Tom/Greg

mikenj46
Posts: 79
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2009 6:00 pm

Tom/Greg

Post by mikenj46 » Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:39 pm

I'm a Packers who was stuck watching the game in a bar full of Giants fans out here. Was wondering what your guys thoughts were and what the talk out there is after last night's game.

Is it just me or did McCarthy coach that game like they were in desperation mode from the opening kick off? Why on earth is he calling a time out on 3rd and 1 with 14 seconds left before the half? Is he hoping to return the punt for a TD? Desperation.

Clearly the worst game of their season. Drops have been a serious issue the last month(Finley all season), and I still can't believe how often they fumbled/lost the ball. It was like they were trying to carry a greased watermellon. But I was really disappointed with the way McCarthy coached the game yesterday.

What's your opinions? Feedback from Wisconsin? Step back or just a blip on the radar?

Mike

Greg Ambrosius
Posts: 36392
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2004 6:00 pm

Tom/Greg

Post by Greg Ambrosius » Mon Jan 16, 2012 12:05 am

I was at that game and it was like sitting in a dentist's chair for 4 hours getting your teeth drilled. Just BRUTAL all the way around.

It was easily the worst game they've played since McCarthy's first season. This was not just a blip on the radar as this defense has been so bad they set an NFL record this year for most passing yards allowed. We all turned the other way and said "oh they gave up a lot of yards because our offense is so good or because we had big leads." BULLSHIT. It's a bad defense. No pass rush. No creativity to free Matthews from double teams. No safety play. NOTHING.

This team got exposed by a better team in the playoffs, which we knew could happen. And Rodgers was completely off last night. I mean, his accuracy wasn't there and you could see that, but his choice of receivers wasn't good either. When was the last time you saw him roll to his right and then throw all the way to the other sideline when he's got a guy crossing the middle 15 yards down the field? That was Favre-like!!

I'm sick of McCarthy deferring when he wins the toss, too. Why not take the ball, set the tone for the rest of the game with a key TD drive and stay ahead the whole game. No, he defers, our defense can't get off the field and it feels like we're playing from behind the whole game. Ridiculous. Be aggressive at home like the Patriots were.

And let me tell you something, this had nothing to do with the weather. It was 34 degrees, there was very little wind and we actually ran the ball better than the Giants did. We just have no defense and we uncharacteristically dropped a lot of balls and fumbled way too often.

This is a team with a lot of needs despite going 15-1. Offensively, they will be fine. They have a big decision to make with Finley, but despite getting booed at home where the fans have little patience for him anymore, I think they re-sign him. But defensively, wow, do they need help. It's time to find another pass rusher, get Collins healthy and find another Cullen Jenkins. I sat and watched the Lions and the Giants now these last two games just have their way with us and if we don't improve that next year we might not make the playoffs.

Just brutal. And here's a big BOOOOOOOO to the Packer fans. They sold their playoff tickets by the thousands and give the Giants fans credit, they travelled like I've never seen before. The north end zone was total blue. They must have had 10,000 fans at Lambeau last night. It's just sad to see Packer fans selling their PLAYOFF tickets to make a measly $100. Ridiculous. This is what you live for and YOU SELL YOUR PLAYOFF TICKETS TO THE OPPOSING TEAM? Unreal. I'm just totally disgusted.

It makes the winter very long. Everyone in this state pours their hearts and souls into this team and to see them lay an egg at Lambeau is very sad. It's only a football game, but it's a major punch to the nuts when they play that bad. They could have and should have beaten the Giants, but not without a serviceable defense. The Giants were DEFINITELY the better team last night and if the Pack had played this way next week they would have lost easily to San Francisco, too. They're not the hot team this year, not with a defense that bad and the hope that your QB is perfect every single play he's on the field.

The mood is brutal. McCarthy is taking A LOT of heat for his onside kick, his halftime timeout, his offensive game plan, everything. Teddy is taking heat for not shoring up that defense and still being $5 million under the salary cap. A lot of good that does this profitable franchise (with no owner). Now they're going to lose a lot of key assistant coaches and scouts. It's brutal. It's going to be an interesting off-season. No fun, but in the NFL only one team gets to win that last playoff game and we know how it feels to be a winner. Now we have to suck it up and try to bounce back after being a loser. A big loser last night. Bummer.

