September 14, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
The Packers need to beat the Jets today, not only to rinse off the stink of what happened in Seattle, but to dispose of a team representing “that guy.”
You know, “that guy.” He’s the loudest guy in the bar even though nobody cares what he has to say. He’s they guy who hasn’t accomplished anything in life but demands you treat him like a big shot.
“That guy” listens to Nickelback and thinks Buck Cherry is a good rock band. To “that guy,” the comments section of newspaper websites is a great place to go for enlightened political discourse.
The Jets are the “that guy” of the NFL.
Loudmouth Rex Ryan. Tim Tebow running around without his shirt in the rain. Constant media attention even though they haven’t been any good since when my dad was a teenager. The Sanchize.
The Packers need to send the Jets back to New York where their “that guy” schtick is more accepted.
You know what’s probably going to happen: The Packers will win 48-2 and Jets fans will be like, “Yeah, we lost, but at least our city has big tall buildings and more than just Applebee’s for restaurants.”
Whatever, New York Jets fans. The Packers have 13 championships in their city, so take that.
Here are five reasons the Packers will beat the Jets, and one reason why “that guy” might prevail.
Bouncing back
The Packers have lost their last two season openers, only to come back the next week and completely knock the snot out of their week 2 opponent.
- In 2012, the Packers beat the Bears 23-10, picking off four Jay Cutler passes. It got so bad, Cutler started verbally and physically assaulting his offensive line.
- In 2013, Aaron Rodgers threw for 480 yards and four touchdowns as the Packers beat the team from Washington with the Stupid Name 38-20. RG3 still hasn’t recovered from the thrashing.
- In 2014, the Packers (will hopefully beat the Jets so bad that Rex Ryan gets fat again).
Cory Linsley
This dude is strong. It’s too early to judge just how good the rookie center will be, but at least it doesn’t look we have to worry about the center position like we’ll have to worry about right tackle if Bulaga misses time.
Pass defense
Under Dom Capers, the Packers defense still looks lost. However, the secondary seems to be competent in pass coverage. It’s impossible to completely shut down a team’s passing game these days. Average quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford and Tony Romo still routinely throw for 4,000 yards and 30-plus touchdowns. Good secondaries today make plays on the ball in key moments and compete physically with receivers and tight ends who are bigger and stronger than they are. And they do it as the rulebook is re-written to prevent them from being successful at their jobs. With Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, Casey Hayward and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the Packers appear equipped to compete with good passing teams and control mediocre passing attacks like what the Packers will see from the Jets.
Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers posted a QB rating of 81.5 in the Seattle loss. Since 2011, Rodgers has posted QB ratings under 90 in consecutive games only once. Rodgers, like the Packers, usually bounces back after a tough game.
Antonio Allen
The Packers were so scared of Seahawks’ CB Richard Sherman that they completely ignored the third of the field where Sherman lined up. The strategy backfired since the Packers did little on the Sherman-free two-thirds of the field they chose to work with. Allen is a converted safety who made his first start at cornerback in the Jets’ win over the Raiders on Sunday. He played fine, but he wasn’t tested deep since the Raiders are incapable of throwing the ball more than 14 yards downfield because they’re the Raiders. The Packers are not afraid to stretch the field and they will test Allen deep. Get ready for a couple of guys named Jordy and Randall, Mr. Allen.
Unfortunately, it’s not all duckies and bunnies in Packersland. Sometimes, the Packers don’t win, either because the other team cheats or the Packers get bored from winning so often. If the Packers lose to the Jets, it could be because of…
Seattle/San Francisco-lite
The Jets have a tough defense. They run the ball well, and their quarterback is young and mobile. All three of these of things give the Packers fits.
Do those traits remind you of two other teams that the Packers haven’t been able to beat over the last two seasons?
