You have to be hot to win in the playoffs. Giving guys 2 weeks off (resting week 17 and a BYE) cools them off. They rest, they get healthy, they get mentally prepared, but the emotion isn't there. That was the difference between 2010 and 2011, they weren't playing like a team trying to beat the odds or prove people wrong in 2011. In 2010 they barely made the playoffs, they were picked to lose at Atlanta, and had to play at Chicago for the NFCC. In 2011 they had just won the SB, they won 15 games, they got to rest week 17, they got the BYE, and they came out in the divisional round with nothing to prove it seemed.
In my mind you either play your starters week 17 if you have the BYE, or you rest them week 17 if you are already guaranteed a playoff spot. Here's my hope for how the playoffs shake out:
1. Atlanta
2. San Francisco
3. NYG
4. GB
5. Seattle
6. Chicago/Washington
GB would host Seattle and then go on to Atlanta. Or if the Giants lose, then we don't have to face the Giants! I think San Fran and Atlanta will struggle in the playoffs, you have to have strong QB play to go with your strong defense and neither team will get that from their QBs. Matty Ice will try to hard and screw up, as usual, and Kaepernick will play like a first year starter. Either way I like GBs chances.
quote:Originally posted by Hungry5:
I think these are the scenarios for the Packers to get to the...
... #2 seed
- GBP wins out and SFO loses 1.
- GBP wins 2 and SFO loses 2 and NYG lose 1
... #1 seed
- GBP wins out and ATL loses 2 and SFO loses 1.
GBP: @CHI, TEN, @MIN
SFO: @NEP, @SEA, ARI
NYG: @ATL, @BAL, PHI
ATL: NYG, @DET, TAM
Based on these scenarios... it looks like we have a pretty good shot at the #2 seed, and depending on how DET and TB play, a shot at the #1 seed, which is amazing.
Bye or no bye, which is better? Who can tell? nobody till the games are played.
But for this yr a bye means that after losing miserablly to the Giants the injured Packes came back to beat not only their rivals but rivals who were still in the hunt. A bye this yr gives the team a bit of time to get healthy.
There are enough salty veterans and seasoned coaches on the team who should be able to keeps the boys heads in the game and on business.
But for this yr a bye means that after losing miserablly to the Giants the injured Packes came back to beat not only their rivals but rivals who were still in the hunt. A bye this yr gives the team a bit of time to get healthy.
There are enough salty veterans and seasoned coaches on the team who should be able to keeps the boys heads in the game and on business.
quote:Originally posted by Pikes Peak:
There are enough salty veterans and seasoned coaches on the team who should be able to keeps the boys heads in the game and on business.
I thought that last year prior to the Giants/Packer PO game. I agree that a bye this year would be great to help the injured get healthy, but you play the healthy starters on week 17.
quote:Originally posted by Chronic Hobbit:
Sorry, I used to believe that malarkey about Michael Philbin's death and its affect on the team. The Giants would have beaten the Packers that day even if Michael Philbin was safe and sound. Let's give the champs a little credit.
This. Michael Philbin's passing was tragic but it's not why the Packers lost.
Agreed. Also, I don't believe the division has been won yet.
Don't think anyone claims the Philbin tragedy is why they lost that game.
quote:Originally posted by Herschel:quote:Originally posted by Chronic Hobbit:
Sorry, I used to believe that malarkey about Michael Philbin's death and its affect on the team. The Giants would have beaten the Packers that day even if Michael Philbin was safe and sound. Let's give the champs a little credit.
This. Michael Philbin's passing was tragic but it's not why the Packers lost.
Michaels Philbin's passing may not have been the root cause of the Packers' loss, but I believe it was a contributing factor.
When loved ones pass away, family member tend to reflect on their lives. The guilt and shame of his son raping two teenage girls must have affected Joe Philbin.
quote:Originally posted by Chronic Hobbit:
Sorry, I used to believe that malarkey about Michael Philbin's death and its affect on the team. The Giants would have beaten the Packers that day even if Michael Philbin was safe and sound. Let's give the champs a little credit.
It isn't just the MM quote.
Philbin was not around during the preparation for the game. He first showed up on Saturday.
Bulaga said after the game that Michael died on Monday, we had the funeral on Friday, and in between "we tried to prepare for a game". Those in " " were his words and the key word was "tried".
I believe it was Troy & Joe who annouced the game, and I beleive it was Troy who said toward the end of the game something like 'the Packers looked distracted when they were arriving for the game. I watched them come in and they didn't look ready to play a game'. The words "distracted" and "didn't look ready to play" are pretty close to if not exact quotes.
A guy at work whose parents live in GB said that he called his parents, they indicated that Michael's death "took the life out of the city". If it did that to people who are not directly a part of the Packer organization, imagine how it affected those who were.
There is a lot of evidence to suggest that Michael's death had a lot to do with the disruption of the game planning and preparation going into the game.