In Da News 9/25/2007
Favre, baby-faced Packers sculpt stunning victory
By Rob Shultz / madison.com
GREEN BAY -- Nick Barnett had just intercepted a Phillip Rivers pass and returned it to San Diego's two-yard line when Brett Favre told Mike McCarthy that it would be a good idea to try to run it in, rather than pass it in, for the game-clinching touchdown. It was a surprise that the Green Bay Packers' coach didn't hyper-reflux Gatorade all over the 40-yard line in disbelief. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon on the hallowed grounds of Lambeau Field where the dust has long settled from all those boring three-yard rumbles of yesteryear, the Green Bay Packers eschewed the run for most of the game and common sense on two fourth-down calls that should be haunting them today. But that's the beauty of this baby-faced Packers team that dismissed the Chargers in a 31-24 shocker. The Packers are 3-0 and the talk of the National Football League, not to mention every classroom, water fountain and tavern in this state, by doing little by the book. That the pass-happy Packers are led by the beloved 37-year-old Brett Favre, who has endeared himself to so many throughout his record-setting career by doing little by the book, makes the story that much sweeter. More >>Could this be breakthrough win for Packers?
By Pete Dougherty
greenbaypressgazette.com
It's been a few years, and really, maybe back to the 1990s, since the Green Bay Packers created the kind of electricity that filled Lambeau Field by game's end on Sunday. The NFL's youngest team has become its early-season surprise after knocking off a presumed Super Bowl contender, the San Diego Chargers, with a come-from-behind, 31-24 win that sent the 70,733 spectators at their 50-year-old stadium into an unusually festive postgame celebration. As those fans paraded out of Lambeau's concourse, they hooted and roared and waved white towels, celebrating a team that no one in his right mind would have predicted to be 3-0 when the season began. There will be no knowing until late in the season, but the Packers just might look back at this as a corner-turning victory against the talented Chargers, who have to be shaken by their 1-2 start. "I think it's a win you can point to as far as building your program," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "I'm happy with the energy we're playing with. I thought we were extremely physical. And the urgency coming out of the gate, we knew they were going to come in here and try to run the football on us and be physical with us. I think it's an excellent team win." More >>Statement game defies 'yeah, but' critics
By Mike Vandermause
greenbaypressgazette.com
If you didn't believe it before, you can start believing it now. The Green Bay Packers are for real. Their 31-24 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday at Lambeau Field confirms what the coaches have been preaching and what the players privately have been acknowledging all along. This 3-0 Packers team is no fluke. The Packers are young, talented, hungry, multifaceted and brimming with confidence. Can we once and for all put to rest the "yeah, buts …" that have accompanied their success? The Packers won four straight games to close the 2006 season. Yeah, but … their opponents either weren't any good or had nothing to play for. They opened this year with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Yeah, but … the offense stunk up the stadium and produced only three points. They went on the road and exploded for five offensive touchdowns to beat the New York Giants in Week 2. Yeah, but … the Giants have a terrible defense. Their first two victories came against a pair of reigning NFC playoff qualifiers. Yeah, but … they haven't played any quality teams from the rugged AFC. Now that the Packers have disposed of the Chargers, who posted an NFL-best 14-2 record last season in the league's so-called superior conference, what scabs can the critics find to pick? More >>No doubt: 'D' saves the day
Barnett's INT part of key fourth-quarter stops
By Tom Pelissero
greenbaypressgazette.com
