🏈😢 ENDGAME: 49ERS LATE TD DRIVE HALTS PACK’S PLAYOFF RUN — 24-21

Upside Down Cheesehead
49ers upended the upstart Packers’ Super Bowl dreams!
Cheesehead in Stadium
Chris F
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

🏈😢 ENDGAME: 49ERS LATE TD DRIVE HALTS PACK’S PLAYOFF RUN — 24-21

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Special to Courtside Sports

Jan 21, 1024

With the rain pouring down in San Francisco, QB Brock Purdy & RB Christian McCaffrey ended the Green Bay Packers’ unlikely Super Bowl run in what was to date the most thrilling game of the NFL Playoffs. There were five lead changes, four in the second half. But, the only one that counted was McCaffrey’s six yard TD run with 1:07 remaining that proved the difference. 

For much of the game, it seemed that, riding a great performance by RB Aaron Jones (18-107-0), the #7-seed Packers would follow last Sunday’s upset of #2 Dallas by shocking the #1-seed 49ers on the latter’s home field. Jones turned in his fifth straight clutch 100-yard-plus  effort, all in “must-win games.” In doing so, he broke the 49ers’ streak of 51 games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. 

But, alas, a trip to the NFC Championship game was not to be for Jones’s team. Here’s my analysis of why the Packers came up short and what the future might hold. 

  1. Red Zone inefficiency.  

After going 4-4 against Dallas, the Packer offense actually had little trouble reaching the red zone against the formidable SF defense. They made five trips to scoring territory and only punted once.

However, once “in the zone,” it was a different story. Green Bay only scored two TDs, settling for two field goals and a turnover on downs in the other three possessions, all in the first half. The turnover came on what looked to be a bad spot by the referees following a Jordan Love sneak on fourth and one. However, there was not “conclusive video evidence” for Coach Matt LaFleur to throw the challenge flag.

Leaving a potential 15 points on the field proved fatal in a 3-point game against an outstanding opponent.  

2. Jordan Love’s streak of near perfection ended with two key interceptions.

In the nine games heading into this divisional matchup, Love threw incredible 21 TD passes and only one pick. With the heavily-favored 49ers having a talent edge over the Pack, Love needed another near-perfect performance to give his team a chance for the upset. Unfortunately, he couldn’t deliver. Love threw beautifully for two TDs and a two-point conversion, but was undone by his mistakes down the stretch.

Late in the third quarter, the Packers led 21-14 with a chance to go up two scores on the home team. Facing a third and eleven near midfield, Love threw high and was picked by linebacker Dre Greenlaw who returned it to the Pack 48. Greenlaw turned out to be a more of a game-changing force than his more hyped line backing mate Fred Warner.

The Green Bay defense actually rose to the occasion, forcing a 52-yard field goal attempt by Jake Moody who had an earlier kick blocked.This time, Moody was good. Instead of being down two scores, SF now trailed by less than a TD — a difference that ultimately was “outcome determinative.”

Nevertheless, following the 49ers go ahead TD, Love had the ball at the Packer 25 with 1:07 left, three timeouts, and a chance to drive the Packers to a tying field goal or a winning TD. But, on first and ten at the Pack 36, Love made a disastrous decision to force a cross body, cross field throw that was easily picked by Greenlaw again, effectively ending the  Packers’ season. After 157.2 last week, Love’s 72.4 QB rating last night was disappointing, to say the least.

3.  Unreliable kicking.

As I mentioned in last week’s wrap up, Packer fans worried about the inconsistency of rookie kicker Anders Carlson, who led the league in missed kicks, including six missed extra points. Those worries came to fruition under the lights at Levi’s Stadium. For most of the season, Green Bay was able to “work around” Carlson’s blips. Not last night.

After the 49ers closed the gap to four, the Packers drove the ball to the SF 23 with a chance to stretch their cushion back to 7. But, Carlson’s kick from the 31 was wide left with 6:21 to go. Purdy and his team took over at the 31 and drove for the winning TD.

4. Defense didn’t make the “big stop.”

Overall, the defense did a good job of controlling Purdy and the star-studded SF offense. But, with the game on the line on the final 49er drive, they failed to get that “big stop” that could have put them in the NFC Championship game. 

The “back-breaker” was allowing Purdy (157 career rushing yards), whom nobody would confuse with Lamar Jackson, to “beat them with his legs” by rushing nine yards to the Packer six to set up McCaffrey’s winning TD on the next play.

Unlike last week, when the defense picked off Dak Prescott twice (one for a TD), Purdy had no interceptions. But, it wasn’t for lack of trying. Purdy hit several Packer defenders on their hands, including what likely would have been a pick six for Darnell Savage repeating his big play from last week.

In a three-point loss, missed opportunities loomed large.

5. Wasting another stellar performance from Aaron Jones.

Jones actually made it look almost easy against SF’s “shutdown” run defense. Had the Packers held on to win, he would have been my MVP!

With the Packers backed up on their own 10 midway through the third quarter, Jones ripped of a 53-yard-run to the 49er 37. At that point, with Green Bay up by four, it had all the ear marks of being a game-winning drive. But, the drive stalled at the 23, and Carlson’s missed FG ended what proved to be the Pack’s last venture into enemy territory.

Wait till next year

There is no shame in losing to the high-powered, well-coached, heavily-favored 49ers in the playoffs. Just ask future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers who failed to prevail in four tries. By any account, with the youngest team in the league, Love and the Pack far exceeded expectations this year, particularly following a 3-6 start. 

There are reasons to be optimistic that with a year of experience under their belts, Love and his young receiving corps will be able to return to the playoffs next season. “Lost in the shuffle” was the consistently outstanding play of the Green Bay offensive line down the stretch. Although Love was pressured on some occasions, he was not sacked by a really good defense. There were some good sized holes opened for Jones And, as mentioned several times by the network announcers, the receivers showed that they could do more than catch by laying down some critical blocks to help spring Jones and other team-mates. 

Additionally, getting a team that had the look of a potential “bottom-dweller” at mid-season into the playoffs might have been Matt LaFleur’s most impressive coaching feat yet in a relatively short, highly successful head coaching career, all with Green Bay.

There are also some factors that might give fans pause. Will Love be able to put last night’s hiccup behind him and move on? Will the young receivers continue to develop? 

I appreciate LaFleur’s commitment to his rookie kicker Carlson. But, if the Pack seek to become a “perennial contender” with Love in today’s NFL, they need consistency from their kicker. Strong legs like Carlson are important, but accuracy is paramount. I don’t have a problem with giving Carlson another shot. But, the results must improve.

The Packers’ stretch run showed the great value of Aaron Jones. When he is healthy, I still think he is the most dangerous running back in the league. Having Jones in the backfield certainly enabled Love to elevate his performance. 

But, Jones missed a number of mid-season games with injuries, a problem throughout his career. Without Jones, the running game struggled. And, the Packers have not to date found a reliable backup. Despite some promise, A.J. Dillion has not proved to be effective as a number one back and ended the season out with injuries. 

Then, there is the schedule. Having seen what Love and the receiving corps can do during the playoff run, the rest of the league will be prepared. This year, the Packers played a relatively “soft” schedule, facing only six eventual playoff teams against which they were a respectable 3-3. Next year’s  opponents, however, include seven teams that made the playoffs and several others who were in contention till the end. 

Within the North Division, the Lions will again be the favorites. But, the Bears have the number one draft pick and figure to be more competitive. Also, the Vikings will be better if they are able to bring back Kirk Cousins, whose injury gave them an unpleasant look at the alternatives. Say what you like about his lack of playoff success, “Captain Kirk” is one of the most prolific regular season passers in the league who is 7-4 lifetime against the Pack. No defensive coordinator relishes the sight of having the Vikes #8 trot into the huddle. 

All in all, it was an unexpectedly interesting, sometimes exhilarating, season for the green and gold. Whether, as those of us in Packer Nation hope, it proves to be a harbinger of greater things to come, or just another of those “oh so close, but no cigar” moments remains to be seen. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, congratulations to the 49ers and Coach Kyle Shanahan. SF and GB have now played a record 10 playoff games with the 49ers holding a 6-4 edge after winning the last five. Good luck to them as they continue their Super Bowl quest.

