So close.....

[Brandon494]

Not blaming this game on Rodgers but damn if he makes the pass to Jennings in OT we just win one of the greatest games in playoff history.

Oh well, atleast this team didnt lay down and die like all the other teams this weekend.

[Brando19]

Agreed...if he had thrown it as a floater...TD...but he threw a bullet Jennings couldn't get to. Very good game.

[wist43]

This game was all about Capers...

Forget about the players... especially on offense. 51 pts???

And the passive play calling by M3??? Onside kick notwithstanding...

I give all the players a pass... this game was lost last week in film study, game planning, and overall preperation - that is coaching.

[mission]

and not scoring a touchdown before the half?!??!?!?

its one thing to come up short but not because the clock forced that on you... HORRIBLE CLOCK MANAGEMENT!

PISS. POOR.

[ThunderDan]

and not scoring a touchdown before the half?!??!?!?

its one thing to come up short but not because the clock forced that on you... HORRIBLE CLOCK MANAGEMENT!

PISS. POOR.

Mission, to be honest I thought it was great clock management because I thought we would go for the TD on 4th and goal. Then we kicked the FG and I thougt damn we just shot the dog there.

[BallHawk]

and not scoring a touchdown before the half?!??!?!?

its one thing to come up short but not because the clock forced that on you... HORRIBLE CLOCK MANAGEMENT!

PISS. POOR.

McCarthy played it perfectly. It just so happened there was a defensive penalty that resulted in a first down. You can't predict that.

[mission]

and not scoring a touchdown before the half?!??!?!?

its one thing to come up short but not because the clock forced that on you... HORRIBLE CLOCK MANAGEMENT!

PISS. POOR.

Mission, to be honest I thought it was great clock management because I thought we would go for the TD on 4th and goal. Then we kicked the FG and I thougt damn we just shot the dog there.

well, ya... i guess we just pussed out then ... ugh.

[Smidgeon]

Regardless, it was a near comeback for the ages. I was really impressed how Rodgers didn't suddenly start throwing up picks when he was down by 14 and 21... Those games as a fan were far too familiar. He almost pulled off the football miracle.

[channtheman]

and not scoring a touchdown before the half?!??!?!?

its one thing to come up short but not because the clock forced that on you... HORRIBLE CLOCK MANAGEMENT!

PISS. POOR.

McCarthy played it perfectly. It just so happened there was a defensive penalty that resulted in a first down. You can't predict that.

I was thinking when we were huddling up with 30 seconds left that you HAVE to account for the possibility of that happening. You're right, you can't predict that and that's exactly why it's even more pathetic that we didn't plan for it. If there is no penalty there is 20 seconds left and the Cardinals aren't doing anything anyway.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I thought McCarthy made the right move there. Sure, you can hem and haw and say he should have left a bit more time, but I think generally he made the right call. If we score too quick, there's a good chance Arizona was going to get points coming back.

[Tony Oday]

This game was all about Capers...

Forget about the players... especially on offense. 51 pts???

And the passive play calling by M3??? Onside kick notwithstanding...

I give all the players a pass... this game was lost last week in film study, game planning, and overall preperation - that is coaching.

yeah Capers cause that 1st throw pick and DD getting stripped...get over yourself

*edit* oh yeah forgot film study sent the FG wide right...

[MOBB DEEP]

Not blaming this game on Rodgers but damn if he makes the pass to Jennings in OT we just win one of the greatest games in playoff history.


Woulda been as exhilirating as Favre to GJ in that OT vs. Denver. I wonder if GJ reflected on that as erin fumbled moments later

Im gonna get razzed SO much at gym this week by unknowledgeable chocolate hotties who will blame erin for loss; not realizing the nfl DOES NOT promote defense so no way near erin's fault :x

EPIC game

[Patler]

and not scoring a touchdown before the half?!??!?!?

its one thing to come up short but not because the clock forced that on you... HORRIBLE CLOCK MANAGEMENT!

PISS. POOR.

That's what happens when you are scared to put your defense back on the field.

[sheepshead]

[quote=mission]and not scoring a touchdown before the half?!??!?!?

its one thing to come up short but not because the clock forced that on you... HORRIBLE CLOCK MANAGEMENT!

PISS. POOR.

McCarthy played it perfectly. It just so happened there was a defensive penalty that resulted in a first down. You can't predict that.[/quote

You've contradicted yourself. If it was perfect it would have been a TD and we would have won. "You cant predict that?" maybe the fans cant but a guy making millions needs to anticipate it. MM carries the most blame for yesterday.

