Slocum Should Go

It's that time of year where the fans and media alike look for the team to make drastic moves in areas where the team clearly underperformed the year before. This year, it's first year special teams coach Shawn Slocum that has fans asking Mike McCarthy to do his best Donald Trump impression.

In this case, the fans are right. Slocum should go.

Slocum seemed to have the tools to do his job. The drills to get back to fundamentals during camp! The new coverage schemes! The players he was given! (McCarthy stated ad nauseum last offseason, to anyone who would listen, that the body-types that are inherent in the 3-4 defense would be a boon to the special teams. I bought it then. I don't now.)

Slocum seemed to improve the squad a bit (it really had nowhere to go but up) but his charges still gave up back-breaking returns at the worst possible times. Yes, he comes out looking much better if he has, you know, a kicker who can kick and a punter who can punt. But that doesn't change his calls during games - like the inexplicable decisions to have Crosby, who's leg strength is about the only positive you can count on at this point, kick short, angled kicks on kickoffs. That simply drives me up the wall - when you know you have a guy who can knock it through the endzone every time, why are you fooling around with that nonsense? And no - it wasn't weather related. He called these in domed games as well.

Finally, and the breaking point, for me anyway, there was Slocum's extremely unfortunate answer to a question about whether or not he would have Crosby see a kicking specialist this offseason:

I handle it for the most part because that's my job. I challenged Mason, and all three of our specialists to reach to some of their colleagues around the league because some of these guys have been it for a long time, have a pretty good tried and true way about how they approach the whole body of work. And I think that a guy can go out, if he can get one small thing that can help his preparation, that can sometimes can be more advantageous than going to a kick doctor.

This reeks of Mike Stock's answer from last year - "Have you seen my resume?"

The notion that Slocum, like Stock before him, is too insecure to have Crosby spend time with a specialist is ridiculous. Even worse is this notion that Mason should give his kicking buddies a call and say "Hey, you know what? I really sucked this year. What should I do?" This is an egregious lack of leadership on Slocum's part. And I love how he couches it in "I challenged Mason..." Ohhh, really? You "challenged" him to pick up the phone and make an ass out of himself? Rather than possibly admit that you've tried everything you can to get through to him, it hasn't worked, and possibly he may need to see a professional?

Admitting that would require Slocum to exhibit what is known as leadership. Unfortunately, that's a quality that has been missing from the Packers' special teams for far too many years...

 

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Comments (42)

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Bearmeat's picture

January 20, 2010 at 01:03 pm

Exactamungo Nagler. I only hope McNugget has the cojones to fire Slocum's a$$. I don't think he will... but here's hoping.
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Beyond this, TT's decisions on kicking have been egregious at best and putrid at worst. We need to draft or pay a top end punter. We need to let Mason get his head out of his butt and unleash his inner-kicker.

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Jim in DC's picture

January 20, 2010 at 01:10 pm

Slocum and Campen must go.
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McCarthy needs to get serious about penalties, early season preparation, and knowing how to play to his offense's strengths. I wonder if Mac's ceiling as a coach is frequently a contender, but only a championship pretender.

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PackerAaron's picture

January 20, 2010 at 01:23 pm

Jim - I disagree on Campen. Post upcoming (if work ever lets me...)

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Packnic's picture

January 20, 2010 at 01:13 pm

Kicking is obviously a sore spot on almost every team right now. Something is going on like a league wide confidence drought. I have no idea what it really is, but its clearly not just the Packers and Crosby. I think Crosby can do it.
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It's not always the best idea to put it in the endzone and give it to them at the 20. Sometimes you want them to get it, because you feel like you can make a play by being physical with them. That said, you don't do it against Josh Cribbs, Percy Harvin and any other player known for taking everything he touches deep. I have no idea why he short booted most of those kicks this year.
- Slocum is exactly like Bob Sanders was. Nice enough guy, but he's just in here running someone else's ideas. We need someone who can think on his feet, and throw things at teams in an instance instead of just going to someone else playbook and picking. Its like hes playing Madden and hitting the Ask Sanders button. NEXT!

