Monday (Can’t stop smiling) edition: Wha’ Happened?
Posted on January 21st, 2008 – 8:56 AMBy Michael Rand
We know it is sick and irrational. We know that logically there are many things to admire about the Green Bay Packers franchise, how it is run, the mystique, blah blah blah. We know that last night, the RandBall Better Half asked us to join her on the couch for overtime, instead of half-leaning on the loveseat arm. But see, we had been sitting on the loveseat arm when things had been going well for the Giants, the spot replacing the previously lucky (and uncomfortable) standing pose that was eliminated after the long GB touchdown that put the Packers ahead early. (But not for good. Ahhhhh.) We know we are sick and wrong to take such perverse pleasure in the misfortune of others. And we do not care. We take back what we said about wanting the Packers to reach the Super Bowl, where they could then lose to the Patriots. Because last night? Last night felt good. It felt VERY good. It felt like one of our 10 favorite games ever. We might have even shouted some expletives of joy. And we cannot stop smiling. That’s how we know. OK, a few things about 23-20, OT, that need to be brought up before we get to our closing point.
1) The Giants were absolutely the better team on the field yesterday. It was not some fluke that they won; in fact, based on all the things they did to shoot themselves in the foot (the stupid penalty by Sam Madison on third down, the RW McButterfingers escapades, the missed field goals, on and on), they had to be considerably better than Green Bay was yesterday. And they were. That’s not to say they’re all-around a better team. But they were Sunday. Ah.
2) There was something strange in Brett Favre’s eyes the moment you looked at him. He didn’t look right yesterday. Not sure if it was the cold, the expectations or the schemes the Giants were running, but he did not have the eyes of a champion yesterday. Nor did he have the arm of a champion. He didn’t even look like he was having fun out there. Ah.
3) Hey look! You can stop Ryan Grant. Pass some of the blame along to the coaching staff, however. Thirteen carries with the way Favre was playing? Not smart.
4) Plaxico Burress made Al Harris his [redacted], and it was beautiful. And that sideline catch by Amani Toomer was one of the prettiest grabs you will ever see.
5) What happened to Eli Manning? Is this really the same guy who handed 41-17 to the Vikings earlier this year?
6) Lawrence Tynes.
It all leads to this: Packers fans, you love to get high and mighty. Admit it, you do. You like to talk about the mystique and your brethren in the cult, your uncle Howie in Osh Kosh with the extensive collection of Packers beer steins and your place on the “waiting list.” When you really want to try to twist in the knife, you start talking about the postseason, the Super Bowl and, if you’re really cruel, 1998. Well, folks, what do we have here? An unbelievable regular season that seemingly came out of nowhere, led by an aging quarterback? The stars aligning to give you home field advantage in the NFC title game against a good opponent that is still a decided underdog? A game with so many ups and downs it’s hard to remember them all? A gut-wrenching trip into overtime capped by the ultimate realization that the game is over and, inexplicably, everything magical has turned to ruins? Oh, Packers fans. Now you know what it’s like. This is your 1998. Drink it in. Enjoy that bitter taste. It lasts a lifetime.
98 Responses to "Monday (Can’t stop smiling) edition: Wha’ Happened?"
[…] RandBall wrote a fantastic post today on “Monday (Canâ
Great point on Favre…he didn’t look like he as “having fun” last night.
Well, I have to be in the minority and say that I was rooting for the Packers to win. I live in Prescott, but usually am one of the few that cheers against them, but when the team they are playing is another team i cant stand being led by a whining little [redacted] of a quarterback, I was hoping that the packers would win and then win again against the Patriots. That way we could finally be rid of Brett Favre as he rides off into the sunset, as it is, he will be back for more gushing by analysts next year…arrghh!!!!!!
Giants were the much better team yesterday. That being said, the patriots after being reminded for the next 2 weeks that the Giants “almost” beat them, will come out and win 38 -7
I heart Schadenfreude!
You hit the nail on the head.
Best post ever.
Does what Plaxico Burress repeatedly did to Al Harris last night make Harris his common-law wife?
Undoubtedly some Packers fan (probably PPP) is going to ask the inevitable question as to whether Vikings fans would rather see the Vikings win or the Packers lose. This question is ludicrous. Of course Vikings fans want to see the Vikings win. It is not even close.
That being understood, just because we would rather see the Vikings win doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy watching the Packers lose. That was so beautiful. I thank the heavens for not having to suffer through two weeks of Brett Favre in the Super Bowl.
By the way, Packers fans, I know how you feel.
RandBall, why are you doing this to us? Your words were entertaining. Your words were humorous. Most of all, your words were accurate. But of course, you used a lot of words and even numbered (correctly, I might add)your thoughts. You have essentially asked for a 23,000 word reply from P3 addressing each of your points. I don’t know if I have a dictionary that is large enough to contain all of the words that he is currently looking up to use in his response.
