Packers 31, Lions 24

Whoo Hoo! The Pack finally get a win...and Brett gets his 400th career (and 401st, 402nd) TD pass. He's now only 18 behind tying Dan Marino's NFL record of 420. Pretty impressive.

Negatives:

1. The Packers defense this week (and the past few weeks) gave up too many points. Yes, the Packers offense put enough points on the board to overcome it, but that won't happen every game. But I will give them some credit (see positives).
2. Green fumbling on 3rd down with 1 minute+ to go. I think Packer fans across the country were clutching their chests.
3. McCarthy's decision to run the ball on 3rd down. There was so little time left, why not take a knee, delay of game, then a knee again, and punt? The Lions would have had about 10 seconds with the ball.
4. The Packers secondary: Ted Thompson put a lot of $$ into these players (namely Charles Woodson) and they haven't showed much.

Positives:

1. They won, they won!!
2. Brett Favre's superb play: 25 of 36 for 340 yards, 3 TDs, no INTs
3. Greg Jennings: he broke a short pass from Favre into a 75-yard TD. Awesome. Although Donald Driver deserves a little credit for the excellent block he threw downfield that allowed Jennings to score.
4. The O-line: They protected Favre well, allowed him time to throw and didn't allow a sack.
5. The Defense: They had two HUGE stops in the 4th quarter when the game was on the line.

Next week: Packers (1-2) at Eagles (2-1) on Monday Night

Saints 34, Packers 27

Another loss for the Pack. This one wasn't as depressing as the first one was - they actually made a game of it this week.

Negatives:

1. After a great running performance last week, Green couldn't get it going this week. Surprising because the Bears defense is way better than the Saints.
2. Way, way too many dropped passes! Bubba Franks dropped a few key ones, as did Ahman Green. Brady Poppinga dropped a sure interception, too.
3. Green fumbled at a key point in the game.
4. Bubba losing his cool and getting called for a penalty. I understand that he was mad about the late hit on Driver, but come on.
5. The team seemed to get a little too confidant in the beginning of the game when they were leading 13-0. This is the NFL, and momentum is huge. But when the other team gets momentum like the Saints did, look out.

Positives:

1. The Packers made a game of it. At no point did they give up...they kept pushing on.
2. Brett Favre: 31 for 55, 340 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
3. Aaron Kampan came to play again this week. He's earning his contract so far this year. He tied a game high 3 sacks yesterday, forcing fumbles on two.
4. Donald Driver had a great game. He was catching everything. Who says this guy isn't a #1 receiver? 8 passes for 153 yards.
5. The defense did a good job of containing Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.

Next week: Packers (0-2) at Lions (0-2)

Where were you?

Where were you when the attacks took place on September 11, 2001? I was at my apartment in Whitewater, getting ready for my morning classes. I turned on the TV like I did on most days. When I started watching, the first plane had already hit the first tower. At that point, they were speculating that it was just a bad accident. As I continued watching, the second plane hit. Everyone knew then that this was no accident. As I got ready that morning, I woke up all of my roommates. I thought they would want to know what was going on. The second tower collapsed shortly before I left for Finance class. I went to class, and there were several fellow classmates who had an earlier class and didn't know what was going on. My Finance class went on as scheduled. My professor didn't even mention it at all. I wonder if he knew. Needless to say, it was difficult to concentrate. I went to my next class, Internet Marketing, and my professor canceled class. Her sister-in-law had business in the World Trade Center that day, but luckily she didn't make it there before the attacks. She encouraged us to go home and watch the news. It would be important, she said, because our world changed that day.

Isn't that funny how you'll never forget where you were? It's like our grandparents not forgetting where they were the moment they found out Pearl Harbor had been bombed. It's like our parents knowing exactly where they were when they were listening to the Apollo moon landing. I can't believe it's already been 5 years. My heart just aches for the families of those who died, but it is also full of pride for the heroes of that day: firefighters, policemen, ordinary citizens and those on Flight 93 who weren't going to sit back and let those monsters attack Washington.

