Packers v. Bears: NFC Championship Game.

The Game Room
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I figured I’d start the thread. I wanted to start it 2 seconds after the Packers beat the Falcons (hell, I would’ve in the 4th quarter), but held off until now.

Outside of the 1996 Super Bowl, I haven’t been this excited for a football game … well, ever. The build up has been just sick, but, for once, I don’t mind the hype. It will be a fascinating game.

I’m confident the Packers will win. They’re hot, they’re confident, and they’re the better all around team. The Bears have a much better special teams and the defenses match up well. But the Packers’ offense is so much better than the Bears.

Three things can kill the Packers. Turnovers, special teams, and poor O Line play. All year long those three things are their biggest concerns, but they’ve done a great job in recently of avoiding them. If the Packers can keep a lid on the special teams and avoid mistakes, they’ll win.

The Bears are a different team since the bye week. Martz quit trying to run his offense and adjusted it to include more running (both in playcalling and Cutler using his feet), and let his QB throw to guys instead of to spots. I expect him to mix in a lot of quick throws and to adjust their hot reads to counteract the blitzes, but not give up on the long throw completely.

It will be a fascinating game. Since the teams see each other so much, coaching will be at the forefront. It will be interesting to see Capers v. Martz Rd. 3, and to see the adjustments the teams make to each other.

And, as an aside, how pathetic is it that one of the major things that may have a huge influence on the game is the crappy turf at Soldier Field? It’s the fucking NFL Championship, not pee wee football at the park.

I know this is rambling, and I’ll probably add bits and pieces in the next couple days. But I will add this:

GO PACKERS!!

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I won’t say “Go Pack!”, but I’ll give you a “go pack, I guess…”

Really, I have no rooting interest left. We have peripheral friendship ties to Matt Flynn, so I’d be fine with them winning if only for that reason. Add in that they’re the most talented team left, and yeah, I’ve got their back. More or less.

My Super Bowl nightmare is that the Bears and Steelers win this weekend – it’ll be the closest I’ve come to not watching the Super Bowl since I became a football fan. I can’t fathom a SB matchup that I would give less of a shit about*. I mean, I guess I’d have to fall back on rooting for the Bears, I guess, simply because – well – fuck the Steelers.

*Steelers/Seahawks was a massive turd, but I rode the Steelers to a $750 pool win, so it was also my second-favorite SB to date.

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And a little something to make Packers fans smile:

Jay Cutler Proves Naysayers Wrong By Defeating Shittiest Team Ever To Make Playoffs

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For as long as I can remember, the field at Soldier Field has been an issue.

When it was Astroturf, it was a terrible rug. Packer fans of a certain age will remember Eddie Lee Ivery, the running back who was the Pack’s first-round draft choice in '79. In his first regular season game, he blew out his knee making a cut at Soldier Field. He rehabbed, had a pretty good season in '80, and looked like he would still have a great career. Then, the Packers opened the '81 season at Chicago once again. And, yup, Ivery blew out his knee again. Was never the same player after that.

They finally tore out the Astroturf in favor of real grass, but, with the Park District maintaining the field, it always seems to be a mess, even before you get to November and December. Hard to believe that an NFL team has to make do with such minor-league conditions.

Anyway…I’m really looking forward to the game. As a Packer fan living in Chicago, I get a lot of good-natured grief from my friends and co-workers. My wife, who is from the Chicago area, is abandoning me on Sunday, to watch the game with her Bear-fan friends. :smiley:

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I want Good Cutler to show up this weekend and beat the Packers. That will increase the odds that Bad Cutler will show up against the Steelers in the Super Bowl.

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NFC. If Soldier Field is considered acceptable for regular league play, it should be acceptable for a conference championship. Or if not the latter, then not the former. Championships should be decided on the same fields as other games, IMO.

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I hope the Bears beat the Packers (although I do believe the Packers will win.)

As a Steelers fan, our defense matches up very, very well against the Bears offense. Our offense, however, matches up very, very poorly against the Packers defense. So, that’s why I’m hoping the Bears win.

If the Packers win, I think Arod will carve up our secondary and Ben will spend the better part of the game on the turf with Clay on top of him…and the bastard probably won’t even buy him a drink. :frowning:

On the other hand, the Bears vs Steelers will be pretty much the opposite. Cutler can’t beat our old fart secondary, while the bears o-line is like swiss cheese vs our pass rush. We’ll have some difficulty running the ball, and avoiding peppers, and passing deep, but I think our defense could score 14+ points alone.

Go Bears!!!

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The Packers, Steelers and Jets all have very similar defenses. Their schemes are similar, their blitzing style is similar and they have similar personnel strength and weaknesses. The Packers and Jets are very strong at the CB position and can take away the outside. The Steelers are strongest in the middle with Polamalu and can take away the middle of the field. The Packers and Steelers have very similar outside rush linebackers.

The Bears beat both the Packers and Jets. The Bears biggest issues come when opposing CBs can take away their subpar WRs. Of the 3 teams left, the Steelers are the weakest at the CB position. Cutler and Rodgers both avoid the rush well and throw well on the move. The Bears have more speed than the Packers, the Packers have more size and skill. All in all, the Steelers secondary will only be as good as their pass rush. Keep on hoping for the Bears, you may not like what you get.

Also the Steelers O line is swiss cheese. Do you really like the idea of facing Peppers, Harris and Idonije on 3rd and long?

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Team sacks: Packers 47. Bears 34.

Clay Matthews - 13.5
Julius Peppers - 8.

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Told.

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Bear Down, Chicago Bears!

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If teams don’t want to play the NFC championship on the crappy grass at Soldier Field they should quit whining and win enough games to get home field advantage.

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Hell, the Bears own icon, Urlacher, has ripped the state of the grass at Soldiers Field. He joined Cutler, who also has expressed that he dislikes it. Don’t try and pretend this is the other team bitching about the playing surface, the Bears don’t like it either. It’s just a really shitty surface to play on for both teams.

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I see the Packers crushing not only the Bears, but also the Steelers if they make it. I think only the Jets on their very best day can beat this Packers team.

I’m torn. On the one hand, I’m rooting for the pride of the conference, so go NFC. On the other hand, J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS! heh.

For this week, without a doubt, Go Packers!

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I saw an interview yesterday with one of the Bears defensive backs (pretty sure it was Charles Tillman) in which he was asked about the field. He wouldn’t come out and say it, but his facial expressions and grin indicated that he, too, felt it was a lousy field.

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I do think the field sucks, but I wonder how much crossover there is between the people who think the field is too crappy to play the NFC Championship on and people who want the Super Bowl to be held in the middle of a blizzard.

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Yep. Ben is an absolute beast on 3rd and long. He comes through in the clutch (yeah, yeah, I know, clutch doesn’t exist…) repeatedly. He did it against the Ravens twice this year when Suggs was eating him alive, he did it in the Super Bowl two years ago, he’s done it his whole career.

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Rodgers scares me. Ben excites me.

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I like the Packers. I should like the Bears, but just don’t. So I’d be rooting for the Packers anyway.

But… a significant portion of the reason I’d like to see the Packers win the superbowl is to see Dio’s continued descent into madness.

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Incidentally, I wish they’d have the championship games on Saturday and Sunday. I’d like to spread football around to the whole weekend rather than having it crammed into one long 7 hour session.