2017 Week 15

Packers 27 Browns 21

You know John (our erstwhile editor) and I were talking before the game about Trevor Davis.  He’s our return guy, a tight end/wide receiver who has hands like baskets so he can catch nearly anything thrown his way.  Anyone who watches special teams play knows how special that is.  Remember when Jeremy Ross played kick returner? 
I still do!  Anyway, John said, “I think it’s only a matter of time until Davis breaks a long one or takes one to the house.”  I wholeheartedly concurred and pointed out that except for the penalties Davis had done just that on a few occasions.
The Packers and Brett Hundley owe Davis big-time!  4th quarter heroics were becoming the norm for this team.  I don’t really like the Cardiac Pack(ers)!  I want to be up by 2 touchdowns with 2 minutes to go, not down by one and needing a TD to go to OT!  We have had 3 OT games this season.  We have gone 3-0 in those games.  Prior to this, in the McCarthy era we are 1-8-1, Rodgers was 0-7, and Scott Tolzien accounts for our lone tie.  The last time we won a OT McCarthy game was 2007, Favre to Jennings in Denver.  Go on YouTube and listen to that call again!  Jaws and Mike Tirico are MONEY! on the call!
As you guys sometimes know, I get some of my news off of www.Packers.com.  It reminds me of home, and you get insider stuff that you would never hear from national media.  The Packers don’t do drama, we leave that to the Cryboys.  Anyway, Mike Spofford and Wes Hod-something (I ain’t spelling that last name, you couldn’t pronounce it anyway) are giving their Final Thoughts.  Mike noted Trevor Davis, he also noted that we couldn’t let Josh Gordon take over the game.  Gordon had 1 TD catch and after moving Damarious Randall with House over him, he was shut down (1 catch, 2 prior to the switch).  Wes talked turnovers and except for Ha-Ha picking him late just before halftime, Kizer had been careful with the ball…until the Claymaker decided to reintroduce himself in the extra time period!  Clay was probably going for the strip sack.  Kizer threw it up, way up.  3 Packers camped out under it. Josh Jones caught it and the Packers had a short field to work with.  

Brett Hundley will never be as good as Aaron Rodgers.  It’s just something we have to deal with.  This is despite the fact that he went 35 of 46 for 265 yards and 3 TD’s with a passer rating of 111.2.  It has to do with long range accuracy.  A couple of long plays downfield developed and Brett overthrew both plays.  Aaron would have dropped those in there and Jordy would have zigged while the defender zagged and the score wouldn’t have been close and Trevor Davis’ run would have been icing on the cake, not a make or break play!  Brett did show more than Kizer though, who went 20 of 28 for 214 yards and 3 TDs also, but he got picked twice sacked twice (Brett got sacked once) and finished with a passer rating of 99.4. 

Jamaal Williams showed why he was Number 2 on the depth chart at the opening of the season.  He compiled 118 all-purpose yards for the 3rd game in a row, opening up with a 30 yards catch and run for a Touchdown that brought the Chief’s faithful to their feet as well as my TOUCHDOWN sweater out!  Hopefully I’ll get to don it more this Sunday!  Davante Adams showed that he had a special rapport with our young back up, he led receiving with 84 yards and a walk-off(or run-off) 25 yard TD to end the game.  He ran down the tunnel and I don’t think he came back on the field since the game was over at that point anyway.  Jordy and Randall followed him in, Brett wanted to stay out and celebrate a little bit. 
Don’t get me wrong, this game was not perfect.  Our team isn’t perfect.  Our team with Aaron is better though.  Our defense improves because they play against the best QB in the NFL in practice.  Our offense improves because they know they always have a chance to win.  ESPN says, “Winning these last 3 games is going to be almost impossible!”  That’s what they said last year during “run the table”.  Please!  Just put the ball in Aaron Rodgers’ hands and 
GO PACK!! GO!! 
(Ken Hill)

Just Sayin’

