Mike Vandermause column: Declarations of Green Bay Packers' 'lost' season premature 

JANUARY 2, 2010

The insults were flying, and the bulls-eye was painted on my back.

Fool. Stupid. Media hack. Wimp. Jerk. Pathetic excuse for a journalist.

Those lively words were directed at me seven weeks ago after the sputtering Green Bay Packers slipped to 4-4 with a loss to the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the midst of fans clamoring for the dismissal of General Manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy, I had the audacity to suggest it was too soon to give up on the Packers season.

Im not here now to take credit for predicting a Packers resurgence, or to shove an I told you so retort in someones face.

No one could have foreseen the same Packers team that looked so awful against the Buccaneers would bounce back to win six of its next seven games and qualify for the playoffs. My point back then was that similar turnarounds had taken place in the past, and the Packers at the very least deserved the chance to finish out the season before demands for mass firings were appropriate.

The criticism I received was nothing compared to what Thompson and McCarthy endured. Heres a sampling of fan sentiment from mid-November:

This reeks of 1970's and 80's terminal mediocrity, and unless this GM and head coach get removed soon, this stench will linger for a long time.

It's hard to believe this season could be salvaged. The offensive line is the worst in the league, with a possibility of being the worst of all time.

This season is lost and you can't tell me different. There is no fire in the eyes of the players because they have lost faith in the leadership.

The beauty and curse of the NFL is that so much stock is placed on the result of one game. Its good that passionate fans live and die on each win and loss, but its bad when hard and fast conclusions are drawn from any given performance.

The irrational determination after the loss to the hapless Buccaneers was that the Packers would be hard-pressed to win another game. It didnt seem logical the Packers would rebound the next week and soundly pummel a hot Dallas Cowboys team and embark on a five-game winning streak.

Even a pattern of success or failure over a series of games tempts us to draw overarching assumptions. The Packers offensive line struggled for nearly half a season and gave up sacks at an alarming rate, which led some to utter the worst line in the history of the NFL proclamation.

After the Packers allowed 503 passing yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers Ben Roethlisberger two weeks ago, the natural reaction was to believe the secondary wont stand a chance against a top-flight quarterback in the playoffs.

Yes, the Packers cornerback depth is thin, and yes, the potential for trouble exists against the likes of Kurt Warner, Drew Brees or Brett Favre. But one bad game of pass defense against the Steelers doesnt mean theres an ironclad certainty it will happen again.

There are few guarantees in this league, except the knowledge that frustrated fans will sound off after agonizing defeats like the Tampa Bay game:

The Packers will finish 5-11 or 6-10. Any Packer fan that thinks otherwise is either brain dead or in serious denial.

And so it goes in the NFL, where the question what have you done for me lately? is constantly being asked.

Mike Vandermause is sports editor of the Press-Gazette.

It's hard to believe this season could be salvaged. The offensive line is the worst in the league, with a possibility of being the worst of all time.

If 11-5 and a playoff appearance is terminal mediocrity, my God, give it to me again next year.

"Nonstopdrivel" wrote:

This reeks of 1970's and 80's terminal mediocrity, and unless this GM and head coach get removed soon, this stench will linger for a long time.

I think that is still pretty accurate. I would add that Vanderschmander also reeks of the 70's and 80's WI sports reporters who fueled the terminal mediocrity with their fluff pieces. "All is well!" "Just wait til next year!"

The fact is that the Pack has had a pretty easy schedule, have beaten just one decent team this year (Dallas, and that's even arguable), and lost to some teams that they should have walked over.

That said, this really is a pretty good team, but I still have no confidence in the un-jerseyed leadership. Just as Mike McCarthy and Capers found a way to lose to Pittsburgh, so will they find a way out early from the playoffs. I hope I'm wrong but I suspect we'll all be here gnashing our teeth in a week, maybe two.

"I-Love-Zero" wrote:

This reeks of 1970's and 80's terminal mediocrity, and unless this GM and head coach get removed soon, this stench will linger for a long time.

I think that is still pretty accurate. I would add that Vanderschmander also reeks of the 70's and 80's WI sports reporters who fueled the terminal mediocrity with their fluff pieces. "All is well!" "Just wait til next year!"

The fact is that the Pack has had a pretty easy schedule, have beaten just one decent team this year (Dallas, and that's even arguable), and lost to some teams that they should have walked over.

That said, this really is a pretty good team, but I still have no confidence in the un-jerseyed leadership. Just as Mike McCarthy and Capers found a way to lose to Pittsburgh, so will they find a way out early from the playoffs. I hope I'm wrong but I suspect we'll all be here gnashing our teeth in a week, maybe two.

"I-Am-Ignorant" wrote: