Packers 20 Skins 15
This is not going to be a typical game recap. Just so you know. The reason for this isn’t anything the Packers did or didn’t do. It’s going to be about one of their opposing players this past weekend. Adrian Peterson. Peterson was a physical freak in college and in the NFL. He was consistently at the top of the yardage gained by running backs except for one season and even that showed him as a freak. He tore his ACL, and MCL in week 12 of the 2011 season. Normally it takes a full year to return to competition and playing. Peterson was ready week 1 of the 2012 season and hung 84 yards and 2 touchdowns on the Jaguars.
Entering week 17 of that season, Peterson needed 208 yards to surpass Eric Dickerson for the single season record for rushing yards. The Viqueens needed a win for a playoff berth. They were playing the Packers. The game was tied at 34 in the fourth quarter when Peterson ran for 26 yards, setting the Vikings up for a game-winning field goal with three seconds left. The Vikings chose the field goal, which sent them to the playoffs, but also left Peterson nine yards short of breaking the record.
However, there’s a fly in the ointment. The Packers were without a key player that game. The Vikings would not be in their dome the next weekend. They would be on the FROZEN TUNDRA OF LAMBEAU FIELD!! That Key Player? The only player in the NFL that Aaron Rodgers was afraid to play against, Charles Cameron Woodson. Woodson is the only player in history to win the Heisman Trophy, NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and a Superbowl ring. During the playoff game, I saw this shutdown corner come into the backfield, and stop Adrian Peterson COLD, and tackle him for a 9 yard loss. I knew we were going to win when I saw that play.
Now you’re probably saying, “Yes, Ken but what does this have to do with last Sunday’s game?”
Simple, I missed Charles Woodson, or Mike Pettine is going to get fired! The Redskins, one of the worst teams in the league pushed the Packers almost to the limit with a rookie Quarterback, an interim Head Coach, and one of the worst records in the NFL! The worst part is, I knew it was going to happen. I knew it was going to happen in week 1!
Simple, I missed Charles Woodson, or Mike Pettine is going to get fired! The Redskins, one of the worst teams in the league pushed the Packers almost to the limit with a rookie Quarterback, an interim Head Coach, and one of the worst records in the NFL! The worst part is, I knew it was going to happen. I knew it was going to happen in week 1!
Peterson, and his cohort Derrius Guice rushed for 118 yards, Guice left the game (Thank God) in the second quarter with an injured knee, so that left only Peterson to carry the load for the rest of the game. Luckily the Packers proved equal to the task, barely.
The Packers led wire to wire, never trailing, never tied. Aaron Rodgers went 18 for 28 with 195 yards, 1 TD, 1 Fumble Lost and a Passer Rating for 96.6. Not exactly the “Hot” that he needed to get in December. Luckily, Aaron Jones showed up to play as well. He went 134 yards all on his own, with 1 TD and an average of 8.4 yards on 16 carries.
We have a young secondary, but we still should have been able to load eight in the box, pin their ears back and dared Haskins to throw to beat us. He only went for 170 yards, 16 for 27 with a TD, and an INT. His final passer rating was 74.6. Clearly, he has some work to do. We should have done better.
Now, that leaves me with some questions, and complaints. I have seen headlines, “Are the Packers not ready for Primetime?” and the more definitive “Why the Packers are not ready for Primetime.” I look at these and think, “The Packers lead the NFC North, and we have beaten every team in the NFC North. We win 2 of the last 3 games in any combination and we win the NFC North. Even if we had the L word in Minneapolis, we beat the Lyins and we win the NFC North. We win the next 2, we win it outright. I like that better. Because then maybe we can silence the cacophony of voices proclaiming the virtues of Kirk Cousins. Does he have compromising pictures of these sports reporters? I understand he has done well, but this is the same Kirk Cousins who earlier this season got called out by his own teammates! He is maybe 5 games over .500 for his entire career! He didn’t impress me in D.C. and he is still underwhelming in MN. I don’t see anything when I look Northwest to be impressed about. I look at Lambeau Field and I say
Go Pack Go!!!
(Ken Hill)
Just Sayin’
Back to the game. A couple of articles I have read since Sunday have been saying that the offense gets in a groove and everything is rolling along as long as it is scripted. When they (LeFleur & staff) get to the end of the “scripted” part of the offense, which is when things go cold. OK, to start with, how do these writers know that? Are they in on the game prepar-ation? Now, for the sake of argument, let’s say they are right, and the first 15 plays are scripted. That seems to be a relatively common thing for many teams as it was during the Mike Holmgren era. If those first 15 plays worked when there were called at the beginning of the game, why not run those again, in a different order. Maybe run the even numbered plays followed by the odd number plays. Start with #6-#10, go back to the first 5 and then the last 5. It just seems to me that sometimes a coach can outthink himself. Folklore has it, and John Madden has even alluded to it, that the Lombardi sweep would succeed, every time. They could even tell a defense “Hey, here we come with the sweep.” And defenses still couldn’t stop it. I know the game is a lot more complex now that it was 50 years ago. Now, these days, you sure don’t want to tell the opposing defense what play is coming. And you can’t get too complacent with what works, or the defense will know what’s coming by the way you line up. That’s what was happening for the last 2 or 3 years. Seems like there would be a couple of different ways to line up, where the play is actually the same play in the end.
