Green Bay Gets Even – Packers News @ PFT

| 09/17/2012
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Packers overwhelm Bears’ inept O-line as McCarthy shines

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers’ 23-10 victory over Chicago last Thursday night at Lambeau Field should carry the warning label: Revisionist history can be dangerous to an NFL team’s health.
The Packers’ performance was gritty and timely, but it wasn’t the overpowering, start-to-finish dominance that some in the media have suggested in its aftermath.
The Packers did what good NFL teams do. They took advantage of the Bears’ weakest link – their offensive line – and backed it up with smart, hard-hitting football in all three phases.
To take Green Bay’s win and spin it into a “Packers’ defense is back” storyline is a fairy tale. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers’ unit displayed progress, and seven sacks and four interceptions can’t be taken lightly, but this isn’t Green Bay’s defense of 2010.
Not yet. Not by a long shot. Capers still is trying to find the right pieces to fill in the puzzle. Much work remains.
However, the outcome is an indication that Green Bay isn’t a one-trick pony. Victory is still attainable even when the offense is less than magical, and even when Aaron Rodgers is less than perfect.
That was the point Packers’ coach Mike McCarthy hammered home by trying a fake field goal. McCarthy wanted to jolt his team into the present by forcing it to stop waiting for the offense to carry the day. Specifically, he wanted his team to quit waiting for last year’s offense to gallop out of the tunnel and save the day.
The fact that McCarthy’s call resulted in an unlikely Tim Masthay-to-Tom Crabtree 27-yard touchdown pass was a bonus. The perfectly executed fake on fourth-and-26 with less than two minutes in the first half shook up the Bears.
More important, it woke up the Packers.
“I was trying to send our team a message when I did call it,” McCarthy said. “And, frankly, I would have been fine with the field position.”
To paraphrase the coach: Don’t ask what your offense can do for you. Ask what you can do for your offense.
McCarthy’s fake field goal wasn’t gutsy in and of itself. The risk was minimal thanks to the Bears’ inept offensive line. McCarthy suspected he had the luxury of “going for it” because the Bears’ offensive line showed no signs of slowing down Clay Matthews and the pass rush.
McCarthy’s decision was an example of his growth as a head coach.
Within the flow of a nationally televised game, and despite the pressure of being 0-1 coming in, he shrewdly seized upon a teaching moment.
Essentially, McCarthy traded three points for the chance to make a point.
Instead of being sidetracked and frustrated by his own offense’s ongoing struggles, and settling for a 44-yard field goal attempt, he disdained the “our offense will get ‘em next possession” mentality.
In a single play call, McCarthy displayed trust in his defense, belief in his special teams and patience with his offense.
The Packers must continue to profit from the lesson.
If the Packers feel any inclination to get fat and sassy after embarrassing the Bears, they should remember two things.
First, the Bears’ offensive line is a shambles. Matthews was unstoppable at times, to be sure, but Bears’ left tackle J’Marcus Webb and Co. was offering less resistance than a turnstile.
That fact, coupled with the Packers’ ability to know how to play with a lead, effectively doomed the Bears.
Second, the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line isn’t to be confused with the Chicago Bears’ sieve. The Seahawks dismantled Dallas, 27-7, in Seattle on Sunday in a game that wasn’t that close.
Seahawks’ running back Marshawn Lynch tore up the Cowboys’ defense to the tune of 122 yards in 26 carries. Russell Wilson chimed in by completing a highly efficient 15 of 20 passes for 151 yards, one touchdown and a 112.7 quarterback rating.
At this stage of the season, the Seahawks aren’t nearly as explosive as Green Bay, but they are a more complete team. That makes them dangerous, especially at home.
Meantime, McCarthy is working to get the Packers pulling together in all three phases. It is necessary if the Packers are going to truly challenge for the NFC title.
If Green Bay goes to Seattle and wins Monday night it will be McCarthy – as much as anyone – who deserves the game ball. Not for what he might do in Seattle, but because of what he did against the Bears.
Last week’s prediction: Packers 24, Bears 21 (Packers 23-10)
Season: 1-1
This week’s prediction: Packers 27, Seahawks 23
Chris Havel is a Packers News expert and national best-selling author. His latest book is Lombardi: An Illustrated Life. Havel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4-6 p.m. CDT on WDUZ FM 107.5 The Fan, or on AM-1400, as well as Fan Internet Radio (www.thefan1075.com). Havel also hosts Event USA’ Player Autograph Parties the evening before home games.

