How An Uplifting Win Turned Into a Gutwrenching, Hope-Damaging Defeat
Dec 1st 2008 2:50PM by Bruce Ciskie (author feed)
Filed under: Packers, Panthers, NFC North, NFC South
This just hasn’t been Green Bay’s year.
Many fans are going to trace it directly back to the day the Packers decided to go with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback, even though future Hall of Famer Brett Favre was contemplating a return from his short retirement.
Others will look — more accurately — at the day general manager Ted Thompson traded hulking defensive tackle Corey Williams to Cleveland to avoid giving him a huge contract. Or the day Thompson decided that second-year tackle Justin Harrell would be able to fill that void.
Coming from a Packer fan, there are too many people to point fingers at on this one.
While Rodgers is not at all immune, he’s handled the spotlight very well. His teammates have praised his play on the field, and they’ve praised his off-field presence. This fan believes you couldn’t have scripted a better transition from Favre to the next guy. Rodgers didn’t ask for it to go down this way, and nearly all the criticism that’s been thrown his way has been completely unfair.
He’s played well. Others who carried high expectations into the season have not. The reality is that the Packers are 5-7, an extreme longshot for the playoffs, and Sunday’s fourth quarter was a microcosm of the season to this point.Continue Reading
