June 8, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Packers coach Mike McCarthy is dedicated to his community work.
A lot of ink has been spilled and hot air bloviated this week about Brett Favre taking some of the blame for his split with the Packers and Greg Jennings possibly holding a grudge against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers after departing Green Bay for Minnesota.
Both of those topics merit further discussion. They also move the meter and bring out the passion — for better or worse — of Packers fans and media personalities.
Unfortunately, both of those stories broke around the same time Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel wrote an excellent piece about Packers coach Mike McCarthy and his commitment to both his family and community outreach.
Push pause on all the thoughts that are running through your head about when Favre might finally have his number retired as a Packer, or whether Jennings will send Rodgers a Christmas card this year, and read Nickel’s story.
I get that we don’t truly know the coaches and players that we cheer for every Sunday, but I am pretty confident that McCarthy is a helluva guy and about as genuine as they come. I’m really proud that he’s the coach of the Packers.
I’ve always been impressed with McCarthy’s demeanor throughout the season. He’s never too high and never too low and always remains resolute while looking forward. You can tell he would rather talk about Justin Bieber’s fashion sense than answer questions about the Packers sometimes, but he’s always respectful and provides at least some level of insight.
It looks like many of those same characteristics carry through to McCarthy’s community work and family life. He may tick fans off by calling for a 50-yard bomb on 3rd and 1 or not running the ball as often as we’d like, but any coach will tick off fans with stuff like that on occasion.
I’ve already written too much about this topic. Stop reading this, and go read Nickel’s story. Keep up the good work, Mike.
June 5, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Can Packers WR Randall Cobb catch 100 passes in 2013?
For a franchise that has had an all-pro caliber quarterback for the last 20 years, the list of Packers wide receivers with 100 catches in a season is short.
Very short.
No Packers receiver has caught 100 passes in a season since Robert Brooks in 1995. Sterling Sharpe is the only other Packers receiver to catch at least 100 passes, doing it in 1992 and ’93.
Compare that with Peyton Manning, who connected with Marvin Harrison (4), Reggie Wayne (4) and Dallas Clark (1) on at least 100 passes nine times. Or Tom Brady, who has helped Wes Welker go over 100 catches five times and Troy Brown once. Or Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens, who have five 100-catch seasons under Joe Montana and Steve Young.
The Packers have shown that you can still win Super Bowls and enjoy sustained success without a 100-catch receiver. Nonetheless, Aaron Rodgers has said that he thinks Randall Cobb is capable of catching 100 passes, if he stays healthy.
When the topic was brought up on Monday’s Green and Gold Today, co-host Bill Johnson said Rodgers’ comments were “troubling” and worried about Rodgers changing his spread-the-ball around approach and forcing the ball to Cobb.
I don’t think Cobb catching 100 passes would be “troubling,” but the Packers’ offense seems to function just fine with several receivers getting opportunities to make plays. But if Cobb happens to enter triple figures, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the other receivers have underperformed or Rodgers is locked in on Cobb and only Cobb.
Rodgers is adamant that he throws to whomever is open. If Cobb is open 140 times, and Rodgers throws to him successfully at least 100 times, so be it. It doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s locking on Cobb to the detriment of other receivers who are open somewhere else.
We like having nice round numbers like “100” to lock in on and establish some sort of benchmark. But those round numbers don’t always tell the whole story.
Sure, Cobb is capable of catching 100 passes. He’s a great receiver with a knack for adjusting his routes and finding open space after Rodgers scrambles. He also might get some more opportunities after the departure of Greg Jennings
But the number “100” is arbitrary. Cobb is also capable of making a tremendous impact with 80 catches. Or 65 catches. Or 72 catches. Or 94 catches. Or 90 catches if you want to stick with round numbers.
I don’t expect Rodgers’ approach to change much in 2013. I also expect Cobb to be even better in his third season that he was in his second, provided he doesn’t get hurt.
Will that lead to 100 catches for Cobb? Maybe. Either way, the only people who should feel troubled are opposing defenses.
June 2, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football
I had an idea for a new Packers offseason gameshow while driving home from work today.
The first nine years of my adult life I had a job where I took a city bus to work. It was nice to not burn gas and spend half my salary on parking, but I always had to stay alert so I wouldn’t get stabbed. There are some, ahem, interesting people that rode the city bus on my route.
