Packers Stock Report: That’s the Packers offense I remember! edition
I saw a lot of people on Twitter during the second half of Sunday’s Packers’ win going after Mike McCarthy for being too conservative. I don’t blame folks for slapping the conservative label on McCarthy — I’ve done it a few times myself — but Sunday wasn’t the day to do it.
Consider this:
- Eddie Lacy was running wild. The same folks calling out McCarthy for his conservatism would’ve been calling the coach out for not feeding Lacy if the Packers aired it out more in the second half.
- Costly penalty. A holding penalty negated a third-down conversion early in the second half,forcing the Packers to kick a field goal. If the Packers march in for a touchdown on that drive,the route likely would have continued.
- Simple facts. With the Packers needed to kill some clock later in the fourth quarter,McCarthy called a pass play on first down that saw Aaron Rodgers fire a 12-yard comeback route to rookie Trevor Davis. The pass hit Davis right in the hands and he dropped it. If the rookie makes that simple catch,are we still calling McCarthy conservative?
Anyway,the Packers won the game and the offense looked high-functioning for at least one half,so I shouldn’t worry too much what the fine folks on Twitter are chattering about during the game. Sometimes it just bugs me because there are instances where McCarthy deserves to be criticized for being overly conservative. Those instances are often overlooked,however,because too many people blindly accuse the coach of playing it too close to the vest when that just isn’t the case.
Rising
Nick Perry
Is that Clay Matthews? Julius Peppers? Von Miller disguised as a Packer? No,it’s Nick Perry! And he’s healthy! And dominating! Would the Packers have won on Sunday without Perry? Maybe,but it would have been much more difficult.
Jordy Nelson
He might not be back to the dominant Nelson of pre-injury,but he’s caught touchdowns in every game and had several moments where he looked like the Jordy of old. That’s good enough for a spot in the rising category in my book.
Mike Daniels
Daniels doesn’t just beat the man trying to block him,he mauls him into submission then attacks whomever has the football It’s incredibly fun to watch.
Steady
Lane Taylor
Don’t expect to see Taylor replace Sitton on the Pro Bowl roster,but for a guy who entered the season under a lot of pressure,he’s held up just fine. If Taylor can duplicate what he’s done the first three games over the final 13 contests,the left-guard position will be just fine.
Eddie Lacy
When Lacy has been fed the ball,he’s usually come through. I’d say 214 yards and 5.0 yards per carry is pretty steady.
Falling
Damarious Randall
Ok,young Damarious. You’ve hit rock bottom these last couple of weeks. Time to snap out of it. I think you have the talent to do it,so let’s make it happen. Thank you.
The Middle of the Field
It’s like there’s a giant radioactive bubble in the middle of the football field that scares away all Packers defenders from entering,thus leaving the entire area between the has marks wide open for opposing tight ends and running backs to effortlessly catch passes and gain easy first downs.
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