Lovie's first coaching mistake vs. Green Bay
Ok, I think we can all agree that Lovie has cost us some games this season because of stupid decisions. From not throwing challenge flags to not making adjustments during the game... as a Head Coach, he should've known better.
Case in point: After the coin flip before the game, Lovie chose to defer. BAD IDEA. We all knew how hot Aaron Rodgers and his receivers had been lately-- and we were basically saying, "I dare you to try to score against our Defense." The other message Lovie sent: "We believe in our Defense more than in our Offense". While it may be true, it's a bad message to send-- especially to a team like GB who, in fact, took no time in marching down the field and scoring a TD. That hurt. It demoralized our D for the first half, and put us into a mentality of playing "catch up" on offense throughout the game.
There's no way of knowing how the game would have turned out if we had chosen to receive the kickoff. Who knows? Cutler and the Bears could have set the tone by marching down the field and scoring (however unlikely, considering the way Cutler performed in the first half). BUT.... imagine if Hester could have taken the opening kickoff to the house. Think about that as setting the tone.
We'll never know the impact of the deferral. But, simply put, it's just plain DUMB to defer in an NFC Championship game, especially against a recently HOT high-octane offense like GB.
Good Head Coaches do not make this mistake.