It was all set up.

One of, if not the, greatest non-Super Bowl playoff wins for the Green Bay Packers was about to happen.

Then, in the blink of an eye, a snap of the finger, there was the mob of red jerseys celebrating in the endzone.

Huh? What? How?

Once again, we found out sea changes happen just [...]]]> It was all there.

It was all set up.

One of, if not the, greatest non-Super Bowl playoff wins for the Green Bay Packers was about to happen.

Then, in the blink of an eye, a snap of the finger, there was the mob of red jerseys celebrating in the endzone.

Huh? What? How?

Once again, we found out sea changes happen just that quickly in the postseason. Once again, one happened Sunday.

And once again Green Bay was on the losing end.

Karlos Dansby’s 17-yard touchdown in overtime, off an Aaron Rodgers fumble, gave the Arizona Cardinals a 51-45 win, ending the Packers’ season. Green Bay finishes with an 11-6 record.

It had been an epic display of grit from the youthful Packers up until that point. Trailing 31-10 early in the second half -  and having trailed 17-0 earlier in the game – Green Bay powered back. The offense became unstoppable, scoring 35 points in the final two quarters (21 in the fourth alone).

Then, when it seemed like it just wouldn’t be enough, Neil Rackers whiffed on a 34-yard field goal with 14 seconds left.

Well, sure, that was great. But you knew they wouldn’t win the coin toss. Then, though, they did. They did win the coin toss! Tails never fails!!

Green Bay was a lock to go down the field and put the winning points on the board. Arizona’s defense hadn’t stopped the Packers in hours. And this time, we didn’t have a turnover-prone quarterback.

But there was the back-breaking turnover. The jerseys change but the results are the same, apparently.

As brilliant as Rodgers was for much of the game (28-of-42, a team-record 422 yards, four touchdowns, one interception), the two mistakes he made came at perhaps the two worst times to make them. His foolish interception, on the first play from scrimmage, led to a 7-0 Cardinals lead. That got the crowd fully into the game and gave a shot of life to Arizona, as a team. And as much as you might want to blame the offensive line for the sack that led to Rodgers’ fumble in overtime, the fault really lies with the young signal-caller.

He held on to the ball far too long – again – and when he was hit, he failed to hang on – again. Rodgers truly has the skills to become an elite quarterback in the league. Honestly, I think he’s pretty close right now. But he still waits for plays to develop longer than allowed at times and he needs to develop better ball security when he gets hit. At this point, those are about the only two things holding him back and it’s a damn shame they both came to light on the game-ending play.

(Please note: If you are a parent, spouse, family member or friend of anyone involved with the Packers’ defense, you should probably stop reading…now)

Of course, Rodgers and Co. were the only thing keeping Green Bay in the game. The defense wasn’t doing a damn thing, that’s for sure.

Where was the group of hard-charging, quarterback-bashing, turnover-forcing animals we’d gotten so used to seeing as the season progressed? Did they even get on the plane?

The performance of Green Bay’s defense was an out-and-out joke. They generated zero pressure on Kurt Warner, couldn’t cover the middle of the field and forced a putrid five third downs (oh yeah, Arizona converted three of them). They couldn’t tackle and, at times, looked like they weren’t even trying to tackle, instead going for ball strips on countless plays. The ball strip approach, by the way, worked exactly once – on Charles Woodson’s strip of Larry Fitzgerald in the second quarter. But yet they kept at it. Not really sure why.

As bad as all that was, the worst aspect of the atrocious performance was that the league’s second-ranked run defense was shredded to the tune of 156 yards. No pressure in the run gaps and no containment of any kind. A unit that shut down Ray Rice, Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson (twice!) couldn’t stop “Beanie” Wells and Tim Hightower? Are you KIDDING me?

Warner, even without the injured Anquan Boldin, was brilliant, no question (29-of-33, 379 yards, five touchdowns, no inteceptions). If there’s any doubt he’s a Hall-of-Famer, it died Sunday. And the receivers/backs found the open spaces and ran tough. Tip your hat to them for that. But Green Bay’s paper tiger defense made it a whole hell of a lot easier for them, time and time again.

We’re left with no other option than to think that there are some major weaknesses on this defense, weaknesses that must be addressed in the offseason.

As mighty as the offense was, there are holes on that unit, as well. Daryn Colledge, for example.

We will discuss how the Packers should address these deficencies in the days and weeks ahead. For now, though, none of that matters.

