More Banjo: Week 8 @ Falcons

[Smidgeon]

Honestly, down 4 CBs on the end of the Falcon's final drive, I expected the score. With 31 seconds left, the Packers needed a miracle. There wasn't one this week, but the offense was better than before.

In fact, they actually got one long pass completed. Now they need two of those every quarter...

[texaspackerbacker]

I still have a fairly positive feeling going forward. The offense is shaping up as grudgingly, McCarthy is doing what he should have done all along: pass first rather than run first.

Rodgers played a great game - they may all be professionals, etc., but injuries ARE an excuse - a reason for sure. The offense did well in spite of missing key players - Cobb and Montgomery at the top of the list. The D not so much. Not having Matthews was the key to the pass rush not being enough, and of course all those DBs out - although I like Gunter better than anybody we have other than Shields.

The timeout situation wasn't mishandled. Even though I am getting increasingly disgusted with McCarthy in general, I don't blame him for that. You just can't assume your opponent is gonna take it down the field and score a TD. If that was the case, the logical thing to do is just fall down and let them score a minute or two earlier - which obviously ain't gonna happen, even though it might actually have been good if it did. Calling the timeouts woulda been just a lesser version of that. You have to respect your own D in that circumstance.

8 or 9 times out of 10, we beat a team like Atlanta, even though they have an outstanding offense. The schedule is still fairly easy; The Vikings are still gonna implode - maybe even tonight, and the season is still gonna be a great one.

R-E-L-A-X!

[oldbutnotdeadyet]

I'm on the other side of the coin. I am starting to get the feeling the packers aren't going anywhere this year. I hope I'm wrong. Maybe some of the younger players will step up, we started to see that yesterday and I hope it continues.

W-O-R-R-Y!

[Teamcheez1]

I'm on the other side of the coin. I am starting to get the feeling the packers aren't going anywhere this year. I hope I'm wrong. Maybe some of the younger players will step up, we started to see that yesterday and I hope it continues.

W-O-R-R-Y!

At this point the glass is half empty. As you say, there is some hope that things could come together by the end of the season with returning players, and the younger players gaining more experience/confidence.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

8 or 9 times out of 10, we beat a team like Atlanta, even though they have an outstanding offense. The schedule is still fairly easy; The Vikings are still gonna implode - maybe even tonight, and the season is still gonna be a great one.

R-E-L-A-X!

Remember 2010? Eerily similar. Pack visited the lost city of Atlanta, Rodgers threw awesome TD to Nelson in the clutch to tie game (ererily similar to that awesome TD to my dawg, Janis, yesterday). Oh fie, it was not enough as D allowed my favorite non-Pack QB, Ice Ice Ryan, to lead the Falconers to victory...in da clutch.

Plus, 2010, the Packers also had a shitload of players KIAed. That 2010 team had better receivers, though. And a better defense, especially in the secondary. Didn't lose a game by more than 4 points. This year's team laid a titanic egg against Dallas.

Who knows, this might be 2010 all over again. Oh fie, the pessimist in me is saying I have a better odds of scoring with the beauteous Jennifer Lawrence than the Packers have of scoring another SB title this season.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Moral victories make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

Sarcasm?

I feel better about the Pack going forward with this loss than I did with the win against Jacksonville. Looks like the Great Arm of Butte and his mojo are back together.

Then again, I am probably delusional.

[pbmax]

Allow me to point out that when Atlanta switched to a man to man defense in second half, the offense stagnated again.

They still don't have that figured out AND there were a LOT of ISO routes again, very little combo. I think I saw Jordy line up in a bunch twice.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Yes but he missed throws in the end when the pressure was on. Also known as choking.

McGinn:

The preponderance of statistical weight shows Rodgers hasn’t been successful in the clutch when compared to his peers...Rodgers has 14 (game-winning drives) in a 12-year career, including nine as a starter...Tom Brady is third on that list with 48, and Brett Favre is fifth with 45. Two of Rodgers’ contemporaries, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning, each have 37. Ryan improved to a tie for 11th on the list with his 33rd. Jay Cutler has 24 and Russell Wilson already has 20.

I agree with Skip Bayless: Rodgers is unclutch.

Btw, pbmax: Have you seen Geronimo's misogynist tweets? Whadda he say 'bout the female race?

[Patler]

So you are going to blame the loss on Rodgers being unable to drive the team 50 yards down the field in 30 seconds? Really?

For me, it's not blaming him for the loss, that falls more on the defense, shorthanded as it was.

However, it is not insignificant that once again they generated nothing in their last opportunity on offense. If they had moved the ball down the field, but come up short, I would feel better about it. Instead, once again they ended the game with a mere whimper from the offense. They did nothing, and that is a concern because we have seen it often before.

[pbmax]

McGinn:

I agree with Skip Bayless: Rodgers is unclutch.

Btw, pbmax: Have you seen Geronimo's misogynist tweets? Whadda he say 'bout the female race?

The offense is unclutch. Rodgers didn't help by bailing early again but no one was open early. Again. There are still a lot of bad habits to break. And the coach has to start by coming up with a new plan versus man coverage. Its just ridiculous.

The focus on the drive is misguided. The offense managed one drive the entire second half. Is that unclutch or bad offensive design?

[pbmax]

Btw, pbmax: Have you seen Geronimo's misogynist tweets? Whadda he say 'bout the female race?

Don't follow any players, what did he say?

[ThunderDan]

Is there ANY example in the NFL of a team going for 2 in a situation when they are up 2 points like you suggest...potentially leaving themselves open to LOSING to a FG?

Your scenario above is a virtual impossibility...it would NEVER happen.

EDIT...well, I suppose it could've happened in a game where weather/field conditions made kicking a near impossibility. However, in a dome, I'm guessing this has NEVER happened and feel confident enough to bet my house that it would never happen in my lifetime.

How about this explanation?

With us up 5. ATL has to score a TD to win. If they do they are going to go for a 2 point conversion. ATL O gets to determine if Packers FG wins or ties the game.

With us up 6. ATL has to score a TD to win. ATL goes for 1 point no matter what. GB needs a FG to win.
With us up 4. ATL has to score a TD to win. ATL goes for 1 point no matter what to go up 3 and force GB to kick a FG to tie.

By going for the 2 we get to control what the last possession looks like goof or bad verses letting ATL make the choice.

Either way I don't think you chase points until late in the game and was surprised ATL went for 2 earlier.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Don't follow any players, what did he say?

Looks like a bunch of humorous/offensive/sexist (depends on one's sense of humor, if one has one) stuff about having coitus with chicks. (Note: Alotta young black folks today are inspired by rap music, and some rap lyrics aren't too appealing to feminists.) Allison deleted that account soon after the tweets were uncovered, it appears. A little googling....

http://www.totalprosports.com/2016/10/30/green-bay-packers-wr-geronimo-allisons-nsfw-tweets-have-surfaced-are-hilarious/

[Rutnstrut]

So you are going to blame the loss on Rodgers being unable to drive the team 50 yards down the field in 30 seconds? Really?

No I blame the loss on a shitty defense. They would have lost even had no one been hurt on the D. However I blame the shitty throws at crunch time on the person that made the shitty throws. Funny how when Favre was QB, none of you Rodgers nut huggers had trouble calling him for the same shit Rodgers does.

[Clayish]

This one hurt a lot. Still stinging this morning.

We need to start a winning streak next weekend.