**An assembled crowd of Green Bay Packers media,board members,front office leadership and former players are gathered for a news conference in the Lambeau Field atrium. Packers CEO Mark Murphy approaches the podium and begins the event.**
“First of all,I want to thank everyone for coming today. I’ll keep this brief because I know we’re all still a little hung over from celebrating Sunday night’s win over the Seachickens. Man,I never thought I’d see Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy do simultaneous keg stands,but after a big win like that,I guess anything is possible.
I called you all in here today to announce that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been given a permanent slot in the “rising” category of the world famous Packers Stock Report at CheeseheadTV.com.”
**The crowd gasps. Murmurs echo throughout the audience and photographer flash bulbs start going off.**
The reasoning is simple: Adam Czech,the mastermind behind the world famous Packers Stock Report at CheeseheadTV.com,no longer wants to waste a “rising” slot on Rodgers since Rodgers turns in an MVP performance on a nearly weekly basis. From now on,it is assumed that Rodgers is a “riser” each and every week. Instead of wasting valuable blogosphere space on yet another paragraph describing Rodgers’ awesomeness,the world famous Packers Stock Report at CheeseheadTV.com will focus on other players who also deserve “rising” status for that particular week.
I will not be taking questions today. Instead,Czech himself will be coming to the podium to reveal this week’s Packers Stock Report live and in-person. Be sure to read the world famous Packers Stock Report every Tuesday during the season at CheeseheadTV.com.
Without further adieu,onto this week’s Packers Stock Report with the best-looking blogger in the Packers blogosphere,Adam Czech:
Rising
Jayronne Elliott
“Thank you for that kind introduction,Mr. Murphy. Just like God was a Packers fan on Sunday night,God is also an avid reader of the world famous Packers Stock Report at CheeseheadTV.com. Let’s get to it:
If Clay Matthews is going to see fewer snaps at outside linebacker,everybody in this room knows the Packers can’t rely on the likes of Nick Perry and Mike Neal to fill the void left by Matthews on the outside. Enter Jayronne Elliott. Good things seem to happen when Elliott is on the field. That was certainly the case on Sunday night. If Elliott continues his ascent,it’s great news for the Packers and scary news of offensive tackles in the NFC North.”
Josh Sitton/Corey Linsley/T.J. Lang
“Pass protection on the edges was shaky at best on Sunday night. But it didn’t matter because nothing was happening up the middle thanks to yet another stellar effort from Sitton/Linsley/Lang. From now on,I think we refer to these three maulers as one person. And I think we put a “the” in front of their name to make it more impactful. The Sitton/Linsley/Lang might be the best interior offensive line combination in football. The Sitton/Linsley/Lang is a three-headed monster that could help propel the Packers to another Super Bowl.”
B.J. Raji
“Raji played like the entire Seahawks defense kicked his dog. There was no stopping Raji from catapulting himself into the Seahawks backfield over and over again and causing chaos. All that was missing was a classic Raji touchdown dance.”
Steady
Mason Crosby
“They don’t come any more steady than Crosby these days. It wasn’t that long ago that many of you in this room wanted Crosby run out of town. Heck,the world famous Packers Stock Report at CheeseheadTV.com might have even put Crosby in the falling category a few times. But Crosby didn’t care. He kept plugging away. And now he’s the top scorer in Packers history. Good on you,Mr. Crosby.”
Falling
David Bakhtiari
“I hope Bakhtiari is healthy. He dealt with some injuries during the exhibition season and hasn’t looked like himself through the first two real games. The Packers face another tough pass rush on Monday night,so now is the time for Bakhtiari to snap out of his rut.”
Lambeau Field medial carts
“Someone needs to take all the fuel out of the medical carts at Lambeau Field and slash the tires. Those things have been on the field and moving crippled Packers from the sideline to the locker room far too often this season. If God is still a Packers fan this week,hopefully he does something about all the injuries.”
