Jclombardi reviews and grades Packers win.

Summary: QB Rodgers threw two touchdowns and RB Grant ran for one touchdown helping the Packers beat the 49ers 30-24.  The 3-4 defense had a decent game getting one interception and 3 sacks.

Game Highlights: NFL.  CBS.  ESPN.

Game Reviews: Packers defeat 49ers 30-24. Rants & Raves. Packers Earn Painful Victory.

It was over when…: The Packers ran out the final 5:56 of the game thwarting a 49ers rally. The Packers held 23-3 halftime lead, but the 49ers scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to close the gap to 30-24. The Packers took over and never relinquished the ball.

Game Ball: 1. QB Rodgers 2. RB Grant 3. WR Jennings.

Game Stars:

1. RB Ryan Grant: He continues to run more patient and with better vision. He is no longer just running with a full head of steam into the line. He’s following and setting up his blocks and breaking tackles.

2. QB Rodgers: Overall, it was his best game. He managed it well and did a good job taking his check downs when giving the opportunity. Made some terrific throws, including a big one down the sideline to Jennings that was phenomenal.

3. Packers defensive line: Pickett (big early third-down stop), Jolly (two passes defended, quarterback hit), Jenkins (2 TFLs, sack) and Raji (first career sack) beat up a shaky offensive line and kept 49ers RB Gore to six carries and 17 yards after his big 42-yard romp.

Injury Report: 1. LB Kampman (torn ACL) 2. CB Harris (torn ACL) [both done for season].

Report Card Grades–Good, Bad, & Ugly: LA

Pass Offense—B+. Overall, QB Rodgers had a great day completing 32 of 45 passes for 344 yards, 2 passing touchdowns, no interceptions, and 108.0 passer rating. WR Jennings had 5 receptions for 126 yards and 1 touchdown. RB Jackson had 6 receptions for 65 yards. TE Finley had 7 big receptions for 54 yards. WR Driver had 5 receptions for 40.  WR Jones had 4 receptions for 22. WR Nelson had 3 receptions for 21 yards and 1 touchdown.  RB Grant had 2 receptions for 16 yards.

Rush Offense—A. The Packers had 32 rushes for 158 yards averaging 4.9 yards. RB Grant had 21 strong carries for 129 yards and 1 touchdown averaging an outstanding 6.1 yards. Although they allowed two big sacks, the offensive line had a very solid day in the trenches.

Pass Defense—B. Although they had a stellar first half holding the 49ers to 3 points, the second half saw a lackluster performance allowing the 49ers back into the game.  QB Smith completed 16 of 33 passes for 227 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 key interception, and a 88.0 passer rating. TE Davis had 6 receptions for 108 yards.  Caper’s 3-4 blitz schemes got 3 sacks in the first half. Yet, they failed to provide any sustained pressure in the second half with no sacks. S Collins had a stellar performance getting a key interception in the 3^rd quarter leading to a Packers touchdown.

Rush defense—A. The short-yardage defense had another stout game against the rush.  In the first half, if you take away RB Gore’s 42 yard run, the 49ers had only 15 total yards. The 49ers had 10 carries for only 69 averaging 6.9 yards.  RB Gore rushed 7 times for only 59 yards averaging 8.4 yards, but his first rush play totaled 42 of those yards.

Special teams—B+. The coverage team had an up-and-down day allowing only 1.87 yards. Yet, in a crucial kickoff, they allowed a big 76 yards return in the third quarter leading to a 49ers touchdown. KR Williams had a poor day fielding punts, but he had a 27 yards return. K Crosby boomed three touchbacks. The return game had a decent game with 118 yards. K Kapinos had 5 punts averaging 43.4 with 2 punts inside the 20.

Coaching—B.  For the good news, the Packers had 26 first downs and 484 total yards.  Yet, after a solid first half, the second half saw an awful regression in the offense and the defense.  Also, the play calling had its awful moments, especially in the red zone with only 2 for 5 conversions.  In 3^rd down efficiency, they were a decent 10 for 18.  Finally, they had 6 big penalties for 64 yards.

