From the desk (or couch) of: Chris Lempesis

Dear Mike,

Hey man – how’s it going? Silly question, I know. You must be on top of the world right now (or, at least, 60 minutes away from it).

Anyways, I’m writing you today to tell you I’m sorry. That’s right – your old buddy Chris is choking down [...]]]> To: Michael John McCarthy

From the desk (or couch) of: Chris Lempesis

Dear Mike,

Hey man – how’s it going? Silly question, I know. You must be on top of the world right now (or, at least, 60 minutes away from it).

Anyways, I’m writing you today to tell you I’m sorry. That’s right – your old buddy Chris is choking down a heapin’ helpin’ of crow.

In case you aren’t familiar with our odd little corner of the Interweb, I’ll fill you in. See, I’m the idiot who wrote, after your team’s loss to the Detroit Lions in December, that you should be “relieved of your duties at season’s end.” I felt then that you had peaked as a head coach, that you’d never be the guy to get this team – and, okay, this diehard fanbase of ours – to the promised land. You seemed capable of pulling things together for stretches, but never long enough to really get us there.

Or so I thought then. Man, how stupid was I, huh?

In my defense, you hadn’t done so up to that point. And, with a battered, bruised roster that had just turned in its most disheartening performance of your tenure, the 2010 season – one that began with “Super Bowl or Die” dreams – seemed destined for all-time worst season status for yours truly. Actually, after your loss at New England the next week, I wrote that this season had been the most disappointing of my lifetime as a fan.

Again, I was wrong. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt…or at least waited until the season was officially over to make such a ridiculous statement.  Others, including our own Adam Somers, felt like that was the smart approach. I didn’t. I was completely overreactionary (a sign of the times, I suppose) and wanted your head on a platter. 

You’d been pretty good at dodging bullets in the past – you move well for a big guy, kudos – but I never, in my wildest dreams, could have imagined you’d do what you’ve done over the past six weeks. But you’ve done it, sir – you’ve really done it.

You’ve gotten this team, this ragtag collection of stars and castoffs, to rally together as one. They never wavered in their belief that they could be the best, that they could get to where they are now. Of course, you’ve had some help in all this – tell Dom I said hi and thanks for everything – but, really, a lot of the credit must go to you. Your confident, steadfast approach was absolutely the right approach to take, even if things were as bleak as they’d ever been in your time as head coach of this team.

A lot of us doubted you. But the 53 men in that lockerroom never did. They bought what you sold. In the end, that’s all that matters, I’ve learned.

In turn, you’ve made me a believer in you, Mike. Okay, so sometimes you still drive me nuts – coaching not to lose instead of coaching to win late in two of your team’s three postseason games this year, for example – but all in all, I’m a believer in the “Book of Mike,” so to speak.

Lord help me – I’ve seen the light!

If I had any advice, though, for this next game, it’d be this: Your best moments have come when you’ve been aggressive, when you’ve really gone for it. Don’t forget that next Sunday. As I wrote after the Super Bowl last year, “in the biggest games of your life, you turn it loose.” That worked for the last NFC team in this game. Something tells me it will work for you, too. 

But, really, this letter isn’t about that. If you check us out at all over the next week, you’ll find no shortages of us telling you what your team needs to do to win.

For right now, I just wanted to say, again, that I’m sorry. You’re much smarter than I ever gave you credit for. Keep doing what you’re doing, Mike. It’s working great.

And, oh yeah – go get us that trophy. It belongs in Green Bay. Bring it home.

Sincerely,

Chris Lempesis

They had given up 51 points to the Arizona Cardinals two weeks earlier, absorbing yet another numbing playoff loss, and were swimming in questions about how they’d possibly be able to put together a good enough defense to get them deep into [...]]]> Think back, for a moment, to where the Packers were a year ago today.

They had given up 51 points to the Arizona Cardinals two weeks earlier, absorbing yet another numbing playoff loss, and were swimming in questions about how they’d possibly be able to put together a good enough defense to get them deep into the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings were mere hours away from playing in the NFC Championship Game, 60 minutes from riding Brett Favre, the Packers’ former quarterback, into the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years.

Now, imagine on that night, you get a Dickensian visitor, a ghost of playoffs future, who tells you the following things:

–The Vikings will not go to the Super Bowl, in large part because of a back-breaking interception from Favre in the game’s final seconds.

–The Packers will enter the season with lofty (and well-publicized) Super Bowl aspirations. They will sign no one of note, and they will be affected in 2010, in quantity and quality, by more injuries than any team in the NFL.

–In spite of all those injuries, and in spite of an 8-6 record heading into two must-win games to close the season, they will claim the NFC’s final playoff spot, beat a team (the Philadelphia Eagles) and a quarterback (Michael Vick) that has terrorized them for years and topple the NFC’s No. 1 seed on the road.

