Green Bay loss hard for pundits to take...

[kramskoi]

Nevermind "Goose" Gosselin or Pete Prisco. The latest apologists for the Green Bay cause is a curious website called coldhardfootballfacts.com.

There motto? The truth hurts. With extreme emphasis placed on so called "Quality Wins" (wins against teams >.500) they profess to "deadly accuracy" in separating pretenders from contenders.

This is how it works. The formula uses scoring differential against teams above .500 to determine which team is stronger in a matchup. This is strictly a reward based prediction apparatus. Performance against non-quality teams is disregarded.

This is how the two teams were ranked before the Nov. 29 matchup:



2. GREEN BAY (10-1, previous rank: 2)

• Record vs. Quality Teams: 3-0, +13.3 PPG
• Last week: Packers piled up 481 yards of total offense in a 38-27 win at Detroit.
• Cold, Hard Football Facts: RB Ryan Grant has yet to be outrushed by an opposing back in his five games as Green Bay’s featured back (four 100-yard efforts).
• Next: at Dallas, Thursday night. Should be a great game, even if you won’t be able to see it on TV. It’s Comcastic!

3. DALLAS (10-1, previous rank: 3)

• Record vs. Quality Teams: 2-1, +0.0 PPG
• Last week: Cowboys held the Jets to 3.5 yards per play in 34-3 Thanksgiving turkey of a game.
• Cold, Hard Football Facts: WR Terrell Owens has scored at least one touchdown in 18 of his 27 games with the Cowboys.
• Next: vs. Green Bay, Thursday night. The Packers and Cowboys are 10-10 vs. each other all time in the regular season, with Green Bay holding a 434-424 scoring advantage. (Dallas holds a 4-2 advantage in their four postseason meetings.)

-----------------------

These are comments before the game:



"Green Bay is better against Quality Opponents than any team in the
NFC (3-0, +13.3 PPG scoring differential). The Packers are also clearly
more balanced than their opponent in Thursday night\'s NFC Game of the
Century, Dallas, the team those not armed by the Cold, Hard Football Facts
consider the best in the NFC."
-----------------------

After the game i chided them a little in an email and got the following response:


"Quality Wins is 25-8 picking playoff winners since we introduced it and
is
deadly accurate differentiating between two seemingly strong teams.
There is
nothing more accurate in all of sports for separating great football
teams
from pretenders. If there is, we would have heard about it by now.

Doesn't mean it's right all the time. Nothing is. Just that it's more
accurate than anything out there.

Green Bay's problem was Brett Favre throwing away the ball twice early
and
then going out with an injury. If he doesn't turn into Brett Favre of
2005,
if he simply plays the way he did all year, then it's a pretty sure
Green
Bay win. Even Aaron Rodgers, who had never thrown a meaningful pass in
his
career, shredded the Dallas D.

Don't know what kind of system other folks use, but Dallas remains a
flawed
(or at least very inefficient) defensive team by any measure. They
still
might turn out to be the best team in the NFC though. They certainly
earned
the right to say so after winning Thursday night.

We've had a lot of folks try to poke holes in the Quality Wins thing,
but
they always end up being embarrassed. Really, all that matters at the
end of
the day is if you can beat good teams. Everything else is
fantasy-football
style BS.

Thanks for the note."
----------------------------

Needless to say, there are a lot of ifs and buts in that apologetic response and judging by the tone, it betrays a certain bias. But all that matters at the end of the day is the fact that you can beat good teams. Everything else is just fantasy-football style BS.

The Cowboys would agree...End of mission.

 

[03EBZ06]

Here are few facts that those apologists can chew on.

Cowboys 11-1

Packers 10-2


Other crap they spew doesn't mean squat.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Alot of IF in the above verbiage.

I am starting to think everyone saw a different game then I did on Thursday.

The Cowboys were clearly a better team on both sides of the ball.

Everyone keeps saying that Favre became the 2005 version of himself. To me, this is like looking a the Effect, but failing to ever look at the Cause.

The Dallas Cowboys Defense forced Brett Favre into making mistakes. We put so much pressue on him that we eventually knocked him out of the game.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Green Bay's problem was Brett Favre throwing away the ball twice early
and
then going out with an injury. If he doesn't turn into Brett Favre of
2005,
if he simply plays the way he did all year, then it's a pretty sure
Green
Bay win.

:laugh2:

Maybe these guys can petition the league to change the record books and give that game to the Packers...

But I wonder how the Pats are looking in that formula after two three-point wins against sub-.500 teams?

 

[Big Dakota]

Who turned him into the Favre of 2005?

 

[Doomsday101]

Alot of IF in the above verbiage.

I am starting to think everyone saw a different game then I did on Thursday.

The Cowboys were clearly a better team on both sides of the ball.

Everyone keeps saying that Favre became the 2005 version of himself. To me, this is like looking a the Effect, but failing to ever look at the Cause.

The Dallas Cowboys Defense forced Brett Favre into making mistakes. We put so much pressue on him that we eventually knocked him out of the game.

I agree. I was disappointed in how we seem to be hesitant when Brett went out of the game and Rogers entered the game. It was almost like the coaches and players were unsure of what to expect.

 

[Hostile]

Maybe it's just me, but I have a feeling that those ratings will be adjusted since we beat them head to head. In other words, what's written there is really no longer relevant. If they still have them ahead of us, it would be.

 

[Big Dakota]

I agree. I was disappointed in how we seem to be hesitant when Brett went out of the game and Rogers entered the game. It was almost like the coaches and players were unsure of what to expect.

IMHO that scramble for a first down really helped Rogers cause. It kinda set us back on our heels and showed the old slow Bret was out of the game. Gave Rogers confidence as well.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

I agree. I was disappointed in how we seem to be hesitant when Brett went out of the game and Rogers entered the game. It was almost like the coaches and players were unsure of what to expect.

