February 22, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
I’m currently reading Bruce Feldman’s newest book called “The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks.” It’s a good book so far with excellent insight into today’s quarterbacks, including some nice tidbits on Aaron Rodgers (and even a few older stories about Brett Favre).
But there is a prevailing theme throughout the book so far that bugs me. The book’s main focus has been on ex-NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer and his work with the Elite 11 quarterback competition. Dilfer seems like an interesting and thoughtful guy, but he really hammers on something he’s labeled as “dude qualities” in quarterbacks.
“Dude qualities” refers to the “it” factor in a quarterback. What is the “it” factor? That’s my problem with Dilfer’s “dude quality” obsession. There’s no way to define “it” factor or “dude quality.” The whole concept seems like something else for athlete trolls like Skip Bayless to harp about instead of an actual concept to truly evaluate how good a quarterback is.
A quarterback seems to get labeled as having “dude qualities” when he achieves a certain level of success. After a couple of big wins or a strong performance during an Elite 11 drill, the quarterback is suddenly viewed as something more than just a good quarterback with a strong, accurate arm, a sense for the game and the work ethic to pull it all together.
It’s often said in the book that a quarterback with “dude qualities” takes over a room when he enters. Ummm…..ok. What does that mean exactly? Typically, everyone wants to hang out with the stud quarterback. Does he take over that room because he fired the winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter? Or because he has some unexplainable “it” factor aura that draws others towards him?
If Aaron Rodgers is the longsnapper instead of the MVP quarterback, would people like Dilfer still marvel at his “dude qualities” and his ability to “take over a room?” Probably not, because Rodgers is the longsnapper. Phrases like “dude qualities” and “it” factor are part of the manufactured narrative that surrounds the discussion of well-known and visible quarterbacks, not obscure longsnappers.
I’m not arguing that personality and certain character traits don’t play a role in quarterbacking. Like with any profession, you want good people doing the job. And certain jobs require people with the personality traits to match the physical talents and mental requirements of the position.
But I feel like all this talk about “dude qualities” and “it” factor is just a distraction, something to make us seem smarter than we actually are when talking quarterbacks. Football isn’t the easiest game to understand and quarterback is one of the more complicated positions in sports. I think we come up with things like “dude quality” and “it” factor to try and simplify it as much as we can. We think we sound smart when we utter those phrases, but in reality, our knowledge is regressing.
Coming up with subjective quarterback qualities might simplify things a bit, but it doesn’t do much to help us understand why certain quarterbacks are better than others.
Packers News, Notes and Links
- What should the Packers do with Tramon Williams? I still think he can play, but he tailed off a bit down the stretch. Is that a sign of age and declining skills? Or just a handful of inevitable plays where a corner whose asked to man-up on talented wide receivers gets beat? Hopefully Ted Thompson and the Packers have a better handle on those questions than I do and make the right decision.
- What was your favorite Brad Jones moment in Green Bay? The Packers released Jones on Friday afternoon. Jones was bad the last two seasons. Very bad. But overall, for a 7th round draft pick, he gave the Packers some decent value in 2009, 2010 and then as a fill-in inside linebacker in 2012.
- Both Richard Rodgers and Davante Adams played better later in the season. Sam Barrington also steadily improved. If you want to get excited about the Packers in 2015, imagine those three players continuing their improvement, and maybe even seeing one of them make a Mike Daniels type of jump from “Hey, this guy is playing better” to “Holy crap! This guy is REALLY good!”
- Ted Thompson spoke at the NFL Combine and said absolutely nothing, per usual (although, he did open and close his remarks with a few good one-liners). McCarthy also spoke and didn’t offer much that we didn’t already know.
Non Packers links and other Nonsense
- If you’re unfamiliar with ISIS, what they represent, what they want, and why they’re different from Al Qaeda, read this piece from the Atlantic.
- “Parks and Recreation” is one of my all-time favorite sitcoms. Sadly, it’s final episode is Tuesday. The Packers would win the Super Bowl every season if they hired Ron Swanson as head coach.
