More Banjo - Packers vs. 49ers

[Joemailman]

Ouch.

Rodgers - 225 yards, 0 TD's

Aaron Jones - 170 total yards

The special teams meltdown we all feared.

Discuss if you can stand it.

[George Cumby]

How many of us predicted 'Teams would cost us?

SMH.

[Bretsky]

Have a call a spade a spade

Rodgers was pretty bad today. Some of his WR's made really good catches on bad passes.

If his pass to Jones is spot on Jones gets a touchdown on that play. He did not help his legacy. He was really off

[Joemailman]

That was brutal ST. As Slocum had to go after Seattle, Drayton has to go.

Anyone else having problems with server errors on this site?

[JohnMexico]

Fuck that faggot.

Fuck off Arod.

[King Friday]

Special teams laid turds week after week. MLF did nothing to hold that unit accountable. Just hoped it would get better. It didn't. Incredibly poor job of coaching by MLF.

[George Cumby]

That was brutal ST. As Slocum had to go after Seattle, Drayton has to go.

Anyone else having problems with server errors on this site?

There's over a thousand users on the site atm. Mad needed to dust off an old Commodore 64 to increase processing speed.

[MadScientist]

I'm going to refer to them as the Special Teams Dummies or STDs from now until they stop sucking like a cheap whore.

[George Cumby]

Hahahahahahaha

[wthigoot]

Special teams made the difference in the low scoring game.

Think it would have been different if:
- Dillon was able to continue
- There was a real #2 receiver
- Tonyan was not injured
- OL was stable

Not thinking it should be blown up. Keep most, get #2 WR, OT Depth, maybe another TE. And a LS that can block.

[Joemailman]

Fire Maurice Drayton thread bumped.

[King Friday]

Have a call a spade a spade

Rodgers was pretty bad today. Some of his WR's made really good catches on bad passes.

If his pass to Jones is spot on Jones gets a touchdown on that play. He did not help his legacy. He was really off

Yep... Rodgers has some real questions to answer. His play was very mediocre. Granted, the SF defense is a very good unit and the JV OL meant he didn't have much time. But he was off on numerous throws and couldn't provide a spark when needed. He held the ball too long on first down after the big Jones catch at the end of the first half and fumbled. If it ain't there, throw it through the end zone and move to the next play. The dumb ass throws to Adams late in the game where he's forcing it is ridiculous play from a supposed elite QB. Use all of your weapons.

[red]

That was brutal ST. As Slocum had to go after Seattle, Drayton has to go.

Anyone else having problems with server errors on this site?

its been a little weird

taking long to load posts, and a double post

[King Friday]

I'm going to refer to them as the Special Teams Dummies or STDs from now until they stop sucking like a cheap whore.

STDs would be preferred to our special teams.

[kcpackman]

How many of us predicted 'Teams would cost us?

SMH.

Another excuse!

[red]

I'm going to refer to them as the Special Teams Dummies or STDs from now until they stop sucking like a cheap whore.

at some point the green bay packers need to take special teams seriously

we've been bad for years, and this year was somehow worse then the rest

this cannot be allowed to continue any longer

[Joemailman]

at some point the green bay packers need to take special teams seriously

we've been bad for years, and this year was somehow worse then the rest

this cannot be allowed to continue any longer

Packers should be on the phone with Joe Judge tonight.

[King Friday]

Packers should be on the phone with Joe Judge tonight.

No they shouldn't. He's a mental midget. We can do better.

[Joemailman]

No they shouldn't. He's a mental midget. We can do better.

As a head coach he was. Lots of guys fail as HC and go back to being fine coordinators. But there are probably others available.

[Joemailman]

MLF PC on.

[Joemailman]

Packers only had 10 players on field for final FG.

[Bretsky]

OMG

MATTY JUST GOT ASKED IF HE WAS AWARE WE ONLY HAD 10 PLAYERS ON THE FIELD FOR THE WINNING FIELD GOAL

[Thirteen Below]

STDs would be preferred to our special teams.

Yeah, at least most STDs can be cured. And the other difference is that you get STDs from being fucked, rather than get fucked by the STDs

[Freak Out]

SHITSHOW

[Freak Out]

A former Bears kicker goes in and beats them.

[King Friday]

Not firing Drayton was an incredibly poor decision. As I noted in the Fire Drayton thread, almost anyone would be better than Drayton. That guy clearly has no ability to coach special teams at the NFL level. It was evident months ago. To leave that situation unresolved is incredibly stupid, and leads to exactly what was witnessed on Saturday.

[call_me_ishmael]

I have never seen MILF so down. He was clearly crying. This is as gutted and emotional as I've seen him. Feels like the end of an era.

[Thirteen Below]

OMG

MATTY JUST GOT ASKED IF HE WAS AWARE WE ONLY HAD 10 PLAYERS ON THE FIELD FOR THE WINNING FIELD GOAL

NO!!!! You didn't really just say what you just said, did you!??!?!? :bang::shock::oops:

Do I even want to know what he said in reply?

[Bretsky]

NO!!!! You didn't really just say what you just said, did you!??!?!? :bang::shock::oops:

Do I even want to know what he said in reply?


He had a mini eyeroll of disgust and said something like that is obviously unacceptable.

Matty pretty much took the bullet for Aaron Rodgers, the Special Teams coach, and everything bad that happened

[Thirteen Below]

I have never seen MILF so down. He was clearly crying. This is as gutted and emotional as I've seen him. Feels like the end of an era.

Good!!!! Maybe he'll fucking learn something from it.

I've always been a hiuge MLF supporter - I have loved the guy from Day One. But he has got to answer for this, because it's all on him.

[King Friday]

NO!!!! You didn't really just say what you just said, did you!??!?!? :bang::shock::oops:

Do I even want to know what he said in reply?

He said it was unacceptable.

I would've followed up to ask if it was acceptable to leave a guy coaching special teams who clearly wasn't up to the task weeks ago.

[Thirteen Below]

He had a mini eyeroll of disgust and said something like that is obviously unacceptable.

Matty pretty much took the bullet for Aaron Rodgers, the Special Teams coach, and everything bad that happened

I wish someone had had the balls to ask him, "was this really the game plan you said you worked on for two weeks? What did you do with the other 13 1/2 days?"

[Joemailman]

NO!!!! You didn't really just say what you just said, did you!??!?!? :bang::shock::oops:

Do I even want to know what he said in reply?

Just kind of shook his head and said "That can't happen". I'm sure he knows what a mistake the Drayton hire was but isn't going to throw him under the bus in a PC.

[Thirteen Below]

He had a mini eyeroll of disgust and said something like that is obviously unacceptable.

Matty pretty much took the bullet for Aaron Rodgers, the Special Teams coach, and everything bad that happened

Did it sound like this was the first he even knew about it?

[King Friday]

Good!!!! Maybe he'll fucking learn something from it.

I've always been a hiuge MLF supporter - I have loved the guy from Day One. But he has got to answer for this, because it's all on him.

He needs to understand that you can't allow mediocrity for a single minute. If you see it, it must be corrected or it has to be eliminated from the team. The first couple screw ups from Drayton, I could excuse giving him a chance to fix things. When nothing got fixed and the issues continued to happen, a change had to be made. Otherwise, you get 10 players on the field for a season deciding FG, blocked kicks, blocked punts... Complete ineptitude because no one is accountable.

[King Friday]

Just kind of shook his head and said "That can't happen". I'm sure he knows what a mistake the Drayton hire was but isn't going to throw him under the bus in a PC.

Can't do much about it now...but he needs to admit his mistake of keeping him on the staff. Now it's probably not the time, but at some point in the future.

[Freak Out]

Shocking that there are so many drunk drama queens on here now.

[Joemailman]

Can't do much about it now...but he needs to admit his mistake of keeping him on the staff. Now it's probably not the time, but at some point in the future.

Well, if you fire a guy after 1 year, that's kind of an admission you made a mistake hiring him.

[Bretsky]

Did it sound like this was the first he even knew about it?

Yes

[call_me_ishmael]

Just kind of shook his head and said "That can't happen". I'm sure he knows what a mistake the Drayton hire was but isn't going to throw him under the bus in a PC.

Was this dude hired this year or the year before? I don't recall.

[Bretsky]

Well, if you fire a guy after 1 year, that's kind of an admission you made a mistake hiring him.


We need to act FAST and find somebody qualified and experiences before they all get hired

[kcpackman]

Special teams made the difference in the low scoring game.

Think it would have been different if:
- Dillon was able to continue
- There was a real #2 receiver
- Tonyan was not injured
- OL was stable

Not thinking it should be blown up. Keep most, get #2 WR, OT Depth, maybe another TE. And a LS that can block.

OMG - but not Rogers fault of course. Just everyone and everything else's fault.

[Thirteen Below]

Was this dude hired this year or the year before? I don't recall.

Super Bowl Week last year. Early February.

[King Friday]

Well, if you fire a guy after 1 year, that's kind of an admission you made a mistake hiring him.

But if you know it after half a season, you have to pull the trigger. There is no reason to accept mediocrity at the professional level. Drayton should've been fired mid year. It never should have been allowed to fester the whole season. The entire year is a waste because MLF didn't have the balls to fire someone midyear.

[call_me_ishmael]

Hmm, Rodgers doesn't sound as despondent as he did last year, kinda sounds like he might be back tbh. Surprisingly upbeat.

[wthigoot]

OMG - but not Rogers fault of course. Just everyone and everything else's fault.

Not saying that. Listed Rodgers as a dud in the studs&duds thread: he lost patience on several plays, Other things mattered too. My guess is that WRs were not getting open quickly. A solid #2 with some quicks would have helped. If they keep mostly the same roster I really think they need another stud receiver. Then MVS, ESB, and Lazard have favorable matchups.

Dillon was drafted for a game like this, and it was working until he went out with the injury.

[Teamcheez1]

Rodgers became the first QB in NFL history to lose 4 playoff starts to the same team. It may be one of his NFL records that stands the test of time.

[King Friday]

Hmm, Rodgers doesn't sound as despondent as he did last year, kinda sounds like he might be back tbh. Surprisingly upbeat.

