Two Minute Drill - Clock Management

[Scott Campbell]

Horrific.

Morency, get out of bounds for cripes sake.

Brett, a 7 yard dump off over the middle does us virtually no good. Throw it away when we have more downs than time.

[Harlan Huckleby]

the two minute offense was dreadful tonight.

but I've often thought Favre wasted too much time on 2-minute drills.

I have a hunch that there is a big disconnect between being a player on the field and being a fan. The defense takes away the plays that we want the offense to run. But, that said, it's better to throw the ball out of bounds and give-up a down than burn 20 seconds to gain 8 yards.

[Noodle]

I have to agree with this. I know the CW used to be that nobody runs a two minute drill like Favre, but there's something out of sync lately. It takes a long time to get the play off, the play is commonly a dump off to a back with the hope that he gets out of bounds, and we just seem to burn a lot of time without doing much.

When was the last time you saw a receiver in a two-minute drill dragging his two at the sideline on a deep out?

[Bretsky]

It looked sick; they looked unprepared for the real two minute drill.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Could Spitz have held the ball any longer?

Gotta get that thing back to the QB if you want a chance to score.

[Patler]

Could Spitz have held the ball any longer?

Gotta get that thing back to the QB if you want a chance to score.


Huh??? How is it Spitz' fault?

[Zool]

Rewatch the game. Favre would stomp his foot and Spitz was not looking. Favre would stomp again and Spitz might have been looking. A 3rd stomp was often neccessary. They were going on silent.

[Sparkey]

It appeared to me, the line did not play as well when Spitz went in at center. To be expected I guess. Wells, very rarely, has help inside blocking. It seemed Spitz was receiving more assistance on doubles, which caused some problems along the rest of the line.

Credit the Bears however. They did a better job of putting pressure on Favre in the 2nd half.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Could Spitz have held the ball any longer?

Gotta get that thing back to the QB if you want a chance to score.


Huh??? How is it Spitz' fault?
Like Zool said, Favre was stomping his foot to get Spitz to snap the ball. Spitz was holding onto the thing for 5 seconds while everyone was waiting for him. He did this time and time again. Add up 5 plays that's 25 seconds they didn't have to waste. Snaps should have came a lot quicker and there could have easily been 2 more plays just on that alone.

He simply wasn't ready for the 2 minute drill.

[Patler]

Like Zool said, Favre was stomping his foot to get Spitz to snap the ball. Spitz was holding onto the thing for 5 seconds while everyone was waiting for him. He did this time and time again.

If it is was a simple as that, with Spitz supposed to snap the first time Favre stomped his foot, it would be a huge advantage for the defense knowing exactly when the ball would be snapped. Think of the advantage for a blitzer.

The snap count is more complicated than that. Foot stomps can be indicators to start players in motion, or can be simple deceptions. They can be snap designators, but it might be the 2nd or 3rd one, not always the first.

If Spitz was delaying the snap time and time again, there would have been false starts time and time again, because the rest of the offense would have fired out of their stances expecting that the ball would be snapped when the snap designator was reached.

[Zool]

In the silent count, they go off the snap. They dont have everyone looking for the footstomp. There's no way he could have communicated a 2 or 3 stomp call in the hurry up. Stomp and go.

[cpk1994]

I didn't have a problem withe 2-minute drill itseld What I had a problem with realting to that was that the pack would have had one extras timeout if MM had not made the bonehead decision to challenge a spot. You don't gamble a timeout over 6 feet. That timeout could have yieded 2 more plays before Favre would have to heave in the endzone. Simply a stupid bonehead challenge. It was Shermanesque.

[cheesner]

Like Zool said, Favre was stomping his foot to get Spitz to snap the ball. Spitz was holding onto the thing for 5 seconds while everyone was waiting for him. He did this time and time again.

If it is was a simple as that, with Spitz supposed to snap the first time Favre stomped his foot, it would be a huge advantage for the defense knowing exactly when the ball would be snapped. Think of the advantage for a blitzer.