The Jets are a not-as-talented version of the 49ers and Seahawks. They do many of the same things San Francisco and Seattle do, just not as well. However, perhaps they do them well enough to beat the Packers…
(Gulp)
September 9, 2014 /
Adam Czech
/
Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Packers Stock Report
There was a period during the Green Bay Packers’ 2009 and 2010 seasons where they couldn’t beat the NFL’s elite. You knew the Packers were good, really good, actually, but they couldn’t get over the hump against the likes of Atlanta, New England or the 2009 Vikings with Brett Favre slinging the ball around.
That all changed during a glorious six-game stretch at the end of 2010. Suddenly, the Packers’ talent meshed, the defense toughened up and the Packers were the elite team, beating 13-3 Atlanta on the road in the playoffs and the 12-4 Steelers in the Super Bowl.
That carried over throughout the 2011 regular season before crashing to a maddening halt with a divisional round loss to the Giants.
That Giants team had a tough defense and rushing attack that feasted on the soft and slow middle of the Packers’ defense. The 49ers and Seahawks have used that same formula — mixed with offensive sets and playcalling that are above defensive coordinator Dom Capers’ pay grade — to dominate the Packers in ensuing years.
Now the 2014 Packers are back to where they were in 2009 and most of 2010: Good, but not good enough to beat the best.
They managed to come around and take the next step in 2010. Can they do it again in 2014?
We’ll see. For now, on to the first Packers Stock Report of the 2014 regular season:
Rising
Josh Sitton
I wish the Packers offensive line could transfer some of it’s nastiness and attitude over to the defensive line. The o-line, led by Sitton, plays tough and mean. Those two traits don’t matter, though, if you can’t actually block anybody. Thankfully, Sitton captains a line that, when healthy, can actually block. The veteran right guard is going to need to be as good as he ever has been to make up for a lack of depth up front, especially if Bryan Bulaga misses time with yet another knee injury.
Sam Shields
Yeah, he got caught cheating on the Seahawks’ first touchdown pass, but perhaps Shields saw Seahawks center Max Unger 8 yards downfield like everyone else (besides the officials, unfortunately) and assumed the play was going to be a run. Other than that screw-up, Shields made decisive plays on the ball and was one of the few tackling bright spots on a miserable tackling night for the Packers.
T.J. Lang
After what the Seahawks did to the Packers in week 1, it’s hard to find another player worthy of the rising category. So, I’m going to give the third slot to T.J. Lang. Like Sitton, Lang is also playing well on an aggressive offensive line. But more importantly, he tweeted the following after the extended video of Ray Rice punching his then-fiance was released on Monday:
Bravo, Mr. Lang.
Steady
James Starks
Starks has managed to stay healthy for a while now and he’s grown into one of the better backup running backs in the NFL. If Lacy’s second concussion in less than a year forces him to miss some time, I’m not too worried about the Packers’ running game because of Starks. That type of reassurance is exactly what you want out of your backup players.
Clay Matthews
Perhaps the only player on the Packers’ defense who plays like he wants to destroy every single player on the other team, Matthews looked good in his newish role as a do-everything and line up all-over-the-place linebacker. His surgically repaired thumb also remained attached to his hand. Now that he’s healthy and effective again, Matthews needs to have a chat with Mike Daniels and let the defensive lineman know that all that bravado he talked during the offseason needs to start showing up on the field if this Packers defense is going to turn things around.
Falling
Brad Jones
Enough is enough. Let’s see what Jamari Lattimore and/or Sam Barrington can do.
Derek Sherrod
I’m pulling for Sherrod to develop into a player. I really am. He suffered a terrible injury in 2011 and it’d be nice to see him come all the way back and fulfill the promise of a first-round pick. After Thursday’s matador-like performance, he’s got a long ways to go.
Dom Caopers
I’ve never been a #FireCapers guy, but it’s become painfully obvious that he’s overmatched when he has to prepare for power teams that use a lot of misdirection and non-traditional formations and sets. At this point, I wouldn’t mind if Capers stepped away to *cough* spend more time with his family *cough* like former Packers linebackers coach Kevin Greene did last offseason.
