This is what it feels like to be a Cleveland Browns fan. Tuning in every week, pissed off before the game even starts, knowing your guy ain't got what it takes, and yet somehow getting your hopes up anyway. This is Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn and Charley Frye and Tim Couch and so on. Your friends don't even want to make fun of you any more. It feels like kicking a dog. It's not any fun, I understand that. I'm not trying to be a Pollyanna about this, but our playoff chances were only slightly diminished by yesterday's loss. The first place Lions lost, the Bears won, and we're still just one game out of first place, with a game remaining against both division rivals. We've also got the Vikings at home on Sunday, a game that is winnable no matter who's under center. We're not in 'must win' territory (since a loss would not mathematically eliminate us from playoff contention, the only circumstance in which a game is 'must win'), but this next game is important. Anyone who saw Rodgers on the sideline yesterday could tell that he's dying to play. I still don't think he makes it back for the Lions game, but I get the impression that he's gonna push hard for it. It can't be easy to watch his team flounder like this. The obvious silver lining is that our backup QB is getting incredibly valuable regular season snaps, which could make him a more viable second option down the road. It's a reach, but we gotta take something positive away from that performance yesterday. Here's what I liked and didn't like:
What I Liked:
Jordy Nelson: Well I don't think I've ever seen THAT Jordy before. I've seen the 8-catches-and-100-yards Jordy before, but I've never seen the shit-talking-show-boating-
Third Down Defense: The Giants managed to go just 4 of 14 on third down. Various other shortcomings rendered this normally important stat irrelevant yesterday, but it's still important to me god dammit.
Brad Jones: The production from our middle linebackers just keeps coming. Thirteen tackles, three of them for a loss, a sack and another hit on the quarterback. He was flying around, making great reads, blowing plays up, basically doing just what you want your best middle linebacker to do. Credit the scouting department and Ted Thompson for plucking the underrated Jones in the seventh round five years ago, and credit the coaching staff for moving him from outside linebacker to inside linebacker halfway through his career. It has worked out well. Of course he was MIA on the two converted 4th and 1's...
What I Didn't Like:
Coaching Decisions: Now I'm not gonna be so brash as to question McCarthy's play calling overall, but I'm also not going to be so compliant as to simply accept his decisions on fourth down. The fake punt was predictable, unimaginative, and a failure. Do you really think a direct snap sweep to M.D. Jennings is your best chance to pick up six yards? How about you just run a normal fucking play? You know, like, maybe a pass to one of your awesome receivers? Or a draw play to your awesome running back if you've already sold out on the whole misdirection thing? Anyway this was as clear an example of out-coaching yourself as I can remember. Worse than the fake punt was the decision to actually punt on fourth and one, down by two scores, with under 11 minutes to play. You just knew the game was over at that point. This game is a black mark on Mac C's coaching record if you ask me.
Scott Tolzien: Go ahead. Go ahead and defend his performance yesterday. Point out the deep balls. Point out the yards. Point out the 'grit.' Go ahead and reveal what a dumb shit you are. Sorry, sorry, I don't take losing well. All I'm saying is, this guy sucks. You can throw for 900 yards for all I care, it doesn't mean a fucking thing if you can't score touchdowns and you throw three picks. He was rushing throws, staring down receivers, generally looking like a first time starter. He also didn't get sacked once, so it's not like he didn't have time to work through his progressions. And let's not forget that the Giants secondary is dog shit. I'm less confident in Scotty 2 Hotty now than I was before the game yesterday, and McCarthy has a decision to make.
Running Game: Obviously the Giants knew we were going to need to run the ball, and they clearly won the classic "who can execute when we all know what is going to happen" battle. Twenty rushes for 55 yards. Eddie Lacy averaged just 1.9 yards per carry, but he ran into a brick wall every time he touched the ball. The blockers just couldn't open any holes for the backs. Again, a little more creativity in how we tried to run the ball would have been nice (perhaps another toss or two, a shovel pass, a draw, an end-around). Maybe Don Barclay's absence at right tackle was the reason, maybe it wasn't, but 55 yards on the ground won't get it done, with or without Aaron Rodgers.
Extra Points:
- Greg Olsen, Jordan Reed, Jason Witten, Denarius Moore, Keenan Allen, Josh Gordon. A list of just a few of the pass catchers who have more receptions, yards, AND touchdowns than the once elite Greg Jennings. Jennings does not rank in the top 50 of any of these categories.
- Jermichael Finley underwent successful spinal fusion surgery last Thursday in Pittsburgh. He says he has 'every intent of coming back,' but history tells us it won't be with the Packers. The question we have to ask ourselves is, 'How is it going to feel when a player is lying paralyzed or worse on the turf?' Football is fun, but not important.
- Here's an awesome article by Jason Lisk and Michael Shamburger about pass plays at the goal line that the Packers' play callers would do well to read.
- The Packers have not held a lead for 11 quarters.
- McCarthy has named Tolzien the starter against the Vikings
**BONUS QUOTE OF THE WEEK**
"Once you're elected to office, you become a less important person in history. That is, you may become more important in the eyes of the establishment, in that you have the power to make decisions but less important as a factor in social change because as soon as you take office, you are being battered by all of the instruments of wealth and power, which diminish whatever moral compassion you initially brought to that office."
- Howard Zinn
**WHAT WAS I DRINKING**
The bitter, viscous broth of defeat.
No comments:
Post a Comment