previous season.
3. The fourth-and-26-loss to Philly. Sherman chickened out on fourth-and-one, Darren Sharper inexplicably was playing 35 yards off the line of scrimmage, and after winning the overtime toss Brett Favre promptly throws the game away with a moon ball that is picked off setting up the game winning field goal.
4. The NFC Championship loss to the Giants in Lambeau Field. The Giants miss about a dozen field goals sending the game to overtime and after winning the overtime toss Brett Favre promptly throws the game away with a moon ball that is picked off setting up the game winning field goal.
5. The loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the wildcard round that was the first Lambeau Field playoff loss in Green Bay Packers’ history. The Packers couldn’t stop Michael Vick and Favre threw two picks and completed only 20 of 42 passes as the Packers officially lost their Lambeau Field mystique.
Others receiving votes: The beat-down Randy Moss and the boys put on us in the 2005 playoffs; the six interception debacle in St. Louis in 2002. The Rams had 13 first downs and won 45-17. I was embarrassed to be a fan that day; the Bob Thomas field goal in 1983 that gave the Bears a 23-21 final game win knocking the Packers out of the playoffs and leading to the firing of head coach Bart Starr.
The loss to the Cardinals might be in the top ten but I just can’t feel that bad after the way the Packers fought back from a rough start and took it to overtime at 45-points a piece for crying out loud. This after being down 31-10 late in the third quarter. The Packers are a team on the rise and have a future MVP quarterback at the helm. Aaron Rodgers is just amazing. Even after throwing a pick on his first pass of the game on a stupid decision, he came back and threw for over 400 yards and four TDs in his first playoff start. Of course he had the big miss to Jennings in overtime that could have won the game, but if you’d said before the game we’d score 45 and lose I would have laughed at you. Rodgers will take the heat but it was the defense that let the Packers down in this game.
The Packers’ number two defense sure has a lot of work to do in the secondary. Head coach Mike McCarthy hired defensive Dom Capers to shore up the defense and in particular stop the run. Capers turned the Packers’ sieve-like run defense into the leagues best in one year. Year two his focus must be on bringing balance to the defense and shoring up pass defense. Part of that is looking at his own game plans too. Against Brett Favre, Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner, Capers’ defense couldn’t get home when they brought pressure and were ripped to shreds. Even when they played coverage against those QBs they had little success.
The offseason is going to be a hard one to predict with the upcoming labor war looming, so how the Packers go about improving the secondary and offensive line is anybodies guess. Players they thought they might lose they might not and players they thought would be available may not be. I’m not confident the two sides reach an agreement in time meaning the salary cap is a thing of the past. But that is a story for another day.
I’m not in mourning by any means. We know there will be football in 2010, any lockout would not come before 2011, so the Packers have the opportunity to keep the momentum going. I think they will be favored to win the NFC next year by many. Even with the disappointing loss I think it will be a much smoother offseason than last year when the team was coming off a 6-10 record and had questions galore. The problems areas are well defined but the strengths certainly outweigh them at this point.
The Packers can beat anybody in the league and they are still young and growing. Just imagine what Rodgers, Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley are going to do the next five years. Records are about to fall.
I think I will have one final take on the 2009 season as a whole and then focus on 2010. I like my Green Bay Packers and we might be on the verge of something special.
pb are you out there. What do you think?
another reason I like the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets is young Brian Schottenheimer….
Schottenheimer previously worked under his father as the quarterbacks coach in San Diego from 2002 to 2005 and Washington in 2001. He said the idea of beating the Chargers was enticing not because general manager A.J. Smith fired his father following the 2006 season but because he still has several friends on the team.
“This is a business,” Schottenheimer said. “The stuff that happened between Marty and A.J., that’s got nothing to do with it. It’s more of when I see those guys around the golf course or whatever, it would be nice to have bragging rights.”
Rick, lots of good reasons to like or dislike all four teams. But if you’re realistic the home teams have the advantage and best records for good reason. I don’t like the MN defensive backfield or mlb. The Jets can’t depend on the pro-bowl kicker to miss two gimmes again so we probably can back the NFC Saints who’ve never been or the best QB. I just hope it’s competitive, I actually like all of them even the ugly duckling Jets.
A bit of a downer. I was hoping for a good off season and our top talent guy is going to the Seahawks. I guess it’s half luck anyhow.
Mark-Mckenzie is the other half of operations and he is staying which is good. Our scouting department is not being raided so we are good there at least. Maybe we will sign a great RFA and have to lose a 1st and 3rd and then we won’t be drafting many picks this year.
Roy-
Jets-I like the Jets except Sanchez. I know it is a bad reason but he smells like Tim Couch or Akili Smith. I forgot about Brian coaching on the Jets
vs.
Colts-I am leaning Colts because a second Manning SB win will move him ahead of Elway on the top 5 of all time list of QBs. I also like home field advantage like Mark said.
Vikings- I love BF the Packer and I hate BF the Viking and the Vikings overall. I mean growing up almost everytime the Packers had a chance to get a winning record and maybe get to the playoffs the Vikings would crush it. But… an NFC winner would be nice and a north division SB winner doubly so, except for the Viking fans gloating over us.
vs.
Saints- I like Pierre Thomas and his family and the ‘aints have been bad for so long that an SB win would be like the Pirates or someone like that winning in baseball (not the cubs, that would be the lions winning). Again the homefield advantage.
Upon further review my vote to root for which teams is Colts and Saints. The battle of #1 seeds and whether Drew Brees gets to maybe go to the hall of fame or does peyton get to be one of the top 5 QBs of all time.
have you guys seen who we have to play next year and the road games we have. we better do some free agency moves for defense and depth with draft picks that can start immediately or we may be in trouble. our schedule was a little light this year but next year…ouch!
Awwww does poor wittle AR need some help next year…. if memory serves me correctly..thats what BF was asking for and TT woud not acquire…im just saying
I hear ya Ray…I hear ya
That’s all water under the bridge guys. And, none of it is #12′s fault. If some of us couldn’t appreciate #4 while he was here those of us that did should appreciate even more what #12 had to overcome this year. The same bumbling management would have gotten most other QB’s on the IR.