[barrows]

Why?? Retaliation is why.

Most NFL players respect the health of their opponents and do not try to injure the opposing players.  The reason for this is professionalism: their livlihood hinges on being able to play, if a player gets a reputation as one who is actually trying to injure opposing players, the offending player will be dealt with, both on, or off, the field.  Generally, amongst players, playing, and hitting, hard is respected, but playing dirty, and trying to injure is not.  All players have a combined interest in being able to play and enjoy a long career.

[mick wolfe]

Yep.... that( Green Bay) was this year's best example of "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory." No excuse for letting that one slip away.

[barrows]

Green Bay fans: before you blame one player who botched the onside kick for your loss, I think you might want to consider that you had what, 5 field goals or something ridiculous?  I guarantee you that the head coach and OC both will consider the lack of touchdowns as the real reason you lost the game.

[Letitroll98]

Not a Green Bay fan, but you're right, there were about a dozen plays that led to their loss.  One of the more pivotal ones was the onsides kick.  Not scoring at least one touchdown instead of a fieldgoal, not running back the interception, not covering the deep middle in ot, were other key mistakes.  Green Bay had a lot of missed opportunities add up to losing.

[Devil Doc]

Most NFL players respect the health of their opponents and do not try to injure the opposing players.  The reason for this is professionalism: their livlihood hinges on being able to play, if a player gets a reputation as one who is actually trying to injure opposing players, the offending player will be dealt with, both on, or off, the field.  Generally, amongst players, playing, and hitting, hard is respected, but playing dirty, and trying to injure is not.  All players have a combined interest in being able to play and enjoy a long career.

Obviously you started watching football after the careers of Dick Butkus, Sam Huff and Ray Nitschke

Doc

[S Clark]

Obviously you started watching football after the careers of Dick Butkus, Sam Huff and Ray Nitschke

Doc

Butkus has a recent interview where he says he would not let his kids play football knowing what he knows now.  It's a different day.
Oops, sorry.  It was Ditka.

[steve f]

For outright meanness don't forget the '85 Bears. The basic philosophy was to punish the opposing QB. "Let's find out how good their backup quarterback is."

[S Clark]

In previous times, every team had enforcers.  Big hit safeties, ankle twisting tackles, etc.  I remember one of Dallas' coaches was Hall of Fame DT Ernie Stautner- famous for getting caught cutting out tin cans to tape around his fore arms to better bludgeon offensive linemen.   Those were NOT the "good ol' days".
Ernie died a few years back at 80 from complications related to Alzheimer's.

[mcgsxr]

My middle brother is a big Packers fan since the early 80's or so.

Watching the series of errors through that game, culminating in the last 2 minutes of doom, was hard to take.

The Packers had so many chances to put that game away, but never did.

Sure, that one guy will get abused for the onside kick, but so many other things went wrong, that is just unfair.

My eldest brother (and an AC member!) is a Patriots fan from back in the early 80's too.  I think he had a better Sunday!

[rajacat]

Obviously you started watching football after the careers of Dick Butkus, Sam Huff and Ray Nitschke

Doc

If football was played with the main object (aside from winning) to maim your opponent,  there would be far more serious injuries than there is as it's currently being played. Every football game presents numerous opportunities to inflict serious damage but it's not in the interest of either team to have a no holds barred approach. There's too much $$$ at stake to risk retaliation on your multi million dollar QB for a perceived cheap shot by one of your players.

[rajacat]

I'm a Seahawks fan but I'll admit that I never thought that they'd come back and win this game. It seemed like every time they'd get a drive going they'd commit some stupid penalty. Many dropped passes too. They choked for the first three quarters.
I can't figure out why Rodgers didn't exploit Sherman's arm injury in the forth quarter.

[steve f]

The Packers really didn't blow the game. Yeah they made a few mistakes. What team doesn't?

The Seahawks are just a much better team. If they would have come to play from the start of the game, they would have crushed the Packers. Once Seattle got rolling, it was just a matter of time. The big question was did they have enough time before the clock ran out. This  game that will be remembered for years to come.

And no, I'm not a fan of either team.

Steve

[Devil Doc]

If football was played with the main object (aside from winning) to maim your opponent,  there would be far more serious injuries than there is as it's currently being played. Every football game presents numerous opportunities to inflict serious damage but it's not in the interest of either team to have a no holds barred approach. There's too much $$$ at stake to risk retaliation on your multi million dollar QB for a perceived cheap shot by one of your players.

