My Take -> Week 3

Greetings, G-Force.

A successful pilgrimage to the American sports Holy Land. The first time my good mate & I were in attendance in which the Packers came away with a victory. Cheers, Vargas.

2-0! Living life. Not playing our best football. It offers hope for a bright future.

First, we need to re-establish a home-field advantage. NOW! I know we've been winning as of late at Lambeau, but in order to capture the Holmgren home-field magic of the '90's, it must start with US! Yes, you & me. Those in the stands provide the energy. Players feed off that energy. Especially the defense. The traditions are passed down from the fans. We pass down the legacies. We have the responsibility of living up to the expectations. Never taking a week off. Regardless of the opponent, On 3rd down, get off your ass. Get on your feet. Or stay home. Encourage those around you to do the same. We can help the defense get off the field & when the defense forces a punt, give them the applause they deserve! The Faithful must be enthusiastically explosive at all times. This is what makes both Lambeau Field & the Green Bay Packers unique. As fans, we must carry the weight! From here on out, get the job done. This team needs us.

In order to become Super, a team needs to deal with obstacles. At some point, there has to be controversy. There must be unsettling moments that build the teams character. Often, these moments force others to propel their game to the next level. This team has seen plenty. Think the Drama Viqueen. Johnny Jolly. Ras Al. Ras-A-tari. Life without Ryan Grant. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. In 1996, in many ways, Andre Rison & Bruce Wilkerson saved the season. Now, we need a similar savior in 2010. Or the season won't end in Super form. We need a solution at RB. Someone must answer the bell.

The sky is the limit for this team. Take away the quarter in which Michael Vick was a supernatural & this team has outscored the opposition 61-17. And, frankly, we haven't played that well. If we peak, we can dominate. No doubt.

In case you haven't noticed, Clay Matthews III is a beast. A predator. A maniacal animal. Even on the sideline, you can't contain him. He sets the pace for the Defense everytime we step out on the field. He's ALWAYS the 1st one to the huddle. Our unquestioned leader.

Congrats to Morgan "Heritage" Burnett & Brandon Chillar for their 1st picks. Again, great to see Nintendo Nick hungry to play the role of mentor for Burnett. When Burnett go the pick, Collins was looking to celebrate. Pimpin' together. Good ol' boys just being boys! And after the play, they shared a Gatorade with one another & Collins wanted to know ALL details. As if he were a proud big brother. They're mates. T-Mon & Shields were simling onlookers. Sir Charles came over to show small appreciation & acknowledgement. Nonetheless, the reigning Defensive MVP's small pat on the back was certainly noticed by Burnett. Guaranteed. His smile was endless post Woodson's gesture. But, it was Collins who cherished the moment most. Chemistry exists!

A couple other small observations:

In the 40/40 watch, the Packers notched 4 more sacks & forced 2 more turnovers giving us 10 sacks & 3 turnovers after two games. The turnovers are going to come in bunches. Trust it.

I enjoy Nick Barnett's new mouthguard.

YOTTO! Send Finley to Hawaii! He's lethal coming across the middle on the crossing route.

After 2 games, the stats for Rodgers reads 443 passing yards, 4 TD's 2 INT, 94.0 passer rating. And I'd argue that he hasn't played well. Amazing to consider.

Bulaga filled in admirably. Happy that his 1st NFL action is behind him. He's ready for contact. I get the feeling that - at this stage - he might be a better run blocker than a pass protector. Thou Buffalo didn't show much of anything.

Sam Shields with the tackle over the middle to prevent the 1st down & get us off the field on 3rd down! Well played, rook!

I enjoy Cullen Jenkins' energy. SIGN HIM UP!!!

Thanks to AJ Hawk for his professionalism.

John Kuhn was our most impressive RB. That's scary. Though Nance showed small promise on his cutback. Didn't like the false start as I wanted another look to study his vision.

Jordy answering the call of duty on Kickoff Returns! Wish we could get T-Mon off punt return duties. An injury to him would devastate the season.

Props to Crabtree, Martin & Donald Lee for solid special teams play. Swain has to make a tackle on kickoff coverage. He's in position. Has to finish the play!

Double-D! 2 TD's in 2 weeks!

James Jones with an impressive TD grab.

Great camaraderie on the sidelines. Team unity is strong. Units sticking together. Studying together. Growin together. Learning together. Defining team.

