Artie: Before this weekend's gameagainst San Francisco,Mike McCarthy needs to get another part-time maintenance worker fired. Hefinally found a way to get problems corrected!
Frank: You refer, of course, to astory that came out last week. The Lambeau Field worker, Mike Wood, said hemade a "kick some butt" comment to McCarthy before the home gameagainst Minnesota.He said he was fired after a supervisor told him McCarthy thought he saidsomething like, "Don't lay an egg." McCarthy's reply: "I did notfire anybody."
Artie: Who cares what's true?Clearly this is the key, because nothing else has been able to, in McCarthy'swords, "correct" or "fix" or "clean up" anyproblems. This time he scared 'em straight.
Frank: There was also a"clear the air" meeting of the offense after the Tampa Baydisaster.
Artie: I didn't see much changethere. Except for the one long second-half drive that made it 10-0, I don'tthink the offensive line protected Aaron Rodgers much better than before. Theycut his sacks to "only" four.
Frank: The penalties sure didn'tget cut.
Artie: These were the twomost-penalized NFL teams going in, and they lived up to it. Twenty-two flagsoverall, a dozen for the Pack! In the third quarter, Tramon Williams returns apunt about 40 yards but there's a hold AND an illegal block. Lord knows theycan't fire the special-teams coach, so they might as well fire a part-timemaintenance worker, ain’a?
Frank: Anyway, as the Packer fanin this duo, how much better do you feel at 5-4?
Artie: Not all that much. Ofcourse it's delicious to beat the Cowboys after all that crap in the '90s whenthe Packers couldn't get past Dallasin the playoffs. And the defense had a great day, especially Charles Woodsonwith eight tackles, two forced fumbles and a goal-line interception.
Frank: They sure swarmed over TonyRomo, sacking him five times. I thought maybe the Packers' offensive line hadswitched uniforms.
Artie: Dom Capers, the defensiveguru, found a way to get pressure, which never happened in two games againstthe Vikings or at Tampa Bay. The offensive linesort of came together in the second half, but I think the Dallas defense just wore down because theywere on the field so long—or hobbling off with injuries.
Frank: With no rooting interest inthe game, I just thought it was a dreary display of mistakes and penalties.
Artie: Amen to that.
Frank: Things could have been verydifferent in the first half. The Cowboys missed a very makeable field goal thatwould have made it 3-0; Roy Williams might have scored on a long pass but alucky swipe caused him to fumble; and a Dallas sack and fumble recovery deep inPacker territory was nullified by a questionable penalty in the secondary.
Artie: Right you are.
Frank: But a win's a win, and withthe next two games against San Fran and Detroitthe Packers have a good chance of hitting December at 7-4.
Artie: Atlantaand Philadelphia lost Sunday, the Giants alreadywere 5-4 and now Dallasis just one game ahead. The Vikings can't be caught but a wild card is mightypossible—if the O-line and penalties get fixed.
Frank: The officiating crew alsohad a bad day Sunday. They took time to consider two challenges that weren'tallowable in the first place.
Artie: One was because McCarthyhad run out of challenges by being wrong once earlier in the game. He's now 11for 25 in challenges. I think he gets so emotional that he throws the red flag withoutthinking about it.
Frank: On the failed challenge,where Jordy Nelson was clearly short of the goal line, Troy Aikman even usedthe word "dumb."
Artie: I say somebody stealMcCarthy's red flag. And have some other part-time maintenance worker take onefor the team and say, "Coach, don't let the 49ers kick your butt."
So Far So-o-o Good
Frank: I think I know somethingyou're more encouraged about—the Bucks.
Artie: Especially our wunderkindof a point guard, Brandon Jennings. The kid scored 87 points in victories over Denver and Golden State!
Frank: And amazingly, he didn'tscore a single point in the first quarter either night.
Artie: I saw most of the gameagainst the Warriors. Twenty-nine of his 55 points in the third quarter—lightsout like I've never seen! It wasn't just flinging it up; he made shots everykind of way you can—driving to the rim, pulling up for a floater, hittingthrees.
Frank: He's taking more shots withMichael Redd injured, but from what I've seen he's under control.
Artie: Absolutely. He still hadfive assists against the Warriors. Redd would kill to have five assists.Actually, if he saw himself with five assists in the box score he'd think itwas a misprint.
Frank: The Bucks are also gettingAndrew Bogut more involved in the offense.
Artie: It's the ideal combo ofinside/outside.
Frank: I've felt for years thatBogut didn't get enough touches. Now it seems to be happening quickly andconsistently.
Artie: A couple of years ago,Bogut said he should get the ball more. Some people said it sounded arrogant,but he's a smart guy. He can score in close, but he's such a good passer thathe can get the ball back to Jenningsand the others.
Frank: It's enough to make Buckfans dream of... Well, it'd be wise to wait. They had to fight all the wayagainst Golden State, hardly a strong team.
Artie: Still, nobody expectedtheir 5-2 start, and they battled Dallasinto overtime Monday night. With games against New Jerseyand Charlotteto wrap up a six-game homestand, now’s the time to build something. They'llhave their big test in January when they take a six-game Western trip.
Frank: Certainly nobody expected Jennings to be as greatas he's been.
Artie: To score 55 and still beplaying team ball! His shooting was supposed to be a weakness, and nothing inthe preseason indicated he was improving this much!
Frank: I heard him say he'd beentaking a thousand shots a day in extra work.
Artie: No wonder he decided tolive in St. Francis so he'd be close to the Cousins Center.
Frank: Of course, it's early. Hemight hit the wall in an 82-game season; he didn't play all that much lastseason after going to Italyout of high school.
Artie: That's for after NewYear's. For now, let's revel in the kid!
A Looper Loophole
Frank: The Brewers decided todecline their $6.5 million option for next year on Braden Looper and gave him a$1 million buyout.
Artie: Good move. They don't needSuppan-Lite—or is it Jeff Suppan who's Looper-Lite?
Frank: But Looper still couldreturn, if he'll take less money.
Artie: Oh. At least it wouldn'tcost as much for all the homers he gives up.
Frank: Anyway, the Brewers arewhittling payroll to pursue other pitching.
Artie: But a lot of these freeagents are well in their 30s and not much of an upgrade—Jarrod Washburn, RandyWolf, Doug Davis. More "inning eaters." I'd rather trade for a youngguy with star potential, like Kevin Correia in San Diegoor Edwin Jackson in Detroit.
Frank: Someone who'll eat innings effectivelywould be nice.
