I don’t know about anyone else out there, but I witnessed one great game on Sunday afternoon between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers. Am I bummed that the Packers lost? Absolutely. They were a fourth-down stop away from winning.
(Okay, okay… plus an additional scoring drive…)
It was an exciting match from beginning to end, and although the Packers only took the lead for a brief moment, they never let the 49ers get more than a touchdown’s score out of reach. We got to see Aaron Rodgers at some of his best, not to mention the fantastically tough trio of receivers in Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Jermichael Finley.
Did you SEE that sideline catch by Nelson? That highlight will be played all season.
Now, some might call me an overly optimistic person. I tend to see the best in everyone, even though I get burned by it sometimes. Nevertheless, I don’t mind the burns, because they heal, and it’s much more enjoyable living in a world of positivity than wallowing in a world of despair.
Perhaps that’s why I was confident the Packers could pull off the upset this past weekend. So confident, in fact, that I predicted it would be on the leg of Mason Crosby. (Okay, that was just trying to be bold for its own sake, but you get the idea.)
What I don’t understand are the herds of fans who are acting like Chicken Little after the disheartening loss. I mean, really, how many of you are actually surprised that the 49ers won that game? If you are, then you are either (a) living in an ice fishing shed somewhere in northern Canada, or (b) lying to yourself. Not only did Vegas have the 49ers as a 4.5-point favorite, but our own team of writers here at AllGreenBayPackers.com were also evenly split in their predictions.
For some strange reason, this fan base lacks some perspective. Is it because we’ve seen so much success over the decades? Or is it because we’ve also seen so many postseason blunders? (And I’m not just talking about the years with McCarthy and Rodgers.)
Whatever the case might be, I submit that it’s high time we start seeing things from a different perspective. Perhaps even a more positive one.
While I wasn’t able to watch the game due to chores, graduate work, and lesson planning, the Pittsburgh Steelers learned a thing or two about adversity during their match-up against the Tennessee Titans. In addition to losing their home opener in miserable fashion, they lost five players in the process. Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey tore both his MCL and ACL, veteran linebacker Larry Foote suffered a ruptured biceps, and running back LaRod Stephens-Howling has a torn ACL. All three players are most likely gone for the season.
Meanwhile, in Green Bay Packer land, we lost a close game that we were expected to lose, and we did it without two of our top defensive backs–safety Morgan Burnett and cornerback Casey Hayward. No one got seriously injured, and Aaron Rodgers actual received some good pass protection from the offensive line.
Could they have performed better? Of course they could have. It wasn’t their best shot, and the two turnovers were the difference-makers. Not only did the 49ers score a touchdown off of Eddie Lacy’s fumble, but both turnovers helped contribute to the overall field position problem.
And while it’s fair to criticize their performance, it’s downright silly to give up the season.
The Packers are going to light it up this year. They played one of the best teams in the league right now on their home turf and lost by less than a touchdown. They’ll go through many changes this season as players get healthy and others get injured. Just like every other team, including the 49ers, the Packers will look significantly different in Week 17. And if there’s anything I’ve learned as a football fan, it’s that the journey is as important as the end result.
Green Bay’s 2013 season is far from over. In fact, it’s just begun. It was a rocky start, yet it gave me some hope for a stout run defense and a passing attack that hasn’t missed a beat. This team is tough, and they proved it on the field this Sunday. (Oh, and Clay Matthews is a beast.)
So if you want to throw your hands in the air and shield yourself from the falling sky, be my guest. But I’m not going to. I’m going to remember the growth I saw in this team and look forward to more of it as the season progresses. I’m going to remember that it could be a lot–and I mean A LOT–worse.
And I will never forget that the Super Bowl XLV champions were all but forgotten as they backed themselves into the playoffs. It’s a long road, and I’m going to enjoy the trip. Of course, that could just be the eternal optimist in me.
