Ol' Bag of Donuts » Brad Childress

OBOD’s Nov. 26 podcast

admin — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:28:12 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving, all — we’re back with another Ol’ Bag of Donuts podcast, recapping the win over the Vikings (and taking some time to mock them), previewing Sunday’s big tilt with the Falcons, answering some reader questions and placing another call to our good friend, disgraced former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman.

Check it out below. If you’d like to download it, click on the link on the right-hand side of the player:

–Gene Bosling

Have there been two Packers games more fun than these?

admin — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:38:47 +0000

I had the pleasure of watching the Packers game at the Hawk and Dove on Capitol Hill yesterday with a bar full of jovial Packers fans, including the esteemed Holly Phelps, blogger for Cheesehead TV, BrentFavre.com and a handful of other places. Walking out after the Packers destroyed the Minnesota Vikings, Holly and I were talking about how much fun these last two blowouts – over hated rivals, no less – have been, and trying to think of two Packers games, back to back, that have been more fun than these.

My short answer: I can’t.

Yes, the 1996 NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl XXXI are obviously in front of these two. But that’s a special circumstance. Find me two other games that have been this sweet, where the Packers have blown out – nay, embarrassed – two teams they despise, bringing such a level of humiliation that in both cases, the team felt the need to fire its coach. They exposed two teams that, to my eyes, looked like fraudulent Super Bowl contenders before the season, and they shut up two fanbases that engage in as much unwarranted self-puffery as any I’ve seen. Oh, and by the way, they banished Brett Favre, their traitorous former quarterback to oblivion.

What, in recent memory, comes close? The late comeback over the Chargers in 2007, followed by Favre breaking Marino’s record in a Metrodome win over the Vikings, is the only thing I can come up with. But I can’t put that up there, since all my Favre memories have been tarnished. But even if they hadn’t been, I don’t think that stretch would measure up to this one — for dominant victories, for eff-you points, for overall satisfaction.

And here’s the best part, other than bludgeoning hated rivals: The Packers are playing as well as any team in the NFL right now. Their point differential is the best in football, 36 points better than the runner-up (the Steelers). They’ve allowed 10 points in their last three games. And they have a shot to move into a tie for the best record in the NFC if they can go to Atlanta and beat the Falcons on Sunday.

Yep, these are great times to be a Packers fan, and the opportunity to rub it in the faces of the Cowboys and Vikings makes it even better. Can you find me two games that are more fun than these? I think you’ll have a tough time doing it.

–Gene Bosling

It’s Tuesday…and they’re still whining

admin — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:36:48 +0000

First, let me say this: I have a personal policy not to root for the Vikings in ANY situation. There was even a game a year or two ago, where the Packers needed the Vikings to win and help them out, where I simply watched without emotion. Yes, I hate them that much.

Why, you ask? Growing up in Minnesota during the 1990s, you would think, would have been a picnic for a Packers fan. After all, we won a Super Bowl, appeared in two, and made the playoffs six straight times. But Vikings fans, incapable of grasping their place in the game’s pecking order, made it miserable, twisting logic to suggest their franchise is on a par with the Packers and dishing out insults a third-grader would find unoriginal. At first, I passed it off as teenagers being teenagers. But as I’ve grown up, they still act this way. And when they catch a bad break? Get the earplugs ready.

That seems to have happened on Sunday night, when officials botched a couple of touchdown passes, incorrectly overturning Visanthe Shiancoe’s TD while ruling that Andrew Quarless’ catch was a completed pass when it shouldn’t have been.Brad Childress, seemingly knowing his place as the Pied Piper of this group of rats, took every opportunity to whine about the two calls on Sunday and Monday, paying no attention to the half-dozen holding calls his team got away with against Clay Matthews or the forward-progress call that went against Greg Jennings before the Packers got stopped on fourth down. Or, come to think of it, the fact he could have challenged Quarless’ catch, but didn’t. And that selective recall has given Vikings fans more than enough fuel to complain about the officiating well into Tuesday.

Look, I’m not suggesting the officials didn’t miss some things. But they have all year; Aaron Rodgers has the concussion to prove it. I’m also of the firm belief that only losers blame a loss on the refs, especially in a game where their quarterback threw three interceptions. These fans, though, don’t seem to have any sense of restraint.

Maybe all the arguments I heard when I was 15 should have told me that. Silly me for thinking they’d grow out of it.

Alex Tallitsch, who writes the Packers Lounge section at Cheesehead TV, has an open letter to Vikings fans that sums it up quite well.

