Real Refs Suck Too, But Packers Win

After spending all day Tuesday dialing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's phone number and cheering the return of the real NFL referees to Lambeau on Sunday, Packer fans were rewarded by getting burned on  big-play missed calls yet again.

Certainly Goodell's  answering machine must have blown up, the phone lines to his office melted and his secretary shipped off to the padded cells which once housed poor shell-shocked WWI veterans. And though he offered a lame reason for the sudden contract agreement with the real officials and a limp apology to Packer fans we all know that it was cheese heat that forced his hand.

However, the real refs picked up right where the replacements left off by at least three critical and grossly obvious errors which nearly cost the Packers the game against the reeling New Orleans Saints. One of these was even challenged by coach Mike McCarthy and they still got it wrong. But it was the last one, a New Orleans fumble on a kickoff which was mis-called and was almost too much for the Packers to overcome.

In fact, after a late New Orleans missed field goal it took James Jones to make a blind, one-handed impossible reception to seal the game for Green Bay and bring them to a 2-2 record in another game that felt like a playoff game.

The Lambeau fans, fed up with the incompetency of officials, protested loudly again with several long minutes of extended boos aimed at the rusty refs on two or three different occasions after the blown calls.

Despite getting the shaft instead of the gold mine once again, Green Bay played strong enough in most aspects of the game to squeak this one out, 28-27. Aaron Rodgers threw for four touchdowns, two to James Jones, and the Packers played stubborn run defense. The defense, however, failed to put a lot of pressure on Saints quarterback Drew Bees and also neglected ti bump the Saints' receivers at the line of scrimmage.

What the NFL needs are rules which can overturn blatant, obvious terrible calls for the current 'reviewable plays' and coaching challenge system is not working. With all the camera angles available now the NFL needs a system to be able to get the calls right whenever possible, even if those plays are not currently reviewable.

For if the second place Packers were not generally strong, the missed calls would have already really put their season in jeopardy.

Having come too close to disaster the second week in a row,  it seems like their playoff run has already begun.

McCarthy Needs to Talk to a Chair

Mike McCarthy now feels like the rest sane America after his Green Bay Packers were on the losing end of incompetence.

For in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter in Seattle, he sat there helpless as the authorities made phantom calls (roughing the passer), and let offenders off while punishing the innocent (pass interference on the team that did not do the interfering).

But the most egregious moment came when the authorities took from a guy who possessed something and gave it to one who did not possess it (interception in end zone given to offense) even after the false recipient had flagrantly violated the rules immediately prior (pushing defender Sam Shields onto the ground to get him away from making the catch.)

You also may easily call the replacement referees of that Monday Night NFL game, so inept to lead and make accurate, solid and correct decisions: Obama, Holder, Reid and Pelosi. For these inept jokers in Washington continue to make the same type of stupid, wrong, unfair and inaccurate decisions just like the replacement refs.

Yes, just like the rest of America, fed up with incompetence, bad judgement and injustice, coach Mike McCarthy needs to talk to a chair.

And to the NFL commissioner, here's this: if the man can't do his job, he has to be replaced.

Not taking anything away from the fierce defense and solid football team Pete Carroll has built in Seattle; they owned the Packers in the first half with an avalanche of sacks on Aaron Rodgers.

However, more credit should go to coach McCarthy and the Packers offense who came out and ran the ball down the Seahawks throats with Cedric Benson and a number of short hitch passes. Very clever and creative for McCarthy who found a way to get it done.

And the Green Bay defense also seems to be for real. They were solid and stubborn. The Seahawks are for real, but the Packers are the real deal.

And just as the cheaters in Washington have galvanized the majority of responsible Americans to go forward with one will toward getting rid of the incompetent, so this loss and the way the Packers were cheated out of this win will galvanize this Packers team who will be impossible to beat the rest of the year.

The Green Bay Packers will win the Super Bowl, and Obama will finally be sent to the toilet bowl. Both deservedly so.

The Bears Suck on Thursdays Too

You know why Jay Cutler wears jersey number six? Because that's how old he acts...when he isn't acting like he's three. Like the rest of the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on Thursday night, he totally sucked.

His sniveling and whining to his offensive linemen was shameful, and at one point he even bumped into his left tackle on the sidelines to express his disgust. The poor lineman, a guy 6'5" plus, and 300 plus, should have crushed baby Cutler like a Dixie cup.

And when he wasn't devouring his own team mates for being imperfect, he was tossing picks to the Green Bay defense. Cutler had more picks than a czar-seeking Obama would make at a Communist Party convention. If Lambeau had been giving out free hotdogs for every Cutler interception, there wouldn't be a cow left in the Dairy State.

