September 28 – Bears at Packers
In week 4, Danny Trevathan launched his helmet into the helmet of a defenseless Davante Adams, who was in the grips of another Bears defender. The brutal hit resulted in a neck injury and concussion. The Packers still beat the Bears, and then, almost miraculously, Adams was cleared to play at the last moment in the ensuing game against the Cowboys.
Along with Aaron Jones, Adams was instrumental in the Packers stirring 35-31 victory in Dallas. Adams accounted for seven catches, 66 yards, and two of the team’s four offensive touchdowns in the game.
October 15 – Packers at Vikings
In week 6, after Aaron Rodgers had thrown but two passes, the Vikings Anthony Barr ruthlessly and illegally smashed into Rodgers after he had thrown a pass, and then pounded him into the ground with all of his 255 pounds on top of the quarterback. It caused Rodgers to miss the the rest of that game, to require surgery, and to miss the next seven games as well.
The dirty hit was instrumental in the Vikings’ winning this critical intra-division contest, and it established momentum for the Vikings for the rest of the season. Of their next eight games, the Packers went 3-5, all but eliminating their playoff hopes. As I said at the time, Barr should be named the Vikings’ most valuable player for the year for taking out their rival’s star.
December 17 – Packers at Panthers
In week 15, Davante Adams was once again the victim of a violent and filthy hit, this time by Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis. It came during the runback of a Rodgers’ interception, when Davis blindsided Adams with a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit. Davis is not just your everyday thug – he’s a 13-year veteran, former first-round draft choice, All-Pro in 2015 and Pro-Bowler last year. Thomas’s mayhem was intentional and calculated.
Adams had this to say after the Carolina game: “Not the type to rant but when u go through this shit twice in a year it takes a lil toll on u so excuse me.” You are too kind, Davante.
The play happened early in the second half, with the Packers trailing by only three points. With Green Bay’s go-to receiver out, Green Bay inserted backup Geronimo Allison for the rest of the game. As the Packers and Rodgers were driving toward the tying score with just under two minutes remaining, it was Adams’ replacement who fumbled, ending the Packers playoff hopes for good.
Why the Packers?
Should Packers fans quit complaining, as plays like these happen almost every game, and to almost every team?
Think again. During the 2017 regular season, I count three helmet-to-helmet incidents that were severe enough to result in game suspensions – ultimately for one game each. So, though there are 32 teams in the league, Packers players were victims in two-thirds of the serious helmet-to-helmet incidents.
Packer fans have every right to feel paranoid about dirty players!
Dirty – But Effective
No one can say for sure if the Packers would have beaten the Panthers if not for the foul hit on Davante Adams. But we can be fairly sure the hit on Rodgers cost the Packers from two to four games in the win column.
I’ll remember the 2017 Packers as a gallant group who, given the above adversities, actually performed above expectations. I’ll also think back on 2017 as being the year my team got hijacked by three thugs: Trevathan, Barr, and Davis.
The league has done nothing meaningful to deter such play. Quite the opposite, the NFL has incentivized the league’s hoodlums – relatively few, thank God – to try to take out their opponents’ top players.
So, expect to see this shit be on the rise in years to come. It works.
The packers did have a year of some unfortunate no calls and bad plays. You also forget though and every team across the league could recount NUMEROUS instances of Aaron Rodgers or packers in general getting very favorable calls. I am not trying to deny some of the events that happened to the packers this year. But I am glad it has opened your eyes to events that happen to a lot of other teams every year that normally don’t happen to the packers, welcome to the heartache of events that a lot of teams have to deal with this time of year when their season is over and they sit on their couch and reflect back to this game and that call that was made or that game ad this even that would have changed the season. Again every team has hardships every year. Welcome to the bus hope on and let your issues fly, we will pass the tissues your way
You’re an idiot
;) enjoy not watching your team in The post season. Good luck NEXT year hahaha
Fuck you douchebag!!!
Again, enjoy your early offseason, see you NEXT year. You have a long time to think about everything your team should have could have would have done.
Bobby D, you have that classic Packer fan sportsmanship. A fine example of your kind.
Classic Packer fan sportsmanship.
#SKOLTIME
11/29/2017 at 8:27 am
Side note from a Vikings fan, KILLER stop being such a douche.
