Cory’s Corner: Packers look great by winning ugly

It might not make any sense, but the Packers needed one of these ugly wins.

They’re not always going to be able rely on Aaron Rodgers to throw six touchdown passes or score over 50 points.

The Packers proved that their quarterback doesn’t need an All-Galaxy game in order to win — and on the road no less. Rodgers’ stats would’ve been good for the majority of the quarterbacks in the league but when compared against himself, Rodgers looked pedestrian with 209 yards and two touchdowns.

This was only the fourth game that Jordy Nelson didn’t catch a touchdown pass this season and Randall Cobb had his fourth-lowest receiving output with five catches for 58 yards.

But the Packers still won.

“Of course, we would love to score 50 points and the game’s over in the third quarter, but I think as a team, sometimes you need some of these wins,” said left tackle David Bakhtiari. “It’s a little bit of a humbling victory, but also now we know that we can go into these close battles and we can basically go 10, 12 rounds and take some punches and give some blows back and really show a lot of grit.”

And with Mother Nature starting to come into play, telling teams that you can win by ramming it down the opponents’ throat sends a pretty loud message.

These guys feed off of confidence. It’s an addictive drug that can easily permeate the rest of the roster.

And when Eddie Lacy ran five times on the final drive including the game-sealing 10-yard rumble on second-and-5 to give the Packers a first down, that was microcosm of confidence.

First, it was confidence from coach Mike McCarthy that Lacy would be able to move the chains, allowing Rodgers two kneel downs to put the game to bed. Next it was confidence from the offensive line that Lacy, who has struggled this season, to open holes that he would find and burst through. And finally, it was confidence from Rodgers, Nelson and Cobb. That trio is the meat and potatoes of the Packers’ offense and they were confident that Lacy, who had just one 100-yard rushing game entering Sundays’ contest, could write the final chapter.

This team just got even more diverse and scarier for opposing coordinators. Lacy ran for a season-high 125 yards while feeling sick. Tight end Richard Rodgers continues to find a spot on his quarterback’s receiver Rolodex.

Finally, another bright spot was the safety play. Morgan Burnett and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix led the team with 10 and 9 tackles, respectively. They both are playing assertive football and are the third-best safety tandem in the league behind Cleveland and Buffalo.

Rodgers didn’t surgically cut through the Vikings’ defense, but the Packers found another way. Against New England and in the playoffs, more things will be taken away forcing the Packers to win uncomfortably or ugly.

“I think it’s good for us, I really do,” said right tackle Bryan Bulaga. “Our last two, we’ve pulled Aaron out and a lot of starters out in the third quarter. I think that was a good game for us, to kind of test our character as a team a little bit and play a full 60-minute game, because that’s what it was. I think those type of wins are good for a team.”

I agree. Many expected another Packers’ blowout, but Green Bay was able to learn a little bit more about themselves in a hard-fought ugly win.

 

 

——————

Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: Cory Jennerjohn

——————

24 thoughts on “Cory’s Corner: Packers look great by winning ugly

  1. “This team just got even more diverse and scarier for opposing coordinators.”

    “… but Green Bay was able to learn a little bit more about themselves in a hard-fought ugly win.”

    A huge day for the ‘lost and found’ department of the Green Bay Packers regarding these two facts. 🙂

  2. What are you basing the statement that Burnett and HaHa are the 3rd best safety combo on? Just wonderin

    1. Again something against Packers players. My God. Why some of you do not establish NFL franchise and be your own manager ad coach. Let see you how you will do…

      1. Croat my friend, it’s what makes America so unique. Here’s a passage from a movie that I think best explains our nature, and sheds some light on why so many people don’t get what it means to be an American.

        “America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You’ve gotta want it bad, ’cause it’s gonna put up a fight. It’s gonna say, ‘You want free speech?’ Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms.

        Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free.”

        We get to express our agreement or displeasure in equal measure and volume as we so determine. Be it how the country is run, or something as trivial as which football team you support.

        It’s in our DNA.

        1. I have no problems with their right to speak (or to write…). And I know how it goes in US, learned long time ago. But, in Europe, we think that everybody has the right to say what she/he thinks, but to respect others there is no need to repeat that all the times again and again… We heard what she/he have to say (write…). We also thinks that repeating yourself you are taking away time / space from the others… That is how we, in Europe, looks on that. I’m not claiming what is better, or, really, I’m not into discussion who is better. I respect your way, as I expect you to respect mine… So it is not about who is better, because Packers are the best! Go, Pack, Go…

      2. Uhh, wow. I was just asking where he got his rankings from. Wasn’t a diss on our safeties, take a chill pill. I know we’ve rotated Hyde at safety too, though not as often as of late. Wonder if that’s a factor too.

        1. You are not the guilty one. Just what you wrote was a little trigger. Just that… Nothing personal. I know you want the best to Packers….

