Buccaneers and Packers have Questions after Defensive Battle

It has only taken two weeks for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers to go from undefeated and better without Favre to .500 and needing a veteran quarterback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won two consecutive emotional games against the NFC North. Despite these ups and downs, both are tied for first place in their respective divisions after four weeks.

Every Packer fan had to know this was coming. The only real knock on Aaron Rodgers before the season was his durability. The talent and leadership capabilities were in place, but no one knew if he could last sixteen games of an NFL schedule. Before this year, one of his few regular season appearances ended in a broken foot.  So how could the Packers seriously enter this season with a quarterback that has never started an NFL game with two rookies for backups? They offered a contract to now-retired Daunte Culpepper, but never made a serious attempt to bring in a veteran presence as a backup. This foolhardy approach to their quarterback situation could be about to bite them in the butt.

Rodgers left this game in the 4^thquarter with a shoulder injury and was replaced by rookie Matt Flynn. After a three and out, Rodgers returned and drove his Pack down for a touchdown, but couldn’t overcome throwing three interceptions. The word is now is that it’s a right shoulder sprain for Rodgers, who is currently questionable for their game against Atlanta this Sunday. It’s a scary situation for a Packer team that has dropped two in a row and sits tied with the Bears at the top of the NFC North. If they lose Rodgers for any stretch of time, a veteran could not be brought in fast enough and be expected to start. It would at least be three games before any new acquisition could be educated in the offense, so it’d be at least three games with a rookie starting at quarterback.

Tampa Bay has its own issues to work out. First, kicker Matt Bryant is an inspirational athlete as well as an inspirational human being. To be able to play in that game and make three field goals with everything that had to have been on his mind is nothing short of miraculous. Second, Brian Griese has not played well at all the past two weeks, despite Tampa Bay emerging with victories.  Does Jon Gruden honestly believe that Jeff Garcia would not have thrown less than Griese’s whopping six interceptions? Garcia would not have needed to throw for 400 yards against the Chicago Bears because he would not have committed the same three turnovers. I don’t understand Gruden’s mentality when it comes to who starts for him under center. As long as he’s winning, I guess it doesn’t concern him.

Tampa also has a concern on defense that has reared its head over the past two games. Ronde Barber is not the same corner anymore. He has been exposed as a liability in pass coverage, which used to be one of his strengths. The Bucs will have to come up with ways to limit Barber’s mistakes by giving him safety help over the top. However, he can’t be helped on every play, so look for teams to test Barber early in games to see how much of a step he’s really lost.

The Bay teams are going to be interesting to watch over the next few weeks. Their quarterback situations are tricky at best while their defenses are built to win right now. Poor personnel decisions in the NFL often lead to losses in bunches. Coaches must be aware of their players’ talents and field the best possible line-up. Green Bay and Tampa Bay are going to be presented with tough calls soon; hopefully they can make the right moves.