Packer Bye Week Is History, Will McCarthy & Hundley Do It?

No excuses, no "It's My Fault", no ..............................

Other teams lose QB's, example Vikings, they lost Bridgewater, they lost Braddford, and they are still dangerous and in first place in the division!

The Eagles Went is in his second year and has his team in first.

The Rams are tied for first with second year Jared Goff!

So, Hundley, in his third year?  NO excuses!

McCarthy, STOP being conservative!  And, how about a little creativity!!!!

Ted Thompson?  WOW!  WE MUST MOVE ON!!  Is Dom Capers that bad or do we have BAD players????  Watching the Steelers last night hold the Lions to 15 points with over 400 yards passing, there are players out there that will play defense!

Like I have said in a previous blog entry, we are finding out what kind of team we are the next few weeks without Aaron Rodgers - so far -  0 wins & 2 losses!

Packers Without Rodgers

0 - 2

Week 8

The First Game After The Rodgers Injury? Uh Oh!

Well, what did we learn?

1 - McCarthy takes the blame!  (This may be a common theme!)

The first half, not bad.  Second half, what a disaster!  Look at the Second have drives!

Packers:

Second Half Drive #1 - 5 plays & Punt (The ONLY drive of the 3rd quarter!)
Second Half Drive #2 - 10 plays & Field Goal
Second Half Drive #3 - 3 plays & Punt
Second Half Drive #4 - 3 plays & interception

3 points in second half!

Saints:

Second Half Drive #1 - 7 plays & TD
Second Half Drive #2 - 10 plays & Field Goal
Second Half Drive #3 - 9 plays & Field Goal
Second Half Drive #4 - 8 plays & TD
Second Half Drive #5 - 7 plays & End of game

20 points in second half

2 - Brett Hundley Stats?

Saints Game - 12 for 25 for 87 yards & 0 TD's
Vikings Game - 18 for 33 for 157 yards & 1 TD & 3 interceptions

3 - Packer Defense - see #2 & Saints drives

4 - Aaron Jones may be our running back

5 - Can the Packers get healthy after a BYE week?

6 - Did we miss Morgan Burnett & is he our BEST defensive player?

7 - Nelson, Adams, Cobb, Bennett, Kendricks - can we get the ball to our receivers?

8 - When will we win our next game?  Lions - Bears - Ravens - Steelers - Bucs - Browns
                                                                        Panthers - Vikings - Lions????

Packer Fans, We Get A Chance To LookInto The Future!

What will the Packers look like when Aaron Rodgers finally DOES retire? For the next few weeks, maybe the rest of the season, we will get the opportunity to see..............

1 - What kind of starting quarterback is Brett Huntley?

2 - What kind of head coach is Mike McCarthy?

3 - Can the Packer Defense win football games?

4 - Will Ted Thompson EVERY retire?

5 - And, will people visit Green Bay to see Titletown Plaza, or the Packers?

#1 - We have seen a small piece of the work Brett Hundley the quarterback.  Pre-season, not bad, not great!  Finishing last week, nothing special.  Interviews this week, talks the talk.  Arm strength, the "eye" test? At 6'3"and 226 pounds - HE PASSES!  What will the final grade depend on?

A win, NO MATTER WHAT the statistics show!

Composure?  When something bad happens, watch his body language!

Turnovers???????

#2 - OK!  Pretend you are a head football coach in the NFL!  And, for your career you have Brett Favre & Aaron Rodgers as your QB!  So, chances are, you will look good!!!!!  We had a small taste of this at other times, remember 2013?

Rodgers, has the Packers at 5 wins & 2 losses into week 8, he breaks collar bone!  The Pack goes 2-5-1 without Rodgers, So, at 7-7-1, Rodgers comes back, win last game & sneak into playoffs!  What will McCarthy's team do?

#3 - Packers defense!  Wow!  Start at corner! We are still searching! House has been a bust!  Randall is a mental case!  Rollins is on the Injured Reserve. King, coming off a concussion. Burnett, out for another game.  So, will Drew Brees tear this defense to pieces?

#4 - Ted Thompson? Retire? Please!