So P3, let’s have it. Get it over with. Tell us again how the Vikes are inferior to the Pack. Just know that we will all be smiling while trying to hold back laughter as we read your thoughts. Too bad that your version of the great playoff choke can’t be blamed on a coach taking a knee. Your HOF QB made the mistake that mattered most….
Rocket is correct.
I’d much rather have seen the Vikings get into the playoffs. As consolation prizes for a .500 season go, though, seeing your haughty, overbearing neighbors get cut down in their own building by Eli Manning? Not bad.
While the loss was disappointing it was not as bad as some previous Packer losses or, in my opinion, the Vikings loss to the Falcons in 1999. I, like many Packer fans, had no expectations for this team. I thought maybe they would be 8-8 or 9-7. I was amazed that they won 13 games and they easily could have lost 3 or 4 of the games that they won. The playoffs and the NFC Championship game was like icing on the cake for me. After the game was lost last night I felt like saying something to the team similar to what I would say to a student that didn’t pass a test but improved significantly. “Hey, nice work! You’ll get ‘em next time.”
The Vikings on the other hand had dominated opponents all year and were clearly the better team against the Falcons. I was rooting for them because I knew the Super Bowl would suck with the Falcons in it (and it did).
This was a tough loss but a step toward the Super Bowl next year. Thank god I won’t have to hear about the lack of playoff experience when they are back next year.
Its never too early to start thinking about the upcoming draft. Looks like early projections have the Vikings picking some loser from USC….yuck.
Ah Rand… I’ll just say this… Patriots vs. Packers Superbowl would have been so much more interesting and entertaining to watch.
All we here is how awesome Favre is? He has thrown 18 picks in 8 playoff games. He never gets criticized. What a jjoke. Most Overrated Football player of our time!He is a average,durable NFL QB, no better no worse..
What was that? A level-headed response by a Packer fan, with logical reasoning to support his points, and no cheap shots at the Purple? I am impressed, Diddy.
I started the game wanting GB to win so they could lose to the Pats in the big one but then I started thinking about all of those whining Cheesheads and I remember it is a much better thing to rub it in when they choke at home in a must win game. Hang this one on Biloxi Brett-as usual he put up some ducks that my Granny would never have thrown. This will keep me smiling till the Twinkies start playing.
Diddy, you’re way too rational. I don’t buy the text message or the post. And, if by some strange chance you meant everything you said, you shouldn’t be rooting for the Packers. You should be rooting for something like neutral site ping-pong between affably related countries.
Patriots vs. Packers Superbowl would have been so much more interesting and entertaining to watch
The fact that Giants/Patriots was one of the most entertaining games of the regular season seems to contradict this.
Besides, this gives folks who live in, say, Appleton, a chance to acquaint themselves with the many things Wisconsin has to offer in the dead of winter besides football.
Oh.
Wow, oh, Wow!
I agree with Diddy: I would sit the team down like a class full of students. I would tell them that they tried hard but will never be able to win it all when your main weapon is an over-the-hill, overpaid, pick throwing hillbilly. I’d also tell them that it was good that the season ended so Brett could run off to be with his wifey, Coach Madden, for their long awaited honeymoon in Miami.
Nuff said!
i was glad to see the cowboys,colts,and the packers get beat. perfect! i think eli is come of age. the patriots will be a tough team to beat. maybe the magic of eli will prevail. go eli.
Stu - have you so quickly forget Wisconsin’s winter burlesque mustard wrestling?
Packer fans far and wide were able to get over 4th and 26 a few year ago and hopefully we can get over this one as well. What people need to realize is the Packers were the youngest team in the league this season. Teams with so many young players rarely get the playoffs let alone get all the way to any type of championship game. They beat the odds this year despite what many people will call a choke job. The Giants had a much more experienced team on the field and it showed.
As for Favre looking like he wasn’t having any fun…..he was on the sidelines freezing most of the game watching his defense get worked over just as it had in many of their other post season defeats.
Stu - have you so quickly forget Wisconsin’s winter burlesque mustard wrestling?
I stand corrected.
mjr0163:
Another reasonable post. Where have all you rational packers fans come from all of a sudden? Why do you let clowns like PPP represent your team all season long?
The Packers were young at most spots. Not at QB, however, nor at CB. And it was the vets yesterday that let the Packers down.
That said, the Packers probably have the young talent to remain a force for awhile as long as they can minimize the degree to which they need to rely on Favre to be “the guy”… or maybe they need to go the route of the Giants and play all their playoff games on the road, as the Lambeau mystique in the playoffs has worn off and, as previously mentioned, Favre appears as though he would rather be in Kiln than in Green Bay in January.
