INSIDE SLANT
If all goes well for the Packers the next two weeks and they snag a berth in Super Bowl XLVI, their travel distance this postseason will be all of the 400 miles that separates Green Bay from Indianapolis.The conveniently short journey from the upper Midwest to the lower Midwest, however, could be comparable from an opposition standpoint to the thousands of frequent-flyer miles the team amassed in the course of winning the Super Bowl last season.
The playoffs for the Packers again start with playing a team from the NFC East. The conference’s No. 1 team will host the New York Giants on Sunday in the divisional round, a year after sixth-seeded Green Bay traveled to Philadelphia and knocked off the Eagles in a wild-card game. The Packers went to Atlanta the following week and embarrassed the top-seeded Falcons in a divisional matchup. If heavily favored Green Bay can avoid being upset by the surging Giants, it will remain home at Lambeau Field for the NFC Championship on Jan. 22, potentially against the New Orleans Saints, who, like the Falcons, are from the NFC South. Win the NFC, the Packers are back in the Super Bowl to defend their league title – and they can take delight en route to Indy as they fly over Chicago, where Green Bay completed its three-game road sweep of conference opponents in last year’s postseason by ousting the division-rival Bears. “Taking the show on the road last year, so to speak, was huge for our confidence as a team, as a young team, knowing that we can do it on the road. We got it done on the road,” receiver Greg Jennings said. “And, now, there’s a quiet confidence that we don’t have to go through that this year. We can sit back and kind of not relax but take it all in and let our home crowd experience what we were able to deliver last year. “So, hopefully again, we want the same result but (taking a) different path of getting there. This is the preferred path, like (head coach) Mike (McCarthy) has mentioned, and we’ll see what happens.” –Authorities in Oshkosh, Wis., confirmed Tuesday morning the body that was pulled from the icy Fox River there Monday afternoon was that of Michael Philbin, the 21-year-old son of Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. A missing person report had been filed Sunday night for Michael Philbin, who was last heard from in the early morning Sunday. Philbin, a student at nearby Ripon College, was visiting friends at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh during the weekend. Cause of death hasn’t been determined. Michael was the second oldest of Joe and Diane Philbin’s six children. Packers general manager Ted Thompson issued a statement on behalf of the organization later Tuesday: “The Packers family was saddened to learn of the passing of Michael Philbin, son of offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. Our thoughts and prayers are with Joe, his wife, Diane, and the Philbin family as they cope with their loss. This is an emotional and difficult time for them, and we ask that everyone respect their privacy. All of us in the Packers family share in their grief.” Joe Philbin has been on Green Bay’s coaching staff since 2003 and the offensive coordinator under McCarthy the last five years. McCarthy calls the plays on game day for the Packers, but Philbin has been instrumental in the game planning for the Packers’ highly productive offense. With the Packers on a scheduled off day Tuesday, it’s unclear whether Philbin will rejoin the team later this week and fulfill his coaching duties in the coaches’ box for the game Sunday. McCarthy said Monday he has contingency plans for his staff this week in the event Philbin would be away for an extended period. |
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NOTES, QUOTES
–Six weeks after eking out a 38-35 win on a last-second field goal in New Jersey, the Packers will get a rematch with the New York Giants.The Giants continued their late-season roll with a 24-2 knockout of the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the NFC playoffs Sunday. Many of the Green Bay coaches and players watched the game on TV with the No. 1-seeded Packers’ having a bye on the opening weekend of the postseason.
“I thought the Giants had a very decisive victory against the Falcons,” Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said Monday. “I think it really started up front on both sides of the ball. “That’s the best film that I’ve seen of the Giants prior to our game six weeks ago and from what I’ve seen so far since our game.” Green Bay, which was 11-0 at the time, used a long drive of 68 yards negotiated by quarterback Aaron Rodgers with four straight completions in less than a minute to set up Mason Crosby for his game-winning 30-yard field goal as time expired against the Giants on Dec. 4. The three-point margin was the closest of the Packers’ victories in their team-record 15-1 regular season. The Giants won their final two regular-season games to claim the NFC East title with a 9-7 record. After the conquest of the Falcons, New York defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul guaranteed a win by the Giants when they play the Packers in the divisional round Sunday at Lambeau Field. “One hundred percent, we’re going to win … because we’re the best,” Pierre-Paul proclaimed. McCarthy, the only representative from the Packers made available to reporters Monday on a day when offensive coordinator Joe Philbin’s son was reported missing since early Sunday morning, didn’t take exception to Pierre-Paul’s declaration. “I would expect a team that is playing in the divisional playoff round to think they should win the game,” McCarthy said. “We fully expect to win the game. We’re going to prepare throughout the week to win the game, and we’ll be ready to go Sunday. “That stuff, what are they supposed to say – they’re going to lose? I think a guy should expect to win. That’s the National Football League.” –McCarthy on Monday didn’t reveal anything specific about the health status of his few injured players, among them Pro Bowl receiver Greg Jennings and running back James Starks. “We’ll give you an injury report Wednesday, but we’re very healthy right now,” McCarthy said. Jennings, who missed the last three games of the regular season because of a torn MCL in his left knee, figures to play Sunday. He was on the field last week, when the team held practice Wednesday and Thursday before the players were excused for an extended weekend for the bye. Right tackle Bryan Bulaga also practiced after missing the previous two games because of a knee sprain, as did rookie receiver/kick returner Randall Cobb, who was held out of the regular-season finale with a groin injury. Starks, who had a team-high 578 rushing yards, was considered the only player iffy at the end of the bye week. He didn’t practice after missing the Jan. 1 regular-season finale because of a bruised right ankle. The Packers’ first practice this week won’t be until Wednesday. The players are off Tuesday. |
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
–RB James Starks, who didn’t practice last week, seemingly is the only question mark this week among the few injured casualties Green Bay had at the end of the regular season. Starks, the team’s top rusher, didn’t play in the regular-season finale because of a bruised right ankle.
