Category Archives: Andy Wellman

Something’s Gotta Give

January 7, 2015 – 6:45 pm

While it’s not the proverbial “irresistible force meeting immovable object”, a streak will end on Sunday at Lambeau Field. The Cowboys roll into town having posted a perfect 8-0 road record this season, pitted against the Packers on perfect showing in home games. Someone has to lose, thus ending their streak. Vegas likes the Pack, as do I, but it should still be an exciting game between two of the better teams in the NFC.

The real interesting game will be the one between the Seahawks and the Panthers. A Carolina win coupled with a victory for Green Bay would mean the NFC Championship Game will be held on the Frozen Tundra. We can always hope.

By andylwellman | Also posted in Green Bay Packers | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Merry Christmas…

January 6, 2015 – 6:51 pm

…and Happy New Year!

Santa delivered a big win for a much needed bye week in the NFC North Division Championship Game against the Detroit Lions. That was followed up by a Barry Alverez lead Badgers football team’s upset of Auburn in the Outback Bowl on New Years day. Then the Dallas Cowboys took care of business in the first round of the playoffs and punched their ticket for a rematch of the Ice Bowl (yeah, I said it) this Sunday. Marquette’s Men’s Basketball team has been a pleasant surprise, and the Badger’s Men’s team has been holding it’s own. Sorry I haven’t been following them as closely as I should, but I will once the NFL season is over and we head into the sports doldrums and count down the days to the NCAA Tournament.

And don’t forget about the Bucks, who have already won more games this season than they did the entire last year. I’m not sure when Brewers pitchers and catchers report, but before you know it we’ll be listening to the dulcet tones of Bob Ueker coming from sunny Arizona while we dream of warmer days at Miller Park.

And just a quick note on the passing of Stuart Scott. I didn’t know the man personally, but I did invite him into my living room nearly every night on SportsCenter. He and Rich Eisen were often much more entertaining than the highlights that were played. By all indications, he was a decent guy with a great sense of humor, and more importantly, a very loving father. Where ever you are Mr. Scott, I hope the pillows are as cool on the other side as they are here.

By andylwellman | Also posted in Green Bay Packers, Marquette Golden Eagles, Milwaukee Brewers, UW Badgers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

NFC North Division Championship Game…

December 23, 2014 – 1:57 am

…AGAIN!

For the second time in as many years, the NFC North crown will go to the winner of a head-to-head match up in the last game of the regular season. And once again, the Green Bay Packers will be playing in that game. Last year it was against the Bears at Soldier field, where the Pack prevailed in what is arguably one of the greatest comebacks in the Aaron Rodgers era. This year, it comes down to a single game at Lambeau Field against the Detroit Lions, a team that beat us earlier this season. In that game, the offense wasn’t particularly sharp, much like they haven’t been in the last two weeks while going 1-1. The games weren’t blowouts by any means, with our defense keeping us within winning distance each time.

But that has been against some pretty bad offenses, and when we faced a formidable defense in Buffalo, we lost. Detroit is similarly good on that side of the ball. Yesterday, Rodgers started the game already under the weather while also taking some painful shots from Buccaneer defenders. Hopefully he will be able to get healed up this week, as much as can be expected this time of year anyway, and playing before the home crowd with the offense put up the kind of numbers we saw against the Bears, Eagles and Falcons.

For while both teams are already in the post season, this game comes down to the difference between a first round by and at least one playoff game at home, or going on the road in round one. Personally, I wouldn’t be that disappointed with the wildcard berth, except that would mean that the Lion’s would get their first win in Wisconsin since 1992, because when Green Bay won their last Superbowl they were on the road throughout the playoffs, and I’m still disappointed with how the team handled the last time they had a first round bye.

Regardless of the outcome of this game though, the road to Superbowl would appear to run through Seattle, a daunting task for any team right now.

