New Mexico women's soccer player, Elizabeth Lambert, has been suspended indefinitely for rough play. At one point, Lambert took an opponent to the ground by her ponytail.
There’s a group of hardcore Brett Favre followers and they believe that #4 can do no wrong. There’s a group of Packers fans who were sick and tired of Favre’s antics and they couldn’t wait until he was gone. Then, there’s the rest. Whichever category you fall into, you seem to look for validation on an almost daily basis. Statistically, Rodgers is the better QB. If you’re talking wins and losses, Favre has been on the better teams. If you’re angry with Ted Thompson and/or Mike McCarthy, then the two games versus the Vikings were your revenge filled epiphanies. The saga, drama, finger pointing will go on for generations it now seems.
The point is, it’s over. Favre has moved on, he’s extracted his revenge on Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy with the Vikings beating the Packers twice this season and now it’s on with the second half of 2009. So what is it you want, to sway the nation in to your thought process? Were you hoping that Ted Thompson would be fired on the spot or that he’d call a press conference to say, “Gee, I was wrong and you were right, forgive me”. Come on!
For Packers fans, the focus should be on the team and where do they go from here. A dangerous, yet winnable, trap game awaits them in Tampa this weekend. It appears that the offensive line will be bolstered with the return of Tauscher and Clifton. We all know that if Rodgers has the time to throw he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Rodgers is a tremendous fantasy QB but now he’s got to consistently win and that’s a total team effort as any real football fan knows. Back to Chad and Mark, with their return maybe the run game gets into gear as well. On the horizon is the return of Jermichael Finley and Jordy Nelson, both of whom were integral weapons for Rodgers. We can’t forget about Korey Hall and the desperately needed presence he brings to special teams. Defensively speaking, the finger-pointing has been addressed and now we’ll see, after 7 games, if this unit begins to “get it”. Barnett’s playing better and better each week but I’m hoping that the progression of A.J. Hawk continues and it’s not a one week wonder. Clay Matthews, the only player with an abundance of 3-4 experience has certainly shined in this defense but it all starts up front. Cullen Jenkens and Aaron Kampman have to progress. They’re both professionals and they have to continue to get better. Funny how no one was complaining, quite the opposite actually, when they were trouncing teams in the pre-season and after the Chicago game but I digress. This all leads me to the penalties, ahhh the penalties. Mike McCarthy said this week that specific individuals have been spoken to and the stupid penalties will not be tolerated, as if they were before. I think the intense media and fan scrutiny has finally sunken in to many heads that giving your opponent yardage, a lot of yardage, really does hurt your chances to win if you’re not an elite team.
Here’s the question that’s bouncing around the rounded innards of my cranium; Are the Packers the bad team that showed up in the first half of last week’s game against the Vikings or are they the darn good football team that came back and made it a game in the second half? If the Packers play a penalty minimum game and they give Rodgers time and they hold their opponent to around 275-300 yards of total offense, they’re a very good team. It’s the self inflicted issues that this undisciplined bunch can’t seem to overcome. It’s as if they’re afraid of success. I will say this, the media scrutiny and pressure of Favre has passed. There’s nothing on the horizon now but decent football teams and rivalries. Unless fate produces “Favreageddon 3; The Post-Season”, the purple clouds have lifted and now it’s time to move on.
Congratulations to the New York Yankees, they won their 27th world championship. They did it legally; they did it within the confines of baseball’s salary structure or what little there is. They’ll share some of their revenue with other teams in the sport and they’ll retain the services of many of their major players who are currently the cornerstones of this championship team.
This win was good for baseball and I’ll tell you why; because you have a team that spent a total of $400 million dollars, collectively, in the past two off-season’s, win (some would say buy) the championship. That’s something that no other team in the sport could afford to do. The Yankees opened up their Taj Mahal this season and christened it with seating prices that only the nouveau riche could afford, and they got it. The Steinbrenner’s had the foresight to build their own television network and sell their own advertising, and they did it. The Yankees have a philosophy; your business plan is based upon your baseball plan and your baseball plan is WIN and they did it and they will reap the rewards from it. And, in today’s baseball financial structure, no one will touch them.
