when one of my kids asked me which QB I thought played better, my first instinct was to say Favre based on the outcome of the game and his stats...but I thought for a moment and said to her that the argument could be solidly made that Rodgers outplayed Favre. That is, when you consider the difference in protection, in RB talent, in field position resulting from superior returners. Plus I believe the greater pressure to perform was on Rodgers in that venue. When you consider the low-level talent of Grant, Lang, Barber, and Wells, Rodgers performance this game and really the entire season is that much more impressive.


The Vikings GM was done a great job of building a dynamic team. Playmakers on both sides of the ball. When they drafted Harvin, I said to my kids: "UH OH!"


That said, the Vikings GM hired a dubious Head Coach...he allowed us get back into this game when he abandoned the running game midway through the 3rd quarter with an 11 point lead. Please, nobody tell him Adrian Peterson is the best RB in the NFL. Unfortunately, he remembered just in time.


MM has proven to be a great developer of QBs. Rich Gannon credits him for his late bloom. MM even got some good play out of Aaron Brooks. Watching Rodgers, you kind of wonder if we'd be talking about Alex Smith as the next great QB had MM stayed in San Fran.

That said, as a HC, MM's game management leaves something to be desired. Slow starts offensively, rampant penalties aside, what was up with the decision to go for the 2-point conversion in the 4th quarter. Large risk, small reward. Had we kicked the extra point, Minny is up by 4. A FG by them would've made it a 7 point game. Seems like a small point maybe, but that one could have cost us.


Ah, the penalties...once a team gets a reputation for them, that reputation follows them. Refs look at that in their pre-game prep. It becomes the proverbial self-fullfilling prophecy. The same is true for a team with the opposite reputation. I don't know how you overcome that sort of momentum...maybe you don't until next year.


I can't shake this aweful feeling that the next Packer great to be courted by Minny will be Aaron Kampman. It all makes sense. He doesn't like/fit our new defense, the Vikes run a 4-3, they are a team with Superbowl potential, they have a penchant for spiting us by signing our guys, he's good friends with Favre, and I'm sure he would love to line up opposite Jared Allen. YIKES. Don't let it happen! Please!


Our transition to the 3-4 defense is being hampered by the fact that our existing LBs, save CM3, are not good blitzers -- the key to a good 3-4. Look for a true 3-4 LB who knows how to avoid blocks when blitzing to be added to our roster in the offseason.


Let's hope Clffy and Tauscher are healty next week.


We are a RB, two OTs, and an 3-4 OLB short of being a great team, IMO. That's an aweful lot, and it's precisely why Minny won today fairly easily.

Rodgers is a very fine NFL qb. The Vikings spent money to take it to the next level. Hutchinson. Allen. You get what you pay for.

The Vikings have gotten a lot of value with their high priced accusitions. Many teams don't. I give them a lot of credit for building a good team.

True with those two. However, not always true with other franchises. Not wanting to argue, but you don't always get what you pay for in the NFL. Of course, there is also the old saying "nothing ventured, nothing gained" which might fit our current GM.

As for Rodgers vs. Favre today, I think they both are good fits for their current clubs. Tough to say who is "better" because the teams are constructed so differently.

We got back into the game on a fumble on a kickoff. It was 24-6 and if they dont fumble they have the ball on the 40-45. I actually think Bevell and Chilly called a very good game

It is a sad day when Capers a wiley veteran gets his butt handed to him for the second time this year at the expense to a Childress. Capers need to look in the mirror and figure out why he is so damn affraid to attack Favre.

Its so difficult......

A couple of times I'd thought to comment how it seemed Capers was getting a pass while TT / MM bashing was going on in full force....then I see the Packers defensive rankings and dont mention it.....then I actually see the Packers defense play and I'm left (again) wondering whats so special about this unit...they often seem so lacking....but there's those rankings....

I dont know...but the rankings not with standing, I dont think this D's really clicking and lacks true 3-4 talent. Not blaming anybody...wish it weren't true (or I didnt think it so....) but they so rarely shut down a team when's it really critical...its seems.

Call me Conflicted

Nice post (and I apologize for being a jerk earlier in the day). I'm right there with you. At times this D seems really on point, yet something seems to be lacking. I'm hoping that as the year wears on, they get more accustomed to their roles.

Hey Bud...dont sweat it. We were all a bit hyped up and pissed off. As I said then, no problem.
Personally I think its personel (although I hate to open that can or worms......) but I'm simply not impressed with our coverage skills and think it'll take a couple of drafts/years to get LB's that can meet the demands of the more dynamic 3-4 scheme. Against a lesser team, our flaws dont show as badly...but we can (and I believe have been) exposed by the more talented teams.

Listen - I hated losing the game today - hated it - but bottom line I have no control over it and argueing with anyone here about any of it is way too stupid for me to get into. My lifes way too complicated to take this venue more seriously than it is. I dont say that in a demeaning way...but more a reminder to myself to keep it real.

