Stoney's He-Man Steeler Haters NFL Playoff Thread ... No Yinzers allowed

One has also had a far superior team, far superior.

And Aaron Rodgers.

 

Still has Rodgers. And a pretty damn good team.

I'm just saying McCarthy has done pretty well for himself, and Garrett hasn't exactly shown himself to be Tom Landry Jr. since taking over the Cowboys. That matchup seems pretty even to me, with a lean toward McCarthy.

 

It is pretty amazing. McCarthy was a good coordinator in New Orleans and he did an OK job in San Francisco, and then he inherited two HOF QBs in his first HC job. Granted, Favre was on his way out, and McCarthy does deserve credit for Rodgers becoming what he now is, but he did hit the lottery when he got the Packers job. He's also been smart enough not to piss off the higher-ups as so many coaches seem to do after they get to, or win a SB.

 

If Rodgers was healthy, I think the Packers would demolish the Cowboys and would have a pretty good shot at going up to Seattle and winning.

 

New England- 31
Baltimore- 20

Seattle- 23
Carolina- 7

Dallas- 38
Green Bay- 34

Denver- 41
Indianapolis- 28

 

I'm looking at this matchup with this weekend's variables.

If the Packers were playing at Dallas this weekend, I'd like Green Bay 38-20. No weather to mess with timing, sterile conditions at Jerry World, more pressure on Dallas, fewer drops for Green Bay and a quicker tempo overall.

If the Packers were playing Dallas at Lambeau before, say, November 15, I'd take Green Bay by a similar score -- probably 42-28. Clear day, no drizzle, no frozen fingers.

Yet this game presents a confident Dallas team, with nothing to lose and playing with house money, going to face a Green Bay team with a dinged-up QB, a risk-averse head coach and the pressure of playing at home amid the ghosts of recent home playoff losses. That's a lot of baggage.

In the NFC North, McCarthy doesn't have to be 1984 Bill Walsh. He simply has had to be better than Trestman, Caldwell and Zimmer. McCarthy is better than two of them and the third doesn't have his plan in place yet.

I've said that McCarthy is that rarest of coaches. I actually feel better if Green Bay is down 10 with the ball late in the third quarter than up 10 with the ball late in the third. When they're down, it's feels like Rodgers has more influence because whatever McCarthy was doing didn't work to plan. When they're up 10, McCarthy breaks out his offensive shell, the box gets stacked and bad things happen.

What worries me, as a Packer fanboi, is Dallas coming out, scoring seven early, getting 5 yards a carry, keeping Rodgers on the sidelines and then being able to hit Witten on a 3rd down or a jump ball to Dez Bryant in the end zone. The Packers, for all of Rodgers' offensive proficiency, don't have that jump ball receiver. Nelson and Cobb catch slants between the corner and the safety -- that won't be nearly as effective if its windy and awful.

My chiding of Peyton Manning is well-known in these circles. (Tangent: Smart move by the Papa John guy to bring in Joe Montana for commercials in the playoffs. He'll show Manning how to win when it matters.) Yet Manning's playoff collapses often came in sterile conditions of the dome in Indy. McCarthy also has some "Playoff Dungy" in him but Rodgers is in a tough spot because, from September to November, he is like a sprinter. Then, on home games from December on, he has to switch to becoming a tough mudder. I think Green Bay will have an awful time of it each year Rodgers is running this offense.

They should have considered my Rube Goldberg idea from 2010. Build a temporary dome on top of Lambeau until Rodgers retires. He would have been firing missiles all over the field in 2011 and 2013 instead of early playoff exits in the arctic wind.

 

LOL

 

If only the temperature in Green Bay could be as hot as that take.

 

FWIW, Rodgers' performance does not take an appreciable dip in December or January. In December (which provides a better sample size), his completion rate drops a tick to 63 percent from his career percentage of 65, his QB rating dips slightly to 103 from 106 and his interceptions are dead on his monthly average of 14.

In January, his completion percentage improves slightly to 66, his rating remains at 103, his TD percentage drops slightly to 6 percent from 6.5, his interception percentage drops to 1.5 percent from 6 percent and his yards per game passing dips slightly to 249 from 259.

Unless the calf is still bothering him, don't expect Aaron Rodgers to be the problem if the Packers lose this week.

 

Dallas has rushed for less than 4.0 yards per carry in three of its past four games and four of its past six. The running game is not what it was early in the season.

 

Well, duh...

 

Rodgers is injured (didn't practice today).
The Packers are terrible against the run.
Teams that can control the clock usually fare well against McCarthy.

If Rodgers is 100 percent and had played in Week 17 the way he did earlier this season, the discussion we'd be having would be "How many touchdowns will the Packers win by?"