The Green Bay Packers are 4-0. Along with that perfect record comes a MVP quarterback playing at the top of his game,a defense that’s hell-bent on sacking the quarterback and a special teams unit that no longer appears to be a glaring weakness.
Life is good if you’re a Packers fan right now,isn’t it?
It sure is,but we’re Packers fans. Even if life is good,we want (and sometimes expect) it to be better.
Even though the Packers are 4-0 with an all-world quarterback,a solid defense and a non-embarrassing special teams,that’s not going to stop us from nitpicking areas where the team could improve. Before getting to this week’s stock report,let’s nitpick the Packers and point out some areas that could be a cause for concern.
Beating up on bad teams. You can only play the team’s on your schedule,but the teams on the Packers schedule haven’t been very good. The combined record of the Bears,Seahawks,Chiefs and 49ers is 5-11 (and that includes Monday night’s gift-wrapped-by-the-refs win for Seattle over Detroit). Beating Jay Cutler,Alex Smith and a broken Colin Kaepernick also isn’t anything to write home about.
How ’bout a non-free play big play? I’m all about Aaron Rodgers using his cadence to draw the defense offside and get as many free plays as possible. But as the season wears on,team’s aren’t going to fall for that stuff as often. The Packers big-play offense hasn’t really been there unless Rodgers knows he has nothing to lose on a free play.
Holding…on the Packers…again. It seems like the offensive line has been very grabby this season. The Packers have been flagged eight times for holding and several of those calls have come at less-than-ideal times as the offense is just starting to roll. With three holding calls already under his belt,David Bakhtiari leads the team.
Shot plays,anyone? Remember when Rodgers would play-fake,roll out,and hit Jordy Nelson on a deep post for an easy 65-yard touchdown? I knew with Nelson injured,those plays would be more rare,but I thought we’d at least get a couple of shot plays through the first quarter of the season. So far,unless it’s a free play,we’re not seeing any receivers getting over the top of the defense.
Those damn injuries. The injury to Bryan Bulaga finally caught up with the Packers against the 49ers as Don Barclay had a rough day. Is it only a matter of time before the effects of losing Nelson,Sam Barrington,Davante Adams and Morgan Burnett are magnified as well?
All of these are legitimate concerns for the Packers. Good thing they haven’t knocked Green Bay off course yet. Let’s hope the Packers keep rolling as we roll into this week’s Packers Stock Report:
Rising
Clay Matthews
Where would the Packers defense be without Matthews? Here’s hoping the hamstring gods lay off Matthews this season and he’s able to get through 16 games and the postseason.
James Jones
A dude cut by two teams this offseason is not supposed to make catches like this one.
Mike Daniels
The Packers defensive line seems more explosive this season and Daniels is a big reason why. In year’s past,the main objective of the Packers d-line was to hold their own and not get blown up. Now,Daniels and company are doing some blowing up of their own and it’s making this defense much more aggressive.
Steady
Sam Shields
Perhaps nobody told Shields that the Chicago game was the season opener and not a final exhibition tune-up,because ever since stinking up Soldier Field,Shields has been exactly the type of No. 1 cornerback the Packers need him to be. On Sunday,he made a great play on the ball to snag his second interception.
B.J. Raji
Setting an early tone against the run gives the Packers offense the time it needs to establish a lead. It also helps boost the defense for the remainder of the game. Raji’s play in first quarters has helped the Packers blow up several running plays and knock opponents off course early when it comes to trying to run at the Packers defense.
Falling
Don Barclay
I suppose it was only a matter of time before Rodgers was unable to fully compensate for Barclay’s weaknesses at right tackle. Full credit goes to Barclay for battling out there,but it’s time Tom Clements and Mike McCarthy get him some help with a tight end or running back on a regular basis.
I was fully confident that the Green Bay Packers were going to beat the 49ers 57-0 until I heard the reports out of San Francisco that 49ers coach Jim Tomsula let a fart rip during Thursday’s news conference.
Now the score might not be so lopsided. Tomsula’s flatulence could be the secret weapon that helps the 49ers make a game out of this one.
For instance,how will Aaron Rodgers handle it if Tomsula lets one fly during a key series in the fourth quarter,causing Randall Cobb (or whichever receiver is closest to the 49ers sideline) to immediately drop dead?
