Greenville Packer Backers: 2021 Week 04

Packers 30 Santa Clara 28

During Sunday Night’s game, Al Michaels relayed a story from Michelle Tafoya where she had a conversation with DaVante Adams. “Do you want to stay in Green Bay or with Aaron?” DaVante’s response told me how much time he spends with #12, because it sounded so much like him: “I want to do both, I love Green Bay, but I love playing with Aaron, too.”

There’s your solution. Talk to DaVante, have him talk to Aaron. Of course, keep talking to Aaron!! That’s what got you into this mess in the first place; not talking to Aaron!

This article may be long, I’m just starting it, I don’t know how long it will end up being, it will focus on 3 things, Chris Collinsworth, the officiating, and the game itself.

The last time I saw a game this poorly announced by a “Analysis” announcer was last season when we beat Minnesota on a Monday Night with Booger McFarland. Apparently, ESPN wasn’t too happy either and he and Joe Tessatore (who is as professional as they come!) were sacked from MNF, Joe does college games now, Booger just hangs out in CT, doing a little bit of analysis. We were beating MN, but according to McFarland, we were losing, or should have been. Our usual suspects and I were understandably upset. We got loud and willed the Packers to a win, or so it seemed.

Collinsworth was drafted 37^th in 1981. The Packers didn’t draft him in the first round, and they passed on him in the second as well. He went 2 spots later to Cincy and went to a couple of Superbowls, whatever. Maybe he holds a grudge, considering how abysmal we were in 1981, I would have counted my blessings!

Collinsworth doesn’t live in SF, he didn’t go to school there, I don’t know his connection with the team. He was as biased towards the 49ers as Aikman is biased towards the Cryboys! “The 49ers left 37 seconds on the clock which won’t be enough time for Aaron Rodgers to mount a comeback WE HOPE!” He said that! “The 49ers need a sack right now in the worst way!” Sounds like he was rooting against the Packers to me! I am calling NBC in the morning and asking for him to be fired, suspended or at least fined for a blatant violation of objectivity! I have criticized NBC for them being too “inter-nationally focused” when announcing in the Olympics. They should be pro-US, just like they were yesterday afternoon during the Ryder Cup. They should be objective when calling football, no matter who’s playing.

I just thought “Walleye-vision” was just something in a parody movie. Apparently, it’s not seen as a disqualifying factor for being an official in the NFL either! Imagine this, you’re in the “tackle-box” you drop back 5 steps, the pocket collapses and you throw it into the dirt right behind the offensive line, when is that NOT intentional grounding? In Santa Clara, CA on 9/26/21! It will also allow you to continue a drive, so you score just before the end of the first half. You can also be a lazy bastard and be a back judge, that way you don’t see a helmet to helmet hit on a wide receiver! Jeff Saturday said today it was “a good no-call,” because the defensive back was trying to drop his shoulder. Intentions don’t matter, it’s still a helmet-to-helmet hit! Pass interference when you don’t touch a receiver is also a thing and hitting a quarterback and he stays on his feet is still roughing the passer. But fortunately, the Brady or “tuck” rule only applies if you ARE Tom Brady! This was one of the most poorly officiated games I’ve ever seen, and I saw the Fail Mary game!

The Packers continue to be the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL. No mention was made of the 14-0 shellacking we put on the 49ers in the first half. (and 14-3 is the only thing it should have been at halftime!) It was about how and why the 49ers lost, not how and why we won.

Aaron Rodgers is not scared of anyone in the NFL! Charles Woodson is retired, and he is the only player Aaron was ever afraid of playing. He and Wood did exchange words after we beat the Raiders with Woodson in the Oakland lineup before he retired. Nick Bosa is not in Woodson’s league. Aaron ripped the still-beating heart out of the 49ers, showed it to them and ate it! Let’s hope that he only does this wearing Green and Gold for the rest of his career. The GOAT was superb in his Sunday evening excellence going 23 of 33 for 261 yards, 2 TD’s and a Passer rating of 113.3. Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon combined for 100 yards on the ground. I think they should have given the ball to A.J. at the goal line when we were denied the TD, he is the Hammer to Aaron Jones’ Nail.

