Morgan Burnett: Packers Building New Identity
There’s been plenty of talk about the Green Bay Packers potentially being unable to recover from that debacle in Seattle. None, however, has come from the players or coaches.
One guy who chose to make himself unaccountable for playing a role in the loss is saying this year’s Packers will have a new identity.
That guy is safety Morgan Burnett, who, after intercepting Russell Wilson to seemingly end the game, slid down near midfield when he had a clear path to the end zone. After the game, Burnett refused to see that as a mistake and pointed his finger at Julius Peppers, who had signaled for Burnett to slide.
So, are the Packers going to rebound this year?
“We are looking forward to it,” Burnett told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “This year is a new year. We have to build our new identity. We can’t go off last year’s identity. It’s exciting. Everyone is excited to get back to training camp and get that fresh start. We already have the OTAs under our belt, so now we are just ready to build off that and keep that momentum going into the season.”
Burnett also said he thought about the interception and, this time, didn’t take such a hard-line approach about it.
“Really, like once the game was over, I thought about it for a little bit. But you’ve got to get your mind ready, get your mind right for the next year. You have to find a way to bounce back and get things corrected as a player. Then get better as a player. Find things that you did well and continue to work on that. You have to work hard in the offseason to get ready for the next season.”
Does that mean he won’t slide next time?
That wasn’t really addressed, but we’d be willing to bet this Packers team is going to be one that, once they get their foot on someone’s throat, they’re going to stomp on it.
There couldn’t have been a more resounding message from the NFC Championship game.
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Double Discount Choke has a nice ring to it. Maybe that could be their slogan.
To this day, I still cannot believe Burnett went down instead of taking more yardage . . . epic, epic mistake.
Not a winning football move by Burnett. I do believe the Pack has learned from the mistake. I also believe the Burnett flop cost the Packers the game. I know there were many other plays that contributed to the lost. The one difference with the Burnett flop from all the other plays is Burnett gave himself up for no reason with over five minutes left. At least all the other losing plays were in competition with the other teams players. Man against man rather than man against grass.
As Lombardi said “Every play must be considered a game breaker.” That play if carried out rather than cut short would have been that game breaker. I do believe the Pack will use that solid principal from start to finish this year. Go Pack!
Should he have slid down? No, too much time left. You go down with like a minute and a 1/2 left, when leading.
When Julius Peppers starts yelling at someone to go down, i believed Burnett respects Peppers enough to slide down. So who’s fault was that really? I haven’t heard anything from Peppers on it…at all.
They better fucking stomp on some throats this year. They should be a fucking bludgeoning machine after that shit show last January. Everyone can talk about how this is a new season, a different team, and that they don’t think about what happened in Seattle but it’s all a bunch of bullshit. That was the most embarrassing loss I’ve ever seen and if they come out next year with the same half ass attitude, always playing not to lose, then I have zero interest in watching any games.
Agree completely, i haven’t seen that level of embarrassing play since the 49er games. both disgusted me equally. Both of which i’d like to forget, but it’s impossible.
#wheresclay
EXACTLY. You couldnt have articulated my feelings any better. I expect them to fucking steam roll some teams this year and NOT pull off the gas pedal even if up by 20.
Im thinking the 15-1 Pack ala 2011. Except with a dominating playoff and Super Bowl win.
You guys just love yourself a whipping boy. Because that play was the only reason they lost the game.
If our offense can play full throttle throughout the game we can be putting up 50s a game.
Looking forward to Clements and hopefully a more assault mentality.
I wonder if the Seahawks have any “bounce back” leftovers from their fiasco loss in the SB.
With what we saw in the Atlanta game and then at the end of the season, this should be the Packers slogan for 2015.
“The only time I ever said no, is when they asked me if I’d had enough.”
I wanna see some 70 burgers this season.
Then the lead might be safe.
Amen . . .
Seems like I have agonized over that play more than Morgan has. Still, there are so many epic chokes and fails in that game, the only panacea is a Super Bowl win. In recent history the Pack has generally not displayed heroic will, the meltdowns outnumber the triumphs.
So we are back to this stupidity again. I guess the offseason didn’t help.
“According to ESPN’s win probability data, the Packers had a 96.1 percent chance of winning after Burnett’s play.”
If you wouldn’t take those odds 100 times out of 100, then nobody can fix you.
I wonder how much better those odds would have been had Burnett ran the Int. in for a TD, or placed the Pack in position for a field goal. I bet the odds would have increased. I would take the better odds everyday.
“Every play must be considered a game breaker.”
Just ask Seattle how great their probability to win was just before Wilson’s Super Bowl Int. at the goal line. What did Seattle gain out of that high probability of winning, nothing but a Super Bowl loss. You play out each play as it may be a game breaker, and you never count probabilities of winning until that final gun sounds.
Congratulations, you are the hindsight champion. I have no doubt that if forced to choose between replaying the entire game over or starting with a 96% probability of a win with five minutes left, you would opt to replay all 60 minutes.
Actually you sir are wrong, you cannot replay the game no matter how much you would like to see that happen. I would prefer to have a player extend every play in an effort to win the game. If that means having a 98% of winning with 5 minutes left rather than 96% that would be a better. Right? I believe that offered the Packers a better chance of winning the game! I find it hard to believe you cannot see that.
I also believe the Packers will learn from the mistake and move forward. There is no rewind as you suggest.
There are 30+ plays in any game (at least) that could result differently and increase a teams odds of winning. There isn’t anything particularly special about Burnett’s slide.
I still wonder why fans and media obsess about that Pack meltdown but seem to ignore the Seahawks end of game fiasco in the SB. Will they get over that or will it haunt them this year?