2012 NFC North/NFL Thread

[MerrittsMustache]

Bears deserved to lose anyway, but what a terrible officiating job, disgraceful.

That officiating crew should be removed for the rest of the season. I watched the game with a couple of die-hard GB fans, one of whom said he felt embarassed after the third Jeffrey OPI followed by the no call on Shields. It was about as one-sided as officiating can get.

Don't get me wrong, at the end of the day, the Packers are a better team than the Bears and deserved to win the division, but the Bears also deserved a fair shot in today's game and they didn't get one.

EDIT: I'd also like to add that the Bears' coaching staff appeared equally as inept as the officials. The Lovie Era needs to end.

[Sir Lawrence]

That was the worst idea I've ever seen. McCarthy, WTF was that? Can't believe it, my god.

Embarrassingly stupid.  

Wonder if Slocum had clearance to try that in a game like this.  

No o-line, too many injuries, valiant effort by the Bears.

Officiating was sucky, so was Crosby. 

[jmayer1]

That officiating crew should be removed for the rest of the season. I watched the game with a couple of die-hard GB fans, one of whom said he felt embarassed after the third Jeffrey OPI followed by the no call on Shields. It was about as one-sided as officiating can get.

Don't get me wrong, at the end of the day, the Packers are a better team than the Bears and deserved to win the division, but the Bears also deserved a fair shot in today's game and they didn't get one.

EDIT: I'd also like to add that the Bears' coaching staff appeared equally as inept as the officials. The Lovie Era needs to end.

Bullcrap, there were missed/bad calls on both sides. How about the play where Jeffrey pulled down Shields by his facemask and they called Shields for PI?

[🏀]

If Jeffery wants to push off he should learn how to do it without extending his arms.

Brandon Marshall sure did a lot of nothing after the touchdown.

[hairy worthen]

Embarrassingly stupid.  

Wonder if Slocum had clearance to try that in a game like this.  

No o-line, too many injuries, valiant effort by the Bears.

Officiating was sucky, so was Crosby. 

Terrible terrible call on the punt return. I want to hear the rationale on that
 no excuse for that
  
Crosby needs to be gone

  valiant effort by the bears? The packers should have won by 3 scores. Two missed short field goals an iladvised trick play and a fumble on a drive that would have ended the game if they score. The packers did more to keep the game close than anything the bears did

[MerrittsMustache]

Bullcrap, there were missed/bad calls on both sides. How about the play where Jeffrey pulled down Shields by his facemask and they called Shields for PI?

Actually, they called illegal contact - a 5-yd penalty - and yes, that was a bad call. However, two of the three OPIs, if not all three, were wrong. The no-call on Shields was awful. The personal foul on Peppers was a joke. Cutler got hit in the facemask after a throw early in the game and the ref wasn't even looking. The PI call on Conte in the 2nd quarter was bad. Aikman called out these same things so it's not like I'm imagining them.

Kudos to the Packers on winning the division.

[MerrittsMustache]

If Jeffery wants to push off he should learn how to do it without extending his arms.

Brandon Marshall sure did a lot of nothing after the touchdown.

Because the Packers smartly switched to double and triple teaming him, which left Jeffrey open to make plays, which he did, only to have them taken away from him.

Honestly, it's comical that a Bears' player besides Marshall actually stepped up and made plays but didn't get credit for them. That's how the second half of the season has gone. What can you do?

[DegenerateDish]

Congrats to Green Bay, well deserved title , got up off the mat after early season struggles. Will be tough out in Jan, especially if they get a competent kicker.

[jmayer1]

Actually, they called illegal contact - a 5-yd penalty - and yes, that was a bad call. However, two of the three OPIs, if not all three, were wrong. The no-call on Shields was awful. The personal foul on Peppers was a joke. Cutler got hit in the facemask after a throw early in the game and the ref wasn't even looking. The PI call on Conte in the 2nd quarter was bad. Aikman called out these same things so it's not like I'm imagining them.

Kudos to the Packers on winning the division.

Corect on illegal contact, still an absolute joke.

Peppers launched himself--that's why he got called, which Perreria (sp) agreed with.

Raji's arm was pushed into Cutler's facemask by a Bears lineman if you watched the replay.

If you think Conte shouldn't have been called then there is no way Shields should have been. Conte impeded Finley's attempt to get to the ball, Shields did not.

The Jeffrey PI calls were close, but if you get called once, might be wise to stop doing it.

When you get manhandled as bad as the Bears did, the refs would be way down on my list of complaints.

[Jay Bee]

Skol Vikings!

[DegenerateDish]

Corect on illegal contact, still an absolute joke.

Peppers launched himself--that's why he got called, which Perreria (sp) agreed with.

Raji's arm was pushed into Cutler's facemask by a Bears lineman if you watched the replay.

If you think Conte shouldn't have been called then there is no way Shields should have been. Conte impeded Finley's attempt to get to the ball, Shields did not.

The Jeffrey PI calls were close, but if you get called once, might be wise to stop doing it.

When you get manhandled as bad as the Bears did, the refs would be way down on my list of complaints.

