The Four Agreements From Week 2

The Four Things that all Packers fan can agree on in the aftermath of the Green Bay vs Chicago game.

What a difference a week makes, eh?  It got dark last Sunday.  Really dark.  Like watching Blue Velvet by yourself on Christmas Eve dark. This week though?  It's sunny skies as far as the eye can see.  Dismantling the hapless Chicago Bears just has that effect on the soul.  Sure, beating the Chicago Bears, especially this version of the Chicago Bears, is like dunking on a five foot hoop.  Any port in a storm, though, am I right?  Was this a perfect performance by the Green Bay Packers?  God no.  But, it didn't need to be.  This game, much like the week two tilt against Detroit last season, was exactly what the doctor ordered.  So, grab your scalpels and let's perform a post mortem examination on this most joyous of victories, and see if we can find four take-aways from this 104th victory over that team down south that we can all agree upon. 

  • Agreement #1--Can we agree that Matt LaFleur definitely read last week's column?

Let's be serious here, folks--Matt LaFleur is far too handsome and too busy to read articles.  I am sure he had Google Assistant read it to him while he painstakingly trimmed his chinstrap goatee.  Or, maybe he had Alfred E. Neuman, er, I mean Mark Murphy narrate last week's piece to him as he searched the internet for fishing analogies to explain who Justin Jefferson is to Joe Barry in a way he would better understand.  Whatever way he chose to consume last week's Four Agreements, I just want to tell him thanks for giving it a gander and taking Agreement #1 to heart.  I kid.  I certainly wasn't the first to implore LaFleur to double down on the run while sifting through the smoldering wreckage of the Minnesota Vikings aftermath (though I may have been the last). 

Whether it was my article that prompted it, or his own hard-earned intuition, I am glad Dr. Smooth Brows chose to feature Green Bay's two most impressive offensive weapons so robustly in Week 2.  Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon were a damn problem on Sunday night.  Jones and Dillon treat carries like WWF wrestlers treated steroids in the 1980's--the more they take, the more unkillable they become.  Especially Jones.  Sometimes it is easy to forget what an explosive weapon Jones is in this offense.  He gave everybody a LOUD reminder against the Bears.  Having watched Jones for the last five years, I am always in awe of his sneaky speed, his surprising strength, and his vision.   Any vision of Green Bay winning the Super Bowl this year must be filtered through the vision of Aaron Jones.  And, as luck might have it, Aaron Jones has the best vision of any running back in the NFL. 

  • Agreement #2--Can we agree that the Chicago Bears are not holding up their end of this rivalry?

The Chicago Bears have won exactly fourteen games against the Green Bay Packers since 1993. I was eleven years old in 1993.  I had a flat top and transitional lens glasses.  I am forty now.  I have a mortgage and an eight year old.  This isn't a way of saying I am old (I am).  It's a way of highlighting the stunning duration of the Chicago Bears futility.   In that same span, the Packers have bested the Bears 47 times.  47-14.  That works out to a paltry 29% winning percentage for the Bears against their "hated" rivals over the span of three decades.  My niece is going to be thirteen in March.  In her entire lifetime, the Bears have only beaten the Packers four times.  This isn't a rivalry--it's a glorified exhibition game. 

If the Packers had any sense, they would pitch the NFL on opening every season with the NFL's oldest rivalry.  That would sure as hell help us get over these season opening toe stubbing's we seem to cherish so much.  Who needs a preseason when you can just work out the kinks against Chicago's semi-professional football team.  Chicago is possibly the worst-run organization in the NFL over the last twenty years.  They play in the crappiest stadium in the league (did you see their sidelines in week one?).  They swap out coaches like Spinal Tap swapped out drummers.  They are the Carolina Panthers with better PR.  Last week, I made the argument that our week one loss against Minnesota wasn't hard to predict.  This week's beat down of the Bears was even less of a challenge to forecast.  What I guess I am trying to say is the Chicago Bears are the suckiest bunch of sucks who have ever sucked.  Can't wait for Week 11.

  • Agreement #3--Can we agree seeing Elgton Jenkins back was a sight for sore eyes?

It was a pretty momentous occasion to see Elgton Jenkins back starting for the Pack on Sunday.  Jenkins tore his ACL in Week 11 last season.  The Packers missed him BADLY.  David Bakhtiari, when healthy, is the best offensive lineman on the Green Bay roster.  Jenkins is the most valuable.  During his four seasons in Eastern Wisconsin, Big Sexy has started at four different positions on the line.  Some linemen are ridiculously strong.  Some have amazing feet.  Some are freakishly athletic.  Elgton certainly dips his toe in all three of those categories, but his true super power is his versatility.  It's rare to find an offensive lineman who can play guard, tackle, and center.  Jenkins has not only done that, but was above average at all three posts. 

Even rarer is an offensive lineman who can play both the left and right side of the line.  Hell, Jenkins did that in one game.  He is an absolute unicorn, a true one of one in today's NFL.  Was he perfect on Sunday?  No.  An ACL is a pretty monumental injury to return from for a normal person.  Elgton Jenkins is far from normal.  The dude is 6'5" and weighs 315 pounds.  The fact that he was able to return in just over nine months is astounding.  And, it couldn't have come at a better time.  Jenkins' return allowed Royce Newman to slide back to his natural home at right guard (Newman is a serviceable guard, but a pretty pedestrian tackle).  And, Newman returning to guard allowed Jake Hanson to return to the bench, where he hopefully stays the rest of the season.  You noticed the influence just his presence alone had on the team almost immediately.  It may take a few weeks for him to knock off some of the rust and get back to his Swiss Army knife self.  It's fine.  Jenkins is worth the wait. 

