- The Packers deserved to lose this game. They were not good today. But they did show something at the end there to pull it out – and should be commended for it. Detroit is not a bad team, this is a solid victory.
- The coaching today was not good. Mike McCarthy didn’t get the screens or short pass routes going for Rodgers when there was tons of pressure on him and when the running game was going nowhere.
- Randall Cobb is our best offensive player (behind Rodgers). He is amazing. That TD catch was a one-armed catch on a bad pass in the face of horrendous pass interference. The guy can just flat out play.
- I like Dezman Moses in there. He is disruptive. That forced fumble was a really nice, incredibly athletic play. Remember, early on, Desmond Bishop too just caused turnovers – but didn’t get a chance until after waiting a few years. They should just let Moses play now. He’s ready.
- Davon House continues his strong play too. He has blanket coverage and makes solid tackles.
- Casey Hayward is an incredibly talented and incredibly instinctive player. He is better than Tramon right now and generally speaking, he is the best player on our defense.
- Our special teams play is really solid. Logan can be a scary return guy.
- The Lions are a chronic underachieving team. They need a new coach who can inspire guys to play in the moment.
- It was great to see Finley get back into the swing of things. He was very good today. But I was most impressed by his huge catch toward the end when he broke one for 40+ yards. He could have just gone down as Detroit apparently expected him to, but he didn’t. At the end of the play, he didn’t do any of his normal ridiculous celebrating, but just went back to the huddle. If he did that more often, I am positive he’d find that he could contribute more. There is a psychological factor there for an offensive player. If a guy is getting all cocky after every play, on a fundamental level, it is him saying he’s not accustomed to such plays. But great players just go back the huddle as if that great play were exactly what he was expecting to do. Walter Payton. Barry Sanders. Sidney Moncrief. None of these guys celebrated excessively.
- We should cut Mason Crosby. I’ve been saying it for a while now. His lifetime percentage is 78% (probably less after today). We should really bring in some other guys and make a move.
- If we had lost this game, we could have really had a difficult time in the coming months getting into the playoffs. But after winning in the manner we did, I really think this could be surprising boost for the team’s confidence. Great overall team effort – despite playing like crap at times, we were never out of the game and kept the focus right through to the end of the game.
This entry was posted on November 18, 2012 at 3:24 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
packergeeks 
November 18, 2012 at 4:44 pm |
I like Dezman Moses too. I wonder if we could re-train him to play inside LB so we could keep him on the field when CM is healthy. Something to consider during the off season.
November 18, 2012 at 4:54 pm |
So tomorrow I expect to read an article regarding a despondent Mason Crosby who tried to end his file with a self inflicted gunshot…..but not to worry because he missed wide right.
Yeah – I know. Its an old joke. 🙂
November 18, 2012 at 6:34 pm |
I’m sorry. Tried to end his file? J K
November 18, 2012 at 8:25 pm |
Crosby has been very good and will be again. Has a big leg which generally helps on kickoffs. Had two short ones today. Kaeding and longwell offer accuracy, short range on FGs and kickoffs, and no future. Like John axford you can slump and you can recover. If we cut him he will find a home. Stay with him and hold your breath.
Starks was better than expected today, esp with a line geared to pass protect not run block. Strong effort by him. Stronger runner than Alex. LBs did pretty well today without smith, clayman, and bishop. Mdj was very fast on the int return. Our young DBs are improving rapidly. Some positives to take from this one.
November 18, 2012 at 8:59 pm |
56coop, I was typing too fast. Dang!
Tried to end his LIFE….. (geeze I’m an idiot!)
November 18, 2012 at 11:36 pm |
Heck-even spell check couldn’t save that one. LOL
November 19, 2012 at 8:28 am |
As much as I screamed at Crosby yesterday, I don’t think there is another kicker out there better than Crosby RIGHT NOW. Longwell’s numbers in his last year do not inspire confidence. Crosby hit a funk in 2009 I believe and worked his way out of it. That said, if he begins to lose games for us, then, I look for the hook.
November 19, 2012 at 9:33 am |
Try not to dwell too much on the negatives of this game. We did win, after all.
* The offense seemed to be in a funk for much of the game (only 3 drives longer than 24 yards), but made big plays when they had the opportunity.