What if the noxious fumes waft their way onto the playing field? If Packers offensive linemen pass out from the stench,is that a false start penalty?
How will Rodgers himself handle the situation if Tomsula crop dusts the red zone? Rodgers has dealt with plenty of adversity in his career,but never something like this.
Or what if Mason Crosby is setting up for a game-winning field goal and Tomsula raises his leg and provides a nasty gust of wind that pushes the kick wide right?
Be worried,Packers fans. Be very worried…
On the other hand,the Packers should be well prepared to handle any and all stinky situations. The state cuisine in Wisconsin is bratwurst,cheese and beer,after all. I’m sure plenty of grossed out faces have been made at Packers team parties following dinner and an “Alright,who did that?” fart.
And I guarantee you every member of the Packers offensive line has let one go as a joke during practice or during a blowout Packers win. Bryan Bulaga,Josh Sitton,or whomever,probably thought they were being funny by clearing out the huddle early. Little did they know they were helping to prepare their teammates to face the Great Farting Tomsula in the Big Bell Bottom.
Injuries haven’t slowed down the Packers this season. Neither has a challenging first part of the schedule or playing two games in prime time. I can’t see a gassy head coach getting in the way,either.
Here are five reasons why the 49ers will be just another fart in the wind on the Packers march to the Super Bowl:
Perseverance
No matter what type of injuries you throw at the Packers,they keep chugging along. Yes,having a healthy Aaron Rodgers makes it much easier to overcome the injury bug,but it’s nice to see a team not only hold it together through injuries,but thrive and improve. That train should keep rolling later this afternoon.
Multi-faceted
It’s still too early to make bold declarations about any team,but doesn’t this Packers team seem more diverse than other years? Yes,there are hiccups,but it seems like the Packers aren’t relying so heavily on turnovers to be successful on defense and big plays to take over the game on offense. The D is capable of holding their own without taking the ball away and the offense has thrived despite the lack of deep pass plays downfield. In past matchups,the 49ers’ power running would seize control of the game and their physical secondary would frustrate the Packers’ offense. The Packers seem better equipped to handle both of those things today.
Bring on the blitz
Under new coordinator Eric Mangini,the 49ers blitz often. Rodgers’ mobility and his ability to read the defense pre-snap makes him deadly against blitzes. So,Mangini should just try and get pressure with four rushers,right? Well,so far this season,when the 49ers don’t blitz they’ve been picked apart. It could be a damned if you do,damned if you don’t kind of day for Mangini and the 49ers defense.
Right side woes
Pay attention to the right side of the 49ers offensive line. The Steelers and Cardinals had great success going after guard Jordan Devey and tackle Erik Pears. Look for Dom Capers to employ a similar strategy.
Time to win one
Because the Packers can’t lose to the 49ers again,right? Green Bay finally beat Seattle this season,now it’s time to get that smaller 49ers monkey off its back.
…but just in case the 49ers run of success continues over Green Bay,this could be why:
Kaepernick owns Capers
Much like Bears quarterback Jay Cutler can’t figure out Dom Capers’ defenses,Capers can’t seem to figure out what to do against 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick has trashed the Packers defense multiple times and is no doubt looking at today’s matchup as an opportunity to get his season — and career — back on track against a familiar foe.
September is way too early to declare any team in the NFL the best,the worst or anything in between. The first two months of the season are for staying in contention,fine-tuning your team and overcoming early-season injuries.
When Thanksgiving comes around,that’s when we can start talking about who’s the best,who’s the worst and who needs a couple of fortunate bounces to weasel their way into the postseason. Once the turkey is consumed and the pumpkin pie digested,we’ll start to see the good teams make their move to become great,and average teams exposed as frauds before they fall off the face of the Earth.
At 3-0,the Green Bay Packers are off to a great start. But don’t get sucked into the silly narratives and manufactured sports media debate about who’s the best team in the NFL. September is not the time to be yelling at each other about which team is on the fast track to Levi’s Stadium for the Super Bowl.
There’s no doubt the Packers are rising heading into October. But avoid the big-picture narratives for now. It’s a waste of valuable brain space less than a quarter of the way through the season.
