Opinionated, but not infrequently under-informed, observations of the Green Bay Packers. If something in this blog sounds funny, it's probably satirical.
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That game was just as squirrelly as I expected, but a win is a win and I'll take it. In fact, that's the first win the Packers have managed to get in the City of Brotherly Love since 1962. Something about Philadelphia seems trapped in a time warp and those throw-back uniforms the Eagles were sporting didn't help. I half expected Mark Wahlberg from Invincible to step onto the field in his kelly greens. Some throw-back uniforms are cool. Those are not. Neither is that hairdo. I know you're trying to be all Vince Papale and stay authentic to the period, but you look like... Tom Brady.
As a former Green Bay coach, Andy Reid knows the Packers extremely well and his game planning was superb. Start with pressure on Rodgers -- which included multiple hurries, collapsed pockets, and 3 sacks in the first 15 minutes. Follow it up by taking Finley out of his comfort zone -- which they again did early on with Stewart Bradley keying on him. And then shut down the other bread-and-butter plays the Packers love -- cheating on quick slants, sniffing out the screens, swarming draws, etc. It was pretty effective, holding the Packers to 13 points in the first half and 27 on the game.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, Kevin Kolb looked like Marky Mark might have been pretending to be him in the first half. Kolb was 5 of 10 for 24 yards before Clay Matthews hoed the ground with his head, sending him to the bench with a concussion and 6 square feet of Lincoln Financial Field in his face mask. Marky probably could have done better. Ironically, the worst thing the Packers could have done was knock the Eagles starting quarterback out of the game. For the rest of the game, Michael Vick gashed our defense like a... well, like rottweiler. Presumably the Packers D didn't game plan against Vick much, but they should have. The guy put up 175 yards in the air and another 103 on the ground during 3 scoring drives in the second half. Thank God Vick didn't start!
The good news of the game is that Rodgers can have a bad game on the road and we still win. Rodgers looked out-of-sync all day. He was off-target on his first three passes of the game, all incompletions. He threw two interceptions, both on badly thrown balls. And he was clearly rattled by the push up the middle and stunts that the Eagles threw at him, resulting in 3 sacks. But very few coaches will know how to get inside his head better than Reid. So, hopefully, Aaron will be back to his usual swagger in week 2.
The defense, in spite of letting the Eagles back into the game, looked pretty good. Clay Matthews showed his Pro-bowl selection was no fluke. He was dominant, leading the team with 7 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble. He is un-believably athletic for his size and will be a disruptive force opposing offenses will have to deal with all season. Charles Woodson also had a stellar day, flying all over the field as usual and forcing a fumble. It was also great to see our un-drafted rookies mixing it up. Frank Zombo got a key sack and Sam Shields held his own for the most part.
Finally, special teams had a solid day too. Mason Crosby was money, hitting two long kicks including a 56-yarder right before the half. Punt and kick coverage was reliable. And Jordy Nelson proved to be a huge momentum changer with three consecutive long kick-off returns after Philadelphia scores.
It wasn't pretty, but it was a win. And it sets us up for a good start to the season. So you can take your Greg Kinear Philly fans. We'll take our W.
I really don't harbor any ill will against Favre. I harbor ill will against the Vikings. Favre just happens to be their quarterback. If he was still a Jet, I wouldn't care. But as the QB of our arch nemesis, I am compelled to revel in his failures and the failures of his team.
This hit by the Saints' Roman Harper on Thursday night was a thing of absolute beauty. Favre left his feet as if he was hit by a car. I was a little surprised his shoes didn't come off in the process. The result of this wobbling pass was an interception. Just like in the NFC Championship game, the formula for beating any Favre-led team remains putting hits on him and forcing him into stupid mistakes.
So the Vikings season begins this year as it ended last year -- on the turf of the Super Dome watching an interception replay on the jumbotron. The Vikings offense will be challenged to be as potent as it was last year. Favre missed training camp again, but that's no surprise. His offensive line has had some shuffling due to injuries. Guards Steve Hutchinson and Anthony Herrera both had shoulder injuries last season. Center John Sullivan has struggled with a calf injury in the pre-season. And left tackle Bryant McKinnie had to leave the game Thursday due to a dislocated finger. Like the Packers last season, the Vikings offensive line hasn't had good playing time together and it could affect their consistency.