Overall Game—B.  In a game of two halves, the Packers hang on to win the game. The Pack won a big home game against a determined opponent.

Rodgers vs Favre series: week 11. “Silver Fox” Vikings 9-1.  Packers 6-4.

Commentary: After a solid first half, the Packers got complacent scoring only one score due to a key S Collins interception.  The Packers blew a big lead and had to hang on losing two starters on defense due to season-ending injuries.

Preview: A prime time Thanksgiving game against the lowly Lions.

“Hopefully, these two injuries aren’t as serious as we may think,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.

Ryan Grant ran for 129 yards and a score, and QB Aaron Rodgers went off against the team that snubbed him on draft day some years ago. He was 32-for-45 for 344 yards with two TD’s and a QB rating of 108.0. He also was only sacked twice, a breath of fresh air for an O-line that has struggled all year.

Alex Smith, the player the Niners did take No. 1 instead of Rodgers, rebounded from a miserable start to throw three touchdown passes after halftime for the 49ers (4-6)—including the first touchdown catch of Michael Crabtree’s career.

San Francisco’s Josh Morgan returned a kickoff 76 yards and Smith threw a 24-yard touchdown to Vernon Davis, cutting Green Bay’s lead to 30-17. With Harris and Kampman still sidelined, Smith had long completions to Isaac Bruce and Crabtree on the next series, setting up a fourth-and-5 at the Green Bay 10. Smith found Frank Gore for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 30-24 with 5:56 left.

After Gore’s score, the Packers put together a drive that included a third-down conversion by Rodgers on a sneak, allowing them to run out the clock. “It’s definitely something that we can build off of,” McCarthy said. “Because we’ve had some momentum swings in the past, just two weeks ago, that we didn’t recover from.”

Jclombardi reviews Packers headlines & 49ers previews.

Headlines: Defensive Line Adjusts To 3-4 system. Notebook: Carousel On Packers Offensive Line. Colledge Playing On Shaky Ground. Woodson Takes Pro Bowl Career To Another Level. Sitton Foundation For Packers Offensive Line. Jackson Blitz-Killer. Rodgers Comes of Age? Woodson Jitters Offenses. Buffalo signs Brohm. Harris Defends Against Disease. Wells brings stable presence to struggling unit. Kampman’s New Perspective.

Favre Watch: Former Packers President Harlan Tunes Out Favre’s homecoming. Harlan Couldn’t Watch Favre vs. Packers. Detainees at Iraqi Camp Needle Wisconsin Troops About Favre.

Injury Report: Questionable: G Barbre (ankle), C Dietrich-Smith (ankle), RB Green (groin). All three did not participate in practice on Friday. Full participants and are probable: LB Bishop, LB Chillar, TE Finley, DE Jenkins, DE Jolly, LB Jones, LB Kampman, FB Kuhn, LB Matthews, LB Poppinga, OT Tauscher, C Wells, & CB Woodson.

Previews: A. Basics: Packers (5-4) vs 49ers (4-5). When–Noon Sunday. Where–Lambeau Field. TV–Fox (Ch. 6 in Milwaukee). Radio: AM-620 and Packer Radio Network affiliates. B. Video Previews: NFL. CBS. ESPN. C. Things To Watch: Advantages & Disadvantages. Matchups To Watch. 49ers’ Chances Against Pack: Matchups. 5 Things To Watch. 3 Things To Watch.

Predictions: Overview–Look for the Packers to continue to push their way back into playoff position. Panel Predictions.

Jclombardi reviews & grades Packers win over Cowboys.

Summary: QB Rodgers ran for one touchdown and passed for one touchdown to help the Packers snap a 2 game losing streak and to beat the Cowboys 17-7.  The 3-4 defense had a solid game rising to its potential getting one interception, 2 fumbles, and five sacks to nearly shutout the Cowboys.

Game Highlights: NFL.  CBS.  ESPN.

Game Headlines: Woodson In Everything.  Line Makes Gains.  Pair of Outside Forces.  Packers defeat Cowboys 17-7.  Linebackers Lead Dominant Effort. Insider: Thumbs Up to Woodson, Down to Pass Blockers.