This is not totally related to the thread, but I have to say it:

If people weren't so hung up on the "dumb hick" stereotype, then people wouldn't be so stunned when Brett does things like recognize a CB blitz at the last pre-snap second, and then throw to where Woodson would have been if he hadn't been blitzing. In his prime, he used to get PrimeTime in the same way.

That guy Favre...he's sneaky smart, guys. I don't see how anybody can think that AR is better at this stage in his career. He ain't. Make comparisons to the less experienced Brett Favre of 1996.

No doubt Favre had a good game through 4 quarters and Rodgers came out looking lost in the first half but came back really strong in the second half. So yes Favre was the better QB, his team won and that is all that really matters at the end of the day.

I think McCarthy did Rodgers no favors by handing him a BS game plan. You can see the greatness in Rodgers by the way he came back big time in the second half in spite of McCarthy.

Well, in advance, pardon the hell out of me, but... rubbish! That comment is a perfect example of someone seeing just exactly what he wants to see.

Yeah, but Leader, c'mon, fess up - you were conflicted before the kickoff.

But I think you have a strong point. Capers has been getting a pass. He's new, there's a lot of emotional investment in him, it's very soon after he was seen as the second coming, plus of course, to change the defensive philosophy was a huge investment in itself and no one wants to see anything really bad about it quite yet.

But to be fair to Capers, everyone, and I mean everyone, figured it would take a half a season for the defense to start coming together. Many thought it would take far longer. So really, for us to expect so much from them or to be so critical is a kind of forgetfulness on our parts, because nearly everyone of us predicted exactly this happening.

Favre outplayed Rodgers, by far. Rodgers had a pathetic first half and still held onto the ball too long.

Favre got another W, Rodgers got another L. That's what matters the most.

I'm not sure where the 'everyone's hung up on the dumb hick' comment is coming from (I never got the impression that anyone around here had any such thoughts about Favre), but otherwise I think you make an excellent point.

Assuming there's some physical talent there, some skill, nothing beats the kind of experience that you're talking about with Favre. It's highly underrated in a youth oriented culture that thinks the tangibles and quantifiables are what makes up realitty, but it's probably the most important thing in many, many fields. Especially competitive fields. If you're going to rob a bank, go with the older guy on your team, even if he can only run half as fast as he could when he was younger. If you're in rough terrain in a war, pray you have the old vet with you on the mission.

Nothing beats smarts, period. For all that football is tangible and physical, it's still a hugely psychological game. Favre may be physically winding down; he may be too emotional the subject to poor judgements; but he is still canny and streetwise and he has developed instincts that are very hard to match.

Rodgers isn't as good as Favre right now. He has more potential, obviously, being so young. He has more upside, looking down the road. But he's not better yet - he's just more athletic. I have to agree with WCH on this.

However, having said what I just said in response to WCH, I'm not sure I can go as far as saying the Favre outplayed Rodgers by far. Not by far but maybe - MAYBE - a little.

I hate Favre. I love Rodgers.

Favre outplayed Rodgers. It wasn't even close.

There is no column in the standings for which QB played better.

Actually, there is. It's called QB Rating. Whether it does that job or not is another question, but that's the intention of that statistic.

For their careers...
Favre - 8
Capers - 0

Do you need to be so freakn' rude.

You dominate these boards with your self righteous attitude. Do everyone a favor and lighten up a bit

Favre was the better QB. If you have to put that many restrictions in place to validate you choice the of better QB, well maybe your choice really wasn't the better QB

PS, frightening to think about Kampman going to the Vikings.

Rodgers had HALF a good game. Favre played quite well the entire game. That's by far to me.

I think Kampman is significantly overrated. That said, he's no slouch and if you pair him with a beast on the other side, he will be disruptive. But he's not an elite pass rusher, in my opinion.

Well not anymore he isn't.

Rude? Ok, yes. Self righteous? Maybe. Dominate the boards? Hardly. But lighten up??? You live in a pretty big glass house to say that, after making an agenda ridden comment like, "I think McCarthy did Rodgers no favors by handing him a BS game plan. You can see the greatness in Rodgers by the way he came back big time in the second half in spite of McCarthy." Pretty dark for someone preaching about lightening up.

That's ridiculous and I don't know how to say it more politely. You can't support a statement like that. One could say just the opposite and make at least as strong a case. You know, like game plan was fine, but Rodgers couldn't execute it worth a damn in the first half. Then McCarthy gave him some kind of verbal kick in the arse at halftime and Rodgers came back big time in the second half just because of McCarthy.

Now I'm not saying that's what happened, but it's every bit as likely a one sided story as your one sided story. The reality is probably far more complex than either of those takes.

Speaking of Capers and Jenkin's grousing about the defensive plan after the game, here's the email that Harris sent to Nationalfootballpost.com:



http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Packer...under-fire.html

dup post

Something is wrong with this site and the duplicate posts going on...

Uh oh, the funny Thompson signatures are coming back. I remember his first year, when one guy had the Ted Thompson panic-o-meter.