Hey, Packers, Just Shut Up and Start Winning

(Photo by Scott Boehm/Getty Images)

Jermichael Finley rubbed me the wrong way when he tweeted “Next is lion should trash them,” in reference to the upcoming match-up with the Detroit Lions. He gave a half hearted apology of sorts while basically saying, “What do you want from me? It’s the Lions”

Now I love JMike as a player, but much like this Packers team, he is talented while proving nothing.

So until this team proves something, shut up.

I don’t want to harp on Finley or single him out. It's not on him, he's just the one who said something. The kid should have confidence in his abilities, after all he did trash the Vikings last week. He has every reason to believe an inferior defense would fare even worse against him and this offense.

He’s also right in saying the Packers “should” trash the Lions.  Especially now that word out of Detroit is that Lions All-World wide out Calvin Johnson likely won’t play, the Packers should and need to beat the Lions.

But Green Bay is 2-2, coming off a painful not to mention sloppy defeat at the hands of an arch rival, I don’t want to hear a word out of Green Bay that isn’t “We’re working our (bleeping) tails off to get this turned around.”

Against Minnesota, the Packers looked listless at times. They played with no passion, energy, or heart. There was no chip on their shoulders, no anger, no fire. It was as if the players were just waiting for the light to turn on and they’d start playing like the Super Bowl team everyone thought they were coming into the year.

That time has passed, the press-clippings aren’t pretty anymore so the players need to stop reading them and start reading their playbooks. The bye week gave the team a chance to heal physically, now it’s time to put the hurt to someone else.

It’s good to play Detroit and Cleveland after such a bad beat, because Green Bay has a reason to come out and pulverize the opposition in the next two weeks. Oh, and did I mention what’s his name and that team from next door come to Lambeau after those two games?

When the Packers lost to Cincinnati, the talk was not to panic, it was just one game.

When they lost to Minnesota, it was the wrong kind of talking, the excuses and explanations for such a pathetic display of mediocrity (And I need to remind you, they still had a chance to win that game).

Did Aaron hold the ball too long? Did the offensive line suck? Did the defense play with no life or creativity? Will Mark Tauscher be signed?

Enough talk. Enough excuses.

There’s no hype this week for a Detroit Lions team with one win since Clinton was President (Okay not quite, but it seems that way). There will be even less for Cleveland as the intensity of a division game will give way to an AFC powder puff game.

These are must wins, and they need to be crisp and convincing. And I don't mean by explaining that it wasn't close.

A good linebackers coach will tell his players that you do your talking with your pads. You think Kevin Greene is saying that to his guys right now? He better be.

It’ll be clear after just a couple minutes against Detroit where this team is. If they talk with their pads and put a butt-whooping on Detroit early, maybe this team is starting to figure it out. If they have to squeak out another W (or God forbid they lose), and we have to hear more excuses after the game, the real talk will need to start again…Talk about next season.

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