——————Chad Toporski, a Wisconsin native and current Pittsburgh resident, is a writer for AllGreenBayPackers.com. You can follow Chad on twitter at @ChadToporski
Follow @ChadToporski——————
“The Packers are going to light it up this year”. Ok they better because they are not going to stop anyone with a good pass offensive. It’s time to stop drinking the green cool aid and be realistic. They have no pass rush and no defensive secondary coverage. If you put those two facts together you can see their going to have to “Light it up” to win. Detroit and Chicago unlike the packers do not have to “Light it up” because they do have a defense. Your absolutely correct, we will see at the end of the year who you can beat with no defense.
Maybe you missed the part about us not having our most important DB in Morgan Burnett. The reason the defense played so poorly is mainly on our safety’s. The game plan was to keep Kaepernick in the pocket, but our safetys couldn’t cover anyone. Our defense will be fine once Burnett and Hayward get healthy. Oh and we’ll beat both the Lions and Chicago twice so no worries there.
I hope your correct. Injuries are a part of football. The teams need to have back ups that can step in and play. The loosing teams always use injuries as an excuse. The last time the packers won the superbowl they had lots of injures. They still found ways to win? Again I hope your right.
We were missing Morgan Burnett AND Casey Hayward. Having either of those two on the field that day would have made a world of difference.
Yep. Our running game wasn’t as effective as I had hoped, especially early on.
…agree that we badly needed both Hayward and Burnett…disagree that the Lions and Bears are 4-0 gimmees this season, especially on the road. They are both improved and each beat good teams, in MN and Cincy…
No, he didn’t miss that part! He very specifically mentioned Burnett & Hayward being out. From your comment, it seems as if you decided to disagree with this editorial before reading it.
The reason the pass rush wasn’t there is two-fold: (1) the 49ers have an extremely good offensive line, and (2) the decision to focus on containing Kaepernick takes away some pass rush by nature. The defense isn’t going to play every team the same way.
Ugh. Packers’ pass rush is fine. They were containing the QB. If you watch the game, and understand the game, it’s pretty obvious that sacks were not the directive, making sure the QB was kept in the pocket at all costs was the task at hand.
By the way, did you know in the 2012 season only three other defenses in the league tallied more sacks than the Packers?
And yet, everyone and they momma screamin’ bout our lack o’ pass rush…
Perception over reality.
palmercot, you are at least half on-the-money, as the secondary coverage was pathetic…no coverage all day on the slow truck Boldin, who we made look like All-World…GB’s safeties, Jennings and McMillan would not make the rosters of most teams…Bush can’t cover and Jeremy Ross did nothing, actually, having him play was a negative…
On a positive note, Jordy, Randall, and Rodgers played great and the offensive line, sans Sitton, who stunk, played relatively well in pass protection…
Look at that! Reason prevails.
I’d add that the 49ers were basically gifted 11 points and that our 2 biggest concerns (stopping the run and protecting ARod) were answered in the most adverse of environments. Our running game is YTBD.
I’m VERY confident that if we play them in the postseason, REGARDLESS of location, the good guys will come out on top.
I think the Packers and Niners are the 2 best teams in the NFL at the moment. That’s reason enough for being optimistic. It’s going to be a fun season watching the Pack dominate most teams they play against. How things look come January and play off time is anyone’s guess. The Pack went 10-6 the year they won the Super Bowl so who knows.
The Packers played mediocre, 2 to’s, no TW’s…out-gained by 100 yds….terrible pass coverage…currently a pedestrian team…offensive line a pleasant surprise, though Sitton was dominated and is clearly only an average guard, defensive line play was solid especially against the run and containing Kaep…
Chad, this is a great article. There were many positional question marks in the offseason and TT had addressed many of those. I’m still concerned about the OL and backups at Safety, but this was a strong showing. What would we have done if Newhouse was still the starter? There is tangable progress. I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the season unfolds.
I took two major positives from the game. Aaron Rodgers has significant pass protection against one of the best front 7 in the NFL and our own front 7 simply did an amazing job of containing the Niners run game. Frank Gore averaged only 2 yards a carry.
