The Packer Pundit

Packers' offense fails to convert
4 turnovers into big enough lead,
Lose to Seahawks 34-24
By Pete Dougherty / greenbaypressgazette.com
The Green Bay Packers got all the help they could have hoped for from their 24th-ranked defense in their efforts to upset the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks on Monday night. But, just as in Week 2 against New Orleans, the Packers weren't able to turn a slew of first-half turnovers into badly needed points, and succumbed to coach Mike Holmgren's rejuvenated team, 34-24, at Qwest Field. "Any time you have momentum like we did and have turnovers, you want to score touchdowns," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "That was all a factor in the game, particularly early. We had a number of opportunities we didn't take advantage of, and that was the start of it." In that Week 2 loss against New Orleans, the Packers forced three first-quarter turnovers but lost 34-27. This time, their defense took advantage of Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's shaky return from missing four games with a knee injury to give the Packers an excellent chance of winning despite being 10-point underdogs. The Packers (4-7) forced four first-half turnovers by Hasselbeck, and the defense provided free points for the second time this season when rookie middle linebacker Abdul Hodge returned a fumble 29 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter that put them ahead 14-9. The Packers' defense intercepted Hasselbeck three times in the first half — two by cornerback Charles Woodson, and one by cornerback Al Harris — but the offense turned those takeaways into only seven points. "Any time you get four turnovers in the first half, you have to convert them into points, and we didn't do that," offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said. So, despite forcing four first-half turnovers, the Packers led only 14-12 at halftime against a Seattle offense that was back at full strength after halfback Shaun Alexander's return from a broken foot last week and Hasselbeck's return to the starting lineup Monday night. Though the Packers held a slim lead, Seattle (7-4) was far more effective running the ball in the snow-filled first half — Alexander had 104 yards and a 5.5-yard average in the first half — whereas the Packers had only 109 yards in total offense. -- More



Seahawks Rally In Second Half
To Defeat Packers 34-24
Associated Press
It took a blast of rare Seattle snow to lift Shaun Alexander out of his season-long hibernation. Alexander ran for a season-high 201 yards Monday night to lead the Seattle Seahawks to a 34-24 victory over the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre on a surprisingly snowy night in the Great Northwest. With the white stuff falling for the first time at a Seattle home game, it seemed like a more natural setting for the Packers. Favre, who fell to 41-9 when the temperature is 34 degrees or less, was making his 252nd straight start and possibly his final appearance on the Monday-night stage he has lit up over his shining career. Instead, the evening belonged to Alexander, who skated across this new frozen tundra for his first 100-yard game of the season and showed that his broken left foot is feeling much better. The Seahawks (7-4), embarrassed last week in a 20-14 loss at San Francisco, took a two-game lead in the NFL West. They overcame four first-half turnovers by Matt Hasselbeck including one returned for a touchdown by Abdul Hodge thanks to four field goals off the snowy turf by Josh Brown. Alexander said he could relate to his quarterback's struggles in his first game back from a knee injury. "I think Matt went through what I went through last week,'' Alexander said. "The game is so fast. It's one of those things, he's trying to throw and make plays, and at times the ball was getting away or was a little bit behind, or he was just one step off. You could tell in the second half he just got a little bit better, a little bit better, and used to the speed.'' -- More



Giving season
By Jason Wilde / madison.com
They had their chances. Oh, did they have their chances. As a heavy, wet snow fell onto Qwest Field Monday night (a rarity in the Emerald City) and the game-time mercury dipped to a very un-Seattle-like 34 degrees (the coldest in Seahawks' franchise history), the Green Bay Packers were in their element. Add in the way Matt Hasselbeck was giving the ball away, and it looked very much like the Packers would own the night. But by the time the clock hit 0:00 on the Seahawks' 34-24 victory, order had been restored. As much as went right for the Packers in the first half, it wasn't enough. The snow stopped just after halftime, and things fell apart for the Packers shortly thereafter. "We had a lot of opportunities to run away with the game," Packers center Scott Wells said. "We never did." Failing to make the most of four first-half turnovers by Hasselbeck - three interceptions and a fumble - and unable to even slow down returning-to-form running back Shaun Alexander (201 yards), the Packers fell to 4-7 on the season while the defending NFC-champion Seahawks improved to 7-4 and kicked off their annual playoff push. "You have to capitalize," Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said. "You get the ball bouncing your way four times in the first half, you have to generate points." -- More



Snowed under
Green Bay is unable to dig out after Seattle's late flurry
By BOB McGINN / journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 27, 2006
The Green Bay Packers made enough big plays and caught enough early breaks Monday night at Qwest Field to lead the heavily favored Seattle Seahawks by a stunning margin of nine points early in the third quarter. After that, the Packers were beaten to a pulp in every category of play, absorbing a 34-24 shellacking in what would have been a momentous victory for first-year coach Mike McCarthy. Shaun Alexander and an offensive line missing two starters mauled the Packers' 11th-ranked run defense, which clearly missed the clean reads and pursuit ability of middle linebacker Nick Barnett, who was out with a broken hand. Alexander finished with 201 yards in 40 carries as the Seahawks rushed 48 times for 235 yards, a far cry from the Packers' previous high yield of 131 against Philadelphia in Week 4. Meanwhile, the offense fell apart after a 48-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre to Donald Driver staked Green Bay to its 21-12 advantage 2½ minutes into the second half. "It was a great win for us," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. "All the bad things that could happen to us happened. The Packers battled like crazy. When you have five turnovers you usually don't have a chance to win." The Packers slipped to 4-7, three games below .500 for the first time since they were 1-4 at their bye. Seattle improved to 7-4. If the Packers had won, they would have been tied with five teams for seventh place in the weak NFC. With the defeat, the Packers are in a tie for the 12th-best record among the 16 teams in the conference. -- More



