I agree 100% with CM III assessments. Nuff said.

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I agree, but the fact is I knew it was gonna happen ahead of time.

MM's teams never play to their ability.

Even in 2010, we barely squeaked into the playoffs. They have a pattern of getting their backs to the wall and being on the verge of elimination before they suddenly turn around in week 10 and squeak into the playoffs.

Except in 2008, which was another massive defensive meltdown due to injuries.

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I don't like the premise but I like the explanation. It just reflects a more hungry football team. Last year complacency set in, no doubt.

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I will say it again.. whether we lost to the Giants or someone less last season in the post season.

We were a fatally flawed one dimensional team.. albeit an elite dimension at that.

We could score through the air.

Other than that.. we had more warts than any toad could imagine leaving behind.

Some of those warts were personnel.. some were injuries.. and some were trying to overcompensate via scheme.

But with defense as porous as we had.. and a imbalanced offense that we had.. it was just a matter of time before we met a team that could expose our weaknesses via hampering our strengths enough to beat us in a 60 minute game. Of Course sprinkle in a few of our own mistakes to boot.

We did beat ourselves.. but we beat ourselves much earlier than January 15th.

That groundwork was set in motion over the course of the season.

At least through my eyes. 15 times out of 17 we could bank on that elite dimension to carry.. yes carry us to victory.

One dimension does not make a team.

We lost to the better overall TEAM.

Let the brow beatings begin.. break out the tar and feathers... boil the noodles.

We were not the best team in the NFL last season. 15-1 record or not.

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Giants were better when it mattered most, much like the Packers were in 2010 when they EARNED their way into the playoffs. That's right, I'm not one of those naive fools who will diminish the achievement by claiming they 'barely squeaked' into the playoffs. They controlled their destiny and the destiny was Super Bowl champs. Appreciate the accomplishment.

The Packers did receive one gift turnover call and also the roughing the passer call was bogus. I doubt even if the drops were catches the Packers would have won. If they TACKLED better, maybe they win.

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The Giants were just as bad on defense and running the ball as GB was in the regular season. The Packers weren't the only team with issues. The Giants just came together when it mattered.

IMO, just as in life... balance is the key. You leverage your strengths but you certainly don't forget about your weaknesses. You identify them.. you establish the root cause, you change what you can; adapt the rest and continue to work on improving them.

The regular season of the NFL, in my mind, is about three things.

1) Getting to the postseason.

2) Preparing your football team for situational football in the postseason. There are no do overs in the postseason.. so in any given 60 minute game you better be able to adjust to the game, the opposition and the situation.

Allowing your team to leverage the different aspects of your team when needed. We, the Packers of 2011 didn't have that ability.. we had one elite aspect of a football team that carried the weaker parts all season. It was a consistent approach. When we lost.. we struggled in the passing game. Lock at the KC game.

We couldn't rely on the other facets of the football team.. not just in the playoffs.. but the entire season.

You can label it as you wish.. jelling at the right time.. putting it together for the postseason.. however.

Simple fact is that we, the Packers, lacked that ability to utilize more than one aspect to win a game. 2010 we could.. when we needed to we could play a low scoring game and win. When we needed to run against the 49ers.. we could. When we needed the defense to keep us in the game we could.

Again.. teams can win with one elite aspect of a club.. but the margin for error is diminished.

3) Establishing home field for the postseason.

There was no doubt we won a ton of games in 2011.. but we won them leveraging one elite aspect that masked our warts. We simply couldn't burn off those blemishes... we couldn't recover and adjust.

The Giants were able to.. they were able to adjust to the game situations and win.

They could hang with the elite offenses.. and they could pound with the 49ers in the trenches.

They were the more complete team.

Again.. that is the way I see things.

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1) Done, as it will be in 2012
2) You are indeed correct. 2010, we had very close to the #1 D in the NFL. We didn't allow that many points. We didn't need a high flying aerial attack to win games, but when that was needed, we had it. (As we did in the SB when it mattered most).
3) Is this really important? In 2010, we were away all 3 games. We won them.

I really hate saying this because it's something that has pissed me off about the Packers in my lifetime.

In the 60s, it was written in stone that IF you play the Packers in Green Bay in the Playoffs, you will lose.

There were no exceptions. None. We ALWAYS won when we played in Green Bay.

The 70s, we sucked and never even made the Playoffs.

The 80s, we played 2 Playoff games. The one in GB, we won 41-16. We lost the away one.

In the 90s, we were 5-0 in Playoff games in GB. Once again, we kept the tradition. You come to Green Bay for a Playoff game, you will lose. That's how it is, and that's how it's always been.

But something happened in the 2000s. It's possibly the biggest WTF of all, being a Packers fan. What happened to the Lambeau Mystique? Now, it's better to play away than in Green Bay.

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I love Clay Matthews, but him saying that is probably the stupidest thing that's ever came out of a Packer's mouth -- including all that garbage that Jermichael Finley says.

The Giants straight up beat us. They were the better team. NYG's rivalry with us is the same rivalry we have with Atlanta. The Packers had the best of them in the regular season, but when the playoffs came, the Giants knew what to expect and kicked our asses.

They had a worse rushing offense than we did, yet they still allowed Ahmad Bradshaw to run wild and set up the hail mary, which again, the Packers let happen. Add the fact that the Giants used KC's blueprint of effective man coverage to force Aaron to hold the ball too long. If you hold the ball for more than 2 seconds against NYG, you're dead.

The funny part about is while Aaron probably had his worst game of the season, he was our best contributor.

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