Now that I’m done lecturing you,onto this weeks Packers Stock Report:
Rising
James Jones
If I’m a defensive coordinator preparing to play the Packers,the first thing I do is install a chip inside the brain of each of my defensive backs. This chip would send a signal to the DB’s brain that causes the DB to sprint to wherever James Jones is on the field when Aaron Rodgers has a free play. Jones has been lethal on free plays. The only way to stop him and his sleeveless turtleneck might be computer-programmed robot DBs.
(Is it even legal to implant a chip into one of your player’s brains? Probably not. But I bet the Patriots are already doing it.)
Josh Sitton
The Packers offensive line set the tone for the Chiefs game early. Sitton was his usual solid self — getting to the second level,giving Rodgers plenty of room to step up in the pocket,and generally bulldozing a path for Eddie Lacy,James Starks and even Alonzo Harris.
Sam Shields
After a miserable season-opener against the Bears,we didn’t hear a peep from Shields in pass coverage until his interception on Monday night. And that’s a good thing. Shields hasn’t given an inch since getting picked on by the Bears.
Steady
Randall Cobb
Cobb had a quiet eight catches for 116 yards (if you can possibly be “quiet” when putting up those numbers) against Seattle and kept zipping around the Chiefs’ Tyvon Branch with ease on Monday. Cobb hasn’t completely taken over a game yet,but he’s doing solid work in filling the void left by Jordy Nelson.
Mike Daniels
The Chiefs lone hope for victory on Monday night was a big game from Jamaal Charles. Daniels played a key role early in making sure Charles never got going,then revved up his pass-rushing motor later in the game. Ted Thompson: If you have a free couple of hours this week,pull out the Packers wallet and sign Daniels to a new contract.
Tom Clements
Hats off to the new Packers playcaller. The offense has been efficient,dangerous,unpredictable and successful. No doubt Rodgers’ work at the line of scrimmage and McCarthy’s input during the week also play a big role,but all has been smooth on the playcalling front under Clements.
Falling
Mike Nolan and Scot McCloughan
Who are Mike Nolan and Scot McCloughan? They were the 49ers coach and general manager,respectively,who drafted Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers. Nolan and McCloughan: Packers fans throughout the world salute you.
Pro Football Focus
The popular analytics site gave Rodgers a negative grade for his performance against the Chiefs. Let that sink in for a moment: A quarterback who threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns was given a negative grade by a website that (supposedly) studies film of football games. I get that you have to look beyond the box score to add context to a player’s performance,but anyone who watched what went down on Monday knows that Rodgers was not an average quarterback. Yikes.
It’s hard to find negative things to say about the Kansas City Chiefs. They’ve got an atmosphere at Arrowhead Stadium that rivals Lambeau Field,their fans seem cool,and Kansas City is home to some of the best barbeque in the United States.
(I also love the tomahawk chop. I know it’s not politically correct to say that these days,but I can’t help it. Something about a stadium full of people chanting and making an axe-wielding motion gets me fired up.)
But just because a franchise seems friendly and harmless,it doesn’t mean I am not going to endlessly mock and ridicule that franchise on the day it plays the Packers,so let’s get to it:
The fans of the Chiefs deserve better than the team that they get every season and currently have. Remember the Marty Schottenheimer years when Kansas City would always win 10-13 games,then get snuffed out early in the playoffs like an unfiltered Marlboro Red?
Not even a new coach could rid the team of its tendency to yak in the postseason. The 2003 Chiefs under Dick Vermeil went 13-3 and got wiped out in the divisional round.
Today,the Chiefs are led by Andy Reid who puts together outstanding gameplans on a week-to-week basis,then blows it all up by making no fewer than eight clock-management blunders each half. The Chiefs also have one of the best running backs and pass rushes in the NFL,but it doesn’t matter because Alex Smith is their quarterback.
Yes,an NFL team still thinks it’s a good idea to have Alex Smith as its starting quarterback,and that team is the Kansas City Chiefs.
I want to love the Kansas City Chiefs. Everything about the organization seems fun. Except,of course,for the actual team on the field.
Here are five reasons why the Packers will beat the Chiefs on Monday night,continuing Kansas City’s streak of being good,but nowhere near good enough:
Alex Smith
So many NFL games these days come down to a handful of plays in the fourth quarter. When that time comes in the fourth quarter on Monday night,do we really think Smith is capable of rising to the occasion and making a gamebreaking throw to beat the Packers? I don’t think he is. Smith exists to not fumble the game away,not win the game when it matters most.