While it was good that the Packers lost (I couldn’t bear to think of two weeks of “Saint Brett vs. the Evil Cheaty McHoody”); last night’s game also brought up once again how the NFL’s “sudden death” overtime system sucks…leading to too many anticlimactic ends to great games.
Kickers should not be deciding these games.
BTW: anybody want to contact the Pierce County Jail to get a mug shot of Lawrence Tynes’ bar fight in River Falls a couple of summers ago? Would be fun to send it to the Boston Globe.
Here’s to another crappy Super Bowl. Cheers.
I beg to differ. Last night, the OT worked the way it should have. One team got the ball, gave it up, the other team won.
It’s not like the Giants threw an 82-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime to steal a victory.
And the Super Bowl wouldn’t have been crappy with the Packers in it? Ha!
What about the 3 coeds showing off their mustard colored bikini tops? I was disappointed they weren’t showing off their cheese bras.
I’m not a Packer fan, just to make that clear. But, I think they would have put up a better fight then the Giants will.
spankybooty, call me too ready to rush to judgement if you must, but with a nickname like that I have a sneaking suspicion as to what your home DVD library contains…
My 2 favorite postgame moments were watching the Manning family absolutely lose their [redacted] celebrating like Carson Kressley at a Clay Aiken concert. The other was Eli looking for said suite.
“Where are they? Where’s section one? I give up.”
The Packers choked. I hope Brett Favre doesn’t retire because they’ll be nothing without him.
It’s time to crown New England’s [redacted].
Any NFC team going against New England was going to be a double-digit victim. The Super Bowl is an afterthought this year. It’s time to start thinking about the draft and free agency.
As a livelong Viking fan living in Eau Claire, WI, every word of your post described perfectly my sentiments over the past 12 hours. The ‘98 reference was perfect - I couldn’t wait to come to work today to hear what all of the whining, self-righteous Packer fans had to say about this one. Well, I’m at work, and they haven’t said much yet.
The most football I watched all year was last night. It was a good game to watch…Packers losing and all.
The play of “cover” corners Harris and Woodson was aweful against the Giants. Harris got caught up in the war of words with Plaxico and he lost it mentally. Woodson was reluctant to hit anybody and definitely looked disinterested in hitting anyone in the cold. The rest of the defense actually held up fairly well considering how long they were on the field. Offensively, the play calling was very questionable as the Pack got away from the short passing game that made them effective this year. Favre made some poor decisions at the end of the game and it seemed that the Pack was destined to beat themselves in the 4th quarter and in overtime. Ultimately, the Giants won this game and I have to give them credit for that, I will NEVER forget the lack of heart shown by our two corners on this day. That said, it was still better watching this game then to deal with this kind of thing Each and Every week as you poor Vikings fans do!
I despise the Giants, and, if you’re a Vikings fan, you should too (41-0, anybody?). That said, I was happy to see Cheap Shot Al get burned time and time again on national television.
My big question is this: when is Fox going to fire Joe Buck’s sorry ass? The guy is an empty shell of his father, has a duotone announcing voice, and couldn’t get excited if he was smeared in chocolate sauce and whipped cream at the Playboy mansion. The way he and Two-Minute Troy kept making excuses for Favre was appalling. On his last pick: “The ball must have slipped out of his hand” and something about “He didn’t expect the defender to be where he was.” What a load of crap. If T-Jack had made the same awful throw, the announcers would be all over him. But it’s Fav-ray, who can do no wrong - it’s always someone else’s fault. Good grief. Someone get Buck the fuck off the public airwaves. Send him to the CFL for chrissakes. “That was a disgusting act” was not about Randy Moss; it was regarding the day Fox hired Buck as their main play-by-play guy. Yuck.
For the record ( if only for my record, since as y’all have said, you live in Mn thus having no perspective on the Pack or on winning for that matter), but for the record, this simply wasn’t a great game unless you watched, as you did, with blood dripping from your mouth after biting through a beer bottle waiting for the Packers to lose. Nor did Manning look much different than less mobile Action Jackson, a real insult. What did happen was that Favre played badly, very badly, often significantly under throwing his receivers as he did during overtime. And for those who never threw a ball much in extremely cold weather (and that means most of you, so get real now lil’ boy Stu and Big Bad Dave) the ball not only feel glassy as the announcers constantly reported but a lesser effect is the air gets much denser (cold =dense, duh.. but quick now, determine the density of oxygen at absolute zero. Times up, COW wannabes) and, for example, a car or airplane have on board computers to adjust the air/fuel ratio yet humans obviously don’t. And it’s here where Manning made that adjustment (throwing harder and/or higher) than in warmer climes, made that adjustment better than Favre…
But, alas, this wasn’t and won’t be the only time in football history then where the better team lost. Meaning, it’s quite sure if you removed your bovine blinders and jettisoned your purplish bias that you would see that if the Pack played the same way on Sunday as they did while they were waxing your team this year..twice..played that way last night, Eli would be going not cumming. But, few here have really played this game in truly nasty weather though they may have played it often themselves under the sheets, so their glee today will eclipse that thought. So be it. Sh.t happens, as I’m sure that will be evident in most of the comments today., but you RandB, to you I have something else to say.