[Patler]

Not blaming this game on Rodgers but damn if he makes the pass to Jennings in OT we just win one of the greatest games in playoff history.

Woulda been as exhilirating as Favre to GJ in that OT vs. Denver. I wonder if GJ reflected on that as erin fumbled moments later

Im gonna get razzed SO much at gym this week by unknowledgeable chocolate hotties who will blame erin for loss; not realizing the nfl DOES NOT promote defense so no way near erin's fault :x

EPIC game

I will quote myself from another thread, because I think it is an appropriate comment in this thread, too:



Great players make great plays at critical times to win games. Games (in all sports) often hinge on key plays at critical times. Jennings was very open. Rodgers missed him. Aikman hypothesized that Rodgers anticipated Jennings would flatten his route. Whatever. One of them failed to perform in a key play to win the game. In my opinion, Jennings had enough cushion that the pass did not have to be that precise, even if it meant the defender might catch up and possibly make the tackle. That pass had to be completed. It really doesn't matter what else either of them did earlier in the game. That was a critical play that could have won the game.

Until Rodgers starts to make great plays at critical times to win games, he is just a very good QB, but not a great one. Yes, Favre had some monumental meltdowns in some of those situations, but he also had incredible performances in other key plays. So far, Rodgers has neither, and youth/experience is no excuse, because, as we have seen, greatness exhibits itself even in very young and inexperienced athletes.

[Patler]

and not scoring a touchdown before the half?!??!?!?

its one thing to come up short but not because the clock forced that on you... HORRIBLE CLOCK MANAGEMENT!

PISS. POOR.

McCarthy played it perfectly. It just so happened there was a defensive penalty that resulted in a first down. You can't predict that.

I disagree that McCarthy played it perfectly. He played it perfectly only if things went perfectly. In sports, things rarely go perfectly. If McCarthy wasn't scared to put his defense back on the field, he would not have played the clock so closely. He not only failed to predict a defensive penalty, but also apparently failed to consider the possibility of an offensive penalty on the final play, which would have negated the score and ended the half. I think it is wiser to work the clock so you have time to run the final play twice, especially if you are a heavily penalized team like Green Bay. Sure, you might have to kickoff, and the Cardinals might have had time for a final Hail Mary pass, but that risk is small and it would also have given the Packer a chance for another shot in the endzone, or to kick the fieldgoal twice, if necessary.

MM played scared and it possibly cost him 4 points.

[Brandon494]

Until Rodgers starts to make great plays at critical times to win games, he is just a very good QB, but not a great one. Yes, Favre had some monumental meltdowns in some of those situations, but he also had incredible performances in other key plays. So far, Rodgers has neither, and youth/experience is no excuse, because, as we have seen, greatness exhibits itself even in very young and inexperienced athletes.[/quote]

WRONG!

Rodgers made great plays ALL game! Get a clue!

Warner had more TDs in this game then incompletes, if not for Rodgers this game would have been a blowout.

Very stupid quote IMO

Yes he missed Jennings OT and fumbled for the game winning TD but it was clear it should have been helmet to helmet on the play before the fumble and a facemask on the fumble play.

Even the Cardinals players said after the game who great AR played and how they would not want to face him again.

[Brandon494]

and not scoring a touchdown before the half?!??!?!?

its one thing to come up short but not because the clock forced that on you... HORRIBLE CLOCK MANAGEMENT!

PISS. POOR.

McCarthy played it perfectly. It just so happened there was a defensive penalty that resulted in a first down. You can't predict that.

I disagree that McCarthy played it perfectly. He played it perfectly only if things went perfectly. In sports, things rarely go perfectly. If McCarthy wasn't scared to put his defense back on the field, he would not have played the clock so closely. He not only failed to predict a defensive penalty, but also apparently failed to consider the possibility of an offensive penalty on the final play, which would have negated the score and ended the half. I think it is wiser to work the clock so you have time to run the final play twice, especially if you are a heavily penalized team like Green Bay. Sure, you might have to kickoff, and the Cardinals might have had time for a final Hail Mary pass, but that risk is small and it would also have given the Packer a chance for another shot in the endzone, or to kick the fieldgoal twice, if necessary.

MM played scared and it possibly cost him 4 points.

WRONG AGAIN!

MM had a great game, its Capers who could not figure shit out.

If MM was so scared he wouldn't have went for the onside kick.

How was he suppose to know that a defensive penalty would have occured?

Cardinals had scored on every possession and had 3 TOs, MM made the right call by leaving as little time on the clock as possible.

