Michael Lombardi's take on the NFC Championship Game

[esoxx]

No relation to Vince. This guy has been a front office executive for several NFL teams and knows his stuff. It will be worth your time to listen to this 25 minute segment.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gm-shuffle-with-michael-lombardi-and-adnan-virk/id1458884463

[esoxx]

Some highlights:

He's really down on MLF's game plan and the in-game decisions made. Thinks they should hire an advisor to help him learn how to be a head coach.

It's obvious he can't stand Pettine and describes his defense as a "Battleship Defense". This is not a compliment BTW.

Thinks Rodgers, after taking some time away, will likely have a very direct conversation with the top brass about the future. You riding with me or Jordan?

[smuggler]

Lombardi is a blowhard. The defense played lights out in the 2nd half and would've kept Tampa under 30 if not for a boneheaded play by a bonehead player in King. Agree that LaFleur did not have a good gameplan, but this dude is being very reactionary.

They'll roll with Rodgers as long as he's playing at a high level. End of conversation.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Lombardi is a blowhard. The defense played lights out in the 2nd half and would've kept Tampa under 30 if not for a boneheaded play by a bonehead player in King. Agree that LaFleur did not have a good gameplan, but this dude is being very reactionary.

They'll roll with Rodgers as long as he's playing at a high level. End of conversation.

Truth

[Joemailman]

Lombardi might have an axe to grind with Pettine. Lombardi was the Browns GM (For a year) when Pettine was hired as HC. Given the organizational structure in Cleveland, I don't think hiring Pettine was Lombardi's call. Less than a month after Pettine was hired, Lombardi was fired. Don't know what happened there, but Lombardi may have lost a power struggle that he blamed Pettine for.

[George Cumby]

Lombardi is a blowhard. The defense played lights out in the 2nd half and would've kept Tampa under 30 if not for a boneheaded play by a bonehead player in King. Agree that LaFleur did not have a good gameplan, but this dude is being very reactionary.

They'll roll with Rodgers as long as he's playing at a high level. End of conversation.

They will roll during the regular season, I'm beginning to question Rodgers' ability to perform in big games.

[Joemailman]

They will roll during the regular season, I'm beginning to question Rodgers' ability to perform in big games.

I don't know. Rodgers threw for over 300 yards and 3 TD's against a heavy pass rush. His only INT was on a play that would normally be a pass interference call. This game turned on 2 plays at the end of the 1st half and early in the 2nd half that were in no way Rodgers' fault.

[MadtownPacker]

Funny how Rodgers gets no shit about not running on that 3rd@9 before the last FG. He had room and even admitted himself he would ran it have had he known they would not go for it on 4th down. Had he not gotten in he would have made it 4th and short, then the FG would not have happen. It was a defining moment equal to when Favre didn’t run for the first down against the Giants in the NFCC.

“You know, I felt great about the third-down call. We actually ran it early in the game,” Rodgers told reporters, via the team. “… Looking at it back, it looked like he ended up crossing late and may have been kind of back across my body (for) an opportunity. I felt like I kind of had a chance, maybe, to run it. But, I felt like there was a guy kind of closing on me.”

[MadtownPacker]

I don't know. Rodgers threw for over 300 yards and 3 TD's against a heavy pass rush. His only INT was on a play that would normally be a pass interference call. This game turned on 2 plays at the end of the 1st half and early in the 2nd half that were in no way Rodgers' fault.

The 3 and outs by GB after Brady INT #2 and #3 had nothing to do with Rodgers? Not many QBs have had the benefit of Brady throwing 3 INT a game much less in the second half of a conference championship.

The defense wasn’t expected to win this game and other than the halftime fuckup TD I think defense did damn good.

[Joemailman]

The 3 and outs by GB after Brady INT #2 and #3 had nothing to do with Rodgers? Not many QBs have had the benefit of Brady throwing 3 INT a game much less in the second half of a conference championship.

The defense wasn’t expected to win this game and other than the halftime fuckup TD I think defense did damn good.

On both 3 and outs Rodgers was sacked by Shaq Barrett. Protection was a problem all day. If Rodgers had been protected as well as Brady was, I think Packers win going away. Rodgers wasn't perfect, but he played better than the GOAT.

[bobblehead]

Some highlights:

He's really down on MLF's game plan and the in-game decisions made. Thinks they should hire an advisor to help him learn how to be a head coach.

It's obvious he can't stand Pettine and describes his defense as a "Battleship Defense". This is not a compliment BTW.

Thinks Rodgers, after taking some time away, will likely have a very direct conversation with the top brass about the future. You riding with me or Jordan?

