1. Aaron Rodgers' performance was fantastic in every facet of the game. I'm going to try and not gush too much over one preseason performance, but it's tough for anybody to play better than Aaron Rodgers did on Friday night. His pre-snap reads were Manningesque his touch on the ball was perfect, his deep ball was gorgeous, he threw a bullet to James Jones in double coverage which was again perfect, he avoided pressure, scrambled for 40 yards and did absolutely everything right. One of the most impressive parts of the evening were two of his incompletions. It's extremely easy when everything's going right to get overconfident and try and fit a ball into a tight spot, but on two straight pass plays Rodgers' made the correct decision to throw the ball out of the back of the end zone instead of taking a sack or forcing a bad throw. His performance was an absolute A+ and was extremely exciting and fun to watch.
2. Matt Flynn is more important to this team than I had ever thought. Apparently the Packers' have no backup holder for Mason Crosby that he feels comfortable with. Ruvell Martin had a very tough time handling the snap and correctly placing the ball and it resulted in two missed fg's and an almost miss on an extra point. Don't read too much into Crosby's struggles on Friday night as his rhythm was way off because of the snap and hold. Flynn as a backup and as a holder needs to be ready for week 1.
3. If Friday was any indication, Desmond Bishop still isn't going to see the field very much. When the first team defense and the nickel defense were called upon the Packers' predominantly went with Brandon Chillar and A.J. Hawk as the inside linebackers and Desmond Bishop didn't seem to be a part of their regular substitutions on defense. This was on a night where Nick Barnett was still out due to injury as well. While Bishop makes some big plays seemingly every week and is always around the ball I still think Barnett and Chillar are the better linebackers and Bishop still has work to do on his assignments and his play in space.
4. A.J. Hawk is the 4th best inside linebacker on the team and should not start. I would rate the inside linebackers as follows: Barnett, Chillar, Bishop, and Hawk in that order. Barnett is obviously hard to rank because he hasn't played enough yet, but my best guess is that he will still be the best linebacker on the team. Hawk has struggled making any big plays whatsoever, he's not a good pass defender, and on Friday night there was more than one play where he got stuck inside on a run that ended up going outside. It's too bad because he was such a high pick, but at this point A.J. Hawk is not the best option to be a starter in this defense.
5. Jarius Wynn is going to make the team. Wynn had another sack on Friday night which was impressive, but more impressive than that was the passion and energy that he was playing with. Wynn was the captain of the Georgia defense last season and he showed that type of leadership on the field Friday night. When the defense was out on the field for basically the entire 2nd half and the Cardinals had just recovered the onside kick, Wynn was getting everybody fired up and it was obvious how much he wanted to win that game. I expect Wynn to make the team this year and to have a bright future with the Packers.
6. B.J. Raji still has a ways to go. Last week I posted that B.J. Raji was a beast and will make an impact right away, which I still believe is true. Friday was a learning experience for B.J. though. Too many times Raji tried to use raw power instead of using his hands and technique the way he should. He still was able to collapse the pocket a couple times and did a nice job moving down the line of scrimmage to make a tackle but overall Raji still needs more snaps and needs to work on his technique. No worries though, his future is extremely bright and he will be a force for a long time.
7. Maybe the Packers depth isn't all what it's made out to be... For a couple of years now the big asset that the Packers and the media keep talking about is the depth that the Packers have both on offense and on defense; yet in the last two preseason games the 2nd and 3rd teams for both the Bills and Cardinals have taken it to the Packers. There are a few reasons for this, notably the struggles of Brian Brohm at quarterback and also the injuries that have hit the defensive backfield for the Packers. Even with that being said though, during many of the Cardinals touchdown drives the Packers had on the field: Jarius Wynn, B.J. Raji, Brad Jones, Desmond Bishop, Jeremy Thompson, Jarrett Bush, Anthony Smith, and Brandon Underwood, all who either will or have a great chance of making the team. On offense the Packers had T.J. Lang, Scott Wells, Breno Giacomini, Tony Moll, Ruvell Martin, Brett Swain, Brian Brohm and Kregg Lumpkin, again all players who could make the team and also couldn't get much of anything going. Overall as individuals most of these players are capable of making the team and contributing, but it is a little disconcerting to see how easily it was for the Cardinals number 2 offense to put up points and how hard it was for the Packers to get anything going on offense in the 2nd half.
8. I was really disappointed in how Dom Capers called the game... I think... Predictability was one of the biggest downfalls of the Packers' defense over the past 2-3 years. On almost every single play the Packers' were in man to man defense and it was easy for the opposing team to guess what the Packers were doing. This year so far it seems to be the very opposite of last season but with the same problem. The Packers are blitzing on almost every single play and to make matters worse, it's a lot of the same blitzes over and over and over which is making things just as predictable. How many times in three weeks have we seen the two middle linebackers do a crisscross and blitz right up the middle? Or how about how many times we have seen Charles Woodson come from the slot position? Heavy blitzing is extremely easy to defeat if it's done over and over because teams can start to use the Packers' aggressiveness against them. Screen passes and draw plays work great against blitzing teams and the Packers' saw a heavy dose of screens in the 2nd half Friday and just about all of them worked. The bigger disappointment though was that Dom Capers didn't adjust to the Cardinals calling screens and quick pass plays. If a team starts using quick plays to counter the blitz, the defensive coordinator needs to be able to adjust and start dropping 8 men into coverage to change things up. There is a catch though... there is a great chance that the reason Dom Capers is using these same blitzes over and over is to get the team more reps blitzing the passer in pre-season so that when he does blitz in the regular season they will know what to do and where to be. I'm hoping a big part of the over-blitzing is just to give the Packers' more experience due to lack of blitzing over the past 3 seasons. I'm still disappointed that the game plan wasn't changed in the 2nd half and there was no adaptation but a part of me does think there is a purpose behind it and that the blitzes will be more creative starting week 1. (As a big disclaimer this is not a point to go completely against Dom Capers who I think so far has done an incredible job with the defense. The defense is flying around, making plays and it's really fun to watch!)