ProFootBallTalk: Reaction to Rodgers underscores his difference from Cutler

| 09/16/2012
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‘] Interesting analysis of different reactions to the same behavior, as seen in Green Bay on Thursday night:

Bears Jay Cutler caught plenty of heat Friday after bumping left tackle J’Marcus Webb and swearing at him on the field for a bad play.
But in the same game, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers showed some frustration with wide receiver James Jones, when a miscommunication led to an interception.
“I was expecting him to come out flat,” Rodgers said after the game, via Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “He started out flat and then kind of took it up. That’s about as frustrating as it gets right there.”
Granted, Jones made a mental mistake, while Webb was simply beaten. That gives Rodgers more latitude. A quarterback needs to trust his guys to be in the right place at the right time, but he can’t assume they always win one-on-one battles.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he didn’t think the exchange between quarterback and receiver had any malicious intent.
“There’s a line between playing with a lot of emotion and being disrespectful, and sometimes it looks the same,” McCarthy said. “I think that’s the reality of that particular situation. He’s not trying to disrespect James Jones by no means. He’s competing. He’s extremely competitive, and they talked about it immediately on the sidelines. I think that’s the case.”
The difference in the reactions to Cutler and Rodgers is based primarily on the difference in their careers.
Rodgers has won something, which goes a long way. But he also doesn’t have a track record of churlish behavior.
So it becomes constructive criticism when he does it, and not the kind of thing to dominate conversation for days at a time.

[Source] – by Darin Gantt

Packers vs. Bears Recap 09/13/12: Matthews Leads the Charge!