–LT Chad Clifton is penciled in as the starter for Sunday’s game. The 12th-year veteran practiced last week after returning to game action for just 25 snaps in the Jan. 1 game to end the regular season. Clifton missed the previous 10 games because of a torn hamstring and a back injury.
–RT Bryan Bulaga should be good to return to the starting lineup Sunday. Bulaga, who also practiced last week, missed the previous two games because of a sprained left knee.
–QB Aaron Rodgers goes into Sunday’s game with a 4-1 record and 112.6 passer rating in five postseason starts – all on the road – for the Packers since the 2009 season. Rodgers has thrown 13 touchdowns with only three interceptions in the playoffs.
REPORT CARD ENTERING PLAYOFFS
PASSING OFFENSE: A-minus – Matt Flynn goes back to the bench after his record-setting performance of 480 yards and six touchdowns through the air in the comeback win over the Detroit Lions to end the regular season. In steps Aaron Rodgers again with a convenient three weeks of rest from game action and in the midst of one of the more sensational seasons by a quarterback in NFL history. Rodgers’ litany of regular-season milestones included a passer rating of 122.5 (league best), 4,643 passing yards and 45 touchdown throws (both team bests). While he was accomplishing all of that, the likely league MVP had a career-low six interceptions as he completed 68.3 percent of his 502 passes in his fourth season as a starter. Green Bay’s third-rated passing attack featured a breakthrough season by fourth-year pro Jordy Nelson, who had team highs for catches (68), receiving yards (1,263) and touchdowns (15). He ranked third in league for the TDs and was second with a big-play average of 18.6 yards per catch. Greg Jennings, a Pro Bowl selection along with Rodgers, had 67 receptions for 949 yards and nine touchdowns despite missing the last three games because of a torn MCL – he is back practicing and should play in Sunday’s divisional-round game. Green Bay’s five wideouts each had at least 25 catches for the first time in team history. Throw in tight end Jermichael Finley, who has held up for the entire season and contributed career highs with 55 receptions for 767 yards and eight TDs. Finley, however, has been the poster player with at least a dozen for an inordinate amount of drops by the receiving corps that bogged down the occasionally unstoppable aerial show in a few games. Green Bay’s pass blocking also has been up and down since early in the season, due in great part to losing veteran left tackle Chad Clifton for 10 games and also right tackle Bryan Bulaga and right guard Josh Sitton for a total of seven games. Rodgers was sacked 36 times – second highest in his starting tenure.
RUSHING OFFENSE: C-minus – No trivial source of concern for the Packers going into the postseason, especially when it may be incumbent on the offense to try to run the football if the abnormally mild January conditions in Green Bay thus far turn nefarious this weekend and perhaps the following weekend. Green Bay finished the regular season without one game of having an individual 100-yard rusher and ranked 27th in the league with an average of 97.4 yards per game. Second-year James Starks missed three of the last four games because of an assortment of knee and ankle injuries but still led the team in rushing with 578 yards – just 38th best in the league and the worst club-leading total for the regular season since the obscure Darick Holmes had 386 in 1998. Starks (133) and Ryan Grant (134), who missed one game in Week 4 because of a kidney injury, were even with the carries in the two-back rotation employed when both were healthy. Grant mustered just 559 yards in his comeback from playing in only one game in 2010 (ruptured ankle), but the fifth-year veteran might have rediscovered his explosiveness in recent weeks with a 47-yard touchdown run in the Dec. 11 rout of the Oakland Raiders and an 80-yard burst to paydirt on a screen pass from Flynn the last time out. Versatile fullback John Kuhn earned his first Pro Bowl selection but averaged only 2.6 yards in situational carries, though he had a team-high four touchdowns on the ground. Rodgers’ mobility and fearlessness to take off on broken pass players resulted in 257 yards – he also had three touchdowns. The Packers lost promising rookie Alex Green to a season-ending knee injury in Week 7. The injuries across the line also affected the effectiveness of the run blocking, but center Scott Wells remained a rock and notched a Pro Bowl nod for the first time.