Yep, I am thinking about uploading footage of our Defense dropping back in coverage and Cris Collinsworth pointing it out when Rodgers came into the game.

I am tired of hearing about how he was able to move the ball on us an if Favre would have done the same thing, he would have been successfull too.

It's nonsense.

Green Bay, win-out, win all of your Playoff Games and you have a shot at getting revenge.

 

[Doomsday101]

IMHO that scramble for a first down really helped Rogers cause. It kinda set us back on our heels and showed the old slow Bret was out of the game. Gave Rogers confidence as well.

I think that played a part. I also feel that Dallas did not put any time during the week on Rogers as they readied themselves for Favre I’m not casting blame if I was the coach my focus would have been solely on Brett as well. Hell I wish Brett would have remained in the game because I think our guys were ready for him.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

2. GREEN BAY (10-1, previous rank: 2)

• Record vs. Quality Teams: 3-0, +13.3 PPG

3. DALLAS (10-1, previous rank: 3)

• Record vs. Quality Teams: 2-1, +0.0 PPG

So... we are 2-1 vs quality teams and GB is 3-0 vs. quality teams.... but their one loss comes against a BAD team.....


Some how the doesnt look that good of a comparison when you really look at it.

 

[Big Dakota]

I think that played a part. I also feel that Dallas did not put any time during the week on Rogers as they readied themselves for Favre I’m not casting blame if I was the coach my focus would have been solely on Brett as well. Hell I wish Brett would have remained in the game because I think our guys were ready for him.

Ya, that's been said many times on the Zone. The best thing that happened to them was Brett going out How many times have ya seen it? The struggling vet starter goes out for a backup and the backup just starts the team. We hit Brett several times in the first. He would have been a hurtin unit if he'd stayed in the game. But i agree, we didn't prepare for Rogers and it showed at first, till we got it together.

 

[SMCowboy]

I think that played a part. I also feel that Dallas did not put any time during the week on Rogers as they readied themselves for Favre I’m not casting blame if I was the coach my focus would have been solely on Brett as well. Hell I wish Brett would have remained in the game because I think our guys were ready for him.

Aaron Rodgers gave us more trouble than Farve because of his ability to scramble and keep plays alive that Farve would have never had a chance to do. The Aaron Rodgers that played against us was a much more dangerous weapon than Farve could ever be right now. The only issue is can he keep it up, or when teams have a chance to game plan for him will he fold.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Ya, that's been said many times on the Zone. The best thing that happened to them was Brett going out How many times have ya seen it? The struggling vet starter goes out for a backup and the backup just starts the team. We hit Brett several times in the first. He would have been a hurtin unit if he'd stayed in the game. But i agree, we didn't prepare for Rogers and it showed at first, till we got it together.

I dont know.... we claimed to not prepare for Jason Campbell "passing the ball" = excuse.... NOW... we didnt prepare for Rodgers? THIS needs to be fixed. We got a little lucky that Favre went old school bad on us... just chucking it downfield. A controlled underneath passing game and ..... who knows?

We are 12 games in.... no more excuses... we need solutions.

 

[Doomsday101]

Aaron Rodgers gave us more trouble than Farve because of his ability to scramble and keep plays alive that Farve would have never had a chance to do. The Aaron Rodgers that played against us was a much more dangerous weapon than Farve could ever be right now. The only issue is can he keep it up, or when teams have a chance to game plan for him will he fold.

Rodgers did a great job but the Packers came into the game 10-1 because of Brett Favre and no he is not better than Brett. I doubt Dallas looked at any film at all of Rodger leading up to the game and just did not know what to expect from him. His ability to run helped him but it was not as if we were chasing Mike Vick out there. Pack went to a lot of check down throws and Dallas eased up on putting pressure on Rodgers which was a bit of a mistakes on our part. I think GB will be in trouble if Brett can't play

 

[Doomsday101]

I dont know.... we claimed to not prepare for Jason Campbell "passing the ball" = excuse.... NOW... we didnt prepare for Rodgers? THIS needs to be fixed. We got a little lucky that Favre went old school bad on us... just chucking it downfield. A controlled underneath passing game and ..... who knows?

We are 12 games in.... no more excuses... we need solutions.

Teams only have X amount of time to get ready for any game, I doubt Dallas looked at Rodgers at all. Brett has shown himself as an Iron man of the NFL not missing much time thought out his career and coaches tend not to waste time getting ready for a QB who they don't expect to play in the game. This is not an excuse it is just the way it is.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Teams only have X amount of time to get ready for any game, I doubt Dallas looked at Rodgers at all. Brett has shown himself as an Iron man of the NFL not missing much time thought out his career and coaches tend not to waste time getting ready for a QB who they don't expect to play in the game. This is not an excuse it is just the way it is.

We will agree to disagree on this one.

He is STILL a NFL QB and we are STILL an NFL team. He had too much success in there against our defense.

 

[Doomsday101]

We will agree to disagree on this one.

He is STILL a NFL QB and we are STILL an NFL team. He had too much success in there against our defense.

I'm not saying we should not have done better aginst him but I don't think Dallas knew what to expect out of him considering there is little to no info on him because he does not play!!! Yes he is an NFL QB sitting behind a top QB and only sees time on the practice team so how would Dallas coaches be able to know the strenght and weakness of Rodgers. In the end Rodgers played very well but he did not play well enough to beat us so yes Dallas did take care of him in the end.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I wonder how NE's defense feels considering AJ Feely and Kyle Boller have just hung 20+ on them?

It's an offensive league. All but the most pathetic teams are going to score on everyone. That's just the way it is.

 

[big dog cowboy]

If they can make it to the NFC Championship game, GB will have to play in Dallas because of their quality loss.