There were a few other positives like Finley and Nelson getting back to their old selves, Tim Masthay doing what he does best (tackling), but I couldn’t get over the run D and the Pass protection because we have lacked in those two departments for years yet they were able to consistently do a great job of both on Sunday.
Those two things alone can make a 4-5 game difference this year.
Finley back to his old self?…Easy wide-open pass he drops, which would have been about a twenty yard gain, instead, he drops it, without being touched, and it becomes a turnover/interception…then later, he makes an easy catch and excellent run for a 12-yard TD…Inconsistent, per usual…
I agree. It was a great game, and 9ers put on an impressive game with few mistakes. I was envious of Eric Reid. Impressive safety. 9ers were the better team, but Packers will make adjustments, and the d-backs will emerge. There is sufficient talent. I think they’ll be 0-4, but then they’ll hit October…and bear down with a vengeance. I think Detroit wins the division…but I still say the early season adversity will solidify the team, more than the last 2 years…thinking 15-1 record would land on their laps. Starting in a hole will make this a driven and tough team. I think they make it deep into the playoffs as a result. I have no proof. Just wizardry.
What meds are you on? I want some.
GB might not get to 13-3, but they will win the NFCN.
I don’t think you watch the Detroit opening game. It may be a fluke but if there for real winning the NFCN with the players they have playing now is take a lot of luck.
They played the Vikings.
‘Nuff said.
I am a lifelong Packer fan who grew up in Illinois so I have seen hundreds of Bears games.
For the first time in my life I watched a Chicago Bears team play as an NFL passing team. This article is pretending GB had great pass protection from the O-line? We didn’t but the Bears sure did.
The lions have considerable talent but are coached by a dunce. But the Bears have a new coach and a decent QB. Don’t assume these are the Bears you know – they aren’t.
It’s gonna be a hard fight for the division this year and the only certainty is Minnesota is not going to win the division. Well, probably.
…0-4 to start…NOT…should beat the ‘skins at home this weekend.
The 49ers are a talented squad that deserved to win and if they get Crabtree back, we could watch that team win it all. The Packers did well to make this close. Let’s face it, we start every year with a team laden with a bunch of new guys, many of them undrafted. Our O-line is basically brand new and they actually held their own against one of the best defenses in the league. Our special teams are probably 50% new. We need to make it to game 10 or 11 before we can see what this team is really capable of. Barring big injury, this team has some good pieces, it just needs to learn how to play as a unit.
Let’s face it, SF had the best team in football (I know they lost the SB, but I maintain they would have beaten the Ravens 7 out of 10 times)last year. Without Crabtree I don’t know if they are quite as good, but time will tell. It will take the first 5-6 weeks to really see every most teams fall in the pecking order. Gotta get our two DB’s back & hope for few other injuries & we still have a play off team.
Not convinced Crabtree is a difference-maker. They do have a solid defense and a balanced offense with one helluva good QB…
Crabtree makes a huge difference… Just watch last year’s postseason game.
…a ‘huge difference’ is hyperbole, Crabtree is no more than a very average TE. Tight ends that actually make a ‘huge difference’ are Vernon Davis, Witten, and Jimmy Graham, not Crabtree. If he made such a huge difference, why did we let him walk?
Wrong Crabtree… We’re talking about Michael Crabtree, WR for the 49ers who is currently out with an injury.
M. Crabtree…you are correct, he is an excellent WR…sorry 4 misunderstanding.
i still do not see how we can be optimistic with the safety problem. rodgers will keep us in games and win a mess of them, but the middle of the field is just wide open for any middling qb to play catch with his tight end or slot receiver.
Lets also keep in mind that Cobb and Nelson missed most/all of the preseason and still managed over 100 yards and a score EACH! With more practice and game time they will each get into better sync with AR – that’s a scary thought for any defense. Did someone say we didn’t get any pressure? I seem to remember a couple sacks in the game-against one of the best o-lines. The Pack held their own against the best and most balanced team in the NFL and despite two turnovers were still within one score of winning-on the road nonetheless.
