Packers Back In Business

by Dugald Skene

Green Bay Packers   42-24   Houston Texans

It's taken 6 weeks of the 2012 NFL season, but the Green Bay Packers finally seem to have found the kind of form that took them to a 15-1 record last season. In what was a must win game, the odds were stacked against them as they travelled to Houston to take on a Texans side unbeaten all season and owners of a prolific offence and devastating defence.

In the past 9 games with quarterback Matt Schaub starting fit, the Texans have won by an average of 20 points. On the flip side, the Packers have one of the poorer defences in the league, ranked 31st out of 32 teams last year.  Their success last term was predicated on the idea that how ever much the opposition would score, the Packers would just score more.

That sort of offensive form has not been on show this season, and most predicted the Packers slipping to a 2-4 record.  But Green Bay, led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, had other ideas.

By the end of the contest, Green Bay had amassed 42 points against one of the toughest defences around, and in their own back yard. Rodgers threw for a Packers record equalling 6 touchdowns (matching Matt Flynn's effort at the tail end of last season in a game Rodgers sat out in the run up to the playoffs), notching up 330 yards with no interceptions in the process.

Aaron Rodgers led the offensive rout on the Texans

Despite all 6 TD's coming from passes, the Packers did not disown their running game, with tailback Alex Green carrying 22 times. Like in previous weeks, the emergence of a running game in the Packers offensive arsenal has provided the added dimension that has allowed Rodgers to exploit defences more with the pass.

The Packers dominated this game and led from the front. The Texans got 3 TD's of their own. their defence had limited success but linebacker JJ Watt did have another fine outing, notching up two sacks on Rodgers.  Quarterback Matt Schaub was less on form, particularly after being picked off twice.

The Packers now go to 3-3 and back to a .500 record.  They will certainly see this as a major turning point in their season and will look to extend this win into a series over the coming weeks.  The Texans, on the other hand, will not be dwelling too much on last night's defeat. They are still going to be one of the toughest teams alone will face and I still see them making it to the AFC Championship game come January. Their defeat leaves the Atlanta Falcons as the only undefeated team in the NFL, but they will be back. Nobody will want to be at the receiving end of their backlash.

NFL Needs Officials Back Before Someone Gets Hurt

by Dugald Skene

It has been an outstanding start to the 2012 NFL season, with the first 48 fixtures throwing up more than its fair share of thrills and spills.

But the season so far has been dominated not by the plays or the touchdowns, but the officiating of the games.  The NFL is still in a lockout with the regular NFL standard officials and there doesn't seem to be any sign of the dispute being resolved until at least Week 5.

In the meantime, games are suffering for poor and lengthy decision making.  The first half of the Denver Broncos at Atlants Falcons game last Monday for example took a full 2 hours, around 45 minutes longer than usual due to the prolonged periods of review, and the sheer number of reviews required by the more inexperienced officials.

The effects of lengthy games are more tedious than any. It's the calls that are made that are wrong that are causing the real problems.  Things seemed to come to a head last night as the final play of the Packers at Seattle game came down to a 60 yard 'Hail Mary' pass from Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, lofted into the end zone in a 'hit and hope' effort.  The ball came down and appeared to be caught by defensive Packer MD Jennings, with Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate appearing to miss out as his hand came down on the ball, but not in control of it.

NFL's replacement officials have been dropping the ball in

more ways than one



The two officials on the scene gave conflicting signals, one indicating a Seahawks touchdown, one an interception. After a lengthy review and multiple replays, the score stood, and the Seahawks took the game 12-14 and relegated the Green Bay Packers to a second loss of the season.

This is probably the highest profile bad decision made so at, but there will be others.  And it seems the players are catching on to the opportunity to take liberties and play on the replacement officials inexperience at this elite level.  We've seen bad tackles and hits that have beggered belief, most notably the shocking and illegal hit on Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub by Broncos linebacker Joe Mays, who has since been fined $50,000 and suspended for only one game by the NFL, small change in reality.