By andylwellman | Also posted in Green Bay Packers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Hey Mike, Halloween is on Friday

October 28, 2014 – 1:39 am

So what was with those “tricks” in last nights loss to the Saints? Was it the bright lights of primetime? Or facing off against your former employer? Whatever the case might have been, those were two of the most inexplicable play calls I’ve seen from you in quite some time. First and goal from the 2 yard line and you’re going to call a pass play to Julius Peppers??? And not a nice little fad to the back corner where Aaron could float one in there, but a bullet crossing route with a guy draped all over him. That’s a difficult catch for an experienced wide receiver or tight end, so what made you think that a defensive lineman would give you the best opportunity to convert that into a touchdown? Why would you think to just give away a down in a game that was going back and forth, each team exchanging equal blows.

Which brings me to the other act of “trickeration”, the onside kick. Again, you’re in a close game where every possession is worth it’s weight in gold, and you’re going to take the chance of giving Drew Brees a short field at home? Maybe somehow, perhaps, you forgot what was going on, or maybe you were confused? A touchdown pass to a defensive player is neat when you’re blowing someone out in your own stadium, and an onside kick is not “cute”, it’s a serious play that’s used when you have very little time left and you need to score or generate a swing in momentum.

So, if you’re not going burn those two plays in the furnace at Lambeau Field, at least lock away in a glass case that says “use only in case of emergency” and give the hammer to Ted.

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Which Is More Important?

March 4, 2014 – 3:01 pm

After last week’s “Fiasco by the Bay”, in which what was thought to be a rather competent franchise tried to “trade” their highly successful head coach to Cleveland Browns, I thought I’d weigh in. Now, whether this is a reflection of Jim Harbaugh’s inability to get along with management, a reputation that’s been earned since his earliest days in the college ranks, or not, he has still taken the 49er’s to three straight NFC Championship games and a berth in the Superbowl. This in turn sparked a debate on local sports radio of which is more important; the GM or the head coach. And who would you rather trade, Ted Thompson or Mike McCarthy?

I’d like to begin by starting with my recollections of the arrival of these two men to the Green Bay Packer’s franchise. When Ted Thompson was hired, the divide between those who were in favor and those who were not was sharp and very deep. Even though he had helped put together a Superbowl worthy team in Seattle, and was a Ron Wolf protégé, many were still unhappy with his hire. Many were backers of the man that he replaced as GM, Mike Sherman, and in retrospect, it would seem some of the anger could even be traced back to his perceived sexual orientation.

When Mike McCarthy was hired, not only did he receive the additional wrath of the Mike Sherman fans, but he was coming from San Francisco as the Offensive Coordinator of the worst offense in the league. All of this also combined to give more ammo to the Ted Thompson haters. Of course, the only thing the two of them have done since then is deliver a 15-1 season, several Division titles and a fourth Lombardi Trophy to Green Bay. Now, neither man has been perfect. From Ted’s numerous first round strike outs to Mike’s home playoff losses, there is still some room for criticism. But then again, we are not the aforementioned Cleveland Browns.

So, who would I rather trade away, or conversely, keep? Ted Thompson. I have always been in the school of thought that successful franchises are run from the top down. The GM hires the Head Coach that he wants, and then provides him with the best players possible. It is much easier for a mediocre coach to be successful with top end talent than it is for a great coach to succeed with middle of the road players. And one needs look no further than Ted Thompson’s former employer, the reigning Superbowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Even with all of the recent praise being heaped on Pete Carroll, you can not deny that his NFL career up to this point has been at best mediocre. You can even argue that his success at the college level only came with a significant bending of the rules.

What Seahawks General Manager John Schneider did was supply Carroll with some of the best players at their position in the league. Through the draft and savvy use of the free agent market, he put together a championship caliber team. In particular a defense that even in the hands of a less than stellar coach, went out and dominated one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history in the biggest game of the season.