The Tampa Bay Rays recently traded second baseman Akinori Iwamura to the Pittsburgh Pirates for right handed pitcher Jesse Chavez. Iwamura had an option for 2010 at $4.85 million, an option that the Rays were not expected to pick up. Iwamura’s replacement, Ben Zobrist, was already on the roster. Zobrist had a breakout season hitting .297 with 27 homers and 97 RBI. Iwamura was owed a bonus of $450 thousand in the nearing days and the Rays wanted to avoid that payment as well. Why do I bring this up you ask? Because Iwamura, at $4.85 million, becomes the Pirates highest paid player. The Yankees Alex Rodriguez will make that much in just over 30 games.
Even if the Yankees don’t buy every player, just the good ones, their free spending has raised the bar for even mediocre players who are becoming arbitration eligible not to mention the astronomical prices being paid in the free agent market. Come on, how do you think Jeff Suppan got 4 year, $42 million dollar deal? Teams are being forced to spend millions on subpar players because the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Phillies and Mets are capable over overpaying to merely get what they want. Again, I don’t begrudge them their finances nor do I discourage their spending, quite the contrary, the more they spend the more damage they do to their own sport and that will only accelerate what’s needed, a true salary cap structure.
Prince Fielder’s off to a tremendous start in his young career, no doubt about it and he’s getting paid handsomely for his efforts as well. Here’s the conundrum, after only 4 full years in the majors, he’s already worth a contract nearing 5 years for $125 million, minimum. What’s wrong with that picture!
Remember when the Brewers “went for it” and traded for CC Sabathia last season? That one move put the Brewers $5 million in the red ($95million) according to Mark Attanasio. That’s the reality of the sport. Eventually, the schism between the haves and the have not’s will grow beyond a competitive proportion in both dollars and competitiveness, so much so that franchises will eventually fold rather than be relocated.
The NBA and the NFL are both looking to expand into Europe and China. Why? Because the money and the available cities have pretty much dried up here in the states. If you think that there are 4 to 5 cities out there that are looking to spend a billion+ dollars on a new stadium and tax the citizens in the process, you’re out of your mind. While the ratings are high, the advertising dollars are shrinking for teams that aren’t front runners and it’s the corporate dollars, the television revenue, the local economies, in that order, that keep sports afloat. Ticket prices merely open the gates anymore, that cash doesn’t pay the salaries.
Something’s got to give and it just might be your favorite team folding it’s tent, not relocating, just going away before someone will stand up and say stop it. The player's old argument, “I need to feed my family” is so hollow and insulting in today’s day and age. There are families starving, there are families that are one paycheck away from being homeless, there are people who have lost their pensions, their retirement, everything yet a team like the Yankees is getting $2,500 per season ticket for box seats. Again, if you can get it, get it but in the grand sheme of things, it doesn't benefit the sport, it benefits the Yankees.
I hope that the Yankees win the World Series for the next 5 to 10 years. I hope that the Yankees dominate for another decade. Not because I’m a Yankees fan but because I love the game of baseball and it’s deteriorating financially before my very eyes. So go you Yankees go! For only your success matters now, it’s the rest…Kansas City, Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Cincinnati and the likes…that will ultimately pay the price. One will have to fall before baseball comes to their collective senses.
For you Yankee lovers, don’t misconstrue this column for Yankee bashing, I’m not. The crux of my concern is for the long-term financial stability of Major League Baseball. The hypocrite in me says that if Mark Attanasio spent $200 million this year and won a championship, I’d be giddy but in my heart I’d know it’s ultimately wrong.
Here's a twist, you would figure that during this week of practice, the Packers would be inside the Hutson Center with the heat cranked up in preparation for heading to Florida. Instead, the Packers went through their jog-thru and then headed outside this morning.
More notably: Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Finley were in sweats but not practicing. Jason Spitz and Korey Hall were nowhere to be found.
NOTE: Left over from the Packers / Vikings match-up. The final score of 38-26 equals the first time, in the history of the NFL, that this score represented the final score of any game. According to pro-football-reference.com
When it came to the subject of sacks, Aaron Rodgers says that some of the sacks are certainly on him and that he needs to do a better job of getting rid of the ball a little quicker even if it means throwing it away. When asked if his lineman ever give him grief for taking a sack he smile and said, "Yeah, they point out the ones that are my fault. They give me the business a bit". Rodgers said that they point out the mistakes in a somewhat humorous way and that no one in the locker room has pointed fingers in a mean spirited way, in either direction. "I know how to be with my guys and they know what they get from me, we've got a great relationship."