I wouldn't say they were manhandled, they were more inept than anything else.

Shields HAS to be flagged there, you can not call that on Conte and not on Shields. Absolute joke, no matter what team you root for, can not argue against it.

[wadesworld]

Skol Vikings!

Yawn.  The Packers have won 12 straight regular season divisional games (2 full seasons' worth).

[hairy worthen]

Actually, they called illegal contact - a 5-yd penalty - and yes, that was a bad call. However, two of the three OPIs, if not all three, were wrong. The no-call on Shields was awful. The personal foul on Peppers was a joke. Cutler got hit in the facemask after a throw early in the game and the ref wasn't even looking. The PI call on Conte in the 2nd quarter was bad. Aikman called out these same things so it's not like I'm imagining them.

Kudos to the Packers on winning the division.

You are wrong on the opi calls. Go back and look, he pushed off and gained advantage each time, worse than that he extended his arms so it was an easy call to make.

The call on shields was pi no doubt, but that call is easy to miss and that type of thing goes on all the time

I agree with you on the peppers call, but that same play gets penalized every week.


Lovie should be gone. For a game as important as that was to the bears that was a bad perfformance. Some of the play calling was hard to understand not that some of mm's calls were that great.

[martyconlonontherun]

If I'm a bears fan, I'll be more pissed at how they quit at the end of both halves. They could have easily gotten a fg with 30 seconds and a To. That last series by cutler was pathetic. Yeah it's basically over but you got to keep fight and rushing the guys to the line.

[Blackhat]

The Bears' o line is keep them from winning.   Pretty sad group after beaten like a dog on rag doll crime against 49ers.


Jeffrey needs to push to create space.  Glad some refs are tightening up on wr's.   Even though offense sells.

[wadesworld]

The Bears' o line is keep them from winning.   Pretty sad group after beaten like a dog on rag doll crime against 49ers.


Jeffrey needs to push to create space.  Glad some refs are tightening up on wr's.   Even though offense sells.

Didn't even think their O Line played that bad today.  Jay Cutler is their biggest problem, in my opinion.  He makes some horrible throws and his body language is absolutely awful after every one of them.  Throw it right to the defender who is just standing there alone in zone coverage?  Yeah let's get to the sideline and start throwing our hands up, screaming, and slamming things around.  Then when the Packers score, continue to do the same thing.  He's a freaking baby when he needs to be the leader of the team.  It is awesome to watch as an opposing fan, because when your quarterback is acting like that there is no chance that team is going to win games.

As far as Jeffries I'm not sure how the Bears fans can complain about the offensive pass interference calls.  MAYBE the second one called against him wasn't much, but the other two are as obvious as it gets for the refs.  Learn how to run a route to create space rather than blatantly push off the defender and you might make some catches.  The touchdown and the one on the last drive were no brainers for refs to call.  The Bears fans do have a right to be upset with the no-call on Shields.  Definitely a missed pass interference.  But the pass interference they did call on Shields was another absolutely blatant offensive pass interference (and face mask) on Jeffries.  So overall the calls pretty much even out throughout an entire game.

[MerrittsMustache]

Didn't even think their O Line played that bad today.  Jay Cutler is their biggest problem, in my opinion.  He makes some horrible throws and his body language is absolutely awful after every one of them.  Throw it right to the defender who is just standing there alone in zone coverage?  Yeah let's get to the sideline and start throwing our hands up, screaming, and slamming things around.  Then when the Packers score, continue to do the same thing.  He's a freaking baby when he needs to be the leader of the team.  It is awesome to watch as an opposing fan, because when your quarterback is acting like that there is no chance that team is going to win games.

Hester ran the wrong route. Rodgers, Brady, Peyton, Eli, Favre, Elway, Montana, Unitas, whatever QB you want to name gets upset when the WR runs the wrong route and it causes an easy INT. It's easy to pick on Cutler because, quite frankly, he's a surly guy but his reaction to that play was not very different than most other QBs. A huge reason why Cutler throws to Marshall so often is because he's just about the only guy he trusts to be in the right place on the field...often because he's the only guy who is in the right place on the field.

[wadesworld]

Hester ran the wrong route. Rodgers, Brady, Peyton, Eli, Favre, Elway, Montana, Unitas, whatever QB you want to name gets upset when the WR runs the wrong route and it causes an easy INT. It's easy to pick on Cutler because, quite frankly, he's a surly guy but his reaction to that play was not very different than most other QBs. A huge reason why Cutler throws to Marshall so often is because he's just about the only guy he trusts to be in the right place on the field...often because he's the only guy who is in the right place on the field.

Agreed, I meant to add in that most quarterbacks will get on someone when they aren't on the right page, but then they move on. Cutler continues to pout and whine on the bench for the entire defensive series rather than look at pictures from the drive or get on the phone with and talk to the coordinator like the elite quarterbacks do, and then he throws his towel around when the other team scores. It's just horrible leadership.

Also, I'm not sure that he ran the wrong route. It looked like he completed his route and he was entirely covered so Hester turned to go up field while Cutler was buying time but instead of buying time Cutler just threw the ball right into Hayward's numbers.

