Gut Reactions: Week Fourteen
Aaron's gut reactions from the Packers victory over the Oakland Raiders.
By PackerAaron
- Why was I scared of the Raiders again? It's been a long time since I saw another NFL team give up - which the Raiders did today.
- Our father, who art in heaven, please tell me Greg Jennings is alright.
- Jermichael Finley has to catch that ball in the endzone.
- Lots of man coverage from the Packers early today and a lot of Woodson in coverage early when the game was still in doubt.
- Hate the flip-flopping of Newhouse and Sherrod. Yes, Newhouse has struggled - but now is not the time to get Sherrod, who I am sure will one day be a fine player, some on the job training, especially with the presumptive NFL MVP under center.
- Has anyone else noticed the fact that Donald Driver seems to be improving as the season goes on? Not bad for an old man.
- Ryan Grant looked great on his touchdown run and on his reception. But with Saine leaving due to a head injury, here's hoping Starks is back next week.
- The season flashed before my eyes when Curry was bearing down on Rodgers from the blind side...
- The Raiders must love the Tuck Rule.
- Seriously, please, let Greg Jennings be ok.
- Even with this win and the 49ers loss, the Packers have NOT clinched homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. They HAVE, however, clinched a first round bye - which will be welcome if these injuries keep up...
- 13-0 for the first time in franchise history and a 19 game winning streak dating back to last year. Somebody pinch me.
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Comments (74)
December 11, 2011 at 07:47 pm
You mean Our Tebow, who art in heaven.....
December 11, 2011 at 07:48 pm
Had the same reaction when Curry was bearing down on Rodgers - scared me to death. Here's to praying for G. Jennings. Scared/nervous/excited for MM's post game press conference. Great tweets during the game, man!
December 11, 2011 at 07:48 pm
I so want a Packers/Broncos rematch.
December 12, 2011 at 08:54 am
Give me Brady and the Patriots, so I can stop listening to these jackasses in New England. On the radio, tv, at work, please GB vs NE and please blow them out. Go Pack Go, here's hoping you finally play that perfect game from beginning to end against the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
December 12, 2011 at 09:00 am
As for Stark's, let him rest. There is a running back available who knows the Packers system. He could fill in nicely for a game or two. He played for them last year. Can anyone guess his name?
December 12, 2011 at 09:12 am
Dmitri Nance
December 12, 2011 at 02:17 pm
:) that's the one
December 12, 2011 at 02:31 pm
Noooooo!
December 11, 2011 at 07:49 pm
I am afraid if I pinch you I will be the one to wake up
December 11, 2011 at 07:57 pm
Finley acts like a wuss on in the end zone. You're a big, bad TE, and a little, overmatched safety takes the ball away from you? Thats the first un-manly thing you've done today.
Was Newhouse that bad that he was benched?
December 11, 2011 at 11:42 pm
As I said in prior articles - I've been a big Finley supporter.
That being said, his mental toughness is not where it needs to be.
Whether the issue is lack of maturity or his contract situation - it's mind over matter and he's falling prey to the latter.
I hope he turns it around, he could be a *great* player.
December 11, 2011 at 07:57 pm
If 85 has major damage in his knee, then that was a freak injury because his knee didn't bend in a funny way at all. Here's to hoping he's ok.
December 11, 2011 at 08:59 pm
he rode shotgun out the stadium so one would assume its not terrible
December 11, 2011 at 07:58 pm
Come on #85.... That's all I want for Christmas, seriously.
GBP 4 LIFE
December 11, 2011 at 07:59 pm
Good call on the zona upset BTW.
December 12, 2011 at 08:08 am
nice call on the final score ;)
December 13, 2011 at 07:54 am
49-17
December 11, 2011 at 08:05 pm
On the Finley interception: Isn't that considered pass interference when you put your hands in the face of the receiver without turning your head for the ball?
December 11, 2011 at 08:11 pm
I thought the same thing. Still, Finley didn't need to hand him the ball.
December 11, 2011 at 09:55 pm
Face guarding in no longer considered PI.
December 11, 2011 at 10:36 pm
I thought the same thing at first but on the replay you could see the safty turning his head before the ball got to Finley
December 11, 2011 at 08:13 pm
Finley is an elite athlete. He has not shown to be an elite TE ala Gronk this year.
Peprah had a solid game, as did the secondary as a whole because the ILB blitz certainly wasn't hitting home.
Did anybody else see that Finley block! WOW
Grant looked faster than he has been all year. I'm certainly glad he's healthy at the right time.
Congrats to our 5th string TE for getting a touchdown!
Let me know from the tape, how well were Raji and Neal pressuring Palmer?
Another strong showing from out backup ILBs leaves me wondering why we're paying Hawk and Bishop so much when rookies can step in with nearly no drop off in production (seriously, how often did you hear smith's name called in the first half).
December 12, 2011 at 05:23 am
They've definitely filled in nicely (especially DJ), but they're definitely not Hawk/Bishop.
December 11, 2011 at 08:14 pm
"It's been a long time since I saw another NFL team give up"... not since we destroyed the Cowboys last year. That one felt much sweeter.
