Who do you want to play in the Divisional Round?

[gopkrs]

3 in a row would be something.

 

[Poppa San]

3 in a row would be something.

3 NFL titles in a row has only been done twice. And by the same team.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I do think Brady outplayed the Packers D in the NFCCG when it counted - the TD just before half and the 8-yard TD pass right after Jones' turnover to start the 2H. Those are only two plays but account for 14 points, the margin of victory. Rodgers couldn't beat the Bucs D when it counted, first and goal at the 8. Rodgers may have outplayed Brady overall but it didn't really matter. They lost.

Brady played pretty well up until the Bucs went up 28-10 after his touchdown throw to Brate right after halftime. I don't think he deserves a ton of credit for Pettine inexcusably lining up with only one deep safety and King misplaying the long throw to Miller as well as the Packers turning the ball over at their own 8-yard line.

He threw three interceptions the rest of the game and while Rodgers wasn't able to score a touchdown on first-and-goal from the 8 there's no doubt that overall he outplayed Brady in the NFCCG.

 

[sschind]

Agree, if Rodgers gets "only" 3 more rings, then people can talk about him being GOAT. Because LeBron has 4 rings to Jordan's 6, but some people think LeBron is the GOAT.

Then again, Rodgers could get 4 rings and still not be close, because it looks like Brady is chasing Bill Russell and will play until his 50s, and will retire with 9-10 rings.

I guess we know who will be winning the next 5 or 6 Super Bowls then. If Brady and Rodgers are each getting three more I don't think there is much more time for that to happen.

You know what? I'd take it. Brady can be the GOAT for all I care.

 

[milani]

I think we'll probably play the Rams. I don't see the Cards winning in LA. And that's fine. We can beat either the Cards or the Rams at Lambeau in January. Looking ahead, which is not suggested, I see a game at Lambeau against the Cowboys for the NFCCG. The Bucs just have too many players out this year, especially on D. We can beat the Cowboys at Lambeau in January. I think that might be a "last team to have the ball wins" kind of game. And I hope Rodgers preys on Diggs. Yeah he has 11 or 12 pics, but he takes a lot of bad risks resulting in a lot of big plays against him. I'd wait until he lines up against MVS and then punish him with a fake in route. Not knowing the Packers, Diggs will jump that looking for a pic 6 and MVS will be long gone.

I am just befuddled because here we appeared to get NONE of our players back for so long and suddenly you get a load of them back. So what 45 do you suit up? Who is not on the field. Some of the healed are game rusty. Some of the subs have played good enough to start and are more game conditioned. Someone will be disappointed. Bucs are hurt but I would rather face Prescott than Brady. Yes, the Boys want payback for playoff losses but the Bucs think they own us. Nevertheless, we have to earn it. There are no playoff donations.

 

[milani]

Brady played pretty well up until the Bucs went up 28-10 after his touchdown throw to Brate right after halftime. I don't think he deserves a ton of credit for Pettine inexcusably lining up with only one deep safety and King misplaying the long throw to Miller as well as the Packers turning the ball over at their own 8-yard line.

He threw three interceptions the rest of the game and while Rodgers wasn't able to score a touchdown on first-and-goal from the 8 there's no doubt that overall he outplayed Brady in the NFCCG.

I would like to think so. Brady's team made a few more plays than Rodgers' team. Brady was smart enough to see the coverages and found our weaknesses. We did not get enough pressure on him. The Bucs maximized their turnovers. We did not. Rodgers never should have thrown that pass to Jones. He was covered and should have thrown it away and let us punt. Maybe the Bucs score. Maybe they do not. And before the half if Rodgers does not throw a pick then we punt and the Bucs only get 3 instead of 7. But it is all hindsight. We have to be better this time and USE the home field plus.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

LOL....Well played Matthew Stafford. When asked about his recent toe injury at a presser:

@AndrewSiciliano

Matthew Stafford, on his toe injury!!! - “I’d show it to you, but I don't want to do that. That’s for other guys to do. I’ll keep my toes to myself."

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I am just befuddled because here we appeared to get NONE of our players back for so long and suddenly you get a load of them back. So what 45 do you suit up? Who is not on the field. Some of the healed are game rusty. Some of the subs have played good enough to start and are more game conditioned. Someone will be disappointed.

