Poppinga's 'best game' ends in defeat

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The ultimate goal for Packers linebacker Brady Poppinga on Sunday was to help his team reach the Super Bowl.

He didn't accomplish that goal, but he had no reason to hang his head for his individual play.

Poppinga, a third-year player from BYU, recorded four tackles as Green Bay's starting "Sam" linebacker. He also chipped in a tackle on Green Bay's punting unit in the Packers' 23-20 overtime loss to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field.

Poppinga got off to a fast start. On New York's opening drive, he put a crushing hit on Giants running back Brandon Jacobs that appeared to knock Jacobs' mouthpiece into the frigid air. A few plays later in the drive, he stopped Jacobs for no gain on a first-down run on Green Bay's 11-yard line. New York eventually had to settle for a field goal.

"I thought I played the best game of my career," Poppinga said.

Poppinga doesn't get the same amount of attention as Green Bay's other starting linebackers, A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett. Hawk and Barnett were both first-round picks for the Packers and usually record more tackles than Poppinga. But Hawk said Poppinga is just as important to Green Bay's linebacker corps as he and Barnett.

"Brady played great," Hawk said. "He doesn't get a ton of credit for what he does, but he deserves a lot of credit. He made plays all year. He does all the dirty work, and he can do things that lot of linebackers can't.

"... I've got a lot of respect for how Brady plays and how he carries himself."

Poppinga, although happy with his effort Sunday, isn't satisfied with an opportunity he failed to take advantage of against the Giants. He, along with other Packers' players, had a chance to recover a fumble by Giants punt returner R.W. McQuarters near midfield with a little more than two minutes remaining in regulation.

Poppinga and former Utah State defensive back Jarrett Bush, a reserve for the Packers, got close to the loose ball, but failed to corral it. New York eventually drove down to Green Bay's 18-yard line before kicker Lawrence Tynes hooked a 36-yard field goal attempt as time expired in regulation.

"I'm sure there's a number of plays we can look back at and say we could have done this or we could have done that," Poppinga said.

"I guess you can call that play a microcosm of our day. After it happened, I remember looking at the replay and someone (a Giants player) jumped on my back. That's not an excuse. That oval ball bounces in funny ways."

Poppinga, although bitterly disappointed with the loss, said there are some positives he and his teammates can take from the defeat.

"Obviously our goal is to win the Super Bowl — you either do it or you don't," Poppinga said. "But if you look at where our team started and where it finished up, you see a lot of progress. That's something that's encouraging and hopefully will catapult us into next year."

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E-mail: aaragon@desnews.com