PACKERS-LIONS POST-GAME NOTES
- Today's paid attendance for the game was 70,497.
-Quarterback Brett Favre played in his 204th game (223 including playoffs) while making his 202nd consecutive start (221 including playoffs), 86 more than the next-closest streak on the all-time quarterbacks list, 116 by Ron Jaworski (1977-84).
-Favre registered a 13th overall 3,000-yard season, tying Dan Marino (13) for most all-time. John Elway also had 12. Favre extended his NFL record for consecutive 3,000 yard seasons to 13.
-With Ahman Green's five receptions tonight to total 275 career, he passed No. 2 Dorsey Levens (271) and No. 1 William Henderson on the Packers' all-time list among backs. Henderson (274), now No. 2 on the list, entered tonight's game with 273 career catches.
- Punter Bryan Barker kicked a season-long 64-yard punt in the fourth quarter.
-Ryan Longwell's field goal with10:36 remaining in the third quarter gave him 200 for his career. He now has 202 career field goals.
-Longwell's game-winning field goal with two second remaining is his third of the season and seventh of his career.
- Longwell has made 43 consecutive field goals inside of 40 yards.
- Longwell has now scored in 125 consecutive games, extending his franchise record (every game of his career).
- Paris Lenon made his first career NFL start. He started in place of Na'il Diggs.
- The last time the Packers held their opponent to five or less pass completions was on Oct. 29, 1978 at home against Tampa. Green Bay won that game 9-7.
PACKERS-LIONS POST-GAME QUOTES
GM/HEAD COACH MIKE SHERMAN:
(on the two halves of the game) "Both sides of the ball and special teams, we didn't play well in the first half, but we came in here and did some soul searching and the guys came out and did what they had to do. We got rid of the senseless penalties and were able to convert some 3rd downs and make some big plays on offense and Barker hit a big punt, a critical punt in the game. I thought all around we played better in the second half. I am real pleased with that because a lot of times you go in at halftime when nothing is going right, offense, defense and special teams, and I thought the guys came in and got their thoughts together and the coaches did a good job getting their point across on what has to get done and getting it done the second half."
(on the weather) "The weather certainly had an affect on both teams. They seemed to handle it better earlier and we handled it better late. It was cold, it was windy. It certainly affects how you throw the football and certainly affected the kicking game. I felt in the first half we were in poor field position most of the time and struggled at times to get out of that situation, but the wind was definitely a factor in the ball game."
(on what was a good field position for winning field goal) "We figured that we could probably get to inside the 25-yard line for a realistic, more so the 22-yard line was more optimistic and inside the 20 was pretty sure, but the way the wind was swirling I don't think anything was real sure. That was a tough wind to kick in. I don't even think the one we kicked was a sure thing other than the fact that the only sure thing was Ryan Longwell. The way the wind was swirling, and that part of the field was dug a bit. We put some new sod in down there but it was a little dug up. We tried to get him good footing out there. I am not sure we did, but I think we did."
(on the screen play for a touchdown getting called back) "To be able to overcome that devastation because we were struggling and struggling and struggling and to be able to have that (touchdown) and then take it away, I think it shows the determination of our guys to keep fighting. That would have been a classic example of just saying 'it is just not our day', and we got to take what they give us, but they went back and I was more pleased with the way we responded to that situation than anything that happened in the ball game. They took that play away from us and then we had to come back and drive the length of the field. That was a telling moment."
QUARTERBACK BRETT FAVRE:
(on where the team is at) "First place as far as the statistics go. Does that mean we are the best team in the division? We will find out in a couple weeks, but we got a lot of football left. Minnesota lost a tough one today. We could have easily lost a tough one today. We should feel good about this win but we're not good enough to feel that good and we will see what happens the next few weeks. We bounced back from a very disappointing loss last week but there are no guarantees left in these last three games so we will see what happens."
