The Packer Pundit

Games Got Away During Slow Start In 2006
By Mike Spofford / Packers.com
Posted 01/04/2007
Finishing 8-8 and missing the final NFC playoff spot based on a "strength of victory" tiebreaker illustrates both the excitement and the frustration of the 2006 season for the Green Bay Packers. Exciting, because it sure beats the 4-12 mark of 2005, and heading into the season's final weekend with a shot at a playoff berth is certainly more fun than just playing out the string. But also frustrating, because there were a handful of games the Packers let get away, and if any one of them had gone Green Bay's way, the Packers might have been heading to Philadelphia for a Wild Card game this weekend. Head Coach Mike McCarthy was asked in his season-ending news conference this week what prevented the Packers from getting the one more win they needed to make the playoffs, and he didn't single out one game. He pointed to the start of the season, when the Packers lost three games - to New Orleans, Philadelphia and St. Louis - they were in position to win, leading to a 1-4 record heading into the bye week. "I think clear-cut is just the way we started the season," McCarthy said. "We didn't make plays at critical times in football games. We didn't win the close football game to start." To recap, the Packers led the Saints 13-0, eventually fell behind by two touchdowns, and had a late fourth-quarter rally come up seven points short, when four passes from the New Orleans 44-yard line fell incomplete with two minutes left in a 34-27 loss. At Philadelphia, Green Bay led the game 9-7 at the half before a series of defensive breakdowns and offensive giveaways in the second half produced a 31-9 defeat. Then against the Rams, the Packers seemingly had the game-tying field goal in their back pocket and were 11 yards from a winning touchdown in the final minute when a fumble and botched recovery gave St. Louis a 23-20 decision. There were two other heartbreakers later on as well. At Buffalo, the Packers dominated statistically except for turnovers, and two giveaways inside the Bills' 5-yard line were the most regrettable mistakes in a 24-10 loss. Then at Seattle, much like at Philadelphia, the Packers led for a good portion, this time up 21-12 midway through the third quarter before the game got away, 34-24. That's five losses, three that turned on a play or two, and two others with halftime leads, that McCarthy looks back on as the type to fix in 2007. -- More



After fast finish, Packers ponder 'what if'
Close losses cost a playoff spot
By ROB REISCHEL / Special to Packer Plus
Posted: Jan. 3, 2007
Scott Wells was playing the 'What if?' game last week. Two days before Green Bay was eliminated from the playoffs, the Packers' center wasn't just thinking about his team's season-finale against the Chicago Bears. Wells also had his mind on the Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks. "I look at a lot of missed opportunities and really we beat ourselves in so many games," Wells said. "I say the games we should have won that we beat ourselves in were the Saints, Buffalo and the Rams. Those three in particular. "Then the Seattle game, we made a lot of mistakes and missed some great opportunities. They had all those turnovers in the first half and we should have had more points. That's four games. That would have made a huge difference. We would have been in a lot better position if we would have won one of those games." As it was, Green Bay won its final four games of the year - including a 26-7 rout of Chicago - and finished the year 8-8. That marked a four-game improvement from 2005, when the Packers went 4-12. As happy as most of Green Bay's players were with their progress in 2006, some couldn't help but wonder 'What if?' when it came to some of their earlier losses. Had the Packers found a way to win just one more game, they would have reached the post-season. Instead, they were on the outside looking in for the second consecutive season. Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy believed his team would have been extremely dangerous had they found a way to qualify for the playoffs. "I clearly do," said McCarthy, who just completed his first season. "I think your best football is for December, and we put our best football forward in December. But it also shows the importance of starting fast, which we did not accomplish at the beginning of the season. Yes, that's hypothetical, but I wish we would have gotten in because we were doing a lot of positive things." Green Bay's problem was it didn't do enough positive things earlier in the season. And it came back to haunt the Packers, despite their impressive finish. -- More



A twinkle in Titletown
Packers hope fast finish carries into next season
By ROB REISCHEL / Special to Packer Plus
Posted: Jan. 3, 2007
Twelve months ago, as members of the Green Bay Packers cleaned out their lockers, said their goodbyes and headed for Austin Straubel Airport, they appeared to be a team going nowhere fast. The Packers were coming off a 4-12 season. A coaching change was forthcoming. There were holes everywhere. And the future looked extremely bleak. My oh my, what a difference a year makes. As the Packers departed this off-season, they clearly looked like a team on the rise. Green Bay rallied from a slow start with four consecutive victories to finish the year 8-8 - marking the 14th time in 15 seasons the Packers had a .500 record or better. Green Bay's young players showed marked improvement through what most believed was a rebuilding year. And if quarterback Brett Favre decides to return, he could come back to an ascending team. Clearly, there's a different feeling around Titletown in January, 2007 than there was just one year earlier. "Well, clearly the finish," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said when asked what he'll remember most from his rookie year. "I think it's important, anytime you establish a new program, a new structure and everything you're changing, you know you're going to have speed bumps along the way. And we definitely encountered those as we moved forward through the beginning of the season. We didn't win some of the tight games we had opportunities to win. We let some leads get away in the second half. But I'll clearly remember the stretch, because you saw a vision, you saw a plan, and you saw people stay to that plan, and played very good football in the last four games. That's going to be my significant memory as we move forward." Green Bay showed on Sunday just how much it had moved forward throughout the 2006 season. -- More






