Gut Reactions: Week Eleven
Aaron's Gut Reactions from the Packers' victory over the Buccaneers.
By PackerAaron
- How good are the Packers this year? They turn in what is clearly their poorest offensive performance...and score 35 points.
- That performance included several "off" throws from Aaron Rodgers, who had what can only be descried as a, for him, sub-par game. And yes, that sub-par game is still light years better than most NFL quarterbacks' games.
- The Bucs had a fantastic gameplan on offense and executed better than they have all year. The late crossing patterns are exactly what the Scott Linehan, the Lions' offensive coordinator, has used so effectively against Capers' defense.
- Charlie Peprah was a big-time liability in coverage today.
- Jordy Nelson could be mistaken for the number one wide receiver on the Packers.
- Both the Greg Jennings and James Starks injuries could factor in down the stretch here. Hope all is ok.
- Jermichael Finley reportedly wants to be the highest paid tight end in the league. Can't drop so many catchable balls if he wants to achieve that goal.
- That said, Finley's presence factors in on so many plays that don't show up on the stat sheet.
- Outside of Nelson, good to see Donald Driver have an impact for the second week in a row. Some quality snaps from the old man today.
- How about friend of Cheesehead TV Tom Crabtree getting his first regular season touchdown?
- Now we know why McCarthy wanted to reduce Raji's snaps on defense. He wants to save them for the offensive side of the ball.
- Some really suspect tackling from the defense today. Just way too much "throwing a shoulder at the ball carrier" and not nearly enough wrapping up.
- Josh Sitton is not playing nearly as well as he did in 2010.
- Some nice push up the middle by Mike Neal in his limited action today.
- Sam Shields with a bit of an up and down day. He got beat to the outside a few times, then got caught giving up inside leverage on the slant for a TD.
- That Tim Masthay double-fumble for a first down was hilarious.
- Speaking of the near-blocked punt: John Kuhn missed the same block he missed in 2009 when the Bucs actually got the block.
- Short turnaround for the Thanksgiving showdown with the Lions. The last time the Packers were 10-0? 1962, when they won the championship and only lost one game all year...to Detroit...in Detroit...on Thanksgiving.
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Comments (63)
November 20, 2011 at 04:37 pm
Seems like Sam Shield's idea of coverage is drawing offensive pass interference.
November 21, 2011 at 02:04 pm
sam shields is great in coverage.. if he wasnt he wouldnt be here cause he is not a great tackler
November 20, 2011 at 04:39 pm
Rodgers definitely had some off throws and that was his first clearly bad decision on the Int but he was phenomenal on third down all game.
November 20, 2011 at 04:39 pm
Rodgers had his worst game of the season. The offense in general was out of sync. The defense was, at times, putrid.
And yet the Packers STILL won.
To think of the things that this team can accomplish when they play like they're fully capable of on both sides of the ball. Incredible.
10-0, it's rather surreal. Can't wait for Turkey Day, something tells me that after the players have been hearing all year that this would be the game that would give the Pack some troubles, it might not be as close as many are expecting.
November 20, 2011 at 04:42 pm
Yet the Packers STILL WON BY MORE THAN 1 POSSESSION. That's the real bottom line.
November 20, 2011 at 04:41 pm
"That performance included several "off" throws from Aaron Rodgers, who had what can only be descried as a, for him, sub-par game. And yes, that sub-par game is still light years better than most NFL quarterbacks' games."
Spot on. My connection broke down so I didn't see the int, but even if it was a wrong route or a fluke, it was pretty clear from the get go that this was Rodgers' worst performance of the season. Too many missed throws on his part. Still, close to 300 yards, 67% completion, 3 TDs, and above 110 rating.
It'll take a really, really bizarre game for Rodgers to have a bad game this year. Just too many weapons, too good decision making, and too much chemistry.
November 20, 2011 at 07:36 pm
"My connection broke down so I didn’t see the int, but even if it was a wrong route or a fluke"
Neither. A poor decision/throw by our QB, plain and simple.
November 20, 2011 at 04:41 pm
-Special Teams were worse than usual. Blocked punt, missed FG, touched onside, multiple penalties on returns. General suckage.
