They took their time in getting around to dispatching the Detroit Lions, but the Green Bay Packers did what we expected. They beat the Lions, who they’ve owned in games like these over the years, 31-24.
And now we’re on to the New York Giants. That might be an even tougher test than the NFC North championship game was, but at least it will be at home.
Let’s get on with this. Happy new year and here are five more items from the big win.
Quite the Rushing Attack
I may think he’s a Buffoon, but I will say that Mike McCarthy certainly keeps mixing it up. On Sunday night, instead of a heavy dose of Ty Montgomery in the rushing game, we got a heavy dose of fullback Aaron Ripkowski. Who saw that coming? Not the Lions, apparently. Ripkowski ran nine times for 51 yards, a hearty 6.8 yards per carry. Montgomery did just fine himself, toting the ball eight times for 44 yards, a 5.5 yard average. McCarthy even threw in the good old two fullbacks in the backfield play, with Ripkowski and Joe Kerridge. Just keeping the defense off balance!
Allison Continues to Come On
The Vikings game was clearly no flash in the pan for Geronimo Allison. The undrafted rookie was the Packers leading receiver against Detroit, at least in terms of yards. Allison caught four for 91 and a touchdown. He looks like he could be a big play, downfield threat the Packers need. The question now becomes what happens when Randall Cobb returns? Will there still be a role for Allison? There should be.
Down the Middle
I about crapped myself when it happened. Many times, we’ve pointed it out. Aaron Rodgers doesn’t throw the ball down the middle of the field. He almost exclusively throws to the outside, which is a less dangerous pass. However, Rodgers hit tight Jared Cook right down the middle on Sunday night. Shortly thereafter, he tried the middle again. Probing the middle of the field can only make the Packers’ offense better. They just need to do it. Maybe this is a sign that Rodgers is confident enough in his accuracy and his receivers that he will start taking shots down the middle.
If it Isn’t Randall, It’s Rollins
Getting burned, that is. Both Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins have been unmitigated disappointments in their second seasons. Randall was on the bench with a knee injury for part of Sunday night, but he did play and wasn’t completely awful. Rollins, on the other hand, was until he got injured. He repeatedly got beat deep. The Packers secondary is what’s going to keep them from making a playoff run this year. It’s as simple as that. The main reason they’re so bad is because these two guys are so bad. As it is, the offense is going to need to put up a lot of points and outscore everyone for the Packers to win going forward.
Blake is Back
Or at least it sure seemed like it. Linebacker Blake Martinez has been battling a knee injury that has limited him. He didn’t seem limited on Sunday night. Martinez had just three tackles, but two were for a loss and one was a sack. On a night when Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers weren’t doing anything, the Packers badly needed a spark from somewhere else on defense and Martinez provided it.
We need help at CB immediately. I know this may sound silly but maybe we give Antonio Cromartie a call? Couldn’t be any worse than giving up 200+ to turds like Theilan or M Jones.
Is he a free agent? They are definitely going to have to make some sort of roster change after the injuries last night?
Yeah, he was cut by the Colts in October. Not very promising but neither is the CB play that we have seen this season lol. We’re going to have to bring someone in/up from practice squad.
I don’t care what anyone says, I think McCarthy has been great at calling games the past couple months. The packers are 7-0 this year when they have 15+ rushing attempts. I think they need to continue to keep Ripkowski and Allison involved.
Yessir. Easy for all the trash -talkers to lay hogwash on here when the team is 4-6
This team was rallied & fat Mike does not get enough credit. That’s solid coaching to pick-up a tea for a 6 game run
I thought the team quit to get him fired for about 3 weeks. But really the only ugly loss was the home game to the stinken colts (Albeit on special teams meltdowns)
Yet McCarthy is a proven winner in this league & at least 8 teams (probably 20) would gladly swoop him-up as a HC in the blink of an eye.
Question: Do you hate the dickbag Chicago Bears & their asswipe fans? Then thank the fuck outta badass fat Mike today
I’ve disliked that piece if shit since 2009. I’m not afraid to say it either, he’s a douche who has a great regular season winning percentage because he had 2 HOF QBs that he has ridden to 1 Superbowl appearance and win to this point. How about that post season resume? Let’s rename the Lombardi trophy after this clown.