That is, you once had an excellent column in the Star where you picked 5..6..7 letters to print each week, excellent letters as I recall since I appeared at least once as I remember, but you never printed the nonsense there about beer and bars and all posts having zip to do with sports, pure cr.ap, as I see see it. As for me, my posts may touch base with much wider issues than sports per se asking the whys and wherefores of blacks in sports but I, at least, do try to bring the subject back to sport. Instead as opposed to any sports reference, I offer these brilliant opinions from two of our sharpest sport’s writers, but remember this could come from any issue, any post….and do..every day..
AZGopherGirl says: January 18th, 2008 at 4:41 pm They always say write what you know. It’s no surprise then, that a man identifying himself as roughkat, Rupert, Uruguay and that porn name Stu came up with, all in one week, would have just the right comment on a story about multiple personalities.
Dave MN says: January 18th, 2008 at 4:50 pm that porn name Stu came up withSir Thrustalot? Spike McPoke? Oh yeah, Thorn Savagewood…
So, c’mon sir. You once produced a fine product but because paper readership is down, the skinflints at the NotsoBrite Star axed your column, but does that mean you have to cheapen a column with your very own name on it by allowing these boys and women to write anything !! ….from where to meet for beers to where is the best pizza ? Yet, my wonder is..what is a sport’s blog and then does this meet that criterion. In my view, I think not. I know not, in fact, so I ask you if you would really consider any of that chit chat for your past column and so why do you allow it here unless this column represents only a paycheck to you and you take no ethical or creative stand in what is in it ?
Reading P3 So You Don’t Have To:
The Denial Stage and the Anger Stage, together at last!
This has been another edition of Reading P3 So You Don’t Have To, a joint presentation of Stu and 2nd Wind Fitness.
*snore*
Why don’t Minnesotans cheer for their fellow midwestern teams? I think that is very strange. Instead, we will watch two east coast teams play in the Super Bowl-not much fun if you ask me. I am a Vikings fan but find it impossible not to want to see Brett Favre and the Packers go to the Super Bowl since the Vikes can’t pull anything together anyway. Are Minnesotans jealous, or what exactly is it? Please, I would love to hear a logical answer from someone without the ranting.
P3 - Please leave Thorn Savagewood out of this. He’s done nothing but create quality films that take place in either a locker room, manager’s office or the backseat of a Volkswagen.
I can’t stop laughing because now Packers fans get a taste of what the Vikes fans went through in ‘98. Long story short, they weren’t ready for the Giants like we weren’t ready for the Falcons. The really amusing thing is that for the first time all year a ref was watching the Packers’ secondary and actually calling them when they interfered with receivers. Favre will be back. Has anyone wondered how they get Farve from Favre? I know how, southern education!
I’m always right and the Packers are still the best team ever. They could never lose because the other team played better.
This has been another edition of Reading P3 So You Don’t Have To, a joint presentation of Stu and 2nd Wind Fitness. and jama
The fact that Packer-backers refuse to believe about ole number 4: “But, on second and 8, Favre made a fatal mistake, the type that has marred the second half of his illustrious career in playoff losses against San Francisco in 1998 (79.7 passer rating), St. Louis in ‘01 (53.5), Atlanta in ‘02 (54.4), Philadelphia in ‘03 (82.4) and Minnesota in ‘04 (55.4). His passer rating was 70.7 in this one, behind Eli Manning’s 72.3.”
BTW Carol, the reason why we don’t root for the Packers is because their fans are that smug and annoying. Kind of like how most Wisconsin fans don’t root for the Gophers because we’re smug to them.
PPP, I would just like to point out that air is not purely oxygen which you insinuated by your question “but quick now, determine the density of oxygen at absolute zero. Times up, COW wannabes” (if you were simply asking what the density of oxygen at absolute zero ignoring the context, as some sort of general question to the masses then perhaps the question should be asked in a more fitting place). In fact oxygen only makes up 21% of the dynamic gaseous mixture we call “air”. Why so blatantly disregard nitrogen? For shame.
Paul Peter Paulos,
Perhaps you should try to take more pride in writing a post that actually makes sense. Try breaking up the paragraphs a bit, and actually using punctuation.
Disappointingly it appears as though Triple P has decided not to take any of the several writers asking him to go away for another eight months up on their requests. Apparently we are stuck with the pseudo-intellectual wanna-be’s run-on sentences, incorrect punctuations and self-important bloviations filled with big, fancy words aimed at convincing himself and others of his own intelligence.
