Where the blame really lies

[vince]

I heard an ESPN "expert" say, "Can you beleive the Packers gave up over 200 yards rushing to Detroit?"....I yelled at the TV, mostly because Detroit had what, like 50 rush attempts?

44 for 190, including Stanton's 11 yds./carry (4/44).

[Patler]

.... to win in the NFL you MUST be able to run the ball effectively (and have a QB that can convert manageable 3rd downs).

...or more accurately, an offense that can covert manageable third downs. For example, it helps if at least a couple of the linemen block somebody for more than a half-second.

The third downs yesterday:

3/1 - sack
3/13 - incomplete
3/14 - pass for 6
3/11 - pass for 5
3/17 - pass for 4
3/17 - pass for no gain
3/3 - incomplete
3/10 - scramble for 12
3/1 - sack
3/11 - incomplete
3/11 - pass for 18
3/1 - incomplete
4/1 - incomplete

[vince]

Spitz came in for Colledge as he apparently hurt his knee tackling the returner after the Quarless fumble. But Lang, for reasons unknown to me, replaced Spitz by the second half.

In fairness, losing the starter didn't help Wells combat Suh.

Wilde said that Philbin confirmed that Spitz was removed because of performance, not injury.

[Smidgeon]

Yup.

I've defended M3 on several occasions for his team coming up flat in big games but this one is indefensible.

Didn't the '96 team lose to the Colts...?

[denverYooper]

Didn't the '96 team lose to the Colts...?

No. They lost to the Chiefs/Cowboys back to back and the Vikings. The '97 team lost to the Colts.

Look, I don't want to run McCarthy out of town. He just deserves to take some heat for this game because his offense stunk. As Patler said, he does tend to get too intellectual at times with his game planning and maybe that hampers the execution at times. I think there are a lot of things that he does well as a coach and he usually calls a good game but he needs to improve a few areas.

Along with his propensity to occasionally overplan, he's still struggling to get a handle on challenges. I feel he's gone from being too loose to being too conservative. I also feel that his devotion to certain guys (*cough* Campen, *cough* Slocum) has hindered this team at times and those things really get magnified in important games.

[MichiganPackerFan]

Offensive line was terrible.

Once Rodgers was out, i felt the only way they would win was with a defensive TD or a special teams TD, and they didn't get one.

Should have challenged the TD to Jennings. In a game where you can't move the ball, it's worth risking a TO for 4 more points.

Overconfidence. The lions were a lot better than their 2-10 record. And their front four played really well.

[denverYooper]

I'm willing to bet that the Giants will be watching the film on this game and drooling. They're going to try to control the game with their front 4 as well. I am interested to see how the Pack responds there.

[denverYooper]

I thought Quarless played well after his fumble.

[vince]

I think it would have been very difficult for the ref to overturn the call on Jennings. The ball did hit the ground based on the angle they showed, although it was in Jennings hands when it did. I don't think there was enough to overturn the call and there may well have been enough to confrm it.

[Smidgeon]

No. They lost to the Chiefs/Cowboys back to back and the Vikings. The '97 team lost to the Colts.

Look, I don't want to run McCarthy out of town. He just deserves to take some heat for this game because his offense stunk. As Patler said, he does tend to get too intellectual at times with his game planning and maybe that hampers the execution at times. I think there are a lot of things that he does well as a coach and he usually calls a good game but he needs to improve a few areas.

Along with his propensity to occasionally overplan, he's still struggling to get a handle on challenges. I feel he's gone from being too loose to being too conservative. I also feel that his devotion to certain guys (*cough* Campen, *cough* Slocum) has hindered this team at times and those things really get magnified in important games.

Thanks. I couldn't remember which one it was. I just wanted to remind people that losing to a bad team in and of itself doesn't necessarily mean anything. The Patriots lost to the Browns after all...

[swede]

I think it would have been very difficult for the ref to overturn the call on Jennings. The ball did hit the ground based on the angle they showed, although it was in Jennings hands when it did. I don't think there was enough to overturn the call and there may well have been enough to confrm it.

I agree. If the catch had been ruled a TD there was a slight chance it would stand after review, but there is no way the call was going to be reversed with the ball moving as much as it did.

[pbmax]

44 for 190, including Stanton's 11 yds./carry (4/44).

And they had seven first downs by rushing (Pack had 4). Stanton had 3 of those first downs. Their RBs averaged 3.95 yards if my earlier math was correct. Its not as bad as it looked in the stat chart. That may have been all in comparison. Packers had 2 INTs and held them below 300 yards. Considering the offense was doing them no favors, it might have been the best that could be expected.

[pbmax]

Here is McCarthy from today, perhaps inadvertently lending credence to Patler's contention about the O line:

On the performance of the offense: "Offensively, we performed poorly and that starts with me. I did not see any signs in preparation that led me to be concerned. Frankly, the issue was clearly execution. I give credit to Detroit. They did a fine job against us but from a scheme standpoint they pretty much played their base defense. It was our guys against your guys and we did not perform. ... It was a poor performance by our offense."

[bobblehead]

...or more accurately, an offense that can covert manageable third downs. For example, it helps if at least a couple of the linemen block somebody for more than a half-second.

The third downs yesterday:

3/1 - sack
3/13 - incomplete
3/14 - pass for 6
3/11 - pass for 5
3/17 - pass for 4
3/17 - pass for no gain
3/3 - incomplete
3/10 - scramble for 12
3/1 - sack
3/11 - incomplete
3/11 - pass for 18
3/1 - incomplete
4/1 - incomplete

Actually this speaks volumes about our inability/refusal to run. Sacked twice and incomplete 3 times on 3rd and short....never even tried to run....and the rest of the time we were in 3rd and long because we CAN'T run.

[Freak Out]

Actually this speaks volumes about our inability/refusal to run. Sacked twice and incomplete 3 times on 3rd and short....never even tried to run....and the rest of the time we were in 3rd and long because we CAN'T run.

Insane numbers.....we need a road grader or two.