In case you missed it yesterday Mike McCarthy had his post game presser following the Bears loss and finally addressed the running game. Now I have to admit I was onto stage 6* of dealing with Monday's loss so I was feeling pretty decent, and hoping McCarthy could ease some concerns about the penalties and running game before heading into Sunday's Lions game. Then he said this and took me all the way back to stage 1:

"You have to look at what's the definition of the run game. I looked at this particular game, and I felt that our running backs were productive," McCarthy said. "I thought Brandon and John played well with the opportunities that they were given with the ball in their hands and what was put in front of them.

"I thought the running back production was a positive in the game."

Ummmm.....what? He thought the running back production was a positive in the game? I seriously had to double check I wasn't reading an Onion article here. He had to misread 'disappointment' on his script right? Either that or he's just pulling a Costanza here and living the lie? Because if 43 yards on 13 carries is 'productive', then Edgar Bennett would have been the next Barry Sanders in McCarthy's mind. After two games without Ryan Grant saying the running game is 'okay' would be like the captain of the Titanic saying that hitting the iceberg was a 'minor inconvenience.'

I just don't understand how this team can rest it's Super Bowl hopes on a back who averages 2.7 yards per carry. When your first play from scrimmage in the running game is a handoff to your backup fullback that is NOT a good omen. Or maybe McCarthy is playing chess here so that when they eventually sign Ahman Green and he averages 3.5 yards per carry that looks good? Like I was half joking about Samkon Gado yesterday, but if this is our plan the rest of the season then that might be a legit move. I can understand having faith in your own players to a point but unless we pull a 180 during the Lions game, something is going to have to give. Unless we saved our franchise before Grant got hurt and we can just reload from week 1's save. Then we'll be fine.

*I go through several stages of grief after a Packer's loss. There's a stage where I have to vent out loud. A stage where I read every Packer article in the paper. A stage where I listen to talk radio. A stage where I eat cookies. It's a process.

PS: Stage 1 is crying.