Because he realizes that outside of special teams, he's high on the list of blame for the loss. Rodgers loves to be despondent when others, usually the defense, are to blame. If he's got skin in the game, he seems to be more willing to move on to the next week or season.

[George Cumby]

I'm really starting to question LaFleur's ability to get this team over the hump.

Great in the regular season, but three years in a row, now, disappointment in the playoffs.

Could just be mirroring Rodgers' playoff meltdowns, but IDK........

[call_me_ishmael]

Not to beat a dead horse, but boy, the Packers really could have used another skill position difference maker on offense tonight instead of Jordan Love riding pine. I know, I know, I should shut up.

It is a little frustrating though. Dillon was showing up as a monster until he got hurt. Deguara looked meh as always but almost caught that big pass. Another top player could have helped some.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Not to beat a dead horse, but boy, the Packers really could have used another skill position difference maker on offense tonight instead of Jordan Love riding pine. I know, I know, I should shut up.

It is a little frustrating though. Dillon was showing up as a monster until he got hurt. Deguara looked meh as always but almost caught that big pass. Another top player could have helped some.

Management low-balled OBJ.

[RammerJammer]

I'm really starting to question LaFleur's ability to get this team over the hump.

Great in the regular season, but three years in a row, now, disappointment in the playoffs.

Could just be mirroring Rodgers' playoff meltdowns, but IDK........

He's a big part of the blame IMO. I keep saying this but he reminds me of McCarthy. So why did we fire Mike if we are going to get the same thing? I think he gets out coached too much in very big meaningful post season games for me to label him a great coach. Outcoached twice by Shanahan and by Brady/Arians. Lafluer and Rodgers are one in the same. I'm curious to see how he does post Rodgers. I wonder who gets fired first between Shanahan, Lafluer and McVay.

[Upnorth]

During the game i saw lizard open a few times but he was targeted twice all game. He is starting to get the route running down.
Rodgers was high and low or short all game. Heck his big shot to jones was short and outside. Easy td he missed on.
Dillon getting injured fucked us, and then not even trying Patrick? Maddening. Jones needs breaks to be effective.
Our d was great. No concerns there this game.
Oline played better than i expected,

I keep coming back to rodgers focus g on adams so much. When he has to play without him we do better. Adams is by far our best receiver, by far, but rodgers targets his saftey blanket too much.
That dafney drop, ouch, but he had seperation. Go back to him because the underneath stuff to adams and jones was killing us.

[Joemailman]

This reportedly is Lazard on the late deep heave to Adams in double coverage.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJxi3c_WUAAvgEQ?format=jpg&name=small

[King Friday]

Rodgers refused to go through progressions. Jones was open a play or two before that where he moved to the middle of the field, but Rodgers was only looking at Adams. MLF needs to have a very difficult talk with Rodgers after this game. It wasn't that guys weren't getting open. I saw numerous open receivers during the game that Rodgers didn't even bother to look at just from watching TV. I'm guessing the results are even more damning on the full field look.

[RashanGary]

14 of 32 make the playoffs or 44%
8 of 32 make the divisional round or 25%
4 of 32 make the conf champ or 12.5%
2 of 32 make the SB or 6.25%
1 or 32 wins or 3.125%

The odds of making it are good but the odds of advancing are slim.

[red]

This reportedly is Lazard on the late deep heave to Adams in double coverage.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJxi3c_WUAAvgEQ?format=jpg&name=small

yes, it was shocking how he was locking on

i think one pass to cobb, one to lazzard and thats it for wr's

this has been a trend of his in the past in big games

[Anti-Polar Bear]

14 of 32 make the playoffs or 44%
8 of 32 make the divisional round or 25%
4 of 32 make the conf champ or 12.5%
2 of 32 make the SB or 6.25%
1 or 32 wins or 3.125%

The odds of making it are good but the odds of advancing are slim.

ESPN’s ingenious mathematicians said Pack had a 65% chance of winning last night’s clusterfuck.

[oldbutnotdeadyet]

14 of 32 make the playoffs or 44%
8 of 32 make the divisional round or 25%
4 of 32 make the conf champ or 12.5%
2 of 32 make the SB or 6.25%
1 or 32 wins or 3.125%

The odds of making it are good but the odds of advancing are slim.

True, but those odds change as many times as we have made the playoffs, and still failed..

[Joemailman]

yes, it was shocking how he was locking on

i think one pass to cobb, one to lazzard and thats it for wr's

this has been a trend of his in the past in big games

If the pass was Rodgers' last as a Packer, it may be as infamous as Favre's last.


His final throw, a deep heave to Davante Adams into double coverage on 3rd-and-11, fell harmlessly incomplete with Allen Lazard streaking wide open underneath. Rodgers bemoaned missing the open receiver after the contest. It could have changed the game.

“If I hit Allen on that deep in on the last drive, that gets us to midfield, and then we’re a couple first downs away from field goal range. Definitely disappointed in some of the decisions I had tonight. I definitely take my fair share of blame tonight,” Rodgers said.

It was a stunning miss. The 49ers had bracketed coverage on Adams and didn’t hide it pre-snap. The Packers had the ideal play called to attack the coverage on the other side, but Rodgers – for whatever reason – either pre-determined his throw to Adams or completely misread the coverage, both pre-snap and post-snap. The result was another punt, and the 49ers took advantage.

[call_me_ishmael]

But, like, wtf, where were all the receivers? Why was 19, who was just signed off practice squad a few weeks ago, starting? What happened to MVS that he couldn't play over the bye? Where was Cobb? By did 49 the duckman get like 25 snaps? It was just an unusual game in so many ways. I agree Rodgers seemed laser focused on Adams and Jones aside from the single pass to Deguara. We know he's at his best when they play the quick action game. Why didn't they do that at all yesterday? It was baffling.

[Joemailman]

But, like, wtf, where were all the receivers? Why was 19, who was just signed off practice squad a few weeks ago, starting? What happened to MVS that he couldn't play over the bye? Where was Cobb? By did 49 the duckman get like 25 snaps? It was just an unusual game in so many ways. I agree Rodgers seemed laser focused on Adams and Jones aside from the single pass to Deguara. We know he's at his best when they play the quick action game. Why didn't they do that at all yesterday? It was baffling.

#19 is St. Brown. MVS reaggravated his back against Detroit. He couldn't go. Rodgers said in his PC the 49ers did a good job of taking away the short stuff that worked in the earlier game. He didn't elaborate on what they did. It did look to me at times that the 49ers were really focusing on Cobb. The mystery to me is why with the 49ers focusing on Cobb and Adams, why wasn't Lazard targeted more? Especially since he had finished the season so strong.

[ThunderDan]

Fun game to be at. Our seats were in the south end zone 45 rows up so it was like looking at the all-22 cam all night long. Had to watch most of the plays on the big board after to see how far the play went.

The O had WRs running open again and again all night across the field. ARod didn’t find them or just wouldn’t throw to them. D played their hearts out. Special teams killed the season. ARod played like crap but the D bailed the O out all night long. O game plan was crap. This is the best we could do after 2 weeks?

Drive home was a bitch. It took 4 hours and never got above 60 the whole way because of the weather. Got home at 3am. It only took 2 hours and 10 minutes to get to the game.

[Joemailman]

Fun game to be at. Our seats were in the south end zone 45 rows up so it was like looking at the all-22 cam all night long. Had to watch most of the plays on the big board after to see how far the play went.

The O had WRs running open again and again all night across the field. ARod didn’t find them or just wouldn’t throw to them. D played their hearts out. Special teams killed the season. ARod played like crap but the D bailed the O out all night long. O game plan was crap. This is the best we could do after 2 weeks?

Drive home was a bitch. It took 4 hours and never got above 60 the whole way because of the weather. Got home at 3am. It only took 2 hours and 10 minutes to get to the game.

If WR's were running open all night, was the game plan really the problem? Glad you made it home safe.

[ThunderDan]

If WR's were running open all night, was the game plan really the problem? Glad you made it home safe.

A bunch of times ARod was pushed off his spot. So you never know what he saw or when.

For sure ARod had a horrible game. He had the ball 2x with 7 minutes or less in the game to win it and they couldn’t get moving.

[Sparkey]

If WR's were running open all night, was the game plan really the problem? Glad you made it home safe.

Sounds more like the execution of the game plan was the problem. On a night when you have about 2 seconds to throw, watching your #1 read too long is a game plan killer.

[oldbutnotdeadyet]

Sounds more like the execution of the game plan was the problem. On a night when you have about 2 seconds to throw, watching your #1 read too long is a game plan killer.

It is always something, every playoff loss has something that caused us to lose. The only saving grace is after making the playoffs so many times and not getting the happy ending, it does not hurt quite as bad..at least for this old guy..

[Joemailman]

Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Josiah Deguara combined to run 75 routes in the passing game but caught just one pass on three targets.

Nothing surprising here. Just kind of drives home what we saw.

[Joemailman]

After the Lewis fumble, Packers gained 161 yards on 40 plays. 75 of those yards on the 1 pass to Jones. On the other 39 plays they gained 86 yards and 6 1st downs.

[kcpackman]

True, but those odds change as many times as we have made the playoffs, and still failed..

Also true, unless you are Tom Brady.

[bobblehead]

Not to beat a dead horse, but boy, the Packers really could have used another skill position difference maker on offense tonight instead of Jordan Love riding pine. I know, I know, I should shut up.

It is a little frustrating though. Dillon was showing up as a monster until he got hurt. Deguara looked meh as always but almost caught that big pass. Another top player could have helped some.

Allen Lazard was WIDE open for a first down on the final toss into double coverage. Rodgers missed other targets as well. The team had plenty of weapons. We drafted Love BECAUSE Rodgers was playing too much hero ball.

[bobblehead]

Fun game to be at. Our seats were in the south end zone 45 rows up so it was like looking at the all-22 cam all night long. Had to watch most of the plays on the big board after to see how far the play went.

The O had WRs running open again and again all night across the field. ARod didn’t find them or just wouldn’t throw to them. D played their hearts out. Special teams killed the season. ARod played like crap but the D bailed the O out all night long. O game plan was crap. This is the best we could do after 2 weeks?

