haha, great post. You're as selfish as the rest of us as much as I'd like to be altuistic and wish the superbowl only for the sake of GB players' dreams and SB cheese sponsers...hehe.

Ok, maybe tackling has improved. It's elusive to nail this one fundamental....but I agree.

I still think that having an impact ILB player(s), has shored up the one weak unit that has consistently let the other 2 broad units waste their efforts on fairly easy conversions on 3rd. down. Then extended drives, tired pass rushers, etc was just enough to keep that defense somewhere in the middle despite all pro CB, IDL and OLB. You just MUST have all 3 units competitive, for the all pros to really propel that Defense into the top 5. Just my opinion that grew over the last 10 years watching weak ILB play in the middle, and grew even more conviction now watching Campbell. This is no discredit to the respectable Martinez, and others who were individually very good in certain aspects (tackling), but were weak in coverage, and Capers/Pettine couldn't compensate their weakness with another ILB's coverage strengths.

Russ, as an ex-badger, might have had some sympathies in the past, but a decade and douchiness have eroded any of that. His tears are just as sweet as D(ic)K Metcalfs and the gum chewers.

Tackling has improved, whether that is due to teaching or leadership from those that do it in a meaningful manner (Campbell, Barnes, Amos) or from lack of bad examples - Z - we just cannot know. I suspect coaches having the greatest share of the improvement from Barry on down.

An NFCCG at Lambeau is not dependent upon the GBP getting the #1 seed. Number 1 seeds have lost before and they will again. Don't lose hope Al, and please, be as selfish as you like when GBP goals are a part of your selfishness!

One would think that Rodgers would have gotten a bit of a dose of reality and also maybe realize now exactly how the misinformation he has received and spread, his lack of veracity and personal selfishness can negatively impact others, but here we are... just get the fukkin shot!

I do not see anything that precludes Dillon from running outside zone plays. He is plenty nimble enough to move off tackle. I am with ya Al, predictability of run location especially near the goal line is pretty stoopid and is a weakness of MLFs playcalling in the red zone and short yardage. Mix it up! AJ can handle it!

Perhaps some of those outside zone runs when it is 1st and goal from the 10 yd line would break some tendencies and allow the offense to get off the schneid and into the GOLD zone again.

Thanks Al, keep on keepin on!

Yea, glad you mentioned the Russ thing. I should like him, seems great person, not diva like, but....yeaa,,,,since those heartbreaking losses where the football gods parted the red sea for Russ-ey, we just don't like him or his interviews and camera shots anymore around the football field. He can't help it. We can't help it. At the coffee shop, he'd be ok to chat with.

Al's right, the tackling has been much improved. Matter of fact I can't remember a better tackling defense in Green Bay since maaaaybe 2010 but probably 1996 when Fritz was our DC...The tackling is better, but so is De'Vondre Campbell, at least when compared to ANY ILB since probably Bishop. I loved Bishop but IMO Campbell is better, at least when you compare 2010 Bishop to 2021 Campbell.

As much as I'd love to have the Tampa Bay Bucs in January I want the Cowboys. Wanting the Cowboys here has nothing to do with Mike McCarthy, I appreciate everything MM did for this franchise. He was a good coach who just stayed to long and had a GM who didn't do as much as he could to help him.

Nope, I want Dallas for one reason...To see that STUPID look on Jerry Jones face when they get beat. When I watched the Cowboys passing the ball this weekend when up 36-3, then scoring a TD and then watching Jerry pumping his fists, celebrating with his son's like they scored a TD in a close game pissed me off. I've seen it too many times from Jones and prefer that STUPID look much more. You know the one. The look he had when Dez DIDN'T catch the ball in 2014!

#Gene Steratore...Nice call Gene!

I can't stand WIlson, either. I liked him as a rent-a-Badger, but the Fail Mary game, followed by his insistence that his last-minute interception in the Super Bowl was God teaching him a lesson (what? The other players and the coaches on your team don't count? Did they ALL need lessons from God at that particular moment?) put him on a downhill slide towards "Person I Root Against" for me. The icing on the douche cake was his terrible and cringe-worthy All-About-Me commencement address at my daughter's UW graduation in 2016. He may be a nice guy, but I think he's at least as narcissistic as another QB we know well. I sure as hell hope he never sniffs the inside of a Super Bowl again unless he's seated in the stands.

Yeah. 12 is a fool, Al. He, no matter how he tried to parse words, is selfish. He’s far from alone in that. But it doesn’t make it right. All in for 21. All out on 12 for 22. Thinking about buying a Love jersey with that new sick alternate color scheme… 💯☺️

I am loving this "D", and it's about time! Seeing a couple capable ILBs is a thing of beauty and I've been screaming for years about TT and Gutey ignoring the position, let's hope that we can find a way to keep them both in the fold.
Tackling, wow, what a huge step forward! I don't know (or care) who's teaching this but hell yes it's improved, we've even seen a couple real 'shots' from Kevin King which I'd have thought from past years was something we'd never see. Pin a medal on whoever's doing the teaching.