The Receivers has the answers when called upon. DaVante showed why he is the #1 receiver in the NFL in my opinion. It doesn’t matter what you do to this man, he will get open and he will Catch the Damn Ball! 12 catches for 132 yards and 1 TD. 2 key catches in the DRIVE. If Aaron ate the heart, he shared with DaVante. Packers.com has the call for Mason’s walk-off Field Goal and Aaron Rodgers on GB’s Twitter feed was all of us at the final. “How can you not be romantic about Football?”

GO PACK!! GO!!!
(Ken Hill)

Just Sayin’

OK, let’s talk about an MVP for the Packers for the 49ers game. That’s right, Yosh Nijman. As clutch as Mason Crosby has come to be for the Packers, he has to have the ball moved down the field to have a chance. That in turn takes good, sometimes stellar, play from others areas of the team. Nijman was the 3^rd choice to play Left Tackle in that game. That was his first ever start on the offensive line. He was going to be playing in front of a noisy, hostile crowd. And he held his own against one of the best pass rushers in the league, Nick Boza. You know, the guy who had ZERO sacks in the game, and only 1 TFL (Tackle For Loss). The defensive line for SF had 1 total sack and only 3 TFL in the game. We must give kudos the OL coaches for getting these guys ready to play on the big stage. And also to the entire coaching staff for the game plan preparation. Aside from Nijman, LG Jon Runyan made only his 2^nd ever start, not being much more than a rookie himself. Then there were the two rookies at Center and Right Guard. Only Billy Turner really had the veteran experience along the entire line.

While I give Nijman the MVP of the game, the MVP Unit for the game was the Offensive Line. They gave AR12 the protection he needed most of the game. They gave up only one sack to a very good defensive line. They also gave some good running lanes for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon.

Now, having said all that, it is really hard to outplay the officials. Yes, there were some legitimate calls against the Packers. But how was the hit on Adams NOT a penalty? Chris Collingsworth made the excuse that the referee was BEHIND the play and could not see it. Well, if we as a TV audience could see it from multiple angles, that technology must be at made available to the officials in situations like that. And common sense should tell the officials that if a player stays down after being hit, they need to take a look at the hit. And if there needs to be a penalty flag thrown, throw it. The NFL seems to have some kind of unwritten rule of “In the event of a penalty, the penalty flag must be thrown before the whistle ending the play, or no penalty will be allowed.” And there was the intentional grounding that Garoppolo had that was not called. And then there was the pass that Sanu caught with assistance for the ground, where the ball moved as he cradled it in. Just some bad calls and non-calls. Sometimes, no matter how good a team plays, they can’t beat the officials. Fortunately, the game was ultimately NOT decided because of bad officiating. The game started with the Packers doing pretty much what they wanted. Adams making plays with Rodgers. MVS making a couple of good catches. Just really good offense. And it appeared that the guys were going into halftime with a 17-0 lead. Oops, the Special Teams had a lapse and allowed the 49ers to get into scoring position. And then came the intentional grounding that was NOT called to allow the score to happen. Then they came out and drove down the field making it 14 unanswered points. Then the defense seemed to kind of wake back up and get back in the groove. No Kevin King was no problem. I think Eric Stokes has played himself into a starting role. And BTW, since Aaron Rodgers was so adamant on getting Randall Cobb back onto the roster, why don’t we see Cobb out there catching a few passes? Just Askin’…

(Biker Jimmy)

GPB IN OUR SPARE TIME

Wow! WoW! WOW!! Oh what a night! Those of us Packer Backers who were able to stay for the last 2 seconds of the game were holding our collective breaths, then jumping up and down, cheering, screaming, hugging, and bell ringing as our team pulled it off. Hurray!!!! The night started off with more than 45 in the house. We had a group of visitors from Oklahoma and another from Raleigh to join us in support of the Pack. The turnover necklace made its way around the room a couple of times, and the time remain thick. Whew!

Door prizes went to several members. Sunglasses went to 552 Regina Dillinger and a hat is being worn by 624 Johnathan McKinnie, Sr. 220 Biker Jimmy will be using his magnets, while 207 Christy Papala will be dealing her new playing cards. Winner 610 Gretchen Wise will be wearing her new bedazzled Packer shawl. 505 Heather Sharpe chose a Wisconsin shaped Packer plaque to hang on the game room wall. 289 Kerri Ellinger now has an insulated 12 pack lunch box which she can put to good use. 120 Clark Petersen gifted his win to one of our Oklahoma visitors. He will be boasting his team with his new Packer bookbag.