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From the Penthouse to the Outhouse

February 4, 2014 – 2:19 pm

With the latest NFL season now officially in the books, the annual sports doldrums are set to begin. While the NBA (which really doesn’t get interesting until the playoffs) and the NHL (which as a fan of sports in Wisconsin I REALLY have no vested interest in) seasons are currently ongoing, my personal interest begins to shift toward NCAA Basketball. The next big thing on the annual sporting calendar is March Madness, and how our four Division IA teams will fair.

Which brings me to the UW Men’s team. I can’t remember a more precipitous plunge in the rankings by one of these teams than what has happened to the Badgers over the last month. From at one point getting off to the best start, 16-0, in school history and being ranked as high as 3rd in the country, to losing 5 of 6 and completely dropping out of the rankings just boggles my mind. From getting some solid wins against quality opponents to losing at home to unranked conference rivals, it’s been the tale of two seasons so far. Now, how that will transfer to post season success, if they even have a post season, I can’t say. It will have to go down as one of the most disappointing performances that I can remember.

By andylwellman | Also posted in UW Badgers | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Just A Few Thoughts

January 24, 2014 – 12:49 am

Here are a couple of topics that I was thinking about today. I won’t go into much detail about them, as I’m not very knowledgeable about them, and I also thought that it might be a way to spark some conversation in the comments sections.

First, the University of Wisconsin Men’s Basketball team. What the heck happened? The last time I wrote about them, they were 16-0 and off to the best start in school history. Since then they’ve lost 3 straight, including one at home, and have fallen in the rankings from 3rd to 9th. I hope I didn’t jinx them, but they’ve gone from nearly no national coverage when they were doing well, to everyone wondering if they were just lucky to start out the season so well. Should we be concerned about the rest of the season for the Badgers?

Second, the Milwaukee Brewers signed free-agent RHP Matt Garza to a 4 year, $52 million deal pending a physical. He was 10-6 last year with a 3.82 ERA while playing for both the Cubs and the Rangers. He has had some injury issues, but does appear to fair better in the National League. He gives up his fair share of homers, which could troublesome in Miller Park, but he doesn’t walk many, so that helps to limit the damage done by the gopher ball. How does this affect the outlook for the 2014 Brewer’s season?

Third, today ESPN declared that the Milwaukee Bucks were the worst run franchise in professional sports. That seems a little hard to believe when you consider the likes of the Cleveland Browns and the Florida Marlins (I can’t think of an NHL example, as I’m REALLY clueless about that league). Why are they the worst, and what needs to be done to change that?

So there we have some talking points. Feel free to comment, or write an entire post if you wish.

By andylwellman | Also posted in Bucks, Milwaukee Brewers, UW Badgers | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Are The Badgers For Real?

January 10, 2014 – 3:10 am

The reason I ask is because this morning on the Mike & Mike show, during the “what everyone’s talking about” segment, there was a list of three topics. The first two related to this weekends upcoming NFL playoff games, and the third one was concerning the Wisconsin Badgers Men’s Basketball team’s game from last night. Funny thing is, you wouldn’t have know that unless you were watching the show on TV, as I was. That’s because when it came to talking about the last item, they instead went off on some other NFL related tangent. Personally, I was flabbergasted. They stuck faithfully to the script through the first two, then completely disregarded the concerning Wisconsin. Just let me cry “no respect!” and I’ll move on.

Are the Badgers for real? It’s tough to say at this point. They have had some quality wins against good opponents, including last nights blowout against a ranked, conference rival in the Fighting Illini. But it was in the Kohl Center, and the road to the Tournament isn’t going to get any easier. Big Ten basketball is shaping up to be very formidable this year, with some other highly ranked teams. In fact, right now UW finds themselves sandwiched between Ohio State and Michigan State in the rankings. They are off to a 16-0 start, the best in school history, and at #4 as highly ranked as I ever remember them.

The team is built differently than in past years as well, with athletic big men that can run the perimeter AND drive to the basket. This is a formula that could do well in March, and after a less the spectacular end to the football team’s season, could be just the tonic for UW fans everywhere.