[Patler]

Until Rodgers starts to make great plays at critical times to win games, he is just a very good QB, but not a great one. Yes, Favre had some monumental meltdowns in some of those situations, but he also had incredible performances in other key plays. So far, Rodgers has neither, and youth/experience is no excuse, because, as we have seen, greatness exhibits itself even in very young and inexperienced athletes.

WRONG!

Rodgers made great plays ALL game! Get a clue!

Warner had more TDs in this game then incompletes, if not for Rodgers this game would have been a blowout.

Very stupid quote IMO

Yes he missed Jennings OT and fumbled for the game winning TD but it was clear it should have been helmet to helmet on the play before the fumble and a facemask on the fumble play.

Even the Cardinals players said after the game who great AR played and how they would not want to face him again.

I have acknowledged that he made plays all day. That's not the point. He had a wide open receiver out there for the win. Great athletes finish the job. Yesterday, Rodgers did not finish the job. For that reason he does not deserve comparison to the great players who have carried their teams to victory on days they maybe didn't deserve it. He came close, but came up short. Lots of very talented athletes get close, sometimes with very impressive performances, as Rodgers did yesterday.
That doesn't mean it was his fault they lost. Far from it.
It doesn't mean he did not play a very good game. He did.
It just means that given a golden opportunity to finish, he didn't do it.

Roethlisberger finished the game for his team a couple weeks ago when maybe his defense didn't deserve it either. Given a similar opportunity yesterday, maybe even a better one because of how open Jennings was, Rodgers missed. I can acknowledge that he played an impressive game, while recognizing that he did not finish when it was there to be had.

As for the fumble ending the game, I have not even commented on it. Clearly Rodgers started to throw and held up. The reason is not clear from watching the TV shots over and over. It appears he had concern for the hands up in front of him (not the one grabbing his facemask). I certainly can't fault him for deciding not to throw, because I don't know what he saw.

[Patler]

and not scoring a touchdown before the half?!??!?!?

its one thing to come up short but not because the clock forced that on you... HORRIBLE CLOCK MANAGEMENT!

PISS. POOR.

McCarthy played it perfectly. It just so happened there was a defensive penalty that resulted in a first down. You can't predict that.

I disagree that McCarthy played it perfectly. He played it perfectly only if things went perfectly. In sports, things rarely go perfectly. If McCarthy wasn't scared to put his defense back on the field, he would not have played the clock so closely. He not only failed to predict a defensive penalty, but also apparently failed to consider the possibility of an offensive penalty on the final play, which would have negated the score and ended the half. I think it is wiser to work the clock so you have time to run the final play twice, especially if you are a heavily penalized team like Green Bay. Sure, you might have to kickoff, and the Cardinals might have had time for a final Hail Mary pass, but that risk is small and it would also have given the Packer a chance for another shot in the endzone, or to kick the fieldgoal twice, if necessary.

MM played scared and it possibly cost him 4 points.

WRONG AGAIN!

MM had a great game, its Capers who could not figure shit out.

If MM was so scared he wouldn't have went for the onside kick.

How was he suppose to know that a defensive penalty would have occured?

Cardinals had scored on every possession and had 3 TOs, MM made the right call by leaving as little time on the clock as possible.

If not a defensive penalty, then as I said, an offensive penalty. A holding call on the FG, with the clock expiring, ends the half and no points are scored. With this team, this year, it is not outlandish to anticipate a penalty on your own team. How would you have felt if the FG was good, but a penalty on the Packers nullified it and the clock expired so there was no second chance at a longer FG after the penalty? Would you still argue that MM played it perfectly?

As I said, in my opinion it would have been better to allow time to run the last play twice (or in yesterday's situation, one more shot at a TD). This would require a kickoff if the first play worked, and might have allowed for a single hail Mary pass. I would take that risk to give me more opportunities at more points. Yes, the defense did not stop Arizona all day, but worrying about giving Arizona 10 seconds or so at the end of the first half was needless fear, in my opinion.

As for the onside kick, its a totally different consideration, but again it was an attempt to keep his defense off the field, not unlike the end of the first half. But at that time, desperate times required desperate measures.

[Brandon494]

I admit he did get too excited and overthrew Jennings.

But seriously its the guys first playoff game on the road after being down by as many as 21 in the second half and he brings them all the way back after the defense allows Warner to throw more TDs than incompletions. It was a perfect play action call and Rodgers simply saw Jennings wide open for the win and got alittle too excited and tried to throw a bullet. I can't take away from the game he had because of that one play. When the defense plays as bad as they did I just can't blame Rodgers for one over throw even if it did cost us the game.

[Bretsky]

Gotta completely agree with Patler on this one; good debate though.