The Packer Pundit

No finishing touch as late fumble
leads to another loss
By Jason Wilde / madison.com

"You just look in his eyes, and it's like, 'Let's go.' He's so fierce when he's under that center and he knows he's got a chance to bring us back and do something special," said Packers rookie wide receiver Greg Jennings, who'd never been part of one of Favre's patented comebacks. "You kind of get caught up in the, 'Oh, he's going to do it.' It's almost like we expect him to do it."

Maybe, it's not so much about him not wanting the ball in the last two minutes - if you remember that infamous offseason quote of his as he contemplated retirement - as it is about him not being able to do something with the ball in those final moments anymore. Or maybe, it's not so much that he's lost the magic, as it is about the magician no longer having the requisite tools - the hat, the wand, the rabbit, the beautiful assistant - to make the abracadabra happen.

Whatever the case, Brett Favre couldn't snatch victory - or even overtime - from the jaws of defeat Sunday afternoon. He couldn't pull off another incredible comeback, he couldn't deliver a miracle. The closest he could come was the St. Louis Rams' 11-yard line, with 44 seconds left on the Lambeau Field clock. That's when Jimmy Kennedy came barreling up the middle, Leonard Little came whizzing around the corner, the ball came loose and the Green Bay Packers came to another dispiriting endgame. The 23-20 loss to the Rams left the team with a 1-4 record entering the bye week and the crowd of 70,804 wondering why their legendary quarterback couldn't come through the way he used to. -- More




Last-minute fumble leads to 23-20 loss to Rams
Packers fall to 1-4
By Pete Dougherty
greenbaypressgazette.com
These were the games, when Brett Favre was younger and his team better, that the Green Bay Packers would pull out on his will alone. And in fact, just two days shy of his 37th birthday, it looked like Favre was re-living some old times by turning around a mediocre performance when it counted and pulling off a last-minute comeback win over the St. Louis Rams. But not in 2006, when the outmanned Packers are plugging old leaks only to find new ones. Favre indeed took them to the brink of victory and electrified 70,804 spectators at Lambeau Field by driving them 68 yards to the Rams' 11, down by only a field goal, with 44 seconds to play and a chance to win for the 36th time in his career after trailing or being tied in the fourth quarter. But then, as happens to 1-4 teams that are groping for an identity, disaster struck. Defensive end Leonard Little beat right tackle Mark Tauscher off the edge, and when rookie guard Tony Moll was late picking up a stunt in the middle of the line, Favre had nowhere to escape. As Favre tried to wriggle away, Little knocked the ball from his hand. Daryn Colledge had a clean shot but couldn't corral the loose ball, and when the Rams' Jerametrius Butler recovered with 36 seconds left, the stunned crowd went silent with the Packers' 23-20 loss essentially in the books. "I've had a lot of comebacks and team comebacks," Favre said. "But we haven't had too many lately and that's very disappointing." -- More

Game Stats from Packers 23-20 loss to Rams -- Link






Defense Misses Chances For INTs
Much was made coming into Sunday's game of Rams quarterback Marc Bulger's streak of five games and nearly 200 pass attempts without an interception. The Packers had some great chances to end that streak, and any one of those opportunities could have changed the course of the 23-20 loss. Linebacker A.J. Hawk in the first half and cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson in the second half all had potential interceptions in their hands, but no one was able to pull one in. "When the opportunity comes, we all like to jump on that opportunity, but sometimes it doesn't go your way," cornerback Patrick Dendy said. "We had more than three missed opportunities, but at the same time, next week we'll make those plays."

Daylight there
Quarterback Brett Favre admitted after the game there were a few throws he'd like to have back, but probably none moreso than a slant pass to Greg Jennings late in the third quarter. Just after the Rams had kicked a field goal to go ahead 17-13, Favre went to Jennings on first down on a quick slant to his left. Jennings had beaten his man to the inside and appeared to have a lot of daylight in front of him, but the throw whistled too far in front of Jennings and was incomplete. The Packers gained just one first down on their first three possessions combined in the second half, and that misfire in a sense highlighted that frustrating stretch. "I may have missed a lot of throws in my career, but I don't miss slants, and I did on that one," Favre said. "What may seem like just a 3-yard incompletion, to me could have been a touchdown. That's the way I look at that."

Getting his chance
Dendy was the Packers' nickel back when the defense went to five defensive backs, and for the most part he held up well. Dendy was called up from the practice squad this week after Ahmad Carroll was released. He gave up a 10-yard completion to Kevin Curtis on third down on the Rams' first series, setting up a short touchdown pass. But later in the game he had Curtis well-covered in the end zone on third down, and the incomplete pass forced the Rams to settle for a field goal early in the fourth quarter. "Once I got back into the game, got the first couple plays under my belt, I felt pretty comfortable," he said. "They did a few things we weren't expecting, but for the most part we prepared for them well."

Upon further review ...
On the Rams' opening possession of the second half, the Packers lost a timeout on a replay challenge even though the review resulted in a partial change of the call on the field. St. Louis fullback Madison Hedgecock was pushed out of bounds short of the first down on a short pass completion on third-and-1 at the Rams' 33, but his forward progress was marked at the 35 for a 2-yard gain. The Packers challenged the spot, and the ball was moved back 1 yard to the 34, but it was still enough for a first down. Because a challenge on a spot can only be made relative to a first down, the Packers still lost a timeout because the replay review did not take away the St. Louis first down.