More widely publicized have been their issues at receiver. Last year's star Sidney Rice is out at least half the season due to hip surgery which he bizarrely neglected to do at the end of last season. Guess he just didn't make it that far down his to-do list. Percy Harvin, who had an impressive rookie season last year, has suffered from intense migraines and collapsed at practice a few weeks ago requiring a trip to the hospital in an ambulance. Bernard Berrian has never been a go-to guy, and he showed it again Thursday catching only one pass for three yards in addition to a key drop. Visanthe Shiancoe had a nice game and clearly is the guy Favre trusts most. But he had back-to-back bone-headed penalties Thursday, and the Saints demonstrated in the second half that Shiancoe can be easily shut down when there are so few other receiving weapons on the field. Adrian Peterson looked great, but the absence of a dangerous passing threat is the best way to keep Peterson contained. Plus, Favre is too impatient to stick with the run.
As good as the Vikings defense looked, if their offense can't put up more than 9 points, they are going to have a hard time winning with any consistency. And more hits like this could mean this season is finally Favre's last. Like a lot of Packers fans, though, I have too much respect for Favre to trash talk him directly. So I'll leave the trash talking (and child exploitation) to the Saints fans:
I feel a little odd declaring that the opening game of the season is a "must win." But at the end of the season, every win is worth the same amount. If the Packers don't come out and set the tone with a convincing win against the Eagles on Sunday, I will be worried about their season. Aside from the fact that my kids are rabid Green Bay Packers fans who will be heartbroken if we lose our opening game of the season, there are three reasons I see this as a must win game.
First, the Vikings lost. We all know that any viable playoff run must first start with winning the NFC North. With the Vikings losing in the Bayou tonight, Green Bay can take an immediate lead in the division if they win Sunday. Getting out of the gate early will be critical in setting the pace and establishing themselves as the team to beat.
Second, the Eagles could be testy. I'm not sure why, but the Eagles feel like a sleeper team to me. Especially on opening day at home. New QB Kevin Kolb seems like a budding star, and DeSean Jackson, Jason Avant, Jeremy Maclin, and Brent Celek are legit receiving options that could test the Packers thin secondary. This is the kind of game on the road that you need to be able to win to be a contender.
Third, if they win this game the Packers have a legitimate shot at being 6-0 by the time they face the Vikings. Beating Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Washington and Miami all feel very do-able. If the Packers are able to get off to that kind of start, they will turn their pre-season hype into regular season intimidation. They will switch from the team that everyone wants to knock off their pedestal, to the team everyone is afraid to confront. And they will have the confidence and swagger necessary to take down the Vikings in week 7 and, hopefully, put themselves in a 2-3 game lead in the NFC North.
If Green Bay loses Sunday, all these things run the risk of unraveling the other way. They will be fighting game-by-game with the Vikings for first place. Other teams will have tape on how to beat them. And the media will start rampantly speculating about the whether they were over-hyped. We don't want that to happen. So... it's a must win. Get it done!
The NFL regular season starts Thursday, and expectations around Packer nation, and the actual nation for that matter, are at a fever pitch. Green Bay hasn't been under this much pressure to win the Super Bowl since Bart Star was under center. The hype has reached such a level that I almost feel sorry for Vikings fans who have to listen to everyone predict Packer dominance in the NFC North despite their status as defending divisional champs. Then I think about north woods face-painters like this dude and remember that I should never feel sorry for Vikings fans. Lions fans, maybe, after generations of suffering under Packer oppression, but never Vikings fans.
At first, I thought the high expectations were just among us. Those who saw the development of the team last year. Witnessed the maturation of Aaron Rodgers into an MVP-level player. Could attest to the strength of the run-stuffing defense. But as the pre-season prognosticators across the myriad media outlets started pontificating their predictions, the persistent premonitions of Packer prowess were perceptible.