#5 - What will the the NFL look like in ten years?  Looks like the NFL wants the casual fan. a fan that likes to shop, eat, drink beer, and watch an occasional play or two, than get out of their seat and get another beer!  Oh, yes, go to the Pro Shop, spend $300 on their favorite team.  Stay in the $500 a night hotel.  Talegate for 10 hours, play drinking games in the parking lot?  Oh, that's right, there is a football game!

Are you ready Packer Fans?????

The NFL - Time For This Packer Fan To Pontificate!

As a life long football fan and a senior citizen, I have time to think - dangerous!  The place we will start is the 1950's - a simpler time!  Black & white TV, Ike as President, and NFL Football - let's look at the 1959 Standings!

The NFL was 40 years old in 1959!

I was just starting to follow football!  I had a chance to see football on Sunday afternoons, that's it!  That is what we all had - 12 teams!!!  

Today we have 32 teams!!! - That is 32 teams - 53 active roster & 10 on the practice squad!  Not counting the PUP list & the IR list, that is 2,016 players.  

 The Packer Roster, 36 players! Here they are:

So, in 1959, with 12 teams & 36 players, there were 432 players in the NFL!

The teams had 36 players!!!  Many played BOTH ways!  There we no long snappers, punters, kickers, they were the REGULAR players!  Wide Receivers punted, linemen kicked! 

The NFL Championship Game:

NFL Championship Game[edit]

Baltimore 31, NY Giants 16 at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland, December 27, 1959

They played 12 games & 1 playoff game for the championship! Now, the season is 16 games and maybe 4 playoff games!  Season ends in February!

So, fewer teams, fewer players, fewer games, and now?  Is bigger ALWAYS better?  Let the analysis continue!

Put Away All Sharp Objects, Guns, and Sing The Son, "The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow!"

TDAWLA

The Day After We Lost Aaron!

Here we are.  First, was it a legal hit?  Probably.  Was the drive into the ground necessary?  Probably not.  So, welcome to football ........  S_ _ _ Happens!

Now, we will get on with it!

1 - Brett Hundley is our QB!  If this young man has any NFL ability, it must show!  Many rookies have been thrown into the fire, some succeed, some fail.  Second year QB, Wentz, for the Eagles is having a great start! Rookie Bear QB, Trubisky is now starting!  Hundley has had three years on the Packers, and watched one of the best to watch!

We need Brett Hundley to go 6 wins & 4 losses, that would make us 10 and 6 losses, that may be a wild card?

And, Aaron may be back for the playoffs!!!

2 - Offensive Line - COME ON BIG GUYS 0 stay healthy!!!  For the first time, the Packers, in game 6 of the year had ALL offensive line healthy!  Guess what?  3, DID NOT LAST!  Bakhtiari, tweaked the hamstring again!  Bulaga, NOW a concussion, and Lane Taylor, a bad ankle!  That is amazing!
We need a healthy line for Hundley!

My prediction, Bahktiari out! (NEVER rush a hamstring!)  Taylor, back, unless a high ankle sprain.  And Bulaga, concussion, in today's NFL, out!  Or, talk to Davante Adams, it was amazing he was back!

3 - Running Backs, Wide Receivers, & Tight Ends - Read #2 AGAIN!

4 - Cornerbacks - here we go again!  House has beeb a bust.  King was coming on, then concussion!  Randall, I have my doubts!  Rollins, now on IR!  Hawkins & Pipkins, wow!  We are now down to
our 5 & 6 corners again - amazing!

5 - Safeties - Burnett, our leader, hamstring, probably out!  Ha Ha needs to lead & make plays!  And, Rookie Josh Jones & second year man Kentrell Brice must grow up fast!

AND, the Saints scored 52 last week!

6 - D-line & LB's seem to be playing good ball  We NEED it!  Pressure the QB & make plays!!

So, a home game, a QB trying to show his stuff!  WHY NOT NOW!  A win before the bye week would look GRETAT!

The Packer-Vikings Rivalry!

Want some numbers?  Here you go..............