–And finally, they will meet the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship Game, knocking Jay Cutler out of the game and hanging on for their first Super Bowl berth in 13 years, almost solely on the strength of the defense that had been so porous a year earlier.

How many lines from that ghost would you have believed? Any of them?

What a ride this has been.

To use the phrase “roller coaster” to describe what’s happened to the Packers in the last 12 months is an insult to what they’ve overcome. If this was a roller coaster, it would have featured such violent turns and sharp swings that safety concerns and lawsuits would have followed mere weeks after its opening. Many fans (including me) were ready to bury them after a 7-3 loss to the Detroit Lions. Some of us (including me) were questioning coach Mike McCarthy’s future with the team after a last-minute meltdown against the New England Patriots. And a few of us (Chris and me) were questioning whether to go to the Dec. 26 game against the Giants, knowing there wasn’t much shot of a deep playoff run this year.

And now, here we are, celebrating the team’s fifth Super Bowl berth. I can’t believe any of it.

I’ve watched the Packers go to two Super Bowls in my lifetime. The first Packers team that did it (the 1996 squad) was such a dominant force, so certain of its place in line after a loss in the NFC Championship Game the year before, that a march to a world championship felt inevitable. Go back and look at the scores of those games. It’s easy to forget just what a juggernaut that team was. Those of us in our younger years may never see a Packers team that good again.

The next Packers team to go to the Super Bowl, the 1997 squad, survived against bad teams for the first two months of the season before going on a businesslike, if not predestined, run to Super Bowl XXXII. That team was on top, and trying to stay there. The whole thing felt joyless, and the loss to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl certainly finished the year that way.

What a lightning bolt, then, this team has been. These Packers entered the season with as large of a collection of impact players as any team in the NFL. But they were young, and thin in spots, very much a product of their time in a parity-ridden NFL. And the names went down, one after another — Ryan Grant, Nick Barnett, Morgan Burnett, Jermichael Finley, Brandon Chillar, Mike Neal, Mark Tauscher — as the Packers’ resolve and depth were stretched further and further.

There was no preordained march to the Super Bowl this year. No, this was an inconsistent, frustrating, maddening season that somehow led to the most exhilarating playoff run any of us have ever seen.

We have never watched a Packers team like this one.

So what’s to be made of it? Well, credit must be given, first of all, where it’s due. And after I spent the final weeks of the season saying McCarthy needed to coach over his head, to prove he could take a team deeper into the playoffs than his talent suggested he should, he’s outdone himself and taken his sixth-seeded Packers all the way to the Super Bowl, where many thought they’d end up in August, but not in November. So, to Mike Mac: Well done. My hat is off to you. And whatever nits I might pick (playcalling chief among them), I’m done doubting you.

Next on the list is Ted Thompson, whose batting average this season is as close to 1.000 as any general manager I’ve seen. People were ready to vilify Thompson for trading Favre and refusing to accede to his demands. But Thompson bugged me long before that — namely, since 2007, when he’d drafted Justin Harrell, then come short of delivering Favre the weapons he needed to win in the last years of his career. He was playing for the future, I thought, when he had everything in front of him in the present. But in reality, he was about two or three years in front of everyone else. Could the Packers have gone to the Super Bowl after 2007? Yes. Should they have? Yes. But time proved what Thompson probably already knew: The Packers weren’t going to win a title with Favre. So Thompson went ahead, building the team he thought he needed to win, and took the ‘07 run as a bonus. He bugged us because he didn’t do what made sense for the Packers in the short-term, and he didn’t shed much light on his plans for the team. But you don’t want a GM who feeds the rumor mill. You want a steady hand who’s going to build a championship team. And Thompson has done it. As McCarthy said a few minutes ago in his press conference, Thompson is why the future looks so great for the Packers.

And lastly — though I’m cutting this short for brevity’s sake and because there’s plenty of time to analyze the rest of the season before Feb. 6 — we come to Aaron Rodgers. The Packers cast their lot with Rodgers in 2008, effectively splitting the fanbase in one of the most controversial decisions in team history. And under a blinding media spotlight that has often treated Rodgers harshly simply because of who he replaced, he has made few missteps. He is more athletic than Favre, makes far fewer suspect decisions (Brian Urlacher’s interception yesterday notwithstanding), and throws a cleaner deep ball. He’s replaced a Hall of Fame quarterback and gotten his team back to the Super Bowl quicker than any Hall of Fame successor in history, even sooner than Steve Young did it in San Francisco. He’s one game from putting himself on the short list of the best QBs in the game, if he’s not there already, and from permanently separating his legacy from Favre’s.