 I was afraid this was going to happen. As I have stated before, Dom Capers’ defense can make any average QB look like an All Star. And DeShone Kizer is not even an average quarterback. But Kizer sure looked like a starting All Star QB for much of the game. It sure did look like disaster in the making for a while, but eventually, the game worked out ok. We have seen in the last week or so that Lance Kendricks is going to have to address some drug possession charges. It appears we have some more serious issues concerning Mike Daniels. He is thinking the Green Bay Packers can represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. I don’t know what he is smoking, but it must be some potent stuff, whatever it is. What a statement!?!? I don’t know if this defense could find its way to the Toilet Bowl right now. They couldn’t stop the Browns for the better part of the game. How in the heck does Daniels think they can get the job done against the Eagles, Falcons or Saints? The defense appears to be preparing for this week’s game with 3rd stringers, rookies and practice squad players manning the secondary. And add the lack of a pass rush; the defense is likely to be outgunned and under-manned for the remainder of the season. It is this writer’s opinion that the entire coaching staff needs to get their walking papers. Mike McCarthy has been exposed as an inept head coach in the NFL. We can all see that the reason he has been the “highly successful NFL coach” is directly due to Aaron Rodgers. Case Keenum came out of college as an undrafted Free Agent and was the 3rd string QB at Minnesota. How’s he playing? Jimmy Garoppolo came to the 49ers just 2 or 3 weeks ago. Those teams have designed plays to fit their QBs skills. What a novel idea!! And those guys are now looking the part of a starting NFL QBs. After the 2005 season, Ted Thompson released Mike Sherman. Sean Payton interviewed for the HC job before Mike McCarthy. Payton wanted the job, but McCarthy got it. Although we’ll never know, I would bet that the Packers would have won more than one Super Bowl with Payton as the Head Cheese. OK, rant over.
We now have an interesting decision to make. Do you want Rodgers to come back this season? I am on the fence about that myself. Personally, if he is cleared by the medical staff to play, I think it should be 100% Aarons’ choice to make. As you can probably tell by my previous comments, I have no belief that the current Packers defense can help win a championship. But, stranger things have happened. And if Rodgers comes back and is not rusty, he can overcome a lot of deficiencies on defense. If he does come back, he needs to avoid sacks at all costs. Look, I am a Packer fan through and through and would absolutely love to see more championships added to the previous 13. But if the upper management of the Green Bay Packers wants that same thing, no one could convince me with their building of this team.
As I was driving to work this morning, I was listening to the Overnight With Amy Lawrence sports talk show. She takes listener questions on Wednesday mornings. A listener asked her who in the NFL would be like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. She likened Bill Belichek to Darth Vader and referred to Aaron Rodgers as Luke Skywalker, using his Jedi mind tricks on opposing defenses and his uncanny ability to make the football go exactly where it needs to go. Since Rodgers has been medically cleared to play, let’s hope things play out like the movie titles. Let’s have  A New Hope that The Force Awa-kens and we see The Last Jedi doing his thing. May the Force be with us.!!! 
Just Sayin  
(Jimmy Smith)

The Chief’s / GPB Report

 Sunday extended our huggin’ and high fivin’ trend!  63 Packer Backers met at Chief’s to join in the fun of another win.  Door prizes seemed to go in pairs this week. 328 Marge Bramlett and 132 Sharon Schulz chose necklaces.  222 Michele Kwaterski and 262 Tom Zumbach chose ornaments to adorn their trees.  Coffee mugs were chosen by 342 Chris Gossett and 445 Sharon Dandelske.  242 Christina Harrison and 489 Kelly Wolff chose license plates, while 186 Karn Bender chose car flags and 452 Diana Kopelson has a garden flag.  Individualists were Chris Schultz who chose a hand towel and 221 Barbara Gambrell who will snuggle under a Packer blanket.
The winner of this week’s trivia contest and a $25 gift card from our friends at Chief’s was 328 Marge Bramlett.
We had both a 50¢ and a $1 pool this week.  Winners of the 50¢ pool were 490 Nick Herman, 222 Michele Kwaterski, and 328 Marge Bramlett (twice). Winners of the $1 pool were 341 Kathie Gossett, 131 Gerald Schulz and 127 Kent Sargent (twice).
If you’re not one of the lucky ones going to see our team live this Sunday, please come and join the huggin’ and high fivin’ at Chief’s this Sunday for a 1:00 game. And always remember:  BE COURAGEOUS!
(Marge 328)

