December 29, 2014 at 2:53 p.m.
Shoutouts & Callouts
Reaction to Packers' win and a Kohl Center diary
Shoutouts & Callouts
The words of John Madden kept ringing though my head during the second half of the Green Bay Packers' NFC North Division-clinching 30-20 victory over the Detroit Lions Sunday.
"Big players make big plays in big games." Madden always used to say.
I'll take that Madden-ism one step further. The true character of a player shows through when the pressure intensifies.
I'm thinking of two players in particular when I say that. Two players who will be intertwined this week as the experts break down the game and look ahead to the playoffs - Aaron Rodgers and Ndamukong Suh.
Let's start with Rodgers - gimpy quad and all, he gutted out a strong performance Sunday. Though he will never reach Brett Favre's record for consecutive games played, I think this game put to bed once and for all any question of Rodgers' toughness.
To hear Packers radio announcers Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren tell the story when Rodgers went down (it was my only choice at the time, which I'll explain in a bit), you would have thought not only was Rodgers done for the game, but possibly the entire postseason after reaggravating his quad on a second-quarter touchdown pass to Randall Cobb.
The Lions seemed to feed on Rodgers injury, scoring 14 unanswered points to tie the game. But then, after missing two series, No. 12 trotted back onto the field. A methodical drive down the field and another TD pass to Cobb and it was game on.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy called it an MVP-type performance by Rodgers on Sunday. Given what he did in the second half, how could anyone argue?
And then there's Suh. The Lions' defensive tackle was one of the subjects of my very first "Shoutouts & Callouts" column regarding the lack of class he displayed stomping on then Packers lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith on Thanksgiving Day in 2011.
Things have come full circle as he stomped on Rodgers left leg - his ailing leg - late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game.
Referee Walt Coleman told Rodgers there was no flag on the play because it appeared accidental in his judgment. Though Suh did not address the media after the game, I'm sure he'll come out and say there was no intent either.
I watched the replay and I'm not buying it.
Not only does the footage clearly show Suh stomping on Rodgers' leg, it shows Suh lifting his right leg to he could put the entire weight of his 305-pound frame on Rodgers.
The pundits said the Lions would be a more disciplined team this year after Jim Schwartz was fired. After Dominic Raiola was suspended for Sunday's game because of a dubious stomp a week prior and Suh's stomp this week, it's clear that this team still has not grown up. Suh has been suspended for Saturday's Wild Card game at Dallas, but frankly he got off light, given his history. For as talented as he is, Suh's childish antics show the kind of player he really is.
Meanwhile for the Packers, the first round bye and a home playoff game are nice bonus for a nice season. The Packers went 12-4 and won the NFC North, as I predicted they would at the start of the season. But I warned that a bad road loss might come back to haunt the team in the postseason. With Seattle winning Sunday and earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC, I hope my preseason warning doesn't prove to be correct.
Extra point: Choosing basketball over football
Consuming the Packers game was a bit of a challenge for me Sunday as I had the opportunity to attend the Wisconsin-Buffalo men's basketball game at the Kohl Center.
Even though I had a gut feeling most of the season that the NFC North would come down to Sunday's game at Lambeau Field, I took a chance on the tickets. The main reason was I had never attended a game at the Kohl Center and figured it would be a good opportunity to cross that item off my sports bucket list. But also, when I got the tickets (with the start time of the Badgers game not yet determined), I hoped I would have the chance to watch both games.
It didn't quite work out that way. I listened to the first half of the Packer game on the way down to Madison, watched part of the second at one of the local establishments and caught the tail end when my group got to the Kohl Center. It was a unique way to take in the game, but it did significantly cut down on the amount of time I had to listen to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the Fox broadcast. I can live with that.
As far as the game itself, Wisconsin ended up winning by 12 and though the Badgers trailed by one at halftime, there never really was a nervous feeling inside the Kohl Center.
To be honest, there was not much energy at all inside the building most of the night, which was a bit surprising. I don't know what I was expecting, but there really wasn't that much juice in the building. Frankly, I felt more energy earlier this month when Rhinelander and Antigo went at it in boys' basketball at the Miazga Gym.
There was cheering, to be sure, when Frank Kaminsky would take it to the hoop or when threes finally started falling for Sam Dekker in the second half, but otherwise, there was not much juice in the crowd. There was polite clapping when the Badgers would make a stop, and some forced cheers trying to urge the Badgers along when they trailed in the first half, but it paled in comparison to Camp Randall Stadium or Lambeau Field.
In fact, the group I was with - all of whom had seen WIAA boys' basketball state tournament games at the Kohl Center, but not a Badgers men's game - pretty much said the same thing on the ride home, that the atmosphere wasn't much different than a state tourney game.
I'll give the crowd the benefit of the doubt on this one. Though I'd estimate the building was 75 to 80 percent full, many were certainly preoccupied with the Packers game and I feel the fact that it was Buffalo, and not a Big Ten rival, led to the overall malaise. Swap out Buffalo for Michigan State and I guarantee the crowd would have been much livelier.
One of the better observations from our group, situated eight rows up on the media sideline: "Frank Kaminsky's tall."
This, of course, is stating the obvious, but he certainly stood out on the court - and his 25-point, 11-rebound and six-block performance certainly loomed large. He could use a little more muscle on his 7-foot frame, but I don't see how Kaminsky couldn't be a contributor at the next level.
Another comment was made about how rough the Badgers looked Sunday, but like the Badgers fans, I'll give them a pass on this one. Wisconsin was ice cold in the first half (at one point late in the first half Wisconsin players not named Kaminsky were 3 of 18 from the field) while Buffalo made a number of contested shots. And even with everything that went wrong for the Badgers, it was still only a one-point deficit at halftime. An early second half spurt put the Kohl Center fans at ease - and some to the exits following the under 8-minute media timeout.
There was not much to report from the food standpoint, other than the homemade chips and dip I enjoyed prior to halftime. Though tasty, the french onion dip is something I wouldn't not recommend if you have a three-hour ride home as I did Sunday night.
I was happy with the experience and would go back if given the opportunity. The thought certainly did cross my mind that one day I'd love to watch the Hodags play on that floor like they did back in 2001 state tournament.
By the sound of it that experience would be as exciting - if not more exciting - than the experience I had Sunday at the Kohl Center.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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