With such a focus on player safety, it's contradictory that the league refuses to ban players for longer rather than fine them for committing potentially career ending tackles. Luckily, Matt Schaub got away with a cut ear and somehow only missed out on one play.

These high profile and dangerous tackles are one thing, but petulance also seems to be setting in, with lots of small scraps and fracases happening around the field with the knowledge the officials don't have the authority they are necessarily used to having to cut them out on the field of play.  Players are taking advantage of the replacement officials, and whether it be dangerous tackles, petty scraps or just bad decision making, it is harming the game and the precious reputation of the sport.

While they may be discipline players for dangerous plays, the NFL has come out and backed the decisions made by the replacement officials, but of course they would.  They can't be seen to be standing opposed to the men tasked with holding the fort while they are still at loggerheads with the people that are supposed to be on the field.

The sooner the usual officials are back, the better it will be for everyone; players, coaches and fans alike.

Jets & 49ers Impress In Opening NFL Weekend

by Dugald Skene

It was a strong weekend for the AFC over the weekend, with conference favourites the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans starting strongly as expected, and the Atlanta Falcons racking up 40 points at Arrowhead Stadium.

But perhaps the most surprising and impressive win of the weekend went to the New York Jets, who powered past the hapless Buffalo Bills 48-28. Much of the preseason chat was about which of his two quarterbacks head coach Rex Ryan would plump for - franchise QB and last years starter Mark Sanchez or the newly arrived headline maker from the Broncos Tim Tebow?

Mark Sanchez calls the shots for Jets against Buffalo

It seemed we wouldn't be finding out as both quarterbacks took to the field, with Tebow lining up as a slot receiver.  But it was Sanchez who called the shots, getting the offence up and running from the off, finishing 19 of 27 for 266 yards. Tebow's contribution from the pivot role amounted to 11 rushing yards from 5 carries and didn't throw a pass.  It looked like the Jets contrasting stars may well work in the same team after all.

For all the positives in offence, it's the defence that suffered, allowing 195 rushing yards, 169 of which were racked up by the impressive CJ Spiller. His 56 yard TD was down to poor tackling as it was strong running. There is still a lot to work on for the Jets, but they'll get a lot of confidence from scoring their highest first week total in franchise history.

The NFC performance of the weekend came from the defensively dominant San Francisco 49ers.  Lambeau Field is no easy venue to win at, not least against a heavily backed Green Bay Packers team led by Aaron Rodgers. But even the Packers number 12 struggled at times to overcome the ferocious 49ers defensive line.

We've come to expect a strong defence from the west coasters, and so it was a pleasant surprise to see them equalling their effort on offence. With the additions of Mario Manningham from the Giants and the veteran receiver Randy Moss over the off season, quarterback Alex Smith now has a more balanced array of attacking weapons at his disposal.  No doubt boosted by his late season and playoff form last year when the 49ers were unlucky not to make it to Superbowl XLVI, Smith has continued where he left off.  Completing 20 of 26 for 211 yards, Smith connected with Moss and Vernon Davis. Aaron Rodgers' stats may have been stronger, throwing for 303 yards, but the Packers didn't have the running to compete with the 49ers. RB Frank Gore ran for 112 yards against the Packers defence, including a 23 yard TD.

Aaron Rodgers gets sacked in the first quarter by the 49ers defence

The Packers will be back, and despite losing the same number of games already this season as they did the whole of the last regular season, they will definitely be in the mix come the playoffs.  A rematch against Rodgers childhood team the 49ers is still very much on the cards for the NFC championship.

Historic Playoff Weekend One To Remember

This weekends round of divisional playoffs will go down in histroy as one of the most exciting.  Each of the 4 games threw up something different and represented every kind of contest in the NFL.

For the three quarterbacks that have generated the most column inches between them, Rodgers, Brees and Tebow, the campaign for Superbowl glory has come to an end.  Instead, it has been the year of the defence, with 2 top defensive displays knocking off prolific offensive teams, and two watertight defenses coming together in a slugfest in Baltimore.

