St. Louis Rams Vs. Green Bay Packers: Post-Game Q & A With Lombardi Avenue

Oct 21, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Green Bay Packers as placed on a bench prior to a game against the St. Louis Rams at Edward Jones Dome. The Packers defeated the Rams 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-US PRESSWIRE

Like most of St. Louis fans, we at Ramblin’ Fan are still recovering from the tough on Sunday to the Green Bay Packers. Instead of sulking in sorrow, we decided to get a perspective on the win from our Fansided.com brothers over at Lombradi Avenue, the Green Bay Packers fan page. If you get a chance, hop over and check out the Q & A  from our point of view on their performance in the game and the outlook on the future of the team…

Q. How do you think the injuries to D.J. Smith, Nick Perry, and B.J. Raji effected your ability to stop Steven Jackson and Daryl Richardson out of the backfield?

"A. I think the injuries the Packers have experienced the past couple of weeks hasn’t really had a huge impact. Yes, Jackson and Richardson had some success at various times against the Packers, but most importantly, the Packers were able to contain the Rams running game and held the, for the most part to field goals and not touchdowns. I think that’s all the Packers coaches were hoping for. They felt that if the defense controlled the Rams offense that they could outscore them with their potent offense."

 Q. Alex Green had trouble running the ball against a Rams rush defense that has not played spectacular this season. To what would you credit the inability to get anything going on the ground to?

"A. The Packers run game has been mediocre for years. Even with Cedric Benson, the Packers philosophy is to get just enough of a run game to keep the defense honest. I feel they did what they had to do to make sure that was the case once again today. You noticed that McCarthy called a decent mix of pass and run … he’s usually around 60-40. He would prefer 50-50, but that’s probably never going to happen as long as the Packers have a healthy Aaron Rodgers. The Packers are clearly a pass-first offense and if they can get 50-75 yards per game on the ground, that’s a successful day. Between Green, Cobb and Kuhn, the Packers ran for 70 yards today."

Q. Aside from the obvious choice of Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, who was the MVP of the Green Bay Packers in this game? of the St. Louis Rams?

"A. I’ve got to look at rookie cornerback Casey Hayward and offensive tackles Bryan Bulaga and Marshall Newhouse as the team MVPs in this one. Hayward picked off his fourth pass in three games, while both Bulaga and Newhouse neutralized the tough, speedy Rams’ defensive ends. Now, one might think that Randall Cobb could also be considered, but I think the efforts of the other guys were crucial in bringing about this win.As for the Rams, you glottal look at that Givens kid. Like Cobb for the Packers, he’s a star in the making. He’s going to cause problems for a lot of defenses for a long time to come."

Q. What adjustments do you think were made at halftime by the Packers to flip the time of possession game in the second half?

"A. I think the conversion of third downs on those early drives in the third quarter were crucial in keeping the Rams offense off the field and led to being able to push the ball into the end zone. I also think the punting of Tim Masthay was crucial in turning the field position in the second half. Starting deep in their own zone didn’t help the Rams."

Q. Who was the most impressive rookie in the game?

"A. No question, Chris Givens is quickly placing his stamp on the game. He’s not a big guy, but can get open. When he catches the football, he can turn it on and make people miss. Like I said above, he is a player who is going to make many defenses look bad. Richardson is also an important cog in helping the Rams continue to improve. These two are very important additions that will also help Sam Bradford raise his level of play."