Rodgers’ pocket movement
One area where the Chiefs have a clear advantage over Green Bay is outside pass rush. The tag team match of Justin Houston and Tamba Hali vs. David Bakhtiari and Don Barclay should resemble an old-school wrestling squash match where the Road Warriors destroy the Mulkey Brothers in about 20 seconds. But even if Houston and Hali beat up on Bakhtiari and Barclay,the saviness of Aaron Rodgers in the pocket covers up a good chunck of the pass rush advantage Kansas City enjoys. More often than not,Rodgers is able to evade pressure,but stay around the pocket,keep his eyes downfield and make a play. In other words,even if Hali and Houston execute their finishing move,Rodgers is capable of kicking out and extending the match.
Huh?
No Chiefs wide receiver has caught a touchdown pass since Jan. 4,2014. How is that even possible? With today’s namby-pampby pass defense rules in the NFL,I bet even I could catch a touchdown pass at least once every 16 games. I would require a forklift to get the necessary air required to complete my Lambeau Leap,but I would at least catch one touchdown in a calendar year.
Depth
Injuries stink. But the draft-and-develop Packers pride themselves on having plenty of talented young players in reserve for when the inevitable injury bug starts biting. With Morgan Burnett out,no doubt we’ll see a good amount of Damarious Randall. Randall is a different player than Burnett,but I like putting hungry young players on the field in prime time early in the season. Let’s see what they do when given the opportunity and step up. More often than not,the Packers young depth holds its own.
Home field
By now,we know all the numbers about Rodgers and the Packers recent run of success at Lambeau Field. Another advantage the Packers have at home isn’t necessarily reflected in the numbers. With Barclay at right tackle,Rodgers’ use of the snap count and cadence slows the pass rush down just enough to help Barclay out a bit. Rodgers’ pre-snap barking also helps him decipher the defense and speed up his decision-making should Barclay’s (or any o-lineman’s) man break through.
If the Packers (for some reason) lose,this might be why:
Pure talent
Jamaal Charls,Travis Kelce,Justin Houston,Tamba Hali…the Chiefs have more than enough game-breaking players to compensate for Smith’s ineptitude and Reid’s clock-manaement blunders. Talent can overcome a lot of other deficiencies,and the Chiefs have the talent to cover up their weaknesses.
**An assembled crowd of Green Bay Packers media,board members,front office leadership and former players are gathered for a news conference in the Lambeau Field atrium. Packers CEO Mark Murphy approaches the podium and begins the event.**
“First of all,I want to thank everyone for coming today. I’ll keep this brief because I know we’re all still a little hung over from celebrating Sunday night’s win over the Seachickens. Man,I never thought I’d see Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy do simultaneous keg stands,but after a big win like that,I guess anything is possible.
I called you all in here today to announce that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been given a permanent slot in the “rising” category of the world famous Packers Stock Report at CheeseheadTV.com.”
**The crowd gasps. Murmurs echo throughout the audience and photographer flash bulbs start going off.**
The reasoning is simple: Adam Czech,the mastermind behind the world famous Packers Stock Report at CheeseheadTV.com,no longer wants to waste a “rising” slot on Rodgers since Rodgers turns in an MVP performance on a nearly weekly basis. From now on,it is assumed that Rodgers is a “riser” each and every week. Instead of wasting valuable blogosphere space on yet another paragraph describing Rodgers’ awesomeness,the world famous Packers Stock Report at CheeseheadTV.com will focus on other players who also deserve “rising” status for that particular week.
I will not be taking questions today. Instead,Czech himself will be coming to the podium to reveal this week’s Packers Stock Report live and in-person. Be sure to read the world famous Packers Stock Report every Tuesday during the season at CheeseheadTV.com.
Without further adieu,onto this week’s Packers Stock Report with the best-looking blogger in the Packers blogosphere,Adam Czech:
Rising
Jayronne Elliott
“Thank you for that kind introduction,Mr. Murphy. Just like God was a Packers fan on Sunday night,God is also an avid reader of the world famous Packers Stock Report at CheeseheadTV.com. Let’s get to it:
If Clay Matthews is going to see fewer snaps at outside linebacker,everybody in this room knows the Packers can’t rely on the likes of Nick Perry and Mike Neal to fill the void left by Matthews on the outside. Enter Jayronne Elliott. Good things seem to happen when Elliott is on the field. That was certainly the case on Sunday night. If Elliott continues his ascent,it’s great news for the Packers and scary news of offensive tackles in the NFC North.”
