Packers Stock Report: “Go Pack Go” vs. “Bears Still Suck” edition

TJ Lang and Josh Sitton

Let’s start this week’s Green Bay Packers stock report with a quick poll:

Is it more satisfying when Packers fans take over an opposing team’s stadium with “Go Pack Go” chants when the Packers win on the road, or is it more satisfying when the Packers are stomping the Bears at Lambeau Field and fans chant “Bears still suck?”

The correct answer is both, of course, but if I had to pick one, I’d go with taking over the other team’s stadium. One of my favorite Packers’ memories is walking out of Soldier Field after the Packers beat the Bears in the NFC title game and chanting “Go Pack Go” with other large groups of Packers fans. It made you feel eight feet tall (and thankful you were in a larger group of Packers fans so you didn’t get killed by depressed Bears fans).

The “Go Pack Go” chants were also loud when the Packers beat the Falcons during that same playoff run.

We can chant “Bears still suck” whenever we want to. At home, in our cars, at Lambeau Field, in the shower, and even on those rare occasions when the Bears actually have a decent team and don’t fit the traditional definition of sucking.

But it’s not very often that you get to celebrate loudly in the other team’s stadium after a big victory. Hearing Lambeau erupt in a “Bears still suck” chant was great, but I’m hoping we hear plenty of “Go Pack Go” in opposing stadiums the rest of this season.

Onto this week’s Packers stock report:

Rising

Julius Peppers
After Ted Thompson signed Peppers, there were actually people who wondered if he shouldn’t have signed Jared Allen instead. Good thing those people don’t run the Packers. Allen was a helluva player, but he’s nowhere near as gifted as Peppers. Allen also was aided for years in Minnesota by a fast indoor surface, whereas Peppers has played his entire career outdoors. So far, Peppers has delivered as we hoped he would in Green Bay.

Clay Matthews
In early October, some bozo suggested moving Clay Matthews to inside linebacker might not be such a crazy idea. The Packers tried it on Sunday, and Matthews had 11 tackles and a sack. He also nearly killed a Bears receiver who I had never heard of on a reverse. I’d like to see this experiment play out further. Matthews likely won’t dominate every game like he did on Sunday, but he’s the Packers most gifted defensive player. Sticking him inside seems to give him more opportunities to fly around and make plays in other areas besides edge pass rushing.

T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton
Normally I don’t cheat and grant multiple players rising status in the same slot, but I’m making an exception here. Lang toughed out an ankle injury and Sitton is battling through a toe injury. To see both suit up and play (and play well) against the Packers’ biggest rival says a lot about their toughness.

Military veterans
Thank you to all the veterans who read the Packers Stock Report and ALLGBP.com on a regular basis. Your sacrifice and service grants us the freedom to chant “Go Pack Go” and “Bears Still Suck.”

Steady

Jordy Nelson
Yeah, he should be in the rising category again, but seeing Nelson running past defensive backs and making big plays is starting to feel routine.

Mike McCarthy
McCarthy’s steady presence was rewarded with a contract extension this week. Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels also had plenty of time to fill during the second half on Sunday, and used some of it to praise McCarthy. The extension from the Packers and praise from the national broadcast team are well deserved.

Falling

Nobody
When you beat the Bears 55-14 at home, nobody is falling. Well, the entire Bears franchise is falling, but you don’t need the stock report to tell you that.

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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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12 thoughts on “Packers Stock Report: “Go Pack Go” vs. “Bears Still Suck” edition

  1. Personally I had agreed with the “Bozo” about using Matthews in the middle, especially after the Peppers signing. It was a thing of beauty watching a Packer ILB run sideline to sideline making the tackle, playing the position with speed, and helping a defense hold a offense to 2.3 yards a carry. I heard that MM had said after the game Matthews isn’t a MLB but he’s a football player. That’s great Mike, just keep that “Football Player” in the middle, especially with Shaddy McCoy coming to town Sunday.
    The defense gave up 7 points, even after getting that huge lead. How many times have we saw the Packers give up 21 points in garbage times but that didn’t happen Sunday night. Glad Burnett was back at Safety Sunday, think it makes all the difference in the world. Now if the Packers can just get Eddie Lacy running like last year this team will be very difficult to beat down the stretch.
    David Bakhtiari did a excellent job on Jared Allen just like he had done last year. First thing I looked at when the Bears signed him in the offseason was how Bakhtiari did against Allen last year. Bakhtiari shut him down last year, just like last night. Awesome game all around!

