The Unofficial Packers vs. Eagles Playoff game thread until Bretsky gets here

[esoxx]

Consider this a temporary holding cell for data until B shows up.

[esoxx]

Current conditions in Philly:

Weather for Philadelphia, PA 29°F | °C
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[CaptainKickass]

Dammit!

Hurry the hell up Bretsky, I gotta bail in half hr and posting my obligatory game day post via my cell sucks ass because loading this particular web site on my cell sucks ass!!!!!

Hurry up yo!!!

[esoxx]

http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/Packers-Eagles-Wild-Card-Playoff-Press-Box-Notes/353c3fb8-1244-48ea-9742-8227bad37dd9

PACKERS AND EAGLES MEET AGAIN IN THE PLAYOFFS

After opening the season against each other in Philadelphia, a 27-20 Green Bay win, the Packers and Eagles will meet again today at Lincoln Financial Field, this time in an NFC Wild Card contest.
At 10-6, Green Bay earned its third postseason berth in four seasons and will be the No. 6 seed as one of two NFC Wild Card entrants. It was the Packers’ second straight double-digit win season, the first time since 2003-04 that they have accomplished that feat.
The Packers (2007, 2009, 2010) are one of only two teams in the NFC to advance to the postseason in three of the past four seasons, with the Eagles (2008-10) the other team to do so.
It is the second straight year the Packers will open the playoffs on the road, the first time in franchise history that Green Bay has done so in back-to-back seasons.
Today will mark the third postseason meeting in the all-time series, with the previous two coming in Philadelphia. This is the second time the teams have played twice in a season. The Eagles played at Lambeau Field on Nov. 10, 2003, before hosting Green Bay in an NFC Divisional Playoff game on Jan. 11, 2004.
Today’s game is a matchup of two of the most successful teams in the league over the past decade. Since 2000, the Eagles have a regular-season record of 113-62-1 (.645), No. 4 in the NFL and No. 1 in the NFC. The Packers have posted a mark of 105-71-0 (.597) over that span, good for No. 5 in the NFL and No. 2 in the NFC.
There have been only two seasons (1999, 2005) since 1992 that didn’t include either the Packers or the Eagles in the playoffs. Since realignment in 2002, the Eagles lead the NFC with seven playoff berths, while the Packers are tied for No. 2 (with Seattle) with six appearances.
This season marks the 50th anniversary of the most famous matchup between the teams. On Dec. 26, 1960, Philadelphia beat Green Bay, 17-13, in the NFL Championship Game at Franklin Field. It was Vince Lombardi’s lone postseason loss as he went on to lead Green Bay to nine straight playoff wins after the loss in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia, by virtue of its first NFC East title since 2006, secured the No. 3 seed. The Eagles were the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs each of the past two seasons.

BACK IN THE POSTSEASON

Green Bay’s 26th postseason berth in team history marks the franchise’s 13th appearance in the last 18 seasons and the third in the past four seasons under Head Coach Mike McCarthy.
The Packers’ 26 playoff appearances rank tied for No. 4 in NFL history behind only the N.Y. Giants and Dallas (30 each) and Cleveland/L.A./St. Louis Rams (27).
The Packers own the league’s third best postseason winning percentage (.610, 25-16) among NFL teams behind Pittsburgh (.620, 31-19) and Baltimore (.615, 8-5).
A second-place finish in the NFC North gave Green Bay one of the NFC’s two Wild Card berths. Not including the 1982 season, which involved a different playoff system due to a strike-shortened season, the Packers have made their way to the postseason via the Wild Card five previous times before: 1993, 1994, 1998, 2001 and 2009. In three out of five appearances as an NFC Wild Card, Green Bay won its first game.
Green Bay was 3-3 this season against 2010 playoff teams, with two of the wins coming on the road (Philadelphia, Week 1; N.Y. Jets, Week 8). The Eagles were 2-2 on the year against ’10 playoff teams.
In four of the past five seasons, one of the teams that advanced to the Super Bowl played on Wild Card weekend.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
In Green Bay, Andy Reid was a TE/O-line asst. coach from 1992-96 and QB coach from 1997-98. The following year, when he became the Eagles’ head coach in 1999, he was replaced as Green Bay’s QB coach by Mike McCarthy...Packers DL coach Mike Trgovac held the same post with the Eagles for four seasons (1995-98)...Three Philadelphia assistant coaches spent time on Green Bay’s staff: asst. head coach/off. coord. Marty Mornhinweg (1995-96), senior asst./DB coach Dick Jauron (1986-94) and head strength & cond. coach Barry Rubin (1999-2005)...Eagles offensive quality control coach Doug Pederson is a former Packers QB who backed up Brett Favre from 1996-98 and 2001-04.

PLAYOFF CAPTAINS
As per team tradition, the Packers alternated game captains each week during the regular season. For the postseason, the team elected captains.
Players elected captains were WR Greg Jennings and QB Aaron Rodgers (offense), LB A.J. Hawk and CB Charles Woodson (defense) and CB/S Jarrett Bush and K Mason Crosby.

[pbmax]

We need the Captain's obligatory game day post or everything will go to hell Bretsky! Stop looking at the ladies and post!