-Agreed, Nelson looks like the #1 guy. He's challenging.
-JJ is challenging for the #5 position...
-Did Neal get any time? Didn't see it.
-Also agree, Aaron was off today.
-MM told Larry McCarron on the postgame show that "Dr. McKenzie feels good about the structure of Starks' knee." But it will be evaluated tomorrow. I'm pretty worried, as I've heard this sort of thing before, but he didn't use the word "significant." yet.
-I thought the defense was going for the strip against Blount on that big run. The first dude needs to wrap up and hold him if they wanna do that. Blount can be a beast.
-Finley's not worth the huge payday. Make him a deal halfway between a top TE and a top WR, then trade him for an OLB who can play.
November 20, 2011 at 06:17 pm
The Jones comment made me laugh. Nice. :D
November 21, 2011 at 08:06 am
Jones head wasn't in the game today. Drops a pass on 3rd down, committs stupid penalty on a punt return, then doesn't make sure the man is down on the interception.
November 21, 2011 at 12:07 pm
That "penalty" on Jones was a pretty horrid call, though. Maybe he shouldn't have even had his hand on the guy, but he sure as hell didn't push the guy.
November 20, 2011 at 09:51 pm
"MM told Larry McCarron on the postgame show that “Dr. McKenzie feels good about the structure of Starks’ knee.” But it will be evaluated tomorrow. I’m pretty worried, as I’ve heard this sort of thing before, but he didn’t use the word “significant.” yet."
Surprissing that he didnt call it a bruise.
November 20, 2011 at 04:45 pm
I didn't notice Neal today, so I'll have to take Nagler's word for it that he played well.
Watching our LB's cover people is painful. AJ Hawk could not catch a 3 toed sloth. Bishop might, but then he'd slip.
I miss Nick Collins.
Really hope Neo's ok. And when did Jennings get hurt? Any updates?
PackerAaron
November 20, 2011 at 05:00 pm
Jennings was hurt on the last play of the first half. McCarthy said he has a shin bruise and should be fine. Starks has a "knee sprain" and will undergo further testing. Don't like the sound of that.
November 20, 2011 at 05:18 pm
Did you see that Starks' play? If he gets out of that intact, he's Neo indeed.
November 21, 2011 at 12:16 am
He was in so much pain, he just dropped the ball, wasn't even thinking about it. Not good.
November 21, 2011 at 12:09 pm
I thought I saw Finley go down on the last play of half, too. Looked like he was holding his arm. Any news on that?
PackerAaron
November 21, 2011 at 03:06 pm
Finley is fine. He got a scare on that play, but said he was totally fine after the game.
November 20, 2011 at 04:49 pm
Can't understand the complaining. Wow are we spoiled!
November 20, 2011 at 04:53 pm
Ugly win for the Pack and they STILL win by two scores. Advantage? They're undefeated and (hopefully) far from complacent.
Mike Neal made a noticeable push, as Aaron pointed out. I'm happy with his limited reps today. I hope he stays healthy, especially on the turf next week in Detroit.
My best guess is that the weather played the biggest factor in the day today. Some unusual inaccuracy today from Rodgers (still an outstanding performance) and to many dropped passes.
Hope Starks and Jennings are ok...yikes.
November 20, 2011 at 05:00 pm
So do we want home field advantage? Or would we prefer to travel to domes?
November 20, 2011 at 05:31 pm
We're better indoors/on turf. But, unless another cold weather outdoors team (like the Bears week 16, or perhaps during the playoffs) comes to town, or perhaps the Giants away, the Packers should still hold the advantage home in bad weather.
The Giants away and Bears in the rematch are my remaining regular-season worries.
November 20, 2011 at 05:19 pm
Rodgers said weather wasn't a factor.
November 20, 2011 at 09:41 pm
I don't necessarily believe Rodgers when he says that, though. It would be hard to say "Yeah, the weather slowed us down a little."
That'd be a big statement for a team who only really has one guaranteed "warm" weather game the rest of the year (Thursday in Detroit).