The snap count is more complicated than that. Foot stomps can be indicators to start players in motion, or can be simple deceptions. They can be snap designators, but it might be the 2nd or 3rd one, not always the first.

If Spitz was delaying the snap time and time again, there would have been false starts time and time again, because the rest of the offense would have fired out of their stances expecting that the ball would be snapped when the snap designator was reached.Not to mention that it would have been mentioned to Spitz after the first time. I think he is bright enough to correct it if it was pointed out to him.

This is all on Brett - he was walking with no indication of haste or hurry in him. His attitude indicated no need to hurry between plays. Just hurrying between plays would have saved us 20 sec easy - time for another play.

This could be a MM issue, perhaps the 2 min drill was not as layed out as it should be.

[The Shadow]

No sense of urgency,

[Badgepack]

Driver damn near came down with that ball.

[b bulldog]

The Wells injury hampered this area dramaticly.

[Deputy Nutz]

The Cover 2 took away the sideline passing game and Favre was just trying to move the chains. You don't go know where unless you get first downs.

Some of you have to remember that Spitz is now responsible for the line calls at the LOS, he has to get things adjusted, and that would most likely take more time for Spitz than for Wells.

I think it is a bit funny how Favre drove them to the end of the half field goal with less than a minute 30, but you are all questioning his ability to run the 2 minute drill.

Maybe Driver goes up and gets the ball at the highest point, because the pass was there to be caught, but Driver didn't come up to get it, the defender got to the ball first. Picky, but so are the rest of you.

[Deputy Nutz]

Nobody made a play with the ball in their hand, Morency could have gone out of bounds, but cut back for yards, nobody made a catch and then broke for more yardage down the sideline.

Most importantly is that everyone still lines up right and runs the right play, Favre didn't get sacked, and up until the last play the ball was being moved down the field.

[HarveyWallbangers]

1) That's the worst 2-minute drill I've seen from us in a long, long time. Pathetic.
2) I think anybody who thinks Favre isn't normally exceptional in the 2-minute drill is a nutjob. (Well, that's a little strong, but he's normally as good as anybody at the end of halfs or games.)

I had no problem with the passes, but all of the time it took once guys were set was horrible. The triple leg pump in a 2-minute drill? WTF!

[Rastak]

1) That's the worst 2-minute drill I've seen from us in a long, long time. Pathetic.
2) I think anybody who thinks Favre isn't normally exceptional in the 2-minute drill is a nutjob. (Well, that's a little strong, but he's normally as good as anybody at the end of halfs or games.)

I had no problem with the passes, but all of the time it took once guys were set was horrible. The triple leg pump in a 2-minute drill? WTF!


Had Jones (I think it was him), caught the ball before the hail mary pass, could the Pack even run another play? They had 8 seconds to run down and spike. They still alomost pulled it off, that jump ball was almost a tie which goes to the offense.

[Harlan Huckleby]

The Cover 2 took away the sideline passing game and Favre was just trying to move the chains. You don't go know where unless you get first downs.

hog warsh. IF I were a Bears fan, I would be pumping my fist in the air in triumph every time Favre completed a 7 yard pass underneath. 7 yards is less valuable than 20 seconds.

They didn't need first downs, they needed big chunks of yardage in that situation. Otherwise they would be stuck close to midfield with few and far opportunities at the endzone. Which is what happened.

IF they were driving for a field goal, maybe there was time to methodically move down the field. It was a desperate situation, and they didn't act like it.

[Joemailman]

This from MM's press conference:

If Wells had been at center in the 2-minute drill at the end, would the snaps have come quicker?
Our mechanics as far as the time for the snaps was not where it needed to be. The communication as far as the set-up, we actually did take a lot more time than you would have liked. I'd like to think we could have had another opportunity or two. We were not as crisp as we've been there.

[Deputy Nutz]

The Cover 2 took away the sideline passing game and Favre was just trying to move the chains. You don't go no where unless you get first downs.

hog warsh. IF I were a Bears fan, I would be pumping my fist in the air in triumph every time Favre completed a 7 yard pass underneath. 7 yards is less valuable than 20 seconds.