–Gene Bosling

Tuesday is apparently trade day…just not for the Packers

admin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 05:38:52 +0000

(Before we begin: Tuesday is normally our day to take a glance at the Green Bay Packers’ opposition for that week. As much as we’d love to write about the Washington Redskins, sorry, there was just too much else going on Tuesday. Don’t worry – you’ll get our full wrap-up of the D.C. trip next week. That is, if I don’t have a heart attack on the plane. Okay, I’ll stop writing about that now.)

Aren’t Tuesdays supposed to be the off day for the NFL?

It certainly wasn’t the case on this particular Tuesday. There was more than a little activity of interest involving the Green Bay Packers.

Only, really, none of it actually involved the Packers.

The first piece of news broke in the early afternoon when we learned that running back Marshawn Lynch had been traded from the Buffalo Bills to the Seattle Seahawks. The Bills reportedly received a fourth-round pick in 2011 and a conditional pick – believed to be either a fifth or sixth round pick – in 2012.

The second piece? Well, that was even more interesting, wasn’t it?

Seemingly out of nowhere, we learned Tuesday night that the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots are discussing a trade that would send Randy Moss back to the Vikings. The compensation is believed to be a third-round pick and, according to multiple news outlets, the trade hinges on whether or not Moss and the Vikings can agree to a contract extension (Moss is in the last year of a three-year deal signed back in 2008).

Whew. I don’t even know where to begin, honestly.

Okay, let’s talk about Lynch first, as he was a player many Packers fans – myself definitely included – hoped the team would land.

In short, Ted Thompson dropped the ball here. While maybe not a player Green Bay needed to have, for that asking price (even if it had been higher), Lynch was certainly a player the team should have acquired. Cheesehead TV’s Aaron Nagler Tweeted at me that Bob McGinn was reporting that Buffalo general manager Buddy Nix wouldn’t take Thompson’s call. If McGinn reported that, I’d believe it. Still, you have to think Thompson would have found a way to get him on the phone if he really coveted Lynch.

And coveted he should have. Lynch would have been a real difference-maker in this offense. I understand that Mike McCarthy does not want to run the ball. And, in some ways, I’m okay with that. After all, we know where this team’s bread will get buttered, so to speak.

But, even if you don’t want to run the ball, you at least need someone that opponents spend some time gameplanning for. That was where Lynch would have really helped this team. Remember when Ryan Grant was placed on injured reserve and we all immediately began downplaying his importance? Turns out, we were only half-right.

We were right to say Grant is not an elite player. But was Grant a threat to break 100 yards every week? Absolultely. Teams had to watch out for him. By doing so, opponents couldn’t fully breakdown every single thing Aaron Rodgers and Co. were doing in the passing game. Face it – teams do not respect the grouping of Brandon Jackson/John Kuhn/Dmitri Nance/James Starks (presumably when he returns). And why would they? Sure, the performance against the Bears was expectedly bad, but against two far-from-elite teams – Buffalo and Detroit – the grouping disappointed.

Under these circumstances, every team that faces Green Bay the rest of the season is going to nickel-and-dime the Packers to death. Sure, Rodgers can make that work most weeks. But if he can’t, if he has a bad week (which is going to happen, bank on it)? Honestly, I’m not sure how this team is going to score. Lynch, while not an elite player – he’s at about the same level as Grant, in my estimation – would have been someone to lift pressure off Rodgers in those games, even if he was only used as often as Grant was. There will be times where we’ll find ourselves wishing Thompson had gotten this done. The sky’s not falling, by any stretch, but it’s certainly a little darker after this.

Speaking of the sky not falling, I’m not ready to panic regarding Moss. First, the deal has to get done. Not as easy as you might think, even if he and Brett Favre have long-standing man-crushes on one another. The Vikings have several key players looking for more money, such as linebackers Chad Greenway and Ben Leber and defensive end Ray Edwards. To hand over a big deal to Moss – say, in the three-year range, my guess for what he’ll want – could create trouble in the lockerroom.

Even if a deal is done, though, you shouldn’t panic. That’s not to say Moss isn’t top-shelf talent anymore, because he certainly is. But stand back and look at the situation, as a whole.

And by “the situation”, I mean Favre and head coach Brad Childress.

The soon-to-be 41-year old quarterback appears to have lost much of his ability to make guys miss in the pocket, always his most underrated trait. That isn’t helped at all by the grossly overrated offensive line in front of him, either. If Moss is to enter the fold, you just know Favre will believe he’s been rejuvinated, as a result. He’ll try to do what he’s always wanted to do with Moss – turn the game into a series of long balls downfield – only he won’t have the time to do so. That’s not going to end well, most of the time. Even if he gets time, those are low-percentage throws.

If that happens, there’ll be a ripple effect. Do you think Adrian Peterson’s going to like being reduced to an afterthought? Or how about Visanthe Shiancoe and Percy Harvin taking lesser roles? How do you make room for Sidney Rice, if and when he returns?

