Packers 29 Viqueens 29
I waited until Monday to see what the ref’s front office had to say, hoping they would come to their senses and admit the rule has gone too far. Even Skip Clueless (a registered Rodgers hater) saw no foul on Mathew’s part. But solidarity is thicker than common sense and not only stating the call was correct but is going to add it to the training video they send out each week to all teams calling this a textbook case…. WTH??? The Roger Goodell of ref’s, Tony Corrente said Clay picked Cousins up and planted him in the ground… again WTH? Reply clearly shows Cousins leaving his feet before contact was made. So where does the “lift and plant” foul come in? Most of us saw the reply from Cousins left side, the ref was on his back right side. A reply from that side showed what the ref was looking at. In the picture above, you see Clays left arm sliding down Cousin’s leg. At one point Clay’s arm hooks (but doesn’t grab) Cousin’s leg and the leg is “lifted” up making it appear Clay was hell bent on planting Cousins to the turf. Had Clay kept his arm on his butt, the call may not have been made… butt then again who knows? It is also important to note Mike Daniels lost a sack earlier in the game when he wrapped up Cousins only to let him go thinking the ball was thrown.
From a Packer perspective, the ref’s didn’t seem to favor the Pack. Devante Adams was the victim twice, once for no defensive interference in the endzone and one on him for pushing off. The viqueenies defenders seemed to be all over our receivers all day and maybe that was the way the ref’s were going to let them play but we have no comparison because our defenders seemed to be allergic to contact with their receivers. Two of the top 5 receivers in the NFL this week were Diggs and Thielan, going mostly untouched the entire game. Did the injury to King (groin) hurt us that much?
Aside from our defensive woes, the offense needs to take a lot of the blame too. Four of thirteen (30%) on 3rd down and then there’s the Five field goals! We never used the dagger all day. Anyone of these field goals converted into a TD and Clay doesn’t become the NFL poster child. Even then a sixth could have ended the game but with a well-timed time out, at 52 yards, it’s hard to make two in a row.
With all our follies, the viqueens couldn’t find a way to win either. Their inability to finish off drives cost them the “W”. Former kicker, that’s right I said former kicker, Daniel Carlson missed one field goal in regulation and then 2 more in OT. An “O for 3” day that cost him his job. Any one of them converted into a TD or the field goal not missed and our sister never enters the conversation.
Week one we made Kalihl Mack look like the best defensive player… ever. This week we bestowed the best offensive player moniker on Kurt Cousins. This week it’s Alex Smith and Kraig’s “whipping boy” Adrian Peterson on their home turf. Makes one wonder if we will allow either one to emerge as the Redskin’s savior this week.
I don’t mean to sound negative, the viqueens have talented players due to the high draft picks they’ve had in past years and playing a team in your own division is never easy, as duh bears game will attest. Air-ron’s knee is and will be a concern for weeks to come. Hopefully the return of Aaron Jones from suspension will bolster the running game and take pressure off Air-ron. The good news is the Skin’s injury list at 12 looks more like a mid-season list so this should work in our favor. I will be at The Hall of Fame Sports Grill and will leave my sister at home this week knowing we will come back from D.C. with a W. I know this because, as a Packer Fan, I will always
Bleed Green My Friends
(Packer John)
Just Sayin’
Well, the Vikings game sure had its share of CRAP ! ! That would be Continuing Referee Absence of Perception. You’ve heard of Highway Robbery? How about Game Robbery? I think this is the first time we have ever been affected by the NFL’s determination of “what is a catch” rule. I try to stay unbiased, but in my opinion, Davante Adams caught a TD pass. Another stolen item was the interception by Jaire Alexander. I understand that the NFL is trying to reduce injuries. And the new rule of not allowing the defensive player to drive the QB to the ground and land on him is logical. But Matthews’ hit should NOT have been called roughing the passer. He made a bonehead play against the Bears, but the hit on Cousins was legit. Then there was the fumble by Rodgers as he was going to scamper for a first down. And actually, none of those 3 plays actually cost the Packers a win. The Packers should have had a comfortable enough lead so that the interception was just icing on the cake. A play that was not needed to win the game, but just the exclamation point ! ! It was the general breakdown of both the offense AND the defense. The Packers defense pretty well stymied the Vikings offense in the first half, but not so much in the second half. And then the Packers offense had some kind of aversion to the endzone in the second half. With the offense we have, we should NOT have had to settle for 5 FGs ! ! Now I am aware that Rodgers was playing with a gimpy leg, and the Vikings have a pretty good pass rush. But the offense that had been “matriculating the ball down the field” (Hank Stram anyone?), should have been able to punch it into the endzone a couple of times for TDs.