Packer nation-keep your chin up – that way you can actually see the rest if the season!
Ross, I like your attitude and optimism. Yet our secondary play reminded me of 2 yrs. ago when against the pass we were dead last. We needed a safety in this year’s draft, and instead are stuck with three unproven safeties, two of whom were UDFA’s…This doesn’t bode well if Burnett is out for a few more weeks.
I agree the sky is not falling. It was good to hear Capers say that they did “call” for doubling Boldin during the game but it was executed poorly. That gives me some confidence that they were at least trying something. McMillan truly had his worst game as a pro. That did not help. I think run game will continue to improve. Looks like i will have to predict 15-1 at this point :)GoPack!
I am curious why they played Bush instead of House. House had at least two tackles on special teams so he wasn’t hurt. I never saw him on the field, but saw Bush plenty of times.
I am curious of that, as well… I wish the Bush days at CB would just be over.
…thought we had such great DB’s?…the key play of the game late in the 4th qtr., down by 3, and Tramon Williams doesn’t know who he’s supposed to cover on 4th-and-2…He needs to go after this year…
I’m guessing that the reasoning was simply that Bush is more athletic than house and far more physical than any other DB on the roster.
They may have felt that without Burnett on the field, they needed the dime back to be as physical a tackler as
possible, and that would be Bush over House.
Just my best guess
Get the ball to Lacy coming out of the backfield so he operates in space and get James Jones involved so that the field is really spread out. The defensive backs will only get better with experience. The playoffs are a long way off.
The lack of such plays is the clue to the GB O-line NOT dong the great job people here say they did. Rodgers was obviously not going throuogh his progressions like he usually does in order to get the ball out fast. Zero catches by Jones and if I remember right zero throws to him. Three players caught all but 2 completions. That’s on the rotten O line – they limited what could be done.
Still better than letting Rodgers get jackhammered all day long.
Sir,
San Fransisco’s defensive front seven obliterate opponents offensive line on a regular basis. They completely shut down the run and disrupt the QB..
Top five rush defense and pass defense in 2012 (#4 rush AND pass defense, good for #3 total defense). Last year on average they allowed 17.1 points per game and only 200.2 yards per game.
The Packers OL provided enough time for Aaron Rodgers to operate. It wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t pretty all of the time, but they fared quite well in pass protection and struggled in run blocking vs. one of the best defensive fronts in football, to the tune of 322 yards and 28 points, with a 4th round rookie starting at LT next to a OG that was playing his first NFL game on the left side (against the most dominant defensive right side in football), with first year starter @ RT next to a OG that’s also starting his first game on the right.
I simply do not understand what people expect. This was a very good, very encouraging showing from a young, shuffled OL’s first start together vs. a very experienced, dominant SF defensive front.
Room for improvement? Sure. Very solid first showing? Absolutely.
Interesting perspective…it seems to me I recall one throw to Jones that was behind him and broken-up near the right sideline…that was it. He was invisible…
Does everyone forget week 1 last year? The cowboys dominated the ravens, colts lost by 20, jets won by 20, and the cardinals beat the seahawks. Lets all relax and let this team develop. The SB 10 team was playing their best football at the end of the season…not the beginning.
First anyone who thinks the Lions are for real because they beat the Vikings has some really powerful drugs but still doesn’t have a clue. Do you really want to see what would happen if the Lions played SF on the road?! Back to the Packers where we belong. If they stay healthy and give the same effort they gave in SF they will win a lot of games this season. The run game will continue to come together and Burnett and Heyward will return. Also, we will not always play with the terrible field position we had in SF and we will not face as strong OL’s and DL’s again. Lombardi’s Packers lost their first game of the season 3-4 times during his era and I seem to remember some great seasons and NFL championships (5 to be exact) from those days. Stay positive and Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since ’61
Im definitely encouraged by our wideout playmaking. Nelson, Cobb, and Finley all made big plays. And our most consistent playmaker from last season James Jones was only targeted once! Feeling good again about saying we have the best wideout core in the league
Chad, I have to admire your attitude.