Now I have a job where I drive 30 minutes to work, in my own car. Yes, I’m burning gas (free parking, thankfully), but I don’t have to worry about getting stabbed. This frees up my brain and allows me to think of all kinds of silly things, like my idea for a Packers offseason gameshow.
I’ve already filmed the pilot episode, and am ready to share the transcript with all of you today. I brought back the ghost of Richard Dawson to host my show, mainly because I crack up whenever I see old Family Feud episodes when Dawson tries to make out with all the female contestants.
The name of the show is Will Johnny Jolly Play for the Packers Before…
Enjoy.
Richard Dawson: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to everyone’s favorite new favorite game show! The object of the game is to guess if Johnny Jolly will play a regular season snap for the Packers before another player currently on the Packers roster. It sounds confusing, but it’s not.
Even people who read Packers blogs should be able to understand it and play along at home. Let’s get started.
Female Contestant No. 1: I’m ready, Richard.
(Dawson leans in and gets a smooch)
Dawson: Will Johnny Jolly play a regular season snap for the Packers before running back James Starks?
Female Contestant No. 1: Oh, that’s a tough one. I wish Jolly participated in OTAs this week so we at least knew what kind of shape he’s in. But the injury-prone Starks could be on the chopping block with with Eddie Lacy and Jonathan Franklin on the team. I’m going to say yes, Jolly will play for the Packers before Starks because Starks won’t make the team.
Dawson: That’s a logical answer. Time will tell if you’re right. And if you are right, you win an even longer kiss from me!
(Female Contestant No. 1 vomits all over the stage)
Dawson: Alrighty then, that was awkward. Let’s go to the next contestant.
Male Contestant No. 1: You try and kiss me, we’re go to have issues, Dick.
Dawson: Whatever, tough guy. Here’s the next question: Will Johnny Jolly play for the Packers before Jerel Worthy?
Male Contestant No. 1: Oh hell yes. Worthy blew out his knee at the end of last season. I don’t care what he says, he won’t see the field in 2013. He’s no Adrian Peterson. Look, the Packers need defensive lineman. Jolly was a good one. As long as he’s in reasonable shape, he’ll make the team and play before Worthy.
Dawson: Can’t argue with that answer. If you win, you win nothing because I don’t like you. On to the next contestant.
Male Contestant No. 2: Survey says, I’m ready to play, Richard.
Dawson: Oh, we have a comedian up here. Alright, willy Johnny Jolly play for the Packers before Desmond Bishop?
Male Contestant No. 2: Reports of Bishop’s demise are premature, Richard. Bishop will start at inside linebacker and play before Jolly. If Jolly makes the team, and I don’t think he will, he’s going to need all of the preseason and at least the first couple weeks of the regular season to get in shape. Bishop will have 20 tackles, two sacks and a pick before Jolly even dresses for a game.
Dawson: Desmond Bishop’s agent agrees with that answer. On to our last contestant, a lovely female from Michigan’s U.P.
Female Contestant No. 2: Thanks for the smooch, Richard! The men don’t kiss like that where I come from!
Dawson: The men probably don’t do a lot of things where you come from. Final question, Will Johnny Jolly play for the Packers before Graham Harrell? There’s a catch to this question: Harrell must start a regular season game in order for it to count as actually playing. Mop-up duty doesn’t count as playing.
Female Contestant No. 2: If the answer to this question is Harrell, it’s going to be a long season, Richard. I’ll need more of those smooches to get through it. Packers fans have been lucky. Our all-world quarterbacks of the last 20 years have never had a serious injury and missed multiple games. I’m banking on that luck continuing, and Jolly playing for the Packers before Harrell gets a start.
Dawson: If Rodgers go down, I’ll be there for you, babe.
That concludes the first episode. Tune in next week when we ask if Johnny Jolly will play for the Packers before Don Barclay, D.J. Williams and Derek Sherrod.
Packers News, Notes and Links
- B.J. Raji is hoping for a new contract and Packers coaches are hoping he gets better and shedding blockers. Raji hasn’t developed into the elite defensive lineman many of thought he’d be, but he’s still good. His main problem is getting blown off the ball too often when he lines up inside. An elite inside player in the 3-4 defense is able to absorb double teams, stand his ground, and every so often blow everyone off the ball and make a play. Raji isn’t that player consistently…yet. I’ve always had a feeling that Raji sees himself as more of a pass-rusher than he really is. I wonder if we’d see Raji take a major step forward if he really focuses on becoming a more athletic version of Ryan Pickett.