He showed many of his true colors yesterday immediately following the game when he didn’t take the time to check his thesaurus or his dictionary while typing up a post where he sunk to the level of those he claims to disdain, calling his fellow posters idiots and morons, and, of course, claiming the Giants didn’t beat the Pack, but the Pack gave the game away.
A quick look at the stat sheet proved the ridiculous nature of that post. But again, he’s back this morning, and true to form, patting himself on the back again, and providing moderately-amusing, but mostly just condescending commentary about the physics of how a ball reacts to the cold. Thanks for the lesson, big shot. Great. You played sport in the cold. I’m happy for ya. At the end of the day none of it matters. Manning outplayed Favre. The Giants outplayed the Packers – yes, the Giants outplayed the Packers, the Packers did not give the game away. And to say the better team lost… after the first two weeks of the season the Giants were as good as any team in the inferior conference whether you are willing to admit it or not.
So you can come back and shoot your mouth about how Minnesota sucks, you can blather on about how the Pack and Wisconsin in general can do no wrong. But at the end of the day you are what you are – a big mouth wanna-be that is capable of clicking Tools, Language, Thesaurus to make yourself look smart that gets exposed anytime someone takes the time to look past the very top layer of almost anything you have to say.
Ms. Rotvold, if you need a reason why Vikings fans don’t pull for the Packers take a couple minutes and try to decipher that Paul Peter Paulos post a few posts above. That is why I am as gleeful as I am that the super bowl does not include the team to the east.
Have a nice offseason.
My favorite exchange from my house this weekend:
Special Lady Friend: “That parka Tom Brady is wearing is huge.”
roughkat: “That’s so all his pads can fit.”
Special Lady Friend: “And his huge [redacted].”
I am the luckiest man alive.
Wow, Randball. That’s harsh. I have two kids who participate in sports and the universal message they hear from my husband and I as well as their coaches is that whether you win or lose, do it with class. Don’t badmouth the other team, don’t kick a guy when they’re down, and never, ever gloat when you win.
I’ll be honest. I’ve never read one of your blog entries. Gotta say I never will again. There are a lot of places to go on the web where there is civilized conversation that isn’t headed up with juvenile glee in someone else’s loss. This clearly isn’t one of them.
P3, that was the funniest thing you’ve ever posted. At least, this time there was a sense of timing.
I mean, every other time you’ve posted your whining, complaining, “Look at me! Listen to me! Agree with me!” garbage it wasn’t funny because the Packers very well may have been a great team this year. Then your hero stinks up the joint in what will possibly be his last shot at a Super Bowl, and you come in and spew the same crap. Comedic genius! All of those posts for the entirety of the season were just the set-up to this killer punchline. I can’t believe I didn’t see it all along! Seriously, open mic night at Acme, hit it up, you’ll kill.
Also, what the hell would my experience throwing a football in cold weather have to do with Brett Favre playing like absolute crap last night? Eli didn’t seem to have much trouble. Hell, he threw some pinpoint passes, to his own receivers, no less. These are professional athletes. Lambeau is Favre’s homefield. If he can’t play well there in the winter, I don’t really understand why he’s been their QB this long. I don’t need to be able to throw pinpoint passes in cold weather for my job, he does. Your comparison is irrelevant and smacks of the last ditch effort of someone to defend his hero.
Also, I enjoy how you’ve gone back to attacking the content of this blog and its comments. I don’t think you’re going to distract us from our schadenfreude. Oh well, the Packers season is over, I’m assuming we won’t see you back here until next fall. Enjoy your spring and summer, P3! Don’t ever change!
Hey Nixmom, we’re not teasing kids for losing here. These are grown men and athletes…they can take a little jibe. Hell, they spend their careers talking smack to each other between plays. All in good fun. We’ve had a Packer fan (P3) being the poorest sport in here for 8 months. He’s getting his medicine.
Randball, you go to your room and think about what you’ve done.
Ummm…see ya later Nixmom. Don’t let the door hit yeah on the way out.
Seriously, for better or worse, that’s what this blog (and many like it) is all about–if you don’t like it, you’re more than welcome to not come back.
But way to insult RandBall and try to make HIM feel bad before you do. Way to set an example for your kids.
I am neither proud of how the Packers make me feel, nor ashamed of my actions. Also, I enjoy bacon very much.
“Mmmmm…open faced club sandwhich.”
[…] And then The Strib’s Michael Rand nailed it this morning: “Oh, Packers fans. Now you know what it’s like. This is your 1998. Drink it in. Enjoy that bitter taste. It lasts a lifetime.” […]
That post back from Stepen Hero has an interesting story in it. The moral: If you’re too immature to handle watching sports in public, don’t take your wife and kids to a public resteraunt to let them see you act like a baby.