I hope that the positives you saw and reminded us of come to pass.
what?
I had to read it twice to pick it up, too… It’s:
“I hope that, the positives you saw(in the game), and reminded us of(in your article), come to pass.”
Does that help, Ryan?
it does. Thank you!
This game was not as close as the score indicated. That’s the problem here. Sure, GB is going to win plenty of games. They’ll probably finish 2nd in the division and maybe be a wild card. If teh Bears or Lions falter, which is certainly possible, they might take the division. But they are not in the top strata of the NFL.
ZERO throws to James Jones. You say the O line game Rodgers a lot of good protection? I didn’t see it. I saw him throwing into coverage a lot because players were not getting open. Five players caught 7, 7, 5, 1, and 1 passes. GB has thrived on 7-9 players catching passes.
Needing a play – not getting a play. With the 9ers on 3rd down, the 9ners convert. GB OTOH went three and out 5 or 6 times in the game. Which leads to
Time of possession was essentially 40 : 20. that’s a blowout my friends.
63 yards rushing, 13 by Rodgers. Same year, different backs, same lousy O line … same results.
Penalties. Here is the one area GB did pretty well 5 for GB 11 for SF. Except GBs only 3 runs were all called back due to penalties on GB “best O lineman”. And we know of that 4th one by Matthews. So those 5 hurt.
but consider the 11 by the 9ers. A huge number were for movement, illegal formation, and not being set. These are correctable mistakes once they settle down. But had SF not had these errros then we’d have seen the “true” score. And then we’d not by trying to fool ourselves that GB was not put away like an unwanted Christmas gift.
So yes, GB will win plenty of games. The NFL is close and competetive. But once the playoffs arrive the top strata teams will settle our hash like the 9ers did on Sunday.
I will be very happy to be wrong but the odds do not look good for a SB this year. So enjoy the regular season Sundays.
2012 no. of receivers with a pass caught/total receptions/total yards, by game:
Wk. 1 SF: 5/30/303 LOSS
Wk. 2 CHI: 9/23/246 WIN
Wk. 3 SEA: 9/26/223 LOSS
Wk. 4 NO: 8/31/319 WIN
Wk. 5 IND: 10/21/243 LOSS
Wk. 6 HOU: 6/24/338 WIN
Wk. 7 STL: 7/30/342 WIN
I don’t have the time to go further, but there’s clearly not much correlation between the number of receivers with a reception and wins/losses. In fact, there’s more of an inverse correlation between number of receivers and total receptions/yards. The more receivers that catch a pass, the less number of total receptions and the lower the passing totals.
But then, you’re not looking for facts… You’re trying to lay blame for the loss instead of taking an objective view at the data.
Every one of those game listed (except the SF game surprise surprise) show more than 5 players catching passes. The point is, in this SF game the GB offense did not perform as per usual. There’s a lot of talk on this board that GB offense was clicking and the game was real close. It wasn’t. When GB is clicking Rodgers has time to spread the ball around.
No. GB’s offense was not clicking. And the score was a lot closer than the game. C’mon. We’ve all seen enough football to know the final score can often mislead as to how close a game was in actual performance. But comment afteer comment here points to the score and colcludes it was a real close game. 40:20 TOP says “not really.”
Oh i missed tis part:
But then, you’re not looking for facts… You’re trying to lay blame for the loss instead of taking an objective view at the data.
I’ve laid out a tone of data. And I’ve spent my adult career working jobs where crunching data puts a roof over my head. Lay off the insults OK, you have NO IDEA what you’re talking about.
No idea? Where are you posting your comment? It’s thanks to people like Chad (and Al) that you even have a place to comment. You’re on this site because of the quality produced here, unless you admit to associating with poor quality.
