Thanks to my readers

I just wanted to take this time to thank all of my readers over the course of the semester.  For those readers that aren’t in my blogging class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, I would like to thank all of you as well and let you know that I will be going on an hiatus for at least a few weeks now that the semester is over.

If there is a large enough demand, I will continue to update this site and fill you in with all of the newest and most important Packers news.  Continue to comment so I know that you are still out there and I will continue to blog.

Thanks again everyone!

Packers WILL Make the Playoffs

The Packers are sitting at 8-4 heading into their division final division game on Sunday against the Bears.  The Packers will be able to get into the playoffs with a 10-6 record so that means they only need to win two of their remaining four games.

Two of the remaining four games (Bears and Seahawks) don’t look like they should be much of a problem.  If the Packers go ahead and beat the Bears this Sunday, I believe they will have all but locked a spot for themselves for the final wildcard slot.

NOT SO FAST

The other two matchups are the Steelers and Cardinals.  The Steelers (6-7) are a good football team even though they have lost their fifth straight game.  They will also have 10 days to prepare for the Packers next week after playing this past Thursday.  If the Steelers lose to the Packers next weekend they will be eliminated from the playoffs just a year away from being crowned world champs.

The Cardinals have a very good football team and they are playing good football right now.  They, like the Steelers, are one year removed from playing in the Super Bowl.  Playing this team in the regular season finale helps out the Packers a lot because the Cardinals may be resting their starters during most of that game to ensure they are healthy for the playoffs.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the Packers play the Cardinals the following weekend in the first round of the playoffs.

THE LOW ROAD

The last thing to consider is if the Packers get into the playoffs they will have to do it on the road because they are guaranteed to get no higher than a 7 seed (unless the Vikings collapse down the stretch and the Packers can win the NFC North division).  The Packers are a mediocre 3-2 on the road, so having to play on the road throughout the playoffs may be a problem.

Personally, I am excited for the game at Heinz Field against the Steelers and the game against the Seahawks at Lambeau Field the most.  That’s only because I am going to those two games.  The game against the Steelers is going to be a great game for me because it is my first Packer road game… and it’s only an 8 hour drive!

Post Game Thoughts- Ravens

The Packers picked up a very helpful win to strengthen their playoff chances against the Ravens, 27-14, on Monday night.

Even though it was a win, it wasn’t a flawless win. The Packers broke their franchise record for most penalty yards in a single game.  All year long penalties plagued the Pack, especially in their losses.  The penalties were the biggest weakness for the Pack, but their special teams gave up too many big plays to the Ravens.

Besides the penalties and the special teams, the rest of the team looked like they were playing great playoff football.  The two things you have to do in order to win in the playoffs is run the ball and create turnovers.  The Packers could run the ball with efficiency and they intercepted three of Joe Flacco’s passes.

Like I said before, the Packers should need 10 wins to get into the playoffs so after the victory over the Ravens they only need two more wins out of their final four games.  I will look into their final four games in a later post and give my opinion on the Packers chances at getting into the postseason after a one year hiatus.

Keys to Victory over the Ravens

This Monday night game is crucial for both teams.  The Packers and the Ravens are both fighting for their playoff lives right now.  Who needs the win more? I would say the Ravens because they have a harder road to make the playoffs.  The Packers are sitting in the playoffs right now, while the Ravens are on the outside looking in.  Nonetheless, the Packers would have a much easier road to locking a playoff spot up if they win Monday night.  Here’s how I see the Packers being able to win:

1. Continue the success on the offensive line.  The Packers have been doing a nice job of protecting Aaron Rodgers and giving Ryan Grant some running room.  If they can continue their success against the Ravens tough defense, they will much more likely to pick up a win.

2.Continue the success of the defense.  The Packers have been playing as good as any team in the league on the defensive side of the ball.  Creating turnovers, stopping the run, and pressuring the quarterback has all become natural to the Pack.  Continuing that against the Ravens would almost ensure the victory.

3. Use the home-field advantage.  This is the Packers’ first home game in December where playing at Lambeau Field becomes a huge advantage for the Packers.  With freezing weather and snow in the forecast, the Packers should be in good shape to use the weather as well as the fans to their advantage.  The last thing the Packers want to do is play like they are too cold. As long as they get off to a hot start and the fans stay in the game, the Packers should be able to prevent the Ravens from even standing a chance.

Grow Your Packer Playoff Beards!

The Packers need your support in order for them to continue with their winning streak and keep their playoff hopes alive.   I’m not being superstitious, I’m just being a dedicated fan.

Here’s what you will need to do

Stop shaving your beards until the Packers are eliminated from the playoff contention, when they lose in the playoffs, or win the Super Bowl.

A look at the Packers’ Rankings

Here are the Packers’ rankings in a variety of statistics that I thought were pretty interesting…

Turnover margin (+17)…No. 1
Total offense (382.0) …No. 6
Passing yards (262.8)….No. 6
Total defense (281.5)…No. 1
Rushing defense (89.1)…No. 4
Passing defense (192.5)…No. 6
Third-down offense (45.7%)…No. 5
Third-down defense (33.3%)…No. 4
Red-zone offense (52.6%)…No. 15
Red-zone defense (63.3%)…No. 29

The one stat that sticks out the most for me is the red-zone defense is ranked 29th and the red-zone offense is ranked 15th.  I would have guessed that the red-zone defense would be much better than the red-zone offense for the Packers.  Lately it seems like the offense can’t get into the end zone when they are sitting in the red-zone.

