MM Challenge to maintain momentum

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http://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/mccarthys-challenge-maintaining-momentum-while-on-top


Key parts, go to CHTV to read it all

You can say a lot of things about Mike McCarthy’s Green Bay Packers: Super Bowl Champions, Quarterback King-Makers, Prolific Passing Games, Opportunistic Defenses.

But one trait that has defined this team since McCarthy took over in 2006 still looms large: the Packers seem to need their back against the wall to play at their best. In other words, they need a chip on their shoulder in order to play inspired football.

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But, as I’ve said, the Packers seem to become most resilient when their backs are against the wall, and once again, McCarthy turned it around, with a convincing victory over the then-dominant Texans and rattling off five wins in a row to do exactly what most of us figured was impossible: a return to the top of the division standings. Aaron Rodgers told us to “Shhhhhhh…”, as if that loss to the Colts had never happened. Perhaps he knew it himself: it just took hitting rock bottom for the Packers to return to their derring-do ways.

But now, the Packers face a home stretch against teams with their own motivations for the playoffs. Tonight, the Packers face a Giants team that is looking to fend off the Cowboys and Redskins, knowing the likelihood of any wild card team coming out of the NFC East is remote at best.

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My point is now that the Packers have clawed their way back to the top, they need to find the motivation to keep themselves there, especially against teams that are just as motivated (if not moreso) to beat the Packers for their own playoff lives. Even last week’s win against the Lions was a squeaker, needing a fourth-quarter comeback to pull out the late victory…against a team that, quite simply, doesn’t know how to put it all together. The Packers do know how to put it all together, but the times they do it come in streaks, another highlight of McCarthy’s tenure as head coach.
 

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