Mark Tauscher took most of the reps at right tackle today in practice and it looks more and more like he'll get either the start on Sunday or quite a few live reps. Chad Clifton had full participation in today's practice as well and you get the feeling that McCarthy wants to get both guys playing time this week in order to be ready to face Dallas and San Francisco in the weeks following.
As far as Allen Barbre goes, McCarthy admits that Barebre needs work in his pass blocking and that it's too inconsistent right now.
McCarthy was emphatic when he discussed the penalties, specifically Johnny Jolly's head butt penalty and his comments after the game where Jolly claimed, "That's the way I play". McCarthy says that numerous players were involved in specific discussions on Monday and, "Believe me, they know that that's unacceptable and it had better not happen again". McCarthy said that ultimately the responsibility falls upon his shoulders but that penalties are not acceptable. Some penalties are obviously a part of the game but the mounting "stupid" penalties will not be tolerated. Jolly did state that he was spoken to about his actions and, while he doesn't want to lose his aggressiveness, he needs to use his head before his emotions get him into trouble.
* The Packers are 1-6 all time at Raymond James Stadium
* The Buccaneers have won 3 of the last 4 meetings
* Tampa Bay is looking to jumpstart their offense, which ranks 28th overall, behind their new starting QB Josh Freeman, the team's first-round draft choice this past April
* According to the Elias Sports Bureau, since 1980 four quarterbacks have made their first career start against Green Bay; 1985, NO Bobby Hebert (Packers won 38-14), 1989, DAL Steve Walsh (Packers won 31-13), 2002, DET Joey Harrington (Packers won 37-31) and 2006, MINN Tavaris Jackson (Packers won 9-7). Walsh had the highest QB Rating vs. the Packers after his first start (78.7)
* Aaron Rodgers aims for 6th in a row with 100+ passer rating. Rodgers is the only player in franchise history with 5 consecutive 100+ rating games in a season, passing HOFer Bart Starr (4)
* LB Clay Matthews ranks 2nd among rookies with 3 sacks so far this season
Aaron Rodgers is expected to play, but if he is not healthy the Packers chances drop to 65 percent. The Packers should easily win because Tampa Bay will have rookie Josh Freeman starting and the Packers are 4th in the league in interceptions. If Freeman has 2+ INTs (35 percent chance) then Tampa Bay has a slim 9 percent chance. If Freeman throws no more than 1 INT and Cadillac Williams has a big game with at least 75 rushing yards TB is a slight 52 percent favorite. There is just an 18 percent chance of this scenario happening.
A hybrid of the 3-4 or 4-3, completely scrap the 3-4 and use the personnel you have in their most productive way, Tauscher and Clifton should start now and sit Lang and Barbre, Spitz should go back to guard since he’s the most experienced…..these are all suggestions and thoughts regarding the Green Bay Packers and the “fixes” that might cure this team’s ills. Are those short term fixes? In a “win now” league you can certainly make a case for each argument but what does that do to the development of your younger players? If the 3-4 takes about 6 to 8 games to fully begin to understand, does that stifle your defenses comprehension of what it is they’re supposed to be learning? Is Dom Capers capable of scrapping his mastery of the 3-4 and thus revamping into a 4-3 or hybrid thereof?
If you’re serious about winning now, then you answer yes to the hybrid defense and yes to the Clifton and Tauscher question. I’ve always said that you, as a head coach, must use your players to the best of their ability and put them in a position to be the most successful. The rest is execution and that’s up to the players themselves.
For losses to prompt 2 prominent defensive players to speak up and question what it is they’re doing is eyebrow raising to say the least. To have guys like Charles Woodson and Cullen Jenkens, who hardly says anything negative, is alarming. You take their words with the preverbal grain of salt because the comments both came after emotional losses but you listen none the less.
