Round 6

Heres a late entry from the always tardy Lindo. Speaking his heart from the lackluster city of Mundelein, IL.

Let me first make everyone aware that as I am writing this I am feverishly whipping my brow of sweat due to an intense basement Stairmaster workout. With that being said, as Cutler climbs the steps to the astout soldier field, like the rest of Chicago, I’m sure he himself is even wondering which player is going to show up on Sunday. I wasn’t aware that the NFL, warning alliteration ahead, let borderline bedridden bipolar victims play professional football. Lets just say that I know Cutler will take his zaniac before gametime, if not double the dosage. With that being said, I have full confidence that the man who was able to snag Laguna Beach’s forth hottest star will be buckling his helmet come game time. Side note- Does he strike anyone else as a post sex sober?

More important than Cutlers mental state on Sunday and in my opinion the only thing stopping us from booking our flight to Dallas, is the play of the HOGS. The men in the trenches. Yes, the biggest and least athletic men on the field or perhaps in all of sports will decide whether were hitting the bottle in celebration or hitting the drywall in frustration. Shout out to my boy Knucks. All eyes our on the rookie starter J’Marcus Webb and whether he will be able to contain man freak and dark lord worshipper Clay Matthews and keep Jay Cutler upright. As of late, personnal changes have let to better pass protection and run game but if the game comes down to a 2 minute drive needing a late TD, we all might as well tune into the hopefully Tivo-ed and long awaited season 3 premier of Jersey Shore.

I know everyone is sitting, waiting and wishing that LZ’s pride and joy Anthony Castonzo could graduate early and suit up against the Pack but its not plausible. The Bears are stuck with what they have and hopefully the O-Line that has been artfully schooled all year by one of the most respected coached in the league in Mike Tice will show up and not the shitheads that collapsed and gave up a record breaking 11 sacks against the Giants, which was eerily similar to the Jen Shauer BP gas station fiasco. #davemathewsdoesitagain. Stay tuned to this match up of overweight ugly men as it is Lindo’s key to the game. BEARDOWN.

Round 5

Before I let the final previews hit the airwaves for the weekend, I thought I'd give the people exactly what they didn't want--my own opinion, and the opinion of Uncle Poklop. Ironically, our opinions are strikingly similar. "I LIKE THIS GUY" -John Gruden-

First off, we have the opinion of Uncle Poklop, residing in Lake Zurich, IL. (Note: Just to give you an idea who you are dealing with here, I didn't edit this blog at all. I wanted people to see how Uncle Poklop uses captilization, punctuation, spelling and other writing mechanics that you are supposed to have mastered by the 5th grade.

"I have read about half of the things that you people have been saying about this game and I must same I am pretty impressed with your guy’s ability to regurgitate the shit you see on nfl live and jim rome is burning. Yes we all know the turf will be loose (something funny about Garza’s wife) which will make it tough for packer wide outs. and the wind will be blowing (something funny about Garza’s wife) which will make it hard (something funny about Garza) for the packer punter to keep the ball away from hester. All these things will help lead to the bears victory. But come on man!!!!!!!!!!. The packers play in green bay and are use to the shitty weather games and playing on turf much like garza’s wifes (many of whom have played on both). Look at the quarterbacks that have won this year. It’s not the pretty boys (brady, manning, ryan, and hasselbeck, brees) but it’s the renegades (cutler, Roethlisberger, sanchez, and Rodgers) I will take cutler on the renegade scale over Rodgers any day. Rodgers saw this trend happening early and made a late season push to get the status of a renegade by getting in a relationship with wanna be famous but just a espn slut erin Andrews. No one is buying her as a celeb and no one is buying Rodgers. If he really wants to replace favre and go to the super bowl there had better be a sexual harassment charge in there soon or I better see a dick pic on the internet before game time. Otherwise it looks like our droopy eyed, shitty hair cut, butter face cutler will be tip toeing backwards into the super bowl. Anyone who is willing to date Kristin cavallari for longer than the hump and dump clearly deserves this super bowl. He also demands trades and has a “I don’t give a shit” swagger about him that leads to renegade status. This reason and this alone will be why the bears win this game 20 to 17. They will be meeting the biggest renegade of them all Ben Roethlisberger. Lord help us all against him. I’m sure cutler will have something up his sleeve for the weeks leading up to the super bowl to attempt to overtake the legend of renegade himself. For all you twitter fans out there UnclePdog is the guy to follow. Make it happen"


And, my own opinion. I know you guys wanted it.

