More on @NickBarnett and my beloved Packers

Several weeks ago Nick Barnett announced a self imposed moratorium on tweeting, saying he would not be using twitter until the off-season. Less than 24 hours later he was tweeting again.

After the Packers lost to the Vikings last night, Nick Barnett tweeted this to his now 38,373 followers:

“I just want to thank everyone who was with us today.. It was a really tough battle but we did not give up.. We did not get the result we wanted but we will do everything we must to become the packer team we are capable of being. We have a lot of talent and great guys in that locker room we will be fine as long as the packet nation stays behind us and give us all there support!! This is not the time to divide”

What amazes me about Nick is not that he was tweeting less than 24 hours after his self imposed moratorium, nor that not only was he tweeting less than 24 hours after his self imposed moratorium but he was also blogging on his barnett56.com web site, no. What amazes me about Nick is how sensitive the big wuss is.

You might recall that when confronted with a little criticism from the fans after the loss to the Bengals, Barnett suggested that we should "kiss (his) ass". He referred to the critics as “haters” and even cleverly dedicated a song called “Hate” by Jay-Z to “all the haters”. On this blog I observed that Barnett came across as thin skinned. It seemed odd to me that after a crushing defeat to the Bengals the thing that really pissed him off was the fans reaction to the team’s poor performance and to Barnett’s inappropriate showboating. Barnett seemed overly egotistical and overly sensitive. But are these generalizations about Barnett’s character correct? After all, Ol’ Samichlaus is just a blog bloviator who is named after a rare beer. So let’s look at Barnett’s three tweets from last night and try to read between the lines.

Barnett begins with an appeal to the positive: “I just want to thank everyone who was with us today..” Nice preemptive strike Nick. Thank the fans before they have a chance to tell you that you all sucked. Again. Barnett then goes for the sympathy angle: “It was a really tough battle but we did not give up..” Yes, it was tough out there. Especially for your quarterback who was knocked on his ass, what, 8 times? The only people who had it tougher than you Nick was that idiot Ted Thompson and the, oh, 14 million or so Packer fans that tuned in. Barnett continues: “We did not get the result we wanted but we will do everything we must to become the packer team we are capable of being.” Right…. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. I’ve got news for you Nick. This is the best this team is capable of. You guys lack talent, and you lack guts, just like your David Byrne look-alike GM. You let the Vikings walk all over you, and relax: by you I mean the Packers. Barnett finishes off with my favorite: a plea not to hurt his feelings. “We have a lot of talent and great guys in that locker room we will be fine as long as the packet nation stays behind us and give us all there support!! This is not the time to divide”

"This is not the time to divide"?

Into what? Like, half the room thinks the Packers lack skill and fundamentals, while the other half thinks the Packers lack talent and leadership? No, what Nick is saying is “Please don’t fill my twitter inbox with vitriolic claptrap. You’ll hurt my feelings”. Nick, Packer Nation will always stand behind our team. We’ve been here longer than you and we’ll be here longer than you. The question you have to ask yourself is, are you worthy of that uniform you wear? You’re a linebacker for cripes sake. You think Ray Nitschke would be begging for sensitivity? Also Nick, “vitriolic claptrap” means like “angry words that really have no meaning”

The Packers lost a game last night because they couldn’t pressure the quarterback, and they gave up way too much pressure on theirs. Aaron Rogers was tentative at times and it cost him. The offensive line played terrible. Donald Lee dropped a touchdown pass. The Packers committed 9 penalties to the Vikings 1. They turned the ball over three times (counting the safety they gave up). They look poorly coached and poorly prepared. After the game, defensive players like Charles Woodson wondered when they were planning on unleashing the defense, as opposed to the conservative play calling coordinator Dom Capers has rolled out the last several weeks. And when it’s all said and done, Mike McCarthy is ultimately responsible for a team that has no rhythm on offense, can’t protect its quarterback, and makes too many mental mistakes.

I think the team lacks balls. I said that to my wife today. They haven’t had an emotional leader since Reggie White played all those years ago. But they do have Nick Barnett, who appears to be less and less a man and more and more of this sweet young fellow. Time to grow a set and grow up.

One final note: Last night our friend Dan from Wausau WI came over to watch the game with Mrs. Samichlaus. Dan attends graduate school at VCU, and is studying sports medicine (he’s the only guy I’ve ever seen get all excited when Dr. Patrick Mckenzie runs on the field to tend to an injured Packer). As our regular SBS readers know, I am on the road staying in a hotel. Prior to the kickoff I was on the phone with Mrs. Samichlaus and Dan. “I have an HD TV in my room” I snickered, and followed up with “Are you jealous?” “Yes, I am jealous” replied Dan. “Of course,” he continued, “I have your wife”.

Game, set, and match.

Dan plans on running the Richmond marathon on November 14th, which he may find a bit challenging with a dozen or so of Samichlaus’s delicious extra hot chicken wings shoved up his ass.