Green Bay Packers 2010 in Review: The Playoffs (Part 2 of 4)

The Green Bay Packers entered the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in football. After playing two straight games of win-or-go-home football, the upcoming game against Philadelphia seemed more like a third playoff game. Having just dominated the Giants and squeezed past Chicago in a close game, both at home in Lambeau Field, the Packers hit the road for the playoffs.


Wild Card Round: Green Bay at Philadelphia


The Packers had already survived in Philly once this season, thanks in large part to a great defensive performance against Kevin Kolb. This time around, however, Michael Vick would quarterback the Eagles for the entirety of the game.

The Packers opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a 7 yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to backup tight end Tom Crabtree. Rodgers threw a second touchdown pass, this time to James Jones, in the second quarter to put the Pack up 14-0.


David Akers, who missed a field goal for the Eagles in the first quarter, connected on a 29 yard field goal late in the 2nd quarter, making the halftime score 14-3 in favor of Green Bay.


The Eagles forced an Aaron Rodgers fumble in the third quarter, and Michael Vick was able to find Jason Avant on a 24 yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-10 Philadelphia.


On the ensuing drive the Packers drove down the field and worked their way to the red zone. Rodgers found Brandon Jackson on a well executed screen pass. Jackson followed his blockers on his way to a 16 yard score. The Packers now led 21-10 with just over a quarter left to play.


Late in the third quarter with the Eagles driving, the Packer defense stiffened and forced a stop. David Akers missed his second field goal of the day and the Packer lead remained 11 points.


The Eagles were finally able to put a touchdown on the board late in the fourth quarter on a 1 yard run from Vick. The Eagles went for two, and appeared to get the conversion on a pass to tight end Brent Celek. 


However, Celek stepped out of bounds and returned to the field of play before he caught the ball. By rule, when a player re-establishes possession in bounds he cannot be the first player to touch the ball. A 5-yard penalty was assessed, and the Eagles failed to convert a second try, making the score 21-16.


The Philadelphia defense was able to force Green Bay to punt on the ensuing drive. The Eagles got the ball back with 1:45 remaining in the game.


Vick completed passes to DeSean Jackson and Riley Cooper before taking a shot at the end zone. Vick didn't throw a great pass, and Tramon Williams came away with an interception in the endzone with 33 seconds remaining on the clock, sealing the victory.


"I feel like I got greedy and took a shot at the end zone," Vick said about his last pass. "I didn't throw the ball I wanted and got picked. It's not the way I wanted to go out, but I went down swinging. I have to learn from it."


The Packer defense was key in the victory over the Eagles. Green Bay held Vick to just 32 rushing yards and sacked him 3 times. 


"We fought hard today," said Aaron Rodgers. "Big interception by Tramon who's had a great season for us. The defense played great. They've been carrying us a lot this season. We had three touchdowns tonight, it was enough to win."

The Packer offense, led by another great performance from Rodgers, also saw great production from the running game for the first time in ages. James Starks carried the ball 23 times for 123 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.


The packers moved on to face the Atlanta Falcons, the #1 seed in the NFC.


Divisional Round: Green Bay at Atlanta


The Packers entered Atlanta for the second time in the season. The first outing had been unsuccessful, as the Packers had lost by 3 in the final seconds of the game. The Pack were determined to achieve a different outcome this time around.


The Falcons drew first blood, using a heavy dose of running back Michael Turner to drive down the field, with Turner eventually scoring on a 12 yard run.

The Packers responded, driving down the field and scoring from 6 yards out on a touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson. On the ensuing kickoff, Eric Weems returned the ball 102 yards for an Atlanta touchdown, making the score 14-7. 


The Packers fought back, tying the score at 14-all on a 1 yard touchdown run by John Kuhn. 


On the ensuing drive, Atlanta drove into Green Bay's red zone. Charles Woodson sacked Matt Ryan for a 7-yard loss. On the following play Ryan lobbed a fade to Michael Jenkins. Jenkins slipped, and Tramon Williams came away with an interception.

Green Bay drove 80 yards and scored on a 20 yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to James Jones. Atlanta received the ball with under a minute left in the half, down 21-14.

With 10 seconds left in the half Atlanta had driven the ball into range for a long field goal. Falcon's head coach Mike Smith instead called for an out pass to Roddy White, trying to gain a few more yards to shorten the field goal attempt. Tramon Williams read the play perfectly, picked off Ryan's pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown as time expired.

"I recognized the formation," Williams said. "I knew they were trying to get into position for a field goal."


"Not a very good decision on my part," Ryan said. "I just needed to throw the ball away."


The Packers went into halftime up 28-14.


On the first drive of the second half Green Bay all but sealed the victory with an 80 yard drive capped off by a 7 yard touchdown run from Aaron Rodgers, making the score 35-14. One possession later Rodgers found John Kuhn for a 7 yard touchdown pass, putting the Pack up 42-14.


In the 4th quarter Matt Ryan found Roddy White for a touchdown, but it was too little too late. Mason Crosby tacked on two field goals for Green Bay, and the Packers coasted to a 48-21 victory over the top seeded Falcons.