They didn't need first downs, they needed big chunks of yardage in that situation. Otherwise they would be stuck close to midfield with few and far opportunities at the endzone. Which is what happened.

IF they were driving for a field goal, maybe there was time to methodically move down the field. It was a desperate situation, and they didn't act like it.

Then Favre throws the ball into double coverage because he feels pressure to make a play down field when there wasn't one and it gets picked. He at the very least gave this team a chance to make plays in the two minute drill.

In some cases those 7 yard passes turn into twenty yard gains, but unfortunately they didn't turn out that way.

Here is a better solution Favre throws the ball away four straight times instead of going underneath because no one was open down field!

[Harlan Huckleby]

they might try a screen play after sending several wide recievers deep.

It's hard to turn 7 yard slant into 15 yards when the linebackers are deep and playing contain. In fact, forget short slants.

the options are limitted, better to take chance than slowly commit suicide.

[Deputy Nutz]

they might try a screen play after sending several wide recievers deep.

It's hard to turn 7 yard slant into 15 yards when the linebackers are deep and playing contain. In fact, forget short slants.

the options are limitted, better to take chance than slowly commit suicide.

I didn't see our screen game work very well the longer the game went.

Point number two, Favre throws a pick in coverage and then everyone is bitching about Favre taking chances and costing this team a victory, he took what was available, bottom line.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I didn't see our screen game work very well the longer the game went.


easy to set it up in this situation, linebackers are way back. Just a bit better than slant because you got some blockers.



Point number two, Favre throws a pick in coverage and then everyone is bitching about Favre taking chances and costing this team a victory, he took what was available, bottom line.

Better to go down swinging. bitching be damned.

bottom line: time ran out by taking what was available.

[LEWCWA]

I really don't understand why we lost the timeout on the challenge. If you challenge the spot and they change the spot you won, regardless of the firstdown or not. The Bills challenged the spot tonight the ball was moved it was still a first down for the girls, but the Bill retained the timeout! If it was wording semantics, that is ridiculous!

[Partial]

You challenge the result of the spot AND the spot of the ball.

They were right on the spot of the ball. They corrected it, but the Bears still had a first down.

Thus, since the result of the play was a still a first down, they lost the challenge.

[LEWCWA]

Like I said the Bill did the same thing tonight and didn't lose the timeout! Why the difference?

[Partial]

Like I said the Bill did the same thing tonight and didn't lose the timeout! Why the difference?

I didn't read the rest of your post. I don't know why, then. Weird.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I thought something was amiss. I wasn't aware that the center apparently plays such a crucial role in those situations. Maybe he was slow in getting the line calls made.


Notebook: Spitz To Step In For Injured Wells
by Mike Spofford, Packers.com

The versatility of the Green Bay Packers' young offensive linemen is proving to be valuable.

On Sunday night against Chicago, Jason Spitz took over for Scott Wells at center late in the third quarter after Wells was poked in the eye on a third-down running play. On Monday, Head Coach Mike McCarthy announced that Wells has a fractured orbital bone and will in all likelihood miss Sunday's game against Washington, forcing Spitz into his first start at center.

But the second-year pro, whose 14 NFL starts to this point have all come at guard, is up to the task. The four offensive series he played at center on Sunday constitute by far his most extensive experience at the position, but with Wells nursing a mild hamstring strain the past couple of weeks, Spitz has taken a significant share of the practice snaps at center and feels ready.

"I've got enough reps during the preseason and during the regular week to work on my snaps, so that's not an issue," said Spitz, a third-round draft choice in 2006 out of Louisville.

While the offense sputtered in the second half against the Bears, McCarthy said it was by no means because of the change at center. One area where the change may have affected the offense was in the 2-minute drill down the stretch, when it seemed to take longer than normal to snap the ball in the shotgun as precious seconds ticked away with the Packers needing a touchdown to tie the game.

"Our mechanics as far as the time for the snaps was not where it needed to be," McCarthy said. "The communication as far as the set-up, we actually did take a lot more time than you would have liked. I'd like to think we could have had another opportunity or two. We were not as crisp as we've been there."

