The Green Bay Packers were crushed in their first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. And the 17-0 loss at home wasn’t well received by fans or sports analysts.
Cardinals and Packers fans sparred on the Packers’ Facebook page.
Poster Tom Wagner jeered, “Way to get shut out by the Cardinals of all Teams!!!! LMAO.” But Scott Clevenger wasn’t that impressed: “A few years back the Lions went 4-0 in preseason, 0-16 regular season. Just sayin.”
ESPN said it was the first preseason shutout for the Green Bay Packers since Forrest Gregg was a coach. And Gregg’s tenure there ended in 1987. Ouch.
Their analysts called the shutout troubling and said it proved that Arizona’s defense meant business when it held the Packer’s offensive to a sad and sorry 223 yards.
Wisconsin news source Journal-Sentinel didn’t much like the game either. Their sports analyst Bob McGinn called it dreary.
“Other than Rodgers’ 50-yard completion to James Jones, it was a night of offensive futility for Green Bay ,” he wrote.
Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy admitted that the preseason didn’t start the way he would have liked:
“Tonight’s contest, obviously not exactly where you would like to start…Tonight here on our home field, as you look at the game, from my view, the things that I was able to evaluate, the first thing that jumps out, offensively, was obviously the turnovers…”
@packers this better not be a look into the coming season..
— Kate Del Piano (@KateHatesYouuu) August 10, 2013
#Packers special teams players huddle for a moment before going to stretch. Watch the game: http://t.co/ud0ZjJQ8KL pic.twitter.com/Xee5ByHqET
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 9, 2013
But fans still say their quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the best in the game. They hold out hope for a much better result the next time the Green Bay Packers take the field.
[ Green Bay Packers photo via their official Facebook page ]