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Aaron Rogders's picture

January 20, 2010 at 01:30 pm

Have you seen my resume? lol

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Jim in DC's picture

January 20, 2010 at 01:37 pm

Aaron, you could save yourself the trouble and just admit that you're wrong and I'm right about Campen. :D :D :D

;)

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hyperRevue's picture

January 20, 2010 at 01:50 pm

For as much as TT has gotten right during his tenure, his decisions regarding the kicking game have been simply mind-boggling. Seeing Jon Ryan put up some of the best numbers in the league last year was just a slap in the face. What the hell was he thinking?

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PACKERS.'s picture

January 20, 2010 at 02:09 pm

Agreed. All those games like both Vikings games where we lost because of bad field position... It's time for a change, I think.

Anyway, Final Exams are winding down, so I will be a regular reader starting at the end of the week. It's great to be back! :)

(My Pack blog might even come back, too...)

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hollycrat's picture

January 20, 2010 at 02:36 pm

I have no aim and wouldn't be able to hit the broadside of a barn, so I know I'm not qualified to pass judgment on Mason Crosby or Jeremy Kapinos. However, Shawn Slocum, as their coach, claims to be so qualified, and so ought to have been able to affect some kind of positive change in his kicker/punter. Saying "Jeremy/Mason knows he has to make them" at the end of the season sounds cheap.
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I've gotten sick of defending Mason with, "but he's got such a strong leg!" I'd rather have a kicker with a shorter range and better aim, who leaves us to pray for each extra foot of distance. You know that Mason's kicks are wide from the get-go. If you can't find the uprights, you don't get partial credit for hitting the net with 70 yd force.

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greenbaypackerbob's picture

January 20, 2010 at 02:38 pm

Jim sez "I wonder if Mac’s ceiling as a coach is frequently a contender, but only a championship pretender."
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A very good question indeed !! And Campen ... surprised some want to give him the love after allowing 51 points in a post game.
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And Kicking... maybe we can trade back for Longwell (lol) ...another great veteran passed over by TT.
- Longwell ---
* All time leading scorer in Green Bay Packers history with 1054 points.
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* Has the most field goals in Green Bay Packers history with 226.
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* Kicked longest field goal in Green Bay Packers history (54 yards - tied with Chris Jacke and Dave Rayner)
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* Fifth-most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history, having converted 81% of his attempts.
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And he's still doing it (but w/ the Vikes)!
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PackerAaron's picture

January 20, 2010 at 03:09 pm

bob, quit while you're ahead: "And Campen … surprised some want to give him the love after allowing 51 points in a post game" - Um, Campen coaches the offensive line. They have little to do with the Packers defense allowing 51 points.

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Phillip's picture

January 20, 2010 at 02:53 pm

VOT MATTHEWS AS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR HERE - http://www.nfl.com/partner?partnerType=rookies

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wgbeethree's picture

January 20, 2010 at 02:58 pm

greenbaypackerbob.... check out longwell's stats from under 50 yards while he was with the packers and then compare them to crosby's....bet you'll be pretty shocked...I sure was

aaron...looking forward to seeing your defense of campen...If you can convince me he is anything less than completely incompetent i'll personally head the campaign for you to win the pulitzer prize for football blogging.... that exists right?

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Mike from G-Town's picture

January 20, 2010 at 03:01 pm

Firing SLocum would be one of the most obvious things to do. That, and releasing Jarrett Bush!

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greenbaypackerbob's picture

January 20, 2010 at 04:12 pm

Aaron - my bad... had Capers on the mind! (but glad you admit I'm ahead).... -- good luck defending OL coach (although did see some improvement toward end of season)
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:>)
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AdamInEngland's picture

January 20, 2010 at 06:05 pm

Agreed on Campen, he should and will keep his job because of the improvement towards the end of the season BUT also on the premise that the line will keep improving over the offseason. If it regresses over the offseason, then Campen's head should roll.

