To All My Packers Brethren

[HarveyWallbangers]

This is friggin' awesome, and I'm glad I have a couple hundred Packer fans (and one classy Vikings fan) to share it with on this forum. Enjoy the journey! Just don't blow it against the Giants. I predicted 8-8 before the season. It was a fun and unexpected ride. Then, I said one playoff victory would make the season a true success. That happened. But now that we are so close to the Super Bowl and playing at home, let's get that next victory.

[digitaldean]

This is friggin' awesome, and I'm glad I have a couple hundred Packer fans (and one classy Vikings fan) to share it with on this forum. Enjoy the journey! Just don't blow it against the Giants. I predicted 8-8 before the season. It was a fun and unexpected ride. Then, I said one playoff victory would make the season a true success. That happened. But now that we are so close to the Super Bowl and playing at home, let's get that next victory.

Don't worry, Harv.

The Packers have stayed focused under adversity and most times have come through with flying colors. They're game tested and ready to step it up.

G-men are much better than the first time we played in the Jersey swamps.

Just can't afford the slipups that started vs. the Seahags.

All in all, it's been a beautiful run, let's hope it continues.

[Freak Out]

:glug:

This is truly awesome. Lets go Packers!

[Joemailman]

What a weekend. In just over 24 hours, we went from another disastrous start in a home playoff game, to a completely exhilarating win, to knowing we would be hosting the NFC Title Game. Maybe for the first time all year, I'm a little nervous about the next game. Not because I doubt the ability of the Packers to win, but simply because so much is at stake. I think a lot of inexperienced players grew up in the Seattle game though, so I think they'll be able to handle the great expectations that we all have. Even those of us who were in the optimist category didn't expect such a season. A magical season, this.

[Partial]

I agree. What a magnificent season it has been.

[oregonpackfan]

Whatever the outcome, we have to remember that there are 28 NFL teams that have not reached the pinnacle the Packers and just 3 other teams have reached.

We have a lot to be grateful for this magical season.

[Carolina_Packer]

In the words to the Grateful Dead's "Truckin", what a long strange trip it's been. Actually, it's been a great ride. I'm sure a little strange for the Giants considering where they came from. Whoda thunk it that after they got their beat down in the Meadowlands at the hands of the Vikings with Eli playing perhaps his worst game this year that they'd rebound, not fade down the stretch as has been their M.O. and they'd be playing for the Super Bowl? I'm psyched that Green Bay has a real chance here, regardless of how it would end up in the Super Bowl, as Tyrone was asking about in another post. When the Bills lost their Super Bowls (no prediction here mind you), do you think they wished they had never made it in the first place? No chance. Go Pack Go! Let it all hang out, baby!

[Tarlam!]

You are one of a kind, Harv. I am with you and all the Rattie People in just enjoying the ride! My homer side "knew" this was coming. My brain says "whatever happens, thanks Pack. You done good".

We won in this season.

[twoseven]

[quote="digitaldean"]

G-men are much better than the first time we played in the Jersey swamps.

quote]
Dare I say, so are we. All week we'll hear how much better the Giants will be since that early game. I've yet to hear how much we've improved at RB, WR, in the secondary, and on special teams. I sincerely hope our change has gone unnoticed by NY...just to clarify.. I am referring specifically to analysis being made citing the Giants as a different team since that first game, whereas I have yet to hear GB mentioned in the same way since that initial meeting, almost like the NYG are the only one to have gotten any better. I'll go so far as to say I think we have improved more than they have in the same amount of time, but that's just my opinion.

[twoseven]

I think our team is rolling after two blowouts in Lambeau, I am looking for another such game this wkd. I expect a madhouse of a crowd Sunday night will lose their minds and strip their vocal chords pumping up our team. I have a feeling GB destroys the NYG, here's hoping.

[packrulz]

Posted January 15, 2008

Pete Dougherty column: Scouts say Packers will top hot Giants


By Pete Dougherty

When the New York Giants took the unbeaten New England Patriots to the wire in the regular-season finale, it looked like they'd fought the good fight but probably had seen the high point of their season.