The Green Bay Packers' defense had done plenty to frustrate LaDainian Tomlinson before middle linebacker Nick Barnett all but sealed Sunday's 31-24 win by intercepting a pass intended for the NFL's reigning MVP. "He was running a route, a bend route, where it pretty much runs outside and then goes (vertical) on me," Barnett said of Tomlinson, who managed only 95 combined rushing and receiving yards. "I just stayed inside, man, watched film and was prepared for that play. "It made me nervous. I thought, 'Oh, here he goes.'" Instead, Barnett stepped in front of one of Philip Rivers' few poor passes, caught it and raced 38 yards to the San Diego Chargers' 2. Brandon Jackson punched in a touchdown on his second attempt, extending the Packers' lead to 31-21 with 1 minute, 7 seconds to play. "No one doubted it," cornerback Al Harris said of whether the defense believed it would make a stop. "It felt so good to go in the defensive huddle, look around — 'Alright, somebody's got to make a play.' I looked at Wood (Charles Woodson). He looked at me. He looked at Nick, at Atari (Bigby). I was like, 'It's going to be one of us.'" More >>Offense Doing What It Takes To Win
By Mike Spofford / Packers.com
Posted 09/24/2007
Head Coach Mike McCarthy would love to run the ball 40 times per game. Or at least 50 percent of the time. He's said so often, and it's how he'd prefer his offense to operate. But the running game is clearly not the strength of the Packers right now, so McCarthy has no problem with Sunday's play selection against the Chargers, which featured 47 pass plays (45 attempts, two sacks) to just 12 runs (not including a late kneel-down). That nearly 4-to-1 ratio is not ideal by any means in terms of developing a balanced offense, but McCarthy and the coaching staff determined the best way to attack the Chargers was to spread out their defense with multiple-receiver packages. That forced San Diego out of its base defense and into nickel and dime packages, from which the Chargers weren't equipped to blitz as often. As a result, quarterback Brett Favre was sacked just twice and threw for 369 yards, his highest total since Nov. 21, 2004 (383 yards at Houston). "I would prefer to be a heavy run team, but that's just not the way we're built right now, and that's not the way that gives us the best chance to score a lot of points in my opinion," McCarthy said. "Now that's week to week. But there will be a time here where we'll pound the football." More >>No running game? No problem
By Jason Wilde / madison.com
GREEN BAY — Sure, the Green Bay Packers are off to a 3-0 start — making them one of only two NFC teams with an unbeaten record entering Week 4. But they can't sustain it without an effective running game, can they?Or can they?
Conventional NFL wisdom — not to mention the fans in the blogosphere and on talk radio, and the sportswriters asking the questions Monday — would tell coach Mike McCarthy the Packers simply cannot get away without a running game much longer. But while McCarthy acknowledged that fact — in addition to pointing out that the way his offense runs in September and October isn't necessarily how it will work in November and December — he also made it clear he sees no point to running the ball more just for the sake of running it. "I'm not concerned about it," McCarthy said, one day after the Packers ran 13 running plays and 47 pass plays in Sunday's 31-24 victory over the San Diego Chargers at Lambeau Field. "I would prefer to be a heavy run team, but that's just not the way we're built right now, and that's not the way that gives us the best chance to score a lot of points, in my opinion. Over the long term, it's probably not the healthiest way to go, especially (since) it's important to win in November and December and into January in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Some people say you have to run (to) set up the pass, but it's not illegal to go the other way, and that's kind of the mode we're in right now." More >>
Unwilling to clear air
Team will continue to pass while run game catches up
By TOM SILVERSTEIN / journalsentinel.com
Posted: Sept. 24, 2007
Green Bay - When Mike McCarthy says there will be a time this season when the Green Bay Packers "pound the football," he is referring to an occasion sometime in the future and definitely beyond next weekend. At least one has to assume so given the circumstances. There's just no reason to think that the 3-0 Packers will stray from their one-dimensional offensive attack and incorporate balance into their game plan this week with the Minnesota Vikings on deck. The Vikings are ranked No. 2 in the league in run defense and are allowing opponents a measly 2.5 yards per carry, the lowest average allowed of any team in the National Football League. After tearing up the San Diego Chargers for 31 points and 405 yards using a spread attack that often featured an empty backfield, the Packers are good bets to continue throwing the ball.More >>
Published by PackerPundit On Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 5:31 AM.
0 Responses to “In Da News 9/25/2007”
Post a Comment