2020 PS-2

Packers 32 LA Lambs 18

 The stage lights are dark and the curtain drops on Act 2 of SB55.  As expected (because we Bleed Green) our hero and his team live to play a part in Act 3.  We are written into Scene 1 along with an aging actor Tommy Bay, his sup-porting cast and their director Bruce Arians, who looks like he was released from the ER only if he wore all his monitors during the game.
In the last act, Air-ron and Company dismantled the Rams #1 defense, both in the air (296 yds) and on the ground (188 yds).  Their Aaron (Donald), whether the weather or ribs, was ineffective the entire game; credited with 1 assisted tackle, no sacks and only once was he able to tug on Air-ron’s cape.  Only once was his teammate Okoronkwo able to put pressure on #12 and our front line kept his jersey so clean, it doesn’t need to be washed for this week.  Although this was not Air-ron’s best performance, with the help of his cast, they were able to be on stage for 36 minutes to the Rams 24.  With Air-ron taking the final bow as the curtain dropped.
What remains to be seen is the impact the injuries to Williams and Dillion have on the offense this week.  They accounted for almost half of the running game but Jamaal injured his ankle and Dillion hurt his quad on a nasty helicopter hit and remained on the sideline for the balance of the game.  As I said last week, their success is a big contributor to Air-rons success.
Our defense, even at the scorn of some critics, silently stole the show. La Lambs amassed only 174 total yards and although it didn’t seem to us we could get them off the field, we did manage three, 3 and outs on their 8 drives and allowed only one drive longer than 10 plays. Although they didn’t create a turnover, they were able to hit Goff 4 times and sack him 4 more times. They also had 4 tackles for loss, 3 pass defenses and stopped them on 4th down on their final drive.
Tommy Bay went into the warm and fuzzy confines of the superdome in New Orleans to face another aging actor, Drew Brees.  After the game the critics noted how Drew seemed to act his age (42) and pondered if this could be his final curtain call.  Funny how nothing was said about Tommy acting his age (18½ months older than Drew).  This week he will not be in a climate controlled environment and even if Tommy played for years in the cold, it had to be one of the reason he decided to leave for the sunny south.  Sunday we have a much better chance of seeing the “older” Brady on a day when Lambeau  Field will set it’s thermostats to a high of 32° and promises to leave about 4” of snow for kickoff.

The final accolade from the last act goes to the 12th Million Man.  Air-ron and others were almost in tears recounting the per-formance of the 1000+ First Responders and the 7439 Paying Fans in the stands, not fully aware of the 75+ fans at Spare-Time and many other groups like ours around the country, cheering our team on to victory.  The Packers drew from that energy and will rely on it again this week, taking us one step closer to the final Prize.
This week, those of you who are forced to listen to Buc-N-Acheman gush over the “Goat to Goat” contest they think they have created and control, and having to hear Troy try to relive his above average career through  two real HOF’ers; I feel sorry for you.  That is one big advantage to being at Spare-Time where the crowd noise “spares” us of having to listen to them. 
Both Air-ron & Brady are too smart to think this is about Goats or any other farm animal.  Air-ron is keeping things in perspective for his team, telling them to stay in the present and enjoy the opportunities in front of them.  He knows how he wants the play SB55 to end but knows Act 3 is more important if he wants to be part of Act 4.
This will be a cerebral game.  Brady is a chess-master. he knows where all the players are and is very quick in his decision making.  What he is not quick at is running.  Taking away those first reads and forcing him to move in the pocket will be key for us trying to show TB’s age.  Air-ron on the other hand, is an opportunist, the master of the hard count and catching a team in a line change.  He is also very patient, taking what the defense will allow him until that one play when Lazard breaks free for 58 yards.  Air-ron also has the ability to move in the pocket and is actually a bigger threat when he does.  Just ask Leonard Floyd on the fake jump shot on Air-ron’s TD run last week.
Like the last two acts, Act 3 will be impromptu.  Only one actor and cast from Scene 1 (GB vs. TB) and Scene 2 (KC vs. Buf) will live to be a player in the final act.  My bet will be on the Packers filling one half of Act 4 and being the final hero’s of SB55.  I say this for two reasons.  One, I’m too old to become a fans of any other team and two, like you, I will always 
Bleed Green & GOLD My Friends!   
(Packer John)

 Just Sayin'