Personally, I think this is a "great problem" to have. I think some of you are way too concerned about this "game rusty" thing. These guys have been playing football for a long time, they aren't suddenly going to forget how. Bahk is a good example, watch Larry McCarren's breakdown of Bahk's game against the Lions (below). He was very good. Sure, maybe endurance will catch up to some of these guys coming off of IR, but even that, I expect that a guy like Alexander was keeping his heart and legs in great shape while he healed up his shoulder.

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[mongoosev]

I am just befuddled because here we appeared to get NONE of our players back for so long and suddenly you get a load of them back. So what 45 do you suit up? Who is not on the field. Some of the healed are game rusty. Some of the subs have played good enough to start and are more game conditioned. Someone will be disappointed. Bucs are hurt but I would rather face Prescott than Brady. Yes, the Boys want payback for playoff losses but the Bucs think they own us. Nevertheless, we have to earn it. There are no playoff donations.

Was wondering that too. It could disrupt the dynamics or psyche of the team, so we will see how it plays out. So many "what ifs."

 

[Heyjoe4]

Anyone that faces TB needs to realize that Gronk needs to be covered at all times. They do that and beating them becomes a real possibility.

Agreed. And with Godwin and Brown gone, teams now have the luxury of double teaming Gronk. Evans is still there, but he's playing on an injured hamstring, an annoying, limiting injury. Finally I think Fournette is out and they have a number of guys on D injured. This is the year to beat the Bucs.

That said, the Cowboys are a concern. Some days they have it, some days they don't. I like our chances if we play them simply because of better coaching.

 

[realitybytez]

Was wondering that too. It could disrupt the dynamics or psyche of the team, so we will see how it plays out. So many "what ifs."

i will be extremely disappointed if bringing back five rusty players who have not worked with their teammates for many weeks (or not at all) leads to a bunch of unforced errors and a loss in the playoffs. otoh, you have to believe that mlf wouldn't even consider it if he thought it might hurt the team.

 

[mongoosev]

i will be extremely disappointed if bringing back five rusty players who have not worked with their teammates for many weeks (or not at all) leads to a bunch of unforced errors and a loss in the playoffs. otoh, you have to believe that mlf wouldn't even consider it if he thought it might hurt the team.

A lot of weight on his shoulders and I would not want to be in his shoes at the moment. People will blame him either way if we lose.

 

[OldSchool101]

I would like to think so. Brady's team made a few more plays than Rodgers' team. Brady was smart enough to see the coverages and found our weaknesses. We did not get enough pressure on him. The Bucs maximized their turnovers. We did not. Rodgers never should have thrown that pass to Jones. He was covered and should have thrown it away and let us punt. Maybe the Bucs score. Maybe they do not. And before the half if Rodgers does not throw a pick then we punt and the Bucs only get 3 instead of 7. But it is all hindsight. We have to be better this time and USE the home field plus.

I think the play that defined that NFC game was the Jones fumble in our Redzone. It was a 7 point swing minimum. Likely 10+ points. That error changed the entire outlook.

In 2021, We are 11-0 when winning turnover battle. We are 0-3 when losing it. That is not by chance. We have to take care of the football, if we do we’re very tough to beat.

That said when under 15 degrees the ball starts getting slick. We have to consider playing probability, 10 yards on a ST return isn’t worth a fumble etc.. There's scenarios to risk return those, such as if we’re down multiple scores.

 

[Half Empty]

A lot of weight on his shoulders and I would not want to be in his shoes at the moment. People will blame him either way if we lose.

Ya, it sure it unfair to pay someone millions and then hold them responsible for their actions. I really feel for the guy.

 

[Krabs]

At this point, I don't really care who we play. Packer will be one of four teams left. The other four teams are there for a reason. They are good football teams. To be the best one has to beat the best. I say, bring it on! Bucs, Cards, Rams, Eagles, 49ers, Cowboys... Don't care! GPG!

 

[mongoosev]

Ya, it sure it unfair to pay someone millions and then hold them responsible for their actions. I really feel for the guy.

If im not mistaken there are woke bubbles he could cry in if his feelings are hurt?

 

[JKramer64]

i will be extremely disappointed if bringing back five rusty players who have not worked with their teammates for many weeks (or not at all) leads to a bunch of unforced errors and a loss in the playoffs. otoh, you have to believe that mlf wouldn't even consider it if he thought it might hurt the team.

