My family has had a tradition ever since I was small, heck even back when my mother was a child in the frozen wasteland of the U.P., each kid gets to open one present on Christmas eve. Now this didn’t always work out as cool as I thought it might. Often my mother would force me to open that year’s sweater or dress pants which I was expected to wear church that night. But sometimes you did get to open one cool present. This year the Packers honored this tradition by giving us all a very nice present a couple days early. The week is always better with a Packers win, and this holiday season is kicking off nicely with a beat down of the Tennessee Titans.
Now one of the first lessons we learn as children is that it’s better to give than to receive. This is even more true during the holiday season. So let’s take a moment and give back to the Packers…namely in the form of awarding our MVP of the Week. Honestly everyone deserves some sort of recognition and/or trophy, but I’m going to highlight a few, and yes you can only vote for one. The nice thing is that all of these guys are MVP in our hearts….or some other touchy feely holiday nonsense.
Let’s meet this week’s nominations…..
QB Aaron Rodgers – Yup, he’s pretty good. Responsible for four touchdowns, three through the air and one on the ground. He threw for over 300 yards. He also had a passer rating of 125.1. It’s never a wrong vote to vote Rodgers here. By the way, I will laugh so hard if Rodgers comes away with the MVP and Adrian Peterson gets robbed. I’ll admit that the award is skewed towards QB’s, but I’ll still laugh and laugh at all my Vikings friends.
LB A.J. Hawk – If I were to go back in time and write a long post about the Packers getting 7 sacks and leading the day would be Hawk, I would be laughed at. I would bet Kevin would seriously think about revoking my Editor’s status. Yet there he was on Sunday, being a force on the blitz and in the rush defense. It was an impressive performance.
WR Randall Cobb – The guy is a human highlight reel. Three catches on Sunday. One was a big touchdown catch. Another was a 31 yard strike which set up another touchdown. Even when he makes a little play like taking a kickoff it’s a big play because of his smart use of the rules. Now the Packers just need to use their Christmas miracle up on getting him healthy for the playoff run.
DE Mike Neal – Neal has now strung together two very good games. This probably is not the most appropriate place to bring this up, but that whole choosing Neal over Cullen Jenkins decision from last year looks a lot smarter now…doesn’t it? Jenkins is having a down year and starting to enter the twilight of his career, and Neal is just starting to look like he’s getting it together. Here’s the best thing about Neal’s performance….the hustle. He was not only pressuring the QB, but playing big in the running game and chasing down plays in order to make key stops. Great game.
LB Clay Matthews – I would love to know what Clay is going to say to his uncle Bruce at their next family get together. The Titans have a beat up offensive line, but Matthews still was able to harass Jake Locker all day. Officially he got one sack and three QB hits, however this doesn’t capture how much he was able to be in Locker’s face all day. It also doesn’t account for the fact that Matthews will probably haunt Locker’s nightmares for most of the offseason either.
CB Sam Shields – Shields did it all on Sunday. He was able to get an interception and a sack. He also got lots of smaller plays as well, key stops and passes defended. Shields has come a long way since struggling early on and fighting his way up the roster. He’s become a strong tackler, better cover man, and consistent playmaker.
I don’t envy your choice this week. There are so many good options, and probably even more players I could name. Brad Jones stepped up with some big plays. James Jones broke 100 yards and was the most targeted receiver….more on him later (hint hint). Ryan Grant got two touchdown runs, and Erik Walden got an interception. Anyone of these guys could also be nominated as well….and if you feel strongly that one of them should get a nomination feel free to write them in the comments section below.