September 9, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
The worst thing about the Green Bay Packers losing their season-opener on a Thursday is that it gives people like me 10 days to talk about everything that went wrong.
In fact, so much went wrong on Thursday that some of the obvious wrongs are overshadowing other, less obvious, wrongs that also merit discussion. One of those overshadowed wrongs is the lack of offensive creativity from Packers coach Mike McCarthy.
I know what you’re probably thinking: “Great. Here comes some blowhard on a blog whining about the coach’s playcalling after his favorite team lost a game. How very sports talk radio.”
I’m not going to pick apart individual play calls and opine about whether McCarthy should have called a run or a pass. I am going to opine that the Packers offense was far too predictable on Thursday and has felt predictable for a while now.
We’ve seen opposing offenses achieve tremendous success by attacking the Packers’ defense with a little creativity in both scheme and formations. Read-options, jet sweeps and misdirection counters baffle the Packers run defense. Pre-snap motion and different formation packages create mismatches against individual Packers’ defenders, causing the entire defense to panic and disintegrate over the course of a game.
Whenever I watch a team like the Seahawks or 49ers do unique things on offense to steamroll the Packers, I wonder why the Packers don’t seem as creative when they have the ball.
Maybe the Packers defense is so bad that it looks like other offenses are more creative than they actually are. Maybe all the injuries the Packers suffer each season make getting creative a challenge. Maybe McCarthy thinks Aaron Rodgers and his offense are so good, there’s no need to overthink things and get too crazy.
I don’t know what the answer is, but there has to be a few wrinkles McCarthy can come up with to get players like Randall Cobb free in space or create favorable matchups for other playmakers. Heck, even a screen pass here or there might have helped a little on Thursday.
Having Rodgers take a traditional drop, scan the field, then scamper around while his receivers try and get open is starting to get old.
I’m not calling for a dramatic overhaul of the entire offense. Rodgers, Cobb, Jordy Nelson and Eddie Lacy doing their thing should result in plenty of points. But a little creativity from the coach — a jet-sweep to Cobb, a uniquely drawn-up screen, designed movement from Rodgers — to provide an extra boost against the NFL’s elite is needed.
September 7, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
It’s early, but I’m worried that the Packers might have a problem at wide receiver.
Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are fine (more on them in a minute). The rest of the receiving corp?
Uffda.
Yes, Jarrett Boykin was the sacrificial lamb lined up against Richard Sherman against the Seahawks, but Aaron Rodgers never even bothered looking in his direction. Boykin played well with a rotating stable of quarterbacks in 2013. He deserves a look from Rodgers every now and then.
At the very least, Boykin deserved a shot to line up somewhere else so Nelson or Cobb, the Packers big two receiving threats, could take a crack at Sherman. Perhaps that could have opened up a few more options on offense instead of completely eliminating whatever area of the field Sherman was on against Boykin.
I’m not even sure if Davante Adams was in the stadium on Thursday night. Wait, I take that back. Adams came open on that play where Rodgers hurled it across his body to Nelson downfield (a la Brett Favre), but Rodgers never bothered to look Adams’ way.
A couple weeks Rodgers ago, Rodgers sounded like he didn’t trust his young receivers. They better learn to trust each other soon because locking in on Nelson and Cobb over and over again won’t cut it for an entire season.
Don’t expect the Packers tight ends to pick up the slack. Going from pseudo WR Jermichael Finley to Richard Rodgers/Andrew Quarless is a downgrade in the receiving category.
I’m sure the receivers will improve as the season goes on, but it makes you wonder if Ted Thompson should have considered bringing back James Jones. He didn’t cost that much, Rodgers trusted him and he made plenty of plays in between the occasional case of dropsies.
Nelson and Cobb are without a doubt an upper-tier receiver tandem, but if the Packers are ever going to take the next step and beat teams with bruising defenses like the 49ers or Seahawks, they’re going to have to gain more yards after the catch.