Jesus dude you have completely missed the point. No one suggested McCarthy is in 7th same conversation as Lombardi, or Shula, or Walsh, or Belechick. He is easily a top 6 head coach. It is hard to consistently win in the NFL. It is built for parity. Rodgers deserves a lot of the credit. But ultimately so does McCarthy
On any other team without Rodgers? I’ll take some of what you are smoking. I’ve seen him “coach” for 11 years. Fortunately for the Pro-McCarthy types we will never get to see a world in which McCarthy never has to coach a team without Rodgers. Oh wait, we did in 2013…
Nice piece Monty…
It was certainly an Impressive game for #12 – since NFL has no electoral college he may even win MVP…
Surprised Detroit didn’t keep going with
Zenner – but same as v Dallas he didnt show same muscle in second half – maybe just ran out of gas…
I expected more from Tate, especially given what Thielen did last weekend.
As soon as Colinsworth made the call that Nelson needed to get more action Slay gimled off field. I think MM was treating him w too much respect (haunted by memories of game where they didnt gonto Dickhead Sherman whole time) until 2nd half….Looks like MM knew or assimed Slay was hurting – seems to have triggered Nelson as target on some big plays…
Dont know if it was intended strategy : Split RB duties – Ripper first half, Monty second – but it was (hate to say it) ingenious… and may be adopted for remaining games.
That Butterball Hail Mary was an awful display of Packers ineptness…. again D took foot off pedal – if there’d been more time on the clock we may have been looking at a Det comeback….
Otherwise Certainly a gutsy performance by Hyde and Burnett kinda saved the day after Randall/Rollins bit the dust
Its like this team’s been reborn… i heard Rodgers talking about how the clubhouse mood is at a point it ha5snt been for a while..
After the game Rodgers said : “You have to exude confidence even in a situation where it seems to the outside world that confidence shouldn’t exist.”
Jordy Nelson knew it : “He is the leader of our team. His will is amazing. He is playing with so much confidence right now”
Edgar BennettI calls him ‘Yellow Jacket’ all of the time. “He knows what I mean.’’
Definitely going to HOF – but need him around a few more years – to keep the rest of the team motivated….
We could be seeing “Run The Table” Part II
Gotta give some credit on that hail mary catch to Boldin. That dude catches anything and everything. Hell, Golden Tate was even trying to take it away from him…lol. I was breathing easier when Rodgers got on the onside kick. I was having a Bostick flashback.
But your right, Detroit went down the field against us at will. But then again, who doesn’t?
Sounds like Rollins injury was just a freak accident. He walked back into the Packers locker this morning. Probably just hit the ground hard was badly shaken up. That said, I was hoping this meant that they would play Gunter or Hyde over him. They were clearly better players, and Hyde especially has been coming on of late. PFF rated him as the defense’s best player on Sunday Night. These guys need to be given a chance, we’re really getting burned badly out there with these young corners. Randall is always battling injuries, and Rollins seems to have no confidence right now.
Kind of makes you wonder why TT just sat on 10 million under the cap after Shields went down, and Rollins and Randall were clearly struggling.
Doesn’t make me wonder at all, TT’s a fucking cheapskate and because
of that yet another possible SB run will be truncated by unnecessary
defensive weakness.
Amen!
We also had Sam Shields at the time, and both Randall and Rollins showed some promise last year that was good enough to indicate that they would be better this year. Randall has been dealing with injuries throughout. Rollins is the one who appears to have lost all confidence. Resigning Casey Hayward at the time made about as much sense as resigning Mike Neal, I don’t blame him at all for letting him go. We all thought Davate Adams was a sure-fire bust, but once he got healthy and a decent amount of reps, he became a completely different player.
For now though, MM needs to make the decision to bench, or at least severely limit these guys playing time.
BTW….Nobody mentioned that Rodgers is back doing “the belt”.
I’d feel more confident with him doing that, if we had a stingy defense like we had back in 2010 when our defense only gave up 15 ppg..
I saw him do it when I went to the atlanta game earlier in the season. He only does it when he runs or makes a phenomenal play.
FYI…Pennel’s suspension is over with if anyone cares. My guess is the Packers don’t activate him.
I’m pretty much with everybody and am scared of our defense. They have essentially been in the playoffs for 6 weeks already. Don’t know if it helps or not, but they have definitely learned how to win.
Glad to hear that Rollins seems to be OK. Need as many DBs as possible on Sunday.
Where’d all the fucken fat Mike haters go off to?