A defense that’s ranked 4th overall is one thing but if you take away the cupcakes, Detroit and Cleveland, they rank 21st. You have to recognize that there are some problems here. If you don’t, then you’re turning a blind eye to the facts and thus putting your ego or stubbornness in the way of success. An offense that’s producing yardage but not key drives and more importantly “W’s”, plus is on pace to blow away the franchise record for sacks given up (61), you have to realize that your best people must be on the field period. By the way, thanks to Tom Silverstein’s article in the Journal Sentinel today for those statistics.
If you’re an incoming coach with a 2 or 3 year plan, you have that leeway but if you’re Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson, you don’t have 2 years. You might not have until 2010. You have to ask yourself one simple question; “Do we have the players to do what it is we’re asking them to do?” If the answer’s yes, then you stick with your plan but if you blink for even a second, in a moment of wonderment, then you as a head coach owe it to yourself, your players and most importantly the paying fans to stop sticking round pegs in square holes and maximize your teams ability. The great coaches adapt, the stubborn coaches ultimately look for work.
I’m not saying that the best thing to do is scrap everything and go backwards but what I am saying is that clearly everyone’s not on the same page in philosophical beliefs or understanding and as a coaching staff those things need to be satisfied NOW.
There’s only so many ways you can spin the fact that the Packers are 4-3 and haven’t beaten a winning team. There’s only so much pain a Packers fan can endure when it comes to their former hero ripping their hearts out. There are only so many times you can scratch your head as to who’s to blame when players vent against the coaching staff and management. There’s only so many times you can listen to excuses regarding the same problems. You add it all up and it becomes the angst as to which direction this proud franchise is headed.
Getting past the Favre divorce is harder for fans than it is for those behind the walls of Lambeau Field but what you can’t get past is a peering look at the philosophy Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy have taken to build and run this team. At this point you could say that the rest of the season is an audition for job security and philosophical confidence.
For a General Manager, hitting on fifty percent of your draft choices is doing a pretty solid job. Ted Thompson is below that threshold at this point. While players from the ‘05’ thru ‘09’ drafts are contributing, are they really making an impact?
Out of the 51 players selected by Thompson; Aaron Rodgers, Nick Collins, Greg Jennings, Johnny Jolly, James Jones, Mason Crosby, Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Finley and Clay Matthews (9) can be considered impact players. Brady Poppinga, A.J. Hawk, Jason Spitz, Will Blackmon, Allen Barbre, Desmond Bishop, Josh Sitton (7) can be considered adequate players with potential. Guys like B.J. Raji, T.J. Lang, Breno Giacomini, Justin Harrell, Quinn Johnson, Brandon Underwood (6) are considered works in progress and the rest are either roster fillers or have been cut or traded. That gives you 22 out of 51 players with a contribution to your football team (43%). If Lang, Sitton and Barbre all pan out then drafting for the future offensively has been a success. The guy, unfortunately, that’s paid the price for the experiment of replacing 3 out of 5 trench guys has been Aaron Rodgers (sacked 31 times in 7 games).
Meanwhile, Mike McCartthy’s had to deal with a year and a half’s worth of undisciplined, inconsistent football. The same problems seem to plague his football team week in and week out. You can almost predict the breakdowns just insert a different name each week. Key penalties, special teams, pressureless defense and, at times, predictable play calling have haunted McCarthy and become the albatross that will ultimately bring him down.
So you look at the remaining 9 games of this season and believe that the Packers have to win 6 to have a legitimate shot at getting into the post-season. Here’s where the auditions come in. Since Thompson has remained steadfast in not venturing out into the free agent market then his drafts have to be spot on. 43% isn’t spot on. The offensive line has to improve to become a force. Not only in the protection of Aaron Rodgers but in the running game. This group needs to begin blowing up holes and creating run lanes that last longer than the blink of an eye. Defensively, B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews have to continue to improve as well. If this happens, then you can say that Thompson’s rebuilding plan just took a year longer than expected and he would be cut some slack. For McCarthy, the continual mistakes that have plagued this team have to be corrected immediately. The head coaches, “We’ll look at the tape and get those cleaned up”, refrain falls upon deaf ears now. It’s been 7 games, the defense should be “getting” the new system and begin to show some real signs of progress and pressure. McCarthy’s offense will get Nelson, Finley and Hall back. With the full implement of weaponry, you would expect this group to start putting up some daunting numbers even on the better defenses. Shawn Slocum’s special teams need to do two simple things, stay in your lanes and keep contain. Easier said than done I know but it really is just that simple.