I did not know the ability to create a web site brought with it the ability to read minds of people who post on it, and to judge their ability to analyse information.
You’ve laid out some numbers, but you aren’t using them in any objective way. It’s all subjective to your preset view of the Packers. That, and you’re not really checking your information. You’re basing it off of human memory, which at its best is still faulty.
Here’s a fine example:
“With the 9ers on 3rd down, the 9ners convert. GB OTOH went three and out 5 or 6 times in the game.”
The 49ers had a 50% conversion rate on third down (9 of 18). That’s not amazingly successful, if you ask me. And yes, the Packers were only 40% successful on third down (4 of 10)… but here’s the kicker:
Both teams had exactly 23 first downs each. It’s simple math to understand that the Packers were converting MORE on early downs than the 49ers. So yes, while the percentages indicate the 49ers were slightly better on third down, it doesn’t take into account the fact that they weren’t converting on earlier downs. Plus, you conveniently fail to mention that the 49ers went 3-and-out four times.
Listen… I’m not trying to attack you on a personal level, and I apologize if it was taken that way. But I completely disagree with how you’re spinning all these numbers. Is it all lollipops and roses? Of course not. But it’s not eternal damnation, either.
Ch, well spun argument.
It will be interesting how we bounce back vs. the ‘skins…Also, I will enjoy watching Seahawks vs. 49’ers. I would wager now, that Boldin does not come close to 13 catches nor not 200+ yards, but, does not get 100 yards…any takers?
Me:” Sure, GB is going to win plenty of games. They’ll probably finish 2nd in the division and maybe be a wild card. If teh Bears or Lions falter, which is certainly possible, they might take the division”
“So yes, GB will win plenty of games.”
“I will be very happy to be wrong but the odds do not look good for a SB this year. So enjoy the regular season Sundays.”
You: ” Is it all lollipops and roses? Of course not. But it’s not eternal damnation, either.”
Where did I claim anything close to eternal damnation?
The theme of this article and the bulk of the comments is: The Packers did a great job against the best team in the NFC and therefore they should do great this year.
I am countering with the observation that the game was not as close as the score indicated, and that we are seeing the same exact weaknesses which doomed out SuperBowl runs in the last two years.
GB looks to be a good team but this early result points to another repeat of 2011 and 2012. GB makes the playoffs and gets bounced. Yeah, any team can get hot and roll off a playoff string. But we’re discussing probabilities here. The probability is GB’s weaknesses will be exploited in the playoffs at some point by one of the teams w/o similar weak spots.
The data available to us is limited. more importantly the time ans space available to us is limited. And I am not being paid to run these data through extensive statistical analysis. We all select a few items to highlight our points. Your accusations pointed towards me apply just as much to your writing.
So let’s lay off the person slurs OK? My only crime here is not feeling giddy optimism. If you want a site where only “rah rah” is allowed, that is entirely up to you. It is your site and it is your call. If you don’t want such a site, however, you might want to consider not personalizing criticism of those people who are less upbeat on GB’s chances this season.
Wzatch teh game again. It”l take you 35 minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh9Xl7VF3LQ
Notice how often when Rodger is throwing the ball, he has 2 or more red shirts within about a yard of him. Not always of course, but often.
Notice when Kappernick thrown the ball, he often does not have a white shirt w/in 4-5 yards of him.
This stuff does not show up in any statistic. But I don’t know how anyone watches this and say the GB O-line did a good job. They forced Rodgers to throw under pressure. If he wasn’t under pressure most times that was because he was throwing immediately to a receiver 2-3 yards off the LOS, or because GB ran a planned rollout.
This is not the sort of O line play that makes for an elite team. Rodgers is so good he covers up for a good bit of that. But over the course of a season and hundreds of snaps this poor pass blocking will take its toll.
Maybe you do your best work when you’re on the clock.
It’s not up for debate. Of course I do. I’ll bet you focus more on the job than when you are watching entertainment on TV too.