What’s he got like the 3rd best winning percentage in the NFL?
Please with that bullshit
Yep, and it’s about time he bought Rodgers something expensive to show his appreciation…long overdue.
Rodgers going to any other team makes them an instant winning franchise.
McCarthy going to any other team means he has to find out where all the buffets around town are at.
Rodgers wins games despite McCarthy’s involvement. Don’t get it twisted.
Still here . . . That fat fuck is still a liability
He wouldn’t go anywhere, unless he could take the lottery ticket, oops, i meant take Aaron Rodgers with him.
In case you missed it the first time. I’ve disliked that piece if shit since 2009. I’m not afraid to say it either, he’s a douche who has a great regular season winning percentage because he had 2 HOF QBs that he has ridden to 1 Superbowl appearance and win to this point. How about that post season resume? Let’s rename the Lombardi trophy after this clown.
Eliot Wolf is interviewing with the 49ers this week.
Kato…I posted during the losing streak, that if the Packers don’t make changes at the top. They deserve everything they get under the current regime.
So let them sit on their asses, and they can sit there and pray that Rodgers can advance them all the way to the Super Bowl with the defense they have, when it’s been weak for years, and they do NOTHING, except cash all those fat payroll checks they get.
“In Ted we Trust”
It would be a sad life to be an angry “Packers fan” while secretly hoping they lose to vindicate a belief that a coach is a ‘liability”. Even as the NFL is a cut-throat league with a sudden death playoff structure
I’m thankful to be a fan of a team with a smart front office & a structure like the Packers’
I’m also thankful my name or handle never landed on some fairy-boy petition either. Go Pack
Who knows better than us that the playoffs are sudden death? 5 years of embarrassment and bonehead coaching.
Are we going for 6?
Murphy said getting to the playoffs is adequate. McCarthy has been on record saying the Super Bowl is the goal every year.
So has he reached his goal? And how many years do we wait? 5?…6?…8?…10? Until Rodgers retires?
We have Aaron fucking Rodgers, right now. If we can’t get to another Super Bowl, i’ll contact the league office and have them send you a participation ribbon for getting into the playoffs for 9 or 10 seasons before Rodgers hangs em up.
Maybe you’re one of those part time Rodgers fans who’s only a fan when he’s winning football games for Fat Mike, who can then brag about what a great coach he’s been.
You can brag all day long about fat Mike’s winning percentage. We both know without his lottery ticket, he doesn’t win shit.
Does Belechick really won “shit” without Brady?
Well he has won 4 Super Bowls “WITH BRADY” and been to 5 or 6. So…….
Maybe, maybe not ‘Kato. But rebel is right. Were still waiting for McCarthys 2nd SB appearance. Belichick has been to 6, winning 4.
Don’t try comparing Belichick to McCarthy.
THIS. Most fans could live with that return on investment. That fuck Elway went to 5.
Imagine if McCarthy got fired when everyone bitched in the middle of the season.
Ha. Moronic
We never woulda went on the 6 game run or won the NFC North (again btw)
Tyko, its all nice that you come to stick up for McCarthy now, after Rodgers won him 6 in a row. But you didn’t post anything up for him during the losing streak that your complaining about.
Hmmm.
Tyko, if the Packers shit the bed again and lose in another inconceivable way, I now know we can expect you to be the first one in here defending McCarthy and justifying how great a head coach we are lucky to have. I’m not buying that bullshit. If they win anything, it will be in spite of that oaf. Don’t delude yourself into thinking he is better than he actually is. As PF4L, MMTTDCSUCK and others have said before, McCarthy wouldn’t do shit unless he has his meal ticket with him, much like Mike Sherman has Favre to thank for his coaching career.
And what’s McCarthys playoff record since 2010?
lol…If they fired McCarthy, we wouldn’t have played those 6 games?
And if we play them, we couldn’t have won them without Fat Mike?
Sounds logical. You do know that McCarthy doesn’t play QB right?
Oh, this just in…
Mike McCarthy has the 9th best winning percentage in the NFL—- OF ALL TIME! (minimum 50 games)
1.) Vince Lombardi
2.) John Madden
…
8.) Bill Belichick
T-9.) Mike McCarthy (.651) (tied with Tony Dungy)
Better than Curly Lambeau, Tom Landry, Joe Gibbs, Bill Walsh & Joe Gibbs
(& that’s enduring a season with a QB with a broken collarbone too fyi)
This just in…
It’s a shame all the coaches in the entire league can’t have Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers start almost every game for them their entire head coaching career.