"After reading everything that was sent in this week, it seems as if NFL Live is running our lives like Big Brother in 1984. I don't know when Mark Schlereth's opinion became the gold standard in today's world, but it is more disappointing than the plot of a Michael Bay movie (Friday the 13th, Bad Boys II, The Island). I mean seriously, how many times did you hear the phrase "What more could you ask for?" uttered throughout the week? It was as if the entire world had that damn Edwin McCain song ('I Could Not Ask For More') come on their Ipod shuffle at the same exact time. Actually, if I'm a Packer fan I could ask for a lot more. Give them Finley, Barnett and Ryan Grant and this game has a bigger spread than an h'orderves table at a bar mitzvah. Come on now. And, the field. Oh, the field. Have you heard about the field? Guess what? Both teams play on that sorry surface. It will balance out on which team it favors. In case you forgot, Cutler's home splits aren't exponentially better than his road splits either. In fact, they're worse. His completion percentage is 7 points lower at Soldier (57 to 64), and he's thrown 6 more picks at home as oppose to on the road (11 to 5). Cutler is less comfortable at home than J-Lo in her critically acclaimed film, "Enough". Just kidding, that movie sucks.

I agree with most of you that the play of the QB's (Rodgers and Cutler) is of the utmost importance in Sunday's game. But do you people really foresee a game in the mid to high twenties? Have you been outside in the past week? It's miserable out there. If you think those conditions are conducive to offensive production, you should check into the mental institution to start chewing gum with Llyod Braun. So, you may be asking yourself now, "what does this a*&hole think is important? Special teams. That is my answer. Think about it, how easy will it to be to position kick away from Devin Hester amidst 15 mph winds? Remember how bad Tim Masthay kicked at Soldier in week 3? It was pathetic. I can see the Bears parlaying this situation into good field position, but Jay "I don't always throw picks, but when I do, I throw them in the Red Zone" Cutler can sometimes stall a drive faster than a 14 year-old behind the wheel of a manual transmission. Now, I think Mason Crosby is a vital weapon for the Packers too. He is incredibly consistent and for the most part, routinely clutch.

Another factor that I think will be imperative to both teams success on Sunday is the play at the tight end position. The screen game/tight end routes in this game will be crucial, and so far this post-season, Greg Olsen has played great. But, at times he has a tendency to look like a bad-blocking flanker who stole Spencer Pratt's beard. If he comes to play Sunday, he can be a big weapon for the Bears.

So, my prediction is that the game will be mildly entertaining, but much less than what the people have wet their appetite for all week. Maybe that's just the pessimist in me, maybe it's the realist. You decide. Packers-13 Bears-9

As for Pick of the Day, the Pulse Man turns 23 today so I decided to give him the day off to focus on his festivities. However, the line in which he decides to go to sleep (inside or outside the bar) is set at 12:41. Let me know if you want in on the action.

Now we're done. Rack us

Frost

Round 4

Here we go again. As we head into Friday and consequently the weekend, the residents of the Land of Lincoln, as well as America's Dairyland have become equally as gitty for Sunday afternoon's festivities. It's been Blue and Orange nation in Chicagoland this week, and I'm sure the reciprocal color scheme has been dancing around the streets of Wisco since the Packers victory last Saturday. Here are the day's postings. Enjoy


Our first piece of insight comes from none other than our everyday betting extraordinaire, "The Pulse Man" hailing from Lake Zurich, IL.

"Pulse Man's Top 5 Player Prop Bets:

1. Bears 1st Half points- OVER 9 1/2
According to Lindo, the Bears score a ton in the first quarter so this should be a lock.

