Packers-Vikings Game Thoughts

Future

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I'll start with a disclaimer: I attended the game and haven't had a chance to watch the full replay yet. Hopefully that doesn't skew any of my observations too much.

- Aaron Rodgers put on a clinic as usual. This is the best I've ever seen a QB play in my life. Simply incredible how accurate he is right now. 7 straight games of a QB rating of over 110 points is just ridiculous. Clear MVP favorite right now.

- The WRs had a very good game as well. It boggles my mind how wide open Jennings gets sometimes. Obviously, this was a blown coverage but the point remains.

- Starks was having a very bad game until that final drive. That was impressive, Starks ran hard and the offensive line opened some big holes considering the Vikings had 10 guys committed to the run.

- Considering the small amount of help given to the offensive line, I thought they did pretty well. Sure, Newhouse was beat by a Pro Bowl DE a couple of times but that's to be expected when you spread the field as much as we do.

- This is the Mason Crosby I envisioned when we drafted him years ago. Of course I didn't expect him to be 100% on 18 attempts but I did think we now had the very underrated ability to make more long FGs than most teams in the league. McCarthy now has that confidence in Mason and it is awesome. Even the Viking fans sitting around us stood up and clapped after his 58-yard bomb. It looked like it would have been good from a few more yards.

- Kick coverage and punting were both solid on Sunday. One of the few things that scares me about the Vikings is Harvin's ability on KR. We didn't give up any big returns and that's a big win for this ST unit.

- All season, I've felt really good about Cobb on punt returns. He seems so confident just catching the ball, never any bobbling or hesitation. The punt really got on him quickly and it was one of the biggest swings in the game. Our offense is so good that giving the ball away on ST just can't happen.

- We miss Nick Collins. A lot. Peprah isn't playing at the level he did last year and is consistently getting beat. To me, losing Collins is a top 2 reason we give up so many big plays.

- The other top 2 reason we give up so many big plays is our lack of pass rush. B.J. Raji seems to have lost any and all pass rushing ability he had last year. Matthews has to be internally frustrated that nobody can take the pressure off of him.

- Don't tell me that Charles Woodson can't cover anymore. He's still a good cover corner and his ball-hawking skills are second-to-none. Live, it looked like Woodson just dared Ponder to throw it on both INTs.

- I thought we were fairly vanilla on defense again. The thinking was probably that we didn't need to use every creative blitz in the book to beat this Vikings offense. Ponder made some plays with his feet and a few nice throws to keep the Vikings on the field. 9-16 on 3rd down conversions is way too high a number.

And a couple of other thoughts not necessarily about the Packers:

Brian Robison is a huge POS. I didn't see what happened live but going back and seeing the replay, that was so dirty. He should be suspended for a game and get fined or lose a game check. Jared Allen is the player I hate most in the NFL but Robison made a quick leap near the top of that list yesterday.

Punting the ball at the end of the game was the right call for the Vikings. You have to think you can stop Starks or Grant from getting two first downs.

There were probably 25,000 Packer fans there, a very cool experience for me.

I grew up in Minnesota and have been to the Dome numerous times but I hadn't been back for a few years. It is an awful, awful place. A dreary, dull structure, no gameday atmosphere, a cramped location and it has a big ugly roof. Woof.

Suh is a dirty player and is beginning to really annoy me. Also, I wasn't fully sold on the Lions and they showed that they still have weaknesses.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this. I've got a lot to say so I look forward to your comments. It wasn't easy but 7-0 in the NFL is a great accomplishment.
 

gbpowner

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"Suh is a dirty player and is beginning to really annoy me. Also, I wasn't fully sold on the Lions and they showed that they still have weaknesses."

I said the exact same thing about Suh being a dirty player yesterday!
 

Bogart

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Great write up, love reading these every week.

Mason Crosby is a Packer for life, the Vikings can keep Longwell, cause I sure as hell ain't missing him.

Mason Crosby is the next Morten Andersen.
 

greenandgold

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I feel like the Packers consistently play at just a smidgeon above the teams we've played so far. If we play a good team, we play great, if we play a suck butt team, not so good. Until they get a killer instinct I'm not going to have any fingernails left.
 

IluvGB

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I feel like the Packers consistently play at just a smidgeon above the teams we've played so far. If we play a good team, we play great, if we play a suck butt team, not so good. Until they get a killer instinct I'm not going to have any fingernails left.
seriously... buy stock in level 4 and 5 demi socolor as thats what i've had to use twice a month now to keep my grey at bay!
Soooo nerve wracking for sure... my nails... well they have tips for that now ! :p I'll be 95% artificial by the seasons end! lol
 
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Future

Future

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"Suh is a dirty player and is beginning to really annoy me. Also, I wasn't fully sold on the Lions and they showed that they still have weaknesses."