 

 

 

🏈 SPORTS: BEHIND LOVE ❤️, JONES, DOUBS, 2 PICKS, & LAFLEUR’S COACHING, “UNDERDOG” PACK MAUL COWBOYS, 48-32, HEAD TO ROUND 2 IN SF!

Jordan Love
Jordan Love was nearly perfect in leading the upstart #7 Packers to  huge victory over the #2 Cowboys in Dallas. Next week, they play #1 49ers in San Francisco. Green Bay will be big underdogs again!
PHOTO: Packer website

🏈 SPORTS: BEHIND LOVE ❤️, JONES, DOUBS, 2 PICKS, & LAFLEUR’S COACHING, “UNDERDOG” PACK MAUL COWBOYS, 48-32, HEAD TO ROUND 2 IN SF!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt 

Special to Courtside Sports

Jan. 14, 2024

It’s late, so just some of the highlights:

  • QB Jordan Love 16-21-272-3-0-157.2 (158.3 is the highest possible) — one of the top five performances in playoff history;
  • RB Aaron Jones 21-11-3 — tied Packer one-game playoff rushing TD record, fourth straight game 100+ rushing yards;
  • WR Romeo Doubs 6-151-1;
  • Safety Darnell Savage, pick 6 (64 yards);
  • CB Jaire Alexander, pick;
  • Offensive line, 0 sacks;
  • Youngest team ever to win a playoff game;
  • First #7 seed to win a playoff game (since playoffs expanded in 2020);
  • Tied highest Packer point total in playoff game;
  • Most points surrendered by Dallas in playoff game;
  • Ended 16 game Dallas home winning streak;
  • Packers four straight wins.

The game was not as close as the score and stats indicate. The Packers won the coin toss, drove 75 yards for a touchdown (Jones, 3 yard run), jumped to a 27-0 lead, and never looked back. After  a 3-yard TD pass from Love to Romeo Doubs, the Pack led 48-16 with 10:41 left in the fourth quarter. The rest of the game was “garbage time” with the Cowboys racking up bogus statistics, some against Packer reserves.

One somewhat unfortunate consequence was that after the Cowboys scored two basically meaningless TDs with 2 point conversions, Coach Matt LaFleur was forced to send Love and the first unit back for a series. When Tucker Kraft dropped Love’s third down pass, his QB rating fell from perfect 158.3 to 157.2. That and a missed extra point by Anders Carlson were about the only things that went wrong for the Pack at AT&T Stadium.

Next week, Green Bay travels to San Francisco to face the top-seeded 49ers. Once again, they will be heavy underdogs. After what happened in Dallas today, the Niners are unlikely to take the upstarts from Green Bay lightly. So, it will take another extraordinary effort from Love and his young colleagues to reach the NFC Championship game!

COURTSIDE WEATHER🥶/SPORTS🏈/HISTORY📗: -3 F FOR CHIEFS V. DOLPHINS PLAYOFF IN KC TONIGHT — That’s Not Even Close To The Coldest Playoff Game Ever, The 1967 “Ice Bowl!”

Bart Starr
Green Bay Packer QB Bart Starr (15) sneaks in the winning touchdown as Packers beat Cowboys 21-17 in the “Ice Bowl” on Dec. 31, 1967. The coldest NFL Playoff game — by far!

Photo: PackersNews.com

COURTSIDE WEATHER🥶/SPORTS🏈/HISTORY📗: -3 F FOR CHIEFS V. DOLPHINS PLAYOFF IN KC TONIGHT — That’s Not Even Close To The Coldest Playoff Game Ever, The 1967 “Ice Bowl!”

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Special to Courtside Sports

Jan. 13, 2023

Alexandria, VA. When the Kansas City Chiefs take the Arrowhead Stadium field for their home playoff game against the Miami Dolphins in a few hours, it’s already being advertised as one of the coldest NFL playoff games in history. (Thanks to ethically-challenged fat-cat execs at NBC Universal, you’ll only be able to see the TV game if you subscribe to their streaming service, Peacock. But, media greed is another story.)  For Fox Sports’s  rundown of the coldest playoff games in history, see https://apple.news/AeZJd_34gSMyMhei2REuS1g.

Weather forecasts say the actual temperature could be as low as -3 F with a windchill of -13. But, that would be “Balmy Days” compared with the December 31, 1967, 1:00 PM CST kickoff of the NFL playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys (coached by the great Tom Landry) at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The actual temperature at kickoff was listed at -13 F. Although “wind chill” hadn’t yet become a craze, it has been calculated at -48 F. 

According to participants, the temperature and wind chill actually fell during the game. “Minus-15 and minus-55 chill factor — the only time I’ve ever been exposed to that, and I don’t care that if it’s the last time,” according to Packer wide receiver Carroll Dale (3 catches, 43 yards.)

Here are two outstanding accounts of the details of the Packers’ 21-17 victory on their way to winning their (and the NFL’s) second Super Bowl: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2017/12/26/tales-from-the-cold-ice-bowl-still-chills-50-years-later/108919986/; https://tremlettonsport.wordpress.com/2018/07/24/untold-stories-the-1967-ice-bowl/. (Unfortunately, the otherwise excellent USA Today article will require you to navigate around some totally annoying pop up ads by Equifax.) Before the days of streaming shenanigans, CBS provided live network coverage with its team of Ray Scott, Jack Buck, Pat Summerall, Frank Gifford, and Tom Brookshier.  

Behind Hall of Fame QB Bart Starr and legendary Head Coach Vince Lombardi the Packers were actually able to move the ball through the air in the first half, taking a 14-0 lead and going into the frigid halftime up 14-10.

But, it was a different story in the second half, with the Cowboy defense holding the Packers scoreless on 10 straight possessions, while taking a 17-14 lead. When the Pack took over on their own 32 yard line late in the 4th quarter, with 4:50 to go, a long cold winter in Green Bay was definitely on the dimming horizon. 

Starr led the team to a first down and goal at the one with time running down. After two failed  Donny Anderson runs, the Packers called their final timeout with :16 to go. That led to one of the most famous plays in NFL history — one that in the end defined Lombardi, Starr, guard Jerry Kramer, and the Packers.

I was watching the game at home in Wauwatosa, WI with my family on our 13” GE color tv. As my brother, Jim, likes to remind me, it was about this moment that, as the youngest driver, he was “designated” to take our grandmother home and, therefore, missed what came next. 

 Most of us were expecting a pass. Even if incomplete, it would stop the clock for a “chip shot” field goal on fourth down to likely send the game into sudden death overtime. 

But, Starr fooled everyone by calling his own number. Going over a slight opening created by Jerry Kramer’s iconic block on 6’6” 260 pound Cowboy defensive tackle Jethro Pugh, Starr knifed into the end zone for what proved to be the deciding score. The extra point by Don Chandler was good, and the Packers led 21-17 with 13 seconds left.

That’s where most accounts of the game end. But, as Jim reminded me, “Many of us recall the Starr QB sneak as the final play but actually there were 13 seconds left and the Packers had to kick off and defend a couple of plays.”

Despite the treacherous weather, almost all of the then approximately 51,000 seats at Lambeau were filled with hardy fans, and few left before the final whistle blew. (The inoperability of metal whistles during the Ice Bowl actually resulted in the NFL’s decision to permanently switch to plastic whistles.)

Ironically, Bart Starr was known for his passing, leadership, and “on field smarts,” but definitely NOT for his running. The one-yard winning TD that day at Lambeau was his only rush of the day (he also got sacked eight times for losses of 76 yards by Dallas’s “Doomsday Defense,” and lost a fumble resulting in the Cowboys’ first touchdown). 

The Ice Bowl cemented the legend of Lombardi, Starr, and the 1960’s Packers. But, it also gave rise to some myths. 

Myth #1: The Packers’ Invincibility in Frozen Games. Not surprisingly, as described in the Fox Sports article linked above, the Packers have participated in three of the seven coldest NFL Playoff games. But, the Ice Bowl remains their only victory. They lost to the Giants 23-20 in 2007 in Brett Farve’s last game as a Packer. They also lost to the San Francisco 23-20 in 2013 during the Aaron Rodgers era. 

