Packers - Lions
It seems to be the universal response in the wake of last Sunday afternoon’s duel between the Packers and Lions at Lambeau. It is what I personally felt, and it is what I have heard so many others also express since then – individual fans, local talk guys, national sports media commentators, and even Packer players themselves in interviews…
That was a win that felt like a loss.
At the end of the season, it’s just another notch in the “W” column, so it’s all good. But in the moment, it certainly wasn’t accompanied by the sense of euphoria, satisfaction, and accomplishment that we generally associate with a win.
I suppose we can take away some encouragement from the fact that we still haven’t played a truly good game, yet we’re 3-1. And we might take pride in the fact that we played so badly – and were so badly outplayed – yet still got the win. And yet it’s hard not to be disturbed by the lack of discipline and the lack of production that the Packers exhibited at home against a perennial doormat.
That said, the Lions are clearly a much-improved team. With due respect to the “you are what your record says you are” crowd, the Lions are better than 0-4. I do not look forward to meeting them again later this season in Detroit. And I will not be surprised by the first win, no matter who it comes against.
Injuries
This season’s high hopes seem to be being placed on I-R one player at a time. Now we have lost Nick Barnett (Packer injury updates), which is a costly loss, indeed. How many starters can you win without?
Randy Moss
And then we add insult to injury with the news that Randy Moss has returned to the NFC North. I am definitely more concerned about the Vikings now than I was one week ago. While I don’t think Favre can repeat his fantasy performance from 2009, it’s a miserable prospect to think about facing that defensive line when we have the ball, and then try to defend both Randy Moss and Adrian Peterson when we do not have the ball.
There are some players, coaches, and teams that I don’t mind losing to as much as others. Fortunately, I don’t feel any strong personal animus toward Brad Childress, for I sure hate losing to the rest of that team. And losing will (would) be even worse this year now that Moss is back in Minnesota’s team picture.
Brett Favre
Finally, this one was ugly and unexpected… allegations about racy messages from Brett Favre to another woman. Yuck!
His reputation has taken something of a hit in recent years because he has come across as indecisive and a me-first guy. Still, the prevailing assumption that he was basically a good guy – someone who had gotten his act together after a rowdy youth, someone we loved through his father’s death and his wife’s cancer. But this takes some of the charm out of his playful, back-slapping, tractor-riding persona.
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