Post Game Thoughts- Cowboys

The Packers took a huge step forward after a huge win over the Cowboys last Sunday 17-7.  It’s definitely great to get a win over what was arguably a more talented team than the Packers.  I would say that the Cowboys have more great athletes than the Packers, but they Packers were able to overcome that.

One way that they were able to overcome some mismatches was their defensive  game plan.  I would say this was Dom Capers best defensively coached game since he has been in Green Bay.  It seemed like every play he was sending in blitzes to confuse the Cowboys.  I’m just hoping that Capers continues to bring that “Blitzburgh” game plan week in and week out.

On the offensive side of the ball, I thought that the offensive line played well.  There is still much room for improvement, but the line played good enough to give Rodgers adequate time and give Grant some nice holes to run through.

Penalties are still a concern.  If it wasn’t for the Cowboys matching the Packers in the penalty department, the game could have turned around pretty badly for the Packers.  The Packers must figure out which players are the future and play them now.  There might be some growing pains, but it will be worth it in the long run.  Obviously if their future lineman is going to be giving up 5 sacks, then they have to wait.  What I’m saying is that they shouldn’t rely on Mark Tauscher to save the Packers if he won’t be around next year, when T.J. Lang could benefit greatly with extra reps.

Keys for a Victory over the Cowboys

Coming off of an embarrassing loss to the Bucs, the Packers could come out with a hangover against the Cowboys.  It seems like every week I say “this is a big game for the Packers,” but this game against the Cowboys can’t get any bigger.  The only chance the Packers have to get into the playoffs this year is to get a wild card berth.  There is a very little chance of the Pack to win their division when the Vikings only have one loss and don’t seem ready to start losing.

If the Packers want to get a wild card berth into the playoffs they will need to win this game.  Not only is it a must win because every win matters in order to have a better record than the other teams fighting for a wild card spot, but the Cowboys are one of those teams fighting for a wild card spot.  If it comes down to the Packers and other teams are in a tie at the end of the season this game could decide whether the Packers go into the playoffs or if they stay home.

Here are the keys to victory:

1. The Packers have to get over the loss against the Bucs, and make sure they are ready for the Cowboys.  They might have lost a lot of their confidence from that loss and if they come out flat, they won’t beat the Cowboys.

2. The Packers’ secondary has to step up and stop the Cowboys passing attack that has exploded in recent weeks.

3. The offensive line needs to give Rodgers time to pass and create holes for Ryan Grant to run through.  Every week it seems this is the deciding factor in Packer games… if the line plays well then the Packers win, when they give up 8 sacks, they lose.

Post Game Thoughts

After losing to a winless team in the Bucs, there’s only one word to describe my post game thoughts:

Disgusting!…

Actually, there are some others like pathetic, embarrassing, and other words that I want to keep out of this blog to stay family friendly.

I don’t want to think about it anymore so my stomach stops aching.

President’s Fort Hood Memorial Speech…

On a much more serious note, I would like to talk about the Barack Obama speech at Fort Hood in memory of those who were killed or wounded during the attack on the military base last week.

I thought that President Obama did a nice job of remembering and honoring those who died in the attacks. He talked about each of them and said few sentences about each.

Packers-Vikings Pictures

The picture on the upper left is from “Favre’s Funeral” and on the upper right is just a picture of the parking lot before the game. Below are two pictures of who you could consider as the man of the hour.

Keys to a Victory Over the Vikings

This game has been called by some “the most important game in Packers’ history.” It’s not a must-win game, but it is as close as it can get. The Packers need to win this game more than the Vikings.  The Packers are a game and a half behind the Vikings for first place in the division.  Losing the game would put the Packers three games behind the Vikings with nine games to play. A win would essentially tie the Packers for the division lead.

If the Packers want to win this game they will need to:

1. Keep Adrian Peterson in check.  Last time these teams played Peterson was held to just 55 yards, which was an amazing job.  If they could do that again it would go a long way.

2. The defense stopped Peterson earlier this season, but Brett Favre was able to pick their secondary apart.  Favre was able to throw for 271 yards and 3 touchdowns.  The Packers need to (and should be able to) do a better job this time around.  They have a healthy Atari Bigby (who was replaced by Derrick Martin) and Clay Matthews is a full-time starter.