Myth #2: The Packers Are Dominant In Lambeau Playoff Games: As I noted in a previous blog post, even with Rodgers and Farve, the Pack won only one Super Bowl in  21st Century, in 2010. https://immigrationcourtside.com/2024/01/08/🏈-sports-on-to-dallas-with-love❤️-pack-down-rival-bears-17-9-clinch-playoff-slot-as-qb-stars-jones-runs-defense-hangs-tough/. That year they were the last seed (#6) and got the Lombardi Trophy by winning 4 playoff games on the road. 

Although they have had other chances at Lambeau playoff games since 2000, they never have never been able to duplicate their winning trip to the 2011 Super Bowl where they bested Pittsburgh. Interestingly, and perhaps fortuitously for Packers fans, this year’s Jordan Love led playoff team resembles the 2010 squad.

They have the worst seed (now #7), thereby eliminating any possibility of another game at Lambeau. Like the 2010 team, they are heavy underdogs who had to win out over the last few games of the season to even make the playoffs. 

Myth #3: The Packers have “owned” the Cowboys in the Playoffs. Significantly, the Pack won the first two playoff meetings, in 1966 and 1967, on their way to their first two Super Bowl Championships. And, they have won the last two memorable playoff games with the Cowboys, played in 2015 (26-21) and 2017 (34-31).

But, in between, the Cowboys won four straight (1983, 1994, 1995, 1996). Indeed, when the Packers won their lone Super Bowl under Farve, 1997, they did not face Dallas in the playoffs.

So, actually, the Packers and the Cowboys are 4-4 in playoff games with Dallas strongly favored in tomorrow afternoon’s late matchup on Fox.

Which leads me to my final point. In an era of “enlightenment,” when player health and fan safety are supposed to be paramount, why not postpone tonight’s KC-Miami matchup to more suitable weather when the players can perform somewhere near their best and the fans can actually enjoy the game rather than just having to survive it? 

After all, the competition is about football, NOT attempting to set coldness records or “out ice the Ice Bowl.” In an unusual burst of rationality, tomorrow’s untenable showdown between Pittsburgh and Buffalo at the latter’s snow-bound home has been postponed at the request of NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, due to public safety concerns.

If tonight’s Chiefs v. Dolphins contest is marred on or off the field by a preventable weather-related injury or fan problems, authorities in Kansas City and the NFL might wish that they had acted with more common sense and prudence. I’m sure that those of us Packer fans who remember watching the Ice Bowl in the comfort of home enjoyed the game more than the players or, for that matter, the 51,000 freezing fans!

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

01-13-24

🏈 SPORTS: ON TO DALLAS WITH LOVE❤️! — Pack Down Rival Bears 17-9, Clinch Playoff Slot As QB Stars, Jones Runs, Defense Hangs Tough!

🏈 SPORTS: ON TO DALLAS WITH LOVE❤️! — Pack Down Rival Bears 17-9, Clinch Playoff Slot As QB Stars, Jones Runs, Defense Hangs Tough!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Special to Courtside Sports

Jan. 8, 2024

At the end of October, the Green Bay Packers were 2-5, riding a four game losing streak, with young QB Jordan Love coming off a 74.8 QB performance against the Vikings and having thrown 8 picks against 11 TDs. Many were questioning the team’s decision to hitch their future to the fourth year signal caller from Utah State, who played only sparingly in his first three seasons while backing up future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Rodgers.

Jordan Love
Jordan Love has elevated his play over the second half of the season, helping the Packers to make the playoffs in the first year of the “post-Aaron-Rodgers” Era. 
Quarterback
Green Bay Packers
PHOTO” Packer website

Today, the Packers are heading to the playoffs as the NFC’s #7 seed with a 9-8 record, after defeating the rival Chicago Bears (7-10) 17-9 at Lambeau Field on Sunday. Love turned in a near-perfect performance going 27-32-316-2-0-128.6 in achieving a playoff spot in his first full season, something that eluded the great Rodgers. Love finished the regular season with over 4,000 yards passing, 32 TD passes (second only to the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott’s 36), 11 interceptions, a 96.1 rating, and 248 rushing yards.

It wasn’t easy for the Pack Sunday against the Bears, although they dominated the game statistically. Green Bay never punted on its seven possessions. But, mistakes on three of those kept the green and gold from talking a two possession lead that would have given fans some comfort.

Following a Bears’ field goal on the first series, the Pack drove to the Chicago 15. But, a sack of Love on third down led to a missed Anders Carlson field goal from the 41. The rookie kicker’s inconsistency on extra points (5 missed) and kicks from 40-50 yards (4-8) must be an area of concern heading into the playoffs. 

Following a Chicago punt on the next possession, the Pack drove 92 yards, culminating in a 10-yard TD pass from Love to rookie receiver Dontayvion Wicks (6-61-2). That gave Green Bay their first lead, 7-3.

The Bears closed the gap to 7-6 on Cairo Santos’s second field goal, a 39-yarder with 1:17 left in the half. The Packers then mounted a last-minute drive deep into Chicago territory that should have padded their lead. However, poor clock management by Coach Matt LaFleur resulted in time expiring with the team on the Chicago 19-yard-line.

Taking the second half kickoff, the Packers drove 75 yards on 9 plays for a TD. Again it was a pass from Love to Wicks, this one for 12 yards. With the extra point, the Pack extended their lead to eight. Better, but still within a single score. And, the Packers needed a win to make the playoffs. A tie would send them home for the post-season.

After forcing the Bears two punt on their next possession, the Packers mounted a drive that appeared destined to finally give them that two-score spread. But, in his only mistake of the game, Love fumbled near midfield while running for a first down. The Bears recovered. The Pack defense was stout, but Chicago was able to convert that turnover — the only one of the well-played game for either team — into Santos’s third field goal, to cut the lead to five, 14-9.

The Packers answered with what looked for a moment like Love’s third TD pass of the day, this one to Bo Melton who again performed admirably (5-62-0) after spending much of the season on the practice squad. But, the initial TD call was reversed on video replay, and Green Bay had to settle for a 25 yard Carlson field goal to put the lead back at eight, 17-9.

The Bears hung tough. On the ensuing possession they drove to the Packer 34 with the help of a defensive offside penalty on fourth down in their own territory. There, however, the drive stalled on a holding penalty and a sack of QB Justin Fields, leaving the Bears with a fourth and 22 from the 50. After another nice punt from Trevor Gill, the Packers had the ball on their own six yard line with 6:08 to go and the Bears still having three time-outs and the two-minute warning.

The game was still very much in doubt. Although the defense had contained the elusive Bear QB Fields (11-16-148-0-0-97.9), their leading rusher for the season, he is a threat to score on any play, from anywhere on the field. If the Pack were forced to punt from deep in their own territory, Chicago would have good field position and plenty of time to score a TD. The thought of having to defend Fields on a potential game-tying two-point conversion to avoid overtime was not one that Packer nation relished. 

At this point, Love and his mates on offense put together the “drive of the game” — perhaps the “drive of the season” — even though it did not result in any points! Using a combination of clutch runs and passes, the Pack held the ball for the rest of the game, finally kneeling down on the Chicago 32 as the clock expired. 

Along the way, Love converted two huge third downs, one to star rookie Jaydon Reed (4-112-0) at the Packer 29 and another to rookie Tucker Kraft (3-31-0) that took the ball to the Bears’ 42 with  2:17 left, forcing Chicago to use its final timeout.

The “dagger,” as Packer radio broadcaster Wayne Larrabee would say, came two plays later when Aaron Jones ran up the middle for the Packers’ 24th, and final, first down of the day. Out of time outs, the visitors from the Windy City could only watch in dismay as the Lambeau fans celebrated.

Jones (22-111-0) notched his second straight 100+ yard game, against a tough run defense, showing once again why when healthy he is probably the best all-around running back in the league. With help from the O line, Jones’s running allowed Green Bay to achieve a near-perfect balance (32 passes, 27 runs), that chewed up clock, took some of the pressure off of Love (as problem that had led to mid-season woes), and kept the Bears’ defense off balance all afternoon. 