I said the exact same thing about Suh being a dirty player yesterday!

From ripping I think it was Colt McCoy's facemask in the preseason last year well after the play was over to his trash-talking an injured QB, he's becoming the exact dirty player he says he isn't. Why would these random ATL players make these things up?
 

gbpowner

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From ripping I think it was Colt McCoy's facemask in the preseason last year well after the play was over to his trash-talking an injured QB, he's becoming the exact dirty player he says he isn't. Why would these random ATL players make these things up?

I totally agree that trash talking over Ryan is low, low, low! However, our own BJ Raji didn't have much good to say about the Falcons after our game with them either. Two dirty teams taking it to the nth degree after the whistle...both need to review TJ Lang's response to Robison's low blow! The difference between having class or just being an _$$! :)
 

thepackers1fan4

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I'll start with a disclaimer: I attended the game and haven't had a chance to watch the full replay yet. Hopefully that doesn't skew any of my observations too much.

- Aaron Rodgers put on a clinic as usual. This is the best I've ever seen a QB play in my life. Simply incredible how accurate he is right now. 7 straight games of a QB rating of over 110 points is just ridiculous. Clear MVP favorite right now.

- The WRs had a very good game as well. It boggles my mind how wide open Jennings gets sometimes. Obviously, this was a blown coverage but the point remains.

- Starks was having a very bad game until that final drive. That was impressive, Starks ran hard and the offensive line opened some big holes considering the Vikings had 10 guys committed to the run.

- Considering the small amount of help given to the offensive line, I thought they did pretty well. Sure, Newhouse was beat by a Pro Bowl DE a couple of times but that's to be expected when you spread the field as much as we do.

- This is the Mason Crosby I envisioned when we drafted him years ago. Of course I didn't expect him to be 100% on 18 attempts but I did think we now had the very underrated ability to make more long FGs than most teams in the league. McCarthy now has that confidence in Mason and it is awesome. Even the Viking fans sitting around us stood up and clapped after his 58-yard bomb. It looked like it would have been good from a few more yards.

- Kick coverage and punting were both solid on Sunday. One of the few things that scares me about the Vikings is Harvin's ability on KR. We didn't give up any big returns and that's a big win for this ST unit.

- All season, I've felt really good about Cobb on punt returns. He seems so confident just catching the ball, never any bobbling or hesitation. The punt really got on him quickly and it was one of the biggest swings in the game. Our offense is so good that giving the ball away on ST just can't happen.

- We miss Nick Collins. A lot. Peprah isn't playing at the level he did last year and is consistently getting beat. To me, losing Collins is a top 2 reason we give up so many big plays.

- The other top 2 reason we give up so many big plays is our lack of pass rush. B.J. Raji seems to have lost any and all pass rushing ability he had last year. Matthews has to be internally frustrated that nobody can take the pressure off of him.

- Don't tell me that Charles Woodson can't cover anymore. He's still a good cover corner and his ball-hawking skills are second-to-none. Live, it looked like Woodson just dared Ponder to throw it on both INTs.

- I thought we were fairly vanilla on defense again. The thinking was probably that we didn't need to use every creative blitz in the book to beat this Vikings offense. Ponder made some plays with his feet and a few nice throws to keep the Vikings on the field. 9-16 on 3rd down conversions is way too high a number.

And a couple of other thoughts not necessarily about the Packers:

Brian Robison is a huge POS. I didn't see what happened live but going back and seeing the replay, that was so dirty. He should be suspended for a game and get fined or lose a game check. Jared Allen is the player I hate most in the NFL but Robison made a quick leap near the top of that list yesterday.

Punting the ball at the end of the game was the right call for the Vikings. You have to think you can stop Starks or Grant from getting two first downs.

There were probably 25,000 Packer fans there, a very cool experience for me.

I grew up in Minnesota and have been to the Dome numerous times but I hadn't been back for a few years. It is an awful, awful place. A dreary, dull structure, no gameday atmosphere, a cramped location and it has a big ugly roof. Woof.

Suh is a dirty player and is beginning to really annoy me. Also, I wasn't fully sold on the Lions and they showed that they still have weaknesses.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this. I've got a lot to say so I look forward to your comments. It wasn't easy but 7-0 in the NFL is a great accomplishment.