Love that we pounded the ball when we got near the goal line. Not just a token run to set up a couple of sideline throws, but actual move the pile style of runs. We need defenses to change their mindset against this offense.

While Rodgers was less than stellar on Sunday, his WR were not getting much separation. This going to be a problem as we get to playoffs. Glad that we are working the screens because not much happening down field.

Great win. Just love an honest defense, makes the game enjoyable to watch on both sides of the ball. Don't talk to me about special teams

Dillon--love me some power football, and looking forward to what he can do, but you're absolutely right: Dillon's not a back that you want running laterally very much. This is a run game that's going to funnel through the A and B gaps until Jones returns. Pressure will be on LaF to find creative looks that build off that and make opposing defenses pay for stacking the box or run-blitzing those gaps.

Wilson--was never really a huge fan when he was a Badger. Perfectly happy to not give him the time of day as a Seahawk. To be honest, he gave the defense several opportunities to lay the wood on him on scrambles and it seemed the defense let them pass--I was itching for someone to light him up. Some guys never seem to take a hard hit: Wilson is one of them.

Tackling--ball carriers are easier to tackle when they aren't getting a free run at their gaps. This defense has done a nice job of making ball carriers work for yardage. Gary and Smith have done a nice job on the edges, too. I think the Vikes will target Garvin on Sunday until he shows he can handle it. We'll see whether Garvin can hold the edge AND still get pressure on passing downs. Gary's shoes won't be easy to fill.

I have seen Rodgers has a toe injury he got on time away from team during isolation. I wonder if he has "covid toe" and will be a long hauler? {tongue in cheek comment} Really great to see a real live hard hitting "D" back in Green Bay!

If Smith or Gary go down. This Defense will change. And not for the better. You want change at Qb! Then why should it matter what Rodger's says or does. The Bomb Fire is high enough. If the offense is that good. It won't matter how many times they run a play. I have a feeling its; "How their testing the OL" before Bahk comes back. I was looking for more then the OBJ rumors from Gute, The rumors were a TE or RB. And he still looks away on whats going on with this DL. Smart Play- Selling stock before Rodger's leaves.

According to Dillon, his 40 time is better than Jones'. Thus he should be able to rip off those outside zone runs. Here's hoping that ML trusts in him.

I can’t hate Russ. I’m a UW alum and I always remember that one season where I actually got to watch good QB play from a Wisconsin QB. Every time I watch Graham Mertz I appreciate Russ more. Sure he is goofy but aren’t all QBs a little weird?

Sorry Russ -
I love what Russel Wilson did for the Badgers when he came to Wisconsin. As a Badgers fan I will always love what he did here for that year. NFL Russel, is one of my most disliked players. He is definitely an odd fella.
As far as Carrol goes. I don't give a crap if the refs gave the Packers 5 TD's in the game. It does not make up for the Fail Mary game. Carrol has absolutely nothing to bitch about with officials in a Packers/Seattle game. Ohh and the plays he bitched about were called right.

It's Fundamental -
I mentioned yesterday that the tackling was a big reason for the defense to be improved. The addition of Campbell has really helped. The DB's have been very good with tackling as well. They simply have not been allowing big plays from broken tackles. I agree about Barry being a teacher. I do think its possibly more about scheme as well. For example, Dean Lowry. He looks like a completely different player. He is in the backfield a lot more. I do believe some of it is the style of defense they are playing. But Lowry looks better then he has in previous years. The ILB position has been flying around. The scheme seems to allow players to to play in front of them more. Allows them to be more aggressive and attack. That to me is the biggest difference from previous years.

High Hopes -
Nothing wrong with hoping to see that. Last year was the first time they have had one in a while. And of course it happens when the year is messed up. Hopefully this year you will get your chance!

Testy, Testy -
I'm not going to get into the vaccination status of players. They made the decision they made so no point of non stop ridicule over it. I just know that anyone can miss at any time. Could it be possible that he would miss that game. Sure. It is also possible for him to suffer a season ending injury in the NFC championship game or after. Anything can happen to anyone. No point in playing out every hypothetical scenarios.

Not Seeing Red -
The last few games the redzone defense had been picking it up. But keeping the opposing offense out of there definitely is a way to keep them from scoring in the redzone.

Too Obvious -
I also thought it was pretty obvious what they were going to do. I would like to see a little more motion in those situations. Disguise what they are going to do.

Not the 10 Yard Line -
Every time we get there I think, Great, we have room to give Adams room to work. Room for Rodgers to work. Then it seems it never works.