I am not an NFL guy, just a dude with good observational skills. Pettine needs to go. Even though it wasn't all on him, I just think he is stale and we need young energy. Our D wasn't so bad in this game, they forced TB into 3 picks. Could have been better though, and Pettine is just stale.

Flower is fine. His only mistake in my book was going for 2 too early which led to the CORRECT decision to kick the FG (everyone thought it was fine to go for 2...I don't believe in that until 4th quarter). If Rodgers runs on 2nd or 3rd down we have the ball on the 2 worst case and he goes for it instead of kicking FG. If we kicked XP at end of 3rd he goes for it down 7.

Now, the biggest question I have. Down a score in 4th quarter and given three chances to take the lead or tie (2 and 1). After running a brilliant balanced offense ALL season we ran exactly one time for 9 yards (dillon). We went 3 and out twice in a row without attempting a run. We had first and goal from the 9 and didn't run the ball (including twice rodgers might have scored). Now for my question. Did Flower call more run plays? Did Rodgers audible out of run plays? Again, #1 offense in the NFL due to great balance and we ran ONE time. Down 28-10 in the 3rd quarter we kept running the ball. But with everything on the line and plenty of time left we simply abandon the run game which led to Rodgers MVP season...and TB knew it. They pinned back the ears and got to Rodgers repeatedly.

Whoever is responsible for not running in the 4th quarter likely cost us that game. Not singlehandedly, there is plenty of blame to go around, but that was DECISION vs. EXECUSION. Sometimes you aren't good enough and get beat competitively, but when you consciously make a decision like that, its an avoidable error. I'm really pissed and would like an answer. If it was the coach, he needs to be called out for it. If it was the MVP QB...well, we might have seen the last of him in GB because I still think we drafted Love because Rodgers was audibling out of run plays in 2019. Right now would be the time to move on. We can land 2 firsts for him. We take a one year cap hit. It just depends if they think Love is ready yet (he is not. We would go 9-7 at best in year one).

[bobblehead]

They will roll during the regular season, I'm beginning to question Rodgers' ability to perform in big games.

Rodgers played a good game. He was hurt by a dropped 2 pt conversion and 2 missed holds, one resulting in a halftime pick that compounded into costing us 7 points. The other on a 3rd and 7 in the 4th quarter with game on the line....oh, and the mugging of Devante all game long. My only problem with Rodgers will be if I find out he audibled out of run plays in the 4th quarter. But he really played a good enough game to win. A pick that shouldn't have been and a fumble by a guy who never fumbles. Losing bak hurt a lot in this game as well.

This was a team loss. I can't pin it on any one guy or play.

[bobblehead]

Funny how Rodgers gets no shit about not running on that 3rd@9 before the last FG. He had room and even admitted himself he would ran it have had he known they would not go for it on 4th down. Had he not gotten in he would have made it 4th and short, then the FG would not have happen. It was a defining moment equal to when Favre didn’t run for the first down against the Giants in the NFCC.

“You know, I felt great about the third-down call. We actually ran it early in the game,” Rodgers told reporters, via the team. “… Looking at it back, it looked like he ended up crossing late and may have been kind of back across my body (for) an opportunity. I felt like I kind of had a chance, maybe, to run it. But, I felt like there was a guy kind of closing on me.”

Thats funny because that shouldn't have affected his decision. And ironically if he had run it and we got to the 2 we would have gone for it on 4th. Back to bad DECISIONS vs. execution.

[bobblehead]

On both 3 and outs Rodgers was sacked by Shaq Barrett. Protection was a problem all day. If Rodgers had been protected as well as Brady was, I think Packers win going away. Rodgers wasn't perfect, but he played better than the GOAT.

Do you think if we had run a couple times AT shaq it might have slowed down his pass rush?

[Deputy Nutz]

Going for two late in the 3rd quarter was stupid, almost as stupid as kicking that field goal when you still needed a touchdown to win. If the Packers go for it on 4th and 8 and don't get a touchdown and don't manage to lose yards they give Tampa the ball back at the -8 yard line with 3 time outs and the 2 minute warning. If the D holds you get pretty good field position to try and score a touchdown at the end of regulation. Instead you kick a field goal, you then kick the ball off and it doesn't go in the end zone. If TB's returner doesn't run out of bounds before the 2 minutes the Packers could have lost the 2 minute warning. Also the kick off and coverage wasn't very good, MLF's decision put the defense in a very difficult decision where they couldn't give up hardly any yards for the Packers offense to have shot at driving the field for TD. It was a bone head decision on MLF's part both from an analytics stand point, a field position stand point, and an execution standpoint. At the end of the day Rodgers should want the ability to stick the ball in the end zone.