Week Ten in Review

Home losses are never a good thing, conference losses are never a good thing, and we're now out of first place. Realistically, this loss should come as no surprise. It's certainly not the end of the world, as we're just one game out of first place, with one more game remaining against the first place Lions. Let's also not forget that the Lions are stupid. As I stated last week, we need just one win from our backup QB if Rodgers can make it back by December. That means that Scott Tolzien or Seneca Wallace or Matt Flynn or Graham Harrell or Vinny Testaverde or whoever the fuck plays quarterback for us against the Giants, Vikings, and Lions needs to get a win. It would be huge if Rodgers could make it back for the Thanksgiving Day game against the Lions, but that's totally up in the air right now. Scott Tolzien looked equal parts encouraging and horrible yesterday. To Scott's credit, McCarthy said after the game that he was running plays that he had never even practiced before. That's a massive hurdle for a young quarterback making his first NFL appearance. The thing is, he doesn't need to know the playbook to know that you can't throw interceptions in the red zone. And he doesn't need to know the verbage to hit a wide open receiver 20 yards down the field. We gave ourselves tons of chances in this game, and failed to convert time and again. As with last week, offensive ineptitude is not totally to blame for the loss. The season is far from over, and it's too early to start hashing out the wild card race, so let's just continue to be realistic about where we are and what we need to do. We still control our own destiny. Here's what I liked and didn't like:

What I Liked:

A.J. Hawk: Dare I say it? Dare I say that A.J. Hawk is finally emerging as a star in the league? No, I daren't. It's just another very good game this year. He lead the team in tackles as usual and had two tackles for loss. He sniffed out a toss play beautifully early on AND made the tackle four yards in the backfield. He blew up a screen play that could have been big yardage for the Eagles. But the play he made that I liked the most was one that won't show up on the stat sheet. Philly was threatening on third down from about the ten yard line when Nick Foles rolled out to his right with one receiver in front of him. The receiver was covered as Foles drifted towards the line of scrimmage, maintaining the threat of a run. Hawk was in zone coverage about five yards deep, and made the snap decision to rush Foles instead of continuing to drop back. His decent speed forced a quick decision from Foles, which ended up being a ball essentially thrown away. Again, it's just one good game, but the list is growing this year.

Is this some kind of reverse grave digger?

Datone Jones: Dat One (stupid nickname if you ask me) flashed yesterday with two big sacks and three tackles. Ted Thompson has not had a ton of success drafting linemen in the early rounds, and Jones was off to a slow start this year. Conventional wisdom says that you can never have too many quality big men, and Jones would be a huge boost long-term if he lives up to the first round hype. He's quietly doing the kinds of things that you'd like to see from an athletic 285 pounder, including recovering a fumble and blocking a kick. The thing is, I'd rather see him compile some consistent tackle and sack stats. He's still just 23 years old and adjusting to the speed of the game in the NFL. The trenches at this level are straight up nasty, but I think he's got a chance.

What I Didn't Like:

Run Defense: The defense gave up over 200 yards on the ground and 5.5 yards per carry. LeSean McCoy ran all over us, averaging 6.2 yards on 25 carries. Nick fucking Foles converted several crucial third downs running the ball. Nick Foles? That fucker looked about as agile as a baby giraffe on acid. And yet there he was, galumphing along with all the dexterity of a grape stomping news anchor to the tune of 4.8 yards a clip. Granted Philly runs the ball as well as anyone in the league, and LeSean McCoy is a superstar, but we can't have this shit. Our front seven cannot get pushed around if we expect to win games with Scott Tolzien under center. A simple fact.

Nice catch for a degenerate racist.

Big Play Defense: Nothing on the football field exists in a vacuum. Every facet of every play works in concert to create the eventual outcome. Giving up 200+ yards on the ground means you'll be forced to crowd the line, which means you'll be forced to play single high safety, which means you're susceptible to the big passing play. That being said, to give up TD plays of 32, 45, and 55 yards to players like Nick Foles and Riley Cooper is inexcusable. Yea fine, Foles threw seven TDs last week. Do you think he can do that again? How about five TDs? Nobody believes in Foles, nor should they, so our allegedly improved defense should have been able to shut his ass down. They could not.

Mason Crosby: It was windy yesterday, no doubt about that. A blustery Lambeau Field is a challenging environment in which to kick, but that's exactly why we drafted Mason Crosby. He had experience kicking in inclement weather at the University of Colorado, and is supposed to be comfortable with the conditions he saw yesterday. It was a challenge and an opportunity for him, and he failed to rise to the occasion. What's going to happen when there's snow on the ground?

Extra Points:

- Scott Tolzien has been named the starter at QB for now.

- Starting in 1992, the Packers had just three QB's take a snap in regular season action over the course of 340 games. They've matched that total in two games this year.

- Aaron Rodgers over his career in the red zone has thrown 131 touchdowns and three interceptions. Scott Tolzien has thrown zero touchdowns and one interception.

- Back-ups Jarrett Boykin and Brandon Bostick combined for 16 targets, while starters Jordy Nelson and James Jones combined for 17. Backup QB's favor backup pass catchers, it's a familiarity thing, and it's probably not good.

**BONUS QUOTE OF THE WEEK**

"The corporate oligarchs have now seized all institutional systems of power in the United States. Electoral politics, internal security, the judiciary, our universities, the arts and finance, along with nearly all forms of communication, are in corporate hands. Our democracy, with faux debates between two corporate parties, is meaningless political theater. There is no way within the system to defy the demands of Wall Street, the fossil fuel industry or war profiteers. The only route left to us, as Aristotle knew, is revolt."

- Chris Hedges

**BONUS QUOTE #2 OF THE WEEK**

"That bitch was only fucking with you cuz you had a good ass job, nerd."

- Too Short

**WHAT WAS I DRINKING**

Augustiner Edelstoff, a Dortmunder/Helles lager, brewed with just three ingredients (water, barley malt, hops). This brewery was established in Munich in 1328 and is privately held to this day. It's a simple beer and a great change of pace from the commonly over-hopped, over-marketed, over-processed ales flooding the market these days. Tradition can be a dangerous thing, but when it comes to beer, I'm all for it.