Former Packers player Verba arrested on bad checks
The Associated Press
Detroit Lions guard Ross Verba has been arrested on a felony warrant for writing bad checks in Nevada. A state trooper made the arrest Tuesday after pulling over a vehicle on Interstate 94 near Foster for speeding. Authorities said Verba, 33, was a passenger in the vehicle. Capt. Doug Notbohm, commander of the Wisconsin State Patrol in Eau Claire, said Verba was cooperative throughout the process. “The officer recognized the name, and (Verba) voluntarily identified himself as an NFL football player,” Notbohm said Thursday. The trooper discovered that Verba had a felony arrest warrant from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the bad check unit of the Clark County, Nev., district attorney’s office. Verba spent the night in jail and was released Wednesday after Nevada authorities lifted a hold on him, Notbohm said. Notbohm said he was told Verba had resolved a misunderstanding regarding an outstanding debt with a Las Vegas establishment. The number at Verba’s most recent listed residence in suburban Minneapolis had been disconnected, and he could not be reached for comment. A message left with the Lions was not immediately returned. Verba started seven games for the Lions this year before a groin injury suffering Dec. 10 against the Minnesota Vikings ended his season. He was the Packers’ first-round draft pick in 1997 from Iowa. He started at left tackle for the Packers when they reached the Super Bowl later that season, which ended with a loss to the Denver Broncos. After four seasons in Green Bay, Verba went on to play four seasons for the Cleveland Browns, but his relationship soured with the organization. He paid back a $465,000 roster bonus to be released in 2005.







Rodgers does his best to be ready
Future unclear for Packers QB
By LORI NICKEL / journalsentinel.com
Posted: Jan. 4, 2007

"Obviously I want to play, I want to show what I can do out there. But you've just to be patient. Things happen in time for a reason. He's been the face of this franchise for so long now, he deserves the opportunity to finish out his career the way he wants to. Be it (against Chicago) or one more season or two more seasons. It's out of my control and out of my hands. When my time does come, I will be given the opportunity to perform and I'm going to need to perform." -- Aaron Rodgers

No one is more eager than Aaron Rodgers to hear whether Brett Favre will return or retire. The second-year backup quarterback has big plans for the off-season in case Favre does walk away. Rodgers is going to get the boot removed from his broken left foot two weeks from today. He'll then start working with a personal trainer back home in Chico, Calif. And he's going to get serious about his nutrition. That way, if Favre does retire, Rodgers, who just turned 23 years old, will come back to Packers quarterback school in March in the best shape possible, prepared to assume his place under center for 2007. If Favre comes back, well, Rodgers has waited before. He can wait again. "It's his decision, and he deserves to take as much time as possible," Rodgers said New Year's Day, when the Packers packed up their lockers. "As much as you're anxious to know what he's going to do, I don't worry about it. I don't lose sleep over it at all. I just worry about what I can take care of, and that's getting healthy, taking care of my body, eating right and prepare myself mentally. I can't do anything about (the waiting), you know? It's like sitting in that green room (on draft day); I couldn't do anything about dropping, dropping, dropping. I just knew in the end I would be in a good spot." Right now, that would be just about anywhere other than airport security scanners. That's a pain. He sets off alarms. "They pat me down real good." he said. Rodgers had a screw placed in the fifth metatarsal bone of his broken left foot. He injured it on Nov. 19, while filling in for Favre, who left the game in the first half with an injured elbow. -- More



Franks will get chance to bounce back
By Dylan B. Tomlinson
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
Bubba Franks' lack of production the past two seasons has been perplexing, but the veteran tight end might have a bigger role in the offense in 2007. Franks has 29 touchdowns and has been to three Pro Bowls in his seven years in the NFL. He became one of the highest-paid tight ends in the league when he signed a seven-year, $28 million deal before the 2005 season. In 2005, injuries forced Franks to miss six games, and he had just 25 catches for 207 yards and one touchdown. The 2006 season was worse. Franks, who gained notoriety because of his nose for the end zone, became more known for dropping passes and fumbling. He finished the season with 25 catches for 232 yards and no touchdowns. What happened? "But as far as Bubba Franks," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said at his season-ending press conference, "you can blame some of it on the way he was used, and I think you can blame some of it on his confidence when things didn't go well." One of the things Franks did well this season was block. The Packers used three rookies as starters on the offensive line for some of the season, so Franks had to help pass block. Tight ends coach Ben McAdoo said he thought Franks had trouble adjusting to his new role. "I never saw Bubba lacking for confidence," McAdoo said. "He was used in a different way than he's been used in the past, and we had to put the offense and the team in a spot to win, and that's how we had to use him this year." Franks played so poorly during the 2006 season some are wondering if he'll be brought back. The biggest reason why Franks likely will return is his base salary is only $1.4 million for the 2007 season. -- More







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