I thought after the Giants game, we would see more of Allen Lazard against Washington. Nope. As I was watching the second half, Ronde Barber even said he thought AR12 was starting to revert to his old ways of holding onto the ball too long looking for the big play downfield. I can’t disagree. The commentators always talk of how few interceptions Rodgers throws. I am not picking on Aaron, because I know if we didn’t have him, we would probably be closer to 3-10 than the 10-3 we currently sit at. But does anyone want to take guess at who has led the Packers in fumbles every year, except 2, since 2008? (BTW, that was a trick question. The QB usually leads all teams in fumbles.) I know he touches the ball on absolutely every play, so the likelihood of him fumbling more than anyone else is high. But he could throw it away some of the time.
Anyhoodles, we are closing out the season with 3 divisional games. That starts with the Bears at Lambeau. And you know what they says about the Bears ...
The Bears Still
… Just Sayin’
(Jimmy Smith 220)
GPB In Our SPARE TIME
A great day was had by 81 fans who cheered on our Pack at Spare Time. Ken did a great job on the mic as we cheered “Go Pack Go” loud and often. We also welcomed 3 new members,
569 Nan Lee Weber,
(sister of 120 Neil Petersen)
570 Bill Ward,
571 Tommy Zumbach
(son of 262 Tom Zumbach) .
Glad to have you all with us. A reminder to all, we are accep-ting membership renewals for next season at 2019 prices. Get in early and give the prize committee the funds to get great door prizes for next year during the off season sales.
Some great door prizes went home with lucky members. 120 Neil Petersen chose a set of glass food containers and 555 Sadie Parri got a set of pint glasses. 437 Dan Heltness has a hat, 241 Tiffany Bailey chose some sleep pants, and 263 Pat Zumbach chose a fleece blanket. 565 James Tolen will keep Packer time with his new watch. 510 Michele Morgan will advertise her Packer loyalty with a great license plate, and 398 Bill Demuth and family will enjoy the travel dice game. 123 Kraig Pringle nodded to the season with Packer Christmas paraphernalia.
We filled both a $1 and a 50₵ board this week. Winners of the 50₵ board were 110 Bill Bunke, 220 Jimmy Smith, 369 Don Dandelske, and 113 Russ Larson. Winners of the dollar pool were 263 Pat Zumbach, 290 Don Jordan, 120 Neil Petersen, and 127 Kent Sargent. The lucky lady whose correct answer was drawn for the trivia question was 534 Kara Whalen. She was presented with a $25 gift card from our hosts at Spare Time.
And now on to Sunday’s game at 1:00. Do I need to remind anyone how much fun we have as we cheer on our Packers and announce loudly that “The Bears Still Suck”? We had 95 fans at Spare Time the first time we met the Bears this season for a night game. This time, a 1:00 game, no local TV, prizes, pools and duh bears; no reason NOT to be at Spare-Time. I challenge everyone to double that number as we take them on a second time. I hope to see “everyone” on Sunday. Remember, we love, cheer, and support our team through thick and thin!
Marge 328
Packer’s vs. Duh bears
I personally escaped the clutches of Duh Bear earlier in the campaign, scrapping him in his den and wounding him pretty badly in the exchange. Others in the group had also hurt him, and everybody knew he was almost certainly near death. But not dead. He had hurt or killed a number of the group along the way, including guys from New York (he was already terminal and was actually from New Jersey), Detroit (who had evidently been “cutting himself” and was basically begging to be killed the whole way), and Dallas (an unduly arrogant Mexican tourist who acted like he was Santa Ana del Guapo) in the last three weeks…
There is nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal, a bear who sees a slight glimmer of hope while wallowing in the spin-cycle of death! I knew it was dangerous in my heart of hearts, yet I again found myself facing him. Only this time, on my terms. Despite the festering oozing of his bloody wounds, he slowly sauntered back and forth, sizing me up with a surprising measure of primal grace. I could smell him, the mud, the blood, his unwiped ass, and something else(?) I channeled his bestial gifts and as a result, I knew right away what I smelled: Fear…
For some reason, I remem-bered the Reverend in the locker room in Hoosiers before tiny Hickory took down mighty South Bend Central: “And David took the stone, and he slung it, and struck the Philistine on the head. Amen.” Inspired, I lunged into the belly of Duh Beast, and plunged my blade into his being…
“Every week there have been opportunities for different guys. It just depends on which plays you called and which plays you executed really well”-Aaron Rodgers on the WR situation. All this talk about “Offensive Identity” basically concludes that we don’t have one. I disagree. I would call our passing offense “The Shadow” offense. Why? Because Only The Shadow Knows…
Obviously, it’s great to spread the ball around, and ideal when you have a plethora of talented players. And the NFL is a “scheme” league (not “scheme” like Donald Trump “No Quid Pro Quo” or Hunter Biden making $50-80K a month consulting with a company he never heard of), where the chess match opens up targets of opportunity through mismatches, etc. Aaron’s comments are initially easy to buy, but with all due respect, it’s a cliché cover story for the fact that the organization (OUR organization, literally) has failed to bring a weapon (or two) in to help with the obvious sputtering passing game. Look at Aaron’s targets: Devante is automatic, and Lazard has emerged since Aaron anointed him, rescuing him from his obscure dungeon. But after that? Marquez Valdes-Scantling (MVS) has shown promise, but is evidently hanging with Jimmy Graham and Geronimo! Allison on Planet Seeya. J’Mon Moore was cut and Equanameous St Brown is on injured reserve.