2. Israel Idonije total tackles and assists- OVER 2 1/2
Israel is the only relatively famous person other than Zoo Rich who I am friends with on Facebook. And, I'm pretty sure he asked me to be friends.

3.Jordy Nelson receiving yards- UNDER whatever it is
I started betting against this loser last year when I found out that there was a professional athlete named Jordy. The line on his receiving yards will probably be in the 30's, but after hearing an interview detailing how he artificially inseminates cows in the off-season, I will take the under on those dirty hands.

4. James Jones receiving yards- OVER 42 1/2
Last week, I bet on Jones' over and he impressed me with 75 yards. Also, with Jordy Nelson not getting a catch this week, my prediction is he will cover the spread with ease. I'm guessing 54 yds.

5. James Starks rushing yards- UNDER 52 1/2
If there was a player prop on Kuhn, obviously that would cover the over, but not former Chicago Bull great John Starks (he did play for the Bulls, Google it).

I will be betting on all of these props this weekend, while wearing skin tight Bears sweatpants and an autographed Tom Waddle jersey, so I should have some extra coin in my pocket (Bodog account) come Monday. One last bet to keep your eye on is that the Super Bowl Champ won't be a Wild Card team set at (+110). That should be a lock because it is going to be Bears vs. Steelers.

Just check the Pulse"


Our next response comes from below the Mason-Dixon line and is our first voice from neither Wisconsin or Illinois. Here is the opinion of "Confederate Degenerate" from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The South has risen again.

"Lets get real people. Jay Cutler has been on a bender reminiscent of Patrick Kane since his days down south at Vandy. He has Grey Goose on ice while sitting in the cold tub. In fact, Cutler puts down the Goose similar to the oldest Caramusa brother, what's his name again? Who cares? The Bears on Sunday will use the "us against the world" mentality that they have channeled so well all season. Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs should bring the wood, which means Aaron Rodgers should be prepared to have his body imprinted in the awful soldier field turf. The only concern is if Green Bay's hippie linebackers smells an aroma of cannabis in Cutler's hand-warmers, it could make for a long day. The final piece to the puzzle separating the Bears from a dance under the big top in Dallas is this: Can the Bears keep Cutler on his feet long enough to catch a buzz? My vote is we will be hearing Troy Aikman rub one out to Mike Tice all afternoon. I like the Bears 27-23. Throw another 45 on the Rack."

There you have it people. If you want to still get posted, get your previews to me by tomorrow afternoon (chicagosportsnoise@gmail.com). Want it, get it.

Now they're done. Rack em

Frost

Round 3

After the email address Chicagosportsnoise@gmail.com received its first ever message in over 4 months as a functional account, the files have started to roll in steadily. As we pass hump day on the weekday calendar, and the end of the work week nears, I urge you to send your opinion to me as soon as you can if you want it posted before the game. I don't work weekends, let's be real. And we all know how little people accomplish on their desk on a Friday, it's more Pandora than production--I have no doubt. So without further ado, here are some new installments regarding Sunday's showdown.

Our first message comes from "On the Ag" from Milwaukee, Wisconsin via the social netwroking website Twitter.com.
"I just got done watching an episode of MTV's True Life on Jay Cutler: I have more chins than playoff wins"

Next, we have the fresh, free-spirited, college opinion of "Brett n Butter", writing us from Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, IL.

"Has there been a more anticipated game in Chicago sports history than the upcoming NFC Championship game between the Bears and the Packers? The game is expeceted to have the 4th highest average ticket price of all time, trailing only the past 3 Super Bowls, in the rivals' first ever playoff matchup since 1941. The Bears enter the game as home underdogs, which comes to no surprise to any NFL observer. The Packers come in as the league's hottest team, thrashing top-seeded Atlanta (pun intended) in the Georgia Dome just a week ago. The Bears caught a big break by getting Seattle last week in which could be best described as a must-win tune up. However, as we view the matchup it may be unwise for Packer fans to start booking their flights to Dallas.

