Tuesday, November 11, 2008

My Take -> Week 11

Greetings, G-Force.

Thus far, the 2008 Packers have lacked testosterone. We've lacked might. We've lacked heart. We've lacked physical prowess. We've lacked endurance. At times, we've played out of fear rather than confidence.

Clearly, this version of the Green Bay Packers does not know how to win. We're losing tight contest. Frankly, I can accept the fact that the Packers lose hard fought battles as one could foresee this with a young team, a young QB, and a young Coach. Success in the NFL is not supposed to come easy. What bothers me is the continual acceptance of the same inefficiencies. Penalties. No run defense. Poor pass protection. A QB that holds onto the ball too long. Every week, it's the same difficulties. We lack polish. I had looked at Mike McCarthy as though he was a master of the details. Today, he looks like a man that fails to pay attention to details. Due to this, the Packers 2008 season rests in the hands of a match-up at Lambeau Field against the hated Chicago Bears.

It's true that the officiating was awful against the 'Queens. It's true that we would have been in position to win if Crosby would have made the 52-yard FG. We should be reminded that Minnesota would have still had 30 seconds to get into FG range. Regardless, it should not have come to that. Our inability to understand down & distance continues to prevent the Packers from winning football games. If we would have gotten one first down, we would have had a chip shot FG with no time on the clock. For the 2nd week in a row, McCarthy's play calling at the end of the game failed to produce a winner. What happened to the shovel pass? Where did it go?

As the G-Force, we must move on. The season hangs in the balance. The Packers need an animated Lambeau Field on Sunday. We need unity. We need a competitive edge. The Faithful can end a devastating two-game losing streak.

The Bears still suck. The Bears still suck. They really, really, really, really, really, really suck. The Bears still suck.

Presently, the Bears are tied for first in the NFC North. However, the NFC North division is still ours to lose. Win this week and we are right back in position to make a run at the playoffs. It'd be terrific to get UNO-DOS! playoff experience at this stage in his career. I want UNO-DOS! to feel the enthusiasm. I want UNO-DOS! to feel the pressure. If we cannot win the Super Bowl, I want UNO-DOS! to feel the agony of walking off the field in defeat in a sudden death playoff format. It'd be good for his personal football development. It'd be good for the future of this storied franchise.

Bears-Packers. Lambeau Field. Does sports offer anything better? Not in my mind.

While the Packers fail at the line of scrimmage, the Bears pride themselves on their physical nature. The Bears play with a tough mentality. Ogunleye, Brown, Harris, and Dvoracek make up a formidable DL. I feel that Tommie Harris is the best DT in all of football. On offense, the Bears try to beat you by running the football and using the TE. While the Bears spread the ball around, their offense is based around Matt Forte. He leads the team in receptions and averages over 20 carries a game. So far, Forte has produced. He has over 700 yards rushing and he's totalled 7 TD's.

The Bears will pressure UNO-DOS! to the max. They may not need to bring a blitz as they'll be able to get pressure with just their front 4, but I'd assume that they'll show a variety of blitz packages to get in UNO-DOS! face. UNO-DOS! has shown that if you get to him early, he'll press and start to focus his eyes on the DL and not on the WR's downfield.

The Packers respond with a variety of draws and delayed runs. Pounding at the center of the Bears defense. Running right at Urlacher and not allowing him to use his speed. Between the tackles, the Packers pick up yardage and points.

Our ability to run slows down their pass rush. The Bears resort to rushing 4. They still experience success, but UNO-DOS! connects with Greg Jennings over the top.

It's unclear as to who will play QB for the Bears. Either way, the game plan will be similar. Forte to the right. Forte to the left. Forte up the middle. Forte through the air in the flat. He'll touch the ball 25 times this Sunday. He'll get his yardage. We'll keep him out of the end zone.

At some point, the Bears will have to go to the air and this is when the Packers display our strength. Nintendo Nick - just playin' baby. Just playin'. Heisman Chuckie - is there a better CB in the NFL? T-Mon getting his hands on the ball. Rasta Al playing physical and confident. Ras-A-tari getting back in the groove. Rashied Davis and Marty Booker do not scare me. I don't think Hester will make a difference on offense either.

Greg Olsen will get his catches, probably 4-5. He'll move the chains beating our underperforming LB's off the line of scrimmage. Desmond Clark will probably do the same with 3 catches. I simply do not foresee the Bears getting into the end zone more than once unless it's either set up by a turnover or a Devin Hester return.