Pete Carroll
“So Pete Carroll was all whiny about the referee’s decision to award the football to the Packers after the Elliott interception and ensuing scrum following Elliott’s fumble. WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH!!!!!! Carroll’s team benefits from the most blatantly awful call in NFL history three years ago to steal a win from the Packers,and Mike McCarthy doesn’t whine about it once during his postgame presser. Carroll finally loses to the Packers and he has to get the tissues out about a fumble recovery “call.” Ridiculous. Go away,Pete Carroll.”
If not for the New England Patriots,the Seattle Seahawks would be the scummiest team in all of football. Whenever I see a Seahawks game,highlight or player interview on my TV screen,I feel like I immediately have to take a shower.
If there was such a thing as a scummy team checklist,the Seahawks would be able to mark off just about every box.
Cheating. Look no further than the Fail Mary game.
PEDs. The Seahawks lead the league in suspensions for performance enhancing substances.
Scandal. Coach Pete Caroll got out of USC just before the program was rocked by sanctions.
Phony. QB Russell Wilson is pre-programed by high-level marketing executives to give insincere answers to every question he’s asked in order to maintain his “brand.”
Delusion. Wilson also thinks a bottle of water produced by a company he endorses helped prevent him from sustaining a concusion in the NFC title game.
Smug. RB Marshawn Lynch thinks he’s too cool to speak with the media
Stupid. With the ball on the 1-yard line and a chance to win the Super Bowl in the closing seconds,the Seahawks throw a pass that got picked off instead of simply handing the ball to their smug star running back.
Last season’s NFC championship game. AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!
Football is less enjoyable because of the Seattle Seahawks. @#$% them.
Here are five reasons why the Packers will beat Seattle later tonight:
Because they eventually have to
Seriously,the Packers can’t keep getting beat around by these guys. Over the last couple of seasons,the Seahawks have cheated to beat the Packers,legitimately kicked the Packers’ ass and took advantage of the Packers having one of the worst meltdowns in the history of football. There are literally no more ways the Packers can lose to the Seahawks,so the Packers have to win one tonight.
No Bulaga,no problem
Hear me out on this one. Bryan Bulaga is a much better player than Don Barclay. The Packers would be in better shape if Bulaga played tonight instead of Barclay. However,Barclay has had a few days to practice with the first-team offensive line and Mike McCarthy and the coaching staff have had a couple days to adjust and prepare. Normally when the Packers offensive line breaks down,it’s because an injury occurs during a game. The backup comes in,looks lost,McCarthy doesn’t do anything to help the overmatched reserve and all hell breaks loose. Having advanced warning and some time to prepare for the tall task in front of him should help Barclay hold his own.
Lambeau Field
The Packers haven’t lost a home game with a healthy Aaron Rodgers since dropping the season-opener to San Francisco in 2012. Rodgers hasn’t thrown a pick in his last 418 pass attempts at Lambeau Field.
Seattle’s secondary struggles
The once-feared Seahawks secondary was picked apart by the Rams (the Rams!) last week. If the Rams (the Rams!) can rack up big plays throgh the air against Seattle,imagine what Rodgers can do.
Kam Chancellor
One of the best defensive players in football is sitting at home on his recliner in the midst of a holdout instead of blowing up Packers running plays and protecting the deep middle of the field.
As we’ve seen far too often in this horror show that isPackers-Seahawks rivalry,the bad guy is more than capable of winning. Here’s how the villanous team with a weird chicken-like sea creature on its helmets could once again knock off the Packers:
Toughness
The Packers have to prove that they’re tough enough to beat the Seahawks. Seattle has had no problem pushing around the Packers,whether it’s Marshawn Lynch running over hapless tacklers,the presence of Richard Sherman causing the Packers to panic and ignore an entire side of the field,or Seattle vastly outperforming the Packers in clutch moments of the game.
If you want to finally defeat the bad guy,you have to be tough enough to do it. We’ll see if the Packers finally are tonight.
It’s far too early to place new Green Bay Packers playcaller Tom Clements in the rising,steady or falling category. But after the season-opener,I’d say things are looking good on the playcalling front.