Aaron Rodgers had a career day, completing 31 of 36 passes for 336 yards and a passer rating of 136.8.


"This probably was my best performance -- the stage we were on, the importance of this game," Rodgers said. "It was one of those nights, I felt like I was in the zone."


Greg Jennings caught 8 passes for 101 yards, and Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver, and James Jones amassed over 70 reception yards each. The Packer offense was so efficient that Tim Masthay didn't punt once. 


On defense the Packers put on a show. The high-powered Falcon offense managed only 194 total yards. Clay Matthews sacked Matt Ryan twice; the Packers got to him 5 times. The Packers also forced 4 turnovers.


The big win over the Falcons set up an epic showdown against the Chicago Bears for the right to play in the Super Bowl.


NFC Conference Championship Game: Green Bay at Chicago


The classic NFC North rivalry between the Packers and Bears was set to take place for the third time this season. However, this time around it was for a Super Bowl bid.

The Packers came out firing and drove the length of the field on the opening drive. Aaron Rodgers scored on a 1 yard bootleg run to put the Packers up 7. Early in the second quarter James Starks found the endzone on a 4 yard touchdown run to give the Packers a 14-0 lead. 


Both defenses came up with interceptions but neither offense was able to score again before halftime.


On the Packers first drive of the second half, Rodgers was intercepted by Brian Urlacher in the red zone. Rodgers made a touchdown-saving tackle that proved to be one of the most important plays in the game.


"I don't get paid to tackle, but that was probably one of my better plays of the game," Rodgers said.


On the following drive, Todd Collins replaced Jay Cutler as the Bears quarterback, a move that has led to much scrutiny of Cutler. Collins was unable to turn the turnover into points, and the Bears punted.


Two drives later Collins was replaced by Caleb Hanie. Hanie Led the Bears to their first score of the game.


Several drives later the Bears were pinned deep in their own territory. Hanie made a poor throw on a checkdown to Chester Taylor and B.J. Raji intercepted the pass and rumbled 18 yards for a touchdown.





Hanie would lead the Bears to another touchdown, bringing the Bears to within 7 points. Chicago got the ball back with 2:53 left in the game. The packer defense went into an 8-man coverage, forcing the young Hanie to throw into heavy coverage. On 4th and 5 from the Green Bay 29, Hanie was picked off by Sam Shields after attempting to throw into double coverage.


An Aaron Rodgers kneel down sealed the victory, and the Packers were headed to the Super Bowl.

Sam Shields became the first rookie and the fifth player ever to record a sack and two interceptions in a playoff game. 


Punter Tim Masthay, after going unused in the Atlanta game, was the unsung hero of the Packer - Bear game. On 8 punts Masthay averaged 41.8 yards. He placed the ball inside the 20 five times, and the Packer cover team held Devin Hester to just 16 punt return yards.




The Packers overcame an injury riddled season, two win-or-go-home games to end the regular season and three road games in the playoffs to earn their way to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1997.


Packers 2010:
Part 1: The Regular Season
Part 3: The Super Bowl
Part 4: A Look to the Off-Season

Green Bay Packers 2010 in Review: The Regular Season (Part 1 of 4)

Championship seasons rarely follow easy roads. The Green Bay Packers' 2010 Super Bowl season was no exception. This season was filled with injuries, penalties and heartbreaking losses. Despite this, the Packers came together as a team and fought adversity to make it to the playoffs, and eventually the Super Bowl. Substitutes stepped up, team leaders took control and coaches called brilliant games as the Packers fought their way to Dallas, Texas for Super Bowl XLV.

Week 1: Green Bay at Philadelphia

The Packers opened the 2010 NFL season on the road at Philadelphia. The Eagles were coming into the game without Donovan McNabb for the first time in 10 years. Instead, Kevin Kolb led Philadelphia, if only for the first half.

After the Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead, the Packers responded with 13 straight points to end the first half: a 49 yard Mason Crosby field goal, a six yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Donald Driver, and 56 yard field goal to end the half from Crosby, which was the longest field goal in Packer history.

The Eagles struggled on offense throughout the first half, thanks largely to the pass-rush presence of Clay Matthews. Matthews was able to sack Kolb twice, with one sack resulting in a game-ending concussion for Kolb.

Michael Vick opened the second half for the Eagles. On the second play of the third quarter, Eagles' wide receiver Eldra Buckley fumbled and Charles Woodson made the recovery. After a short drive John Kuhn scored from three yards out.

The Packers added another touchdown, a 32 yard pass to Greg Jennings. Vick led the Eagles to 17 points in the second half, making the score 27-20 with five minutes left in the game.

The Packer defense was able to hold the Eagles on fourth down in the closing moments of the game to escape with a win.

Ryan Grant, the Packers' starting running back, left the game with an ankle injury. He would later be placed on injured reserve, ending his season.

Week 2: Buffalo at Green Bay

After a close game at Philadelphia, Green Bay rolled over the Buffalo Bills easily in the Packers' home opener at Lambeau Field.

