Earlier this week I read this entry from Jermichael Finley's Twitter feed:

"Where my pack fans that are traveling with us to Tampa. We need this game not a big one but we need it.."

I was shocked when I read it. At 4-3, and coming off a gut-wrenching loss to Minnesota, I couldn't believe that Jermichael would suggest our next game was "not a big one." I know he followed up saying, "we need it" but that doesn't matter.

The NFL season is 16 games long, and before this week (week 7) we'd already lost 3 games (two to the Vikings). Jermichael (and to the rest of the Packers who embodied your attitude on the field today): every game in the NFL is "a big one" and the moment you forget that is the moment you look in the mirror and you're a b-s 4-4 football team. Yeah, I know Jermichael is a young player with a history of stupid comments, but at 4-3, after such a miserable loss, the fact that this presumptuous attitude of entitlement would even exist in our locker room is because of a lack of leadership. And that non-leadership starts at the top: Mike McCarthy.

Here is a coach, who we constantly hear "is great with QBs," who has his QB saying, "he won't change" despite obviously, over and over again, holding the ball too long, taking sacks, and costing his team opportunity. It's happened all year, and it happened again today, against the 0-7 Buccaneers. Sorry, the 1-7 Buccaneers. If you can't control your players, if you can't help them improve? Then what exactly is the role of a coach?

More penalties today. A horrific missed assignment on special teams, right up the middle on a punt. This team is painful to watch. But, here's the worst part: it's not the talent. We all know what this team is capable of. But the reality is that we're 4-4. We're woefully inconsistent. And going back to Jermichael's sad, sad twitter entry, it is clear: we haven't got a clue.

It will take a miracle to get this team into the playoffs. And unless that miracle comes, I'm ready for a new coach in Green Bay. I've had enough of Mike McCarthy.

If it takes a miracle to get in the playoffs, do we want him back?

And i'm not so sure about the talent- there are some solid young guys to build around, Woodson and Driver for vets...the rest i'm not real sure about.

Free agency has been ignored and I think it shows.

I really don't think our problems are related to personnel. I mean, would Chris Canty solve our problems? Our problems are mental, and that was my point with the Jermichael tweet...with the Rodgers sacks...with the penalties.

We're better than this.

Not sure we are better than this. At the end of the day talent will win in this league. This is the same staff that at one point won something like 23 of 26 games at one point. There are many holes on this team. No pressure on defense, the OL, special teams. Did you see Collins and Williams out of position on both defense and ST? I am not convinced Capers is this bad as a coordinator. You only can do so much with what you have. Is it that the staff has no confidence in the talent? Guys like Jackson, this is the youth and depth that we were sold on. When you look at Thompsons pick other than Rodgers and Jennings does anyone stand out as special? Collins maybe but that is 3 guys in 5 years. I am not letting McCarthy off the hook or the staff, they have issues also but IMO not as bad as the talent level

Canty, no. But Alan Faneca, Jordan Gross, Jason Peters, etc.. would have.

Any coach would look good coaching all-pro players. At some point the coach needs to show his worth. You may want to give him a pass and toss it off on TT but I'm not. It's time for him to coach who he has on his roster. No if's and's or but's. Just do it, no excuses. Accountability.

Talent PLUS discipline will win in this league.

The difference was shown last week by Jolly: Talent enabled the Packers to stop the Vikings on 3rd down forcing a field goal, but the lack of discipline resulted in a stupid penalty, a 1st down, and eventually a touchdown.

The bottom line is that this is a poorly-coached team and I'm becoming increasingly convinced that is due to having a poor coach in McCarthy.

I have been saying this since he was hired. Name me one good QB this guy has coached?
Steve Bono?
Elvis Grbac?
Aaron Brooks?
Alex Smith?

Where is this great track record?

Rodgers has continually said that he needs to get the ball out quicker. In the interview you are quoting, he even finishes up the interview with saying he has responsibility in those sacks.

Now, as for him actually getting the ball out quicker, well, that's another story. But, hey, him holding the ball too long isn't on the top of our "things-to-fix" list. I'd certainly put it behind OLine play, special teams play, pressuring opposing qb's, etc...

If it really is the coaching; who hired MM? I have seen some saying that MM should be let go but TT should be given another chance with a different coach. What makes you think he will pick a good coach the next time around? Why even take the chance on the next couple of years. There is some talent on this team, we just need a better GM to build on it.

To the original tweet: you're splitting hairs. Absolutely ridiculous.

He said that this week's game was "not a big one".....if you don't think that's incredibly telling about the attitude that permeates this team, then I don't know what to say to you.

Think you're reading too much into this tweet. I really don't have a problem with it. It doesn't say anything to the effect that he thought they would roll over for them or that they didn't have to try as hard. Saying it wasn't a big game is accurate to me. ALL games are important but this wasn't a big game. This should've been a W. He's a bit young and naive at this point. Thats all.

To me, the Jermichael tweet squares perfectly with the mentally weak performance we're seeing on the field. But put that comment aside and listen to some others...

Talking about the play of the GB offensive line, tackle Chad Clifton said, "No, I don't think it's as hideous as it looks."

Daryn College: "I expect more out of myself. I've been playing well, and that's a bad game." Really Daryn, "playing well" eh? In a season where your o-line is about to shatter the Packer record for sacks allowed? Playing well.

Mike McCarthy: "The preparation leading up to this football game, I thought, was very good." And then in the next sentence, "We were not prepared to the level we should have been." Ok, so which is it?

Wonder if he things it's a, "big one" now.

Not asking for all pro-bowl players, Bud, just a free agent signing or trade. Could have happened with any of these guys. They're all doing well. I mean, let me ask you this.... If we gave up Aaron Kampman, Al Harris and a 1st and 2nd round pick for Joe Thomas or Jordan Gross (purely hypothetical), would you do it? I know I would. What would we be losing? A linebacker who's out of positions, an aging corner and draft picks that could very well be the next Daryn Colledge and Brian Brohm? Big deal.

Thompson has had numerous opportunities to make things happen and get McCarthy better talent. I'm not saying MM is off the hook...of course not. I think the blame is on both of them. I just believe that it all comes down to the GM making the final decision on what players are out on the field. And right now, those players, even with great coaches, wouldn't be good enough.

amen.

But we've had our moments this year. The second half in the second Vikings game at Lambeau. The 1st quarter in the Lions game, and the 1st quarter yesterday. Our defense was solid in the win against the Bears. And even though it's value is highly questionable, we all know what happened in the preseason.

To me, it boils down to poor coaching and this team's inability to stay mentally tough for 60 minutes (which is a big part of coaching). With the exception of Favre's superb play in the two Vikings games, I don't see a Packer team that's getting beat, but instead, a team that's beating itself. And even in both those Vikings games, we somehow stuck around and were in it at the end. If we were a bad team the way the Raiders, Rams and Redskins are, there's no way we would be in those games.

I'm reading that quote as "last week was a big one for obvious reasons. this game doesn't have all the baggage of the last one but we still need it."

Cut the kid some slack.