Our world changed in a blink of an eye that day, and I'll never forget it. No one will. Where were you when our world changed?

Bears 26, Packers 0

Brutal. That's really the only word that comes to mind regarding the Packers loss. The Bears dominated the game. Perhaps those critics were right after all. It may be a long season...

This is my first of what I hope to be Packer game summaries for the season.

Negatives:

1. The Packers defense was on the field way too long in the first half.
   
2. The Packers couldn't get anything going on offense all day.
   
3. The Packers couldn't convert on 3rd down.
4. Way too many penalties against the Packers.
5. Favre with 2 INTs.
   

Positives:

1. The Packers red-zone defense. They held the Bears to field goals 3 or 4 times in the red-zone.
2. Ahman Green's running: He ran past the century mark and averaged 5+ yards per carry. There was a lot of doubt around the league as to whether or not he could come back from such a severe injury. I think he proved the doubters wrong today.
   
3. Charles Woodson returning punts. He broke a 28-yarder to get the ball into Bears territory.
   
4. The O-line. The holes were there for the most part for Green to take advantage of, which he did. They also protected Favre fairly well.
5. Aaron Kampman: Kampman had a pretty decent game. He sacked the quarterback and at times applied the pressure in the pass defense.
   

Next week: Packers (0-1) vs. Saints (1-0)

Are you ready for some football????

I sure am! T minus 31 minutes and the Packers kick off their 2006 season...I'm so excited! Their first opponent is their arch-enemy, the Chicago Bears. The Bears are favored by 3 1/2 points coming into Lambeau. That's unacceptable. I hope the Packers kick their butts and shut up all their critics...bring it on!

Adios Chi-Chi's

Last night Ross, Shan, Jerm and I stopped at Chi-Chi's to say goodbye. They're tearing her down! It's been a bit strange for me. It's been a few years since they closed the doors, and even longer since I worked there. But the fact that it's being demolished has me reflecting a bit.

That place holds an enormous part of me and always will. Little did I think that when I strolled through the front door in 1995 in that awful frilly hostess uniform that I would spend the next 8+ years of my life there. There are so many things I learned at Chi-Chi's. Not just about myself, but about people and life in general. I learned how to have a good work ethic. I learned how to deal with customers - both good and bad. I learned how to balance 3 sodas and chips and salsa without a tray :P Seriously, though, being in that type of environment taught me a lot. I learned about the type of person I wanted to become, and although it took me a few years, I also learned about who I didn't want to become.

I had such a great time with a lot of the people there...we used to have so much fun. We'd get out of work late, but the night was just beginning for us! We had some rockin' good and crazy times. And I loved talking to all the Mexican guys in the kitchen. They helped me keep my Spanish up, and wouldn't you know that since I haven't worked there, I've lost a lot of it. I met some really cool people who became my "regulars." I actually just ran into some said regulars the other day at the grocery store. It was so neat to bring them up to speed on my life since I had last seen them and to hear about their's.

When I look back there are also some really significant things that happened to me when I worked there. I met a very pregnant girl when I first started who later became, and still is, my best friend. I don't know if Shan and I would have met had it not been for Chi-Chi's. Chi-Chi's played a big role in Ross and I getting together, too. Sitting at table #2 one day, watching him bus tables was when I realized that I liked him. I wrote him a note on a napkin and as they say, the rest is history!

Thanks for the good times Chi-Chi's! I'll never forget them.

Crikey!

I must say that I'm saddened by the death of Steve Irwin, aka "The Crocodile Hunter." I've been a fan of his for a long time...he was just always so full of life and happiness and a love of nature. It oozed from him, and it was contagious. Who would have thought that his demise would have come from a stingray, of all the crazy, dangerous, wild animals he dealt with. I mean, I swam with stingrays at Stingray City in Grand Caymen. Sure it was a little nerve-wracking, but never once did I think my life was in jeopardy. I'm sure he didn't either. Life is strange that way, isn't it? For whatever reason, it was his time to go. The world has lost one truly awesome Aussie.