Gut Reactions: Week Thirteen
Aaron's Gut Reaction's from today's Packers victory over the New York Giants.
By PackerAaron
- Aaron Rodgers. That is all.
- I have to admit, I was dead wrong about this Giants team folding in the second half, and being a tough test in general. I thought the Packers would blow them out of the water in the second half. They kept punching back.
- It was pretty evident that the longer layoff (ie ten days between games) caused a little rust to form on the offense. The drops, the wasted time outs, etc. Just out of sync all over. But, as Mike McCarthy said after the game, they made the catches when they needed to at the end.
- I think McCarthy went to the run game, even when it was ineffective, simply to keep the number of snaps where Aaron could be exposed to getting hit. The line played decently, but that Giants defensive front is very, very good.
- While the line played well overall, Marshall Newhouse had his worst game of the season.
- Brutal injury for Andrew Quarless. My wife was sitting right behind his family and said they looked devastated. I can only imagine.
- I didn't get an update on James Starks, but I saw him walking around after the game. He looked ok, not wearing anything on his foot that I could see.
- That catch that Jordy Nelson had up the left sideline during the drive that ended in Donald Driver's second touchdown was one of the greatest catches I've ever seen a Packers wide receiver make. Simply incredible.
- Speaking of Driver - not too shabby a catch by the old man on that second touchdown either.
- Really liked what we saw from Saine. Good burst and vision and he showed his soft hands on the screen pass.
- Nice long run after the catch from Ryan Grant as well on the checkdown from Rodgers.
- I think the Packers will be without Charles Woodson's services next week after he suffered a late game concussion.
- D.J. Smith is a good tackler - but lord does he need to work on rushing the passer. He was painful to watch when he was asked to do it.
- Hell of a game from Clay Matthews.
- It was really apparent from the press box how badly Peprah and Burnett were biting on Manning's pump fakes early. On one play where Tramon Williams was beat deep, it was clear he was expecting safety help.
- McCarthy is giving his team their first "Victory Monday" tomorrow. Very well deserved.
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Comments (51)
December 04, 2011 at 11:11 pm
Winning ugly like this is good for the team's character. That being said I'd like to see a better performance next week.
December 04, 2011 at 11:25 pm
Buy the ticket, take the ride. Enjoy these moments.
December 04, 2011 at 11:30 pm
What a great game. As a fan, this was just a blast to watch. The drops about killed me. Driver showed why we still need him as he stayed consistent when most others didn't. Nelson, I sorta wanna kiss you on the mouth. Geez.
Some pretty big calls missed by the refs today...I'm not big on bringing up the calls, but wow. Even some that went in the Packer's favor seemed poorly called. I dunno.
Anyone else nervous about what the Saints are doing? Yikes. That is a good football team, my friend. I wish I hated Drew Brees, but I keep finding myself rooting for the guy. Jerk.
December 04, 2011 at 11:45 pm
Saints are the only team that worries me in the NFL.
December 05, 2011 at 12:05 am
+2 on the Saints. Sometimes when Brees passes I swear it is Aaron
December 05, 2011 at 12:12 am
They are a TOTALLY different animal on the road compared to home. I saw a side by side breakdown a few days back... You guys should look into it.
That said, I said it here after week one... I do not want to see this team again. But I like our chances in the elements. A lot.
December 05, 2011 at 12:20 am
Totally. And it's been that way for years.
I'm afraid of the Patriots, and maybe even the Steelers. But I'm not afraid of the Saints on the road
December 05, 2011 at 12:31 am
Out of those, most worried about the Steelers.
Both the Patriots and Saints have no defense.
And yeah, Saints at Lambeau in January? Unproven ground for them. Maybe we'll learn how to cover the middle of the field vs. Graham by then too! :P
December 04, 2011 at 11:31 pm
Will absolutely take a road game from a playoff contending team any day. These giants came to play. Want to say that I love the sportsmanship sir Charles shows with his fist bump to nicks after that incredible over the shoulder catch. Gotta give props there. Woodson was all over him. This giants team played with a fire. I think we can all agree that they gave us their best shot. With that said, we could have put this one to bed with a few more critical catches.