Spitz said he feels the timing will get better with more practice in the hurry-up mode.

"I guess you can put that on me, maybe not having the rhythm down in the 2-minute drill," he said. "We'll need to speed that up a little bit."

Wells' injury is not considered too serious. McCarthy said he would probably be able to play after the bye week, so he may miss just the one game.

McCarthy has said often that Wells has been the most consistent of the team's offensive linemen to this point, and it will be paramount to avoid any significant dropoff in his absence.

"Jason Spitz I thought did a good job with the declaration and the calls," McCarthy said of his play Sunday night. "But I'm not naïve to the fact that the timing is probably not exactly the same and so forth."

[Harlan Huckleby]

Like I said the Bill did the same thing tonight and didn't lose the timeout! Why the difference?

Ya, I had to scratch my hat at that too.

Bills were specifically challenging whether the player was down by contact. Obviously that effects the spot too, but it was a different type of challenge.

In the packer case, there was no question as to whether he was down, just the spot was in question.

It's a frustrating rule. But on the other hand, I see the point of the rule. EVERY spot is wrong, be it by 1 micron, 1 inch, 1 foot, or 1 yard. How can they make a cutoff?

[LEWCWA]

I guess if you challenge the spot and they do move it your challenge should be good and you shouldn't lose a TO. Challenges are limited so you don't have to worry about challenges on every play. That was a close call McCarthy was right and one more inch its not a first down. Getting it right shouldn't cost a TO. Bad rule IMO! :evil: :evil: :evil: :x :x

[Harlan Huckleby]

I guess if you challenge the spot and they do move it your challenge should be good and you shouldn't lose a TO.

ya, well this does seem fair. But how MUCH do they have to move it? Does 1 inch count? Is 5 inches adequate, or really does it require 6 inches to do the job? Is 10 too much? Never mind, my mind was wandering.

It puts refs in impossible position, even if it does seem more fair.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Does 1 inch count? Is 5 inches adequate, or really does it require 6 inches to do the job? Is 10 too much?
Would any of the Packer ladies here care to comment on this?

[MJZiggy]

Does 1 inch count? Is 5 inches adequate, or really does it require 6 inches to do the job? Is 10 too much?
Would any of the Packer ladies here care to comment on this?

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t252/mjziggy/wiggleworm.jpg

[Deputy Nutz]

I didn't see our screen game work very well the longer the game went.


easy to set it up in this situation, linebackers are way back. Just a bit better than slant because you got some blockers.



Point number two, Favre throws a pick in coverage and then everyone is bitching about Favre taking chances and costing this team a victory, he took what was available, bottom line.

Better to go down swinging. bitching be damned.

bottom line: time ran out by taking what was available.

Lets just be happy nobody ever gave you the opportunity to coach football at any level.

[Harlan Huckleby]

You wouldn't say that to my face cause you know you'd be on the ground in a pool of blood. Maybe that would be ok, you'd have plenty of time to watch your stupid hunting tv shows from a hospital bed, pussy.

[the_idle_threat]

:shock:

Internet courage?

[gbgary]

this game wasn't lost in the last two minutes. it wasn't field position given up by the kicking game. it wasn't the turnovers. it was lost when MM decided he would punish the offense (for the turnovers) by putting one weapon on the bench and castrating another by calling one running play after another. he put the game in the hands of the defense. the defense did all it could but one 3-and-out after another, by our offense, wore them down and made griese look like a legitimate starter. MM decided he'd make a point. we'd still be in first if we lost so no big deal. jones would take his medicine sitting on the bench and brett would be reminded that MM's in charge. one lame-ass run after another, an underneith route or two, and an occasional short pass on 3rd and long would be the order for the second half. not until he got behind would he give in but it was too late. points were made, messages sent...but at the expense of a win. i hope this game doesn't make a huge difference in the end when play-off seedings are being decided. i hope MM learned a lesson. this team didn't get to 4-0 by running the power sweep.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Jones isn't so much better than Martin that it changed the offense.