To piggy off this. Killer, man, it’s cool to come in and give points and arguments of opinion, always fun to chat it up. But to come in and brag like the Vikings are the best ever over the packers is a bit extreme. The only time I really would get let’s say “douchey” is like those really cool upstanding people above who want to sling vulgar words instead of having an actual conversation. That’s all I am saying, gotta remember 1 where we are leaving these comments, and 2 while we are both proud of our organization and team, the sad part is we haven’t accomplished what theirs has … Yet!
Excellent points SKOLTIME. The Packers have gotten a ridiculous number of ref calls their way. I actually did a study of it and things that are obvious and objective — like off sides and illegal formations — the Packers and their opponents are even. But in judgment calls of pass interference and roughing the passer the Packers get a huge advantage.
Look at that “”roughing the passer” in that Detroit game that led to a last second Packers victory. The DE barely touched Rodgers helmet!
Packer fans will be quick to point out the Seattle deal. Arguable but, anyway, that was a “replacement” ref during the strike. Those guys never got the memo!
Unfavorable calls? Vs vicious career ending hits. COMPARABLE? Skoltime, you seem to speak in the language of the domesticated sausage.
Fire Ted Thompson!
Wish just once we’d have someone retaliate. Especially this next game. They have plenty to play for and we don’t. The way the league has been, they’ll get 2 games, appeal and sit vs Detroit. Don’t even have to be a Matthews or Daniels. Let the backup go and dive at their qb or someone light up one of their wr. I’m sure we’ll be the ones getting hit come Saturday and not the ones delivering it.
Not about being dirty but enough is enough. What goes around comes around. Don’t have to be obvious but gotta somehow send a message. Look at cincy and Pitt. It’s gone in for years and it’s cuz neither team is gonna back down and get punked. I’ve never seriously injured anyone but I damn sure have retaliated when I’ve seen guys take shots at my teammates.
Classic Packer fan sportsmanship.
Please, the Vikings coaches and players were all cheering when they saw Rodgers hurt. And you know their drunk fans were too. All scumbags.
DEEP, I am a Season ticket holder, and literally at every single home game. I was at that game and can tell you I was loudly cheering after Rodgers got hit, but I did not know that he was hurt for a while after it happened. When you are in the stadium at the game you don’t get the replays or the announcers saying right away if someone is hurt or not. A lot of times buddies will text me and say such and such player is out for rest of the game, and i wouldn’t even know they were hurt. Any fans that were cheering are 100% completely wrong and complete douchebags.
To add to my point we all know that every fan base has those shitty rediculous fans that take things way too far. Look at how the chiefs cheered when Alex smith got hurt a few years ago. Some fans as we all know are just fucking stupid. Unless the coaches are jumping up and down right at Rodgers and in his face you can’t say they were cheering that Rodgers was hurt. Anthony barr had just made a big sack on a key down. I highly doubt the coaches were cheering that Rodgers was hurt, no coach wild really do that unless their name is Greg Williams or Sean Peyton.
While these events are unfortunate and cheap/unnecessary shots, the blame is mostly on team management. They are ultimately to blame. Even if Rodgers doesn’t get hurt, does the team go to the super bowl? I highly doubt it. If anything, at the expense of AR’s collarbone, Anthony Barr revealed the front office for what they are: very mediocre at collecting talent. He may have eventually helped the packers in the long run
“…..the Vikings Anthony Barr ruthlessly and illegally smashed into Rodgers.
Ruthlessly and illegally?..(drama much?)……Anthony Barr did his job.
This is the NFL, if you play QB in the NFL, you might get tackled, and a player may land on you.
Rob…..Because of Anthony Barr we went 3-5 after Rodgers got hurt? It’s hardly Anthony Barr’s fault we don’t have a competent back up QB, nor is it his fault we have a shitty defense.
Here here. Hear hear?
Yeah, Rob writes nice articles, however, he stretches the facts a tad to support his point.
Rob! Do you happen to be an attorney?
Let me better explain. The hits on Adams were illegal. Trevathan’s one unintentional, Davis’s one intentional. Both illegal. Barr’s hit was unnecessary, but legal, otherwise. But doesn’t the article sound more convincing and more appealing if we put Barr’s hit on the “illegal” pile?
