Nick Barnett News

The Green Bay Packers lost two cornerstones of their defense during Sunday's victory over San Francisco and could be playing without them for a lot longer.

This is why that hoary old clich, "On any given Sunday," still has meaning in the National Football League.

Coach Mike McCarthy's switch to a 3-4 defense with coordinator Dom Capers has shored up one of the great deficiencies for the Green Bay Packers last season - their run defense.

Their performance during Sunday's loss to Green Bay will be ranked as No. 37. The Cowboys produced only one score and a season-low 278 total yards, with 147 of the yards coming after Green Bay had gone ahead 17-0 in the fourth quarter.

Wonderful Woodson: When the Packers needed someone to step up, Charles Woodson and the defense provided that boost in the second half to give Aaron Rodgers and the offense momentum and excellent field position to work with.

Nick Barnett is a realist. As much as he enjoyed going hog wild after Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo on Sunday and sacking him twice, the Green Bay Packers linebacker knows the stars have to align just right for defensive coordinator Dom Capers to use a similar plan game in and game out.

That, I would say, is what a Dom Capers defense is supposed to look like. I saw a good bit of Green Bay's victory over Dallas while sitting in the Metrodome press box.

Bad losses don't come much worse than this. Favored by 10 points against a winless team that had a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start, the Green Bay Packers looked assured of heading into the second half of the 2009 season with a winning record.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sammie Stroughter hugs head coach Raheem Morris after catching the go-ahead touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov.

Here's the tale of the tape of the Green Bay Packers after their 38-28 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday.

For a team that can't generate enough of a pass rush, losing the only guy who can consistently get pressure isn't what the Green Bay Packers need as they're about to face a quarterback like Tony Romo.

Wearing one of those ghastly creamsicle jerseys that are an ugly reminder of Tampa Bay's past, rookie Josh Freeman gave the struggling Buccaneers plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future.

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In a somber locker room following the Green Bay Packers' loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, a handful of reporters waited for defensive lineman Johnny Jolly to explain his puzzling first-quarter, momentum-changing personal foul penalty.

In a somber locker room following the Green Bay Packers' loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, a handful of reporters waited for defensive lineman Johnny Jolly to explain his puzzling first-quarter, momentum-changing personal foul penalty.

Running back has just two fumbles, compared with nine last season. The Vikings aren't giving much away these days, which means the bandit defense of the Green Bay Packers might find its chances at turnovers few and far between Sunday at Lambeau Field.

The Vikings faced the Packers less than a month ago -- 28 days to be exact -- meaning it would seem logical that some of the same shortcomings Brett Favre was able to find in his former team's defense in a 30-23 victory should still be present.

Players - and fans for that matter - always want defensive coordinators to blitz more.

This is ita 'Packers/Vikings II at Lambeau Fielda 'the game Packers fans have long looked forward to hating.

Brett Favre won the Packers and Vikings first meeting by beating the Packers defense at nearly every turn.