And why does Clay Matthews wear jersey number fifty-two? Because that's about how many times he sacked Cutler. Matthews, certainly playing inspired football so far this year, was ferocious, unstoppable and was in Cutler's grill like hamburgers in B.J. Raji's Weber.

So often was Cutler being punished by a charging Matthews, that he will likely have nightmares about it all weekend; and by Monday, in Cutler's mind, Matthews sack total will probably be up to about a thousand. By then Cutler will be more willing to date Democratic hag Nancy Pelosi than to take a snap opposite a snarling Clay Matthews. (But, please don't think about that Pelosi-Cutler scenario very long, for there are limits to the amount of horror a human imagination can handle. But it would be a good debate about which individual was slumming more...)

As for Green Bay's offense, it was nice to see that Mike McCarthy could call a play other than 'give it to Randall Cobb.' In fact the Packers seem to have the peach fuzz of a running game emerging. Cedric Benson stayed on his feet long enough that we could see he has a juke or two left in him, which also helped in the play action passing game.

Aaron Rodgers played well, but was not as sharp as we have come to expect him to be, missing crucial throws by inches and tossing a few to the Bears. It was no help that some of his receivers seem to forget that their job is to actually catch the ball instead of simply touching it.

But besides Tramon Williams' multiple-interception evening, and Mathews' memorable sack-attack, my favorite play of the game was when Rodgers found number 80 in the end zone! Donald Driver isn't seeing much playing time, but it is fitting that when he gets in there they dial him up for a touchdown.

And he does seem to have an improved, finely-honed touchdown dance this year, doesn't he?

Questions About the Packers

I still am not over the playoff loss to the New York Giants last January. But it is looking like a new season is about to begin.

Of course the many months between then and now have provided plenty of opportunities to wonder how we could have lost and not gone on to win the Super Bowl. And, of course, the final decision is that our defense sucked.

Looking at the preseason indicators, regardless of the draft, I am still not confident that the problems have been solved. Though I am willing, at present I remain unconvinced.

Because, though the Packers rocked in terms of interceptions and turnovers last year, the haunting questions remain: can we stop the run and can we stop the big-gainer pass plays?

Offensively, it is likely that we will perform and produce again given the deadly weapons the Packer offense is equipped with. As exciting as it was last year, it is not unreasonable to look forward to similar fireworks again this year.

But is the defensive puzzle solved? That is the only question, and a big one.

I mean, the let down last year, because of an inept defense, was like getting your prom date stolen by another guy before the night was over (...which I did do to some poor sap one night a long time ago...he he). The season was great, the offense was spectacular and valid expectations pointed to another NFL championship.

And then we let the New York Giants break our hearts in Lambeau once again. It was just wrong.

So let's hope that the decision-makers have taken steps to fix what was broken in a memorable season last year, so that we can finish like we ought to this year.

And, though I do know my man Matt Flynn went to Seattle, and deservedly so, since I am too heart-broken to look at much football for many months after we do not win the Super Bowl, I myself have some questions that maybe someone can help clarify...

1. What happened to Ryan Grant?
2. What about Chad Clifton, is he still on the team?
3. Who else is gone?
4. Which Packer veterans are on the bubble and could be cut?
5. What did we have to give up to get Cedric Benson?

Lots of questions about the Packers, but looking forward to a great year.

Matt Flynn Sets Packer Record Against Lions

When he was an LSU Tiger, Matt Flynn was the King of the Jungle as he led his team to the National Championship title.

But the Detroit Lions would have none of that on their trip to Lambeau Field in Green Bay on New Years Day. They thought they could tame the Tiger, take advantage of some key Packer inactives and go into the playoffs with a roar.

Four hundred eighty yards, six touchdown passes and a franchise record later, Matt Flynn once again ruled the day.

With a little help from Jordy Nelson and others, Flynn did nothing less than create a memorable resume for his coming job interview next year, his first as a free agent.

Which begs the question, what would a guy rather do for a few more years, be the backup on a team that has potential to fill a fist with Super Bowl rings, or sell out to the highest bidder where you can be a starter.

It's a great question, and certainly Flynn in not the first one to be in the position. But if what Vince Lombardi said is true, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing," how about Flynn just settling in to be the Packers backup for a few more years and be on a winning team?

Odds are that Aaron Rodgers is going to go down at some point and what better backup to have than the very competent Flynn? Wasn't Zeke Bratkowski Bart Starr's eternal backup? And wasn't Earl Morral Johnny Unitas'? Even George Blanda was content with backing up Oakland's Darryl Lamonica.

But perhaps winning is no longer the only thing. Money is.