Injury update
Left guard Jason Spitz, back in the starting lineup for the first time since the season opener, left the game in the third quarter after what was announced in the press box as a kick to the stomach. After the game, Head Coach Mike McCarthy said Spitz was taken to a local hospital for tests. "I don't know the specifics," McCarthy said. "He was a little ill before the game, and this is something that carried over." Defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins was helped off the field late in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury. Jenkins was on crutches after the game but no update was given on his condition.






Five receptions,
singular mistake for Jennings
By Jason Wilde / madison.com
Of all the qualities Greg Jennings has shown in his first year in the NFL - great hands, big-play ability, a Mensa-level football IQ - it might be the Green Bay Packers' rookie wide receiver's perfectionist attitude that stands out most. After just about every game, Jennings spends as much time talking about what he did wrong as he does about what he did right. Such was the case again after Sunday's 23-20 loss to the St. Louis Rams at Lambeau Field, where Jennings had his second 100-yard game in three weeks (five catches for 105 yards and a touchdown) but was more concerned about his drop on the Packers' final drive. -- More


Season in jeopardy for Robinson?
By Jason Wilde / madison.com
The Green Bay Packers got their most extensive contribution from wide receiver Koren Robinson during Sunday's 23-20 loss to the St. Louis Rams. How much longer the Packers will have him is in serious question with a one-year suspension hanging over him. During its pregame show, Fox Sports reported Robinson recently received a letter from the NFL informing him he will be suspended for a year for violating the league's substance-abuse policy, pending his appeal. On Wednesday, Robinson was sentenced to 90 days in jail in Kirkland (Wash.) Municipal Court for violating the terms of his probation stemming from his May 2005 drunken driving arrest in the Seattle suburb. -- More


All things Noah --

Herron
Seizes
Opportunity
By Jason Wilde
madison.com

"You always prepare to be the guy each week. Obviously, Ahman is the guy, but I think Vernand and myself do a good job of preparing. Worst-case scenario, if A.G. doesn't go, we're ready to go." -- Noah Herron

The Green Bay Packers' zone-blocking running game is finally coming around, and it's starting to look like just about any running back can get yards now that the line is opening some holes. If only the Packers could find a running back who could consistently a) stay healthy and b) hold onto the football. With starter Ahman Green missing his second straight game Sunday with a strained hamstring, the Packers got 106 yards on 20 carries from third-stringer Noah Herron, who got the call after fill-in starter Vernand Morency lost one fumble and was ruled down on another in the first nine offensive plays of the game. Herron's first career 100-yard effort went for naught, though, in a 23-20 loss to the St. Louis Rams at Lambeau Field. -- More

Seize control now or it will be too late
By Chris Havel
The Green Bay Packers' season is at a crossroads. It is idling rough and belching smoke at the intersection of Don't Give A Damn Drive and Suck It Up Circle. Which way will it turn? That depends upon who insists on driving the team bus. If veterans such as Charles Woodson, Al Harris and Marquand Manuel decide to grab the wheel and take control of an ugly season, it may be salvageable. But if the defensive backs and others elect to point fingers, place blame or pout, 1-4 may be as good as it gets. The Packers proved Sunday in a 23-20 loss to St. Louis that they have the talent to compete with most teams and the inconsistency to lose to any team. The Packers have lacked focus, playmakers and a killer instinct. It seems they fail to realize that one begets the other, and so on. -- More


Drops, misfires equal near-miss
By Mike Woods
For a moment in time, it appeared the future was about to take a turn for the better. There was Brett Favre, Captain Comeback himself, on the cusp of recapturing the old magic as Lambeau shook Sunday with 70,804 of the faithful ready to party like rock stars. Second-and-10 from the St. Louis 11, under a minute to play, his Packers in arrears by a field goal. He was on the verge of rallying the troops, like he had 35 times before, and Green Bay was about to be transformed into Happy Valley. It would be a game in which Noah Herron would gain celebrity status for his first 100-yard game, in which the much maligned offensive line would gain a measure of redemption, in which Greg Jennings' star would continue to grow brighter, in which the defense would be praised for snuffing out Rams drives twice in the final 6:42 to keep the Packers alive and kicking and in which, above all, Favre again would provide an enchanted ending, re-establishing himself as a bona fide miracle worker. -- More


Young Packers' players are improving
By Brad Zimanek
Be patient, the youthful transformation of the Green Bay Packers is taking place. You may have to look more closely in the aftermath of a third straight disappointing home defeat, this one a 23-20 setback to St. Louis, but the evidence is there. Just look at the offense. A month ago, rookie guards — Jason Spitz and Tony Moll — looked like the Two Stooges against Chicago. Now, the NFC-favorite Bears are making plenty of offenses look silly. Just ask anyone on the Bills Sunday. Now, the play of the Packers' offensive line is turning the corner. Reserve running back Noah Herron found plenty of open spaces in which to run. Quarterback Brett Favre received solid protection except for the fateful play where he was sacked and fumbled when the Packers could have pulled out a win or at least sent the game into overtime. -- More





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