Charles Woodson is kinda good. Aaron Rodgers for MVP.

Kevin Smith after the game: "Did anyone get the name of that truck?
.
2-1-DET48 (5:28) K.Smith up the middle to DET 44 for -4 yards (B.Raji).

It's getting to where I want to get up and walk away when Crosby trots out for a FG. Didn't he also have a kickoff that was heading for the sideline before a Lions player inexplicably picked it up? All of our special teams are pretty ugly at the moment.
-------------
Hey, Jarrett Bush is showing progress!!! Normally his stupidity involves giving up touchdowns. Today he merely gave up 40 yard plays...that's progress....right??????

Charles Woodson is kinda good. Really!? Were you watching him yesterday? He was unbelievable.

If Crosby misses another field goal, he should be cut. In the press conference, Mike said he still has confidence in him, so cutting is highly unlikely. Happy Day After Thanksgiving everyone.

just finished watchin the game and totaly agree with the selections. I think it must have been one of the easiest selections this year. P.S i am drunk but very happy so go pack go. and i am about to go watch the cowboys v's oakland and denver v's giants as their is a big time difference in australia so i am going for oakland becouse f__k dallas and i want denvar to win becouse it is good for the pack. So please no one tell me the results in the comments.

Kudo's to Woodson for gifting two million dollars to a U of Michigan children's hospital on Thanksgiving.

Yes, Jordy Nelson's fumble deserves the 'bad', but he is far and away the best blocking receiver on the roster, maybe in the division. Also, Nelson and Rodgers are always on during that comeback route when Rodgers either bootlegs or is under pressure. So 'bad' for the special teams gaff, but absolutely fantastic with his downfield blocking and route running, especially under pressure.

I'd almost say that fumble is Ugly material. Losing turnovers is the only possible way you lose this game...and to lose the ball on the first play of the game gives them an early TD lead, momentum, and the fans (at least the ones that showed up) something to cheer about for the rest of the game. The team definitely overcame it but against a better team away I don't know if they could have.

You should add B.J. Raji who made a so powerful stop!!!
And even Tramon Williams who made a better start than everybody thought he'd have!

Finally, Finley was kind of bad regarding his normal level.

I am torn with Nelson's nomination. It was a terrible gaffe. He did atone for it however, just not sure how completely. I think it was a pitch play to BJax where he cracked back and blew up the end so Tauscher could pull around the end for the lead block. That was a beautiful block.
-
Whatever talk Capers and Trgovac had with the DL, they have really picked up the production, albeit without sacks. I would put them in the good since "by system" they are supposed to be gap stops only and there were much more than that.

PACKERS, I believe there was a little bit of sarcasm in RockinRodgers' comment...
-
And regarding Nelson, that fumble deserves to be put in the bad. He has been terrific, nonetheless, but that fumble was terrible.

Wow. I feel like an idiot now. I didn't get very much sleep last night.

Nelson's fumble was a mistake that no NFL player should make. However, he did har a twenty yard reception later on, and he has done wonderful things for the Pack this year, like that enormous block he threw for Jennings in the last game. That guy must hve flown at least five yards.

It's too late to do anything about Crosby this year. However, it's not too late to start searching the bars for kicking talent. Crosby is too secure in his position and maybe it's time to try and show him his ass is on the line. He can't even kick deep into the end zone in a dome. LOSER!

barnett and raji also deserve to be in the "good" category

Complaining about respect is a favorite pastime of any fanbase, and generally I don't care -- if I know one of our guys is awesome, what does it matter what anyone else says? But has anyone noticed how ho-hum a 350, 3 TD, 0 INT day has become for Rodgers? Not that *we* don't recognize it, but it felt like more of an afterthought on the broadcast. Fourth quarter rolls around and FOX is like, oh yeah, and Rodgers had a great day too. Maybe he should get the turkey trophy. Whereas Stafford was getting accolades and tender shoulder massages from the opening gun. Yes, he's tough and looks to be solid for a rookie. But holy crap was he putrid yesterday. So he was hurt. Great. Maybe being out there was hurting his team? Anyone at FOX ever consider that? Four INTs, should have been five, and a 30 QB rating. That's Jam Russell bad. Brady Quinn bad. He's had ONE game with over a 100 rating this year -- against the Browns. He led one TD scoring drive: 20 yards. Neat. I wonder if they had it correct which shoulder was hurt, because it sure looked like the right one. Point is, as always, Rodgers is MFing awesome (despite his faults).

