2017 Week 17

Packers 00 Viqueens 16

My preview article last week was a rant.  I’ll admit it and own it.  Granted, ranting is what Jimmy’s supposed to do in “Just Sayin’” and I get the chance to rant during the bye week and the End of Season issue, but I couldn’t help myself last week.  The writing was on the wall.  I saw it.  Now you may say, “Yeah, Ken but you didn’t call for McCarthy’s job.  Why?” 
Because I have confidence in Mike McCarthy when he is coaching Aaron Rodgers.  He is a great offensive coordinator when Aaron is on that field.  I do have some misgivings when Brett Hundley is out on that field though.  It’s like he doesn’t know how to adjust his gameplan. 
For one, he let Hundley get wayyyy to comfortable with DaVante Adams.  Don’t get me wrong, I like DaVante, he has developed into a great Wide Receiver, but you get one dimensional, you double DaVante, where are you going to go now?  He should have had Brett in practice forbidden to throw to DaVante except 1 out of every 4 plays.  50 balls to Jordy, 50 to Randall, and another 50 to Lance Kendricks.  A tight end like Kendricks is an inexperienced QBs best friend!  McCarthy should have realized that. 

He also needs to realize that 7 does not equal 12!  Aaron can see Jordy, Randall, or DaVante running 40 yards down the field and drop it in without them breaking stride.  Look it up on YouTube.  Aaron will be out doing drills during camp and dropping it in the catching basket with a 5 step drop.  Hundley will overthrow that route every single time. The Packers had no business losing that game Saturday.  I only watched the first half, it’s heartbreaking to watch my team lose to an inferior opponent.  Yes, I know all about Minnesota’s devastating defense (hushed and reverent tones).  I also know that Case Keenum is going to be riding the pine next season.  How do you lose to a Quarterback who finishes a game with 14 for 25, with 139 yards and a passer rating of 85.3?  Simple, you have him go against a guy who goes 17 for 40 for 130 yards, and 2 picks with a passer rating of 30.2.  Aaron Rodgers would have destroyed Minnesota!  We even outrushed them 119 to 111 yards! 
I know what all of the NFL talking heads are saying, “The Packers need to shut down Aaron Rodgers for the year.”  Bah!  I would rather have him out there in the regular season when the games count than have him taking hits in the 3rd game of the preseason when they don’t, and trust me, if Aaron doesn’t see significant snaps in preseason, what we saw in Charlotte will happen in Week 1 in 2018.  Oh, and did you hear about how some teams want Aaron released because the Packers put him back on IR?  They could release him, he could say he was going to retire and then un-retire in March, when the league starts its New Year.  You could have him re-sign and pay his lost salary to him as a signing bonus.  Would that make them happy?
So, keep McCarthy.  Fire Capers and Thompson.  Hire Marv Lewis as DC and get Eliot Wolf as GM, unless you can get Mike Holmgren to come out of retirement.  Who knows, maybe he could get Gruden to come out of the broadcast booth and we could fire McCarthy after all!  See ya Sunday and GO PACK!! GO!!  P.S.  Anyone think I’m crazy for wanting to fire Ted Thompson, I submit these as exhibits A&B!  
 

(Ken Hill)


 Just Sayin’


The one good thing I can say about the loss to the Vikings is that the final score was closer than I thought it might be, especially after I saw the starters missing from the starting lineup at the opening kickoff. Add to that, we had players dropping from the very first play. Actually, another good thing was that the defense played pretty good football. I though Josh Hawkins had some calls against him that were bad calls. One thing that I have heard for quite a while is that the Packers offense is very predictable. Chris Collingsworth even alluded to that when Cobb took a swing pass and was tackled for a several yard loss. Undrafted WR Adam Thielen of the Vikings is going to the Pro Bowl. His coaching staff has designed plays to get him open and get him the ball. Meanwhile, the Packers coaching staff is stuck in the 2010 mode. What worked then, must surely work now, right? I know that I have brought up the subject of what I consider to be an inadequate coaching staff and GM. I will not go there again. Also, once again, the talking heads are saying that the Packers need a WR to stretch the field. We all know how I feel about that. Unless there are some changes made within the organization and them deciding they want to win another championship, we will keep going down this same road year after year being frustrated time and time again.
To all the Packers fans who are reading this, I wish you all a Happy New Year!!! 
Just Sayin  
(Jimmy Smith)


