If the Green Bay Packers were to write a book on their 34-27 loss to the Saints, the title would read: How to blow a lead? by Green Bay Packers. When's the last time you saw a team in the NFL dominate the first quarter, jump out to a 13-0 lead and then lose. It's probably happened, but I can't recall it, at least not recently. After scoring the first 13-points, the Packers then gave up the next 20 to the Saints.
Drew Brees rolled up 353 passing yards and a couple of touchdowns in the comeback win as the Saints improved to 2-0 while the Packers fell to 0-2.
Who's to blame? How about the veterans on the team. So much has been made about the young squad the Packers are fielding and how it's going to be tough to win with that kind of youth. Well, the problem is, the Packers veteran players are the ones messing up.
Ahman Green and Bubba Franks couldn't catch a ball. Green also coughed up another on a fumble. Veteran lineman drawing key penalties. And don't forget to throw in another Brett Favre interception, and a sack that was huge. Packers ball, first and 10, Favre is chased out of the pocket to the right. All he has to do is dump it out of bounds. The new NFL rules say so. But what does the 16-year veteran do, take a 12-yard sack loss, which backed the Packers up and forced them to give the ball up.
Veterans need to stop worrying about the young guys and what they're doing. They need to worry about their own jobs, because it's quite clear they haven't figured out their own assignments yet.
And shame on the Packers. Giving up a 13-0 lead on your own home field. So much for re-establishing the Lambeau Field edge.