- We knew Mason Crosby’s 2012 season was bad, but it turns out it was actually historically bad. I feel helpless writing about Crosby. With position players, we can at least watch film and pretend that we know what we’re talking about when we critique and criticize. With a kicker, all we can really do is get mad when they miss kicks and do our best to not haul our television up to the roof of our house and launch it off. We don’t really know why kickers miss kicks, we just know that they do, and we get angry.
- This is an interesting perspective on why the Packers may have moved Bryan Bulaga from right tackle to the left side. The numbers show that Aaron Rodgers fares much better when facing pressure from his right side instead of his blind side. That’s not necessarily a shocking revelation — most QBs probably do better when they can actually see the pressure coming. But I’ve heard a fair amount of grumbling about offensive linemen once again being shuffled around, and this might explain why yet another shuffle is taking place.
- The Packers are still tinkering with Mike Neal standing up and playing some outside linebacker. As long as they don’t ask him to cover tight ends or running backs on pass routes, I’m fine with a little bit of tinkering. Ultimately, I’m thinking Neal sees little, if any, time at outside linebacker, but he might stand up as the lone defensive lineman in some funky defensive alignments that Dom Capers like to bust out.
- Packers legend Gilbert “The Gravedigger” Brown was this week’s guest on Cheesehead Radio. It’s a must-listen, so fix yourself a homemade Gravedigger Burger and give it a listen. After you listen to Brown’s interview and visit the bathroom after eating that Gravedigger Burger, be sure to listen to some of the ALLGBP.com crew chatting about OTAs and catching up on Packers news.
Non-Packers Links and Other Nonsense
- Bill Simmons said a really stupid thing on his podcast this week. I mean a really stupid thing. Of course, this got people all up in arms and calling Simmons an idiot. I’m the biggest Simmons fan, but I don’t put him in the same category of stupidity as people like Skip Bayless or Stephen A. Smith. So Simmons put his foot in his mouth? Big deal. When you’re write and talk as much as he does, it’s bound to happen. No need to freak out about it.
- If you’re at your kid’s kindergarten graduation, don’t get in a fight, please. Actually, what’s the point of a kindergarten graduation? There are too many graduations these days. My Facebook feed has been littered this spring with parents posting about their kid “graduating” from pre-school, kindergarten, middle school, high school, college and grad school. I am instituting a new rule: You only get to celebrate one graduation. If you burn up that graduation celebration in pre-school, you’re done. You don’t get to have any more graduation celebrations or ceremonies the rest of your life.
- Shameless plug: As part of my new job, I run a blog that focuses on corn farming and other aspects of agriculture. I’m trying to build a readership, so if you’re into that sort of thing, give it a look and check back throughout the week.
May 28, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Will Don Barclay be the Packers sixth offensive lineman?
There has been a lot of news worth following on the Packers offensive line this offseason. Another storyline up front that should develop further once training camp heats up is who will “win” the sixth-man slot on the offensive line.
I put “win” in parentheses because, technically, if you’re the sixth man on the line, it means you failed to land a starting spot. In other words, you lost the battle you were actually trying to win.
Nobody goes into camp hoping to “win” a spot on the bench, but when it comes to the offensive line, the sixth man typically ends up getting at least a few starts and playing some type of meaningful role during the season. If you don’t start on the line, being the sixth-man is the spot you want to secure.
The leading candidates to be the Packers sixth man appear to be Marshall Newhouse, Don Barclay, Derek Sherrod and rookie David Bakhtiari.
Derek Sherrod
In an ideal world, I think the Packers would like to see Sherrod storm into camp fully recovered from his broken leg and show everyone why Ted Thompson spent a first-round draft pick on him. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like Sherrod is on track to do that.
Ideally, the sixth-man on the line needs to be able to play multiple positions. Sherrod was drafted as a left tackle, but did compete at guard during training camp of his rookie season. Strength and nastiness appeared to be Sherrod’s weaknesses before he was injured.
