Studs and Duds - Playoff Edition - GB vs Minn

[pbmax]

Team energy is like ether in classical physics. The Greeks believed in team energy just as Aristotle with ether. They competed naked to encourage it. Modern sports proponents believe it explains everything. Have it? You are winning. Not have it? You are losing.

No one has observed it alone in its natural environment or or conducted an experiment to measure it. But its everywhere.

Someday, a Sports Einstein (or perhaps first Albert Michelson and Edward Morley) will come along and explain, in simple, rational terms, that you are substituting cause for effect and that team energy, as a force for causing outcomes on the field of play, is non-existent.

[mraynrand]

Dud: Pickett. OK, maybe he was all right, but he was awful at Minnesota, I'm still pissed about it, and he needs to play better down the stretch.

[mraynrand]

Team energy is like ether in classical physics. The Greeks believed in team energy just as Aristotle with ether. They competed naked to encourage it. Modern sports proponents believe it explains everything. Have it? You are winning. Not have it? You are losing.

my energy level is lower in the nude - perhaps that is because I have my arms lowered so as to cover up.

[pbmax]

my energy level is lower in the nude - perhaps that is because I have my arms lowered so as to cover up.

Perhaps you should try the Ray Lewis flappy, slide dance to build up the energy? Its all about emotion.

[Patler]

So was the Game Day prediction of Packer carnage the Patlerized version of the Whammy (tm) or an actual prediction?

Didn't predict carnage, just a loss. Several reasons:

- in two games within a short period of time, the Packers didn't show the slightest hint of having figured out a way to control Peterson for a game. I didn't think a few practices and 6 days would make a significant difference.

- I thought perhaps Ponder was starting to figure it out, at least for this season. He wouldn't have had to be great, just not awful. If he hadn't been awful in the first game, the Packers may have lost that one, too.

- the Vikings seem to have a capable kicker. Coupled with Peterson and a not awful Ponder, a lot of their possessions can result in scores of one sort or another.

- momentum going into the playoffs has seemed to mean a lot recently, and the Vikings were riding the crest of a wave of momentum. Beating Chicago, Houston convincingly and Green Bay most likely had them at a peak of confidence that can be hard to achieve.


That all changed when I heard they would be starting Webb, who hadn't thrown a pass all year. I figured a win for the Packers was likely, because Peterson by himself wouldn't be enough. The only question would be if Peterson could make a game out of it for a while or not.

[Ballboy]

Agreed. There were just not a lot of flags last night.

The blow TD call is weird. If MM thinks it's a TD, he's in a tough spot because of that rule about not being able to throw the flag in certain situations...as we saw last week. It was not signaled a TD, he thought it was and challenged, but could not challenge for a different reason - because it was a turnover. Which is automatically reviewed, and can't be challenged unless it can be, which happens when it's ruled no fumble but you think it is. Pbmax explained this to me I bet that know it all can even tell you what constitutes a catch in the end zone!! lol

I can't see them keeping that rule in place next season. A coach almost has to go ask the referee if he is allowed to challenge...

Was wondering myself the same thing during the game....can or can MM not challenge the play? Its really a fine line on what is a scoring play or not.....so if the refs signal a score, then and only then is it a scoring play? What if they got the call wrong, then it really should have been a scoring play and thus automatically reviewed?

Really, why cant the NFL just review every play somewhat like the BIG10 does? If a team wants to "hurry-up" and run another play, the other team can call a TO to stop it....then if the play does get changed during that TO, the TO is given back to the team. This crap with a red flag and all is really silly with all the technology we have.

[pbmax]

Was wondering myself the same thing during the game....can or can MM not challenge the play? Its really a fine line on what is a scoring play or not.....so if the refs signal a score, then and only then is it a scoring play? What if they got the call wrong, then it really should have been a scoring play and thus automatically reviewed?

Really, why cant the NFL just review every play somewhat like the BIG10 does? If a team wants to "hurry-up" and run another play, the other team can call a TO to stop it....then if the play does get changed during that TO, the TO is given back to the team. This crap with a red flag and all is really silly with all the technology we have.

Agreed. There were just not a lot of flags last night.

The blow TD call is weird. If MM thinks it's a TD, he's in a tough spot because of that rule about not being able to throw the flag in certain situations...as we saw last week. It was not signaled a TD, he thought it was and challenged, but could not challenge for a different reason - because it was a turnover. Which is automatically reviewed, and can't be challenged unless it can be, which happens when it's ruled no fumble but you think it is. Pbmax explained this to me I bet that know it all can even tell you what constitutes a catch in the end zone!! lol

I can't see them keeping that rule in place next season. A coach almost has to go ask the referee if he is allowed to challenge...

There is a large degree of certainty the rule will be changed in the offseason.

I might be able to tell you what a catch is in the end zone. However, there is no way I could tell you about catching a ball at the 2, diving into the end zone and then losing the ball going to the ground. The only change to reception rules that has mad any sense in the last five years is two feet in bounds for a catch. There used to be a push out rule (D player shoves WR OOB with only one foot down) that they eliminated because it was obviously a judgement call and did not get better in slow motion. That is an example of a rule that might seem to punish the offense ans help the D, but it makes it much easier on the refs. This is what control of the ball to the ground was supposed to clarify.

