Ron Pitts, Jesse Palmer (hey ladies!) in the booth today. They're actually pretty good together. I like the defensive perspective provided by Pitts and the offensive perspective provided by Palmer. I also like that Palmer is a reality tv star. This somehow seems like a perfect fit for him. He knows something about football (having played on occasion), he's not repetitive or redundant and, as my wife pointed out, he's man-pretty. Which I think the TV execs like. But then this is a profession that Tony Siragusa also works in so who the hell knows?
I see a win today. It may not be pretty but I'll take it. The Lambeau fans deserve a win, I don't care how. I think Favre is something like 14-0 against the Lions at home and I somehow don't see Kitna, Millen and Marinelli being the group to end the run.
1st Quarter
13:30 - Proving that Mike Martz still is crazy he calls for a qb sneak with Kitna on third and 4. We stuff it quickly. Ah, to be a brilliant playcaller and yet still call for a qb sneak of more than 1 yard.
11:25 - The Packers have an ugly three and out series. Two runs for no yards and a bad incompletion. So...nice to see our play at home hasn't changed at all.
9:00 - Detroit is efforting to come up with a legit drive. Y'know, just to see what everyone's always harping about in the weekly nfl player get togethers. The Packers D line gets all sorts of fired up and Cullen Jenkins and two others sack Jon Jon.
7:47 - On third down Chuck Woodson comes up and sticks the running back (I don't know who it is but it's not Kevin Jones so we're safe) to prevent a first down. He just stopped him cold. Did I mention that I'm one of the guys who is and has been solidly on the "pro" side on signing Woodson? Jason Hanson drills the field goal. GREEN BAY 0 - DETROIT 3.
6:46 - Under the "annoying trends" file we have another entry. Wells can't snap the ball to Favre. Fumble. Recovered by Detroit. I've got the NFL Sunday ticket. I watch other games. No one else has this problem every week. Shotgun or under center, you can't count on a good exchange.
5:54 - Al Harris is all over Roy Williams like a lonely teenager over, well... pretty much anything with a heartbeat. He tips the ball away, bobbles it and then makes the pick. He throws in a 25 yard return too.
4:23 - David Martin drops a TD pass from Favre. Dangit. He then follows it up with another drop. The second catch was high but still, if you can get your hand on it then it's yours.
2:54 - Favre rolls left and then uncorks a scary pass into triple coverage. No need to take that chance. None. Rayner hits from 24. GREEN BAY 3 - DETROIT 3.
1:30 - Cullen Jenkins picks up another sack on the day to force a punt. Nice first quarter for him. I guess this whole changeup with KGB is working out huh?
2nd Quarter
12:30 - Donald Driver is wide open for the second time today. He's had a few catches for solid yardage. Good teams double/triple team DD and make the other guys beat 'em. The Lions? Not so much. Totally unrelated note: The Lions have 2 wins on the year.
11:18 - The Packers have been driving methodically. Ahman Green tips a pass to him up in the air for an easy interception. Dammit Ahman! The pass was slightly high but still, very catchable.
10:40 - I don't know what's worse. The fact that Jesse Palmer just said that the Packers have to win to keep their playoff hopes alive or the fact that he's right and this team, with it's many, many flaws, is still alive for the postseason.
10:30 - Cullen Jenkins picks up his third sack of the day. He actually almost had a safety thanks to Kitna running backwards 15 yards. Wow. Maybe we got the talented Jenkins brother?
9:49 - Chuck fumbles the punt return and some dude I've never even heard of recovers for the Packers. I love these special teams guys that make 1 play all year. Does a guy like that wear his jersey everywhere around town just to try to convince people that he's actually on the team?
8:43 - Donald Lee with a drop. It's nice of the other tight ends to drop passes and fail to make plays in a show of solidarity with Bubba this year.
5:35 - With the Packers on the 15 Vernand Morency makes 19 cuts and dives into the end zone for the touchdown. Nice drive too with big third down pickups by Don Lee and DD. GREEN BAY 10 - DETROIT 3.