Hodge makes impact
By Jon Masson / madison.com
Green Bay rookie middle linebacker Abdul Hodge made his first NFL start a memorable one at Qwest Field Monday night. Hodge grabbed Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's fumble in midair and raced 29 yards for a touchdown with 1 minute, 51 seconds left in the second quarter. But afterward, the excitement of Hodge's first NFL touchdown was overshadowed by Green Bay's 34-24 loss. "From a personal standpoint, I'm pretty hard on myself," said Hodge, who replaced Nick Barnett (broken hand) as the starting middle linebacker. "There were a lot of plays out there I wish I could have back." Packers defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila was credited with a 10-yard sack and a forced fumble on Hodge's touchdown. That gave Green Bay a 14-9 lead. "It was exciting," said Hodge, a third-round draft choice from Iowa. "It was good for our team. It put us in a good position." Said Packers linebacker Brady Poppinga: "He made a huge play there. He's a young guy who's going to continue to get better. I think he's on the right road." -- More







Woodson provides a lift
Seattle may have the 12th man, but the Packers had the best handy man in the house on Monday night. Cornerback Charles Woodson, Green Bay's top free-agent acquisition in the offseason, had two first-half interceptions during Seattle's 34-24 victory Monday at Qwest Field. Woodson's first interception came on the Seahawks' first series, when Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's pass went off the helmet of Ryan Pickett and into Woodson's arms at Seattle's 36-yard line. It led to an Ahman Green 5-yard TD run and a 7-0 lead. Three series later, Woodson, who had left the game with what was described as a forearm injury, got his second interception when he made a great break on the ball and stepped in front of Seattle receiver Deion Branch to give the Packers the ball at the Seahawks' 23. The Packers came away with no points on that turnover when Dave Rayner's 28-yard field goal was blocked. It marked the second time in Woodson's career that he came up with two interceptions in a game. The first time was Oct. 5, 2003, at Chicago when he was a member of the Oakland Raiders. He has four interceptions this season.

Coverage woes
When your kicker is making a lot of tackles, it's never a good thing. Rayner had three tackles on Monday, shoving Seahawks kickoff returner Nate Burleson out of bounds each time. The Packers' kickoff return coverage left a lot to be desired, as Burleson had five returns for an average of 25.8 yards and a long of 45. The 45-yarder came after the Packers kicked a field goal to close within 27-24. It set up the Seahawks at their 49-yard line and led to Seattle's game-clinching touchdown.

New job for Jennings
Four minutes into the third quarter, rookie starting wide receiver Greg Jennings returned his first punt of the season. He fielded it cleanly and returned it 10 yards to the Packers' 33. Woodson had handled the majority of the punt returns this season, but was unavailable with the forearm injury. Woodson and Jennings were back to return punts in the fourth quarter, but neither had an opportunity.

Favre fine, physically
Packers quarterback Brett Favre showed no ill effects from the nerve injury he sustained in his right elbow during last week's 35-0 loss to New England. Favre, however, did throw three interceptions, the most he's thrown in a game this season. He finished 22-of-36 for 266 yards and a touchdown. Two of Favre's interceptions came in the second half when the Packers were trailing.

Driver's day
Much like last week, Donald Driver didn't get his hands on the ball much. Limited to two catches for 42 yards against the Patriots, Driver again had just two catches on Monday. But he made them count for more this time, turning one into a 48-yard touchdown. He added a 34-yard reception that led to a Rayner field goal.

Defense doesn't point fingers
The Green Bay Packers yielded 235 yards rushing Monday night to the Seattle Seahawks, 104 more than they allowed in any previous game this season.
It also was the first game that middle linebacker Nick Barnett missed. He sat out with a broken hand and was replaced by rookie Abdul Hodge, a third-round draft choice from Iowa who hadn't made a tackle from scrimmage all season. Even though Shaun Alexander's 201 yards on the ground were the red-letter factor in the Seahawks' 34-24 victory, the Packers didn't blame the futility of their run defense on the absence of Barnett. "Any time you have Barnett it makes a big difference," defensive tackle Ryan Pickett said. "He makes the calls and stuff like that. But I really feel like Abdul came in and did very good. It was his first game out there." Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders also came to the defense of Hodge, who finished with six tackles. He said Hodge was well-prepared and knew exactly what he was doing. Hodge also played alongside A.J. Hawk in the nickel defense in every passing situation. "We had good players in there," Sanders said. "There's no excuses. We had plenty of chances to make some plays. We just didn't get it done."