- The Vikings signed an ex-Packer and the Timberwolves traded for a former star now well past his prime. In other words, it was a typical week in the Minnesota sports scene.
- Oscars predictions: Best picture, “Boyhood.” Best actor: Michael Keaton, “Birdman.” Best actress: Reese Witherspoon, “Wild.” Number of times some dimwitted celebrity will lecture us about a political topic or social cause they know next to nothing about: 8.
February 20, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Authors, Packers
Packers team president Mark Murphy
1) Introduction: I’m not entirely sure how I’m supposed to “grade” Packers team president Mark Murphy, but I’m going to try. Do I watch film of his speeches and critique based on the number of stammers and stutters? Do I deduct half a grade if his hand-shake while schmoozing with league officials isn’t firm enough? What about how he treats his secretary and other team staff? A positive grade for saying “please” before issuing an order? A negative grade for putting an appointment on his own personal Outlook calendar, but forgetting to put it on the office-wide shared Outlook calendar?
2) Profile:
Mark Murphy
- Age: 59
- Born: 7/13/1955 in Jacksonville, FL
- Height: 6’3″
- Weight: 218
- College: Colgate
- Rookie Year: 1977
- NFL Experience: 8 years as a player, 8 years as Packers team president
Career Stats and more
3) Expectations coming into the season: Don’t completely embarrass the entire Packers organization. That’s all us fans want out of the higher-up team executives who aren’t involved in the day-to-day management of football operations, right? Don’t pull a Jerry Jones and take racy photos with young women that end up hitting the internet. don’t say racist things like Marge Schott used to. Don’t do anything Dan Snyder does. As usual, Murphy kept his pants on, his mouth shut and didn’t dabble in football operations this season. In other words, he vastly exceeded our expectations.
4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: But let’s not give Murphy an “A+” just yet. Oh no, Packers fans have high expectations. That’ll happen when you had a man like Bob Harlan running the team in the 90s and rescuing it from the depths of the NFL. You gotta do more than just avoid controversy and embarrassment to win us over. And here is where Murphy struggles. Exhibit A: The Brett Favre Packers hall of fame induction ceremony should be held at a large venue with tickets sold to the public. By only allowing corporate suits and other big-wig types access to the event, Murphy and the Packers are 1) missing a big opportunity to make even more money off the event and 2) thumbing their nose at Packers fans who are dying to see Favre’s “official” return to Green Bay. Murphy also let the G-Force debacle drag on for far too long before finally killing it in favor of #GetLoudLambeau at the end of 2014. I also get the sense that Murphy isn’t very tuned into just how passionate Packers fans are. Too often, it feels like fan interaction or gameday experience types of things have been planned by some overpriced out-of-state consulting firm that thinks Green Bay is like any other town that’ll go for whatever works at Madison Square Garden during Knicks games.
5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: Kudos for Murphy for getting contract extensions done for both general manager Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy this season. It’s not easy maintaining a healthy productive working relationship between a team owner/president, general manager, head coach and superstar quarterback. That’s a lot of egos to manage. A team president has to know his role and have confidence in the football people he’s hired to do the job. Murphy has done that, and the Packers are better off because of it. Can you imagine having to deal with a mettling owner like Snyder or some upstart who got rich off the dot.com boom overseeing the Packers and thinking he knew more about which right tackle to draft than Ted Thompson? I shudder just thinking about it.
6) Player’s contributions in the playoffs: They never show Murphy watching a playoff game, or any game, from his luxury suite. It’d be nice if they showed Murphy on TV every now and then. You can tell a lot about a man based on how he watches a football game? Does he sit by himself and focus solely on the game, ignoring the rich guests that surround him in his suite? Does he slap backs and shake hands with the other CEOs in the suite, ignoring the game altogether? Does he get drunk and say uncomfortable thing as the game wears on? Does he act like any other fan and give high fives and man hugs after the Packers score a big touchdown? These are things Packers fans deserve to know.