Instead, that Saturday night in late December became their launching pad for the playoffs. The Giants then went into Tampa Bay and Dallas as underdogs and came out with wins that have landed them in the NFC championship game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday.


Looking back, that three-point loss against New England was as good as a victory, because the Giants proved to themselves they could play with the best team in the NFL.


"Some beatings are good for you," said a personnel director for a team that played the Giants in December. "You learn how to fight, and I think the Giants have learned how to fight."


So, the Packers will be taking on a mentally tough, fifth-seeded Giants team that's won nine straight road games and is riding the kind of high that has carried other lower-seeded teams to Super Bowls.


However, the Packers also have extra momentum coming off their best game of the Mike McCarthy era in their 42-20 win over Seattle and have home-field advantage. The Packers are a seven-point favorite for those reasons and more. Two scouts interviewed Monday said they expect the Packers to win.


"I just think it's (the Packers') year," one said. "But the Giants are hot, and there's no telling. It's going to be a good game."


A pro personnel for an NFC team said: "I'd go with Green Bay by, I don't know, 14 points. I think Green Bay will shut down New York's running game, and they'll force Eli (Manning) to throw the ball. Even though he's played well in these (playoff) games, he hasn't been forced to win the game. He's just had to manage it, and he's fine there. But if you ask him to throw the ball 40 times, which he'll probably end up having to do, I think Green Bay shuts that down and Green Bay beats the Giants with the big play, throwing the ball down the field."


The Giants (12-6) have gotten this far mainly on the back of their pass rush, which has become the NFL's best under new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.


The Giants led the NFL in sacks this season (53) and play the same unpredictable zone-blitz scheme as Spagnuolo's mentor, Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jimmy Johnson.


"New York has nobody to match up with (the Packers' receivers)," one scout said, "so they're going to have to get pressure from (Michael) Strahan and (Osi) Umenyiora and (Fred) Robbins up the middle, and blitz (Favre) and get hits on the quarterback. If they do that, they'll have a chance, but if they don't get home, they're in trouble."


The Giants' defense, which finished the season ranked seventh in the NFL in yards allowed and 17th in points allowed, starts with Strahan (nine sacks) at left end and Umenyiora (13 sacks) at right end. Both are on the small side (255 pounds and 261 pounds, respectively) but form probably the best pass-rushing end combination in the league.


Paul Hackett, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator, said in the Bucs' playoff loss, the Giants' constant pass rush was the difference and induced two interceptions by quarterback Jeff Garcia, who had thrown only four interceptions in the regular season.


"(Strahan) was very tough on us, we really struggled to handle him," Hackett said. "It's that constant push up to the front side of the quarterback that's very bothersome. His power and strength, you really need a back to chip him and save yourself. But just when you get enamored with him, on the left side Umenyiora goes by single blockers. The fact that they have two compromises your (halfback) releases and the things you're going to do coming out of the backfield, because you just can't afford to scat out of there, you have to give some help, because if not, it's going to be a long afternoon."


The Giants have a third end, Justin Tuck, who moves to tackle on passing downs and had 10 sacks this season.


Their individual talent then combines with Spagnuolo's zone-blitz scheme, which the Giants' defensive players appear to have bought into completely as the season has gone on. In the Giants' 21-17 win over Dallas on Sunday in the divisional round of the playoffs, their pass rush was OK for three quarters but then took over the game in the fourth. They had only two sacks in the game, but they hurried and battered quarterback Tony Romo on pass after pass on Dallas' final three possessions with the chance to take the lead.


The Johnson-Spagnuolo scheme specializes in zone blitzes, but it's different than most teams, because their play-calling is brash and unpredictable.


"The multiplicity of it, the fact they'll use the corners coming from the perimeter as well as the linebackers coming up the middle is a big part of it," Hackett said. "They're not timid about using it, they're not timid about coming with basically an all-out, maximum blitz at basically any point on the field. Most teams reserve that to the red zone, but this is a team you have to prepare for that all over the field."


