Zero2Cool
15 years ago

[img_r]http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/packer/img/news/sep08/xaaron14b.jpg[/img_r]Detroit - The Green Bay Packers won 13 games a year ago, crushed Seattle in the playoffs and were an overtime away from making the Super Bowl.

Not exactly chopped liver, if you get the drift.

But now, based on their hard-won victory over rugged Minnesota and a fourth-quarter uprising of seismic proportion Sunday at Ford Field that put away the hopeless Detroit Lions, this question begged to be asked: Do the Packers think they're as good as they were in 2007?

"I do. Seriously, I really do," defensive tackle Ryan Pickett said after the 48-25 triumph. "He (Brett Favre) was a great player and all that stuff, but I just think as a team we're a year older, a little more experienced and a little better than we were.

"On defense, we are. Offensively, I think we are. And (Aaron) Rodgers . . . I mean, dude, he's calm under pressure and he's right on the money. He's definitely impressed me."

Already the Packers are alone atop the NFC North, just as they were last year after two weeks before running away with the division.

Since divisional play originated in 1967, this season and 1998 are the only times the Packers have opened 2-0 against divisional foes.

But what bodes so well for the Packers is they're winning with exhilarating feats made by players who are so fresh and so talented.

"I feel 2-0," said coach Mike McCarthy, who is 5-0 against Detroit's Rod Marinelli, 11-3 against the NFC North, 12-5 on the road and 20-4 in his last 24 games.

"It's an excellent win. We won by over three touchdowns but we made some big mistakes."

On Sunday, the Lions probably played as hard as they will all season after being pilloried all week after a humiliating defeat in Atlanta. They bowed their necks and stymied Ryan Grant eight times for 1 yard or less, they pressured Rodgers with minimal blitzing and they got a gutsy game for 3 quarters from their mediocre old quarterback, Jon Kitna.

But in the end, after the Packers had overcome a 25-24 deficit by amassing 24 points in the span of 3 minutes 10 seconds, what remained was the sense that Green Bay is just immensely superior to Detroit.

Not only is Rodgers far better than the other quarterbacks in the NFC North, his performance in two games is commensurate with quarterbacks who make the Pro Bowl. From the pocket or on the dead run, he just keeps putting tight spirals right on his receivers. For two games he hasn't even come close to throwing an interception.

His leading receiver, Greg Jennings, is a positively electrifying performer. His 60-yard burst on a short slant with his team trailing by a point was a game-changing play by a player who has achieved game-changing status.

Another third-year player, Will Blackmon, almost broke two or three kickoffs. Granted, Blackmon is really fast, but his ability to withstand frontal hits and not go down was astonishing.

And then there was Nick Collins slicing up from the deep hash to return an interception for a 42-yard touchdown, A.J. Hawk vaulting over running back Kevin Smith for a sack and Cullen Jenkins forging another monster game.

All those players are 27 or younger, the norm for the youngest team in the league for the third straight year.

Not to be outdone, old pro Charles Woodson made two brilliant interceptions in the fourth quarter, setting up a clinching touchdown with the first and returning the other 41 yards for a score.

"We've got a great group of guys, great head coach and a great organization," Woodson said. "But when you're winning everybody looks good."

The Packers will know where they stand next Sunday night against Dallas. As usual, it wasn't hard for general manager Ted Thompson to hide his enthusiasm.

"We're just getting started here," Thompson said. "I hope we can keep it going. It's a good start, though."

Soon-to-be 69-year-old special-teams coach Mike Stock was without opinion when asked if this team was better than last year.

"We've got to earn our way," Stock said. "I won't have any opinions on that until the end of the season."

The Packers let Detroit back into the game when two of their young players, Tramon Williams and Aaron Rouse, let down in the secondary.

Calvin Johnson, the Lions' one shining hope on offense, beat Woodson inside on a slant. When Rouse took a poor angle on the ball, Johnson had a 38-yard touchdown.

After punter Derrick Frost misplayed a snap and yielded a safety, Johnson beat Williams on a slant and made Rouse miss in the open field. The 47-yard score put the Lions up, 25-24.

At least Williams (25) and Rouse (24) are young and talented. The Packers were able to take a 21-0 lead largely because Brian Kelly, the 32-year-old cornerback to whom the Lions paid big money in March, was made to look as if he were 50 by Jennings on a 62-yard stutter-and-go route and by rookie Jordy Nelson on a 29-yard touchdown off a post-corner move.

Not only do the Lions take on seemingly every retread President Matt Millen can find from Marinelli's days in Tampa Bay, their quarterback will be 36 in two weeks and there's no passer of worth behind him.

Despite the Lions' high defensive intensity, Rodgers cut up Marinelli's "Tampa-2" scheme as if he had played against it for a decade.

Looking one way and throwing a dart the other. Seeing four passes dropped (and two more glance off fingertips) but going on to the next play without showing up teammates.

Accelerating out of harm's way and thinking on his feet. Not throwing into crowds.

"Aaron's got a good arm and the guy knows how to throw a football," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "Sometimes the protection's not there but he can get out. Pretty good pocket awareness so far."

With chants of "Fire Millen" clearly audible in the third quarter from the early-to-exit crowd of 60,285, the Packers came back to earth.

Rodgers held the ball too long, fumbled and the Lions kicked a field goal. Donald Driver failed to make a tough catch at the goal line and they had to settle for a field goal. The offense went three-and-out three times in a row.

Suddenly, Green Bay found itself starting from the 20 down by a point. For 16 years, Favre had been there to lean on.

"We were behind but he's a cool guy and he can probably do anything," Woodson said. "We knew he would be all right."