Rob, I enjoy the articles you write, which you take the time to back up with statistics. Those few fact stretches I chalk up as opinions or literary resources. Please, keep up the good work.
Look at the bright side guys, at least this season they can’t win just enough games to get our hopes up only to have them crash down during another embarrassing loss in the NFC Championship. I was getting tired of that routine.
Great minds think alike, Rob. This matter has been stewing in my head for sometime.
Good one, Wolfie. Now go support the claim that you are on par with Rob by producing the same article volume and quality.
It is not all on the league to set the tone about dirty hits. This week I expect to see a brawl filled game. The Packers should be taking exception to any borderline hits on their teammates with immediate retaliation to the point of expulsion. In addition the Packers should be playing every snap out till the whistle is not heard any longer, as they should in every game, but don’t. If the Vikings take issue then mix it up.
Players on other teams are laughing at the Packers. M.Bennett is an asshole for quitting on the team, but I have a feeling Bennett looked at the Packers as being a bunch of chumps for taking cheap shots or late hits with no reaction to send a message or protect their teammates on the field. I believe Bennett in the first game received an unsportsmanlike like conduct penalty for taking exception to a borderline hit on his teammate. That’s something most Packers haven’t done except maybe TJ Lang, D Adams, or A Rodgers.
I doubt the Packers win this game, but I know they will continue to lose if they don’t start showing some physical play of there own, and some nasty attitude after the play when their teammates are taken out by dirty or borderline dirty plays. At this point if it is close to being a dirty hit by an opponent you go after them. Let the refs sort it out after they break it up, and clear the field, or the league sort it out after the game. At some point you protect your own on the field if the NFL and NFLPA can’t or won’t.
Howard, be aware of your own alternate history. While you have some kind words for Martellus you also frame the situation incorrectly.
You say he quit on the team. Let us review.
Packers tell him to play through an injury and not rest or treat it with surgery. He sees other doctors who tell him he needs surgery and should not be playing.
The Packers, hearing about this and before Martellus has even decided whether or not to have surgery, go ahead and cut Martellus preemptively.
So, where and when and at what point did Martellus quit on the Packers? Once cut he is not allowed to take the field you know…..
If Bennett had to have surgery he would not have played for 2 or 3 weeks after being picked up by the Patriots. If surgery was required as stated by Bennett the Patriots probably would have failed him on his physical. You may say the Patriots did not want to fail Bennett on a physical so they could keep his contract. If they did not fail him for that reason and he did need surgery they sure as hell would not have made him active and allowed him to play in any games.
Packers players have said Bennett quit on the team. I think they know more about what went on in the locker room than you or I. In addition several current and former Packers made strong public comments about Bennett’s claim about the team doctor. Most active NFL Players are very careful about calling out any NFL player or coach on or off the team. Bennett quit on the team and used his shoulder as an excuse.
There are 3 reasons to have surgery. 1) Pain. 2) Performance. 3) Career. Only Martellus knows the level of pain he was experiencing. He clearly was no the same player on the filed so the injury certainly effected his performance. What player can say he failed to catch a ball due to injury or due to “quitting”? Martellus is the only one. Career can also be a factor. Some injuries you can still play but it may reduce your career expectancy. So the Packers could have been, like, well, his career will be two years shorter but, who cares, that will be 5 years from now and he will not be on our team then, we need him during this contract.
Doctors working for the organization automatically have a conflict of interest in right now vs. career situations. What is best for the player and what is best for the organization are not always the same thing. And the organization pays the doctor.
Maybe some Packer players took the position Bennett quit on the team. But, guess what? They only did that after the Packers betrayed Martellus and cut him and who pays those players? Yeah, I think you can figure that out.
People can say what they want about the doctor but, guess what, he is not very cautious or protective. There is an actual history of putting players back on the filed when they should not be out there. Hell, we just saw it with Rodgers last week!! And these other doctors Martellus saw, with no horse in the race and not paid by the organization, just out to give the best advice to the patient, apparently were more cautious that this Dr. Pat.
So the players are clearly wrong about Dr. Pat, so they are probably wrong or lying bout Martellus quitting. Hell, where is the proof? He took the filed every game. Does a quitter take exception and get a penalty defending teammates? So there is actually proof he is not a quitter and none that he is!
