Friday November 29th, 2013 – Milwaukee, WI
The Green Bay Packers are having one of their worst seasons in recent memory, and I find it to be a fascinating case study in human behavior whether someone is a football fan or not. They are completely unraveling as the season goes on, and have slid from heroes to bums in a few weeks.
It all started when their star quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with a fractured clavicle on November 4th in a game against the archrival Chicago Bears. It didn’t appear to be that violent of a hit, and fans weren’t in a panic assuming the usually durable Rodgers would bounce right back.
Then in the next game against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 10th, backup quarterback Seneca Wallace went down in the first quarter with a groin injury. Again, it didn’t look to be that bad but he too was out of commission. That brought in Scott Tolzien, a third stringer that played in college at Wisconsin so a lot of Packer fans were familiar with him. He performed admirably.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to win either of the two games he started, and the spoiled fans of the Packers who have been one of the elite teams in the NFL since the early ‘90s were starting to grumble from within. An entire generation of fans has grown up assuming the Pack would win.
Last week they blew a golden opportunity to beat their most bitter rival of the last twenty years the Minnesota Vikings. They are having a horrific year themselves, but no Packer fan alive feels the slightest bit of sympathy for them. They’ve also had a great run, and when I was a kid they’d traditionally thump the Pack twice a year. Any day the Packers beat the Viqueens is a great day.
Too bad it wasn’t this particular day, as the best they could muster was a tie. They had a shot to win it in overtime, but they weren’t able to pound it into the end zone from a few yards out to get the win. Fans had grown accustomed to them being automatic in those situations in recent years.
Well, this isn’t recent years, and hope is fading like the paint job on a Yugo. Yesterday was the biggest all out ass kicking they’ve gotten in decades, and it looked like they’ve completely given up in every aspect of their game. The offense, defense and special teams played like Girl Scouts.
I have been a loyal (read: stupid) Packer fan my entire life and I have to say I am not pleased to see how this year has unfolded, but on a personal level I can totally relate. I wish I couldn’t, but I absolutely do. It’s very similar to my life, and I find it fascinating to watch how it’s playing out.
Unforeseen circumstances have been the cause of the downfall, mostly devastating injuries that have wiped out their best players. It has been uncanny how many important players were lost this year, but that’s the luck of the draw. It wasn’t planned on, but now they have to suck it up and try to salvage the season with what they have left. It’s not pleasant, but nobody has a choice. It’s life in the NFL, and life in general. The fans are growing restless, and the coaches are on the hot seat.
Three years ago the same coaches won the Super Bowl and were considered geniuses. That’s a long time ago in football, and now they’re bums. I find this interesting, and it’s a character test to make due every week with depleted resources. This is exactly how my life has been since I was a kid, so I’m finding an even deeper kinship with the team this year. They’re living my existence.
It’s been a rough year for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers – but at least they’re getting paid. We fans are getting screwed for free.
Tags: Aaron Rodgers, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Viqueens, NFL, Scott Tolzien, Seneca Wallace, Super Bowl
Dobie Maxwell's 'Dented Can' Diary 
December 1, 2013 at 2:00 pm |
Hey Dobie, just saw your show at the casino. I was the fib in the front. Why do people from Illinois vacation in Wisconsin? Because they don’t want to tear up Illinois. Illinois is like Wisconsins Mexico. We like to cross the border to take your jobs. Did you know that if you don’t have an I pass for the tollway in Illinois you get charged double? I think thats why the high speed ferry was built, so that people from Wisconsin can avoid driving through Illinois to go to Michigan. People from Illinois love wisconsin because it is such a beautiful state. They love it so much they will even root for the Packers or Brewers when the Bears or Cubs blow the season. (Every year) . People from Wisconsin would never root for the Chicago teams. ( even though we fill Wrigley north every time the cubs come to town) it’s the only time it’s full. The reason we call it Wrigley north is because we can tailgate party there and drink in the parking lot for cheap before the game. We can’t do that in Illinois. There is no parking lot in Wrigley. How do people from Wisconsin avoid open container laws? They keep the backseat full of beer cans and when they get pulled over they say they are on the way to the recycler. When you see wisconsin plates in Illinois it’s like W T F.
December 1, 2013 at 2:25 pm |
Hey Brian, funny stuff. Thanks for coming to the show and being a great audience. Have a great holiday season, and I hope you can come back again in the future.
December 1, 2013 at 5:06 pm |
careful dobie I was a “girl scout” AND I won the ‘punt pass and kick competition’ back in the 70’s…true story. 🙂
seriously, you ought have a column in the milw journal. I know many that would subscribe just to tune in to you everyday! sue