And yet they still occur, even with all the rules that didn't exist when those three HoFers I mentioned played.

Doc

[Kenneth Patchen]

  The most boneheaded of bonehead plays I've seen in a while.  I have no sympathy, he selfishly wanted to be the big hero instead of being just a blocker, putting himself above the needs of the team.  It's unfortunate, but he deserves whatever vilification he receives from Packer nation.   

Maybe it's unfair to put all the blame on Bostick, but he truly is responsible for the loss. Bostick's career will be forever defined by that moment, just like kicker scott norwood will always be remembered for his missed 47-yard field goal attempt at the end of Super Bowl XXV,  the so called Wide Right game. I guess you could call this game the Big Wrong game because of Bostick.

[jonbee]

In spite of a basketful of egregious Seahawk offensive failures and turnovers which should have allowed them to run up the score early, Green Bay only managed 22 points, well under their 30 pt. average. That's a huge tribute to the Seattle defense. Normally 22 points doesn't beat the Seahawks.
Carping about Green Bay's offensive play misses the point they were playing an elite defense that kept Seattle in it until breaks and execution turned around.

[finsup]

Maybe it's unfair to put all the blame on Bostick, but he truly is responsible for the loss. Bostick's career will be forever defined by that moment, just like kicker scott norwood will always be remembered for his missed 47-yard field goal attempt at the end of Super Bowl XXV,  the so called Wide Right game. I guess you could call this game the Big Wrong game because of Bostick.

It's easy to single out one player, one crucial play, one missed opportunity.  It isn't quite as bad as Bill Buckner or Scott Norwood IMO. 

Being a long-time Bronco fan, I don't like Bill Belichick or the Patriots.  But living here in metro-Charlotte through the John Fox latter years years and then seeing him go to the Broncos, I do have to say I respect him (Belichick) as a coach. He is a guy who knows how to coach and win. Fox may be a nice guy but da Bears can have him.

Mike McCarthy's play-calling will be argued about for years, but one lesson needs to be learned by head coaches in play-off games:  You need to pour on the gas from the get-go.  After 10 minutes of play, the Packers should have had 14 points on the board instead of 6.  You can be sure if Belichick was calling those plays, he would have gone for it. 

[lowtech]

Plain and simple.  The better team won.   

[macrojack]

Have any of you seen anything in the press about the extent of Sherman's injury? Have any of you considered that he may have been faking it? Is it difficult to imagine that snake laying in the weeds tempting the Packers to go after him?

Also not mentioned is the fact that idiot McCarthy does exactly what Pete Carroll knows he will do after what could have been a game winning interception. He runs the ball straight into the middle of the line using mere seconds off the clock in a 3 and out. This guy has Aaron Rodgers for his quarterback and instead of picking up a first down or two and running out the Seattle timeouts and then the clock, he runs directly into the teeth of their stacked defense and loses yardage.

We had the same problem for years in Denver where that fool Dan Reeves squandered most of Elway's career. John Fox turned out to be the reincarnation of Reeves, so I was delighted to see him go.

And finally, I made no mention of deliberately maiming anyone. Just watch the way Marshawn Lynch attacks a would be tackler and explain to me why a punt returner shouldn't take on the last defender, the kicker, in the same way instead of just running out of bounds. Or let's say you are J.J. Watt, you just intercepted a pass and Peyton Manning is coming up to tackle you. I think it would be your duty to show ole Peyton why that's not a good idea instead of trying to outrun him.

[roscoeiii]

John Fox turned out to be the reincarnation of Reeves, so I was delighted to see him go.

Uh-oh, don't tell this to Bears' fans (who seem ecstatic to have Fox as a coach).

[finsup]

I would hire him (Fox) as a defensive coach, no more. 

I agree with you, Macrojack, Reeves did squander most of Elway's career.  But John's lack of winning championships had more to do with a lack of a running game and an O-line that was worth a crap.

Hypo: Switch teams.  Put Montana with the Broncos and Elway with the 'Niners.  I'm not sure Montana would have lasted.  And I'm pretty sure John would have as many rings as Joe does now. (And I'm not taking anything away from Joe).