These three were always going to fly or fail together. They cast their fortunes together in 2008, and weathered heaps of scrutiny in 2009. And now they end the 2010 season in the Super Bowl.

What a ride it’s been. We’ve never seen anything like it. And we might not again.

So, in conclusion, Packers Nation, I’m going to make a proposition: Don’t rush past this moment. Resist the Twitter-fueled temptation to start breaking down the Super Bowl matchup. Hold off on worrying about how the Packers will stop James Harrison and Troy Polamalu, or what they’ll do to slow down Ben Roethlisberger.

Take a few days to enjoy this, to look back on how far this team has come. Because it’s damn remarkable.

In fact, it’s one of the great moments we’ll experience as Packers fans. Ever.

–Gene Bosling

Let’s get down to business.

Here are three things the Green Bay Packers must, must, must do if they are to advance to the Su…wait…I don’t even want to say that phrase yet…defeat the Chicago Bears in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game (still get chills writing that).

The Green Bay Packers - the “most dangerous team in the playoffs,” according to some – had just suffered yet another crushing, instant classic-style playoff loss. The highest scoring game in playoff history failed to go their way, leaving us [...]]]> Think back to a year ago. The date doesn’t really matter, since you likely remember the day.

The Green Bay Packers - the “most dangerous team in the playoffs,” according to some – had just suffered yet another crushing, instant classic-style playoff loss. The highest scoring game in playoff history failed to go their way, leaving us with a long, cold offseason to ponder what might’ve been.

For this writer, the defeat could not have come at a worse time. Stuck in a dead-end job. Recently dumped. Not handling any of it particularly well. 

In more ways than one, questions of when my time would come filled my worldview.

Then the 2010 season rolled around. Things started looking up. The Packers appeared ready for a monster campaign, one that many saw ending in Dallas in early February. It coincided with a new, much-improved job for the writer. Reasons to believe were all around.

Not long after the season began, however, doubt crept in. The injuries mounted. Aaron Rodgers was regressing. The wins were still coming, for the most part, but not at the rate any of us would’ve liked. Dang, shouldn’t there have been more?

Once again, the Packers’ showing seemed to mirror that of my life. I was much better than I’d been, yes – but something was missing. After awhile, I began to think things were just as good as they’d ever be. Perhaps that was how the chips would fall for me and I’d have to just accept it. An early December embarassment in Detroit led me to write that Green Bay had leveled off. A 10-6 record and a first-round playoff exit was all this team would ever be. Truthfully, that’s how I felt about myself, as well.

A loss the next week at New England didn’t help matters much for the team, but by then things had begun to turn my way. I met someone and, man, did she seem special. There was a connection unlike any I’d felt before. Hope had worked itself back into the picture for me, personally, even if I had little left for my beloved Packers. That allowed me to stand back and re-examine my approach to the team.

Yes, these games matter. A lot. And, yes, I was hoping the Pack could turn it around over the final two weeks to reach the postseason. But, really, even if that didn’t happen, it was not going to be the end of the world. She made me feel so incredibly amazing and lucky that asking for anything more, particularly from a football team, just seemed, well, sort of greedy.

And, it was at that moment, that time, that the Packers began to save their season. A home drubbing of the Giants. A close, gutty win over the “all-in” Bears. Postseason, here we come. Funny how things work out.

Then came Sunday. The Packers, staring down a stadium-sized lot of ghosts, went into Philadelphia and exorcised damn near every one of them. No more 4th and 26. No more Vick. No more heartwrenching, instant-classic road losses (well, at least for one week). A 21-16 win, keyed by the heart this team has shown at every single instance of adversity. Do not point to the offense, defense or Mike McCarthy when you want to determine why this happened. Point to the heart. That’s where this one came from.

As great as it felt to rid ourselves of the ghosts that had dogged us for the longest time, the biggest reason I’m smiling from ear-to-ear as I write this is because of what next week means. A chance to get back to the NFC Championship Game? Well, not exactly.

It means I get a chance to watch the game with the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. Win or lose, it’s a moment we can share, ’cause, see, that’s what I’ve learned over the past year or so. These games, this team, they do matter. But they can only take you so far. It’s the people in your life – the ones that come along and change you for the better, for the best – that mean everything.

See you soon, kiddo. I’m counting down the minutes.

And, oh yeah – bring on the Falcons.

-Chris Lempesis

Questions like these have been raised on our site and many other blogs this week in the aftermath of last Sunday’s loss in New England. While I agree mostly with what Gene and [...]]]> Is Mike McCarthy a championship caliber coach? Is he getting too much of the blame? Will the outcomes in close games ever change?