Call me lazy because I don’t want to read all 58 posts that were prior to mine (including the “books” that P3, Dave, and Victor wrote), but I’m sure this subject has been touched on:
I’m assuming that Favre will be back for “one more season”. Does anyone really think that he’ll retire after throwing the interception that inevitably lost the game/ended his career?
Oh yeah…Nixmom hurt my feelings with her statements. Since I can’t redirect my flaws by making fun of others anymore, I will now fall into a deep depression. Thanks for NOTHING!
When the Packers lose it’s almost as good as if the Vikings would win the Super Bowl. I also think it is perverse to derive pleasure from someones misfortune, except in the case of the Packers. I know that they would cheer just as hard against the Vikings if we were in the NFC Championship game, so I feel no guilt for wanting Bret Favre to get crushed by a massive defensive lineman or two or three.
I’m a life long Vikings fan. Having said that, there are really two main reasons why I was rooting against the Pack: (1) their cheap shot secondary and (2) their ridiculously mouthy fans.
There is no way Packer Fans would root for the Vikings in the playoffs either. And they would rub it our faces 10 times worse if we choked like the Pack did yesterday. I can’t explain it…if the Bears were in the same situation as the Pack yesterday…I probably would have been rooting for Da Bears instead of the Giants.
You can’t fault Favre for all of the media attention. He makes for a good story, but I don’t think he asks for it. Seems like a competitive guy who has his ups and downs. If it weren’t for that one game a few years ago where he came in for the first snap just to keep his streak alive then sat out the rest of the game, I’d probably think more of his record breaking status.
I think their receiving corps and linebackers are really their only areas of combined strength and youth. Offensive line and QB are aging, DT is a revolving door every season, secondary pick-pockets most receivers, Kampman is the only consistent defensive lineman (he’s awesome, I wish we had him). I think their best shot for a Super Bowl was this year based on all cylinders clicking…might be difficult to have a similar situation for some time.
It will definitely be an interesting offseason for the NFC North!
To the person who asked why we don’t support other team from the midwest — I suppose if you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand. You don’t see the NY fans cheering for the Red Sox after the Yankees inevitably get knocked out of the post-season, do you?
It’s called a rivalry, and we take this stuff very seriously…
You are a complete idiot, but I’m sure you’ve been told that many times.
You are a complete idiot, but I’m sure you’ve been told that many times.
You really are going to have to be more specific.
Keep the moms out of the blog unless they understand the game. I’m a coach and 90% of the whining in sports comes from them.
Hey, someone stole my name!
I’ll be a little more specific:
For the big game, instead of having the teams play each other, put Coughlin and Belichek in The Octagon. Make a set of rules but don’t enforce them. Biting, scratching, kicking in the groin and spitting are not only allowed, they’re encouraged. Every broken limb is seven points, face or head gash three points.
Or let the players play. Either way Maroney will get turn his ankle.
Spot on, Rand! I still remember how those Cheesehead [redacted]s cheered and laughed in my face while I sat with head in hands in my UW-Madison dorm room after Anderson kicked the game winner in ‘98. So Nixmom & PPP, it is because of your beloved Packer brethren’s reaction on that day (and countless others) why I took so much pleasure in the way your team lost last night. I am drinking it in Rand — and let me tell you, it tastes like poetic justice…
Yeah, it sucks for Packers fans that they lost, but at least they were still in the NFC Championship when the Vikings could only look forward to next year–and there’s very little to look forward to. Iceberg Childress? (thanks for keeping that loser out of Green Bay, by the way) T-Jack? (yawn) AP might be it, and that’s only if he can stay healthy. Can’t wait for next season when the Packers try to sweep the Vikes yet again. That never gets old!
Indeed, those Graps are sour as hell.
Ah, well, so what’s a little typo between friends? See ya next year!
hey Purple Pride=Sour Graps nice spelling! It’s g-r-a-p-e-s. Sounds like a bad Wisconsin education system… The only time that was better than this was when they lost to the Eagles!!! I never grow tired of watching you lose because at some point or another Koren will relapse. Oh yeah, we expected to not make the super bowl this year, you expected to and flopped, so what’s the bigger let down? Come write us when you’re a real dynasty like the Cowboys, Patriots, and Steelers were.
I love the posting! I live in Green Bay and have the opportunity to see the sadness and dismay first hand. I have taken grief all season from the Packer Backers and will just smile and giggle when they complain about the game.
As for the sub zero temps during the game, isn’t that why the Lambeau is an outdoor stadium? For the edge the Frozen Tundra is suppose to give the Packers? Perhaps they should have practiced outside prior to the game rahter than inside the heated Don Hutson center.
Instead of listing to Super Bowl hype, it will be non-stop commentary on Favre..”will he or won’t he retire?” It already started last week.
