You See I (We) Were Right

The local kiss-ass media is an exact reflection of how the Ted Thompson Era (we are still in it until that man departs 1265 Lombardi Avenue for real) of the Green Bay Packers reacted to the thoughts of Packer Backers – total and complete ignorment (I know it’s not a word, but it is now) about transactions, lack of transactions and any criticism of the play on the field. They have spent the time since 2006 brushing away the criticism and spouting out the company line at every instance.

I’m Back and I’m Still Not a Happy Packer Backer

It’s been many, many weeks since I’ve weighed in on the sinking ship that is the 2018 Packers, but, at least, for today, I’m to give my 6 cents on what’s happened and is happening and what will happen.

Mike McCarthy has coached the Packers longer than anyone else since Curly Lambeau. The immortal Curly Lambeau won 6 titles in 31 years and the extremely mortal Mike McCarthy has won 1 in his 13 years as head coach. Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr were coach for 9 years and Mike Holmgren for 7 years and Mike Sherman 6.

One of the reasons I haven’t commented on the terrible play in general, the yearly rash of injuries and the terrible play calling of Mike McCarthy is because what I had to say was something I’ve been saying for years now and again after the “new beginning” during the offseason.

I wanted McCarthy fired years ago for not firing Dom Capers. Remember McCarthy kept Dom Capers on WAY TOO LONG after he became a liability. I was calling for Capers to be fired since the 2011 season and it took him 7 years to do so. The hallmark of a Capers defense is that in a crunch it will fail and it seems Mike Pettine’s defense isn’t much better.

Some More Things We Now Know

After last season when the basically season-ending injury to Aaron Rodgers showed some stark realities to the local kiss ass media and the lovers of Ted Thompson or the “Tedders” as I call them that except for Rodgers the Packers 52 + 10 rest of the roster was not championship quality. So a meeting of the minds in 1265 Lombardi Avenue resulted in the “big spring of change” during the offseason and the Packers were now new and improved and totally energized to make a serious run for the Super Bowl.

However after seven weeks of games the Packers sitting in second place in the North Division behind da Bears of all teams at 1-1-1. In this short time we have learned that the “big spring of change” was just smoke blown up our collective skirts by the local kiss ass media and the brain trust of the Packers.

Why Are These Men Still In The Building?

I have been sitting here (well, some of the time) watching the Green Bay Packers shuffle the deck chairs on their Titanic and wondering why the buffoons who used to call themselves the “I Trust in Ted” crowds or “Tedders” as I call them cheer the moves the Board of Directors made (I know President Mark Murphy said he made those decisions all by his little lonesome, but we all know that is just the latest from the Ted Thompson Fake News Division) concerning the front office and coaching staff. But I want to make clear to all of you that basically the same mind set that gave the Packers 1 Super Bowl appearance in 13 years with arguably the best 2 quarterbacks in NFL history is alive and well at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.

I’ve Been To The Mountain Top…..At Least For A Day And A Half

It’s been an emotional nine days. The Packers savior – I’m not the savior – Aaron Rodgers couldn’t pull off another miracle and Brett Hundley, who is not a NFL starting quarterback who couldn’t beat anyone, but the da’ Bears, the 0-16 Browns (needed overtime) and the still disappointing Bucs even without Vinny Testaverde, even though both former General Manager (I love that) Ted Thompson and current (I hate that) head coach Mike McCarthy think otherwise., drove a nail into the season with two losses to the Vikings (ouch) by his second shutout (OUCH) and the Lions (ouch).

The season ended with a rout and then within hours word began to leak out of Thompson’s FAKE NEWS operation that Dom Capers was actually being fired. Could it be? Or were they just screwing with the Packers Backers who have been hoping for this moment since 2011? Mike McCarthy loves the man. He didn’t care if the defense sucked or gave up a chance to go to the Super Bowl three years ago because McCarthy had Rodgers to bail the team out. He didn’t care that the same problems kept popping up game after game, year after year, because he had Rodgers to bail the team out. He didn’t care…..

So I was trying not to get too excited, but it seems there is another force acting here since the Packers just had their eight-year playoff streak broken and even the “Tedders” had to have a scapegoat since they couldn’t blame their demigod Ted Thompson for putting together a lousy roster. However by the time I went to bed Sunday night Dom Capers was still officially the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers.

