Sep 9, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers guard T.J. Lang (70) during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field. The 49ers defeated the Packers 30-22. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE
Unless you were living in a cave today or nowhere close to a water cooler at work, you heard how the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Green Bay Packers 14-12 last night. On the last play of the game Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson hit wide receiver Golden Tate for a 24-yard touchdown to seal the victory. Please know I’m one who believes that shouldn’t have been a touchdown, like my blogging partner Dan, and find the replacement officials to be lackluster at best. However, following the game Packers guard TJ Lang went on a Twitter tirade blasting the NFL and their officials for the performance. The tweets went as follows….
"TJ Lang __@TJLang70Got (expletive) by the refs.. Embarrassing. Thanks nfl"
"TJ Lang __@TJLang70(Expletive) it NFL.. Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs."
"TJ Lang __@TJLang70Any player/coach in Seattle that really thinks they won that game has zero integrity as a man and should be embarrassed."
And about 10 hours later…
"TJ Lang __@TJLang70Only thing I regret from my tweets are the F bombs.. Sorry bout that."
As to if Lang really has any regrets, none of his tweets were deleted and are completely visible on his feed at the time of this posting.
While Lang should be somewhat applauded for speaking his mind on what was a questionable call, which mind you landed him approximately an extra 40k followers (interesting that an average guard has more followers than our quarterback), the fact is that final call was not the only play that decided the game. In actuality, 2011 Associated Press MVP Aaron Rodgers was a sacked a total of 8 times including two of which were to Lang’s primary blocking assignment in Seattle defensive tackle Brandon Mebane. You mean to tell me those sacks didn’t play into the final outcome of the game? And the Packers shouldn’t be concerned about their on-the-field product, which includes protecting their golden armed quarterback over that of the officiating? That was also the Packers lowest point production in a single game since 2010. Furthermore, does TJ Lang really need to give us his opinion about ones “integrity as a man”?
Looking at the standings now the Vikings sit atop the division in the company of the Chicago Bears at 2-1 with both the Detroit Lions and Packers are at 1-2. Is this fun right now? Absolutely! Does this mean we’re going to poke a little fun at TJ Lang when he’s lining up across our defensive line? Most definitely! The fact is good teams find a way over time to absorb bad calls and move forward. As to how Lang and the Packers respond has yet to play out. Lets just enjoy the humor while it lasts.
Jon Merckle may be followed on Twitter @thevikingpig