The Good, The Bad, And the Really Ugly
Wow. How are you even supposed to feel, as a fan, after a game like that Thursday night? I know a win’s a win, but come on. The only thing allowing the Packers to win that game, or the weekend before for that matter, was the fact that the opposing team was even worse than the Packers. I don’t know what the record is for most turnovers inside the opposition’s 15 yard line, but the Packers have to be close for this season. It has almost reached the point where I would rather them kick a field goal from 35 yards out than try to score a TD, although after those two misses by Rayner in the first half, I am not so sure. So back to the question: What to make of the Vikings game?
Well, let’s start with the positives:
- The defense was superb. Alright, alright, they were playing a rookie QB in his first NFL start. I get that. But think about how bad the Packers defense looked in the first few weeks of the year. Opposing teams looked at our defense and thought “All You Can Eat”. There were big plays all over the place. Thursday night, there was NO offense for the Vikings. Receivers couldn’t get open at all thanks to excellent coverage by the corners. I’ll admit, I was very down on Woodson at the beginning of the year, but he has truly improved his play one hundred percent. His interception was one of skill and came at an opportune moment. Brady Poppinga’s tackle of Jackson on 3rd down just short of the first down marker was one of those key plays that can change the momentum of the game. He made a great tackle on a mobile quarterback that stopped a Vikings drive. His play has vastly improved as well. Cullen Jenkins has really turned out to have an excellent season. He will command a decent wage in the free agent market this off-season. And Aaron Kampman…wow. The Packers are looking smarter each week for having given him the money they did. He has definitely become a pro-bowl caliber player.
- Donald Driver - It is amazing that he can still make the plays that he does, and have the productivity he does when all the other options are just so terrible. Any defense knows where the ball is going, because no one else can seem to make a play on offense. Yet Driver still had nearly 100 yards and makes the difficult catches all over the field.
- This one is almost disgusting to say, but everyone knows it. The Packers are in the playoff hunt. This is truly a testament to how bad the NFC is. If New Orleans beats the Giants, which they should, and St. Louis loses to the Cardinals, which they could, we may actually have a legitimate reason to watch the game next week.
Which is the perfect segue into the negatives:
- The Packers will not beat the Bears next week. I know the Bears will be resting their players, but let’s face it. Even their second string could give the Packers a tough game. Let’s also not forget that if there is one thing that Bears fans, players and coaches would love from their team is to kick the Packers’ asses and keep them out of the playoffs.
- The Packers offense moved the ball pretty well, but they continue to transform themselves into a train wreck every time they get into the red zone.
- Bubba Franks, who should have been cut right there on the field, has gone from being a TD machine to a non-productive, pass-dropping, ball-fumbling liability. I don’t see any positive contributions from him anymore.
- The running game still needs a lot of work. This is most likely something that will get better next year as the rookie offensive linemen gain more experience.
Obviously, this list is not exhaustive, but I don’t want this post to get inordinately long. Let’s face it. The Packers are still not a very good team. However, if you look at the improvement from last year, you see that at least they are headed in the right direction.
December 24th, 2006 at 11:03 am
Watched the game with your bro and we echoed those comments (inc. cutting Bubba). I noticed you didn’t criticize the playcalling. Turnovers killed us - obviously - in the red zone, but I think playcalling does as well. McCarthy just doesn’t have those two or three go-to-plays that every playcaller should have once they get inside the 10. The fact that we had three points after three great first half drives was more of an indictment on playcalling than anything else. Nonetheless, we beat the Vikings so let’s not lose sight of that.
December 25th, 2006 at 12:31 pm
zgold007 is right. the play calling deserves more scrutiny. i’m in that category of McCarthy-skeptics turned supporters because i think on the whole, he’s done a good job this year with a very very young team. But consecutive running plays against the best interior line in football? come on, guys. The playcalling also drew the skepticism of the studio analysts (jawarski, et. al.) who are generally so lax to add insightful criticism that when they do, you know it’s bad. They move away from plays that work (quick slants, designed screens, one-on-one fly sideline fly routes) and go back to the junk that doesn’t (up the gut runs, anything to a tight end). that’s what i’m miffed about.