I’m a Packer fan. I enjoy watching football. I would enjoy playing it; if I was young and talented, but I am neither. I do not like the exploitation of the players. I do not like the business side of the NFL and the NCAA. I hate the injuries players endure and risk for the profit of others. I will be watching the game on Saturday in Santa Clara (San Francisco). I do think the Packers have a decent chance. I do know it is betting against the odds, but football is a sport where the improbable happens with reliable probability. I am a fan of Aaron Rodgers because he is a great football player, as was Favre. Rodgers’ vaccination comments and Favre’s misdeeds outside of football cannot change they were great at what made them famous. It is a cautionary tale about expecting great athletes or coaches to be great senators, Tommy Tuberville.
I have been a Green Bay fan since Thanksgiving 1959. I was seven and had the chicken pox, my father insisted the whiny kid pick a team. I have had my Shingrix vaccinations as an aside – I think it wise. I suppose Robert Kennedy Jr. and Aaron Rodgers may not. Fortunately, I liked green better than blue, for the Lions have been a lifetime of hurt. I rolled through the Lombardi/Starr years, the lost years, the Favre years, the Rodgers years, and now the Love years. I like the Bears; I must mention this because some assume that can’t be true. When Bears and Packers play, I cheer for the Packers. I have spent a week watching replays and analysis. The Packers are a fascinating story in the last few weeks of this season. All you need is Love, but it takes far more than a QB to win in the playoffs.
What people seem to not appreciate is football is a team sport. The quarterback is the offense’s most important position, still no quarterback won a super bowl without a team. No team won a super bowl without a defense. Fortunately, I was unable to watch many of the Packer games this year when the Packers lost and lost badly. I didn’t expect more than an average season. I thought Love and the corps of first- and second-year receivers deserved a chance. It didn’t look promising early on, then it began to come together. Packers GM Gutekunst didn’t expect to be a playoff contender, or he wouldn’t have traded Rasul Douglas for a draft pick at mid-season. Douglas has had four interceptions for Buffalo.
Saturday night at 7:15 (Packer Time) the next world changing game begins. World changing until completely forgotten by Wednesday. Now is the time for wild boasts and dreams of dynasty. By bedtime in Green Bay, it may all be over for another year. If the Packers win Wisconsin cheese will be served in every locker room in America. Before the Cowboys game I said I felt the Packers had been playing well and had a chance. This was an opinion only held by Packer fans. The Cowboys were overwhelming favorites. It was an informed opinion; the Cowboys had been good all year. They hadn’t lost at home in two years. Now the Packers travel to San Francisco. Once again, the informed opinions pick the 49ers as the heavy favorites. They won the last playoff game against the Packers two years ago. The 49ers may blow the Packers out as has happened in past playoff games. Still the Packers are playing well and are improved from their playoff meeting two years ago. One, Packer special teams are better. Two, the offensive line is the same unit that has played well the last part of the season. Two years ago, they were shuffling tackles. Only two of the current linemen played in the playoffs two years ago. The key to any success is the offensive line. Can they block to get the run plays going (Aaron Jones) and can they protect the quarterback (Jordan Love) allowing him to find open targets? If they perform well against San Francisco, then this game could go either way. Most analysts point to the superior quality of San Francisco’s players. It may be true, but the Packers are young. Most of the offense has never played San Francisco. The run game is primarily Aaron Jones, but the receivers could be any of nine players who have had stand out catches in different games. The Packer offense will make some plays.
Three, the defense must stop the 49ers. Can they stop the run? Past meetings with the 49ers the Packers haven’t even slowed the runners down. Kaepernick as QB had 181 rush yards in the 2013 play off meeting. Next can they pressure the 49er QB? If the Packers can contain the run and pressure Brock Purdy, they may very well win. The world will change, and all the doubters will claim foresight. One podcaster’s site will soar. They are young Minnesota fans. They printed tee-shirts with ‘We (heart) Love’ when he struggled and there was hope in the NFC North that finally the Packers would have a non, hall of fame QB. Packer fans are buying them and boosting their podcast. Love has a touching biography; he will be a media darling. All the sports fans sick of hearing about Green Bay will find life unbearable. Aaron Rodgers will be motivated to have a standout season; the Jets may be dangerous. (Note to Jets, Get an offensive line that can protect the quarterback.)
The Packers’ season looked dismal in the first half, turned around on Thanksgiving against the Lions. Something of a bookend in my football fan life. Thanksgiving is always a Lions home game. They do not always play the Packers. Some injured players on the Packers came back, and the team began to click. I never bet; I have never bought a lottery ticket. I would just say the current spread is out of line. The Packers do have a decent shot in this game. It has little to do with Jordan Love no matter how many times people call it the Love-Purdy showdown. It is the Packer defense. If they can contain the 49ers, then it will be a game. I may as well enjoy football for one more weekend. Be a fan once again, the boy who loved Kramer and Thurston and the Packer Sweep.
A term used recently to describe the Trump coup. Our current politics requires a few moments to check out; a time to cheer, scream, and maybe cry. It is depressing watching our country live in delusion, march towards authoritarianism, support Putin, demonize desperate immigrants, watch war crimes be committed in many lands by allies and enemies. Corporate influence makes government ineffectual to boost their profits. Corporations profit on our athletes’ suffering. Why not enjoy the entertainments in our modern-day colosseums. Are we not entertained, yes, we are.
Written by Steve Davis — ShireSteve on substack shiresteve.substack.com shiresteve.blog
Now back to helplessly watching the insanity of our current world. Climate should be the first priority of every policy.
Novel Solace of Solitude & Null Stillness: Land of Spirit for a Barren Soul are available on Apple Books & Kindle — search for ShireSteve