The Packers’ offense was sharp,unpredictable and efficient on Sunday. Of course,they were typically all three of those things when McCarthy called the plays. Nonetheless,it’s reassuring to see that the transition to Clements calling plays (with plenty of input and audibles from Aaron Rodgers,no doubt) appears to be going smoothly so far.
Now comes the real test for McCarthy. After week 1,it looks like the Packers need to clean up their tackling,plug some holes in the run defense and get better on third downs. McCarthy gave up playcalling so he could be more hands on with other areas of the team,and it’s time for the head coach to get to work.
Meantime,the rest of us will move on to this week’s Packers Stock Report:
Rising
Clay Matthews
Outside linebacker,inside linebacker,safety,cornerback,nose tackle,waterboy…wherever Clay Matthews lines up,he makes plays. When was the last time the Packers had an inside linebacker who could sprint back and cover a large swath of the middle of the field like Matthews did on that interception? It’s been a long,long time.
James Jones
Media members covering Sunday’s game had easy stories to write after Jones’ big day. I have to admit,I wasn’t 100 percent sold on bringing Jones back. Well,I’m an idiot. I think it’s safe to say that Myles White would not have hauled in that first touchdown catch.
Aaron Rodgers
I kind of forgot how great Rodgers is when he has the use of both legs instead of just one. The man makes difficult plays look much easier than they really are.
Julius Peppers
I have a strict rule of only putting three players maximum in each category,but how could I leave out Rodgers or Peppers after Sunday? So,I’m breaking my rule to include Peppers as a riser. We all keep waiting for Father Time to catch up with Peppers,and he keeps laughing in our faces and chasing around quarterbacks nearly half his age.
Steady
Corey Linsley
Linsley received the highest grade of any Packers offensive linemen from Pro Football Focus on Sunday. You could easily put Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang in the steady category as well as Rodgers rarely had to deal with up-the-middle pressure and Eddie Lacy had some decent lanes early.
Falling
Sam Shields
Too many Packers fans think Sam Shields was bad last season. He wasn’t the second-coming of Charles Woodson,but he wasn’t as terrible as people thought. The Packers ask a lot out of Shields and he holds his own. Well,against the Bears,there’s no sugar-coating it: Shields was awful. Here’s hoping Shields’ bad day was more of a wake-up call than an emerging concern.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
If I’m Mike McCarthy,I call Clinton-Dix into my office and tell him this: “Son,if you continue to drop your head and dive at the ballcarrier’s feet instead of manning up and actually attempting to make a legitimate tackle,you will be holding my headset instead of playing for the world champion Green Bay Packers.”
Jay Cutler
Cutler completes half his passes and throws yet another game-breaking interception and Bears fans are actually saying he didn’t play that bad. If that’s not “falling,” I don’t know what is.
I’ve got an out-of-the-box idea that could immediately re-kindle the once storied Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears rivalry. Why is it important that the Packers-Bears rivalry is re-kindled? Because beating Chicago is a lot more fun when the Bears resemble an actual football team instead of whatever it is that they are now.
The Packers will beat the Bears today the same way they’ve beat the Bears over and over again in recent years. Jay Cutler will make no fewer than a dozen horrible decisions,including throwing between 2-4 of the worst interceptions you’ve ever seen and 6-9 passes that should be picked off but aren’t because the defender is absolutely shocked that the opposing QB threw it right to him. The rest of the Bears team,which is bad to begin with,will be unable to make up for Cutler’s incompetence and the Packers will pound another nail into the coffin of this dying rivalry.
Watching Cutler throw back-breaking interceptions straight into the hands of Packers’ defenders is like listening to “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift. It’s fun,but after you’ve heard the song for the 500th time,you’re ready for something else. You need something a little more challenging and intellectually stimulating.
I don’t want the Bears to get good enough to regain the upper hand in this rivalry,but I would like to see them put up an actual fight. Here’s where my grand idea comes in.
**Drum roll**
The Packers should give the Bears Brett Hundley. Yes,just outright gift Hundley to Chicago,like it’s Christmas in September.