| 09/14/2012
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‘] Green Bay – Dom Capers’ defense lives. The Green Bay Packers are alive and well, too.
Led by Clay Matthews, the irrepressible and almost unblockable linebacker, the Packers’ defense buried Jay Cutler under an avalanche of seven sacks in a badly needed 23-10 victory over the Chicago Bears on Thursday night at Lambeau Field.
Matthews sacked Cutler 3½ times in a virtuoso performance befitting one of the National Football League’s premier defensive players. The Bears couldn’t cope with the hard-charging Matthews despite giving considerable help to overmatched left tackle J’Marcus Webb.
Under heavy pressure right from the start, Cutler had his third nightmarish performance in as many appearances in Green Bay. The Bears finished with 168 yards (2.9 per play) and Cutler’s pass rating was 28.2.
“This was an old-school, Black and Blue division game,” Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. “Typical Green Bay-Chicago game.
“You never know what you’re going to get in this league. But you go back and look at the scores in the (series), there were a lot of 10-3, 13-6 games.”
Four days removed from a sobering defeat against San Francisco, the Packers clearly didn’t want to start 0-2. Seventeen times in the previous 91 seasons the Packers had lost their first two games, and none of those teams qualified for the playoffs.
Coach Mike McCarthy extended his hot streak against the Bears to 7-1, whereas Bears coach Lovie Smith fell to 8-10 overall in the series by losing for the eighth time in his last 10 games. It was Chicago’s fifth straight loss in Green Bay.
It wasn’t only pass rush, however.
Capers devised a coverage scheme to halt newcomer Brandon Marshall, billed as the finest wide receiver for the Bears in decades. Tramon Williams shadowed Marshall in most situations, and safety Morgan Burnett clouded over the top.
Marshall was a non-factor, catching two passes for 24 yards and dropping a certain touchdown pass.
“We’re known for offense but, frankly, I’d rather be known for defense,” said McCarthy. “We feel like we’re building something special with that defense.
“I thought Clay was off the charts, just the energy and production he brought. That defense really flew around.
“Like all of us, we got kicked in the ass four days ago, and we were motivated as a team.”
Defense was the watchword in the first half. The Bears were limited to 47 yards and four first downs, and Cutler compiled a passer rating of 16.7.
“Both teams were really getting really good pressure,” Thompson said. “We got off the field. We put pressure on the quarterback. We controlled the run.”
Matthews was all over the field in the first half with 1½ sacks, two quarterback hits and a batted pass. He beat Webb around the corner for one sack, then was credited with one-half after beating left guard Tim Spencer inside.
The first quarter was scoreless, and the only penetration by either team across the 50 was by Green Bay. The Packers had a first down at the Chicago 33, but rookie defensive end Shea McClellin beat Marshall Newhouse outside to set up a sack and then Aaron Rodgers had the ball slip from his hands on an aborted third-down pass.
Green Bay drove 50 yards early in the second quarter and broke the ice on Mason Crosby’s 48-yard field goal. The key play was a challenge by the Packers that the Bears had 12 defenders on a third-and-3 incompletion. Rodgers gestured, and McCarthy threw the red flag.
When the challenge was upheld, the Packers had their field goal. “Looked like it was Aaron’s call all the way,” Thompson said.
The Bears reached the Green Bay 37 in the second quarter before tackle Gabe Carimi was penalized for unnecessary roughness after he shoved A.J. Hawk and they had to punt.
Rodgers completed a pair of first-down passes. Then, on third and 3, he lateraled the ball alongside him to receiver Randall Cobb, who eluded safety Chris Conte and raced for 28 yards.
“It was a toss to the open side,” said Thompson. “Get him in space and see what happens. He made a nice move and the guy missed the tackle.”
Julius Peppers sacked Rodgers for minus-7 on first down after beating Newhouse wide. Then Bryan Bulaga failed to pick up defensive tackle Henry Melton on a stunt and Rodgers went down again.
After a third-down pass fell incomplete, Crosby lined up for a field-goal try of 45 yards. The snap went to Tim Masthay, and Crosby veered hard left. As he did so, Tom Crabtree moved across the formation from left to right.
From a kneeling position, Masthay made a back-handed flip to Crabtree, who surged into the clear off the right side and scored easily for a 10-0 lead.
“We got a ‘gotcha’ play there,” Thompson said. “That happens sometimes.”
Three plays later, Cutler matched Matt Forte against D.J. Smith and he beat him inside for 22. The only other substantial play by the Bears in the first half was a 24-yard pass-interference penalty on Smith as he tried to defend a seam route to tight end Kellen Davis.
Cutler then threw into traffic inside and Tramon Williams intercepted. It led to Crosby’s 35-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
The Bears drove 53 yards to open the third quarter, finally scoring on Robbie Gould’s 45-yard field goal to make it 13-3. On the previous play, Cutler threw for the first time to Marshall, who was open in the end-zone corner but dropped the ball.
Erik Walden cut Cutler’s legs out from underneath him just as he released a pass that was intercepted by Charles Woodson. But Bears cornerback Charles Tillman not only forced Jermichael Finley to fumble but also recovered it to end the threat.
When fullback John Kuhn followed Cedric Benson in failing to convert on third and 1, Crosby kicked a 54-yard field goal for a 16-3 lead. It broke by a yard the longest ever booted by a Packer at Lambeau Field.
Now obviously frustrated, Cutler fired deep even though it was obvious that Williams and Morgan Burnett had Marshall bracketed. The interception was made by Williams, who returned 38 yards.
On the next play, Rodgers looked off safety Major Wright and came back to a wide-open Donald Driver between the hash marks for a 26-yard touchdown and 23-3 advantage.
Davis beat Smith up the seam for a 21-yard touchdown pass for the final margin. It was preceded by Tim Jennings’ sideline interception on what looked like an indecisive route by James Jones.
By Bob McGinn, JSOnline.com – [source]

Update: Mariucci Player Reception Photos and Lambeau Leap!

| 09/14/2012
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‘] Check out the video of Coach Mariucci’s Lambeau Leap at NFL.com!
After a wonderful night with our very special guest Coach Mariucci, we’ve got TONS of Packers Player Autograph Reception photos to go through!
The first batch is up now and available by clicking here and heading to our Picasa account, or enjoy a sampling of last nights photos below!
The rest are uploading as we speak – and we’ll have the whole set up by the end of the afternoon!