7) Intangibles: Murphy needs to book some better concerts at Lambeau. Enough with the Kenny Chesney and pop country/hick hop garbage. Bring in AC/DC, Metallica or whatever band wrote and performed the “Bears Still Suck” song.
Season Report Card:
(A+) Don’t embarrass the entire organization and don’t mettle in football operations that you know nothing about.
(D+) Properly balance giving the fans what they want and appeasing rich corporate sponsors.
(C+) The Packers are better off because Mark Murphy is the team president
Overall Grade: B-
February 12, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Authors, Packers
Packers DL Letroy Guion
1) Introduction: Usually, it’s the Vikings who end up signing ex-Packers players once their time in the green and gold is up. Last offseason, the Packers decided to see what might happen if they signed a Vikings player. After a rough start, Letroy Guion came around and ended up being more than just another body to throw inside.
2) Profile:
Letroy Guion
- Age: 27
- Born: 6/21/1987 in Starke, FL
- Height: 6’4″
- Weight: 315
- College: Florida St.
- Rookie Year: 2008
- NFL Experience: 7 years
Career Stats and more
3) Expectations coming into the season: Athletic depth up front. The Packers were moving B.J. Raji back to nose tackle full time. Guion was supposed to back him up and possibly provide a little bit of athleticism inside, when necessary. Guion ended up in the starting lineup after Raji’s injury and played much better than your typical backup.
4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Guion looked like a complete disaster early on. He missed most of training camp with an injury, then got mauled in week one against Seattle. “Here we go again,” most Packers fans thought. “Another season of having to watch a swiss-cheese defense.” But as September became October and October turned to November, Guion got better. He was adequate against the run and provided the athleticism rushing the quarterback the Packers hoped for when they signed him.
5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: I credit the majority of the Packers’ improvement on run defense to moving Clay Matthews inside, but Guion deserves credit as well. According to Pro Football Focus, Guion’s total run grade was a paltry negative-10.1, but he had a stretch in the middle of the season — right when the Packers turned their run defense around — where he was very effective against the run.
6) Player’s contributions in the playoffs: Guion didn’t do much in the playoffs. Perhaps playing full time for 16 regular season games wore him down?
7) Intangibles: Guion had some of the smoothest dance moves during sack celebrations I have ever seen. Aaron Rodgers also was quite fond of Guion, even going so far as to call him one of his favorite teammates. Here’s hoping Guion keeps on dancing in a Packers uniform next season.
Season Report Card (Player Grades):
(B+) Level of expectations met during the season
(C+) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(D) Contributions to team during the playoffs
Overall Grade: B-
ADDENDUM: The report card you just read was written before Guion got arrested in Florida with nearly a pound of marijuana, over $190,000 in cash and a gun. Not a smart move for a guy who has been publicly praised by Rodgers and was possibly on the verge of a multi-year contract. His time in Green Bay may very well be over now. Then again, if the Packers are thin up front as training camp approaches, the price to re-sign Guion just got a whole lot lower…
February 1, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Congratulations to former Green Bay Packers general manager Ron Wolf on his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Wolf (with a lot of help from team president Bob Harlan and a quarterback who goes by the name of Brett Favre) took the Packers from a floundering franchise to one of the most respected and successful organizations in all of sports.
Also, congratulations to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on winning his second NFL MVP award. Despite a strong challenge from J.J. Watt, I thought Rodgers was the clear-cut MVP this season. Rodgers is the ninth player to win the AP NFL MVP award more than once.
Now, onto the usual nonsense and shenanigans of “Surviving Sunday”……
I find myself asking “What if” over and over again about the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks. Not about what happened two weeks ago during that God-awful game, more long-term, big picture, fantasy-world “What ifs.” For example:
- What if Ted Thompson listened to the fanbase and traded for Marshawn Lynch in 2010? Would the Packers still have won the Super Bowl that season? Might they have won more Super Bowls? Or would Lynch’s mood swings create a rift in Green Bay and it would have been a mess? Is Seattle what it is today if it didn’t give up a fourth-rounder for Lynch that season?