We all saw what Hundley did this exhibition season. He’s already light years ahead of Cutler. Replacing Cutler with Hundley would automatically help the Bears win at least three more games this season and lose to the Packers by two touchdowns instead of four (or more).
Bears fans would have a reason to at least get out of bed on Sundays for the first time in a long time. Maybe they’ll start trash-talking Packers fans again and what was once the greatest rivalry in sports will get its spark back.
Were any of you on Twitter when the 2015 NFL schedule was announced? Bears fans were rejoicing that the season-opener was against Green Bay so they could get that loss out of the way immediately. It was sad and pathetic. At least Vikings fans still have enough pride (or is it delusion?) to make feeble attempts at trash talk and insults.
The NFL is a better place when Packers fans and Bears fans hate each other. In order to hate an entire group of people you’ve never met over a silly sporting event,at least one of the teams in said sporting event need to have a legitimate chance to beat the other team.
Right now,the Bears have no chance to beat the Packers. Cue up Taylor and “Shake it Off.” I’ll bob my head and enjoy this song again,but I know there’s better music out there.
The time has come for the Packers to give the Bears a chance. Send Hundley to Halas Hall and let’s see if he can make the Bears relevant again.
With that out of the way,let’s look at five reasons why the Packers will beat the Bears again on Sunday. Just for fun,we’ll also try and come up with a reason why the Packers might not come out on top.
Aaron Rodgers part 1
I stole this from the Twitter feed of our friend Zach Kruse: Aaron Rodgers was 40-for-55 for 617 yards,10 touchdowns,zero interceptions and a QB rating of 149.0 against the Bears last season. Read that stat line again. My goodness.
Aaron Rodgers part 2
This doesn’t have anything to do with the game today,but I can’t help it. Remember this throw Rodgers made against the Bears last season? It was wiped out by a penalty,but that’s still one of the best throws I’ve every seen. Rodgers owes the Bears another pass like that one,this time without the penalty.
Talent
Take a look at the Bears roster. Now take a look at the Packers roster. The talent difference is in favor of the Packers by an astronomical margin. The only area where the Bears are clearly superior is tight end.
Interior offensive line vs. Eddie Goldman
The Packers return Josh Sitton,Corey Linsley and T.J. Lang on the interior of their offensive line. Sitton and Lang are pro-bowl talents. Linsley had an outstanding rookie season. The Bears are switching to a 3-4 defense under new coordinator Vic Fangio,a scheme that requires strong and consistent play from the nose tackle. The Bears’ nose tackle on Sunday will be rookie second-round draft pick Eddie Goldman. I have not doubt Goldman will be a solid player down the line,but can we really expect him to hold up against the triple threat of Sitton/Linsley/Lang in his first NFL game? I have my doubts.
Because the Bears still suck
All together now!
In a NFL picks pool I’m in,there was a guy who accidentally picked the Bears this week. He immediately e-mailed the commissioner of the pool and said it was a computer error and begged for a re-do. The commissioner shared his email with the rest of the league and we all laughed in his face.
But what if this guy ends up being accidentally right? What if the Bears accidentally beat the Packers? Here’s how it might happen:
Injuries/suspensions
Perhaps the loss of Jordy Nelson,Randall Cobb being less than 100 percent,Morgan Burnett and Sam Barrington possibly missing the game with injuries,a gimpy David Bakhtiari,and Letroy Guion and Datone Jones out with suspensions will be too much for the Packers to handle and it leads to an upset defeat. I doubt it,but ya never know…
We’re days away from the Green Bay Packers season-opener.
Soon,we’ll find out the following about the 2015 Packers:
Can they bounce back after the Seattle collapse?
What’s the offense going to look like without Jordy Nelson?
Will Mike McCarthy giving up playcalling duties improve the defense and special teams?
Can someone out there get me tickets to the Thanksgiving night Favre retirement game that won’t cost me two mortgage payments?