The Complete Collapse of the Murphy/Thompson/McCarthy/Capers Era

I remember when…..The Packers won the Super Bowl, the Packers had the No. 1 quarterback in all of football (a Collinsworthism) and the Packers were ranked No. 1 in the NFL.

A Leopard Will Change His Spots Before Ted Thompson Changes His

The “Just Good Enough” Packers of the Ted Thompson Era may not be just good enough this year, but it seems even the loss of the best quarterback in the game today and a defense that can’t be depended upon isn’t enough to get Thompson to adjust to the current dire situation and actually do something to help the team during the season.

Different Quarterback Same Result

I went into the game against the Saints with no expectations. Aaron Rodgers wasn’t even at Lambeau Field, but master play caller Mike McCarthy and his play chart was and the grand dame of defensive coordinators was still sitting up in the clouds directing the Packers defense and with those 3 strikes against him the new “Great White Hope” of the Packers didn’t have a chance.

A New Season or the End of the Old Season?

The Brett Hundley Era begins when the New Orleans Saints invade Lambeau Field today at noon. The Packer faithful will get a glimpse over the next 8 weeks of what life would be without Aaron Rodgers and whether General Manager Ted Thompson has built a team that is truly a playoff contender or a team built around just one player who lifted his teammates to that level.

The Packers Have More Problems Than Losing Aaron Rodgers

Head Coach Mike McCarthy has won a Super Bowl, but not lately, in fact it has been 7 years since the Packers Brain Trust has led the greatest team in football history to the Promised Land with the greatest quarterback in the league at the helm.

Since then the Packers have been to the playoffs every season, but have been bounced out in their first game (even after going 15-1 in 2011) twice (2011, 2013), in the second game twice (2012, 2015) and in the conference title game twice (2014, 2016). The playoff record for Thompson and McCarthy since 2010 is 5 wins and 6 losses. Not a good record with the greatest quarterback in the league.

New Stuff and Old Stuff

New Stuff

The NFL.com power rankings are out and if having the Detroit Lions tied for the North Division lead with the Packers didn’t impress you then get this the Lions are ranked No. 2 up from No. 4 and the Packers No. 5 up from 10.

You See I’m Not the Only One

This morning Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio summed up three of my main pet peeves of the current state of affairs of the Packers: 1. The “Just Good Enough” Packers. 2. Dom Capers. 3. Ted Thompson.

I have been accused of having a vendetta against Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers and General Manager Ted Thompson while being out in the opinion wilderness (and if there is something Packers Backers know about is being in the Wilderness) as far as those men are concerned and the general direction of the Packers by the “In Ted We Trust” crowd or as I call them “Tedders” and sycophants (a servile self-seeking flatterer by definition, but I have expanded that definition to compare them to those sad losers in sex chat rooms who pay the models thousands of dollars because they think they have a personal relationship with the girls while never having and never having a chance in hell to actually meeting them in person, but spend their time attacking others in the chat room they perceive not respecting their loved ones). Now doesn’t that sum up the “Tedders” to a tee?

Spot On Greg Jennings

I never thought I would agree with anything former Packer Greg Jennings has spouted off since leaving the Packers after the 2012 season. But hell has evidently frozen over (but not in Southern Illinois where we are going through a heat wave) because he has agreed with me on a topic (I guess its true a broken clock is right twice a day, so I will wait for the second time he agrees with me) and I will always give credit where credit is due.

Season And Future At A Crossroads This Week

I know I've said this before, but the game against the Seahawks at Lambeau Field will determine the future of the Green Bay Packers in the short term and the long term.

 

General Manager Ted Thompson and Head Coach Mike McCarthy have backed the Packers in a corner this season having to win the last six games in order to keep their playoff streak alive and, to be brutally honest, nothing more than that because Thompson has left the 2016 Packers without enough talent to seriously content for the Super Bowl.

 

After wins over the Eagles and Texans following four straight losses to teams the Packers should have been able to beat (Falcons, Colts, Titans and Redskins) and seeing the Packers Power Ranking drop to 24 and sitting not only behind the Lions, of all teams, but also behind the Vikings after letting the Vikings win the North Division with a victory over the Packers at Lambeau Field the current owners of the mantle of Curly Lambeau, Vince Lombardi, Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren have put the Packers on a course the "Tedders" and Ask Vic have been afraid of.

