Good post over at PackerGeeks regarding the complete abandonment of the running game on Sunday night. I’m of two minds, really. As anyone who reads this site with any regularity knows, I find it’s folly to second guess play calling. There are too many variables that we as fans are not privy to. However, it was blindingly obvious that McCarthy gave up on the run Sunday night, and he admitted as much in his presser. In his defense, it was also blindingly obvious that the Packers offensive line was over matched at the point of attack, and our old nemesis, the failure to execute the back-side cut off block, reared its ugly head again.
Much will be made this offseason about this game, and it’s understandable, given how all of Packer Nation had this team in the Super Bowl, but the inability and/or unwillingness to run the ball should be the major focus for Ted Thompson as he shapes the roster for ‘08. This team will be making more runs into the playoffs, and not being able to run the ball when it’s absolutely critical, ie cold, will kill future drives to the Super Bowl, as it did Sunday night. It’s one thing to build a team that can throw the ball all over the yard, but when it’s -20 degrees, smashing it for 4 yards is a hell of a lot easier than throwing an 8 yard out.