@Sour Gripes(haha, typo): Funny, I’ve heard in the past that all that matters is winning the Super Bowl. Are we going to get into the “our season lasted longer than yours and still ended in failure” debate?
It’s not their fault, because if they didn’t have the Packers, it would be more boring than Iowa out there.
The Declaration of Independence had punctuation errors in it. The Message trumps the medium. Those who want perfect punctuation often can say nothing perfectly well…
P3, I’m amazed by people who don’t think that typing like a monkey high on crack hurts the legitimacy of their argument.
In other words, you amaze me, P3.
I am no Packer fan. But I do cheer for them when the Vikes are out of the picture.
1. This article couldn’t be further from the truth. The truth is, both teams sucked last night. Giants coming off of a 5 or 6 game win streak, not impossible, even the Vikes did that…almost. So it isn’t like they are some spectacular football team. Any team can get lucky and have a win streak, even the weak ones.
2. Favre is by far the better quarterback vs. eli. And would never throw a game under no circumstance. Looked like he didn’t want to win? give me a break!
3. Lawrence Tynes couldn’t kick a cow in the nuts correctly, even if you paid him millions of dollars.
4. The pats will have a way easier time moping the floor with the giants.
5. Brandon Jacobs could’ve won the game by himself. He has more talent than anyone else on his team combined.
GO PATS!
w00t!
Both teams sucked? Maybe so. But the Packers sucked far, far more than the Giants. Look at the stat sheet - it tells the story very clearly. Time of possession, rushing yards, et al… very clearly. And as for the win streak, the Giants have won 10 in a row on the road - you can call that luck if you want to, but I’m going to choose to acknowledge that the Giants have simply peaked at the right time.
And nobody said Eli was a better quarterback than Favre. But YESTERDAY he was a far better quarterback than Favre. He made smarter decisions, threw better passes, didn’t get his team beat. … Even the biggest packer apologist on the board here acknowledged in his post that Eli adjusted better to the weather than Favre did.
And as for looking like he didn’t want to be there, I stand by that statement. At the end of regulation and in overtime it was clear that the weather had gotten into his head. He was constantly taking handwarmers and putting them inside his helmet… his facial expressions - something Eli is frequently knocked for - said he didn’t want to be out there anymore.
Did he throw the game? No. I don’t think that’s what anyone said. He made a bad play, sure. Not on purpose. But I stand by saying he looked like he was mentally affected by the weather - more than almost anyone out there.
That’s great PPP. The Declaration of Independence had punctuation errors in it. Guess what? The Declaration of Independence was written by one of the brightest guys in American history and signed by a bunch more that helped found a country. I think I’ll cut them some slack.
Your greatest contribution to said country, as far as I can tell, is that you apparently have played football in cold weather — and I can only take your word for that.
Watching everyone freeze, including Farve and his home field advantage, makes me wonder what’s so wrong with the 70 degrees, always sunny and loudest stadium HHH Metrodome?
CSL,
Yeah, I owned up to the typo, and by the way, I’m all MN, so it must be a bad Minnesota education system.
And yeah, I’d rather have the season the Packers had than the “win and you’re in, yet they still lose twice” Vikings any day. Have fun next season in your bomb shelter, er, the Metrodome, unless the team moves to LA instead! (which, for the record, would disappoint me)
Coincidentally, the last time I rooted for the Vikings was when they played the Giants in the 2001 NFC Championship–thanks, Vikes! I learned my lesson. At least the Packers didn’t lose like that.
PP=SG Aah, so you’re a product of Minnesota’s special ed. system; no wonder you can read and write! Besides, I’m not the loser Packers fan from MN (sellout) writing in a Vikings column. I have the day off of work, what’s your excuse? I’d say that the monumental come from behind loss to the Eagles is so much worse than a blowout to the Giants because they gave up, but hey, let’s keep this bright argument going about both of our teams not going to the super bowl this year. BTW, who won the Super Bowl in ‘01? That’s right.
I had to root for New York last night, I don’t actually care for the Giants and I’ll be looking for the Patriots to crush them in Arizona. I still had to root for them, because they did me a great favor last week. If they had lost I wouldn’t have watched a game between the Packers and the Cowgirls. How do you watch a team you really don’t like play against at team you hate to see win?
That said. The game was easily the best game I have seen in ten years. I respect Favre, but he reminds me of Tarkenton. The playoffs do something to him and its not like this was the first time his playoff run ended in an interception.
The Cowgirls I just plain hate, but it’s the Packer Fans that I hate and anything that shuts them up about the stuff that happened when the Packers were their Great-Grandpa’s team just makes me sick.
So that’s two favours the Giants have done for me in one month.