December 04, 2011 at 11:32 pm
J.B. + T.A. =BFFs fo-evah. Where's Ken with that beaujolais?
December 04, 2011 at 11:36 pm
Giants fans are jerks. That is all.
PackerAaron
December 04, 2011 at 11:39 pm
My wife totally agrees.
December 04, 2011 at 11:56 pm
Great to see your boy Corey at the game chillin like Steve Bartman with the Packer earmuffs
December 05, 2011 at 12:14 am
Tell me he wasn't wearing earmuffs.
December 05, 2011 at 08:00 am
+1
Their best argument to me was "Your not from around here, dont cheer" Lame.
December 04, 2011 at 11:37 pm
I thought Finley was horrible. Nelson meanwhile, was clutch.
Agreed on Saine, dude has alot of potential. 4.3 40, can catch and pass protect. Can run up the middle too. We got depth there, thanks to TT.
I'm more worried about the run defense than the pass defense.
December 05, 2011 at 12:14 am
I've been a big supporter of Finley but especially after this game, he's becoming really hard to defend.
All season long, Aaron's had to motion him over countless times, he's false started in crucial moments, and he's always a step behind on route-running.
In addition to this today, we saw a lot of flag begging, poor hands, and generally childish behavior.
The way things are going Ted will probably tag him and put him out on the market. At the very least, the Packers organization are gaining leverage in the whole "TE/WR contract debate" but with all these mental errors it's becoming somewhat clear that Finley, despite his freakish athletic talent and ability - is not what this organization wants. Too risky of an investment.
I'd love to be wrong - as I said I love the guy, love the whole "YOTTO" thing, but he needs to mature fast and have a great stretch run or his time in Green Bay is probably over...
December 05, 2011 at 09:41 am
Finley has great talent, just not between the ears. I also think he's bugged by the attention Graham and Gronk are getting around the league. I still like him on the team, but shut up and catch the damn ball.
December 05, 2011 at 02:00 pm
yeah, finley hasn't had a big year statistically, and he's had some drops. but the talent we saw last year--the finley from the arizona playoff game the year before--I am still convinced that is who he is.
I think ted thompson and the packers know exactly how important he is to the future of this franchise.
December 05, 2011 at 12:16 am
Nerd: he dropped too many, i agree, but the he made up for it with the first completion of the game-winning drive. Big league catch with the game on the line.
December 05, 2011 at 12:32 am
We'd have never been in that position had he not singlehandedly killed about THREE drives.
December 04, 2011 at 11:57 pm
I thought that, despite his lowest passer rating of the year, this was one of Rodgers' best games of the year. Despite the drops, lack of running game, and fierce giant dline, he marched down then field late in the fourth quarter to score TWICE. Total stud.
Also, why do opponents insist on doing the belt dance while losing to us?
December 05, 2011 at 11:36 am
I love it when the opponents do the belt. That's when I know the Packers are going to win. ;)
December 05, 2011 at 12:13 am
Of all the things you do, this "after game" piece is still my favorite
December 05, 2011 at 11:19 am
+1. A close second is POC's x's&o's
December 05, 2011 at 12:13 am
Im sure Woodson's feeling bad that he cant put it to his old team the Raiders next week.
December 05, 2011 at 12:32 am
He can if he passes the concussion test, right?
I'm sure he wants a bait Palmer into some pick-sixes more than he wants to wax da Raiders...
December 05, 2011 at 04:14 am
I think they said that because he was diagnosed with a concussion he has to miss next week's game.
December 05, 2011 at 08:43 am
It depends how serious it is.
I believe about 90% of the players who are diagnosed with a concussion end up missing at least one game but I do remember a player a few weeks ago who got the diagnosis but it cleared in time for him to play the next week.
December 05, 2011 at 08:46 am
I don't think that's right.
December 05, 2011 at 10:35 am
Not sure about the percentage, but, yes, it's right. It was Ryan Pickett.
December 05, 2011 at 10:51 am
It all depends on how charles progresses he'll have to do a concussion test then see if he can exercise without headaches
December 05, 2011 at 11:21 am
See also Rodgers's first concussion last year. He played the next week.
