TheEngineer
14 years ago

Staying in the Groove 

There was a very good, very clear, very obvious reason that led coach Mike McCarthy and the Green Bay Packers to push the pedal to the floor in the 16th game of the season at Arizona on Sunday:

To keep the momentum.

After the Packers began the year 4-4, they have won seven of their last eight games, with the only loss coming in a one-point shootout at Pittsburgh. They did not hold back in the season finale at Arizona, playing most of the starters and competing as if their very playoff lives depended on it.

Riding that wave is important to Green Bay for reasons beyond establishing a winning atmosphere and a justified confidence among the players. A day after the Packers dismissed Arizona with a 33-7 victory in Arizona, McCarthy explained that the momentum could help in the one area he cannot control, and thats lack of experience.

The Packers are still young. Several of them, like Mason Crosby, Ryan Grant, Greg Jennings, James Jones and Daryn Colledge, to name a few, can only draw upon their experience on the 2007 playoff team.

Twenty Packers, including the contributing rookies like Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji, and key individuals such as Aaron Rodgers, Jermichael Finely, Jordy Nelson, Josh Sitton and Jeremy Kapinos, have no playoff experience at all.

In contrast, the Arizona Cardinals are loaded with veteran players with postseason experience.

"Theyve won their division two years in a row," said McCarthy. "They have experience. Theyre coming off of a Super Bowl run. They have playoff experience, pretty much their whole football team. Those are the things that play to their strengths.

". . . . Well be totally in tune with the fact that playoff football is different. We have a group of men that experienced this two years ago. We have a group of men that have not experienced it."

After the game Sunday, one Packers veteran after another tried to hammer that point home.

"How they play next week, playoffs will be a whole other animal," cautioned tackle Mark Tauscher. "Its going to be a battle. I think theres no question there will be a more amped-up atmosphere than it was today."

If the Packers were overconfident, they hid it well, as if to say Tauschers message was well-received.

"We do think that momentum is hard to turn it on and off, so when you have it you want to keep it as long as possible," said Grant. He said that playing well at Arizona wasnt about a psychological advantage. "Its not about that. It never was. Of course, we expect them to come back and give us a serious fight because its the playoffs."

McCarthys next challenge will be to get the Packers ready for NFL playoff football.

"Playoff football is different than regular-season football. Anybody thats been through it will tell you that. It goes to a different level," he said.

Two years ago, the Packers had no momentum heading into the playoffs and had to hit the restart button in January after a bye. They lost at Chicago, 35-7, in the 15th game, and with the playoffs locked up, rested many starters for a good portion of the finale in a 34-13 victory over Detroit.

These Packers felt they needed the work and the experience and had to keep pushing at Arizona even when so many people considered the last game meaningless.

"We just felt like were not at the stage where we can kind of kick our feet up and take a nap for a while," said offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. "Lets just keep playing our style of football and see where that takes us. Hopefully, thats a good decision. How that plays out this week, were going to find out."

Everyone knows the Cardinals will play a different game this Sunday. Quarterback Kurt Warner will have a full 60 minutes to challenge Green Bays secondary, and the Cardinals didnt seem to put any pressure on the Packers, who pass protected long enough for Rodgers to daydream out there.

"Everybody kind of kept it vanilla," said Colledge. "They didnt do anything too super difficult on defense and they did that for a reason."

"We didnt roll out everything we had, either," said McCarthy. "Our principles are still the same, our base concepts are still the same. Weve established who we are, the way we want to play, that will not change. Now, what you do, change the face of it, those types of things, thats all part of the game planning."

Two months ago, the franchise was at a low point. Swept by Minnesota, beaten by Tampa Bay there were no hints pointing to the 7-1 run the Packers would go on to finish the year. But with that run, the Packers hope to extend it for three more games this season.

"Im in charge of their pulse and make sure when they need to get kicked in the ass, that happens, and when they need to be picked up, that happens too," said McCarthy. "We had some tough lessons that we encountered in the first eight weeks. We learned from them and we were able to put together eight weeks of good, quality football. I think the greatest strength of this football team is overcoming adversity."