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I Want To Like The Bucks…

January 8, 2014 – 12:48 am

…I really do. Even though I’m not nearly the NBA fan that I once was some 25 years ago, they are the professional basketball team from my home state. I’m not old enough to remember the Championship, but I can recall watching playoff games when they were on tape delay. I grew up on the Don Nelson teams of the 80’s, when they would make annual trips to the playoffs with the likes of Sidney Moncrief, Marcus Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, Harvey Catchings and Brian Winters. And later with Terry Cummings, Craig Hodges, Alton Lister and Paul Pressey. While they never won an NBA title, you could always expect a decent showing in the post season, with some classic matchups with the Celtics or 76er’s. Now they’ve become the equivalent of the 90’s Brewers; a lackluster team playing in a less than spectacular building.

The reason I was thinking about this today was because nearly simultaneously I received an offer for some tickets to the game while ESPN 540’s D-List’s question of the day was if you were to receive a free limo ride, free tickets and free food to tonight’s Bucks game at the Bradley Center, would you take them? Now, I’m not one to shy away from a freebie, but considering how cold it is, I would have to think twice. They are playing the Clippers, one of the more exciting teams in the league, but I’ve never been the type that goes to their favorite team’s games to watch the other guys. Which brings me back to the less than mediocre, pre-Miller Park Brewers.

Back then, I would think about taking the kids to a game, an experience I’m sure they would remember for a lifetime. But I just couldn’t do it, considering how much it would cost and what we were getting in return. Never mind the less than family friendly environment that we might sometimes encounter, the ubiquitous “product on the field” would never measure up. And that’s the problem with the current edition of the Milwaukee Bucks, a last place team seemingly playing for the first pick in this summer’s NBA lottery. At least the Badgers Men’s Basketball Team is ranked in the top 5…for now.

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Packers Post Game: 2013 Wildcard Playoff Edition

January 6, 2014 – 6:14 pm

Well, the 2013 season finished a lot later than I had expected. After it was revealed that Aaron Rodgers had broken his collar bone in October, I held little hope that they would even win one game without him. The fact that they still had a shot at a division title going into Week 17 was nothing short of miraculous. So many things had to come together for it to happen that this group started to have that “team of destiny” feeling to it. Of course the 2003 Packers had that same feeling until “4th and 26”.

And so the Green Bay Packer’s season came to an end yesterday on the “frozen tundra” of Lambeau Field. A place that used to be a guaranteed W but has hosted the end of the Packers post season in 5 of the last 9 playoffs. And for the second year in a row, it came at the hands of the San Francisco 49er’s, a team that is fast becoming for Aaron Rodgers what the Dallas Cowboys had become to Brett Favre. But instead of being thoroughly run over, as was the case last year in the City By The Bay, the Pack held their own. After being beat up and bruised all year long, and limping into the playoffs against an arguably superior opponent, the team managed to acquit themselves quit well in a close 23-20 loss.

The day after, I find this game leaving me with an unusual feeling. They were playing with house money, and while I always want them to win, the loss doesn’t leave me with a bad taste in my mouth, like what which would have been had they lost to the Bears the week before. A game that they would have been just as likely, if not more so, to lose. It was a game of dichotomies. While the defense rose up to twice deny the Niners a touchdown inside their own 10 yard line, and came away with a momentum generating turnover, they also could not get the timely third down stop and allowed San Francisco to bleed the clock while getting into position to kick the game winning field goal with no time remaining.

The offense started out miserably, found it’s rhythm and was able to keep up score for score, but then couldn’t find the end zone from 1st and goal at the 9. A score that would have given the Packers a four point lead and forced San Fran to score a TD to win the game. Aaron Rodgers had another miraculous escape to complete a 4th down conversion, but in the end the miracles ran out, and now we’ll have to suffer the arctic cold wondering what might have been, what needs to happen in the off season and dreaming of the warm summer days of mini camp.

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