November 20, 2011 at 05:52 pm
I would wager that the short week coupled with an even shorter week coming up was the biggest factor. Does anyone know whether and how much time the Packers devoted to preparing for the Lions over the last week? I am assuming that they won't wait until tomorrow to prep for Thursdays game.
Three games in ten days is a pretty tall order. The team is spread pretty thin during this stretch.
November 20, 2011 at 08:11 pm
I thought I heard MM's comments to Larry McCarren after the game, that they already had been putting together some sort of a game plan vs the Lions. McCarren asked/joked about them (coaching staff) going to midnite tonite, and MM said that they should be outta of there by 6. Now, he coulda been just saying that, but who is to know for sure.
November 21, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Yes, MM and staff have been game planning for awhile on Detroit, and even to some extent the Bucs prior to the Vikings game.
November 20, 2011 at 04:54 pm
Did anyone else think the play when Starks got hurt was shady. The Bucs player was yanking him backwards by his neck while Stark's legs were pinned and he was clearly down. Just thought it was a unnecessary injury and should have been a penalty.
November 20, 2011 at 05:01 pm
I thought it was dirty. You can't touch someone with your helmet, but you can bust their knees out? Damn.
November 20, 2011 at 05:21 pm
Coming off a 3 game losing streak, being called out by their coach, playing the undefeated champs at their home, and you wanted sportsmanship?
November 20, 2011 at 04:54 pm
Worst game of the year in so many ways and we still win by 9. I'll take it.
Hope Starks is ok.
Not that I'm obsessing on the Silverstien article (ok just a little) but putting today's stats in Rodgers' 16 game stretch instead of last year's Lions game sure doesn't hurt his side of the argument at all. 3 more TDs 250 more yards and most importantly that big fat 16-0 (including a Super Bowl) at the end of it.
November 20, 2011 at 04:55 pm
The teams Rodgers doesn't typically play that well against: Chicago and the Bucs.
But yeah seriously - we should not complain.
November 20, 2011 at 04:58 pm
And they both happen to play the Tampa 2 defense if I'm not mistaken
November 20, 2011 at 05:02 pm
Tampa 2 defense. Limits big plays, but today I thought it was more just that Arodge was a bit off.
November 20, 2011 at 05:23 pm
They played man coverage all game long. And for what's worth, the Bears are doing the same.
November 20, 2011 at 05:48 pm
Might be the personnel of those two teams and how they match up against our O. But most likely, it is the simplest explanation that Rodgers just had a subpar day for his standards. Doesn't matter regardless because our offense is awesome even when our players don't play their best.
November 20, 2011 at 05:01 pm
I just want to reiterate that Charlie Peprah is a liability in coverage.
November 21, 2011 at 02:07 pm
he has looked fine most of the time.. has a few picks this year.. played bad this week.. no one is perfect
November 20, 2011 at 05:46 pm
RE: Nelson. Statistically, only 5 yards separate Jennings and Nelson. Nelson has to be the most improved player on the team thus far. So yeah, Jennings and Nelson might be 1A and 1B at this point.
November 21, 2011 at 08:15 am
Don't forget about Driver. I'm expecting to see a lot more of him as the season closes. He has had some big games in Detroit.
November 20, 2011 at 06:48 pm
If the Packers play like that against Drew Brees or Tony Romo, they will lose. That is all.
November 20, 2011 at 06:54 pm
Can't tell if trolling...
November 20, 2011 at 07:07 pm
Dead serious. Romo is on fire and Brees would eat the defense alive if they play like that.
November 20, 2011 at 08:54 pm
Like he did in week 1, when we still won by 1 TD?
And lol at Romo.
November 20, 2011 at 09:48 pm
They played better than that in week 1, and Brees STILL put up a bunch on them. Romo is no joke right now.
November 21, 2011 at 09:16 am
Romo may be no joke "right now," but he has the ability to turn into a joke in the blink of an eye.
November 21, 2011 at 09:53 am
It can't be "that is all." You're assuming Tony and Drew are automatically going to play well against the Packers. They've both had far worse games than Aaron Rodgers has had this season.
So if Green Bay plays its worst against a NO or Dallas...or hell anyone in the NFL playing their best then yes, they could lose.
