Tag: Green Bay Packers (Page 16 of 57)

Aaron Rodgers’ secret weapon vs. Steelers? Kurt Warner.

January 27, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Kurt Warner completed 72 percent of his passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns against Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII two years ago. So if there were anyone that could help Aaron Rodgers try and master the Steelers’ defense, it would be him.

According to Rodgers, he’s already had at least one conversation with Warner and he hopes there are many more in the following week.

From Packers.com:

“I reached out to a couple of them. Kurt Warner’s been a great friend, really since I was drafted. And so I reached out to him about any advice he can give me this week, and the next week, it’s readily appreciated. I’m sure there will be more conversations with him. I talked to a number of buddies who played in the Super Bowl before, and I think it’s important to learn from their experiences and try and find ways to stay focused in the midst, I’m sure it’s going to be controlled chaos down there.”

If you’re a Packers fan, this is what you want to see out of your starting quarterback. He wants to win and in preparing for the game, he’s going to reach out to players who have been there before. Rodgers doesn’t have any Super Bowl experience and instead of winging it, he appears humble enough to ask for advice on how to handle the situation. Of the many attributes that he possesses, his willingness to learn will make him great for a long time.

On a related note, I’m highly intrigued to see what defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has in store for Rodgers next week. The Steelers’ secondary can be had, but they’re not going to allow the Packers’ receivers to have a free release off the ball like Atlanta and Chicago (at least in the first quarter) did. I expect Pittsburgh’s corners to try and jam Greg Jennings and Donald Driver at the line in effort to disrupt Rodgers’ rhythm. The Falcons’ defensive game plan was an absolute monstrosity and while the Bears learned from their early mistakes and corrected them, it’ll be interesting to see what LeBeau does from the start.

Speaking of LeBeau, he announced on Wednesday night that he only wants to coach the Steelers. His contract is set to expire and there’s speculation about his retirement but if he does come back, he promised that if he’s coaching, “it will be the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

External Sports, NFL, Super Bowl

2011 Super Bowl Aaron Rodgers Dick Lebeau Green Bay Packers Kurt Warner Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XLV

Former Packer Koch latest to rip Cutler, also takes swipes at Lovie Smith and Kyle Orton

January 27, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Former Packers guard Greg Koch only missed two games in his 11 seasons in the NFL, so apparently he feels justified for being the latest athlete to call out Jay Cutler for not toughing out his knee injury in the NFC title game. What makes Koch extra special is that he also threw Bears coach Lovie Smith and former Chicago QB Kyle Orton shots as well.

From the Chicago Tribune:

“Nobody would’ve kept Tom Brady off the field if he wanted to play. Nobody would’ve kept Peyton Manning off the field. Then you don’t just sit on the sideline and ride a bike like a little girl. … I’ve never seen anything like it. If that’s the guy leading your team, you deserve a coach named Lovie.”
“This isn’t a normal profession where you go, ‘I’ve got the flu and I’m not coming in today,’ ” Koch said. “There are times you just gotta gut it up, shoot it up and play. It’s the NFC Championship Game. … If it comes out that he needs surgery, then maybe I need to take some of this back. But right now, I’m seeing it as a strained ligament and I’ve seen a lot of guys play with a lot worse.”
“If there’s two guys who do not look like an NFL quarterback, if you just look at their mug, it’s Jay Cutler and Kyle Orton, and they traded these two slobs for each other,” Koch said.

For the millionth time, we don’t know the extent of Cutler’s injury. John Paulsen posted an interesting video this morning about when Cutler may have suffered the injury and there’s reason to believe it happened on the first play of the second quarter. If that’s the case, then Cutler did try to “tough it out” by playing an entire quarter with a MCL tear. Furthermore, he came back out in the second half and tried to play with the injury then, too.

In the end, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t plant on his leg and he was highly inaccurate. I’m sure the layoff at halftime didn’t do him any favors, as his knee probably stiffened up.

