2013 NFC North/NFL Thread

[hairy worthen]

Probably a good thing I using meathead instead of meatball.  


Just because something has always been done a certain way doesn't mean it should be done that way. Indoor football isn't sanitized, it's maximizing the talent of your athletes and minimizing injury potential.

No team should have to create a roster or adjust their gameplan to account for the crappy Green Bay weather, or any inclement weather. There is no good reason why football should be played outside other than "FOOTBALL BELONGS OUTSIDE....DITKA...NITSCHKE...DERP" argument.

ok,  I just disagree with you then. 

[hairy worthen]

Is there any chance Rodgers plays Thursday?

The only thing Rodgers has said definitively is that he needs to practice two days before the game to be able to play, that means he will need to practice tomorrow.

I would be surprised if he played, waiting until Atlanta at home makes more sense.

The packers will be challenged to win out when he comes back the way the defense is playing right now.

[🏀]

ok,  I just disagree with you then. 

Fair enough, I respect that.

[NavinRJohnson]

Flynn will play Thursday, and I'm guessing he'll be pretty effective. He missed a few throws yesterday, and a little rust flew off on every one, but he clearly had confidence and pretty good control of the offense. Short turnaround doesn't help though. Seems like there is decent chance Rodgers could thencome back for Atlanta with a long time to prepare

The NFC North has turned into a complete joke. It is ridiculous, that the Packers who haven't won in a month, will be completely in the driver's seat if they somehow win on Thursday. None of it really matters though, as I don't see a single team capable of winning in the playoffs.

[MerrittsMustache]

Flynn will play Thursday, and I'm guessing he'll be pretty effective. He missed a few throws yesterday, and a little rust flew off on every one, but he clearly had confidence and pretty good control of the offense. Short turnaround doesn't help though. Seems like there is decent chance Rodgers could thencome back for Atlanta with a long time to prepare

The NFC North has turned into a complete joke. It is ridiculous, that the Packers who haven't won in a month, will be completely in the driver's seat if they somehow win on Thursday. None of it really matters though, as I don't see a single team capable of winning in the playoffs.

Any of the NFC North teams could beat Arizona, Dallas, Carolina or Philly. It'll all come down to who (if anyone) gets hot in the last 2-3 games of the season.

Having said that, I'd be very surprised if anyone other than Seattle or NO win the NFC.

[Dish]

Rodgers injury sucks. Pack/Lions on Thanksgiving should be Rodgers/Stafford, North title hanging in the balance. Division is still up for grabs, GB can still win Thursday, but not the same without Rodgers in there. That's the best game on Thanksgiving as well.

While I'm at it, shame on NBC/NFL for not flexing out of Giants/Skins.

[mugrad2006]

Rodgers injury sucks. Pack/Lions on Thanksgiving should be Rodgers/Stafford, North title hanging in the balance. Division is still up for grabs, GB can still win Thursday, but not the same without Rodgers in there. That's the best game on Thanksgiving as well.

While I'm at it, shame on NBC/NFL for not flexing out of Giants/Skins.

The biggest salvaging this game's watchability is that it's on Thanksgiving, so they'll be great food, family, and fun.  Given the short week and the Sunday performances by both teams I expect the actual game itself with be a mess to watch.

[MU82]

Any of the NFC North teams could beat Arizona, Dallas, Carolina or Philly. It'll all come down to who (if anyone) gets hot in the last 2-3 games of the season.

Having said that, I'd be very surprised if anyone other than Seattle or NO win the NFC.

Panthers, baby!

[brandx]

Rodgers injury sucks. Pack/Lions on Thanksgiving should be Rodgers/Stafford, North title hanging in the balance. Division is still up for grabs, GB can still win Thursday, but not the same without Rodgers in there. That's the best game on Thanksgiving as well.

While I'm at it, shame on NBC/NFL for not flexing out of Giants/Skins.

If it wasn't for the injury, the game would mean nothing - GB would have the division basically sewed up already.

[wadesworld]

He wasn't on the Packers' roster when Rodgers got hurt.

Worded wrong.  He should've been on the plane the second Rodgers got hit and taking every practice snap from that moment on through games.

[wadesworld]

I hold a Packers to win the Superbowl ticket.  It was purchased approximately 47 minutes before A Rog broke his collarbone.

I'm thinking about buying one now.  5-5-1.  And only 0.5 games back in the division.  Get Rodgers healthy after this week, get Cobb healthy later, get into the Playoffs as the division winner, and get hot.  Not saying the Packers are the Super Bowl favorites, but the longer the Bears and Lions continue to allow them to stick around the smarter the money becomes.