- What if the Packers drafted Russell Wilson to back up Aaron Rodgers? How would the Packers’ record been different if Wilson took over for an injured Rodgers last season? What type of draft pick could the Packers have fetched for Wilson once they traded him away? How successful would the Seahawks have been with Mighty Matt Flynn at quarterback instead of Wilson?
- What if the Packers didn’t cut Jon Ryan back in 2008? Would he have been able to duplicate the success he’s had in Seattle in if he was still punting in Green Bay? Would some other punter have thrown a touchdown on a fake field goal against the Packers in the NFC title game?
There are a few more “What-ifs,” but I think you get the point. It’s strange how the Packers and Seahawks are connected in a few odd ways.
Packers News, Notes and Links
- What was your favorite moment of the Shawn Slocum era in Green Bay? The special teams coach was fired on Friday.
- Ty Dunne with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel makes the case for the Packers retaining veterans and not relying so much on youth and upside in 2015.
- Apparently, Ndomukong Suh wanted to fight T.J. Lang in week 17. These two have been bickering at each other so long, it’s time to sign them up for a Wrestlemania grudge match.
- A must-watch here: Aaron Rodgers surprises a couple of kids who lost their fathers in the military.
- Clay Matthews could still play inside in 2015. Good. I thought his talents were utilized better when he played all over the field.
Non Packers links and other Nonsense
Don’t want to watch a Super Bowl involving a team jacked up on God knows what who beat the Packers play the cheating Patriots? Here are 8 things you can do today besides watch the Super Bowl:
- Play this cool board game called Pandemic. A few weeks ago, I asked you all for board game suggestions. I picked up Pandemic a last week and love it.
- Watch the new Louis CK comedy special. Louis is the best, and his new special is only $5.
- Read this amazing story about a Holocaust survivor’s liberation from Dachau.
- Make fun of Jay Cutler and sing the “Bears Still Suck” song.
- Play Action PC Football from Dave Koch Sports and see if you can repeat the success of the 2010 Packers on your computer screen.
- Go see a movie. I highly recommend both American Sniper and Selma.
- Binge-watch a TV show. I finally got my wife to watch my personal favorite show, The Wire, and she loves it. If you’re looking for a show that’s still ongoing, try The Americans.
- I just sold my house. You can come over and help me pack.
January 26, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
Let’s take a quick break from making ball jokes at the NFL’s expense and wallowing in our misery over the Green Bay Packers collapse from eight days ago to gaze into the future.
Specifically, let’s gaze into the Packers’ future, all the way to May (or April, or June, or Christmas…whenever the hell the NFL draft is this year) and the rookie draft. Then let’s pretend that mysteriously, every prospect across the board in this year’s draft is equally talented.
There’s no debating about drafting talent over need because all players are equally talented. If you need a pass-rushing defensive end, you can take that pass-rushing defensive end without fear of regretting not taking the more talented cornerback only because you already have plenty of cornerbacks.
So, with all talent being equal, what position should the Packers address in the first round? Here are three obvious options and one darkhorse option:
Middle linebacker
If the Packers can nab a middle linebacker in the first round that could match the output of Desmond Bishop in late 2010 and throughout 2011, this defense should take another step forward. The A.J. Hawk era in Green Bay appears to be coming to an end. The Clay Matthews experiment was a success, but a short-term fix. Brad Jones…oh Brad Jones…I don’t even know what to say. I’m thinking most Packers fans have middle linebacker at the top of their draft boards, as they should.
Cornerback
With Tramon Williams on the wrong side of 30 and a free agent, and with the talented but oft-injured Davon House also hitting free agency, the Packers will likely need some help on the outside of the secondary. An argument could be made that several top teams, the Packers included, have had success finding cornerbacks late in the draft, through undrafted free agency, or off other team’s practice squads. But cornerback is such an important position in today’s pass-happy game. I say it belongs near the top of the priority list.
Tight end
Imagine what this offense would look like if Richard Rodgers develops into an above average tight end and a has a rookie tight end to help him out on routes down the seam?