The one result that went to the form book was in New England, where the Patriots led by Tom Brady, who has found some dominating form in the latter part of the season and into the postseason, tore apart Tim Tebow and the Broncos.

For reaction on the outstanding 49ers victory, see my prevoius blog here.

But let's start at Green Bay, where the Superbowl favourites and NFC #1 seeds the Packers were looking to overcome a resurgent New York Giants team led by Eli Manning.

In essence, Green Bay lost to the better team, and lost by a convincing scoreline.  The majority of the credit should go to the Giants defence who forced Rodgers and his receivers into some uncharcteristic mistakes.  The fact that Rodgers, as he was in the 38-35 contest against the Giants in the regular season, was the top rusher in the Packers team with 66 yards, tells you how much the Giants closed down the options for the top QB in the league, forcing him to make the plays himself.

There were fumbles from Greg Jennings (one of which was not spotted by the referee and was judged he was down prior to the ball being released, leading to a scoring play), John Kuhn and Ryan Grant.

Many questions will get asked about whether the Packers were ready.  Rodgers himself hadn't played for 3 weeks after sitting out the final game of the regular season for Matt Flynn to step in and produce one of the finest QB displays of the season.  Greg Jennings was returning from injury after 5 weeks out as well.  Compare this to the Giants, whose momentum relied on the fact they have played every week, building on some solid defensive displays since losing to the Packers on December 4th.

That defence combined with the offensive form of receivers Cruz, Manningham and Nicks each giving Eli Manning a variety of good options across the field, the Giants have proved to be a well-oiled match winning team in the last few weeks.  No team will want to play them at the moment, but that's exactly what the San Francisco 49ers have to do next week at Candlestick Park.

A bad day at the office for the Packers, and the Giants roll on.  The last time the Giants won at Lambeau Field in the postseason, they went on to lift the Lombardi trophy against the New England Patriots.  There will now be a lot of people reckoning that that will be the likely match-up this time around.

So how about the Patriots?

Tom Brady and co produced a first half against the Broncos that dispelled any illusions that Tim Tebow could mix it with the elite QB's in the game.  Brady taught Tebow a lesson, and that puts it mildly.

With 5 TD passes in the first half, Brady then went on to complete 1 more to tie the postseason record for 6 TD passes in a game.  In doing so, he also racked up his 36th TD pass in postseasons, going third in the all-time list.  With Rodgers and Brees now out, Brady is now the one truly elite QB left in the reckoning, although Manning may have something to say about it.

Brady provided a masterclass in QB play against the Broncos

Tebow and the Broncos managed only one TD in the match, early in the 2nd quarter to make the score 7-14, only for Brady to respond with 3 more.  Tight end Rob Gronkowski continued his amazing form scoring 3 TD's, claiming 145 of the total 509 yards of Patriots offensive gains.

The Patriots look to be in ominous form and will now face the AFC #2 seeds Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game next week, at Foxboro.

The Ravens overcame the Houston Texans in a game that saw two of the best defences in the league square up in Baltimore.

Many people picked the Texans in this one, simply becasue of the outstanding defence, particularly from key players like Brian Cushing and the outstanding JJ Watt.  Both those players had stand out games in a contest that was all about stopping the other guys and see what we could get in offence.  Both teams have inconsistent QB's.  In Joe Flacco, the Ravens have yet to see the potential that their QB has shown only glimmers of this season.  But in the first quarter, it was Flacco who stepped up, throwing short touchdown passes to tight end Kris Wilson and wide receiver Anquan Boldin to give the Ravens a 17-3 lead after 15 minutes.

It was the veteran  Ray Lewis who led the Baltimore defence to force rookie Texans QB TJ Yates into throwing 3 interceptions.  But the Ravens defence couldn't stop Texans running back Arian Foster.  Having not given up more than 100 yards to any player this season, the Ravens couldn't stop Foster rushing for 132 yards in an outstanding display in an otherwise pretty toothless offence.