Interestingly, probably the most muted expectations were from the sports writers at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Although 3 of the 4 predicted the Packers will win the NFC North, only one (Mike Vandermause) had them going to the Super Bowl and losing to the Ravens. I think they're sand bagging -- either that or trying to invoke some superstitious reverse jinx or something. The national media has been much more bullish on the Packers' prospects. This ESPN article providing the predictions of 7 of their top football analysts was particularly striking. Among their predictions:
4 of 7 have Rodgers as Offensive Player of the Year, 3 of 7 have him as MVP
6 of 7 predict the Packers will win the NFC North
7 of 7 predict they will go to the NFC Championship game
7 of 7 predict they will win the NFC and go to the Super Bowl
4 of 7 predict they will win the Super Bowl
Of course, one of these guys predicted the Bengals will also go to the Super Bowl, so what the hell do they know. But those are some seriously high expectations, and it doesn't stop there. I heard Adam Schein and Rich Gannon on NFL Network radio both predict the Packers in the Super Bowl. And none other than our own Aaron Rodgers' mug just graced the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Cue Queen (with David Bowie)...
There are two possible outcomes when the hype circling your team reaches this decibel level. Either:
You embrace it and confidently start delivering the goods, turning that pre-season hype into regular season intimidation and domination on your way to Super Bowl glory, or
You don't live up to it, start losing, trigger a wave of nay-sayers whose ripple effect spawns a wave of self-doubt causing your entire season to implode and all the coaching staff to lose their jobs.
My hope is for scenario 1.
Against that backdrop, I wouldn't be a self-respecting blogger if I didn't publicly lay out my predictions for the Packers' 2010 season. So without further delay, here goes:
Sun., Sept. 12 @ Philadelphia Eagles -- Win, but a tight tester game. Very nervous they will overlook the Eagles in their yard. Just the thought of playing there still makes me twitch with PTSD flashbacks to our 2003 playoff loss against them.
Sun., Sept. 19 Buffalo Bills -- Win. Bills may be the worst team in football this year, and should be a cake walk of a home opener. A loss here is too horrifying to contemplate, so I won't.
Mon., Sept. 27 @ Chicago Bears -- Win. First and only Monday night appearance this year (apparently the MNF producers didn't get the "Packers to dominate" memo). Jay Cutler and Mike Martz already struggling to keep their jobs at this early stage in the season.
Sun., Oct. 3 Detroit Lions -- Win. I will be at this game, and can't wait! Lions make me a little nervous as I think they will be dramatically improved this year... to a record of 3-13.
Sun., Oct. 10 @ Washington Redskins -- Loss. I'm not necessarily buying into the excitement about an improved Redskin team. Lots of dysfunction in that locker room, and they still have a mascot that looks like it was pulled from a Mississippi high school in the 1950s. But I expect us to drop at least one game early on and this or the Eagles game feel like the most likely candidates.
Sun., Oct. 17 Miami Dolphins -- Win. Parcells' recent departure (vying with Brett for the most fake retirements) shows he knows what's coming in Miami. Mediocrity. Your wild cat doesn't scare me.
Sun., Oct. 24 Minnesota Vikings -- Win. Like last year, this match-up could determine the division. We get them in our house, and, if we've taken care of business the first 6 weeks, we should have a good record and the inside track for NFC Norris bragging rights.
Sun., Oct. 31 @ New York Jets -- Loss. Another favorite pick of the NFL gurus, probably because of all the f-bombs Rex Ryan drops on Hard Knocks. I actually think we match up pretty well against their vertically-challenged offense, but winning at the New Meadowlands on Halloween will not be easy.
Sun., Nov. 7 Dallas Cowboys -- Win. I'm short-selling the Cowboys, even if Jerry did get the Super Bowl. The defense is porous, the receivers are prima donnas, Romo is a choker, and all will be on display in this Sunday night game at home.
Sun., Nov. 14 -- I predict they will have a bye week. Record: 7-2.
Sun., Nov. 21 @ Minnesota Vikings -- Loss. Always a tough game for us to win in that God-forsaken dome.
Sun., Nov. 28 @ Atlanta Falcons -- Win. Another dome against another popular pick for a break-out team this year. I, frankly, don't see it. Matt Ryan is great, but nothing else about the Falcons generates any excitement.
Sun., Dec. 5 San Francisco 49ers -- Win. Welcome to Lambeau in December, gentlemen. Alex Smith sets league record with 17 interceptions.
Sun., Dec. 12 @ Detroit Lions -- Win. Detroit already posturing for first overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft by this point.
Sun., Dec. 19 @ New England Patriots -- Loss. Another very win-able game for us, but anticipate we can't quite get over the hump against them thanks to a Brady dismantling of our secondary.
Sun., Dec. 26 New York Giants -- Win. Eli is actually another quarterback with the capacity to expose our weak secondary, but I think we get the job done at home as we gear up for the playoffs.