Offensive line
Here’s the darkhorse candidate. The 2014 Packers offensive line was the best of the Aaron Rodgers/Mike McCarthy era. You might be thinking, “Just re-sign Bryan Bulaga and plug this same group in again next season.” If only it were that easy. Even if the Packers re-sign Bulaga, he’s an injury-prone player. He missed half of 2012, all of 2013 and left two games early in 2014, only to see his replacement give up huge sacks late in the game.
Plus it’s probably a longshot to expect David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, Cory Linsley and T.J. Lang to play every snap again in 2015.
Drafting another quality offensive linemen gives the Packers the depth they need up front in case of emergency, and a long-term option for 2016 and beyond.
January 20, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
After the Green Bay Packers lost to the 49ers in last year’s wild-card round, I was very critical of Aaron Rodgers and his playoff performances since winning Super Bowl XLV.
After the Packers meltdown in Sunday’s NFC title game, it’s time to be critical of another prominent figure in the Packers organization for his shortcomings post-Super Bowl: head coach Mike McCarthy.
I don’t need to re-hash every area where McCarthy erred on Sunday. By now, the decision not to go four it on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard-line, twice, has been beaten to death. We’ve also lamented McCarthy’s conservative playcalling in the second half repeatedly.
All of that and more is laid out in this scathing piece from Ty Dunne at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
If we want to pile on even further, we can fault McCarthy for not getting in Dom Capers’ ear during a critical series in the second half where the Packers defense went into a soft zone instead of continuing to dial up pressure when Seattle picked up a first down after being faced with second and 31. Or we can blame McCarthy for keeping Shawn Slocum around despite repeated special teams failures.
Fact is, with the exception of the second half against Dallas a couple weeks ago, McCarthy (like his quarterback) hasn’t brought it in the playoffs since winning Super Bowl XLV. That doesn’t mean McCarthy should be fired. It doesn’t mean he’s a bad coach. It just incredibly frustrating.
Think back to last season’s playoff defeat against San Francisco. On the first Packers series, McCarthy calls three straight runs, the last of which ended up with John Kuhn coming up a yard short of a first down and the Packers punting.
Next series: run up the gut for a yard, Rodgers is sacked, incomplete pass that would’ve been well short of a first down anyway, punt.
On the next series, Rodgers took a sack, missed on a short pass, and McCarthy surrendered on third and 15 by calling a draw play. Punt.
Just like they did against Seattle on Sunday, the Packers had a real shot at taking control of that San Francisco game early, but McCarthy’s buttoned-up approach was a contributing factor in preventing that from happening.
Go back to all the Packers’ playoff defeats since winning the Super Bowl. You can even re-visit the wild-card round win over the Fighting Joe Webbs. Has McCarthy done anything that made you think, “Man, coach Mac really outsmarted the other team today.” Or, “I’m really glad McCarthy did what he did in that situation. Really helped the Packers win this game.”
Not really.
I’m hoping this critique of postseason McCarthy doesn’t take a mind-numbing turn in the comments section like my Rodgers critique did following last year’s 49ers’ loss. I didn’t write this to post to serve as a referendum on whether McCarthy should be fired. He shouldn’t be. He’s an excellent coach and I can’t think of another active coach I’d rather have coaching the Packers.
But the postseason shortcomings are starting to add up, and there seems to be a pattern that entails overly conservative playcalling combined with complete meltdowns on either defense, special teams or both.
While I won’t even give people who clamor for McCarthy to be fired the time of day, I will listen to those who think it might be time to turn over playcalling duties to a true offensive coordinator. Valid critiques of McCarthy’s playcalling are starting to pile up, and they’re coming from more than the usual crowd who complains about everything.
I don’t see McCarthy ever giving up playcalling duties (I wouldn’t in his situation, either), but it’s intriguing to think about what might happen if McCarthy is freed up to give more attention to defense and special teams late in big games. Would it help prevent the collapses of recent years?