Aaron Rodgers threw for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns on his way to a passer rating of 116.3.

Clay Matthews had his second straight three sack performance, and helped the Packer defense hold the Bills to just 7 points and 186 yards of total offense.

Said Rodgers of Matthews' performance, "Just glad he's on our team."

Week 3: Green Bay at Chicago

The Packers saw their first loss of the season come by the hands of the Chicago Bears in a Monday Night Football game at Soldier Field.

The Packers set a team record by having 18 penalties for 152 yards. They turned the ball over twice, and gave up a Devin Hester punt return touchdown.

Even though the Packers played poorly throughout the game, the Bears barely managed a 3 point victory on a last second Robbie Gould field goal.

Week 4: Detroit at Green Bay

The 2-1 Packers returned home hoping to rebound from the loss to the Bears. The Detroit Lions entered the game 0-3, and hungry for their first victory.

The Pack jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a 29 yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Driver. The Lions tied the game with a Calvin Johnson touchdown reception.

Green Bay would add two more touchdowns, receptions by Jermichael Finley and Jennings, and Calvin Johnson rounded out the first half with his second touchdown of the day for the Lions.

Early in the second half, reigning defensive player-of-the-year Charles Woodson once again made his presence felt. Woodson picked off Shaun Hill, returned the ball 48 yards, and dove into the endzone for an emphatic touchdown, making the score 28-14.

The Packers then played bend-but-don't-break defense for the rest of the half, allowing 4 field goals but no touchdowns.

Despite struggling most of the second half, the Packer offense was able to get it together and mount one final drive to run out the clock. Fullback John Kuhn, recently promoted to part-time running back in the wake of Grant's injury, was able to bull his way for several first downs as the Packers ran out the clock to seal the victory, 28-26.

Rookie safety Morgan Burnett became the Packers' second opening day starter to be placed on injured reserve after the Detroit game.


Week 5: Green Bay at Washington

Green Bay headed to our nation's Capital to take on the Washington Redskins. After poor offensive performances against the Bears and the Lions, the Packers were looking for a spark in their offense.

They wouldn't find it in Washington.

As in the Chicago game, the Packers turned the ball over and committed numerous penalties, yet still managed to play into overtime.

In overtime, however, Aaron Rodgers was intercepted on a play in which he was driven into the ground and concussed. Washington was able to kick a field goal to win the game.

Nick Barnett became the third opening day starter to be placed on injured reserve after the Washington game.

Week 6: Miami at Green Bay

Aaron Rodgers was able to recover from his concussion in week 5 to make the start against the Dolphins. After going down 7-3 early, Rodgers found Jennings for an 86 yard catch-and-run touchdown connection.

Miami would strike back, and leave the Packers down 20-13 with 5 minutes remaining in the game.

Rodgers led the Packers on a 12 play, 69 yard drive capped off by a quarterback sneak touchdown with 13 seconds remaining in the game.

Once again, however, the Packers fell by a field goal in overtime.

Jermichael Finley became the fourth opening day starter to be placed on injured reserve after the Miami game.

Week 7:  Minnesota at Green Bay

Brett Favre and the 2-3 Minnesota Vikings entered Lambeau Field looking to take a victory and bragging rights from the Packers.

The Packers struck first on a 1 yard Brandon Jackson touchdown run. Percy Harvin equalized the game for the Vikings with a 17 yard touchdown run.

A 9 yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Jermichael Finley's replacement, Andrew Quarless, put the Packers up 7. Once again, the Vikings answered, this time with an Adrian Peterson touchdown run. The Vikings added a field goal to go up 17-14 at halftime.

The Packers opened the scoring in the second half with a 14 yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings. On the ensuing possession, Brett Favre was intercepted by Desmond Bishop (replacing Nick Barnett in the lineup) who returned the ball 32 yards for a touchdown, putting the Packers up 28-17.

Late in the third quarter Favre found Randy Moss on a four yard touchdown reception. Both defenses would stiffen and prevent any scoring in the fourth quarter, with the game ending on a Brett Favre incomplete pass on 4th down as the clock expired.

The win helped pull the Packers out of their downward spiral, and winning over Brett Favre and the rival Vikings gave the Packers an emotional boost.

"Our biggest rival and the close score, the way it ended, it was definitely a special night for us," said Aaron Rodgers.

Week 8: Green Bay at New York Jets

The 4-3 Packers headed to New York to face the 5-1 Jets, one of the hottest teams in football.

The game would end with neither team scoring a touchdown, as neither offense ever put a complete drive together. The big difference maker would prove to be turnovers.

The Packers forced the Jets into three turnovers, and hung onto the ball themselves. Mason Crosby's three field goals were all the scoring that took place in the Packers' 9-0 victory.

The win did not come without price, however, as several impact players on defense were left out for the season with injuries: linebackers Brady Poppinga and Brad Jones, and defensive end Michael Neal.

Week 9: Dallas at Green Bay

Green Bay returned to Lambeau to face the struggling Dallas Cowboys.