When these teams met in Week 3, Chicago was able to pull out a win thanks to untimely turnovers and penalties by Green Bay. Were the Bears lucky to win that game? Absolutely. The Bears are a much improved team since that game though. Thanks to that game the Bears are hosting this game, and the importance of this cannot be stressed enough. When Week 17 came around, the Bears had nothing to gain or lose. However, they still competed, much to the dismay of soccer mom's who feared some of the Bears' key players would get hurt. Bears fans can only hope Mike Martz was trying to withold the team's best offense that day, because they looked as out of synch as a Poklop-Gaynor karaoke duo.

As we dissect the matchups between the two teams, it is tough to argue that the Bears have an edge on offense or defense. Aaron Rodgers is playing as well as any QB in recent memory and James Starks has added a new element to a formerly one-dimensional offensive attack. While the comparison on defense is much closer, Green Bay boasts the superior defensive backfield that will certainly not make life easy on Jay Cutler as he dodges the consistent blitzes of Dom Capers' 3-4 defense.

So I'm picking the Packers to win this one? As Lee Corso would say, "not so fast my friend!" The Bears are the beneficiary of two of the game's great equalizer. First of all, Devin Hester gives the Bears a field position edge in nearly every game. Whether or not they kick to the future Hall of Famer is irrelevant, it will still result in favorable starting positions for the often inconsistent Bears offense. Not to mention the fact that the Soldier Field playing surface can make those trying to chase down the electrifying return man look they just got victimized by a banana peel in Mario Kart. That brings me to my 2nd equalizer, which is the game being at Soldier Field. Not only will crowd noise be a major factor, but the Bears' familiarity with with the heavily criticized playing surface will certainly play a part in slowing down the explosive Packers offense. Keep in my mind this game will not be played indoors like the last game Green Bay took part in, a game in which they looked unstoppable. The sloppier the game, the more it favors the Bears who will likely rely on forcing turnovers and winning the field position battle in order to stay in the game.

My prediction: the Bears offense plays well enough and the defense will be as opportunistic as they have been all season. The Bears win a classic, 24-23."

Now they're done. Rack em

Frost

Round 2

The gauntlet has been thrown down by the Green Bay faithful, but Chicago has answered. And, although after seeing The Dilemma last night, I am almost embarrassed to call the City of Big Shoulders home, the voice of the city must still ring. What an abomination that film was. You're better off spending $9 on MGMT "Oracular Spectacular" CD and taking enough psychedelic amphetamines to fall asleep comfortably. Anyway, here is today's new installment of opinions from the readers of Chicago Sports Noise.

First off, we have "Dr. Souce" from Lake Zurich, Illinois

"I doubt anyone in Chicago is going to deny that Aaron Rodgers is a top-notch quarterback. He has got the skills to avoid the rush, hit receivers downfield, all at the same time possessing the ability to grow one of the finest rapist mustaches in the Midwest. Chris Hanson can vouch for that.

The Bears definitely have a great opportunity to pull off the upset this weekend. The obvious key is to keep the Packers high-octane offense off the field. In our previous two contests this year, we have held them to 6-21 on 3rd down conversions. I’ll take that any day. Our defense has to come and play, no doubt about that. We know their offense, we know their tendencies. Just don’t let Greg Jennings get past you.

Primary concern is going to fall on the Cutler-Martz combination. Martz will be opening up the playbook more after having a very basic approach in week 17. It’s going to be up to Jay Cutler, to get the ball in the receivers hands, and key where Woodson is lining up. Damnit Jay, do not turn the ball over you dick! With the Packers depleted LB corps, I expect Olsen to have a good day again.

I’m cautiously optimistic when making my prediction. But I say the Bears take this win 24-17."


Next, we have a "Treat from Meat" hailing, once again, from Lake Zurich, Illinois

"Bears/Packers for the NFC title. What more could any of us ask for? For that matter, what more could the NFL ask for? Two storied franchises with big named quarterbacks, linebackers and coordinators; even the punters and kickers are highly touted.

I'll start with the Packers. Before the season started, a lot of people had them in the Super Bowl. But after countless key injuries, their stock fell, yet they still found a way to make it to the playoffs and now they're playing for a trip to Dallas. The Packers have the hottest QB in the NFL and a defensive coordinator who knows how to utilize his freakishly athletic LB, Clay Mathews.