Can he hold up inside against the big and physical interior lineman if asked to play guard? Is Sherrod physical enough to provide the run-blocking needed at right tackle, or anywhere else on the line?
Marshall Newhouse
Take everything I wrote about Sherrod about nastiness and apply it to Newhouse.
Newhouse has showed signs of being a decent pass-blocker, but the Packers are looking for more of a complete package. They need more consistency in pass blocking and more results in run blocking.
One possible scenario with Newhouse if he doesn’t win the starting right tackle job is this: The Packers would have two “sixth men” up front, Newhouse at tackle and a more physical run blocker-type player at guard.
Don Barclay
The undrafted rookie was a great story last season, but I’m not sure he’s starter material. Does that make him a good fit as the sixth man?
Pro Football Focus gave Barclay a -7.5 grade last season, -6.4 pass blocking and -0.8 run blocking. He’s physical enough to clear some lanes run blocking, but he’s on the small side.
I see Barclay as a decent backup, someone who can fill in here and there and not blow up the entire line. However, if he’s asked to start for an extended period of time, things could take a turn for the worse.
I suppose that fits the definition of a sixth man. If I thought he was a lights out player, I’d predict him to be the starter instead of including him in the discussion as sixth man.
David Bakhtiari
It looks like the rookie is in the mix to start at right tackle, which automatically puts him in the sixth-man race.
Bakhtiari played on a bad team in college and flew under the radar, but it sounds like he’s athletic enough to move around the line and had a good rookie camp.
Scouting reports questioned Bakhtiari’s athleticism and pegged him as a guard in the NFL, but at least for now, he’s being tried out at tackle.
Is Bakhtiari strong enough to play inside? That’s a question we seem to be asking about all of the sixth-man candidates besides Barclay.
Final Word
It’s way too early to say anything for sure, but “I have no idea” is a boring answer.
My gut tells me that Newhouse will win the right tackle job and Barclay will be the sixth man. The seventh lineman to dress on Sundays will be Bakhtiari, leaving Sherrod’s future in doubt.
I would not be shocked at all if Barclay and Bakhtiari end up starting at least one game apiece in 2013. I also wouldn’t be shocked at all if everything I’ve written in this post is obsolete come the first day of training camp.
Another thing that just popped in my mind: Where does Andrew Datko fit into this discussion? How about Greg Van Roten or Lane Taylor?
The offensive line will be an interesting storyline to follow and a lot of the story is unknown at the moment.
May 22, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Will Packers LB recover from his injury and be on the team come September?
This story from Tyler Dunne in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel about Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop is extremely well written. After reading it, you can’t help but like the guy even more than you probably already do.
In the story, Bishop says one of his goals is to win defensive player of the year in 2013.
Unfortunately, as entertaining as the story is, it doesn’t really address the main question I have about Bishop as the Packers open OTAs: What are the odds that he’s actually on the team once the season starts?
Reports surfaced during the NFL draft that the Packers were trying to trade Bishop. Several moves the Packers made in the offseason — bringing back A.J. Hawk, re-signing Brad Jones for $4 million, adding another inside linebacker in the draft — made it appear that the Packers might not be too confident in Bishop’s chances of returning from the torn hamstring he suffered last preseason.
“Trade or release Bishop?” you’re probably asking. “But I thought he was supposed to boost the Packers physicality and automatically improve the inside linebacker corp?”
In a perfect world, that’s exactly what would happen. But how perfect is the Packers’ world when it comes to injuries lately? Not very. J.C. Tretter, one of Green Bay’s fourth-round draft picks, just snapped his ankle in a fumble-recovery drill. Two of the past three seasons have seen the team ravaged by injuries. The scuttle around the Packers is that Ted Thompson won’t hesitate to jettison players who are hampered by injuries.
I suppose the release of D.J. Smith last month is a good sign for Bishop staying in Green Bay. Then again, Smith was also coming off a season-ending injury. Perhaps the Packers also won’t hesitate to cut ties with Bishop like they did with Smith if doubts about Bishop’s health linger further into the summer.
Look, it’s still May. This Bishop story has several chapters that have yet to be written. If you want to read another positive piece on Bishop’s outlook, check this out from Jason Hirschhorn at Acme Packing Company.
Dunne and Hirschhorn’s rosy outlook on Bishop could very well prove to be true. I hope it does. A healthy Bishop playing like he did in 2011 would do wonders for the defense.