Josh Sitton/Corey Linsley/T.J. Lang
“Pass protection on the edges was shaky at best on Sunday night. But it didn’t matter because nothing was happening up the middle thanks to yet another stellar effort from Sitton/Linsley/Lang. From now on,I think we refer to these three maulers as one person. And I think we put a “the” in front of their name to make it more impactful. The Sitton/Linsley/Lang might be the best interior offensive line combination in football. The Sitton/Linsley/Lang is a three-headed monster that could help propel the Packers to another Super Bowl.”
B.J. Raji
“Raji played like the entire Seahawks defense kicked his dog. There was no stopping Raji from catapulting himself into the Seahawks backfield over and over again and causing chaos. All that was missing was a classic Raji touchdown dance.”
Steady
Mason Crosby
“They don’t come any more steady than Crosby these days. It wasn’t that long ago that many of you in this room wanted Crosby run out of town. Heck,the world famous Packers Stock Report at CheeseheadTV.com might have even put Crosby in the falling category a few times. But Crosby didn’t care. He kept plugging away. And now he’s the top scorer in Packers history. Good on you,Mr. Crosby.”
Falling
David Bakhtiari
“I hope Bakhtiari is healthy. He dealt with some injuries during the exhibition season and hasn’t looked like himself through the first two real games. The Packers face another tough pass rush on Monday night,so now is the time for Bakhtiari to snap out of his rut.”
Lambeau Field medial carts
“Someone needs to take all the fuel out of the medical carts at Lambeau Field and slash the tires. Those things have been on the field and moving crippled Packers from the sideline to the locker room far too often this season. If God is still a Packers fan this week,hopefully he does something about all the injuries.”
Pete Carroll
“So Pete Carroll was all whiny about the referee’s decision to award the football to the Packers after the Elliott interception and ensuing scrum following Elliott’s fumble. WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH!!!!!! Carroll’s team benefits from the most blatantly awful call in NFL history three years ago to steal a win from the Packers,and Mike McCarthy doesn’t whine about it once during his postgame presser. Carroll finally loses to the Packers and he has to get the tissues out about a fumble recovery “call.” Ridiculous. Go away,Pete Carroll.”
It’s far too early to place new Green Bay Packers playcaller Tom Clements in the rising,steady or falling category. But after the season-opener,I’d say things are looking good on the playcalling front.
The Packers’ offense was sharp,unpredictable and efficient on Sunday. Of course,they were typically all three of those things when McCarthy called the plays. Nonetheless,it’s reassuring to see that the transition to Clements calling plays (with plenty of input and audibles from Aaron Rodgers,no doubt) appears to be going smoothly so far.
Now comes the real test for McCarthy. After week 1,it looks like the Packers need to clean up their tackling,plug some holes in the run defense and get better on third downs. McCarthy gave up playcalling so he could be more hands on with other areas of the team,and it’s time for the head coach to get to work.
Meantime,the rest of us will move on to this week’s Packers Stock Report:
Rising
Clay Matthews
Outside linebacker,inside linebacker,safety,cornerback,nose tackle,waterboy…wherever Clay Matthews lines up,he makes plays. When was the last time the Packers had an inside linebacker who could sprint back and cover a large swath of the middle of the field like Matthews did on that interception? It’s been a long,long time.
James Jones
Media members covering Sunday’s game had easy stories to write after Jones’ big day. I have to admit,I wasn’t 100 percent sold on bringing Jones back. Well,I’m an idiot. I think it’s safe to say that Myles White would not have hauled in that first touchdown catch.
Aaron Rodgers
I kind of forgot how great Rodgers is when he has the use of both legs instead of just one. The man makes difficult plays look much easier than they really are.
Julius Peppers
I have a strict rule of only putting three players maximum in each category,but how could I leave out Rodgers or Peppers after Sunday? So,I’m breaking my rule to include Peppers as a riser. We all keep waiting for Father Time to catch up with Peppers,and he keeps laughing in our faces and chasing around quarterbacks nearly half his age.