As for the Bears, before the season started one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who picked them to finish over .500, let alone making it to the NFC title game at HOME! The 2010 Bears are one of the biggest overachievers since the Cardinals in '08. The recipe of great Defense and superb Special Teams have taken them this far with the help of the second hottest QB in the NFL, Jay Cutler (Yea, I said it). Although, if the Bears are to win this game it's going to come down to the Bears D coming up with big stops versus Rodgers.

As much as I'd like to pick the Packers, as a Bears fan I cannot. I'm going with the Bears over the Packers 24-21, with the game ending on a 4th down slip by a Packers receiver on the notorious Soldier Field grass. It's called home field advantage for a reason. Also, the fact that the Packers barely beat the Bears the last game of the season at home fighting for the final playoff spot in the NFC only helps my pick. I just don't see the Bears luck running out, this week at least. The "Hay Bowl" should be fun to watch. Bear the eff down"


To break up the point of view, here is the opinion of "Baby got Bach" from Milwaukee, WI

"You couldn't ask for a better NFC playoff matchup. WHY NOT?!? Bears and Packers, Super Bowl on the line. No two teams in NFL history have shared as much history as these foes. It doesn't matter what happened in the regular season, throw away what Green Bay has done the last two weeks in Philly and Atlanta, or what Chicago did against Seattle. It simply doesn't matter in this one.

I am not a fan of the Bears by any means, but it is hard not to respect what they have done this year. Nobody gave them a chance since day 1 and once again, they are home underdogs in the NFC Championship game. I think a lot depends on the weather. The Packers are a more talented team, but the weather can neutralize everything. The Bears, on the other hand, have a much more polished running game and their defense gives up close to nothing on the ground. But, it is going to come down to the offensive lines. If the Packers can consistently get to Cutler and disrupt his rhythm, they will win, and the same goes for the Bears' pressure up front against Aaron Rodgers. If Rodgers is able to sit in the pocket or buy time with his crafty wheels and hit members of his talented receiving core down the field, it's going to be a long day for the Bears D.

Bottom line, Cutler can flat out sling the rock, and if he can manage his team efficiently from start to finish and throw the ball accurately, it could be a long afternoon for me in Wisconsin in which I polish off 44 cocktail meatballs and take enough tums to kill a small farm animal. Like Favre always presented, Cutler will bless the opposition with a few opportunities to snag interceptions, and the Pack must take advantage of those (unlike the great ball Cutler threw against Seattle to the corner of the endzone). Like any football game, turnovers and penalties are going to be crucial. And, I hate to break it to you Bear fans, but we're not going to give you the gift of committing 19 penalties again like we did week 3 in Chi-town, unless Bulaga goes out on Saturday night, in that case, I'll kill him myself.

I do like the fact that the Packers have already gone into two hostile environments and picked up wins on the road in the first 2 rounds. Say what you want about the dome atmosphere in Atlanta, but they went out and got it done in Philly as well, which was on a windy and cold day in Pennsylvania. But again, none of this matters, these teams know each other so well. I'm getting chills thinking that the winner of this game gets a shot at the Lombardi trophy and is entitled to an entire year of "ish" talking to your Chicago/Milwaukee friends (if you even stay friends after this one).


Next, we have the familiar voice of "The Body" coming straight out of his parents' basement in Lake Zurich, IL

"Sunday's game will mark the second time that two of the most storied franchises in the NFL meet in the playoffs. The Bears won the first match up a week after Pearl Harbor, a game that apparently didn't live in infamy because I have never heard it referenced in my life before the Bears win last week. Regardless, fans and media have hyped this game to be the most important game in Packers/Bears history. The winner moves on to face the AFC Champ (Big Ben's Bathroom Rapists or Toe Sex Rex) in the first Super Bowl in Dallas' beautiful new stadium (yes, I used the word beautiful, and I saw Country Strong with a guy last week). The loser will not only be eliminated from the playoffs, but will have to bow to the other team and honor their new reign as King of the NFC North.