We were able to fill 2 $1 boards for the football pool. Winners were our visitor friend Aaron, 207 Christy Papala, 474 Jim Comensoli (2), 584 Steven Hammersley, 365 Clifford Stiles, 542 Kathie Mervyn, 289 Kerri Ellinger and 275 John Ellinger.

The trivia contest was won by 624 Johnathan McKinnie, Sr. He has received a $25 gift card from our friends and sponsors at Spare Time.

Next week our game time is a bit more reasonable. The Packers are facing the Stealers in Lambeau at 4:25. I hope to see many of you then as we continue our road to “thick” Come cheer with me and all our Packer backer buddies. Through thick or thin (though thick is better)…

(Marge 328)

Packer’s vs. Stealer’s

First off let me make a comment or two about last weeks game. Yes, it was a sweet win, but like week one, it’s only one game, 14 more to go before the big dance starts. Second, okay, MVS caught a long ball, yea! Let’s see him make it two in row before the banners go out. Third, let’s look at some numbers. 37, the seconds left in the game; 50±, the yards needed to get into FG range; 6, the maximum number of players that can catch the ball on any given play; 1 is the QB, that leaves 5 to catch it, unless of course, the QB complete one to himself. There was one Packer that had caught 10 catches so far that night, the rest of the team had 10. You rush 3, have 8 in coverage, almost enough to double cover each receiver. I get the prevent defense… but why the hell do you not have your best corner shadow Adams? I’m glad Santa Clara didn’t do it, I just hope Matt & Joe think of it when the situation arises. Last, how much was Air-ron & Adams performance about the win and how much was it a resume for a Santa Clara job next year??? Just Thinkin’

And now onto this weeks game.

The season is young but the two teams appear to be headed in opposite directions. The Stealer’s took it to the Bill on the road in week one, only to have the favor returned to them at home by the Raiders & Bagels. We on the other hand, got schooled by the Saint’s week one in Florida, then took it to the Lyins in Lambeau and finally, brought home a West Coast win last week.

Ben has been in the league 18 years. He has been dinged up many of those years, including this week with a pectoral. He may be slower, less mobile but given time and protection, can still sling the football around. The good news for them is all the injuries to Ben has given Mason Rudolph plenty of playing time.

There has been some talk this week about how the Packers screwed up 5 years ago by not taking T.J. Watts in either the 1st or 2nd round. That would have meant not getting Aaron Jones or Kevin King; okay, they may have half a point. I would take Jones over Watts in any draft. We will have to see of the other two (King or Watts) will make any impact on Sunday. However, Watts has a groin injury and King went from sick last week to concussion this week, so we may not see either.

It is not only Watts with a groin injury but Highsmith as well. This limits their best pass rushers and with Jenkins most likely out again this week, it will make Yosh Nijman’s job a little easier.

In response to “Neg Nik”, the Packers do not have 62 TE’s. In reality they have 4 on the active roster & 1 on the Practice Squad. It only seems like more because of the revolving door. After serving his suspension, Sternberger was released, Dafney was put on IR and Tyler Davis was signed from the Colts. On a side note, I do have to agree with Jimmy, why is Cobb on the roster if you don’t get him involved? He has 4 catches this year, none last week.

The one thing on offense that concerns me is Davante Adams. Why you ask? It’s not because a great receiver, he is. It stems from the fact that he has 25 receptions so far this year, the rest of the wide receivers have 18, that includes one from AR12 to AR12 and another to Practice Squad activated Eq St. Brown. As I mentioned before, Cobb has 4 with only MVS the only other receiver having more with 6 and MVS is hampered this week with a Hamstring injury. If a team can find a way to neutralize Adams or he get’s hurt, where is the next threat? Can Lazard, Cobb & Taylor carry the load? Jones (who is nursing an ankle injury) & Dillion have 14 catches combined, but neither is a deep threat and both need to focus on the run game, duh. The infamous 62 TE’s have 6 total receptions, is it possible Marcedes and Deguara will get their 2nd catch of the year? OR will we see more throws from Air-ron to AR12.