But a torn hamstring is a nasty injury. Too nasty for Bishop to remain a Packer? I hope not, but right now, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Bishop is playing for a different team come September.
May 20, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Packers CB Jarrett Bush has stuck with the team since 2006.
The pitchforks were out and the torches were lit after the 2009 season. Packers fans wanted cornerback Jarrett Bush off the team.
I admit that I was one of those Packers fans holding a torch high in one hand and a pitchfork in the other. I was sick of seeing Bush stumbling three yards behind a receiver after a double move left him in the dust and led to another touchdown against the Packers.
Ted Thompson has never paid much attention to the pitchfork- and torch-wielding sector of the Packers’ fanbase, and he held true to that philosophy with Bush. Now the undrafted free agent out of Utah St. and claimed by the Packers off waivers from Carolina is one of the longest-tenured Packers, a good special teams player and, dare I say it, somewhat beloved by fans.
I say “somewhat” because if Bush ever ends up playing significantly as a defensive back again, it will probably get ugly and fans will turn on him again. But as long as he remains the blue-collar, hard-working leader of the special teams unit, the love for Bush will only get stronger.
Admit it: When Bush picked off Ben Roethlisberger in the Super Bowl, you slapped yourself and wondered aloud if you just watched Jarrett Bush intercept a pass in the Super Bowl. For the Green Bay Packers. In January of 2011.
That play sticks in my mind to this day. Bush, a player who didn’t even get love from the fanbase of the team he played for, kept plugging away and made an impact when called upon to do so on the biggest stage.
If you were paying attention throughout the 2010 season, you would have noticed Bush making an impact on special teams. On Packers teams not known for their physicality and tackling, Bush goes as hard as anyone on special teams and is never afraid to stick his nose in the middle of the action and attempt to make a tackle.
Ever since Bush has been able to focus on special teams (albeit for one start in the 2012 season opener that didn’t go well), he’s found a place in Green Bay as a veteran and emotional leader.
If Bush makes a big tackle on special teams, he’s fired up and running his mouth. If he finds himself on the field for a defensive snap and makes a routine play, he’s fired up and running his mouth.
Yeah, the latter can be annoying, but it’s who Bush is. Raw emotion helped him stick with the Packers as long as he has and he’s not going to change.
Bush will be the second-longest tenured Packer behind Aaron Rodgers once the 2013 season starts. There’s a chance rookie Micah Hyde and a deep defensive backfield could lead to Bush’s exit in final training camp cutdowns, but I’m not betting against Bush.
Then again, maybe I should. We all bet against him before and he turned into a useful player.
May 19, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football.
If I was creating my own perfect media universe to feed me information on the Green Bay Packers, here’s what it would look like:
Play-by-play announcer: Wayne Larrivee. No explanation needed. I could listen to Wayne all day — even if the Packers were losing by seven touchdowns — and still get enjoyment out of the game.
Color commentator: Mike Mayock. I used to have Cris Collinsworth ahead of Mayock, but not any more. Mayock made those boring Thursday night games on NFL Network tolerable last season. I’ll take substance over style from my color commentary each and every time.
Sideline reporter: Doris Burke. Ok, I’m cheating a little bit. Those of you who watch Burke work the sideline and conduct in-game interviews with coaches during NBA games know why I choose her, however. She takes the job seriously and actually tries to tell the viewer something that doesn’t insult his/her intelligence. Her questions are always light on fluff and high on substance.
Studio host: Trey Wingo. Doesn’t need catch phrases or tired schtick to be effective.
Studio analysts: LeRoy Butler and Mark Tauscher. Both guys have ties to the Packers, are extremely engaging and provide good insight.
Main beat writer: Tom Silverstein. Hard working. In-depth. No frills. Smart. Insightful. Gets a little snarky on Twitter. Everything you want out of a beat guy.
Secondary beat writer: Rob Demovsky. Doesn’t get enough credit because the talent pool of Packers reporters is deep. He’s one of the better ones.
Columnist: Bob McGinn. Years upon years of working with sources and dropping knowledge. He also tends to get people a little riled up, which a good columnist will do every now and then.
Radio talk show hosts: Jason Wilde and Bill Johnson. No need to re-create the wheel. Just keep Green and Gold Today what is already is: A show to discuss the Packers, not rant and rave incoherently like most sports talk radio shows.