And what happens if Moss doesn’t pull the savior act with this team and it continues to lose? Favre, Moss, Peterson, Jared Allen, etc. – those are some mighty big personalities. Does anyone believe Childress can handle these personalities if they turn sour after a few losses, something that could happen considering Minnesota’s next four games are at the Jets, at home with Dallas, at Green Bay and at New England.

The Vikings have made it clear they’re all-in for this season, so I won’t be shocked if they land Moss. That’s fine with me – it’s only going to make it that much sweeter when they get a loss handed to them in Lambeau on Oct. 24.

And Nov. 21 in Minneapolis.

-Chris Lempesis

Isn’t it nice to cheer for a competent team?

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 18:47:16 +0000

I’ve spent the last hour going back and forth with myself about posting this; there are some of you who’d prefer we focus solely on the Packers and not touch the ongoing soap opera west of the Mississippi from them — well, I guess today, the soap opera is in Mississippi, but I digress. This one is just too funny. I can’t leave it alone.

So, a disclaimer: What follows below will be me mocking, ripping and generally calling out the gross incompetence with which the Minnesota Vikings conduct their day-to-day business. Not interested? Cool. We’ll have some more Packers stuff later today. But if you are, read on…

By now, you’ve probably heard the news that the Vikings dispatched three members of Brett Favre’s inner circle (Ryan Longwell, Steve Hutchinson and Jared Allen) to Hattiesburg, Miss., effectively in hopes of begging the quarterback to play this year. That’s an unprecedented step in modern-day sports, and as ESPN’s Kevin Seifert points out, it amounts to the Vikings asking players to clean up a mess their front office created.

How was that mess created, though? You’ve got to go all the way back to 2006, when Brad Childress decided to trot out his tough guy act. He told Daunte Culpepper that the quarterback’s plan to rehab his torn ACL on his own terms – in a HealthSouth club in Florida, if I remember correctly – weren’t going to fly. That led to a long standoff that included Culpepper e-mailing members of the media, Childress publicly flagellating the quarterback and the Vikings eventually traded him to Miami, as Childress crowed about his “culture of accountability” and likened the Culpepper episode to him standing up to Terrell Owens in Philadelphia.

Problem was, Childress had no suitable plan to replace Culpepper, who’d had one of the greatest seasons in NFL history just two years before. He drafted Tarvaris Jackson, and threw his support behind the QB in what’s still one of my all-time favorite attempts by a coach to dress up a situation. Asked after OTAs in 2006 how his new starting QB looked, Childress’ first response was to praise Jackson, as offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell did, for his breathing techniques while calling plays in the huddle.

And when Jackson waffled on the field, Childress – Mr. Culture of Accountability – didn’t stand by his handpicked QB. The guy who’d supposedly made his reputation by grooming quarterbacks benched Jackson after bad games, turned to journeymen like Gus Frerotte and Kelly Holcomb when he struggled and sat Jackson at the first sign of an injury. He’s still never started more than 12 games in a season, and the Vikings are still asking themselves if he can play. Remember, Childress created the need for a QB by standing up to Culpepper, which was probably the right decision, and throwing his support behind Jackson – a move he clearly regretted. And the Vikings’ goofy front-office structure – their famous Triangle of Authority – left Childress with more power than a rookie head coach should have (Seriously? Culture of Accountability? Triangle of Authority? Is there someone from George H.W. Bush’s speechwriting staff working for this team?).

Anyway, we know what happened from there: Jackson failed, ticket sales dwindled and Childress’ job security weakened as the QB plan he’d crafted didn’t plan out. So when Brett Favre became available in 2009, with the Vikings still struggling to sell tickets despite coming off a division title and Childress facing a make-or-break year, he cashed in his chips.

He told Favre to take as much time as he wanted, even after Favre told the Vikings ‘no’ not once, but twice. He let Favre skip training camp, famously picking up in his SUV from the airport and driving him to Winter Park. Is it any surprise, then, that reports surfaced late last year of Childress and Favre clashing over how to run the offense, with Childress’ button-downed ways cramping Favre’s gunslinger style?

And we’ve been over this next part many times, but after this episode, how does Childress run his team with a straight face? He got on Adrian Peterson’s case for skipping OTAs, but he lets Favre – a player on the Vikings’ roster – skip camp, and then excuses players from practice to beg him to come back. And this is all for a soon-to-be 41-year-old quarterback who hasn’t put together two straight productive seasons since 2003-04.