The existence of this thread alone is shredding the odds of winning as we speak. :)

[Brando19]

Is Eagles linbacker Bradley playing? How about Starks...is he active?

[CaptainKickass]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTWSSCYUD4E

[esoxx]

http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/Notebook-Offense-Readying-For-Blitz/f880fc8d-aaef-42fb-bf77-83cbf2951821

Notebook: Offense Readying For Blitz
By Tom Fanning

There are very few defenses in the league that have enjoyed more success than the Eagles when it comes to blitzing, but dealing with that pressure has been one of the Packers’ strengths this season.

Dating back to when the late Jim Johnson took over as defensive coordinator in Philadelphia in 1999, the Eagles have been a prolific blitzing unit, regularly finishing near the top of the league rankings in opponent passer rating. That has been the case once again this season under second-year coordinator Sean McDermott, with the Eagles checking in at No. 2 in the league by allowing opposing quarterbacks just a 66.2 rating against the blitz.

According to STATS, Philadelphia brought extra pass rushers on 12 of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ 31 pass attempts in the first meeting between the teams in Week 1, and the Packers expect to see more of that on Sunday.

“I think they are going to pressure,” offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. “If you look at their body of work over the long haul, this is kind of how that defense has been built. Coach Johnson, who installed it, did a marvelous job with it and Sean McDermott has carried it on.

“They are very multiple. They present a lot of challenges to your protection. They bring people from all angles, and I’m sure that is going to be part of their plan.”

The Eagles had some success in blitz situations in the season opener against the Packers as Rodgers posted a season-low 56.9 rating, completing 7-of-12 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown but also throwing both of his interceptions when Philadelphia brought extra pressure.

But that would prove to be an uncharacteristic outing for Rodgers, who went on to post a 95-plus passer rating in 10 of his remaining 14 starts, including six with a rating of at least 115.0. He led the league (min. 100 attempts) with a 104.5 rating in blitz situations on the season, connecting on 111-of-167 passes (66.5 percent) for 11 touchdowns and five interceptions, and ranked No. 2 with 17 completions of 25-plus yards.

It was his second straight year near the top of the rankings among NFL signal-callers, with Rodgers’ 112.7 rating in 2009 second only to Drew Brees’ 112.9 mark. Rodgers’ rating of 110.2 over the past two seasons leads the league, and was a noticeable jump from his 85.0 rating as a first-year starter in 2008.

“He’s got a good understanding, No. 1, of the protection schemes and the numbering system of a defense and overload pressures and that type of thing,” offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. “So I think that is No. 1, he has a great command of the offense.

“No. 2, he has an ability because of that and an awareness to identify where the pressure is coming from. He is good at that. So he may, A, make a protection adjustment or B, he might make a route adjustment to get the ball out of his hand faster. And then the third thing I think he has is a real quick release when he gets the ball out of his hand.”

The Packers also significantly cut down on their sack numbers against pressure this season, giving up just eight sacks on 167 passing attempts (4.8 percent) after allowing 18 on 180 attempts (10 percent) in ’09.

“I think it all starts with Scott (Wells) making the right declaration, which he normally is always right on with that,” tackle Bryan Bulaga said. “Then if Aaron wants to make an adjustment, he makes the adjustment and everyone is on the same page and we just go.

“I think Scott and Aaron are two of the best in the league at making adjustments, spotting out things in defenses, tips or anything like that. If those guys get us on the right page, that helps us out tremendously.”

The Eagles were especially effective at forcing turnovers off of their blitz as they led the league with 11 of their 23 interceptions on the season coming in blitz situations. Nine of those picks came on third down, which contributed to opposing quarterbacks registering just an NFL-low 45.9 rating on third down.

Philadelphia has forced its opponents into third-and-10 plus more than a third of the time (70-of-209) this season, so staying in manageable down-and-distance situations will give the offense more flexibility to take advantage of check-downs to keep drives moving. The line also knows that if it can keep Rodgers clean in the pocket, he has shown what he is capable of doing with the offensive weapons at his disposal.

“If they are pressuring and we pick it up, it creates great matchups on the back end,” Wells said. “If they are bringing extra guys that means they have less guys covering. If we are able to pick it up and give Aaron the time, he has shown he can find the open receiver and get big plays.”

[esoxx]

We need the Captain's obligatory game day post or everything will go to hell Bretsky! Stop looking at the ladies and post!

The existence of this thread alone is shredding the odds of winning as we speak. :)

I would agree, except for the disclaimer of Unofficial has insulated us from any bad karma that could result.

[pbmax]

Is Eagles linbacker Bradley playing? How about Starks...is he active?

Not up yet.

[esoxx]

http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/Tested-Trusted/af5f3f33-0a5b-41c8-9502-e266732c2f67

RESERVES HAVE PERFORMED ALONGSIDE PRO BOWLERS IN CAPERS' DEFENSE

It’s been the story of the Green Bay Packers’ defense all season – find someone to plug a hole created by an injury, and not only survive with the substitutions, but figure out a way to thrive.