And would an offensive coordinator who calls the plays, using guidance and direction provided by McCarthy during the week, help the Packers end this run of postseason games where their offense gets stagnant and predictable, especially when the opportunity is there to deliver a crushing blow to the other team?
Who knows? Either way, it stinks we’re talking about this instead of how to beat the Patriots in two weeks.
January 19, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Packers Stock Report
The worst part about the Green Bay Packers choking away the NFC Championship game in Seattle is the fact that it’s going to be a full year before the Packers have a shot at redemption.
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.
Next season, like just about every season during the Favre/Rodgers era, will be full of memorable moments, big wins, and bigger performances from the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson and Clay Matthews.
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.
Not only have the Packers been one of the most successful and exciting teams in football during the Favre/Rodgers era, they also lead the league in gut-wrenching postseason defeats. Vikings fans will claim to be the leader in the gut-wrenching defeat category, but that’s yet another area where they can’t match the Packers.
Super Bowl 32, The Terrell Owens catch, the Michael Vick game, 4th and 26, the 2007 NFC championship, the strip-sack fumble OT loss in Arizona, losing in the divisional round after a 15-1 regular season, and whatever the hell you want to call Sunday’s meltdown — all of those add up to a level of postseason failures that would make the Atlanta Braves blush.
Thankfully, none of that overshadows the two Super Bowls the Packers have won amidst all those tear-your-heart-out losses. And, with all due respect to Josh Sitton, I’d much rather root for a team that has a legit shot to win it all every season and collapses 80 percent of the time instead of a team that is lucky to reach the postseason twice per decade.
But what happened on Sunday hurts, and it’s going to hurt for a long time. Redemption will only come if the Packers make their way back to the NFC title game a year from now and win the damn thing.
That might be harsh and unfair, but another division title and playoff disappointment won’t heal the hole blasted in my Packers psyche on Sunday. Doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy whatever thrilling ride the Packers take me on next season and appreciate everything they will probably accomplish. It just means true redemption is at least a year way, and that’s a long time to wait.
On to the final Packers Stock Report of this season:
Rising
Mason Crosby
Crosby trotted onto the field far too often for my liking, but man, what a kick to send the game into overtime.
Julius Peppers
Of all the Packers players I feel for today, I might feel the most for Peppers. He deserved a shot at the Super Bowl.
Aaron Rodgers
I know I’ll get flack for this one, but I don’t care. Rodgers wasn’t anything special on Sunday, but he did a damn fine job going up against the league’s best defense on one leg. Most healthy quarterbacks would not have been able to do what Rodgers did Sunday against that defense on the road.
Steady
Offensive line
Another great effort in pass blocking from the offensive line. I say re-sign Bryan Bulaga and keep this group together for next season.
Richard Rodgers
I’m looking forward to Rodgers taking the next step in 2015.
Falling
Brandon Bostick
Be nice to Bostick, Packers fans. He’s far from the only reason Green Bay pissed that game away.
Mike McCarthy
Sometimes I wonder if the Packers success running the ball early in games hurts them later in games. Does it give McCarthy reason to think he’s coaching the 1993 Dallas Cowboys instead of the high-flying Packers led by Aaron Rodgers? Going conservative and pointlessly running up the middle over and over again in the fourth quarter was hard to watch. So was settling for field goals twice on Seattle’s 1-yard line. Mike should’ve tried to punch it in at least once.
January 13, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Packers Stock Report
The Green Bay Packers really needed that win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. If the Packers would have lost, I had some evil, nasty thoughts running through my head.
Thoughts like, “If the Packers have another one-and-done in the playoffs, they’ve essentially been a more exciting version of the Cincinnati Bengals since winning the Super Bowl in 2010.”
Whew. That’s a bad one. Not entirely inaccurate, but still bad. Nobody who loves the Packers as much as I do should ever put the Packers in the same sentence as the Bengals, even if it’s just in your own head and the Packers are trailing by eight in the second half of a divisional playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Another thought I had: “Fire everyone.”