For Matt Flynn will undoubtedly command more money than Green Bay can spare, and he will enjoy a successful career apart from Green Bay.

But on January 1, 2012 winning was pretty sweet to watch as Matt Flynn tore up the Detroit Lions in an unforgettable performance as a Green Bay Packer.

And it was not the Lions, but the LSU Tiger who was King of the Jungle on that day.

Even Santa Thinks The Bears Suck

Santa Claus could very well have brought an actual quarterback to Lambeau Field for the Chicago Bears' Christmas present this year. Instead they got an adequate one from the recycling bin, who still had a few interceptions left in him.

He also could have brought them some defensive backs that don't suck. But he hasn't figured out how to clone Charles Woodson yet.

He could have kept their playoff hopes alive. But title hopes in Chicago never live long. Neither does anything else, for that matter, like hope, success, optimism, a smile or things that are good.

In fact Santa doesn't even visit Chicago anymore because, as was evident in Christmas Day's NFL match up between the Bears and the Green Bay Packers, the Bears suck; and even Santa knows it.

It used to be that Santa stopped going to Illinois because on his way down from the north pole every year, he would have to pass through Wisconsin first. And every year the Cheeseheads, all of whom are armed deer hunters, would slaughter Santa's reindeer and he would have to use a couple of Ski-Doo's to get his sleigh home.

Santa got sick of that, and eventually when he saw that no residents of Chicago ever even qualified for his Christmas list, well, he just stopped going altogether except for that time he gave them Obama instead of the usual coal. (And later on in 2012, showing himself to be a bit punitive, Santa is going to drop the nation's Democrap's onto the city for their convention, the curse of curses for Chicago.)

Though, yes, the Bears did gain quite a few yards on the Packers, that doesn't make them special because everyone gains big yards on the Packers. The Packers give up yards like Obama gives other people your money.

And it was the score, not the yards, that determined the game. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't even play in the 4th quarter and the Packers still won 35-21. For Santa had given plenty of gifts to Rodgers, as in five touchdown passes. He also gave gifts to coach McCarthy, home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. In fact the only Packer Santa is not pleased with is Jermichael Finley, who could not catch a cold if he were flying through Manitoba strapped to the front of Santa's sleigh dressed like Lady Gaga. Santa has warned Finley that Tom Crabtree will be the Packers starting tight end if he doesn't start hanging on to the ball once in awhile.

Furthermore, he has also threatened to trade Finley to the Argentinian national soccer team, where you don't have to catch the ball, for 39 pesos, a hat, a mule and some home made tortillas. So Finley is clearly walking on thin tundra.

But let's hope that Santa also brought the Packers a pass rush for Christmas that they will open soon.

Lombardi Kicks Al Davis' Butt in Afterlife Game

Somewhere above the clouds yesterday beloved Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi was once again getting some excitement.

Of course, you thought the game was between coach McCarthy and the Raiders coach, or Aaron Rodgers against the Oakland defense. Nope, you were wrong.

The real action was up there in heaven where once again, like in days of lore, coach Lombardi got to welcome one of heaven's newest citizens, Al Davis, to the place by schooling Davis again and eating his lunch.

Just for kicks, Lombardi dropped a watermelon into the bellies of the Raiders kicking professionals. It was quite apparent by looking at Janikowski or the punter that Lombardi had succeeded, with the front of their jerseys protruding like a pregnant cat.

Lombardi also tossed down some arthritis into aging Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer, though Davis countered and at least got Palmer out of his wheel chair long enough to play a few quarters of questionable football.

When Davis tried some of his magic against the Packers by putting a hard pass rush on quarterback Aaron Rodgers, it backfired as Davis had forgotten to figure in the Kansas Flash, Jordy Nelson. Lombardi made him pay for that twice.

Davis also tried to tried to squelch the running game by making sure James Starks could not play, even going to the extent of limiting his own running back, McFadden. However, Lombardi, who didn't just arrive in heaven that morning, had his own plans and enabled running back Ryan Grant to have his best day of the season.

One did go to the Raiders, though, as Davis engineered the injury of Packer deep threat Greg Jennings who had to leave the game. Jennings, however, is a man of faith himself and personal friend of Jesus. So Davis will probably have some 'splainin to do about that one.

But just like in Super Bowl II, where the AFL's Oakland Raiders tried to climb the ladder into the big leagues, Lombardi had too much mojo for them. Too much talent. Too much execution. Too much planning. Too much karma.

And like that January day back in 1968, Lombardi once again got to punk Al Davis.

After all, the NFL trophy IS named the Lombardi trophy, and not the Davis trophy, now isn't it?

Good game, Pack.