The offense lost their confidence. And i think that is partly on MM, sure.

[GrnBay007]

this game wasn't lost in the last two minutes. it wasn't field position given up by the kicking game. it wasn't the turnovers. it was lost when MM decided he would punish the offense (for the turnovers) by putting one weapon on the bench and castrating another by calling one running play after another. he put the game in the hands of the defense. the defense did all it could but one 3-and-out after another, by our offense, wore them down and made griese look like a legitimate starter. MM decided he'd make a point. we'd still be in first if we lost so no big deal. jones would take his medicine sitting on the bench and brett would be reminded that MM's in charge. one lame-ass run after another, an underneith route or two, and an occasional short pass on 3rd and long would be the order for the second half. not until he got behind would he give in but it was too late. points were made, messages sent...but at the expense of a win. i hope this game doesn't make a huge difference in the end when play-off seedings are being decided. i hope MM learned a lesson. this team didn't get to 4-0 by running the power sweep.

Exactly how I saw it.

Hope MM learns his little "punishment' tactic didn't work so well.

As far as Brett goes, I almost wonder how much influence the media has over a young coach, MM. With all the media talk of reigning in Brett Favre!! Could a little of that gone to his head a bit??? ....just a bit....maybe. Who better to let control the game under those circumstances then Favre? And it really appeared MM took that away after the bonehead pic to Urlacher. I hope all rookies....coach included, learned lessons from that game!!

[HarveyWallbangers]

What was the run/pass ratio in the second half?

[MadtownPacker]

I guess if you challenge the spot and they do move it your challenge should be good and you shouldn't lose a TO. Challenges are limited so you don't have to worry about challenges on every play. That was a close call McCarthy was right and one more inch its not a first down. Getting it right shouldn't cost a TO. Bad rule IMO! :evil: :evil: :evil: :x :xNFL Network has a weekly session where an NFL official explains some of the questionable calls of the week. Tonight I saw them explain about this challenge and the loss of a timeout. In this case he said that a coach cannot challenge the spot of the ball only if it is a first down. So even if M3 asked to challenge the spot he is onyl challenging the first down or not.

[Harlan Huckleby]

What was the run/pass ratio in the second half?

I don't think stats really tell the story. The team played without confidence. Didn't do anything creative or daring. Just because they had a low number of runs doesn't tell the story. No passes downfield on first down to loosen the defense.

[4and12to12and4]

I thought the Packers played an extremely good game, and MM's playcalling would have been fine if we could've continued getting plus yardage out of run plays as in the first half. If he didn't run it at all and Brett would've thrown a couple stupid picks in the third quarter, while we were ahead, naysayers would've said why abandon the run, when we have had success with it in the first half. I thought MM called a good game. You can't have 4 turnovers and expect to beat a team as good as the Bears, or ANY team for that matter. Even Dallas BARELY beat Buffalo because of it's turnovers. Tillman did a good job stripping JJ twice. JJ, after getting cussed out, held on to it well after that and continued good catches with no drops. He's a rookie. He's learning.

We dominated this game offensively against a very good defense and showed we are not pretenders, and why we are in 1st place. I predicted a loss here. The Bears just needed this game too badly. I personally am glad we lost it like we did, and didn't get our asses handed to us, like I expected.

Between this game, the Philly game, and the Chargers game, we can beassured that our Packers can hang in there with the best in the league this year, a far cry from last year, when we only beat mediocre to bad teams. I like the way we look, and I think our ground game will come around. I don't know about you guys, but I'm stoked that we are 4-1, two games ahead of Chicago right now. I didn't expect this.

This week will be a challenge, the Redskins really look tough, especially defensively, and the Bears get the Vikes. I don't like the possibilities here. We need to win, cuz the Bears probably will. Go Pack.

[4and12to12and4]

BTW, if the ref gives us 2 more inches, MM's the smartest guy on the planet there, so quit Monday morning quarterbacking him on the call. I will say that when he challenged it, I was pissed, but when they moved the ball back I was suprised. I think MM was thinking if we didn't get this call, the game was over one way or another. I didn't think so, but, who knows.

