Packer Venting

I've done plenty of venting on facebook about the outstanding Packers-Cardinals game yesterday, but what better way to get it totally out of my system than by writing a book about it in my blog?

If you like offense, this was a game for the ages. I am more of a defensive guy, so this was an ugly game in my eyes. Yes, it was filled with excitement and anxiety, but when punters only see the field when they have to hold for the extra point, then it's nothing more than arena football to me and we all know how many fans love that sport...not many.

Speaking of arena football...how about that game by Kurt Warner! More touchdowns thrown than incompletions. What's the big deal? I didn't hear announcers going nuts on Saturday when Michael Vick had 1 TD and only 1 incompletion. Maybe it's not such a great feat after all?

Warner obviously played great, but he has Dom Capers to thank for a lot of his success. Dom has a feeling that veteran quarterbacks who've seen it all, know how to beat the blitz, so he refuses to do so. Well Dom...they've also seen plenty of zone defenses and know exactly where the holes are and how to beat them. Every Packers loss this season was a result of getting beat in the air due to their weak secondary and no pass rush. Roethslisberger with 500+ yards...Favre with 7 TD's and no int's in 2 games...Rookie Josh Freeman throwing 3 TD's in his first NFL start. In all of those games, this vaunted 3-4 defense which is designed to confuse offenses with complex blitzes from all angles with different players, was played with a vanilla 3 or 4 person rush and a combination zone and man coverage. I will be even more upset if New Orleans blitzes him constantly and causes multiple turnovers and disrupts the offense that we could not stop.

I agree that guys like Favre and Warner can beat the blitz by getting rid of it quickly. However, both can be rattled and will turn the ball over if you get consistent pressure on them. If you sit back and let them throw, they will tear you apart, gain confidence and get very comfortable in the pocket. If you send 5 or 6 at them and play tight man coverage, you may get beat once or twice, but more often than not, you'll stop them.

Some fans had a problem with McCarthy trying a 54 yard field goal in the first half with the team down 24-7. At first I did, because I thought that distance was near the end of Crosby's range. However, seeing as he put the ball half way up the net and had the distance to make it from 60+, I have no problem with the call. McCarthy obviously was told my Crosby that his limit was 55-60. As long as it wasn't a stretch for him to get it that far, I'd rather take the 3 point opportunity than go for a 4th and 8.

One thing I will blame McCarthy for is not challenging the Hightower apparent fumble early in the 4th quarter. I think it was Jenkins or Jolly who made a great play and stripped the ball from him as he went to the ground. The initial replay appeared to show the ball was coming out before Hightower's knee/hip hit the ground. This would have been a huge turnover and let the Packers tie the game earlier. However, Arizona went on to get the second Fitzgerald push off a few plays later to go up 14. Would replay have over turned the on field decision that the runner was down? Probably. Even if they didn't, I felt the team needed momentum and it was definitely worth a time out if we did lose the challenge.

I don't want to be a sore loser, so I waited to discuss the officiating til now. It was horrible. Did it cost the Packers the game? Probably not, but it sure gave them a lot more to over come. The biggest issue seems to be a non facemask call on the last play which would have negated the final score. I don't mind that miss, because from where the ref was standing, he couldn't see the face mask even if he was looking right at it. The helmet to helmet hit on Rodgers the play before which would have kept it at 2nd and 7 instead of 2nd and 17 (Packers had a holding penalty on the play), that is also questionable as the Cardinal definitely led with his head, but I couldn't tell if it made contact with Rodger's helmet. So that one I won't argue about either.

The ones I have the most problem with involve Larry Fitzgerald. He's a great receiver, but Woodson owned him. However, twice Fitzgerald was allowed to put both hands on Woodson as if he was blocking him, then throw him to the ground leaving Fitz wide open for a TD. I can't argue star power because Woodson is one of the two favorites for defensive player of the year. These weren't minor push offs that receivers often get away with. Both were two hand grabs followed by a full extension push to the ground. One was even 5 feet in front of the back judge.

The other key call was when Cullen Jenkins got tackled on a 3rd down play and as he was going to the ground, his hand hit Warner in the head. This gave the Cards a first down and extended another TD drive. I agree that roughing had to be called because Jenkins made contact with the quarterback's helmet. However, the fact that he was tackled right in front of the QB and neither the ref or the umpire saw this is amazing. Assuming that is called, third down is replayed and the outcome could be different.

I assume that I'm not just being a homer in thinking we got the short end of the stick on a majority of the calls because even the Packer hater Troy Aikman was commenting on how the Packers weren't getting any breaks from the officials. And Karlos Dansby stated in his press conference when describing the last play that they 'got a break from the officials' when referring to the non facemask call. I've also had fans of other teams who had no interest in this game, tell me that they feel bad for Packers fans as the officials gave us a lot more to overcome.

Enough about the zebras. What rips my heart out the most is the fact that Rodgers missed Jennings on the first play of overtime. He not only had Rolle beat, but he was 5 yards past him! Rodgers said he misjudged the route Jennings was taking so he didn't put air under the ball. I'm sure that like me, he will be replaying that play in his head all off season!

As great as Rodgers played the final 3 quarters, he helped give Arizona life by making a terrible decision on the first play of the game. The tight end was not even open for a split second. It was a rookie type throw that was uncalled for. Any momentum the Packers had by kicking the Cardinals butt the week before was instantly lost with that play. If the Packers go down the field and score, then the Cardinals begin to realize that we own them. Instead they take advantage of it, make another play on the next drive by stripping Driver and before you know it, we're down 14-0 and they have swagger.

The only solace I can take with all this heartbreak is that the Packers have shown the past 9 weeks just how talented they are and what a bright future the organization has. Ted Thompson admitted earlier this year, that the team is rebuilding and year 3 (next year) is when they planned to be competitive again. The team is way ahead of the curve and with a few veterans mixed in to fill holes on the offensive line and defensive secondary, this could be a team that nobody wants to play in 2010 and 2011.

GO PACK GO!

ps> now my focus goes to my other favorite team...San Diego. If they lose to the Jets, I'll be more disappointed than this loss because the Jets have no business being on the field with the Chargers. Time to wipe Rex Ryan's smug grin off his face .