Quotes:

1. LB Matthews: “[LT] Flozell is one of those guys you can’t get locked up with. The guy probably outweighs me by 90 pounds. If I get locked up with him, there’s not a lot I can do. So I tried to freeze him, get his feet stopped and get on the edge. It’s all about studying your personnel.”

2. QB Rodgers: ”Because of the multiple defenses they run, we put in more of the package at the line of scrimmage. McCarthy just put in more checks at the line for me to run-to-pass or run right or run left. We did some good things with that.”

Game Ball: 1. CB Woodson 2. QB Rodgers 3. LB Barnett.

Turning Point: The Packers recovered a QB Romo fumble scoring 3 plays later on a 2 yard touchdown pass from QB Rodgers to TE Havner and giving the Packers a 17-0 lead with 10:49 left.  

Injury Report: 1. FB Kuhn (broke hand).

Report Card Grades–Good, Bad, & Ugly: LA vs SE.

Pass Offense—B vs B-. After an ugly first half, Rodgers rebounded in the second half leading the team to a 17-0 and putting the game away. QB Rodgers completed 25 of 36 passes for 189 yards, 1 passing touchdown, 1 rushing touchdown, no interceptions, 3 fumbles, 4 sacks, and 91.1 passer rating.  WR Driver had 4 receptions for 50, but he dropped a touchdown pass. WR Jennings had 4 receptions for 45 yards.  WR Nelson had 4 receptions for 32 yards. TE Lee had 2 receptions for 21 yards. WR Jones had 3 receptions for 17. RB Jackson had 3 receptions for 15 yards. TE Havner had 1 reception for 2 yards and 1 touchdown. Although the problematic line allowed four sacks, the entire offensive line had a good day in the trenches.  Dallas did finish with four sacks, but only one can be laid on the line–a second-quarter takedown when Ratliff got an inside push against Wells, forcing QB Aaron Rodgers to step up and run into Ware, who had shed TE Spencer Havner at the far edge. The fourth sack is on Lee, who got walked back by ILB Carpenter. Lee also was called for holding on the play, one of two such flags he drew and both penalties were declined.

Rush Offense—B- vs C+. The Packers had 28 rushes for 105 yards averaging 3.8 yards. RB Grant had 19 carries for 79 yards with a solid 4.2 average.

Pass Defense—A- vs A-. Finally, the 3-4 transition defense played up to its potential causing 1 interception, 5 sacks, and 3 turnovers.  Central to the 3-4 defense, LBs Barnett, Hawk, Matthews, and Jones combined for 20 tackles, three sacks, four tackles for a loss, three QB hits and two fumble recoveries.  QB Romo only completed 24 of 39 passes for 251 yards, 1 garbage touchdown, 1 interception, and poor 78.0 passer rating. Caper’s 3-4 blitz schemes showed improvement getting five sacks and what Capers’ defense is all about up front–eating up blockers, opening holes for the playmakers, and then making the few big plays when they’re presented. CB Woodson has a stellar performance getting 9 tackles, getting 1 interception in red zone, getting 1 sack, and causing two fumbles. ILB Barnett had 8 tackles and 2 sacks. Rookie OLB Jones had 7 tackles. On the downside, Collins blew zone coverage on WR Williams’ big catch before he fumbled and DB Williams gave up a touchdown to Williams with 38 seconds left to spoil the shut out.

Rush defense—A vs B. The front seven had another stout game against the rush. The Cowboys had 14 carries for only 61 yards averaging 4.4 yards.  RB Barber rushed 5 times for 26 yards averaging 5.3 yards. 

Special teams—B vs B-. The coverage team had a good day. The return game had an average game.   PR Williams did all returns setting up Crosby’s field goal to end the first half with an 18-yard punt return to midfield, but he slipped & fumbled (down by contact) on his next punt return blowing a potential touchdown. K Crosby made one of two long field goals.  K Kapinos had 7 punts averaging 43.7 yards but only 35 net yard and a poor hang time.