Memo to Jim Schwartz - Nice job of disguising your starting line-up. Extremely doubtful! Really? And Calvin Johnson a total non-factor save for that initial pitch and catch. And Stafford was a huge factor - mostly NEGATIVE!

PACKERS, and Nelson is SO good at getting YAC. against Minn and also against SF, he caught the ball nowhere near the goal line, but drove it in there. He's our physical receiver. Actually, we may very well have the best receiving group in the NFL. If we only had a speedy RB who could catch the ball, we would be an unstoppable force in the offense...
-
Jason Albert: Rodgers isn't getting any accolades for pulling a game like this because the media already know this guy is out of this world. It's only the Favre widows that don't recognize his talent. But because we went 6-10, he didn't get the recollection deserved. If we go to the playoffs this year, he'll be recognized.
Bottom line, he's playing like a top 5 QB, but until the team starts winning, he won't be recognized as a top 5 QB.

@PackersRS Fair enough, and to a certain extent I agree. But how does that explain the constant Stafford wood polishing? Dude has done nothing. Absolutely nothing. That's not all his fault to be sure, but come on. It's not all wins and losses when your team is that bad, but he's had one great game. One! Against the Browns. Please.
.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=12483

Jason, Matthews is essencially a College player playing in the NFL. He didn't even had 40 starts at College. He was thrown into a dreadful franchise, with an even worse suppoting cast, and he won a game the Lions hadn't won in 15 years. And he played without one shoulder. I'm not saying it was right to "praise" him so much as they did, I wouldn't myself, but it was natural they would do it. It's the press...

One thing Crosby has is a wicked on-side kick technique. If MM would call that early in the game, might help keep the opposition from setting up return schemes. Nothing like an on-side kick when you go up by two scores, it would be like a Houston Nutt good call.
-
Now that you mention it, the praise of Stafford was over the top. Aikman lives in the same Dallas neighborhood that Stafford grew up in, or something like that.

How about some love and a good for the pass protection? Just one sack and two penalties if I am remembering correctly. Heck, on the one long pass to Driver he may have had more time in the pocket than he has all year combined. You could have put in your turkey dinner at the snap and taken it out before he threw it. They didn't play great (or nearly to the level of the guys who made the good list) but compared to how they were the first 9 or so games yesterday definitely deserved a ''good''.

@Jason Albert:
I find it interesting all the accolades that Stafford was getting for re-entering the game last week and throwing a game-winning TD after seperating his left shoulder, and again for being able to stick it out and play on thanksgiving with it as well.
He certainly deserves the credit, to be sure.
However, I was surprised that no one during the telecast bothered to make the comparisons to Aaron Rodgers, who last year separated his shoulder during the tampa bay game, came back onto the field, and tossed an absolute laser strike for a TD (although it was not a game winner), then went on to play for the next 4 weeks with that bad shoulder and put up numbers better than almost every other healthy QB in the league. Oh, and it wasn't his left shoulder, like stafford, but his right (throwing) shoulder.
.
Just surprised they didn't breech the subject, as it seems most of the time the telecast commentators go to amazing lengths to compile data and make the most absurdly thin connections between players and situations on opposing teams.
.
Sometimes it does feel as though Rodgers' performances are slightly down-played, perhaps because of the W-L ratio of last year. I do find it bothersome when people down-play Rodgers, especially when they call him a "Stats" QB. Wins and Losses get placed entirely too much on the shoulders of QBs, to the point that a guy can play great but be ignored because the TEAM suffered a loss.
.
Last time I checked, Barry Sanders is considered one the greatest RB's of all time. Good thing RB's aren't judged like QBs, or else we'd all have to concede: "Barry Sanders? He's just another 'Stats' Running Back."