The Packers got off to a huge start, scoring 28 unanswered points in the second quarter: Brandon Jackson scored on a nine yard reception and a two yard run, Greg Jennings caught an eight yard touchdown and Nick Collins returned a fumble 26 yards for a score.

Dallas was able to score a touchdown in the final seconds of the half, making the game 28-7.

Green Bay added 17 more points in the second half, a touchdown pass to James Jones, a Crosby field goal and a Clay Matthews 63 yard interception return.

The 45-7 victory was the second worst loss in Dallas history, and the Cowboy's 1-7 start was their worst start since 1989.

The Packers lost starting offensive tackle Mark Tauscher to injured reserve in the victory over the Cowboys.

Week 11: Green Bay at Minnesota

The Packers had a bye week to prepare for the Vikings after the rout of the Cowboys. The Packers headed to Minnesota for the 100th meeting between the rivals.

A Ryan Longwell field goal in the first quarter would be the only points scored by Minnesota.

The Pack scored 17 in the second quarter on a Crosby field goal and touchdown receptions by both James Jones and Greg Jennings. Rodgers found Jennings for two more scores in the second half and the Packers rolled past the Vikings, 31-3.

Rodgers finished the game completing 22 of 31 passes for 301 yards and 4 touchdowns, with a passer rating of 141.3. It was Rodgers' first career 4 touchdown game. Jennings caught seven passes for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Week 12: Green Bay at Atlanta

The Packers were now faced with the toughest game of their season to that point. The 8-2 Atlanta Falcon had been nearly perfect at home for the past two seasons.

Both teams traded field goals, then touchdowns to make the score 10-10 at halftime.

The Falcons went up 17-10 on a Michael Turner touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Late in the game, the Packers answered, tying the game at 17-17 on a Rodgers to Jordy Nelson touchdown pass with one minute remaining.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Packers committed a pivotal 15 yard facemask penalty. The penalty put the Falcons in Green Bay territory, and they were able to get into field goal range and win the game as time expired.

Week 13: San Francisco at Green Bay

Green Bay returned home to face the struggling 49ers. The Packers, sporting their 1929 throwback jerseys, were obviously disappointed in the previous week's loss, and made San Francisco pay for it.

Rodgers was stellar, completing 21 of 30 passes for 298 yards and 3 touchdowns, accumulating a passer rating of 135.1. Donald Driver made the 49er defense look silly on a 61 yard touchdown reception.



Most importantly, Packer fans got their first look at rookie running back James Starks, who saw his first major time after coming off the physically unable to perform list several weeks earlier. Starks carried the ball 18 times for 73 yards, and gave Packer nation a glimpse of the spark he would provide in the playoffs.

Week 14: Detroit at Green Bay

Green Bay followed up the win over the 49ers with a poor performance against Detroit. Aaron Rodgers went down with his second concussion of the season and backup Matt Flynn was unable to pull out a victory for the Packers.

Detroit's sole touchdown proved to be enough to beat the Packers 7-3.

Week 15: Green Bay at New England

With Aaron Rodgers still out with a concussion, the Packers were set to face the Patriots with second-string quarterback Matt Flynn controlling the offense.

Flynn performed well for the Pack, and threw two touchdown passes in the first half to help the Packers to a 17-14 lead going into halftime.

In the second half, Flynn's inexperience showed through as he threw a poor interception that was returned for a touchdown. Flynn bounced back, however, and led the Packers on a scoring drive capped off by a Jon Kuhn 6 yard touchdown reception.

In the fourth quarter the Patriots took the lead and were able to hold off the Packers for the 31-27 win.


Week 16: New York Giants at Green Bay

Now 8-6, the Packers were in a desperate situation. In order to make the playoffs, the Packers needed to win out the season. They would have to beat both the 9-5 Giants and the 10-4 Bears if they wanted a shot at the playoffs.

The Packers didn't disappoint in the win-or-go-home situation. Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes in the first half (Jones and Nelson) and John Kuhn ran in a third. The Packers led 21-14 at halftime.

The second half was all Packers. Rodgers threw two more touchdown passes (Donald Lee and Kuhn) and Kuhn ran in another. The Giants managed a field goal, and the Packers kept their playoff hopes alive, winning 45-17.

Aaron Rodgers threw for 404 yards and 4 touchdowns, John Kuhn boosted his cult-like following by scoring three touchdowns. The Packer defense forced six turnovers, including four interceptions thrown by Eli Manning.

Week 17: Chicago at Green Bay

The Packers' playoff hopes rested in one final game: a rematch of the sloppy, penalty-filled Monday night matchup with the rival Chicago Bears. The Bears, at 11-4, had already won the NFC North division and clinched a playoff birth, first round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Packers simply needed to win to make the playoffs.

The game was classic Green Bay vs. Chicago. Both defenses played lights out and neither team was willing to give an inch. Rodgers was finally able to string together a drive early in the fourth quarter. He found Donald Lee on a 1 yard touchdown pass to put the Packers ahead 10-3.