2:18 - Detroit has made 1 play (a Kitna scramble) and have a third down on the Packer 30. Nick Barnett stuffs the play to force 4th and 1.
2:00 - Kitna fumbles the snap and Cullen Jenkins recovers on 4th and 1. See, this is what bad teams do. They fumble the snap. Let's not be that guy anymore.
1:43 - Fabu. Chad Clifton is limping off the field. I'm staring at the phone like a contestant stares at Vanna White. Ring! Ring, damn you!
1:28 - The awesomely named Carlyle Holiday catches a slant from Favre for 20 yards. Brett now has the record for most completions in league history. Which is nice if you're into that sort of thing. Which I am. Which is cool.
:23 - The Packers get stopped and Jon Ryan comes out to punt. For no reason at all Ron Pitts mentions that he "came out of the university of Virgina". That third "I" is the key Ron. My wife, busy grading papers looked up at the TV for the first time all day and asked "he came out of where?"
3rd Quarter
10:03 - Brady Poppinga knocks a pass away in the end zone to force 4th down. I haven't seen much of Brady lately. I like him but I don't see him make a ton of plays. Hanson (who I'm 90% convinced had his leg dipped in the river Styx to guarantee perfect accuracy) nails from 42. GREEN BAY 10 - DETROIT 6.
8:33 - The Packers have a little drive going on the legs of Ahman and Vernand. Scott Wells is on the sideline putting his shoe on. Seriously I have to be the next guy on the list that they call right? O lineman can't stay on the field! But I can. I've got heart. And moxy. Tons of moxy. Put me in, you'll see.
1:44 - Chuck Woodson makes a nice pick on an awful throw from Kitna. With a 15 yard facemask tacked on the Packers will get the ball on the 10 or so. Pitts and Palmer are talking about Chuck and Al for the pro bowl. Look, I really like both of them. They're solid to very good every week. But your two starting corners can't be part of a unit that is one of the worst in the league and not give them any of the blame.
1:36 - Another drop by Donald Lee. Fugly. On third down Favre forces it for a pick. He deserved that one. I saw it coming too. See what happens when you drop the ball Don?
4th Quarter
14:24 - The D comes up with a huge stop to force a punt. Unfortunately they down it at the Packer 1 yard line. Dammit. I feel the opposite of good about this upcoming series.
11:40 - On third and 8, Favre drills Ahman for a first down. Except Ahman bobbles it and then hands it to a defender for a pick. It's gonna show three interceptions for Favre tomorrow in the paper. But two of them can go directly to Ahman. Can we petition the league for this?
10:40 - Third and 6 from the Packers 10 or so. Kitna tries the qb sneak again! Wow! I understand the coaches not wanting to risk an interception but keeping it in Kitna's hands in the 4th quarter is just asking for disaster. Wow! Mike Martz, oh how you've fallen. From the scary good playcaller on a superbowl winner to running qb sneaks for Jon Kitna for the league's worst run franchise. He's like the modern day, NFL version of Icarus. I think in this scenario that makes Dick Vermeil the sun. Or possibly this is still the smiting for not using Marshall Faulk in the super bowl when he was with the Rams. GREEN BAY 10 - DETROIT 9.
5:22 - The Packers needed a solid drive and they're getting it. 4+ minutes so far and it's not over. DD just grabbed a 12 yard catch on third and 10.
3:30 - Still on the drive, Ahman picks up 10 on third and 9. Beautiful drive I tells ya.
2:48 - Vernand makes a beautiful cut and breaks right for 20 yards and his second TD of the day. He's got a great burst. Most guys just barely get to the fans on a Lambeau Leap, he almost made the second row. GREEN BAY 17 - DETROIT 9.
The defense harasses Kitna to end the game. I realize Detroit is terrible but the D really showed up today. Well done. This team is far from great, but they've got some solid contributors showing up every week. I like how the line is playing right now with Jenkins. I like the linebackers and our starting corners aren't too shabby. If we can sort out the Marquand Manuel issue we might just have a real D.
Thanks for stopping by the booth.
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