November 20, 2011 at 07:06 pm
Just be glad you aren't a Tampa Fan, they put up 450 some yds an interception, 26pts, and still lost by 9 pts. I am disappointed in the D, but I am going to enjoy the win just the same. An ugly 10-0 beats the heck out of a beautiful 4-6.
November 21, 2011 at 08:18 am
I think Jimmy Johnson said it best on the pregame this week. The problem with the Packers defense is they know their offense is going to score.
November 20, 2011 at 07:18 pm
Special teams were actually a positive for the team, save for dumhead #89.
November 20, 2011 at 08:59 pm
Missed chip shot FG and blocked punt are positives, but the negative is the block in the back? Did Jones cut you off in traffic?
November 20, 2011 at 10:34 pm
Awesome
November 21, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Did I miss the blocked punt? Isn't that ultimately considered a first down by Mathstay?
November 21, 2011 at 03:02 pm
It is, but it was also awful, awful protection, and ultimately a terrible blunder that happened to go right. I doubt coaches will mark that as a positive...
November 21, 2011 at 08:20 am
Missed block, two fumbles by punter on same play, and a lot of missed tackles especially on the last kickoff return. If it wasn't for 93 he was gone, 2 pt game again.
November 21, 2011 at 08:57 am
And DJ Smith flopping on the onside kick that had not gone 10 yards which was saved by a challenge.
Cobb also fumbled a kickoff in the endzone that he then had to down because he was looking up field already too.
Too many mental errors by ST again.
November 20, 2011 at 07:42 pm
Just something about the Bucs, it is always hard for us to come away with a W regardless of records. We did though, on to Detroit.
Hope Starks is OK, people aren't made to bend that way.
GBP 4 LIFE
November 21, 2011 at 08:31 am
Detroit on Thanksgiving Day has not been kind to the Packers, 1962 team 10-0 got whipped 24-16 by 8-2 Lions.
November 20, 2011 at 07:44 pm
Took too long to edit my comment, I guess...
Ruppert's point of view: (and yes, I can go to "third person" any time I want)
Nagler is dead on the money about the worst offensive performance of the year and still scoring 35...although I was at the Rams game and that wasn't exactly "high level" offense.
I'm glad to see Crosby miss, honestly. Somehow, Mason Crosby strolling up for a 45-yarder in the NFCC game after being perfect on the year just makes me queasy thinking about it. I'm feelin' ya, Jersey Al!!!
I was paranoid all week about this game, although I thought we would pull it out. Freeman is a tough SOB who, although not at all flashy, manages to win games. We should not be at all disappointed in this win. Tampa is a tough football team.
And the Grand Rapids BW3 on 28th St is a cool place to watch a game, even though a brain damaged yooper Cowboys fan sat by me.
November 20, 2011 at 08:00 pm
Capers calling for the obvious all out blitz & leaving the middle of the field open is a liability.
Teams have keyed on the open middle & are playing it with delays to an open WR.
Love Dom, but try something different.
Wayyyyy to many 3rd & long's are converted.
November 20, 2011 at 08:16 pm
The 3rd and longs that whomever the opposition is, have been completing them all year. I said this before, and I will say it again, I'd rather have 3rd and short vs 3rd and long, because they seem to tighten up the defense on 3rd and short. But, it could just be me on how I see it.
November 20, 2011 at 09:08 pm
In at least 3 instances Freeman released the ball just a moment before he got hit by the blitz.
Execution was the problem, not the calls.
But, again, and I think a lot of Packers fans lost this, we need to keep in mind the conditions of this game.
It was against a desperate, unfamiliar opponent that got called out by their coach, with the Packers coming off an emotional (not hard, but stressful nonetheless) divisional game, and entering a stretch of 3 games in 11 days, being this the easiest one, and with 2 away games following, the closest in 4 days. This had all the makings of a letdown.
And we won by 9.
November 21, 2011 at 10:22 am
And what's up with continuing to single bishop up on a TE? That 2 point conversion is money 9 out of 10 times... Luckily we caught em on the 10%.
GBP 4 LIFE