With the game winding down, Nick Collins intercepted Jay Cutler to end the game and send the Packers into the playoffs.



Regular Season Notes:

The Packers made the postseason despite sending 16 players to injured reserve throughout the season, including six opening day starters.

All six of the Packers' losses were by four points or less, with two of those losses coming in overtime.

The Packers finished 4th in the league in total offense, and 3rd in the league in passing offense. They also finished 3rd in total defense and 3rd in rush defense.

The Packers had six players selected to the Pro Bowl: Chad Clifton, Greg Jennings, Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, and Nick Collins.

Packers 2010:
Part 2: The Playoffs
Part 3: The Super Bowl
Part 4: A Look to the Off-Season

The Songs of the Pack

With the recent release of Lil' Wayne's "Green and Yellow" Packer tribute, we decided to take a look at some of the popular Packer songs. From the touchdown song "Bang on the Drum" to the rush of the half song "Stop the Rock," Lambeau Field keeps the crowd rocking all game long. Songs like Wayne's "Green and Yellow" and "Feeling So Fly Like a Cheesehead" have followed a recent trend of covering popular songs as tributes to sports teams.

Check out some of the popular Green Bay Packer songs, and vote for your favorite! If we left your favorite Packer song out, write us a comment and we'll be sure to put it online.



"Green and Yellow" - Lil' Wayne



"Bang the Drum All Day" - Todd Rundgren - Packer Touchdown Song



"I Love My Green Bay Packers"



"Stop the Rock" - Apollo 440 (Packer stadium "rush of the half" song)



"G-Force" - Green Bay Packers: Official Music of the Green Bay Packers



"Feelin' So Fly Like a Cheesehead"



"The Hey Song"



"Zombie Nation" - Kernkraft 400



"All We Do Is Win" - Ray Nitti - (of course...a new song comes out right after I post this...)

Most Entertaining Wrestling Clip Ever?

While the golden age of WWF wrestling is over, after watching this clip I think it may be back. Now honestly have you ever seen more entertaining acting then these sweaty wrestlers. I will take hypnotized wresters' acting talents over Nic Cage any day. Before watching this clip I laughed at people who love professional wrestling, claiming it's like believing in Santa Claus in college.

Now I understand the beauty and joy that comes from this art! Ever generation gets to see a masterpiece: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, and "The Most Illegal Move in History of Wrestling"!

BUT THAT'S JUST MY TWO CENTS FROM THE NOSE BLEEDS!!!

My Two Cents on the Favre/Sterger Scandal

As anyone with a computer or TV has heard by now, Brett Favre has been accused of harassing and sending inappropriate pictures to reporter Jenn Sterger during the season Favre played for the Jets. Sterger was a sideline reporter for the Jets at the time.

Now, two years after Favre left the Jets, stories have been surfacing saying that Favre (who is married, by the way) not only called Sterger and left voicemails asking to see her, but had also sent pictures of his genitalia via cellphone. Deadspin broke the story with this article, containing a video with both the voicemails and the pictures.

This is a tricky situation for the NFL.

On one hand, the NFL has an image to uphold. Recent cases of misconduct have been handled very strictly by the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell. Ben Roethlisberger was suspended several games after sexual assault charges, Plaxico Burress is in jail after conviction on illegal possession of weapons, and Michael Vick is attempting to rebuild his career after serving jail time for running a dogfighting ring. Goodell has proven to be a disciplinary commissioner, and has not been lenient in cases of misconduct.

On the other hand, Brett Favre is a much bigger name than any of these players. He has been the posterchild of the NFL for the past 20 years. He currently holds an NFL record for the most consecutive starts by a quarterback, (291) a stat that has bested drug addictions, family crises and numerous injuries. The NFL will be extremely cautious with its decision about Favre, as he has much more national exposure than the majority of NFL players.

This causes a problem.

Sterger is worried, with good reason, that Favre will finish out the 2010 season and retire before he is ever brought to justice for his actions. Favre has already said he will be retiring at the end of the season. While we've heard that before, his performance on the field this season is showing heavy signs of his age, and it appears he may really be done for good at the end of the season. Therefore, the possibility exists for Favre to retire without punishment for his actions.

The NFL has a tough decision to make. Punishing Favre will essentially vilify one of the NFL's most popular figures. Letting him walk away clean will show that the NFL is either not taking the situation seriously or afraid to take action against a high-profile figure.

I think the NFL needs to make a decision before the end of the season.  Sterger's lawyer has stated that the NFL finished its investigation, yet the NFL has stated they are not ready to make a decision.

If no decision is made before the end of the season, Favre will walk away from the NFL. His punishment will not affect his career.

The NFL needs to take a stand, and continue to deal with misconduct in the same fashion as the Roethlisberger, Burress and Vick cases.

Yes, I am a Packer fan. Yes, I was deeply upset that Brett Favre went to play for the Vikings. But don't think this I am writing this to crucify Favre for leaving the Pack. Favre went to Minnesota because that was the best chance for him to win a Super Bowl - how can you blame the guy for that?