Drive home was a bitch. It took 4 hours and never got above 60 the whole way because of the weather. Got home at 3am. It only took 2 hours and 10 minutes to get to the game.

You contradict. If WR were running open all night and Rodgers was missing them, what was wrong with the game plan?

[Bretsky]

Nothing surprising here. Just kind of drives home what we saw.


As 13 Below noted, Deguira's f'ck up dropping a pass was huge on the 2nd drive. GB still seemed to be in control and moving down the field again. The drop ended that.

[Teamcheez1]

The issue is Rodgers (again) didn’t execute in a playoff game. Rodgers is not going through his progressions and/or taking what the defense gives him. MLF set up the framework for Rodgers to succeed, which he has in the regular season. For whatever reason the offense has failed in the playoffs. A leopard can’t change his spots.

Is it worth having Rodgers in GB for one or two more seasons? I don’t know. MLF wants him back ( what else was he supposed to say).

When healthy we still have a good core of players: O line, secondary, RB,s are excellent. Clark and Gary are outstanding. Rodgers and Adams need nothing said. The salary cap will force some tough cuts.

Maybe we can make another run with some creative cap management, player development, and hit on some cheap FA’s again.

We are all frustrated with another underperforming effort in the playoffs. Has the window closed and is it time to rebuild? I’m leaning towards yes.

[Bretsky]

Man when the press told Matty he only had 10 players on the field for the game losing field goal he looked like he wanted to cry

[Joemailman]

As 13 Below noted, Deguira's f'ck up dropping a pass was huge on the 2nd drive. GB still seemed to be in control and moving down the field again. The drop ended that.

DeGuara's drop was on the Packer's 1st drive of the 2nd half. The 2nd drive of the game ended with Lewis' fumble.

Both big plays, but Lewis' fumble was the one that really changed momentum.

[Fritz]

Allen Lazard was WIDE open for a first down on the final toss into double coverage. Rodgers missed other targets as well. The team had plenty of weapons. We drafted Love BECAUSE Rodgers was playing too much hero ball.

There was just so much wrong last night.

On that particular play, on the replay I saw ESB deep to the left of Adams, and he had about three steps on his guy. The still that Joe posted also makes clear that Rodgers missed seeing a wide-open Lazard.

The special teams diarrhead the bed, but twice in that game, in the fourth quarter, the offense had a chance to win it. If I recall correctly, they had the lead and the ball with about six minutes left. I remember thinking that if they could just keep getting first downs, they could drive down the field and just never give San Fran the ball back. Not having Dillon at that point was a killer. Jones is a nice piece but he cannot move the pile, and that was needed. The second time was with four minutes left and the score tied. Again, Rodgers moves the team down the field, and it's Green Bay trying the winning field goal with no time left for San Fran. But again, a big fail.

Did anyone else see Dennis Kelly struggling and think back to Rick Wagner last year? And did anyone wonder if any thought was given to benching Kelly, moving Turner to RT, and inserting Nijman at LT?

The offensive line struggled in this game. But Rodgers seemed to struggle, too. He did not seem to be able to make good quick decisions. He got so locked into Adams that no other wide receiver was in the game plan. And Rodgers's accuracy was terrible. There were more than a couple throws that, had they been on the money, would've resulted in big, big chunks (or a touchdown in the case of the Jones throw). When the Pack got down to the SF end of the field later in the game, Rodgers threw a terrible ball to Aaron Jones, who had to twist completely around to catch it, got tangled, got tackled. Had Rodgers put it where Jones could take it in, he had an opportunity to beat that defender and maybe get into the end zone.

Why was so little called to the middle of the field? Because Deguara dropped one? I did not understand the fascination with the short outside stuff, especially after watching the Niners make some hay in the middle.

The special teams - what can we say? They don't get that punt blocked on them, or that first-half field goal, and the Packers win. I can't even conceive of Drayton coming back.

MLF did not coach a good game. He had a good opening plan but he never adjusted once SF adjusted. And I wonder if he ever got into Rodgers's ear to tell him to throw to someone other than a double-covered Adams. And he didn't seem to do much to help Kelly - or maybe he did and I didn't see it. But Dillon was badly missed.

This game puts a punctation mark on Tex's dumb ideas about the special teams coach and the offensive line.

Rodgers was not good. I'd like to know what his playoff career numbers are. Garrapolo had some goofy throws but he also had some darts right on the money. How many of those did Rodgers have? And Troy Aikman telling everyone that Rodgers said he loves the cold cuz everyone else is slower but he's still Mr. Super Sharp - wow, that just rubbed some salt in the wound. And don't tell me Rodgers didn't win because he didn't have enough talent around him, or didn't have a defense. Dude piloted a team that scored ten points in a playoff game. Dude was quarterbacking with six minutes left and the ball and the lead, then had it again with four minutes left and the score tied, and he did nothing. Nothing.

Rodgers is a great quarterback, but in the playoffs he turns into a plain old goat, not the GOAT.

[Bretsky]

Fritz, GB needs another weapon.

But that's now why they lost yesterday; agree on your blog

[red]

Allen Lazard was WIDE open for a first down on the final toss into double coverage. Rodgers missed other targets as well. The team had plenty of weapons. We drafted Love BECAUSE Rodgers was playing too much hero ball.

i agree. theres no point in having other weapons if your QB refuses to look for them

[Joemailman]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJxi3c_WUAAvgEQ?format=jpg&name=small

Here's the video.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1485261036404027393

[HarveyWallbangers]

What's worse is that ESB was open on the left side for what probably would have been a TD.

https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2022/01/23/aaron-rodgers-davante-adams-allen-lazard-2021-nfl-playoffs/

[HarveyWallbangers]

It's Rodgers "Brett Favre moment" from OT in the 2007 NFC championship game.

[Joemailman]

Was that a predetermined decision to go deep to Adams, or was that just a horrible job of reading the defense?

[HarveyWallbangers]

Was that a predetermined decision to go deep to Adams, or was that just a horrible job of reading the defense?

My guess is the first.

[King Friday]

Was that a predetermined decision to go deep to Adams, or was that just a horrible job of reading the defense?

There was no reading of the defense. The defense basically rolled the safety over to Adams' side. They made it rather clear they were going to double Adams.

[bobblehead]

Man when the press told Matty he only had 10 players on the field for the game losing field goal he looked like he wanted to cry

He should have said the 11th was supposed to be antonio brown.

[Sparkey]

Adams was probably 1st read but it's on the QB to make the correct read. If Rodgers had already made up his mind where to go with the ball, before the snap, then it's all on Rodgers.

[George Cumby]

Not to derail the thread, but I'd like to mention how fucking well the defense played.

The Niners scored six points on offense. Six. Two field goals. The number which is located between five and seven. Six.

The Niners got 12 first downs. 12. A dozen first downs.

They had 212 total yards, 106 of which were rushing. They had 131 yards passing but lost 25 yards on the four sacks the D had. Four sacks. Four.

Now I ask you. Had you been in a coma yesterday and woke up this morning and I told you the Pack held the Niners to six points on offense, 12 first downs, 212 yards total, 106 rushing yards and sacked their pretty boy QB four times. What would you predict as the outcome?

Just like last year, what stings about this game is it was so eminently winnable.

Rodgers, Drayton and MLF own this debacle. Barry had his unit ready to fucking play.

[Bretsky]

I completely agree

But it would have been nice to stop the 3rd and 7 run my Deebo Samuel and keep them out of FG range :))

[Freak Out]

Brutal.

[Freak Out]

Last dance. When can Arod be traded? lol

[call_me_ishmael]

It's Rodgers "Brett Favre moment" from OT in the 2007 NFC championship game.

Horrible way for them both to end their career in GB, but it also sort of makes sense as to why it’s the end of their career here.

[call_me_ishmael]

Adams was probably 1st read but it's on the QB to make the correct read. If Rodgers had already made up his mind where to go with the ball, before the snap, then it's all on Rodgers.

I mean there wasn’t any real pressure and he threw to a double covered player with two lesser players open. I think he clearly did. He favre’d it.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I completely agree

But it would have been nice to stop the 3rd and 7 run my Deebo Samuel and keep them out of FG range :))

Unfortunately, I think you can blame Big Z and Jaire for that. Big Z seemed to leave his gap and Jaire didn’t try to tackle very hard.

[Bossman641]

Unfortunately, I think you can blame Big Z and Jaire for that. Big Z seemed to leave his gap and Jaire didn’t try to tackle very hard.

Jaire just threw his shoulder at him, no attempt to wrap up at all.

[Fritz]

Not to derail the thread, but I'd like to mention how fucking well the defense played.

The Niners scored six points on offense. Six. Two field goals. The number which is located between five and seven. Six.

The Niners got 12 first downs. 12. A dozen first downs.

They had 212 total yards, 106 of which were rushing. They had 131 yards passing but lost 25 yards on the four sacks the D had. Four sacks. Four.

Now I ask you. Had you been in a coma yesterday and woke up this morning and I told you the Pack held the Niners to six points on offense, 12 first downs, 212 yards total, 106 rushing yards and sacked their pretty boy QB four times. What would you predict as the outcome?

Just like last year, what stings about this game is it was so eminently winnable.

Rodgers, Drayton and MLF own this debacle. Barry had his unit ready to fucking play.



All true - but beyond those numbers, think of how many times the special teams unit put the defense in the position of having SF starting near midfield, thanks to the lousy coverages on kickoffs or Bojo's crappy punt.

Makes it even more impressive. And even more reason to wake up looking for news that Drayton's been fired. What're they waiting for?

One thing for those wishing that Z or Jaire would've wrapped up Samuel: it would have been great, but at that point SF certainly goes for it on fourth down and what would've been about four or five to go. And the defense was gassed - one pitch outside for Samuel and I doubt GB could've stopped it. That's just how the game was going. But yes, I would've liked the shot at stopping them on fourth.

[call_me_ishmael]

Jaire just threw his shoulder at him, no attempt to wrap up at all.

To be fair, we know he is dealing with some stuff and tackling would be tough.