Coaching—B vs A-. The Packers had superlative game plans in all three phases and for the first time demonstrated some grit and intensity.  After a brutal first half, the second half saw big changes.  The play calling improved getting the offense rolling with two touchdowns.  The solid 3-4 defense nearly got a shutout. In the red zone, they were 2 for 2.  In 3^rd down efficiency, they were 7 for 15.  They had 10 penalties for 100 yards.

Overall Game—B+.  In the 2^nd half, while the 3-4 defense dominated the Cowboys, the offense got going and put the game away.  Overall, the defense had an outstanding game holding the Cowboys to 278 total yards and 3 of 12 in 3^rd downs.

CBS Sports Overall Game Grade–A. What a big day by the Packers defense. The Cowboys didn’t get a third-down conversion until the fourth quarter. Charles Woodson really came up big. The offense didn’t do a lot, but it didn’t need to.

CHTV Good, Bad & Ugly: Good–Woodson, Rodgers, & Barnett; Bad–Crosby, Williams, & James Jones; Ugly–Romo.

Rodgers vs Favre series: week 10. “Silver Fox” Vikings 8-1.  Packers 5-4.

Commentary: If the Cowboys got complacent and an inspired Packers team rebounded to play inspired football, the Packers had a chance to win the game. The predictable game scenario became a reality saving the Packers season.  Fate and officiating helped the Packers.

Preview: A must win home game against the tough 49ers. Behind the NFC’s four division leaders, four teams including the Packers have 5-4 records fighting for two wild-card playoff spots. 

Jclombardi reviews Packers headlines & previews.

Headlines: Critical Game. Different Views. Bulk Battle. Austin. Cowboys Tough. Fine Line Separates Romo From Rodgers.

Injury Report: Out–TE Finley (knee); LB Kampman (concussion); LB Brady Poppinga (quad); T Mark Tauscher (knee). Doubtful — None. Questionable — LB Chillar (hand). Probable — WR Allen (quad); T Allen Barbre (concussion); FB Hall (calf); DE Jenkins (ankle); S Martin(concussion); WR Nelson (knee); QB Rodgers (feet); CB Woodson (hip).

Previews: CBS. ESPN. FOX: Gameplan & Matchups. NFL: Opposite Directions? Matchups. Keys to Game.  Scouting Report.

Things To Watch: 1. OMG. Cowboys’ pass rushers have 20 sacks including five from LB Ware. They have to be licking their chops as the Packers embark on another changeup on their offensive line.  Rookie Lang will start at RT replacing Tauscher. With the Packers’ porous pass protection, QB Rodgers needs to quicken release. 2. Packers’ linebacker depth will be tested. The Packers are down to players who have seen almost no playing time on defense. Rookie Jones is the starter at the LOLB. Jones is a natural OLB in the 3-4 but is unheralded.

Jclombardi awards midseason Packers grades.

OFFENSE:

QB: Rodgers: Rodgers has solid statistical numbers with some bad spotty performances. He must improve in critical game situations and learn pocket presence. GRADE: B. Flynn: He has had little playing time, but appears to be a future good backup. GRADE: Inc.   GBPG QB GRADE: B-.

RB: Grant: He is a decent back with up and down games. GRADE: C+. Jackson: He has done very little except be an adequate blocker. GRADE: D. Green: He passed Taylor to become Packers’ leading rusher.  GRADE: B-. GBPG GRADE: C-.

WR: Jennings: So far, he has had a disappointing year. GRADE: B-. Driver: He is a solid veteran gamer. GRADE: A. Jones: He has returned to his rookie greatness. GRADE: B. Nelson: Until now, a knee injury has limited his solid play. GRADE: C+.   GBPG GRADE: C+.

FB: Kuhn: He has had a solid year. GRADE: B+. Hall: He has had a limited decent year. GRADE: C+.  Johnson: The rookie bruiser is progressing and should be a good one. GRADE: C.