Oppy said:
> Just surprised they didn’t breech the subject, as it seems most
> of the time the telecast commentators go to amazing lengths to
> compile data and make the most absurdly thin connections
> between players and situations on opposing teams.
*
...and I laughed and laughed. I think Rodgers and Stafford are too new to get this sort of treatment. He Who Shall Not Be Named would have inspired a compare and contrast screen for sure. I still can't believe that FOX announcers can believe that there is a "mythology" surrounding any Lions QB. If we ever fix the O-Line, I think Rodgers will rate at least a "legend" in due course, even if he can never reach the exalted heights of Matt Stafford's "mythological" ability.
*
And we won! GO PACK GO!

" If Crosby misses another field goal, he should be cut. "
____________________
Gotta love how some mix 'Madden 2010' & the real game.......... Crosby is 19 for 21 for the season under 50 yards (1 for 5 from 50+) ........... He's only one of a few (in outdoor winter climates) that is even allowed to try 50+ yard attempts......
____________________
At least consider all the factors before wanting to start another kicker merry-go-around in GB......... Or do some research.

I think Nick Collins played well too. He had a pick, didn't he? Again, I listened on the radio but I seemed to hear his name quite often. The officals should get an "ugly" too, because of that roughing call on CM3.

Woody: I did my research and found that Crosby currently has a 77% overall percentage, which is thirtieth out of the thirty four active kickers in the NFL. Not very good.

Jason Albert: Thank you for mentioning that. How many other QBs regularly have 300 yard games. Whenever someone like Brady or Brees does it, everyone freaks out, but when Rodgers does it nearly every week, no one seems to care. The media have set themselves up in the last few years as completely agreeing with Favre, and that leaves no room for discussing a talented QB who had the nerve to play where Favre did. It's making me sick.

Josh Freeman played better against the Pack than Matthew Stafford.

Media might feel burned after touting the Packers for SB following the pre-season.
GB has a very tough five games ahead. Stats, acclaim will all take care of themselves.
"You never count your money when you're sitting at the table. There'll be time enough for counting when the dealing's done." The GAMBLER

Just an interesting fact: Rodgers is now second in the league in passing yards behind Peyton Manning.

Don't you think it's time that Mason Crosby has to go?

I think the problem with Crosby might be the holder. He's hit from 50+ consistently before. It's been since we got rid of Ryan that suddenly he's been inconsistent from that distance.

Flynn is the holder right now, right?

Perhaps this is what happens when TT doesn't bring in any competition to push our kicker in training camp.

I agree with most of the comments regarding Crosby - but he had one hell of a tackle on a kickoff saving a really big play.

It's more than just FG accracy, which is about average. The number of short, low KO's that contribute to return yardage and the number of out-of-bounds kicks that give an opponent the ball on the 40 are also issues. Wasn't he the guy that was going to kick most of his KO's into the end zone for touchbacks? Hell, he might have gotten one kick into the end zone Thursday. Detroit put every on into the end zone or on the goal line. Something is wrong here. Maybe it's an injury they're trying to coverup? What ever it is, I hope the team doesn't get into the situation where the game is decided on his kick.

What's crazy in regards to Crosby is how poorly he's kicked the 50+ yard attempts.
.
As strange as it sounds, kickers in the NFL are far above 50% on kicks over 50 yards (I wouldn't have believed it until a friend did the research.. I lost the bet!).
.
With Crosby being 1 for 5 at that range, it's really poor. The kid has a huge leg.. Something strange is going on with him. His accuracy is one thing, but the lack of consistent depth on his kick offs has me thinking someone is trying to change his kicking mechanics, and it's got him completely twisted. Mason Crosby should be burying kicks in the endzone. His FG accuracy has been more than shaky. Something has to give soon.

Lol, Ron LC, just posted my comment and noticed you touched on alot of the same things. Sorry for the redundancy. :)

Agreed with everyone. I repeat that Crosby is the fourth worst kicker in the league with an overall percentage of 77. It's not just the 50 yarders, it's every kicking situation. If he doesn't improve, we'll need a new kicker.

Most kickers don't have that many attempts from 50+. Many also kick in domes.

........ LOL........ Head hunting fans..... Must fire someone....... At least MM is safe again for another week.... Actually, CM3 should maybe be waived........ He had 1 sack, no tackles, no assists against the pitiful Lions .......... LOL.....
______________________________
Please put away your game consoles ...... Your 'video world' is blurring reality & causing some of you to make absurd statements.

