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| Photo courtesy Green Bay Packers. |
So who do we blame for the Motor City Misery Mystery, the Debacle in Detroit, the Lionific Laydown? Who takes the fall for a loss that, in all likelihood, will be not-so-fondly remembered as the one that kept the Packers from the playoffs?
I blame Sports Illustrated.
They’re the ones who got the Packers into this mess. They’re the ones who predicted such great things in the preseason, who got everybody’s hopes up, who unleashed their unholy jinx-master wrath on the poor citizens of Packer Nation. Nine SI NFL experts made online playoff predictions. Seven of them had Green Bay in the Super Bowl and three had the Packers winning it. Not enough rabbits’ feet in the world to fend off that much bad mojo.
And speaking of bad mojo, I blame Karma for using the Packers as a teaching tool.
Because when the NFL greedily insists on an 18-game schedule, without regards to its impact on the game or player safety, then somebody must be made an example of. And that example is clearly the Packers. “You want 18 games?” Karma asked. “Just watch what I can do to a title contender in 13.” I’d provide a link to Green Bay’s injury report and the number of starters lost, but the load time would crash your computer. Suffice it to say there’s no such thing as a healthy Packer this season, only a Packer who’s waiting to be injured.
Which brings us to Aaron Rodgers.
I blame him for challenging Karma by eschewing the quarterback slide. Surely he’s aware of what injuries have done to this squad. Surely he’s equally aware of his importance to the team. And yet Rodgers still refused to slide late in the first half, and he was concussed for the second time this season. So not only did he miss the balance of that game, and perhaps will miss more, but you now have legitimate concerns about his future. Is Rodgers suddenly a concussion-prone quarterback? Is he the next Troy Aikman or Steve Young? And will folks start blaming him for not having a skull as thick as his predecessor?
And yes, I blame his predecessor.
Somehow, Brett Favre must be involved in this, right? Get a WikiLeaks team on it. Another phone call to the Lions, perhaps? A silent prayer to the forces that gave him another chance to save his Ironman streak by snowcapitating the Metrodome roof? Has to be a connection.
Oh yeah, I also blame the Ford Field roof. Built too Ford tough, because obviously, the Packers could’ve used a postponement as well.
I blame Ted Thompson for not trading for Marshawn Lynch. I blame Lynch for not demanding a trade to Green Bay. I blame the Pack’s offensive line for still demanding paychecks after that performance.
I blame the defense for allowing seven points when it was clear the Packers couldn’t score eight. I blame the butter on Greg Jennings’ fingers and the blinders on Mike McCarthy’s game plan. I blame Matt Flynn for forgetting the Lions had linebackers in the end zone.
And I blame the Lions for using linebackers in the end zone. Also for having the audacity to get better. Everyone has a role to play in the NFC North, and Detroit’s has been the role of cellar-dweller, and just look what happens when people don’t do their jobs.
But most of all, I blame myself. Because a month ago, I wrote that “The Packers pretty much need a second-half implosion to miss out on the playoffs.” And now that the implosion is under way, one more thing is clear.
Sports Illustrated does not hold the patent on jinxes.
Nutshells
– It never ceases to amaze me just how loud the Bradley Center gets when the joint is jammed. It was evident during the Bucks playoff series against Atlanta, and just as evident Sunday when Wisconsin took on Marquette.
But atmosphere wasn’t enough to save the Golden Eagles, who lost 69-64 and will go absolutely nowhere in the Big East if they don’t solve their rebounding issues. Wisconsin scored 21 points on second-chance opportunities – more than 30 percent of its total output – thanks to 15 offensive rebounds. And I’m betting the Big East has some better rebounders than the Badgers.
“We know what we have to do,” said Marquette’s Jimmy Butler, who looked like Jimmy Chitwood on a late 3-pointer that nearly saved the Eagles. “We’ve got to take up space, put a body on the other team’s body, and we weren’t doing that.”
They’d better start soon.
The bright side is that Marquette’s three losses have all been squeakers against three quality teams, and there’s plenty of room for improvement. Besides the rebounding, bell-cow Darius Johnson-Odom hasn’t exactly been ringing up baskets. He’s better than a 38 percent shooter, and when he finally shows it, Marquette will look a lot better.
– So the Big Ten unveiled its new look on Monday, complete with a refreshed logo and new divisional names. But if Leaders and Legends won the division name contest, then you really have to wonder what lost. The Big Ten thinks you’ll get used to it. But not before they get used to the jokes.
Alternative names off the top of my head that would’ve been better received. Alpha/Beta. Great Lakes/Great Plains. Blue/White. Smart/Palmer. Sine/Cosine. Bacon/Eggs. Twitter follower Kevin Treichel suggested Schembechler/Hayes. No doubt you’ve got some of your own. Remember them the next time the Big Ten’s marketing contract is up for bid.
Feel free to follow me on Twitter, where I tweet as howiemag. And tune in every Tuesday morning at 6:30 when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM for Tuesdays with Howie.
