Vic Ketchmab calls a spade a spade with fans who live in fantasy

[vince]

My favorite part about this discussion is the Aaron Rodgers angle. Some believe that Ted Thompson would act the exact same way if we did not have Aaron Rodgers. Do you really believe we'd have exactly this team, except Alex Smith would be our QB? Do you believe our coaches would call the same plays? Do you think we would prepare the same way?

There is no doubt that this team is built completely around Aaron Rodgers. Not only that, it's built around him playing at ridiculous levels.

We've been in the play offs the last 9 years. That in and of itself is success. Winning a super bowl is not something that anyone deserves. It's not something one player would make a difference on. The Patriots went 16-0 and still lost the thing. The Packers went 15-1 and got kicked out of the second round. Things like this happens to all but 1 team every year. Does that mean that there are 31 failures every year? Should 31 coaches be fired? Should 31 personnel guys be kicked because they didn't pick up that mysterious stranger who would of made the difference?

Do you know who won us the super bowl? Jarrett Bush. Let that sink in fellas.

Remember the San Diego Super Chargers and what has become of them since they decided Marty Schottenhiemer couldn't get them over the hump. We would become the laughing stock of the league if we dumped TT and MM. Exactly who do you think would be a replacement that was better? What coach out there has gotten his team to the play offs for nearly a decade straight?

Alright, I'm going back to lurking. Later.

Smeef for Pres. Just changing spots in the draft makes a huge difference. Guys like Ryan Shazier, C.J. Mosely and a whole bunch of other completely unknowable guys would be Packers if they drafted in different order each year. Who knows? The one thing we do know is that the team would look almost completely different had Thompson not drafted Rodgers. Hell, the whole Favre scenario gets turned completely upside-down.

Now we're entering twilight zone territory with irrelevant hypothetical speculation...

[pbmax]

Smeef for Pres. Just changing spots in the draft makes a huge difference. Guys like Ryan Shazier, C.J. Mosely and a whole bunch of other completely unknowable guys would be Packers if they drafted in different order each year. Who knows? The one thing we do know is that the team would look almost completely different had Thompson not drafted Rodgers. Hell, the whole Favre scenario gets turned completely upside-down.

Now we're entering twilight zone territory with irrelevant hypothetical speculation...

One thing about Ted's approach to coaching and Smeefers mention of Marty Schottenheimer.

Stability is a good thing, but inertia might be your enemy. If Marty had made methodical progress as a HC to overcome his conservative game management (and reflexive, abrupt and not well considered attempts to mix things up) he would likely have had more playoff success.

I am not sure how much of this is Ted, but McCarthy has changed things up and leaned new tricks. It has made him a better coach. This year, with a Defense on the fritz, he has even taken to valuing first downs well into his 4 minute offense.

Like the Steelers approach, keeping a good coach and making him a better one is the mark of a franchise that will continue to be successful.

[Fritz]

One thing about Ted's approach to coaching and Smeefers mention of Marty Schottenheimer.

Stability is a good thing, but inertia might be your enemy. If Marty had made methodical progress as a HC to overcome his conservative game management (and reflexive, abrupt and not well considered attempts to mix things up) he would likely have had more playoff success.

I am not sure how much of this is Ted, but McCarthy has changed things up and leaned new tricks. It has made him a better coach. This year, with a Defense on the fritz, he has even taken to valuing first downs well into his 4 minute offense.

Like the Steelers approach, keeping a good coach and making him a better one is the mark of a franchise that will continue to be successful.

This defense in not "on the fritz." It might be on The Fritz's mom, though.

I thought MM called a masterful game right up until that second run at the end, that loss of four. I wanted, very badly, for that to be a play fake and for Rodgers to hit a ten-yarder and keep the drive and the clock moving.

[pbmax]

This defense in not "on the fritz." It might be on The Fritz's mom, though.

I thought MM called a masterful game right up until that second run at the end, that loss of four. I wanted, very badly, for that to be a play fake and for Rodgers to hit a ten-yarder and keep the drive and the clock moving.

If he had hit a 3 yarder, would have made odds of winning game better. That one hurt.

[vince]

If he had hit a 3 yarder, would have made odds of winning game better. That one hurt.

That one did NOT hurt. It helped them WIN THE GAME.

A successful three-yard (or ten-yard) pass would also have helped, but carried the added cost of putting the Cowboys in FAR BETTER position to win the game if the pass were defended or dropped as Richard Rodgers had done just two plays earlier.

To assume a hypothetical pass play would have been successful as justification against the actual play that was successful despite losing yardage is ridiculous.

[pbmax]

That one did NOT hurt. It helped them WIN THE GAME.

A successful three-yard (or ten-yard) pass would also have helped, but carried the added cost of putting the Cowboys in FAR BETTER position to win the game if the pass were defended or dropped as Richard Rodgers had done just two plays earlier.

To assume a hypothetical pass play would have been successful as justification against the actual play that was successful despite losing yardage is ridiculous.

You are assuming a 56 yard FG attempt is a probable make. I think its about 50% for Mase this year. Its 56.7% for the League in 2016.

[vince]

You are assuming a 56 yard FG attempt is a probably make. I think its about 50% for Mase this year. Its 56.7% for the League in 2016.

Obviously McCarthy would have preferred yard gainage over Spriggs' whiff. But that's fanboy after-the-fact second-guessing.

McCarthy's finger on the pulse of his team and confidence in his guy in this situation was well placed and correct. Indoor stadium, no wind, plenty of leg, very consistent year, brimming with confidence, etc., etc. Your lack thereof based on past percentages going back many years in a wide variety of situations proved to be wrong and out of touch. Maintaining you were right after the facts prove the opposite is very hard to understand - the height of stubbornness perhaps...

P.S. - perhaps it was just this kind of belief, confidence and overall approach from McCarthy had some role in inspiring Crosby's confidence and methodical success in nailing three consecutive clutch kicks from 50+. The stats you cite would indicate that being VERY unlikely but Crosby was, in fact, money - repeatedly - in that environment, time, and situation. Crosby did it of course, but his coach was absolutely right in believing he would.

[bobblehead]

That one did NOT hurt. It helped them WIN THE GAME.

A successful three-yard (or ten-yard) pass would also have helped, but carried the added cost of putting the Cowboys in FAR BETTER position to win the game if the pass were defended or dropped as Richard Rodgers had done just two plays earlier.

To assume a hypothetical pass play would have been successful as justification against the actual play that was successful despite losing yardage is ridiculous.

So, when he lined up for that 56 yarder you were just as confident as if it were a 49 yarder? Would you rather steph curry line up a shot from 15 feet or dunk it?