Blogger: Jersey Al. One of the originals and still the best.
5 Packers people to follow on Twitter: @PackerRanter: Deep. @jrehor: Passionate. @Aaron_Nagler: NFL. @Packerpedia: Informative. @BrianCarriveau: Dedicated.
That about sums it up. I’m sure I left some good people off, but hopefully they get over it and their feelings aren’t hurt too bad by being left off such a prestigious list.
How would you all set up your ideal Packers media universe to stay up to date and engaged with the greatest franchise in the history of sports?
Packers News, Notes and Links
- Jason Hirschhorn at Acme Packing Company has a great post about Randall Cobb and the upcoming 2013 season. I wrote about Cobb this week as well. The headline I chose for the post leaves it wide open for a Michael Scott “that’s what she said” remark.
- Alex Petakas at ESPN Milwaukee has an interesting profile on Packers rookie WR Charles Johnson. It’s hard to not cheer for a guy to make it when his resume includes a stint at Antelope Community College.
- I have yet to participate in a Google+ hangout (isn’t it basically Skype?), but Eddie Lacy did with the folks from CheeseheadTV.com. Brian Carriveau recaps the occasion here.
- The Packers Tailgate Tour kicked off this week and Alex Green is one of the players participating. With the addition of Lacy and Jonathan Franklin, Green is a bit of a forgotten man. He talks about that and other topics with Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in this story. I had high hopes for Green when he took over last season, but he wasn’t nearly as explosive as I thought he’d be. Sounds like his knee was still hurting, so we’ll see what another offseason of recovery did for him come training camp.
- Aaron Rodgers doing more great things to boost the MAAC Fund’s fight against childhood cancer.
- Seahawks CB Richard Sherman has invited Lance Easley — the clown/ref who was behind the Fail Mary debacle — to umpire his charity softball game. I have to admit, that’s pretty funny.
- Packers president Mark Murphy would like to one day see Brett Favre on the annual offseason tailgate tour. I think that’d be great for multiple reasons: 1) Favre will be welcomed back to the Packers family one day and getting out and mingling with the fans is the best way to continue rebuilding his image; 2) Favre’s image likely will never be totally rebuilt, which could make for some entertaining and awkward moments on the tour; and 3) I’d love to be in the same room as Favre when he starts telling Packers stories from the 90s. Love him or hate him, that would be some great entertainment.
- Need more Favre talk? John Rehor addresses Murphy’s comments on Packerstalk.com.
Non-Packers Links and Other Nonsense
- It’s not every day you see the mayor of a major metropolitan city involved in a crack scandal, with video evidence.
- Ever wonder what happens when a deer crashes through the window of a bus? Wonder no more.
- The Office on NBC came to a close on Thursday. It got pretty bad the last couple of seasons, but all in all, it was a great run (despite forcing Aaron Rodgers to say some terrible lines).
- “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has a podcast and it might be the greatest thing ever. The episode where he spends 30 minutes talking about flies is comedy gold.
May 17, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Packers WR Randall Cobb.
Breakout WR/HB/KR/PR Randall Cobb touched the ball 159 times and amassed a Packers franchise record 2,342 all-purpose yards in 2012.
It was quite the season for the second-year talent out of Kentucky, and very necessary. Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson all missed significant time with injuries. Cobb, along with James Jones, stepped up to fill the void left by Jennings and Nelson and helped negate the Packers struggles running the ball.
But 159 touches is a lot for a player who is 5-foot-10 and 191 pounds. Cobb injured his ankle and missed the season finale against the Vikings. He also managed just six catches for 31 yards in two playoff games and was taken off of punt returns against the 49ers, only to see rookie Jeremy Ross muff one deep in Green Bay territory that led to a San Francisco touchdown.
I was at the wild-card win over the Vikings and watched Cobb limp around on that ankle. He was hurting. The explosion wasn’t there.
With Jennings gone, it’s assumed Cobb will have an even bigger role in the offense. His role probably will be bigger, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll touch the ball 159 times again.
Cobb was targeted 104 times in 2012, the most since Jennings’ 125 targets in 2010. If Nelson stays healthy, and Jones repeats his stellar 2012 season, perhaps that number will come down a bit.