Brett Favre and football are synonyms in my mind. I grew up watching and worshiping Favre. I am amazed that Favre still has the desire to compete at the elite level after 20 seasons of bone-crunching hits. The man is simply amazing at what he does.

However, misconduct is misconduct. As a professional human, Favre must take responsibility for his actions.

Picture of the Week

Let's see how many funny comments we can post about this picture!

Mr. Packer in Action

2010 Big Ten Awards: Nine Wisconsin Badgers Earn All-Conference Honors

The 2010 Big Ten All-Conference Teams and individual award winners were recently announced, and once again, the lists were highly populated with Wisconsin Badgers


Check out the full article here.

Roses are red...

The Wisconsin Badgers all but sealed up a Rose Bowl bid with a victory against the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday afternoon.

The Badgers (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten) defeated the Wildcats (7-5, 3-5 Big Ten) 70-23 to finish out the season. With the victory, Wisconsin joins Ohio State and Michigan State as co-Big Ten Champions, the first title for Wisconsin since 1999.

Montee Ball had another huge game for the Badgers, carrying the ball 20 times for 178 yards (8.9 yards per carry) and 4 touchdowns. He joins Ron Dayne as the only two Badgers in school history to record 4 rushing touchdowns in back-to-back games. James White was stellar as well, carrying the ball 20 times for 134 yards and a score.

Scott Tolzein came out hot in the first half, completing 14 of 18 passing attempts for 180 yards and 4 touchdowns. He added a pass for 40 yards in the second half to bring his game total to 230 yards. His performance was good enough to earn Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors. On the season, Tolzein completed 74.3 percent of his passes, smashing the Big Ten and team record of 67.8 percent set by Darrell Bevell in 1993. (Bevell won a Rose Bowl that season...)

Nick Toon had 5 receptions for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns. Lance Kendricks added 4 catches for 80 yards and a score, and David Gilreath caught 4 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.

The Badger defense absolutely humiliated the Wildcat offense, forcing 7 turnovers in the game. Mike Taylor, Jay Valai, Anthony Fenelus, and Aaron Henry all recorded interceptions, Henry returned his pic 50 yards for a touchdown. Valai also forced a fumble.

JJ Watt was a force once again. Watt had 7 solo tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, a sack, 2 forced fumbles, a blocked extra point, and had 3 quarterback hurries that led to interceptions. (For those of you counting, that makes 5 turnovers directly related to Watt). Watt was rewarded for his performance with the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award.

With the victory (and losses by Boise State and LSU) the Badgers moved to number 5 in the BCS Standings. Barring anything crazy, the Badgers should be headed to the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, and would likely face TCU.

The Badgers finished the season on a hot streak, scoring 201 points and amassing 1715 yards over the past three games.

The Badgers also recorded their three highest scoring games in the modern era (since 1946) this season. (70 against Austin Peay, 83 against Indiana, and 70 against Northwestern)

They will need to keep that fire burning in the month off before a BCS bowl game.

This Is Why I Love Rick Reilly

Washington Post columnist John Feinstein accused Washington Redskin's head coach Mike Shanahan of being racist for benching Donovan McNabb for Rex Grossman after the Redskins lost to the Detroit Lions.

Listen to Feinstein's accusations here, starting around the 2 minute mark of the video.

Rick Reilly wrote an excellent column in response. Check it out here.

Al Harris Released, Claimed by Dolphins

The Green Bay Packers released 12-year veteran cornerback Al Harris on Monday. After passing through waivers unclaimed, Harris was signed to a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday.

Harris, 35, came into the 2010 season after going through knee surgery. He was placed on the physically unable to play list (PUP) at the start of the season, but was never activated after the PUP expired at week six.

Here's my favorite Al Harris moment...

Packers Embarrass Struggling Cowboys

The Green Bay Packers (6-3) demolished the Dallas Cowboys (1-7) on Sunday night. The 45-7 final score marks the second worst road loss in Cowboy history, and Dallas' 1-7 start is their worst 8 game start since 1989. The poor start prompted the firing of head Coach Wade Phillips on Monday afternoon. Defensive coordinator Jason Garrett is taking control of the team from this point on.

The Packers and Cowboys went scoreless in the first quarter before Aaron Rodgers and the Pack exploded for 28 points in the second quarter. The Cowboys scored their only touchdown of the game with 16 seconds left in the first half.

The depleted Packer defense stepped up once again to dominate the Cowboy offense. The Cowboy offense was held to just 205 total yards. The Packers forced four turnovers, including two that resulted directly in touchdowns. Dallas quarterback Jon Kitna started in place of the injured Tony Romo, and was held to 183 yards passing. Kitna threw two interceptions and had a quarterback rating of just 63.6.

Clay Matthews added several stats to his Defensive Player of the Year resume. Matthews had a sack, two tackles for losses, 2 deflected passes, and an interception returned 62 yards for a touchdown. Matthews joked after the game that his Lambeau Leap wasn't acceptable...

"I think I might actually hang back and work on my Lambeau Leap skills," he said.