December 05, 2011 at 12:35 am
More screens to Saine, please.
Giants are much better than their record. Eli's playing as well as I've ever seen him play, and Charlie Peprah has a good point, "Besides the Saints, they're probably the best we've faced up to date. They're underrated."
December 05, 2011 at 03:43 am
i personally thought it showed that hawk and bishop did not play today... defense looked a mess at the start of the game. thought we played well tho finley definitely is not as good as he was hyped to be so far this season.. i still love his matchup against pretty much anyone.. but i think the fame has gone to his head and ruined his game which is really unfortunate.. hopefully a veteran on the team will let him know that the packers are a under the radar kind of team not a flamboyant one. that said JORDY NELSON! beast. knew he was going to be good. a few years ago. never thought hed be great. and really would like to see james jones get more deep balls. its fine that he doesnt play a lot but the man can stretch the field.
December 05, 2011 at 04:19 am
MM has officially used the word "significant" with reference to Quarless' injury.
December 05, 2011 at 06:24 am
Anyone who can say Finley isn't a game changer or someone we want on this (and future) Packer teams isn't paying attention. He's made some bad drops this year, no doubt, but that isn't his game and he'll get past that. Our offense is totally different and I am pretty confident we are not undefeated without YOTTO. His "antics" seem out of place on this quiet Packer team, but are really harmless. This is a guy we want on the other end of a Rodger's deep seam pass for many years to come.
December 05, 2011 at 10:04 pm
We have a winner. This, x10.
December 05, 2011 at 07:07 am
Was at the game and have been to several road games this year. The Giant fans were pretty talkative throughout the game. Some with good points (real fans) some just plain stupid. But East Coast attitude was pretty much the tone of the day. That last drive shut them up!
December 05, 2011 at 08:41 am
Curious as to how Sherrod is progressing, a first round pick with training camp, preseason and 13 weeks of regular season under his belt now, can he really not play better than Newhouse played today? He was brutal.
December 05, 2011 at 08:45 am
"Nice long run after the catch by Ryan Grant"... I remember that play, there was absolutely no one around him when he caught the ball, first man he encountered got him down. He's the third-best running back on this team now.
December 05, 2011 at 08:57 am
Pack just keeps surviving everyone's best shot. Unreal. McCarthy is doing an incredible job keeping this team focused. Having an undefeated team trying to defend a championship is amazing, yet I hear nothing about him as a coach of the year candidate. Harbaugh is deserving, but Mike should at least be mentioned.
December 05, 2011 at 09:08 am
Newhouse's 'punch' has turned into a reach, not sure when that happened. He's going directly into his kick-slide while reaching. Coaching staff needs to work on it, he really allowed the defensive lineman to dictate hand placement and momentum, unchallenged.
December 05, 2011 at 09:18 am
D-Line ! Where are you ?
Hit someone for God Sakes !!!
Secondary,
Hit someone for God Sakes !!!
Jermichael F., Drop another ball and I'm coming back to drill catching balls with the G on your helmet ! Got it?!?
December 05, 2011 at 09:26 am
Now lets talk about these next games;
Don't play down to their level, Go out and hand them their collective ASS'S !
Defense, Hit em and make them feel it ! Watch some of my old tape
HIT SOMEONE !
December 05, 2011 at 10:02 am
"HIT SOMEONE!" I've been screaming that for the past 8 games, it seems. One of the worst tackling defenses I've seen in a while.
December 05, 2011 at 09:35 am
Jordy Nelson has a waiting career with Cirque de Soleil if he gets bored with football.
December 05, 2011 at 11:38 am
That catch was sick. I simply couldn't believe he came up with the ball.
December 05, 2011 at 09:40 am
That Andrew Quarless injury really sucks. I feel bad for the guy. He was busting his ass this year.
December 05, 2011 at 02:21 pm
One of the announcers (Buck or Aikmann) claimed that Rogers said that Saine may have the best hands on the team.
A bit of a high bar.
December 05, 2011 at 08:28 pm
Rodgers practices with Saine, I'll take him at his word. If his hands are that good why not have him as the only receiver on one side of the field (out of the backfield). Then let him go deep against a linebacker.