OL: Clifton: He has not been able to stay healthy & looked pedestrian. GRADE: C-.  Colledge: He has looked soft with up & down games. GRADE: C. Wells: Replacing injured Spitz, he is good enough. GRADE: B. Sitton: He a future good player. GRADE: B. Barbre: He started badly, improved, and regressed. GRADE: C-. Spitz: On IR, he is missed. GRADE: B. Tauscher: In his first return game, he looked rusty. GRADE: C. Lang: The rookie has struggled, but he appears to be another future good player. GRADE: C.   GBPG GRADE: F.

SCOUT’S VIEW:  His assessment of the blocking, both in pass protection and the run game, was especially harsh:  “The guard play, not a shot in the butt, and the tackle play is horrendous. If you had big guards next to Wells who could help him push, he’s athletic enough to get to the second level and make blocks.  I don’t really like any of those guys. Ted’s going to have to do some work on his offensive line. It’s [an old] mess.”

TE: Finley: Recovering from a sprain, he has a bright solid future as a go-to-player. GRADE: B. Lee: He is a decent blocker and receiver, but fading. GRADE: B-. Havner: He has developed to be a good receiver and special teams player. GRADE: B.   GBPG GRADE: C.

DEFENSE:

DL: Jenkins: He started fast, but faded lately. GRADE: B-. Jolly: He is a solid player. GRADE: B+. Pickett: He is the best lineman. GRADE: A-. Wynn: The rookie has played decent looking to be a solid back up player. GRADE: C. Montgomery: He is simply an average player with no impact GRADE: D. Raji: With a slow start, the rookie is progressing and showing potential. GRADE: C-.    GBPG GRADE: C+.

SCOUT’S VIEW: The pass rush as an equally severe problem. Pickett is a run stopper and Jenkins is an all-around player.  Yet, the combination of Jenkins and Jolly as inside rushers in the nickel defense aren’t getting adequate push.

LB: Matthews III: The rookie looks like a future star. GRADE: B. Barnett: After a slow start, he is having a solid year coming back from knee injury. GRADE: C+ Hawk: After a slow start, he has come on strong. GRADE: C+. Kampman: His transition to the 3-4 defense has not gone as well as expected. GRADE: B. Chillar: Although injured, he is the best of the group. GRADE: B+. Bishop: He is solid backup, but he needs to avoid costly mistakes. GRADE: C+. Jones: The rookie is an unknown potential player and good special teams player. GRADE: Inc. Thompson: He is just an average backup player. GRADE: D. Poppinga: He has faded to proper backup status. GRADE: D. GBPG GRADE: C.

DB: Woodson: The all-star great player on a shaky red zone defense. GRADE: A. Harris: The slowing veteran is having a decent year. GRADE: B. Williams: He is a good future starter. GRADE: B+. Underwood: The rookie is probably good enough to be a future dime back. GRADE: Inc. Bush: He is an awful backup player. GRADE: D-. Bigby: His hype is better than his inconsistent play. GRADE: C. Collins: The all-star has been solid this year.  GRADE: B. Martin: He has struggled to fit in. GRADE: D. Giordano: He is a backup and special teams player for now. GRADE: Inc.   GBPG GRADE: B-.

SPECIAL TEAMS–GRADE: D-.   GBPG GRADE: D-.

COACHING–D-.   GBPG GRADE: D.

PERSONNEL MOVE: D-.   GBPB GRADE: D+.

NFL Power Rankings: Packers

Espn:  16. Their loss to Minnesota made sense. The one at Tampa Bay was inexplicable.

NBC/PFT: 16.  At least the sudden hot seat will help keep Mike McCarthy warm during the November and December games at Lambeau Field.

Yahoo: 16. Rodgers’ three picks hurt, but special teams cost them.

Aol Fanhouse: 16. QB Rodgers has a lot of talent as a passer and the offensive line is bad. However, Rodgers needs to make an adjustment and get rid of the football much quicker; otherwise he’s only adding to the weakness. At 37, the Packers have allowed more sacks than any other team.

Covers: 17. Green Bay still can?t win in Tampa even when the Buccaneers are one of the worst teams in football. This is an almost must win against Dallas to remain in the playoff hunt.

