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When I think about the Green Bay Packers I immediately think Bart Star, I guess my age is showing. Those days the networks were not required to show the home team’s game, so the Packers were on every Sunday. I even had a Green Bay helmet like Bart Star, I cherished it. Yes I was a Giants fan first but Green Bay was a close second mainly because that’s the team you always saw on TV. I clearly remember watching their first two super bowls. I remember that they were the most fundamentally sound team in the NFL at that time, maybe that ever was. They executed on every down and if they didn’t you had to answer to Vince Lombardi, something the biggest toughest guys did not want to do. He knew how to let you know that you did not do the right thing by your team and teammates. If he could not get through to you it was easy, you were playing on another team very quickly or out of the league.

So who are these Packers? I remember the Brett Favre version of this team and hated them. Not because of the team but because of Brett Favre, he was a great quarterback, there is no doubt about that, on the other hand I asked myself many times what was wrong with this guy? Was his ego that big or was he that confused about life? I think maybe a bit of both. I give Favre credit though, he was taking more vicodin than House does on his TV series. He beat the drug addiction but could not beat the adrenaline addiction. He needed that rush from playing football as a star in the NFL. There is no question he was a great quarterback and belongs in the Hall of Fame. I feel he could have been better and I always thought that Green Bay should have had another super bowl appearance or two. Personally I would have let Favre go earlier and let Rodgers take over sooner. I have my issues with Favre as a fan and person, I suppose many others do, I guess the head of that list would be Eric Mangini.

This version of the Packers does not resemble in any way the old Packers I watched on TV as a child except for one thing, being consistent and fundamentally sound, they execute very well, except on defense that is. These Packers are an offensive juggernaut able to tear apart any defense at will or it seems that way. How do they do this someone might ask, the same as the Saints do, they execute on every down. Both teams rarely drop balls, although they do but not often, they have some ability to run the ball but it’s about their vertical passing game. They do a lot of tricky plays, nothing extravagant or outlandish. They do their best to not be predictable and to confuse the defense, keep the defense off balance, although the Saints might be slightly better in that respect.

It’s about the weapons the offense has and a quarterback that can get them the ball whether it’s 3 yards away or 30 yards away, Aaron Rodgers is an amazing football player and quarterback. I remember that draft, I sat there and saw Alex Smith picked ahead of him, I was like what is going on, I figured the next pick would be obvious, Aaron Rodgers. I was wrong, he waited and waited and waited, I sat there watching this show in disbelief. The Packers took him even though they had other needs and Favre was still at the top of his game. It was just plain smart drafting, people wonder why their team stinks, well this is where it starts, at the draft.

The Packers have had some great drafts and so has the Giants thanks to Jerry Reese. The Green Bay Defense is porous and as we all have seen they can be scored upon. The offense overcomes that by just plain out scoring their opponents. If the Giants can stop them just a little bit, just a few downs here and there and play the football the Giants are capable of they can be beat, we already pretty much proved that. It’s all about focus, the Giants cannot make those stupid little mistakes, the penalties. I did notice they did not allow Atlanta to instigate them into fighting back, they backed off many times. I can see them saying something to them, I can only wonder what they said, probably something like, ”We beat you so go home and enjoy your vacation”, I’m sure there were some expletives in there too.

It seems like the Giant defense is getting it together just in time for the post season. The key is to keep pressure on Rodgers and try to hold them down on key plays like third and long. It’s all about the little things, keep the penalties down, like false starts, blocking in the back on returns which has been a problem with Corey Webster, no fumbles, catching those interceptions and not dropping them and so on. The Giants have to play mistake free football, the Packers come very close to it, they are very disciplined and the Giants will have to match them in that aspect of the game to win. In all honesty Aaron Rodgers is a better athlete than Eli Manning but in my opinion he is not a better quarterback, as good yes, but not better, no way. Eli has proven himself time and time again, he does not have to take a backseat to anyone. I think right now Eli, Brees, Rodgers and Brady are as good as you can get. I’m not talking about last year or next year I am talking about right now those four quarterbacks are equal to any other quarterback that ever played the game, in my opinion they are that good.

I do want to mention something and I want to make a point of it. I have taken shots at all the Giants’ coaches for one reason or another. Even though we have achieved a lot right now I still think throughout the season they have made glaring errors in judgment in terms of schemes, strategy, play calling and personnel. I won’t go into detail about all that right now although I want to mention one thing that I have many times before. Our first round pick Prince Amakumara had some injury issues at the start of the season, he was cleared to play yet Coughlin held him back. When asked about it Fewell said he was ready, it was Coughlin’s decision to keep him out of games. I feel that now with Ross’s poor play and injury issue this is where Coughlin’s personnel decision may end up sabotaging the team. Had he let Prince come in a little at a time when he was physically ready during the season he might have been much better prepared to take over for Ross or play the nickel. He made some good plays and some really bad ones when he got the snaps, that was understandable, with him being a rookie behind the curve. Since the Giants are thin at defensive back I thought it was imperative he get into games at an earlier date to be prepared in case Ross went down, Ross does have an injury history and we lost Thomas for the season. Yet Coughlin did what Coughlin does and holds back young players when in my opinion he should be giving these players as many snaps as possible in case of the “what if” scenario.

He did that to Goff, Antonio Pierce went down toward the end of his last season in the NFL, Goff could have been so much better prepared had he had more snaps during the season. The same situation has happened again. This is Prince’s time to shine in the spot light just like Corey Webster shone when he got the chance in a big game a few years back. I hope Coughlin’s decision doesn’t have a negative impact and the defensive backfield doesn’t get shredded. They will give up some touchdowns that is a given, but it’s the question of what if. If Prince lays an egg are we all going to say “what if Coughlin let him get more snaps when he could have, maybe he would have been better prepared”. My hope is that Amakamara comes on and shows what he has, he is a very talented football player and it was considered the steal of the draft by Reese as he did with JPP the draft before. Hopefully Reese hit it again and the Prince has a great game, even a good game might be good enough.

I know the Giants can win, I know the Giants think they can win, I know the Packers can be beaten, I know they have holes in their defense, I know the Giants are getting it all together at the right time. I know it’s going to be hard to beat the Packers at home, but the Giants have been there and done that. And I know with Eli Manning at the helm anything is possible, he’s proved that.