[Fritz]

Adams was probably 1st read but it's on the QB to make the correct read. If Rodgers had already made up his mind where to go with the ball, before the snap, then it's all on Rodgers.


Also telling is that Rodgers said he should've gone to Lazard, then a couple more first downs, etc, when on the same play ESB was open for a touchdown. Clearly Rodgers does not trust him, but at that point, don't you throw him the damn ball? Guy has dropped some but has caught some third- and fourth- down balls. And had his guy by about three steps.

[ZachMN]

Turner being put on the left side= mistake. Leave Turner on the side bosa is on along with help. I said to my dad I'd Run Dillon at Bosa right off the bat and hammer him. Coaching staff and Arod dropped the ball. Cut ties with everyone and start learning how to draft defensive players who have fire and brimstone. Won't have lightning strike three times at the qb kids......

[Freak Out]

To be fair, we know he is dealing with some stuff and tackling would be tough.

Then don't play. I was worried about rushing these guys back and just how committed they would be. Did Ming pay a snap?

[th87]

The OL reshuffle is inexplicable. Just so amateur - how could they not see the issues this could cause? Turner is worse at LT and Dennis Kelly shouldn't play. Nijman was great. So WTF?

And onto Rodgers. The king of "close but no cigar" in the playoffs. Will play just poorly/well enough to lose by one possession, enabling everyone to blame something else to cover the shortfall (King last year, STs this year). If SF scored 24, he'd suddenly find open receivers to score 20.

[Bossman641]

I didn't love the OL reshuffling either. Wish they had played Yosh at LT and Turner at right. Stenavich has done a great job but Turner and Runyan can't have much experience together.

[Freak Out]

Did the refs suck as bad as I thought they did?

[HarveyWallbangers]

I didn’t have a problem with the refs. They let things go for both teams. According to PFF, neither Turner nor Kelly played poorly.

[Freak Out]

I remember a late hit out of bound on Jones I thought looked pretty egregious but it's hard to tell. I didn't see a replay. I also don't remember hearing a whistle on the Deebo fumble until way after the ball was out. I was pretty buzzed though. :glug:

[George Cumby]

Then don't play. I was worried about rushing these guys back and just how committed they would be. Did Ming pay a snap?

Ming was out there a bit.

[George Cumby]

Did the refs suck as bad as I thought they did?

Not awful, but I, too, thought the out of bounds hit on Jones could've drawn a flag.

[Spaulding]

The issue is Rodgers (again) didn’t execute in a playoff game. Rodgers is not going through his progressions and/or taking what the defense gives him. MLF set up the framework for Rodgers to succeed, which he has in the regular season. For whatever reason the offense has failed in the playoffs. A leopard can’t change his spots.

Is it worth having Rodgers in GB for one or two more seasons? I don’t know. MLF wants him back ( what else was he supposed to say).

When healthy we still have a good core of players: O line, secondary, RB,s are excellent. Clark and Gary are outstanding. Rodgers and Adams need nothing said. The salary cap will force some tough cuts.

Maybe we can make another run with some creative cap management, player development, and hit on some cheap FA’s again.

We are all frustrated with another underperforming effort in the playoffs. Has the window closed and is it time to rebuild? I’m leaning towards yes.

Agree on all accounts. We seem to have hit the ceiling with current roster. Thoughts on the key pending FA's or high salaried players below:

- Rodgers (trade while he still has value and to help cap situation)
- Z. Smith (cut due to cap)
- Cobb (cut due to cap and his declining skills)
- Adams (not resign not because he isn't a stud which he obviously is but due to the fact he'll be on the wrong side of 30 and our next two years will likely be rebuilding plus cap implications to resigning Campbell or others)
- P. Smith (extend if he's willing to give a home team discount as need more than just Gary for rush)

Between Rodgers/Z. Smith/Cobb and a possible extension of P. Smith we might have enough to resign Campbell and Tonyan who is damaged goods and won't command much. If Love makes strides (personally I think he's a bust but we haven't seen enough of him yet to say one way or the other) this team can still be competitive. Add in the draft capital from trading Rodgers and who knows it might be a short rebuild.

Allowing LaFleur to run his preferred offense with Love very well could be a breath of fresh air. Even if not is it any more distasteful than the playoff failures of the last several years?

[George Cumby]

I just don't think you can keep throwing the same shit at the wall and hope it's going to turn into a silk purse. The team as it's currently built doesn't seem like it can get over the hump.

The commonality, admittedly this is my own, facile take, is that Rodgers' substandard play in the biggest games is killing the team's chances to advance.

It might very well be time to boldly go where Ted has gone before and trade the future HoFer.

*Cue Tex Rage*

[Bossman641]

https://youtu.be/sK7yD1DfDCc

Watching this now. Sure seems like Rodgers missed a lot of open guys.

[Fritz]

https://youtu.be/sK7yD1DfDCc

Watching this now. Sure seems like Rodgers missed a lot of open guys.

Some of the stuff that worked well early the Niners adjusted to - and the Packers never adjusted to the adjustment. MLF seems to have a habit of coaching poorly in the biggest games, at least in the playoffs. I don't get it. Sure, the teams are better, but the Packers with the bye were supposed to also be very good. Yet they seemed to be unable to adjust, and they also seemed to be less able to play in the elements than San Fran.

[Thirteen Below]

Some of the stuff that worked well early the Niners adjusted to - and the Packers never adjusted to the adjustment. MLF seems to have a habit of coaching poorly in the biggest games, at least in the playoffs. I don't get it. Sure, the teams are better, but the Packers with the bye were supposed to also be very good. Yet they seemed to be unable to adjust, and they also seemed to be less able to play in the elements than San Fran.

I was really, really hoping that this would be the year that LaFleur showed that he'd outgrown the poor playoff coaching we saw the first 3 seasons, but apparently not. All night long, I kept thinking, "This is the game plan you bragged about spending 2 weeks working on around the clock???".

[Bossman641]

Part 2.

https://youtu.be/wOS-kEA5yZ8

A few things really stand out - Almost all of these passes were from shotgun. Rodgers really refuses to take the 8-10 yard checkdowns to the middle of the field. It's been my #1 complaint about him his whole career. He's gotten much better at dumping it off to backs but has never thrown it to the TE's consistently.

[George Cumby]

Part 2.

https://youtu.be/wOS-kEA5yZ8

A few things really stand out - Almost all of these passes were from shotgun. Rodgers really refuses to take the 8-10 yard checkdowns to the middle of the field. It's been my #1 complaint about him his whole career. He's gotten much better at dumping it off to backs but has never thrown it to the TE's consistently.

A little more Brady in his game would've gotten us to the 'Owl a couple more times, in my estimation.

[Fritz]

A little more Brady in his game would've gotten us to the 'Owl a couple more times, in my estimation.

Either that, or just throwing to whoever's open instead of force-feeding Adams when it was apparent that wasn't going to work. Did you see a single back-shoulder throw-and-catch to Adams? That was the bread and butter, but maybe because of the field conditions, there was none of that.

I agree with your general point, but Rodgers could've swept it all aside if he'd thrown the ball to ESB on that bomb with 3:36 left, instead of throwing into double coverage at Adams.

[Joemailman]

I was really, really hoping that this would be the year that LaFleur showed that he'd outgrown the poor playoff coaching we saw the first 3 seasons, but apparently not. All night long, I kept thinking, "This is the game plan you bragged about spending 2 weeks working on around the clock???".

The question though is whether the game plan was bad, or whether the execution of the game plan by Rodgers was bad. I doubt the game plan was to throw 90% of the passes to ADams and Jones. On the much discussed play where he did not throw to a wide-open Lazard, that was a case of MLF making the perfect play call for the defense the 49ers were in.

[Thirteen Below]

The question though is whether the game plan was bad, or whether the execution of the game plan by Rodgers was bad. I doubt the game plan was to throw 90% of the passes to ADams and Jones. On the much discussed play where he did not throw to a wide-open Lazard, that was a case of MLF making the perfect play call for the defense the 49ers were in.

I agree, but I think it was somke of both. As others have mentioned, where were the pre-snap movements, the misdirection, anything to keep the defense guessing, like every other team in the NFL does? It was the same set every snap - just come up to the line, stand there like statues, and run the same route trees. Rodgers played right into the Niners' hands by refusing to take what they were giving him, but (IMO) LaFleur made it easier for them by not doing anything to keep the D off balance. If what they were doing was no longer working, it's the coach's job to try something else. It looked like LaFleur came out with one game plane and one game plan only - which worked fantastic for 7 minutes, and then never again the entire night. It looked like Mike McCarthy V2.

[Upnorth]

Patrick taylor, 1 snap 0 attempts.
When he went out there 12 called a TO so jones could get rest. I don't yhink jones is an everydown back.
When 12 refused to play with Patrick we lost.
I think the Lafluer o is not what we saw. Or at least I hope not because if we lose 12 we are screwed like tex wants us to be.

[call_me_ishmael]

Patrick taylor, 1 snap 0 attempts.
When he went out there 12 called a TO so jones could get rest. I don't yhink jones is an everydown back.
When 12 refused to play with Patrick we lost.
I think the Lafluer o is not what we saw. Or at least I hope not because if we lose 12 we are screwed like tex wants us to be.

I agree with this. Once they refused to give him the ball I thought it wasn't going to go well. I was telling my wife over and over again that Dillon needed to get out there, but alas, broken ribs are no fun.

[NewsBruin]

If I can woulda-coulda-shoulda, I'd have yanked Davante for a set of downs just to force Rodgers to find someone else.

[run pMc]

A little more Brady in his game would've gotten us to the 'Owl a couple more times, in my estimation.

Agree. There are many, many instances of him going for a more difficult, lower percentage throw than taking what the defense is giving you and letting others make a play. Maybe Gute needs to draft more YAC monsters, but they had Lazard and Cobb.

Speaking of Cobb, I was surprised he had so little impact -- I thought SF would try everything to stop Davante and Cobb would benefit from it. Really disappointed in the offense.

[Freak Out]

I am starting to really like the Harv idea of a Raiders trade. Arod will probably be ok with it as he's much closer to home, pretty solid team around him, will still make a ton of money, and will play home games indoors.

