Tim_VanVooren's Blog

Derrick Frost has been released.  Let's face it, the punter was overhyped from the beginning in an attempt to justify the release of Jon Ryan.  Frost's inability to produce only heightened that oversell from the team's standpoint.  Even with his release, it was laid on Frost being unable to transform his practice work into game action.  The fact that his departure comes on the heels of two straight bad losses gives the baying hounds some sort of appeasement, but he could have been dismissed almost anywhere along the line in the last three months.  But Derrick Frost isn't the reason this team is below .500, and neither is Aaron Rodgers.  When you are publicly built to succeed through special teams and defense and then those two areas fail you as much as or more than any other areas, you are doomed.  Green Bay could still finish .500 this season and the future is still brighter than it appears right now.  However, the final month should provide a fascinating opportunity to see who is part of that future and who isn't when it comes to the roster and the coaching staff.

On a side note, I wholeheartedly agree with Mike McCarthy's decision to kick a field goal in the final two minutes of Sunday's game.  You have to believe that you will not give up a touchdown the other way, you simply have to believe your team is capable of that.  At worst, you expect Carolina to manuever into position to kick a field goal to force overtime.  That's at worst.  The Bears were stoned four straight times from the one yard line at Minnesota Sunday night.  You can quibble with the plays called on Green Bay's late series, but from this perspective, there is no debate about the decision to kick. 

 

The Packers outgained the Panthers by a huge margin on Sunday, because they had to.  Three times, Green Bay started drives deep inside its own territory, which means that the game was longer for the home team than the visitors.  Since the Packers supposedly were going to win with special teams and defense this year, the aim is not being met.  Aaron Rodgers continued his bad on the road / good at home trend.  Three touchdown passes versus one interception in desperation mode is good production.  He didn't throw one when Green Bay stalled out at the 1 yard line, though, and that has folks squawking.  The decision to kick a field goal instead of going for it on fourth down was absolutely correct.  You can perhaps quarrel with the play selection prior to that kick, but it still comes down to needing to stop the Panthers from getting a touchdown.  Even a tying field goal means overtime, but the Pack couldn't keep Carlina from the end zone.  There are many reasons this team is 5 and 7.  Kick and punt coverage were abysmal and coming on the heels of communications problems on the on-sides kick at New Orleans and Derrick Frost's on-going struggles, this can't be a great time to be Mike Stock.  The final month probably won't have any playoff implications, but it will impact the roster and staff for the future. 

Allen Iverson of the Pistons missed practice on Thanksgiving and earned the wrath of his coach in the process.  Of course, Iverson once asked incredulously when involved in a similar situation while he was with the Sixers, "practice ??!!??  we're talking about practice ??!!??"  I had a similarly incredulous reaction to another pr-word on the holiday.  "Projections ??!!??  we're talking about projections ??!!??"   ESPN was one of the first media outlets to make regular use of a crawl across the bottom of the screen.  It was an innovation which has let to liberal use everywhere and generally allows programmers to supplement their coverage.  Most of the time, that use is good.  In fact, watching the crawl cycle through on ESPN or FOX SIX or MSNBC or wherever can give you a great catchup (Nancy Grace gives you nothing but the same three sentences over and over again in a breathless fashion, but that's another story).  Anyway, on Thanksgiving afternoon, ESPN was running fantasy football projections for players scheduled to be involved in the night NFL game between the Eagles and Cardinals.  For instance, Anquan Boldin 2 touchdowns {projected}.   That's far more ridiculous than election projections.  In fact, it is far more ridiculous than almost anything else.  "Projections ??!!??  we're talking about projections ??!!??"

Tom Pipines has a good post on the situation regarding Donald Driver's father.  I am here in Houston to cover the story and it is interesting to see what kind of coverage the local newspaper and television stations are providing.  For Packers fans, there is support for Driver and his family and concern over what effect the incident could have on a normally extremely focused player.  Here in Houston, as you might expect, there is a focus on exactly what transpired between the police and Mr. Driver.  Some of the allegations being made by the family are very troubling, but until Marvin Driver actually talks with police, it seems wise to show restraint in judging the case.  Thankfully, Mr. Driver is showing improvement from a health standpoint, which is the most important thing.  He is now able to talk and we'll see what comes of those discussions.  The community activist who is working with the Driver family in Houston is having a town hall-style meeting this weekend to talk about police brutality.  Meanwhile, Donald Driver is back in Wisconsin and preparing to play the Saints.  The principles in this story all have something to gain in the near future.

