I don’t know about you, but I don’t enjoy the Packer blogs that drone on and on about the stats of a game or a season and what they might mean. After a big win or loss, we get that already with next-day sports talk radio, ESPN and the paper. And it’s written by professional writers, so it’s usually better than what most bloggers can offer.

I have a lot of things to get off my chest from Thursday night’s game. But I don’t want to do the thing I just said I don’t like. So here’s 10 Quick Hitters:

  1. In Mike McCarthy’s young head coaching career, there have only been two games where there were big expectations for the Packers; the Chicago Bears game earlier this year and the Dallas Cowboys game two nights ago. In both cases fans who saw the game were left with a “What the hell was McCarthy’s gameplan?” feeling. My worry? We have a new version of Marty Schottenheimer coaching the Packers: a guy who gets the yips in big games. And guess what? McCarthy coached under Schottenheimer.
  2. Did you ever see that Twilight Zone movie where the smoker was convinced to stop smoking by a “helpful” company who would cut off the fingers of your spouse if you were caught smoking? Favre played like he was the smoker, and if he didn’t throw bomb after bomb - >>snip<< Deanna’s fingers with a pair of tree loppers. He hasn’t looked that uncomfortable in years. It was almost as if he hadn’t ever won in Dallas before. Oh yeah.
  3. In Al Harris’ defense, I don’t know that there are many corners that can cover Terrell Owens one-on-one. But on at least two occasions it looked like Harris was in full denial, playing the seldom successful “If I can’t see him he doesn’t exist” defense, turning his back to TO just as the ball was being set to flight. And closing his eyes. Squinting hard.
  4. I’ve been wrong about how badly we need Charles Woodson. Tony Romo made the secondary look very foolish. This wouldn’t have happened with Woodson in the game. He may have given up one big play, but it’d only have been one. And he may have made up for it with one of his own.
  5. Marion Barber and Julius Jones are really good, tough backs. We’d better figure out how to stop them when playoff time comes around.
  6. Greg Jennings is really, really good. With his speed and freaky dekes, he seems to be able to take almost any 5-yard lob and turn it into 50+ yards.
  7. If that telecast was the best the NFL Network has to offer, they should never be allowed to cover another game. Bryant Gumbel couldn’t decide if he was talking about the Packers or the Cowboys. The stat display at the top of the screen was modeled after Pong. Guys who couldn’t get jobs with real networks were working this game. $.80 per month per cable subscriber for about 8 games worth of amateur-level broadcasts? Cha, right.
  8. Atari Bigby and Nick Barnett should have their hands put in casts in the second half of every game. The two have combined for what? 300 yards of facemask and other penalties late in games this year?
    • Week 13: 1-10-GB 44 (3:17) 24-M.Barber right tackle to GB 41 for 3 yards (74-A.Kampman). PENALTY on GB-20-A.Bigby, Face Mask (15 Yards), 15 yards, enforced at GB 41.
    • Week 12: 1-10-GB 30 (6:46) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 8-J.Kitna pass incomplete deep middle to 84-S.McDonald. PENALTY on GB-20-A.Bigby, Defensive Pass Interference, 29 yards, enforced at GB 30 - No Play.
    • Week 11: 1-10-CAR 36 (:41) (Shotgun) 16-V.Testaverde right end pushed ob at CAR 39 for 3 yards (56-N.Barnett). PENALTY on GB-56-N.Barnett, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced at CAR 39.
    • Week 8: 1-10-DEN 7 (2:27) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass incomplete deep right to 88-T.Scheffler (20-A.Bigby). PENALTY on GB-20-A.Bigby, Defensive Pass Interference, 17 yards, enforced at DEN 7 - No Play. I could go on.
  9. Aaron Rodgers is like a Brett Favre with legs. But without the cannon arm. Rodgers did a better job running the offense than Favre did after he was injured. Favre knew it, too. Through all the high-fives and chest bumps Rodgers got after his successful drives, Favre was nowhere to be found. He was on the sideline, but apparently as far away from Rodgers as he could get. Is this a team game or not, Brett?
  10. The Packers are 10-2, and in the driver’s seat for everything except home field throughout the playoffs. Pretty damn good. If we can get to the point that we need to travel back down to Big D for the NFC Championship, Favre and McCarthy will need to find where they left their swagger and cajones.

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