I know Seattle’s defense is good, especially at tackling, but Nelson and Cobb need to make more plays with the ball if the Packers are ever going to beat them.
Cobb’s 5.5 yards-after-catch average against San Francisco in the playoffs last season was the only time either Cobb or Nelson managed to average 5 yards-after-catch in the Packers last four games against the Seakhawks and 49ers.
That’s not going to cut it. The Packers defense is not going to carry this team to victories against the NFL’s elite. It has to be players like Nelson and Cobb who carry the load when Rodgers gets them the ball.
After Thursday’s thumping, there’s room for improvement in almost every area of this Packers team. You might not hear many people talk about it, but one of those areas is at wide receiver.
August 31, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
I hate the Seahawks. Pete Carroll is annoying. I’m sick of hearing about how loud their stupid stadium is. Russel Wilson is a terrible actor in bad commercials. Half the team is jacked up on PEDs. I can never figure out what Richard Sherman is yelling about.
I hope the Packers beat the Seahawks on Thursday by 12 touchdowns. Then I hope they build a giant bonfire at midfield, burn every last piece footage from the Fail Mary, and dance around the flames singing “Bang the Drum all Day” until dawn.
Unfortunately, none of that will likely happen, but the Packers can most definitely beat the Seachickens. Here are five reasons why:
Aaron Rodgers
Well, duh. The Packers will have the best player on the field Thursday in Aaron Rodgers. As an added bonus, Rodgers is back with something to prove after missing half of last season. QB1 seemed edgier during training camp. I wonder if he’s exiting the phase of his career where he’s a young guy establishing himself as a great player and entering the phase where he knows he’s a great player, expects greatness out of others, and is desperate to win now because who knows how long that greatness might last? I’m looking forward to a grouchier Aaron Rodgers in 2014.
Eddie Lacy
Big phat Eddie Lacy makes an old-school football loving guy like me giggle uncontrollably. The way he sets up blocks, his patience and vision, his explosiveness once he decides where to go, trucking smaller defenders, refusing to go down when tacklers pile on him, a slick spin move — all of it reminds me of football before the rulebook was re-written to encourage 60 passes per game. The yards won’t come easy against Seattle’s defense, but Lacy needs the ball early if the Packers want to win. When Mike McCarthy ignored the run until the second half against Seattle in 2012, the results were disastrous.
New rules
Speaking of the rulebook being re-written to encourage 60 passes per game, supposedly refs will be flagging any and all downfield contact on receivers. In the exhibition season, illegal contact calls were up 450 percent and defensive holding was up 353 percent compared to last season. We all know the Seahawks are a bunch of cheaters. If enforcement of downfield contact carries over into the regular season, it should help the Packers receivers against the physical (and cheating) Seahawks secondary.
Casey Hayward is back
Remember Casey Hayward? He’s the guy who picked off six passes and almost won defensive rookie of the year in 2012 before missing most of the next season with a bum hamstring. He’s back now, and he looked damn good in exhibition games. If the Packers training staff tapes up his hamstring nice and tight, Hayward’s addition to the defense will help slow down the likes of Percy Harvin and contain Russell Wilson.
Jordy Effing Nelson
To beat the Seahawks, you need receivers who aren’t fazed by their defensive backs’ devious grabbing, holding and pushing ways. Jordy Effing Nelson isn’t fazed by any of that. Jordy’s not open? No problem, Rodgers will just whip a pass by some defender’s earhole and Jordy will catch it. Jordy is out of room on the sideline? No worries, Rodgers will just fire a laser 3 yards out of bounds and Jordy will stretch to catch it with both feet in. A defender is on top of Jordy after a quick pass? Sheeeeeeeeit, the Jordy stiff arm will knock him to the ground in an instant.
Jordy. Effing. Nelson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t97iUtHi00
August 27, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
When the Packers travel to Seattle to open the season on Sept. 4 in the NFL’s noisiest stadium against the defending Super Bowl champions, they’ll take the field without three, possibly four, preferred starters.