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hyperRevue's picture

January 20, 2010 at 07:21 pm

For anyone who puts any stock into these things (I don't; but I enjoy reading them), Kiper's first mock draft has the Packers taking USC safety Taylor Mays - a big hitter with little to no coverage skills. Pass.

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PACKERS.'s picture

January 20, 2010 at 07:40 pm

The Packers do need more depth in the secondary. But we need someone who can cover the pass, i.e. The Anti-Jarrett Bush. anyone who cannot cover the pass will not work well in GB.

Go Pack Go!

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retiredgrampa's picture

January 20, 2010 at 07:48 pm

The time of trial and error is over. We KNOW we have serious, seemingly non-correctable problems with STs in every aspect. NOW is the time to purge this ongoing cancer from our team. A new STs coach is the absolute minimum. Bringing in 2 more KO specialists and at LEAST 2 punters are the second steps. These steps seem to be so elementary, I can't believe they are mostly being ignored. We have signed ONE punter so far. A band-aid for a major wound. It won't be enough. Get serious, MM & TT. This team could win it all, but not by using band-aids.

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FITZCORE1252's picture

January 20, 2010 at 08:13 pm

Bob,

Do us all a favor... shoot yourself, you miserable tool. A bit much??? How 'bout just go to a queens blog then, AND STAY THERE!

FITZ

GBP 4 LIFE

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PACKERS.'s picture

January 20, 2010 at 08:37 pm

Whoa, Fitz?! What did Bob do?

By the way, it looks like people are still taking shots at TT. I'm tired of explaining myself, so just follow the link to my new blog: the only post gives my final opinion on TT. I don't think we give him enough credit to be honest...

Go Pack Go!

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greenbaypackerbob's picture

January 20, 2010 at 10:02 pm

wgbeethree - when it's 'on the line', I would take Longwell anytime... "Fifth-most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history, having converted 81% of his attempts"... and Mason's season this year has been anything but stellar (and I have been a fan).
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"On the NFC side of the playoffs, both Mason Crosby and Neil Rackers, two solidified starting kickers in the league, made 50 percent or less of their playoffs attempts." Quote from interesting link below on what it means to be a NFL kicker (the clutch over stats most impt)
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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/328856-nfl-playoffs-crusial-for-kicke...
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greenbaypackerbob's picture

January 20, 2010 at 10:43 pm

Packers sez, "Whoa, Fitz?! What did Bob do? "
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Well Packers, as you will find here from time to time, when someone states their opinion and it just happens not to agree with people like FITZ (who apparently has appointed himself the definition god of what a GBP fan is suppose to be; that is, always agreeing with him), then the best they can come up with are comments that are about as intelligent as a bag of hammers.
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I bet I was bleeding Green and Gold when Fitz was still pissing in his pants, but that means nothing to people like Fitz... he obviously believes he holds the key to all knowledge on GBP football ...
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My word for Fitz... "a mind is a terrible thing to waste" (but I doubt if you can help yourself).
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foundindaho's picture

January 20, 2010 at 11:12 pm

May I just say, thank God for Corey, for the Top 40 is back up and I have been going through serious withdrawals because I don't peruse all of them all the time so I don't remember all the names, but enjoy looking around. Therefore, it made it hard to find these guys the last month or so!

I'm glad Corey has this really killer job, but New Year's really hurt my Packer blog browsing!

That said, I agree Slocum needs to go - the Packers' record would have been better with special teams at a high level and now I see why it is so.

Campen - meh. The OL got better but I'm not sure that was directly a result of him or getting Tausch back etc. But I guess he could get one free pass.

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Andrew In Atlanta's picture

January 21, 2010 at 01:18 am

You would think some of Ari might have rubbed off on coaches last year when it comes to answering media questions. I guess not. Anyway, I agree Slocum should go.

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Cuphound's picture

January 21, 2010 at 02:07 am

I'm looking forward to reading's Aaron's defense of our high-school offensive line coach. This ought to be fun.