So, the No. 1 defense came to Lambeau to face the No. 1 offense. And we saw how that turned out for the No. 1 defense. They only had their best player on the field for about half the time. But honestly, I don’t think Aaron Donald would have made too much more of a difference the way our offense was playing. Once again, the unsung heroes of the game were the offensive line. And while they have ALL played very well this season, and David Bakhtiari and Corey Linsley have gotten most of the accolades, maybe the one playing some of the best right now is Lucas Patrick. How can you tell when an offensive lineman is doing his job really well? When the quarterback is seldom sacked and the offensive lineman is never mentioned by name. We all know that about the only time we hear a lineman’s name is when he has committed a penalty. Patrick has played at times this year, but the starting role was given to him when Bakhtiari went down and Billy Turner moved to Left Tackle. And Patrick has been up to the task. Against the Rams, this group gave up no sacks. Rodgers was hit just once and if I recall, there were no “hurries” in the stats. And their other best player, Jalen Ramsey, was made to look like a kid pitching a temper tantrum when Adams caught the quick TD pass from AR12. That was a hoot ! ! And when Rodgers ran his own TD in, and he got LB Floyd to leap into the air, there was another hoot ! ! HOOT HOOT ! ! We had heard all week, coming into the Rams game, about the matchup between Adams and Ramsey. I think with Adams getting 9 receptions on 10 targets for 66 yards and a TD, we know who won that battle. And the 3 headed monster of a running game rushed for almost 200 yards. Good for them and kudos to the offensive line for the blocking. They will have their work cut out for them again as the Buccaneers have the No. 1 ranked rushing defense. 

And once again, Rodgers showed how he is not afraid to come back to one of the wideouts if said wideout has a drop. Lazard missed a potential TD by not reeling in a catch but made up for it by catching one in stride to make that TD. Great game plan from the offensive coaching staff. Meanwhile, the Packers own defense looked like the better defense playing that game. Yes, they gave up a few plays, and looked like they were playing a little soft as the Rams drove down the field just before halftime. But they got sacks and made stops when they had to. And at the risk of repeating myself, Rashan Gary is playing some really good football lately. One thing I didn’t understand was Damon Harrison not being on the field, or not much. Maybe he is not going to be the help that I thought he was. The guys did get 4 sacks, so that is a continuing good part of the defense during the last few games. Now, Tompa Bay is coming into Lambeau. We all heard Tom Brady saying that “we know them”. What, based on one game? And although Brady has played in cold weather before, many times, a lot of the other guys have not. This week, the Buccaneers removed their run stuffer Vita Vea from Injured Reserve. So do we think this big man is ready to get after it in the trenches less than 4 months after breaking an ankle? Maybe so, but this could be a ploy to get into the heads of the Packers’ coaching staff. We will see. The Packers defense needs to be ready for a really good offense on the other side of the ball. One last thing. We all saw a couple of times during the season, that JK Scott was not a good tackler on punt returns. Well, we also know now that he does not really know how to run the RPO (Run Pass Option) either. Let’s hope we never see another one of those… 
Just Sayin’ 
(Biker Jimmy)

 GPB In Our SPARE TIME

I’ve always said we love our Pack through thick and thin, but isn’t thick so much better?  I was joined at Spare Time by 75 of my best buddies who helped me cheer, holler and carry on as the Pack won the divisional playoff game.  Join me in welcoming our new member 612 Jon Smiley who will cheer with us as we go forward this week.  Remember we are accepting club membership renewals @ $30 each.  New memberships are also available for $35.

Door prizes were awarded as the Pack scored and did great things.  Only one tee shirt went home this week and it was chosen by 323 Celie Schilz.  Wallets were chosen by 474 Jim Comensoli and 577 Bill Fant.  328 Marge Bramlett chose a tote bag.  127 Kent Sargent gifted 207 Christy Papala with earrings, and 275 John Ellinger chose a watch.  516 Jackie Boyd chose a storage bin, 324 Larry Schilz chose a bath towel, and 606 John Nelson took home a blanket.  The cutest door prize of all, a stuffed moose, went home with 292 Joe Valitchka (really Sue 307).  Two $1 football pools were quickly filled this week.  Winners were 120 Neil Petersen, 292 Joe Valitchka, 289 Kerri Ellinger, 437 Dan Heltness, 554 Tyler Cormier, 542 Kathie Mervyn (2), and 242 Christina Harrison.

The winner of the Trivia Contest was 117 Nick Papala.  He is the recipient of a $25 gift card from our friends at Spare Time.  Spare Time is also sponsoring a special drawing in honor of the playoffs.  They have contributed a $50 gift card to the member whose number is drawn at the end of the game.  You must be present to win.  This week’s winner was 606 John Nelson.  Congrat-ulations!