    2. It probably helps the Packers safety ranking that there just aren’t a lot of great safeties in the league this year, at least that’s how it seems to me. Both Burnett and HHCD have been more than adequate. I could see them ranked at 3, although personally that seems a tad high. I don’t think that means they’re great, it’s more that safety play is down this year… again, IMO.

      I hope that the “better dead than Ted” crowd will take note of how seamlessly TT shored up last year’s weakest position without doing anything stupid. Remember when everyone was crying about how Burnett flat-out sucked, couldn’t play and needed to be cut immediately? Remember how everyone was crying that the Packers didn’t sign Jairus Bird or Dashon Goldson? Now Bird and his big time salary are on IR, and Goldson and his even more horrific contract are almost certain to get cut from an awful Tampa Bay team. Big money TJ Ward went to Denver and looks OK, has made a fair number of tackles and only got arrested once, so far.

      Then there was the draft. “Trade up for Calvin Prior!” they said. “What is that idiot TT thinking,” they said. “Dix doesn’t have Prior’s upside,” they said. “No, Deone Buchanon is the bomb!” they said. “No, Jimmy Ward will be the steal of the draft!” they said….

      1. the guy we really needed and wanted was gone a few picks ahead of the Pack….the ILB who is playing like the monster he is going to be…T.J.M….

        1. Billy, we desperately needed a safety more than ILB but not by much. Ted hit the jackpot in Clinton Dix and a huge weakness has now become a strength. Just like the year before where our major weakness was rb and that was solved with Eddie Lacy. As Mike Pennel said recently, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Trust me Ted will get that ILB shored up next year. Relax and enjoy this great super bowl season and realize you are in good hands with TT in charge.

        2. What GB really needed was for their 1st round pick to be at least a really good player, and better if the player turns out to be a stud. I liked Mosley best of the big 4 positional need guys (Mosley, Shazier, Pryor and Dix). Most thought one of those 4 would be available at #21. I have to admit that Mosley’s medical history scared me. IDK if I could have pulled the trigger on Mosley if one of the others had been available. I would have preferred for one of the ILBs to have fallen since I liked a few safeties that I thought would be available in the 2nd or 3rd rounds (but I was surprised when Ward, Buchannon, Southward and especially Brooks were drafted quite a bit higher than I thought they would be.

          We will never know which player TT liked the best, since only Dix of the big 4 was available at #21. Looks like TT got two 10-year quality starters out of this draft (Clinton-Dix and Linsley), and Adams looks like he belongs in the NFL at least, with the jury still out on the other draftees.

      2. Excellent thoughts on our living legend Teddy Tee. It’s why I have a statue of him in my man cave. Most people either don’t appreciate him, hate him outright or constantly question his greatness. I don’t. I am smart enough to realize nobody does it better than Ted. Makes me feel sad for the rest.
        Ted

      3. Your absolutely right about improved safety play and TT deserves major props for that. I just wonder why he didn’t address ILB during the off season as well. I know great LB’s don’t grow on tree’s, but I thought he would draft at least 1. Maybe Bradford improves and becomes serviceable, and I like Barrington as a back up, but we need 1 legit, 3 down starter. Think if CM3 was playing next to a legit starter instead of Hawk? No telling how much better the D would be. I think even the most stubborn Hawk fans now realize how below average he is. I think he will still be back one more year unfortunately, but as a backup/mentor to the new starter. Hopefully someone falls in the draft because it looks like we’ll be picking at the end of the 1st round again!

  3. Pretty wins, ugly wins, what does it matter? If the Packers won the rest of their games including the Super Bowl, the way they beat the Vikes who would care? I’d be fine with it. Although I would prefer to reduce the number of penalties. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since ’61

  4. No team is going to look great every week. Close games, even when you play sloppily, will help sharpen focus down the road. Blowouts are fun for the fans but don’t really help the team grow. Close games do. Fix the mistakes, keep playing hard. Get hot down the stretch. Win the Lombardi Trophy. GoPack!

  5. The GB/MN rivalry is always crazy especially at MN. Anything can happen. I for one don’t care we didn’t blow them out. I am just glad we got out of there alive and healthy and we didn’t need to put in T.J. Rubley.

  6. Mr. Business Decision earned his game check. Funny how some guys can just dial it up when they have to. That’s a trend and a trait I’d like to not only see continued, but shared as well.

  7. Off-topic: Marshall Newhouse is now the starting RT for the Bengals, who also picked up Jamon Meredith to back him up. Newhouse purportedly had a pretty good game against J.J. Watt last week.

    1. Just goes to show you the greatness of one Ted Thompson and the strength of this current Packers roster. His castoffs are starters for other teams. The list is endless. Just saw Charles Johnson of MN impress the hell out of me.
      Glad to hear Newhouse did well against Watt. I hate Watt now because of that dumb ass commercial he made. What grown man shows up to a high school dance with a football uniform on? I get sick everytime I see it. Makes me cringe.

Comments are closed.