Well Woody, what do you expect? It is hunting season.

Woody: I don't want to cut Crosby because He had one bad game. I want to cut him because he is statistically the fourth worst kicker in the league for the whole season.

" Woody: I don’t want to cut Crosby because He had one bad game. I want to cut him because he is statistically the fourth worst kicker in the league for the whole season. "
________________________
19 out of 21 below 50 yards is the number you should be concerned about, nothing else....... On most teams all the 50+ yard attempts would have been punts instead ....... Most NFL teams would love to have a kicker who has the leg for 50+...... most don't.......
_________________________
Borrow your Dad's calculator & recalculate based on Crosby hitting his next 4 or 6 in a row ........ You'll notice that he jumps up your list significantly......... Crosby has hit 4 of 4 in games more than once..........
__________________________
One last question:.... Who would you like to replace Crosby? ....... Remember, whoever you sign has to be a guaranteed upgrade...... Good luck.

---
Perhaps the entire first half can share the ugly spot with Crosby. Not that GB didn't rack up some great stats in the first 2 Qrts. but at the half it was only 13-7 and the Lions were easily still in the game because of some careless mistakes. If the stats had been able to "bring home the bacon" we could have been ahead 21-7 (and w/o the miserable fumble- 21-0)."
----
If we are going to beat the better teams GB has to complete their good deeds by securing the tenderloin and stop being satisfied with 'sloppy joes' ... lol
-
----

Mmmmmmmm...tenderloin. :^)

WoodyG: Actually, Crosby doesn't have a leg over fifty yards. For all kicks over fifty yards, Crosby has the worst record at 1 and 5. By the way, GB has the second highest number of field goal attempts greater than 50 yards, behind Jacksonville. Says something about our playcalling...

What the hell is wrong with you WoodyG? If anyone questions any decision the Packers made, you come with sarcasm...
So you're going to say that Crosby has been anything other than a poor kicker? Can you actually sustain that argument?

"The bad: Jordy Nelson"

Not sure I agree. The gaffe to start the game is glaring, but the fact that a large portion of our recent offensive success (in the last few weeks) has to do not only with Jordy's prowess as a receiver, but how good he is as a blocker in the open field. Notice every stretch play, screen or run/pass option (not to mention that little shotgun pitch play we ran to B-Jax), he has a guy locked down and is driving him backwards.

PACKERS said: "By the way, GB has the second highest number of field goal attempts greater than 50 yards, behind Jacksonville. Says something about our playcalling…"
-----------------------------------------
Absolutely! Everytime we line up to kick one of these 50-something yarders, I think the same thing...How in heavens name did we get ourselves in this position, Mike?

Jim in DC: Thanks. It's not every day someone on ere agrees with me. The numbers never lie!

Of course, I can see why McCarthy likes the field goal. Our punting isn't much better than our FG kicking. We should probably punt more though. At least our opponents would have to start on the 20 rather than the 50 ;)

Yet another reason why play calling is our biggest concern.

Per PackersRS
"My verecict on MM is still fire his ass at season’s end. One good game won’t save him.".......... How about 3 good games ?........ How about a playoff berth & a couple playoff victories ? ...... It's easy to see the motivation in your posts.... I'll challenge anyone who posts based on biased emotion instead of sound football knowledge ..........
______________________
FYI, I don't post to apease you or anyone else ......... Live with it.

Two key things to every game, time of possession and field position. It is clear now that these 48 plus yard field goals are not working, just kills our field position and hurts our defense. Our kicking game is up there with our O-line. MM has to call the game with this in mind.

" So you’re going to say that Crosby has been anything other than a poor kicker? Can you actually sustain that argument? "
_____________________
Crosby is in a minor slump........ This discussion had to do with "cutting" him........ Can you actually sustain the argument that he should be cut? ....... It's a simple question with a simple answer ......... MY answer is 'of course not'. ....... Now using your intellect only, if you're capable, draw your own conclusions......... Sorry about that, more sarcasm........ LOL.

