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.

Packers Beat Giants but Play Like Sibyl

Yes, they beat the New York football Giants today, but the Green Bay Packers play football like Sybil.

It is more than mere dysfunction, it is more like psychosis.

How else can you explain a team that can just as easily cut its own wrists or kill you dead on any given play?

One second the opponent is running circles around your defensive backfield making them look like second-graders, the next second the defense is picking off Eli Manning and running into the end zone untouched.

At one moment they can be giving up an Aaron Rodgers sack, and the next Jordy Nelson can be making impossible body moves to bring in a timely long pass.

On one play, the offense can be moving the ball, but the next, kill the momentum with mindless false start penalties.

The Packers can be very great or very bad on any given play. If they were your wife, you'd plan to renew your wedding vows and also try to kill each other.

It's like combining Halloween and Easter. Or putting asparagus in your ice cream. Or working at a sewage plant in Hawaii. The contrasts are extreme and disturbing.

But that is what the Green Bay Packers are this year. They are both the best team in football and, in some ways, the worst team in football. And if that is not the Sibyl of the NFL, nothing can be.

We'll be sleeping with one eye open the rest of the season.

Intense in Detroit

It is the third quarter on Thanksgiving Day's early game in Detroit. And it is not pretty.

John Kuhn just scored the Packers second touchdown, to give them a deceiving 14-0 lead, but it was only after a number of dropped passes, a flurry of penalty flags, an ejection and plenty of bad blood.

Thankfully.

For it seems that Green Bay is finally having to play with the intensity that is necessary to continue to improve.

Previous games have seemed to be more of a party for the Pack with smiles, Lambeau Leaps, joking, spooning with the opposing team's players and head coaches, and other things that are fine for late in the fourth quarter, but not until then.

Instead of smiling, the Packers should be showing their teeth until the final two-minute warning.

The concentration on the faces of Packer players is nice to see.

Perhaps it will work to ensure the Lions get properly cooked.

No Pressure; Capers AWOL

Sure, it seems like Tampa Bay has never been too intimidated by the Green Bay Packers; it doesn't take a great memory to recall them being spoilers, and often making the Packers look like the choking Minnesota Vikings.

So who can blame them for not reading the press clippings about the undefeated and reigning NFL Champion Green Bay Packers, for not buying into the hype, and for coming into Lambeau Field today and playing like they expected to win?

And, to their credit, they snuck into the city and then into the stadium, and almost all the way through the fourth quarter without so much as causing a stir in the sleep of one Dom Capers, Green Bay's former defensive coordinator. What's that you say? Capers isn't the former defensive coordinator, but the current coordinator? Well, no he isn't. For where has be been? He wasn't at Lambeau Field today.

And he hasn't been with the team this entire season. Yes, he showed up last week when Minnesota came to town, but other than that Dom Capers has been AWOL from the Green Bay Packers.

Gone are the pressure packages which intimidated opposing quarterbacks and made the sacking-Clay Matthews a household name. Gone are the days when they didn't have all day to wait for a receiver to eventually get open. Gone are the days when whatever opposing quarterback happened to be playing the Packers did not earn himself a career best performance, and candidate for NFL player of the week.

Because back when Dom Capers used to be the defensive coordinator, the Green Bay Packers used to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Do you remember that? It used to be a frenzy of people attacking from every direction but up. It was a free-for-all in the opposing team's backfield. Heck, even the pencil-necked wiener, Barry Obama could have got in for a sack.

But now, well, there is just no pressure.

Nope. no pressure at all. Why, Clay Matthews' hair is longer than ever. It is probably even longer than Pittsburg's Troy Polamalu's. And Aaron Rodgers? Well, he's on track for breaking PeyTom Branning-dy's records. He might be the NFL's MVP this year.

As for the Packers, well, are they going to be the next undefeated NFL team or not?

Are not all those important issues? Certainly. Indeed there is some pressure there, to gain all those milestones, dontchaknow? But, of course, no pressure on the field. We got this. Right?

WRONG! The Green Bay Packers do NOT 'got this.' They have been lucky to be a mere 10-0. Why do I say 'mere?' Because it seems to this writer that the Green Bay Packers have forgotten the GOAL in football. And the goal in football is to win the next game. 16-0 means nothing. 16-0 is not a goal. Winning the next game is the only goal the Packers ought to concern themselves with and right now they are not playing with the necessary urgency and fever that they ought to be playing with. They are playing like there is no pressure on them. Remember this: complacency kills.

Though the offense is putting up points, a football team is not just a few passes. And Dom Capers had better start consistently dialing up pressure on the opposing team's quarterback or January is going to be a lonely month.

Mike McCarthy ought to make Clay Matthews cut his hair - shave his head, even. And the rest of the team as well. This team deserved to lose today because the offense played with no pressure, or urgency, and the defense didn't put any pressure on Tampa Bay.

And though Green Bay is capable of going 16-0, an undefeated regular season means absolutely nothing in the NFL. Neither do individual passing records. The best any team can hope to accomplish is to play up to its own potential and play with hunger until that is achieved. Once this is accomplished, the winning and losing take care of themselves.

This Green Bay Packer team can be so much better. Dom Capers can make them better. If only he wold show up.

This week's game ball is split between Jordy Nelson and Packer fan #88, who, when Tampa Bay's running back faked a touchdown-celebratory Lambeau Leap and then tossed the ball into the stands, batted the ball out of the stands and back at the Tampa player. Atta boy.

Packers Put Vikings in Chokehold; Give Charles Woodson a Cape

Not only did the Minnesota Vikings not have the answer for the high-powered Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Monday night, they played like they didn't even know what the question was.

Sure Jared Allen spent more time in the Packers backfield than Ryan Grant, but he really got little help, even from a great running back and a pretty good rookie quarterback.

Because what was different about this game is that defensive coordinator Dom Capers finally dialed up a whole phone book of blitzes and pressure packages for the waning Vikings which made the whole defense look good and continually put the Vikings in poor down and distance situations.

And when Capers dials up such chaos, it becomes clear that Charles Woodson needs a dang cape - he flies around the field like Superman and makes more plays than Shakespeare. Even SoCal Clay Matthews got into the sack-tion.

The offense looked typically sharp, and all credit goes to their tremendous weekly effort. But it sure is a sweeter day when the defense performs as well.

Tonight was the first game this year when the Packers began to play up to their potential. Previously they have performed like mere juveniles compared to their true capabilities.