December 11, 2011 at 08:19 pm
Also, Mike McCarthy is NFL coach of the year.
He's won 19 in a row. His team has gone from 8-5 at this point last year to 13-0 at the same time this year. That's +5 wins.
He's the playcaller for one of the best offenses in NFL history. He's developed (along with Tom Clements) one of the best players in the NFL. Beyond that, he has developed one of the most unique offensive schemes ever (4 TE formations, 3 FBs on roster, innovator of current NFL passing game) and has coached his QB to have the best QB rating in the red zone of all time.
He's motivated a super bowl winning team to win 13 more consecutive games.
His team has gone from 4-12 to 8-8 (first season as coach) to 13-3 to 6-10 (Rodgers first season as starter) to 11-5 to 10-6 to 13-0, and is now one of winningest coaches in NFL history using the roster that HE developed (not inherited) over 4+ years.
Currently 13-0 without starting LT, starting RG, both starting ILB, starting RB, starting FS, WR 1a, TE 2.
December 11, 2011 at 10:03 pm
right on.
There is no better coach in football right now.
December 11, 2011 at 08:20 pm
ESPN said Jennings has a knee tear.
December 11, 2011 at 09:19 pm
According to Schefter, a knee sprain is in fact a tear (which I did not know), it's just a matter of how torn it is. I can live with the 2-4 week variety, I may not pull through if it's a season ender though.
maxginsberg
December 11, 2011 at 09:49 pm
In regards to Wisconsin's athletes, ESPN has been reporting a few things lately that may or may not be true.
December 11, 2011 at 10:04 pm
Does that mean that Montee Ball actually won the Heisman?
December 11, 2011 at 11:34 pm
Does that mean Monte Ball was actually a candidate? All I saw on ESPN since they were announced were 3 names...
December 12, 2011 at 12:39 am
Lol. Awesome.
December 11, 2011 at 08:33 pm
-Finley needs to get his act together.
-Grant looked good. It's not just that there were holes for him. He actually SAW them. And HIT them. Ain't getting it done in pass pro though.
-Shields went down after that INT. Nice to see.
-How Good is DJ Smith? Hawk's definitely looking over his shoulder.
- Cobb looked pretty good.
December 11, 2011 at 08:59 pm
Smith looks good, but how about Bobby Francois? That dude makes plays, responsible for two turn overs today, love the depth.
December 11, 2011 at 09:01 pm
I'll second each item.
December 11, 2011 at 08:34 pm
You know Aaron Nagler wants for Greg Jennings to be okay when he starts praying to a deity he doesn't believe in...
13-0. Utterly amazing.
December 12, 2011 at 10:20 am
I had the same thought, Cuphound. ;)
PackerAaron
December 12, 2011 at 10:23 am
Just trying to put it in terms people understand. :)
December 11, 2011 at 08:51 pm
A better throw makes that TD to Finley so much easier. Higher, it was low for a fade or "jump ball" throw it so he can out jump the defender.
Hope for Jennings, Starks, Sitton, Hawk, Bishop. As good as Smith and Francois looked the other two are starters for a good reason.
Nice to see good ol fashioned run blocking!
December 11, 2011 at 09:24 pm
It could have been a better throw, but the ball literally went through Finley's hands. Frustrating.
December 12, 2011 at 08:17 am
Looked like the wind was affecting the ball on that side of the field. Rodgers threw two passes to the same sideline in the other direction. Both sailed out of bounds with no chance for the receiver to make a catch. I'm guessing the wind knocked it down a little. Still no excuse for Finley allowing that pass to get picked.
December 11, 2011 at 08:56 pm
Something else to worry about. Pickett has his second concussion of the season (or a head bruise as the Pack will describe it). And he's been playing well for us. Don't know what this means for him for the rest of this year.
If I were the Raiders I'd be POed about all the calls going against them (including a bizarre replay malfunction). But I'm not the Raiders, so too bad.
December 11, 2011 at 08:57 pm
When Hawk and Bishop are healthy again keep them in the bench Smith and Francois play way better together.
December 11, 2011 at 09:02 pm
disagree.. hawk nd bishop would have both had picks today if the game played the same way.. they had some gimmes.. but they are going to be good
December 11, 2011 at 09:07 pm
Overall Hawk and Bishop are better than Francois and Smith. But I think our pass coverage from the ILBs might actually be a little better with these two.
December 12, 2011 at 08:19 am
maybe Hawk and Bishop will play better knowing that the people who replaced them can play at a pretty high level.
December 11, 2011 at 09:48 pm
Anyone else notice that Bulaga get's beat by speed rushers around the end more than he should? Also, does anyone think anymore that he will ever be our starting left tackle? So much for the after the draft buzz. If he doesn't start playing better he going to get Rodgers killed.
December 11, 2011 at 09:49 pm
Sherrod??
December 12, 2011 at 09:24 pm
Sherrod was this years left tackle of the future. Bulaga was last years left tackle of the future. All I'm saying is after watching him get beat around the end by the Giants last week, I saw the same thing this week against the Raiders. If he can't handle the right side they wont trust him on the left side and all the post draft talk about him being the left tackle of the future after he was drafted was just talk. I just don't want to see the "franchise" go down because he can't pick up a speed rush around the end. That scares the heck out of me. I can't wait to see who they draft this year as the left tackle of the future.