I just watched the replay of the Tramon Williams INT that JerseyAl was talking about in the Gut Reactions post. Wow. Bush had no idea where he was on that play, and we are lucky Stafford made a bad decision because Calvin Johnson ran right past him. I cannot believe how awful Jarrett Bush is at the game of football. It's not like he's a rookie, he's just AWFUL at this point.

Yeah, your sarcasm makes you look like you can't sustain an argument with reason...
I do agree that he should't be cut NOW, however, I think the discussion to begin with was "should the Packers bring competition to Crosby?". And regarding that subject, I believe the answer is a pretty clear yes.

PackersRS
Sorry, but you are mistaken.
4th post in this blog is the initial starting point for this whole back & forth.......... " If Crosby misses another field goal, he should be cut. ".... Attention to detail is vital if you are trying to make a point....... I very rarely post anything that might cause a conflict unless I have all my bases covered ........ Try it sometime.

I'd like to fix the redzone issues so we can say, "Who?, Mason Crosby...,never heard of him. what does he do?"

In that same post, the author said that that was highly unlikely... Attention to detail... Maybe you should try capturing the intention of the writer...
-
Also, I was basing myself in this :"Perhaps this is what happens when TT doesn’t bring in any competition to push our kicker in training camp."
-
And I hadn't read what you'd written before, but 3 good games against 8 bad games... Unless you're gonna say that McCarthy had a good gameplan prior to the Cowboys game... A playoff berth? Pay attention to detail... RIGHT NOW I had said. You seem to take things word by word instead of putting them into context. I have also said in other posts that my criteria for judging both MM and TT, since the beggining of the season, is a playoff win. That after 5 years, a competent GM would've been done with the rebuilding process, and after 3 years, a competent coach could've already put his stamp on the team. So that team should be ready to contend.
-
I know since you got lectured by Alex at PackersLounge you've gotten a little bit sensitive over Packers questions, but it's not as simple as either you agree with everything or you're not a Packers, neither is as simple as "you're fans, you don't have the knowledge to know why things are done". Because you know what? Those are concepts born and applied in the Inquisition...

PackersRS
-
You make a good point - before Dallas (and particularly right after Tampa) 90% of folks were calling for TT & MM to go. I'm not ready to reverse that opinion based on wins with Detroit (2-9) and the 49ers (4-6).
*
This year was realistically starting to look just like last year. The recent wins have accomplished one thing: holding off a 1st degree sentence for TT/MM (e.g. judged on possible playoff visit). Right now it has been reduced to "manslaughter." (just ask AR !) lol
-

I can't believe I started this humungous discussion on Mason Crosby!

WoodyG: Crosby is not in a minor slump. He is at 77% this year, and his total percentage for last year was 79%. Not much better. However, after reading some of the recent comments, I have changed my mind about Crosby. Competition should definitely be brought in, but, if his numbers do not improve, he should be cut at the end of the season. Doing so now would just make more problems at the position.

Unfortunately, this blog like many has an atmosphere where the "Negative Nancies" can thrive ....... Cut this player...... Fire this coach ....... Trash whoever is the latest punching-bag as designated by the "Negative Nancies"...... Most of this negativism is not based on sound football knowledge but instead personal emotions......... All the NNs feed off of each others extreme knee-jerk comments ..........
___________________________
Aaron hit it exactly a few blogs back........ " Wow, it must be hard to be a Packers fan. " ....... " ...... atop the wild card race and all fans can do is cry....... " ............. It's nice to see you all have a place to cry in unison.

WoodyG, I understand your point, and praise your positive approach... However, you can't completely disregard emotional comments, as we're all fans, and not analysts.
-
You have to put things into contest. I'm pretty sure 90% in here were as positive as you last year, when there was that meltdown. And then in the preseason, 90% in here thought that this team was ready to roll. However, after seeing 8 weeks of the same problems that we had last year, and mediocre football, a lot of people, including myself, changed the approach...

This is my line....... Every NFL team is a work in progress....... The 16 game season allows teams to fluctuate between bad, better & good...... There are only two 'real' goals for every team..... A) Qualify for the playoffs B) Peak going into the playoffs......... Nothing else matters.......... The doom & gloom fan is such because it's a protectionary measure ....... It softens the blow of failure by the team if/when that happens.......... On the other hand, my approach is simple..... focus on what's right about GB & rely on the positives to overwhelm the negatives (ie: STs are inadequate but the improving D will more than offset this quandry) ........... Personally, I picked GB to finish 10-6 in 2009........ Hell, if I thought GB was going to be great across the board, I would have picked 15-1 or 16-0 ..... I pinned 6 losses on GB before the season started ...... A team doesn't lose 6 games without their flaws....... I'll remain positive until if/when GB loses a 7th game (it's unlikely to happen though)..........