[MU B2002]

I'm thinking about buying one now.  5-5-1.  And only 0.5 games back in the division.  Get Rodgers healthy after this week, get Cobb healthy later, get into the Playoffs as the division winner, and get hot.  Not saying the Packers are the Super Bowl favorites, but the longer the Bears and Lions continue to allow them to stick around the smarter the money becomes.

What are the current odds?  I bought mine at 12-1 IIRC.

[GGGG]

Rodgers injury sucks. Pack/Lions on Thanksgiving should be Rodgers/Stafford, North title hanging in the balance. Division is still up for grabs, GB can still win Thursday, but not the same without Rodgers in there. That's the best game on Thanksgiving as well.

While I'm at it, shame on NBC/NFL for not flexing out of Giants/Skins.

From a ratings POV, there aren't many better.  They can't take Broncos and Chiefs part 2....so St Louis and San Francisco???  Bengals and Chargers???

[wadesworld]

What are the current odds?  I bought mine at 12-1 IIRC.

25:1.  I won my fantasy baseball league and the guy just talked to me about getting me my winnings.  I just told him to put it all on the Pack for me.  I'm feeling richer already.

[Sir Lawrence]

I'm thinking about buying one now.  5-5-1.  And only 0.5 games back in the division.  Get Rodgers healthy after this week, get Cobb healthy later, get into the Playoffs as the division winner, and get hot.  Not saying the Packers are the Super Bowl favorites, but the longer the Bears and Lions continue to allow them to stick around the smarter the money becomes.

Dom Capers might screw up your investment plans. 

[GGGG]

Probably a good thing I using meathead instead of meatball. 


Just because something has always been done a certain way doesn't mean it should be done that way. Indoor football isn't sanitized, it's maximizing the talent of your athletes and minimizing injury potential.

No team should have to create a roster or adjust their gameplan to account for the crappy Green Bay weather, or any inclement weather. There is no good reason why football should be played outside other than "FOOTBALL BELONGS OUTSIDE....DITKA...NITSCHKE...DERP" argument.

Here is my argument.

At every level of football...from youth, to high school, to college...it is almost always played outdoors and in the elements.  Unlike basketball, volleyball, etc. it is an integral part of the game.

[wadesworld]

Dom Capers might screw up your investment plans. 

Agreed. If the Packers can win the division and go into the playoffs with a healthy Rodgers, Cobb, Jones, Nelson, and Lacy the only thing that stops the Packers in the Playoffs is the Packers defense. Which it very well may. Still, at 25:1 odds that might be the best money in the NFL given where they are in the standings combined with what they will be adding once healthy.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Agreed. If the Packers can win the division and go into the playoffs with a healthy Rodgers, Cobb, Jones, Nelson, and Lacy the only thing that stops the Packers in the Playoffs is the Packers defense. Which it very well may. Still, at 25:1 odds that might be the best money in the NFL given where they are in the standings combined with what they will be adding once healthy.

They're also going to have to win a few road games as well. 

[Dish]

From a ratings POV, there aren't many better.  They can't take Broncos and Chiefs part 2....so St Louis and San Francisco???  Bengals and Chargers???

Cards/Eagles would have been my flex.

[Hards Alumni]

Regardless of how the Packers finish, there needs to be changes in the coaching front.  Dom needs to go.  Its not working.  Personally, I think McCarthy is and has always been a terribly overrated coach.  What is his win percentage without Rodgers/Favre?  He has been standing on their shoulders for years.  There are bonehead calls every week... Look no further than the TYFNC (Thank You For Not Coaching) section of Bill Barnwell's column on Grantland every single week.  McCarthy is always there.  This week:

The Curious: Mike McCarthy curiously decided to kick a field goal on the opening possession of overtime during Sunday's Packers-Vikings tie. McCarthy's team was facing a fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line with an opportunity to seal the game by scoring a touchdown on the first drive of overtime. Instead, he kicked a 20-yard field goal, and after the Vikings responded with a field goal of their own, the two sides sleepwalked through the remainder of overtime for an unsatisfying tie.

Should McCarthy have gone for it? I was going to prepare an explanation, but right before I put that together, ESPN Stats & Information sent over a nice explanation of the decision using its win probability model. It estimates that the Packers would have had a 45 percent chance of succeeding on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line, based on the historical success rate from there since 2001. If that number was an accurate representation of Green Bay's chances, its shot of winning by attempting a conversion was at a robust 82 percent.

