It happened. Pinch yo’ self! It’s real. The Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl last night defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25. Even when the Packers jumped out to a 21-3 lead, they had to make it interesting by leaving the back door just a little cracked to give the Steelers a chance to rally. Have no fear! In vintage Packers fashion, the Packers jumped out to an early lead, let the Steelers crawl back in, and then held on for the victory. To be quite honest, I am still in a state of shock. It’s been 14 years since the Packers last won a Super Bowl, and with the messy Favre divorce, and all the injuries that were suffered this year (including Woodson, Shields, and Driver in the Super Bowl); it’s absolutely amazing the Packers have brought the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay. Assuming that a new CBA will pass and allow the 2011 season to happen, the Packers are in great position to continue to hold onto the Lombardi Trophy for a few more years. I smell a dynasty in the making.
Play of the Game:
There’s a few of them, but one sticks out above the rest: the Rashard Mendenhall fumble. In the 4th Quarter, the Packers were holding onto a 21-17 lead, and it looked like the Steelers were threatening to take their first lead of the game. After the Packers punted for the fourth consecutive time, the Steelers were on the Packers’ 33 yard line facing a 3rd down and 2, when Mendenhall was stuffed at the line of scrimmage by Ryan Pickett and Clay Matthews. Matthews speared Mendenhall’s right arm, and the ball came loose. Desmond Bishop scooped up the loose fumble and was brought down a few yards later.
After the fumble recovery, the Packers drove 55 yards before Aaron Rodgers connected with Greg Jennings for an 8 yard touchdown that gave the Packers a 28-17 lead.
1265’s Super Bowl MVP:
No questions here. The Super Bowl committee got it right, and 1265 will follow suit as Aaron Rodgers is the clear-cut Super Bowl MVP. Besides a couple of anxious moments by Aaron Rodgers, he put on an absolute clinic last night, compiling 304 passing yards and three touchdowns. You could even inflate his stats a little more had there not been at least seven dropped passes by the Packer receiving corps. Rodgers was on ‘The Herd’ this morning and this is what he had to say when asked about his receivers dropping passes.
“Those types of plays are going to happen. You got to keep feeding the ball to them, because they are talented. It’s the mental mistakes to me that are inexcusable. Because that means there is a lack of mental preparation or a lack of dedication. You got to keep rolling, stay positive, and keep feeding those guys the ball.”
Case in point, Jordy Nelson dropped a huge pass up the middle in the 4th quarter, but later converted a 38 yard catch and run on a 3rd down and 10 that kept the play alive, and ended up putting another three points on the board with a 23 yard field goal by Crosby to give the Packers a 31-25 lead and eventual win.
Also, Colin asked Rodgers, “the Packers have an incredibly young team, and it looks like the Packers could go on a 5 year run. Does it feel like that to you? Rodgers replied, “it really does, we have a great window here, lot of guys signed, I really feel like we are really going to re-load. We’re going to have, in my opinion, the best tight end in the league in Jermichael Finley back, and bringing back Ryan Grant who has been a solid contributor. The personnel have done a great job of signing people, and bringing people in off the streets to fill positions, we have to sign these guys.”
Brian Billick, former head coach of the Baltimore Ravens said it best on ESPN Radio. “Just imagine what the Packers will be when they get Jermichael Finley back, or when the re-load on depth at the draft. I think we’re looking at a team that has just scratched the surface of their potential. I think we’re seeing a juggernaut dynasty in the making.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. The Packers have a strong nucleus of young, smart playmakers on top of a top-tier personnel team lead by Mark Murphy and Ted Thompson. The sky is the limit for our Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.
I also wanted to mention that I appreciate everyone that has taken the time to follow the 1265 blog, post comments, and share in the joy that is the Green Bay Packers. Since I am shocked with how much daily traffic this site gets, I’ll be changing the domain name to give a more permanent texture to this blog. Like I said, I’m just a man that loves his Packers, and it means a lot to know that there are people out there that love the Packers as much as I do. I hope you have enjoyed reading the posts as I have enjoyed writing them. Thank you for being a part of such an incredible year for the Green Bay Packers. As Aaron Rodgers said, “Let’s win another one.” GO SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS GO!
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