Cowboys Don’t Implode, Packers Do

Numb.

That about sums up how I feel about the Green Bay Packers after their 20-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars yesterday. Pretty much every aspect of the game was ugly. The overwhelming feeling that the Packers have been in this situation before, that they wouldn’t come through on a particular play, and that this was going to amount to another loss stuck with me throughout the game.

And so, the Packers are officially out of the playoff picture, which, apparently, was big news for a lot of people. I read Digg every morning to catch up on the most interesting news headlines of the day (or previous day) and both ESPN’s coverage and the USA Today’s were among the top stories, Sunday.

So how about that game? Well, it was ugly.

While I predicted the Cowboys would be the team to implode in light of TO’s most recent episode of selfishness, and the Vikings lose due to the reintroduction of Tarvaris Jackson into the lineup, it was actually the Packers who sucked, and later imploded. The Cowboys pounded the Giants, 20-8, while the Vikings went into Arizona and won, 35-14, behind Tarvaris Jackson’s four touchdown passes.

Are we living in Bizarro World?

Anyway… the implosion. The frustration reached a boiling point on Sunday, with both coaches and players yelling at each other on the sidelines. The situation(s) were something Mike McCarthy referred to in his post-game news conference as “communication” and something other people referred to as “miscommunication.”

Aaron Rodgers summed it up correctly.

“You shouldn’t have these kind of communication problems in Week 15. Attention to detail, that’s all it is.”

[Insert remark about poor coaching here. Become blinded by rage. Call for McCarthy’s job, again.]

Outside of the Packers continued communication problems, two things really bothered me about Sunday’s game.

First, there was the Packers’ lack of execution in short yardage situations. There are several places the blame can be laid, here. Tony Moll and the rest of the offensive line come to mind. However, you know I’m going to question the play calling.

Remember two weeks ago against Carolina when the Packers handed the ball to John Kuhn at the goal line and he got stuffed? I sure do, but Mike McCarthy apparently does not. So, on a crucial 4th-and-1 on the Jaguars 44-yard line, the Packers handed the ball to John Kuhn. The predictable result – Kuhn got stuffed.

This was after the Packers had a 2nd-and-1 on the same series. Quarterback sneak, which Rodgers has run successfully several times this season, seemed to be the way to go. But what do I know about football?

The second thing that really grated on me about yesterday’s game is TE Jermichael Finley.

After running his douche mouth and not taking responsibility for his miscues against Tennessee, Finley came back Sunday and pretty much did the same thing.

Not only did he look like crap when the ball came in his direction against the Jaguars, but he was also lined up wrong on a 3rd-and-goal play on the Jacksonville 5. There’s no excuse for not knowing the playbook at this point in the season, even if you are a meathead from Texas.

After the game, Finley again noted that he didn’t do anything wrong, but stopped short of blaming Rodgers like he did after the Tennessee loss.

“It was really just miscommunication with the play call,” Finley told the Press Gazette about lining up wrong on 3rd and goal. “It wasn’t on me at all.”

Whatever, Jermichael, you stupid son of a bitch.

And I’ll tell you who else is a stupid son of a bitch – Mike McCarthy, for playing Finley to begin with.

[Insert remark about poor coaching here. Become blinded by rage. Call for McCarthy’s job, again.]

As you can see, like the Packers, I have imploded as well.

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