Will the Packers Make the Playoffs Poll

The title of this post says it all.  Go ahead and vote whether you think the Packers will be in the playoffs or not.  As of today they are the last wildcard spot.  After casting your vote go to the comments section and tell us why you voted the way you did.

Keys to a Victory over the Lions

Not only is today going to be a great day because all you are going to be doing is stuffing your face with turkey, but while you do that there is a Packer game for you to keep you entertained.

The Lions have a record of 2-8, but if there was ever a scary 2-8 team this is the team.  The Lions play well on the Thanksgiving games anyways, and coming off an emotional, come-from-behind win over the Browns on Sunday there is no doubt they will be fired up.

The Packers could look ugly today as they are trying to fill the gaps that Al Harris and Aaron Kampman have left when they were injuried last week.  Both players will need season ending surgery.  There are a few ways that the Packers can pull out the ‘ W.’

1.  Stop Mathew Stafford.  The Lions’ rookie QB was injured last Sunday and was doubtful for the game, but it was just announced that he will be in the lineup.  The Packers looked awful against the Bucs’ rookie QB Josh Freeman and Stafford could make the Packers look the same.  If the Packers rough the young kid up early and shake him up it might be enough to win the game.

2.  Offensive production.  The Packers need to get points from their offense.  On Sunday the Packers had too many field goals and not enough touchdowns.

3.  Defensive adjustments.  Without the Packers starting cornerback or outside linebacker for the rest of the season someone will need to fill in.  This game will be a big game in finding a potential replacement for Harris and Kampman.

Keys To Victory Over 49ers

The Packers have been taking one step forward one week and then one step backward the next.  If the Packers are serious about making a run into the playoffs this game will prove it to not only themselves, but to the rest of the NFL that they aren’t about to go down easy.  I see this game coming down to a close one, but a game that the Packers can ultimately win as long as they do a few things…

1.  Contain Vernon Davis. Davis has emerged as an elite tight end over the first half of the season.  If he has a big game, the 49ers could have a much better chance to pull off a win.

2.  Offensive consistency.  The 49ers’ defensive line shouldn’t give the Packers’ offensive line too much trouble.  I think the offensive production will come down to play calling.  It’s a great coaching matchup, putting  Mike Singletary, the great defensive mind, against Mike McCarthy.  The game could come down to which coach can outcoach the other.

3.  Limit penalties.  Penalties have become a huge burden in nearly every game for the Packers this season.  If they can start to diminish a few of them each game it could go a long way in bringing confidence and discipline to the team.

The game also features a great QB matchup.  Aaron Rodgers vs. Alex Smith.  The 49ers passed on Rodgers for a less productive Smith in the 2005 draft.  Both quarterbacks may want to prove to the other team that he is the better QB.

Positives of Pack Sacks (WHAT?!)

The title of this post doesn’t mean that I’ve completely lost it.  Believe it or not, there are some positive things to take away from the Packers league leading sacks they’ve given up.

First of all, I just want to say that I believe there are two types of sacks…

1. Quarterback’s fault sack- where the sack is caused by the quarterback.  The QB had plenty of time to get rid of the ball, but failed to do so.

2. Offensive Linemen’s fault sack- where the sack is caused by the Offensive line.  The QB has less than three seconds to get rid of the ball before he is brought down.

One positive to take from the sacks is that taking a sack is better than throwing an interception.  Yes, you will probably say that it is also better to throw the ball away than to take a sack, but it really isn’t that simple.  First, in order to throw away the ball the QB has to be outside of the pocket or he has to throw it near a receiver.

If Rodgers is outside of the pocket and doesn’t throw away the ball, I don’t see the big deal in losing 5 or less yards.  If he ends up taking a sack for a loss of 10 or more yards than I would put the sack on him for holding on to it.  If he loses 5 or less yards and he is trying to buy time for a receiver to get open and make a big play, I don’t see much of a problem with that.

If Rodgers is inside of the pocket and can’t throw the ball out-of-bounds, it might not be all to smart too smart to get rid of the ball.  One thing that can go wrong is a defender can knock the ball out of his hands while he raises the ball to throw.  Another thing that can happen when he throws it under pressure is an interception.

The best way for Rodgers to stop taking sacks is to either audible at the line to pick up blitzers or audible a receiver into a hot route so he can get rid of the ball quicker.

The second positive I see in all of the sacks is that it shows the toughness of Rodgers.  Early in his career with the Packers, Rodgers was given the label of an injury prone QB because he seemed like he was always injured.  Well, most QBs would be hurt by now if they would be taken as much punishment as Rodgers.  So what I see from all the sacks piling up on Rodgers is that he might be a lot tougher than what most fans think.

Ok, you might not think any of this was positives to take out of the sacks, but at least they were different ways to look at the amount of sacks that the Packers have given up this year.  If it wasn’t for all the sacks this year, there may have been more turnovers and/or Rodgers might be sitting on the bench if he was the weak QB that most fans thought he was.