Think about it Gomer.
Here are the only numbers that matter:
Lombardi 9-1 .900
Holmgren 13-11 .542
McCarthy 8-7 .533
Hopefully you can figure out those are playoff winning percentages. Considering Holmgren wasn’t blessed with consecutive HOF QBs, McCarthy should have a much higher playoff winning percentage. But hey, if simply making the playoffs is good enough, well McCarthy and co. are exactly the ticket you need.
And before anyone calls out Holmgren with a winning percentage barely higher than McCarthy’s, Holmgren was 9-5 as Packer coach, which is roughly a .650 winning percentage. Imagine what Holmgren could have done if he had Rodgers instead of Favre.
Take out the SB run and we are 4-7! Yikes!
Let’s replace him!!!
With, uhhhhh…. hmmmmm ….. duhhhhh Mike McCoy? Jeff Fisher?
yea….
Breaking News: Jon Gruden ain’t coachen in Green Bay Wisconsin in the Summer, Autumn & Winter fyi
You forgot Chippy Kelly….
….figure Johnny Fox will be available next year if he doesn’t turn it around- with a high draft pick and without the ballast of Cutty….
Josh McDaniels? Matt Patricia?
Hey I was the original Matt Patricia band wagon dude! McDaniels already had a shot.
I know i gave you a lot to take in tonight, you take your time and let that all digest.
See ya back in here after McCarthy wins us the Super Bowl.
McCarthy: ‘We’re very proud to win this title’
(9:10) By packers.com – Posted 23 hours ago
“Division titles are important,” McCarthy said, “but I don’t lose any sleep over it. Because we have a bigger goal. We don’t hang divisional title banners around here. So, frankly, once you cross the threshold into the playoffs, it’s about getting to the final game and winning.
And when can we expect getting to that final game, and winning…..Big Mike?
PF4L
09/08/2016 at 3:13 pm
Mike may have bigger goals than a Division Title. So do we Mike…and were still waiting.
Jesus christ. How many coaches have won multiple super bowls with advent of free agency? Or the salary cap era in 1994? The answer is not many. Jimmy Johnson won two after free agency, but before the salary cap era. Mike Shannahan, Bill Belichick, and Tom Coughlin are the others. That is 4 guys out of maybe what, 200-300 different head coaches that have been in the NFL in that time period? It’s funny that Holmgren is brought up. He only won one super bowl. And lost two the likes of Jimmy Johnson and Mike Shannahan in big games. The NFL is a strange game, a lot of shit happens. Belichick and Brady would still be without a super bowl since 2004 had Pete Carrol not inexplicity thrown the ball from the one with beast mode in the backfield. Oh, Belichick lost to Coughlin twice.
You are right, Holmgren is 1-2 in the Super Bowl. BUT, when he had the opportunity/team to go, Holmgren usually capitalized on those opportunities. He didn’t wait 6 years and counting between trips, and he didn’t single handedly piss away a Super Bowl trip by being ultra conservative in an NFC championship game like McCarthy did in 2014.
I don’t understand why McCarthy fans think he is the second coming of Bill Walsh. He is a guy who happens to be lucky to be where he is and with the quarterback he has. Jesus Christ, he chose Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers. Everyone says the Packers were lucky Rodgers fell to them. How come nobody ever says McCarthy is/was lucky? Being able to coach Favre, not once but twice, and Rodgers? Seneca Wallace was the best he could do after failing with Graham Harrell and Vince Young? That ought to tell you enough about what an offensive genius he is, especially when it comes to evaluating player talent. I would love to see how the 2013 season would have played out with Seneca Wallace being the starter for that entire season. Then all this bullshit about McCarthy leading the team to the playoffs 8 consecutive seasons would be seen for what it is, a con job.
I would LOVE to see him go to Cleveland, the Jets, San Diego, Jacksonville or Buffalo and show the world exactly what a fraud he is, because without Rodgers, McCarthy wouldn’t amount to much more than another retread coach like Rex Ryan or Norv Turner.
Your last paragraph is epic! So true…
Or, better yet get rid of fat Andy Reid like all the eagles fans bitched and moaned about similar to you guys. What has the eagles franchise accomplished since then? Have they had a playoff victory?