Charles Woodson added five solo tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble, and Sam Shields recorded his first NFL interception.

Just before halftime Nick Collins recovered a fumble after a Packer kickoff and returned it for a touchdown. Even though the runner was likely down by contact, Dallas could not challenge the play because they wasted all their timeouts earlier in the half.

The Packers played just as well on offense. Aaron Rodgers was stellar, and threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns on 27 of 34 attempts for a quarterback rating of 131.5. Rodgers also ran the ball 5 times for 41 yards. John Kuhn added 13 carries for 50 yards, and Brandon Jackson carried the ball 13 times for 42 yards and a touchdown. Jackson caught an eight yard touchdown pass as well.

Greg Jennings and James Jones had big games with Donald Driver out with a quad injury. Jennings caught seven passes for 80 yards and a touchdown, and Jones caught eight passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. Seven different Packers caught at least one pass.

The Packers didn't take the struggling Cowboys lightly, and were able to humiliate them by controlling the ball, forcing turnovers, and limiting penalties.

"This is a big win for us, regardless of the record and regardless of who came in here tonight," said Charles Woodson. "It's a positive for us to go into the bye week like that. It will be good for us to reflect on this game and know what we're capable of as a whole team. If we play the whole game, all three phases of the game, we can have dominant performances like this."

The Packer win keeps them on top of the division going into a much needed bye week. The Packers will have an extra week to get healthy before heading to Minnesota for the second matchup with the Vikings.

Badgers Top Boilermakers, Move Up In BCS Standings

The Wisconsin Badgers (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten) beat the Purdue Boilermakers (4-5, 2-3 Big Ten) on Saturday.

Purdue came out hot and was all over the Badgers for most of the first half. After trailing the Boilermakers 10-6 at halftime, the Badgers held Purdue to just a field goal and scored four touchdowns in the second half on their way to a commanding 34-13 victory.

"Give credit to Purdue, they came in all jacked up," Bielema said. "At halftime, we regrouped, I changed my jacket. I think we just wanted to take a different approach to the second half and relax. I told the guys that we didn't need any superhuman effort, we just need to go out there and execute the fundamentals of what we do."

The Badgers calmed down in the second half and stuck to their gameplan to come away victorious.

Once again, defense and the running game led the Badgers to victory. The Badgers forced four turnovers, including three interceptions. Cornerback Antonio Fenelus had a career high nine tackles, recovered a fumble, and returned an interception for a touchdown. Fenelus was named a Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Week after his efforts Saturday (award shared with Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti).

Linebackers Mike Taylor and Culmer St. Jean added interceptions, and Taylor, JJ Watt, and Pat Muldoon each picked up a sack.

The Badger offense saw most of its production come from running back Montee Ball. With James White out with an injury and John Clay not quite 100%, Ball saw the majority of the carries on offense. Ball had 21 carries for 127 yards and found the endzone twice.

"I knew I was going to play this game, get more carries than I did before in a game situation," Ball said. "I knew the team was going to look at me and expect me to carry the load. I didn't want to let them down at all."

Clay gained 42 yards on 12 carries.  He needs just 71 yards to reach 1,000 yards on the season, and has three more games to accomplish this feat for the second straight year.

With the victory the Badgers moved from #9 to #7 in the BCS standings. The Big Ten currently has four teams (#9 Ohio State, #11 Michigan State, and #13 Iowa the other three) in the top 13 teams in the nation.

Next weekend the Badgers face Indiana (4-5, 0-5 Big Ten) at home.

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Wisconsin Sports Update

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks opened the 2010-2011 season by winning just one of their first three games. Saturday night's win was significant, though, as point guard Brandon Jennings had his first NBA triple-double in the win over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Jennings scored 20 points and added 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

"This is my best game since I've been in the NBA, just the fact that I had a nose for the ball and I was being unselfish and I was everywhere," said Jennings. "I was being a floor general tonight."

The Bucks play Portland on Tuesday night and travel to Boston to face the Celtics on Wednesday.


Wisconsin Badgers


Despite not having a game this weekend, the Badgers jumped up a spot in the BCS standings. Now at #9, the Badgers are the highest Big Ten team in the standings. Michigan State, previously #5, was decimated by Iowa and dropped to #14. Iowa sits at #16, with Ohio State at #11.

The Badgers play at Purdue this weekend.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers relied on strong defensive play to take down the New York Jets on Sunday. The Jets came into the game after their bye week, riding a five game winning streak, and tied for the best record in the NFL. The Packers, who are struggling through several key injuries this season, felt this game was a statement about the team's drive and desire.

"We wanted to come in here and prove to everybody what we're all about,"said Clay Matthews. "We've had a few close losses that we thought we should have won. We let our play do our talking."

Turnovers and penalties were the name of the game. The Packers had their first turnover-free game of the season, and had just three penalties for 15 yards. Both Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams ripped interceptions away from Jet receivers. Williams also recovered a fumble.

Special teams were huge in the Packer win. Mason Crosby hit three of four field goal attempts for the only points of the game. Punter Tim Masthay pinned the Jets inside the 20 yardline five times out of eight punts. On a windy day the field position battle was huge.