9. The Packers are doing a great job of setting up plays for the regular season. Take for example the huge pass play to Jordy Nelson... Jordy Nelson and Ruvell Martin are the Packers' two best run blocking wide receivers by far, so when Nelson or Martin are in the game as the lone receiver the odds that the play is a run go up astronomically. On the play-action fake on Friday Jordy Nelson was the only receiver (and only option) on the entire play, everybody else was blocking and Rodgers hit him perfectly for one of the prettiest plays anybody will see all year. The bigger bonus will come into play in the regular season when safeties and corners are back-peddling instead of coming up to the line of scrimmage which sets up Ryan Grant and the running game much better throughout the season. It will make opposing teams double and triple think assuming its a run when Jordy Nelson is in at WR, even though it probably will be.
10. I really hope that the Packers' aren't using up all of their turnovers in preseason play. This may seem silly but each season it seems as though there is almost a set amount of turnovers that a team can get. Teams often go in spurts when they get a lot of turnovers and then will hardly get any. If that's the case then I'm really hoping that the Packers aren't getting all of their turnovers in August, and therefore won't be able to get any in December/January. It's obviously a faulty statistic because there's no law that says a team can only get x amount of turnovers in a given 4 month period, but it does seem to have some validity. Luckily for the Packers they forced a ton of turnovers last season too and it seems to just be something that they have developed as a skill rather than just happenstance.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Top 20 Indispensable Packers
So I've now ranked all of the Green Bay Packers from worst to best, and now today I am going to rank the top 20 most indispensable Packers in 2009-2010. These are the players that if the Packers lose, they will have the hardest time replacing.
20. B. Goode -It's not the time of season to have to start looking for a long snapper
19. N. Barnett -Would have been higher if not for emergence of Bishop/Chillar
18. D. Colledge -Would cause a shakeup in the line and would eliminate the top backup at LT
17. W. Blackmon -Would be a huge loss to the return game, not a bad dime back either
16. J. Finley -Is going to be a huge part of the offense and would leave just D. Lee as only TE
15. B. Chillar -Best coverage linebacker, nickel defense could be lost without him
14. J. Jolly -Defensive line is really only four deep, Jolly's loss would strain the rotation
13. D. Driver -Infuses the offense with energy and leadership, his loss would be huge
12. M. Crosby -Don't even want to think of the awful kicking game we'd have overall.
11. B.J. Raji -See J. Jolly, except more important
10. A. Kampman -Kampman is expected to have a huge year (and its a contract season!)
9. A. Harris -After Harris and Woodson there is a definite drop off
8. C. Woodson -Have any team lose their best corner and see how well they fare
7. R. Pickett -Need a huge year out of Ryan in order to stay stout on run defense
6. C. Jenkins -When he is healthy he is a load for opposing lineman.
5. G. Jennings -Huge part of the vertical passing game leaves w/ Jennings
4. R. Grant -Sutton, Jackson, Wynn, Lumpkin all look good, but drop off is significant
3. C. Clifton -Protects A. Rodgers blind side and no true backup w/o line shift.
2. N. Collins -A. Rouse and A. Bigby are struggling and A. Smith is nowhere near Nick's talent
1. A. Rodgers -Would have put him as numbers 1-20 if I could have, no Rodgers, no playoffs
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Struggling Through September
Twelve games out of 1st place, four games below .500, tied for third in the NL Central, 10.5 games out of the Wild Card, and 36 more games to go. Coming off their exciting 2008 playoff season, it hasn't exactly been the follow up the Brewers and their fans have been hoping for. Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks, David Riske, and Seth McClung are all on the DL, Jeff Suppan and Dave Bush just got back from the DL, and while the offense have been exciting, even if inconsistent, the pitching has been extremely hard to watch. So with everybody getting ready for Packers and Badgers season in Wisconsin, here are some reasons to watch the Brewers down the stretch and to keep up with the team even if frustration is starting to get the best of some Brewers fans.
1. September call-ups. So this is it, the Brewers are back to getting excited about September call-ups for potential, instead of trying to push them over the playoff hump. Either way September call-ups are always exciting. The biggest question is who will the Brewers call up. Obviously Mat Gamel should get called up as should Tim Dillard, Chris Smith, Angel Salome, J.J. Hardy, and Hernan Iribarren. The more important question is will Gamel and Salome see any regular at bats. Regardless fans could and should get their first taste of having both Gamel and Escobar in the major league lineup at the same time.
2. How will Corey Hart, Dave Bush, and Jeff Suppan bounce back from injuries. While it will end up being too little too late, the Brewers need Suppan, Bush, and Hart to come back and show that all of them are still capable of being the players that the Brewers think they can be. If any of the three of them falter for the rest of the season the Brewers will have to think about replacing them going forward. Corey Hart was really starting to pick up at the plate before his injury and he has way to much talent to start talking about him not being the starter in right field next season, but it would be huge for him to get on a roll to end the year. As for Suppan and Bush, if either of them go out and really struggle for the rest of the season they will have to earn their spot in Spring Training next year it won't be theirs to lose.
3. Will the Brewers make any roster moves and acquire some prospects. It was reported today that the Brewers have placed Trevor Hoffman and Mike Cameron on waivers. They should place F. Catalanotto, F. Lopez, C. Counsell, and J. Gerut on there as well. It has come to the point where the Brewers need to really evaluate their younger players. The more the veterans that won't be back with the team next year play, the less at bats the younger players will get. It's time to see what Escobar, Gamel, and Salome can do in an everyday lineup. No time like the present.
4. Will the Brewers limit Y. Gallardo? While he should still start every 5th day it will be interesting to see whether or not the Brewers put any type of limit on his pitch count. Is it really worth it to risk injury to their Ace when the Brewers are no longer in the running? If I'm the Brewers I don't let Yo go much over 100 pitches for the rest of the season. He has already been the most worked pitcher for the team, let his arm rest a little and save that arm for a better season.
