How
bout we start this week’s ramble with a quote, mkay? “It’s a long season, and
we’re still in first place. We’re not pushing the panic button. One win doesn’t
make a season and one loss doesn’t lose it. Nobody likes to lose but maybe this
was a good thing for us. We’ll come back.” That’s a statement made by an oddly
shaped human named Vince Lombardi. He made that statement after the undefeated
1965 Packers got their asses kicked in Chicago. Like most years back then, the
Pack went on to win the 1965 NFL championship. Anyway the point is we lost one
game, who gives a shit?
I mean really, we’re on the road, in the thin air at Mile High, against an
undefeated team with a badass defense, and everyone is surprised we lost? Ok
fine, it was a particularly ugly loss, but I’m not freaking out even a tiny
bit. Our receivers are banged up and we lost two corners early in the
game. Anybody pissed off that we didn’t trade for Vernon Davis? Go on, you can
tell me. You are? Good. Now stop reading my blog and go read a text book
because your dumb ass needs an education. You know how we built this team? The draft.
And guess what, that’s half the reason we go to the playoffs every god damn
year. Ok so I’m a little mad, but it’s just one loss to a very good team. Stop
freaking out and just watch the receivers respond to the criticism next week.
One of them is going off, you heard it here first. Here’s what I liked and didn’t
like:
What I Liked:
 |
| Demaryius Thomas vs. Demetri Goodson ... not ideal |
Young Corners: So we gave up some production in terms of yards and
catches (specifically a shitload of completions over the middle), but we were
down our top corner and a nickel corner for most of the game. Demetri Goodson
and Damarious Randall both came in and made some plays. Nothing more, nothing
less. They were in a tough spot, covering talented wide receivers catching
passes from a hall of fame quarterback. Experience like that is a big deal for
young corners, and could really come in handy in January. Remember when Charles
Woodson broke his collarbone in the Superbowl and Jarrett Bush made one of the
biggest plays of the game in relief? Do you think Jarrett’s regular season
experience prepared him for that difficult situation? It’s never good to lose
good corners, but Sammy and Quinten will be back, and the young bucks got some
snaps. It ain’t all bad.
 |
| (kicker size picture) |
Mason Crosby: The Packers’ all-time leading scorer nailed a
56-yarder like he nails his most likely homely wife. That’s a long kick. We shouldn’t take for granted what a benefit it
is for McCarthy to confidently send in the kicking unit from that distance.
That kick kept us in the game at that point, when a miss would have given
Denver the ball at their own 40 (we’ve been over this). It’s a big time kick
and I’m glad he could do it in his home state, presumably with some family
watching (kickers don’t have friends).
What I Didn’t Like:
Pass Protection: Not good. Not good at all. Rodgers was sacked three
times and took seven hits. Those aren’t huge numbers, but he was clearly
uncomfortable right off the bat. He was under duress all day and just had that
weird look he gets once every other season when you know he’s just not feeling
it. Even when he had time he was dancing around all weird and shit, unable to
even hit his safety valve effectively. Obviously there’s a ton of factors
(crowd noise, good pass rushers, snap count, etc), but the tackles have to do a
better job. That was our starting offensive line. The same line whose collective knob I’ve
been slobbing for weeks. That’s the best we’ve got, so they just have to do
better. You can’t win games in this league if you can’t give your quarterback
time in the pocket.
Pass Rush: I mean what was that all about? I understand that time
of possession and an effective running game slow down the pass rush, but where
was the fire? Clay Matthews and BJ Raji were the only two players showing any
enthusiasm at all. I’m looking at you Julius Peppers, time to be a leader bud.
You want a ring don’t ya? Well then pin those giant ears back, and pull your
head out of your ass.
Aaron Rodgers: Ok I’m stupid, I’ll cop to that. But I can’t help but
think that sometimes Rodgers is a little TOO careful. I kept wanting him to
sling one downfield to whoever, but he never could pull the trigger. Is that a
dumb thing to think? Probably. Did Rodgers have arguably the worst game of his
career? Certainly. I love that he doesn’t throw picks, but there comes a time
when you have to put the team on your back and try to make a play. It’s not
about stats when you’re down by three scores in the second half. It’s about getting
a fucking touchdown, NOW. If you don’t score, you’re gonna lose anyway, so why
not throw up a 50/50 (or 30/70) ball? Give your guy a chance! An intercepted
deep pass is often as good as a punt, so give er a go, eh?
**BONUS QUOTE OF THE WEEK**
“I
suspect it is the same in all wars – always the same contrast between the sleek
police in the rear and the ragged soldiers in the line.”
-
George Orwell (on
the Spanish Civil War, a war he voluntarily left his home near London to fight
in for the cause of Democracy over Fascism)
**EXTRA POINTS**
- The Packers have signed Justin Hamilton, a 315 pound undrafted rookie DT out of Louisiana - Lafayette, to the practice squad
- Sam Shields, Quinten Rollins, and Ty Montgomery are all considered day-to-day with non-serious injuries, all could play on Sunday
- Rodgers was pressured on 63% of his dropbacks on Sunday
- Rodgers averaged 3.5 yards per attempt on Sunday, the worst performance of his career