Nose tackle B.J. Raji (arm) is lost for the season. New center J.C. Tretter (knee) is out for up to six weeks. Brandon Bostick (leg), who likely would’ve started at tight end, is gone for at least a few weeks. Starting linebacker Brad Jones could miss time with a quad injury.
Yes, none of those players are Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, Jordy Nelson or Clay Matthews, but you’d rather not have to kick off your season with four preferred starters watching from the sidelines, even if those preferred starters aren’t superstars.
Last season, Packers’ preferred starters missed 70 games due to injury. Since 2010, the Packers lead the NFL with a ridiculous 153 games lost by starters because of injuries.
The 2014 season hasn’t even kicked off yet and the Packers are looking at almost 25 games lost already (16 for Raji and assume four for Tretter, three for Bostick and one for Jones).
I get that injuries are part of the game, every team goes through them. But those are some crazy numbers.
It’s easy to say, “Here we go again” with the Packers and injuries. I find myself muttering that exact phrase all too often.
But you could also put a positive spin on “Here we go again.” The injuries mean opportunity for promising young guys like Corey Linsley at center and Josh Boyd or Mike Pennel at nose tackle.
Most Packers fans are ready to move on from Brad Jones, so let’s see what Jamari Lattimore or Sam Barrington do in his place. Will rookie Richard Rodgers emerge as the top tight end with Bostick healing?
It takes depth to win in the NFL and we’ll find out quickly the quality of the Packers’ depth. As long as Rodgers, Lacy, Nelson and Matthews stay upright, it might not be such a bad thing to overcome these early injuries and have more players prepared to take the field as the season wears on.
August 17, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
The Packers discovered undrafted rookie free agent Sam Shields in 2010, bringing the receiver-turned-cornerback into training camp and watching him play a key role in their Super Bowl run. He kept right on developing and is now a player the Packers deemed worthy of a $39 million contract.
Packers general manager Ted Thompson has had success with other undrafted free agents in successive years, but hasn’t uncovered a gem quite like Shields. Might that change this season?
It’s far too early to tell, but nose tackle Mike Pennel and outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott have flashed so far this season. Could they be the next undrafted stars for the Packers?
We’ll find out soon enough.
In case they are, here’s a little more about each player so you can say you knew all about them if they do end up turning into big-time players.
Mike Pennel
With free agent signee Letroy Guion out with a bad hamstring, Pennel, a 6-foot-4, 331-pound wrecking ball, has seized his opportunity as the second-string nose tackle.
Nobody drafted Pennel because 1) he never finished high school, 2) he played his first two college seasons at a community college in Scottsdale, 3) he got into Arizona State, only to be suspended twice after playing just five games, 4) he played his last season at Colorado St.–Pueblo and didn’t exactly light up the field, and 5) he’s had at least one social media meltdown.
So far, he hasn’t been on a problem for the Packers.
Pennel’s size and athleticism has been impressive in training camp and he came up with a sack in Saturday’s exhibition win over the Rams. Of course, he’s raw and unpolished, but his body type and nasty playing style are exactly what the beleaguered Packers defensive line needs.
To me, what’s most impressive about Pennel is how he’s a sneaky 331 pounds (as much as one can be sneaky when weighing 331 pounds). He doesn’t look like he weighs 331 pounds and he sure doesn’t move like it.
If he can harness all that raw talent, not get on the wrong side of the coaching staff, and stay off of Twitter, the Packers might have found a player.
Jayrone Elliott
Elliott has played eight snaps this exhibition season and has three sacks — all of them coming in a four-play span against the Rams on Saturday.
At 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, Elliott has the size and height to be disruptive even if he’s not getting sacks. He’s also nimble enough to duck, spin, hook and race around bigger offensive tackles, much like he did on Saturday against the overmatched Sean Hooey.
No, dominating a third-team offensive tackle isn’t anything to brag too loudly about, but Elliott’s been making plays throughout camp, not just against third-stringers late in meaningless exhibition games.