A little history

All Time Record - Packers - 60-51-2

1960's - Packers 11-7
1970's - Vikings 15-4-1
1980's - Packers 14-5
1990's - Vikings 12-8
2000's - Packers 12-9
2010's - Packers 11-3-1

More recent game scores:

2014 - (Home)Packers 42-10 & (Away)Packers 24-21
2105 - (Away)Packers 30-13 & (Home)Vikings 20-13
2016 - (Away)Vikings 17-14 & (Home)Packers 36-25

So, a few points of interest!

1 - Home & Away does not seem to matter

2 - The Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has a defense to watch!

3 - The Vikings offense is banged up, BUT dangerous!

4 - The Packers offense MAY be developing into one of their BEST!

This game will open a gap for the NFC North, issue is, the Packers never seem to make their
life easy!!!!

My prediction is...............................................

Packers 30 - Vikings 17

More on The Packers vs Vikings Round #1

Something we all need to do each week is check the Injury Report!

So, the mystery of the Jordy Nelson injury is the back!  And he had a full practice today!  So, maybe a hit on the back, a tweak, a pinch by a Cowboy defensive back!  Whatever, he was a FULL participant!!  The two big ones - offense, when will we see our left tackle Bakhtiari & our quarterback on defense Morgan Burnett!

On the Vikings side, the DNP (Did Not Practice) - Sam Bradford - QB, Stefan Diggs - WR, Nick Easton - G, Tom Johnson - DT, & Andrew Sendejo - S.  If you saw the Vikings game Monday night, Bradford never looked good & looked hurt!  Without Diggs at WR, that is big for the Minnesota Offense!

This will be the Packers first early kickoff, 12 CST!  The players like that.  The Packers are in the Vikings new stadium.  And, a division game!!!  A rivalry game!  A state game Wisconsin vs Minnesota!  

Packers - Vikings 2017- Round #1, But First, The State of the NFL!

NFL Football - The best way to describe the NFL in the 2017 season ugly!

Reason #1 - Politics 

You cannot just go and enjoy the game, you have to listen to WHY, some players are kneeling, staying in the locker room, or just trying to make a political statement.

Reason #2 - Media

Everything that happens in the sports world today is magnified 1000 times!  Calls by the officials!  Celebrations after touchdowns!  Coaches & player comments! And yes, starting the game by counting how many players are kneeling!!!

Reason #3 - Injuries

Wow!  This week - JJ Watt & Odel Beckham!  Every week, teams juggle the 53 man roster, just to get through the next game!  Getting through the next game, does NOT make a quality game!

Reason #4 - Player's Union

Yes, players can only hit once a week, can only fraction once a day.  High School players are doing more football practice than the professionals!

Reason #5 - Strength Programs

Players are BIGGER, STRONGER & FASTER!  They look like Greek Gods!  Are they too big?  The muscles are bigger, but the tendons & ligaments are NOT!  Can the human body handle this larger athlete and survive week to week?

Reason #6 - The NFL Schedule

Sunday Football, now - Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football!

And, playing in London!  The athlete has not time to recover!  An finally tuned athlete NEEDS a set routine!  These players DO NOT have a set routine!

Reason #7 - The Game Day Experience

Have you been to a game?  Two minutes of play TV Timeout! Three minutes of play TV Timeout! Two minutes of play TV Timeout! Four minutes of play TV Timeout! Two minutes of play TV Timeout! Five minutes of play TV Timeout! The athlete does not handle this!  The FAN cannot handle this!

Reason #8 - $$$$$$$$$$$$

Yes, the NFL is a business!  Players & Owners Greed is out of control!  Owners are billionaires, players are millionaires!  GREED!

OK, this Packer Buddy is finished!  I LOVE football!  I grew up watch it!  Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown, Rodger Staubach, Mean Joe Green, etc!  The ICE BOWL!  The first Super Bowls!  I LOVE the game, but I'm losing MY game!  Are you?

Ho Hum, Another Boring Packer-Cowboy Game? NOTTTTTTTTT!

Wow!  This year is starting out with a BANG!  What makes it interesting?

1 - Aaron Rodgers being Aaron Rodgers!