For now,it’s on to the Packers Stock Report:
Rising
James Jones
Ladies and gentlemen,the Sleeveless Turtleneck has returned! You know how NBA teams and college basketball teams have their fans wear T-shirts of all the same color for select big home games? The Packers should do that for a game or two this season,only instead of matching T-shirts,everyone inside Lambeau puts on their best sleeveless turtleneck. When rumors began swirling that Jones and the Packers were talking,I initially wasn’t sold. But the more I thought about it,the more I came around. I trust James Jones to be better in 2015 than Myles White. As fun as it would be to see if White can develop into a player down the line,I’d rather go with a player who offers more upside right now.
Mike McCarthy
“We will kick Chicago’s ass.” That’s what McCarthy said at the Packers welcome back luncheon and it’s a great way to get Packers fans fired up for the season-opener. Thatta boy,Mike. Now go fix the special teams.
Ladarius Gunter
Just in case the Casey Hayward experiment on the outside goes kaput,Gunter has shown that he’s a legit option to replace him.
Steady
Julius Peppers
Do defensive players get any more “steady” than Peppers? He still adds a lot to a defense,even at his advancing age. Hopefully,another outside linebacker steps up early so the Packers can limite Peppers’ snaps and keep him fresh for later in the season.
Josh Sitton
Do offensive linemen get any more “steady” than Sitton? As long as his health holds out,I expect we’ll see another pro-bowl season from Sitton (and some colorful quotes in the postgame locker room).
A few days after the Green Bay Packers filled their socks in the final 5 minutes of the NFC Championship game,I wrote about how the Packers won’t have a shot at redemption until the NFL playoffs roll around the following season. Here’s an excerpt:
At this point,the regular season is basically a formality for the Packers. They’ll win between 10 and 13 games next season,contend for the division title,and be in the mix for a top-seed in the playoffs. Just like they are every season…But through it all,what happened on Sunday will linger in the back of my mind and the minds of all Packers fans. We’ll love what happens on the march toward another NFC North title,but we’ll constantly be looking ahead to the postseason,and wondering if it’s all going to be washed away by yet another playoff meltdown.
I was still all wound up about the collapse and depressed when I wrote that piece. I thought for sure my opinion would soften after a long offseason,a fresh crop of draft picks to root for,and the excitement of a new football season.
It hasn’t.
Don’t get me wrong,my excitement level for the 2015 Packers season is just as high as it always is. I can’t wait to watch this team every Sunday and count my blessings that I root for the greatest sports organization on the planet which just happens to have the best quarterback in the league and an impressive run of success over the last 20 years.
I’ll be absorbed by every game like I always am and dive right into the analysis,second-guessing and Twitter chatter before,during and after each tilt.
But through all the ups and downs that are about occur during this 2015 Packers regular season,I can’t shake the part of my brain that still thinks it’s going to be a formality.
Like I wrote in the above-quoted piece,the Packers will win between 10-13 games this season,be in the mix for a top seed in the NFC,and have people talking Super Bowl. Just like they do every season.
And instead of fully enjoying all of that wonderful positivity and week-to-week excitement,a large part of my brain will be looking ahead to the playoffs and the opportunity to truly avenge what happened in Seattle.
Aaron Rodgers throws for 350 yards and five touchdowns agaisnt the Bears? Cool. Can he do the same thing in the playoffs?
Undrafted LaDarius Gunter breaks out as a stud and leads all rookies in interceptions at Thanksgiving? Good for him. How’s he going to handle the pressure of playoff football?
Ty Montgomery is a beast on kick returns? Super. Hopefully the Packers special teams don’t get “Zooked” in January and lead the way to another playoff meltdown.
Unfortunately,nothing that happens between the months of September and the end of December will get the stench of Seattle out of my senses. Do I have this odd combination of negative/spoiled/entitled mindset if the Packers simply lost a hard-fought game to the better team in Seattle last season? Probably not.
But the Seattle meltdown,combined with other playoff-failings from the post-2010 Packers,make it really hard to not look ahead to January,even if Green Bay is on an incredible roll in October.