It was the mistakes that ultimately let this one go the way of the Ravens.  But if they have aspirations of reaching the Superbowl next week, they'll have pick up their game offensively and score more than the 227 yards they achieved yesterday.

With the possible exception of Baltimore, all the remaining teams in the postseason have the potential to go on to Superbowl glory.  The Patriots must now be considered the favourites, but the way the form book has gone so far this postseason, nobody will be holding their breath.

In Like Flynn

What was all the fuss about?

It was announced on Saturday by Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy that starting QB Aaron Rodgers would not be playing any part in the Packers team on Sunday against divisional rivals Detroit Lions.  That would mean Matt Flynn would get only his second NFL start in his career.

It may have been a 'nothing' game for the Packers after they secured home advantage for the playoffs last week, but that didn't mean Flynn was prepared to lose it for the Packers who were going for a 15-1 regular season.

The final score came in at 48-45 to the Packers, but Flynn's numbers were incredible, setting club and personal records left,right and centre: 480 yards, 6 TD's, 1 INT finishing with a passer rating of 136.4.  It should also be noted that Matthew Stafford threw for an equally impressive 520 yards in the game, setting a club record for the Lions.

Matt Flynn smashes Packers records with 480yds and 6TD's

Flynn's postmatch reaction was understated and typical of the temperament McCarthy has instilled in the Packers players. "I didn't think it would be a 6TD game, but that's what it took to win...I didn't look to prove anything to anybody today.  The goal was to win the game.  It was easier to not look ahead".

McCarthy was quick to point out after the match that the world had now seen in Flynn  what the Packers see in training every week.  He also confirmed that he was keen to keep Rodgers involved and that the starting QB did call the plays in the first half.

But as they now do look ahead to a divisional playoff on January 15th at Lambeau Field, McCarthy will be confident that he has his number 1 QB in Rodgers in good form and plenty of back up from a superb Matt Flynn.

A Blessing In Disguise?

In the fallout from Sunday's defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, there seems to be some quite conflicted thoughts coming from the terraces of Lambeau Field.  Would it have been great to get the perfect 16-0 season? Sure.  But there seems to be a rising tide of thought that the weekends result was for the best.

It seems increasingly clear that the Packers fans were waiting for the loss.  The law of averages always meant that the longer the streak went on, the higher the chances of the loss coming along.  The greatest fear of all was that it would come post-season, when there would be everything to lose.  I sense that there is relief from the fans that it has come along at the best time, when the divisional title and the bye for the first round of playoffs have been secured.

But what about Mike McCarthy and his players?  There was certainly no hiding from the facts at Mondays press conference back at Lambeau Field after the game.  McCarthy was clear about the failures of his team and the areas in which they were outplayed.  And let's be clear, had the Chiefs converted more of their offensive drives into touchdowns rather than field goals (Ryan Succup converted 4), the margin of victory would have been far more convincing.

Mike McCarthy - Clear about Packers priorities

I think Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Packers players will be of course disappointed not to be in the running for the 16-0, but in a way the pressure is now off them and they can start to concentrate on the more immediate and bigger challenges that are coming their way in the post-season.

The Packers have lost some crucial players in the last couple of weeks, not least offensive linemen Bryan Bulaga (knee) and Derek Sherrod (broken leg) who help form that crucial safety net for Rodgers and these injuries at such an important time in the season will start to have an effect on the squad mentality.

But the Packers have been here before.  The defending Superbowl champions won the Vince Lombardi trophy last year with no less than 10 first pick players missing.  Remember also that the Packers lost in Week 15 last season and went on to dominate through the post-season.

The Packers are still big favourites to defend the Superbowl title and confirm themselves as a truly elite team in the annals of NFL history.  But they have a long way to go, especially when you consider the ominous late season form of their fellow NFC rivals like Drew Brees and the Saints and the San Francisco 49ers.