Man did Aaron Rodgers and the boys come out in clutch mode in the 3rd quarter! honestly I thought we were gonna lose that game for a second but Aaron Rodgers never ceases to amaze me, hands down the best quarterback in the NFL right now. Starks being a clutch running back as well to close out the game and seal the victory, the Packers offense is clicking on all cylinders everything is going great on offense, I couldn't ask for a better offense. The defense on the other hand needs to step it up, I know we have injuries but we won a Superbowl with injuries so I just need to see some more from our defense and I think they will for sure be tested against the Chargers even though everyone is saying Rivers is not playing good there offense is still going to come to play so I'm excited to see if our defense can step up over this 2 week break.
 

Valhalla Express

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Good write up of the game. Two things...

1) Yes, Robison should be suspended for the low blow. On that note, Woodson should have been suspended for the punch to the groin he threw during the first game of the season. Both are unsportsmanlike and should be handled with equal punishment. I do NOT condone such behavior of my players (I coach semi-pro and high school) and if they were to do such a thing, they know that they can go sit on the bus until after the game and not bother to show up to the next.

2) Hate Jared Allen all you want... if he were on the Packers roster, you'd love his style of play and the fact he leads the league in sacks. On a personal level, my son had the fortune experience of selling him a ton of hunting equipment a few years ago at Gander Mountain in Duluth. He treated my boy very nice and when management showed up to "close the store" so he could shop and they (the manager) would wait on him. He said no and told them he wanted my son to help him. He took a few pics with my son and gave him an autographed ball.

Pic of the week:
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Mutual respect. Proof we can all get along! ;)

P.S. - The Metrodump does suck... please, approve a new stadium!
 

Powarun

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2) Hate Jared Allen all you want... if he were on the Packers roster, you'd love his style of play and the fact he leads the league in sacks. On a personal level, my son had the fortune experience of selling him a ton of hunting equipment a few years ago at Gander Mountain in Duluth. He treated my boy very nice and when management showed up to "close the store" so he could shop and they (the manager) would wait on him. He said no and told them he wanted my son to help him. He took a few pics with my son and gave him an autographed ball.

P.S. - The Metrodump does suck... please, approve a new stadium!

I agree and I told my wife that during the game. Though its because she sees him sack Rodgers is why she hates him. Allen is one of the nice positives that the Vikings have, sadly the list is short after that.

Also I am going to pass judgement on Ponder after his trip to Lambeau, though as my boss told me on Monday, our division has some good QB's right now.
 

cheesehurdler

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...The Metrodump does suck... please, approve a new stadium!

When I saw old footage of Minnesota Vikings games, I liked the fact that they played outside in the cold. That kind of stuff has an unreal atmosphere that you don't get in dome games.

...I liked the Old Met. Why did Minnesota tear it down? The closest I ever got to seeing the Vikings playing in an "Old Met" type stadium is when they were forced to play at TCF Bank Stadium after the Metrodome collapsed late in the 2010 season. Great game to watch, even if it was a blowout.
 

Raptorman

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When I saw old footage of Minnesota Vikings games, I liked the fact that they played outside in the cold. That kind of stuff has an unreal atmosphere that you don't get in dome games.

...I liked the Old Met. Why did Minnesota tear it down? The closest I ever got to seeing the Vikings playing in an "Old Met" type stadium is when they were forced to play at TCF Bank Stadium after the Metrodome collapsed late in the 2010 season. Great game to watch, even if it was a blowout.
They had to have someplace to build the Mall of America! My first NFL game was at the Met, Dec. 9 1979. Vikings v. the Bills. 32 degrees, wind chill 22. Took a flask of 7 and 7. (for those that don't know, Seagrams Seven and 7-up) Had a wonderful time, nose bleed seats.
 

Croak

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Good write up of the game. Two things...

1) Yes, Robison should be suspended for the low blow. On that note, Woodson should have been suspended for the punch to the groin he threw during the first game of the season. Both are unsportsmanlike and should be handled with equal punishment. I do NOT condone such behavior of my players (I coach semi-pro and high school) and if they were to do such a thing, they know that they can go sit on the bus until after the game and not bother to show up to the next.

2) Hate Jared Allen all you want... if he were on the Packers roster, you'd love his style of play and the fact he leads the league in sacks. On a personal level, my son had the fortune experience of selling him a ton of hunting equipment a few years ago at Gander Mountain in Duluth. He treated my boy very nice and when management showed up to "close the store" so he could shop and they (the manager) would wait on him. He said no and told them he wanted my son to help him. He took a few pics with my son and gave him an autographed ball.

Pic of the week:
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Mutual respect. Proof we can all get along! ;)

P.S. - The Metrodump does suck... please, approve a new stadium!

