Once you see the Morgan Burnett “lie-down” play in the “All-22” coaches film format, you will want to re-smash your remote control all over again.
Not to beat this into the ground, but the fact that Burnett had somehow felt surrendering was the “smart” play tells you the Packers did not have the true “60 Minute” mindset that football coaches like to preach over and over and over again.
I personally think, it’s 50/50 he scores. 70/30 he runs it into immediate field goal territory. And 100% chance he crosses midfield. The fact that Julius Pepper – elected a post-season CAPTAIN – decides to signal the surrender, instead of peel back upfield and start “huntin'” is equally sickening.
Watch if you want, but I warn you: it’ll haunt you forever as a fan.
Maybe not as much as this bitter pill from that other AWFUL night at a frigid Lambeau Field. There was the old gunslinger, with lots of GOOD options… and he chose – the worst. At the worst possible time.
Then of course, if you really want the 3rd photo in the set (I know, you did not ask for it, but here it is anyway) you get the famous Lance Easley “Fail Mary” call.
Two lessons come to mind.
1. Remember what Al Swearengen said in Deadwood: “Pain or damage don’t end the world. Or despair, or fucking beatings. The world ends when you’re dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man… and give some back. ”
2. You gotta fight for every INCH, and never look a gift-20-yards or more in the mouth. The movie Any Given Sunday got a lot of shit WRONG about football, but not this speech from the coach.
Czabe:
Once again you are 100% accurate. As a Packer fan it makes you wonder how many more Lombardi trophies the team would be hoisting if they could simply get there heads out of their asses. Brutal. Kind of makes you think fans of crap teams (such as the Skins) have it much easier because those teams simply have no chance. Oh how tortured it is to be a Packer fan…
Come on Czabe. Dude, you are beating a dead horse. It’s not like if he returned the INT and got another 20 yards that the Packers were then GUARANTEED victory. Hell, even if he scored a TD the Packers were not GUARANTEED a victory. The only way you are guaranteed a victory is when you are ahead and the clock reads 0:00. The other 2 photos you posted were of plays that decided a game. This play was just one that was slightly questionable. He probably should have at least attempted to return the ball and get some yardage. But it was hardly the deciding play of the game. I’m not really sure why you have latched on to this one play as the definitive boneheaded play of the century.
Peppers probably would have picked off the first lineman he saw. Russell would have got to Burnett, but not until at least the 40 or 35 yard line. Maybe Burnett drags Russell another 3-4 yards. That is getting very close to FG range. Or Rodgers could have smelled the endzone from there, and had the impetus to go for a TD.
The major point is the coaching brain trust thought the Packers should hold their breath and tip-toe outta there once they had a lead.
To me it’s not so much a matter of aggressive play calling, it’s a matter of smarter situational coaching that we seem to lack.
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas 2015 is for Mike McCarthy’s balls to drop…. and I hope mine drop by then too. You see, mine were kicked in by a buddy who is a Seachickens fan…he kicked me when Green Bay kicked the FIRST field goal. He kicked me again after the second field goal, and a real whopper on the third. At halftime, my buddy said Green Bay is going to lose because Coach M grabbed panties instead of big boy shorts, and EVERYONE knows Seattle owns the 4th quarter.
Needless to say, I was got kicked repeatedly in the fourth quarter. This guy was so good at the smack talk that I had to ask him if he was a former Cowboys fan.
If balls are not available, I will take Neuticles as a replacement.
Czabe, are you going to post the results of the frozen football test??
Czabe, anytime you drop Al Swearengen into the conversation we all win. Effing outstanding!