After the Packers dismantling of Matty Ice and the Falcons in Atlanta, it is hard to imagine that any team could slow down their explosive offense. Good for the Bears, the infamous turf at Soldier Field should be able to do that for us. It will be much harder for the uber talented Aaron Rodgers to complete his timing routes and back-shoulder passes to his plethora of receivers when they are out there slipping like my Derece Bannick in Cool Runnings the first time they step on the ice. Shouldn't this negatively effect the Bears as well you might ask? Well, due to our offensive line's new found ability to block (thanks to Mike Tice), the Bears should be able to shove a consistent dose of Forte and Taylor down the Packers' throat. I'm not saying we are going to run all over the Pack, who boast an extremely stout defensive unit, but our dedication to the run should open up play-action passes to our tight ends and also open up the field for our midget men (Hester and Knox),who both have arguably the best speed in the NFL. Speed kills, literally, I've done it.

I have not seen the weather forecast yet for this highly anticipated game, but the meteorologist in me is predicting it to be cold (20's or below), windy, with a good chance of snow lake effect snow trickling down throughout the game. These conditions, plus the aforementioned turf, will hopefully slow down Aaron Rodgers and give the Bears a realistic chance of winning the NFC Championship. This is hard to imagine because not a single Bear fan (including myself) expected the Monsters of the Midway to be over .500 this season. Sometimes, the best presents are the ones you don't expect. Hopefully, Cutler can keep his blood sugar up and the Bears can deliver at least one more unexpected present."


Also chiming in, we have the "Speakin' Deacon", also from Lake Zurich, IL

"It's going to be a good ole fashioned air attack this weekend between the Bears and the Packers, a battle of the gunslingers, Cutler vs. Rodgers. It couldn't be written any better. This game is going to be won on which defense can force the most mistakes out of the opposing QB. The Bears D has been playing rock solid, a few hiccups throughout the season, but I feel they have all the kinks worked out, it's playoff football folks. They showed their skills against the Seahawks last week with 3 quarters of shutout football. Cutler has been looking stellar and if he can continue his precision under pressure, he will pick the Pack apart like a surgeon, even though they have the second best D in the league. The key to the Bears' air attack will rest on the shoulders of Forte, who is responsible for pounding the rock to keep the Packers guessing whether it will be a pass or run on each play. Each team won on their home turf and split the season series. The Bears had a lock on a playoff spot, but still chose to play all of their starters in week 17, giving them a great feel for what they will be going against on Sunday. I see a real barn-burner in the future for this game, with each quarterback racking up good numbers, but not a scoreboard explosion. Prediction: Bears-27 Packers-23."


Lastly, we have the "Wizard of Wheaton" who chimed in her two cents with this SMS message:

"According to People Magazine, Kristin Cavallari is in love, why wouldn't you be afraid of Cutler now?"

There you have it. The tribe has spoken yet again...

Now they're done. Rack em

Frost

First Round

Whether your intro song is "Start Me Up" (Rolling Stones), "Let's Get It Started" (Black Eyed Peas) or "Milkshake" (Kelis), you better get it into gear. Let the good blogs roll. The first few responses to Packers/Bears III have been coming in and they are posted below. Just to save everyone from being terminated from their jobs for being published on such a low-functioning website, I have cleverly disguised your real names with impressively lame phrases. Trust me, you'll know who you are...


Our first response, from "Dat Puffey and the Family" from Wauwatosa, WI

What Constitutes an Elite Quarterback?

Since becoming the starting quarterback of the Packers in 2008, one of the biggest criticisms of Aaron Rodgers is his lack of a marquee playoff win. This is a theme that ESPN has beaten into the ground, and has been regurgitated by columnists nationwide including John Czarnecki of Fox Sports and Patrick Clarke of the Bleacher Report. Everybody’s second favorite ESPN NFL Draft analyst, Mel Kiper Jr., went on “The Sports Reporters” a couple weeks ago and reiterated that point, stating that Rodgers needs a playoff win to validate himself as a great quarterback in the NFL.