USA Today: 17.

CBS: 18. Maybe they’re just not as good as we thought they were going to be. They have issues on their offensive line that show up every week.

Fox: 18. FIRST-HALF BLESSING: Aaron Rodgers is still able to walk after eight games behind this horrid offensive line. For that, Packers fans should be very grateful, or this deflating 4-4 start could be even worse. FIRST-HALF CURSE: The Curse of Brett Favre and his season sweep over his former team is beginning to permeate the Land of Cheeseheads.

SI.com: 18. While he’s playing behind a Green Bay offensive line that has had the worst half-season of any positional unit in the NFL (37 sacks allowed), Rodgers isn’t helping matters with his penchant for holding the ball too long. Then against the Bucs he got wild and tried to force some throws. With three of their next four games at home, the Packers still have time to make a wild-card push. But the turnaround had best start this week against Dallas, and it must include No. 12 playing better.

Sporting News: 19. Excuse QB Rodgers for cringing when he thinks about facing the Cowboys’ pass rush.

Midseason Report Cards:

1. ESPN: A. Video NFC North Report—Grade C.    Issues—offensive line; transition to 3-4 Capers defense. B. NFC North Report–Disappointments: Offensive line; LG Colledge; LB Kampman; LB Hawk; Surprises: LB Chillar; Outlook—2nd half of season could devolve into referendum on futures of GM Thompson and HC McCarthy.  

2. FOX—Grade C.   A. Making the grade: This season has become more disastrous on some levels. The Packers lost the Favre Bowls against Minnesota and were embarrassed against previously winless Bucs. Green Bay’s four victories come against teams with combined record of 7-25. B. Most valuable player: QB Rodgers. Playing behind a leaky offensive and even though he has gotten sacked an NFL-high 37 times, Rodgers still has a quarterback rating over 100. C. Biggest disappointment: OLB Kampman. Packers’ management made a terrible talent evaluation when projecting that Kampman could make the successful shift to 3-4 outside linebacker. Overall, Green Bay is tied for 29th in sack production with 13. D. Health status: The offensive line is a mess with C Spitz on injured reserve and LT Clifton battling season-long ankle problems. E. Second-half forecast: The season is probably lost if Green Bay doesn’t defeat visiting Dallas on Sunday. The seat is getting uncomfortably warm for HC McCarthy and GM Ted Thompson, especially after Brett Favre extracted his revenge on the Packers.

3. SPORTING NEWS—Vindication for Favre. In 2008, the Packers opted for an unproven Rodgers over an unretired Favre.  In hindsight, what was the point in wanting an early answer? His current team was willing to welcome him even after training camp and their 7-1 record is proving that the Vikings got it right. And the Packers got it incredibly wrong. So wrong that, the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who are running the Packers could end up suffering a similar fate.

4. YAHOO–Grade C.  Issues: Offensive line; RB Grant; & 3-4 transition defense.

5. NBCSPORTS: Grade B-. Best attribute: The Packers were under intense scrutiny prior to the start of the season when they traded Brett Favre to the Jets, but they have survived the storm and put a solid product on the field. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has won over his teammates, coaches and Packers fans. The receivers are an elite group, and the defensive backs, most notably Charles Woodson and Nick Collins, are outstanding ball hawks. Needs improvement: The running game that was so strong a year ago has fallen on hard times. The Packers rank in the bottom third of the league in yards per game and yards per rush. It’s easy to blame running back Ryan Grant, but the holes have not been there. On the other hand, the Packers have regularly struggled to stop their opponents from running the ball.

6. NBCWASHINGTON: Grade C. What they’ve done well: Forget Favre. Green Bay has a great asset in Rodgers. He is a quarterback who can win games because he finds big-play receivers like Jennings and Driver. If only the Packers could protect him a little bit, then this team would have a chance to contend for the playoffs. The Packers have shown significant improvement on defense as they are giving up 283.4 yards per game ranking 4th in the league. Needs improvement: The play of the offensive line has been disastrous. The Packers have given up a league-high 31 sacks and to his credit, Rodgers shows no signs of shying away or changing the game plan.  The poor offensive line play is having a significant impact on the running game.