The Packers haven't felt the pain of a loss to the Vikings in a while.  Mike McCarthy was 5 and 0 against the Vikes until Sunday.  Green Bay had two monstrous return plays for touchdowns and still couldn't win.  The noise was really pumping in the Metrodome as the Vikings defensive line overpowered Green Bay's offensive line.  Aaron Rodgers was beaten and battered and far from his best.  The pressure up the middle seemed to unnerve the whole unit and then Jared Allen got rolling from the outside and it got real ugly.  Two safeties in one half is ridiculous, but the Pack experienced good fortune last year and isn't making much of that this year.  Adrian Peterson is so special, why he wouldn't get the ball even more is perplexing.  The Packers are 4 and 5 because they can't find a rhythm on offense, can not stop the run on defense, aren't avoiding crucial penalties, and aren't tilting the field position game in their favor.  They aren't worse in the standings because of the terrific play from their secondary and the occasional big play on special teams.  It's hard for fans to be real happy about things right now, but Green Bay is just a game out of first place in the division with the Bears coming to Lambeau Field next week.  They'll take it.

Two costly turnovers.  While a lot of things happened in the loss at Tennessee Sunday, two costly turnovers really decided the game.  They came in the span of just a few plays in the third quarter and at LP Field, they really kept reinforcing that the Titans could prevail.  Remember watching the Packers last year and they would be kind of scuffling around, but then they'd get some good fortune and they'd be able to right the ship and win the game.  That's exactly how it felt for the home team Sunday.  The NFL's last unbeaten team was ripe for defeat number one, but the Packers couldn't catch those Kerry Collins misthrows, and they couldn't avoid a silly personal foul penalty on Brady Poppinga after a third down incompletion, and they couldn't convert makeable fourth down plays, and mostly, they made those two costly turnovers.  Aaron Rodgers' interception in the end zone cost the Packers three points at the least, and his fumble at the other end set up three points for Tennessee.  After the game, the mood in the lockerroom didn't see to be that bad about the loss because these guys know that sometimes it doesn't go your way even if you play well.... rather, I sensed real concern about being 4-4.  Now there is going to be pressure every week to stay in realistic playoff position.  That's more stress than any team would like to have, particularly with a tough schedule.  As for the game itself, rookies Josh Sitton, Jordy Nelson and even Jermichael Finley had some moments.  Michael Montgomery looked like fresh legs made a difference for him.  Jarrett Bush said he got a glove on the potential game-winning field goal try at the end of regulation.  Also, Brandon Jackson was a nice complement in the backfield (not a Titans-like 1-2 running back complement, but still nice).  Finley is far from a reliable target, though, and the run defense couldn't get it done when it mattered most.  Given the opposition, though, that group played much better than against Tampa Bay and Atlanta, even if the images of Chris Johnson and LenDale White are hard to forget.  Keep this in mind, Tennessee had two penalties and no turnovers.  That's how you win. 

The Packers are going to Nashville this weekend, so they will have their hands full coming off their bye.  But it will be pretty to watch on Sunday in one respect.  The Titans have some of the sharpest looking uniforms in the NFL.  I personally like the Falcons and Seahawks and Buccaneers.  What about you ?  Take away your allegiances to or dislikes of certain teams and think in terms of pure cosmetics. The Steelers and Jets have been wearing out their throwback duds this year and the Colts don't even really try.  But the league wants the public to want the gear.  Who do you like ? 

Ben Sheets will be leaving - and despite his injury history, he will be missed for the starts he did deliver.  CC Sabathia is likely to leave - and obviously he will be missed for many reasons.  Gabe Kapler and Craig Counsell are also veteran free agents who might get away.  However, the Brewers have already suffered a big offseason loss.  Jack Zduriencik is the new General Manager of the Seattle Mariners, leaving Milwaukee for a culture changing job in the Pacific Northwest.  Zduriencik's draft record made him an obvious candidate for organizations in need of an upgrade in that area.  Frankly, it's a shock that the Pirates did not hire the Pennsylvania native last year.  Coupled with the departures of two of Zduriencik's top assistants in the last couple of years, the foundation of the Brewers reemergence in the majors is altered significantly.  While much of the team's top talent is already at the big league level, continued success will depend on continued supply from the pipeline.  While this may not be a global issue like finding alternative sources of fuel, the Brewers will need to find alternative evaluators of their  sources.

