nfoligno Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 Hindsight 20/20, but if we were in a soft zone, we likely do not give up a 50 yard TD. we were in anything but a soft zone there at the end. Too damn many... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted September 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 I hear you...but I just can't give Smith a pass. There is a history of this. The O was not prepared. Blame goes to everyone involved. The players, Turner, and Smith. The D played great for 58 min, but made the biggest blunder when they couldn't. When it all counted, they broke down yet again. We saw this happen numerous times in the previous years. If this was the first,you just chalk it up to bad luck. But when it happens too many times, I look at the HC as a problem. Again, I'm giving Smith a chance to redeem himself this season. And one game does not tell the full story. We'll know by week 8 what we really have in Smith. Either a guy who is the latest version of Wayne Fontes (just doing well enough to keep his job), or a real NFL HC that has learned from his errors. Disagree. Look, I have never been a Lovie supporter, and most would call me a pure basher, but I can't bash him for last night. Sure, he made some questionable calls, but so does every HC. You talk about prep, but a big part of what a coach does is put players in position to make plays and win. Like Ozzie says, he can't go out and hit for the players. The OL was a sieve like I have never seen before. Especially the left side (Pace/Omiyale), they barely slowed down, much less stopped the other team. Receivers (TE and WR) cut off their routes and dropped balls left and right. Think about getting ready for a test. You can tudor a student day and night, and prepare the student as best you can, but at the end of the day, it is the student that has to take the exam. If that student chockes and forgets everything tought, you can't really blame the tudor. And how about what he did on defense. This was supposed to be an elite offense. Prior to that late 50 yard TD, our D flat out shut that offense down. They only TD came after an int return set up GB on the 1. Another FG came after that Mannally head scratcher. The DL that was absent last year harrassed Rodgers all day. We had two CBs that missed the last month of practice, and the 3rd just stinks, and yet their WRs did little damage. We lost one starting LB in the first series, and our pro bowl MLB in the 1st half, yet GB was not able to run the ball. I love to bash Lovie. Its a favorite past-time. Yet I can't really bash him for last night. At some point, players have to accountable. At some point, players have to execute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted September 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 We just disagree about Smith's part in the loss. It was winnable, but the team came in ill prepared, and that, to me is on the HC. Or at least as much blame as the players themselves. But yeah, if we go below .500, Smith should be canned. This loss is not on Lovie. The Bears made some nice adjustments and had a winnable game with 5 turnovers. However, you have to believe he is on the hot-seat if we have a sub .500 season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted September 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 Always. But I just hate trying to rationalize a poor play call and poor play on the field. part of calling the right play is knowing your players' strengths and weanesses...and that was not accounted for with 2 min to go... Hindsight 20/20, but if we were in a soft zone, we likely do not give up a 50 yard TD. we were in anything but a soft zone there at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfoligno Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 You sure about that? GB gets the ball at the 30. I recall a Grant run, followed by a fairly short pass. GB burned 30 seconds for those 13 yards. Then Rodgers has an incomplete pass. On 2nd and 10, we had sound coverage and I think got an outside rush, but Rodger took off for the 9 yard gain before sliding like a putz. But I would argue that (a) our defense on that play was pretty sound and ( part of why Rodgers was able to run as he did was we were w/o a pair of starting LBs, and there just isn't much a coach can do to compensate for that. Then you get to the big play. From everything I have read, it is as simple as (a) payne messed up by not backing into coverage, as he was supposed to and ( Vasher slipped. Now frankly, if Vasher had not slipped, it likely would not have mattered, but he should have had help in Payne. Look, we can nit pick here and there, but I just don't get the jab against the coaches, especially my favorite whipping boy Lovie. If I told you: - We were going to play an offense expected to be elite - We were going to lose one starting LB, who stood out throughout preseason, in the 1st series. - We would lose another LB, our pro bowl captain, before halftime. - We would turn the ball over on offense 4 or 5 times. - Due to offense and special teams, our defense would take the field in bad field position. If I told you all this, how many points do you think you would have predicted GB would put up on us? 50? 