5. Will any Brewer find themselves in the last month of the year? J.J. Hardy, Corey Hart, Manny Parra, and Carlos Villanueva are all players who the Brewers expected much more out of in 2009. Will any of them be able to return to form and end with a great last month. It would really help the Brewers if Hardy could have a huge September so they could maximize his trade value, but that doesn't seem likely considering Escobar should get the majority of the at bats. Parra needs to figure himself out because everybody seems to believe he can be a number 2 pitcher in the Majors (I'll believe it when I see it).
6. Can Fielder and Braun both finish with batting averages over .300? While everything else has seemingly gone wrong with the Brewers, both Braun and Fielder continue to play lights out. They are one of the best, if not the best 3-4 combo in all of baseball and on any given night it's worth turning on the Brewers just to see these two hit in the same lineup together. I've said it before and I'll say it again, enjoy these two Brewers while they are around, a lot of people take them both for granted right now but two hitters with this much talent in the same lineup does not come around very often!
7. Will the Brewers completely tank? Not exactly a reason to tune in to your favorite franchise, but it could be worth keeping an eye on. If the Brewers win 12 or less games the rest of the season could Ken Macha's job be in jeopardy? Considering Ned Yost got fired during a playoff season it would be easy to see Macha get fired after this season. Could Ken Macha actually have a magic number to stay General Manager of the Brewers? Right now I'd put Ken Macha's magic number at 10. He needs 10 wins out of 36 to remain manager of the Brewers. Maybe it's more, maybe it's less, but that's where I'd put it right now.
8. Will there be a change in philosophy from Ken Macha. When Corey Hart gets back the Brewers will have Escober, Hart, Braun, Lopez, and Cameron potentially in the lineup all at one time. Will they try stealing more bases or will it remain status-quo? The Brewers are towards the bottom of baseball in stolen bases and maybe they will try and open things up towards the end of the year as they seem to have too much speed not to. Then again the Brewers aren't exactly struggling on offense, so we'll see.
9. Where will the Brewers finish? The Brewers are 3 games out of second place, tied for 3rd place, 6.5 games ahead of 5th place, and 8 games ahead of 6th place Pittsburgh. What a difference it will make on the Brewers' and Ken Macha's resume if they finish in 2nd, or 5th. Safe money is on 4th place, but at this point, who knows.
10. Will Ryan Braun or any other Brewer make any noise with the team really struggling. Ryan Braun called out management and said that they needed to make a move and get some pitching. He was out of place and it shouldn't have been said, but boy was he right. Since Braun made the comments the Brewers pitching has been even worse and who knows if he will bring light to their struggles again. Hopefully he learned his lesson and keeps everything in house, but it's only a matter of time when a microphone is in front of his face at an inopportune time and who knows what will happen.
While all 10 of these reasons aren't as good as even an outside shot at making the playoffs there are still plenty of reasons to tune in to watch the Brewers. Maybe they can go on a Colorado type streak and win 26 games in a row... or maybe we just get to hear Uecker talk about something random and laugh along with him for 36 more games. Kind of sounds like a win/win to me.
1. September call-ups. So this is it, the Brewers are back to getting excited about September call-ups for potential, instead of trying to push them over the playoff hump. Either way September call-ups are always exciting. The biggest question is who will the Brewers call up. Obviously Mat Gamel should get called up as should Tim Dillard, Chris Smith, Angel Salome, J.J. Hardy, and Hernan Iribarren. The more important question is will Gamel and Salome see any regular at bats. Regardless fans could and should get their first taste of having both Gamel and Escobar in the major league lineup at the same time.
2. How will Corey Hart, Dave Bush, and Jeff Suppan bounce back from injuries. While it will end up being too little too late, the Brewers need Suppan, Bush, and Hart to come back and show that all of them are still capable of being the players that the Brewers think they can be. If any of the three of them falter for the rest of the season the Brewers will have to think about replacing them going forward. Corey Hart was really starting to pick up at the plate before his injury and he has way to much talent to start talking about him not being the starter in right field next season, but it would be huge for him to get on a roll to end the year. As for Suppan and Bush, if either of them go out and really struggle for the rest of the season they will have to earn their spot in Spring Training next year it won't be theirs to lose.
3. Will the Brewers make any roster moves and acquire some prospects. It was reported today that the Brewers have placed Trevor Hoffman and Mike Cameron on waivers. They should place F. Catalanotto, F. Lopez, C. Counsell, and J. Gerut on there as well. It has come to the point where the Brewers need to really evaluate their younger players. The more the veterans that won't be back with the team next year play, the less at bats the younger players will get. It's time to see what Escobar, Gamel, and Salome can do in an everyday lineup. No time like the present.
4. Will the Brewers limit Y. Gallardo? While he should still start every 5th day it will be interesting to see whether or not the Brewers put any type of limit on his pitch count. Is it really worth it to risk injury to their Ace when the Brewers are no longer in the running? If I'm the Brewers I don't let Yo go much over 100 pitches for the rest of the season. He has already been the most worked pitcher for the team, let his arm rest a little and save that arm for a better season.
5. Will any Brewer find themselves in the last month of the year? J.J. Hardy, Corey Hart, Manny Parra, and Carlos Villanueva are all players who the Brewers expected much more out of in 2009. Will any of them be able to return to form and end with a great last month. It would really help the Brewers if Hardy could have a huge September so they could maximize his trade value, but that doesn't seem likely considering Escobar should get the majority of the at bats. Parra needs to figure himself out because everybody seems to believe he can be a number 2 pitcher in the Majors (I'll believe it when I see it).
6. Can Fielder and Braun both finish with batting averages over .300? While everything else has seemingly gone wrong with the Brewers, both Braun and Fielder continue to play lights out. They are one of the best, if not the best 3-4 combo in all of baseball and on any given night it's worth turning on the Brewers just to see these two hit in the same lineup together. I've said it before and I'll say it again, enjoy these two Brewers while they are around, a lot of people take them both for granted right now but two hitters with this much talent in the same lineup does not come around very often!
