Requiem of a Football Season

AP Photo/Mike Roemer

I had to give this game a couple days to sink in and let the sad feelings go away. This one was tough to swallow. As far as playoff losses go, this is one of the most depressing, but not the most heartbreaking. That one goes to either Super Bowl XXXII or the last time the Packers met the Giants. I figured Green Bay would come out strong and it would be a competitive game, but I also feared in the back of my mind that Eli Manning and company would come out really strong. Boy, did they ever.

I only watched the first half, but that was really all I needed to see. This was not the Green Bay team that came to play most of the regular season. Guys were dropping passes, Green Bay turned it over a lot more than usual, and most shocking of all was seeing Aaron Rodgers miss throws. But this is the NFL, anything can happen on any given Sunday, and most importantly for the Giants, they took advantage of the Green Bay miscues to the tune of 37 points and 420 yards of offense.

If nothing else, this game reminded me of the parity in the NFL, and just how hard it is to repeat as champions. The Packers had spent 17 weeks gearing up for opponents' best shots, and taking a lot of those best shots, only to come up standing more often than not. It can wear on a team, and that might have been the case Sunday in addition to the Giants earning the win. There's a reason we haven't seen a team repeat as champions in a decade. It's very hard to do.

I think this gives the Pack some time though, and they certainly aren't going anywhere next year. But they do need to make some key improvements.

1. Defensive Line. I noted this while watching the game on Sunday, though many have stated it before as well. The Packers missed Cullen Jenkins this year. They managed only 29 sacks on the year, down from 47 a season ago. Jenkins had 7 in 2010, and Matthews dropped from 13.5 to 6 this year. The lack of pressure up front to occupy linemen I think was a major factor. And with no pressure, you give quarterbacks time to find open targets (see Manning, Eli). I heard a lot of talk about Mike Neal coming into the year, and he didn't live up to expectations. Granted, he didn't play till later in the season, and maybe a full offseason of practice will help, but the Packers need help up front to get back to where they were last season.
2. Secondary. They gave up the most yards passing ever this season. Part of it was the lack of a pass rush, some was the loss of Nick Collins in Week 2, but guys like Tramon Williams and Sam Shields took a step back this year. I also was disgusted watching Charlie Peprah on the first Hakeem Nicks touchdown. I was disgusted watching it again on YouTube. They need to relearn how to tackle, maybe reload a little bit in the draft or via free agency. They can't possibly be as bad as this year... right?
3. Backup QB. I think it's safe to say Matt Flynn is leaving after this year. Someone will overpay him (Seattle was discussed on Sunday) to be their starter, and Flynn is not a bad quarterback. Some of it may be in the system he's in, like what happened with Kevin Kolb, but Flynn can produce elsewhere. Green Bay needs to have someone to step in just in case Aaron Rodgers gets hurt/throw for garbage time touchdowns when up 21 late in the 4th.

Most importantly, Green Bay needs to take this time to reflect on their season, learn from their mistakes, and bounce back. This is a team that has Keyser Söze potential for next year (defined by Bill Simmons as "A great team with the 'eff-you' edge"). They know how to climb the mountain; they did it last season. And according to Simmons, the anger from being dethroned is a more powerful force than what a defending champion can bring. As evidenced by Steve Kerr regarding the 1996 and 1997 Chicago Bulls:

"I could make an argument that the '96 team was better because we were more motivated. The hunger factor was huge for us that year and that helped make us a great team... When you've won a title already, there's a sense of superiority and invincibility that wasn't there before. The great teams use that in a positive way, which is what [the Bulls] did. Instead of 'eff you' mode like in '96, it's more like 'You have no chance against us' mode. We were so confident from already having won a title that we knew we were going to crush everyone that year. That's a dangerous mentality to have, obviously, if you don't have a mature team... Anyway, for what it's worth, I thought the '96 team was better because of the edge we had." -The Book of Basketball, p. 631.

A hungry team can be a dangerous team, especially since the bulls-eye won't be as big. I can see Rodgers coming out next year and throwing for 6000 yards and 60 touchdowns, and Mike McCarthy knows how to motivate his team. They'll be ready for next year. Obviously, whoever wins the Super Bowl will likely be the favorite for next year, but don't count the Pack out.