McGinn's Game Tape

[LEWCWA]

Alls good!! Well almost, don't know what to do with my Saturday now

[packrulz]

Arod's throw to Jennings wasn't off by much, the defense lost the game, they couldn't stop Beanie Wells, although I thought the Cards got away with holding the entire game. We Packer fans have a lot to be thankful for:
1. ARod is only maybe 26? He'll be our QB for years, he made the playoffs and threw for over 4,000 yds in his 2nd year as a starter. Alex Smith can't say that, nor can Brett.
2. Wasn't the Packers the youngest team in the league? If not, they're close to it, so it was pretty amazing they made it that far.
3. The 3-4 is installed, it has some bugs but the guys really picked it up pretty quick, they can shore it up in the draft, and next year they'll have Al Harris, Pat Lee, and maybe Harrell back, (who knows?, it could happen). Ty Williams got some valuble playoff experience, and so did Underwood.
4. The O-line struggled early, but they found out Sitton and Lang can play, and hopefully TT will draft a tackle to take over when Clifton and Taucher are done, Spitz will be back next year.
5. TT has at least 7 draft picks, this site has him taking an offensive tackle from USC in the first round: http://www.draftsite.com/nfl/2010mock.htm

[b bulldog]

Without 12, the Packers get blown out. WHAT A STUPID ARTICLE. 12 didn't have a perfect game, he did have a very good game though.

[pbmax]

I replied to Bretsky in another thread that there were correctable plays for Rodgers. The only one I am concerned over long term is holding onto the ball too long. With more exposure to bad protection, that might become a habit.


But in this game, the far larger number of errors and the more correctable ones were on defense. I think that is obvious. What I take away from McGinn is that he essentially thinks that the offense should be even more lethal than the Cardinals, given the way it dominated the 2nd half. And that he feels that Rodgers did not deliver in the first half. He write elsewhere that the two teams were equally

He has a point. But the portion of blame (would he have compared Favre's first playoff game to Steve Young?) left at Rodgers' feet seems an exaggeration.

[wist43]

Don't know how anyone can look at that game and conclude AR was the problem...

They gave up 6 billion yds, 8,000 first downs, 843 pts, and Warner got started on his memoirs...

Somehow that AR's fault??? Wow.

[denverYooper]

I replied to Bretsky in another thread that there were correctable plays for Rodgers. The only one I am concerned over long term is holding onto the ball too long. With more exposure to bad protection, that might become a habit.

Rodgers has shown an ability in the past to work on fixing his game. We'll see what he rolls out next year. I thought Pelissero had a better spin on it in his game tape breakdown, though. He noted that Rodgers made the Cards pay all day by extending plays, as he tried to do on the last of the game.

Yes, he needed to eat the ball on the final play, or throw it out of bounds, or show better vision to avoid Adams’ rush — anything except keep the ball exposed as he looked to WR Donald Driver on a slant and then WR James Jones on an in, both covered. Extending plays is Rodgers’ game, though, and so goes the fate of those who live by the sword.

[Joemailman]

I replied to Bretsky in another thread that there were correctable plays for Rodgers. The only one I am concerned over long term is holding onto the ball too long. With more exposure to bad protection, that might become a habit.


But in this game, the far larger number of errors and the more correctable ones were on defense. I think that is obvious. What I take away from McGinn is that he essentially thinks that the offense should be even more lethal than the Cardinals, given the way it dominated the 2nd half. And that he feels that Rodgers did not deliver in the first half. He write elsewhere that the two teams were equally

He has a point. But the portion of blame (would he have compared Favre's first playoff game to Steve Young?) left at Rodgers' feet seems an exaggeration.

I agree that the portion of the blame he puts on Rodgers was exaggerated. However, he's right about one thing. The play of the quarterbacks was the difference between the two teams. Rodgers was outstanding. Warner was perfect. He gave Rodgers a 3. I would have made it a 4. However, neither 3 or 4 would have beat Warner's 5.

[Patler]

I wrote earlier this year that sacks are to Rodgers like interceptions are to Favre. Favre throws some interceptions because he can and does throw balls into coverage that others can only dream of completing. Sometimes those throws are intercepted. Rodgers gets sacked sometimes because he won't throw risky passes and because he can escape and extend plays. He doesn't always get away as the pocket closes, or he gets sacked when no one becomes open as he holds onto the ball.

The only thing Rodgers needs to change is better distinguishing plays when he can escape, plays when he won't be able to escape, and plays that are lost causes for throwing. For the latter two he just he needs to get rid of the ball. His "feel" for the pocket should improve with experience. For most QBs it does. His recognition will improve and quicken, and he will realize when there will be no good throwing option available on a play.

Favre in his early days had exactly the opposite problem. He would pull the ball down and run too soon. He didn't always give plays a chance to develop if Sharp wasn't open. Holmgren used to talk about getting Favre to trust his secondary options.

[MichiganPackerFan]

Aaron had a good game, not great. One less interception and hitting one of the two to Jennings makes it a great game. (I don't hold the ending fumble against him, because the refs fucked that one up). "Great" games by quarterbacks in the playoffs do not include interceptions that puts your team in position to play from behind. Rodgers strength is the deep ball and he certainly should have hit one one or both of those. That said, his comeback was great to watch. His predecessor certainly would have pressed to hard and thrown 5 more picks. Summary: great game - no, great comeback- yes, but not quite great enough.