I don't fancy myself a Negitive Nancy, nor do I consider myself to fall in with the knee-jerk reaction crowd.. I've been a big proponent of Mason Crosby through last year, and into this year. And I agree that Mike McCarthy's decisions to attempt long FG's with Crosby at the risk of surrendering field position has not helped Crosby's statistics at all- especially when he's kicking 50+ yarders at 20% efficiency, and McM still continues to try them for apparently no reason at all (Meaning, it's not the final second of the first half or a situation where the game is on the line and we need the points for a miracle win).
.
All that being said, and even though I was stalwart that Crosby would "be fine" this season, I am now at the point where I no longer feel secure about ANY field goal attempt by Crosby. Even on short attempts, he rarely splits the uprights down the center, it seems he's always just inside the posts. I've seen him 'ding' in a few this season from relatively short distance. When he misses, it is usually a hard hooking kick that misses by a substantial amount. And even those misses are becoming more random- used to be always wide right, which at least made me feel as though it's something simple and correctable. This season, he's hooked them every-which way, left, right. Again, coupled with his erratic performance on kick off depth and hangtime, there's no more denying it: Something is wrong with Mason Crosby, and he needs to get it figured out. I'm quite happy with the Packers 7-4 record. I think our offense is fine and just needs some minor tweaking, I think our defense is doing a fine job and still just emerging. I believe the Packers have as good a shot of making the playoffs as any team in the NFC (actually, better chance than most at this point!). That said, Packers special teams are the one roadblock that could lead to failure for this team.
.
This is not knee-jerk, this is an emerging pattern. Can you honestly say that when Crosby gets trotted out on the grid iron you feel confident that 3 points are secured for the Packers? Two seasons worth of sub-par FG % has me holding my breath at this point. And, yes, Kapinos and the coverage units need to be addressed as well.
.
I've made no assertions about cutting anyone, but something has to change- be that performance or personnel. To simply say you choose to ignore a glaring issue because other facets of the Packers game is "positive" is like a parent ignoring a child's slipping grades because he still does his chores so well, and he's still obedient. It's not good for the child, and it's certainly not sound parenting.

".... is like a parent ignoring a child’s slipping grades because he still does his chores so well, and he’s still obedient. "
__________________________

But you don't disown your child because of slipping grades....... You find out the problem & with patience try to resolve the issue..... It's not a real true analogy because a team can disown a player very easily......... However, to point out a problem also requires a viable solution ........ An upgrade at the placekicker position is probably the least guaranteed of all postions ...... What would you like to see happen?... How about using a high draft pick in the 2010 draft ala B. Conway in the 3rd round a few years back ? ........ I don't accept that Crosby is a 'glaring issue' ....... And I don't ignore problem areas..... I just don't become obsessed with them.

The subjective comportment of Mason Crosby's detractors is completely irrelevant to the issue at hand. The argument is about Senor Crosby, not people posting here. Calling them "Negative Nancies" or whatever is an ad hominem argument. Anyway, compare Crosby's stats to Gould's or Gostkowski's, who kick in similar environments. Crosby is clearly a notch or two below (~5%) those guys in FG%. His kickoffs haven't lived up to the hype either.
* * *
My guess as to why MM uses Crosby on those near-futile 50+ attempts is that he trusts the punter and punt coverage less than the FG unit.

WoodyG: Correct me if I'm wrongly interpreting your comment, but it sounded like you were saying that we should ignore the Pack's problems because we want to feel better about ourselves. You said that an NFL team is a work in progress, and I completely agree with you, but how can you improve your team if you spend all your time praising what they are good at, while ignoring the problems that still exist? What's the point of commenting on how good certain things are as opposed to commenting on what needs to be improved and how to do it? What does it accomplish?

http://i50.tinypic.com/v42djp.gif

PACKERS,
___

So are you saying that the coaching staff/management is inept & that they should listen to bloggers on how to run the Packers? I sure as hell hope that NONE of the Packers coaches are reading these sites. Please tell me that I'm interpreting your post incorrectly.

