Nonstopdrivel
15 years ago

Same game, different views for Packers, Cowboys  

By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Nov. 13, 2009

If you were tracking the fortunes of the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys, their lines on a graph chart would pass each other going 100 mph.

Down like a high-speed elevator go the Packers, up like a rocket flare go the Cowboys.

At the halfway point of the season, the motives for victory Sunday at Lambeau Field couldn't be more dissimilar even when you consider the ultimate goal for both teams is to win the Super Bowl.

For the Cowboys, Sunday represents a chance to elongate the springboard lift they got from a critical road victory over NFC East rival Philadelphia last week, and for the Packers it is the ultimate survival challenge after a devastating loss to previously winless Tampa Bay.

There's a lot on the line for both teams.

"It's a big game," Packers cornerback Charles Woodson said. "It's not just going to be this game. We've put ourselves into that situation where every week is going to be a big game. Last week was a tough one. We let one get away, so every week is going to be big, starting with the Dallas Cowboys, who are really on fire right now."

The 6-2 Cowboys come into the game on a four-game winning streak that began with an overtime victory on the road against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs. They beat Atlanta, Seattle and the Eagles in the weeks following and sit alone atop the NFC East, one game ahead of Philadelphia and 1 games ahead of the New York Giants.

If the Cowboys win Sunday, the only obstacles between them and a 9-2 record are Oakland and Washington, a pair of 2-6 teams going nowhere. They absolutely want to ride the momentum they gained by beating the Eagles in Philadelphia.

"They've played at a high, high level the whole year and they're a tough team at their home place, even when they haven't had great seasons," quarterback Tony Romo said of the Eagles. "They're just hard to beat there. I think for us to go up there and do that, maybe gave us a little bit of confidence in the sense of knowing that we could go somewhere and win in an environment like that.

"But there's no midseason awards; we're not getting any Super Bowl trophies now or anything right now. So we don't pretend that it's any bigger than what that was. We needed to do that; that was big for us. But now all of a sudden this becomes the most important game of the season."

Oddly, the Packers don't have to win this game to remain in the hunt for a playoff berth; it just would help their cause all the way around to beat a team like the Cowboys. Of the Packers' 10 victories over the last two seasons, only two (Indianapolis and Chicago) came against teams that had a winning record at the time, and neither had a record as good as the Cowboys' is now.

The Packers aren't likely to make the playoffs with an 8-8 mark as San Diego did last year because potential wild-card teams like Atlanta (5-3), Philadelphia (5-3) and the Giants (5-4) are strong enough to finish with 10 or 11 victories. But just as some teams have bounced back at midseason, some have gone into the tank, and it's hard to know where others will be at the end of the season.

With Minnesota comfortably ahead in the NFC North at 7-1, the wild card is the only carrot dangling in front of the Packers.

Eight games in, their problems seem so deep that nothing short of a miracle can turn them around. However, their issues aren't widespread; they basically come down to a quarterback and offensive line that have taken a league-leading 37 sacks and special teams that have had three bad weeks in a row.

Fix those two things, and they have a chance.

"I think the guys feel good about their capabilities, their potential, their ability," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "There's obviously a difference between potential and performance, but by some measures we're not a half bad offense. On paper, it's hard to say this is a bad offense besides the number of sacks we've taken. I think they believe in themselves."

The bigger question - as posed by team president Mark Murphy this week - is whether the coaching staff can make the changes that can foster a rebound. Coach Mike McCarthy lightened the players' load this week on the field, and there appeared to be more jocularity and looseness during practice.

Still, the pressure on general manager Ted Thompson and McCarthy to succeed can be felt all the way into the locker room, given the pair have failed to get the Packers to the playoffs two out of their three years together. If they continue on the course they've set this season, there are no guarantees either will be back next season.

The players seem to understand what's at stake, as evidenced by an open offensive players meeting earlier this week.

"We're professionals," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "We've got to be held to a standard of expectation from each other. The coaches expect the guys to play well when they get the opportunity. We expect each other to play well. We've got to win those battles. We've got to do better."

After the Cowboys game, the Packers host the 4-5 San Francisco 49ers and play the 1-7 Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day. Then they get 11 days to prepare for a home meeting against the 4-4 Baltimore Ravens.

If they're going to start a run, there's no better time to do it than Sunday.

"This definitely is a very important game," Packers receiver Greg Jennings said. "To go from 4-4 to a losing record, you just can't have that."

To assume they'll be playing a Cowboys team that isn't motivated would be a mistake. Though Dallas has had its midseason blips before under Romo, this is its chance to show it can steam-roll anyone who gets in its way. The Packers just happen to be next in line, standing there with a desperate look on their faces.

"We're 4-4, we know what's in front of us," Rodgers said. "We need a win."