[Bretsky]

JS Packer Beat writer basically submitted an article to get the draft picks for AROD and Adams, build up that defense, resign all the guys on defense, and set themselves up for years to come.
It was interesting

[texaspackerbacker]

Are you referring to Silverstein? That media bastard is a God damned idiot, and so is anybody else trying to conjure up a way to get rid of Rodgers.

[Bretsky]

Are you referring to Silverstein? That media bastard is a God damned idiot, and so is anybody else trying to conjure up a way to get rid of Rodgers.

yes

Reality sucks on this one Tex; Rodgers was not good Saturday. If he was just average we'd win. ST's costs us the game. But Rodgers failed to win it and we should have expected him to

[George Cumby]

Had Rodgers made one or two more throws, or handed the ball to the back-up RB STD's wouldn't have been an issue.

The MVP should play like the MVP in the biggest games.

[Joemailman]

Late in his career, I think Favre lost the mental toughness it takes to put the cold out of your mind and just play. Rodgers looked like that guy against the 49ers. Especially that last pass to Adams in double coverage. A mentally sharp Rodgers doesn't miss Lazard breaking wide open over the middle.

[texaspackerbacker]

I know the haters are really gonna come out of the woodwork on this hahahaha, but my take on the game regarding Rodgers is that they shoulda unleashed him. As so often happens, LaFleur - who I still think is an excellent coach overall - relied too much on just about everything other than having his GOAT QB throw it down the field. That and the same old thing, as LaFleur himself said in his video conference, you can't blame the QB when the D is in his lap the whole damn game - in other words, shitty O Line play basically the whole game after the first series.

[th87]

I know the haters are really gonna come out of the woodwork on this hahahaha, but my take on the game regarding Rodgers is that they shoulda unleashed him. As so often happens, LaFleur - who I still think is an excellent coach overall - relied too much on just about everything other than having his GOAT QB throw it down the field. That and the same old thing, as LaFleur himself said in his video conference, you can't blame the QB when the D is in his lap the whole damn game - in other words, shitty O Line play basically the whole game after the first series.

You should watch the all-22. Tons of open receivers and time to get the ball to them.

More often than not in the playoffs, Rodgers plays just well/poorly enough to get within one possession (or tie), but just can't get over the hump.

Solution is to either get him more weapons so we're not in this position, or to part ways.

[MadScientist]

I know the haters are really gonna come out of the woodwork on this hahahaha, but my take on the game regarding Rodgers is that they shoulda unleashed him. As so often happens, LaFleur - who I still think is an excellent coach overall - relied too much on just about everything other than having his GOAT QB throw it down the field. That and the same old thing, as LaFleur himself said in his video conference, you can't blame the QB when the D is in his lap the whole damn game - in other words, shitty O Line play basically the whole game after the first series.

I agree that the o-line was shitty (thought you always said the o-line didn't matter with Rodgers). However, if you can't stop the pass rush, there's no point in 'unleashing Rodgers to throw downfield' because that will just end up with Rodgers ass on the ground. Instead of running the MLF offense of a couple of years ago that schemed receivers open and used pre-snap motion, everything was static and predictable. It looked like MM was running the show. So really instead of unleashing Rodgers, they need to leash him and tell him do this offense the way it's supposed to work and the results will be better.

[call_me_ishmael]

Late in his career, I think Favre lost the mental toughness it takes to put the cold out of your mind and just play. Rodgers looked like that guy against the 49ers. Especially that last pass to Adams in double coverage. A mentally sharp Rodgers doesn't miss Lazard breaking wide open over the middle.

I had the same thought while watching. Of course, it's easy to make that comparison when there are so many other similarities.

The big thing that jumps out to me about the game is how difference and "vanilla" our offense looked compared to SF. Didn't MILF do a lot of stuff like them in his first year? What happened in year 3? Why'd they play it so vanilla and not try to scheme up anything?

I'd like to see them use moe of their third stringers in games and occasionally practice to get everyone experience. Not handing off to the 3rd RB was really problematic IMO. Do we even have a fullback on this team? Bottom line - there needs to be more than two people that can handle the ball and have the QB feel comfortable with it.

[Bossman641]

The offense has been blended to accommodate what Rodgers likes and to allow him to make checks/adjustments pre-snap. I think that has drastically cut down on the misdirection and fakes. Just my opinion, but I also think they saw SF secondary as a weakness and saw spreading them out and going multiple WRs as the best way to attack.

Rodgers made a comment after the game about the defense really taking away a lot of the short stuff they wanted to do. Somehow though, they took away both the short and deep stuff. Their was the desperation heave to Adams, the attempt to hit him up the sidelines in the cover 2 hole, and one successful pass to Adams on a post route on a third down. I can't think of any other deep-ish attempts.

[MadScientist]

The offense has been blended to accommodate what Rodgers likes and to allow him to make checks/adjustments pre-snap. I think that has drastically cut down on the misdirection and fakes. Just my opinion, but I also think they saw SF secondary as a weakness and saw spreading them out and going multiple WRs as the best way to attack.

Rodgers pre-snap adjustments are overrated, especially by him. Spreading out and attacking with multiple WRs might have had a chance if Rodgers looked beyond Adams, but it would have worked better to scheme receivers open. All the shit that wasn't working under MM still isn't working and needs to go. Special teams was abysmal, but Rodgers wasn't much better.

[Fritz]

I agree that the o-line was shitty (thought you always said the o-line didn't matter with Rodgers). However, if you can't stop the pass rush, there's no point in 'unleashing Rodgers to throw downfield' because that will just end up with Rodgers ass on the ground. Instead of running the MLF offense of a couple of years ago that schemed receivers open and used pre-snap motion, everything was static and predictable. It looked like MM was running the show. So really instead of unleashing Rodgers, they need to leash him and tell him do this offense the way it's supposed to work and the results will be better.

I think this is a good post. That offense was very vanilla - what happened to scheming people open? This really did look like the old MM and Rodgers offense - Rodgers waits and waits until he's sacked or unloads to Adams.

This shit about Rodgers needing more receiving help - I am so done with that. So on that long bomb to a double-covered Adams, how does having more receiving help mean anything when ESB AND Lazard were both wide, wide open? IS "More receiving help" going to mean that new receivers will be more open? And you look at that All-22 video, that was not a one-time thing. Rodgers just went back to how he was playing before MM got canned - waiting and looking around and oops, he's sacked! Or oops, he threw to a double-covered receiver! Or oops, he made a lousy throw!

The o-line was not good. No doubt. But Rodgers all season long worked around that with quick throws. But he did not play like he did during the regular season, at all. It was like turning back the clock to that last painful season with MM. And by the way, Tex's bitching about the o-line rings rather hollow, as Tex has been howling for years that the offensive line doesn't matter because Rodgers makes everyone look so good.

Oh, and Tex also spent the season yammering about how the ST play was not the ST coach's fault.

So here we are, one-and-done.

I also agree that Taylor needed to get the ball a few times - he has a little more hammering power than Jones does, and in those last two drives, that was sorely needed. Did MLF not call for that, or did Rodgers choose not to give Taylor the ball? This whole "Rodgers needs to trust his people or they don't see the ball" thing is turning out to be detrimental to the team in the playoffs.

[texaspackerbacker]

I agree that the o-line was shitty (thought you always said the o-line didn't matter with Rodgers). However, if you can't stop the pass rush, there's no point in 'unleashing Rodgers to throw downfield' because that will just end up with Rodgers ass on the ground. Instead of running the MLF offense of a couple of years ago that schemed receivers open and used pre-snap motion, everything was static and predictable. It looked like MM was running the show. So really instead of unleashing Rodgers, they need to leash him and tell him do this offense the way it's supposed to work and the results will be better.

Good Point there. I did say that, and in general, I do say that. However, and maybe this has something to do with collapsing in the playoffs, when the D, especially the pass rush is tough enough, O Line does matter at least a little bit. That combined with the weather conditions/poor footing, etc. didn't allow Rodgers to use his mobility like he usually does and find open receivers. I re-watched the game, and I did NOT see the plethora of open receivers that some have said. Also, like you and Fritz said, a lot of what seemed to work scheme-wise in the past they seemed to abandon. I don't know why. I do remember when we did all that motion and jet sweep stuff, Rodgers praised it. My guess is that maybe you can't run jet sweeps when the D penetrates so quick into the backfield. We do still run a lot of the pre-snap stuff.

San Fran apparently did a good job of adjusting after the first series. Everybody knew they had the great pass rush, but I didn't expect their DBs to shut down our receivers like they did. Weather may have been a factor in that.

[scharpcheddar]

Lol you'd like think this would wake you up to how scripted this crap is
But you still watch games like little boys.

[George Cumby]

Yawn.

[beveaux1]

I've waited until I had the chance to clear my thoughts about Saturday's game. That gut punch of a game was almost as bad as the Seahawks playoff win on a botched onside kick. My feeling is that we were better than SF this year, just like we PLAYED better than Seattle that year. Like we were better than the NYG in Favre's last year with the team. In my mind, I've assigned blame to this loss. Obviously, our STs deserved all the negative reactions that we've expressed on this board and that has been written elsewhere. It's an organizational failure to allow this to happen, especially when the major problems have been noticeable since day one of this season. These problems allowed a 13 point swing in this game with a blocked FG, massive return to start the 2nd half, and the final stake through our heart, the blocked punt for a TD.

They used to say that offense, defense, and STs each account for 1/3 of a team's success. I think with the changed KO rules for both end zone kickoffs and on-side kicks, STs have less significance, probably about 20%. Our outcome in this game, without an opponent's return TD, is about as poor as a team can possibly have. It's true that without our blunders on STs, and with our tremendous play on defense, we could have won this game. Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

It's also true, that the strength of this team is, and has been for at least 15 years, our offense. Aaron Rodgers has been the difference between making the playoffs and staying home. I think Rodgers is the most talented QB in the game. He's deservedly won multiple MVP awards. He's been the main reason we've been in the playoffs 11 of his 15 years as a starter. He transitioned from a mobile QB to a pocket passer as successfully as anybody in NFL history. He makes OLs look better than they are and he makes RBs look better than they are because of the way defenses play him. What he really doesn't do is make WRs and TEs better than they are. He has a well-deserved reputation as someone that needs to trust his receiver to throw to his receiver, just as he has the same reputation as someone who avoids interceptions and doesn't throw into traffic. Trusting his receivers certainly cuts down on the number of dropped ball picks, as does his aversion to throwing over the middle and into tight coverage.