The addition of Eddie Lacy and Jonathan Franklin — and the shuffling of the offensive line — could also lead to more success in the running game and fewer touches for Cobb.
Of those 159 touches, 10 came as a halfback. You have to figure he won’t carry the ball any more with Lacy and Franklin around.
As great as Cobb is, a little bit less of a workload might be good for him and ensure that he’s just as productive in the playoffs as he is in week eight.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying the Packers should purposely look away from Cobb and reduce his role in the offense. He’s too talented to set off to the side.
All I’m saying is that other players stepping up might take some of the burden off the shoulders of the smallish Cobb, making him that much more explosive when he does get the ball.
A total of 69 touches came on kick and punt returns. If the Packers remove Cobb from special teams, that should also help keep him fresh. It’s unclear at the moment which way Mike McCarthy is leaning on that topic.
I’m fine with taking Cobb off of special teams as long as there’s a close-to-equal replacement. Having a talented return man is a major weapon and worth a bit of a tradeoff in wear and tear and production on offense.
Perhaps a reduced special teams role is in store for Cobb, one where he returns kicks only on certain occasions when the Packers need a spark.
The next step in Cobb’s bright young career is to stay healthy and be productive for an entire season. If that means carrying less of the load, then so be it. If the Packers aren’t ravaged by injuries again, they should be able to not lean so heavily on Cobb.
But if injuries do strike once again, or Jones/Nelson/Lacy/Franklin falter for whatever reason, it’s good to know that Cobb is able to touch the ball 159 times and do all he can to pick up the slack.
Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. I think Cobb be just as productive, maybe even more productive, with 125 touches.
May 14, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Packers rookie offensive lineman J.C. Tretter
If I put the over/under on the number of rookies the Packers will have starting on the offensive line for the regular season opener at 0.5, would you take the over or the under?
What if I changed the season opener to week 10, but kept the over/under at 0.5?
If you believe some of the scuttle out of the Packers rookie mini-camp, recent draftees David Bakhtiari and J.C. Tretter are in the mix to start at right tackle. There’s also an outside chance that Tretter or undrafted rookie free agent Patrick Lewis of Texas A&M could give presumed starter Evan Dietrich-Smith a challenge at center.
If I had $100 burning a hole in my pocket, I’d take the under for the season opener and the over for week 10.
I don’t think Mike McCarthy wants to start a rookie right away. Ideally, I think he’d like to see Marshall Newhouse, Derek Sherrod or Don Barclay win the job. That’s not to say the rookies won’t get their fair shot. I’m confident they will.
But unless one of the rookies blows the veterans out of the water, McCarthy probably wants the young guys to develop a bit before getting tossed on the field to protect the league’s highest-paid player.
I’d take the over because of injuries if the bet was changed to week 10. If Dietrich-Smith gets hurt, I think a rookie will get a shot at center over Greg Van Roten. Unless Van Roten hit the weight room hard over the summer, he’s doesn’t seem strong enough to hold his own against NFL interior lineman or super freak linebackers at the second level.
A rookie will probably have to move ahead of Barclay at right tackle, but if there are multiple injuries up front, I see Barclay playing the role of sixth offensive lineman and filling in at any position (Dietrich-Smith’s former role), leaving the right tackle slot wide open for Sherrod or one of the rookies.
I know it’s only May, and I might change my mind about all of this 10 times before we get to real football, but it’s fun to speculate for now.
It’s always hard to determine if the “(insert name of Rookie) could start” stories that come out of rookie camp have any meat on them or not. It’s rookie camp. Coaches are going to say good things about the new guys and imply that they’re good enough to start.
Writers are going to look for those “(insert name of Rookie) could start” stories because it’s no fun to write about guys who will need a year or two on the bench.
Sifting through the coach-speak and generic story topics that pop up during every NFL spring can be tedious, but that’s what we get for covering the now year-round monster that is the NFL.
Hey, if one of the rookies steps up and starts the first game, we can always say “I told you so.”
May 5, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football
With NFL draft now behind us, I’ve found myself asking one question about the Packers over the last week: Do the players Ted Thompson selected make the Packers a more physical team?
The answer I come up with is…maybe?