Onto baseball, I guess. Oh crap, Braun is going to be suspended for 50 games!!! Bring on the NFL Draft!! :D
Founder, National Fantasy Football Championship & National Fantasy Baseball Championship
Twitter: @GregAmbrosius

mikenj46
Posts: 79
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2009 6:00 pm

Tom/Greg

Post by mikenj46 » Mon Jan 16, 2012 12:21 am

Agree completely. A lot of places to get better. I agree the defense didn't play well all year, but I actually think from a football only perspective last night wasn't as bad as the seeason. 5 turnovers puts even the best defenses in a serious hole. Not to mention 2 onside kicks. NY played most of the game on a short field. Take out a hail mary TD (I agree awful defense but also 1 in 100 that it's complete) and the garbage TD late and the defense doesn't look AS bad last night. Thought they would have trouble stopping the run and they did a great job until that last drive. The biggest defensive problem last night was 3rd and long. I've never seen a team complete as many 3rd and longs as the Giants did in that first half. And I can't remember ever seeing Woodson look so lost in coverage. It was one miscommunication after another in those situations. Disgusting.

How about putting Shields at CB and Woodson to safety next year??? Not confident Collins can play.

The only thing I can say is at least you got to watch the game in with other agonized Packers fans. Watching the game with 500 Giants fans was torture. I literally go up from the table and went to the bathroom before they even officially signalled TD on the hail mary.

Winning last year doesn't seem to make it easier to lose this year. I still hold on to the 4th and 24 or whatever the yardage was from the Eagles game 8 years ago. Selfish? Yes. Too much to ask? No.

Thompson better use FA this year because this team is too good to wait for draft picks to pan out. By the time that happens this will be a different team anyway.

Greg Ambrosius
Posts: 36392
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2004 6:00 pm

Tom/Greg

Post by Greg Ambrosius » Mon Jan 16, 2012 12:58 am

Agreed. You can't put this loss all on the defense. But like you said, they allowed too many 3rd down conversions and there was no reason for the miscommunications. Right in front of me, Shields and Woodson were still talking about something when Eli snapped the ball. They both went after the same guy and Eli completes a key 15 yard pass for another first down. It was like that all game. And I don't care who is at QB, you can't rush 3 EVER and drop 8. It never works.

Yes, this is still a good, young team with a chance to win it all next year. Teddy has to get aggressive and fill in the holes. He has the resources to do it. Don't sit pat and just fill in with 11 new players. We need some more veteran help in key areas.
Founder, National Fantasy Football Championship & National Fantasy Baseball Championship
Twitter: @GregAmbrosius

Greg Ambrosius
Posts: 36392
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2004 6:00 pm

Tom/Greg

Post by Greg Ambrosius » Mon Jan 16, 2012 1:00 am

As fans, you LIVE for the playoffs because you know anything can happen once "you get in." But right now there are fan bases in Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Atlanta and New Orleans that just feel LIKE CRAP!! Right? We made it to the playoffs and our teams just crapped the bed in the playoffs. I mean, brutal, terrible performances/defeats, right? Now that's no fun!! :D

But I'm sure we're all ready for the next ride. Bring on 2012. But please don't beat us down so bad at the end. This hurts. REALLY HURTS.
Founder, National Fantasy Football Championship & National Fantasy Baseball Championship
Twitter: @GregAmbrosius

User avatar
Coltsfan
Posts: 3443
Joined: Sat May 27, 2006 6:00 pm
Location: Evansville, IN

Tom/Greg

Post by Coltsfan » Mon Jan 16, 2012 1:43 am

It seems like teams do come out rusty when they take off week 17 and then have a bye. I watched my Colts do it more than once. But I don't want to take anything away from the Giants because they earned this and are playing great football. Eli is establishing himself as an elite QB.