As far as the two minute drill, i was shocked at the way they ran it, one thing I've always counted on with our Favre led teams all these years has been very efficient 2 minute drills. Hell, even at the end of the first half, Favre did a wonderful job to get us in field goal range, and was even pissed off that MM used that last timeout because they were so quick to the line, he was gonna spike it two seconds later. Oh, well, this is all bullshit anyways we lost due to four turnovers, period. All this is circumstancial, we should've been up by 14 points when all this shit was going on. I still think, all in all, good game plan, good execution, and enjoyable game right to the last second against a formidable opponent. I'm proud to watch the Pack play this year, I couldn't say that last year.

[The Leaper]

Jones isn't so much better than Martin that it changed the offense.

I would beg to differ. Martin is OK...but Jones has far more ability to make plays on the very slant routes that we basically saw disappear from the equation when Jones went to the bench.

Jones IS the key to our offense right now. He opens up the sidelines for Jennings, and prevents Driver from constantly bearing the brunt of going over the middle. Believe me, I was one of the biggest guys questioning Jones' impact in 2007. I was wrong...his impact on the passing game is enormous, even if his stats are merely good.

Plus, Favre seems to have more confidence in Jones.

[Bretsky]

What was the run/pass ratio in the second half?

Wasn't it almost even.....like 12 passes to 9 runs ? The way we ran that was about five too many.

[Bretsky]

Jones isn't so much better than Martin that it changed the offense.

I would beg to differ. Martin is OK...but Jones has far more ability to make plays on the very slant routes that we basically saw disappear from the equation when Jones went to the bench.

Jones IS the key to our offense right now. He opens up the sidelines for Jennings, and prevents Driver from constantly bearing the brunt of going over the middle. Believe me, I was one of the biggest guys questioning Jones' impact in 2007. I was wrong...his impact on the passing game is enormous, even if his stats are merely good.

Plus, Favre seems to have more confidence in Jones.


I agree; Martin is a #4/#5 WR. When Jones or Jennings are out we miss them

[Harlan Huckleby]

ya, but game changing? nah.

You're talking about Jones catching 3 passes or Martin catching 2.

[Bretsky]

ya, but game changing? nah.

You're talking about Jones catching 3 passes or Martin catching 2.


I really think Jones is a strong step up from Martin
Just like route running wise Jennings is a step up from Jones

Game changing ? I think GB's offense is much more challanged if they lose any of their top 3 due to the dropoff after

[The Leaper]

ya, but game changing? nah.

You're talking about Jones catching 3 passes or Martin catching 2.

No one is saying Jones is the one making the game changing plays Harlan. The point is that Jones operates in a way that makes the other WRs more effective.

I think the 2nd half on Sunday night more than proves that point.

[The Leaper]

What was the run/pass ratio in the second half?

Wasn't it almost even.....like 12 passes to 9 runs ? The way we ran that was about five too many.

Yeah, but 8 or 9 of the passes came in the last 2:00. That really shouldn't be factored into the equation...there is no run/pass issue in that instance.

I sure hope we had more than 21 plays in the second half.

[HarveyWallbangers]

On our first drive, we had a long kickoff, passed it once to Wynn for 13 yards. Then, we ran it three times--getting stuffed on 3rd and 1.

It's hard to argue with this. Chicago was giving a pass look. We had success in the first half, and ran it for 9 yards on our first 2 runs. Then, we got stuffed.


The second drive, we ran for 5 yards on 1st down and then ran for no gain on 2nd down. Favre then threw his interception.

It's hard to argue with this. After getting 5 yards on 1st down, it's not a bad call to run it again.


The third drive, we ran it 3 times for 8 yards and punted.

This is the one I had a problem with. Stuck with the run too long, and got too conservative after Favre threw the interception.


After the third drive, we threw it 9 out of 11 times--even before the final drive where we went almost exclusively to the pass.

Hard to argue with this either.