We've known for quite some time that Rodgers in the playoffs is somewhat more hesitant than Rodgers during the regular season. Rodgers with a playoff lead plays ultra-conservatively. It showed in the Seattle loss and it was even more pronounced in this game. One pass over the middle and only six passes targeted to anyone other than Adams or Jones. The first time I watched the game, I thought Rodgers' legendary accuracy was way off. To some extent, it was, on dump offs to Jones. On throws to Adams and the other six throws, the balls were thrown where no one but the receiver could possibly catch it. In quite a few cases, even the receiver couldn't catch it. The point is, I think it was a conscious decision to play keep away from the defender. It took all risk of interception away from the play, but it also limited any YAC on the play. It also limited our offense in a way that the SF defense could not.

Rodgers at the end of this game looked like Favre did in 2008. He looked like he was cold, old and didn't want to be there. The TV shots of him on the bench and during the last two offensive series were jarring to me. I'll be honest, when I was watching in real time, I had no confidence we could drive it into scoring position. I don't think I ever had that feeling in a Packer game in the past 12 years. Watching it the 2nd time, I realized that it was the look on Rodgers' face.

There's no doubt in my mind that Rodgers gives us the best chance for a winning record next year and I'll watch and cheer for the Packers if that's the case. I would see a couple of years of winning, possibly playoff football before the wheels came off the bus. I also think the best chance for long term success is to trade the most talented QB we've ever had and take our lumps building a championship defense with the draft picks that we get from that trade. Let LaFleur tailor his offense to a mediocre QB and good RBs and pray that he develops into a QB half as good as the guy he's replacing. The old saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" applies in this case. I don't think Rodgers is the guy to get us to the Super Bowl. At least not in Green Bay.

[George Cumby]

Solid take ^

[call_me_ishmael]

I wonder what the teammates think of only throwing to Adams and Jones? Can you come back from that? Are there hurt feelings in the locker room?

Can Rodgers change at this point? Can he force himself to throw over the middle next year? Are we sure it's not an aversion and that the niners didn't play lockdown D?

I'd love to know the answers to all of these things.

[MadtownPacker]

Great post Beveux and that’s exactly what I’m thinking too. Favre would give whatever nobody a chance to catch the ball. With Rogers he’s very selective and seems like he doesn’t want to hurt his stats. Instead of trying to do whatever he can at any cost.

[bobblehead]

I wonder what the teammates think of only throwing to Adams and Jones? Can you come back from that? Are there hurt feelings in the locker room?

Can Rodgers change at this point? Can he force himself to throw over the middle next year? Are we sure it's not an aversion and that the niners didn't play lockdown D?

I'd love to know the answers to all of these things.

The chiefs took Stephon diggs away. Gabriel Davis blew up and Allen threw him the ball. 49ers took adams away.

[Thirteen Below]

I wonder what the teammates think of only throwing to Adams and Jones? Can you come back from that? Are there hurt feelings in the locker room?

I think there has to be some kind of negativity over it. If I'm Lazard and I know I've been open several times and the QB refused to throw me the ball - that he actually took sacks instead of throwing to me, and that he completely ignored me on that final play when at worst I could have set up the game winning field goal - I'm not going to be OK with it. At the very least, i'm probably going to start to lose a lot of confidence in myself.

I never played beyond high school, but I was a wide receiver (they called me a split end back then), and if I'm doing my job and getting open but not seeing any footballs, I'm going to be talking to my quarterback to find out why. I would expect that most of these guys are too scared of Rodgers to do that, so it's probably something that just gets inside their heads and festers. I'm sure it's not good for team chemistry for any of the players to know that there was a guy good enough to start in the NFL wide open on the last play of the game but their team leader refused to throw him a football, so now they watch the last two games of the season on television. Again.

Say what you will about Favre, that's one thing that I liked about him. He had his favorites, but he wouldn't "cancel" a guy the way Rodgers does. Drop on of Aaron's passes and you may not see another one for weeks; with Favre, you better be ready on the next snap, because he knew the way to get a guy's confidence up was to come right back to him. When Freeman was still a young player, trying to earn his way onto the team, he dropped 3 consecutive passes from Favre, and on the very next play after the last drop, Favre nailed him with a 20-yard laser beam down the sideline for a touchdown. That's the way a true leader treats his teammates and helps them develop. Edit: and I just remembered, that was against the 9ers. I think it was on Monday Night Football.




Can Rodgers change at this point? Can he force himself to throw over the middle next year? Are we sure it's not an aversion and that the niners didn't play lockdown D?

I'd love to know the answers to all of these things.

It's impossible for me to believe at this point that Rodgers will ever change. In fact, it's impossible to believe he's even capable of it.

It's Favre all over again, and if anything he's twice as stubborn and arrogant as Favre ever was. He's someone who refuses to hold himself accountable, and that's just who and what he is. You can't expect someone that arrogant to change himself that radically at age 39.

[Thirteen Below]

Great post Beveux and that’s exactly what I’m thinking too. Favre would give whatever nobody a chance to catch the ball. With Rogers he’s very selective and seems like he doesn’t want to hurt his stats. Instead of trying to do whatever he can at any cost.

It's gotten to the point where every single time they show him right after throwing a pass, I can practically see one of those "thought balloons" above his head like in cartoons, and he's using that 130 IQ to mentally recalculate and update his QB rating and TD/int ratio.

[Joemailman]

Only deep throw down the middle of the field was the last play to Adams in double coverage.

https://charts-cdn-c.nextgenstats.nfl.com/static-charts/900/pass-chart_ROD339293_2021-POST-20_1642962326316.jpeg
https://charts-cdn-b.nextgenstats.nfl.com/static-charts/900/route-chart_ADA218591_2021-POST-20_1642962353741.jpeg
https://charts-cdn-c.nextgenstats.nfl.com/static-charts/900/route-chart_JON026624_2021-POST-20_1642962367038.jpeg

[Teamcheez1]

I think there has to be some kind of negativity over it. If I'm Lazard and I know I've been open several times and the QB refused to throw me the ball - that he actually took sacks instead of throwing to me, and that he completely ignored me on that final play when at worst I could have set up the game winning field goal - I'm not going to be OK with it. At the very least, i'm probably going to start to lose a lot of confidence in myself.

I never played beyond high school, but I was a wide receiver (they called me a split end back then), and if I'm doing my job and getting open but not seeing any footballs, I'm going to be talking to my quarterback to find out why. I would expect that most of these guys are too scared of Rodgers to do that, so it's probably something that just gets inside their heads and festers. I'm sure it's not good for team chemistry for any of the players to know that there was a guy good enough to start in the NFL wide open on the last play of the game but their team leader refused to throw him a football, so now they watch the last two games of the season on television. Again.

Say what you will about Favre, that's one thing that I liked about him. He had his favorites, but he wouldn't "cancel" a guy the way Rodgers does. Drop on of Aaron's passes and you may not see another one for weeks; with Favre, you better be ready on the next snap, because he knew the way to get a guy's confidence up was to come right back to him. When Freeman was still a young player, trying to earn his way onto the team, he dropped 3 consecutive passes from Favre, and on the very next play after the last drop, Favre nailed him with a 20-yard laser beam down the sideline for a touchdown. That's the way a true leader treats his teammates and helps them develop. Edit: and I just remembered, that was against the 9ers. I think it was on Monday Night Football.




It's impossible for me to believe at this point that Rodgers will ever change. In fact, it's impossible to believe he's even capable of it.

It's Favre all over again, and if anything he's twice as stubborn and arrogant as Favre ever was. He's someone who refuses to hold himself accountable, and that's just who and what he is. You can't expect someone that arrogant to change himself that radically at age 39.

If that’s the case, then there is no reason to continue with Rodgers. We will have the same playoff disappointment after we win the weak NFC North.

[scharpcheddar]

Yawn.

You're either a fake account or the most gullible person alive.

3 games this weekend ,all end with a field goal at 4 seconds left.

Unless you're brain dead, that's absolute proof you're watching staged Entertainment.
You're a complete moron of extreme stupidity if it doesn't dawn on you now.
Wake up. Become actual thinking adults

[scharpcheddar]

And of course the Buffalo game is completely scripted fantasy

[Joemailman]

A rather wordy, but at the end pretty good breakdown of the Packers ill-fated last offensive play.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUACDvbCJPs&t=659s

[th87]

You're either a fake account or the most gullible person alive.

3 games this weekend ,all end with a field goal at 4 seconds left.

Unless you're brain dead, that's absolute proof you're watching staged Entertainment.
You're a complete moron of extreme stupidity if it doesn't dawn on you now.
Wake up. Become actual thinking adults

You predicted the Packers to win.

Either you're a troll, or the biggest moron to ever live.

[Thirteen Below]

You're either a fake account or the most gullible person alive.

3 games this weekend ,all end with a field goal at 4 seconds left.

Unless you're brain dead, that's absolute proof you're watching staged Entertainment.
You're a complete moron of extreme stupidity if it doesn't dawn on you now.
Wake up. Become actual thinking adults


OK, I'll play.

Tell us, you thinking adult you... just who is in on this massive conspiracy? The officials? The coaches? The players? The TV networks, includiung the announcers and all the support staff?

All of them, or just some of them? And if it's only some of them, how do they hide it from the ones who are not in on it?

How does it work? How exactly do they arrange all this?

And why? Why do they make more money doing this than they would if they simply... you know.... played the actual games?

[scharpcheddar]

You predicted the Packers to win.

Either you're a troll, or the biggest moron to ever live.

And? So? That doesn't have anything to do with what you witnessed. I could get every single pick wrong and sports is still staged regardless. You're using me as a scapegoat because you need authority to tell you what to believe.
Yes, I thought Pack would win. I was wrong.