Questions like these have been raised on our site and many other blogs this week in the aftermath of last Sunday’s loss in New England. While I agree mostly with what Gene and Chris have to say on the issue, I am holding my own judgment on McCarthy until after the Giants game Sunday because we will see the true character of this team and more importantly this coach then. In short, I was fuming in how the game ended in New England, but I was far more upset two weeks ago when the scored only three freaking points against the Lions in a game they needed a lot more than the one against New England.

So, until after this Sunday I want to turn my attention to the man whose job this year shouldn’t be questioned or debated by anybody and that is Ted Thompson.

I always hate using injuries as an excuse, but to ignore the Packers’ injury list this year is very hard. It has been said numerous times this year, “if you would have done me at the beginning of the year all of these players would be on IR or miss time, i.e. Rodgers and Matthews and the team would hold their own playoff fate with two games left…”. No matter how much faith you had in the this team it would be a tough sell for this to be believable.

Defensive injuries aside, the team lost two of their top four offensive players in Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant and have survived. Look at arguably the top two teams in the NFC right now in Atlanta and Philadelphia. Take away Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez from the Falcons and say LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin from the Eagles; would these teams still be where they are, let alone playoff teams?

Basically, what the Packers have done is pretty remarkable. However, it doesn’t negate their failures in close games because it is obvious that they still have enough talent, despite all the injuries, to compete and beat the game’s best.

All of that credit needs to be directed towards Thompson.

It makes it even more very frustrating to see the team drop close games with all of these guys out and that’s on the coach. Something needs to change quick because the next two games will not be blowouts. But, I don’t want to waste space on McCarthy’s flaws. Thompson deserves more recognition in constructing a team that is competing at a high level (even if it is for only 58 minutes some games) with seven opening day starters on the IR and numerous top players missing time.

Many fans ragged on Thompson for not making a move after Grant went down. Look at Marshawn Lynch’s stats in Seattle: 131 rushes, 445 yards and six touchdowns. Brandon Jackson’s stats: 165 rushes, 645 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson also has 316 receiving yards to Lynch’s 145. Enough about stats though, the fact is that Lynch hasn’t been any better than Jackson, so everyone was wrong on that front. The problem with the running game isn’t the guys the Packers have, it is playcalling. Just look at Sunday’s game on how effective a running game can be when it is a focus.

There are some obvious holes on the roster. The team desperately needs a pass rush opposite of Clay Matthews. The left guard needs a major upgrade and special teams are a mess. But, a lot of these weak areas we knew going in.

Look at the type of players who played major minutes in Sunday’s game against the Patriots. Guys like Eric Walden, Dmitri Nance, and Howard Green. Ever hear of those guys before the season? Well they will all find contracts somewhere in the NFL next year because of their time with the Packers. Even guys we did know like Charlie Peprah, John Kuhn, Sam Shields and Frank Zombo all have bright futures in the NFL because of their strong play this season. I hope Thompson finds the way to re-sign Desmond Bishop and James Jones, but they are both going to get paid handsomely this offseason by the Packers or someone else. The common denominator is that none of these players (maybe except Jones) were expected to play the roles they have the season.

Say what you want about Thompson constantly having one of the youngest rosters in the league and never making a big move in free agency, but he has built one of the deepest rosters in the league. Not a whole lot of teams could have absorbed the blow the Packers have received this year on the injury front.  In the last two losses, talent cannot be blamed even with this depleted roster.

In the middle of this current mess with McCarthy and the debate on his future as Packers head coach, no one should forget about Thompson because he is the reason we are even having this debate. On many other teams McCarthy probably wouldn’t even have a shot at the playoffs right now. Thompson’s patchwork of a team that doesn’t even resemble the one that took the field in Week One is only two wins away from the postseason. Let’s just hope McCarthy doesn’t screw it up.

-Adam Somers

The game recap you’re about to read will have little to do with what transpired Sunday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. No, Gene (as always) covered that brilliantly earlier Monday. A 31-27 loss that should have been a win. Green Bay Packers 8-6. Losers [...]]]> Before we begin, dear readers, I feel I must warn you.

The game recap you’re about to read will have little to do with what transpired Sunday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. No, Gene (as always) covered that brilliantly earlier Monday. A 31-27 loss that should have been a win. Green Bay Packers 8-6. Losers of three of four (their second such streak this season).

No, this recap is going to be about me. About you. About us. This one might get a little ugly, but remember, we’re family. We’re all in this together. If we can’t vent to each other then, I mean, what’s the point of all this?

In other words: Get ready, ’cause I’m laying it all on the table.

First, me. In short, I’m beginning to lose my religion with regards to this current bunch of Packers. They’re burning me out. For five years, each and every loss this team has suffered has felt like a punch in the face. The type of losses that leave you on the floor in front of your television set, looking up and screaming for a reason why that week’s disaster unfolded.