7. Will the Brewers completely tank? Not exactly a reason to tune in to your favorite franchise, but it could be worth keeping an eye on. If the Brewers win 12 or less games the rest of the season could Ken Macha's job be in jeopardy? Considering Ned Yost got fired during a playoff season it would be easy to see Macha get fired after this season. Could Ken Macha actually have a magic number to stay General Manager of the Brewers? Right now I'd put Ken Macha's magic number at 10. He needs 10 wins out of 36 to remain manager of the Brewers. Maybe it's more, maybe it's less, but that's where I'd put it right now.
8. Will there be a change in philosophy from Ken Macha. When Corey Hart gets back the Brewers will have Escober, Hart, Braun, Lopez, and Cameron potentially in the lineup all at one time. Will they try stealing more bases or will it remain status-quo? The Brewers are towards the bottom of baseball in stolen bases and maybe they will try and open things up towards the end of the year as they seem to have too much speed not to. Then again the Brewers aren't exactly struggling on offense, so we'll see.
9. Where will the Brewers finish? The Brewers are 3 games out of second place, tied for 3rd place, 6.5 games ahead of 5th place, and 8 games ahead of 6th place Pittsburgh. What a difference it will make on the Brewers' and Ken Macha's resume if they finish in 2nd, or 5th. Safe money is on 4th place, but at this point, who knows.
10. Will Ryan Braun or any other Brewer make any noise with the team really struggling. Ryan Braun called out management and said that they needed to make a move and get some pitching. He was out of place and it shouldn't have been said, but boy was he right. Since Braun made the comments the Brewers pitching has been even worse and who knows if he will bring light to their struggles again. Hopefully he learned his lesson and keeps everything in house, but it's only a matter of time when a microphone is in front of his face at an inopportune time and who knows what will happen.
While all 10 of these reasons aren't as good as even an outside shot at making the playoffs there are still plenty of reasons to tune in to watch the Brewers. Maybe they can go on a Colorado type streak and win 26 games in a row... or maybe we just get to hear Uecker talk about something random and laugh along with him for 36 more games. Kind of sounds like a win/win to me.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Ranking the Packers
Here is a list of all 78 Packers and where they rank amongst themselves. This is not a list of who should and shouldn't make the team, but rather a ranking based on talent regardless of position of the current roster.
78. Dean Muhtadi (DL)
77. Andrew Hartline (OL)
76. Stryker Sulak (LB)
75. JaRon Harris (WR)
74. Kole Heckendorf (WR)
73. Dane Randolph (OL)
72. Trevor Ford (CB)
71. Evan Moore (TE)
70. Cyril Obiozor (LB)
69. Durant Brooks (P)
68. Alfred Malone (DL)
67. Anthony Toribio (NT)
66. Danny Lansanah (LB)
65. Ronald Talley (DL)
64. Brian Brohm (QB)
63. Jamon Meredith (OL)
62. Evan Dietrich-Smith (OL)
61. Brett Swain (WR)
60. Jake Allen (WR)
59. Spencer Havner (LB/TE)
58. Joe Porter (CB)
57. Jeremy Kapinos (P)
56. Charlie Peprah (S)
55. Brandon Underwood (CB)
54. Justin Harrell (DL)
53. Brett Goode (LS)
52. Brad Jones (LB)
51. Kregg Lumpkin (RB)
50. Jarius Wynn (DE)
49. Pat Lee (CB)
48. Matt Flynn (QB)
47. Jarrett Bush (CB)
46. Michael Montgomery (DE)
45. Tony Moll (OL)
44. Tyrell Sutton (RB)
43. Aaron Rouse (S)
42. T.J. Lang (OL)
41. Mason Crosby (K)
40. Will Blackmon (CB/KR/PR)
39. Ruvell Martin (WR)
38. Deshawn Wynn (RB)
37. Quinn Johnson (FB)
36. John Kuhn (FB)
35. Jeremy Thompson (LB)
34. Korey Hall (FB)
33. Brandon Jackson (RB)
32. Anthony Smith (S)
31. Jordy Nelson (WR)
30. James Jones (WR)
29. Breno Giacomini (OT)
28. Allen Barbre (OT)
27. Josh Sitton (OL)
26. Brady Poppinga (OLB)
25. Clay Matthews Jr. (OLB)
24. Donald Lee (TE)
23. Scott Wells (C)
22. Atari Bigby (S)
21. A.J. Hawk (MLB)
20. Desmond Bishop (MLB)
19. Tramon Williams (CB)
18. Johnny Jolly (DL)
17. Brandon Chillar (LB)
16. Daryn Colledge (OG)
15. Jermichael Finley (TE)
14. Jason Spitz (C)
13. Ryan Grant (RB)
12. B.J. Raji (DL)
11. Nick Barnett (MLB)
10. Ryan Pickett (NT)
9. Donald Driver (WR)
8. Chad Clifton (OT)
7. Al Harris (CB)
6. Cullen Jenkins (DE)
5. Nick Collins (S)
4. Aaron Kampman (OLB)
3. Greg Jennings (WR)
2. Aaron Rodgers (QB)
1. Charles Woodson (CB)
78. Dean Muhtadi (DL)
77. Andrew Hartline (OL)
76. Stryker Sulak (LB)
75. JaRon Harris (WR)
74. Kole Heckendorf (WR)
73. Dane Randolph (OL)
72. Trevor Ford (CB)
71. Evan Moore (TE)
70. Cyril Obiozor (LB)
69. Durant Brooks (P)
68. Alfred Malone (DL)
67. Anthony Toribio (NT)
66. Danny Lansanah (LB)
65. Ronald Talley (DL)
64. Brian Brohm (QB)
63. Jamon Meredith (OL)
62. Evan Dietrich-Smith (OL)
61. Brett Swain (WR)
60. Jake Allen (WR)
59. Spencer Havner (LB/TE)
58. Joe Porter (CB)
57. Jeremy Kapinos (P)
56. Charlie Peprah (S)
55. Brandon Underwood (CB)
54. Justin Harrell (DL)
53. Brett Goode (LS)
52. Brad Jones (LB)
51. Kregg Lumpkin (RB)
50. Jarius Wynn (DE)
49. Pat Lee (CB)
48. Matt Flynn (QB)
47. Jarrett Bush (CB)
46. Michael Montgomery (DE)
45. Tony Moll (OL)
44. Tyrell Sutton (RB)
43. Aaron Rouse (S)
42. T.J. Lang (OL)
41. Mason Crosby (K)
40. Will Blackmon (CB/KR/PR)
39. Ruvell Martin (WR)
38. Deshawn Wynn (RB)
37. Quinn Johnson (FB)
36. John Kuhn (FB)
35. Jeremy Thompson (LB)
34. Korey Hall (FB)
33. Brandon Jackson (RB)
32. Anthony Smith (S)
31. Jordy Nelson (WR)
30. James Jones (WR)
29. Breno Giacomini (OT)
28. Allen Barbre (OT)
27. Josh Sitton (OL)
26. Brady Poppinga (OLB)
25. Clay Matthews Jr. (OLB)
24. Donald Lee (TE)
23. Scott Wells (C)
22. Atari Bigby (S)
21. A.J. Hawk (MLB)
20. Desmond Bishop (MLB)
19. Tramon Williams (CB)
18. Johnny Jolly (DL)
17. Brandon Chillar (LB)
16. Daryn Colledge (OG)