  • Agreement #4--Can we all agree that Randall Cobb is timeless?

Last off season, David Bakhtiari bought Aaron Rodgers a tricked out Bentley branded golf cart.  Because that is what rich people do.  It appears this offseason, Rodgers bought Randall Cobb a silver DeLorean.  Randall Cobb played maybe his best game since returning to Green Bay in Week 2.  Don't believe me?   Go check out that pass he caught on the Packers fourth drive against the Bears.  Sure, it only went for 9 yards, but it was classic Rodgers to Cobb.  Still not convinced?  Watch the 20 yard catch he hauled in right before halftime on Sunday.  I had to check my Apple Watch's calendar to make sure I hadn't time warped back to 2014. 

I half expected to see the Packers late first-half touchdown to be followed up by a Target ad starring Meghan Trainor followed by a trailer for the first Hunger Games movie.  Who cares if Randall Cobb remembers where he was when John Lennon was shot (he was in his 10th grade Biology class at Alcoa High School, for the record).  If Jerry Rice could still ball out like RC is doing this season, I would be all for the Packers inking him to a team-friendly contract.  And, it wasn't just his receiving that popped off the tape upon re-watch this week.  Ol' Cobbie was blocking his ass off in that game.  That crucial Romeo Doubs screen pass stalls almost instantly without Randall out there blocking that thing up like a bathtub drain stopper.  There is an art to being timeless, a grace that is inherent.  The Beatles.  Chanel No. 5.   Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song".  And Randall Cobb wearing green and gold. 

  • Catching Strays

Replacing Al Michaels with Mike Tirico is like replacing Howard Stern with David Lee Roth.  Mike Tirico is like the Dos Equis guy, but in Bizarro World.  Another home run decision by NBC. 

Allen Lazard should choreograph all of Green Bay's TD celebrations this year.  The Ayahuasca Tea Dance was hysterical.  And, Rodgers orgasmic reaction to drinking the plant medicine was <insert chef's kiss emoji>.

Can any real estate agents out there let me know if Preston Smith bought a condo in the Chicago Bears backfield last Sunday, or was it a stand-alone house?

Last week on his Tuesday interview with Pat McAfee, Aaron Rodgers said he took his "Blue 32" and "Green 19" snap cadences from Brett Favre.  That's so weird.  I thought Favre was the only Green Bay QB who stole from unemployed Mississippians?

Actual Cris Collinsworth quote from last Sunday's NBC broadcast--"These guys are just out here playing football".  That's the type of expert analysis you expect from a guy getting paid $10 million per year. 

Have a great weekend, everybody, and, as always, GO PACK GO!!!

 

Tim Preece lives in Utah because he makes poor life decisions.

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7 points
 

Comments (9)

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Descartes's picture

September 21, 2022 at 10:46 pm

Check your math. Bears' winning percentage is 23%!

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GPG1985's picture

September 21, 2022 at 11:13 pm

Definitely agree with all your points Tim!
Having Lazard and Jenkins was huge, allowing the other players to play the role we thought they would going into the season. Sammy Watkins can be the #2, the rooks can develop organically, and Cobb can help Rodgers out with some scramble drills. Having seven players with 2-3 catches a game is the new reality without Adams and that’s not a bad thing. Not having Hanson out there was a huge plus and Jenkins showed up even with some rust. Also love the packages with Jones and Dillon on the field together.Keep that defense guessing and stick to the run game. Defense made enough big plays and have some things to work on, but damn Preston Smith is a bad man. GPG..The Bears still suck

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GregC's picture

September 22, 2022 at 04:35 am

And yet somehow, at the end of the 2006 season, the Bears actually went to the Super Bowl. It really happened. I just looked it up. Their quarterback was Rex Grossman.

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Handsback's picture

September 22, 2022 at 07:19 am

Greg...even a blind hog finds an acorn once in awhile.

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Spock's picture

September 22, 2022 at 09:49 am

Be better if the blind hog dug up some truffles! :)

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murf7777's picture

September 22, 2022 at 08:02 am

Lack of love for Cobb has been prevalent since he was signed, but all he does is make clutch catch after clutch catch. I don’t get it. He has one of the best hands in the biz. Sure, his athleticism isn’t the same any longer, but wisdom has taken over and he’s still a factor and will be as long as he stays healthy. Keep him playing about 30% of the plays, the important ones where you need a 3rd down or TD.

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T7Steve's picture

September 22, 2022 at 09:48 am

I don't think people were down on him as much as worried he was taking a spot on the roster with his injury history.

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murf7777's picture

September 22, 2022 at 12:16 pm

Some of both, but I defended pre-draft as well as pre-season with others who stated he was over the hill.

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jlc1's picture

September 22, 2022 at 10:37 am

Alot to agree with here but surely Detroit has been an even worse franchise. Matt Millen? Not even remotely competent.

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