I told you the Packers would lose.  What an ugly game.

I was in Chicago for the weekend with Tina and was getting play by play updates on my phone and then I watched the game when we got home last night.  Let me tell you, this game was as ugly if not uglier on the phone than on TV...you could just sense the Packers falling apart with each update.  I was leaving the train station in Chicago when Crosby missed the kick.  I was bummed, but this team did not deserve to win...it shows how ugly of a game it was when the Vikings still almost gave it away.

The Vikings defense dominated and they are playing like they were hyped a few months ago.  Now that is a team that swarms around the ball and pressures the quarterback.  Rodgers was a punching bag and was hit on almost every play...that was the part that TV made worse...he was just beat up back there.  A few times he held onto the ball too long, but most of the time he was being chased the moment he got the ball.  The offensive line is nonexistent.  It is amazing how well Rodgers plays while scrambling for his life...by now he must have no faith in the blocking.  Many people agree that if it were Favre back there he would be out with an injury or would have thrown 4 interceptions yesterday...it was ugly.

But this is where it gets me very upset.  Jared Allen has a 3rd degree shoulder separation..he was not suppose to play....but he did and he chased Rodgers all day.  He got  the sack and safety that ultimately decided the game.  Now that is a stud football player.  He ran right through usually outstanding Chad Clifton.  It looked like Clifton was the one that was hurt.  Maybe Jared will have a summer camp for defensive linemen and the Packers will send their defensive line.

They suck!  They have sucked all year..in fact they have sucked for years.  We have no pass rush.  This defense was so hyped up in the offseason...they were going to be awesome.  How is that?  They were average at best last season and we did nothing to improve that (unlike the Vikings).  In fact, we let Corey Williams go so we are actually in worse shape and it shows.  Thank goodness for the secondary.  Over the past few years I have been harsh on the defensive backs..they are the saving grace this season with 17 interceptions and 6 returned for touchdowns.  If it were not for them we would  have lost to Detroit and yesterdays game would have been a blow out.  They had 3 interceptions yesterday and we still lost...not good boys.

The linebackers are average, but were sold as one of the best groups in the league.  I like Barnett but can't understand the love for Hawk...he can't tackle and he can't cover over the middle.  Linebackers are supposed to be tough like Nitschke, Butkus and Ray Lewis...or even Chad Green way of Minnesota...that kid was awesome yesterday....our linebackers..not so much.  And we just learned this morning that Barnett is out for the season.  We saw what happened the play after he was injured yesterday.  Bishop, his replacement, missed an easy tackle and the Vikings got a 50 yard touchdown.  God help us.

So I have ripped the D-line, linebackers and O-line.  How about McCarthy's turn?  Something is going on in the locker room that we are not aware of..there has to be.  We are the most penalized team in the league and this team can't tackle.  You know Adrian Peterson is getting the ball yet he got 220 yards rushing..many of those after he should have been tackled immediately.  Every week McCarthy says we will look at tapes and correct it...well Mike it is getting worse and the blame starts to go on the coach.  Penalties, especially bonehead ones are from lack of discipline.  Get on these guys.  On my phone it was penalty after penalty and it was ugly to watch when I got home.  We lost a touchdown in the 4th to win the game on a penalty and the penalties led to both safeties.  Stupid.

I liked how McCarthy got into Blackmon's face after the bonehead play in the end zone.  Who returns a punt from inside the end zone?  I have never seen that.  That showed me that the team was imploding yesterday.  What ever he said worked because Blackmon returned a punt for a TD later in the game.  I am ticked at the predictability and conservatism of our play calling.  We are on the 40 with 2 minutes to go and we run the ball twice for 1 yard and then have a short pass.  It was like McCarthy was fine with Crosby kicking a 52 yard field goal to win...that is not a gimme.  He would have made that kick for a miraculous win if he would have just had 4 more yards from the offense.  Ryan Grant ran the ball OK yesterday at times, but that is a great defense that was expecting the run.  Go deep like you did earlier in the game...catch them off guard..go for the throat...you played conservative and it bit you in the butt.

That is two weeks in a row now that the Packers have lost on the last drive.  I looked at Tina on the train and said the Vikings have the ball with 5 minutes and we are winning by 6...we will lose.  Our defense can't stop a team in crunch time...they have folded the past two weeks.  We almost won, but we did not deserve to...we were pushed around.

So we are 4-5 and one game out of first..the season is far from over, but this team needs to wake up.  Just get rid of the stupid penalties and start playing tough in your face football like the Vikings did yesterday.  This division is still up for grabs...Minnesota dominated and yet almost lost to a very poor Packer performance.  I think we had more penalty yards than offensive yards and only converted 1 third down, yet we almost won.

Last year we were 6-3 and went on a run to finish 13-3.  The difference from last year...no not Brett Favre...we won close games...made plays and the defense was tougher.  Rodgers is playing well, but the defense is so weak that we need to score every time we have the ball.  We are pretty much the same team, but we played smarter and with more passion.  We have a harder schedule this season because of the great record last year, but that is no excuse...we should have won in Tennessee..that was a great game, but we chocked it away in the end.  Unfortunately winning and losing is contagious...right now we are losing games by a few points, but we are losing...when does it end?

Let's go Packers!  Our neighbors from the south are in Lambeau this weekend.  Show Da Bears how tough we can be.  It's Bear season in Wisconsin.

I am tough on my team because they are my team.  I love the Packers win or lose.  It ticked me off yesterday to hear on the radio that some people are now thinking draft pick and next season.  They are not Packers fans...we still have 7 games and are one game out of first.  It does not look good, but don't cash it in..never cash it in!  Look at the Giants last season...they were about to fire their coach and bench their quarterback ...what happened?  They won the Super Bowl and are 8-1 this season.  Anything can happen in the NFL...that is what makes it so exciting.

Go Pack Go!!!!