How could they have blown it again? Hadn’t they spent the past (fill in the blank) minutes dominating their opponent? Is this ever going to change?

That’s not to say there haven’t been highlights because, of course, there have. My outlook is realist, not glass-is-all-empty. But, at a certain point, those highlights only make you want more. Because, if you’re like me, you feel this team has that in them. I wouldn’t ask for more if I didn’t think it was possible. Without fail, though, whenever this team is forced to hit another level in a huge game against a truly great opponent - and moral victories DO NOT COUNT – the Packers just seem to fall short.

Coulda. Woulda. Shoulda. Yeah, but as my mother always says, you didn’t.

It’s getting to the point where a 38-13 loss almost seems a welcomed change of pace. My God, at least that’d be new. As mediocre as the 2010 Packers have been – and make no mistake, they have been mediocre – the reason this year has been the worst I’ve experienced as a fan is because, well, they’re becoming boring. You know how the script is going to unfold most weeks. By my count, there have been exactly two pleasant surprises (beating the Jets in New York and Favre at Lambeau). The rest has either gone like I thought it would or, worse, been a crushing disappointment. Destination: Dallas, indeed.

And yeah, I know this team still has a shot at the postseason. But honestly, who amongst you thinks this team can do ANYTHING come January? If I were to bring that pesky mistress known as history into the mix, I’d say this team is destined for yet another soul-crushing, wrong-end-of-an-Instant-Classic loss, even if it makes it in (which I don’t think it will). I’d love to say things would be different this time. But, you know, I’ve been saying that for 10 years. Honestly, I’m not up to saying it anymore. And, really, a big part of me isn’t even up to witness it.

That’s because, again, everytime I expect greatness – true greatness – I get almost-greatness. Frankly, that’s not enough for me. I don’t root for the Arizona Cardinals or Detroit Lions – I root for the freakin’ 12-time world champion Green Bay Packers. I want excellence. And when I don’t get it, I’m pissed. That’s absolutely as it should be.

Sadly, a scan of Twitter and the comment sections of certain fan sites on Sunday night and Monday show me that a good portion of you guys don’t feel the same way.

You’re happy with moral victories. You praise the effort, say how proud it makes you. You love Mike McCarthy’s gameplan (you know, the one that didn’t have a two-minute drill involved in it). No one expected this result earlier in the day, so we should just be happy with what we got. Oh Chris, you’re being too unrealistic. This team is just too beat up with injuries. What did you expect them to do, go 16-0?

Funny, I had no idea the Packers were in the same conference as Green Bay Southwest and Ashwaubenon High. I thought they were an NFL team comprised of professionals who are paid exhorbitant amounts of money to get the damn job done. I didn’t know they were above being held accountable. I didn’t know I was supposed to be content with where this team is at because, after all, at least it’s better than the 1970s and 80s, right? What the hell – why even bother keeping score, right?

Maybe I’m crazy, but I’m tired of everyone making excuses and covering for the “good ol’ Packers.” The same people who blame the injuries in 2010 blamed the switch to a 3-4 or the offensive line last year. The same people who blamed Bob Sanders and Aaron Rodgers’ youth in 2008. The same people who blamed Favre in 2007. You can blame your whole life away if you so choose. I’m more interested in fixing the damn ship than I am in pointing out why it’s sinking or trying to decide who to cover for. I guess some of you don’t see it that way.

But you know what happens if you keep on making excuses? You settle. You settle for mediocrity. You settle for 10-6 and a first-round exit. You’re just happy to have the Packers, a cold six-pack of beer and a Sunday with some friends. Asking for anything more is just being greedy. And greedy is not a good old-fashioned Midwestern quality.

Well, this guy’s greedy. And so is this website. We will never settle for mediocrity. We will expect wins every time out. Do we expect the team to go 16-0 every year? Of course not. But do we want it? You bet your tail-end we do. If we didn’t, we’d go do something else with our time on Sundays.

And when we don’t get it – particularly in the fashion that we continue to not get it – we will hold people accountable. A friend of my brother’s once referred to our site as, “the voice of the silent minority.” That’s something we’re damn proud of. The three of us will never stray from that. If that’s too much for any of you to handle, well, plenty of other blog options on the table. Like Mike Mac, we are what we are.

And, sorry, but more of you guys need to be that way, too. This is OUR team. WE own it. They answer to US. Too many of you look at it the other way around.

So, consider this a call to action. Take off the green-and-gold glasses. Don’t be so Polydanna (copyright KFAN). Doing so can make the losses a lot tougher. But it makes the wins a hell of a lot sweeter.

-Chris Lempesis

What if this kid actually throws a [...]]]> As Matt Flynn marched — well, marched is too strong of a word; maybe nudged? — the Packers down the field in the final four minutes of last night’s game against the New England Patriots, I let a taboo thought of optimism enter my head for just a second.