Speaking of defense, Joe Barry’s much maligned unit turned in a second straight stellar performance, this time against one of the league’s most athletic and potentially explosive QBs. Over the past two games, the D has kept opponents out of the end zone when it counted, surrendering only a meaningless TD to the Vikes set up by a muffed punt inside the 10 yard line.  

The Packers now head to Dallas (12-5) for a late-Sunday-afternoon date with the Eastern Division Champ Cowboys and Head Coach Mike McCarthy who directed the Packers to their (and Rodgers’s) only Super Bowl Title of the 21st Century following the 2010 season. Despite their regular-season-closing three game winning streak, the Pack will be a touchdown underdog. 

In fairness, there is little similarity between Green Bay’s last three victims — Chicago (7-10), Minnesota (7-10), and Carolina (2-15) — and the ‘Boys. Dallas has a potent offense led by QB Dak Prescott (36 TDs) and a strong defense led by linebacker Micah Parsons. They are also undefeated at home this season. The Packers will not be able to afford “empty trips” into the opponent’s territory as happened three times against the Bears. 

Not to mention that McCarthy, who was out of football for a season following his 2018 dismissal from Green Bay, would dearly love to show Green Bay’s management that he still has plenty left in his tank. There are also rumors that despite this year’s strong showing, Dallas owner Jerry Jones might axe him if the Cowboys don’t get to the Super Bowl. So, there will be plenty of drama with lots at stake. 

With the youngest team in the NFL (and one of the youngest ever to make the playoffs), and a young QB in his first “real” season, it would be easy to view making the playoffs as a somewhat unanticipated success for the Packers and not worry much about what comes next. But, that would be a mistake for the team!

In this post-Tom-Brady Era of the NFL, even the “prime contenders” — Baltimore (13-4) and San Francisco (12-5) — have looked very vulnerable at times. Consequently, it’s plausible to imagine any of the remaining teams — including the lower seeds — hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Las Vegas on Feb. 11. 

When the Packers won the 2011 Super Bowl behind Rodgers & McCarthy, they were the lowest seed (then #6) and therefore played all “away” games. Despite the myth of the advantage of playing home games on Lambeau’s “frozen tundra” in January, in following seasons, with higher seeds and arguably better players on the roster, the Packers have never been able to get beyond the NFC Championship game.

Maybe this will be the first of many playoff runs for Love & the Packers, but there are no guarantees. Therefore, it’s important to make the most of each shot and for the Pack to give it their best shot in Dallas on Sunday.

🏈 BEHIND LOVE ❤️, PACK STAYS IN HUNT WITH CONVINCING 33-10 TAKEDOWN OF VIKES!

Jordan Love
Jordan Love
Quarterback
Green Bay Packers
PHOTO” Packer website

🏈 BEHIND LOVE ❤️, PACK STAYS IN HUNT WITH CONVINCING 33-10 TAKEDOWN OF VIKES!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Special to Courtside Sports

Green Bay, WI, Jan. 1, 2024.  With quarterback Jordan Love leading the way, the Green Bay Packers (8-8) crushed the arch-rival Minnesota Vikings (7-9) 33-10 in a New Year’s Eve blowout at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Love is now one game away from accomplishing something that iconic Packer QB Aaron Rodgers failed to do in his first or last full seasons with the Pack — take them to the playoffs.  

Love was an impressive 24-36-256 with 3 passing TDs, another rushing, no interceptions, and a QB rating of 125.3, engineering all four of the team’s end-zone trips. Running back Aaron Jones added 120 yards rushing on 20 carries, as the Pack dominated from the opening whistle.

The much maligned green and gold defense pitched a near shutout, allowing only a field goal and a largely meaningless TD set up by a muffed punt inside the 10 years line. Surprisingly, the Vikings, playing behind their third and fourth string QBs, largely failed to show up in this rivalry game with the playoffs on the line. The margin could have been even bigger, as Packer receivers were running open all night, running backs were often into the Vikes’ secondary, and the only home team trip to the end zone was a gift. 

Left for dead after four straight mid-season losses, the Packers now have a clear path to the playoffs: Beat the 7-9 Chicago Bears at Lambeau on Sunday and they are in! On paper, that looks “doable,” given that Green Bay downed Chicago at Soldier Field 38-20 in the season opener in September. 

Yet, the situation is eerily similar to last season. Then, behind Rodgers, the Pack needed only to beat the Lions, who had already been eliminated from the playoffs, at Lambeau. However, the Lions didn’t roll over, besting the home team 20-16 to send Green Bay to a losing season and no playoffs in AR’s swan song. That was a precursor to this season which saw Detroit win the NFC North for their first divisional crown in three decades.

While the Bears are guaranteed another losing season, and are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs (less than 1% chance), the Pack should expect a battle. The Bears have won four of their last five and two straight. Green Bay leads the NFL’s oldest matchup 107-95-6, but a playoff-elimination win over their rivals from up north would “make” Chicago’s season. 

While the Packers’ fortunes may not match Taylor Swift’s impact on the worldwide economy, they are still the biggest deal in this town — by far! The general mood rises and falls with their team. So, at least for today, it’s a Happy New Year from “the Bay.” 

🇺🇸😎🥳 Happy New Year and Due Process Forever from Courtside!

PWS

01–1-24

🏈 BUTKUS DIES @ 80 — Bears’ 🐻 Hall of  Famer Was The Ultimate Tough Guy In A Grittier Age of The NFL!

Richard “Dick” Butkus
Richard “Dick” Butkus
1942-2023
Hall of Fame Middle Linebacker
Chicago Bears
PHOTO: Milwaukee Journal Sentinal Archives

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Sports Special

Oct. 7, 2023

It was a different football era. Powerful running backs like Jim Brown (Browns), Jim Taylor (Packers), and Gayle Sayers (Bears) dominated the offenses. Quarterbacks threw strategically and relatively sparingly, by today’s standards. (Packer Hall of Famer, Bart Starr, one of the best ever to play the position, averaged fewer than 20 pass attempts/game during his career. Some of today’s top QBs throw more than that by halftime!) 300 pounders were almost unheard of, on either side of the ball (today, most major college teams average over 300 pounds “up front.”)

The defenses were dominated by tough middle linebackers. Guys with names like Ray Nitschke (Packers), Sam Huff (Giants/Washington), and “Cousin Joe” (actually no relation) Schmidt (Lions). Today, most fans probably can’t name their own team’s starting middle linebacker, let alone their opponent’s. There’s really no current NFL counterpart, on either side of the ball, to the “fearsome, dominant middle linebacker” of the circa 1960’s NFL!

There was one middle linebacker that every fan knew: Dick Butkus of the Bears — the toughest of the tough, the meanest of the mean, the nastiest of the nasty, the baddest of the bad! 

Growing up as a Wisconsin kid steeped in the Packers-Bears rivalry, the NFL’s oldest, Butkus was the “villain you loved to hate.” But, there was no denying his greatness and his impact on the game. The legendary Packer coach Vince Lombardi and his team had great respect for Butkus. “Butkus, hell, we used to put three people on him and still couldn’t block him,” said former Packer Dave “Hawg” Hanner. https://www.packers.com/news/packers-had-total-respect-for-the-legendary-dick-butkus.

Known on the field for his brawn, Butkus was also brainy. Although slowed by injuries at the end of his career, he retired young with his marbles and most of his essential body parts still intact. Like his great rival Jim Brown, Butkus went on to a successful career as an actor and tv personality. He became symbolic of the Bears’ franchise and the city of Chicago.

Farewell to Butkus — “Da baddest of da big bad Bears!” Thanks for the rivalries, memories, and excellence! 

You can read Mike Freeman’s retrospective on Butkus’s life and career in USA Today here:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/mike-freeman/2023/10/05/dick-butkus-ferocious-legacy-chicago-bears/71077657007/

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

10-07-23

🏈❤️ COURTSIDE SPORTS: GOTTA LOVE THAT COMEBACK — JLove Leads Q4 Surge As Pack Down Saints 18-17 In Epic Home Opener @ Lambeau!

🏈❤️ COURTSIDE SPORTS: GOTTA LOVE THAT COMEBACK — JLove Leads Q4 Surge As Pack Down Saints 18-17 In Epic Home Opener @ Lambeau!

