Chicago, IL (BS)
Despite playing really, really well, our beloved Packers just barely lost to the far superior team from Chicago (IL), 20-17. In a game that brought back memories of the great 1985 Super Bowl team (photo, top left), the Bears were "awesome," gushed playmaking nickel back and 37-car Sam Shields. "That Johnny Knox is unreal. And Earl Bennett? My God."
"When a team is so much better than you, all you're really trying to do is keep it close, and hope to give yourself a shot at the end," said an upbeat Charles Woodson after the game. "I know folks will be down on us a bit after the 18 penalties, 3 flat-out dropped interceptions, 2 more interceptions nullified by penalties, having a TD called back by penalty, getting called for holidng that wiped out a 2nd and 3 at the 13 and instead made it 1st and 20 at the 30, the blocked FG after the TD was nullified by penalty, the poor clock management at the end of the first half when we were leading 10-0, the inexcusable decision to just let the Bears run the clock down to 8 seconds at the end of the game, allowing a punt return for a TD, roughing the passer that cancelled a pick, grabbing the facemask that gave them 1st and ten instead of 3rd and long, piledriving the guy down after the whistle to set up a FG, walking backs gaining 43 yards on 13 carries, and so forth. But the Bears are so outstanding, have such a great QB, outstanding receivers, and are so well coached, we really feel like we can build on this performance."
Coach Mike McCarthy, couldn't agree more. "I thought we really competed. I haven't seen the tape yet, obviously, but I don't think we had more than 50 or 60 bad plays. And that's out of over 100!!! We'll have plenty of time to correct that as always since we don't play again till noon on Sunday. I'm excited!"
GM Ted Thompson was positively beaming aftewards, buoyed by his shrewed player personnel decisions for the 2010 campaign. "The 81-car, TE Andrew Quarless, just missed that TD catch. Just because Spencer Havner caught 6 red-zone TD's last season doesn't mean he would have caught this one? And did you see him on Hester's punt return for TD? You could see him on the TV screen. Seriously, I saw him on the replay. I think he's going to be 'really something in 3 or 4 years.'" And after watching Brandon Jackson (WB-Nebraska) follow his blockers and make all the right reads and decisive cuts in a solid 7 carry-12 yard performance (Bambi used her calculator thingee and said that's 1.7142857 yds per carry, though she doesn't really understand what the .7142857 means), TT said, "he's a special player. Thank God we didn't blow a 3rd rounder on that stiff Marshawn Lynch. I should be able to use that pick for another TE from a Division III school next year. And thank goodness we cut Kraig Lumpkin and kept Tom Crabtree. Phew."
From the other sidelines, Canton bound (Canton, MI) QB Jay Cutler, who narrowly avoided 6 interceptions and was credited with only one, said, "I was really happy with the way I didn't throw the ball all over the field. I thought I really took care of the rock. My game management has always been a strength, but I thought I was really solid tonight." Asked about the 5 additional interceptions (3 dropped, 2 called back) he almost had, he just smiled, and said, "what about my 15 completions????"
Perhaps Hall of Fame bound kicker Mason Crosby (formerly Dixon, K-CO) summed it up best. "We played as well as we could. We just came up a little short at the end. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to the other guys. They had 276 yards and held the ball for 24 minutes. I mean, how can you beat that?"
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