3.  Probably the most important thing the Packers need to do is protect Aaron Rodgers.  In their last meeting he was sacked eight times and hurried on almost every play.  The offensive line is coming off of a very strong performance over the Cleveland Browns where they didn’t give up a sack. It was the Browns, but it will nonetheless give the line a confidence boost.

Expect to see another close game between these two rivals at Lambeau on Sunday.  It’ll probably be a high scoring game, but I’m picking the Packers to get their revenge on Favre, 34-31.

Packer-Viking Game Tickets!

It’s Sunday, the Packers don’t play for a week and I am already looking forward to the next game.  Best of all is that I am going to be at Lambeau Field for the game against the Vikings.

I’ve been to quite a few Packer games and this one is going to rank right at the top.  I went to the “Mud Bowl” – which was the playoff game against the 49ers the year the Packers won the Super Bowl – and I think the game against the Vikings will be more memorable for me.

It’s not because of the fact that this game could go a very long way in deciding the division winner (Packers are 4-2 and the Vikings are 6-1).

It’s going to be so memorable because Brett Favre is going to walk into Lambeau Field in a Viking uniform.  Ok, now what I want you to do is re-read the previous sentence and think about how you would feel if you read that 5 years ago.  If you are any kind of Packer fan at all you should shudder just thinking about seeing Favre in a Viking jersey in Lambeau Field.

Another reason the game is going to be so interesting is because no one really knows how the crowd is going to react when Favre steps foot onto the field in that uniform.  Will it be mostly boos? Will it be half boos and half cheers? Will it be mostly cheering? Personally, I think (and hope) it’s to be all boos.

The fact of the matter is that no one knows how they are going to react.  Right now I plan on booing, but until I’m put in that situation I have no idea.  I’m sure there are going to be “Favre fans” that are going to go to the game planning on cheering Favre, but when they actually see Favre in a Viking uniform in Lambeau Field they will act in a total opposite manner.

Post Game Thoughts

The Browns game might be the game that people look back on as being the game that gave the Packers the confidence that they can win any game.  The Browns aren’t a good team, but the Packers did almost everything they were supposed to do.

Holding a team to 3 points is almost as perfect as it gets.  When your defense held its opponents to a combined 3 points in two weeks they must be doing something right.

Offensively, they played almost as flawlessly.  Aaron Rodgers makes you forget about Brett Favre.  Favre had at least 4 years with a championship team around him and he only managed to win 1 super bowl… oh yeah, but he won three MVPs.  I’d take 3 superbowl rings over 3 MVPs anyday.  I want to see what Rodgers can do when he has an opportunity in the playoffs.

Penalties were a problem for a consecutive week.  They are starting to clean up some, but the Packers are still committing too many.

The game next week against the Vikings will tell us a lot about this team.  If the Packers were to beat the Vikings they would be just a half game out of first place in the division.

Keys to a Packer Victory Over the Browns

This game could be closer than most people think, but the Packers should be able to get the win.

1. Stop Josh Cribbs.  He is dangerous on punt or kickoff returns. Don’t be shocked to see him take one to the house on Sunday.

2. Get the running game going. The Browns have one of the worst defensive lines in the league so the Packers should see an improvement in their running game.

3. Pass protection. The Packers should be able to give Rodgers a little more time against the Browns d-line.

Packers Post Game Thoughts

There were some positives that came out of the game against the Lions, but there were more negaitives.

Positives

Defense’s shutout… it says a lot about your defense when they can keep another NFL team from scoring any points, even if it was against the Lions.

Offensive production… Aaron Rodgers had a great game, he only made one bad throw that resulted in an interception. The running game wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible, it was good enough to get a win.

Negatives

Penalties… the Packers continued their struggles with penalties racking up 13 penalties for 130 yards.  Coach Mike McCarthy said over the past couple of weeks that his team needs to “clean that up,” it doesn’t look like they are doing much to fix the problem.

Offensive Redzone… The Packers drove the ball into the redzone a handful of time and came out with only a field goal a handful of times.  If they hope to compete with some of the better offenses in the league they are going to need to convert those drives into touchdowns.