Big disappointment. I was really looking forward to seeing a Thursday night game on NFL after Cablevision/Comcast finally came to terms with the network and I could access NFL. Bears v Packers at Lambeau - what a feast. But no! This was a real turkey, uncooked, ungarnished, unprepared.
Then I felt so disgusted at my own masochism for staying to watch the whole game that I went to bed before reading the game thread on this board.
I don't think the Bears could have been worse. Admittedly the refs were giving all the favors to the packers, and losing Forte was a crippling blow, but damn that was one poor OL, one sad sack of WRs and I can add nothing to what has already been said about Scuttler, he more than anyone sank USS Da-Bears. Marshall looked old, couldn't get separation, no burst and no hands. The Oline cant blame their QB entirely for holding onto the ball so long, as they often collapsed and lost the pocket at first rush.
The Packers D were made to look good, especially with no run game (why did Chicago give up so early on Bush), Mathews looked Olympian, and his stats will forever be bloated this season because of it. I think there was a good chance the refs might have reversed the call on a couple of interceptions if they weren't at Lambeau, but then again Scuttler deserved to be picked on all but one (when Bennett did deer in the headlights instead of coming back to help his QB).
While Da Bears missed Forte, the Pack, and particularly Rogers, missed Jennings. But the fact that made me realize how poorly their offense played was their average field position at the start of their drives (34 yard line average over 13 possessions). Yikes!!! it included starting three times in Chicago territory and a couple close to half way. And yet they needed a fake field goal to get their first TD and an interception at the Chicago 26 to serve Rogers' single TD on a plate.
Rogers is still victim to believing the media hype that no-one has played the position better. He made several bad throws and could have been intercepted once or possibly twice more. Yet it was never his fault and mirrored Scuttler in blaming others and calling out the offending players. When he did advance the ball it was not his exceptional talents so much as good schemes and execution, most of his completions were to wide open targets. His stats didn't suffer too much overall, but when you have that field position advantage you should be able to do more.
I should have turned it off when Rogers made that cheap call for the 12 men on the field penalty, which he would have ignored if he hadn't thrown an incompletion (since it wasn't shown again I cant remember if it was a poor pass, poor catch or both). Given the closeness of the call, the guy was crossing the line at the time of the snap, and I have to believe that Rogers was focused on getting the ball from his center rather than looking to the sideline. Consequently he must have been guessing the player's position and gambled with his team's challenges and timeouts. Or he could, of course, just be massaging his stats (1 less attempt and incompletion).
As many have said the Lombardi is not going through either of these teams this year. I hope the Giants v Panthers game next week is more entertaining.
