• Falcons vs Packers Post Game Thoughts

  Filed under Post Game Thoughts
  Oct 5

  After another tough loss the Packers need to start worrying about the season. While the season isn’t over the team really needs to make some changes or we will be lucky to win 8 or 9 games this season. The good thing is that there is plenty of time left in the season and we are only one game behind the Bears for the division lead. I think the Packers currently have four problems and if at least some of these can be fixed I think we can still salvage the season.

  First is the stupid penalties. These penalties are toatlly killing us. I don’t know why but every game we have to have several killer penalties that lose the game for us. I don’t know if it is just me but I am getting sick and tired of it. I don’t know how the team needs to keep shooting themselves in the foot by committing stupid penalties. Once again this game was lost due to stupid penalties. For example if Jermichael Finley didn’t hold on the first field goal we would have made it and we could have been tied at the end of the game. I don’t know what McCarthy needs to do to get these players to play smart but he needs to try something. If it breaks down to players having to take laps for every penalty in practice so be it. This is getting rediculous and needs to be eliminated if this team has any shot at making the playoffs.

  Problem number 2 is the injuries. These injuries are really starting to take their toll. One good thing to come out of the game is that it appears no one else was hurt in the game which is a good thing. I will probably wake up tomorrow to discover another player got hurt. I don’t know if it is just bad luck or bad training but this injury situation is getting rediculous. Hopefully the Packers can somehow make it through a couple weeks without anymore injuries and get some of our players back. If this happens (very unlikely at this point) I think the team should improve.

  Problem number 3 is the running game. While the running game showed a little life in this game it is still rediculous. The running game really needs to get going. Aaron Rodgers and the receivers can’t keep bailing out this offense. The running game really needs to step up. The offensive line needs to open up some holes while Grant and Jackson try to actually gain more than a couple yards each run.

  Finally our run defense is downright terrible so far this season. At this point any running back could easily get 100 yards rushing on us. This can’t continue. I don’t know exactly why we are playing so terrible but I think it is mostly due to the defensive tackles. I don’t know if they are just tired for playing more this season, or what but they are getting absolutely no pressure up the middle and letting running backs run right by them. I know I am asking for a lot here but hopefully Justin Harrell will be able to come back and really help the run defense.

  While things are looking really bad at this point there are some positives to draw from this week’s game:

  First if anyone ever challenges Rodgers toughness again I will be furious. Throughout the game you could tell he was playing through pain but he kept going because he knew it was best for the team. To top that off I thought Rodgers had a great game. He did through that late INT but I don’t put much blame on him. He is allowed to make some mistakes since the defense and running game didn’t give him any support at all.

  While some people might bring up if we had Favre things would be different. I personally don’t agree with that. This is a team game after all. While the QB is important, there are 52 other players on the team and if they don’t step up it really doesn’t matter what the QB does. First of all we will never know. Second with all the other troubles on the team I don’t think Favre would have made much of a difference. For example can Brett Favre block without getting penalty after penalty? I don’t think so. Can Brett stuff the run on defense? Another no. Can Brett magically heal all of our injuries? One final no. While Favre possibly could have helped the team, he could have also made things much worse since Brett always seemed to make mistakes when the team was behind.  People need to give Rodgers a break since most of our current problems have nothing to do with Rodgers. I thought except for last week he has had a great season. Too bad few other players on the team are willing to help him out. While we are playing much worse this season I still don’t regret going with Rodgers and if I had to make the choice after everything that has happened I still would have picked Rodgers since Rodgers has a bright future in front of him while Favre has at max one more season left in him.

  A second positive is that we did start playing better in the second half. While it isn’t that reassuring, if we continue to grow on the second half I think we could possibly turn the season around.

  A final positive is that the pass defense is stepping up this season. With so many injuries this season, many (including myself) thought the pass defense was going to crash and crumble. So far the pass defense has held pretty well with the help they have been getting from the defensive line. If the defensive line would just get some pressure I think we would have a top pass defense. In my opinion Tramon Williams has shown the last two games why he will be the future starter at CB. I actually wouldn’t even be surprised if Al Harris isn’t the #3 for a couple weeks once he comes back in order to get readjusted to the game. Speaking of future starters I think Pat Lee has a bright future. While he still makes some mistakes (he is a rookie after all) he has shown so many flashes of brilliance that I think he just needs to time and he will be a very good CB. Finally Nick Collins has had an amazing season. As most of you probably know I am far from a Nick Collins fan. I actually didn’t want to start him this season. While I was wrong. He seems to have finally turned the corner and has finally learned how to catch a football. With the sad state of safeties in the NFC I honestly think Nick Collins has a chance of making the Pro Bowl this season.

  While things aren’t looking good at this point, I wouldn’t give up on the season just yet. The Packers are obviously a talented team it’s just that we keep shooting ourselves in the foot. If we can just correct our stupid mistakes and get some of our players back from injuries I think we can turn this season around and be a threat in the playoffs. How this season is going I personally think the winner of the Super Bowl will come down to who is hotest at the end of the season. Remember that the Giants had far from a good start to their season last year and we all know how that happened? While things aren’t looking great there is still some hope left in this season.

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  Tagged as: Green Bay Packers, Packers
  

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