The one thing going for us is Air-ron is mad. The press and fans (me included) have been hard on him for his summer of vacations and meditations. But that was Zen, this is now. After one week of preseason (the Saint’s game) and the press’ attack comments, Air-ron appears to be back. That’s good news for us and bad news for the NFL. Ultimately, I believe in Matt and no matter the players that are out on the field, he will find a way to bring out the best in the Packers, making us all believers and everyone can

Bleed Green My Friends!
(Packer John)

Nik’s Negativity

What a game! What an outcome! You would think there is nothing to complain about after an exciting finish and win like that…..WELL YOU WOULD BE WRONG!! Do not let the sweet smell of napalm in the morning distract you from the crap that happened. Lets discuss.

Defense. Please do not get distracted by the man behind the curtain. We are soft. Lets recap. The 9ers scored back to back TD at the end of half and coming out of it. We didn’t really put up a fight. If not for a timely 4^th quarter backwards pass-tuck rule-fumble by Brady’s backup we would have given up another. We were getting used like a 2 dollar….what’s a nice way of saying it? Woman of easy virtue? Member of the oldest profession? Promiscuous woman of ill repute? Pick a Kardashian? You get the idea. If we cant find a way to consistently stop teams when it counts, we may as well be prepared for outcomes like 2011 vs Giants, 2013 vs 9ers, 2014 vs Seahawks, 2015 vs Cardinals, 2020 vs Bucs….crap its depressing now that I’ve revisited those brutal losses. Seriously, its in our DNA. Its not like we have ignored defense in the draft either. We basically ONLY draft defensive players in 1^st round (other than backup QB). Cant blame D-coordinator. We have gone from Capers sucks, to Pettine sucks, to Barry looks like he sucks. Maybe, just maybe, our defensive destiny is to suck.

Officiating. You all knew this was coming. I do not want to just be negative about a bad call, that’s too easy. However, this was more than one bad call. Can the NFL with its 15 billion dollar a year in revenue figure out a way to get some OBVIOUS calls correct? Brady’s backup had a missed intentional grounding at end of half, costing us 4 pts. Stokes barely touched the WR when he was called for PI late in the game, 17 got hit in the face with the top of a helmet from a launched safety and somehow was not deemed “defenseless”, and just like Dez…it wasn’t a catch (only this time the refs said it was). When a ball hits the ground and moves its not a catch. Despite all that, we still don’t help ourselves. I’ll say it again, for the 3^rd week in a row. RUN THE BALL ON 3^rd and 4^th and ONE!! We did it again several times and were not successful. Play calling is suspect in short yardage situations. So tired of wussy fairy ball. Can we please use the 250 lb second round investment and one of the 63 TE/FB we have on the roster to pick up 36 inches?

A few misc negative thoughts for all of you….injuries are going to add up. Dbak is out, and our backup LT Jenkins is hurt and out, Z Smith is on IR, we lose starting LB to concussion, backup TE Daphne is now on IR (thankfully there are 62 more on the roster) MVS hurt his hammy, King is sick (this may have actually helped), and another DLineman (Lancaster) is in concussion protocol. It may be time to look at some vets that could help. Richard Sherman, Snacks, Vic Beasley, Kawaan Short, and Geno Atkins all available and looking for a team. Many of these vets could provide experience and solid depth (although probably not starters at this point in their careers). We wont even look their way. We will find someone off a practice squad in Tennessee or Washington and go the cheap route. In case you haven’t noticed, our window is slamming shut after this year. We are about a Taylor Swift yearly income over the salary cap next year and our long haired hippy, zen book reading, meditating, yoga practicing, B list actress engaged QB has not said he even wants to play for us again. This is the ultimate super bowl or bust year. Lets go for it. Lets be epic. Sign everyone that can help. It will be the greatest abuse of the salary cap of all time! Ten years from now nobody is gonna remember who finished second in Super Bowl 56, but they will remember our insane free agent spending spree to try and win it!! My God Roy…it will be immortal!! I’m so proud of us (if we do it.)

On the other hand…the punter still looks pretty good, but I still hate Mason Crosby (although he’s growing on me).

(Nik ~ One-Seventeen!)

We HAVE to give a huge GO PACK GO shout out for that 37 second Win! Mason has had his ups and downs, but he came through like rain in the desert! On the tail of that Win we need to give a special Anniversary Shout Out to Steven Hammersley!

Cheers to many many more!

Please send your special dates and updates, to me or update you info at the office table.

Thanks,
(Heather Bailey)