December 11, 2011 at 09:55 pm
I've noticed Rodgers develop the bad habit of getting to the top if his drop and staying there, sometime after patting the ball no fewer than 2 times. Some of those are on rodgers. Tackles push speed upfield, not their fault when Rodgers sits at the top.
December 11, 2011 at 09:59 pm
One of the prettiest things I saw today was Jordy's downfield blocking on Grant's TD run...that is a man who pays attention to detail and is HUNGRY!!
December 11, 2011 at 10:02 pm
Thoughts:
-We need Greg in the playoffs. Let's hope he can get healthy. James and Cobb'll have to step up if not.
-Jermichael should be benched. Keeps dropping balls because he's too busy thinking about getting a contract. I'm getting really tired of it.
-I'm still salty about letting Brandon Jackson walk. John Kuhn is a complete liability in pass-protection and 100% to blame on that blindside hit. It's happened before. Will happen again.
-Get well soon, Cliffy
-Grant looked pretty great. Keep it up and I'll admit I was wrong. But I'm not sold yet.
- 13 and 0 feels good
December 11, 2011 at 10:42 pm
I stopped reading at "Finley should be benched."
December 11, 2011 at 11:11 pm
Why? Drops a catchable ball in the end zone which is picked.
Was out of position multiple times - AGAIN.
Need to send a message to get him in gear.
December 12, 2011 at 08:25 am
Rodgers can send him a message, use him only as a decoy. Stare him down in his route, throw a pump fake. Then look elsewhere. Jones is a better choice on the fade in the endzone.
December 11, 2011 at 11:27 pm
Grant was the one who whiffed of pass protection and allowed that safety.
December 11, 2011 at 11:38 pm
Not talking about the safety - I was talking about when Aaron got flushed out of the pocket and took a blindside blast on the tuck rule "fumble".
That was Kuhn who completely blew his block and failed to pick up a free rusher.
December 11, 2011 at 10:05 pm
If Jennings is out for a significant amount of time, which I hope is not the case, then it's time for Finley to start making the plays the way Jennings did last season when Finley was injured.
This is not necessarily a knock on Finley but during the interception today, I couldn't help but think, if he were truly elite, I'd be thinking "What an unbelievable catch" rather than "really? You couldn't win the fight for the ball?"
It was an exciting game. I hope they keep it up for the next four weeks of the season.
I do wonder if the injuries change how McCarthy feels about risking the 16-0 season.
December 12, 2011 at 08:30 am
Looking at him coming off the field in real time. He was hurt badly, I thought to myself, his leg is broken. I'll rewatch the game later, but I remember the leg from the knee down wasn,t moving right. He should have stayed on the field, coming off the field like he did could only damage it more.
December 11, 2011 at 10:21 pm
I was a little surprised MM kept AR in as long as he did. If you want to shuffle and experiment with the line, take the league MVP out first. I'm assuming he was experimenting anyway, since I haven't heard that Wells was hurt. I hope they take care of business by the half against the Chiefs, and this time pull AR sooner.
December 11, 2011 at 10:28 pm
Was Rodgers in there when EDS moved to center? I thought he was already out by then.
December 11, 2011 at 11:00 pm
I'm confused, was the flip-flopping of Sherrod and Newhouse because Newhouse wasn't playing well or was it just McCarthy wanting to see how Sherrod would do? It definitely got worse when Sherrod was in.
December 12, 2011 at 05:29 am
I suspect a little bit of both. Newhouse hasn't been great by any means, but it'd be pretty difficult to not play better than Sherrod.
December 12, 2011 at 08:31 am
The coaching staff may have wanted to see if they can lite a fire under Newhouse's butt.
December 11, 2011 at 11:08 pm
I'm still expecting a little more from Flynn. If I was a team looking for a QB, I'd be hard pressed to think he wold be the answer. Part of a potential solution, yes; the solution, no.
December 11, 2011 at 11:35 pm
Found it incredible that Curry was "invisible" to the Packers. Nobody tried to block him or even saw him.
December 12, 2011 at 12:44 am
I am surprised by some of these comments that we actually won the game. Go Pack Go!
December 12, 2011 at 11:01 am
Quick question. On our block xp isn't the center protected? So jumping on his back to block the XP not contact?? No big deal just wondering.
PackerAaron
December 12, 2011 at 11:49 am
Did he use him as leverage? I thought he jumped over him...
December 12, 2011 at 03:52 pm
I thought that he steped on him. But I don't have it recorded to rewatch it.
PackerAaron
December 12, 2011 at 03:54 pm
I'll try to take a look tonight.
December 13, 2011 at 07:59 am
He put his hands on him and pushed off.
December 12, 2011 at 01:42 pm
Jordy just said on Rome's radio show he's hearing Greg is out a couple weeks, and fully expects him back for the playoff run... BE RIGHT JORDY!
GBP 4 LIFE
December 12, 2011 at 02:10 pm
I will have perma-wood if that's true...