Packers      vs.     Panther’s

First order of business is to make one sentiment abun-dantly and crystally clear. No matter what happens this season, the entire lot of them needs to be fired. That “lot,” which really ain’t a lot, includes but is not limited to: Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy, and Dom Capers. Throw in the Strength and Conditioning team as well…
For the immediate future of this season, we find ourselves in a position that isn’t quite mathematically impossible. Winning at Carolina is only a baby step towards running the table, and running the table is only a portion of the ghastly equation. We need a ton of luck and assistance as well. However, it would most certainly be impossible without the following metaphorical press conference moment, with Thompson, McCarthy, and Rodgers at the podium:
Q: “Ted, Coach, what is Aaron’s status for the Carolina game?” McCarthy: “Well, we’re still evaluating…” Rodgers: “I’m starting.” With a hush over the crowd, Thompson and McCarthy gaping at him in disbelief, our true leader follows, deadpan: “Next question…”
To incorporate the following, which is not only the motto of our adopted state, but the Czech Army 601st Special Forces as well as the Kingdom of Sarawak: Dum Spiro Spero. Latin, for “While I breathe, I hope…” We definitely have hope. It may be as likely, as “realistic” as one of his (I don’t know how many) Hail Marys or other miracle moments, which still means that it’s Must-See-TV. Except, of course, for those of you who are trekking up to Charlotte in person for The Return.
There has been discussion of holding Rodgers out, due to the risk of reinjury. That is nonsense as long as there is still any chance at the playoffs…”while we breathe, we hope,” and we play! Those risks will always be there, and good or bad, that’s not who Aaron is. Like in the metaphorical press conference, it’s very simple: he’s a gamer, the team needs him, ergo he will obviously be out there.
So now it’s Carolina. A very good defensive front and team overall. It won’t be any easier than the two games to follow, and a tough road with or without our version of John Wayne. I won’t be making the trip this time, but I took my son, Konnor, in November 2015 to that game, which was down-to-the-wire in an electric stadium and atmosphere. The fans, and their behavior, however, were unfortunately and all-too-commonly a disgrace to the sport and the experience. I’ve got thick skin, and generally so does (did) Konnor, but some of these morons were truly maladjusted degenerates.
I’ll never forget three guys in particular. We got lucky and ended up sitting one row behind section 516’s Panther-fan version of the Three Stooges.  Instead of Moe, Larry, and Curly, it was Sumo, Nipplehead, and Slinky.  “Sumo” was a dead ringer for Akebono, the great sumo champ. 

“Nipplehead,” for his pointy stocking cap, was a stupid, snaggletoothed drunk, spitting on and body-checking bystander fans, incabable of complete sentences and literally every third word starting with “F.” He was all smack early when it was all Panthers, and got in my son’s grill more than once, which took us to Defcon-something but somehow never went Nuclear…
“Slinky” was a gender-confused Buffalo Bill (Serial Killer, not Old West Gunsharp) lookalike who was so zipped up on some unknown controlled substance that he writhed like a trippy hippie chick at Woodstock the entire game. Konnor couldn’t help but to keep checking this guy out, like rubbernecking a traffic wreck or transfixed by the girl with three heads in the circus tent…
It was a pretty repulsive and somewhat slimy experience working our way out of the stadium. Some truly had no shame. I never liked anyone but the Packers, but I know I’ll never be a Panthers fan. And neither will Konnor. A great teaching moment for my son. Not so much about what to do, but what not to do. Not so much about their fans, but about ours.
And it will always be about the Packers, and the Packer Fans. Same as it ever was…
Go, Pack, GO!!!
(Kraig Pringle)

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