Oh well, let’s not live in the past. It’s time to move on to the Redskins. It’s time to get back into the WIN column. This will be the 4th time Rodgers and Alex Smith have faced each other since they were drafted in 2005. Rodgers has a 2-1 record against Smith. Let’s plan on that being 3-1 after the Washington game…
Just Sayin’
(Jimmy Smith)
GPB Hall Of Fame Report
Oh, what a day! What a game! Hall of Fame was wall to wall Packer fans with 88 (or more) folks coming to share the excitement. Our club also welcomed 10, yep TEN, new members this week in addition to the 5 from week 1. Here are our 15 newest members:
504 Michael Cox
505 Heather Sharp
506 Sebastian Sharp
507 Linda Bracke
508 Norbert Bracke
509 Stan Coleman
510 Michele Morgan
511 Debrah Vicaro
512 Holly Boselie
513 Braylon Boselie
514 Ryan Boselie
515 Grayson Boselie
516 Jackie Boyd
517 Chris Fairfax
518 Jennifer Sholts
Make sure you welcome them into the fold.
Door prizes went to 463 Wayne Hansen who chose the umbrella, 387 Kathy Mann who will be serving goodies on the ceramic platter, and 398 Bill Demuth who will snuggle up with the Packer blanket. 514 Ryan Boselie and 345 Dave Halverson chose magnets, 488 now has car flags, and 183 Kim Hein will sport a trailer hitch cover. 505 Heather Sharp chose the dog bone shaped plaque and 321 Sheila Chase chose the night light. 221 Barbara Gambrell and 475 Jennifer Comensoli will be wearing new sunglasses. 131 Sharon Schulz chose a hat, 390 Grayson Mann will wear new gloves, and 140 Erich Peschel and 346 Hilary Wind each have socks.
131 Sharon Schulz received a $15 gift certificate from our friends at Hall of Fame Sports Grill for correctly answering this week’s trivia question. Winners of the dollar pool were: 321 Sheila Chase (twice), 429 Kimberly Miller and 328 Marge Bramlett.
While winning the game would have been more exciting than the tie, it does beat a loss…that said, I hope to see many of you back at HoF this Sunday at 1:00 to cheer on our Pack to get back to their winning ways. As always, remain courageous.
(Marge 328)
Packer’s vs. Fredskin’s
I was pushing it to make it to Hall of Fame on time for the Vikings game. It was packed, so I parked where I could. I jogged (ok, walked pretty fast) from the lot next door. As I got closer to the entrance, two guys in Steelers gear popped out, looked at me fleetingly, and passed by me without incident. As I reached for the door handle, I heard one of them say “F@#king Packer fans!” and I thought, “Wow, this might be good…”
Obviously, the place was packed, standing room only. I hope none of you turned away because of your aversion to playing sardines…
One of the many reasons that I will never be a true Hall of Famer as a columnist is my tenure as a contributor to the ‘Bits. My service has effectively torpedoed any hope of a bust in Never-never-Pulitzer. The selection committee will always frown upon my inherent and insurmountable bias in favor of the Packers. Never mind my alleged stream-of-consciousness, divergent, and often “abrasive” anti-PC approach. I don’t need to be waterboarded to admit that in every game, it’s never about the opponent. It’s always about the Packers.
This trip to The District will be a test. It’s a game that we should have, and need to have, especially after the calamity which led to the tie last week. “The Call” on Claymaker will probably rival the infamous “Immaculate Deception” by Golden Tate and Seattle, which arguably cost the Packers a Super Bowl. Why do I sense that that tie will end up screwing the Packers?
This week. Don’t ignore the small sample which frankly shows that Washington has only allowed 17 points and allowed a whopping 247 yards per game (#1 in NFL). The Packers are only a slight favorite according to Vegas, which tells me that a lot of connected and “made guys” know something…that the “Skins aren’t the grabasstic mess they’ve been for years…
Give owner Daniel Snyder a little credit for standing strong against the nonsensical Snowflake Police. Lesser owners would now be watching from the luxury box at the Red Wave or Red Storm game.