Compare that – or contrast it – rather, to how the Packers handled Favre. Seeing the end of his run was near, they drafted Aaron Rodgers with plenty of time to groom him while Favre was still playing. They got one more season of efficient play out of Favre in 2007, riding his renaissance to the NFC Championship Game, where Bad Brett made his customary January appearances.

And when Favre retired in March, only to waffle a month later, general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy told Favre they’d be willing to welcome him back, on one condition: He had to be in 100 percent, and they had to know. That was too much for the quarterback to promise, so they cut ties with Favre, damn the PR beating it would bring them, and moved forward with Rodgers.

Aside from the marketing deal they offered Favre – which got construed by his camp as a bribe to stay retired – I can’t see too many missteps in the way the Packers played this. They made a smart football decision by drafting Rodgers. They made a smarter one by sticking to their guns with Favre, even though his Avenger World Tour saw him make a victorious return to Lambeau last year. And they’ve been rewarded heading into the 2010 season with a 26-year-old QB who’s blossoming into one of the game’s elite passers and is leading a championship-caliber offense.

What if Thompson and McCarthy had played it the way Childress did? They might have been roped into two years, maybe more, of Favre’s waffling, all while Rodgers’ original contract expired and the QB fumed after the Packers gave Favre his job back. And they would have perpetuated a situation that Packers executives have said was becoming untenable – Favre thinking he’d earned the right to do whatever he wanted.

We’ve bashed Ted Thompson a fair amount around here, and he still takes – and will continue to take – grief for his dour personality. But give Thompson credit: Faced with the toughest decision he’ll likely ever have to make as a GM, he did right by his team and stuck to his call.

I’ve said it before, but that kind of stuff makes me proud to be a Packers fan. It means something to cheer for a team that conducts itself with some integrity – and we could go on all day about the Vikings’ other missteps there – and from a football standpoint, it’s sure nice to know that the men in charge have a better plan than kowtowing to an aging QB.

And when it’s a Tuesday afternoon in August and your team is supposed to be practicing, it’s awfully nice to know where your most important player is going to be.

–Gene Bosling

Life as a Packers fan in the Twin Cities – and why I hate Vikings fans

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:01:30 +0000

As I write this, the calendar sits on July 11. That really didn’t leave me a whole lot of options for this space.

Sure, I could write about some things that actually involve the current incarnation of the Green Bay Packers. But now doesn’t seem like the best time to write such posts – better to save those for the days leading up to the start of training camp (20 days away!). After all, we’re all sort of thinking about football, but not quite yet, you know?

We had some great suggestions from you guys, the faithful OBOD readers, on some possible series ideas. But, honestly, we haven’t been able to flesh them out fully yet. Maybe soon.

That being the case, I’ve decided to give you guys and gals a glimpse into my daily life. See, I’m a Packers fan living in the dark heart of Minnesota Vikings country – Minneapolis, to be exact.

I’ve lived here, off and on, for almost five years. I graduated from college here (University of Minnesota). Some of the best experiences of my life have happened here. All in all, I love it.

But, being the extremely proud Packers fan that I am, there’s a flipside to that: I have to deal with a lot of crap from Vikings fans. If you don’t deal with these people on a daily basis, you have no idea how ridiculous they truly are.

I do, though, and I’ve decided to share some of my thoughts/experiences with you now. Think of this as a companion piece to Gene’s “How to deal with Steelers fans” post from last summer.

Consider the following:

They think their history is right on par with ours. Seriously.

Ask almost any Vikings fan to compare the respective histories of the two franchises and they’ll tell you they are pretty much equal.

An actual recent exchange between myself and a female Vikings fan (who claimed that “Brett Favre rocks”):

Woman: “The Packers suck.”

Me: “Yeah, all those world championships are really the earmarks of an awful organization. Wait, how many have we won? 12?”

Woman: “And how many of those were won before we had automobiles or television?”

Me: “Okay, even if I give you that and take away all those early titles, my squad’s still got three. Yours has none.”

A co-worker of mine (a Vikings fan) to the woman: “Just stop. He’s got us there.”

He understands. Believe me, he’s in the minority out here. It’s like these people live in an alternate reality, one where going 0-for-4 in Super Bowls is just as good as going 3-for-4. It’s baffling.

They believe their level of passion and support for their team is equal with ours. Dead serious.

The Packers? A team with a 30-plus year wait for season tickets, a team that has sold out each of its past 285 home games. Good times and bad, Lambeau Field is packed to the brim. We care.

The Vikings? A franchise that has had trouble selling out games, including a home playoff game, as recently as 2008 (often relying on their sponsors/television station of choice to buy up the remaining seats). They care…if their team is good. Wait – scratch that. That’s not even true.

Should I write more? Naaaaah, that kind of says it all.

Almost universally, they all claim that they never hated Brett Favre. No, I’m not kidding.