Since69
15 years ago

Same game, different views for Packers, Cowboys  

By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

...
The Packers just happen to be next in line, standing there with a desperate look on their faces.

"Nonstopdrivel" wrote:



Hahahahahahaha! I don't think that look was 'desperation'...
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Zero2Cool (1h) : Mark Murphy says Steelers likely to protect Packers game. Meaning, no Ireland
Zero2Cool (3h) : Struggling to figure out what text editor options are needed and which are 'nice to have'
Mucky Tundra (5h) : *CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP*
Zero2Cool (2-Apr) : WR who said he'd break Xavier Worthy 40 time...and ran slower than you
Mucky Tundra (2-Apr) : Who?
Zero2Cool (2-Apr) : Texas’ WR Isaiah Bond is scheduled to visit the Bills, Browns, Chiefs, Falcons, Packers and Titans starting next week.
Zero2Cool (2-Apr) : Spotting ball isn't changing, only measuring distance is, Which wasn't the issue.
Zero2Cool (2-Apr) : The spotting of the ball IS the issue. Not the chain gang.
Mucky Tundra (2-Apr) : Will there be a tracker on the ball or something?
Zero2Cool (1-Apr) : uh oh
Martha Careful (1-Apr) : Too bad camera's can't spot the ball as well.
Mucky Tundra (1-Apr) : So will the chain gang be gone completely or will they still be around as a backup or whatever?
Zero2Cool (1-Apr) : The method for measuring first downs in the NFL will switch from chain gangs to camera-based technology in 2025, the league announced.
Martha Careful (1-Apr) : A big step in the right direction. Just put in the college system is very very good.
Zero2Cool (1-Apr) : NFL has passed a rule that allows both teams to possess the ball in OT during the regular season
Zero2Cool (1-Apr) : Touchbacks on kickoffs will now bring the ball to the 35-yard line.
beast (31-Mar) : It might of gotten more popular recently, but braiding hair (even men) in certain cultures goes back for centuries.
Martha Careful (30-Mar) : Is men braiding their hair a new style thing? Watching the NCAA men's tournament many players have done
Zero2Cool (29-Mar) : Ha. Well, it'd be nice for folks to reset their own password. Via validated email 😏
beast (29-Mar) : Monopoly was supposed to be an educational game, that show how evil capitalism was and how we should avoid it
beast (29-Mar) : Lol, I was thinking username would be better, as then I wouldn't have to keep an email up to date lol 😂
beast (29-Mar) : Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : I was thinking email because I think it'll make folks keep it up todate lol
wpr (29-Mar) : sure is
Zero2Cool (29-Mar) : Monopoly is a rip off of The Landlord's Game
wpr (27-Mar) : 28 days until the draft
earthquake (27-Mar) : Which seemed strange to my 9 year old self, that you could be a fan for a team other than the one you play for
earthquake (27-Mar) : Nothing eventful happened, other than it being clear that he was a bengals fan
earthquake (27-Mar) : And we went and hung out with him one afternoon, I must have been 9 or so
earthquake (27-Mar) : That’s wild, when I was a kid my friend lived in the same apartment complex in De Pere
Mucky Tundra (27-Mar) : Only career highspot was a 200 yard rushing game while playing for the Cardinals
Mucky Tundra (27-Mar) : He is a former Packer. Drafted out of Northern Illinois. Didn't do much in GB.
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Despicable
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : Former NFL. I think Packers too
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : NFL RB Leshon Johnson has been charged in a massive dog fighting operation, with the FBI seizing over 190 Pit Bulls
Mucky Tundra (26-Mar) : Some real irony of a QB as short as Wilson playing for the Giants
Mucky Tundra (26-Mar) : Giants country, let's be the tall beings of lore!
Mucky Tundra (26-Mar) : Russell Wilson signs with the Giants.
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : I was thinking email because I think it'll make folks keep it up todate lol
wpr (25-Mar) : I don't think there is a significant difference. I use a user name for many. Others email.
Martha Careful (25-Mar) : email
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : would it be better to use EMAIL or USERNAME to log into a site?
wpr (25-Mar) : Thanks Zero
Zero2Cool (24-Mar) : New forum has the ability to Thank a post now.
beast (24-Mar) : And the only time they have won the Championship in an even year, was the first time they did, in 2006.
beast (24-Mar) : Since 2007, there have been 10 odd numbered years, Wisconsin Women have won the Championship in 7 of those 10 odd numbered years.
buckeyepackfan (24-Mar) : Congratulations Lady Badger Hockey Team. NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!
Zero2Cool (23-Mar) : I don't think it's completed yet. it was just announced last month, right?
dhazer (23-Mar) : did netflix ever release the Packers documentary
Zero2Cool (21-Mar) : And it is glorious!
beast (21-Mar) : Unsigned FA QB Rodgers is supposedly in the Steelers building
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