First of all, Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com has provided some of the most damning reports in the whole Favre - Packers split.  His report on Favre talking to the Lions about the Packers this season is bound to lead to further erosion of the former GB qb's support in this state if indeed things went down at least close to the way Glazer says they did.  As for Sunday's game, it was a whupping.  If you had told me the final score would be 34-14, I would have thought that was plausible, except with the Colts winning.  The gameplan of Mike McCarthy was perfect, but only because the execution of it  was sublime.  The defense not only wasn't quaking playing against Peyton Manning, it was taking it to the Colts.  No one is questiong Bob Sanders' unit this week. Perfect way to go into the bye.  The players get to celebrate, and McCarthy might even welcome a new baby to his family this week.  That would be perfect timing.

Just sitting here watching some playoff baseball and it got me to thinking.  Which month is your favorite in sports ?  October baseball ??  March college basketball ??  January in the NFL ??  June in the NBA ??  May at Indy ?? 

That's just a nice win for the Packers here in Seattle.  Coach Mike McCarthy gave it to his team pretty good last week, but rather than just yelling, he also was constructive.  He had the whole team going back to pure fundamentals for most of the week.  That played out on the field Sunday.  The penalties, particularly untimely ones, were way down.  The drops were way down.  The mental breakdowns on defense were way down.  Granted, the Seahawks didn't have much at all on offense, and there were still physical breakdowns by Green Bay.  But those breakdowns seemed to be the result of just not being good enough, as opposed to not being ready enough.  Case in point, when a perennial Pro Bowl tackle like Walter Jones matched up against Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila on runs to the left, it is simply advantage Seattle.  The key thing in the NFL though, is to win the game.  As I have been preaching with these blogs, you are not going to play well or have favorable matchups every week - but the successful teams find a way to win on those occasions, any way and any how.  That's what the 13-3 Packers did last year, and didn't do against Tampa Bay or Atlanta this year.  As for individuals, Tramon Williams now has an interception in each of his four career starts.  He can play and has helped cover for Al Harris' absence.  Of course, next week against Indy, it would be nice to have every good cornerback available.  Aaron Kampman got to the quarterback repeatedly.  Pressure correlates to better coverage downfield - always !  Nick Collins really looks confident this year, it's almost night and day in that department.  On offense, Aaron Rodgers is really a leader, even when he isn't completely healthy.  The gameplan was to try to run and keep Rodgers from having to stress his shoulder with a lot of downfield throws.  When Brandon Jackson woke up sick on Sunday, that fell to Ryan Grant and he was dependable, if not explosive. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings and even Jordy Nelson were there for Rodgers in the passing game.  And my MVP for the game on the FOX SIX Blitz was DeShawn Wynn.  The running back just came off the practice squad on Saturday (unexpectedly, at that) and became Grant's only backup.  With the score tied at 10, he made a perfect blitz pickup block, allowing Rodgers to complete the touchdown pass to Jennings to put the Pack ahead for good.  As we have seen this season, one bad penalty or one missed assignment or one missed block can ruin the work of ten other guys on the field.  The coach stressed that this week, and Wynn was proof of that.  He didn't miss the block and as such, the game changed on one play.  Upcoming opponents will be much tougher than Seattle, but the Packers should also remember what it takes to play their best football.

There has been some interesting stuff on this site lately about what kinds of stories are making the airwaves these days and what kind of experiences a fan can or cannot have at a game.  It is a very interesting time in sports media.  It used to be that many pro games were not televised and simply having highlights at 10 o'clock was serving the viewers.  Before the internet and pagers and cell phones and widespread satellite t.v., we provided all the scores at 10 (major league baseball or nba, etc.).  If you'll notice, that doesn't happen anymore.  Fans of, say the Cleveland Cavaliers, can monitor every possession of their game at say, Atlanta through their computer or on satellite. Local sportscasts are now just that, local.  We have the chance to tell features on FOX SIX, and that's unique. It is actually a pleasure to find and tell a good feature story.  However, the rest of our sportscast time usually does, and should, go to the local teams and players that our local viewers are familiar with.  All summer here in Milwaukee, folks watched the Brewers and knew how they were faring.  But that didn't stop the viewers from wanting more insight and clubhouse reaction on the local sportscasts. That's what we do.  Yes, the highlights may be on ESPN, but the full coverage won't be.  That's what we stress with our Packers Postgame shows.  We try to provide as much lockerroom reaction as possible.  You can't get that material anywhere else at that time.  By 10:35 pm, we are able to present that material in conjunction with analysis on FOX SIX Blitz.  If you want Bengals or Falcons highlights, you can find them elsewhere.  

