I agreed 100 percent with Mike McCarthy’s decision to rest Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, but I couldn’t help but think about how I would feel if I dropped an entire paycheck to bring my family to the game, only to learn that Rodgers was resting.
“Resting?” I would have said. “I’m paying how much for tickets, parking, food, beer, a jersey and other stuff so my family can come watch Aaron Rodgers and he’s taking the day off?!?!”
Those angry thoughts would not have lasted much longer after the game started, though. How many fans can say they saw something historic and record-breaking happen at Lambeau Field? The fans at Sunday’s game can.
The Packers are definitely rising heading into the playoffs and there will be more opportunities to make history before the season concludes.
Rising
Matt Flynn
Matt Flynn may be the biggest mover of the entire season. Flynn’s performance and his statistics from Sunday speak for themselves, so I’d like to use this space to address the silly notion that the success of Aaron Rodgers this season and Flynn on Sunday was solely due to the Packers “system.” Yes, McCarthy has one of the best systems in the NFL, but anyone who suggests Rodgers is a “system quarterback” should be locked in a padded room with Skip Bayless and forced to watch replays of the Broncos-Chiefs game from Sunday. Tom Oates from the Wisconsin State Journal sums up my thoughts perfectly with this Tweet. You could put Rodgers on any team, with any system, and he’d still be one of the best QBs in the NFL. The throws he makes and the plays he digs out of his you-know-where are amazing and would be just as amazing under any “system.” And lets not cheapen what Flynn did on Sunday by lazily chalking it up to the Packers “system.”
Jordy Nelson
Remember when the Packers offense looked lost without Greg Jennings? Neither do I. Nelson caught three TDs on Sunday and finished with 15 for the season, the highest total by a Packers WR since Sterling Sharpe caught 18 TDs in 1994. Nelson averaged 18.6 yards per catch, the highest average since James Lofton’s 22.0 in 1984. Those stats are nice, but the best part of Nelson’s game is the Jordy Stiff Arm. It came out again on Sunday and it looked nastier than ever.
Ryan Grant
Since week 12, Grant is averaging 5.86 yards per carry. I didn’t think the Packers used Grant very well the first half of the season. It seemed like every time he got the ball it was on a straight dive play up the middle. Since McCarthy started calling more stretch plays, Grant has come to life.
Steady
Scott Wells
Chad Clifton made an appearance and Evan Dietrich-Smith saw some extra playing time. Through it all, Wells had another solid game matched up against a tough Lions defensive front.
James Jones
The days when Jones was complaining about playing time seem so long ago. Jones has 10 catches for 139 yards and two TDs the last two weeks, including a crunch-time catch deep down the sideline on Sunday. Some people scratched their heads when Ted Thompson resigned Jones in the offseason. Now it’s the opposing DBs that are left to scratch their heads as the Packers continue to pile up yards with Jennings sidelined.
Falling
Erik Walden
It’s been a rough holiday season for Walden. After getting arrested on Thanksgiving night, Walden has played like he’s wearing handcuffs, failing to set the edge on outside runs and not generating a pass rush. He added a silly roughing the passer penalty on Sunday that had to make McCarthy want to run onto the field and drag Walden off by his ear.
Tramon Williams
Yes, it’s unfair to get upset at a CB who just got torched by Calvin Johnson, but Williams’ play has been falling the last two weeks, not just against Megatron. Remember the play against the Bears where Williams got beat, then whiffed big time trying to make the tackle? Plays like that need to be cleaned up in the postseason.
Ndamukong Suh
As soon as Suh did the title belt after a sack late in the game, I knew the Packers would win. You don’t use the title belt against the Packers. It backfires almost ever time.
Adam Czech is a a freelance sports reporter living in the Twin Cities and a proud supporter of American corn farmers. When not working, Adam is usually writing about, thinking about or worrying about the Packers. Follow Adam on Twitter. Twitter .
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Suh has the IQ of an ant.
How much money did flynn make on sunday? 20 million? 30 million? that is what you call rising to the occassion. now i guess TT has to decide if he is happy with the compensatory pick or attempt to franchise flynn and then sign and trade. i kind of just see TT letting flynn walk, but he has done it before with corey williams.
tramon looked like he was just out of sync on sunday. megatron had a field day.
on of the wierdest games i have ever watched. this game totally mind f-ed the lions for the playoffs. i am sure when they saw the lineup they were thinking a 20-30 point victory.
the lions are the new vikings. really starting to hate them.