Jordan Love
Jordan Love
Quarterback
Green Bay Packers
PHOTO” Packer website

Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Sports Exclusive 

September 24, 2023

Last week, the Packers took a 12 point lead into the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons. They came up short, as the defense allowed three scores, the Jordan Love led offense whiffed big time on all their possessions, and the Falcons won 25-24. 

For three quarters, the funk continued as Green Bay hurt themselves with penalties, while the visiting New Orleans Saints held a commanding 17-0 lead in the fourth quarter. At that point, the Pack had been outscored 30-0 over four quarters.

Then, with about 12 minutes left in the game, Love and the Packer offense came alive, scoring a field goal, and two touchdowns on their next three possessions to lead 18-17. Following the field goal, Love (22-44-259-1-1) ran for his first Lambeau touchdown, topped by a laser to Samori Toure for a huge two-point conversion that turned out to be the difference maker. On the Packers’ next possession, Love hit Romeo Doubs on an 8-yard TD pass with the kick by Anders Carlson giving the Pack their first and only lead of the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Pack defense, led by Rashan Gary (3 sacks), pitched a second half shutout. Their cause was helped when Saints QB Derek Carr (13-18-1-0) left the game with an apparent shoulder injury in the third quarter following a Gary sack. His replacement Jameis Winston was largely ineffective. 

However, after Green Bay took the lead, Winston did rally his troops into position for a potential lead-retaking field goal with a little over a minute remaining in the game. But, Blake Grupe’s kick drifted wide right, and the Pack went into victory formation.

The Pack overcame a 17-point halftime deficit for only the second time in team history. Apparently, it’s only they third time in the last three decades that an NFL team has erased a deficit of that magnitude in the fourth quarter.

New Orleans (2-1) suffered its first defeat of the season. The Pack meanwhile improved to 2-1 with the Detroit Lions, also 2-1 and victors over the Falcons Sunday, up next on Thursday night at Lambeau.

Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers

🏈😎 COURTSIDE SPORTS: JORDAN GETS OFF TO LOVELY START AGAINST BEARS, AS PACK PREVAILS  38-20 — So Far, So Good, As QB Throws 3 TDs, Converts 3rd Downs, No Errors, Shows Poise!

Jordan Love
Jordan Love
Quarterback
Green Bay Packers
PHOTO” Packer website

🏈😎 COURTSIDE SPORTS: JORDAN GETS OFF TO LOVELY START AGAINST BEARS, AS PACK PREVAILS  38-20 — So Far, So Good, As QB Throws 3 TDs, Converts 3rd Downs, No Errors, Shows Poise!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Sports Exclusive

September 10, 2023

For the first time in three decades, someone other than Brett Farve or Aaron Rodgers started at quarterback for the Packers in the NFL’s longest rivalry. The results were the same as the Pack downed “da Bears” for the ninth straight time, at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Sunday.

After three years as Rodgers’s understudy, Jordan Love (15-27-245-3-0, rating 123.2) looked much better than someone who had started only one previous NFL game (a loss vs the Chiefs). He threw three TDs, calmly converted key third and fourth downs, committed no turnovers, and looked like a poised veteran in every way. 

After a slow start that saw the Pack with a 10-6 halftime lead, Green Bay running back Aaron Jones dominated the third quarter with 105 running and receiving yards and a touchdown that essentially established the visitor’s control of the game. In a cautionary note for the green and gold, however, he left the game with an apparent hamstring injury. 

At least in the first game, the oft-maligned Packer defense performed like a unit that justified the large investment of draft picks over the past several years. The highlight was a 37-yard pick 6 by linebacker Quay Walker in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach. (Walker, however, may have sustained a concussion while crossing the goal line for he score.) They basically neutralized Chicago’s athletic quarterback Justin Fields and his supposedly improved offense until the game was all but over.

It’s only one game, and, with due respect, “it’s only the Bears” who appear to be nearly as bad as last year’s league-worst team. But, a W is a W in the standings. Next up for the Pack: the Falcons, 24-10 winners over Carolina, at Atlanta. 

Go Pack Go!
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers

🏈 “SEASON OF LOVE” ABOUT TO UNFOLD IN GREEN BAY — Can 4th Year Pro With Only a Few Regular Season Passes (Even Fewer Meaningful Ones) Take The Pack To the Same Heights As His Two Hall-of-Fame Predecessors? — While Some Are Doubters, Favorable Schedule & Weak Division Could Give Pack a Realistic Chance At Playoff Return!

 

Jordan Love
Jordan Love
Quarterback
Green Bay Packers
PHOTO” Packer website

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/08/23/jordan-love-packers-aaron-rodgers/

Adam Kilgore reports for WashPost:

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Their season ended in January with a frail whimper and the sour departure of a quarterback both legendary and malcontent. They handed their offense to a passer whose last victory as a starter came in 2019 over New Mexico. Their wide receivers room could be confused for a day care. The Green Bay Packers possess the outward signs of a franchise in reset. Internally, they dismiss a rebuild as preposterous, not even an option. They do not play in Future Championship Equity City. Lambeau Field resides in Titletown.

“All people see is the ‘G’ on the helmet, and they expect you to win,” Coach Matt LaFleur said. “That’s the reality of this league. You can either run from it, or you embrace it.”

LaFleur spoke sitting on a couch in his new office inside the new wing of the Packers’ facility, so fresh you can still smell the construction while walking the halls. It is an apt setting from which to launch Green Bay’s first season in three decades with a quarterback other than Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers, two men now facing the roughly equivalent challenges of beating a lawsuit in Mississippi and trying to win with the New York Jets.

The Packers are running toward Year 1 of the Jordan Love era anticipating immediate results — a hope that is more realistic than outlandish. Rodgers’s exit cast a long shadow, but the shade has obscured a roster with requisite talent to win an unsettled division in the weaker conference.

“There are a lot of unknowns with our team, but I think that’s also exciting,” LaFleur said. “With no expectations, there’s no limitations.”

He learned football on YouTube in Africa. Can he make an NFL roster?

The Packers have a defense stocked with eight first-round draft picks, unapologetic belief in Love and a collective desire to prove there is life after Rodgers, whose age-related decline, cantankerousness and thumb injury last year leave Love a lower bar to clear than Rodgers’s résumé would suggest — a mandate that comes from their home city.

. . . .

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Read the full report at the above link.

Only time will tell. JLove just hasn’t had enough meaningful snaps to have a good handle on what he can do over a full season.  

He has a good arm and runs much better than Rodgers did at the end of his Packer career. But, we can all think of QBs with those qualities and stellar collegiate careers who never made much of a mark at the next level. Also, as a cautionary note, NFL QBs who try to do too much with their feet often end up with careers shortened by debilitating injuries (“RG  III” of Washington is a recent example who comes to mind). 

Also, success ultimately depends on the team. Last year, in addition to Rodgers’s sometimes struggles, there were plenty of dropped balls, inability to get separation, failure to open holes, sacks allowed, lousy tackling, and defensive lapses at particularly inopportune times. 

My favorite line in Kilgore’s article described former Packer great QBs Brett Farve and Aaron Rodgers, respectively, as “two men now facing the roughly equivalent challenges of beating a lawsuit in Mississippi and trying to win with the New York Jets.”

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever, and Go Pack!

Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers

PWS

08-25-23

🏈 SPORTS: BREAKING! — END OF AN ERA! — Aaron Rodgers To Leave Pack, Will Play For Jets This Fall! — Future Hall-of-Famer Leaves After 15 Years, 1 Super Bowl Ring, 4 MVP Awards, & A Host Of Records!

Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Quarterback
Green Bay Packers

Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports: 

https://www.packersnews.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2023/03/15/packers-quarterback-aaron-rodgers-plans-on-playing-for-new-york-jets-next-season-pat-mcafee-show/69980713007/

GREEN BAY – The Aaron Rodgers Era in Green Bay is almost over.

A new era for the four-time MVP will begin in New York soon.

Rodgers confirmed it all Wednesday on “The Pat McAfee Show,” telling the host that after long contemplation and a meeting with Jets officials last week, he decided on Friday “to play and to play for the New York Jets.”

