Home » Aaron Rodgers , Arizona Cardinals , Green Bay Packers , Larry Fitzgerald » It Rarely Never Ends This Way
7:05 PM Aaron Rodgers, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Larry Fitzgerald 4 comments
The feeling that I am experiencing when as I write this is a feeling of sadness, disappointment, anger, and disbelief all in one. It's the feeling you hope you never have come over you when you are a fan of any sports team, yet it's nearly inevitable every year. Each season, only one team can be crowned the champion, and unfortunately this year the Green Bay Packers will not be that team.
There are thirty-two teams in the National Football League, so you as a fan know going into the season that you're probably going to come out of it unhappy with your teams' results. Either you suck and miss the playoffs, or your season ends with a loss in the postseason that will leave your mouth bitter until next September. There are rare occasions in which you actually do walk away the winner, and that's just part of the deal when you are a passionate sports fan. For us Packers fans this season, we will have to live with the image of Karlos Dansby returning a fumble recovery for a touchdown until the 2010 season.
Prior to the Packers 51-45 loss to the Cardinals, I was almost certain that the Packers would destroy Arizona and easily move on to New Orleans. I think we all were. In fact, instead of worrying about the game at hand, I was already trying to figure out how to get off of work next Saturday so that I could watch the Divisional Game. I don't think the Packers made the same mistake, I think that they just came out too nervous, something you can really only fix through experience. Before you know it, the Pack was down 17-0, and I figured this game was all but over.
I hadn't given up hope at that point, but I new it was going to take a few miracles for the Packers to win this game after being in that deep of a hole. Then Charles Woodson stripped Larry Fitzgerald, McCarthy pulled one out of the Mike Tomlin playbook and ran a successful onside kick, and the Packers were scoring touchdowns at ease. Next thing you know, the score is tied at 38 and the Packers have a real chance to win this game with ten minutes left in the fourth quarter.
One thing I've been trying to work on as a fan is being too negative when things aren't going well, but after the Cardinals were up 17-0 there was not one moment where I actually thought we were going to win the game. I guess I just didn't want to be let down even more if the Packers didn't end up the victor. Even when Rackers missed an easy field goal, or when we won the toss, or when Rodgers was thisclose to hitting Jennings on the first play of overtime, I wasn't going to let myself give in until those winning points were on the board. Sadly enough, they never came.
Then again, even though you could say that I'm feeling sad right now, I'm not as miserable as I have been after other losses. One, we didn't lose to Favre, so that's good. Two, even though the defense played terrible the team was still able to come back and make this a game. Three, Rodgers played fantastic in this outing, although even I'll admit he did miss a few passes that could have been the difference. But to bring this team back from a 21-point deficit, and to do so with such ease shows me all I need to see to know our future with Rodgers is going to be bright for some time.
I guess what I'm trying to say this that this was a shitty loss, I'll agree with that. It was a game where the Packers defensive flaws were revealed, but despite that they overcame the odds to take it into overtime. It was a game lost on the road to a team that played very well, and it was a reminder that we still might have some work to do before we claim a Super Bowl trophy once again (although we should be considered a top contender for next year, you'd have to think). All in all, a shitty way to end the season, but surprisingly not something I'm going to lose too much sleep over.
Unless Favre and the Vikings somehow win the Super Bowl, at which point I literally will kill myself.
Winks said...
One other thing I could have brought up where the things that the message boards are going crazy about - facemask on the last play, non helmet to helmet call on the play where Colledge was called for holding, lack of Fitzgerald pass interference.
However, I really don't feel like it does any good to look at the game that way. Why argue about stuff that we have no control of? Those penalties mean nothing to me - we started shitty early and our defense sucked. THAT'S why we lost the game, not because of the refs.
*were
TZar said...
Hey Winks, great article. As I read it, I could tell it was written from the heart! Thanks for finally putting your words together so thoughtfully.