Game Notes: Whatever the Packers' identity is, it just isn't good enough

-- For some reason, this felt exactly like the kind of game the Green Bay Packers would lose, no matter how well they played. I felt this way all throughout the week.

I said on both the Pack-A-Day Podcast and KLGR 1490 AM that the Packers would jump out to a 10-0 lead and shock everyone. Then that the Los Angeles Rams would claw their way back into the game. The only difference? It wasn't a 38-35 win for the Packers. Instead, they fell just short, 29-27.

There are positives to take away, but there are some negatives as well. Just like any loss. I'm here to woefully dive into a few of them.

Ty Montgomery is human.

Ty Montgomery fielded a kick return two yards deep in his own end zone with under two minutes left in the game, trailing by two points. All he had to do was either take a knee or let it bounce out of the back of the end zone. Instead -- he ran it back. After a second effort in the process of being brought down, he fumbled the ball and essentially lost the game for the Packers.

But that's okay. This trivial game we watch every Sunday brings out the worst in some people, and the fact that it's supposed to be a game gets lost in translation. In no world should a player receive death threats/wishes because he fumbled a stupid football. It's seriously disappointing. All you need to do is search up a couple of keywords and Montgomery's handle (@_WiFi_Ty_) and see for yourself. 

Jaire Alexander is not-so-human.

The Packers lined their No. 17 overall pick up all over the field against the Rams, and he delivered in virtually every situation. He had five passes defensed, becoming the first cornerback to do so for the Packers since Ahmad Carroll in 2005.

He also finished tied for second on the team in tackles (7). Alexander was good -- really good. It was his first game back since missing the last two with a groin injury, and his presence was felt. It's usually a cardinal sin to have to rely on a rookie on your defense, but Alexander very well might be the exception. The Packers' defense looked significantly different with him on the field.

The Packers are still trying to prove themselves.

The Packers have a tendency to beat the teams they're supposed to beat and lose nail-biters to the teams they have no business competing against. They were the biggest underdogs in Aaron Rodgers' career against the Rams, but they held a lead for a good chunk of the game -- and even entered the half with 10-8 advantage -- and only lost by two points. That's just not good enough.

The last time the Packers were able to fully control a game from start to finish, at least from my memory, was the blowout against the Seattle Seahawks during the "run the table" stretch in December of 2016. Since then? They've been either overwhelmingly average or relatively below it. For a team with Rodgers at the helm, there's something wretched about that.

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Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].

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Comments (40)

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fastmoving's picture

October 29, 2018 at 11:18 am

well written, especially the Monty part.
Its sad how some people react and most of the time these guys made never a play anywhere in here whole life. maybe that has something to do with the way they act…...

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GBPDAN1's picture

October 29, 2018 at 11:38 am

I'm disappointed in Montgomery for not obeying the coaches instructions to kneel, but death threats?..wow, that's terrible.

BG made a great move trading back and obtaining Alexander and a first rd pick from the Saints next year. This kid is going to be a pro Bowler for us during his career. I hope this team stays healthy, we could be seeing some good football coming up if so

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

October 29, 2018 at 11:49 am

"death threats?"

It's a sad view into how adversarial our society has become. It needs to stop.

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packerbackerjim's picture

October 29, 2018 at 12:20 pm

Ask Dan Devine if extreme threats are new to Green Bay! Ask Lynn Dickey how it felt to have Packer fans cheer your leg getting broken. There have been lunatics forever.

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Oppy's picture

October 29, 2018 at 04:21 pm

Packers fans are the worst

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Malland56's picture

October 29, 2018 at 05:34 pm

Packers fans are not the worst. Give me a break. Take a look around the league, there are worse fans out there that you can't imagine.

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Oppy's picture

October 30, 2018 at 02:10 am

Re-read PackerbackerJim's comment just above mine.

Packers Fans are the Worst.

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packerbackerjim's picture

October 30, 2018 at 06:57 am

Packer Fans are not “the worst”—far from it. The point I was trying to make is that lunacy is not new, it’s just the most recent manifestation.

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BamaPackFan's picture

October 29, 2018 at 10:45 pm

Maybe that is why they outnumbered the home team crowd... by a good bit. Over 2000 miles away from a town of 101,000, and more Packer fans show up than some of the 6 million or more who live within 30 miles of the stadium. I think Packer fans are the best.

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Oppy's picture

October 30, 2018 at 02:10 am

Re-read PackerBackerJim's post, just above mine.