Wayne

Jersey Dawg
Posts: 816
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 6:00 pm

Tom/Greg

Post by Jersey Dawg » Mon Jan 16, 2012 2:16 am

Originally posted by Coltsfan:
It seems like teams do come out rusty when they take off week 17 and then have a bye. I watched my Colts do it more than once. But I don't want to take anything away from the Giants because they earned this and are playing great football. Eli is establishing himself as an elite QB.


Wayne That last sentence is very true. Maybe because his big brother was so great he gets little respect. That is changing fast.

The Franchise
Posts: 734
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 6:00 pm

Tom/Greg

Post by The Franchise » Mon Jan 16, 2012 3:04 am

I had a feeling that they were going to regret sitting Rodgers in week 17 on top of a bye week. Just too much time off in between games. You can't replicate that in practice.

The defense was a big part of this loss, but at the end of the day the offense didn't come to play. You could see Rodgers was off the mark. On the Jennings throw where he was wide open. That needed to be a touch throw to get ii in his hands and instead he fires a laser above his head that even if he turned to his right he still wouldn't make the catch. Then you have Finley wide open cutting into the middle of the field and he led him too far. Finley dropped some passes, but that was not his fault. He ran a good route. Again why are you firing the ball? It's not like it was tight coverage. On top of that you could see his frustration and showing up his receivers. Not good.

You also can't escape bad coaching in the playoffs. Why in the world are you going for an onside kick when you just tied the game? Desperate teams do that. The Broncos should have done that to start the game vs. the Patriots. Your the Packers playing at home with Rodgers as your QB? Give me a break. Your lucky to have even scored on the drive before, because that was a fumble by Jennings and the refs gave you one. Now your going to press your luck by trying an onside kick. Come on man!


At the end of the day you need momentum going into the Playoffs and the Giants had it and the Packers decided to rest their players in week 17. Game over
Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is.

User avatar
CoMoHusker
Posts: 491
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2011 6:00 pm

Tom/Greg

Post by CoMoHusker » Mon Jan 16, 2012 3:22 am

I think the Packers were lucky that it was even as close as the final score indicated. The Pack benefited from two horrible calls be the refs (Jennings fumble and the phantom roughing the passer call) that resulted in 14 points.

The defense was horrible all year. Sure, they got a lot of take aways but couldn't stop anyone when they needed to. The offense carried that team all year and just didn't show up last night.

I think the first onsides kick call is getting too much play. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't that the possession that the Giants had the FG blocked? If so, that call by McCarty cost them nothing even though it was a horrible decision to begin with.
Go Big Red!

Greg Ambrosius
Posts: 36392
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2004 6:00 pm

Tom/Greg

Post by Greg Ambrosius » Mon Jan 16, 2012 4:03 am

Originally posted by CoMoHusker:
I think the Packers were lucky that it was even as close as the final score indicated. The Pack benefited from two horrible calls be the refs (Jennings fumble and the phantom roughing the passer call) that resulted in 14 points.

The defense was horrible all year. Sure, they got a lot of take aways but couldn't stop anyone when they needed to. The offense carried that team all year and just didn't show up last night.

I think the first onsides kick call is getting too much play. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't that the possession that the Giants had the FG blocked? If so, that call by McCarty cost them nothing even though it was a horrible decision to begin with. Correct, the giants did not score on that possession, but we had just scored to tie it up at 10-10 with a solid drive, so it was an odd time for an onside. It looked like he was telling the defense he had no confidence in stopping the Giants for a full field, so why not take a chance and give our offense the ball.

But you are right, it did not factor in the final score at all. The big was the Kuhn fumble because the Pack had the chance to go up at haltime with that final drive and then get the ball to start the second half. That's why McCarthy deferred to start the game. Instead they went down 20-10 instead of up maybe 17-13 or tied 13-13.

The Giants were the better team yesterday and the Packers were exposed for what they are. They need defensive help and more of a running game. Grant is gone and Starks is too injury prone to be the answer. Sucks.
Founder, National Fantasy Football Championship & National Fantasy Baseball Championship
Twitter: @GregAmbrosius

Post Reply