| Nicole Haase. 2nd December, 2008 - 1:21 pm
 Of all the disappointment that came out of Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, the biggest has to be that the Packers didn’t have the guts to go for the touchdown on 4th and 1 with the score tied 28-28 and two minutes left on the clock.
Despite dominating the Panthers in time of possession, first downs, passing yards, and total yards, the Packers' fate in the game lay in their confidence in their young quarterback, and they made it plenty clear that the confidence level isn’t high.
Aaron Rodgers has yet to put together a fourth-quarter, game-winning drive yet this season. His inexperience is likely why they ran the ball three times from the one-yard line as opposed to passing. The Packers settled for a field goal, and that was the difference in the game.
The Packers' run game and offensive line have struggled mightily at times this season, yet they put the game, and possibly their playoff hopes, in the hands of those two beleaguered units. Par for the course of the season, they failed to deliver.
It speaks volumes that not only did Coach Mike McCarthy not trust Aaron Rodgers to pass the ball in that situation, but he didn’t trust his receivers to make the play, either.
It’s been noted here before that Rodgers' touch has been lacking, especially in high-pressure situations, but for a team with just a handful of rushing touchdowns, it seems that even with Rodger itchy trigger finger, the Packers' best chance of putting seven on the board was with the ball in Rodgers’ hands.
Even a quarterback sneak on one of the three one-yard-to-paydirt situations would have been preferred to three Brandon Jackson runs that lost more yardage than they gained.
After all the off season “this is our guy” rhetoric from McCarthy and Ted Thompson, this one play showed that Green Bay’s management might not have the faith in Rodgers that they’ve been saying they do.
It would be interesting to know what was said along the sideline and in the huddle. As QB, Rodgers is supposed to be the leader. In this situation, the leader would have told the coach to put the ball in his hands. Did Rodgers do that? We’ll likely never know.
That sort of take-control attitude is what the fans are waiting to see from Rodgers.
McCarthy’s play-calling, or often, his lack-thereof, will be the biggest thing I remember about this season. Sunday’s field goal ranks with the wasted challenge in Minnesota as one of the dumber plays of the season.
Timid play calling has no place on this team.
Sure, the Packers could have been stopped on 4th-and-1, and the normal edict is to not take points off the board – but even if they failed to get the touchdown, they give the ball back to Carolina on the one-yard line with under two minutes and three timeouts. They also don’t have to kickoff, thereby not giving the Panthers a chance to get great field-position.
At 5-5 and behind both Chicago and Minnesota, the Packers needed to take the gamble and hope for the big reward. If they failed, at least they would have made every attempt to put themselves in the right position.
Instead, they played it conservative,nd the team failed to step-up when it mattered.
Breaking down this one decision makes you realize that there are a number of holes in this team, and every decision seems to be a choice between two evils. Although there are no glaring, in-your-face problems with this team, it’s all the little blunders that add up and bite them at the most inopportune times.
If you go for it, you’ve got to find a way to get the ball in the end zone, either behind a mediocre line or in the hands of an-all-but-rookie quarterback.
If you take the three and kickoff, you’ve got to contend with a dismal coverage unit and an even worse punter and hope that the other team doesn’t get great field position.
The Packers lack a leader, starting with their coach. There is no fire and no atmosphere of a winning attitude. When the head of your team plays timid, tepid football, and, through his play calling, shows a lack of confidence in his players, it’s a recipe for disaster.
They say “no guts, no glory”, and the Packers will be living with that one decision for awhile.
Nicole Haase is a RealGM contributor, and her work can also be found on CuteSports.blogspot.com |