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Graffin's picture

January 21, 2010 at 06:36 am

I hate Bob too Fitz, everyone of his posts talk of how bad TT's is and/or "if Favre were here..." I know what your comments will be before I read them, and everyone has argued those points to death so just stop

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maxginsberg's picture

January 21, 2010 at 06:55 am

As hard as this season was, I think that Mason Crosby is going to pan out in the long run. Whether that has anything to do with Shawn Slocum, I don't know. Special teams were a weakness for the Packers this year, which points to the coaching staff. McCarthy has to at least be thinking of bringing in a new coach.

The Packers are very close to greatness. Maybe changing some personnel or adding a player or two makes the difference for this team next year. We'll see...

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PACKERS.'s picture

January 21, 2010 at 07:24 am

I agree. Special Teams needs the most work this offseason. For example, we could have won both of the Vikings games if the Special Teams didn't keep giving the Vikings great field position.

Go Pack Go!

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greenbaypackerbob's picture

January 21, 2010 at 09:45 am

Graffin - Believe it or not, my opinion is mine and you don't own it or control it... (and to express 'hate' toward someone because you don't agree ... that's shallow).
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And like it or not, BF is still getting the job done and we were one and out in the playoffs - no debating that. Our rivals in MINN have beat us 2 yrs running. I'm not satisfied with that - maybe you are.
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Ron LC's picture

January 21, 2010 at 10:06 am

ST's do need improvement, no question. But, it should not be the #1 priority. That honor belongs to the O line. The players who contributed to the stablization of the line late in the season are getting old, very old (and injury prone). Sitton was the only young guy who could be counted on for consistently good performance. Lang showed potential but had only limited playing time. Too soon to tell on him. The rest are not very good at all.

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PACKERS.'s picture

January 21, 2010 at 12:07 pm

Bob: I understand, and I want a championship as much as anyone, but I think that we as fans need to be patient. With the team we're building, it WILL happen. Further explanation: my first blog post. Follow the link in my name.

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IronMan's picture

January 21, 2010 at 12:46 pm

While I agree that Slocum should go, who are we going to fire next year if the ST struggles AGAIN?

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FITZCORE1252's picture

January 23, 2010 at 08:28 pm

Bob,

I don't hate you. All I know about you is what I ascertain from your posts. Using that information there's only one conclusion... you are a WHINY DEUCHE-BAG, hope that clarifies things! You are the prototype Favre apologist/TT hater, your opinion means squat to me.

It's really a case of "mind over matter", I don't mind, and you don't matter!

Ted will be here for years to come... Brent won't, the sooner you come to terms with that, the sooner you might be taken seriously.

GBP 4 LIFE

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greenbaypackerbob's picture

January 24, 2010 at 12:54 am

Fitz
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I rest my case - you only prove what I stated in my last post about your useless attempt to sound important by constantly referring to your fetish with deuche bags (how characteristic of yourself it turns out).
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And weren't you the one just blogging everyone asking "what exactly is the -Packers Director of Football Operations-?" in relation to Schneider's job ... yeah, you appear to be a real deposit of football knowledge.
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And forget the fact that many are still questioning if TT can get the OL or secondary staffed properly and are hoping AR doesn't get killed again next year. But for those of us who may share those concerns you have no answer... not surprisingly the only way you know how to protect your Teddy is with childish name calling ... while at the same you claim "you could care less about what I think" you feel compelled to sound off... you apparently like talking out of both sides of your mouth.
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The fact TT/MM has let Minn beat us 2 years running in the Division while Favre plays in another NFC championship must be eating away at you... but hey, that's not my fault. And according to you it shouldn't matter anyway because you and Teddy have your eye on the future. Well, two years post our last NFC championship game (and 13-3 season) we are all sitting at home watching Favre play in another NFC championship (win or lose). Those are the facts. You seemed to be just fine with that... I'm not.
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FITZCORE1252's picture

January 24, 2010 at 01:32 am

C'mon Bobby,

"And weren’t you the one just blogging everyone asking “what exactly is the -Packers Director of Football Operations-?”

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Yes, yes I was!

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If anyone spends more time scouring various tools to seek infinite Packer knowledge than I, I hope you don't have a family, if you do I feel for them!

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So Bob,

You knew the "EXACT" functions of the "Packers Director of Football Operations", huh (really bobby, be honest with yourself)??? KUDOS! I did not.

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But, being the diligent GBP fan I am (not diligent Brent fan.. eh'hem), I sought out clarification to that specific job title, which I received in a matter of minutes (thank you Jason Wilde). I don't claim to know everything abut the GBP Bobby, but what I don't know, I have no problem asking about, for clarification. I guess that's where we differ.

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You would rather sound like a broken record (TT this, if Brent was here that)rather than ask for input... I relish other "TRUE" Packer fans' input, as it will only diversify my knowledge.

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Good night Bobby, and God Bless (I hope your boyfriend Brent pulls a F-ing Theisman tomorrow, OOOH... S-N-A-P).

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GBP 4 LIFE

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FITZCORE1252's picture

January 24, 2010 at 02:14 am

Bobbingham Lincoln said...

"A point of irony – whether Favre had stayed with the Jets or gone to the Vikes, either way, he ends up in another NFC championship game! Who’d a thunk it."

I'm sure the BLATENT error in bobby's statement sticks out like a sore thumb to "REAL" Football fans everywhere(anyone that makes an egregious error like that must be an EXTREME novice).That statement shows you are bringing a butter knife to a gun fight... SON.

Good luck in the future Bobby, your daddy Hank and his buddies are kinda funny!

GBP 4 LIFE

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jermajesty's picture

January 24, 2010 at 01:34 pm

On the special teams note, has anyone considered a move to grab Cribbs away from the Browns? He's unhappy with Cleveland, wouldn't cost much in the grand scheme of things, and would provide the Packers with a dynamic return man who also plays in coverage on special teams and could be thrown into the mix in the backfield with Grant, Green, and Jackson. What's more, there's talk the Browns are considering a switch to a 4-3 D under their new management. I for one would love to see the Pack make a move along the lines of Kampman for Cribbs and a 2nd or 3rd. With Thompson's ability to scout talent in the draft, that could be an outstanding net gain.

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greenbaypackerbob's picture

January 24, 2010 at 01:38 pm

Fitz - please continue, you just keep proving that my previous two posts about your comments are indeed accurate. You just can't help your foolishness. To be honest, I really can't find a reason to continue to converse with you since your comments are, well, just lame... and a poor attempt to get folks to notice you...
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My suggestion.... find a nice warm comfortable couch to snuggle up with your favorite pic of Teddy and watch Favre play in yet another Conference Championship game... and just keep saying to yourself.. "I'm a winner too, I'm a winner too.." The pain will subside in time. (lol)
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greenbaypackerbob's picture

January 24, 2010 at 01:39 pm

Fitz - please continue, you just keep proving that my previous two posts about your comments are indeed accurate. You just can't help your foolishness. To be honest, I really can't find a reason to continue to converse with you since your comments are, well, just lame... and a poor attempt to get people to notice you...
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My suggestion.... find a nice warm comfortable couch to snuggle up with your favorite pic of Teddy and watch Favre play in yet another Conference Championship game... and just keep saying to yourself.. "I'm a winner too, I'm a winner too.." The pain will subside in time. (lol)
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FITZCORE1252's picture

January 24, 2010 at 03:37 pm

Chalk another one up for the good guys!

GBP 4 LIFE

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PACKERS.'s picture

January 25, 2010 at 10:41 am

Fitzcore and Bob: Give it a rest. It's bad enough that you're having the same conversation on two different posts, but you're arguing about the same old topic we've been discussing for two years now. At least have a civilized debate and stop taking shots at each other.

Go Pack Go!

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