Packers Open a Can on Rams

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

Donald Driver may not be Superman; but he does a pretty good imitation. Green Bay's leading receiver's several big catches, including an other-worldly one-handed stab, fit in nicely with a big-play offense, big-play defense and big-play special teams as the Packers overwhelmed the St. Louis Rams.

Though plagued by inconsistency, each aspect of Green Bay's game came up with timely heroics which most often helped put points on the board. Some of those include a blocked field goal, fumble recovery, an interception, big tackles and Aaron Rodgers to [name your choice of blazing Packer receivers here] for big yards.

Together, they added up to a good outing and a convincing win.

And Aaron Rodgers, though he missed some open guys, the man certainly does have an NFL arm. And feet. He is the Steve Young of the Packers and there is every reason to believe that he will effectively lead this team. Like Young, Rodgers' quick feet are surprisingly effective once pass protection breaks down. Though he was once again sacked a few times, more often than not, he turned potential sacks into gainers or first downs.

The big play capability is definitely as aspect of the game that other teams should fear this year.

Charles Woodson is a walking big play. His lightening-fast kamakazi strikes into the ball carrier, usually the Ram's Steven Jackson, came swiftly and powerfully and with the same effect; in one brutal assault, he wiped out both the blocker and Jackson.

Likewise, the stubborn Packer defensive line did a good job of generally bottling up a powerful running back. Though Jackson got his yards, the defense never allowed him the big gainer.

But the most lethal, soul-killing weapon in Green Bay's arsenal has to be the Rodgers to Driver/Jennings, etc. down field combinations. When you can advance 60 yards, seemingly at any time, that is a real threat.

And when you can effectively do it multiple times per game, it is a nightmare for the opposing team's defense.

Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the Rams will be getting much sleep tonight.

Game ball: Aaron Rodgers.

Big Holes in Packers Game

(AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Either the Cincinnati Bengals are a pretty good team, or the Green Bay Packers are a pretty average team.

In an ugly, infraction-filled contest at Lambeau Field, each team tried hard not to win. The Bengals worked toward achieving a team record of the yellow flags, but also bit hard with their running game and timely big passes.

The Packers, meanwhile, spent much of the day dropping passes and forgetting about protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was sacked like Obamunist Green Czar, Van Jones.

With Green Bay's running game failing to arrive on the field, Rodgers either overthrew his receivers, had his passes bounce off their chests or was being pummeled into the ground by Cincinnati's Antwan Odom, who almost had several hat-tricks of sacks all by himself.

Defensively, the Bengals opened huge holes in the Packer 3-4 defense and pounded the football through them at will on several long, successful scoring drives. If it were not for Charles Woodson's two Carson Palmer picks, and the rest of his stellar play, one would have thought that Dom Capers had taken the week off.

At times the Packers looked very good. And at times the Bengals looked very good. But maybe it is that both teams have big strengths, yet also big weaknesses, and only one could be successful at giving the game away.

Too bad it was the Packers.

That was one ugly game. Let's hope that the Packers will learn from this one and begin to be able to develop some consistency.

Game ball: Charles Woodson.

Cutler As Big of Pansy As Urlacher; Packers Win

Jay Cutler lived a charmed life in Denver. But when he heard their new coach did not have confidence in him, Cutler demanded a trade. So he stepped in this himself...

And then he showed up at Lambeau Field dressed in a Chicago Bears uniform and proved that he is as limp-wristed as Brian Urlacher.

With a performance that should have earned him Green Bay's Most Valuable Player honors, Cutler threw the ball to the Green Bay defense as often as to his own receivers. Granted there was considerable pressure by Dom Caper's frenetic, predatory defense; in fact one might argue that this is what caused Cutler to crack. But Cutler's passes to phantom receivers certainly was indication that he was not on the same page as the rest of his offense. Oh, darn.

Meanwhile, Green Bay's own offense found its own problems as it struggled with a reckless Chicago Bear defense, causing Aaron Rodgers and his receivers to be a half-step out of sync with one another. Perhaps a hard slam by Urlacher early in the game rattled Roger's cage, or perhaps the intensity of the rivalry sped the game up a bit for the receivers. Either way, receivers like Donald Driver and Jordy Nelson were dropping as many balls as Barack Obama.

It was not until the final two minutes of the game that Green Bay could put a convincing touchdown drive together as Rodgers found Greg Jennings open behind the Bears' defense for the lead and eventual win.

As for Urlacher, maybe he hurt himself running into Aaron Rodgers, it's not clear. But somewhere early in the first half he hurt his pansy wrist and then sat out for the rest of the game.

Yes, I said 'sat out for the rest of the game.' Which BEGS the question: What Would Butkus Do?

Dick Butkus would have chewed his wrist off and gotten himself back into the game. What kind of pansy-fest is going on down there in F-I-B land? For heaven's sake, Green Bay's Ray Nitschke played with a BROKEN LEG, and the Packers have had QUARTERBACKS play with broken thumbs, etc. - not supposedly big, tough linebackers, but quarterbacks! And Urlacher sits out because of a little wrist injury?