The TD challenge call is definitely an issue, though its manageable. If the refs on the field call it a score, regardless of what video might show, you cannot challenge by flag. The review is automatic. The one reason I can think of, after all this time, is that teams should not have a second bite at the apple. If review tells you its a score, then a team challenge might go after some other element of the play (eligible receiver, QB past LOS, etc.). Not sure those are all reviewable, but I could see a situation where you might get the play nullified by a second, more targeted challenge.

The affected team just has to wait for the call on the field to happen before deciding to throw the flag.

[woodbuck27]

yeah, lets call hawk a dud because he was the only guy on the field that noticed that the entire secondary had just let a WR run right past them to the endzone

That was the strangest and possibly the most embarassing defensive lapse I saw all season. It looked like two men on the field Michael Jenkins and AJ Hawk.

At least AJ Hawk ran after Minny WR Michael Jenkins; hoping he would stumble I expect.

[woodbuck27]

Offense STUDS

Another solid game from Aaron Rodgers. He was relaxed and having some fun in this rematch with Minny.

Aaron Rodgers Stat's: 23/33 and 274 yards and a TD and QB rating approx. 104. Solid.

DuJuan Harris. Welcome back screen pass ! Welcome back 'heart' from a RB !

Defense STUDS:

Sam Shields Seven Tackles (7) 2 assisted and a pick. He was excellent in run support and again demonstrated that he can tackle.

A nice game from C. J. Wilson with six (6) tackles 2 assisted. Welcome back !

Welcome ' back big time ' to Charles Woodson and six tackles, some pressure and lots of leadership.

Nice support at Safety with M. Burnett and MJ Jennings combining for 7 tackles, each with an assist.

Clay Matthews again a disruption going 3-1 in tackles and getting 2 SACKS and a forced fumble. Solid.

Others:

Eric Walden showed up in this game. He gave our side a SACK and overall played better.

BJ Raji and Ryan Pickett held the point well.

DUDS!?

Hey we won a huge game that gives us lots to build on. I keep hoping that AJ Hawk will show up before the end of the game.

That blown defensive lapse on Minny's Michael Jenkins was definitely one of those WTF moments. AJ Hawk looked lonely out there.

GO PACKERS !

[ThunderDan]

That was the strangest and possibly the most embarassing defensive lapse I saw all season. It looked like two men on the field Michael Jenkins and AJ Hawk.

At least AJ Hawk ran after Minny WR Michael Jenkins; hoping he would stumble I expect.

Nah, letting Randy Moss run free in week 1 in the end zone was worse in my opinion.

[Zool]

To me, it was Woodson. Williams goes and covers a WR on an out and Woodson just kinda hangs around by the LOS. Don't know where the hell the safties were though. Hawk had to be dropping back in a zone as there's no way he was supposed to cover a WR.

Agreed. Hawk was just playing a deep zone. Woodson had the slot and chased the out pattern. Maybe there was supposed to be deep help, but if they expect Cement Shoes Hawk to be that help, that's a poorly designed D.

[woodbuck27]

Nah, letting Randy Moss run free in week 1 in the end zone was worse in my opinion.

I didn't see that game.

[red]

that profootballfocus site said that EDS had a worse game then he or saturday had all season. so bad they say that they thing saturday could be put back in the lineup

so i guess EDS was a dud

Saturday to Return?

It became an interesting story when Jeff Saturday was named a Pro-Bowl player at around the time he was being benched in Green Bay for his performances this season. He has been dealing with injuries and ranks 28th in our C list, but didn’t have a game all season as bad as his replacement, Evan Dietrich-Smith, did in this one. Like Saturday, he was better as a pass protector, the more important facet for a Packers lineman, if not all linemen in the NFL at this stage, and he surrendered just a pair of pressures on 38 snaps pass protecting. The issue though, is that he was completely man-handled in the run game. His blocks yielded five defensive stops and what could, and should, have been two more but for missed tackles by Vikings players, and those are plays that put the offense behind the chains and in unfavorable situations. Last week Dietrich-Smith performed far better against the same group of players, so maybe the Packers will put this down to just a bad day at the office, but they might think about putting Saturday back into the lineup for their next game after they watch the tape.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/01/06/refo-vikings-packers-nfc-wild-card/

[Joemailman]

You know a coverage is really blown when no one on here is sure who screwed up.

To hell with it. Let's blame Bush.

[pbmax]

that profootballfocus site said that EDS had a worse game then he or saturday had all season. so bad they say that they thing saturday could be put back in the lineup

so i guess EDS was a dud



https://www.profootballfocus.com/blo...nfc-wild-card/

Both EDS and Lang had trouble with their DT Fred Evans. He was getting a huge jump off the line. Almost unbelievable that Rodgers didn't get him offside more than once.