However, Rodgers said that no deal has been made and that the Packers are the ones holding up a trade and not him as has been speculated on social media and some news reports. He said he is ready to get back to playing football but remains in limbo until the trade goes through.

“I haven’t been holding things up at this point, it’s been compensation that the Packers are trying to get for me and are kind of digging their heels in,” Rodgers said. “So, I would just think it is interesting at this point. The whole picture.”

Rodgers went on to say he is coming to grips with the fact that his 18 years with the Packers franchise is coming to an end and that it is because the Packers want to move on without him. He said he won’t be bitter about the way things were handled, but he can’t completely move on because the trade has not been made.

. . . .

“You know, my side, love and appreciation and gratitude for everything that Green Bay has done for me. Love, so much love and gratitude and just heart open for the Packer fans and what it meant to be their quarterback, and also the reality of the situation,” he said. “Like, it is what it is; Packers would like to move on.”

. . . .

Rodgers said he went into his four-day darkness retreat 90% sure he would retire, but upon completion he heard the Packers were shopping him in trade talk. He said he was told after the season to take his time to make a decision whether he wants to play and wished the Packers had told him they didn’t want him anymore and wanted Jordan Love to be their quarterback.

He said he would have been happy with that.

“They’re ready to move on,” Rodgers said. “Jordan is going to be a great player. He’s a great kid. He’s got a bright future. I have so many great friends on that team and will be friends with. Fact of the matter is you have an aging face of the franchise that it’s time to do right by.”

. . . .

Packers’ trade of another future Hall of Fame quarterback harkens back to 2008

The Packers are following a familiar game plan for transitioning from a Hall of Famer to a young, first-round quarterback.

Three years after Rodgers was drafted in the first round of the 2005 draft, the Packers made their plans to succeed the retired Brett Favre with the guy they had been grooming for the job. When Favre decided he didn’t want to retire, the Packers stood with their decision to move on to Rodgers and traded Favre to the Jets.

Now, it’s Rodgers’ turn to leave the smallest market in the NFL for its biggest.

The Packers, according to multiple sources, were ready to move on from Rodgers as early as the end of last season when they felt they underachieved offensively. Rodgers failed to throw for a 300-yard game all season and couldn’t will the team into the playoffs despite needing only a victory at home against Detroit in Week 18.

The Packers had gone all in on 2022, setting an NFL record by guaranteeing all $150 million of Rodgers’ three-year contract extension, betting on him returning to the form that had earned him MVP honors in ’20 and ’21.

But the Packers finished 8-9 and general manager Brian Gutekunst saw enough improvement from Love in practice and a relief appearance against the Philadelphia Eagles to think he was ready to replace Rodgers.

Transitioning to Jordan Love may not go smoothly

The Packers were 6-10 when Rodgers took over in ’08. However, they made the postseason the following year and won the Super Bowl in ’10.

Love is entering his fourth season and the Packers now have every reason to exercise his fifth-year option before the May deadline. It will guarantee Love $20.2 million in ’24, but this season he will play for the $2,298,652 base salary in his rookie contract.

Though Love has three years under his belt, he has started only one game, played 157 snaps and thrown 83 passes. The Packers aren’t expecting him to win an MVP in his first year as a starter and know there may be growing pains.

More:If Jordan Love is the Packers’ next starting quarterback, his supporting cast will play a pivotal role

Dougherty: Matt LaFleur puts himself on the line bringing back Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry

“I think the one thing you see in this league, it’s very rarely are guys shot out of a cannon winning-wise,” Gutekunst said during the week of the NFL scouting combine. “There’s some great play, there’s instances you see flashes, but I think it takes most of these quarterbacks a little time to learn how to win.

“And it’s one thing to play well and make throws and, make plays, but then it’s another thing to lead your team to wins. And I think that takes time, but you don’t get a lot of that in this league. But certainly with any new quarterback that’s playing for the first time you’re gonna need some of that.”

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Read the complete article at the link.

“AR” gave us Packer fans lots of thrills (and a few chills) over 15 years. I was fortunate enough to see him play three times in person at Lambeau! It seemed that things just were’t “clicking” for the Pack and Rodgers last year. Also, they can’t keep Love on the bench forever. And, AR’s “off the field antics” had become somewhat distracting. So, the move isn’t surprising.

We’ll see if AR has another Super Bowl season in him with the somewhat hapless Jets, who haven’t been there since they won with Joe Namath when I was in college. 

Meanwhile we’ll also see whether Jordan Love can follow in the footsteps of Hall of Famers Bart Starr, Brett Farve, and AR. Big shoes to fill, for sure! 

Thanks for the memories, and all the best to AR!

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

03-15-23

🤯🏴‍☠️🤡🤮👎🏽INCOMPETENCE WATCH: Lacking Integrity & Skills To Follow The Law, Tone-Deaf, Dangerous,  & Disingenuous Biden Immigration Officials Consider Additional Massive Violations Of Human Rights For Asylum Seekers! — ACLU & NDPA Ready To Resist Administration’s Latest Unwarranted Assaults on Human Rights, Common Sense, & Human Decency!

Stephen Miller Monster
Who would have thought that the Biden Administration would be dumb and treacherous enough to let this neo-Nazi xenophobe and refugee hater “own” human rights “policy” in a Dem Administration? But, it appears they have! Attribution: Stephen Miller Monster by Peter Kuper, PoliticalCartoons.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/01/us/politics/biden-immigration-asylum-restrictions.html

From Michael Shear & Eileen Sullivan the NY Times:

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is considering substantial new limits on the number of migrants who could apply for asylum in the United States, according to people familiar with the proposal, which would expand restrictions similar to those first put in place along the border by former President Donald J. Trump.

The plan is one of several being debated by President Biden’s top aides as the country confronts a high number of illegal crossings at the border. It would prohibit migrants who are fleeing persecution from seeking refuge in the United States unless they were first denied safe harbor by another country, like Mexico.

People familiar with the discussions said the new policy, if adopted, could go into effect as soon as this month, just as the government stops using a public health rule that was put in place at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic by the Trump administration and became a key policy to manage the spike in crossings during Mr. Biden’s tenure. A federal judge has ordered the administration to stop using the health rule on Dec. 21.

But the idea of broadly prohibiting migrants from seeking asylum strikes directly at the heart of decades of American and international law that has shaped the United States’ role as a place of safety for displaced and fearful people across the globe.

. . . .

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Read the complete article at the link.

[U.S. District Judge Emmet ]Sullivan wrote that the federal officials knew the order “would likely expel migrants to locations with a ‘high probability’ of ‘persecution, torture, violent assaults, or rape’ ” — and did so anyway.

“It is unreasonable for the CDC to assume that it can ignore the consequences of any actions it chooses to take in the pursuit of fulfilling its goals,” Sullivan wrote. “It is undisputed that the impact on migrants was indeed dire.”

What part of Judge Sullivan’s very clear ruling on their “crimes against humanity” and knowing violations of U.S. and international law doesn’t the “Biden Administration Clown Show” 🤡 understand? Just follow the asylum law and due process, already! If you can’t do that, resign and let folks who can do the job (of which there are plenty out here in the “real world”) take over and do the job you have been failing at for two years!

In any event, the talent is out here in the private/NGO sector and will resist this latest insult to humanity and degradation of the rule of law and due process that Administration officials are “pondering!” “Studying and deciding whether or not to violate the law (again)?” Sounds like a potential criminal conspiracy to me! 

In any event, expert litigators like Lee Gelernt of the ACLU and other NDPA superstars are prepared to “beat the Biden Administration’s brains (if any) out” in court again if they try to implement any more of their illegal and immoral immigration gimmicks!

“If the Biden administration simply substitutes the unlawful and anti-asylum Trump transit ban for Title 42,” Mr. Gelernt said, “we will immediately sue, as we successfully did during the Trump administration.”

The Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations committee was also “not on board” with the Biden Administration’s latest harebrained ideas on diminishing human rights that they have substituted for basic competence over the past two years of disasters, and unforgivable policy screw-ups on immigration, human rights, and racial justice issues:

“If the reported story is true, the Biden administration would further step away from our nation’s commitment to offer refuge to asylum seekers,” Senator Bob Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement on Thursday. “I will firmly oppose this misguided attempt to rewrite our asylum laws without congressional approval, just as I firmly opposed the same efforts under President Trump.”