Actually, you are reading my comment incorrectly. As you know, posts and comments on this site talk about both what the Packers are doing well and what they are not doing well. The particular line of discussion on this post was the Packers' field goal kicking which happens to be something they are not doing well. Just because we were discussing this, one of the comments stated that we are "Negative Nancies" because we happened to be taking about something that the Packers are not doing well in. I was just trying to say that the point of discussing the Pack isn't just to praise them, but to criticize them where it is deserved. I was by no means suggesting that coaches or management should listen to us, and I agree with you in hoping that they are not. I accept that the way I worded my comment was very poor, but I definitely did not mean that.

Gametime blog:
*
Negative Nancies vs. Positive Pansies
*
My nickel is on Nancy !
*
lol
*
ps. In the beginning of the season MM expressed this "think positive" attitude during his press conferences when things were not going well. When this didn't work on anyone we were told that they had a 'coming to Jesus' mtg/ with the team... that was almost too late but has produced results. No need to stop now - several improvements needed. Criticism, like medicine, doesn't taste good going down. Of course you can go overkill - I mean with TT the 'remedy has often been worst than the cure' in the trade and draft ... but that's another story.
*

Awesome NickGBP!! That clip of Cutler sums up his season. To think people were scared that this tool was coming to the Norse. Look at his face...hahaha!

I agree. There needs to be a balance of praise and criticism, which there usually is on this site.

p.s.s. How important is a Field Goal Kicker?

*
If you don't think field goal kickers are worth the discussion or examination consider this: Adam Vinatieri took the Patriots to a AFC championship game with a clutch kick in a blizzard (w/ secs. left @ 45 yrds). That led to the first of 3 superbowl wins. In 2 of these 3 SBs (36, 38) it was again his kicks that secured the win in the remaining secs. of the 4th Qrt (48, 41 yard kicks). Like it or not - they are often very critical in the final sum of a season.
*

OH, Nick! Priceless! And the look on the ref? Smiling after he hit him... "Take that, you SoB!"

Thought you guys might like to see this artice from the Winona Daily News. Pretty cool
.........................................
Flag war:
- - Man raises Vikings, Packers flags every day - -
.........................................
Ernest Tainter clasped the metal hooks onto the purple flag and tugged the rope until it was safely in place. He let out a smirk as he pulled his Minnesota Vikings coat tighter around his chest and paused to watch the wind bounce the flag around.

This week, the purple flag will fly at the same level as the Green Bay Packers one. But, Tainer hopes, the purple will tower over the green once again next week.

For nearly five years, passersby at Goodson Manufacturing could tell the outcome of the Minnesota Vikings or Green Bay Packers games by the flag poles - in the middle, an American flag. On the left, a Minnesota Vikings flag. And on the right, a Green Bay Packers flag.

If the flag is at half-staff, it indicates a loss. At full-staff, a victory.

At 9 a.m. sharp every day, Tainter raises the flags - first the American, then the Vikings, then the Packers.

"It's just a game, but I get a little rowdy once in a while," he said. "We all do. It starts Thurs-day before each game. There is a lot of big talk about the better team."

The rivalry between employees is what started the flag tradition. The factory is split right down the middle, said production manager and Packers fan Richard Orlikowski, with 50 percent Vikings fans and 50 percent for the Packers. Oh yeah, and one Chicago Bears fan.

Orlikowski initiated the game when he bought the flags and started raising them every morning himself.

But as age and health problems set in, Orlikowski passed the tradition on to Tainter, as he seemed to have the most passion for football.

Both Tainter and Orlikowski agree that with the economy failing, workers have grasped the flag war as a way to forget about their finance problems and give them something to cheer about.

"We try to build spirits around here," Orlikowski said. "People have to have something to look forward to."

But even if his coworkers shake hands and put the rivalry behind them, Tainter will still be outside at 9 a.m. every morning, raising the flags.

"Three people here have purple in their blood," Orlikowski said. "Ernie is one of them."