And so, in the wake of rumors that Odell Beckham Jr and the Packers have mutual interest, I say this (and I can’t believe I’m saying it but some blind guy in black with dark glasses said it): It’s Now or Never. We’re not selling our souls, just maybe a little bit of our dignity to bring in Beckham, aka Simon Phoenix and Dennis Rodman’s love child. Suck it up! Who wouldn’t do The Walk of Shame (you know exactly what I mean) for another St Vince Trophy? Wouldn’t you?
This is the 200th all-time meeting with the Bears. Like the fabled and figurative animal earlier in this writing, they are in deep trouble, but definitely not dead. They were ready to string QB Mitchell Trubisky up from the absolute lowest pole on Lake Shore Drive, but with three (3) straight wins, the Morons of the Midway are again feeling frisky in their Old Style-drenched psychosis. They need to win out to have a shot…
We also need to win out, to Run It, for entirely different reasons. If we do, we lock up a first round bye, and with a little help, a chance at the overall top seed that is thinner than a vegan Ethiopian… We’ve had a couple of “Ugly Wins.” I don’t know what that means in a bottom-line league. Win or Lose. “Ugly?” We’ve been putting lipstick on pigs all year with this team. When the banjos fire up, it’s been known to make true locals like Kent Sargent reflect on how they “sure got purdy mouths...” Welcome to The League, where flaws are both exploited and celebrated all at once.
The Pack finishes with Chicago-Minnesota-Detroit, aka The Bad, The Gender-Confused, and The Ugly. I believe we will obviously run the table. Three (3) division foes. Set ‘em up. Knock ‘em down. Starting with the wounded animal: “Calling Chuck Ficago. Chuck Ficago, last call for the Packer Pain Train!”
1923 Packers vs Bears |
Chuck Ficago (do the Pig Latin) jumped on the train to the chorus of “The Bears still SUCK,” but as he settled his ass on the bench where his sorry ass belonged, pondering and juxtaposing his fate, he heard a familiar twang:
Jesus just left Chicago…and he’s bound for New Orleans (We just left Chicago…and we’re bound for Lambeau Field);
Workin’ from one end to the other, and all points in between (We’re running from one end to the other, and all the points put up in between); You might not see him in person, but he’ll see you just the same (You might never get Aaron, but he’ll juke you just the same); You don’t have to worry, because taking care of business is his name! (Aaron is a Maestro) Oh take me with you Jesus…
In homage to the sacred words that came before us, send Duh Bears to Jesus, or whoever, wherever, or whatever. But when our hero plunges the knife into the being of Duh Beast, please bury the dead. They stink up the joint…
1946 Packers vs Bears |
Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN will all be watching as I am once again the featured speaker, the MC, for our Monday Night Football festivities. Of course, my Nom de Guerre is “Lewis,” who along with Neil Petersen, aka “Clark,” with who I will forever be happily linked and bound by history as well as debauchery, will provide insight and entertainment. Don’t bother Googling me, I fully admit I am also known as “The Ambassador of Love” as well as “Pring the Merciless.” I am not in a position to comment on Clark’s aliases, if he has any. Even if I was, of course I would have no recollection…
Based on the reaction to my last appearance on the mike, the media and law enforcement have been briefed on appropriate security protocols and crowd control. Safe spaces for the easily offended will be provided by Spare Time at Steve’s direction and discretion. Peaceful protests will be tolerated, but debacles ala Antifa vs Ann Coulter will not be tolerated. This is not a 21st Century liberal PC college campus. For those snowflakes who just can’t contain themselves, have no fear. We will not resort to lethal force. We have compassion for the weak and dimwitted. It wasn’t their fault that their parents were also siblings, that they lived near power lines, and ate lead paint chips with their Captain Crunch…
As such, since we don’t have access to water cannons, to suppress any violence we will set out 99 pre-poured glasses of water for suppression. Obviously, we will not waste beer or spirits in the name of The Pursuit of Happiness… Go, Pack, GO!!!
GO PACK!! GO!!!
(Kraig Pringle)