Back from the Pack

(Warning: No poker content.)

Despite having owned a share of Packers stock for many years, Sunday night was the first game I'd been to in perhaps half a decade. It was also the first chance I'd had to visit the rebuilt, improved Club section, as my sister and I made the trip over for the annual battle against Da Bears. Way too many Bears jerseys in the crowd, by the way; it's obvious the FIB patrols on US 41 and 43 need to pick up the pace.

More seriously, the Packers new 3-4 defense continues to show itself to be a much better choice then the bend-bend-bend-break 4-3 of recent Green Bay seasons. The player of the game was obviously Brandon Chillar (though the idiots voting in for the radio version selected Aaron Rodgers).

Rodgers really sucked last night, but Bears QB Jay Cutler was even worse. Cutler's yardage looked better because he connected on two long passes, but he just heaved the ball wildly into coverage every time he was under pressure and his right arm remained free. Hilarious stuff from the player Chicagoland has anointed the second coming of Jesus. I live there; that's what it sounds like.

But while both quarterbacks stank last night, the two true "F" grades went to Packers OT Allen Barbre and Bears head coach Lovie Smith. Smith's decision to call a fake punt on 4th on 11 deep in his own Bears territory was an unexpected gift, the sort of bizarrely bad decision that can come back and cost a coach a job down the road. And Barbre... he was just awful against an aging Adewale Ogunleye. Barbre was Tony Mandarich bad, that is, the Mandarich-sans-steroids version.

Still, a win's a win.