15. Jermichael Finley (TE)
14. Jason Spitz (C)
13. Ryan Grant (RB)
12. B.J. Raji (DL)
11. Nick Barnett (MLB)
10. Ryan Pickett (NT)
9. Donald Driver (WR)
8. Chad Clifton (OT)
7. Al Harris (CB)
6. Cullen Jenkins (DE)
5. Nick Collins (S)
4. Aaron Kampman (OLB)
3. Greg Jennings (WR)
2. Aaron Rodgers (QB)
1. Charles Woodson (CB)
A Few Favre Thoughts
I've held back writing about the enigmatic Brett Favre for a little while for a few different reasons. First of all I have written in depth about my thoughts on his recent decisions and behavior already, secondly because there was plenty of Favre opinions out there when his un-retirement was announced, but finally, and most importantly, I needed more time to figure out what was important and what was overblown in the whole Favre saga. Here are a few of the things that I came up with that I think either haven't been talked about, have been over talked about, or haven't been looked on in this light before.
1. Brett Favre's kryptonite is decision making. This may seem obvious with all the talk about waffling and his inability to make a solid decision, but think about it, this has always been Brett Favre's biggest weakness both on and off the field. His arm and his athletic ability were able to mask a lot of his decision making on the field, but this is the NFL record holder for most interceptions in the history of the league. The retirement talk has been going on since early in the decade. He almost retired when Mike Sherman was still coach. On the field his thought process has always been discussed as it seems he makes many of the worst choices at the worst times. Look no further than here: http://www.yayboo.com/photos/5/lg/6145.jpg to see exactly what I am talking about. That picture is from the NFC Championship game against New York. Check out the two other receivers and the check down on the play, both receivers are more open than where he's throwing it, and the check down is wide open for at least 15 yards. Instead it was an interception that cost the Packers a trip to the Super Bowl. In an era where so many quarterbacks, and so many of the best quarterbacks are asked to manage a football game and make sound decisions with the football Brett Favre may be the worst decision maker in the game today. So many jokes have been made about his inability to make simple choices but it gets down to the bottom line that when Brett Favre is forced to make an extremely tough decision, he needs the input of others in order to make it. In his first press conference with the Vikings he stated that when he asked his family all along if he should come back, they all wouldn't tell him what to do, but when he decided to stay retired his 10 year old daughter started crying and told him that she wanted him to come back. It wasn't until that time that Brett Favre decided he wanted to play again, when somebody else made the decision for him.
2. The idea of living and breathing football should no longer be a compliment. How many times have we heard an announcer talk about a football player and say something like, "this player lives and breathes football, he is a die hard football player and would do just about anything to be on the field and with his teammates." It happens all the time, yet now when we see it happen, its hugely frowned upon. Let's be honest, Brett Favre lives and breathes football, he wants to be a part of the locker room and wants to continue to play and will do anything in order to do so. That's a good thing right? Apparently not. The problem with this idea is that it is selfish. Brett Favre wanted to come back for himself, because he still wanted to play. If the Vikings go 6-10 this season, he retires again, Brad Childress gets fired, and the Vikings have to completely rebuild, he's not going to be all that upset, he's going to be more disappointed he didn't win one last Super Bowl. It just bears remembering next time we hear an announcer say something about a player doing anything in his power to play football, it's not all it's made out to be.
3. Brett Favre is partially a victim of circumstance. There were a lot of decisions that Brett Favre made that I'm sure he'd like to have back and decisions that blew up in his face. But there are plenty of other factors in this whole scenario that if one tiny thing went different this whole mess may have never happened. It all depends on how far back anybody would like to go, but lets go back to the most infamous play of the Packers' decade... fourth and 26. If Ed Donatell calls a better play, or Nick Barnett drops back 3 more steps the Packers beat the Eagles, and just maybe go on to play in or win the Super Bowl. If either of those things happens Mike Sherman probably remains coach and GM of the Packers, and Brett Favre remains quarterback of the Packers. How about if the Packers would have hired anybody besides Ted Thompson as general manager. Right or wrong there are very few GM's who would have had the stomach to release the mighty Brett Favre yet the Packers just happened to hire one of those GM's who was able to do so. How about if the Packers had scheduled an interview with Brad Childress before the Vikings and Brad Childress would have been hired as coach of the Packers instead of Mike McCarthy... Brett Favre still would have been a Packer. How about if Aaron Rodgers wouldn't have slipped all the way to pick 24, or if Ted Thompson wouldn't have used a 1st round pick on Aaron Rodgers when he had Brett Favre already at QB, or maybe if the Packers wouldn't have selected both Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn they would have been more open to the idea of Favre coming back last year... and the list could go on and on and on. In no way am I saying that Brett Favre is the victim here, I'm just saying that if one thing maybe just goes a little bit differently he maybe could have retired as a Packer.