As for just watching a game, I would venture a guess that anyone who works in sports is a sports fan to some degree.  Personally, I find myself being much more objective in watching a contest whether it is kids baseball or monday night football. A good play is still a good play.  Teamwork is still teamwork.  Effective coaching is still effective coaching.  I like to tell folks that I am much more a fan of a good game or a good play than of a particular team. 

I have written in this space in the last few days and mentioned on the air that the week five game for the Packers against the Falcons is a lot bigger than a week five game against a rebuilding team should be.  Now, Green Bay has to keep from letting a 27-24 loss lead to worse.  Aaron Rodgers worked out in the Hutson Center at 8:45 Sunday morning and proved to the coaches that he would be able to function at quarterback despite a shoulder injury.  He definitely answered the bell.  And it looked like the team was giving pretty good effort.  That's actually concerning, in a way, because then it comes down to the fact that this isn't as good a team as people thought, even with injuries.  The offensive line was only marginally better today and Ryan Grant was more successful, but the running game did not pick up the slack for the offense.  The return of James Jones, even at less than 100 percent helped, and the showings of Jordy Nelson, Ruvell Martin, and Tory Humphrey point out that this is still a much better aerial team.  The defense is a sad story, partly because of injuries.  The fourth opponent out of five ran way too well.  When Atlanta needed something on the ground, it got it.  The lack of pass rush against a rookie quarterback was apparent.  When AJ Hawk did blitz, he didn't get home and that same rookie quarterback hit the openings in the middle of the field.  When it comes to penalties, the Packers are shooting themselves in both feet.  You can debate the merits of specific calls, but Green Bay is selfdestructing too often.  Inexperienced players are bound to make more mistakes than seasoned veterans, but teams have to find a way to just win, particularly at home against weaker opponents.  Green Bay couldn't do that and could see its season unofficially slipping away on the same day the Brewers' season officially does end.

Critics of Packers general manager Ted Thompson will be howling Sunday if rookie Matt Flynn is forced to start at quarterback for Green Bay against Atlanta at Lambeau Field.  The idea that the team would proceed without a veteran backup behind first-time starter Aaron Rodgers irks many.  The decision on Rodgers' status will be made on Sunday morning after a full week of rest for his shoulder, but Flynn figures to be ready if he's the man.  When you watch the Packers qb's throw out passes at practice, it is apparent that he doesn't have the same arm strength as a healthy Rodgers or fellow rookie Brian Brohm.  And Flynn is the smallest of those three.  However, he impresses you when you watch him carry himself.  Flynn is not the least bit overwhelmed and he wouldn't have overtaken handpicked second round draft choice Brohm in the preseason if he couldn't play at all.  This is a critical game in what could be shaping up as a star-crossed season, and the Packers undoubtedly would prefer that Flynn not have to be the guy to win it for them.  However, this is a guy who won a national championship for LSU, which is big-time pressure.  He may not have all the physical trappings of a can't miss prospect, but in like Flynn isn't a death sentence for Green Bay, either. 

Here's what you can't help but remember as you watch the Brewers in the playoffs.  You are who you are.  In other words, if you are sloppy in the field during the season, you are probably going to be sloppy in the field again in the playoffs.  If you are impatient at the plate in the regular season, you are probably going to be impatient again at the plate in the playoffs.  If you can't get runners home in the regular season, you probably can't get runners home in the playoffs.  If you have thumpers who are threats to homer late in games during the regular season, you will still have those homer threats in the playoffs.  However, after watching the Brewers all season (particularly down the stretch) and in the postseason, the wisest conclusion to reach is that this team isn't what it needs to be next season.