    1. Couldn’t have been happier when the Bears signed Allen, he’s been mailing it in for a few years now.

  2. I agree with your rising players. I would also like to add Mike Pennel to the list. He had his best game so far in my opinion. By the end of December he’s going to be a beast to stop.

    I think Matthews is in the middle with Hawk the rest of the year. They’d be fools to change it after the immediate success they had. Matthews filled our weakest position and made not only the defense stronger, but I think it showed we were not utilizing Matthews talents all that they could. Matthews clearly makes much more of an impact being all over the field in the middle than just coming from one side of the field. Putting Matthews in the middle is almost like the Packers playing with an extra defender. That’s how much better our defense is with this switch. Besides the “Bozo”, who knew?

    1. I think it is very important for GB to continue to develop Pennel. You’re right, Pennel played well in 25 snaps with 2 pressures. Not sure whether he can get better in time to really, really, help (i.e. someone Capers can count on, or is as good or better than Guion) later this year, but if so, it might give Capers some options. What he’s done so far has been very helpful.

  3. If Matthew stays in the middle and keeps on playing like this, I will gladly bow to your wisdom, O Exalted Bozo. I was one of those who said that I would never move a first class pass rusher inside. But dang, he looked good in there. If he can keep it up, I will happily eat my hat and admit my error.

    A little bit in my defense, though, Capers was really playing him in a hybrid position. Matthews did revert to his normal outside rush position in the nickel and dime packages. I would think that is still a “must” on passing downs, even if Matthews plays most snaps in the middle.

  4. If all of the players brought that same intensity every game, I can’t imagine what this collection of players might be capable of.

    We’ve seen that they can do it, now I want to see them sustain it.

    Show me that, and I’ll show you a coach worthy of the moniker.

  5. Adam, you earned EVERY right to brag about moving Clay Matthews to ILB. Seriously, you get the credit. But I called the Julius Peppers playing at OLB when he was first signed by GB, and I also called him having a snap at TE, so I get to brag about that, lol.

    That all being said, WHY THE HELL DIDN’T TED THOMPSON DRAFT CHRIS BORLAND?????

    The guy has been a tackling MACHINE, in fact he’s played so well that San Fran felt comfortable putting Patrick Willis on IR. PATRICK WILLIS PEOPLE!!!

    I don’t care if Richard Rodgers turns out to be a decent TE, Borland was the right pick in almost every way. Whatever your opinion on TT may be, whether he’s the best GM in football or vastly overrated, this one of his biggest blunders. It made perfect sense to take Borland back then, and it especially would have made sense now.

    Total missed opportunity. It just eats at me to think about it.

    1. Agree Chad. Chris Borland would have looked great in a GB uniform. Watched a lot of him at Wisconsin. He was all over the place for the Badgers game after game. And as MM might say;” he’s a football player”.
      But to get him the Packers would have either had to take him in the second or trade up in the third. He might have been able to package the R Rodgers and Thornton picks and pull it off, which in hindsight would have been the way to go. Especially considering what Thornton has done.
      Imagine CM3 and Borland chasing everything down from sideline to sideline. Could have been a great combo.

        1. You are correct. Borland was picked at #77. Using Drafttek’s trade chart, our 3rd (85) and 4th (121) would almost perfectly have allowed GB to move to #76 or 75. But a GM has to really like a guy to give up an extra pick. And a lot of we armchair GMs would have preferred Louis Nix, who went #83. I’ll confess: I liked Borland’s football instincts, his motor, etc., and didn’t like his height, arm length and speed. I hoped he’d slide to the 4th or better, the 5th round.

  6. Lane Taylor and Garth Gerhart looked decent. Of course, against a demoralized team, maybe they can’t get a rising, but they passed a test. Dujuan Harris looked good, too, but Taylor and Gerhart were opening some holes, too. [I will have to eat some crow if either Taylor or Gerhart can even be decent back-ups given some of my comments on them, like flotsam, rejects, etc.] Tretter, on the other hand, was not ready for prime time at OG or OT. Hope he just needs to knock some rust off.

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