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Sam Shields added to 09/29 Saints Player Reception

| 09/12/2012
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‘] Following his season ending injury, Desmond Bishop (#55) will unfortunately be unable to attend the 09/29 player reception preceding this year’s game against the Saints. PFT wishes Desmond the best on a speedy recovery!
Filling will in be Packers Cornerback Sam Shields (#37)!
Now in his third year, Shields outstanding play in the 2010/11 NFL Playoffs and 4th quarter pick against the Bears sent the Packers to Super Bowl XLV!
Event USA Player Autograph Receptions before ALL Packers Home Games

Rough Week for Recent SB Champs

| 09/10/2012
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‘] Yes, the first week of the regular season doesn’t mean anything. But here’s something meaningless that is worth at least mentioning.
A loyal PFT reader points out that, with one week in the books for the teams that have won the last seven Super Bowls, the last seven Super Bowl winners are a combined 0-5.
The Steelers (who won Super Bowl XL and XLIII) lost to the Broncos, the Colts (who won Super Bowl XLI) lost to the Bears, the Giants (who won Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI), the Saints (who won Super Bowl XLIV) lost to the Redskins, and the Packers (who won Super Bowl XLV) lost to the 49ers.
Again, it doesn’t mean anything. Other than that the teams that have won the last seven Super Bowls weren’t able to win a single game among them.
[Source] – By Mike Florio

49ers, futility reign – Packers News @ PFT

| 09/10/2012
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Packers’ long day followed by short week versus Bears

GREEN BAY – On this day the better team won.
San Francisco was sharper, faster and better-coached in a 30-22 season-opening victory over Green Bay at Lambeau Field. The 49ers snapped the Packers’ 13-game home winning streak and exposed the 5 ½-point favorites in a way I wouldn’t have thought possible.
It wasn’t shocking to see San Francisco’s massive offensive line maul the Packers’ front seven while running back Frank Gore racked up 112 yards on just 16 carries. It wasn’t surprising to see quarterback Alex Smith complete 20 of 26 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns.
It wasn’t even startling that the Packers lost to San Francisco. After all, the 49ers went 14-4 last year while coming up just short in their bid to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
What was shocking was how the 49ers’ head coach, Jim Harbaugh, had his team so much better prepared to outplay Packers’ head coach Mike McCarthy’s squad.
McCarthy being out-coached, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers being outplayed, happens in Green Bay about as often as season-ticket holders fail to renew their seats.
Rodgers’ so-so performance – at least by his standards – was the result of several poor assumptions by the Packers’ coaching staff.
The Packers’ offensive game plan, near as I can tell, was to control the football and subdue the 49ers’ defense in three ways:
** First, Cedric Benson (nine carries for 18 yards) was going to get enough rushing attempts to keep the 49ers’ defense honest. That didn’t happen because Benson and the offensive line never got on track. Benson didn’t get more carries because he didn’t earn more carries.
** Second, Randall Cobb (nine catches for 77 yards) was going to move the chains and give the 49ers fits as a pass receiver out of the backfield. Cobb was effective in that role until the 49ers realized it and adjusted. San Francisco’s defense reduced Green Bay to a one-trick offense.
** Third, Rodgers was going to elude the 49ers’ pass rush with his feet, rather than having an extra back in to block on most passing downs. The problem was the 49ers’ defenders were too quick for the Packers. Rodgers was too busy avoiding sacks to square up and throw deep.
Whatever Green Bay had in weapons it lacked in deployment.
Where were the draws? Where were the screens?
Where were the shots deep? (And I don’t mean on third-and-1).
The offense had an identity crisis; the defense suffered from indecision.
Even when Green Bay’s defense seemed to have an inkling of the 49ers’ intentions it still had difficulty making plays. Packers’ safety Morgan Burnett took some poor angles in the run game, and the secondary seemed out-of-sorts and confused at times.
The 49ers rushed 32 times for 186 yards. They averaged a shade over 31 carries per game last season, and stayed true to themselves in the opener. When they weren’t running it, they were efficient throwing it.
On the sidelines, the 49ers looked and acted like the home team. Midway through the first quarter – poor calls by the replacement officials be damned – they seemed as comfortable as could be.
One longtime Packers’ nemesis, Randy Moss, coolly caught four passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. Another longtime nemesis, ex-Eagles kicker David Akers, blasted an NFL record-tying 63-yard field goal.
After a week spent reminding his players to play the game and ignore the replacement officials, the Packers’ receivers whined after almost every play. Then, to compound matters, McCarthy seemed to get sidetracked and fall prey to allowing the officials become a distraction.
Harbaugh and the 49ers, to their credit, got their whining out of the way early. Then they settled in to coach and play hardnosed football.
49ers’ linebacker Ahmad Brooks, who dominated the line of scrimmage on the Packers’ final, futile drive, sounded a confident tone afterward.
Brooks said the game could be an “eye opener” for Green Bay, not that he seemed too concerned.
“Maybe we’ll see them again in the NFC Championship,” he said.
The inference is that the 49ers will be there, but will the Packers?
Next up is the Chicago Bears on Thursday night at Lambeau Field. Head coach Lovie Smith maximized his advantage in a 41-21 drubbing of the Indianapolis Colts by resting starters in the fourth quarter. That was a luxury the Packers didn’t earn.
Last week’s prediction: Packers 34, 49ers 24 (49ers 30-22)
Season: 0-1
This week’s prediction: Packers 24, Bears 21
 