Ever since last August, I’ve heard some variation of the following quote roughly seven million times: “I never liked Brett Favre. But I always respected him.”

That respect was shown in a myriad of ways to us Twin Cities Packers fans during Favre’s time in Titletown. And by “respect” I mean calling him a booze-swilling, pill-popping, overrated, interception-prone loser (he was no Brad Johnson, I guess). By “respect” I mean getting flipped off by passing motorists for wearing his jersey. By “respect” I mean having some lard ass in a Randy Moss jersey yell “(expletive deleted) you!” at you in a bar for wearing his jersey.

In other words, a really healthy respect, to be sure.

What’s been really funny is to see all these people jump into Favre’s backpocket so quickly. After spending years accusing us of covering for him at every turn (guilty), it took less than six months for them to do the exact same thing. All of them – every single one – still blame Adrian Peterson for the loss to the Saints. Nevermind the fact that Favre threw yet another backbreaking pick. Nope – it was Peterson’s fault. Hilarious.

They can’t understand why you don’t switch allegiances, even though you’re not from there. Not making that up.

Another one I hear a lot: “But you live in Minnesota. You should be a Vikings fan.”

You try explaining it to them: “Well, I’m not originally from here. I’ve been a Packers fan my whole life. I would never switch. Ever.”

They don’t get it. They really think you should switch.

I’ve gone so far as to turn the tables: “Say you moved to San Diego. You’re telling me you’d become a Chargers fan? Or if you moved to New York, you’d all of a sudden root for the Giants or Jets?”

One guy actually told me that he would, in fact, switch. My response: “No you wouldn’t. Shut the hell up.”

Yeah, it gets that tense sometimes. They really leave you no other choice.

In honor of Vikings fans’ newfound love of Judas – again, they never liked him, but always respected him – I’ve decided to stop at four points and move to my conclusion.

You might be asking yourself: How do you do it, Chris? How do you put up with such seemingly awful people?

Well, actually, it’s rather easy for people like myself (and Adam, who also lives out here). See, we know the truth.

We know that, in no way, shape or form, do the Vikings (or their fans) stack up with the Packers and their fans.

We have history. They don’t. We care. They only care during the good times.

And we know why they hate us so much: Jealousy. Pure, uncut jealousy.

Minneapolis very much looks at itself as the New York City of the upper midwest. It’s a great place, for the most part, but there’s an obvious undercurrent of arrogance here, too. And it drives them nuts – absolutely nuts – that they just can not hang with the football team from the tiny paper-mill town of 100,000 people five hours east of here.

Knowing that makes it really easy to brush Vikings fans off when they yell curse words at you or kick a chunk off your Packers tailgate cover (which actually happened to Adam awhile back).

And this last fact makes it really easy: In two years from now – at most – Judas will be done. Peterson will be nearing empty. The defense will be much older and completely past its prime. A Tarvaris Jackson-Toby Gerhart backfield will be led by head coach Brad Childress.

Meanwhile, we’ll have a 28-year old star quarterback, an extremely talented group of skill position players under 30, a franchise left tackle and a defense full of players hovering around their primes. All of this will be led by head coach Mike McCarthy.

Yeah, that’ll be a fun rivalry – even if the Vikings are in Los Angeles.

-Chris Lempesis

Childress to Favre: Take your time; Bosling to Childress: Give it up

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:05:54 +0000

To recap:

–Brad Childress said he talked to Brett Favre twice this week, but couldn’t pin him down on how he feels about returning, because Favre had other things — like landscaping — on his mind.

–Childress said Favre has “earned that latitude” to essentially take as long as he wants to make a decision, possibly even to skip minicamp and part of training camp again.

–He’s prepared to go into the season with Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels if Favre doesn’t come back.

Anyone who has been watching Childress since he picked Favre up from the airport last August should be surprised by none of this.

It was clear back then that Childress was ready to give up control of his team to Favre — setting false deadlines, giving Favre special treatment and putting his other quarterbacks on standby — to get a shot at having the 40-year-old on his team. Everything he did over the course of the 2009 season corroborated that, from the reports about Childress’ inability to pull Favre from several games, even though he wanted to, to Favre’s willingness to take a vengance shot down the field against the Packers by changing a play at the line of scrimmage to a deep pass, even though Childress called for a run.

If you’re Brett Favre, why would you even listen to Brad Childress this time of year? Why not wait until the first week of the season to come back? And if all it takes to get Childress to back off is a laughable line about landscaping, why would you put any stock in any of his rules during your inevitable return to the Vikings?