4. Since we are on the topics of what ifs... What if the Jets hadn't selected Mark Sanchez in the first round of the draft. We need to remember that Rex Ryan had stated that he wanted Brett Favre back to play for the Jets and it would have been really interesting to see what would have happened if the Jets weren't able to draft Sanchez. This to me was the most underhanded and shady move that Brett Favre made. If anything at all showed that this was a selfish move on his part, it was his retirement from the Jets, his ability to force the Jets to release him, and then the immediate flirtation with the Vikings within weeks. At no point did Brett Favre give the Jets any thought or consideration, even though they went out on a limb and gave him a chance the previous year. Every other decision or move that Brett Favre made has at least some explanation that can be made to at least somewhat defend his decision making except for this one. This move was a cheap shot and it was Brett Favre taking advantage of the New York Jets for his own personal gain. If anything the Vikings should have learned from the Jets mistake instead of trying to take advantage of it.
5. I'm hoping this is my last Brett Favre retirement/un-retirement post ever and I want to end with this. Brett Favre made plenty of mistakes in the past 2-3 years that caused the vast majority of the drama and chaos that has gone on in Green Bay, New York, and Minnesota. It was mostly his decisions that affected his legacy and he won't ever be able to go back and change the decisions that he made. There isn't a perfect ending to this scenario, even if he wins a Super Bowl it will be for the team that was his arch rival for so many years. There is no walking off with a Super Bowl championship like Elway. With all that being said the media made way too much out of this entire Brett Favre event. There were times where literally Brett Favre had his own Ticker on ESPN. It was MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, and Brett Favre as the 5 ticker topics. That's how ridiculous this whole thing has been. The very bottom line is this... Brett Favre retired from the Packers and the Packers said OK. Brett Favre asked to un-retire and play for the Packers again, and the Packers said OK. Favre then decided he wanted to stay retired so again the Packers were fine with it. Aaron Rodgers was from that point forward the starting quarterback and when again Brett Favre decided he wanted to play the Packers had finally moved on. Brett was upset, which any human being would have been at that point, even though he was the one who made the mistake, the Packers moved on without him and if anybody else was in Brett Favre's shoes they would have been upset too. Brett than decided he still wanted to play and from that point forward both last season and this season it came down to this one extremely crucial and undeniable point... Brett Favre wanted to play football, he was one of the top 32 quarterbacks in football, and there was a team that was willing to pay him $10-$12 million to play football. Who is anybody to say that Brett Favre shouldn't play football for any team willing to pay him $12 million if that's what he wants to do. Is there any scenario in life where if anybody is given the same circumstances that they aren't leaving their company that they worked for, or their job for a competitor for $12 million dollars. Sure it's like the CEO of Macintosh leaving to go to Microsoft, I get that, but if Macintosh didn't want their CEO anymore, and Microsoft was willing to give him $12 million and no other company wanted him, that CEO is going to take the offer. There is no difference. Sure he'll lose fans, and lose popularity but if Brett Favre wants to play football and a team is willing to give him an avenue to do so, than he should be able to and people shouldn't hate him for it. Even if he is wearing purple and playing against the Packers. I'm not suggesting to cheer for him, I'm not even suggesting that he doesn't deserve to get the chorus of boos that he will get when he enters Lambeau, I'm just stating he doesn't deserve an outcry of hate and resentment just because he wants to play football.
1. Brett Favre's kryptonite is decision making. This may seem obvious with all the talk about waffling and his inability to make a solid decision, but think about it, this has always been Brett Favre's biggest weakness both on and off the field. His arm and his athletic ability were able to mask a lot of his decision making on the field, but this is the NFL record holder for most interceptions in the history of the league. The retirement talk has been going on since early in the decade. He almost retired when Mike Sherman was still coach. On the field his thought process has always been discussed as it seems he makes many of the worst choices at the worst times. Look no further than here: http://www.yayboo.com/photos/5/lg/6145.jpg to see exactly what I am talking about. That picture is from the NFC Championship game against New York. Check out the two other receivers and the check down on the play, both receivers are more open than where he's throwing it, and the check down is wide open for at least 15 yards. Instead it was an interception that cost the Packers a trip to the Super Bowl. In an era where so many quarterbacks, and so many of the best quarterbacks are asked to manage a football game and make sound decisions with the football Brett Favre may be the worst decision maker in the game today. So many jokes have been made about his inability to make simple choices but it gets down to the bottom line that when Brett Favre is forced to make an extremely tough decision, he needs the input of others in order to make it. In his first press conference with the Vikings he stated that when he asked his family all along if he should come back, they all wouldn't tell him what to do, but when he decided to stay retired his 10 year old daughter started crying and told him that she wanted him to come back. It wasn't until that time that Brett Favre decided he wanted to play again, when somebody else made the decision for him.
2. The idea of living and breathing football should no longer be a compliment. How many times have we heard an announcer talk about a football player and say something like, "this player lives and breathes football, he is a die hard football player and would do just about anything to be on the field and with his teammates." It happens all the time, yet now when we see it happen, its hugely frowned upon. Let's be honest, Brett Favre lives and breathes football, he wants to be a part of the locker room and wants to continue to play and will do anything in order to do so. That's a good thing right? Apparently not. The problem with this idea is that it is selfish. Brett Favre wanted to come back for himself, because he still wanted to play. If the Vikings go 6-10 this season, he retires again, Brad Childress gets fired, and the Vikings have to completely rebuild, he's not going to be all that upset, he's going to be more disappointed he didn't win one last Super Bowl. It just bears remembering next time we hear an announcer say something about a player doing anything in his power to play football, it's not all it's made out to be.