 

Who Will Run The Ball Against The Texans And Other Stuff

Since Eddie Lacy went down with an ankle injury in Week 6 quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been the Packers leading rusher. He has consistently gained yardage averaging 6.2 yards a carry and saved drives by making 20 first downs most on third down.

 

However, last week in the win over the Eagles Rodgers tweaked his hamstring, so his mobility will be restricted leaving the ground game up to the halfback James Starks, tailback/slot back Ty Montgomery, fullback Aaron Ripkowski and halfback Christine “A Boy Named Sue” Michael.

 

Starks is beginning to show signs of life with 41 yards on 17 carries against the Eagles for 2.8 yards a carry after beginning the season with the worst statistics of his career averaging just 1.8 yards. Starks had some good runs, but he needs to do more this week.

 

NOW Invades 1265 Lombardi Avenue

It's been an interesting week after the Packers were embarrassed in Nashville and fell below .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2008. The defense was manhandled and the offense was spotty.

 

After the game Aaron Rodgers came out of the "Sanctuary" and set us stupid idiots straight who are worried about the Packers in general and Head Coach Mike McCarthy in particular by saying this, "I think it's ridiculous. I think people don't understand how difficult it is to win in this league and win consistently. The success that we've had here, it's tough to do. We've set the standard pretty high. But I wouldn't listen to some of those people out there. I mean they're not in this locker room, they're not in the meeting rooms, they're not in the practice environments. They don't know what's going on, they don't know the type of work ethic that we have here and that Mike has here."

 

Well Mr. Rodgers put us in our place telling us unwashed masses that we don't know enough to get in out of the rain. He tells us that we should be grateful the Packers were as good as they were and that we shouldn't expect to be good this year and to "quit your bellyaching."

 

At a Crossroads

The season is at the proverbial crossroads. The Packers are third in the North Division a game behind the Minnesota Vikings (5-3), who have lost three in a row, and a half a game behind the Detroit Lions (5-4), with a 4-4 record. Where the future of the Packers lies literally lies over the next eight games.

 

Do they rebound and win their next 8 games, do they limp alone being Just Good Enough to make the playoffs for the 8th year in a row thusly saving the jobs of Mark Murphy, Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy and Dom Capers. Or do they collapse and  miss the playoffs triggering a needed housecleaning.

 

I am on the fence on where I want this season to go. More than half of me wants the collapse so Thompson and McCarthy are gone. The lesser half of me would hate to see a collapse week in and week out, but unless something drastic happens the Packers Board of Directors will not make any needed changes.

 

Another One Bites The Dust

Every week another starter is lost to the Packers and this week it was starting center J.C. Tretter, who was put on the shelf with a knee injury.

 

Through the first seven games during which the Packers went 4-3 the Packers lost 16 players to injury for a total of  37 missed games. In fact, there hasn't been a week where the Packers didn't have a player out because of injury.

 

Week 1 Josh Hawkins (hamstring), Trevor Davis (shoulder), Chris Banjo (hamstring) and Jayrone Elliott (hamstring) sat out the game. Week 2 Hawkins, Elliott and Banjo were still out with Sam Shields added with a concussion.

 

Some Cold Hard Facts

The bye week is over and the Packers will now play every week until the playoffs. As much as a late bye is welcomed the Week 4 bye was a blessing.

 

Morgan Burnett Is Back

The Packers have once again and for the umpteen straight season are totally wracked with injuries. Strong safety Morgan Burnett has missed the last two games, essentially, with a groin injury after missing the preseason with a bad back. Right cornerback Sam Shields has missed the last two games with his fifth concussion. Tight end Jared Cook will miss the Giants game because of an ankle injury. Left cornerback Damarious Randall might miss the Giants game with a new groin injury.

How I Sit on Sitton

The opening game is just a couple days away and the Packers roster is now set. I'm not happy with some of the moves made by General Manager Ted Thompson, but what else is new. I have learned to live with it. However, I'm very much not happy with some innuendo put out by Head Coach Mike McCarthy concerning the biggest move made on cut down day.