Childress came to Minnesota preaching about a “culture of accountability,” but has rendered that concept laughable with his repeated acquisitions of questionable characters. His kowtow to Favre is only the latest example. Maybe it benefited him financially — he got a contract extension by riding Favre to a 12-4 season before the predictable Favre playoff implosion, and he wouldn’t have gotten that deal without Favre. But it doesn’t bode well for a team that’s getting older and will have to fight off a Packers team that should only get better.

Look, we all know Favre is probably going to play in 2010. He’s going to reach 500 touchdown passes and 70,000 yards if he returns, and he seems to be obsessed with what’s becoming a Quixotic quest for an Elway-like ending. And while nobody is suggesting he needs to go through two-a-days to learn the game or room with Sidney Rice to develop chemistry, Childress is giving up even more by conceding those points up front.

Here’s where that will harm the Vikings coach the most: We Packers fans know all too well what erratic play an unbridled Favre is capable of. We saw it in 2004 and 2005, when Favre was essentially given free reign by coach Mike Sherman and quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell (now the Vikings’ offensive coordinator). We saw in 2007 — and unfortunately, in 2009 with the Vikings — what brilliance Favre can still conjure up when he’s at least paying some respect to a framework. But we also know that in the last stages of his career, he’s never been capable of keeping it together two years in a row. And nothing about Childress’ current approach is suggesting he’ll create the confines Favre now needs to thrive.

What does this mean for us as Packers fans? Right now, not much. The odds Favre comes back are still high, in my opinion, and the Packers have plenty of their own questions to answer before that decision comes (probably this summer). But it does increase the possibility of two games where Favre is airmailing throws off his back foot, doggedly forcing balls to his favorite targets and refusing to take the smart play when the gutsy one is available. That, coupled with an improving Aaron Rodgers and the (inexplicable) job security of Childress, means revenge could come rather quickly.

But in an objective sense, Childress isn’t doing himself any favors. The book on Favre is well-worn at this point, and Childress is flouting it, making every mistake the Packers made with Favre during the Mike Sherman era. At some point, he might be better off moving on.

Because if he can’t compete with landscaping in February, how’s he going to steer Favre away from lugheaded decisions in December?

–Gene Bosling

Darren Sharper on Nick Collins

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:55:05 +0000

Just wanted to pass along a quick link from the Super Bowl, where the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel caught up with Saints safety (and former Packers Pro Bowler) Darren Sharper. You remember him, right? The guy who told Brett Favre to keep his mouth shut about Javon Walker’s contract? Well, now he’s opening his mouth about Nick Collins’ contract.

Sharper didn’t relay a lot of news, other than some wistful talk about how well he and Collins would have fit together in Green Bay (Sharper was released a few months before the Packers drafted Collins) and Collins’ own desire to stay in Green Bay.

But as Tom Silverstein points out in the blog post, Packers GM Ted Thompson could be taking the same approach with Collins that he did with Sharper. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to us here at OBOD, since Collins is clearly not in decline, but if Thompson plays it the same way, we could be learning something about the value he places on safeties.

Sharper, who was a defensive player of the year candidate this year with the Saints, is enjoying a resurgence at age 34. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert had a good read on Sharper the other day; his blog is one of our go-to sources for NFC North news and insight. He covered Sharper with the Vikings, and felt that Brad Childress constrained Sharper in his later years in Minnesota after he made the Pro Bowl his first year there. Brad Childress, devising a scheme that takes away what his players do best? Yeah, we can’t fathom that either.

Anyway, Sharper seemed to harbor some bitterness about his exit in Green Bay, and he’s certainly made Thompson look foolish on a couple of occasions for letting him go. But his price, at the time, was deemed to be too high, and if Thompson takes a conservative view on paying safeties, it explains why he let Sharper walk. Hopefully he won’t do the same with Collins.

Brad Childress…heh heh. That guy cracks me up.

–Gene Bosling

Regular season game fifteen vs. Seattle: Time to look ahead

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:24:02 +0000

The Green Bay Packers are in the playoffs.

You know what? I’m going to say that one again, this time with feeling:

THE GREEN BAY PACKERS ARE IN THE (EXPLETIVE DELETED) PLAYOFFS!

YES!!

Sunday’s 48-10 home demolition of the woeful Seattle Seahawks – what’s happened to THEM? – combined with a New York Giants loss puts the now 10-5 Packers back in the posteason after a one year absence.

The game itself was a mini-vacation to bizzaro world – A.J. Hawk and Jarrett Bush had interceptions and Brandon Jackson and Ahman Green combined for four touchdowns, after all – so we won’t really be focusing on that.