If the Packers cross the finish line at 8-8 or worse, wholesale changes are in this franchises future. The downhill roll most likely will begin. Either Thompson will can his handpicked leader or Ted will be thrown out with the bath water as a new era will begin. The board of directors was spilt regarding the Favre saga and even with an 8-8 season, in my opinion, behind closed doors Thompson won’t be given the benefit of the doubt. If Thompson remains then most certainly, pressure from above will dictate a change. There is a built in excuse however; the change to the 3-4 and the year’s learning curve that goes along with it but I don’t think that’ll be enough to save jobs. If this team ends at 9-7 and falls just short of the playoffs, then I believe that it’ll be enough to keep the two key components, McCarthy and Thompson, but the periphery, somewhere, would pay the price.
So starting today; Players, coaches, management…….take your places. It’s time to raise your scripts (playbooks) and perform for your future depends on it.
Here’s a few notes to describe the first half of this Packers / Vikings match-up;
* Shame on those Packers fans who sold their tickets. Vikings fans everywhere.
* Packers fans made Lambeau a difficult place to play for about 5 minutes then sat on their hands.
* Shotgun – Can Mike McCarthy run anything else on 3rd down?
* Johnny Jolly – Stupid penalty that cost the Packers 4 points for sure.
* Vikings = 4 sacks / Packers = 0 Sacks
* Packers = 4 Penalties / Vikings = 0 Penalties
* Rodgers had a chance to run for a 1st down, took the sack instead. Rodgers is off target a bit as well. Receivers aren’t open and protection is inconsistent. Only 18 passing yards for Rodgers!!
* Special Teams, awful!
That should pretty much sum it up. If I’m McCarthy, I’m heading down the tunnel, out to the parking lot and straight to church to drop to my knees and thank the Lord above that my team’s only down 17-3 at the half.
Gilbert Brown joined me last night on Sports Central and while we had a good time reminiscing about Brett Favre and the big game this weekend, Gilbert was a "GAS" on ESPN2's FIRST TAKE.
You have to listen to see what I mean.
The point is, it’s over. Favre has moved on, he’s extracted his revenge on Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy with the Vikings beating the Packers twice this season and now it’s on with the second half of 2009. So what is it you want, to sway the nation in to your thought process? Were you hoping that Ted Thompson would be fired on the spot or that he’d call a press conference to say, “Gee, I was wrong and you were right, forgive me”. Come on!
This win was good for baseball and I’ll tell you why; because you have a team that spent a total of $400 million dollars, collectively, in the past two off-season’s, win (some would say buy) the championship. That’s something that no other team in the sport could afford to do. The Yankees opened up their Taj Mahal this season and christened it with seating prices that only the nouveau riche could afford, and they got it. The Steinbrenner’s had the foresight to build their own television network and sell their own advertising, and they did it. The Yankees have a philosophy; your business plan is based upon your baseball plan and your baseball plan is WIN and they did it and they will reap the rewards from it. And, in today’s baseball financial structure, no one will touch them.
Here's a twist, you would figure that during this week of practice, the Packers would be inside the Hutson Center with the heat cranked up in preparation for heading to Florida. Instead, the Packers went through their jog-thru and then headed outside this morning.
A hybrid of the 3-4 or 4-3, completely scrap the 3-4 and use the personnel you have in their most productive way, Tauscher and Clifton should start now and sit Lang and Barbre, Spitz should go back to guard since he’s the most experienced…..these are all suggestions and thoughts regarding the Green Bay Packers and the “fixes” that might cure this team’s ills. Are those short term fixes? In a “win now” league you can certainly make a case for each argument but what does that do to the development of your younger players? If the 3-4 takes about 6 to 8 games to fully begin to understand, does that stifle your defenses comprehension of what it is they’re supposed to be learning? Is Dom Capers capable of scrapping his mastery of the 3-4 and thus revamping into a 4-3 or hybrid thereof?
For a General Manager, hitting on fifty percent of your draft choices is doing a pretty solid job. Ted Thompson is below that threshold at this point. While players from the ‘05’ thru ‘09’ drafts are contributing, are they really making an impact?
