One Game At A Time

McCarthy said it best:

You get to swing all the way to the right when you win, and you want me to swing all the way to the left when we lose. I'm not going to do that.

Nor should fans or the media, and yet, after one big win, everywhere you turn you see proclamations of the Packers inevitable rise to the top of the NFC North standings.

You see it in local newspaper opinion pieces:

There weren't many reasons to anticipate that the division title would change hands, and outside of the kind of injury or injuries that would redirect the course, it's more than reasonable to expect the Packers to repeat.

You see it in the Packer Blogosphere:

For those of you who thoroughly enjoy hearing athletes and coaches say “we’re taking it one game at a time and right now all we’re focused on is the _________ game”, you may not want to read this post. I prefer it when athletes, coaches, fans openly project and look past weak opponents.

You hear it from ex-player pundits:

Of the three 5-5 teams in the NFC North, the Packers are best, according to NBC-TV studio analyst Jerome Bettis.

"I think Green Bay wins the division," Bettis said. "Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in that group, Ryan Grant makes that team two dimensional, they're able to run the ball, and the last part is their defense is playing as well as Minnesota's right now. They're the complete team in that division."

Well, this is all well and good, and very heartwarming for Packer fans to read day after day in the week following a beat down of a hated rival, but a bit more caution is called for. We find our heroes returning to a domed stadium this Monday night, possibly negating the o-line advantage the team seemed to enjoy on the slow, messy tundra of Lambeau Field. They face a team not only with the best quarterback in the NFL right now (that's right) but also feature a big, physical number one wide receiver, the kind that has given our boys in the secondary in general and Al Harris in particular, nightmares. Oh, and they might just be getting their dynamic halfback back on the field, a back that could make our new, big middle linebacker look silly in coverage on the speedy turf of the Superdome. Oh, what's that? The Packers will use Chillar and a safety to cover Bush if he plays? Well then, I guess we'll just leave Hawk or Bigby on Shockey....um...well...pass catching tight ends against Hawk and/or Bigby hasn't worked too well in the past, has it? Oh, and did I mention this is the number one passing attack in the NFL?

You get the point. There's more than enough to worry about week to week. Let's not all get hysterical and start making hotel reservations for the playoff game at Lambeau quite yet...

 

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.

__________________________

0 points
 

Comments (5)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
packergeek - awh's picture

November 19, 2008 at 12:30 pm

Let me caution you on having too much caution. I too recognize the potential pitfalls we face against a quality New Orleans team. I also recognize that Carolina, Houston, Jax and Chicago will be worthy opponents. But I think it's important not to diminish the importance of a huge victory against a hated rival. This was a game we really needed and the Pack came through big-time - dominated the Bears. While we shouldn't "swing all the way to the right" when we win (is McCarthy a Republican?), we also shouldn't stay stuck in the middle when we win. This was a big win and the team SHOULD have more confidence now.

0 points
0
0
PackerAaron's picture

November 19, 2008 at 12:36 pm

Agreed Andrew - and I really just threw you into the mix because of the title of your post, rather than the substance of it. By God yes - celebrate the win. It's huge and its great to finally beat Smith in Lambeau.

0 points
0
0
Holly's picture

November 19, 2008 at 02:53 pm

Why you gotta bring us down? We love the yo-yo lifestyle of the "superbowl-bound or draft-pick jockeying?" debate. Pshaw.

0 points
0
0
Ron La Canne's picture

November 19, 2008 at 05:07 pm

Aaron, definitely agree, to battle over-confidence is a major issue for the coaches this week. I do disagree on the statement that Brees is one of the best QB's in the league. I agree he is rated one of the best.

My disagreement then is that you left Aaron Rodgers out of that staement. Brees QB rating is 95.4 and in the #4 spot. Rodgers QB rating is 94.5 and #5.

Ints, Brees 11 and Rodgers 6.
Tds, Brees 18 and Rodgers 15.

The only area Brees is significantly higher than Rodgers is total yards. Brees has 3251 yds, a leadure best. Rodgers has 2351 yds, 900 less than Brees. Of course Rodgers has 61 fewer attempts to go along with that statistic.

And by the way, Favre is rated # 6 with a 93.0 rating and leading the league in interceptions with 12. He also has 18 tds only 3 more than Rodgers.

Source: ESPN-NFL Stats

0 points
0
0
Franklin Hillside's picture

November 19, 2008 at 05:19 pm

I believe experience factors in there somewhere, Ron.

That said, Rodgers will light up New Orleans Monday Night.

I love Monday Night games.

0 points
0
0