The 'rust factor' is overrated. I didn't see much rust with Bakh and Myers. They will all have had two full weeks of practice before the divisional game. You're right, MLF wouldn't consider it if it hurt the team.

 

[GreenNGold_81]

Obviously, you want to play the Eagles out of those teams. But if it's the 9ers they better have a good way to stop Deebo and Kittle. I like our chances but the 9ers have looked good coming into the playoffs.

 

[milani]

Obviously, you want to play the Eagles out of those teams. But if it's the 9ers they better have a good way to stop Deebo and Kittle. I like our chances but the 9ers have looked good coming into the playoffs.

They have. And their downfalls over the last two years have been their injuries. When healthy the 9ers are as scary as they were in 2019. They have had the players to compensate for any Garopollo shortcomings on both sides of the ball. If you can put the game on his shoulders you can beat them.

 

[Krabs]

Obviously, you want to play the Eagles out of those teams. But if it's the 9ers they better have a good way to stop Deebo and Kittle. I like our chances but the 9ers have looked good coming into the playoffs.

They have. And their downfalls over the last two years have been their injuries. When healthy the 9ers are as scary as they were in 2019. They have had the players to compensate for any Garopollo shortcomings on both sides of the ball. If you can put the game on his shoulders you can beat them.

I say, "bring it on"!

 

[sschind]

A lot of weight on his shoulders and I would not want to be in his shoes at the moment. People will blame him either way if we lose.

Anybody who blames MLF for playing guys like Meyer, Bakhtiari, Alexander, and Z over the guys who replaced them when they got injured needs their head examined. What head coach in his right mind wouldn't start their day 1 starters when they are healthy.

 

[mongoosev]

Anybody who blames MLF for playing guys like Meyer, Bakhtiari, Alexander, and Z over the guys who replaced them when they got injured needs their head examined. What head coach in his right mind wouldn't start their day 1 starters when they are healthy.

It's something Lafleur has to ponder. It could disrupt the flow as Milani pointed out and is a very good thing to point out. These injuries are not minor as one missed the entire season and some half of the season. It is something that should be accurately assessed and don't think it is unreasonable to do so.

 

[milani]

Anybody who blames MLF for playing guys like Meyer, Bakhtiari, Alexander, and Z over the guys who replaced them when they got injured needs their head examined. What head coach in his right mind wouldn't start their day 1 starters when they are healthy.

That is very true. I would bring up one example that went the other way. In 1968 John Unitas went down early in the season and Shula had to start another old man called Earl Morrall. The Colts became the NFL successor to the Packers that year. Unitas healed and was pretty capable of starting but Shula opted to keep Morrall and said we feel like we just want to keep going right now. The Colts lost only one game during the season and won both playoff games easily. When the SB came along how do you not start John Unitas? Well Shula kept Morrall and at that point who is to say that starting Unitas would have prevented the greatest upset in NFL history?

 

[lambeaulambo]

Truly the 9ers are not that hard to figure...Goroppollo is a statue just like brady...knowing he cannot move makes for an even dose of pass rush.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

That is very true. I would bring up one example that went the other way. In 1968 John Unitas went down early in the season and Shula had to start another old man called Earl Morrall. The Colts became the NFL successor to the Packers that year. Unitas healed and was pretty capable of starting but Shula opted to keep Morrall and said we feel like we just want to keep going right now. The Colts lost only one game during the season and won both playoff games easily. When the SB came along how do you not start John Unitas? Well Shula kept Morrall and at that point who is to say that starting Unitas would have prevented the greatest upset in NFL history?

I never knew that story, but makes sense, Morrall had the hot hand and things were working. I think had Favre gone down in 2007, Rodgers may have stepped in and shown just how good he was and maybe Favre never takes another snap as a Packer and the Packers get a boatload in a trade deal.

All that said, I don't consider inserting 4-6 starters back into the lineup as comparable to either of those situations. A QB is one player, at the central position on offense. The Packer defense hasn't been playing that well, so any help that Jaire, Z Dog and Merc can provide, shouldn't even be questioned as needed. Same on offense with bringing Bahk and Meyers back. Sure, their replacements played good, the OL should be better with those 2 starters.