Excellent points. Both teams will be very different 16 games from now so you can’t get too worried. There were plenty of encouraging things. Front 7 played great, the young OT’s handled themselves well (esp. the rook). EDS was solid. I still have plenty of faith in the 2ndary. They were missing 2 starters and are young. Loved seeing the kickoffs boom through the back of the endzone. If you take away Lacy’s fumble, or if it bounces to a GB player, it could easily have changed the outcome. SF has possibly the most solid roster in the league (think Seattle’s overrated) and it was on the road. A fine showing, all things considered
It’s a long season and you can’t win the Super-Bowl in sept. Sure the 49’s won but the Packers battled and I wonder what would have happened if R Cobb had been able to get out of bounds and stop the clock on the Packers last drive. I have a feeling the Packers and 49ers might be seeing each other again in January!
” And if there’s anything I’ve learned as a football fan, it’s that THE JOURNEY IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE END RESULT.”
“It’s a long road, and I’m going to ENJOY THE TRIP.”
“So if you want to throw your hands in the air and shield yourself from the falling sky, be my guest. But I’m not going to. I’m going to REMEMBER THE GROWTH I saw in this team and LOOK FORWARD TO MORE OF IT as the season progresses.”
***”For some strange reason, this fan base lacks some perspective….it’s high time we start seeing things from a different perspective. Perhaps even a more positive one.”***
Chad, I’m both glad and envious that you’ve learned to approach this glorious game of football in such a healthy manner at your relatively young age, it took many many more years to figure it out.
I was once the angst-filled, hand-wringing mess on Saturday nights that became the angry, belligerent pile of grumpy on Monday mornings, like many football fanatics. Somewhere along the line, I realized it’s just a game, I’m supposed to enjoy it, it’s supposed to be fun. I have no control over what transpires, so why get bent out of shape?
I also learned that it really is the journey. I like the struggle. I enjoy watching young, raw talent find their way in the league and hone their skills. I’m more interested in a day at training camp watching players put in hard work and seeing glimpses of talent emerge. I find a hard-fought loss to a great opponent more satisfying than seeing a lop-sided victory where the other team doesn’t even stand a chance.
Great article, it really resonates with me.
Sadly, I am at a point where I find dealing with other fans after a loss (or sometimes, even after a win) far more difficult and trying than coping with the actual game itself.
Some fans really do need a perspective check.
Thanks for the props, Oppy… I get riled up just like everyone else when I watch the Packers play… but at the end of the day, it’s a matter of whether I enjoyed the game. Obviously, that joy is heightened when they win; still, after games like this, I don’t see the point in dwelling on all the negative details.
I actually had to step away from Twitter for a bit in the first quarter of the game when numerous tweets were calling for Capers’ head on a platter. I just don’t get that attitude 10 minutes into a season.
Oh well. Here’s to perspective! 😉
Before you stop dealing with fans whether a loss or win….you’re still on the hook for some crow…..LOL 🙂
Oh, I’ll be here through week 6. I just don’t think I’ll need an appetite.. Perry’s just fine.
My optimism is actually pretty high this season for the Packer’s Offense, as well as the defense. I’m really thankful it over shadows my growing distain for Coach (Nancy) Harbaugh and his Forty whiners team.
It’s fun to drink the kool-aid but that was as bad a job covering WRs as you will ever see in the NFL. truth be told, 49ers have no pure WRs, they have two hybrid TE/WRs. What it will look like when we go up against real WRs with real speed, quickness, jumping and route-running ability? I’m tired of the same old shit out of Capers – he can load up (cheat) to stop the run or the pass but he is clueless to stop both at the same time. There are only two possible answers: Capers is no longer a competent DC or the Packers’ personnel sucks or a lot of both. I’m worried it’s the latter.
…outside of the profanity, I am beginning to agree with you concerning DC Capers…though I believe neither MD Jennings nor Jerron McMillan are starting-caliber NFL Safeties…2014 Draft: please draft a safety in the first 2 rounds.