Burning My $#%^&#% Nitschke Jersey
Posted in Any Given Sunday
Fucking Ray Nitschke, why have you forsaken us? I wore one of the most uncomfortable kid football jerseys made when I was 7 because, hello? It was a Ray Nitschke jersey.
As I’d mentioned yesterday, I wore my adult-sized Nitschke jersey to watch the Cardinal wildcard playoff game. Had it on all day. And again, the Packers lost. The Packers are 0-6 when I pay homage to big Ray on game day. I don’t think I’m ever gonna wear that jersey again.
Every time I think about how the Packer defense gave up 40 points yesterday I start to feel the bile rising up my throat, so I’m not gonna talk about it much now.
Some positives:
- Rodgers and the offense didn’t lose faith when they were down by 24.
- Rodgers seems to like the challenge of being down, being nearly beaten, but being given the chance to come back. He was cool as a zucchini yesterday throughout. And I don’t mean to go all Lou from Major League again this week, but the team doesn’t get to this spot without Rodgers. That he coughed up the game-winner is still crushing my chest like a heart-attack, but he’s been a damn exciting quarterback to watch this season.
- We have some really good wide receivers. The Jennings TD catch from the live angle looked like magic. Like the ball was 13′ away from his body and there was no way to catch it, and then you saw it disappear as it passed in front of his body, but never reappeared on the other side of his body. Like Jennings was an electromagnet and the ball a little hunk of iron.
- We have an outstanding defense. I’d love to know where they went yesterday. The #1 ranked defense in yards allowed should NOT be giving up record amounts of yards in the playoffs.
Some negatives:
- Woodson had an average game yesterday, even with the forced fumble. We needed more.
- Clay Matthews was merely human yesterday, too. A good human. Better than average human. But human.
- AJ Hawk is too compact a package to have as much muscle tissue as he has. He can’t seem to do a damn thing on the field but look like a stiff wad of Play-D’oh.
- We missed Al Harris.
- We need a good running back.
- This is getting boring, even to write.
I’ll write more in the coming week or two about what the Packers need to do to improve from next year, but it’s the same shit everyone’s known about for the last 2 years. So don’t expect many revelations. But you CAN expect more posts about cheerleaders. Women always have a way of making it all better, don’t they?
Technorati Tags: Yeah, Make it better, baby, Packers, Cardinals, Gastrointestinal Issues
How was that not a facemask penalty on the last play? Half page picture of Adams fingers hooked on Rogers face mask on cover of State Journal sports section but no mention of why a penelty not called. Picture says a tousand words but no one speaking up.
first of all no we don’t need a better running back Ryan Grant was effective when he got the ball but it’s tough to establish a run game when you get down by 17. And missing kampman, harris, blackmon clearly killed the defense.
Do you think Favre coud have made that throw to Jennings in OT? I do. Hahahahahahahaaha, see you next year Fudge!
Outstanding defense??? That is the funniest thing Ive heard in a while. They are Swiss cheese and the fans smell like parmasan. If you stick with that crap defense, you will get swept by the Vikes again next year. Hahahahahahaha, see you next year!
I think the Packers can get rid of Jarrett Bush (sp)…
I kind of feel the same about AJ Hawk.
@ I.C. - And you know, I really, really hate to say this, because he’s had such a spectacular year, but sometimes I get the sense that Charles Woodson is about the stats and not the win.
Don’t get me wrong - he’s played out of his mind this season and he deserves all the accolades her gets. But I remember a situation just a few weeks ago where it was 4th and something, and the ball was thrown Woodson’s way, and it was a ways downfield. Woodson barely had a chance at reaching the ball and if he did, he’s have been touched down immediately.
The right play would have been to just knock the ball down because the team would have had better field position that way, but you could see he was working like a mother to get that ball and add to his stat count.
But like I said - he’s accounted for more than half of the Packer’s positive turnovers, either in interceptions or forced fumbles, so it’s pretty hard to begrudge him a few extra stats. But I always get worried when it looks like a player is playing for anything other than the win.
And the deficiencies of Hawk just seem to be amplified now that Matthews is on the field. It’s like I kept giving Hawk slack because he’s still young, still learning. And then Matthews comes in and wreaks havoc on every single defense he faces and I realize Hawk should be better than he is at this stage in his career. Any #15 pick overall should be (which I guess would be a knock on Ted T, too).
@ Mr. Idiot above - If you compare the pay of every running back in the NFL, Grant is getting way more than he’s delivering. As physical specimens Green and Grant are pretty much clones of each other, but Green, even in his limited opportunities, seems to be able to navigate holes and gaps better than Grant.
Grant runs like he’s Jerome Bettis. Only he needs another 75 pounds to do that, otherwise he’ll get stuffed at the line most times. Kinda like he does now. Grant is average.
@Packerloser - Canadian email and IP address somewhere in the Pacific Rim - don’t be afraid to stand up and be counted.
Rodgers was amazing though.
Wow! How he kept his cool this season.
Anyone remember David Carr and what consistent sacks and hits did to his mental state on the field? Maybe I’m overexaggerating a bit…. but it did take some toll on him.
Rodgers was hit regularly, but kept himself calm. No one can say that the hits make him rush his passing releases.
Taking into account all of the obstacles he has had to dealt with all I can say is; “so long Favre, we’re better with Rodgers.”
JP Football- Ryan Grant averaged 4.4 yards per carry this season. He fumbled the ball ONCE all year. The best aspect of having him as a back is that he NEVER carries the ball for negative yardage. The Packers weren’t stuck in many 2nd and 12 or 13 yard situations. He hits the hole extremely hard and had a solid season under an average offensive line. Grant is a reliable back and I really don’t see your argument unless you can name another realistic option over the off-season.
The Packers were totally out coached. Time for Mike to GO!!! Ted Thompson too.
The defensive coorinator blew it big time. A zone defense never works. Special teams ? Do we know what this is?
The defense was a complete let down. They shoud give back their paychecks. Rodgers played well after he gave them 7 points. Seven points would have won the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I kind of agree about the coaching…
Time management was TERRIBLE. The clock is running down and they’re walking casually around on the field.
Now You Talk
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