Packers Fans are the Worst.

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dobber's picture

October 29, 2018 at 12:46 pm

Zach...shame on you for putting Ahmad Carroll's name so close to Jaire Alexander's!

I think that name should be forever banned from CHTV reporting.

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sonomaca's picture

October 29, 2018 at 11:15 am

Looking at the various schedules, the Bears have the easiest. I’m guessing the Pack finishes 8-7-1. The Bears 9-7.

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sonomaca's picture

October 29, 2018 at 11:20 am

It is possible the NFC North gets a WC team, given the Seahawks and Eagles tough schedules.

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pacman's picture

October 29, 2018 at 11:27 am

deleted

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TarynsEyes's picture

October 29, 2018 at 11:38 am

Packers identity isn't good enough...maybe they should try doing it this way.

https://youtu.be/iRTbPZz0UMI

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ShanghaiKid's picture

October 29, 2018 at 11:46 am

Their identity at this point, is that they have no identity.

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Bert's picture

October 29, 2018 at 12:23 pm

Sending death threats are for total losers! It really is "just a game" for christsakes. From what I have read, Ty threw a tantrum earlier when he was removed from the game and then disobeyed his coaches orders to take a knee. He needs to be cut ASAP.

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Roadrunner23's picture

October 29, 2018 at 12:33 pm

Iv'e been saying it for weeks, McCarthy is losing the locker room. Rodgers unhappy this past off-season as they won't ask a future HOF QB for his input or let him at least know whats going on?

Dix saying he doesn't see himself in Green Bay next year and all of his teammates know he isn't giving 100%?

Ty Montgomery defying orders to take a knee because he's throwing a temper tantrum about not playing enough?

After two weeks to self scout the Packers come out with the same old stale offense?

After two weeks of self scout McCarthy is still wasting timeouts?

If you think it's bad now, just watch this feeble Packers team get taken apart by the Patriots at their place, the wheels are really going to come off then! Can't wait!

McCarthy is gone at seasons end and will be coaching the Browns with Dorsey, you heard it here first.

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dobber's picture

October 29, 2018 at 12:45 pm

....given that the Browns just canned Hue...

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Oppy's picture

October 29, 2018 at 04:28 pm

You think a coach who has lost the locker room gets his team to come out and play like the Packers played against the best team in football yesterday?

Come on, man. Think about what you're saying.

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EddieLeeIvory's picture

October 29, 2018 at 07:46 pm

I agree with most of what u said, but the Browns know better than we do: they don't want McCarthy as their coach!

Even given Rodgers, MM only was able to get to 1 Super Bowl and that was very lucky (thanks David Akers).

He should have gotten the 2011, 2014, and 2007 team to a Super Bowl.

All these "mental" errors? He is the common denominator.

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Doug Niemczynski's picture

October 29, 2018 at 12:44 pm

Flabbergasted!!!

From what I am reading from McCarthy is that he basically gives permission for the KR to do whatever he feels is best as far as kneeling or running it out of the endzone.

This is just mind boggling, especially with under 2 minutes to play.

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stockholder's picture

October 29, 2018 at 06:41 pm

A-Rods reaction. Priceless. What if he told monty to take a knee and not MM.

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EddieLeeIvory's picture

October 29, 2018 at 07:47 pm

More evidence that MM is a weakness.

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Doug Niemczynski's picture

October 29, 2018 at 01:09 pm

Now I'm reading coaches told Montgomery to dow the ball,
but the I read " Montgomery may have ignored instructions because he was upset about Green Bay’s previous possession."

NO WONDER THR THE PACKERS LOSE GAMES, BECAUSE OF STUPIDITY. No one knows who is supposed to do what and then total lack of discipline by coaches and players. Left hand has no idea what right hand is doing. Hence, FUMBLE!

Looks like we DESERVE to lose the game and all or previous

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Oppy's picture

October 29, 2018 at 04:35 pm

So, because a guy selfishly acted outside of protocol and directly disobeyed his coaches, everything is broken?
There is literally no logic to be found here.

