GREEN BAY PACKERS
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December 2, 2010
The Packers have signed LB Robert Francois and CB Josh Gordy their active roster after placing LB Brandon Chillar and TE Spencer Havner on injured reserve. Francois and Gordy were previously on the Packers practice squad. Due to their departure from the practice squad, the Packers signed WR Terrance Smith and LB/DE Curtis Young to the practice squad.Francois is a 6'2" 255lb LB rookie out of Boston College. Gordy is a 5'11" 195lb rookie out of Central Michigan and entered the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent before signing with the Packers practice squad for the past 10 games.
Smith, a 6'0" 190 lb rookie WR out of South Carolina State who collected 40 catches for 542 yards and 4 TDs in his senior season with the Bulldogs. Young, a 6'1" 270 pound rookie LB/DE, attended Cincinnati and appeared in one game this season for the Sacramento Lions of the UFL. As a senior with Cincinnati, Young collected 50 tackles, including 11 for losses.
November 28, 2010
Pack Fall to a Tough Falcon Squad in Week 12 Action
The Packers entered Week 12 with a record of 7-3, tied with the Chicago Bears for tops in the NFC North. The Pack carried a 4 game winning streak and seemed to be nearly unstoppable--but faced a large feat in facing one of the NFC's if not the NFL's best teams in the 8-2 Atlanta Falcons, at their home where they have not lost all season.
Packers Coach Mike McCarthy commented before the game that when the team arrived in Atlanta you could feel that the game was going to be an intense, exciting atmosphere in favor of the home team. McCarthy was right--just as I observed the game on television I heard and saw the quite impressive atmosphere of the NFC leading Falcons.
Despite this atmosphere, the Packers were able to hold the home team to just a field goal on their first drive and match the Falcons 3 with a field goal of their own courtesy of Mason Crosby. The Packers and Falcons swapped punts for the rest of the 1st quarter and then the Falcons struck first in the 2nd quarter with a 14 play, 80 yard drive capped off by a 4-yd TD reception by future hall of fame TE Tony Gonzalez. The Packers were unable to answer, and headed into the Georgia Dome visiting locker room at the half down by a score of 10-3.
The Packers came out determined in the second half as they put together a 7 play, 80 yard drive in just 2:52 capped off by a 1-yard run by QB Aaron Rodgers to even the score at 10-10. The two powerhouse NFC squads once again traded possessions for the remainder of the 3rd quarter, and the game was headed into the final quarter of action in a 10-10 deadlock.
The Falcons struck first in the 4th quarter when they put together an impressive 14 play, 80 yard drive, taking up 7:53 of the game clock and was finished off by a 1 yd run by HB Michael Turner. The Packers quickly responded when they put together an impressive drive of their own, going 90 yards on 16 plays in 5:03. The drive was capped off by a tremendous throw and catch by Rodgers and WR Jordy Nelson. Rodgers had plenty of time in the pocket, rolled to his left, and waited for a receiever to get open before he found Nelson 5-yards deep in the endzone near the sideline and zinged it to him for the game-tying score. 17-17 with less than two minutes to go.
However, the Falcons showed why they are a force to be reckoned with in the NFC as they stormed down the field and set up for the game-winning field goal which was knocked cleanly through the uprights by Matt Bryant with virtually no time remaining. Falcons 20, Packers 17 as the clock struck 0:00.
On paper, it certainly seemed as though the Packers outplayed the home team in this matchup. The Pack collected 418 net yards compared to the Falcons 294. However, the Packers turned the ball over once compared to the Falcons 0 turnovers. The Packer turnover couldn't have happened at a worse time. The Pack were on the 1 yard line looking to take the lead in the first half when Rodgers kept the ball on a QB sneak and fumbled in the endzone only to be recovered by the Falcons.
The Packers were led by not only the arm, but also the legs of Rodgers. Rodgers finished 26/35 for 344 yards and 1 TD through the air and also collected 51 yards on 12 rushing attempts including a TD. WR Greg Jennings continued to show that he is one of the elite receiving threats in the league as a he grabbed 5 passes for 119 yards.
The Falcons continued their dominance on the ground as RB Michael Turner collected 110 yards on 23 carries compared to just 26 yards from the Packers RB Brandon Jackson. We all know that the Packers are a pass first offense, but a more impressive and dangerous run game to keep the defense guessing would be a huge lift for the Pack going forward.
With the win, the Falcons improved to 9-2 on the season and well on their way to a playoff berth and possibly a berth of homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. With the loss, the Packers dropped to 7-4 and now trail the Bears by 1 game in the NFC North.
In an NFC which features 7 teams with 7 or more wins, the Packers are in danger of being excluded from the playoffs if they are not able to win the NFC North. It is quite possible that the winner of the NFC West (Seahawks, Rams, 49ers & Cardinals) could finish with a sub .500 record, taking away a playoff spot from a team such as the Packers who could finish with a 11-5 or 10-6 record.However, there should be no reason to panic for all of you Cheeseheads out there. The Falcons are one of the best, if not the best squad in the NFL, and dropping a game to them is not the end of the world. The Packers next two games feature two sub .500 teams in the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions. If the Pack can take care of business against the 49ers and Lions, and take care of rival Chicago in their regular season ending Week 17 game, they could easily wind up as NFC North champions considering the Bears remaining schedule includes a matchup with the Patriots, Jets, Packers, and @ Vikings, all of which are potentially hazardous games for the Blue and Orange.