Instead, let’s take a look ahead at the possible playoff opponents for the Packers. Things won’t fully shake out until late Sunday afternoon next week – the numerous scenarios are truly mind-boggling as Gene and I figured out on the phone Sunday night - but for now there are four possible opponents for Green Bay. And here they are, ranked by least-to-most fearful:

Arizona Cardinals, 10-5, winners of the NFC West – The Cardinals, who will play the Pack next week, present some difficult matchups, no question about it. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin form the best receiver tandem in the game, Kurt Warner can pick defenses apart with his quick release and the defense is much better than it gets credit for. Plus, this group knows how to win in January. It’s still weird to say that about the Cards, but it’s true. On the other hand, the Cards don’t present much of a threat in the ground game, offensively (27th in rushing) or defensively (19th in run defense). The Packers’ ever-improving run game could take advantage there, allowing Green Bay to eat time up and keep the offense off the field. When Arizona’s offense is on the field, Warner is pretty immobile and prone to turning the ball over at times. The Packers could be able to tee off on Warner, as he plays behind a somewhat shaky offensive line.
Dallas Cowboys, 10-5, second place in NFC East – The Cowboys clinched a spot with their win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday night. A win over Philadelphia next week will give Dallas the division. The Cowboys seem to have pulled themselves out of their usual December nosedive, Tony Romo is playing better ball as of late and the front seven can still wreak havoc for opposing offenses. Plus, as Gene likes to say, the mob refs will be in the house for the first playoff game at Jerry Jones’ new palace. Don’t discount the trouble that could cause. On the other hand, Green Bay already proved it could beat Dallas (a 17-7 win in early November saved the Pack’s season). Outside of Jason Whitten and Miles Austin, Dallas doesn’t have much in the way of gamebreaking talent on offense. Quick throws and timely running can stifle the Cowboys’ pass rush. Finally, with all the pressure that will surely be on Romo and head coach Wade Phillips, don’t you think a quick 10-0 or 14-3 deficit would cause Dallas to fall apart fast? I sure do.
Minnesota Vikings, 11-3, winners of the NFC North – Believe it or not, the Packers could be in for round three versus Judas in the first round of the playoffs. Just thinking about that almost makes my head explode. Can you imagine? Anyways, obviously we know about the troubles Minnesota presents. In two wins over Green Bay this year, the Vikings got stellar efforts from Judas, the receivers and the offensive line. The defense was pretty good, too, particularly in rushing Aaron Rodgers. On the other hand, this would not be the same Vikings team Green Bay saw earlier. Judas is doing his usual December flopping act (plus, there’s trouble in paradise between him and head coach Brad Childress). Adrian Peterson is still being shutdown far too often. Percy Harvin’s medical issues take away a key Judas target. Most importantly, the defense is not the same monster it was. The front four is tiring considerably as the season goes on and E.J. Henderson’s gruesome knee injury took away the leader of the defense. Most importantly, the Packers proved to themselves in the second half of the second game that they could indeed play with Minnesota. They didn’t know that before, in my mind. A third meeting would give them a chance to see that through.
Philadelphia Eagles, 11-4, first place in the NFC East – Without question, the worst possible matchup for the Packers in the first round. Donovan McNabb can still avoid pressure with the best of them and is usually great in January. The defense thrives on pressure and turnovers (much like Green Bay). What scares me the most, though, is the overall offensive speed Philly has. I’m not knocking Green Bay’s defense or anything, but let’s be honest: It’s not the fastest group you’ve ever seen. You saw Minnesota take advantage of that twice already this season. I mean, I see the name DeSean Jackson and I see six catches, 131 yards and two scores against the Packers’ defense. Jeremy Maclin is also a burner and Brent Celek has emerged as a top-five tight end this season. On the other hand, the Eagles haven’t really beaten anybody special as their four biggest wins have come over New York (twice), a Matt Ryan-less Atlanta and Denver. There might not be a playoff team in that bunch if Denver misses out. Philly is also not much of a threat to run the ball, healthy Brian Westbrook or not, and head coach Andy Reid can get tight in big games. A game with the Eagles would almost surely be a high-scoring affair, which could play into Green Bay’s hands because of its ability to run the ball.

Anyway you slice it, the Packers will be in for a fight. It’s the playoffs, after all.

But ever since the loss to Tampa Bay – seven weeks ago, essentially a lifetime in the NFL – the Packers have shown an ability to fight, an ability to battle back from adversity. They’re mentally prepared for what they will face.

So, in the end, maybe we shouldn’t worry so much about our young, sometimes bipolar, Packers. Maybe we shouldn’t worry at all.

Our squad is in the playoffs. The season is already a smashing success.

I know I’m smiling.

-Chris Lempesis

Favre/Childress spat a study in egos gone wild

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:18:32 +0000

(Please note: I was originally planning on writing my Christmas list for the Green Bay Packers as my usual lighthearted Tuesday post. But then Sunday night happened in Charlotte, North Carolina. And, well, that’s just too good to pass up.)