3. Brett Favre is partially a victim of circumstance. There were a lot of decisions that Brett Favre made that I'm sure he'd like to have back and decisions that blew up in his face. But there are plenty of other factors in this whole scenario that if one tiny thing went different this whole mess may have never happened. It all depends on how far back anybody would like to go, but lets go back to the most infamous play of the Packers' decade... fourth and 26. If Ed Donatell calls a better play, or Nick Barnett drops back 3 more steps the Packers beat the Eagles, and just maybe go on to play in or win the Super Bowl. If either of those things happens Mike Sherman probably remains coach and GM of the Packers, and Brett Favre remains quarterback of the Packers. How about if the Packers would have hired anybody besides Ted Thompson as general manager. Right or wrong there are very few GM's who would have had the stomach to release the mighty Brett Favre yet the Packers just happened to hire one of those GM's who was able to do so. How about if the Packers had scheduled an interview with Brad Childress before the Vikings and Brad Childress would have been hired as coach of the Packers instead of Mike McCarthy... Brett Favre still would have been a Packer. How about if Aaron Rodgers wouldn't have slipped all the way to pick 24, or if Ted Thompson wouldn't have used a 1st round pick on Aaron Rodgers when he had Brett Favre already at QB, or maybe if the Packers wouldn't have selected both Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn they would have been more open to the idea of Favre coming back last year... and the list could go on and on and on. In no way am I saying that Brett Favre is the victim here, I'm just saying that if one thing maybe just goes a little bit differently he maybe could have retired as a Packer.
4. Since we are on the topics of what ifs... What if the Jets hadn't selected Mark Sanchez in the first round of the draft. We need to remember that Rex Ryan had stated that he wanted Brett Favre back to play for the Jets and it would have been really interesting to see what would have happened if the Jets weren't able to draft Sanchez. This to me was the most underhanded and shady move that Brett Favre made. If anything at all showed that this was a selfish move on his part, it was his retirement from the Jets, his ability to force the Jets to release him, and then the immediate flirtation with the Vikings within weeks. At no point did Brett Favre give the Jets any thought or consideration, even though they went out on a limb and gave him a chance the previous year. Every other decision or move that Brett Favre made has at least some explanation that can be made to at least somewhat defend his decision making except for this one. This move was a cheap shot and it was Brett Favre taking advantage of the New York Jets for his own personal gain. If anything the Vikings should have learned from the Jets mistake instead of trying to take advantage of it.
5. I'm hoping this is my last Brett Favre retirement/un-retirement post ever and I want to end with this. Brett Favre made plenty of mistakes in the past 2-3 years that caused the vast majority of the drama and chaos that has gone on in Green Bay, New York, and Minnesota. It was mostly his decisions that affected his legacy and he won't ever be able to go back and change the decisions that he made. There isn't a perfect ending to this scenario, even if he wins a Super Bowl it will be for the team that was his arch rival for so many years. There is no walking off with a Super Bowl championship like Elway. With all that being said the media made way too much out of this entire Brett Favre event. There were times where literally Brett Favre had his own Ticker on ESPN. It was MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, and Brett Favre as the 5 ticker topics. That's how ridiculous this whole thing has been. The very bottom line is this... Brett Favre retired from the Packers and the Packers said OK. Brett Favre asked to un-retire and play for the Packers again, and the Packers said OK. Favre then decided he wanted to stay retired so again the Packers were fine with it. Aaron Rodgers was from that point forward the starting quarterback and when again Brett Favre decided he wanted to play the Packers had finally moved on. Brett was upset, which any human being would have been at that point, even though he was the one who made the mistake, the Packers moved on without him and if anybody else was in Brett Favre's shoes they would have been upset too. Brett than decided he still wanted to play and from that point forward both last season and this season it came down to this one extremely crucial and undeniable point... Brett Favre wanted to play football, he was one of the top 32 quarterbacks in football, and there was a team that was willing to pay him $10-$12 million to play football. Who is anybody to say that Brett Favre shouldn't play football for any team willing to pay him $12 million if that's what he wants to do. Is there any scenario in life where if anybody is given the same circumstances that they aren't leaving their company that they worked for, or their job for a competitor for $12 million dollars. Sure it's like the CEO of Macintosh leaving to go to Microsoft, I get that, but if Macintosh didn't want their CEO anymore, and Microsoft was willing to give him $12 million and no other company wanted him, that CEO is going to take the offer. There is no difference. Sure he'll lose fans, and lose popularity but if Brett Favre wants to play football and a team is willing to give him an avenue to do so, than he should be able to and people shouldn't hate him for it. Even if he is wearing purple and playing against the Packers. I'm not suggesting to cheer for him, I'm not even suggesting that he doesn't deserve to get the chorus of boos that he will get when he enters Lambeau, I'm just stating he doesn't deserve an outcry of hate and resentment just because he wants to play football.
