Every week, I watch the game with a notepad so I can jot down observations on the spot, without time to reflect or the filter of post-game stats to analyze. (Click the following link to see some of the reflections made after the week 4 was over.)

After the game, they are presented virtually unedited to my readers, down to the order in which I made them. I expect many of you may have made the same observations, as they are the kinds of observations many of us make and share with those watching, just as my father taught me the game by making similar observations.

(My main memory of what was said by him was always calling the holding penalties before the referees announced their calls. At first, before I was 10 years old, I wondered how he knew; as I soon figured out and any of you fans of the Packers in the 1980s can attest, one could assume that on nearly every play and look like a genius.)

• Good to see a couple good plays in the running game.
• Good series for A.J. Hawk-first a big hit, then in the right place (set to make an immediate tackle on a short pass) to make a gift pick.
• Nice to see we are benefiting from penalties!
• Man, we have to be the worst third-down defense in the league (a little hyperbole, but a quick check puts us 25th).
• That touchdown was scored rather easily on Morgan Burnett-how do you not cover Calvin Johnson but have two guys (other than Burnett) on a guy who fell down? (After finding out he was playing hurt, I wonder of this pass was after the rookie suffered what turned out to be a season-ending injury...might not have been bright on his part, but you have to love his competitiveness!)
• Who calls a deep out on third-and-a-foot? (Mike McCarthy, that's who!)
• There is something wrong with the field conditions, as three players have gone down in the first 18 minutes of the game. Do you still think my analysis that showed almost twice the likelihood of a significant injury happening at home has no merit, Stroh? Of course you do, because your prejudice against any opinion I state means I must be wrong despite the statistical improbability of that disparity being chance (1 in 128).
• A Mike Neal sighting! He forces a fumble, and fellow lineman Ryan Pickett recovers! (And to the slow announcers, a hand on the arm carrying the ball is as much a strip as one on the ball itself!)
• I know some fans wanted that to be roughing the passer (11 minutes left in the second), but it is nice to see the refs not pamper a quarterback for a change.
• I agree with the announcers that the Packers' problem right now is a lack of focus.
• What a touchdown pass to Jermichael Finley! And another to Greg Jennings!
• Good range to stop a score, Tramon Williams!
• Hawk was right on the coverage, but could not stop the completion. Sometimes you have to do better than an immediate tackle. (Something an apologist could not admit...)
• Did we really think they would quit after the third touchdown?
• Charles Woodson misses a tackle? Wow, that's something you don't see often!
• Wow, is that one Lions fan here compensating! That's way too excited over a first down. I could rub the next big play in her face, but it's better to take the high road and represent Packers fans well. Besides, I admire her courage to not only be loyal to that team, but come into the hornet's nest, even if she is trying to instigate something.
• I know they are playing a bad offensive line, but two sacks (first by B.J. Raji and now Cullen Jenkins with a broken hand) and a fumble both forced and recovered by a defensive line in a 3-4 is awesome production.
• You know Johnson is good when he comes down with the ball over good double coverage, especially when one of them is Woodson.
• We are making Sean Hill look like Peyton Manning. If they come back here, that Lions fan is going to really be annoying!
• The refs clearly are calling the penalty because the receiver is asking for it there-either you saw it and throw the flag right away, or you did not see it and don't throw the flag at all!
• You have to catch that ball, Nick (Collins)! Yeah, just like Woodson did (or at least got credit for-turns out we needed this score!). But even I can give Jarret Bush a break on that one, and I have wanted him cut since he did not simply fall on that fumble in the NFC Championship game Jan. 20, 2008 (about four hours after I nearly lost my finger changing a tire).
• Now Chad Clifton is drawing someone else (Kyle Vandenbosh) off-sides?
• That was not a major facemask on Hawk!
• Bush did make that play to stop a catch! (Even a broken clock is right twice a day-an analogy that may be lost on the young generation.)
• Jordy Nelson fumbles again?! His great first game returning seems like a dream now.
• At least one good thing came out of this-our backs actually got four yards a carry and literally ran out the clock with eight runs on a ten-play drive, and against an average front seven.