I think the Patriots put Bennett on IR a few weeks ago. Bennett claimed he needed surgery about 8 weeks ago as a Packer. There is nothing that is keeping Bennett from having surgery on that shoulder now that he is on IR with the Patriots? I would guess with as critical as is was to Bennett to have surgery when he was a Packer it is done now that he has nothing to play for in 2017. Bennett must want to have surgery to get that shoulder corrected for the start of next year?
For some reason I have not heard that Bennett has had surgery yet? Maybe I missed that, or maybe competent doctors and Bennett himself have a hard time putting a shoulder under a knife when it never needed to be operated on.
Fuck it, start taking people out. The NFL isn’t going to do anything about it. MAYBE a one game suspension. Big deal.
Not only did the Packers not make the playoffs, they missed the playoffs with two games left in the regular season. Even with Rodgers last year they started out 4-6. Like p4fl said, this team is always worse off than the year before. But hey, who needs the playoffs when Mark Murphy just built an overgrown slide! That sounds like way more fun!
Classic Packer fan sportsmanship. A fine example of the basest fan base.
#SKOLTIME
11/29/2017 at 8:27 am
Side note from a Vikings fan, KILLER stop being such a douche.
:)
Oh my, pointing out bad sportsmanship is being a douche! Cheese, you have such a twisted mind! SAD!
Cheese didn’t call you a douche, that was a viking fan.
So stop being such a douche.
Fire the cadaver or nothing will ever change
“Football is not a contact sport, it’s a collision sport – dancing is a contact sport”.
I am still not convinced tha Barr hit was dirty.
The hits on Adams definitely were dirty.
I am not on the start taking people out bandwagon. We don’t need the bad karma.
The league should change the enforcement rules. Make the suspension last as long as injured player is out. The 2 games reduced to 1 game crap is what pisses me off.
Good karma.. Psshh. The Steelers were head hunting machines during their last two super bowl wins. NFL didn’t do shit about it.
Rob Born, sometimes you write with logic and accuracy and great observations — like you are Rob Born — and other times, brace yourslef, I know this is going to hurt, you write like Mordecai/Monty. Ouch, I know. Maybe it is him using your name, I don’t know, in hopes of getting some greater credibility on your coattails. Maybe he has blackmail on you and forces you to degenerate into this sort of thing.
On your three dirty plays there are only two dirty plays. That is poor math on your part. Profoundly poor. The Barr hit woudl have been illegal in table tennis or backgammon. However, this is football. FOOTBALL. Foooooooooootbaaaaaaaaaalllllllll……! All knowledgeable experts agree the hit was entirely legal. Even the NFL trying to protect it’s valuable QB agreed it was totally legal and correct and fair and right. The same NFL that induces refs to make decisions stilted in the Packers favor!
Next, the first Davante Adams hit was wrong and dirty but it hardly derailed the season. You won the game! Davante played the next game and…. wait for it… you won that game also! How did two consecutive wins derail your season?
Also, snidely clever that you try to rob the Vikings of credit for other victories by claiming that Barr’s “dirty hit” was instrumental in giving them momentum the rest of the season. Ridiculous. Barr and the rest of the team had to overcome an extra hurdle of all that high-pitched whining coming from over the border.
Wow, I really got sucked into this post, and the hanging our division banner post haha. All I wanted to do was read about the vikings and upon a google seach saw the banner one posted by total packers. this is fun conversation though.
In relation to this point though, and as I said earlier, I am not denying the packers had some pretty shitty calls and unfortunate events go their way this year. With the Barr hit, let me ask you this, I know its hard, and trust me i have thought about it in the sense of “if i was a packer fan” and i would be pretty upset too that hit ruined my teams season. But this is what I ask of you as you read this. Take out that its Barr, put yourself in Barr’s shoes, and think about what you would do. And here is why I say that.