Well, well, well – it looks as though there’s a little lover’s spat going on here in Minneapolis, doesn’t there?

Seems Minnesota Vikings’ head coach Brad Childress and Judas aren’t getting along.

(No, you know what? Scratch that. It’s the holidays. I’m in a giving mood. For just this once, I’m going to refer to him as – gasp! – Brett Favre.)

Childress and Favre got into a verbal sparring match on the sidelines during Minnesota’s blowout loss to Carolina on Sunday night. Apparently, Childress wanted to bench Favre – who had been taking a pounding at the hands of the Panthers’ defense – even though the Vikings held just a 7-6 lead at that point. Favre, as per usual, was having none of that. He got his way, stayed in the game and continued to take a beating. The result? The second loss in three games for the previously 10-1 Vikings.

An argument between a coach and player – even one as massive as Favre – doesn’t make for much of a story. This is the NFL; things get heated.

Now, though, we’re finding out that Childress unleashed a “profanity-laced tirade” at Favre in private well after the game Sunday night and that Childress actually tried to bench Favre for changing a play call in the first game against our beloved Green Bay Packers on Oct. 5.

Now, we would seem to have a story…until you consider that what’s happening between the two was inevitable. Both men have massive egos and both have won their share of public battles in the past.

Childress first came to public knowledge when he, as offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles, got into a heated argument with Terrell Owens after a practice in 2005. Philly head coach Andy Reid stood by Childress. The team de-activated Owens for the rest of the season, essentially ending his time in Philly.

Then, as one of his first acts as head coach in Minnesota, Childress got into a public war of words with then-star quarterback Daunte Culpepper over a multitude of factors. Childress again was victorious – Vikings’ ownership took his side – and Culpepper was pretty much done in purple.

We all know Favre’s history. In short, the man slayed everyone who dared stand in his path ever since Mike Holmgren bolted for Seattle. Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy and Mark Murphy were the first to stand up to him in quite some time. Well, we all saw how Favre reacted there, didn’t we?

(But his behavior was, and still is, okay to some “Packers fans” because Favre plays the game like a little kid and he seems like someone they’d know.)

In other words, it was only a matter of time before the two turned on each other in some sort of weird, “Who has the biggest ego?” contest. The team was winning week-in and week-out and there was only going to be so much credit to go around.

In Childress’ mind, he likely can’t stand that Favre got ALL the praise for the Vikings’ great start. After all, Minnesota won a division title last season without Favre. Plus, if you look at the team’s progression with him as head coach, winning more than 10 games this year was a possibility, anyways (the Vikings have gone from six wins to eight wins to 10 wins in his three previous seasons heading into 2009).

And, hey, didn’t Childress just get a long-term contract extension from the team? Why would the team do that if the wins were all on Favre?

In Favre’s redneck noggin, it’s the same old song and dance. He makes this offense go. He allows them to score points in a way Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels could never dream of. He puts the defense in a spot to pin its ears back and rush the passer. It’s not about anyone else. It’s all about him. Hell, he probably believes that roughly half of Childress’ new money should go directly into his bank account.

Neither man is right, really. Both have acted like idiots, again and again. But if you’re asking the question of who is most to blame for things ending up this way, you have to point the finger directly at Childress. He’s the one who has repeatedly let Favre get away with pretty much whatever he wanted.

He set deadlines for a decision last summer. Repeatedly. Favre laughed those off. Repeatedly.

Favre said he was done. No comeback in purple. Childress said the door was closed. The team had moved on.

Favre changed his mind. He wanted in. Not only did Childress accept him with open arms – essentially throwing Jackson and Rosenfels under the bus in the most public of ways – he picked Favre up at the airport!

Before Favre had even taken a practice snap, he KNEW this organization was wrapped around his finger. And when Favre started winning games at an insane pace – causing every Vikings fan that had spent the previous 15 or so years cursing his name to run out and buy a purple No. 4 jersey – Childress really had no shot to reign him in.

That was never going to change, good times or bad. If Childress thought losing two of three would, all of a sudden, allow him the opportunity to get tough on a now struggling Favre, he was a fool. Favre is way sharper than he ever gets credit for, publicly. And in his mind, once he owns you, you’re there forever.

(Can’t you just see Childress screaming profanities at Favre as he sits there with a blank look on his face, Childress’ voice sounding similar to that of the teacher on “Charlie Brown” in Favre’s head?)

It’s not just Childress, either. The Minnesota Vikings are entirely Brett Favre’s team now. They’ll follow his lead – straight to hell or otherwise.

-Chris Lempesis