Per usual,the 2015 Packers regular season will be a tremendous amount of fun. Unfortunately,it’s also going to feel like somewhat of a formality.
As the Philadelphia Eagles marched up and down the field against the Green Bay Packers No. 1 defense on Saturday night en route to a 39-point first half,I kept telling myself,”It’s only an exhibition game…it’s only and exhibtion game…it’s only an exhibition game…”
And I was right. It was only an exhibition game. There’s no reason to overreact one way or another to a meaningless game in late August.
I know it’s only August,but am I wrong to be at least a little bit concerned that McCarthy is back to talking communications issues in the defensive backfield? The dreaded “communications issues” has hung around the Packers secondary since Dom Capers took over as defensive coordinator. They seemed to go away last season,thanks to an emphasis on trying to simplify calls and having a veteran group of defensive backs and just one rookie (Ha Ha Clinton-Dix).
I suppose it’s fair to assume that there are going to be communication issues during the exhibition season no matter what. After all,that’s what exhibition games are for — to try and work that stuff out. And the Packers do have some new rookie faces in the defensive backfield with Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins.
But still,if you’re a Packers fan who’s been paying attention at all during the Capers era,you’re sick and tired of seeing the dreaded “communication issues” in the secondary quotes,whether they come in August,November or January.
Sam Shields,Morgan Burnett,Casey Hayward and Michah Hyde have been together for a while now. Clinton-Dix is also a year wiser. “Communication issues” should not be an issue for this group of defensive backs.
Here’s hoping the Packers get their communication issues worked out in the secondary. I don’t want to constantly hear the “communication issues” line from McCarthy this season and I don’t want to see Packers defensive backs sniping at each other and holding their hands in the air in confusion week-to-week after an opponent scores a touchdown.
I had the bright idea to do a running diary of the Packers third exhibition game Saturday night against the Eagles. I was pumped to offer my keen insight into players on the bubble and make other observations to share with all of you,the dedicated readers of CheeseheadTV.com.
Then Randall Cobb hurt his shoulder. Micah Hyde did something with his neck. And Bryan Bulaga went down with an ankle injury.
If that wasn’t enough,the Packers No. 1 defense got steamrolled and the special teams were in midseason form (meaning they were awful).
The Packers trailed 39-14 at halftime. Miraculously,no players were injured walking to the locker room.
At the half,I went to Home Depot and purchased a jackhammer,a gallon of lighter fluid and book of matches. After pummeling my laptop into tiny particles with the jackhammer,I lit the dust on fire for good measure.
So yeah,my live journal didn’t happen. Here are my only thoughts about Saturday night’s atrocity:
This exhibition season needs to end.
Now.
Forfeit the final game,and let’s start the damn season already.
Yes,the Packers are still Super Bowl contenders despite the exhibition season injuries and ugliness. But enough is enough. It’s time to play real games and end this s#!tshow of meaningless,but still dangerous,football.
Go Pack Go.
(Anyone have a laptop for sale at a decent price?)
Exhibition games are boring. Even when they involve the Green Bay Packers. If you’re looking to be a little less bored during today’s Packers vs. Steelers exhibition snoozefest,keep an eye out for these five things:
Can Don Barclay play tackle?
Even when Barclay got the nod at right tackle after Bryan Bulaga’s injury in 2013,I remained unconvinced that Barclay was a tackle. To me,his body type and playing style are much better suited inside. Now Barclay’s a year removed from an ACL injury. In the exhibition opener,he didn’t hold up very well at tackle. With David Bakhtiari likely out today,Barclay will get another shot to show improvement coming off an injury and re-assert himself as the Packers sixth offensive lineman.
Ladarius Gunter
Just watch him. See if you still think he’s for real. See if you think his slow 40 time will be exposed come the regular season. See if you think he’s got a legit shot of making the team and making some noise.
Can Jayrone Elliott put together another good game?