60? Always. But I just hate trying to rationalize a poor play call and poor play on the field. part of calling the right play is knowing your players' strengths and weanesses...and that was not accounted for with 2 min to go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDaddy Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 You sure about that? GB gets the ball at the 30. I recall a Grant run, followed by a fairly short pass. GB burned 30 seconds for those 13 yards. Then Rodgers has an incomplete pass. On 2nd and 10, we had sound coverage and I think got an outside rush, but Rodger took off for the 9 yard gain before sliding like a putz. But I would argue that (a) our defense on that play was pretty sound and ( part of why Rodgers was able to run as he did was we were w/o a pair of starting LBs, and there just isn't much a coach can do to compensate for that. Then you get to the big play. From everything I have read, it is as simple as (a) payne messed up by not backing into coverage, as he was supposed to and ( Vasher slipped. Now frankly, if Vasher had not slipped, it likely would not have mattered, but he should have had help in Payne. Look, we can nit pick here and there, but I just don't get the jab against the coaches, especially my favorite whipping boy Lovie. If I told you: - We were going to play an offense expected to be elite - We were going to lose one starting LB, who stood out throughout preseason, in the 1st series. - We would lose another LB, our pro bowl captain, before halftime. - We would turn the ball over on offense 4 or 5 times. - Due to offense and special teams, our defense would take the field in bad field position. If I told you all this, how many points do you think you would have predicted GB would put up on us? 50? 60? Look, this all came down to a bad decision by Payne and shitty coverage Vasher in the end. Prior to that, if Clark makes the catch in the endzone, we go up by 6, maybe we make a 2pt conversion, maybe we don't but we probably play it different. (hopefully). But blaming Lovie is not the answer for this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted September 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 I guess I'm about as sure as anyone else w/o inside info. But regardless of the 2 decent downs, the big play was a bad call. There should have been a serious thought that this is a playaction down. I know that playing madden for goodness sake! You know you've got 4-1 as worst if you don't connect. If you do, you win the game just as GB proved. I'm not sure how you honestly don't jab the coaches. I'm honestly placing blame on all parties. But because the team looked so ill prepared, I fault Smith for that. This exact thing happens 15 more times and even Bill Walsh would be fired. To answer your questions: - We were going to play an offense expected to be elite ( I didn't expect it to be elite. Just becasue you light up pre-season doesn't mean it'll translate into the regular season. I'm simply not sold on the packer love-fest on offense.) - We were going to lose one starting LB, who stood out throughout preseason, in the 1st series. (That sucked, but we did have depth there.) - We would lose another LB, our pro bowl captain, before halftime. (This just pains me reading it...) - We would turn the ball over on offense 4 or 5 times. (Ridiculous. Regardless if Cutler/WR issues...it's just ridiculous. Good teams do not do that.) - Due to offense and special teams, our defense would take the field in bad field position. (Agai, a shocker for the most part.) If I told you all this, how many points do you think you would have predicted GB would put up on us? 50? 60? (Yes, I would have thought they put up more points. And the defense deserves credit for that. However they have a win and we have a loss. You only need 1 more point than your oopnent no matter how many or few yards or points you put up. Our D folded when it counted most. Our O actually gave us a fighting chance at the end of the game. I believe our O will come together. My question is, will the D fall apart? Again?) You sure about that? GB gets the ball at the 30. I recall a Grant run, followed by a fairly short pass. GB burned 30 seconds for those 13 yards. Then Rodgers has an incomplete pass. On 2nd and 10, we had sound coverage and I think got an outside rush, but Rodger took off for the 9 yard gain before sliding like a putz. But I would argue that (a) our defense on that play was pretty sound and ( part of why Rodgers was able to run as he did was we were w/o a pair of starting LBs, and there just isn't much a coach can do to compensate for that. Then you get to the big play. From everything I have read, it is as simple as (a) payne messed up by not backing into coverage, as he was supposed to and ( Vasher slipped. Now frankly, if Vasher had not slipped, it likely would not have mattered, but he should have had help in Payne. Look, we can nit pick here and there, but I just don't get the jab against the coaches, especially my favorite whipping boy Lovie. If I told you: - We were going to play an offense expected to be elite - We were going to lose one starting LB, who stood out throughout preseason, in the 1st series. - We would lose another LB, our pro bowl captain, before halftime. - We would turn the ball over on offense 4 or 5 times. - Due to offense and special teams, our defense would take the field in bad field position. If I told you all this, how many points do you think you would have predicted GB would put up on us? 50? 60? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted September 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 An intereseting take on it from the Sun Times... http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mcneil/1775...T-mac17.article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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