Part of that is because the game is far from over if the Packers fail; the Vikings would still have been pinned on their 2-yard line with Christian Ponder at quarterback, which isn't exactly an envious position. If they had failed on the conversion, ESPN Stats & Info estimates that the Packers would still have had a 67 percent chance of winning the game. By kicking the field goal and subsequently kicking off to Cordarrelle Patterson (who returned it to the 20-yard line), Green Bay's chances of winning were 71 percent; the field goal made only a modest bump in their chances of winning.

Coaches are still adjusting to the new overtime rules, and it's easy to apply hindsight to a tough decision like McCarthy's. But given the expected conversion rates, it's pretty clear he should have tried to win the game while he had the chance from the 2-yard line.

This is obviously not his first mention.  I don't understand why people stand behind the guy.  Sure he won a Super Bowl, but I'm also under the belief that he is as responsible for that win as for the numerous eggs he has laid over his tenure... and there have been more eggs than Lombardi trophies.  Start the flaming now.

[Dish]

Pack are +225 to win North, 18-1 to win NFC, and 33-1 to win Super Bowl.

Cards at 25-1 to win NFC is intriguing.

[ChicosBailBonds]

No flaming,  I'm not a Packers fan, but I can't get on him for that call.  Would you have gone for a TD there in OT?  I think he played the percentages.  If you don't get the TD, Minnesota wins with a FG.    If it was 4th and goal from the 1, probably go for it.  I would imagine if he went for it, didn't make it and lost that he would be in Grantland's column as well....right?

[tower912]

Regardless of how the Packers finish, there needs to be changes in the coaching front.  Dom needs to go.  Its not working.  Personally, I think McCarthy is and has always been a terribly overrated coach.  What is his win percentage without Rodgers/Favre?  He has been standing on their shoulders for years.  There are bonehead calls every week... Look no further than the TYFNC (Thank You For Not Coaching) section of Bill Barnwell's column on Grantland every single week.  McCarthy is always there.  This week:

This is obviously not his first mention.  I don't understand why people stand behind the guy.  Sure he won a Super Bowl, but I'm also under the belief that he is as responsible for that win as for the numerous eggs he has laid over his tenure... and there have been more eggs than Lombardi trophies.  Start the flaming now.

Here's the thing.   Most Detroit fans would trade you coaches in a heartbeat.   He HAS won a SB, which earns him some wiggle room.   And there simply aren't enough coaches waiting in the wings to go around if every coach whose fanbase is perturbed with him got their way.   Be careful what you wish for. 

[GGGG]

Regardless of how the Packers finish, there needs to be changes in the coaching front.  Dom needs to go.  Its not working.  Personally, I think McCarthy is and has always been a terribly overrated coach.  What is his win percentage without Rodgers/Favre?  He has been standing on their shoulders for years.  There are bonehead calls every week... Look no further than the TYFNC (Thank You For Not Coaching) section of Bill Barnwell's column on Grantland every single week.  McCarthy is always there.  This week:

This is obviously not his first mention.  I don't understand why people stand behind the guy.  Sure he won a Super Bowl, but I'm also under the belief that he is as responsible for that win as for the numerous eggs he has laid over his tenure... and there have been more eggs than Lombardi trophies.  Start the flaming now.

I think he should have kicked the FG.  If he goes for the TD, and doesn't get it, the Vikings really only have to go about 65 yards for the win.  As it stood, they exceeded that amount on their next drive and it ended in a tie.

A tie wasn't that bad of a result for the Packers.

No flaming,  I'm not a Packers fan, but I can't get on him for that call.  Would you have gone for a TD there in OT?  I think he played the percentages.  If you don't get the TD, Minnesota wins with a FG.    If it was 4th and goal from the 1, probably go for it.  I would imagine if he went for it, didn't make it and lost that he would be in Grantland's column as well....right?

Probably not.  Barnwell wants coaches to be aggressive.  Which is easy for him to say since he isn't coaching anywhere but from behind a keyboard.

[GGGG]

Here's the thing.   Most Detroit fans would trade you coaches in a heartbeat.   He HAS won a SB, which earns him some wiggle room.   And there simply aren't enough coaches waiting in the wings to go around if every coach whose fanbase is perturbed with him got their way.   Be careful what you wish for. 

Is McCarthy Sean Payton or Jim Harbaugh?  No way.

But he isn't a bad coach by any means, and is great with young players in the locker room, which is exactly what Thompson wants from a coach.  I think he deserves a great deal of the credit for that Super Bowl win and the tone that he set toward the end of that year.