The Packers will counter with an excellent pass-blocking duo in tackles Chad Clifton against Umenyiora and Mark Tauscher against Strahan, plus a deep receiving corps that McCarthy likes to deploy in three-, four- and five-receiver sets. The Giants' weak point is in the secondary, which has been thinned even further by injuries to three cornerbacks.


Starter Sam Madison has missed both playoff games because of a pulled abdominal muscle, and nickel-back Kevin Dockery didn't play against Dallas because of a hip injury. Also, impressive rookie Aaron Ross missed most of the second half against the Cowboys because of a separated shoulder. It's unclear which if any of the three will be available this week. That leaves R.W. McQuarters, second-year pro Corey Webster and recently promoted practice-squad player Geoffrey Pope possibly playing prominent roles.


"Really their secondary is their worst part," said the NFC scout. "Sam Madison didn't play last week, but he wasn't that great (anyway). R.W. McQuarters played the best game he's played in five years (against Dallas) and will probably never play like that again. Corey Webster won't run well enough to run with Green Bay's (receivers). Gibril Wilson, the safety, is probably their best secondary player and he's a safety, and he'll match up fine against (tight ends) Donald Lee and Bubba Franks. But the problem's going to be, who's going to match up with the wide receivers?"


Hackett said: "We thought they might be somewhat vulnerable at the corners and they did OK. We got by them a few times, but we didn't play well enough and throw the ball as well as we needed to. The two interceptions came both on deep balls where we just missed. We had a chance at it but just missed."


On offense, the Giants are a run-first team with 265-pound Brandon Jacobs (1,009 yards, 5.0 yards a carry), who is their primary runner, and seventh-round draft pick Ahmad Bradshaw, a small (5-9, 198) but explosive complement. Bradshaw averaged 8.3 yards on only 23 carries in the regular season.


The passing game rests in the hands of Manning, who's been maddeningly up and down in his four seasons in the NFL. He finished this season with only a 73.9 passer rating, a 56.1 completion percentage and 20 interceptions. But he hasn't thrown an interception in the playoffs, which has been a major factor in the Giants' wins.


Manning doesn't have perennial Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey, who's on injured reserve, but one of the scouts said that might actually have helped him, because he's spreading around the ball more. Manning has a good starting duo at receiver in Plaxico Burruss (70 receptions, 12 touchdowns) and Amani Toomer (59 receptions), who had two touchdown catches against the Cowboys.


"New York will pound the ball with the big running back," the NFC scout said, "try to run the ball by committee with Bradshaw and take the pressure off Eli, let him just play the game instead of win the game or control the game, take the slant, go down the field now and then because he can, not because he has to. I'd give the wide receiver-cornerback advantage to Green Bay, both Charles (Woodson) and Al (Harris) match up good against their receivers."

Pete Dougherty covers the Packers for the Press-Gazette. E-mail him at pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com

[Badgerinmaine]

Great comments, all. I would have been delighted with 10-6 and a wild card spot going in to this season. No matter what happens from here on out, I'm very grateful....though I am greedy for a little more :)

[Badgerinmaine]

This is friggin' awesome, and I'm glad I have a couple hundred Packer fans (and one classy Vikings fan) to share it with on this forum.

And even Bearman was doing the NFCNorth solidarity thing with us Sunday...wonder if he'll be with us for the Giants game too?

[BallHawk]

The thing that makes this journey so remarkable and enjoyable is that it was unexpected. If you're a Pats fan it's "well, we've done this before, let's do it again." For most people on here, including me, we'd of been satisfied with a playoff berth. A division title would of been great. A playoff win would of been fantastic. A chance to play for the NFC championship. Unimaginable. A shot at the Super Bowl. Words can't describe it.

We're one away from the promised land, boys, let's make sure we get there. :glug:

[denverYooper]

This is friggin' awesome, and I'm glad I have a couple hundred Packer fans (and one classy Vikings fan) to share it with on this forum. Enjoy the journey! Just don't blow it against the Giants. I predicted 8-8 before the season. It was a fun and unexpected ride. Then, I said one playoff victory would make the season a true success. That happened. But now that we are so close to the Super Bowl and playing at home, let's get that next victory.

