Frank: So, my friend, what's your reac...
Artie: Fire them all!
Frank: Um, you mean anyone associated with the two losses to Brett and hispurple pals?
Artie: Well, we can start with the special teams coach, Shawn Slocum, whoseguys couldn't keep Percy Harvin from running wild on kickoff returns. And DomCapers, whose defense put virtually no pressure on Favre for the secondstraight game. And of course the head man, Mike McCarthy, whose offense gainedall of 47 yards in the first half. Start with that troika.
Frank: Kinda harsh. The Pack is 4-3 and in the thick of the playoff race. Andafter being down 24-3 in the third quarter, they made a big comeback.
Artie: All right, it got better after Harvin's long touchdown catch, whenthree Packers wiped each other out to let him waltz home.
Frank: That reminded me of the "helicopter" play in Super BowlXXXII, when three Packers hit John Elway in midair but he spun into a key firstdown.
Artie: This one was worse. And let's not forget, as McCarthy keeps saying,penalties don't mean anything. Except when they do.
Frank: Such as?
Artie: First quarter, Packers up 3-0. Harvin takes a kickoff 77 yards but thedefense holds 'em to a field-goal try—or would have, if Johnny Jolly doesn'thead-butt somebody for a personal foul. The Vikings use the second chance topunch it in for a 7-3 lead.
Frank: It was early, but that made a big difference.
Artie: The crowd was totally energized by the defensive stop, and it all died.But hey, penalties don't mean anything and we've gotta keep our guysaggressive.
Frank: That wasn't the only time a penalty hurt.
Artie: In the second half, a face-mask grab by B.J. Raji put the Vikes inposition for another TD. Of course McCarthy will say, "We'll get thatfixed," but it ain't getting fixed.
Frank: As painful as it may be to admit, Favre played mighty well in both"payback" games—seven TD passes and not a single interception.
Artie: But how the hell do they fail to put any meaningful pressure on Favrein two games? The Minnesotaoffensive line is not that much to write home about.
Frank: It seemed like in the first half the Packers didn't really try topressure Favre. In the second half they were in his face more, but his quickthrows beat the blitzes—especially on the clinching TD to Bernard Berrian.
Artie: It seemed like both times the Packers thought the main thing was tostop Adrian Peterson—which, for the most part, they did. But that can't beeverything with the Vikings.
Frank: Meanwhile, the Vikings swarmed all over Aaron Rodgers again. Eightsacks in October and six this time. Things got better in the second half, buteven when Rodgers had a couple of long runs, it was the result of strongpressure.
Artie: I've been a Rodgers defender, but a couple of the sacks were clearlyhis fault for holding the ball too long.
Frank: So as a Packer Backer, would this have been easier to absorb if thefirst-half blowout had just continued?
Artie: No way. At least they didn't just lie down. And don't forget, there'sstill a chance they can match my prediction of a 13-3 record.
Frank: That's gonna take a nine-game winning streak. But they should clobberthe hopeless Buccaneers and get to the halfway point at 5-3. They probablycan't catch the Vikings in the division, but they'll be in the wild-card huntwith the Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, Falcons and, yes, the Bears.
Artie: That makes the home game against Dallason Nov. 15 mighty big. But right now I'm just thinking about how they lost athome to a division rival. The only thing keeping me off the ledge is thatthere's a new episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" to watch. Right nowmy enthusiasm for the Pack has definitely been curbed.
TheKid Has Game
Frank: But how about your enthusiasm for the Bucks and their rookie pointguard, Brandon Jennings?
Artie: Sky high!
Frank: The kid almost had a triple-double in the loss at Philadelphia,and in the home opener he had 24 points and led a third-quarter blitz thatwiped out Detroit.
Artie: That was incredible. The third quarter has been the Bucks' downfall thelast three or four years...
Frank: As it was in Philadelphia.
Artie: But then to see what this kid did Saturday night was amazing. They'redown by 11 at halftime but Jenningsscores 16 points in the third quarter and electrifies the crowd with a drivewhere he wraps it around his back for a reverse layup.
Frank: A little Bob Cousy touch, although he may not know who Cousy is. Tohear the Bucks' TV guys talk, they're already reserving a spot for him at theHall of Fame. I'd wait a bit longer than two games, but I understand that thoseguys are trying to sell tickets. And what Jenningsdid was impressive, no doubt. His weakness is supposed to be his jump shot, butit didn't look that way.
Artie: More than the numbers, though, was the way he got the crowd going. TheBucks haven't had that kind of guy for a long time.
Frank: Wasn't Ramon Sessions that way a couple of years back?
Artie: Sessions was a solid player, but Jenningslooks like something special. He really related to the crowd—waving his armsafter that fabulous drive, urging them to pump up the volume. Jennings was acting just like a 20-year-oldkid should. I thought I was watching a college game.
Frank: It's obvious that Jenningssees his great opportunity. He can make himself the face of the franchise.
Artie: It's a great story. He grew up in Compton, Calif., one of the toughestplaces in the country. But he got through it. And now that he's here, hismother is with him and he's living in St. Francis, where he can walk to theBucks' practice facility.
Frank: So he's not trolling at Victor's every night. For one thing, he isn'told enough yet.
Artie: He's just what a mid-market team needs, someone who can get the fansinterested again.
Frank: Especially since the Bucks, despite his heroics, didn't lookoverpowering against two of the weaker teams in the Eastern Conference. Let'ssee how they do over a longer stretch, and against tougher teams.
Artie: True enough, but Jenningsand Hakim Warrick at the power forward are giving the Bucks some real energy.
StrideOn, LeBron
Frank: It looked for a while like the NBA would start the season withreplacement referees, but the league and the refs' union worked out a contract.
Artie: During the exhibition games Mavericks owner Mark Cuban—no friend ofrefs—said the subs were doing fine, "just calling what they see." AndI thought, "Does that mean someone will call traveling when LeBron Jamestakes his five steps, ball in one hand and a Samsonite suitcase in theother?"
Frank: Kiss that dream goodbye.
