Another Thought on the Final Game

Someone In Arizona Was Happy And It Wasn't Olivia Munn

The final two games of the 2015 season left hope that the future won't be so bleak, but also left a bad taste in my mouth as old problems and tendencies raised their ugly heads with another early exit from the playoffs when the Packers should have been playing at the Panthers this week for another chance to return to the Super Bowl, despite having a team that is NOT really Super Bowl quality.

Aaron Rodgers Should Have Been Allowed To Win The Game

It seems most everybody has jumped on the bandwagon that Mike McCarthy should have went for 2-points, including a Bear fan at my newspaper who wrote a column on Monday on it after I had made my statement on the matter on my radio show Sunday morning.



Arians Thanks McCarthy For Not Playing To Win

However the only person who counts stated his case for not going for the win. Here's what he said, “The 2-point conversion was definitely an option, but it wasn’t the right option. I think that’s completely understood if you just look at the game. I understand how analytics play into game management, but from my viewpoint you look at the numbers, but you also have to take in the flow of the game and things that were going on in the football game.”

Ok, let's take a look at the numbers. The Packers went for 2-points four times this season and made all four. I think a 100% success rate is pretty good indicator they have a play or plays that work, but he had answer to that later.
 



Janis' 1st TD

Let's look at the flow of the game. The Packers entered the 4th quarter leading 13-10. The quarter began with Damarius Randall intercepting Carson Palmer in the endzone on the continuation of the third quarter drive that had started on the Arizona 31.

After a Packers punt Arizona drove 80 yards on 14 plays to take the lead 17-13 with3:44 left. During that drive Sam Shields dropped a sure interception inside the 10 that may have sealed the win.

The Packers then go 4-and-out setting up the Cardinals at the Green Bay 24. Playing it safe Arizona kicks a field goal upping its lead to 20-13 with 1:55 left.
 

After an incomplete pass, a 10-yard sack and another incomplete pass Rodgers connects with Jeff Janis on 4th-and-20 from the four for 60 yards to the Arizona 36. Then Richard Rodgers was called for motion on a hurry-up pass leaving a 1st-and-15 from the 41 with 12 seconds left. After another incomplete pass with 5 seconds left Rodgers heaves his second successful Hail Mary of the season to Janis with 0:00 on the clock.
 

So the flow of the game was the Packers defense allowing the Cardinals to drive on two occasions and the Packers offense being hit or miss.
 

McCarthy then said, "The way our defense was playing. I had great confidence in stopping Arizona’s offense."
 

Let me reiterate. Evidently he forgot how the Cardinals had just driven 69 yards on 6 plays ending with the interception and then 80 yards on 14 plays for a TD and misunderstood how the Packers held the Cardinals to a field goal when all they were doing was playing cautiously for that field goal.
 

McCarthy added, "And, frankly, where we were as far as our young guys at receiver..."
 

Well take that Jeff Janis. McCarthy for some reason doesn't like Janis even though he caught 7 of 11 passes thrown his way for 145 yards for 2 TDs in three quarters of play. The other young guy who McCarthy likes - Jared Abberderis - caught 4 of 12 passes thrown to him for 55 yards.
 

Randall Cobb-Max McGee-Odell Beckham All in One

To extend the point the old guy James Jones was thrown the ball twice and didn't make a catch. The middle-age $40 million guy Randall Cobb was thrown two passes. He didn't catch the first one and then made a Max McGee/Odell Beckham, Jr. catch for 51 yards down to Arizona three, but it was called back on a penalty (figures). Cobb was injured on the play and left the game with 10 seconds left in the first quarter.
 

Janis Caught This Desperation Pass To Set Up 'Hail Mary 2'

McCarthy concluded, "And, frankly, where we were as far as our young guys at receiver and the 2-point plays we had available, I wasn’t comfortable with those particular calls.”
 

'Hail Mary 2'

McCarthy just admitted that in his mind Janis, who just made two miracle catches along with Abberderis, Jones and tight end Richard Rodgers (who had caught 5 of 8 passes for 45 yards) couldn't run the 2-point plays in their arsenal unless Randall Cobb was on the field, despite having  Aaron Rodgers. This is not only a slap in the face of Janis and Richie Rodgers, but another in a series of slaps at the leadership and ability of Aaron Rodgers.
 

That to me means McCarthy and his associate head coach/offense Tom Clements and offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett hadn't done their jobs to be ready to win the game.
 

Tuesday McCarthy fired running back coach Sam Gash and tight ends coach Jerry Fontenot, but somehow Clements and Bennett along with quarterbacks/wide receivers coach Alex Van Pelt retained theirs.

There is something rotten in Denmark and it has nothing to do with Sam Gash and Jerry Fontenot. While I agree with the firing of Gash and in general the firing the Fontenot, but the problems are deeper and more systematic than a couple of minor position coaches. The fish stinks from the head on down.

This Time The Party Was Truly Over