Injury list
Safety Nick Collins suffered a hamstring injury early in the fourth quarter when he missed Alexander on a fourth-and-1 carry for 6 yards. He didn't return. "It was just a little tweak," Collins said. "They left me out. It was precautionary. I slipped." Defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila left on the Seahawks' second possession of the third quarter because of cramps but later returned.

Three points
The Packers had a 7-3 lead and first down at the Seattle 9 as the second quarter opened. Coach Mike McCarthy called two running plays and then, after a third-down incompletion was wiped out by a false-start penalty, came back with a run on third down from the 11. "I played for a field goal there," McCarthy said. "I played it safe. I was conservative early in the game."

Kick coverage
After defensive end Jason Hunter tackled Nate Burleson after a return of 16 yards on the opening kickoff, coverage was lousy. "We covered our first one very well and then we didn't cover one after that," special teams coach Mike Stock said. "We didn't get off the blocks well enough. The basic fundamental things we're not adhering to."

Good to go
Quarterback Brett Favre went the distance despite an elbow injury that cost him some practice time last week. "I felt the ball came off his hand accurate tonight," McCarthy said. "I had no communication from him that he was affected by his injury."

Tough call
The roughing-the-passer penalty against defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins on a third-and-9 incompletion in the fourth quarter obviously wasn't received well by the Packers. "It was a bad call," Pickett said. "He didn't even hit him. You know he pulled off. It was unfortunate."

Wrong page
Favre was expecting wide receiver Ruvell Martin to be aware for the ball right away during a key third-down incompletion, but Martin was running his route across the field and the pass flew behind him. It was third and 9 at the Seattle 16 with the Packers trailing, 27-21. A touchdown would have helped turn the momentum in their favor and they appeared to be heading that way until the third-down incompletion. Martin ran a crossing pattern on what offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said was a "choice route." Martin read the coverage and took the route across the middle. Favre saw the same thing, but he wanted to throw the ball earlier and gestured demonstratively after the play. Martin appeared to defend himself on the sideline as he spoke with Favre. "He wanted him to look quicker than that," Jagodzinski said of Favre. "It just comes down to execution."







Packers still can't close the deal
No scores? No stops? No chance
By Chris Havel
The Pacific Northwest's unseasonably cold temperatures and steady snowfall neutralized Seattle's advantage over Green Bay in talent and home field. Ultimately, though, it was little more than a wet blanket on a night when the Packers were given every opportunity to win but couldn't. At the season's halfway point, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he didn't believe the ball bounced in his team's favor. The truth is, the Packers got their share of breaks, and that includes Monday night, but they repeatedly failed to capitalize. The Packers' 34-24 loss at Seattle's Qwest Field on "Monday Night Football" was a road replay of the Packers' loss to New Orleans in Week 2. The Packers forced four first-half turnovers but led only 14-12 for their trouble. NFL teams win close to 90 percent of the games in which their defense scores. Apparently, that statistic doesn't apply to the Packers. Just about everybody in the NFC, and that includes Seattle, is doing its best to come back to the Pack. But the Packers won't have any part of it. "I thought our defense, especially in the early part of the game, was outstanding," McCarthy said. "But we needed to take advantage of those opportunities. You always want to get seven (points) when you're down there." The difference between the playoff teams and teams that come close but don't get there was evident on Monday night. The Packers' early turnovers merely enabled them to stay in the game, rather than win it. -- More







Meet Catie
Houston Texans
Cheerleader

This is Catie's rookie year with the Houston Texans Cheerleaders and she's excited to be a part of the squad - it's dance, it's cheerleading and it's TEXANS football, what's not to love! Catie's performing career began at the age of three, and she has since trained in ballet, jazz, tap and hip-hop dance.

She has been a member of a professional dance company and was given the opportunity to perform in Europe with the company. Along with dance, Catie has been involved in cheerleading from a very young age and was captain of her high school squad.

Catie graduated from the University of Texas at Austin (National Champions baby!) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations. She was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority while at UT. One of her most rewarding experiences was serving as philanthropy chair for one term and working closely with the community programs such as SafePlace, an organization that helps families of domestic violence. She's presently working as an account executive with a national wholesale distributor company, servicing top restaurants and entertainment establishments in the Houston area. Catie finds her work both interesting and fun. Her experiences in Austin (Sixth Street) have prepared her well for her present position . In what little spare time she has, Catie is signed with two agencies (modeling/promotions) in Texas and surrounding areas. Catie is a native Houstonian and after moving back from Austin has found there are so many great things to love about Houston. She loves attending plays at the Alley and musicals at Jones Hall, shopping all over town, especially the Galleria and the Village, and all the clubs and amazing restaurants in midtown, downtown and uptown - it's just a great place to live.

Catie is grateful to her parents for all the love and support they have given her and enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and even just going out to eat (sushi is her first choice) is a great time to her. She spends her free time going to cheerleading practice, working out, shopping, playing piano, going to the movies, and shopping (she likes to shop).

Catie is looking forward to the fun and excitement of the Houston Texans football games, and feels honored to be a member of the Texans Cheerleaders.