(on the play of the young team) "I think we can get better and I have to remind myself all the time that at one time I was a young guy and maybe my approach to the game was maybe a little different than maybe a veteran guy. What I mean by that is when you first come into the league you are making a lot of money and you don't realize the importance of team. The word 'team' doesn't mean as much to you. You don't really figure out the definition until later in your career, if you are around that long. If I ever give advice, which is very rare, it is in those regards. It is about the team it's not about you. It is a lot like giving advice to your kids - until they experience it, you can say it as much as you want. When you leave the room it is like 'he doesn't know what he is talking about', but as you get older and you become an adult you go, 'everything my parents said was right.' That is the approach I take with this team. It is not about statistics and being on TV and what type of dance you can do and how much money you can make. You will make a lot of money if you continue to play at a high level and you sacrifice for the time. That is the bottom line. I think guys know that but we are no different from any other team that is young and talented. You see sparks of what we can do but then you look at the first half tonight, conditions or no conditions, they outplayed us. Last week we didn't win anything. Who knows what will happen from here on out. There is always room for improvement."
(on the roughing the passer call) "I think Joey Harrington got a break. I don't know if mine was roughing the passer or not. Maybe I shouldn't say that Joey Harrington got a break, maybe they got a break. I thought it was an iffy call on Michael (Hawthorne). But it was a judgment call. I tell you what he is - a load. I was begging for it, but it felt like I was hurt. 92 (Shaun Rogers) apologized; I think he is a heck of a ball player and I didn't think it was a dirty play. I don't think his intentions were to hurt me. I don't know if it was roughing or not."
(on the wind) "It was terrible, terrible, it was bad. We are just fortunate we won the game."
KICKER RYAN LONGWELL:
(on the opening kickoff) "I had slipped a couple times in pre-game, but I felt I had a pretty good eye for what was the good part of that part of field. I put it down, caught a bad part, and went down. I knew the field was not holding well because of the moisture we got this week."
(on kicking a game-winning field goal) "It's always exciting. It kind of looked like when we were down by three, that's what we were going to have to do - a field goal to tie it and a field goal to win it. I can't say enough about Rob (Davis) and Bryan (Barker). Bryan did an unbelievable job. From eight yards away, which is what we were backed up for the field goal, the ball was moving almost a foot and two feet at times. Between Rob and him they did an unbelievable job of looking pretty smooth."
(on the weather and the wind) "There's a misnomer that there was a direction with the wind and against the wind. That was not the case today. It was a crosswind, a heavy, heavy crosswind. We felt that in normal circumstances it was inside the 20 going into the closed end and the 22-yard line going into the open end. Had we not made that third down, we would have kicked the field goal. I feel I had a good feel for the wind going in that direction."
(on the possibility of making the Pro Bowl) "I'd love to go. I've never said I wouldn't want to go. I feel I'm one of the better, if not the best, top three of four kickers in the league. I've said that, and I think I've proven that. Unfortunately, when you pull up the fan voting, (Philadelphia kicker David) Akers has half a million votes. I probably won't win that again. We need our fans to go out on the Internet in the next few days because that's the only chance I have."
CORNERBACK AL HARRIS:
(on the talk of the team at halftime) "There was nothing really to be said - losing a divisional game 13-0, you know exactly what they are trying to do to you. It's just coming in and making the corrections and everybody winning their separate battles."
(on his confidence level in mounting a comeback) "I knew we were going to win the game. Not to take anything away from the Lions - they were playing great, running the ball well - but I just felt that we were going to win the game."
(on the wind) "I don't know (if it was a factor). It looked like Brett (Favre) was throwing the ball pretty good."
TIGHT END BUBBA FRANKS:
(on the weather and wind) "It was tough elements out there - it's freezing, the ground was wet, it was windy, Brett (Favre) really couldn't throw anything. We knew in warm-ups that we weren't going to be able to throw the ball very much, but we kept trying, kept trying, kept trying and finally it came around for us."
(on the difference the kicking game made) "That was tremendous. As you could see, in the first half we never really got going because we had poor field position. It seemed like they were getting great field position over and over and over. But our defense stepped and shut them down pretty good and got us some pretty good field position. We just went with it."
GUARD MIKE WAHLE:
(on the field position battle) "Our field position in the first half was terrible, mostly because of us. In the second half, we had great field position for most of the time."
(on the play of rookie center Scott Wells) "I thought he played well, really, really well. We got tangled up a couple times, but that stuff will happen. Overall, he played well. For being a young guy and being thrown in there, I think he battled. Playing against one of the toughest guys in the league, I thought he held his own."
(on Wells reaction to being called for a holding penalty) "It was a bad call and we told him that. I think he forgot about it. He's been around long enough playing football to know that stuff happens, so I don't think he was too worried about it."