Rodgers also is a smart guy who knows getting the ball to Jennings never is a bad idea. On second and 13, he pitched it to him on a quick slant. Sixty smashing yards later, the jig was up. The Lions essentially were done.

"Man, you know what?" linebacker Nick Barnett said, recalling the moment of decision. "They awoke the beast."

The beast better be awake for 60 minutes against Dallas. If it is, and if that's good enough, 2008 really will start looking a lot like 2007.


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walleye
15 years ago
yes it will i think OL needs to some minor improvements!
UserPostedImage
Here Fishy Fishy
DarkaneRules
15 years ago
That was a really good freaking article.
Circular Arguments: They are a heck of an annoyance
bozz_2006
15 years ago
I won't say that this article gave me wood. I wouldn't say that.
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gbpfan
15 years ago
it was a good article feel the team is strong o-line needs to do better on peanilties
Packers_Finland
15 years ago
"Retard President Matt Millen"

I know it doesn't actually say that, but I refuse to acknowledge any other truth.
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Zero2Cool (8h) : Chase Young to sign $13M contract with Saints
Zero2Cool (8h) : Yosh to Panthers what noooo. Wait he didn't do crap
wpr (18-Mar) : I say that he is technically HER BIL as he married her sister. I checked it out, he's considered my BIL as well. Sad.
Mucky Tundra (18-Mar) : wpr, I assume its your BIL via marriage to your wife? If so, I can figure out where the smarts in the family went ;)
wpr (18-Mar) : Mucky my B-I-L is Bare Stupid. I could write a book.
Mucky Tundra (18-Mar) : As a teenager in Rockford IL I would get heckled by adults in public for wearing GB gear
Mucky Tundra (18-Mar) : if you think the online ones are bad, try *living amongst* them
Mucky Tundra (18-Mar) : Never doubt wprs loyalty. Poor guy is surrounded by Bears fans in Northern IL
wpr (17-Mar) : pass Martha. Thanks for the invite though.
Martha Careful (17-Mar) : blog * as the same ugly Illinois colors were adopted by the Baer
Martha Careful (17-Mar) : WPR, perhaps you should be joining the Bears fans blog has the same ugly Illinois colors were adopted by the Bears
Mucky Tundra (17-Mar) : Ah a fellow U of Illinois hater. I can respect that though I imagine it's for different reasons
Zero2Cool (17-Mar) : BTW. I didn't catch the game. I just hate Illinois.
Mucky Tundra (17-Mar) : They're your Big Ten Chumps and you will like it!
Zero2Cool (17-Mar) : No, not for the record. Referee's handled that BS. Orange team was trash ass
Mucky Tundra (17-Mar) : *Your* Big Ten Chumps for the record
Zero2Cool (17-Mar) : No, not Big Ten Champs. IL is big ten CHUMPS
wpr (17-Mar) : Big Ten Champs
wpr (17-Mar) : !!!
wpr (17-Mar) : INI
wpr (17-Mar) : ILL
Martha Careful (17-Mar) : Wisconsin with an outstanding on in the men’s Big Ten basketball tournament. Let’s hope it continues in the NCAAs
Zero2Cool (17-Mar) : Almost like taking QB in 2020 even if you don't need one is good move.
Mucky Tundra (16-Mar) : 2021 QB Draft class looking like a real clunker
Mucky Tundra (16-Mar) : A conditional 6th rounder? I remember Bears fans arguing they'd get a day 2 pick at worst lol
dfosterf (16-Mar) : So I got the no extension part right and the have to wait on the CW physical wrong
Zero2Cool (16-Mar) : Bears are trading Justin Fields for a 2025 6th-round pick that goes to a 4th-round pick based on playtime, per sources.
Zero2Cool (16-Mar) : Former Packer Jarrett Bush opens Wisconsin’s first blow dry bar in Green Bay
dfosterf (16-Mar) : If the Bears are not doing a deal with Washington, they also cannot trade Fields until Williams physical with them. All hail Caleb Williams!
dfosterf (16-Mar) : The talent is undeniable, but the (advertised) haul is obscene.
dfosterf (16-Mar) : If the Bears are cutting a deal with the Commanders, in either scenario, cannot happen until williams passes a Commanders physical
dfosterf (16-Mar) : My guess is no to the Fields extension, but yes to the trade back with the Commanders.
dhazer (15-Mar) : I think the Bears do a Love extension and they will trade out of the 1st pick and take the haul
Martha Careful (15-Mar) : that might make sense
Zero2Cool (15-Mar) : Justin Fields to Steelers?
Zero2Cool (15-Mar) : Kenny Pickett. Eagles. Done.
Zero2Cool (15-Mar) : They can claim best two WR tandem.
Mucky Tundra (15-Mar) : Aaron Donald retiring
dhazer (15-Mar) : Campbell signing with 49ers
dhazer (15-Mar) : I love how the Bear Fans are now claiming they have the best skill players in the NFC North lol
Zero2Cool (15-Mar) : Vikings made a move to get a 2nd first round pick
Mucky Tundra (15-Mar) : That's a not a bad deal for the Bears
Zero2Cool (15-Mar) : Bears have traded for WR Keenan Allen sending Chargers a fourth rounder.
Martha Careful (15-Mar) : *signs
Martha Careful (14-Mar) : MLB Devon White science with the Eagles
Mucky Tundra (14-Mar) : But that was before FA started
Mucky Tundra (14-Mar) : Dhaze, I thought Kurls would be their #1 target when I read that he was an Amos comp (jack of all trades guy)
dhazer (14-Mar) : I would like to see the Packers target 2 more FA still available Kamren Curl Safety and Chase Young edge
Martha Careful (14-Mar) : wow...didn't see that coming
Zero2Cool (14-Mar) : AJ Dillon re-signing with Packers.
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