7. FANIQ: Grade So-So. The Packers at least looked like they were losing to the good teams and beating the bad teams…but then they lost to the Bucs and ruined our hopes of a team going 0-16.  At .500, they’re a mediocre team and 8-8 looks like “at best” for this team.

8. DESERETNEWS: Grade C. They are poorly coached and can only beat below-average teams.

Summary: Rookie Bucs QB Freeman threw 3 touchdowns to lead the winless Bucs 38-28 over the fading Packers.  In the second half, the Packers faded away continuing to exhibit ongoing problems of poor execution, poor protection, poor special teams, poor defensive pressure, and untimely penalties.  Fading at the midseason, the Packers are 4-4. 

Video Highlights:  NFL.  ESPN.   CBS.  

Game Reviews:  Packers lose to Bucs 38-28.  Ugly from Any Angle.  Painful History Lesson.  Shameful: Packers Lose To Winless Buccaneers.    

Game Ball: 1. RB Grant 2. LB Hawk 3. CB Woodson.

Injury Report: 1. LB Kampman (concussion) 2. RT Tauscher (sprain).

Quotes: Players

1. “I think everyone’s stunned,” linebacker Nick Barnett said. “Nobody expected that.”

2. “It’s discouraging,” nose tackle Ryan Pickett said. “It’s tough. It’s going to be hard to watch the film. I hate even talking about it. It’s going to be a long flight home, going to be hard.”

Quote: Veteran Packers Hall of Famer

 1. LeRoy Butler:  “McCarthy says, ‘We have to get this cleaned up, we have to take advantage of our opportunities.’ What he should say is, ‘I will fix this. If I have to play different combinations, different people, I will fix it.’”

Quotes—“Believe It Or Not”:

1. Packers CEO Confident Team can turn things around–After exiting Raymond James Stadium, President Murphy was not in step with the fervent, knee-jerk section of Packers fans who wanted everybody in the organization fired immediately. Have you given up hope that the Packers will make the playoffs?

2. Does McCarthy realize how infuriating it is for Packers fans to hear–or even Aaron Rodgers and the receivers? McCarthy is either delusional or not doing a good job fixing the correctable mistakes. McCarthy will likely have to make adjustments this week without Tauscher’s help.

3. Sunday’s collapse against Tampa Bay epitomized the Packers at the season’s midway point. It left team president Mark Murphy feeling “disappointed” and saying it’s on coach McCarthy and GM Thompson make the changes necessary to salvage the season.

Report Card Grades–Good, Bad, & Ugly: LA vs SE: 

Pass Offense—C vs C-.  Facing intense pressure, QB Rodgers completed 17 of 35 passes for 266 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and six sacks.  In the second half, Rodgers led the team to a 28-17 lead, but they failed to score on the final two drives to win it. As one reviewer observed:

The Bucs’ press coverage took away the quick-hitters and three-step drops after Rodgers hit WR Greg Jennings for option slants of 11 and 6 on the first two drives. Receivers worked harder to get open at times. With the mounting protection issues up front, downfield routes sometimes didn’t clear fast enough for Rodgers to get the ball out. At other times, the Cover-2 shell created a bracket effect. 

WR Jones had 3 catches for 103 and 1 touchdown. WR Driver had 4 receptions for 71 yards and 1 touchdown. WR Jennings had 5 receptions for 61 yards.  However, they dropped key passes in the stretch leading to the loss. 

Rush Offense—A vs A. The Packers had 32 rushes for 170 yards averaging a solid 5.3 yards. RB Grant had only 21 carries for 91 yards with a solid 4.6 average. RB Green looked like his old hard running self with 6 carries for 45 yards averaging 7.5 yards overtaking the great Jim Taylor for the Packers’ all-time rushing record. Except for rushing performance, excluding C Wells, the entire offensive line had a down day fading away especially when RT Tauscher left the game. 