That makes me no different than the (dozens? hundreds? thousands? tens of thousands?) crazies on Twitter who call for Dom Capers’ head after every first down allowed by the Packers, or demand the public flogging of Ted Thompson for every big-name free agent not signed by Green Bay.
The last, and most insane thought I had: “Put in Matt Flynn!”
Seriously, my mind was so weak when the Packers were trailing that I actually allowed this thought to creep into my head. If I would have tweeted this insane thought or allowed it to escape my mind in the form of words through my mouth, a team of medical professionals would have pulled up to my house and confined me to a straight jacket before hauling me off to a faraway facility for further evaluation.
Thankfully, the Packers won. Now, only the Seattle Seachickens stand in the way of the Packers reaching the Super Bowl.
My mind is right again. As Mike McCarthy would say, my mindset is no longer polluted. But sometimes my mindset gets polluted when the Packers are losing an important playoff game. I can’t help it.
Thankfully, the following players stepped up and knocked all those crazy thoughts out of my head. The Packers Stock Report normally contains a rising, steady and falling section. But when the Packers win a playoff game, I get so happy and amped up that I eliminate the steady and falling categories.
(Brad Jones, you’re off the hook this week.)
A Packers postseason win means everybody is rising, but here are a handful of players who stood out a little more than others:
Rising
Aaron Rodgers
24 for 35 for 316 yards, 3 TDs, zero interceptions and a 125.4 QB rating. On one leg. Damn.
Davante Adams
Football is a funny game. Two-thirds of the way through the season, we were wondering if Davante Adams was a bust. Now he’s helping the Packers win playoff games. Adams reminds me more and more of a young James Jones. Frustrating at times, but talented enough to be an impact player.
Julius Peppers
Even if Peppers didn’t do a single thing in the regular season, his strip of DeMarco Murray in the third quarter was worth every penny the Packers are paying him this season. Remember the playoffs of yesteryear when the Packers lined up guys like Erik Walden and Andy Mulumba at outside linebacker? Yikes.
Randall Cobb
The price tag for re-signing Cobb goes up after every game and he deserves every penny. What a big time player.
Mike Daniels
Daniels might not make the flash plays like Peppers or teammate Clay Matthews, but he’s a constant force inside. On Sunday, he even fought through a blatant hold to sack Tony Romo.
Andrew Quarless
Speaking of quietly making an impact, Quarless has turned into a nice second option for Rodgers if Cobb is covered when the play breaks down. Tough, reliable and consistent. That’s what Quarless was on Sunday and what he’s been most of this season.
Richard Rodgers
The Rodgers-to-Rodgers connection to take the lead on Sunday was one of the most memorable plays of the season. Once a game for the last several weeks, Richard Rodgers has come up with a big play.
Mike McCarthy
When the early success of the running game didn’t carry beyond the opening drive, McCarthy found his team stuck in the mud. So what did he do? He ditched the buttoned-up game plan, spread the Cowboys out, and tested the limits of what his one-legged quarterback was able to do. The adjustment and strategy shift paid off. Now the Packers got a shot to play in Arizona.
January 6, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
What’s been the common theme whenever Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers’ offense struggles?
Sometimes pass protection breaks down. Sometimes Rodgers holds the ball too long. Sometimes Mike McCarthy gets pass-happy. Sometimes the Packers lose the turnover battle.
All of those things happen…sometimes. But the one thing that always seems to happen when the Packers’ offense stumbles is the inability of the wide receivers to overcome a physical secondary. And by “physical,” I mean a secondary that tugs, grabs, chucks, holds, and pushes receivers before, during and after routes — straddling the always-blurry line that separates illegal contact, defensive holding and pass interference from plain old good defense.
That line often seems to shift in a direction that favors the clutchers and the grabbers in the postseason. Once January arrives, the general sentiment is usually “let ’em play.” Nobody wants to see “officials decide the game,” even if that means the officials alter what they call in the postseason compared to the regular season.