I also have to wonder how Judge Sullivan will react when he learns how Biden Administration officials are using his “reluctantly granted” five weeks of delay in implementing his “cease and desist order.” Instead of, at long last, getting their collective tails in gear to finally put in place a competent legal system for re-establishing legal asylum at the southern border, these disgraceful petty bureaucrats and so-called “policy” officials have been scheming to evade the rule of law and commit yet more “crimes against humanity.”

The NDPA is not going to let them get away with it. Even if it means ripping apart the “so-called Democratic Coalition” going into the 2024 elections!

 

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever! Tyranny & Stupidity From either Dems or the GOP, never!

PWS

12-05-22

🏉🧀PACKERLAND & BEYOND: Diversity Comes To North Central Wisconsin!

 

Duke Behnke

Jeff Bollier

Appleton Post-Crescent

https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2022/06/07/northeast-wisconsin-more-accepting-diversity-but-work-needed/9715435002/

Dr. Yolo Diaz could feel the room take ownership of the Familias Sanas (Healthy Families) initiative.

Diaz and YWCA Greater Green Bay sought to develop a program entirely in Spanish to improve the Hispanic community’s access to health care. They invited residents to the YWCA to brainstorm. Diaz identified areas she wanted to cover: nutrition, physical activity, mental health, disease prevention and environmental health.

It didn’t take long for attendees to add to the list: spiritual health, drug and alcohol abuse and sex education. Their participation was a key step in making the program less of a lecture and more about sharing and empowerment.

Familias Sanas is an example of how community organizations in northeast Wisconsin have recognized the region’s growing racial and ethnic diversity and are consciously working to ensure historically marginalized communities feel welcome and safe and have equal access to everything from education and employment to health care and housing.

Those efforts are showing signs of success.

In a 2021 Brown County LIFE (Leading Indicators for Excellence) Study, 56% of the survey respondents held a positive view of the growing diversity of cultures, compared with 12% who held a negative view.

Five years earlier, the scale of perception was far different. The 2016 Brown County LIFE Study showed only 33% of the respondents had a positive view of diversity and that 30% had a negative view.

In another metric, a 2021 well-being survey conducted by Imagine Fox Cities found 51% of the Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) respondents described themselves as thriving, up from 45% in 2019.

Conversely, 46% of the BIPOC respondents described themselves as struggling, down from 53% in 2019.

E-Ben Grisby, co-chair of Celebrate Diversity Fox Cities, has noticed gains in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in recent years, even amid the polarization of politics in the state and nation.

“I think there are a lot of improvements that have been made in the Fox Cities in terms of being a much more welcoming environment when it comes to our business climate, when it comes to a sense of community,” Grisby said.

“I feel like we’re getting a voice,” Austin said. “I never thought I’d be able to talk about being Black in Green Bay. Now we’re a community.”

Black, Asian, Hispanic, Indigenous and multiracial people accounted for three-fourths of the population growth in Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau data.

Nonwhite youth make up about 60% of the students in the Green Bay Area Public School District and 35% of the students in the Appleton Area School District, according to 2021-22 data reported by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

The growth of northeast Wisconsin’s minority populations sometimes catches long-time residents by surprise, Grisby said.

. . . .

How to become an ally of marginalized populations

Brown has some straight-forward advice to advance the understanding and appreciation of the different customs, lifestyles and perspectives that make up the fabric of northeast Wisconsin.

“Take the initiative to educate yourself about the various cultures and identities that exist within our community,” he said. “Learn from your co-workers, learn from your neighbors, learn from the youth and understand that each person contributes to the success of our community. Be present and immerse yourself in cultures and opportunities that are different than the ones that are immediately to your left and right.”

pastedGraphic.png

Grisby said being an ally for marginalized people doesn’t mean one has to wear a Superman cape and vow to avenge a wrong. It can be as simple as giving someone the time of day or being a sounding board for their ideas.

Bomstad said the region needs to hear from and engage with more people who support diversity.

“If you believe in an inclusive, welcoming community, that is where we really need people to step up, quite frankly,” Bomstad said.

Wello put its approach into action when it received a federal grant to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in minority populations.

. . . .

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Read the complete article at the link.

I have noticed during our many jaunts to Wisconsin to visit family that there are many more vibrant ethnic restaurants in the Green Bay/Appleton area than there were when I was in college at Lawrence University in Appleton in the late 1960s. 

Our daughter, Anna, also an LU graduate (‘05), was inspired by children of Hmong backgrounds that she met while practice teaching in Appleton to qualify to teach English Language Learners in Wisconsin (Menasha & Walworth).

She now teaches English in the Beloit Public Schools which has a very diverse student body. She and her husband Daniel have hosted foster children of different ethnic backgrounds, one of whom is now their adopted son, our grandson. So, diversity has had a very direct impact on our family.

Cathy and I also noticed when attending our grandson Nathaniel’s band concert at St. Bernard’s Elementary in Green Bay the diversity among the student body, the music teachers, and the audience. Everyone working together, contributing, and enjoying the moment.

El Sarape East in Green Bay is one of our family favorites. We order/go there at least once most times we are in the Bay Area! They have done a great job of combining “Packer culture” with an Hispanic flavor!

Obviously, diversity is contributing to Wisconsin in many other ways beyond the restaurant industry. Wisconsin has always had a strong immigrant history along with a vibrant Native American heritage!

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

06-11-22

SENSELESS TRAGEDY: PROMINENT NY LAWYER & FEARLESS CHINA PRO-DEMOCRACY ADVOCATE JIM LI SLAIN IN OFFICE! — Disgruntled Client Arrested! — Jim Was UW Law Grad & Packer Fan

Jim Li
Jim Li, ESQUIRE
1955-2022
Human Rights Advocate
PHOTO: Jim Li & Associates

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/15/nyregion/jim-li-stabbing-death.html?action=click&algo=bandit-all-surfaces-time-cutoff-30_impression_cut_3_filter_new_arm_5_1&alpha=0.05&block=more_in_recirc&fellback=false&imp_id=175777447&impression_id=a3511a81-a4b5-11ec-aa2e-ab56a298a7a3&index=1&pgtype=Article&pool=more_in_pools/newyork&region=footer&req_id=757398693&surface=eos-more-in&variant=0_bandit-all-surfaces-time-cutoff-30_impression_cut_3_filter_new_arm_5_1

Jonah E. Bromwich reports for NY Times:

. . . .

Mr. Li was born on Sept. 7, 1955, in Wuhan and joined the Chinese Army at the age of 15, said his friend Mr. Zhu. He then worked as a policeman and studied at a university in Wuhan, where he focused on law. He majored in constitutional law at Beijing University, graduating in 1985. After working as a professor in Wuhan, he returned to Beijing for his doctorate, where he had a high place in the student government.

“Usually people at that level means they have a very bright future with the government and with the party,” said Jianzhong Gu, a longtime friend of Mr. Li’s. “But Jim Li was not working in that way. He had his own ideas.”

Mr. Li was a doctoral student in 1989 when the Tiananmen Square protests began with thousands demonstrating against the Chinese Communist Party, criticizing corruption and calling for democratic freedoms. He served as a legal adviser to the Beijing Workers Autonomous Federation, the key organization of workers that aligned itself with the students seeking freedom.

He was interrogated a number of times while detained at Qincheng Prison, but told friends and colleagues that he had never cooperated.

In the United States, after his studies at Columbia, he initially struggled, telling a newspaper at the time that he was unable to find work in a law firm because of his shaky English. He considered working in a restaurant.

But soon afterward, he was able to attend the law school at the University of Wisconsin, where he became a fan of the Green Bay Packers.

In New York, he helped clients gain admission to the United States and devoted himself to pro-democracy programs, his friends said. He was one of the lawyers who represented Zhou Yongjun, a student leader in the Tiananmen Square movement who was detained by the Chinese authorities in 2008 and charged with fraud. He fought against the Chinese government’s practice of using Interpol red notices to apprehend political opponents. And he worked with many clients, including Ms. Zhang, pro bono, Mr. Zhu and Mr. Lebenger said.

