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Pastimes : The new NFL -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill who wrote (21416)	1/21/2008 12:56:06 PM
From: Augustus Gloop	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 90741

I think he's the most fun player to watch in my lifetime.....for me anyhow - very subjective

To: Bill who wrote (21416)	1/21/2008 1:04:38 PM
From: Augustus Gloop	Respond to of 90741

Mike Vandermause column: This stinker was a total team effort By Mike Vandermause The Green Bay Packers blew it. There's no polite way to describe their 23-20 overtime loss to the New York Giants Sunday at Lambeau Field. There's no way to sugarcoat the Packers bumbling away a golden opportunity to advance to the Super Bowl. The Giants tried hard to give the game away, but the Packers, ever the gracious hosts, refused to take the gifts. When the frost settles and the Packers have time to reflect on their 14-4 season, there will be a lot of good things to consider. But for now, in the bitter aftermath of a heartbreaking defeat in the NFC championship game, they are left to wonder what might have been. "It's very, very excruciating," Packers special teams coach Mike Stock said. "You can't imagine the frustration at this point in time having gone through everything we've gone through. And having opportunities we had in this ballgame and not being able to get over the hump. We had our chances." It's almost as if neither team wanted to win. The Giants missed a pair of fourth-quarter field goals, including a 36-yard attempt at the end of regulation, and fumbled a punt near midfield late in the game. But given second and third and fourth chances to pull out a victory, the Packers folded down the stretch. Their offense, ranked No. 2 in the NFL this season, went in the tank in the late stages of the game. Given opportunities to drive for a potential winning score in the final 7 minutes of regulation and overtime, the Packers managed 9 total yards in three futile series. "We as an offense should have performed a lot better today," tackle Chad Clifton said. "For whatever reason, we did not." Brett Favre, who played brilliantly for most of the season, tossed a back-breaking overtime interception that led to the Giants' winning points. When the Packers needed him most, Favre was nowhere to be found. He completed just 4 of 10 passes for 32 yards and two interceptions in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Packers' run game, so effective in last week's playoff victory over Seattle, didn't bother to show up against the Giants. The Packers rushed for a meager 28 yards in 14 attempts. But it would be a mistake to pin the blame for this loss entirely on the offense. The Packers' defense came out of the locker room following halftime in a fog, allowing the Giants to drive for touchdowns on consecutive drives of 69 and 57 yards. "We take the blame as a defense not being able to get off the field," defensive end Aaron Kampman said. The Packers had no answer for receiver Plaxico Burress, who toasted the secondary for 11 catches and 154 yards. "I don't know," said safety Atari Bigby when asked about Burress' huge performance. "That's the most a receiver got on us all season. I don't know. I don't know what we changed this game." Even the usually reliable special teams missed a great chance to turn the game around. Jarrett Bush failed to pick up a fourth-quarter fumble on a Giants' punt return near midfield, and it was added to the long list of blown opportunities. It was a magical season that wasn't supposed to end this way. "I still kind of feel a little shocked," Kampman said. "You don't expect it to end so abruptly. "It does feel like you got kicked in the gut a little bit." The Packers will be kicking themselves all offseason for letting such a big game get away