I think it's a little blown out of proportion. I think McCarthy had a really bad series after Favre's interception, but he came out running the ball a bit. Not a bad idea. He was having success, he was leading, and the Bears were playing for pass still. After the bad series, he went back almost exclusively to the pass.

[gbgary]

What was the run/pass ratio in the second half?

Before the last drive of the second half, the Packers ran a total of 15 plays, nine of them being runs for a total of 19 yards and zero rushing first downs in the second half.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Actually, we ran 21 plays before the last drive. We ran 10 times and passed 11 times. I broke it down above. Outside of the drive after Favre's interception, it makes a lot more sense.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Kind of interesting. Favre runs the two minute drill. From what I can gather, up to the point where Favre was tapping his feet, it was on him. After that, it was on Spitz. I think if you take the plays where he tapped his foot multiple plays and hike it on the first tap, we're in a lot better shape. Probably able to run a couple of more plays.


Q: Jim of Minneapolis - What was the deal with the last drive against Chicago? It seemed very conservative...was that a result of the plays called or the options that Favre choose? He looked shell-shocked and didn't seem like the normal agressive, "we can do this" Favre.

A: Tom Silverstein - Favre took the blame for not running the two-minute drill with a sense of urgency. I think some of it had to do with having a new center. Spitz needed time to read the defense and make line calls. At least once Favre was stomping his foot signaling for the snap and it didn't come. I think Favre was being kind when taking the blame.

[Maxie the Taxi]

Kind of interesting. Favre runs the two minute drill. From what I can gather, up to the point where Favre was tapping his feet, it was on him. After that, it was on Spitz. I think if you take the plays where he tapped his foot multiple plays and hike it on the first tap, we're in a lot better shape. Probably able to run a couple of more plays.


Q: Jim of Minneapolis - What was the deal with the last drive against Chicago? It seemed very conservative...was that a result of the plays called or the options that Favre choose? He looked shell-shocked and didn't seem like the normal agressive, "we can do this" Favre.

A: Tom Silverstein - Favre took the blame for not running the two-minute drill with a sense of urgency. I think some of it had to do with having a new center. Spitz needed time to read the defense and make line calls. At least once Favre was stomping his foot signaling for the snap and it didn't come. I think Favre was being kind when taking the blame.

Harvey, I might be dense, but I still don't understand the foot-stomping stuff. Are all the players supposed to be looking at Favre's foot or at the ball in order to tell when the play starts. That sounds dumb. Crap, they're at home. It's a pass play. Why not just yell out "hike" and get on with it?

Plus, it also seems dumb that the QB has to wait for the center to "read the defense and make line calls." Crap, it's a pass play. Just block somebody already.

If this is the way our two minute drill is run at home, imagine the way it will run on the road. Silverstein is right. Favre was being generous. Neither he nor Spitz were to blame. The buck should stop at McCarthy for designing this god-awful system.

[Partial]

Players watch the ball, center watches the foot. When his foot pumps, center snaps ball, play executes.

[4and12to12and4]

Who cares? We lost this game on turnovers, not on the two minute drill. We should've been up 24-7 at halftime. We dominated the first half, over 300 yards total offense!! We lost this game through the turnovers. Favre's first half ending two minute drill was just as impressive as his fourth quarter drill was unimpressive. The game was over then anyways. We should've never been behind in this game. I'm just happy that throughout this game we look easily like the better team. I can't believe how well this team has turned it around and is up there with the elite teams in the NFL right now. We have a legitimate shot to get into the playoffs and maybe even make a noise there. Hey, we're 4-1 for god sakes, let's all get drunk and naked and keep posting pics of Jessica Biel!!!!!!

[Harlan Huckleby]

Who cares? We lost this game on turnovers, not on the two minute drill.

yes and no. Game would have been a solid win without the turnovers. Yet it was still winnable with a competent two minute drill (and some good fortune.)

[Freak Out]

Hey, we're 4-1 for god sakes, let's all get drunk and naked and keep posting pics of Jessica Biel!!!!!!

I want pictures of a drunk naked Jessica Biel.