Sun., Jan. 2 Chicago Bears -- Win. Bears are working out Caleb Hanie at QB by this point, desperately seeking some answer for next season.
Overall record: 12-4
Win NFC North and get first-round bye
Lose to Saints in NFC Championship game in a shoot out.
There you go. I desperately hope I'm wrong and they bring home another Lombardi, but I just think the failure to shore up the defensive secondary and pass rush is going to be too much to overcome against the elite quarterbacks. We shall soon find out.
The final cuts were announced yesterday, trimming the Packers down to the required 53-man roster. Frankly, there were some surprises on the chop list, particularly: RB Kregg Lumpkin, O-linemen Evan Dietrich-Smith, Breno Giacomini and Allen Barbre, TE Spencer Havner, and WR Jason Chery. Let me elaborate.
With the cut of Lumpkin, the Packers now have two running backs on the entire roster, including the practice squad. Unless Thompson intends to pick someone up off waivers from another club, this strikes me as a borderline reckless move. Ryan Grant has had some injuries in the pre-season, and Brandon Jackson is no stranger to the treatment room. To have no depth behind these guys scares me. And Lumpkin actually looked serviceable in the pre-season game against the Chiefs. Really would like to see them sign someone here.
Our offensive line woes are well-documented. Bryan Bulaga, Jason Spitz and T.J. Lang are essentially our only three back-ups. Nick McDonald and Marshall Newhouse are listed as well, but Dietrich-Smith and Giacomini seemed to be ahead of both those guys in the pre-season rotation. The Vikings apparently made an immediate move for Giacomini, but it sounds like the Packers were able to retain him for the practice squad. Dietrich-Smith was picked up by the Seahawks. I would have expected the Packers to retain some depth and experience on the offensive line. Right now, nobody is listed on the depth chart behind 33-year old Mark Tauscher. Not sure what their plan is in the event he goes down -- probably moving Bulaga over to the right side of the line I imagine.
Losing Spencer Havner, who is now a Detroit Lion, was also a bummer. I loved Havner's energy, and he was productive -- catching 4 TDs last season. He also was versatile, contributing on special teams as well as some playing time at linebacker. Presumably this was a cut of necessity. The Packers are stacked at tight end and still have 4 remaining on their roster -- Finley and Lee, of course, as well as 5th-round pick Andrew Quarless and Tom Crabtree. The decision to draft a TE in the 5th round this year not withstanding (I probably would have gone defensive back or end), Quarless I can kind of understand -- he looks like Finley at times and could be an upgrade from Lee when it's time for him to move on. I know little about Crabtree other than the fact he was a second-year undrafted free agent originally signed by Kansas City. Not the team I want to be taking cast-offs from. I would have kept Havner for the spirit if nothing else.
Finally, Jason Chery was the only glimmer in an otherwise depressing kick/punt return team this pre-season. One TD return does not a career make, but it seemed slightly surprising to see McCarthy elevate Chery to a role of returning all punts and kicks in the Kansas City game, only to see him cut two days later. Did he need another return to pay dirt to save his job? It looks like they'll be using Brandon Jackson for kick returns and Tramon Williams for punt returns. Why would you put your second and only back-up running back in a position he's likely to get injured? Wish the Packers had someone here like a Desmond Howard -- an impact player. I'm not saying Chery was that guy, but at least he ran with something to prove. These other guys will just be trying to avoid getting hurt. Seems like we're settling on a position that can be one of the biggest X-factors in the game.
I hope Thompson is working the phones right now to try to get us another RB and a returner, possibly another offensive lineman. But I'm not optimistic. We made no notable free agency moves this off-season, and I don't expect any now. Have to just trust they know what they're doing.
Like most Packer fans paying attention, I have three big concerns coming into the 2010 season:
Pass protection – which I’m feeling better about based on what I’ve seen in pre-season, as mentioned in my earlier post;
Defensive secondary – which remains a big concern, as I’ll get to in a second; and
Special teams – particularly return coverage.
Part two of my pre-seasons prognostications break down #2 and #3.
Defense
With only one pre-season game left (which won’t likely feature much of the first string anyway), it remains a little hard to really get a read on where the defense is at due to two factors. First, several key players have been injured. Al Harris, Clay Matthews, Cullen Jenkins and Atari Bigby have all been out. Second, Dom Capers has been running a very plain defense, with few of the creative blitzes and schemes that characterize his system.