I still think the franchise tag belongs to Finley, unless TT gets the sense he can absolutely rip someone off in a Flynn trade.
i dont know. one agent that was quoted in the JSonline who supposedly represents a franchise player, said the packers could easily get a first round pick for cobb. if that potential is there, I would let finley walk to be able to get a first round pick for flynn. the we would get a 3rd or 4th round compensatory pick for finley.
the raiders gave up first round and second round pick for palmer. flynn has nine touchdowns in two starts. it only takes one or two teams who think flynn is a franchise QB to make it happen. if you do not have a QB in the nfl you have no shot. all QBs value is higher than it has ever been.
Well, if TT thinks he can get a Carson Palmer type of haul for Flynn, he should use the tag and go for it. I’d say the chances are slim to none, however. Unfortunately, not many teams are as stupid as the Raiders. There are many stupid teams, but not Raiders stupid.
Also, draft picks are even more valuable than before because of the new salary structure.
I thought Williams was a sign and trade. Good pt. any way.
As an obsessed observer of the Oline, I would put Sitton on the rise. In fact, I’m betting the whole fortune on him. This would be like betting on Micro Soft in the early eighties.
Reviewing the game on the DVR I saw Sitton moving around better than he has all year. Got good down field movement on his man and pulled with speed and grace. He looks ready for the playoffs and that is a very good thing.
Agreed Ron. It was down to Wells and Sitton and I went with Wells because of his overall body of work this year. Sitton back at full strength is going to be nice to have against the Giants.
Yes, the o line is on the rise and very important because we will need to run the ball somewhat successfully in the frigid weather.It’s also a great situation for now and the future that our young linemen got plenty of experience.
Maybe two of the best games the O-line has played this year occurred against the Bears and Lions. Maybe Bulaga is the real weak-link (just kidding). When Bulaga returns and if Cliffy can remain vertical, watch-out for this offense.
Regarding Flynn, I believe the speed on his throws is noticeably less than A-Rods. He has nice touch (the pass to JJ was perfect) however, and this is an area he could show A-Rod something. Sometimes, I believe, the drops from receivers stems from the high-speed and lack of arc on A-Rods passes at times. Flynn throws more of a lollipop. In fact it would be hard to drop a Flynn pass. However, IMO, from what I’ve seen, Flynn would eventually get the receivers killed because he throws a slower ball and into traffic more, whereas A-Rod rarely puts a receiver in a bad position.
Also when a play is breaking down I noticed Flynn’s willingness to hit the check-downs more than A-Rod. Sometimes those check-downs morph into 80 yard gallops by your RB.
Great game by Flynn, but I think we’re overvaluing him based on this one game. However, I do remember an undersized, weak-armed touch QB who had a great career in S.F. Now if we can coddle a high-draft pick out of someone for him – then go for it, but I don’t want to do it at the expense of losing Finley.
Top 5 QB average vs. Top 5 TE average. Unless they have a signed deal, I know which one I’m hoping for. Plus, Finley’s agent is not happy with TE money, he wants WR money. So, maybe no franchise for hime either.
I don’t think Ted Thompson cares too much what Finley wants. He’ll do what’s best for the team and Finley will have to live with it. There’s very little downside to any one-year deal if there is adequate cap space.
Thanks for bring up the MMs system being the reason Rodgers is great. What a bunch of Bull $&!t. There was a poll on JS and it was split 50/50 system/QB. How ridiculous. I think Skippy Sayless started this topic.
Walden is a shell of himself since his lady/arrest troubles, it just goes to show how much sports is just as much of a mental game as physical, even in football.
The Flynn situation will be interesting to watch. No matter what, I want Finely back.
is part of TW’s prob (and part of the whole passing D prob) related to playing 10 yards off the receiver?I hope DC is setting up opponents for a new look in the playoffs.
It does seem like Capers and the DBs are overreacting to getting beat deep early in the season by giving way too much cushion. It’s not a bad move……except for the little problem that they are still getting beat.
DO U GUYS THINK MAYBE GRANT IS JUST GETTING HEALTHY…SAY WHAT YOU WANT BUT THERE WAS NO WAY GRANT HAD THE BURST IN SEPT,OCT AND NOV THAT HE HAS NOW…HES A DIFFERENT BACK NOW…LOOKS LIKE HE DID TWO YEARS AGO
He definitely looks better, but I still think they’re using him better.
Who’s to say TT doesnt work out some sort of trade with a team like the Browns or Dolphins and sign him to a sizable contract and trade without the use of the franchise tag. I think a team set on Flynn may want to keep him off the market. It may be a slim chance but but it’d get us some extra compinsation without the risk of a 14 million cap hit.