[pbmax]

I wrote earlier this year that sacks are to Rodgers like interceptions are to Favre. Favre throws some interceptions because he can and does throw balls into coverage that others can only dream of completing. Sometimes those throws are intercepted. Rodgers gets sacked sometimes because he won't throw risky passes and because he can escape and extend plays. He doesn't always get away as the pocket closes, or he gets sacked when no one becomes open as he holds onto the ball.

The only thing Rodgers needs to change is better distinguishing plays when he can escape, plays when he won't be able to escape, and plays that are lost causes for throwing. For the latter two he just he needs to get rid of the ball. His "feel" for the pocket should improve with experience. For most QBs it does. His recognition will improve and quicken, and he will realize when there will be no good throwing option available on a play.

Favre in his early days had exactly the opposite problem. He would pull the ball down and run too soon. He didn't always give plays a chance to develop if Sharp wasn't open. Holmgren used to talk about getting Favre to trust his secondary options.

Great post. I do remember Favre scrambling in the most ridiculous manner, often looking to get free to scan the field again, but never looking like he knew where to go. I think there is still time for Rodgers to learn this awareness.

Patler, do you recall a source or story that believed Rodgers refused to throw to covered receivers or into tight spaces for fear that interceptions would ruin his stat line? This was one of those stories that resurfaced during the sack struggles early this year and originated around draft time when a lot of bogus stuff is bandied about by teams looking to provide disinformation, and then it is repeated ad nauseum by the gullible sports media. It has started to resurface in commentary about the last play. I don't remember this anything other than gross speculation, but I could be forgetting something.

[Smidgeon]

Aaron had a good game, not great. One less interception and hitting one of the two to Jennings makes it a great game. (I don't hold the ending fumble against him, because the refs fucked that one up). "Great" games by quarterbacks in the playoffs do not include interceptions that puts your team in position to play from behind. Rodgers strength is the deep ball and he certainly should have hit one one or both of those. That said, his comeback was great to watch. His predecessor certainly would have pressed to hard and thrown 5 more picks. Summary: great game - no, great comeback- yes, but not quite great enough.

The game reminded me a lot of the Packers-Colts game back when Favre had Walker the one good season and the media were hyping it as a potential shoot-out (but with the heavy slant going towards the Colts because of the porous Packers D). It became a shoot-out, Walker put up over 200 receiving yards, and I think it was a strip fumble of him that decided the game. Both games had the same element of a shoot-out that Green Bay was slowly and methodically on it's way to winning by putting up a rare game of gaudy performances but came up just short because of a crucial turnover at the wrong time.

[CaliforniaCheez]

McGinn hates the Packers and writes more negativity than any minnesota sportswriter. I have been boycotting his writing for over a year.

I refuse to click on anything he writes.

[Patler]

Patler, do you recall a source or story that believed Rodgers refused to throw to covered receivers or into tight spaces for fear that interceptions would ruin his stat line? This was one of those stories that resurfaced during the sack struggles early this year and originated around draft time when a lot of bogus stuff is bandied about by teams looking to provide disinformation, and then it is repeated ad nauseum by the gullible sports media. It has started to resurface in commentary about the last play. I don't remember this anything other than gross speculation, but I could be forgetting something.

I know of no source at all. Just the third party references you have alluded to. I can see how it could have originated from a comment (not that I actually know of one) by Rodgers saying that he is careful to avoid interceptions. People can easily blow that out of context to a concern by him for his stats, when really he just doesn't want to turn the ball over. No different than a back saying he tries not to fumble.

[woodbuck27]

I was a little surprized by how much Aaron missed Greg Jennings on that long pass attempt in OT. Jennings was wide open and if Rodgers gets that one on he steals the game from Curt Warner. Aaron just got a tad pumped on that play and long to Jennings.

Not many people watching that game could fault Aaron Rodgers play overall. He was outstanding. Trouble is... ' outstanding ' was trumped by Curt Warners ' perfect '.

[Merlin]

I was a little surprized by how much Aaron missed Greg Jennings on that long pass attempt in OT. Jennings was wide open and if Rodgers gets that one on he steals the game from Curt Warner. Aaron just got a tad pumped on that play and long to Jennings.

Not many people watching that game could fault Aaron Rodgers play overall. He was outstanding. Trouble is... ' outstanding ' was trumped by Curt Warners ' perfect '.

I still have a bad aftertaste in my mouth so I refuse to say much about this game.

I agree with Woody, Rodgers played a good game after the first quarter IMO. Overtime, he fumbled, it happens and the game wasn't his fault. Just like our previous QB who threw a pick to end our last playoff game, that game wasn't his fault either. It all falls on a shitty, inconsistent, over-rated defense. Our offense proved it can score a ton of points when it needs to, our defense proved it can give up a ton of points when it wants to. For all of the steps forward this team took this year, high defensive draft picks over the years, the defense is STILL no where near championship caliber. Woodson was basically in the secondary by himself and there was some Giancanna (sp?) in at safety, I was like who the hell is that guy?????????