I have been waiting to give my postgame thoughts on the NFC Championship for a while, but I was pretty busy with my first week back at school and then the Senior Bowl on Saturday. My apologies! Anyway, I wish I would have had time to write this last week where I was still really excited that we won. Now my focus is already looking forward to this Sunday instead of last week, but it shouldn't be too hard to recall one of the biggest wins in Packers history.
1) Sam Shields is a complete stud. I was really nervous about our nickel cornerback position heading into this season after what Kurt Warner did to this team last postseason. I didn't know much about Shields before the season other than he was really fast and really raw. I started to think he wasn't half bad after having a nice preseason. Then he held DeSean Jackson to 4 catches in Week 1. Then you didn't start hearing his name for a while, which is a good thing as a defensive back. Then he had a great interception on Sunday Night Football against the Cowboys on national television. Soon he was intercepting Eli Manning and playing out wide to let Charles Woodson play in the box as a slot blitzer. And finally last week happened. First, Shields came heavily on the corner blitz and hit Jay Cutler, knocking the ball loose and him out of the game. On Shield's first interception he went up as the wide receiver and shielded Johnny Knox away from the ball. It was a huge pick only a few plays after Rodgers threw an interception to Lance Briggs. It forced the Bears to head into halftime shut out by the Packers defense. Shields came again later in the 4th quarter on a corner blitz and forced Hanie to unload the ball quickly, only to be intercepted by B.J. Raji. And on the Bears final drive, Shelds made the interception that Packer fans will always remember: the interception that sealed a trip to the Super Bowl on their biggest rival's home turf. Not bad for an undrafted free agent huh? If there was a redraft of the 2010 NFL Draft, is there any doubt Shields would go in the first round? He played better than 3 of the 5 first round corners this season, only losing out to a Pro Bowler Devin McCourty of the Patriots and Joe Haden of the Browns- the 7th overall pick in the Draft. What an amazing find again for Thompson and the Packers scouting department.
2) B.J Raji. We knew he was going to be good, but this good and this dominant this soon? He is only in his second year in the league and he has proven that he is a complete stud in the middle of the 3-4. Raji started proving his dominance in the Patriots game towards the end of the season and just took off from there. He helped stuff the run and sack his former college teammate Matty Ice in the Divisional game. Then he made the big play for the pick six in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game (note to Raji: I love you man, but try not to make that stretching the ball across the goalline so much like Leon Lett). 6.5 sacks from a 3-4 NT is unheard of in today's NFL, since the main focus of a 3-4 NT is to stop the run and have the linebackers fill the gaps. However, Raji is so quick that he is able to beat either the guards or centers with a quick shove or else simply piledrive him back. His combination of quickness and strength is just unbelievable for a man his size. He is without a doubt a top 5 defensive tackle in the league and I would only take Ngata, Suh, and Wilfork over him at this point. Remember, Raji is only 24 years old. I'm drooling as I write this.
3) Tim Masthay. He showed no fear punting the ball to Devin Hester and he was flat out phenomenal. He and Jarrett Bush have developed some kind of special teams chemistry that I can't really describe in writing, but it just seems Bush always knows where Masthay is punting the ball. Who wouldve known that I would be a writing a paragraph on our special teams, but in order to beat the Bears, we knew that it had to loom large. Masthay's final punt may have been one of the best punts I have ever seen in such a big moment. The Packers had gone 3 and out after going ultra conservative with about 3:30 left in the game and Masthay was forced to kick it to Hester again, making every Packer fan hold their breath. However, Masthay hit a boomer that went about 60 yards in the air and was caught right on the sideline. It gave Hester no real room to work with and he was contained for a very minimal game. It forced Hanie to drive a longer field that was thought, which proved to be huge because the more plays he had to throw the ball, the more likely a mistake: and that is exactly what happened. Masthay has shown that he is prehaps the best Packers punter since the Packers last Super Bowl punter, Craig Hentrich.
4) We are in the Super Bowl. You see, it really didn't hit me that we were in the Super Bowl at all last week. I don't know if that is because I went back to Vikings territory or if it was because the only thing the media could talk about was Jay Cutler. Or maybe it was just because I am still stunned. The Packers became the first 6 seed to win the NFC, making it through the 1,2, and 3 seeds all on the road, which was simply remarkable. Deep down, I knew we had a chance, but as you all know based on my predictions, I didn't think we would actually do it. I believed all year that we had the most talented roster in the NFL and still had not played a complete game in the regular season. This postseason, we still have not played a complete game (Atlanta was very close, except for the special teams blunder), and we find ourselves in the Super Bowl.
I had the weirdest reaction after the Bears game. After Shields' interception I just stuck my hands up while everyone around me was cheering. Yet, when Tramon picked off Vick I went crazy. It got me thinking how crazy sports are: When the moment is that big, you really aren't used to it. I do not recall the last time the Packers won an NFC Championship, since I was only 6 so I didn't know how I would actually react if the Packers won. I was quite surprised, and like I said, it still really hasn't hit me that my Packers are playing for a Super Bowl championship. I am simply just trying to appreciate that we are playing for a Lombardi. The Packers could be back next year, or they could be back in twenty years: You just never know with sports, which is why I am such a big fan.
I meant to end on that, but I just want to let everyone know that I watched the Senior Bowl last Saturday so if you want to check my reports on any names you may recognize below, feel free to go right ahead.
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