The epitome of the Packers season came to an ironic head last night. Special teams gaffs, inopportune penalties, defensive break downs and an offense that sputtered at times when they were needed the most; that’s the 2008 version of the Green Bay Packers. Did you really expect anything different last night? As the Packers lined up for a Mason Crosby 38 yard field goal you knew in your heart of hearts that something catastrophic was going to happen. The Curse of #4? I don’t think so but it’s certainly a starting point for the string of situational miscues that have afflicted Green Bay’s hopes of getting back to the NFC Championship Game.
The bottom line is this, the defensive front has been simply awful this year and special teams, coupled with injuries, have taken their toll on this franchise. Anger and emotions are spilling out of every fan to an almost vengeful crescendo. Packers GM Ted Thompson and Head Coach Mike McCarthy are sighted in the crosshairs by those who were hoping this outcome would arrive so they could wag their finger and say “I told ya so” after the soap opera we witnessed over the summer. While their angst is correct, it’s misguided.
Aaron Rodgers, in his first year as a starter mind you, handled the off field pressures and has performed very well. Not great, but very well. The issues have been the overestimation of interior talent on this roster. Defensively, thinking that an injury-prone player like Justin Harrell was going to anchor your line was ludicrous on Thompson’s part. KGB had clearly past his prime, Corey Williams was jettisoned for $$ and Colin Cole is inconsistent at best. Michael Montgomery and Jeremy Thompson are substandard back-ups at best and are now being relied upon to soak up meaningful snaps. The offensive line has 3 players starting in the middle who were all benched at one point last year for ineffectiveness. What made Thompson think that this team was going to simply get better through osmosis? The cliché, the old adage, the saying…whatever you want to call it, “football is won and lost in the trenches”. It’s a cliché because it’s true.
The offseason needs to consist of a solid draft and a couple of impact free agents that will bolster the line/pass rush. Thompson’s sitting on a small mountain of cash and it’s time to liquidate some of that venture capital. The OTA’s and mini-camps need to focus on regaining attitude and fundamentals along with learning the systems of a new defensive coordinator and special team’s coach (I’m hedging my bets on the coaching changes).
Fans need to realize that firing everyone isn’t the answer. Taking the talent you have, adding to it and cultivating what’s already in your backyard, while adding a few key pieces is the answer. This team isn’t as bad as their record would indicate. That said, they weren’t quite as good as their 13-3 mark of a year ago led us to believe either. This team is somewhere in between. You have to be good, you have to be lucky and you have to be healthy to get into the post-season in the NFL and, right now, the Packers are none of the above.
One more thing, make no mistake about it, Thompson and McCarthy have next year to prove that they’re for real or the villagers may burn down the palace.