Tackling, like special teams, has been a problem for the Packers for years. Putting poor tackling on Pettine's inability to teach simply doesn't make sense to me. However, you are absolutely correct about Dillon getting the ball out of the shotgun. Then again, last week it was Love standing in an empty backfield, waiting for the snap, when KC was blitzing every down. This is poor play calling. This is on the coach. And this is something no one wants to talk about. That although LaFleur has a great record, and although he can be creative, he also comes up with game plans that make you go, "HUH?" on a regular basis. And then doesn't adjust the calls when they don't work. When it's all on the line during the playoffs, hopefully we'll be going, "WOW!" And it won't be necessary for MLF to have a post game presser, where he "couldn't be prouder of this team", but they fell short because of him.

I think Al is saying, MLF really needs to work on play calling. It seems to be suspect too much.

Al, nothing to say about special teams?
If Barry can fix our D (still amazed), somebody (else) can fix our ST. I can't believe we haven't made a change before it gets to the playoffs.

Tackling: It's about time....But an even better approach would be to make sure they're good tacklers before you draft them or sign them from elsewhere--like Amos, Campbell, and Douglas.

Too Obvious: Those running plays are annoyingly predictable, but maybe they'll work a little better when our OL becomes "unshuffled" and everybody returns to their normal spot. I think our offense is also struggling due to limited TE options and a lack of a shifty X factor-type of player in the red zone.

Fundamentals, defense, run the ball, throw efficiently, don't have turnovers. That was the game when it started, it's the same now. Teams that can do those things win, teams that don't lose.

Hold the phone….

According to the advanced stats at pro-football-reference, we’re averaging about 5 missed tackles a game, down from almost 7 last year. So that’s an improvement, but it’s a small improvement on kind of a subjective measure, and I’m not sure Barry is the catalyst.

We are doing a much better job on RAC. We’re in a league where 67% of passes are completed, but if you can stop the receivers at the point of catch, instead of giving up a long run, that makes a difference . We’ve done a much better job of that, and I do give Barry credit for that.

Getting the ball in from the 10-yard line is a problem for a number of reasons. Hard to run in from there, you usually have to make at least one or two throws.

Tonyan being out takes away what last year was a major end zone target. There are none left now except Adams and the other team knows it. They double him and he doesn't have the room to maneuver as he does at midfield. Add in that Lazard, MVS, and to a lesser extent Cobb, are bad at getting open in small space and Rodgers has no one to throw to. Rodgers doesn't have a legit #2 receiver or a TE threat and that's why the Red Zone has been a dead zone this year.

I'm really hoping that before the playoffs one or more of our practice squad receivers is given the opportunity to prove himself. Really tired of MVS and Lazard and their combined 3 catches a week.

Again nice "polluted" thoughts from your mind. Mostly, I agree with everything you wrote. Just do not like this ammount of gloat over Russel Wilson. He might be even larger Diva than AR, but is Seattle problem, not us...

I'm glad Packers D finally got "approval" from many fans and that they produced shut out game. Glad for them. I believe that will rise their confidence and produce even better outcomes aginst very good teams in near future.

This should also be lesson to us, fans, not to make judgements to early on anybody, especially on one or two games showing.

"And yet - ever since the Fail Mary, and hearing him and Pete Carrol interviewed after that game and the arrogance and pure bullshit they put out there, I just can't get past that."

My thoughts exactly. They could get every call against them for the next 10 years and it still will not make up for that. Carroll, as usual, having the nerve to even mention the officiating this last week makes my blood boil.

Sorry Russ—
I submitted comments similar to Al’s earlier in the week, but not as articulate. Al’s points are my exact sentiments concerning Russ, although I do believe he throws the best long ball ever.

Regarding. 1st and Goal and FGs , I d say we probably don't want to know. If so I would like to know what percent in the MM era versus the entirety of the Lombardi years

I'm not so confident Big Government and Big Pharma have been handling the opiate crisis all that well. I'm not so confident they're handling the COVID crisis all that well.
I'm not so confident that mainstream medicine has handled either crisis all that well.
Then there's the mainstream media, which seems to print more lies than truths; to choose experts based not on biology, but ideology; and to manipulate statistics to say whatever they want.
It's very difficult to know what to think these days about many issues, including COVID. May we seek to persuade rather than coerce.
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I'd truly rather have Aaron Rodgers take care of his own health for his whole life as he deems best, even if he were to miss the Super Bowl. I value our Packers as persons more than as just players.
By the way, where's the science of testing him in 90 days, versus 60 days, or 100 days? Is it really possible to know with such precision? Just who among all the scientists and doctors in the world gets to make that call?
Also, doesn't the vaccinated Davante Adams have as much of a risk of getting COVID right before the Super Bowl as Aaron Rodgers? Do we even know all that much about the shots less than one year from their introduction to the public? To be scientific, it doesn't seem we're dealing with settled science as much as we are living through experimental science. Americans are the laboratory animals.
To the extent we can look at numbers, doesn't it seem Florida has the best results with COVID?
https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/11/15/florida-gov-desantis-we-chose-fre...
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I sincerely wish everyone good health.