“He helped a lot of Chinese people who had the experience of being persecuted by the Chinese government,” Mr. Gu said.

Mr. Lebenger said that Mr. Li had hoped to do less legal work so he could devote more time to his pro-democracy activities, to reading, writing and activism. “If I did anything worthwhile, it was freeing Jim up to do more of that work,” he said.

Kirsten Noyes contributed research.

Jonah E. Bromwich covers criminal justice in New York, with a focus on the Manhattan district attorney’s office, state criminal courts in Manhattan and New York City’s jails.

During his time on Metro, Mr. Bromwich has covered investigations into former president Donald J. Trump and his family business, the fall of New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the crisis at the jail complex on Rikers Island, among other topics. @jonesieman

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What a senseless tragedy! A life well and courageously lived cut short! Rest In Peace, Jim. You will be missed, but your legacy of courage, compassion, and standing up for the human rights of others will live on and continue to inspire the NDPA!

🇺🇸Due Process Forever!

PWS

03-16-21

☹️🏈 THUD! — Cold, Snowy 13-10 Loss To 49ers Ends Pack’s Super Bowl Quest, Possibly Closing “Rodgers’ Era” In GB!

☹️🏈 THUD! — Cold, Snowy 13-10 Loss To 49ers Ends Pack’s Super Bowl Quest, Possibly Closing “Rodgers’ Era” In GB!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Exclusive

Jan. 23, 2022

The #1 seed Green Bay Packers (13-5) laid another playoff egg before stunned fans at frigid, snowy (0 degree wind chill) Lambeau Field Saturday night. The Pack lost to the underdog San Francisco 49ers (11-7) and their much maligned quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, 13-10 on a “walk off” 45 yard field goal by Robbie Gould, who remained perfect in playoffs. 

This deflating loss comes in a post-season where the Pack was one of the odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl. It could be the “swan song” in green and gold for future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his sidekick, superstar wide receiver Devonte Adams.

The Packers got the opening kickoff and went on an impressive 69 yard drive, ending with running back A.J. Dillon plowing six yards into the end zone taking more than five minutes off the clock. Sadly, however, for Packer fans, their team was unable to repeat that success.

Basically, Rodgers and the offense took the rest of the night off, mustering only three more points on a field goal. Another field goal try was blocked at the end of the first half.

That left the Pack’s fate in the hands of a defense that was somewhat inconsistent over the regular season. This time, they showed up and almost pulled it off, holding Garopollo and his offense out of the end zone.

Unfortunately, however, the Green Bay “D” fell victim to the offense’s anemia, compounded by more chronically lousy special teams play, an Achilles heel for the team during the season. After the offense failed to move, deep in Packer territory, a blocked punt was scooped up by SF and run into the end zone for a then-tying touchdown.

On the ensuing possession, needing a sustained drive resulting in points to clinch a trip to the Conference finals for the second straight season, Rodgers and the “O” fired a blank — big time! Following a quick and inept three and out, consisting of poorly conceived plays without realistic probability of success, they punted the ball back to the 9ers, thus giving them a shot at winning a game in which they had never led.

Everybody in the stadium knew that SF was likely to lean primarily on its running game, rather than put the game solely in Garopollo’s hands, particularly since he had already thrown one ridiculously bad interception to kill a drive in the red zone.

This time, the worn-down Packer defense could not get the 49ers off the field. The killer came on third and seven on the Green Bay 38, about a minute left in the game, and the Pack out of time outs. SF faced a possible dilemma. If the Pack could hold them to no gain, Gould would have had to attempt a 55 yard field goal in the freezing cold and swirling snow. A miss would have given Rodgers the ball near midfield with about half a minute on the clock. Even a make would have given Rodgers two or three plays after the kickoff to get into field goal position.

But, that moment of truth never came. The Packers let SF all-purpose star Deebo Samuel run for nine yards and a first down at the GB 29. The 49ers then ran the clock down and called on the reliable Gould for the 45 yard game-winner as time expired and the Lambeau faithful looked on in shock.

So, despite a league-best 39 wins over Coach Matt LaFleur’s first three seasons, most in Packer history, the Pack again find themselves as Super Bowl spectators for the 11th consecutive year since winning it all in 2011.

It’s also quite likely the end of the road for the Pack and Rodgers, who almost refused to play this season. And, if Rodgers goes, his friend and All-Pro wide receiver Davonte Adams, who will be a free agent, is likely going with him. 

If AR does reach his second Super Bowl, it will probably be in a different uniform. Tennessee, Indianapolis, and Cleveland seem like logical possibilities. All have strong running games and basically are “a quarterback away” from championship contention. 

Another intriguing possibility is the Washington Football Team. Rodgers, Adams, paired with existing receiver Terry McLaurin, healthy tight end Logan Thomas, and a revived defense with Chase Young back would be a formidable combination.

The Pack is likely to go into “modified rebuild mode” behind quarterback Jordan Love who will be entering his third season. Love seems like a nice young man with some arm strength. But, frankly, I don’t see him making fans forget Rodgers or getting very deep into the playoffs.

Case in point, Rodgers threw 531 passes this year with 4 interceptions and 0 lost fumbles. Love threw 62 passes with 3 interceptions and 1 fumble lost.

Indeed, Packer fans might well find themselves spared the suspense and disappointment of season-ending playoff losses for some years to come in the “Post-Rodgers Era.” I’m among those “die-hards” to remember the very gloomy quarter-century hiatus between the “glory days” of Lombardi and Starr and the arrival of Holmgren and Farve and a long-awaited return to relevance for the NFL’s oldest franchise.

Perhaps, the strongest factor favoring the Packers’ future playoff chances is that they play in the NFC North. Their divisional competition, Chicago, Minnesota, and Detroit are among the most inept franchises in football these days, with all of one Super Bowl victory among them (Chicago — 1986 ) in the “modern age” of the NFL.

With the Packers off the field until next fall, the “action” is likely to shift to the “off-season drama” between Rodgers and the Green Bay front office.

“Who is Aaron Rodgers?” Maybe, the “answer” will be: “Former Packer quarterback who was both a contestant and a guest host of Jeopardy.”

🏈COURTSIDE SPORTS: PACK REBOUNDS FROM HORRENDOUS SEASON START TO WIN NFC NORTH, ADVANCE TO PLAYOFFS! 

Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers

Behind Aaron Rodgers and a defense that bent but came up big in the end, the Green Bay Packers (11-3) won a 31-30 “nail-biter” on the road against the undermanned Baltimore Ravens. In control and up by 14 in the fourth quarter, the Pack almost let this one get away with sloppy defense, chronically bad special teams play, and an inopportune offensive stall!

The determined Ravens (8-6) played without superstar QB Lamar Jackson. But, his “stand in” QB Tyler Huntley almost pulled off the upset. Following a TD with 45 seconds left to pull the home team to 31-30, Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh chose to go for the two-point conversion that might have won the game. But, the play was poorly designed and Huntley’s pass was broken up by the Pack’s Darnell Savage to largely seal the win. The following onside kick failed, probably the highlight of the Pack’s beleaguered special team’s play over the past few weeks.

The good news: the Pack’s win kept them in the #1 position in the NFC for a first round bye and home field advantage during the playoffs. That’s no small achievement following the opening game debacle against New Orleans and all the Rodgers-generated distractions (including his disgraceful failure to get the COVID vaccine). The Pack also played turnover-free football, as did the Ravens,

The cautionary note: This game was closer than it should have been. The Pack let an obviously short-handed and therefore significantly less talented Ravens team “hang around” and almost steal a “W.” On paper, this game should have been a blowout, but wasn’t.

Surprisingly well as Huntley played in relief of Jackson, the Pack will face much, much better QBs in the playoffs. And, given a “gift possession” inside the Ravens’ 40 in the 4th quarter, the Pack failed to score the TD that would have put the game away, instead settling for a field goal after AR missed a pass that should have sealed the game. That nearly proved fatal.

A team hoping for a Super Bowl birth will have to do better!

 

PWS

12-19-21