SAFETY MARK ROMAN:
(on his play coming back from last week's game) "It feels good to win. All the personal stuff and all the talk, I don't listen to it. I don't read newspapers and stuff like that, so I'm not bothered by it like somebody else might be bothered by it. It just feels good to win. All the personal stuff is out the window. I've never been to the playoffs personally, so that's one of my goals. Whatever I have to do to get there, I'm going to do it."
(on his third-and-one tackle) "It was just playing the defense. (Defensive Coordinator) Bob (Slowik) made a great call, and I just did my job. There was nothing spectacular about it. Granted, it was a big play at the time. We were down, we needed a play to just turn the momentum around. That's all it was was a momentum changer. I just did my job."
DETROIT LIONS HEAD COACH STEVE MARIUCCI:
(on why the passing game wasn't effective) "It was windy out there. You end up being selective in terms of what you call, you hesitate to throw any balls down the field other than sling it and go because the wind is taking the ball. Roy Williams had a corner route that I thought was going to be completed but the ball seemed to move on him. They threw the ball better in this wind, it was that obvious. We had some chances to make some catches and we didn't do that. They played a lot of man to man tight coverage so the accuracy and precision needed to be there, and we missed some things so we were unable to help our running game out."
(on what was at stake today) "A lot of things were at stake and very close but it didn't happen, so that in itself is disappointing. We have three games left to go win and I know this team will keep practicing hard and preparing well and find a way to win some games here."
(on running back Kevin Jones' performance) "He got a lot of yards on tough carries. They were loading up the box. So you run the ball sometimes against eight in the box which is not easy, he broke some tackles and I thought he played well. This was his first cold weather game, and he certainly handled it okay. We have seen progress in our running game and we are looking for the same sort of progress in the passing game."
QUARTERBACK JOEY HARRINGTON:
(on how the weather affected his performance) "It affected everybody out there, just look at that last ball to Roy. He turned the defensive back around, he ran a great route out there and he was running to catch it in stride and then it kind of stopped. It was something that everybody had to deal with. It was definitely the most difficult wind conditions that I have played in, but we were all out there."
(on the Lions playoff chances) "Mathematically I am sure we do, but whether we are in or we are not doesn't affect how we will play these last three games. We will go and play these last three games together and stuff like this isn't going to be something that can take this team apart."
DEFENSIVE TACKLE SHAUN ROGERS:
(on how the Lions defense contained the Packers offense for most of the game) "I have to give a lot of credit to those guys who were covering. Up front we just try to apply pressure, push the pocket, and make them get rid of the ball quick to let those guys cover."
(on if the game's momentum shift surprised him) "It was really about us today. I personally feel to be a good player that I can't let my team down and have penalties in frustration. It is just part of football. Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn't. That's why it is four quarters. A half doesn't win you games."
**
End of game.
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The Packers took their first lead of the game as Ryan Longwell connected on a 23-yard field goal (0:05, 4th quarter).
Brett Favre completed 2-of-3 passes for 21 yards on the drive.
Ahman Green had 4 carries for 10 yards.
The Packers' scoring drive was 10 plays for 37 yards. Time of the drive was 3:25.
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The Packers on 3rd-and-8 forced the Lions to punt as Joey Harrington's pass intended for Tai Streets fell incomplete.
The Packers take over at the Lions' 42 yard line following a 19-yard punt by Nick Harris (3:33, 4th quarter).
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Ryan Longwell's 28-yard field goal was good as the Packers and Lions are now tied (10:46, 4th quarter).
After the Packers forced a Detroit punt, Brett Favre connected with Donald Driver for a 39-yard gain to the Lions' 15 yard line. Following an Ahman Green 4-yard carry, Favre's pass intended for Bubba Franks in the end zone bounced off the tight ends hands. Another incomplete pass forced the Packers to kick the field goal.
Favre completed 1-of-3 passes for 40 yards on the drive.
The Packers' scoring drive was 5 plays for 44 yards. Time of the drive was 0:59.
**
Notes: For Barker, the 64-yard punt was the longest since his arrival in Green Bay.
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After 3 plays, the Packers were forced to punt. Barker's 64-yard punt out of the end zone was not returned. The Lions take over at their own 27 yard line.
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Detroit challenged the call on the field, claiming that the ball touched the ground before Sharper intercepted it. The ruling was overturned and the ball remains with Detroit. The Lions' 33-yard punt was downed by Scottie Vines inside the Packers' own 1 yard line.