One last thing before I go PP=SG: Green Bay is not a dynasty, so don’t even bother trying to compare them to any other team in the NFL until they’re on par with Dallas, New England, or the Steelers. Like every other true Minnesotan, I will keep rooting for them because they are the underdog, and they have been a part of my life. It’s the same way Patriots fans felt before their time came. Whether or not their time comes, I won’t be a sellout because I will be true to my team. You on the other hand are a tool. I’m out.
This is why we don’t root for other midwestern teams… “Yeah, it sucks for Packers fans that they lost, but at least they were still in the NFC Championship when the Vikings could only look forward to next year–and there’s very little to look forward to. Iceberg Childress? (thanks for keeping that loser out of Green Bay, by the way) T-Jack? (yawn) AP might be it, and that’s only if he can stay healthy. Can’t wait for next season when the Packers try to sweep the Vikes yet again. That never gets old!”
Make sense now?
One more on why we don’t root for the Pack… read any of PP=SG comments. Nuf said.
Last night Favre looked like an old man in the cold, while Eli looked like a kid playing a game.
The Packer vs Viking stuff is all pretty old, but one thing to keep in mind.
The playoffs are all that matters, and the Vikings have never lost to the Packers in the playoffs, and we did it AT Lambeau Field.
I am not just a packer fan I am a part owner. I was somewhat disappointed on how the Pack looked yesterday. You can’t win them all, but at least we do know you can win a superbowl once in a while. Also if someone had told me in August that the Packers would be in the NFC championship game at the end of the year I would have thought no way. I say it was a surprisely good year, some really nice high points (2-0 versus the Vikings). Hopefully Brett comes back and the Packers do win the NFC and go to the superbowl next year. Go Pack.
Packer schadenfreude gets 91 (now 92) comments. That seems deserving of some sort of celebration. Herewith, Debbie Gibson, Shake Your Love.
They may have been 2-0 against the Vikings, but they were 0-2 against the Bears…now THAT’s funny. BTW the Vikes are also a pretty young team and CRUSHED 2 out of the 4 final teams in the playoffs. The Vikes will get more consistent with more experience on offense. Most didn’t even pick them to win more than 4 games at the beginning of the season, so it turned out better than I even thought as far as I’m concerned. They definitely have more to build on than the Pack right now.
I’m a big Packer fan. The only thing I don’t like about the Packers is most of their fans. PPP? C’mon. Why do so many Packer fans sound like Carl Gerbschmidt?
Randball, your comments were right on. Even a Packer fan has to agree. NY totally outplayed the Packers. Harris stunk. Favre was somewhere between mediocre and awful. And McCarthy was out-coached. Oh well. It happens.
One question: How come so many people hate Brett Favre? Seems like a nice enough guy — pretty good role model. Good family man. Better than average skills (not the greatest of all time, but pretty good.) I don’t understand the vitriol.
Finally, the thing I don’t like about Lambeau is that is filled with these old guys who have had seats since 1957 and won’t give them up to some of us reasonable, nice guys (such as my self) who hate Carl Gerbschmidt’s rantings.
Thus Lambeau is filled with crusty embittered old men.
Next year I want to see Aaron Rodgers. he won’t be the lightening rod that Favre is.
G. Money, I don’t know that people “hate” Brett Favre. I think they hate how seemingly everyone in sports reporting gushes over him when he plays well and makes excuses for him when he plays poorly. Unfortunately, when someone receives treatment that does not seem deserved, he/she will likely be resented. If Favre was called out for playing crappy, I don’t think people would be so irritated by him. It just doesn’t happen.
Hell, during last night’s game, the announcers were making excuses for Favre’s mistakes the whole time. He throws an interception that was luckily fumbled back to the Packers, and rather than saying it was a “stupid play” or a “mistake” the announcers sit there and try to make excuses why he threw that. There had to be some other reason for the pick…it couldn’t have possibly been Favre’s fault. That gets really old.
Brett Favre may be a great guy, and he has had a great career, but I don’t think that makes him as infallible as the majority of sports reporters seem to believe. It’s sad when I have to be pleasantly surprised by a show on TV or radio that has an honest take on Favre’s performance. He sucked last night. He made bad throws (some were forced errors, some were mental errors). But, ultimately, he was a big reason why the Packers lost the game last night. Not the only reason, but a big one.
G-Money: I would also say that I think Brett Favre is one of the 5 best QBs of all-time. I would have loved to see him in Purple all these years. I don’t really think there’s a lot of hate in MN for Favre, except the grudging kind that comes from someone on the other side of a rivalry being pretty darn good.
Amen to DaveMN’s comments. I have no personal hatred of Favre, but the constant gushing and deification makes me crazy. I think he’s a Hall of Fame quarterback who is primarily great because of his durability. I’m always amused at the comments saluting his “love of the game”, and his “passion for the game” as if these traits weren’t present in most individuals who get to play a kid’s game for millions of dollars. Would I want him on my team? Of course.
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