I'm curious to see the Desmond Bishop impact. Yes, he was beaten badly by Chester Taylor. He was embarrassed. He knows it. He'll learn from his mistakes. I'm interested to see if he can play in this league. Barnett's injury opens the door for Bishop to prove himself. I want to see Bishop and Forte collide.

Grant goes for 100 yards. Jennings finds the end zone. Donald Lee gets involved. UNO-DOS! gets a big time win for his career against the hated rivals. Mike McCarthy finally gets another victory over Lovie Smith.

Keep Forte under 100. Keep Hester out of the end zone. No more than 1 turnover. The crowd will rage. The Pack will be victorious.

Packers 27
Bears 16

Bears still suck!

Yes We Can,

Talkin' S-Mac.

10 comments:

Stack said...

Week Ten saw Stack go without a take. Shameful perhaps, but I haven't been out until the wee hours of the morning on consecutive nights in some time, so consider last weekend a wipeout.

However, as teams are starting to hit and tackle better, as twine tightens in the rope, Stack is most certainly back.

BuzzBoy, dear man, you know how heartily I agree with this take. Puzzling state of affairs in Green Bay on many levels, but what's wrong with the boys on the field?

Testosterone. Gravity. Fire. Resoluteness.

We lack these things. And your point, I'll take this back to the NFC Championship.

The Giants were the more violent team at the line of scrimmage last year. Maybe we're the ones with the hangover...

Our OL is in complete shambles. Crisis of confidence? Or are the players at those positions simply no longer capable? Seems like a far, fast fall for some of the guys who were in the trenches on 1/20/08.

Our DL looks tired. Pickett and Jolly are a shadow of last year's form. AK is non-existent. Jeremy Thompson is, at this point, Jeremy Thompson.

Hawk returned to pedestrian form. Desmond Bishop. It will be interesting. Remember back to the Winston Moss interview after Bishop's drafting. "What we liked were his natural instincts and his ability to get the ball out." Let's hope so.

Clearly, we've got issues.

Good thing it's Bear week.

There's no better week in which to sort your issues.

If unitard didn't already mean something, you could use it to describe the two-headed monster of ineptitude that has nested in Chicago's throwing pocket for last two years.

Rex or Kyle. Take your pick. Doesn't matter. Forte will run on us. It's a given, everyone does it, Matt Forte, you're next in line. Olson is a threat, elite size. Chillar will battle him. Nick Collins will find him.

Ras Atar-I, light 'm up, light 'm up!

We can suffocate the passing game. We can't stop the run, but we can make a few stops against the run. Over the course of the game, it should be enough. Matt Forte is no Adrian Peterson.

Find some energy. Come out crisp and get the ball into the hands of your receivers. They look frustrated.

This is the Bears. If we don't turn the ball over, we will win.

Can't score with us. And no more man crush interceptions for Urlacher.

You're in our house.

Pack 38
Bears 17


The special teams battles will be a bright spot in this game. Both teams get energy from their special teams.

Watch the Blackmon / Hester battle of egos. It has the potential to be great.

Michael J. said...

This is the post, that earns you a reputation of fluffy predictions Scott. In a matchup where Lovie Smith is 4-0 @ Lambeau...the Packers leading tackler on a porous run defense is lost for the season...and somehow, after questioning the manhood of this team, you're able to foresee certain victory. Why break precedent, you haven't picked against the Packers all season.

The Packers sport a sub par running game, the Bears, an above average run defense. The Packers win this game through the air...the Bears win this game by pressuring Rodgers and limiting turnovers. If he can connect on three step drops...vis a vie the slant in particular, the Packers have a good chance. If not, it may get ugly for the Packers in front of a home crowd. Orton claims he's playing, but that may just be pre-game misinformation. I believe the game plan is drastically different depending on who plays QB...Orton hasn't been intercepted since week 4...Grossman is rusty and bad. Bear defense is calling each other out all week...and it will show on Sunday...Packers will continue to struggle to stop the run.

Bears 27
Packers 17

Michael J. said...

Stack,
Orton's QB rating is 90+...if he's 100% the Packers will lose by three scores.

Benjamin Wehner said...