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On 3rd-and-8, Darren Sharper intercepted Joey Harrington's pass intended for Az-Zahir Hakim at the Packers' 25 yard line and returned it 24 yards. The Packers will take over at the Detroit 49 yard line(14:48, 4th quarter).
**
End of 3rd quarter.
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The Packers pulled to within 3 points of the Lions late in the 3rd quarter as Brett Favre hit a diving Donald Driver in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown (3:10, 3rd quarter).
Favre completed all 5 of his passes for 57 yards on the drive.
Tony Fisher and Najeh Davenport split the rushing duties as Fisher had 2 carries for 21 yards and Davenport had 2 carries for 14 yards.
Driver had 3 catches for 47 yards. Davenport also had 1 catch for 4 yards and Bubba Franks had 1 catch for 6 yards.
The Packers' scoring drive was 10 plays for 90 yards. Time of the drive was 5:05.
Earlier in the drive, Ahman Green's 79-yard touchdown was called back when Scott Wells was flagged for holding on the play.
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Notes: For Longwell, the field goal was the 200th of his career.
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The Packers' first points of the game came on the opening drive of the second half as Ryan Longwell connected on a 36-yard field goal attempt (10:36, 3rd quarter).
The Lions were penalized 5 times for 55 yards on the drive, including a roughing the passer penalty called on Shaun Rogers, a face mask penalty on Jared DeVries and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty again called on Rogers.
Brett Favre completed 1 of his 3 passes to Bubba Franks for 9 yards on the drive. Ahman Green rushed 4 times for 6 yards.
The Packers' scoring drive was 9 plays for 63 yards. Time of the drive was 4:24.
**
End of 1st half.
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The Lions added 3 points to their lead late in the 2nd quarter as Jason Hanson connected on a 36-yard field goal (0:57, 2nd quarter).
Joey Harrington was incomplete on his only pass attempt of the drive.
Kevin Jones had 36 yards on 6 rushing attempts, while Harrington picked up 17 yards on a QB scramble.
The Lions' scoring drive was 9 plays for 59 yards. Time of the drive was 4:18.
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Paris Lenon has returned to the game (10:37, 2nd quarter).
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Paris Lenon has left the game with a left shoulder injury. His return is questionable.
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The Lions extended their lead to 10 as Kevin Jones scored a 24-yard touchdown (14:20, 2nd quarter).
Joey Harrington completed 1-of-2 passes for 10 yards on the drive. Kevin Jones rushed for 33 yards on 4 carries.
The Lions' scoring drive was 6 plays for 48 yards. Time of the drive was 3:12.
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End of 1st quarter.
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The Lions found the scoreboard first as 3 defensive penalties for 49 yards were called against the Packers, resulting in a Jason Hanson 31-yard field goal (7:15, 1st quarter).
Joey Harrington failed to complete any of his 3 pass attempts on the drive. Kevin Jones had 4 carries for 2 yards, while Shawn Bryson had 1 carry for 6 yards.
The Lions' scoring drive was 9 plays for 47 yards. Time of the drive was 4:35.
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The Packers' opening drive also ended with a punt after only three plays. Ahman Green picked up 8 yards on his first carry of the game, but Favre's two pass attempts were incomplete.
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The Lions' first drive of the game ended as Aaron Kampman and Paris Lenon stopped Kevin Jones at the line of scrimmage for no gain on 3rd-and-1 at the Packers' 41 yard line.
The Lions' drive began at their own 40 yard line after Ryan Longwell's opening kick went only 30 yards. Longwell slipped as he approached the ball.
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Temperature at kickoff is 33 degrees, wind chill 22 degrees (cloudy, snow flurries).
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The Lions have won the coin toss and have elected to receive.
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The following Packers players are inactive for today's game: Kevin Barry, Colin Cole, Na'il Diggs, Chris Johnson, J.T. O'Sullivan (third quarterback), Steve Morley, B.J. Sander and Corey Williams.
C Scott Wells will start in place of Grey Ruegamer. Paris Lenon will start in place of linebacker Na'il Diggs.
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The following Lions players are inactive for today's game:
Boss Bailey, Fernando Bryant, Kelly Butler, Eddie Drummond, David Kircus, Rick Mirer (third quarterback), Artose Pinner and Victor Rogers.
Andre Goodman will start at left cornerback in place of Fernando Bryant. |