Well, for one, the Chiefs have a better GM in Dorsey getting them great players for Reid to use. I do believe that their DC is much better at coaching defense as well . . .
I wouldn’t argue with that. I am done with TT personally. I think he has hamstrung the success of this team the most. Not Like McCarthy.
KATO
01/03/2017 at 6:36 am
It’s funny that Holmgren is brought up. He only won one super bowl.
Kato…Mike Holmgren had to coach a franchise out of the cellar. McCarthy had a decent team and 2 HOF QB’s laid on his fucking lap.
Follow me here………Holmgren was only here for 7 seasons, went to 2 Super Bowls. McCarthy has been here for 12 seasons, been to 1 Super Bowl.
What piece of the puzzle are you missing?
Easy. Ron Wolf. So Favre didn’t fall into Holmgrens lap?
Did you understand my point? 7 years, ….12 years….? Or is ignoring it your strongest counterpoint argument?
Also…Holmgren inherited a 4-12 team. McCarthy inherited a 10-6 team.
Yes….the drunk, undisciplined, football uneducated Favre landed on Holmgrens lap. And it took him a hell of a lot of work to turn him into a professional, didn’t it?
Any more questions Kato? Or do you want to keep shoveling?
Maybe it’s better to say the Packers were lucky to get Wolf. Wolf allowed Favre to “fall” into Holmgren’s lap if that’s how you want to look at it. Because Wolf traded a 1st round pick for a QB everyone said “Who’s this guy?” Favre wasn’t a project any longer by the time McCarthy inherited him. He was established as the Gunslinger. The only “luck” was that Atlanta was a bunch of dipshits that had no clue. To them a 1st round pick for a 2nd round “bust” was a great deal.
The argument that Thompson was lucky Rodgers fell to him? At least he was smart enough to draft him when he had the chance. That doesn’t make up for all his mistakes, but he got that one right. You could argue the rest of the NFL were idiots when it came to Favre, because they all passed him over once. Wolf liked him from the outset, that’s why he went and got the man. I doubt Thompson had that kind of conviction toward any player, ever.
Favre was very much a project when Holmgren got him. With all due respect, you should research that subject.
Favre in Atlanta was a 3rd string party animal whose only use for Glanville was winning $100 bets on how far Favre could throw the ball up in the 3rd stand of the stadium. Favre almost played himself out of a job with Green Bay, but Holmgren stuck with him. Watch some of those early games and watch how pissed off Holmgren would get at Favre for being a fuck up. Listen to sound bites from back then. Favre admits to not even knowing defensive schemes that were being played against him.
The last thing Favre was on the plane ride to Green Bay, was NFL ready. Holmgren did a masterful job with him. As far as i’ve read, watched, and understood, Favre owes his career to Holmgren.
PF4L, you misread what I wrote. I said Favre wasn’t a project by the time McCarthy got him, not when Holmgren got him. I’m well versed in Favre’s timeline, same as you. You are damn right Favre owes his career to Holmgren. That is why I said Wolf trading for Favre allowed Favre to fall into Holmgren’s lap, where Holmgren left his imprint on Favre. Favre was a fuck up of epic proportions. That’s why Atlanta was happy to take a 1st round pick for what they considered their 2nd round mistake.
I vividly remember ’93-’94 when Favre was known more for his exploits around Green Bay than his prowess on the football field. The best one was the “No more rocket balls, please” soundbite from Holmgren. At the approx. 2:04 mark in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o40V47LgWHM
This should have been in response to Kato. Formatting, how does it work.
Just so we are clear, Don Shula is an overrated failure of a coach because he failed to win a super bowl with Dan Marino, who at the time was very similar to Rodgers in the aspect that he was above any other QB at the time?
Christ Kato….How the fuck do i know, i wasn’t there, i didn’t follow them. I follow the Packers…not the Dolphins of the 80’s and 90’s. I couldn’t name more that 1 coach, maybe a handful of players, and 0 people in the front office of the Dolphins..
All i know about Marino is he threw for a lot of yards, threw a lot of td’s and picks, didn’t have a good completion percentage, and had a bad td/int ratio, and heard they didn’t have a defense. OH…..and laces out!!!!!
I’m getting a headache Kato. Send me your address and i’ll send you a McCarthy bobblehead and a McCarthy fathead for your wall. I gotta stop, i’m starting to feel dumber.
Holy shit.
That’ll be one really big Fathead..