As a consequence, I’m doing my best to withhold judgment about the Packers defense, but what I’ve seen so far, particularly in the defensive secondary, is not giving me the warm, fuzzy feeling I have on the offensive side of the ball. Let’s break it down.
D-line – Assuming Cullen Jenkins gets back to full speed after his calf strain, I feel pretty good about the defensive starters. Ryan Pickett is solid if un-spectacular and B.J. Raji should make a bigger impact with a year under his belt and better health. Losing Johnny Jolly to suspension for the season, possibly longer, hurts our depth. That said, second-round draft pick Mike Neal has looked pretty good in the pre-season and Justin Harrell is serviceable as well. I’d like to see them get more pass rush out of these guys, but the group should be able to hold their own.
LB – The linebacker corps should be a strength again this season, though they’ve got to get healthy. Nick Barnett, A.J. Hawk, Clay Matthews and Brad Jones have all missed time to injuries this year, causing some shuffling of positions. Brandon Chillar seems to be stepping up his game, and showed some versatility playing at both the outside and inside linebacker position. It looks like he’ll start. His hair certainly helps him to fit into this group. Also, his pass protection skills will make him valuable even if he’s not a starter.
Another pleasant surprise at back-up linebacker has been Frank Zombo, an undrafted free agent from Central Michigan. He registered nine tackles against the Colts, including a big-play sack/strip against Peyton Manning. I haven’t noticed much out of Desmond Bishop or Brady Poppinga this pre-season. It sounds like the Packers have cooled on Poppinga, who has also been struggling with some injuries. Overall, though, if they can get and/or stay healthy, we should be fine at linebacker.
CB – It feels a little odd to be concerned about a position in which Green Bay has the NFL Defensive MVP in Charles Woodson. But it’s the depth behind him that has me worried. Getting Al Harris back will be huge, but it’s uncertain if he’ll be ready for the opener and he still may end up on the PUP list which would mean he would miss the first six games of the season. He is reportedly in “phenomenal condition” but even if he’s ready to go in week 1 you need to have concerns about a 35-year-old player returning from a major knee injury. He just may never be the same guy.
Right now it’s Tramon Williams starting opposite Woodson, and he’s a cause of concern. He missed most of the offseason due to a contract dispute, and that has shown in pre-season. He got smoked multiple times in the Indianapolis game – just no match against Reggie Wayne. He occasionally makes big plays, but he’s no where near where he needs to be in terms of consistency.
Just like last season, though, the real problem is the Packers lack of depth which starts to become apparent in the Packers nickel and dime packages (or, God forbid, if Woodson or Harris/Williams go down). Brandon Underwood has apparently been impressive in practice, but I haven’t seen much in the games yet – except the back of his jersey while guys blow by him. Pat Lee has also been described as “encouraging” in practice. I’m not sure what they consider encouraging, but “sucking” is the term I’d use. He’s been burned more times than a Michael Phelps splif. And don’t even get me started on Jarrett Bush. He has the look of a lost puppy running around in circles in the backfield. So far this pre-season, among our back-up CBs it might be undrafted rookie Sam Shields who has impressed me most on the field with two interceptions. Someone in this group needs to step up, or we’ll have a lot of shoot outs a la the Cardinals game ahead of us this year.
Safety – Nick Collins appears to be in his usual Pro-Bowl form, but, as at the CB position, the drop-off feels steep after him. Getting Atari Bigby back from his ankle surgery would help tremendously, but like Harris, he may not be ready by week 1 and could end up on the PUP list and miss the first six games. If that happens, it looks like we’ll be starting 3rd-round draft pick Morgan Burnett at strong safety. He has looked plausible in the pre-season, with a nice interception in the Colts game (though I suspect he was out of position). The depth chart is dicey with un-remarkable Charlie Peprah, Will Blackmon (who will be more useful as a returner than safety), and Derrick Martin (who sounds like he’s in McCarthy’s dog-house after getting kicked out of the Seattle game and cut get cut).
Bottom line in the defensive secondary is if Harris and Bigby don’t get healthy and back to football form soon, we could be in trouble. Green Bay’s porous coverage and lack of pass rush was on display for everyone to see in last year’s NFC wild card game, and you can bet that every team we face this season will be digging deep in their playbook to exploit that weakness.