Ideally,I’d like to see Clay Matthews spend most of his time inside during early downs. That fantasy is much closer to being reality if there’s a credible outside linebacker to play opposite Julius Peppers. I don’t think Nick Perry and Mike Neal are the answer. I’m not sure Elliott is either,but he sure had a good game against New England.
The medical cart
Watch the medical cart closely. Make sure it stays on the sideline,where it belongs. If it fires up and moves,that means a Packers players has been injured. We don’t want any Packers players injured during silly exhibition games.
What’s up with Christian Ringo?
By all accounts,the Packers draft pick with the coolest name was going to be a project,one of those late-round flyers you take,stash on the practice squad for a season,and hope to get something out of them two years down the road. With all the injuries and suspensions the Packers are facing along the defensive,might Ringo be needed earlier than planned? It’s a long shot,but it’s something to keep an eye on. If the Packers are short-handed up front,they might need someone like Ringo to step up. Word is,Ringo’s been improving lately.
Welcome to the first Green Bay Packers Stock Report of the 2015 season.
For new readers,the stock report will run every Tuesday afternoon during the season. We’ll cover who’s rising,steady and falling. We’ll also be sure to make fun of the Chicago Bears,fans of the Minnesota Vikings fans and people who listen to Nickelback (Why people who listen to NIckelback? Because people who listen to Nickelback are almost as bad as the Chicago Bears and fans of the Minnesota Vikings. Almost.).
One thing to note before we start: The stock report isn’t necessarily a week-to-week evaluation. I try to use context from the previous couple of games when placing players in certain categories. So,if Jordy Nelson drops the first 50 passes thrown to him to start the season,then has a game where he catches 11 touchdowns,he might not necessarily end up in the rising category for his 11-touchdown game because of how miserable he played in dropping those first 50 passes.
For the first edition of the stock report,I’m focusing only on rookies. We’ll have plenty of space to cover the veterans as the season gets going.
On to the stock report:
Rising
Quinten Rollins
With nagging injuries slowing down Casey Hayward and Damarious Randall,Rollins bounced back from his own early injury and put together an impressive game in the exhibition opener. Scouting reports on Rollins indicated that he was a speed guy. He seems plenty fast,but he looked physical against New England as well. I liked it.
LaDarius Gunter
We’ve heard plenty about Gunter since camp opened and he backed it up against New England. Big,physical and full of potential. We’ll see if his slow 40-time eventually catches up with him,but so far,so good on Gunter.
Ty Montgomery
I’m extremely pleased with what I’ve seen from Montgomery so I’m not going to praise him too much because I don’t want to jinx things. Keep it up,young man.
Steady
Brett Hundley
How about that throw Hundley dropped in there to Montgomery against New England? Scott Tolzien has received most of the backup QB love this training camp,but Hundley looks like he’s holding his own.
Jake Ryan
Ryan wasn’t the name fans had circled on their middle linebacker wish list during the draft,but it’s hard to be disappointed with what we’ve seen so far. Odds are good Ryan’s impact will come on special teams during his rookie season,but I had no complaints with what I saw when he manned the middle of the defense against New England.
Falling
My ability to watch Packers games
My son turns 2 years old in early October and I have no idea how I’m going to be able to watch Packers games this fall. Last year,he was young enough where we could contain him to one room and let him do his thing while the game was on. Those days are long gone. He doesn’t spend more than 3 minutes in any one room now.
I have televisions in the family room,sun room and master bedroom,so I suppose one strategy could be to have them all tuned into the Packers game and hope he only goes to those three rooms (fat chance). Another strategy is putting up a gate and trying to contain him to just one room (this would work for a couple minutes before he got angry). I suppose we could give him the iPad and let him watch Bob the Builder or Thomas the Train while we drink beer and watch the Packers (it’d be effective,but wouldn’t win us any parents of the year awards).
If anybody has any other advice,I’m all ears. Otherwise,cross your fingers that he’s either A) infatuated with Aaron Rodgers at a young age and will actually watch the game or B) wants to cuss at the TV like his dad whenever the Packers screw up and will actually watch the game.
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