- First-round pick Datone Jones is 6-foot-4, 280 pounds. When you see him play, you think long and lean instead of tough and mean. But a player’s height and weight doesn’t tell you much about how physical they’ll play. I’m sure Jones will add some weight. If he doesn’t, sometimes smaller guys play with such an attitude that they might as well be 320 pounds of brute force.
- The first thing that comes to mind when I watch Eddie Lacy run is physical. You can automatically place Mr. Lacy in the immediately-makes-the-Packers-more-physical category. The catch with Lacy is his health. One of his big toes is fused on, he’s got screws in his hand, he can barely bench press because of an old pectoral injury and he’s had hamstring issues. It’s hard to help your team be more physical while riding an exercise bike on the sideline. Let’s hope Lacy is able to use his aggression on the field instead of in the team’s rehab facility.
- J.C. Tretter and David Bakhtiari are two offensive linemen that were not projected to be drafted because of their physicality. The Packers like drafting athletic college tackles who can play multiple positions in the NFL, and that’s what Tretter and Bakhitiari are. I suppose they could develop into maulers, but neither one makes me think they’ll immediately make the Packers more physical.
- When you think of being physical, do you think of riding a Jetski? Probably not, but that’s the nickname given to Packers fourth-round pick Jonathan Franklin because of his ability to leave defenders in his wake. Franklin does little to make the Packers more physical, but I don’t really care. You don’t draft speedy running backs to batter the other team. You draft them to run away from the other team once they are already battered.
- Fifth-round pick Micah Hyde probably won’t get an opportunity to make the Packers more physical on an every-down basis, but he should get his shot on special teams. The Packers could always use more physicality on their special teams. Josh Boyd, the Packers other fifth-round pick, is 6-foot-3, 310 pounds. He at least possesses the measurements to make the Packers more physical.
- I don’t know enough about the late-round picks to speculate either way. Nate Palmer is intriguing, though.
Regardless of how Mike McCarthy and the Packers try to spin it, they need to play more physical in 2013. Third-and-1 shouldn’t have to be a nail-biting adventure all the time. Adrian Peterson shouldn’t run for over 500 yards whenever he plays against Green Bay. Quarterbacks, regardless of how mobile they are, shouldn’t be able to move and dance around the field whenever they feel like it.
Staying healthy will go a long way in improving the Packers’ physicality (I love that word). I hope the draft class does too, but I’m not quite sold yet.
Of course, it’s silly to judge a draft class on their physicality before any of them step foot on the field, but the NFL draft wouldn’t be as fun as it is without the prognostication, speculation and analysis that comes with it.
When it comes to the physicality of this Packers’ draft class, let’s hope my “maybe?” turns into and firm “YES!”
Packers News, Notes and Links
- The folks had Cheesehead Radio had a nice chat with Packers defensive lineman Ryan Pickett this week. Make sure to give it a listen here.
- The Packers offensive line, it’s a shufflin’. Check out the changes here, then read the words I wrote about it here.
- Al Harris officially retired as a Packer this week. Jason Wilde always had interesting interviews and stories on Harris, and Wilde’s blog post this week was no exception.
- Evan Western at Acme Packing Company breaks down the Packers wide receiver post-draft.
- Could the Packers add a veteran safety? Brian Carriveau at CheeseheadTV has a nice breakdown of that situation.
- Quick shoutout to Packerpedia’s twitter account. They’re always tweeting useful news and nuggets of information on the Packers that are great for people on the go (also check out their fine blog here).
Non-Packers Links and Other Nonsense
- Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman died this week from liver failure. People always laugh at me when they learn I’ve listened to Slayer since I was 10 years old, but I don’t care. There is more emotion and feeling packed into a Slayer song like “War Ensemble” than most of what passes as acceptable or safe music that the “cool” people listen to these days. Hanneman’s death bothers me. I know, he’s just some quasi-celebrity that I’ve never met and probably have little in common with, but when you’ve connected with a band’s music for 20 years, it stings a bit to see one of its members die. It’s an odd sense of feeling old yourself, knowing you’ll never get to hear him play again, and hoping he’s up in heaven (or hell, he played in Slayer, after all) at peace and with a clear understanding of all the lives he touched through playing loud, obnoxious, fast, and just plain awesome music. I guess I would compare the feeling to how I felt after Reggie White died, even though I was much younger when White passed on.
- That’s all I got this week. RIP Jeff Hanneman \m/ \m/
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