Michael David Smith's Every Play Counts

I've quite enjoyed MDS's Every Play Counts feature this year (if it existed before, I was unaware...).

This week's is as informative and interesting as all of the rest, but for obvious reasons, it's a little hard to read.

Well, that should at least end the Packers playoff scenario talk...

I was at the Roller Derby, so the only thing I know about the Packers/Texans game was that Houston won on a last second(ish) field goal. My kneejerk reaction is that the defense couldn't close. Kind of exactly like last week.

UPDATE: I've just read, briefly, about the game. I still have no idea how the offense (or new punter) did, but the defense gave up 549 yards. To the Texans. At Lambeau. These last three games should function as a late season preseason for the off-season (phew). Forget about winning, get guys in situations to see who can play, who stays, who goes, and prepare for some major overhauling in the coming months. It's do or die time, TT.

I'm not gonna lie....

This blog has basically fallen off my radar. While the neglect is due in part to my focus on Action Football! (and "focus" is used pretty loosely), I'll admit that it's mostly due to the super disappointing season Wisconsin treated us to, and the slightly less disappointing we're in the midst of with the Packers. First to the former, then the latter.

Since my last post, Wisconsin very nearly dropped a game against what should have been a cupcake opponent, Cal-Poly. (Spare me the "#3 in FCS" baloney; a program that should be in the top tier of a BCS conference should never be beaten by an FCS team on their home field.) To be frank, I can't even remember how the game got so far off the rails; I suspect I've just blocked it out of my mind. While the offense mustn't have played too inspired (I guess until late in the game, although were it not for all the extrapoints CPSLO's kicker missed, they'da come up short anyway), but the defense.... I can't begin to figure out why the Badgers' defense was so woeful this season. Injuries factored, sure, but every team has injuries.

So where does Wisconsin go from here? Well, immediately, to a bowl game somewhere. A few projections over at the Journal-Sentinel's Badgers blog has possible opponents of Missouri, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Clemson, and Kansas. (I also read Miami somewhere else....) Frankly, after this year, I'm not too confident with any of these games, but especially not Missouri or Kansas. Seriously, either of those teams would put about 80 points on Wisconsin's defense. While the Tigers and Jayhawks don't have defenses to write home about, there's no way Wisconsin's offense could keep pace, and when you're dealing with teams that can air it out, the time of possession battle is completely negated.

The offense and the defense, and, hell the special teams, too, underperformed this season. I guess Chryst gets a pass because he had to break in an inexperienced quarterback and Beckum - their most explosive playmaker from last season - missed, essentially the whole year with various injuries. As the season wore on Sherer looked better. In fact, he may have actually benefitted from Beckum going down for the year because he was forced to look to other receivers. And as a result, those young receivers - Gilreath, Anderson, Toon - seemed to mature which bodes well for next year. (Spring ball will be provide a really interesting quarterback battle: Sherer or redshirt freshman Curt Phillips. On the one hand you'd have a starter with game experience, on the other, although you'd like to avoid a second consecutive season dealing with a quarterback's growing pains, the prospect of having a potential four year starter is pretty seductive. Especially since Phillips is supposedly more mobile than Sherer, a bonus considering the inexperienced offensive line that will be fielded next year.)

Dave Doeren probably also gets the benefit of the doubt on the other side of the ball. You've got to give a new coordinator a season or two to get up to speed; even if Doeren's a promoted coach and not a new guy outright, so, in theory there wasn't a huge system overhaul....

And it seems high time that Bielema gives up coaching the special teams. Period.

It's not even worth looking ahead to next year's team. And forget looking at the "returning starters" as any sort of indiator; the bold majority of the '07 squad was back and that helped shit-all.

And now to the Packers. Green Bay followed the drubbing of the Bears in Lambeau by taking a world-class beating in New Orleans. It was basically the substandard play of the safeties and now released punter Derrick Frost that did them in. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Last weekend Green Bay hosted Carolina. You've heard the story: down early, second half comeback, suspect playcalling, poor special teams play, and abyssmal pass coverage late to seal the deal. Technically only two games out of first in the division, the Packers' season is done for all intents and purposes. Sure, there's going to be a lot of morons saying that Green Bay made a huge mistake not bowing to Favre's whims, but that's all poppycock.

Aaron Rodgers played as well or better than I'd hoped, and I had pretty high expectations for him. It was ultimately the defense and special teams that have hurt Green Bay and, last time I checked, Rodgers doesn't play on either of those units.

It'll be interesting to see how things develop in terms of player and coaching personnel. Ted Thompson has demonstrated an extreme reluctance to admit mistakes (otherwise, Frost would have been released weeks before) and seems to have a very overinflated opinion of his drafting prowess. With four games left (let's eliminate all hopes of a playoff spot, that way if the stars align and Green Bay does win the division, a first round loss won't stick in our craws), it's silly to start considering free agency and the draft. So I won't.