I’m as thrilled as anybody about the fact that the Packers offense kicked into high gear against the Washington Redskins. It was great seeing the offense operate the way we have always known they could operate.
More importantly, I enjoyed seeing the team smile again. You’ve been able to see on their faces that they’ve been as frustrated with their lack of productivity as the fans have been, and it was good to see them smile and relax a little bit. There was that moment during the game when you could almost feel the shift in their demeanor. It was the moment when… dare I say… they started to have fun again.
Never underestimate the power of playing loose. I used to play basketball with a guy who was virtually unstoppable on the court during a pickup game. But, get him into the school’s uniform and in front of a crowd of fans wearing school colors and he struggled just to hit the basket.
What was the difference?
When he was playing a pickup game the pressure was off. He was just doing what he does. He didn’t over-think things or try too hard. He just… had fun.
I’ll certainly agree that you can’t go too far to the “fun” end of the spectrum. You still have to take the game seriously. But, I’ve seen many games (not just Packer games) where the team makes a nice play or two, gets some momentum rolling, and starts to feel it. In that moment, their entire presence changes and they’re hard to stop.
Seeing Aaron and the guys smiling and joking around is a great indicator for Packer fans, and the first game of the playoffs was a great place for it to start.
The caveat is that we’ve seen this before. This begs the question in my mind…
Is it for real? Or, will the team suffer a resurgence of the struggling offense?
So what do you think? Is the Packer offensive production against the Redskins a sign of an awakening? Or was it a one game anomaly?