The Packers seem to have about 500 outside linebackers on their roster. Unfortunately, only one (Clay Matthews) is really good and another one (Julius Peppers) is aging, new to the position, and might be on a snap count week to week.
The door is wide open for a player like Elliott to snag a roster spot and try to supplant Nick Perry, Andy Mulumba or Mike Neal in the outside linebacker rotation.
August 17, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Packers Stock Report
Normally I don’t start doing the Packers Stock Report until the regular season begins. Why? I have no idea.
A Packers Stock Report after the second exhibition game seems to make sense to me, thous. So, let’s do this:
Rising
Jayrone Elliot
When you get three sacks in four plays like Elliot did against the Rams on Saturday, you end up in the rising category. I don’t care if Elliot’s outburst came against third-stringers and an obviously overmatched tackle. Three sacks in four plays makes you a riser. Period.
Sam Barrington
I hopped on Barrington’s bandwagon when the Packers drafted him. After looking good in the first two exhibition games, others are joining me for the ride. Barrington is aggressive, explosive and plays mean — characteristics we’re not used to seeing from Packers’ middle linebackers in the post-Desmond Bishop era. Hopefully the Packers keep turning Barrington loose and he continues making plays.
Casey Hayward
Not many people are talking about Hayward, but those who are say he looks great after missing most of last season. He looked great against the Rams, especially on an early deep route down the sideline that he knocked down. If Hayward returns to his rookie year form, this secondary will be fun to watch.
Steady
Aaron Rodgers
QB1 effortlessly moved the Packers down the field for two scoring drives on Saturday and had the first-team offense humming. In other words, Rodgers did exactly what we expected he would do.
Eddie Lacy
It’s probably unfair to stick Lacy in the steady category. He’s anything but steady when he runs the ball. He’s crazy. I was screaming at Lacy to go out of bounds when he approached the sideline on a run against the Rams, but instead he spun inside and plowed his way for a few more yards. Lacy knows no other way to play than all out.
Scott Tolzien/Matt Flynn
The battle for the Packers backup QB job is at a stalemate. Both Tolzien and Flynn have played well. Tolzien looked especially sharp on Saturday despite taking some shots behind a shaky backup offensive line. Whomever wins, I’ll feel much better about the Packers backup QB than in previous seasons.
Falling
Davante Adams the punt returner
Enough is enough. It’s time to end the Davante Adams as a punt returner experiment.
Derek Sherrod
As great as the Packers starting offensive line has looked, the depth players have looked just as inept. Sherrod was beat often on Saturday and took a step backward after a good showing against the Titans. He seems to have all the tools you need to be a good left tackle, but he needs to be more aggressive with hands before pass rushers get into him.
NFL preseason
Man, I hate the preseason, even if the Packers are playing. Sept. 4 can’t get here soon enough.
August 13, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Nick Collins, Greg Jennings, Eddie Lacy: These are some of the Packers’ second-round draft picks who have turned into big-time players during the Ted Thompson era.
Players like Casey Hayward, Mike Neal and Daryn Colledge — solid contributors, not big-time players (at least not yet in Hayward’s case) — were also second-round picks.
Thompson has mostly mastered round two of the draft, especially when taking a receiver. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t had a few round-two whiffs.
The 2008 draft class was a second-round disaster. Thompson snatched up Brian Brohm as insurance in case Aaron Rodgers flopped following in the footsteps of Brett Favre. Rodgers has done just fine, Brohm was cut a year later.
Pat Lee was also taken in the second round in 2008. Lee’s most memorable play was once fumbling a kickoff near the goal line, then downing the ball for a near-safety. He’s long gone.
And then there’s Jerel Worthy, whom the Packers traded up to select in the second round in 2012, the draft where Thompson’s first six selections were all on defense.
Worthy joined the ranks of Brohm and Lee as Packers’ second round busts on Tuesday when he was traded to the Patriots for a conditional late-round draft pick. Essentially, the Packers were going to cut Worthy, but managed to find a team to dump him on and maybe get a little something in return.
