Official Packers vs. Bucs NFC Title Game Discussion Thread

[Fritz]

But the game never truly changed. People thought it did. Look at your Owl winners. Brady audibles into run plays more than anyone I have ever seen. You have always needed to run effectively to win. Peyton Manning proved that. Fat mike as well. Regular season all world offenses built running the ball 20% of the time fail epically in the post season all the time.

Its is now, and has been for a long time about balance. No one wins the owl without both running and passing the ball well...with very few exceptions.

Bobble, I respect your opinions, but you'd be hard pressed to say the game has not changed. The rules have changed drastically over the past fifty years to favor offenses. Especially pass offenses. If you look at the run-pass ratios of the 70's they're much higher than now. It didn't pay to pass when defensive players could almost literally take a receiver's head off, or could put sticky all over their gloves, and QB's could get slammed to the ground.

It's not that running games disappeared, it's that offenses became more efficient in passing. Completion percentages today are ridiculous compared to even the 80's or 90's, much less the 70's. Mike Holmgren famously used a short passing game as a substitute for running. If Edgar Benett had fifteen carries for 60 yards, that was a solid Packer running game when Holmgren was coaching.

I don't think those numbers will fly on Sunday for Aaron Jones. It has morphed back toward running - which I love - and which I'd like to see the Packers do. Unless, of course, TB stacks the box to stop the run. Then you pass on them, of course.

[Cheesehead Craig]

If the Pack can stop their habit of allowing a score right before half then allowing another one on the opponents first 3Q drive while the offense stalls, that would be great.

[Fritz]

If the Pack can stop their habit of allowing a score right before half then allowing another one on the opponents first 3Q drive while the offense stalls, that would be great.

They've done less of that since MM left, I think. They do seem to have a third-quarter let down, though. But in the playoffs, at least, how can any team play dominantly all through a game?

This should be a tight one. I'm going to try to enjoy it and not just get pissed off when things don't go well. I'm going to remember that many, many fans don't get to watch their team in an NFC or AFC championship game.

I've been a fan since I was a boy, back in the late 60's. I suffered through the 70's and 80's and early 90's, and when the Packers went to the Super Bowl against New England in the late 90's and won, I remember thinking that even if they never won another Super Bowl, I did get to see them do that, and back in the early 80's with Forrest Gregg and the like, that didn't seem remotely possible.

Then I got to see them win another one in 2010. I am grateful for the success I've been able to see, consistetly, for over twenty years. That is unusual for an NFL football fan.

[Joemailman]

10 years ago today.

[King Friday]

Entire game comes down to getting pressure on Brady. If our pass rush is mediocre, the Bucs will win. The Packers have to make life uncomfortable for Brady. Otherwise, he will move it easily against our defense, which simply does not play well in space. Honestly...the same is true for Tampa. They won the first matchup due to the pressure they got on Rodgers. They have to do that again, or the MVP will absolutely dice that mediocre Tampa backend. The team that protects their QB best will win tomorrow.

[Fritz]

Entire game comes down to getting pressure on Brady. If our pass rush is mediocre, the Bucs will win. The Packers have to make life uncomfortable for Brady. Otherwise, he will move it easily against our defense, which simply does not play well in space. Honestly...the same is true for Tampa. They won the first matchup due to the pressure they got on Rodgers. They have to do that again, or the MVP will absolutely dice that mediocre Tampa backend. The team that protects their QB best will win tomorrow.

Conversely, whichever team is more effective running will likely better protect the passer and thus win the game. For our defense, I'm wondering if Snacks Harrison will play more on early and running downs. If the Pack lets Ronald Johnson run wild, it's gonna be a long day. Stop him and Fournette, and you can turn the dogs loose on Brady.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Who does Gary compare to?

He is like the Smith bros: not quick twitch, not much bend. But he's stronger, faster, and more agile. And starting to pass them by. I can't think of a good comp for Gary.

He's got a bit of Big Z to his game. I thought hard about this, and I drew a blank. Maybe Tim Harris. Harris was a big, athletic guy who seemed a little unrefined his first couple of years.