I'll second (or third) that. I figured we'd be about 9-7. And if it weren't for the PR forum, I don't know how'd I'd pass the time until Sunday! All I can really think about is the next game.

[mngolf19]

[quote="HarveyWallbangers"]This is friggin' awesome, and I'm glad I have a couple hundred Packer fans (and one classy Vikings fan) to share it with on this forum. quote]

Make that 2. :wink:

I haven't been able to spend much time on here lately with job and new baby girl but congrats to you guys and Packers. I am also on the bandwagon for the NFC North. Possibly 2 teams in the SB in 2 years and improvement in all teams. Much better division than they get credit for.

[superfan]

I'm still trying to comprehend the fact that this team has gone 18-3 since losing horribly to the Jets in week 13 last season. 3-18 was looking more likely after that game.

Great run, Pack, keep it going! :glug:

[LL2]

The Packers 1 game away from the SB is unreal! I thought it would be years before I would see the Pack in the NFC Championship game again. It's going to really suck to have to wait two weeks for the SB after the Pack win this weekend (I'm a believer!).

[Oscar]

It's been a blast following the season here at PR. I'm still bummed that I couldn't make it to the posters game..Maybe next year. Heres to a win on Sunday!!! :glug:

[Guiness]

I'm with Superfan - I remember how depressed I was after that loss to a horrible Jets team. And I also can't imagine spending Sunday's anywhere but in front of my tv, with a laptop balanced on my lap, watching the game and seeing everyone's emotion at every play! The last couple of times I've had a chance to catch the game at a sports bar, I've opted to do that instead :) We've got a great thing here - thanks Madtown!

Commenting on the article - can anyone believe how decimated their secondary is??? We do have to count ourselves lucky that our CB's have held up, especially with how important they are to our overall defense. Harris and Woodson have both been dinged, but held tough. The only player who missed significant time is Blackmon, and it's not even a sure thing he would be our nickel or dime back if he was around!

We've done a lot of things right, and made a lot of good decisions, but have been very fortunate on the injury front. That makes such a difference in the NFL. If you're looking for a reason we exceeded all expectations this season, that one has to count as much as any other.

The position that we got hit the hardest at was DT, where we carried 6 + 1 players! (the +1 being Jenkins) Again, very fortunate.

[packinpatland]

It's probably a 'girl' thing.......but everytime I think about where the Packers are, where they were, and WHERE THEY ARE GOING, I just get teary.

It's been quite a ride so far.........and PR made it so much better!

:cow: :wave: :cow:

[MadtownPacker]

[quote=HarveyWallbangers]This is friggin' awesome, and I'm glad I have a couple hundred Packer fans (and one classy Vikings fan) to share it with on this forum. quote]

Make that 2. :wink:

I haven't been able to spend much time on here lately with job and new baby girl but congrats to you guys and Packers. I am also on the bandwagon for the NFC North. Possibly 2 teams in the SB in 2 years and improvement in all teams. Much better division than they get credit for.Yeah, HW was too busy kissing Rastak's ass (where is that dude?) to mention you. :lol:

It does kick ass reading the thought of others about the Packers. Out here in Cali the only thing I ever hear is that they suck or "you think your white?". I dont even bother to read websites article anymore unless someone posted about it. They aint saying anything that someone on here wont say anyways.

[Badgerinmaine]

I haven't been able to spend much time on here lately with job and new baby girl but congrats to you guys and Packers. I am also on the bandwagon for the NFC North. Possibly 2 teams in the SB in 2 years and improvement in all teams. Much better division than they get credit for.
Amen--and congrats on the baby girl!

[GrnBay007]

[quote=HarveyWallbangers]This is friggin' awesome, and I'm glad I have a couple hundred Packer fans (and one classy Vikings fan) to share it with on this forum. quote]

Make that 2. :wink:

I haven't been able to spend much time on here lately with job and new baby girl but congrats to you guys and Packers. I am also on the bandwagon for the NFC North. Possibly 2 teams in the SB in 2 years and improvement in all teams. Much better division than they get credit for.

Congrats on the addition to your family mngolf!! :D