Worthy looked ineffective his rookie season before blowing out his knee late in the year. He came back late last year and didn’t do anything. He hurt his back and hadn’t yet this training camp.
I’d probably put Worthy right behind Brohm and slightly ahead of Lee in the worst Packers’ second-round draft picks under Ted Thompson standings. It’s unfortunate because I would have liked to see Worthy get a chance to develop in his second year instead of battle back from an injury. Defensive lineman usually take a year or two of seasoning before they get going.
The 2012 draft class is one Thompson would like to mostly forget. First-rounder Nick Perry has, like Worthy, been injured and ineffective. Safety Jerron McMillian was a disaster last season and Thompson’s four selections from rounds 4-7 are no longer on the team.
That’s not good for an organization that relies on the draft instead of free agency to re-stock the talent cupboard every offseason.
We’ll soon find out if Davante Adams, this year’s second-rounder, will fall into the Nelson/Cobb/Collins category or the Brohm/Lee/Worthy category.
August 9, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Will Richard Rodgers emerge as a downfield threat for the Packers at tight end?
The Green Bay Packers open their exhibition season against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night. NFL exhibition games are usually about as entertaining as darning socks, but if you manage to make it through the entire ordeal, here are five things to watch from a Packers perspective:
Stay healthy
First and foremost — before any heated position battles or players you’re hoping to get a peek at during live game action — make sure you pray to whatever God you typically pray to that the Packers survive this first exhibition game with minimal injuries. The Packers have already lost Jared Abbrederis and Don Barclay for the season with ACL tears. Morgan Burnett is on the shelf with an oblique strain, an injury that can take a long time to heal. The Packers have been one of the most injury-ravaged teams in the NFL over the last five seasons. Enough is enough. Stay healthy, guys.
Young safeties
With Morgan Burnett back in Green Bay recovering from an oblique strain, the Packers young safeties will have an opportunity to stand out. Sean Richardson has been a camp standout so far and wants to prove that he’s more than a box safety. Micah Hyde has lined up as a starter since minicamp and needs to prove that he’s made the transition from slot corner to a starting NFL safety. It seems like rookie Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is being brought along slowly. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m sure he’d like to make an impact and speed up the process of him entering the starting lineup. Finally, don’t forget about guys like Chris Banjo and Tanner Miller. After last season’s dismal performance, the Packers safety position battle is wide open. Nobody should be counted out.
Richard Rodgers vs. Brandon Bostick
Yeah, it’s probably going to be tight end by committee for the Packers this season, but someone on that committee needs to provide some type of down-the-seam threat like Jermichael Finley did. They don’t have to do everything Finley did, but at least show enough that teams have to pay attention to a tight end zipping through the seam. Early reports on Rodgers indicate he’s lost weight and is much faster than the 4.87 40-yard dash he ran at the NFL combine. Bostick showed he has the athleticism to be a downfield threat, but his hands are iffy. We’ll see if either player rises above the other on Saturday, and how the other, more traditional tight ends in the Packers’ rotation fit.
JC Tretter
Mike McCarthy has been talking up Tretter ever since the Packers let Evan Dietrich-Smith walk. Now we’ll see if Tretter, who missed all of last season after breaking his ankle in an offseason fumble recovery drill, wins the starting job and puts a halt to the Packers’ carousel of rotating centers for a couple of seasons. If Tretter is shaky, keep an eye on rookie Corey Linsley. He sounds like an unpolished bruiser.
Sam Barrington
I’ve had my eye on Barrington ever since the Packers drafted him the 7th round in 2013. I think he can play and will challenge Brad Jones for one of the two inside linebacker starting slots before the season is over. I haven’t heard much about Barrington in training camp, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he looks in the exhibition opener. So far, I’m the only person on this kid’s bandwagon. After Saturday, will I have company or will I be leaping off?
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