What if this kid actually throws a touchdown in the final seconds to beat the Patriots at home? What does that mean? Are we finally ready to come up and win big games like a great team?

And immediately, another thought came into my head to bat it away.

It’s not going to happen. We don’t win these games. The Patriots do.

Praise Flynn all you want this morning — and there are certainly plenty of reasons to do that. Talk about the Packers’ defense’s inspired performance. Even credit Mike McCarthy for what was, for 59 minutes, one of his best and most inspired game plans in Green Bay. Heck, even talk about how this game didn’t do anything but nick the Packers’ playoff hopes, thanks to the Salvation Army-sized charity they got during the early games on Sunday.

But the reason I’m so upset this morning is because this game ended the way all the close ones seem to end for the Packers — especially the close ones against great teams:

They found a way to lose. The Patriots found a way to win. And that’s the problem.

Even with Aaron Rodgers on the sidelines and a half-dozen other key contributors on injured reserve, the Packers put more impact players on the field than the Patriots did last night. They discovered a running game, held the ball for 40 minutes, got a madcap performance from John Kuhn and hit back every time the Patriots hit them. Yet, this team is 8-6, having lost those games by a collective 20 points. And this has become enough of a symptom under Mike McCarthy that you have to think this is all the Packers are going to be.

They can put up points, blow out bad teams and give good ones a heck of a fight. But last night came down to intestinal fortitude, and the Patriots, with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, have more of that than any team in the league. Heck, they have more of it than most teams in NFL history. The Packers do not.

Watching this Patriots team demystifies much of what modern NFL coaches — McCarthy among them — would have you believe is so complicated about this game. They block and tackle well, for the most part. They don’t commit stupid penalties, and they do not turn the ball over, though Brady certainly should have had a pick or two. They are composed, humble and opportunistic, and they are doing more with less than they ever have in the great Belichick/Brady years.

Contrast that with the Packers, who are in danger of missing the playoffs with all this talent because of big moments where they blinked. They dropped interceptions, including an uncharacteristic muff from Charles Woodson that led to seven points. They blocked poorly for Flynn, who contributed to the problem by committing one of Aaron Rodgers’ fatal mistakes: holding onto the ball too long. James Jones stopped on a route that led to a Flynn interception the Patriots returned for a touchdown. And they again showed their gross negligence on special teams, allowing an offensive lineman(!) to rumble 71 yards with a kickoff, cradling the ball like it was a newborn baby and ensuring the Packers will be mocked on highlights for weeks, if not years.

There’s not a lot of mystery in this. The Packers don’t win these games because they are terrible at doing the little things well, and at times, they don’t seem hungry enough. They believe they’ll win on talent, to the point where they procrastinate and put their season on the line, and when all that pressure builds up, they can’t respond.

Back to the last drive of the game: Needing to go only 57 yards in an overly generous 4:22, the Packers got stopped on a second-and-3 that effectively led to another 45 seconds coming off the clock after a third-down conversion. Flynn threw underneath to Donald Driver on a third-and-4 to get a first down, taking a timeout instead of spiking the ball, and took a sack on first-and-10 after Bryan Bulaga blocked the wrong man, leaving Dane Fletcher uncovered on a blitz. That led them to take their final timeout.

At this point, the Packers were somewhat limited by Flynn’s arm strength; he hadn’t been throwing to the sidelines all night, and a downfield throw seemed too risky, particularly when he’d had a pick negated by a penalty earlier on the drive. But when they got to fourth-and-1, chaos reigned. McCarthy said Flynn played things correctly, calling a play at the line of scrimmage and rolling out, but once again, the Packers’ blocking collapsed at the worst time. And from Driver’s catch with 29 seconds left to Flynn’s snap with five seconds left, the Packers’ entire margin for a short throw and a spike went out the window.

Why wasn’t there more urgency to get to the line? Why did this offensive line, which was supposed to be fixed, make two unforced errors on the last four plays of the game? Those have been themes over and over with McCarthy’s teams, and it seems clear at this point the Packers won’t cross over the divide with him as the coach. The NFL’s labor situation makes a firing unlikely, but when this team has all the talent to win a Super Bowl, and should for the next two seasons, big questions have to be asked. And they’re being asked because of all the little things the Packers can’t do.

By most accounts, the Packers played admirably without their franchise quarterback in a game no one thought they could win. Once again, they proved they had enough talent to overcome the odds and get to the brink of victory.

The Patriots had enough gumption to win, in spite of whatever talent gap they had. That’s what counts, and that’s why the Packers are continually wishing and hoping they could get to where the Patriots are. And with McCarthy charting the course, I’m not sure they’ll ever arrive.