Steady
Corey Linsley
Linsley received the highest grade of any Packers offensive linemen from Pro Football Focus on Sunday. You could easily put Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang in the steady category as well as Rodgers rarely had to deal with up-the-middle pressure and Eddie Lacy had some decent lanes early.
Falling
Sam Shields
Too many Packers fans think Sam Shields was bad last season. He wasn’t the second-coming of Charles Woodson,but he wasn’t as terrible as people thought. The Packers ask a lot out of Shields and he holds his own. Well,against the Bears,there’s no sugar-coating it: Shields was awful. Here’s hoping Shields’ bad day was more of a wake-up call than an emerging concern.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
If I’m Mike McCarthy,I call Clinton-Dix into my office and tell him this: “Son,if you continue to drop your head and dive at the ballcarrier’s feet instead of manning up and actually attempting to make a legitimate tackle,you will be holding my headset instead of playing for the world champion Green Bay Packers.”
Jay Cutler
Cutler completes half his passes and throws yet another game-breaking interception and Bears fans are actually saying he didn’t play that bad. If that’s not “falling,” I don’t know what is.
We’re days away from the Green Bay Packers season-opener.
Soon,we’ll find out the following about the 2015 Packers:
Can they bounce back after the Seattle collapse?
What’s the offense going to look like without Jordy Nelson?
Will Mike McCarthy giving up playcalling duties improve the defense and special teams?
Can someone out there get me tickets to the Thanksgiving night Favre retirement game that won’t cost me two mortgage payments?
For now,it’s on to the Packers Stock Report:
Rising
James Jones
Ladies and gentlemen,the Sleeveless Turtleneck has returned! You know how NBA teams and college basketball teams have their fans wear T-shirts of all the same color for select big home games? The Packers should do that for a game or two this season,only instead of matching T-shirts,everyone inside Lambeau puts on their best sleeveless turtleneck. When rumors began swirling that Jones and the Packers were talking,I initially wasn’t sold. But the more I thought about it,the more I came around. I trust James Jones to be better in 2015 than Myles White. As fun as it would be to see if White can develop into a player down the line,I’d rather go with a player who offers more upside right now.
Mike McCarthy
“We will kick Chicago’s ass.” That’s what McCarthy said at the Packers welcome back luncheon and it’s a great way to get Packers fans fired up for the season-opener. Thatta boy,Mike. Now go fix the special teams.
Ladarius Gunter
Just in case the Casey Hayward experiment on the outside goes kaput,Gunter has shown that he’s a legit option to replace him.
Steady
Julius Peppers
Do defensive players get any more “steady” than Peppers? He still adds a lot to a defense,even at his advancing age. Hopefully,another outside linebacker steps up early so the Packers can limite Peppers’ snaps and keep him fresh for later in the season.
Josh Sitton
Do offensive linemen get any more “steady” than Sitton? As long as his health holds out,I expect we’ll see another pro-bowl season from Sitton (and some colorful quotes in the postgame locker room).
A few days after the Green Bay Packers filled their socks in the final 5 minutes of the NFC Championship game,I wrote about how the Packers won’t have a shot at redemption until the NFL playoffs roll around the following season. Here’s an excerpt:
At this point,the regular season is basically a formality for the Packers. They’ll win between 10 and 13 games next season,contend for the division title,and be in the mix for a top-seed in the playoffs. Just like they are every season…But through it all,what happened on Sunday will linger in the back of my mind and the minds of all Packers fans. We’ll love what happens on the march toward another NFC North title,but we’ll constantly be looking ahead to the postseason,and wondering if it’s all going to be washed away by yet another playoff meltdown.
I was still all wound up about the collapse and depressed when I wrote that piece. I thought for sure my opinion would soften after a long offseason,a fresh crop of draft picks to root for,and the excitement of a new football season.
It hasn’t.
Don’t get me wrong,my excitement level for the 2015 Packers season is just as high as it always is. I can’t wait to watch this team every Sunday and count my blessings that I root for the greatest sports organization on the planet which just happens to have the best quarterback in the league and an impressive run of success over the last 20 years.
I’ll be absorbed by every game like I always am and dive right into the analysis,second-guessing and Twitter chatter before,during and after each tilt.