NO NO NO!! Please not another picture like this. We had another QB who had a similar picture taken and ended up turning traitor and using and abusing the Jets organization, then the Vikings. That picture gives me the *******.
 

longtimefan

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Very nice read...It is amazing at what you see at a game in the stands than what you see on tv..

You see everything happening at once and can see people getting wide open, or holes opening up
 

peteralan71

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I was also at the game and I think that made me feel a lot more like we were not in control of the game, since the crowd was insanely loud for the majority of the game with the exception of some of the 3rd quarter.

I think that Woodson just figured out Ponder's tendencies but if Ponder had been able to get the ball over Wood, the receiver would have been gone. Woodson is a gambler, but that may not work out for him again more skilled quarterbacks.

So many people have made a big deal about Ponder. Why? He was 13/32 with 2 picks that should have been 3 or 4 (Bush missed on in his hands of course, and Wood let one go over his head). I will give Ponder this: he made some great throws while scrambling and with an executioner in his face, which is a quality that ARod also has--makes him a little scary in my eyes. Also, he converted a LOT of 3rd downs.

I think that the Vikings have become so used to AP being successful that they grab Ponder's small successes and run with them, forgetting that AP had 175 yards on the ground. He was past beast-mode last week, he was simply on another level.

All in all, I don't take scores or even the W-L prior to the games too seriously in division games because the familiarity enables great and suffering teams alike to come to a middle ground where the scores are generally close at the end of the game. That said, don't harp too much on us beating the Vikings by 6... we're still the best team in the league.
 

peteralan71

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Very nice read...It is amazing at what you see at a game in the stands than what you see on tv..

You see everything happening at once and can see people getting wide open, or holes opening up

Great point. When Rodgers had the bomb to Jennings, it was completely opened up by the big pumpfake (I think he just decided not to throw the ball) and Jennings' CB bit really hard. I was SCREAMING "GET IT TO HIM!!!". You see so much more but at the same time you see a lot less of the small things that are very blatant on television.
 
OP
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Future

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Good write up of the game. Two things...

1) Yes, Robison should be suspended for the low blow. On that note, Woodson should have been suspended for the punch to the groin he threw during the first game of the season. Both are unsportsmanlike and should be handled with equal punishment. I do NOT condone such behavior of my players (I coach semi-pro and high school) and if they were to do such a thing, they know that they can go sit on the bus until after the game and not bother to show up to the next.

2) Hate Jared Allen all you want... if he were on the Packers roster, you'd love his style of play and the fact he leads the league in sacks. On a personal level, my son had the fortune experience of selling him a ton of hunting equipment a few years ago at Gander Mountain in Duluth. He treated my boy very nice and when management showed up to "close the store" so he could shop and they (the manager) would wait on him. He said no and told them he wanted my son to help him. He took a few pics with my son and gave him an autographed ball.

Pic of the week:
You must be logged in to see this image or video!


Mutual respect. Proof we can all get along! ;)

P.S. - The Metrodump does suck... please, approve a new stadium!

I've heard that Jared Allen is a good guy off the field but he just annoys me so much. He plays up the part of a dumb redneck all the time with his celebrations and the mullet and that whole "I didn't know schism was a word" thing. I get what you're saying that if he was on my team, I'd like him. That said, it's near impossible for me to picture that.

He's a very good player and gives full effort all the time, gotta respect that.
 
OP
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Future

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Very nice read...It is amazing at what you see at a game in the stands than what you see on tv..

You see everything happening at once and can see people getting wide open, or holes opening up[/quote]

That's really the biggest difference. On TV, you follow the QB until he throws it and can't see other guys who might have been wide open. The game also seems 3x faster than it does on TV. You see Rodgers making these ridiculous plays and throws against an NFL defense filled with ripped, 4.5 speed guys.
 

peteralan71

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I've heard that Jared Allen is a good guy off the field but he just annoys me so much. He plays up the part of a dumb redneck all the time with his celebrations and the mullet and that whole "I didn't know schism was a word" thing. I get what you're saying that if he was on my team, I'd like him. That said, it's near impossible for me to picture that.

He's a very good player and gives full effort all the time, gotta respect that.

He's not "playing a part". He is indeed a dumb redneck.

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Also, I agree that if he were on our team we would like him. We would LOVE him, actually. He isn't like any of the other Packers, but he is like a lot of the local Packer fans. For the reason, he'd be loved so vehemently it would almost make you cry. He's an incredible player and I respect the hell out of him, but I sure don't like playing against him.
 

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