They have a proven quarterback. No longer the days of RGIII (“Really Good for 3 Games?”), and have drafted pretty high off the board for several years. They probably have the best Gruden as their head coach, and he only costs like 80 or 85 million dollars less. Sidebar: With that signing and their trade of Khalil Mack, who would’ve thought the Raiders would be even more batshit crazy after Al Davis was dead? Sidebar II: What has Mack done for Chicago? They traded for an absolute beast who may help them win a few games but will hurt their salary cap and cost them dearly on Draft Day for years to come…
The Packers should feel relatively safe, staying and playing well outside Washington, DC. We went there two years ago, and it was truly awe-inspiring and bucket list. But get outside of the corridors of power, and it is just as truly gang-riddled and drug-infested, a sad disgrace in contrast to the relative opulence only blocks away. It is better for the team, the visitors, the fans, and the league to be across at least one river from the cesspool…
Some of you have heard snippets, rumors, and innuendo about the process which led to the Greenville Packer Backers planting our flag at Hall of Fame Sports Grill. It was an Odyssey to rival the tales of Homer. And for all you dipshits reading this, by “Tales of Homer,” I don’t mean stories of Gorman Thomas or Rob Deer hitting balls over the fence at County Stadium (editor’s note: more like “Tales from the Simpsons”). My teammate, wingman, and overall Ambassador of Kwan, Neil Petersen, and I spanned the lives of a dozen men in a few short weeks. Like Bandit One, we “had a long way to go, and a short time to get there…” Once everything is declassified, we will release selected and pertinent material from our collected diaries, journals, and logbooks…
Sneak preview: We encountered many Natives, and in each and every instance of extreme difficulty, we relied on our training, experience, and inherent superiority as Officers, Gentlemen, and Soldiers in the Army of St. Vince to ultimately prevail. Especially against the Redskins…
Go, Pack, GO!!!
(Kraig Pringle)
Just Sayin too!
Hi Folks. I know Jimmy normally does Just Sayin’ but I’d like to add my “too” cents worth. So Here Goes: We Got HOSED!
Back in 1997, the WWF (now WWE) had a legendary match between Brett “Hitman” Hart, “The Excellence of Execution” against Shawn “Heartbreak Kid” Michaels. The match ended with Michaels winning via submission even though Hart hadn’t submitted. The call was made by a Referee Earl Hebner. They called it the Montreal Sc--- Job.
Apparently Tony Corrente is Earl’s adopted brother, because we got the business this past Sunday, only twice. Jimmy Graham got mugged on a TD catch that would have given the Packers a clear win. Clay Matthews gets called for Roughing the Passer where none occurred. I’ve seen the replays, I’ve seen the pictures. Cousins has the ball in his hand while Clay is hitting him in the midsection and wrapping him up. Textbook tackle by the Claymaker.
I understand football is a game of split seconds, but Clay is a 265 lb. man. He can’t stop on a dime. The rule is, if the quarterback releases the ball, you have to pull up on the hit. This did not fit that rule. Former Ref Terry McAuley who’s an analyst for NBC’s Sunday Night Football tweeted: @ProFootballTalk I’ll just say this now: if the two hits on the QB in #MINvsGB are indeed fouls for roughing the passer, I am glad that I am no longer on the field and have to make those calls. Joe Thomas went even further: NFL needs 2 immediately enact booth review on all these “QB unnecessary roughness” penalties. 1) It’s significantly changing the outcome of many games, 2) Referees have continually shown they cannot call this rule by the book at game speed and need video review to help. #MINvsGB.
Jimmy Graham. Jimmy lit up the Viqueens for 95 yards. He should have had 140, and a TD. He also had the longest pass play of the day by either team. Clearly, Mike had him in mind for the game plan this week.
Mountain Dew had a commercial last year featuring Davy and Goliath characters (yeah the Claymation one). Davey and Tommy are fighting over the last Mountain Dew. Davey’s dad stops them and takes the Mountain Dew away. He drinks it in front of the boys and gives Davey the can. A disbelieving Tommy asks, “What happened?” Davey: “We got hosed Tommy! We got HOSED!” Just Sayin’ too...
(Ken Hill)