All that matters is that a brilliant, but ultimately wasted, comeback means we have to chalk up another playoff heartbreaker on our collective resume. Owens’ catch in ‘99. Losing at Lambeau for the first time in ‘03. Fourth-and-26 in ‘04. Favre’s OT interception in ‘08.

And now, losing the highest-scoring playoff game in NFL history.

What a long, cold offseason it looks to be.

-Chris Lempesis

That being the case, I’m coming with a different take on the Green Bay Packers’ 30-24 home win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Instead of writing a game story/column about the Pack improving to 6-4 on the [...]]]> As previously mentioned, our site was down until late last night (damn you interweb!)

That being the case, I’m coming with a different take on the Green Bay Packers’ 30-24 home win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Instead of writing a game story/column about the Pack improving to 6-4 on the season, I’m simply going to discuss the things that impressed or infuriated me about the game (the list won’t be even, of course, as the Packers were victorious). By writing what I’d usually write this long after the game, I’d come off like the guy who wants to recap the party four days after the party. Dude, I remember you pulling off the 24-second keg stand. What ELSE have you been up to?

Also, I could say this format is similar to things you’ve seen in other places…but by saying that I’d be assuming you read OTHER football sites. And we all know that just is not true.

What impressed me:

1. Ryan Grant – Ever since the ink dried on Ahman Green’s one-year contract, Grant has been a different player. He’s run for 482 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and three scores in the five games since Green was signed in late October. He had 347 yards (3.8 yards per carry) and two scores in the five games that preceded it. He’s running hard, taking on contact and showing the quick cutback ability that makes him so good. Those aspects of his game were all on display Sunday against the league’s third-best run defense (the Niners had allowed just 3.3 yards per carry coming into the game). Grant finished with 129 yards and a score on just 21 carries. If Grant can keep this up, Green Bay’s passing game will only become more dangerous.
2. Brandon Jackson – Jackson will likely never be a big-time running back. But with six catches for 65 yards against the Niners, he showed he can be a valuable player. He’s got good hands, a sense of where the open spaces are and a bowling ball, rolling-stone-gathers-no-moss running style. He’s also good in pass protection. Grant and Jackson could potentially form a nice little tandem, especially important now with the season-ending injuries to Aaron Kampman and Al Harris (more on them in a bit).
3. The offensive line – Considering the Niners’ solid defense, this was the o-line’s best effort thus far. Aaron Rodgers had time and Grant had nice holes to work with. We saw, particularly in the first half, what this offense can do. A big reason for that was the showing of the much-maligned five up front.
4. Cullen Jenkins – We at OBOD probably don’t applaud the big fella enough for what he brings to the table. We’re going to start rectifying that now. Jenkins was a force throughout the game. Without question he’s one of the two or three most important players on this defense. And, man, is that guy a good athlete.
5. B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews – Raji’s ankle is finally healthy. You saw that at numerous times in the game. He recorded his first career sack, was key in containing Frank Gore and opened things up for the ‘backers. Matthews continues to be a freak, showing he can cover and play the run just as well as he rushes the passer. This kid has major potential.

What infuriated me:
1. The conservative offensive approach in the second half – With a 23-3 lead coming out of the lockerroom, the Packers had a comfortable lead, but were far from having things locked up. Had the team gotten one more score early in the third, however, the game would have officially been over. Thanks to Mike McCarthy’s conservative approach on offense, San Fran was given a window back into the game. You can’t give a Mike Singletary team that window. McCarthy, like Mike Sherman and Mike Holmgren before him, seems unwilling (or unable) to fully put a game away. Don’t get all revisionist-historian on me with regards to Holmgren, either. He was THE MASTER of failing to step on opponents’ throats. You know that’s true.
2. The defense’s inability to stop Vernon Davis in the second half – Davis was a complete non-factor in the first half. Still, he finished with six catches for 108 yards and a score. He was the focal point of San Fran’s offense in the final two quarters, yet the defense seemed unable to contain him. Even worse is the fact that Davis saw single coverage on many of his catches. Seriously, Dom, no double teams there? That needed to be corrected and it never was.
3. Brian Billick – I couldn’t think of a third thing that infuriated me, so I just went with Billick. Man, he stinks on television. Brian, I don’t care what YOU would do in these situations; just analyze the game. Stop using your broadcast time to pathetically audition for your next head coaching job. I can’t believe it’s so hard to find good people to analyze these games. But it really seems like it is, at least at the moment.

-Chris Lempesis