But through all the ups and downs that are about occur during this 2015 Packers regular season,I can’t shake the part of my brain that still thinks it’s going to be a formality.
Like I wrote in the above-quoted piece,the Packers will win between 10-13 games this season,be in the mix for a top seed in the NFC,and have people talking Super Bowl. Just like they do every season.
And instead of fully enjoying all of that wonderful positivity and week-to-week excitement,a large part of my brain will be looking ahead to the playoffs and the opportunity to truly avenge what happened in Seattle.
Aaron Rodgers throws for 350 yards and five touchdowns agaisnt the Bears? Cool. Can he do the same thing in the playoffs?
Undrafted LaDarius Gunter breaks out as a stud and leads all rookies in interceptions at Thanksgiving? Good for him. How’s he going to handle the pressure of playoff football?
Ty Montgomery is a beast on kick returns? Super. Hopefully the Packers special teams don’t get “Zooked” in January and lead the way to another playoff meltdown.
Unfortunately,nothing that happens between the months of September and the end of December will get the stench of Seattle out of my senses. Do I have this odd combination of negative/spoiled/entitled mindset if the Packers simply lost a hard-fought game to the better team in Seattle last season? Probably not.
But the Seattle meltdown,combined with other playoff-failings from the post-2010 Packers,make it really hard to not look ahead to January,even if Green Bay is on an incredible roll in October.
Per usual,the 2015 Packers regular season will be a tremendous amount of fun. Unfortunately,it’s also going to feel like somewhat of a formality.
As the Philadelphia Eagles marched up and down the field against the Green Bay Packers No. 1 defense on Saturday night en route to a 39-point first half,I kept telling myself,”It’s only an exhibition game…it’s only and exhibtion game…it’s only an exhibition game…”
And I was right. It was only an exhibition game. There’s no reason to overreact one way or another to a meaningless game in late August.
I know it’s only August,but am I wrong to be at least a little bit concerned that McCarthy is back to talking communications issues in the defensive backfield? The dreaded “communications issues” has hung around the Packers secondary since Dom Capers took over as defensive coordinator. They seemed to go away last season,thanks to an emphasis on trying to simplify calls and having a veteran group of defensive backs and just one rookie (Ha Ha Clinton-Dix).
I suppose it’s fair to assume that there are going to be communication issues during the exhibition season no matter what. After all,that’s what exhibition games are for — to try and work that stuff out. And the Packers do have some new rookie faces in the defensive backfield with Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins.
But still,if you’re a Packers fan who’s been paying attention at all during the Capers era,you’re sick and tired of seeing the dreaded “communication issues” in the secondary quotes,whether they come in August,November or January.
Sam Shields,Morgan Burnett,Casey Hayward and Michah Hyde have been together for a while now. Clinton-Dix is also a year wiser. “Communication issues” should not be an issue for this group of defensive backs.
Here’s hoping the Packers get their communication issues worked out in the secondary. I don’t want to constantly hear the “communication issues” line from McCarthy this season and I don’t want to see Packers defensive backs sniping at each other and holding their hands in the air in confusion week-to-week after an opponent scores a touchdown.
I had the bright idea to do a running diary of the Packers third exhibition game Saturday night against the Eagles. I was pumped to offer my keen insight into players on the bubble and make other observations to share with all of you,the dedicated readers of CheeseheadTV.com.
Then Randall Cobb hurt his shoulder. Micah Hyde did something with his neck. And Bryan Bulaga went down with an ankle injury.
If that wasn’t enough,the Packers No. 1 defense got steamrolled and the special teams were in midseason form (meaning they were awful).
The Packers trailed 39-14 at halftime. Miraculously,no players were injured walking to the locker room.
At the half,I went to Home Depot and purchased a jackhammer,a gallon of lighter fluid and book of matches. After pummeling my laptop into tiny particles with the jackhammer,I lit the dust on fire for good measure.
So yeah,my live journal didn’t happen. Here are my only thoughts about Saturday night’s atrocity:
This exhibition season needs to end.
Now.
Forfeit the final game,and let’s start the damn season already.
Yes,the Packers are still Super Bowl contenders despite the exhibition season injuries and ugliness. But enough is enough. It’s time to play real games and end this s#!tshow of meaningless,but still dangerous,football.
Go Pack Go.
(Anyone have a laptop for sale at a decent price?)
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