 The Chief’s / GPB Report

Zero Packer fans at Chief’s last week, no prizes handed out, no trivia winner and no pools to report.  A lot of dancing going on at Chief’s, but none of it was because of our beloved Packers.  Did this season meet our dreams and expectations? No.  Are we Packer Backers through thick and thin? Yes.
This Sunday will be different.  For only the second time in our clubs 11 year existence, week 17 will be our last game. In some ways one could say we’ve been “Barr”ed from the play-offs, Anthony Barr that is.  Don’t let this affect your presence at the game this Sunday. We will have two trivia questions (last weeks and this weeks), plenty of door prizes to give away, as many pools as you want, lots of “huggin & hi-fivin” as Marge would say, plus a few special year end prizes from both the club and our friends at Chief’s.
Thanks to all who have responded to my e-mail regarding the future of our club, many good ideas have come out so far.  I hope to organize them soon to let you know what others have told me.  One suggestion was to have a meeting after the football season has ended, either at Chief’s or at someone’s house (clubhouse perhaps) and look at ways for more people to become involved.  There is still time to let me know what you think, after all, it is your club.  We hope to see everyone this Sunday to show our support for our team and collectively agree that “We’ll get ‘em next year!”   
Another item is the year end edition of this newsletter.  I would love to have dozens of your articles, stories, pictures and opinions to make the last edition of the year something special, help me make this happen.  Until Sunday, Be courageous. and as always, 
Bleed Green My Friends! 
(Packer John)


 Packers       vs.       Lyin’s


Mike McCarthy was asked about whether the team was going to play the starters this week at Detroit. Taken in context, the question was essentially “Are you playing to win?” His typical nonsense four-piece coachspeak answer: “It’s important to win. This isn’t preseason. (It’s) not fair to the fans. We’re going there to win.”
Ok, Mr. I’m a Very Successful Football Coach. Let’s break that response down, piece by piece.
(1) “It’s important to win.” I think we can all agree on that. I think Aaron Rodgers agrees with that. He also agrees with all of Packer Nation that in order to win, the village idiots running this show need to make drastic changes in not only staff, but philosophy and put some talent around one of the greatest to ever play. “Draft and Develop” doesn’t work when you continually bust the early round picks like a 25 in Blackjack and add essentially (exactly?) zero impact free agents to complement the roster and the process. So please, stop feeding us this sewer swill. To paraphrase the Great State of Missouri and Rock Hall of Famers, Rush: Show Me, Don’t Tell Me

(2) “This isn’t preseason.” Thanks for the update Capt. Obvious. As usual this season, you have been quick to grasp everything that is obvious, except for every-thing that is obvious. Winning this game is as meaningless to the franchise as any preseason game. The only “meaningful” aspects are avoiding more injuries headed into the offseason and improving our draft position if we lose…
(3) “It’s not fair to the fans.” I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at that one. I’ll do both. What’s not “fair to the fans” is forcing us to suffer the perpetual and perennial incompetence and mismanagement that has continued unabated, year after year. How about being “fair” with us before we get to the point of irrelevance that breeds such a question in the first place?
(4) “We’re going there to win.” I understand that you can never approach a game otherwise. Everyone involved in the process is essentially playing for their current jobs and/or their next jobs, and these people are generally competitive and have pride. I also understand that no coach in his right mind could really answer otherwise. But I can. And I say the move is to basically “tank without tanking,” that is, to protect the future health of what players we actually have left, damn the outcry or the outcome! If these guys are thinking otherwise, that’s even more reason to provide them U-Hauls on their way to their next gigs…
This is truly one of the only times I can recall where I truly don’t care about the game this week. At all. I certainly didn’t feel like writing this column, I’m fed up with all of it and I’m tired of bitching and moaning myself. I probably won’t watch it. In fact, I probably won’t watch any of the playoffs unless I’ve got some kind of action on the games (probable). I’m so sick of the bullshit this season that I just want it to be over, with no more injuries or some other catastrophe. And for any of the handful of people out there who are actually reading this, if my negativity is bringing you down, have no fear. Mercifully, you only have to tolerate me one more time ‘till next year…
Still, nothing else but to Salute the Flag and say “Go, Pack, GO!!!”  
(Kraig Pringle)