* I really like how the defense played in this game. A couple huge goal-line stands, 4 turnovers, and a pick-6 is a really good day for them, especially with guys like Woodson and Matthews was on the sideline.
* If we’re going to go after an older kicker, how about John Kasay? He’s 43, but he was absolutely money for the Saints last year.
November 19, 2012 at 9:40 am |
I like the idea of John Kasay. He’s a good kicker
November 19, 2012 at 10:20 am |
At this point don’t you have to look at other kickers? Crosbys missing half his field goals. But, it would be hard to give up his kick off and onside kick abilities. He’s really is good at both. At the end of the day though you need a kicker that can consistently make field goals 45 yards and under. Crosby isnt doing that. Billy Cundiff is another FA kicker they might look at.
As far as the game, a win is a win. With all the injuries on both sides of the field I’m happy they squeaked out a victory. This team in a lot of ways has no business winning football games right now. On offense, they’re missing their best wide receiver, their best running back, their right tackle on offense. On defense they’re missing a whole host of playmakers… Perry, Matthews, Woodson, Shields, Bishop, Smith…. The fact that they have strung together five wins in a row even if those wins were against mediocre teams shows the talent that Ted Thompson has acquired and the coaching ability to get guys ready. Without that debacle at the end of the Seattle game this team would be 8-2 and tied with the Bears atop the NFC North. McCarthy and staff deserve coach of the year honors for how they have cobbled this altogether.
November 19, 2012 at 10:23 am |
don’t you have to look at other kickers? Crosbys missing half his field goals. But, it would be hard to give up his kick off and onside kick abilities. He’s really is good at both. At the end of the day though you need a kicker that can consistently make field goals 45 yards and under. Crosby isnt doing that. Billy Cundiff is another FA kicker they might look at.
As far as the game, a win is a win. With all the injuries on both sides of the field I’m happy they squeaked out a victory. This team in a lot of ways has no business winning football games right now. On offense, they’re missing their best wide receiver, their best running back, their right tackle on offense. On defense they’re missing a whole host of playmakers… Perry, Matthews, Woodson, Shields, Bishop, Smith…. The fact that they have strung together five wins in a row even if those wins were against mediocre teams shows the talent that Ted Thompson has acquired and the coaching ability to get guys ready. Without that debacle at the end of the Seattle game this team would be 8-2 and tied with the Bears atop the NFC North. McCarthy and staff deserve coach of the year honors for how they have cobbled this altogether.
November 19, 2012 at 11:16 am |
Completely agree about Finley. If he just focuses on football and forgets the theatrics there is still time for him to regain that promise he showed a few years back. Perhaps the struggles he has had will turn out to be a blessing.
I continue to be impressed by the young playmakers in the secondary, but I felt like the scheme (if that is the correct term) early was too passive. Obviously we cannot see the entire defensive setup on TV on every play, but what we were shown (and the announcers were describing) seemed like a lot of guys “passing off” recievers to each other that resulted in a lot of open recievers. With these young, physical, aggressive DBs, I think they are much better when they just man up and check a guy. Obviously, I have no idea what i am talking about from a technical-defense perspective . . . but it was frustrating to see how many Det. recievers were just slipping into open spaces when I know the DBs are so talented ( as shown by the end of the game- 7 straight incompletions- with what appeared to be a more aggresive approach).
Cobb is a lot of fun to watch. It took a few too many years for my taste, but the quick, slippery, scat-player is a great fit in this offense and you can see how much Rodgers wants to get him the ball- the ultimate compliment. When Jennings returns this will be a scary O again.
Starks ran with force and purpose. That type of running is really all the Pack needs to keep D’s honest.
It was a win in a game that felt like it was going to be a loss for most of the game. Division win, on the road, I’ll take it. Now go Niners!
November 19, 2012 at 8:35 pm |
McCarthy today admitted he called a poor game, so that validates your observation. Crosby. Ugh. No confidence. He missed 2 to help lose the Colts game already so no reason to wait for him to blow another game. I would at least bring in somebody to take a look at and show him that he needs to get right. Lions cut a kid named Dimke out of Illinois at end of camp. Good accuracy and strong leg. Not really caring about Crosby’s psychy anymore.