Aaron Rodgers is praised as being the best quarterback in the NFL and possible history to “extend the play” through his scrambling, getting outside the pocket, buying time to find receivers, and if needed using his legs. EVERY analysts says this about him. Now put yourself in that play, Rodgers is running outside of the pocket trying to extend the play, as you go in to close and hit him, you wrap him up, if it were me i would not let go for dear life and ride him all the way to the ground too, anyone who has played football knows how good it feels to get a good hit on someone, especially a quarterback, ESPECIALLY a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers could have thrown the ball away sooner, he could have just ducked and taken the sack knowing barr was closing in, but he didn’t, why, because he is AARON RODGERS, and his game is extending the play as long as possible. With how fast the game is played in bang bang situations you cannot say this should have happened that should have happened. Barr got a chance to wrap up a hall of fame QB and take him to the ground, i think 99.9999999% of players would do that.
As a vikings fan I would much rather have Aaron Rodgers playing, it makes the games so much better, this Saturdays game is eh for me too in a sense. He is one of those guys that everyone wants to play against period. In my opinion Aaron Rodgers is the greatest QB in nfl history skill wise. Pure QB talent that you have to have in order to play that position, hands down. People like to say Tom Brady is the GOAT and in a different aspect maybe, but the Patriots still go 3-1 without him here, and 2-0 without him there. That shows he has a good supporting cast. For the packers to ALWAYS have a chance to win when Rodgers in, to cant win enough to make the playoffs with him out shows his true skill.
In terms of this season, you can sit there and say dirty plays were the issue etc, that is partially true. But open your eyes, the packers are NOT a good team without Aaron Rodgers on the field, you are average at best, hence 7-7. You have Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy(the most overated coach ever) to thank for that.
Packers were 10-6 last year with Aaron Rodgers all 16 games. The rest of the team was better then also — + Julius Peppers, now – Jared Cook, and – T.J. Lang . With Rodgers this year 4-2, so about 10-6 or so still with Rodgers.
Without Rodgers? Not 8-8 as SKOLTIME so kindly says (or 7-7 on the old 14 game schedule?). They were 3-5. Works out to 6-10. So, I was wrong. I’ve said in the past the Packers are a 5-11 team without Rodgers. Wrong, wrong, wrong. They are actually a 6-10 team without Rodgers.
Long story short, Barr’s hit was legal, whether we like it or not. Necessary? No, he just hit Rodgers because he could within the game’s rules.
Regarding guys injured on illegal hits, I’d say the player committing the fault should spend the same time outside the field as the injured one. I mean the same number of games.
If, however, the play is legal, then, nevermind, football is an impact sport, that can happen even with no bad blood.
League play will be safer when/if the NFLPA wants it safer. It’s not all on the NFL. Every time someone gets suspended, or is a repeat offender, there the NFLPA is, armed with lawyers. The NFLPA talks out of both sides of there mouths concerning player safety, just like the players.
1) IT WAS NOT AN ILLEGAL HIT. Out of the pocket, in bounds, no whistle, and no flags.
2) HE DID NOT “DRIVE AARON IN TO THE GROUND” Aaron tried to break his fall with his arm, against all coaching) Guess why? There was no lifting, it was a normal hard hit. There is no crying in football.
3) The VIkings would have won that game anyway, just like last year, and it had nothing to do with their success thereafter.
This is FOOTBALL. Not some sort of “Aaron Rodgers passing stats pageant” If he runs out of the pocket, he’s gonna take these hits. No one is gonna pull up and get juked by Golden Boy anymore. He gets hit, and hit hard.
4) QUIT WHINING. Try putting a decent team around the guy. Christ, the VIkings are on their 3rd string quarterback this year already, and kicking your butts with that.
that hit on AR wasn’t illegal.
remember when all the Packer fans who hated Favre after he left were cheering on the way he got knocked around during the NFC Championship game – Vikes again Saints? remember all those hits the refs didn’t call against the Saints?
that hit on AR was equal to or less than many of the “legal” hits Favre took in that game. funny how when the shoe’s on the other foot it’s all different. whiners & hypocrites.
Yep, many/most of them are (some are cool and do engage in constructive discussion). At least on this site. It is the sewer of Packer fan web sites. It’s why I come here to fight in the ring. Good vs. evil.
lmao…who do you think you’re bullshitting. You come in here because your own brethren queen fans can’t stand you. That and an ankle bracelet.
As a Packer backer, I’m sure you have plenty of cheese to go with your whine.