Pass Defense—C vs C-. The pedestrian Packers defense made a hero of a rookie QB starting his first game for a lowly NFL team.  Rookie QB Freeman rallied the Bucs in the 4^th quarter to victory.  With the game on-the-line, DB Bush and SS Bigby gave up crucial coverage touchdowns.  Again, Caper’s 3-4 blitz schemes were ineffective getting only a coverage sack.  A reviewer summed-it-up:

The Packers have a serious pass-rush problem on defense.  Every time they had Freeman in trouble, they let him escape from the pocket. Not being able to rattle a rookie quarterback with a consistent pass rush speaks volumes about where the Packers are with their conversion to a 3-4 defense. Nowhere.  

Rush defense—B vs B+. The Bucs had 25 carries for 81 averaging a lowly 3.2 yards.  RB Williams rushed 16 times for 56 yards averaging a lowly 3.5 yards.  The front seven had a stout game, but they cannot produce a pass rush central to any defense. 

Special teams—D- vs D-.  The coverage had another disastrous day giving away 13 points on a blocked punt for a touchdown and on an 83 yards return for another quick Bucs touchdown. Bucs return man Smith had 161 return yards. Packers Williams averaged only 4.5 yards in four punt returns, but Underwood’s penalty nullified a William’s 27 yard punt return. Green had 2 returns for 55 yards. K Crosby’s booming kickoffs resulted in three touchbacks. K Kapinos is simply not good enough with his 6 punts averaging 41.2 (gross), 27.6 (net) and 3.96 (hang time), and 2 were inside the 20. 

Coaching—F vs F.  The continued lack of execution, discipline, and winning results point to both Coach McCarthy and GM Thompson. In the red zone, they were 2 for 2.  In 3^rd down efficiency, they were 5 for 14.  In 4^th down efficiency, they were 0 for 2.

Overall Game—F. The team choked and faded away in the stretch giving away a 28-17 lead losing this game in the last 13 minutes.  At 4-4, the Packers are just an inconsistent average good team. As a reviewer added:

They suffered the ignominy of losing to the previously winless Bucs.  They exhibited no sense of urgency coming off its disappointing loss to the Vikings.  The Packers played almost lifeless in throwing away a 28-17 lead in the fourth quarter. Special teams continued to give up momentum-changing long returns and killed their own big runbacks with silly penalties. HC McCarthy’s insistence on going with time-consuming pass plays out of 5 and 7 step drops by Rodgers is ludicrous.

CBS Overall Game—F. This one really stings. They made way too many mistakes. You can’t win on the road like that — even against a team you should beat. The special teams were a disaster. The offensive line was bad again.

CTV Good, Bad & Ugly: Good–Green, Grant, & Jones; Bad–Bush, Rodgers, & Slocum; Ugly–McCarthy.

Rodgers vs Favre series: week 9. “Silver Fox” Vikings 7-1.  Packers 4-4.

Commentary: No surprise. The game was predictable. The fans were reminded of the horrible Packers teams from the 70s and 80s. The Packers failed to win an easy road game against a winless bad team. This Packers team chokes in crucial game situations. Again, the team lacks critical playmakers, has inexperienced players in important positions, and serious talent gaps raising management issues. The “beginning-of-the-end” wanna bes sports news bloggers will provide ludicrous amusement previewed in “believe it or not” quotes.

Preview: A big prime time home game against the Cowboys. 

Jclombardi reviews headlines about Bucs loss.

Game Reviews:  Packers lose to Buc 38-28.  Ugly from Any Angle  Painful History Lesson.  Shameful: Packers Lose To Winless Buccaneers.   Rants & Raves.

Offensive Headlines:  Rodgers Throws Costly Interceptions.  Thumbs Up to Run Game, Down to Offensive Line.   Six Sacks–Line Heads for Record. 

Defensive Headlines:  Special Teams Blunders.  Defense Unable To Rattle Kid.   Special teams struggle.

McCarthy Watch Headlines:  Loss to Bucs is low point for coach McCarthy.  Time to talk firings. Loss to pitiful Bucs a low point.