–Gene Bosling

The current predicament the Green Bay Packers find themselves in with regards to Aaron Rodgers’ concussion (his second [...]]]> If you’re anything like me – sorry if you are – you sometimes have trouble viewing things at surface value. You’re more interested in digging through multiple layers in order to get a bigger picture of an issue.

The current predicament the Green Bay Packers find themselves in with regards to Aaron Rodgers’ concussion (his second of the year) is one such issue.

It’s obviously been the topic of the moment amongst Packers fans and rightfully so. Rodgers’ health, or lack thereof, will decide the future of the team, not just this year but for years to come. And one of the quickest ways in which a player’s health can de-rail is via concussions. With two under his belt, the clock is already ticking for Rodgers.

The first question on everyone’s mind is whether or not Rodgers should play this week. We’ll know a great deal more Wednesday from Mike McCarthy’s presser (Rodgers may be available to the media, as well). Rodgers will also undergo mental tests to determine his condition. The brutally honest fact of the matter, however, is that regardless of how he tests out, he really shouldn’t play Sunday. His absence leaves Green Bay with a less-than-zero percent chance of winning against the mighty New England Patriots, of course, but this shouldn’t be about that. Again, he’s the cornerstone. Protecting that at all costs is what this needs to be about.

Look, let’s be honest – this team has about a five percent chance of winning even if he plays. To beat New England on the road, you have to be perfect AND lucky. The Packers have been neither this season. If they have any shot at the postseason – and, again, I’d put the percentage on that as being low right now – their last two games, home contests with New York and Chicago, will hold the key.

He must be 100 percent for those games. Sorry, I don’t care what the men who test him may say, there is just no way he could bounce back to full force less than seven days after having his brain scrambled for the second time in two months. And, really, it’s about more than just those two concussions. Rodgers hasn’t been sacked in 2010 as much as he was last year, but doesn’t it seem like he’s been absorbing more violent hits this time around? More blatant helmet-to-helmet collisions that have gone largely uncalled? If you have little chance of winning, anyways, why not give your future a week off to prepare for your two biggest games of the year?

It’s there that we can begin to move to the second level of this issue. This one has little to do with Rodgers. No, this one’s about the men who are paid to protect him. In short, the Packers’ offensive line has regressed this season from its late-2009 brilliance.

There have been moments of solid play, but for the most part, the group just hasn’t done enough to protect its elite quarterback. Enough to protect Derek Anderson? Sure. But not Rodgers. People, myself included, wonder why Rodgers still gets a case of “happy feet” at times and why, on certain plays, he seems to break the pocket quicker than is necessary. If you think about it, though, it’s simple: He likely has little trust in the front five, despite what he may say publicly. After watching such average front sevens as the ones in Detroit and Washington get to him over-and-over, I can’t say I blame him.

If you’ve been harassed consistently, as he has in numerous games, you’re always looking for that escape, particularly if you have the athleticism that Rodgers has. That’s why Rodgers fails to recognize wide-open receivers on plays where he takes off. It has little to do with lack of awareness, but rather a keen sense of self-preservation.

As much as I love the work he’s done overall, in five years as general manager, Ted Thompson has yet to get really, truly serious about putting together an elite o-line. Brett Favre had the veteran know-how to make it work towards the end of his time in Green Bay; Rodgers hasn’t gained that yet. And until guys like Daryn Colledge and Scott Wells (a solid player who will always struggle at times because of his limited size) are no longer charged with covering him, the pressure will always be there. If that’s the case, Rodgers may not even make it long enough to gain Favre’s veteran savvy. The road from where he’s at to where Steve Young and Troy Aikman ended up is shorter than you think.

Of course, Rodgers is not without blame on this issue. He still hangs on to the ball longer than he should at times, which has led to hits he need not take. And we’ve known for a long time that Rodgers ran too recklessly (quick – how many times have you yelled, “SLIDE AARON!” at the television? I bet it’s a lot). Every time he went for that extra yard – and took an unnecessary hit as a result – you always worried as to whether or not he’d get up right away. At some point, we all knew there’d come a time when he didn’t pop right back up. That time came Sunday.

It’s unfortunate that it happened at the time it did – the Packers in a frantic playoff chase – but, again, make no mistake, this was going to happen. The hope now is that it can serve as a lesson to Rodgers. Fighting for that extra yard is valliant, especially when your line and playmakers aren’t doing their jobs (see: Sunday), but it’s more important to keep yourself intact.

Again, that’s the over-arching theme of the whole issue: keeping Rodgers intact. Playing him Sunday night won’t help that. The Daryn Colledges of the world won’t help that. And Rodgers himself won’t help that. Hopefully, the men who make the decisions for the Packers see this, as well.