The Packers travel to Lambeau South this weekend. Excitingly, perched atop the NFC North standings, you'll find the Packers equal with the hated Chicago Bears. For those of you that know me, there are very few things in life that I hate. For me, at the top of the hatred list is the Chicago Bears. Add Monday Night Football to the equation coupled with the notion that sole possession of 1st place is on the line & man, I'm stoked for this prime time battle.

I've seen every play of both Bears games twice. And it's hurts for me to admit, but there's reason for optimism in Windy City. True, they were fortunate to steal the Lions game, but if you look at the individual performances of many of their players, there are some positives around the hated rivals. Urlacher looks like he's back in 2006. So does Briggs. Same with Tillman. Forte looks like he's back to his 2008 form. All are making plays. Olsen, Hester & Knox have all displayed that they are capable whether it's on offense or special teams. They bring speed to the table.

And then there is Ray Nutler. In 55 career games, Nutler has 64 interceptions. Yet, this year, Nutler has a passer rating of 121. He's thrown 5 TD's compared to 1 interception. Suddenly, he hasn't been throwing into traffic (as much) & he's also making quick decisions. Nutler also showed the ability to escape the rush against the Cowboys. Dallas came with much pressure, yet Nutler was elusive enough to avoid punishment.

It's not rocket science, but this game will be won at the line of scrimmage. Both teams will try to spread each other out. Both teams will take shots down the field. The Packers will look towards the middle of the field. The Bears will look to test us down the sidelines. Look for them to try & get Hester or Knox lined up against Woodson & then try to take advantage of the speed advantage. I'm shocked that teams haven't targeted Shields. Might be Martz's game plan. Martz will try to also find Olsen, Forte & Chester Taylor on short routes when they are in one-on-one coverage against our LB's.

If Nutler holds onto the ball, the Packers DL will dominate the Bears vulnerable OL. The Bears OL can be beaten. Change that, the Bears OL WILL be beaten. Especially if Mike Neal is added to the mix. In fact, I'm so confident that we'll win those match-ups that largely, I'd only rush 4 men. Occasionally, I'd rush Sir Charles or Barnett. But, for the most part, I think we'll win individual match-ups with them. The Bears OL is weak on the edges. And when we do win those battles, it'll force Nutler to make quick decisions. We know how that story goes. Especially when the secondary is polluted with defenders.

This is a big game for Nick Barnett. We need him to play well. His responsibility will be to take away Nutler's bail out option. He'll have opportunities to make plays. Carpe Diem, Nick.

The Bears pass defense showed weaknesses between the LB's & the Safeties. We can win the middle of the field. We can also beat Moore & Bowman. Regardless of Moore's 2 picks last week. He can be had. Watch for Tillman to try for the strip. Also, I'm wondering if Tommie Harris is done.

Early in the game, the Bears rise to the occasion. A motivated crowd inspires goodness to the Bears defense. They get off the field. Find decent field position. The Bears strike first. Taylor, Forte, Hester & Olsen are all involved.

The Packers offense responds with a nice drive. Sitton pushes Tommie Harris 5 yards deep. Changing momentum. It's Nance grabbing carries & pushing for 1st downs. It's Kuhn pounding it at the gut for 3 yards. Play action to J-Mike over the middle. YOTTO! It's B-Jack slipping forward for 3 yards. The Bears hold to 3. But, the tone is set & the LB's have to creep forward. In fact, it's mandatory for the Packers to force the Bears LB to move towards the line of scrimmage early in this game. We can't let them rush 4.

Bulaga holds his own against Peppers. I haven't seen that he's starting, but I'm assuming so.

On & On & ON!!! The pass protection comes after Ray Nutler. CM3 from the blindside! Connects with Nutler. Driving his shoulder into the turf. Forcing the fumble. The big turnover the Packers needed!

Instantly, Rodgers goes to work. Jennings streaking down the right sideline on a deep ball. 10-7. Green Bay.

Back & forth, the game goes. Neither team able to slip away. Then, T-Mon makes the BIG play. Stepping in front of a Nutler pass.

It'll be a dog fight. Notch another victory for the good guys from Titletown. Once again, the Packers walk into Lambeau South & grab success.

Green Bay 27. Chicago 24.

Da Bears Still Suck!

Power From The People,

Talkin' S-Mac.
talkins-mac.blogspot.com

On a side note, a couple of other things that need mention. I've got notes to get the "Who Are You Watching?" portion of the blog going. Just busy & unable to find the time to put it all together. Hopefully, it'll come next week. Also, thanks to the San Diego Chargers for holding onto Vincent Jackson! Finally, AK-74 was held without a sack in Week 2.