The Packers, now 5-3, have sole possession of first place in the NFC North. The Dallas Cowboys (without Tony Romo) come to Lambeau on Sunday night.

Packer Roster Moves

The Green Bay Packers signed three linebackers on Wednesday.

Matt Wilhelm was signed out of free agency. He is an inside linebacker who has played in 82 games over an eight game career, most recently for San Diego. Wilhelm takes the place of Maurice Simkins, who was released by the Packers.

Diyral Briggs was claimed off wagers from the Denver Broncos. He is an outside linebacker who has played in just six games in his career. He takes a roster spot from Brady Poppinga, who was placed on the injured reserve list after the Miami game.

Erik Walden was also signed off the free agency list after being released by Miami earlier this season. Walden has played in 28 career games.

Big Weekend for Wisconsin Sports

Both the Wisconsin Badgers and the Green Bay Packers held on in close games to beat rival opponents this weekend. The 13th ranked Badgers came out of Iowa with a win over the 15th ranked Hawkeyes on Saturday, and Sunday night the Packers beat the Vikings in what was likely Brett Favre's last trip to Lambeau Field.

#13 Wisconsin - 31, #15 Iowa - 30

The Badgers overcame injuries to three huge offensive weapons - Lance Kendricks, James White, and Nick Toon - and still managed to beat Iowa 31-30. This was the first time since 2004 that the Badgers won consecutive games against ranked opponents. Wisconsin ended a two-game losing streak against Iowa as they regained the Heartland Trophy, and evened up the all-time series at 42-42-2.

The loss of James White put John Clay solely in charge of the rushing game. He ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns against one of the best run defenses in the conference. Montee Ball added three carries for 18 yards and the go-ahead touchdown. Ball was also a huge factor in the passing game, catching five passes for 41 yards. Ball proved he still is a valuable asset to this offense, even though his playing time has dropped since James White's emergence.

Scott Tolzein was extremely efficient once again this week, despite throwing an interception. Tolzein finished 20 of 26 for 205 yards and threw a touchdown pass to fullback Bradie Ewing.

The real story this game was coaching. It was obvious Brett Bielema wanted to come away from his alma mater with a win. Bielema's playcalling was phenomenal, and his gutsy calls paid off. Bielema called a fake punt in the middle of the fourth quarter. Punter Brad Nortman ran for 17 yards, and kept the drive alive. The Badgers went on to complete a 15 play, 80 yard drive, with an eight yard touchdown run from Ball, and took a one point lead with a minute left in the game.

Poor clock management by Iowa and a huge sack from JJ Watt kept Iowa out of field goal range. Watt also blocked an extra point attempt early in the game, a play that at the time seemed irrelevant, but turned out to be extremely important.

Bielema was extremely pleased with the way his team has played the past 2 weeks:

“Two pretty good weeks,” Bielema said. “I tell you what, it makes this (bye) week even that much more special.”

The Badgers' record improves to 7-1, 3-1 in the Big Ten, while Iowa drops to 5-2, also 3-1 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin moved to #10 in the BCS standings. The Badgers sit next weekend out, but return to action in 2 weeks at Purdue.

Green Bay - 28, Minnesota - 24

The Green Bay Packers righted the sinking ship on Sunday night by beating the Vikings, ending a 2 game losing streak and putting themselves back on top of the NFC North. The Packers, now 4-2, are tied for first with the Bears, who hold the tiebreaker with their head-to-head victory.

Both the Packers and Vikings came out firing. The first half was filled with offense, as the teams entered halftime with the Vikings leading 17-14. The Pack struck first in the second half with a touchdown pass to Greg Jennings. Then the defense took over.

The Packers were able to pressure Brett Favre into 2 terrible interceptions, both caused by linebacker blitzes.  A.J. Hawk picked Favre for a 21 yard return, and Desmond Bishop returned a Favre interception 32 yards for a touchdown. Nick Collins picked off Favre on the ensuing drive on an excellent defensive play.

Favre managed to bring the Vikings downfield and score a touchdown on the following drive, making the game 28-24. The Packers' defense stiffened on the final drive, not allowing Favre another 4th quarter comeback.

Rodgers was a little off for much of the game, missing receivers and throwing 2 bad interceptions. However, he was 21 of 34 for 295 yards with touchdown passes to Jennings and Andrew Quarless. The rushing game combined to gain 84 yards, with Brandon Jackson rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown.

The Packer defense only managed to sack Brett Favre once, but was able to pressure him in the second half, forcing bad throws.

Vikings' coach Brad Childress criticized Favre's ball control after the game:

"You can't throw it to them, you've got to play within the confines of our system," Childress said of Favre. "Sometimes it's OK to punt the football. You can't give seven points going the other way, not in a game like this."

Aaron Rodgers acknowledged the significance of this victory:

"Our biggest rival and the close score, the way it ended, it was definitely a special night for us," Rodgers said.

The Packers go on the road next weekend to face the New York Jets.