Special Teams
Green Bay finished with the worst special teams in the league last year. It’s particularly difficult to get a read on special teams during the pre-season, since the units are often comprised of guys on the bubble for making the roster. Despite two touchdowns from the special teams units in the Indianapolis game (one on a flubbed punt and another on a punt return), this is still a big area of concern.
Punt and kick-off return coverage feels like a big vulnerability, with that unit allowing at least two big returns in the Seattle game. Mason Crosby is reliable as a kicker, but the punter situation is a mess (and impacts the kicking game since that's your likely holder). The open competition between Chris Bryan and Tim Masthay to be the team’s punter seems more like a competition for “less worse” so far. Shouldn’t punters be like kickers? The 32 best in the world ought to be on someone’s roster. When you’re bringing in guys from Australian rules football, you can smell the desperation. What... we couldn't find a cricket player who could punt? This chap looks like he has a pretty good swing. Hopefully, one of these guys will be an upgrade over Kapinos, but I don’t have a good feeling about this.
The return team also feels up-in-the-air. Will Blackmon has had glimpses of talent, for the 2 weeks of the year when he’s healthy. Jason Chery’s punt return for a touchdown against the Colts was encouraging, until I reminded myself that it was against Indy’s 8th string special teams unit, most of whom will be working as position coaches for junior high teams this fall. Brandon Jackson or Sam Shields could theoretically make an impact on returns, but still unproven. Long story short, the return game needs to solidify. Encouraging to hear McCarthy dedicating more time in practice to special teams. We need it.
That’s my take on offense, defense, and special teams. Next post will be predictions on the 2010 schedule.
Welcome back… to TriggPack! After a summer that included the World Cup and a vacation in France, where “football” is never Football but always futbol, I’m ready for some Football.
And what a smorgasbord that was against Indianapolis. That was the most points scored by the Packers in a pre-season game since the infamous 75-0 rout of the Cedar Rapids Crush back in '38, but the asterisk in the record books notes that Cedar Rapids didn't actually have a football team and that 11 touchdowns were scored in a pasture against cows. Apart from giving up a touchdown 22 seconds into the game, the only thing tempering my enthusiasm after racking up 59 points against the defending AFC Champions is a nagging sense of déjà vu. It was the third pre-season game last season against the defending NFC Champion Cardinals that the Super Bowl hype began around the Packers. Expectations were high coming out of that game. As it turned out, we beat Arizona twice in games that didn’t matter, but lost to them, giving up 51 points in the process, when it did.
I don't want a repeat of that. So I hope everyone in the Packer organization takes a nice big slice of humble pie from that smoargasbord and remembers that this is the pre-season and they need to bring the same level of execution every week of the regular season. From all the post-game interviews, it sounds like the coaches and players do have a “confident without being cocky” mindset. So with that forewarning, here’s my breakdown of what I’m seeing this pre-season.
Offense
QB – Obviously, Rodgers looks super sharp. Like Ginsu knife forged by ninjas using lasers sharp. He went 21 of 29 for 195 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions against the Colts in just a half of football. In the three pre-season games he’s played so far, cumulatively amounting to about one full game of play, he’s 41 of 53 for 470 yards, 6 TDs and no interceptions. That’s crazy good. He also seems more relaxed and loose this year, perhaps just a function of having a Pro-Bowl season under his belt and the Favre distraction further in the rear view mirror. He's so loose, in fact, that he’s tossing the ball into a tiny net from 50+ yards just for the amusement of the practice crowd.
This is clearly Rodgers’s team now. He’s won over the players, coaches and fans. Even this dude sitting in section 344 row 95 at Lambeau, who -- when he sports a shirt at all -- still drags out his XXXXXL Favre jersey and hasn’t stopped whining for two years about the Packers letting #4 go, is starting to get a little quiet. Thompson and McCarthy have to be given credit for incredible foresight and conviction to recognize the talent and poise that Rodgers possesses. He is an elite quarterback, the face and future of the franchise. Injury is the only thing that could prevent another Pro-Bowl year.
The other observation at the QB position this pre-season is that Matt Flynn looks pretty darn good himself. He’s athletic, accurate with the football, and very poised and confident. He clearly has a great grasp of the offense – leading a two-minute drive from the 1-yard line in the Seattle game that would have scored a field goal if not for a false start in the final seconds. He’s not Rodgers, yet, but he appears to be a very serviceable back-up who plays with a similar style should the need arise.
RB/FB – Ryan Grant looks like he’ll put up another solid season, even if Jon Gruden refers to him as Dorsey Levens. The concussion and fumble in week one aside, he has shown again why he consistently is one of the top backs in the NFL. Brandon Jackson finally looks like he may be ready to be that 3rd-down, change-of-pace guy the Packers have needed. He had a great 26-yard scamper followed by a 12-yard TD in the Seattle game. He’s also been highly effective in screens, and had a great blitz pick-up against the Colts that enabled Rodgers to hit Jermichael for a TD. Jackson even has a little nickname, B-Jax, which is cooler than the name Merrill Hodge tried to give him -- "Bran-Jo, because when he runs, it reminds me of a banjo!"
Going down the list, Kregg Lumpkin is healthy and could add some punch. Korey Hall and John Kuhn return to provide stability and familiarity at fullback. Apart from the confusion that must ensue at practices by having two dudes named Quinn (Porter and Johnson), the backfield looks solid. Although the running game hasn’t been as impressive as the passing game, if the O-line can stay healthy, we’ll have plenty of run production this season.
WR – Not much to say about these guys. They’re returning the same crew that was stellar for them last season. Jennings remains in his elite form. He sat tonight with a back issue, but it’s minor. Driver appears to be as ready-to-go as ever. And they have great depth with James Jones and Jordy Nelson, not to mention guys that might not even make the team like Brett Swain and Patrick Williams. Hell, Jason Chery who got confused with the water boy on the depth chart, returned a punt for a touchdown. And Rodgers will make all these guys’ stat sheets ring like slot machines.
TE – Finley (again, as I thought after the Arizona pre-season game exactly one year ago) is ridiculous. He may emerge as the best tight end in the NFL this year. His physical gifts are indisputable, but he’s combining that with crisp route-running, great hands, and an incredible rapport with Rodgers. The drive in the final two minutes of the first half against the Colts was a Jermichael highlight reel. If the ball is in the same zip code, he is going to go up and get it, then drag 8 defenders another 30 yards downfield.
What’s really scary is the depth Green Bay has at TE. Obviously Donald Lee is a solid veteran who would be a great first-string starter if needed in that role. Then you have Spencer Havner (who has also been lining up on defense as a linebacker, by the way) and their 5th-round draft pick Andrew Quarless, who looked like he was playing the role of Finley both in terms of size and raw athletic ability on a touchdown grab in the second half. Forget 2 TE sets, I think the Packers should line up in a 4 TE set just to screw with the other team’s minds.
O-Line – My fingers are crossed that the horror show that was the first half of last season has truly ended. The 31 sacks the Packers gave up in the first seven games of 2009 was an embarrassment, and arguably cost them the division. Drafting Bryan Bulaga with the 23rd pick overall was part of the solution, and it sounds like it’s still a possibility he will beat out Daryn Colledge at the left guard spot (though I don’t expect it). The starting five have looked very stable, with Clifton and Tauscher doing an impressive job against two of the best in the league in Mathis and Freeney tonight.
Keeping the starting line healthy will be key, but I also feel more comfortable with our depth this year. Bulaga looks like he’ll live up to the first-round pick and should fill in well for Clifton or Colledge if necessary. T.J. Lang and Allen Barbre both got playing time last year and look serviceable. Jason Spitz would be a very reliable back-up at Center, assuming he’s not traded. The only reserve I’m not real comfortable with is Breno Giacomini, and not just because he has a silly name, but because he got manhandled in the Seattle game -- giving up at least one sack.
But the line itself is only part of the pass protection equation. The Packers overall scheme seems much better suited to reduce sacks this year. Rodgers is getting to the line early. In addition to himself, Wells, and often Sitton and Colledge, are making reads and adjustments at the line. The blitz pick-ups from the backs have been reliable. And Rodgers is getting rid of the ball faster, and they are calling more screens and other short passes. They’ve also dramatically cut down on their holding and false start penalties. All of that should dramatically reduce their pass protection problem, which was their biggest Achilles heel on offense last year.
That’s the offensive side of the ball. See next post for an analysis of defense and special teams.