[jesmu84]

Is there a dumber argument than "body language" for/against a NFL player? No one would care how Cutler is acting if he were 13-1 and a pro bowler. If a player was 1-13 but was a great teammate and leader, fans/media would still be calling for his head, regardless of "body language." Fact is, only thing that matters is winning and losing and he's losing. Maybe not entirely his fault, but there are certainly times when he's not helping his own cause.

Bill Simmons said it best a few weeks ago when he pointed out that the Bears were this year's "good" bad team - they beat the bad teams on the schedule but wouldn't win a game against the good teams.

[Hards Alumni]

Is there a dumber argument than "body language" for/against a NFL player? No one would care how Cutler is acting if he were 13-1 and a pro bowler. If a player was 1-13 but was a great teammate and leader, fans/media would still be calling for his head, regardless of "body language." Fact is, only thing that matters is winning and losing and he's losing. Maybe not entirely his fault, but there are certainly times when he's not helping his own cause.

Bill Simmons said it best a few weeks ago when he pointed out that the Bears were this year's "good" bad team - they beat the bad teams on the schedule but wouldn't win a game against the good teams.

Typically, players who have bad body language aren't winning, and those who have good body language are winning.  Jay is an easy target because he wears his emotions on his sleeve. 

[MerrittsMustache]

Bill Simmons said it best a few weeks ago when he pointed out that the Bears were this year's "good" bad team - they beat the bad teams on the schedule but wouldn't win a game against the good teams.

While the Bears have definitely come up small in some big games this season, they beat Indy, Minnesota and Dallas, all of whom could make the playoffs (or, admittedly could miss them). Are any of them serious contenders? No, but neither are 85-90% of the teams in the league.

If you really think about it, the Packers beat Houston but other than that, what playoff teams have they beat? Minnesota and the Bears are maybe's (granted, that would be 3-4 wins if both teams make it, but that isn't likely). GB's losses are to SF, Seattle, Indy, and the Giants (all potential playoff teams). There are no other playoff contenders on their schedule. That's not a knock on the Packers, that's how these things work.

Denver has won 8 straight games but only 2 of them have been against potential playoff teams - Cincinnati and a suddenly sputtering Baltimore team.

Even Simmons' Patriots only have 3 wins against potential playoff teams - Houston, Denver and Indy. NE has lost to SF, Baltimore, Seattle and Arizona. That's a 3-3 record against playoff teams and 7 wins against "bad" teams with 1 loss to a bad team thrown in.

62.5% of NFL teams miss the playoffs which means that, statistically speaking, 10 of a team's 16 games would be against non-playoff teams. When good teams get beat, who do they typically lose to? Other good teams.

[Hards Alumni]

While the Bears have definitely come up small in some big games this season, they beat Indy, Minnesota and Dallas, all of whom could make the playoffs (or, admittedly could miss them). Are any of them serious contenders? No, but neither are 85-90% of the teams in the league.

If you really think about it, the Packers beat Houston but other than that, what playoff teams have they beat? Minnesota and the Bears are maybe's (granted, that would be 3-4 wins if both teams make it, but that isn't likely). GB's losses are to SF, Seattle, Indy, and the Giants (all potential playoff teams). There are no other playoff contenders on their schedule. That's not a knock on the Packers, that's how these things work.

Denver has won 8 straight games but only 2 of them have been against potential playoff teams - Cincinnati and a suddenly sputtering Baltimore team.

Even Simmons' Patriots only have 3 wins against potential playoff teams - Houston, Denver and Indy. NE has lost to SF, Baltimore, Seattle and Arizona. That's a 3-3 record against playoff teams and 7 wins against "bad" teams with 1 loss to a bad team thrown in.

62.5% of NFL teams miss the playoffs which means that, statistically speaking, 10 of a team's 16 games would be against non-playoff teams. When good teams get beat, who do they typically lose to? Other good teams.

Sound gambling advice of the day.  Don't bet on the NFL playoffs this year.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Jay takes some heat because he just looks like a douche. He might not be, but he looks like one.

I think he has all of the tools to be good/great, but there is something missing. I suppose it could be WRs and offensive line, but really good QB's seem to overcome those issues and are still pretty good.

A mediocre QB can look good with a great offense... while a great QB can make a mediocre offense look good.

I think Jay is an above avg. QB. If you set the expectation correctly, he's fine. If you are expecting him to be Manning/Brees/Rogers/Brady, you are going to be disappointed. He's just not one of those guys.

Honestly, I wouldn't pay him top $. I just don't know if he has the ability to make everybody around him better.

[reinko]

It would help if Cutler cared a bit more.

[hairy worthen]

Jay takes some heat because he just looks like a douche. He might not be, but he looks like one. 

I think he has all of the tools to be good/great, but there is something missing. I suppose it could be WRs and offensive line, but really good QB's seem to overcome those issues and are still pretty good.


I think Jay is an above avg. QB. If you set the expectation correctly, he's fine. If you are expecting him to be Manning/Brees/Rogers/Brady, you are going to be disappointed. He's just not one of those guys.

He has all the tools except from the neck up.