Out of all the idiots criticizing Cutler, Koch may be the biggest. What I would like to know from clowns like him is whether or not he really believes Cutler wanted out of the game. This is Jay freaking Cutler were talking about. The man threw four interceptions to DeAngelo Hall in one game and then said in his post-game presser that he would continue to throw at him the next time he faced him. He has an ego the size of Lake Michigan – he’s not going to want come out of the NFC title game unless he’s seriously hurt. He doesn’t care how poorly he was playing – he thinks he can beat anyone on any given Sunday. Isn’t that what we always say about Cutler? That he’s arrogant?

People have the right to express their opinions but I don’t see what making fun of Lovie Smith’s name or Kyle Orton has to do with Jay Cutler’s injury. Koch seems like a former athlete who just wants to make headlines one last time. In reality, he sounds like a moron.

External Sports, NFL

Chicago Bears Green Bay Packers Greg Koch Greg Koch Jay Cuter comments Greg Koch Lovie Smith Jay Cutler Kyle Orton Lovie Smith

Could the Steelers be without Pouncey for the Super Bowl?

January 24, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

He still has two weeks to receive treatment but Steelers’ center Maurkice Pouncey may not play in the Super Bowl after suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Jets on Sunday.

Pouncey is having a tremendous rookie season and has been the rock in the middle of Pittsburgh’s offensive line. Doug Legursky came in and played very well in the AFC title game, but Pouncey is one of the main reasons the Steelers’ offense has been clicking over the past month or so.

If Pouncey can’t play, his injury could potentially open things up for Packers’ nose tackle B.J. Raji to have a big game. He’s been a dominant force in the postseason thus far and although his main responsibility is to absorb extra blockers in run defense, he’s shown a great burst as a pass-rusher as well. He also dropped back into coverage on Sunday and took a Caleb Hanie pass back to the house for a pick-six in the fourth quarter against Chicago.

The Steelers need Pouncey in uniform in two weeks and while he says he’s “definitely” playing in the title game, we’ll have to wait and see how his ankle responds to treatment.

External Sports, NFL, Super Bowl

2011 Super Bowl B.J. Raji Green Bay Packers Maurkice Pouncey Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XLV

Packers beat offensively challenged Bears, become second No. 6 seed to make Super Bowl

January 23, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Here are five quick-hit thoughts about the Packers’ 21-14 win over the Bears in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.

1. The Packers’ improbable run continues.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate what the 2010 Green Bay Packers have been able to do. They entered the season as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, only to see their hopes seemingly wash away because of injuries. Needing two wins in the final two weeks just to qualify for the postseason, they crushed the Giants and edged out the Bears to clinch the No. 6 seed in the NFC. Against long odds, the Packers then go on the road and knock off the Eagles, the No. 1-seeded Falcons and the No. 2-seeded Bears to reach the Super Bowl. It’s hard enough to win on the road, nevertheless do so in the postseason when home field advantage is so paramount. The Packers are red-hot and match up well with either the Jets or Steelers.

2. Capers deserves a lot of praise for the play of his defense.
Rex Ryan has earned a lot of attention this postseason for his defensive game plans, but Dom Capers deserves some of the spotlight after what Green Bay did on Sunday. His defense is the main reason the Packers won today – not Aaron Rodgers. The Bears made things interesting in the fourth quarter and the Packers did catch a break when Jay Cutler left the game with a knee injury, but let’s not take anything away from Capers’ game plan. The Bears could do nothing offensively for the first three quarters and their offensive line couldn’t stop Green Bay’s pass rush. Matt Forte had a couple of nice runs and Caleb Hanie made some clutch throws in the fourth quarter but again, domination was on display. The Packers held the Bears to 218 passing yards and 83 rushing, all while forcing three turnovers. On a day when Rodgers wasn’t at his best, the Packers needed a strong defensive effort and that’s exactly what they got.

External Sports, NFL

2011 NFL Playoffs 2011 Super Bowl Aaron Rodgers Anthony Stalter Brian Urlacher Caleb Hanie Chicago Bears Cutlergate Dom Capers Green Bay Packers Jay Cutler Matt Forte NFC Conference Championship Game Sam Shields