2 - Injuries and "Next Man Up!
Ty Montgomery out - Aaron Jones in
David Bakhtiari out - Lane Taylor in (slide from guard)
Morgan Burnett out - Josh Jones in
Kevin King out - Damarious Randall in (and out of dog house)

3 - And, last week, Davante Adams KNOCKED out of the game, and BACK
for game winning TD!!!

Strange flow to this game!  I always look at the team possessions and the Packers ONY
had 7 possessions!

7 - Possessions
4 - TD's
1 - FG
2 - Punts

The Cowboys, 9, with one ending up an interception for a TD by Randall!
4 - TD's
1 - FG
1 - Interception (for TD!)
1 - Punt
1 - End of half
1 - Fumble - end of game - crazy lateral play!

So, even game, difference - TD for a touchdown by the Packers!

Wow!

And next week - the Vikings!

Final Thoughts On Packers - Cowboys 2017

Here we go, just like every weekend in the NFL, what will the drama be this weekend?

My final analysis:

1 - Injuries - Yes, the NFL is becoming the leagues of injuries!

Packers perspective - Do you risk Bakhtiari & Bulaga at tackle?  And, Daniels at DT!  My guess?
Bakhtiai & Bulaga NO & Daniels - YES!

Cowboys - Sean Lee - he did not practice this week & I thing the Cowboys cannot risk a set back - and that will be a big issue for the Cowboy defense!

2 - Aaron Rodgers vs Dak Prescott?  Rodgers by 2 TD's!

3 - Packer running backs vs Elliot?  Montgomery out & the 3 rookie running backs shine.  Just have a feeling Elliot is NOT mentally tough!

4 - Packer D-line vs Cowboy O-line.  If Daniels plays, a big day for Martinez at linebacker for the Pack!  I just have a feeling about Martinez!  And, if the Pack D-line can neutralize the O-line from Dallas, we win that battle!

5 - Pack D-backs versus Cowboy receivers.  Witten always scares me, but I see the rookies King &
Jones taking another step!

So, final score?

Packers 27 - Cowboys 20

And, remember

Packers - Cowboys, What Will the 2017 Version Look Like?

Packer - Cowboy games!  What a history!

The 1960's - Packers 6 wins & 0 losses

The 1970's - Packers 2 wins & 2 losses

The 1980's - Packers 2 wins & 3 losses

The 1990's - Packers 1 wins & 9 losses

The 2000's - Packers 2 wins & 2 losses

The 2010's - Packers 5 wins & 1 losses

Total - Packers 18 wins & 17 losses

And, some memorable games!!!! Playoff Games

January 1, 1967 - Playoff Game - Packers 34 - 27
December 31, 1967 - Playoff Game - Packers 21-17 (The Ice Bowl!)
January 16, 1983 - Playoff Game - Cowboys 37-26
January 16, 1994 - Playoff Game - Cowboys 27-17
January 8, 1995 - Playoff Game - Cowboys 35-9
January 14, 196 - Playoff Game - Cowboys 38-27
January 11, 2015 - Playoff Game - Packers 26-21
January 15, 2017 - Playoff Game - Packers 34-21

This is only regular season, BUT, it is the Cowboys!

What to watch for this year?

Packer Offense vs Cowboy Defense

1 - Packer Offensive Line - Musical Chairs?  Bakhtiari & Bulaga?  The shuffle last
week was amazing, credits to McCarthy & the O-line coach!

2 - Running Game?  Montgomery & his ribs?  Rookie Aaron Jones, looked good!
Again, would love to see Ripkowski more involved!

3 - Receivers - Jordy - Jordy & Jordy!  Will Bennett wake up and help?  I would love
to see Geronimo Allison have a BIG game!!

Packer Defense vs Cowboy Offense

1 - Make Cowboy QB Prescott have a miserable day!  Blitz - Blitz- Blitz!
Rookie King on Hot Dog Bryant!  Josh Jones flying around!  Matthews being
Matthews!!  Mike Daniels back!

2 - Win the turnover battle - plain & simple!

3 - STOP Elliot!!!

Special Teams!
An idea, will not happen now, but when the receivers are healthy - Cobb MUST
run back punts!!!  Field position battle - watch the punt teams!

And, it is always good to see Jerry Jones - UNHAPPY! (For my buddy - Phil!)