Views from the Hillside.

Due to my recent absence drowning my sorrows in Central America with cheap beer after the New Orleans and Carolina debacles, this will be an extended Views from the Hillside.
“Hold on to your Butts.” – Sam Jackson, Jurassic Park

• Newsflash: The Packers are not good.
• 549 yards. 549. That’s how many yards the Packers gave up on defense yesterday. At home. In the cold. Against a Division I college team…which makes the Packers a D-IAA team, or maybe a good D-II school. I’m unsure at this point.
• Going into the season, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would say that there was any other aspect of the Packers that would set up a potential giant face-plant for Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy other than the Rodgers-Favre situation. Thompson and McCarthy should be commended for their evaluation and faith in Rodgers’ ability. Rodgers has played well despite inconsistency on the O-line and in the running game. It turns out the face-plant came on the other side of the ball. “We’re going to be defined by our defense…” –Mike McCarthy said early in training camp. The complete failure by the defense this season was a colossal misevaluation of talent and coaching ability and has lead to MM and TT’s faces being slammed into the ground repeatedly, much like Roberts’ five-iron during a drunken round of golf.
• Who knew Robert Greenfield was a golfer? RG is a golfer much like Carl Spakler is a golfer.
• I don’t like to make excuses for losses, but I will. Peter Morrelli and his crew were seen running to their chartered plane after the game whose flight plan had just been changed to New Jersey. It seems that all refs involved in this game had owed serious money to some rather unsavory characters who may or may not have been linked to organized crime. It’s obvious who they had money on. The Packers got hosed on so many calls yesterday, they were given complimentary NFL logo bath towels and robes after the game. #1 was the phantom holding call on Tony Moll in the 4th quarter, the fact is, he barely touched the guy, let alone held him. This negated the 8 yard Grant run that would have been a first down at the 14. #2 was the no call on the holding of Aaron Kampman in the endzone with a minute and half to go. The game should have been over with a safety for holding in the end zone. Aaron Kampman had to get a spine readjustment after his neck was throw out whack on the play. #3 was the phantom holding call on Jason Hunter on the Tramon Williams second half kickoff TD. #4 was the offensive pass interference call on Donald Driver in the first half. Oh, and how could I forget the blown call on the Kevin Walter fumble in the 3rd quarter? It became a non-issue when Johnny Jolly recovered a fumble on the next play, but it could have been a game-changing missed call. COME ON STRIPES! We’re not good enough to beat 11 players let alone the officiating crew too.
• As The Ranter's good friend, John Johnson, said "A shout out to Mark Tauscher. Stand up guy, hard worker and turned himself into a good professional. I think his career with the Packers is over. Well done."
• Jared Allen going after someone for a “cheap hit” is laughable. This is the guy who was fined for two hits on Matt Schaub, one of which forced Schaub out for a month with a knee injury, and then flagged and fined again the following week for a helmet-to-helmet shot on Aaron Rodgers. If you’re going to play that way, Meathead, you should expect others to play you the same way. Allen stated that the rivalry between the Vikings and Lions will have a lot more meaning to him in the future. Read that again and try not to laugh.
• R.I.P. John Lennon, you have been missed. John Mayer, American Idol, and EMO do nothing for rock and roll.
• Week 13 BASTOW: I’ve never heard a stadium or a bar cheer as loud for a punter as I did on Sunday. After a shaky start, ..ummm…whatshisname….hold on….yeah, there is it, Jeremy Kapinos punted like, well, an NFL punter. Kapinos’ first ever BASTOW in just his second game is to be shared with Joey Havner who downed Kapinos’ punt on the three with a minute and half to go in the game…unfortunately, the defense had to come back on the field and we all know what that means when there is more than 5 seconds left…victory for the opponent.
• Finally some emotion from Mike McCarthy.
• Gus Johnson should call every game of every sport. Steve Tasker should stand in awe and shut his mouth. The call on the Jennings reception, you know the one, was a thing of beauty (so was the throw).
• Albert Haynesworth. Albert Haynesworth. Albert Haynesworth.