I would love to see the Packers go all the way.  I have a soft spot for this team that is run in a different way to all other US sports franchises - it's owned by the fans.  It has a unique history and support that sets it apart from the rest and is ultimately one of the reasons for it's continued success.  Long may it continue.

Both '0' Records In NFL Go In Week 15

Week 15 threw up some strange results in the NFL, not least the loss for the perfect 13-0 Packers and the Win for 0-13 Indianapolis Colts.

The Packers lost to a resilient Kansas City Chiefs team who lost their coach Todd Haley last week following a season of underachievement so far.  With a final score of 19-14, Aaron Rodgers and his men were kept to scoring just one touchdown as the Chiefs stayed ahead for the majority of the game.

Kansas show the Packers who's Chief

The Colts ran out 27-13 winners as quarterback Dan Orlovsky led his team to their first win of the season over the Tennessee Titans.  It was also Orlovsky's first win as a starting QB.

In other games, Cam Newton's Carolina Panthers ended the Houston Texans 7 match winning streak with a 28-13 victory.  The Washington Redskins completed the double over the NY Giants with a 23-10 win at the MetLife Stadium.  The San Diego Chargers continued their bid for a play-off spot with a convincing win over the Baltimore Ravens 34-14.

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints offence looked in ominous form in the closing weeks of the regular season with a thumping 42-20 win over the miserable Minnesota Vikings.  Brees had a massive game passing for 412 yards and now remains just 304 yards behind Dan Marino's all-time record.

And finally, the Tebow train had the brakes put on after To Brady's Patriots arrived in Denver to hand the Broncos a 41-23 loss, ending a six game winning streak and giving Tebow a 2-7 record as starting QB for the Broncos.

Packers Still Pushing for Perfection

For anyone who had any doubts as to the ability of the Green Bay Packers to go for the perfect 16-0 regular season, then their suspicions were surely dismissed in the final 58 seconds of last weeks encounter with the New York Giants.

In what was probably the best encounter of the NFL season so far, and with the score tied at 35-35, Aaron Rodgers led a drive from near his own TD zone to the 31 yard line in three ruthlessly efficient plays, setting up the winning field goal which was duly converted by Mason Crosby.  Packers win 38-35.

Mike McCarthy’s team has rarely been challenged that close this season, and the Giants will consider themselves a little unlucky as the game extended their losing streak to 4 games.

But a tight contest is just what the Packers needed at this stage of the season.  Without playing brilliant football, they have gone undefeated and remain the only team in the NFL with a perfect record in the regular season.  The narrow win will have been used by McCarthy to strengthen the focus of the Packers team as they look to go forward and defend their Superbowl crown.

So it’s little wonder that the Packers came flying out of the blocks at Lambeau Field last night against the Oakland Raiders.  The game was won halfway through the second quarter as Aaron Rodgers led his team to a 31-0 first half lead.

Aaron Rodgers - Is he and the Packers unstoppable?

By the time he was rested late in the third for back up QB Matt Flynn, Rodgers had gone for 281 yards, 2 TD’s and 1 interception – a solid if unspectacular night’s work by his very high standards.  It’s not as if the Raiders played particularly badly.  Rodgers was harassed on a number of occasions as the Raiders defence made holes in the Packers offensive line.

Packers ended up winning out 16-46 in a convincing display, taking their season to 13-0 and a total winning streak of 19-0 going back to last season.

One major concern for the Packers on an otherwise satisfying night’s work was the injury to Greg Jennings, who suffered a blow to his left knee.  It’s hard to really say who Rodgers' number one receiver is; he has rich pickings with Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Findlay and Donald Driver amongst others to aim for, but Jennings is a major part of the Packers offence and could be a big miss at this stage of the season.

With 3 games left of the regular season, I have to ask whether the Packers are keen on getting that perfect 16-0 season?  I have no doubt that if you offered Mike McCarthy the Superbowl now at the expense of a 15-1 or 14-2 regular season, he would take it.  But I would suggest that the Packers would ask if it's not too much to ask for both.