My Official Green Bay Packer Blog

About 15 years ago I worked for a sage of Corporate America. Alot of what I learned about how to navigate the corporate ladder I learned from this guy.  One lesson that stuck with me was a simple but important and poignant one: always take care of your boss.

Now he was my boss, so you might be inclined to think it was self serving for him to tell me that, but I was also a boss, with a sizable staff under me.  So I understood exactly what he meant.

And now I want to teach that same lesson to Nick Barnett and Jermichael Finley.  You know, the guys with idle time on their hands and a need to express themselves, no matter how whiny they appear.

Nick? Jermichael?  With all the football terminology that echoes of war time, it wouldn’t be a stretch to compare the relationship of player and coach to that of a soldier and his captain, would it? No, it wouldn’t.  And in the army, they teach you to follow your leader, right? No matter what? His job is to lead you to successfully engaging the enemy.  There’s no room for voting. For democracy. Fall in line, soldier, or you put the whole platoon at risk.

With what you’ve done on Twitter, you’re taking the focus away from winning the biggest battle your platoon has ever fought.

Can you imagine if there were a Twitter for the military?

@PFCBarnett I don’t think cap’n is right about trying to charge this hill, guys.

@PFCFinley I think cap’n’s wrong and it’s making me mad. Who’s with me?

Now in Corporate America, it’s not all that different.  Matt, my boss way back when, was charged with things far less important than the freedom of a people, but the concept is the same.  My success was tied to Matt’s success. If I failed, Matt failed.  If Matt failed, well, you get the idea. So among his staff, we always had the wagons circled.  If I was going to get a raise or a promotion, it was going to be because of Matt.  Not in spite of him.  So I made sure my goals aligned with his goals, and trusted that his goals were to lead us all successfully through battle.

That’s what coach McCarthy is doing, boys. Trying to lead his platoon of soldiers into battle. Take that hill. And you’re lagging behind, bitching about who’s getting the better MRE’s.

Look. I get that you want to be included in the team photo, and it sucks that for awhile you weren’t going to be. But you keep that private, Private. Take it directly to the coach, or whatever PR person is responsible for that. Don’t distract your platoon from the upcoming battle.

Because remember - if McCarthy fails? Then you fail.

And maybe you get a dishonorable discharge because of it.  The battle’s too important to pay any mind to whiners.

Technorati Tags: Nick Barnett, Jermichael Finley, Warriors Fight, Warriors Don’t Weep and Whine, If You Can’t Join The Fight, Back Those Who’re Fighting, Think of Your Platoon, Superbowl, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers

I’m selling my Ray Nitschke jersey on eBay.

My jinxed Ray Nitschke jersey.

If you want it and have the power to remove jinxes, you’ve got 3 days to bid on it. Or, if you’re a dick and want the Steelers to win and hope the jinx is transferrable?  Well, first off, fuck you.  Secondly, have a go at it.  I plan on running into my church when nobody’s looking and dipping it in the holy water bath, which should render it useless to anyone wanting to see the Packers lose.

But sweet jeebus, I need this thing out of my house. Before the Superbowl.  Because the Packers lose whenever I wear it, and I won’t be able to help myself but to wear it on the big day.

So please. Help your Packers.  Buy my Nitschke jersey.

Technorati Tags: Ray Nitschke jersey, jinxes are real, no shutup they ARE real, Packers WIN!!, Please buy my jersey

The Packers hang on to get to the Superbowl and the only thing on sports talk today?  Jay Cutler.  Well, I guess Aaron Rodgers should be used to having his accomplishments being whitewashed by the drama of another quarterback. Not that what Rodgers got done in the second half of the NFC Championship should be considered an “accomplishment.”

And I wish I had some fresh take on Cutler, something that hasn’t already been said since yesterday.

But the stuff I said about Brett Favre in my comment in my last post seems to be echoed by many ballers in The League - you don’t come out of the NFC Championship unless your own legs can’t carry you.

All I know is what I saw. This is what I saw:

Cutler walked off the field under his own power.  I don’t remember even seeing him being helped off the field.  Or wincing on the ground in pain. He just didn’t reappear the next time the Bears had the ball.

Once he was on the sidelines, he sat like a mopey little sister who was told she couldn’t have a puppy. That is when he wasn’t walking around or riding a stationary bike with the awkwardness of a stroke victim in rehab.

I didn’t see him giving counsel to either of his backups, or anyone else for that matter.  Something he saw in the Packer D to exploit. Some wrinkle he didn’t expect.  Unfortunately, that’s a lot like Brett Favre when he had a chance to coach up his backups and eventual replacement and instead did nothing.

Reports came out today that he had an MCL strain or tear, so maybe he really was hurt. So hurt he couldn’t try a shot.  Or a brace.  Or a wrap. Or something to get back in the game.  He was so hurt, he couldn’t

He said he didn’t know how or when the injury happened.  I’m not quite sure how someone pops some banjo strings and doesn’t know it.

Maybe he’s the toughest, most stoic sunavabitch alive.  He can walk without ligaments.  Suffer excruciating injuries without a single flinch. Never a reaction to anything, really.

Or? This Bear is who we thought he was.

Technorati Tags: Jay Cutler, Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears