Packers Stock Report: All defense edition
The Green Bay Packers No. 1 wide receiver is out for the season. Their No. 3 receiver has missed most of the season with a bad ankle. Eddie Lacy still doesn’t look healthy after suffering an ankle injury against Seattle and Andrew Quarless is out with a bum knee.
Randall Cobb,the Packers No. 2 receiver,is playing with a sore shoulder and T.J. Lang exited Sunday’s win over the St. Louis Rams with a knee injury.
No wonder the Packers offense is struggling.
Yes,Aaron Rodgers can turn water into wine and perform several other superhuman feats of football greatness,but even he can’t crank out Madden-like numbers week in and week out on a team that’s dealing with as many injuries as the Packers are.
And despite all the sprained ankles,messed-up knees and the “struggling” offense,the Packers are 5-0. Not only are the Packers 5-0,with the exception of about 5 minutes in the Seattle game,at no point this season have I ever felt that the Packers were in serious danger of losing a game.
Consider this as the offense works its way back to optimum health and maximum production: In the month of October during the Packers 2010 season,they scored 20 points or fewer in three games. That team also dealt with a bunch of early injuries. Eventually,they figured it out and won the Super Bowl.
The Packers defense has more than picked up the slack as the offense tries to get back on track this October. To honor the D’s efforts,we’re dedicating the entire Packers Stock Report to Dom Capers’ and his defenisve players:
Rising
Clay Matthews
CM3=DPOY. (If any Bears or Vikings fans are reading this,that translates to Clay Matthews = Defensive Player of the Year.)
Mike Daniels
Mike Daniels racked up seven solo tackles on Sunday. That’s not supposed to happen for a 3-4 defensive lineman. Daniels is not only blowing up running plays with penetration,he’s also finishing up with tackles.
Sam Shields
Sneaky move by Sam Shields in week 1. He purposely played bad so other teams would think he isn’t any good and would continuously challenge him deep. The rope-a-dope has worked. Teams are taking their shots against Shields and he keeps turning them away.
Steady
Datone Jones
Not only is Jones contributing to a surprisingly effective defensive line,he also made his mark with blocked field goal against St. Louis.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Pro Football Focus ranks Clinton-Dix as the fourth-best run-defending safety in the NFL. With the exception of a few missed tackles against Matt Forte in week 1,what I’ve seen with my own eyes matches PFF’s numbers. Clinton-Dix seems to have rid himself of that annoying habit where he’s dive at a players feet instead of making an aggressive tackle.
Falling
Aaron Rodgers
LOL. Just kidding. Rodgers was a little skittish in the pocket on Sunday,but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. It was hard to tell if he was jumpy because Lang was out,or if he felt his receivers weren’t getting separation and the only hope of making a play was to start moving around.
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