Sure, the Packers placed three defensive starters on the NFC Pro Bowl squad in cornerback Charles Woodson, safety Nick Collins and outside linebacker Clay Matthews, and three other defenders were named Pro Bowl alternates in cornerback Tramon Williams, nose tackle B.J. Raji and inside linebacker A.J. Hawk. There’s been plenty of top-notch talent on that side of the ball.

But NFL coaches spend hours grinding tape to find weaknesses. If they exist, they’ll be exploited. No one can hide in the NFL, especially fill-ins, who can expect to be targeted and attacked.

Yet here the Packers sit, entering the playoffs with a defense ranked No. 2 in the league in points allowed (15.0) and No. 5 in the league in yards allowed (309.1) despite an injury list that could cripple most units.

Three of the Packers’ opening-day defensive starters were on injured reserve by midseason while three others missed the combined equivalent of eight games. Seven other defenders classified as key reserves have also gone down at one point or another, missing anywhere from three to 15 contests each.

“Every year is challenging – we’ve just had a little bit more change this year than you normally have,” defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. “You spend all these hours and time planning and everything and you know how you’d like things to go, but that’s just not how this game works. It doesn’t make any difference. In any game, you prepare and you have an idea of how you want the game to go, and you have to adjust sometimes and let your instincts take over and adjust on the fly. We’ve had to make quite a few adjustments.”

Head Coach Mike McCarthy mentioned earlier this week that the roughest stretch injury-wise came during Weeks 5-6, when the Packers lost back-to-back overtime games to Washington and Miami to fall to 3-3. He commented that it was “depressing” to meet with the medical staff during that time.

But since then, the Packers have gone 7-3 with a defense that has needed reinforcements from two (until now) career backups in safety Charlie Peprah and inside linebacker Desmond Bishop, a rookie seventh-round draft pick in end C.J. Wilson, a former sixth-round draft pick who didn’t initially make the team out of training camp this year in end Jarius Wynn, a non-drafted rookie in linebacker Frank Zombo (who is now injured himself), a former practice-squad player in linebacker Robert Francois, and two street free agents in end Howard Green and outside linebacker Erik Walden.

The Packers will take the field on Sunday in Philadelphia with all of those players, minus Zombo, either starting or playing a key role in defensive rotations. The only saving grace is that the injuries on defense have been so constant throughout the year, all of those players have needed to play extensively and contribute before reaching this bigger stage.

“We’re not even worried about it,” Woodson said. “We feel like whoever we have, whoever we go in with, then we’re fine, and I think that’s the way we’ve played all year. Guys have gone down week after week, but whoever we’ve gone into the game with, they’ve gone in and done their job.

“For us, we’re not worried about who may play or who might not play. Whoever’s ready, that’s who we’re going with, and we’ll feel confident with whoever’s that guy.”

In the playoffs, more of the same is needed of course. And not just needed, but expected.

One of the main reasons the defense has succeeded throughout all the personnel changes and adjustments is that the seasoned veterans and Pro Bowlers have not just tolerated the newcomers, they’ve trusted them.

It would have been easy for the proven players in Capers’ defense to feel compelled to do more, to pick up the slack. But that kind of over-reaching is precisely the type of behavior that can make a defense like Capers’ dysfunctional, because so many different parts are relied upon to do specific jobs, be it gap control, communication, and the like. Capers said everyone on defense has remained accountable to one another, and that’s what has made this work.

“I think the new guys going in, they get a feel from the veterans that if they’re going to be out there, then they’re going to depend on them,” Capers said. “I’ve always believed that it’s human nature – if you know somebody’s counting on you and they believe in you, then you in turn believe in them. That’s what you have to have. You have to have that unselfish attitude and belief in each other that gives everybody confidence you can go out and perform at a high level.”

The success of the defense amidst all the trying circumstances also has fostered even greater confidence in Capers from his players. That was bound to happen to some extent in the second year of his system, but when the unit can perform like it has in two must-win games to close the regular season when the personnel on the field is barely half what was envisioned four months ago, it speaks volumes of the schemes and game plans employed.

“A hundred percent (we) believe in everything he’s calling,” veteran defensive end Ryan Pickett said. “There’s nobody ever questioning what he’s calling. We believe in him. He’s proven. Everything we’ve been doing this year, he’s been plugging guys in and we’ve still been able to maintain our dominance on defense. So we totally have 100 percent confidence in whatever Coach Capers calls.”

All that’s left now is to carry that belief, confidence and success over to the postseason, which this year is like an extension of the last two weeks.

Many of these Packers have had to fight and claw just to get a job in the NFL, and when they got their chance, they maximized on it. The playoffs present a chance of a different sort, for everyone involved.

“We want it bad,” Woodson said. “We work hard to put ourselves in this position despite those injuries. The guys that have come in and had to play, had to step up, they’ve done a great job of having themselves prepared to play. These are guys who weren’t expected to contribute, but they’re contributing.

“Everybody’s hungry, and we have an opportunity to go in here and make some noise, and we look forward to the challenge.”

[mmmdk]

I thought it was Falcons week....?

[pbmax]

What a bunch of goofs. Crosby is a moster.

http://nflcompackers.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/110109captains_playoffs.jpg