I never said I understood exactly how it works.
You know a typical movie formula a million times but you don't know the ending if you've never seen it before.

[scharpcheddar]

OK, I'll play.

Tell us, you thinking adult you... just who is in on this massive conspiracy? The officials? The coaches? The players? The TV networks, includiung the announcers and all the support staff?

All of them, or just some of them? And if it's only some of them, how do they hide it from the ones who are not in on it?

How does it work? How exactly do they arrange all this?

And why? Why do they make more money doing this than they would if they simply... you know.... played the actual games?

The Destination isn't the goal. The goal is enjoying the process.

-Cooper Kupp.

It's late. I'll try to come back to this.
Don't want to finger type on my phone all night.

[Thirteen Below]

The Destination isn't the goal. The goal is enjoying the process.

-Cooper Kupp.

It's late. I'll try to come back to this.
Don't want to finger type on my phone all night.

You do all this on this is on your damned phone?? Cripes, you're ten times the typist on your phone that I am on my laptop. I envy you.

I hate those damned smart phones.

[bobblehead]

You predicted the Packers to win.

Either you're a troll, or the biggest moron to ever live.

I don't think he is a troll....

[George Cumby]

I don't think he is a troll....

ROFLMAO

[Freak Out]

I wonder what the teammates think of only throwing to Adams and Jones? Can you come back from that? Are there hurt feelings in the locker room?

Can Rodgers change at this point? Can he force himself to throw over the middle next year? Are we sure it's not an aversion and that the niners didn't play lockdown D?

I'd love to know the answers to all of these things.

Didn't he also call a TO when Taylor was sent into spell Jones at one point? WTF? It sure seemed it was because he didn't want him in there and wanted to give Jones a chance to rest.

[Bretsky]

Didn't he also call a TO when Taylor was sent into spell Jones at one point? WTF? It sure seemed it was because he didn't want him in there and wanted to give Jones a chance to rest.


That is what was reported, that he called a TO to get Jones back in. That's crazy

[George Cumby]

That is what was reported, that he called a TO to get Jones back in. That's fucked

FTFY

[Fritz]

That is what was reported, that he called a TO to get Jones back in. That's crazy

That is nuts, if it's true. By this point Taylor has proven himself to be able to hang onto the ball and he ran hard - he could move the pile a bit.

What's really killing me is that I think the Packers matched up better with LA than anyone else can. Got the corners to cover Kupp and OBJ, the OLB's to pressure Stafford, and I think the offensive line holds up better against LA.

[red]

I wonder what the teammates think of only throwing to Adams and Jones? Can you come back from that? Are there hurt feelings in the locker room?

Can Rodgers change at this point? Can he force himself to throw over the middle next year? Are we sure it's not an aversion and that the niners didn't play lockdown D?

I'd love to know the answers to all of these things.

i too would love to hear from some of the other guys (cobb, lazzard, esb) take on rodgers not even trying to look their way

[kcpackman]

i too would love to hear from some of the other guys (cobb, lazzard, esb) take on rodgers not even trying to look their way

Cobby is his good friend, no one will hear from him. Those other guys wont talk until Rodgers and they are done with their careers - because if Rodgers keeps playing, they may be on his team.

[texaspackerbacker]

It's stupid - typically for most of the haters posting it - to claim he doesn't look for other receivers.

[NewsBruin]

It's stupid - typically for most of the haters posting it - to claim he doesn't look for other receivers.

I looked at the targets for the 49ers game (https://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=401326631), and it's:
Aaron Jones - 9/11
Davante Adams - 9/10
Lazard - 1/1
Marcedes Lewis - 1/1
Randall Cobb 0/1
Deguara 0/1
Dafney 0/2

[texaspackerbacker]

And other games where he completes passes to 7 or 8 or more receivers. You do what you do according to the circumstance and the defense. Amazing how some shitheads think they know better than any NFL QB much less the best NFL QB.

Am I misremembering, or didn't Deguara have a target/drop in this game?

[Bretsky]

And other games where he completes passes to 7 or 8 or more receivers. You do what you do according to the circumstance and the defense. Amazing how some shitheads think they know better than any NFL QB much less the best NFL QB.

Am I misremembering, or didn't Deguara have a target/drop in this game?



It was not a perfect pass, but he had a drop and it could have been a key one as it ended drive

[Bretsky]

It's stupid - typically for most of the haters posting it - to claim he doesn't look for other receivers.


I think he looks for them

But he's guilty of forcing to Adams at times when others are wide open.

In the SF game he was guilty of that as well as bad decisions,,

[texaspackerbacker]

If Rodgers forced passes very often at all, he'd have a helluva lot more interceptions than he does.

Even the video of that late game long pass to Davante had a chance for a completion, even though it looked fairly slim. As for Lazard, it looked like he didn't really come open until Rodgers' arm was already coming forward for the pass.

[NewsBruin]

EDIT: My stats from ScoreMobile only showed receivers with a reception. The targets were (https://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=401326631):
Aaron Jones - 9/11
Davante Adams - 9/10
Lazard - 1/1
Marcedes Lewis - 1/1
Randall Cobb 0/1
Deguara 0/1
Dafney 0/2

Still, though, Rodgers' targets to the other five receivers combined are fewer than his completions to Davante or Aaron.

I think Rodgers goes into Lock-on mode when the game is tight/tough, or when he doesn't trust McCarthy's plan (not a typo). I can understand it, but if I know he's gonna rip up the playbook and put on a cape when he gets stressed, so do the opposing defensive coordinators.

[Thirteen Below]

If Rodgers forced passes very often at all, he'd have a helluva lot more interceptions than he does.

Even the video of that late game long pass to Davante had a chance for a completion, even though it looked fairly slim. As for Lazard, it looked like he didn't really come open until Rodgers' arm was already coming forward for the pass.

Hm. Isn't the Greatest Quarterback Of All Time supposed to be able to read the way a play is developing by... you know... watching the direction people are running and knowing what that means the field is going to look like in another second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds? I know when I watch that play, I sure know that Lazard is going to be wide open in a split-second. I would hope that Rodgers would be at least as good at it as I am.

[Upnorth]

12s accuracy was shit all game. Perhaps he knew this and was locking in on targets that might make up for that. Adams and Jones have big catch radius so perhaps that's it.

[Joemailman]

Hm. Isn't the Greatest Quarterback Of All Time supposed to be able to read the way a play is developing by... you know... watching the direction people are running and knowing what that means the field is going to look like in another second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds? I know when I watch that play, I sure know that Lazard is going to be wide open in a split-second. I would hope that Rodgers would be at least as good at it as I am.

It was obvious well before Rodgers throws the ball that Adams is double covered. Since Rodgers was under no pressure on the play, he certainly had time to wait and see who breaks open. Every QB misreads a defense now and then, but that one was shocking.

[Fritz]

It was obvious well before Rodgers throws the ball that Adams is double covered. Since Rodgers was under no pressure on the play, he certainly had time to wait and see who breaks open. Every QB misreads a defense now and then, but that one was shocking.

Is he misreading the defense or has he, like Favre in 2007, already decided where the ball's going, the hell with who's open?

[run pMc]

Is he misreading the defense or has he, like Favre in 2007, already decided where the ball's going, the hell with who's open?

It looked like he was playing with some bad habits, like predetermining his reads and deciding at/before the snap he was going to throw to Davante no matter what. The last hero-ball attempt to Davante when Lazard is wide open was not the only instance of that. There were some head-scratcher route combos, but more often than not he made the wrong read - I'd say he played shitty moreso than MLF called a bad game.

It looked like SF played a lot of Quarters coverage, so I'm not surprised Aaron Jones got a lot of throws. The underneath stuff should have been open, and they should have been able to either run some route combos that beat Cover-4 or else patiently work their way down the field. I didn't get the sense Rodgers was being patient and didn't look comfortable in the pocket. SF has a good front, but you'd think the quick game and the underneath stuff would have helped him get settled.

Maybe he put a bunch of money on the Niners and threw the game? LOL

[kcpackman]

It's stupid - typically for most of the haters posting it - to claim he doesn't look for other receivers.

I still dont get, why in the heck if we dare criticize Rodgers are we haters?

[kcpackman]

EDIT: My stats from ScoreMobile only showed receivers with a reception. The targets were (https://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=401326631):
Aaron Jones - 9/11
Davante Adams - 9/10
Lazard - 1/1
Marcedes Lewis - 1/1
Randall Cobb 0/1
Deguara 0/1
Dafney 0/2

Still, though, Rodgers' targets to the other five receivers combined are fewer than his completions to Davante or Aaron.

I think Rodgers goes into Lock-on mode when the game is tight/tough, or when he doesn't trust McCarthy's plan (not a typo). I can understand it, but if I know he's gonna rip up the playbook and put on a cape when he gets stressed, so do the opposing defensive coordinators.

You are correct - the offense this years was NOT MLFs - it is that simple,, and it is not because the offensive lines had injuries, it is because Rodgers wanted it that way.

[kcpackman]

And other games where he completes passes to 7 or 8 or more receivers. You do what you do according to the circumstance and the defense. Amazing how some shitheads think they know better than any NFL QB much less the best NFL QB.

Am I misremembering, or didn't Deguara have a target/drop in this game?

Remember when Adams dropped tons of passes thrown his way is first 2-3 seasons? Yeah - so does Rodgers, then he got over it.

[th87]

And other games where he completes passes to 7 or 8 or more receivers. You do what you do according to the circumstance and the defense. Amazing how some shitheads think they know better than any NFL QB much less the best NFL QB.

Am I misremembering, or didn't Deguara have a target/drop in this game?

Here's what Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner had to say, analyzing every pass:

https://youtu.be/sK7yD1DfDCc
https://youtu.be/wOS-kEA5yZ8

Summary: Rodgers sucked.

[SudsMcBucky]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJxi3c_WUAAvgEQ?format=jpg&name=small

Here's the video.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1485261036404027393

That is just fucking disgusting to watch for some who think he's the "goat."

[Thirteen Below]

That is just fucking disgusting to watch for some who think he's the "goat."