The Packers meet Tommy Bay at Lambeau for the NFC Championship game at 3:05 on Sunday.  I will be at Spare Time way before that to greet my fellow Packer Backers and get ready to cheer and holler for our team.  I hope to see many of you there. Cheering our Pack through the thick of it….
Marge 328

 Packers vs Buccaneers

So, it falls to me to write the preview for the NFC Championship game.  This game is one away from the Superbowl, a game that sometimes seems more show than anything else, with the commercials and the Halftime Show, almost the only time you see the halftime festivities of a game, unless you actually go to a game.  I was at Lambeau last season and was treated to seeing the Wisconsin marching band.  Uh, what’s that?  I’m not talking about the game?  Well, get used to it, because I bet we won’t hear much about the game either, all we’ll hear is a long, rambling commentary Sunday on Fox about the “greatness of Tom Brady!”  Excuse me, I just threw up a little in my mouth.  

The Buck-an-ears beat us in week 6.  There was a really good article about the upcoming game on Monday.  Those points will figure heavily in this. 

Expect to see a tour de force by the Titanic Trio.  I’m talking Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams, and AJ Dillon.  Although Aaron had just 15 yards on 10 carries at Tampa, Jamaal and A.J. both broke off runs of 20 or more yards apiece.  I would expect they would use a Hammer and Nail approach.  A.J. Dillon is 6’1” and 250, he is a force to be reckoned with, USE HIM!  The ‘Aints had 4.2 yards per rushing attempt, so ground can be gained against this defense, despite the presence of the Honey Badger and the speed of the other linebackers. 

Davante went 6 for 60 and he was targeted the first 2 interceptions in the first game.  I suspect Davante and Aaron will have film study and be more efficient against the secondary.  The Bucs did also get some ground yards against the Saints on Sunday (125), good thing our run defense is trending up. 

The Bucs scored 4 touchdowns on 4 trips to the red zone in Week 6.  We’ll need some stops down there, something the Packers have proved that they are more than capable of doing.  Stopping Gronk will be a key as well.  He caught the first of Brady’s TD passes and accounted for 76 yards.  I would expect the double team of Jackson and Amos both 6-footers on him.  6’ 3” Kevin King can’t get out of the training room this season. 

Just because I’m calling them the Bucs, don’t think that I admire them or hold them in any regard.  I don’t.  They still have as QB one of the biggest crybabies of the game.  He whines and throws tantrums on the sidelines, and I love every minute of it.  If the Packers defense shows up like they did this past Saturday, I expect see a vintage Brady tantrum. 

We have a few things going for us.  Chief among those is The Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field.  Temperature is expected to be 24 on Sunday afternoon with snow possible.  It’s in the 70’s in Tampa.  I’m sure Rams HC Sean McVay would never say it, but the cold affected the Rams, Aaron Donald was nursing sore ribs, despite being able to play, he was contained for the most part.  Injuries sustained in the cold sting a little more, the body contracts and huddles around the hurt, making it hard to function.  The Packers play in the weather all the time, even if the Bucs came and practiced in the north at Univ. of Minnesota or something, they couldn’t acclimate in time.  As someone who has worked in FL and had a “cold snap” (it got down to 50!), cold is a relative term, the Bucs will freeze.

Matt LeFleur says that he isn’t looking back at Week 6, and that the team bears little resemblance to that squad.  There is some truth to that statement, but the defensive struggles that have plagued the Packers still persist.  We did do better against the Rams but I was getting tired of praying for Goff to make a mistake, mistakes I don’t think Brady will make. 

I expect the Packers to do what they did against the Rams.  The Packers will play Packer football.  Efficient passing game, dominate situationally on offense, win the turnover battle and get opportunistic stops on defense. No team, including the Bucs, can beat the Packers if they play their game and avoid major mistakes.  Fans will be in the stands, it will be cold, it will be Packer football and the Green and Gold will Get Loud Lambeau yelling
Go Pack Go!
(Ken Hill)

 My fellow Packer Backers please help me wish Travis Wieloch & Melanie Crawford a Very Happy Birthday both on Thursday Jan-uary 28th! Let’s hope there's a Packer victory this weekend to make their celebrations that much sweeter! 

Oh, and one more thing:

  GO! PACK! GO!

If you have a birthday, graduation, anniversary,  or any other milestone Shout-out, send them  to me at:

heatherbailey80@gmail.com

(Heather Bailey)