PASS DEFENSE: C-minus – The Packers led the league with 31 interceptions, the team’s highest output since 1962, and returned four of those for touchdowns. The penchant for takeaways helped mitigate what otherwise has been an atrocious showing by the pass defense since the start of the season. Green Bay was never higher than 30th in the 32-team league for passing yards allowed in any week and finished the regular season at rock bottom, allowing a league-record 4,796 net passing yards (average of 299.8 per game). Opponents exploited a secondary that was without Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins, who suffered a career-threatening neck injury in Week 2, and capitalized on an insufficient pass rush (29 sacks) to burn the Packers deep for by the team count was 76 pass plays of at least 20 yards – second highest in the league. Outside linebacker Clay Matthews, picked to the Pro Bowl for the third time in as many pro seasons, has played well this season but managed just six sacks to lead the team with no help on the other side to draw extra attention from him. Veteran cornerback Charles Woodson, also a repeat Pro Bowl honoree, continued to set the tone for the team’s NFL-high-tying 38 takeaways with seven interceptions to sit atop the league list.
RUSH DEFENSE: C – Green Bay was solid gold against the run three weeks into the season, leading the league after giving up a total of only 165 yards, including a stingy 13 against Matt Forte and the Chicago Bears. From that point, however, it was a gradual descent for the Packers to almost the middle of the league pack. Opponents cracked the century mark in 10 of the final 13 games, topped by the Minnesota Vikings’ 218 in Week 7 and the Forte-less Bears’ 199 in the Week 16 rematch, and Green Bay finished 14th in the league rankings with an average of 111.8 yards allowed per game. Besides losing the hard-hitting Collins for the long term, the Packers had to cope without their tackles-heavy tandem of Desmond Bishop (team-leading 142) and A.J. Hawk (104) at inside linebacker for a brief stretch in late November/early December because of calf injuries and run-stuffing defensive lineman Ryan Pickett for two games late in the regular season because of a concussion. All three players are healthy for the playoffs. The Packers will need better production in the playoffs from talented nose tackle B.J. Raji, who had only 43 tackles but was named to his first Pro Bowl a season after he had a career-high 66 tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A-minus – An Achilles’ heel for the Packers in recent years has turned out to be integral to their nearly impeccable season heretofore. Mason Crosby, who came in with a subpar field-goal percentage of 78.1 his first four regular seasons in the league, connected on 24 of his 28 attempts for a career-best mark of 85.7 percent. He tied his own team record with a 56-yard field goal in Week 5 at Atlanta and then broke it two weeks later with a 58-yard boot in the dome at Minnesota. Crosby benefited from the potent offense with a league-high 68 extra points and finished with 140 points (fourth in league), one short of his team record in his 2007 rookie season. Crosby and punter Tim Masthay, supported by better coverage units, more often than not tilted field position in Green Bay’s favor. Crosby swung away for 49 touchbacks (third in league). Masthay, whose 55 punts were the fewest for the team in a 16-game schedule, overcame a slow start in his second pro season and set team records for gross average (45.6 yards) and net average (38.6 yards). He placed 19 of his 34 punts in the last 10 games inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and had a career-long 71-yard punt in Week 15 at Kansas City. Randall Cobb, the team’s second-round draft pick in 2011, provided a spark for the once-pedestrian return units from opening night with a league-record-tying 108-yard kickoff runback for a touchdown in the shootout win over the New Orleans Saints and later scoring on an 80-yard punt return in Week 10 against the Vikings. Cobb averaged 27.7 and 11.3 yards on kickoffs and punts, respectively. However, the rookie has been prone to literally dropping the ball on fielding kicks with three fumbles, including two in punt situations. Opponents averaged 12.7 yards on punt returns, a number inflated by Darren Sproles’ 72-yard touchdown for the Saints in Week 1.
COACHING: B – Mike McCarthy is just the sixth coach in NFL lore to lead a team to a record of no worse than 15-1 in the 34 years of having a 16-game schedule. The most prolific regular season in 93 seasons of professional football in Green Bay included a 13-0 start. The Packers also racked up a team-record 560 points (second highest in NFL history) for a league-leading average of 35 points per game this season. While McCarthy was the play caller for the league’s No. 3 offense (average of 405.1 yards per game), coordinator Dom Capers has the dubious distinction of being at the controls of the league’s worst defense (average of 411.6 total yards allowed per contest). Green Bay’s ability to advance the next two weeks and return to the Super Bowl to vie for a second straight title will likely hinge on whether Capers and his staff can coax better results from their unit. What has been top notch for the Packers across the board has been their discipline – 76 penalties (tied for the league low) and 591 penalty yards (No. 2 in the league) are the fewest by the team in a 16-game season.