It really is painful to watch. The peanut vendor in Section 118 had a better shot at him than any of the Niners.

And Rodgers admitted himself, he fucked that up. I don't understand why so many people give him a pass. He's paid $27,000,000 a year to make that read and make that pass. He didn't. He may not be the sole reason we lost, but he's probably the biggest reason we didn't win. San Francisco's QB came in and played way above his level, and our QB played way below. That's it in a nutshell.

[Fritz]

Well, you can't disregard the fact that the special teams was responsible for a ten-point margin of difference, between the blocked FG and the blocked punt for a touchdown. And that's without accounting for the incredible field position SF had over and over again thanks to poor ST coverage.

Yet I do not disagree. Rodgers is supposed to be the one who takes this team over the top, and in the past two years, he had plenty - plenty - of chances to win the games for the team (twice in the SF game last week, with six minutes left and then with four minutes left). And he did not. In fact, he pooped the bed. Smeared it, really.

[kcpackman]

Well, you can't disregard the fact that the special teams was responsible for a ten-point margin of difference, between the blocked FG and the blocked punt for a touchdown. And that's without accounting for the incredible field position SF had over and over again thanks to poor ST coverage.

Yet I do not disagree. Rodgers is supposed to be the one who takes this team over the top, and in the past two years, he had plenty - plenty - of chances to win the games for the team (twice in the SF game last week, with six minutes left and then with four minutes left). And he did not. In fact, he pooped the bed. Smeared it, really.

Both statement are completely true. Here is the thing for me - every "fail" in the playoffs over the last 10 years have been = well the team lost because of "_________" fill in the blank. All true statements in there own right - BUT, in all of those situations, there has been been one thing common. The coach changed, the players have all changed,, except 2 - Rodgers and Crosby. I am happy Rodgers admitted that he made some bad decisions after last Saturday, maybe the Packers or some other team will reap the benefits of that - maybe, if he really believe it.

[run pMc]

I've heard the summation that special teams cost them 10 points but Rodgers cost them the game.

Your best players need to play their best when the stakes count, and he didn't.

Two years in a row they've had the top seed, home games at Lambeau, and Rodgers hasn't been good enough.
He didn't target a WR not named Adams until the 4Q.

That's not winning QB play. I think it's fair to expect better from the presumptive MVP...especially when receivers were open.

[Joemailman]

I've heard the summation that special teams cost them 10 points but Rodgers cost them the game.

Your best players need to play their best when the stakes count, and he didn't.

Two years in a row they've had the top seed, home games at Lambeau, and Rodgers hasn't been good enough.
He didn't target a WR not named Adams until the 4Q.

That's not winning QB play. I think it's fair to expect better from the presumptive MVP...especially when receivers were open.

It's a fair point. Rodgers probably makes as much money as all the guys on the punt team combined. And the blocked punt didn't put the Packers behind. It only tied the score. Rodgers still had a chance to move the team in scoring range to win the game. Passing the ball to Lazard would have put them right there.

[scharpcheddar]

You do all this on this is on your damned phone?? Cripes, you're ten times the typist on your phone that I am on my laptop. I envy you.

I hate those damned smart phones.

No, it's one finger and this phone is harder to type on

[Jaire]

Late to the thread. I've been gone a while and missed this game.

It does seem Rodgers missed Lazard, but that wasn't game. For a change Rodgers didn't have to win it. But imo, the injuries caught up with us. Bakh being out, switching Turner to LT.... I was concerned about the banged up OL. You win / lose in the trenches in the playoffs and we had OL problems. Dillard going out didn't help. It was still a very very winnable game........ No, GB should have won it. This was their year like 2014 but with more injuries.

The defense was really really good. Bodes well for next year.

But the special teams definitely cost the game. This was our year, and ST had their worst outing I ever remember. It surpasses the meltdown in Seattle which was more than just ST's, surpasses just by a little. Missed FG you knew was coming, but the blocked punt for (SF's ONLY) TD was the game killer. I don't remember anything like it in Packer playoff history, especially when the defense only gave up only SIX POINTS and 212 yards: that's one of their best performances in Packer playoff history. AR will be back: the D is coming into its own. Sans injury, I'm excited for this team next year. Again, it was theirs and it looked to me like their year (much more than last).

San Fran was the one team I didn't want to see for this game and only one of two teams I was concerned about. They should have won. I'm not nearly as upset as I was about the Seattle game, just because I knew that Crosby was done. You just wished the ST wouldn't botch it.

[RashanGary]

Late to the thread. I've been gone a while and missed this game.

It does seem Rodgers missed Lazard, but that wasn't game. For a change Rodgers didn't have to win it. But imo, the injuries caught up with us. Bakh being out, switching Turner to LT.... I was concerned about the banged up OL. You win / lose in the trenches in the playoffs and we had OL problems. Dillard going out didn't help. It was still a very very winnable game........ No, GB should have won it. This was their year like 2014 but with more injuries.

The defense was really really good. Bodes well for next year.

But the special teams definitely cost the game. This was our year, and ST had their worst outing I ever remember. It surpasses the meltdown in Seattle which was more than just ST's, surpasses just by a little. Missed FG you knew was coming, but the blocked punt for (SF's ONLY) TD was the game killer. I don't remember anything like it in Packer playoff history, especially when the defense only gave up only SIX POINTS and 212 yards: that's one of their best performances in Packer playoff history. AR will be back: the D is coming into its own. Sans injury, I'm excited for this team next year. Again, it was theirs and it looked to me like their year (much more than last).

San Fran was the one team I didn't want to see for this game and only one of two teams I was concerned about. They should have won. I'm not nearly as upset as I was about the Seattle game, just because I knew that Crosby was done. You just wished the ST wouldn't botch it.

Welcome back. Come on over to FYI if you

[Jaire]

Welcome back. Come on over to FYI if you are not responding from your phone. :)

[bobblehead]

Now that news is out that Rodgers and Shailee are done as an item I have to wonder if they were on the rocks and it affected him in this game. I mean, going through a tough breakup can fuck with you....and he played just awful.

[call_me_ishmael]

Now that news is out that Rodgers and Shailee are done as an item I have to wonder if they were on the rocks and it affected him in this game. I mean, going through a tough breakup can fuck with you....and he played just awful.

I don't think they actually are, though based on the interview yesterday. She was laughing in the background. Unless it was some other broad.

[Fritz]

Now that news is out that Rodgers and Shailee are done as an item I have to wonder if they were on the rocks and it affected him in this game. I mean, going through a tough breakup can fuck with you....and he played just awful.

Rodgers plays particularly badly in the second half of playoff games.

I wish his girlfriends/fiances would quit calling him at halftime of these important playoff games to tell him it's over.

[bobblehead]

Rodgers plays particularly badly in the second half of playoff games.

I wish his girlfriends/fiances would quit calling him at halftime of these important playoff games to tell him it's over.

Yea. Second half. I haven't seen him play a good QUARTER in years. Ok, thats not fair. He was pretty good against the Rams. But he is 0-2 in his last 2 and he is approaching 40.

[RashanGary]

A good team is hard to beat. It is a coin flip. We just need one more chance to hopefully win our coin flips.

[Joemailman]

ESPN is deep in negotiations with Fox Sports’ Troy Aikman to make him its lead analyst on “Monday Night Football,” The Post has learned.

Aikman’s deal is not completed yet, but there is an expectation that it will be finalized. Aikman has also been courted by Amazon.

The exact figures of Aikman’s deal are not yet fully finalized, but for him to leave Fox it is expected to be comparable to or exceed Tony Romo’s 10-year $180 million deal with CBS.

[Fritz]

Romo, after being so insightful and refreshing his first season, has really fallen back into the pack, so to speak. He just echoes numbly what the lead announcer says, or he gives us pap that even I could come up with. "Yeah, it's hard for an offense when it gets penalties." Or "There's a reason Aaron Rodgers has been the MVP the last two years!" Deep stuff like that.

[George Cumby]

^ Yeah, Romo's regression towards the mean was notable and disappointing.

[RashanGary]

Watching the Manningcast makes me understand more and more why the color guys are so short and not very in depth. The Mannings would talk about actual football stuff and it's so distracting. It's hard to watch the game and stay focused. When announcers just add little bits, it makes it possible to really watch the game.

[NewsBruin]

How do you like the Manningcast? I've never listened to it because I thought it would just be a lot of light chucklehead stand-up, and because I don't have cable.

I listen to the Scout's Feed commentary on Amazon's NFL games with Bucky Brooks, Daniel Jeremiah, and Joy Taylor (Jason Taylor's sister). Their commentary is more individual scouting and stories than game strategy. They meander a lot, but I agree that it's different when you're allowed to talk through and past plays. The game feels like "background" when the commentators don't have to package everything around plays. Also, since they're not the primary broadcast team, they have to react to or ignore the graphics and replays, but they definitely have no advance notice of what's going to pop up.

They apparently do commentary for other games on the Twitch streaming app/site, but I've never listened to that.

[SudsMcBucky]

How do you like the Manningcast? I've never listened to it because I thought it would just be a lot of light chucklehead stand-up, and because I don't have cable.

I listen to the Scout's Feed commentary on Amazon's NFL games with Bucky Brooks, Daniel Jeremiah, and Joy Taylor (Jason Taylor's sister). Their commentary is more individual scouting and stories than game strategy. They meander a lot, but I agree that it's different when you're allowed to talk through and past plays. The game feels like "background" when the commentators don't have to package everything around plays. Also, since they're not the primary broadcast team, they have to react to or ignore the graphics and replays, but they definitely have no advance notice of what's going to pop up.

They apparently do commentary for other games on the Twitch streaming app/site, but I've never listened to that.

The Manningcast is great, as long as the game isn't one where you have a rooting interest (i.e. Packers). If it's a Packer game, watch the regular telecast. For ones that are just for your entertainment, then Manningcast is the way to go. It's very entertaining.

[RashanGary]

The Manningcast is great, as long as the game isn't one where you have a rooting interest (i.e. Packers). If it's a Packer game, watch the regular telecast. For ones that are just for your entertainment, then Manningcast is the way to go. It's very entertaining.

I agree. It is a whole different experience.