Hey, but to your point, here's a list of three other Packers players I can think of who have done the same thing as Montgomery:

Brandon Bostick (fired)

Aaron Rodgers (Revered by fans who ignore his shortcommings and blame any faults on anyone but him)

Favre (Revered by fans who accepted his faults and just said, "that's Brett being Brett")

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packergal's picture

October 29, 2018 at 01:09 pm

The Packers identity is a team that:

• Promised to either scrub the entire playbook and/or tweak a few plays (pick one)
• Allows Rodgers to consistently hold the ball too long and/or calls plays that have zero chance of execution (like the one deep in the endzone that resulted in a safety)—(pick one)
• Lines up ready to go then watches the clock wind down to one second and then: either calls time out and/or takes a sack on 3rd down and 11 (pick one)
• Runs on 3rd and 6 and/or passes on 3rd and 2 (pick one)
• Refuses to play A Jones and then self-scouts, threatening to play A Jones more (pick one)
• Threatens to deploy multiple tight end sets then refuses to deploy multiple tight end sets (pick one)
• Has players that publicly ask to be traded (HHCD), state their unhappiness about not playing more (JJ) and/or have tantrums about being pulled on the last series (TM) (pick one)
• Allows coaches and/or select players to operate independently with little accountability to the Team and/or Organization (pick one)

So for those stating the Packers have no identity, I suggest the team’s multiple identities are ever present and will only be eliminated with the right leadership at the top and/or on the field. (pick more than one).

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jhlisic's picture

October 29, 2018 at 03:36 pm

You make some great points.
And most of those points are an indictment on the offense.
The defense has a new coordinator and relative youth and inexperience regarding personnel, and they are still going out there and balling. Full credit goes to the defensive unit.
The offense has veterans and experience all over, and they look lost at times. This offense should be firing on all cylinders. They have the talent to be putting up 30 a game no problem.

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Doug Niemczynski's picture

October 29, 2018 at 09:21 pm

Brett Favre basically never had a defense
worth a flip or a defensive coordinator and his surrounding cast was good but not fantastic except for 1996.

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TKWorldWide's picture

October 30, 2018 at 07:49 pm

Not correct.

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ILPackerBacker's picture

October 29, 2018 at 01:17 pm

There is absolutely no evidence of real death threats
What's wrong with you?

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fastmoving's picture

October 29, 2018 at 02:20 pm

You cant read? What else do you need.

man, the strange wig brings all down pretty fast with his smarties….

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TXCHEESE's picture

October 29, 2018 at 01:22 pm

I for one, was giddy with 2:05, one time out and about 45-45 yards needed for a really good opportunity to win the game. One extremely bone headed move by Ty, screwed millions of viewers from watching a possibly exciting finish. Not sure how he can survive in that locker room this week. His ball security has never been great. Time to cut bait, remove the distraction, and get ready for New England.

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pacman's picture

October 29, 2018 at 01:59 pm

This is going to be a very challenging week for a head coach to get his team focused on beating NE. The teams showed they can hang with the best. Was this an anomoly? Let's see what the team pride brings next week against BB and TB. That's a whole new set of challenges and only 1 week to prepare, not 2.

Can MM pull it off?

Like this post if you think they can.

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pacman's picture

October 29, 2018 at 01:59 pm

Like this post if you think they cannot.

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TKWorldWide's picture

October 29, 2018 at 06:07 pm

Like this post if you like beer.

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Leatherhead's picture

October 29, 2018 at 07:28 pm

I visit this site and see our players and coaches receive over the top criticism week after week.

Kyler Fackrell, Dix, Martinez, Matthews, etc. just get lambasted by know it alls who have no idea what they're talking about.

Monty is a smart, versatile guy who made a mistake by not knowing where he was on the field, and then compounded the mistake by coughing up the rock. Maybe his head wasn't right because of some earlier stuff, but he doesn't deserve the hate coming his way.

Packers have a good team. It has definitely improved since the season began. We're still totally in the race for the division title.

We should all relax. We'll live longer.

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EddieLeeIvory's picture

October 29, 2018 at 07:54 pm

I agree with much of what you said. But the evidence shows that Ty is NOT smart. I don't care about the Stanford education. Football IQ, what he did was middle school or high school level common sense.

I knew 20 years ago that in that situation, u pray for a touchback. And it's the 25-yard line now too, not the 20.
Plus as you all know, half the time the zebras will flag us for a blockINtheBACK or a hold, on a kick or pubt return. So that's usually about at the 10-yard line. Plus wasting that time.....

Death threats are pathetic and should result in crimes, just like if made in person or on a bathroom wall.

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Doug Niemczynski's picture

October 29, 2018 at 09:26 pm

Well..time to move onto N.E.

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RaymonMontgomery's picture

January 10, 2021 at 03:57 pm

I remember that perfectly. It was a difficult week not only for the coach but also for me as a fan because I was really very worried about this

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