Michael J????
I don't know you but from what I can tell, if you are a Packer fan, I am glad I do not know you with your pessimistic attitude. However, if you are a Bear fan, I respect your confidence in your team. But to think a healthy Orton would beat the Pack by 3 scores, you are seriously smoking crack unless Orton can manage to put up 50 points this week as the Pack will be posting 30 plus.

The key battle this week is the O-line and D-line. We MUST win this battle on both sides of the ball. We have been pushed around way to often and it must stop. Part of the reason AP scampered for 192 and others will into the mid-100’s was due to the fact that our offense could not create a lengthy drive, time consuming drive. Look at the time of possession last week. Any team that has the ball that long (36 minutes to 24 minutes) almost an entire quarter longer than us, is going to put up those kinds of numbers. Pick 6’s and punt returns for TD are great, but they don’t get your Defense off the field. This has been one of our biggest assets yet flaw in this years’ team. Our D has gotten worn out from doing a shit ton of work and our Offenses’ inability to sustain lengthy drives.
This has to change this week. Penalties on offense must stop if our offense is going to create this lengthy drive. We cannot be starring at 3 and long on a continuous basis.

This week, I see us coming out composed, relaxed and ready to take care of our business. Handshakes around boyz. We are confident, pumped up and ready to attack. Whomever is the staring QB for the Bears this week will not have any luck.
This is a MUST WIN and since I will be in attendance with my lovely wife bringing the G-force, we will get this one. Hard fought throughout, but thanks to another Chuckie pick in the 4th, we pound the ball away with confidence in the final minutes to drain the clock down to ZERO.

See you at the top of the NFC north on Sunday night.

Benjamin Wehner said...

PS, How great was it to see Favre and the Jets light up the "Hoody" and the Patriots last night.

Talkin' S-Mac said...

Boots - BRING IT!

And yeah, this just in...Brett Favre is good.

Grammy said...

In reference to Rodgers' "nickname" Uno Dos. Well, nothing like ripping off Chad Johnson of all people. Uno Dos isn't even a number, it's two numbers. I've never heard a Mexican call a player "one two" before. Rodgers isn't even Spanish, or Mexican for that matter...is he Cuban? He looks more greek or italian if you ask me. Uno due or ene duo. Either way, I think you should be more creative.

On an actual football note:
If there is one thing I've noticed this season is that Rodgers, when pressured, is not a good QB...granted, not many are. Fortunately, for the Pack the Bears cannot pass rush to save their lives and I'm sure Babich and Lovie will be over confident and rely only on the front 4, with an occasional blitz from Mike Brown.

The result of this game, however, may come down to the Bears ability to run block for Forte. If the Bears can control the clock and wear out an average at best Packers defense, than whoever is playing QB for the Bears should be able to take advantage of the LB's covering the TE's.

I will be up in Green Bay this weekend, not at the game but in town, bringing a little C-Force vibe for the Bears. And if being in the same town as your favorite football team is as influential on the outcome of their football game as many on this blog say it is, then the Packers are fucked.

Let's see if "uno dos" can find his way out of his own endzone this sunday.

with Orton
Bears 73 (with 3 safeties)
Packers 7

with Grossman
Bears 6 (still 3 safeties)
Packers 27

Talkin' S-Mac said...

Classic Grammy take. Always throwing his trash talk below the belt.

Looks like you have Orton and no excuses. Line 'em up.

Lambeau will be ready. Both teams NEED this game. The G-Force will be in effect. The Green & Gold will prevail.

Grammy said...

Had to talk a little trash before the game. I mean c'mon, it's the bears packers game.

There are no excuses for this game. The Bears sucked ass. Orton should not have started, couldn't get a push off his injured ankle. However, the game wouldn't have been any different if Grossman started. Babich is a terrible defensive coordinator. Lovie got out coached and should be fired. He fails to make adjustments and the ones he does make don't work to his teams favor.

Bears should have come out running like the Packers did and they failed to do so. There was no pressure on Rodgers, the one play there was he threw an interception.

Mike Brown in the box, Packers pass. Mike Brown out of the box, Packers run...and it destroyed the Bears.

Are the Packers this good? No. Are the Bears this bad? No.
But they both were today and that's what counted.

Big games next week for both teams. How do they both respond?

Michael J. said...

First time I've ever had someone confused if I were a Packer fan. Tragic. I realize my comments made prior to the game have seemingly no basis at this point. But I stand by them...I still think the Bears win by three scores if Orton plays. Bootsie - to know me is to know thyself. Wrap your head around that crack induced beauty.