The Positives from this game

[all about da packers]

There will be more than enough threads talking about the negative aspects of this game, but let's take the bad with the good.

Positives:
1) Packers are still in 1st place in the NFC NORTH.

2) Packers still have a 2 game lead over the Bears for first place in the division.

3) Our D had a much more aggressive playcalling approach in the second half. It was refreshing to see.

4) At the very least, we do have some semblance of a running game.

 

[musccy]

this game demonstrated to me that the packers are better than I thought (really)...we just thoroughly beat ourselves in so many silly/correctable ways.

Run defense looked great today I thought...very aggressive to the ball, great at getting off blocks.

 

[IronMan]

Good thread. I'm pretty sure the world will not end after this loss. It sucks. But we will be ok.

 

[all about da packers]

Another positive:

AJ Hawk had a solid game. He still can improve his play, but tonight he probably played better than he has the rest of the season. Not saying a whole lot, but hopefully it is a start.

 

[Greg C.]

All four of your points are good, AADP. The Packers looked like the more talented team than the Bears, so I think what happened tonight was the exception rather than the rule. I'll stop right there. I don't want to say anything negative. There are other threads for that.

 

[retiredgrampa]

I admire the positive spin some of my friends arwe voicing here BUT this may well start a stupid trend of carelessness and playing not to lose. The play-calling in the 2nd half was as bad as it's ever been, IMO. I thought that Favre was over pulling dumb stunts but that pass to Urlacher turned the whole game around. He panicked there and a QB with 15 yrs. behind him should NEVER do that.

 

[longtimefan]

all I can say..

Had all those mistakes and STILL had a shot..

I bet if even just one of the t/o didnt happen Pack win

 

[all about da packers]

To add, the Packers were about an inch away from a scoring a TD in the dieing seconds LT.

If Driver could have gotten an an extra inch higher, he comes away with the ball, IMO.

We are a young team that went toe to toe with a tough team (yes the Bears are a tough team). For the entire game.

 

[musccy]

i thought the same thing longtime...I think it's telling of how good the packers might actually be if they can screw up THAT MANY TIMES and still almost win the game.

I was skeptical before, but (and I'm serious) tonight proved to me that the packers are a legitimate NFC contender.

 

[all about da packers]

Zero2Cool said something to the effects of "If the Packers can stay in this game despite all their turnovers, it will say something".

I agree with what zero, and you musccy and LT, have said.

This team needs to face adversity to grow, and they will face it this week.

 

[gopackgo]

We got beat by a good NFC team. Despite their 2-3 record, the Bears have had Grossman in at QB and defense injury woes. This is the reigning NFC Champion team, and we hung with them til the end with all of our mistakes.

As I posted on my first post on this forum, we'll see how they adjust to this when they play the Bears later this season.

 

[ttsather]

I like all of the positives previously mentioned -- I came away from this game disappointed but satisfied that we are a very good team.

I'll take losing because of mistakes over getting dominated and ground down any day.

As was said, things like this happen, we got one of these from the Eagles early in the year (arguably) and we were inches away from winning the game tonight.

 

[all about da packers]

Another positive:

Our starters nursing injuries (Al Harris, Nick Collins, C-Woodson, and Cullen Jenkins) seemed to come out of this game fine (knock on wood). That'd be a big relief with just one more game until the bye.

 

[WinnipegPackFan]

There will be more than enough threads talking about the negative aspects of this game, but let's take the bad with the good.

Positives:
1) Packers are still in 1st place in the NFC NORTH.

2) Packers still have a 2 game lead over the Bears for first place in the division.

3) Our D had a much more aggressive playcalling approach in the second half. It was refreshing to see.

4) At the very least, we do have some semblance of a running game.

5) Maybe we needed this wake up call to see and work on our points of weakness.

Good Post ackbeer:

 

[TheKanataThrilla]

I guess the one big positive is that most of our mistakes seem to be mental. Experience and practice should be able to improve that.

 

[musccy]

gopackgo...no need to adjust...the pack DOMINATED the bears the first 20 min, were it not for Jones' fumbles they may have been up 17, even 21 zip.

Pack will be fine...so long as they limit their TOs and penalties to a more managable 1 and 5/game (respectively), they'll win A LOT of games this year.

 

[musccy]

Another positive:

Our starters nursing injuries (Al Harris, Nick Collins, C-Woodson, and Cullen Jenkins) seemed to come out of this game fine (knock on wood). That'd be a big relief with just one more game until the bye.

I really liked cullen's game tonight...seemed like everytime I made a point to watch him, he was getting a great push on the line.

 

[ttsather]

To put it another way, and in perspective with other seasons, we will be much happier in the long run if we walk away from a game like this saying "They lost because of their own mistakes." than walking away from a good victory saying "If only they could play that well consistently."

 

[all about da packers]

Musccy, your words ring with me... this team showed me it is for real tonight.

That right there lifts me up a lot (I'd still have loved a win).

 

[Zombieslayer]

MM is an intelligent man.
I think he'll learn from this experience and realize that conservative play calling will get us killed.

I think the best positive of all was what you said later, our injured are looking better.

 

[KGB94SACKEM]

I am glad you guys feel like this was some kind of undercover positive thing. I really do but it's got me scared. I am nervous in the fact that this could also have a VERY NEGATIVE effect on a team. I think we saw what happened tonight when MM got rattled. I hope this doesn't continue.

If we were a team full of vets I would be more inclined to buy into that way of thinking, but with young guys it could very easily lead to a lack of confidence and playing way to tight. McCarthy has to put this game behind him, RIGHT NOW, and go forward. He needs to address the problems but must do so going forward. Judging by tonight, I am nervous.

Next week should be telling.

 

[all about da packers]

I agree next week will tell a lot, but KGB94 I think this team showed something that great teams can do: overcome their own mistakes.

The Packers made a hell of a lot of them tonight, and despite that they were right there in the game. If this team didn't get rattled after a 4-8 start, I think it's reason enough to give McCarthy the benefit of the doubt and believe that he'll have the troops focused and ready to compete at a high level again next week.

 

[KGB94SACKEM]

I agree next week will tell a lot, but KGB94 I think this team showed something that great teams can do: overcome their own mistakes.

The Packers made a hell of a lot of them tonight, and despite that they were right there in the game. If this team didn't get rattled after a 4-8 start, I think it's reason enough to give McCarthy the benefit of the doubt and believe that he'll have the troops focused and ready to compete at a high level again next week.

To be fair, the 2nd half playcalling didn't keep us in the game, the 20 first Half points did. He played not to lose, he got rattled, and so did the team.

 

[musccy]

Musccy, your words ring with me... this team showed me it is for real tonight.

That right there lifts me up a lot (I'd still have loved a win).

to be completely honest, I really didn't think this team was for real until tonight...the 12 (?) penalties and 5 TOs suck, but it's an inevitable anomoly. What team doesn't have at least one game like that during a season?!?!

What's more telling is that they showed they could run, their run D was a HUGE improvement from last week, pretty good pass coverage, and in spite of what seemed like a 10:1 ratio of packer to bear unforced miscues, the packers were still about 2 DD leaping inches from taking the game to OT!

 

[all about da packers]

I agree, but last year he also got rattled by the Jets team and coaches at Lambeau.

He responded by leading this team to 8 straight wins after that.

This is something McCarthy will no doubt realize he messed up on. He himself said you want to put the ball in the hands of your best players in important situations, and he didn't do that tonight. He has done it before, so I don't think there is any reason to doubt McCarthy.