Perhaps the Bears should start sending a high school team from Chicago up to Green Bay next time to continue this rivalry, because they sure aren't sending up men. I mean, this is the BEARS vs. the PACKERS, and your 'star' linebacker sits the game out because of a sore wrist?

So this great rivalry, an epic slugging match which began in 1921, has come to this - Green Bay sends in great professional players and Chicago sends in pansies. Is that the best you've got Chicago? Is that as close to the '85 Bears as you can get?

Maybe it is simply time to throw in the towel, Chicago. Maybe your players should man up and join a bowling league, or some other pastime that doesn't require stamina, grit and guts.

But I suppose that your Bears bowling team would suck too, because the Chicago Bears have always sucked, they still suck, and they always WILL suck!

GO PACK GO!!!

Game Ball: Packer Defense

The Bears Have Always Sucked

Let's just get this out in the open right away; Chicago sucks. All of it.

If you have been to Chicago you already know what I mean. It's ugly, dirty, colder than crap, windy-er than Bengal's receiver Chad Johnson Ochocinco, and just a slimy place to be. Just driving through makes you feel dank, cheap and hopeless.

If you have never been there, consider yourself lucky.

And every person from Chicago sucks. All of them. They are rude, bossy, pretentious, loud-mouthed, crass, and as dumb as bricks. I even once had a college room-mate from the Chicago area. I was so impressed with him that I can't even remember his name. He liked himself enough for the both of us, so I guess I never had to.

They all have one other thing in common: they think Chicago is the center of the entire universe and people from Chicago are superior to all created beings. I'll bet you just went down the list of every single person you know who is from Chicago and realized that they all fit this mold; you know I'm right.

It's like they always are thinking that they are at the top of the food chain...but why would people view all of life through the lens of a food chain? Is life in that city such a zoo that one can only aspire to attempted domination? It's pathetic.

Which brings us to the football team which hails from this depressing slum: the hated Chicago Bears, who have sucked from the beginning. They are the same pathetic bunch of hacks that they have always been. Some thugs mixed in with some meat-heads, a few greasy pretty-boys, perhaps an athlete or two, some under-achieving former college heroes and a handful of number runners with a coach who's job is never secure past noon.

And none of them can speak a complete sentence without an equal number of adjectival curse words and nouns; check that - none of them can even speak a complete sentence, period.

"But now we've Cutler," one of them mumbles in a growling, caveman-like grunt, sans the complete sentence. So Jay Cutler is the latest Midway Messiah, is he? Too bad for Jay. In only a few short weeks he will reek like all Chicago Bears quarterbacks do. Any attributes of excellence he may have brought with him from Denver will soon be washed to to mediocrity by Chicago's darkish clouds of gloom that always turn all colors to gray.

By the Bears' bye week, he will be throwing his hangover up on the field; by Thanksgiving he will have more interceptions than touchdowns; and by January he will be huddled on the sidelines with either an injury or simply having the life sucked out of him by the overwhelming futility that always comes with being either from Chicago, or a member of the Chicago Bears.

Yes, Jay Cutler's star has entered its dwarf stage just by showing up at training camp; he's doomed.

And Lovee's got no magic, no answers, no talent, no plan, no help, no backing and no strategy; the only apparent qualification he might have by the end of a year of failure is to hold office in Chicago politics...

Because Chicago politicians suck, Lovee sucks, Cutler sucks, Urlacher sucks, the whole team sucks and they always have.

Packers 38. Bears 24.

Packers' Junior-Varsity Struggles

AP Photo/John Russell

The Tennessee Titans proved that they are better than Green Bay's junior varsity on Thursday night in Tennessee, but there was plenty of opportunity for the Packer coaches to evaluate the talent on the field.

Green Bay's starting offensive and defensive squads are both performing at an effective level, so they got to take most of the night off. This game was the one where those players whose futures as a Packer are questionable, or whose careers are on the bubble, got a generous opportunity to showcase their abilities.

Some of last night's players will never put on a Packer uniform again. Others may never put on an NFL uniform again. So it was a great privilege to get extended playing time for them, I am sure, though, it cannot be easy or fun to be faced with elimination after the game.

One player who probably might be shown the door is backup quarterback Brian Brohm. Or not. He is not exactly bad enough to let go. But he is not really good enough to keep. So maybe the Pack will hang on to him just in case.

But he plays like, well, like a Detroit Lions quarterback; or a Chicago Bears quarterback. Not always horrible. Not ever great. Just alright.

And as Chicago and Detroit were going through a whole census of quarterbacks the past 17 years, Green Bay had one...now two. So we have a different standard for quarterbacks, it seems. And with Aaron Rodgers living up to that extremely high standard nicely, it does not seem like a Brian Brohm will ever make the grade as a Green Bay Packer.

There will also be hard decisions to make at the running back position with some players making better statements than others last night. My guess is that Wynn will be released along with Brohm, or traded.

But all those chips will fall where they may. Our focus now is on the regular season and the hated Chicago Bears on September 13th.

My hate-the-Bears thermometer is already rising...

Go, Pack, Go!