Terence Moore of Fanhouse took it a step further, making the argument that Rodgers needs a Super Bowl win to be considered elite. In the same column, Moore went on to say that Dan Marino was just a “pretty” quarterback because of his lack of a Championship, so you can interpret that however you’d like.

That being said, I still feel obligated to defend Rodgers against these arguments, as a closer look at his playoff resume will show that he is already well on his way to being an elite quarterback in the NFL, if he isn’t there already.

As I said earlier, prior to these playoffs Rodgers had not won a playoff game as a starting quarterback in the NFL. The ESPN research team really did their homework in digging up this statistic for their audience, combing extensively through his resume of one playoff game, and consequently using this as a promo tool throughout the week for the wild card game against the Eagles. “It’s the Rehabilitated Dog-Fighter vs. Brett Favre’s successor who has never won in the playoffs!!!” (Ok, I made that tagline up, but it’s not a far cry from what we were beaten over the head with all week leading up to that game.)

You read that correctly, one playoff game.

On top of that, the one playoff game that the entire premise was based off of was a 45-51 loss to the Cardinals in 2009, in which he went 28/42, 422 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. It seems idiotic to put that loss on his shoulders – despite his overtime fumble leading to Arizona’s game winning field goal – as 45 points should be enough for a win under almost any circumstances. That loss was on the defense.

In these playoffs, he opened with an 18/27, 180 yards, and 3 touchdown performance in hostile Philadelphia. Not a jaw-dropping stat line by any means, but it was enough to get the win, and for some critics, it was enough to get the monkey off his back. He followed that up with an epic 31/36, 366 yards, and 4 total touchdowns performance against the Falcons on Saturday night.

Based on these three games, his average career stat line as an NFL starting quarterback in the playoffs is a 73% completion percentage, 323 yards, 3.67 total touchdowns, and .33 interceptions. On a larger scope, let’s see how this compares to the first three playoff games as a starter (per game averages) for some of the other “elite” quarterbacks in the league.

Name/Completion Pct./Passing Yards/TD’s (passing and running)/Interceptions
Rodgers- 73/323/3.67/.33
Brady*- 57/219/1/.33
Manning- 48/186/.67/.67
Brees- 64/305/1.67/.67
Favre- 60/266/1.67/1

*Due to injury in his 2nd playoff game, I used his 1st, 3rd, and 4th playoff games for these averages.

It would be interesting to see how the media would be treating Rodgers if he hadn’t been the successor to Brett Favre in Green Bay. If he had taken over for Bledsoe, Harbaugh, Flutie or Majkowski would columnists like Moore still be making the claim that he needs to win a Super Bowl to be considered “elite”? (He wrote that column after the Atlanta game)

All told, it seems easy for the national media to make opinion based arguments like these in their critique of Rodgers, because a more thorough analysis of his statistics make his playoff resume very difficult to criticize. Until they come to this realization, I suppose we will have to continue to listen to the debate as to whether or not he is “elite” continue.

If he does go on to win the Super Bowl this season, I am curious to see the direction that the criticism against him will go. We’ve been given a sampling of that this week with life-long Vikings fan, and ProFootballTalk.com’s main contributor Mike Florio’s article in which he attacked Rodgers for failing to give an autograph to a fan that had cancer in the airport after the Atlanta game. Florio clearly did a minimal amount of homework on this story prior to publishing it, and followed it up by defending his initial stance, even after more information emerged on the incident that changed many people’s perspective on the incident.

I am not going to get into the details of the cancer patient snub discussion, as I feel it is overblown (although in retrospect, he probably should have just signed the autograph – though he did sign one for her last week as well and she supposedly goes to the airport after just about every road game), but the point remains. To question whether or not Rodgers is “elite” is turning into an irrelevant discussion.

His numbers speak for themselves, and I have a feeling that ten years from now if he continues to play to his abilities, the “is he an elite quarterback in the NFL?” discussion will turn into “is he one of the all time great quarterbacks in the NFL.”

Go Pack Go


Our second response comes from "DVR" (Dad Van Roy, not to be confused with the TV recording device) from De Pere, WI

"If the weather is clear, we have nothing to fear, Pack by 10"


They're done. Rack 'em both.

Frost