Chris Havel is a Packers News expert and national best-selling author. His latest book is Lombardi: An Illustrated Life. Havel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4-6 p.m. CDT on WDUZ FM 107.5 The Fan, or on AM-1400, as well as Fan Internet Radio (www.thefan1075.com). Havel also hosts Event USA’ Player Autograph Parties the evening before home games.

09/08 Packers Player Reception Photos Now Available!

| 09/10/2012
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‘] Alright Packer Nation, we’ve got our photos up from this past Saturday nights player reception with DJ Smith and Mason Crosby! You can check out a sampling of our photos below or see the entire gallery here!

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Greg Jennings on the Perils of the Lambeau Leap

| 09/07/2012
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‘] Packers receiver Greg Jennings thinks that he soon could be leaving Green Bay. If he goes, it sounds like Jennings won’t miss every aspect of playing at Lambeau Field.
The Lambeau Leap has its hazards, as Jennings explained to Erik Kuselias of NBC Sports Radio on Thursday night.
“I try to go away from the men because the men get a little grabby,” Jennings said. “The women get grabby too but them men it’s like come on, really, seriously? I’m another guy.”
If Jennings goes, Jordy Nelson could be the guy who gets even more grabbings, given that Nelson is routinely underestimated because he’s white.
“I’ve always told him that, I’ve always said that,” Jennings said. “I think for whatever reason a guy looks across at Jordy, number one, they’re going to think ,‘He’s a white guy he’s not that fast,’ but he has game. Bottom line he can play. He can catch the ball, he can make things happen when he gets the ball in his hands. You’ve got to take him serious, I’ll tell you that, when you line up across from him.”
Apparently, you also have to take the folks in the stands at Lambeau Field seriously, too.
[Source] – By Mike Florio

Harbaugh Preparing to Face 'Great' Packers Team

| 09/06/2012
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‘] The Packers won the Super Bowl two years ago and went 15-1 last year. But 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh says this year’s Packers will be even better than the Packers of the last two years.
Harbaugh, who is preparing to take his team to Green Bay for one of the NFL’s marquee Week One games, said on KNBR 680 that he thinks the Packers are better than ever.
“This a great Packers team. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb saying this is Mike McCarthy’s best team that he’s had in Green Bay,” Harbaugh said, via the San Jose Mercury News.
Harbaugh said Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is as good a passer as he’s ever seen, and the players around him are special.
“The quarterback is playing at the highest level in the history of the game,” Harbaugh said. “A-plus at the wide receiver position. Outstanding defense that they’ve really added to — they spent their first six picks in the draft on defense. Dom Capers is a tremendous defensive coach. I could go on and on here. This is a great football team that could be expected to win every game they play.”
Those comments sound like an opposing coach talking up a team in order to get his own players motivated to play their best. But considering how many people are picking the Packers to win the Super Bowl (including most of us here at PFT), Harbaugh may be right.
[Source] – by Michael David Smith