[RashanGary]

Gary is kind of unique in his size and athleticism. He’s kind of spazzy, the way he plays, like a kid who talks so fast he stutters, Gary can’t slow his body down and be really efficient.

He has the body of the all time greats like White and Watt but he has the mind of someone like MVS who hasn’t been able to put it all together. He seems to have the work ethic of an all time great though. He has higher potential than Z but for some reason a little less likelihood of really getting all of the way there than Z.

There just aren’t good comps for Gary. He’s too big and fast to compare him to so/so players but not quite good enough to compare him to great ones just yet. He’s an odd duck. Glad he works so hard because there is a chance he’s special still.

[scharpcheddar]

0-3 leads to 0-6.

Every time Rodgers/Packers have lost to a team in Regular season, they then lost to them in conference championship.

Will home make a difference?

Trivia- Favre lost to Giants at home in 2007 conf championship

[Jaire]

Gary is kind of unique in his size and athleticism. He’s kind of spazzy, the way he plays, like a kid who talks so fast he stutters, Gary can’t slow his body down and be really efficient.

He has the body of the all time greats like White and Watt but he has the mind of someone like MVS who hasn’t been able to put it all together. He seems to have the work ethic of an all time great though. He has higher potential than Z but for some reason a little less likelihood of really getting all of the way there than Z.

There just aren’t good comps for Gary. He’s too big and fast to compare him to so/so players but not quite good enough to compare him to great ones just yet. He’s an odd duck. Glad he works so hard because there is a chance he’s special still.

Yeah. That was my only knock on him at draft. He's really immature, even has that baby face. But he can grow into it maybe and has come a long way this year.

[esoxx]

Entire game comes down to getting pressure on Brady. If our pass rush is mediocre, the Bucs will win. The Packers have to make life uncomfortable for Brady. Otherwise, he will move it easily against our defense, which simply does not play well in space. Honestly...the same is true for Tampa. They won the first matchup due to the pressure they got on Rodgers. They have to do that again, or the MVP will absolutely dice that mediocre Tampa backend. The team that protects their QB best will win tomorrow.

Yup, and you also better be able to stop or at least slow down the run. Which they couldn't do in the first game against TB either

This is the kind of thing that keeps me up at night:

https://fansided.com/2020/11/03/nfl-bad-coaching-mike-pettine-adam-gase/

I still think Pack wins the game but Brady will not hesitate to check to runs and grind if they're moving the sticks. He always takes what's there.

[hoosier]

0-3 leads to 0-6.

Every time Rodgers/Packers have lost to a team in Regular season, they then lost to them in conference championship.

Will home make a difference?

Trivia- Favre lost to Giants at home in 2007 conf championship

Not true. They lost @ Chi in 2010 regular season.

[KYPack]

Goddamn. Everyone is getting their game faces on. These are some great posts. I was getting ready to tell GBB to shut the fuck up and quit making 6 one line posts in a row. Then I was going to post in this thread. Don't have to. Everybody is doing it for me.

Man, I'm so nervous for this game, it ain't funny.

[texaspackerbacker]

Gary is kind of unique in his size and athleticism. He’s kind of spazzy, the way he plays, like a kid who talks so fast he stutters, Gary can’t slow his body down and be really efficient.

He has the body of the all time greats like White and Watt but he has the mind of someone like MVS who hasn’t been able to put it all together. He seems to have the work ethic of an all time great though. He has higher potential than Z but for some reason a little less likelihood of really getting all of the way there than Z.

There just aren’t good comps for Gary. He’s too big and fast to compare him to so/so players but not quite good enough to compare him to great ones just yet. He’s an odd duck. Glad he works so hard because there is a chance he’s special still.

How about Jim Marshall, the guy who picked up a fumble and ran 70 yards to the wrong endzone? hahahaha

[scharpcheddar]

Not true. They lost @ Chi in 2010 regular season.

Yes, 3 times Since 2010 SB year. Pay attention