-Chris Lempesis

Do you want to win championships? Or do you want to be the cute, loveable team that’s always sort of in the running, but never really in the running?

In other words, are you the New York Yankees or the Minnesota Twins?

Once [...]]]> What’s the ultimate goal of any football team? What are you really in it for?

Do you want to win championships? Or do you want to be the cute, loveable team that’s always sort of in the running, but never really in the running?

In other words, are you the New York Yankees or the Minnesota Twins?

Once again, Green Bay Packers fans learned the hard way that – as long as Mike McCarthy is the head coach of this team – the Packers will always – repeat: ALWAYS – be the latter.

At countless times in Sunday’s utterly embarassing 7-3 road loss to the Detroit Lions (the Lions – let that one sink in), McCarthy showed he has neither the intelligence nor the understanding to guide the Packers to a Lombardi Trophy.

And that is why, when the 2010 season comes to its merciful end, he must be relieved of his duties. It’s time, people.

There will be some who will suggest that the deck has been stacked against McCarthy from the beginning, that the Packers have just been done in by bad luck on the injury front. Okay – really bad luck. Those same people will point to Aaron Rodgers’ concussion, one that caused him to miss the second half, as a reason to give McCarthy a pass for this most recent disaster. He was working with a backup quarterback, after all, so what did you expect?

Sorry, but that’s all a bunch of garbage.

Remember, Rodgers was healthy for the first half, guiding an offense that was out of rhythm, out of synch and just plain disinterested. Detroit cared. The Lions battled. The Packers, particularly on the offensive line, never matched that intensity. Facing one of the worst secondaries in the game, Green Bay’s receivers failed to break free. Even 30 minutes against that defense would have been enough, had the team been prepared. But it was not, and that’s on McCarthy. 

Then there’s that little matter of his abilities as a playcaller. In short, he has none.

Once Matt Flynn entered the game, things needed to be simplified. When they were, Flynn had a fair amount of success. But, once again, at the most crucial time of the game, McCarthy decided to drop that approach, instead carrying on with his moronic idea that Flynn could run the plays like Rodgers.

On Green Bay’s last two offensive plays, needing only one yard to keep the drive going, McCarthy let Flynn air it out, Flynn missing on both attempts. Now, perhaps Flynn made poor decisions, but who was the one that gave him an opportunity to make such decisions? Oh yeah – the man calling the plays, the same man who decided to stick with the ground game, even though it had exactly zero success.

Fans argue about McCarthy’s approach to the running game often. He needs to go with it more. He needs to ditch it. Neither side is wrong, really, but McCarthy usually is. Football games are fluid. From week-to-week, your approach has to change based on the flow of the game. The best in the business do this. In five years as head coach of this team, he’s shown no ability to do this and the running game is the perfect example. He’s stubborn when it’s uncalled for and he’s too quick to drift away from it when it’s needed. Do you see that changing? Show me the progress he’s made.

As for the injury excuse, sorry, but that holds no weight, either. In Green Bay’s five losses – by a combined 16 points – the Packers have been downed by four teams that they are out-and-out more talented than, even with the injuries (Atlanta being the lone exception). They lost to Chicago because of sloppy play (another wonderful trademark of these last five years). They lost to Washington and Miami due to poor playcalling. Sunday was a combination of both. Four wins left on the table, a lack of talent factoring in none.

This is nothing new, either. In his time as head coach, Green Bay has been blown out very few times. More often that not, the Packers lose by the smallest of margins, usually done in by rotten playcalling or by being sloppy and unprepared. McCarthy’s really good about standing up at the podium and putting the blame on himself. But you know what he’s terrible at? Correcting such failures.

Oh, sure, he can get his team to bounce back for stretches, maybe even gaining a playoff berth or two out of it. But the same mistakes, the same failures, well, they always creep back in. Because at a certain point, a guy just is what he is. McCarthy’s there now. His teams will always be the same. Pull off an upset or two, crush most of the bad teams and lose some heartbreakers they had no business losing. Playoff entry. Earlier than necessary playoff exit. Super Bowls? Not a chance.

And, if that’s the case – if we know that beyond a shadow of a doubt, which we do - then what the hell is the point in keeping him around? Don’t you want to win a championship? Isn’t 11-5 or 10-6 and a playoff game or two just not good enough, particularly with the talent on this roster moving forward?

Speaking only for myself, I dread the idea of becoming the Twins or the San Diego Chargers. That’s not enough for me. I went through this with this last guy coaching the Packers. I don’t want to be “in the mix.” I want that damn trophy.

And I know he’s never going to bring it to us. So the time to move on is now. The Packers may go forward or they may go backward. But at least we won’t be middling. My God, I’ve had enough of middling.

-Chris Lempesis