When the officials allow defenders a little extra leeway, it often throws off the Packers receivers. They’re used to running free and catching perfectly placed passes from Rodgers, then scampering forward for additional yards. Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams are a talented group, but physicality isn’t necessarily their strongest suit. You can rattle them by pushing them around and getting away with it.
If any Cowboys fans are reading this, I’m not making pre-excuses and blaming the refs if the Packers lose on Sunday. There’s a reason illegal contact, defensive holding and pass interference are judgment calls. Sometimes the refs judge not to call them, and the players impacted by that judgment need to adjust.
The Packers often don’t adjust when the other team gets physical with its receivers. Instead of calling more short passes, screens, or turning to the running game, McCarthy keeps chucking it and Rodgers continues looking downfield. Instead of making tight throws that might force an official to call pass interference, Rodgers holds onto the ball and becomes hesitant.
I don’t believe there’s a blueprint for how to slow down the Packers offense, but if there was, getting physical with the wide receivers would be on the first page. If I’m Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli on Sunday, I’m telling my defensive backs to bully Nelson/Cobb/Adams as much possible. The refs won’t throw a flag every play, and Dallas will probably get the benefit of the doubt more often than not since it’s a divisional playoff game.
After all, what’s the alternative? Play in fear of a flag and let the Packers’ receivers run around untouched? Marinelli knows he doesn’t have the players to make that strategy work. Getting mean is the only way to go.
On paper, the Cowboys’ defense shouldn’t be much of a match for the Packers’ offense. But Dallas can make it more of a battle by pushing the boundaries of what is or is not a penalty in pass coverage.
If the officials “let ’em play,” it’ll be up to the Packers’ receivers and their entire offense to adjust and overcome.
January 5, 2015 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers
The Dallas Cowboys beat the Detroit Lions in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday. Next up for the Cowboys: a trip to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round.
Here’s an early outlook on the Packers vs. Cowboys playoff matchup. Look for much more coverage throughout the week here at ALLGBP.com.
Blitzing
The Cowboys have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. But the Lions got to Tony Romo early with blitzes from all different directions. If I’m Dom Capers, I bring the pressure early and often. Not only will blitzing help chip away at a great offensive line, it’ll baffle Romo. Unlike Rodgers, Romo doesn’t do much of anything to adjust his protection pre-snap, which leads to unblocked rushers and mismatches.
Turnovers
I don’t think the Dallas defense stands much of a chance against the Packers’ offense unless the Dallas D forces turnovers like it did in the regular season. The Cowboys were second in the NFL with 31 takeaways in the regular season. The Packers only turned the ball over 13 times. As they say, something’s got to give. I’m confident Rodgers won’t throw any straight-up interceptions, but the Cowboys got their hands up and tipped some passes against the Lions on Sunday, resulting in one interception. They’ll try and do the same against Green Bay, hoping to get their fingers on a pass and catch it before it hits the ground.
Stars vs. Stars
Which teams stars will outperform the other team’s stars? If the Cowboys get big games from Romo, Demarco Murray and Dez Bryant, they’re as tough to beat as any team in the league. If Rodgers, Eddie Lacy and Jordy Nelson/Randall Cobb are rolling for Green Bay, the Packers might break the scoreboard. Rodgers hasn’t had a dominant postseason game since Super Bowl XLV. Let’s see if he cranks it up on Sunday and shines brighter than the other stars on the field.
Officiating
The Cowboys’ victory on Sunday came with an *asterisk because the officials inexplicably picked up a pass-interference flag on Dallas during a key third-down play late in the game. Who knows if we’ll see something that egregious this Sunday, but how the game is called will be a factor. The way to slow down Rodgers and his receivers is to grab them, hold them, chuck them and pester them — straddling the line just enough to hope the refs won’t throw a flag, especially in a playoff game where the general sentiment is to just “let them play.”
Rodgers’ calf
The health of Rodgers’ calf is, obviously, the key to the game. Matthew Stafford had success running against the Cowboys on Sunday. A healthy Rodgers should too, but not if he’s limited to just standing in the pocket with a bum calf.
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