AllGreenBayPackers.Com

The Packers honored those who serve our country in the military before Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. A big thank you to all who serve, and have served, from all of us at ALLGBP.com.

Green Bay Packers vs. Arizona Cardinals:

Adam Czech here in place of Jersey Al for this week’s first impressions. Al is still dealing with the fallout from Superstorm Sandy and has ordered me to climb down off my deer stand, watch this week’s game, and write about it.

I said, “Yes sir!” So, here is my unfitered game day running blog post of comments, observations and first impressions.

Inactive for Packers today: CB Sam Shields, WR Greg Jennings, S Charles Woodson, LB Frank Zombo, RB John Kuhn, DL Jerel Worthy, LB Nick Perry.

Inactive for Cardinals today: QB Kevin Kolb, WR LaRon Byrd, CB Greg Toler, LB Jamaal Westerman, G Senio Kelemete, G Adam Snyder, TE Todd Heap.

Game Notes:

Welcome back, Jordy Nelson.

Rich Ohrnberger is starting for Adam Snyder at guard for the second game in a row. Snyder is not good and I can’t imagine Ohrnberger is any better. Not good news for a Cardinals’ o-line that is one of the worst in the league.

Aaron Rodgers told Pam Oliver before the game that last week’s “flat” win over the Jags was good for the Packers and hopefully gets the team to up their energy. We shall see.

Packers vs. Cardinals – First Impressions – First Half:

Great kickoff by Crosby, using the sideline to pin the Cards inside their own 20.  Read more... (1124 words + 1 image, estimated 4:30 mins reading time)

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In the lead up to the Packers and Cardinals preseason matchup, consider this: in two of the last three games between these two clubs, there has been some serious offensive fireworks—to the tune of  177 total points and nearly 2,000 total offensive yards.

Most remember (or would rather forget) the 2009 Wildcard Card game in Arizona—a back-and-forth affair in which the Packers and Cardinals engaged in one of the wildest shootouts in playoff history.

A week after the Packers dismantled the Cardinals in Week 17 of the regular season, Arizona jumped out to leads of 17-0, 24-7 and 31-10 before Aaron Rodgers and the Packers mounted two impressive comebacks.

With the score 31-10, Rodgers lead the Packers on four straight touchdown drives—all ending on Rodgers’ touchdown passes—to tie the game at 38.

Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, who threw for five touchdown passes and 379 yards, put Arizona back into the lead with 4:55 left when he hit Steve Breaston for a 17-yard score. Rodgers remained unfazed, however, as he led the Packers right down the field for another tying-touchdown. His 11-yard pass to Spencer Havner with 1:52 left helped send the game into overtime tied at 45 (of course, so did a Neil Rackers missed chip-shot 34-yard field goal on the Cardinals next drive).  Read more... (1386 words + 2 images, estimated 5:33 mins reading time)

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Kurt Warner came into the Cardinals – Packers playoff game with the second-best lifetime QB rating in NFL history. Only Bart Starr is better. Did everyone forget about that?

During the Sunday pregame shows on CBS, NBC and ESPN, only one football analyst picked the Cardinals to defeat the Packers (Bill Cowher). Everyone else picked the Packers. 14 out of 15 of the so-called experts were swayed. Swayed by what? The Packers meaningless win the week before against Arizona? The Cardinals lackluster play over the last four meaningless games of their season?

And a host of Packer fans were wrong. The prevailing sentiment in the week leading up to the game was that the Packers would win going away. I kept scratching my head at that. When I predicted the Packers pulling out a close victory (31-27), I was putting on a brave face, but inside, I feared Kurt Warner. In my mind, a close win would be the best case scenario. Packer fans kept telling me it wouldn’t be that close. I wanted to believe, I really did.

Yet I feared that Warner would pick apart the Packers secondary like he did the Vikings secondary in week 13, the last meaningful game the Cardinals had played. Although his numbers in that game came nowhere near those from this past weekend’s spectacle, I gained a healthy respect for his decision-making and timing. Kurt Warner delivers the ball to the right receiver, at the right time and in the right spot.  Read more... (683 words + 1 image, estimated 2:44 mins reading time)

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