"Lori Nickel" wrote:



It's interesting because, to be frank, the coaches really don't know whether playing aggressive is the correct course of action to take. I hope it is, but I hope that we do not underestimate the Cardinals.
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bozz_2006
14 years ago

But with that run, the Packers hope to extend it for three more games this season.

"Lori Nickel" wrote:



I'm actually hoping the Packers can keep it going for four more games. I dunno, maybe it's just me.
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Zero2Cool (57m) : They do not do it for "content sake".
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Mucky Tundra (19h) : No time for talking! Back to work beast!
beast (19h) : You saw only 4,201 of my mocks? 🥺 I think that means you missed more than half of them 😢
dfosterf (22h) : Does anyone know what Lambeau field improvements got put on hold? My guess would be for the 2025 draft
Zero2Cool (27-Mar) : It's like listen, you made 4,201 mocks, no shit.
Zero2Cool (27-Mar) : Cuz during the draft "I had them mocked there!" as if it's amazing.
Zero2Cool (27-Mar) : They're fun to do once in awhile. It's people who think they are "content" that annoy me.
dfosterf (27-Mar) : Against tbd
dfosterf (27-Mar) : Answer to your question is yes, it's a Thursday, will be the Chiefs aga
dfosterf (27-Mar) : Luckily for all concerned, I don't post them. I did one, but that was like 25 mocks ago
Zero2Cool (27-Mar) : NFL 2024 gonna start Sept 5th isn't it???
Zero2Cool (27-Mar) : Ugh... kids these days!
dfosterf (27-Mar) : I'm gonna go do some more mock draft hell instead 🤪
Zero2Cool (27-Mar) : Did we do one of those prediction threads yet for 2024 season?
dfosterf (27-Mar) : In my city, they are playing the nimby game, in order to keep some railroad tracks vs. 2 professional sports teams and a concert venue.
dfosterf (27-Mar) : And/Or a city council, of which I haven't seen a good one in a very long time
dfosterf (27-Mar) : That sounds like a Mayor, not a city.
buckeyepackfan (26-Mar) : Packers halt scheduled 80mil upgrade of stadium until lease agreement talks are restarted
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : City of Green Bay puts Packers' Lambeau Field lease talks on hold
buckeyepackfan (26-Mar) : Packers 1 of 3 teams to vote no on new kickoff rule.
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : Packers sign another Kicker
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Lengthy explanation at PFF if you click the link
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Kickoff rules officially changed.ngthy explan
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : lol
Cheesey (26-Mar) : 2009? No thanks! One open heart surgery is enough!
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Good for you!
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : Yes. That's the one.
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Is that "Lady Dugan" per chance?
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Crystal?
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Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : Alan posts. Crystal back in my life. It's 2009 all over again! Lol
Mucky Tundra (26-Mar) : BAH GAWD! THAT'S CHEESEYS MUSIC!
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Gutekunst said early stages of Jordan Love contract being discussed.
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Shouldn't be penalized cuz official screwed up
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Yeah, challenge until you are incorrect twice.
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Fining them is the goal, per the people who made the rule anyway.
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Still waiting on the kickoff rule changes. Did hear yesterday that the touchback proposal will now be the 30 yard line, not the 35
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Probably speed of game issues with your proposal
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Hopefully the refs don't get in the habit of throwing flags on this
beast (25-Mar) : I think when it comes to Challenges should get two strikes, so unlimited challenges as long as they keep winning them, but 2 wrong then done
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Still subject to the fines etc
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Yes, I should have been more specific. Also, they are now saying it would be a 15 yard penalty. That makes more sense .
beast (25-Mar) : Simply fined in the week to follow
beast (25-Mar) : I agree with one NFL official, it'll probably be like some of the helmets hits, not really called by the refs on the field but simply fined
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Hip drop is not. Super confusing. Referees job is harder
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Swivel hip drop is banned
dfosterf (25-Mar) : The hip drop enforcement will be in the form of fines, etc. Not flags
dfosterf (25-Mar) : A major foul will be enforced on the offense if there are offsetting penalties in a change of possession situation
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