The Good and the Bad of Preseason Week 2
The Good
Quarterback
J.T. O'Sullivan (Bengals): 10-13, 76.9%, 141 yards, TD, 2 carries-15 yards
A.J. Feeley (Eagles): 16-20, 80.0%, 136 yards
Peyton Manning (Colts): 10-14, 71.4%, 167 yards, 2 TD's
Cowboys QB's McGee, Kitna, and Romo combined: 32-42, 76.2%, 355 yards, 2 TD's
Matt Ryan(Falcons): 7-8, 87.5%, 81 yards, TD
Tarvaris Jackson(Vikings): 12-15, 80.0%, 202 yards, 2 TD's
Aaron Rodgers (Packers): 8-9, 88.9%, 98 yards, 2 TD's
Chad Pennington (Dolphins): 8-11, 72.7%, 105 yards, TD
David Garrard (Jaguars): 10-16, 62.5%, 216 yards, TD
Matt Hasselbeck (Seahawks): 16-23, 69.6%, 171 yards 2 TD's
Running Back
DeDe Dorsey (Bengals) 4 carries, 60 yards, 15.0 ypc
Michael Turner (Falcons) 7 carries, 65 yards, 9.3 ypc, TD
James Davis (Browns) 12 carries, 116 yards, 9.7 ypc, TD
Lex Hilliard (Dolphins) 9 carries, 52 yards, 5.8 ypc, TD, 2 catches, 11 yards
Ronnie Brown (Dolphins) 11 touches, 74 yards, TD
Mike Bell (Saints) 10 carries, 100 yards, 10.0 ypc, TD
Matt Forte (Bears) 9 carries, 58 yards, 6.4 ypc, TD
Glen Coffee (49ers) 16 carries, 129 yards, 8.1 ypc
Michael Robinson (49ers) 14 carries, 97 yards, 6.9 ypc
Receiver
Chad Ochocinco (Bengals): 3 catches, 69 yards, 1 Extra Point
Reggie Wayne (Colts) 2 catches, 90 yards, TD
Darius Reynaud (Vikings) 2 catches, 88 yards, TD, 1 carry, 9 yards
Troy Williamson (Jaguars) 3 catches, 147 yards, TD
Marques Colston (Saints) 6 catches, 66 yards
Defense
Lawrence Sidbury (Falcons) 2 tackles, 2 sacks
Johnny Jolly (Packers) 2 tackles, 2 sacks
Brady Poppinga (Packers) 2 tackles, INT, fumble recovered
Desmond Bishop (Packers) 5 tackles, INT, fumble recovered
Ziggy Hood (Steelers) 4 tackles, 2 sacks
Louis Holmes (Buccaneers) 2 tackles 2 sacks
Anthony Waters (Saints) 2 tackles, sack, fumble recovered
Kenny Peterson (Broncos) 3 tackles, 2 sacks
Jameel McClain (Ravens) 10 tackles, INT, TD
Haloti Ngata (Ravens) tackle, INT, TD
The Bad
Quarterback
Vince Young (Titans): 3-9, 33.3%, 33 yards, INT
D.J. Shockley (Falcons) 5-12, 41.7%, 0 TD, 2 INT, fumble lost
Trent Edwards (Bills) 7-11, 63.6%, INT, fumble lost
Matthew Stafford (Lions), 5-13, 38.5%, 34 yards, INT
Charlie Batch (Steelers) 5-14, 35.7%, 63 yards
Jason Campbell (Redskins) 1-7, 14.3%, 10 yards
Alex Smith (49ers), 3-9, 33.3%, 30 yards, INT
Running Back
Cedric Benson (Bengals) 10 carries, 28 yards, 2.8 average
Samkon Gado (Rams) 12 carries, 5 yards, 0.4 ypc, fumble lost
Quarterback
J.T. O'Sullivan (Bengals): 10-13, 76.9%, 141 yards, TD, 2 carries-15 yards
A.J. Feeley (Eagles): 16-20, 80.0%, 136 yards
Peyton Manning (Colts): 10-14, 71.4%, 167 yards, 2 TD's
Cowboys QB's McGee, Kitna, and Romo combined: 32-42, 76.2%, 355 yards, 2 TD's
Matt Ryan(Falcons): 7-8, 87.5%, 81 yards, TD
Tarvaris Jackson(Vikings): 12-15, 80.0%, 202 yards, 2 TD's
Aaron Rodgers (Packers): 8-9, 88.9%, 98 yards, 2 TD's
Chad Pennington (Dolphins): 8-11, 72.7%, 105 yards, TD
David Garrard (Jaguars): 10-16, 62.5%, 216 yards, TD
Matt Hasselbeck (Seahawks): 16-23, 69.6%, 171 yards 2 TD's
Running Back
DeDe Dorsey (Bengals) 4 carries, 60 yards, 15.0 ypc
Michael Turner (Falcons) 7 carries, 65 yards, 9.3 ypc, TD
James Davis (Browns) 12 carries, 116 yards, 9.7 ypc, TD
Lex Hilliard (Dolphins) 9 carries, 52 yards, 5.8 ypc, TD, 2 catches, 11 yards
Ronnie Brown (Dolphins) 11 touches, 74 yards, TD
Mike Bell (Saints) 10 carries, 100 yards, 10.0 ypc, TD
Matt Forte (Bears) 9 carries, 58 yards, 6.4 ypc, TD
Glen Coffee (49ers) 16 carries, 129 yards, 8.1 ypc
Michael Robinson (49ers) 14 carries, 97 yards, 6.9 ypc
Receiver
Chad Ochocinco (Bengals): 3 catches, 69 yards, 1 Extra Point
Reggie Wayne (Colts) 2 catches, 90 yards, TD
Darius Reynaud (Vikings) 2 catches, 88 yards, TD, 1 carry, 9 yards
Troy Williamson (Jaguars) 3 catches, 147 yards, TD
Marques Colston (Saints) 6 catches, 66 yards
Defense
Lawrence Sidbury (Falcons) 2 tackles, 2 sacks
Johnny Jolly (Packers) 2 tackles, 2 sacks
Brady Poppinga (Packers) 2 tackles, INT, fumble recovered
Desmond Bishop (Packers) 5 tackles, INT, fumble recovered
Ziggy Hood (Steelers) 4 tackles, 2 sacks
Louis Holmes (Buccaneers) 2 tackles 2 sacks
Anthony Waters (Saints) 2 tackles, sack, fumble recovered
Kenny Peterson (Broncos) 3 tackles, 2 sacks
Jameel McClain (Ravens) 10 tackles, INT, TD
Haloti Ngata (Ravens) tackle, INT, TD
The Bad
Quarterback
Vince Young (Titans): 3-9, 33.3%, 33 yards, INT
D.J. Shockley (Falcons) 5-12, 41.7%, 0 TD, 2 INT, fumble lost
Trent Edwards (Bills) 7-11, 63.6%, INT, fumble lost
Matthew Stafford (Lions), 5-13, 38.5%, 34 yards, INT
Charlie Batch (Steelers) 5-14, 35.7%, 63 yards
Jason Campbell (Redskins) 1-7, 14.3%, 10 yards
Alex Smith (49ers), 3-9, 33.3%, 30 yards, INT
Running Back
Cedric Benson (Bengals) 10 carries, 28 yards, 2.8 average
Samkon Gado (Rams) 12 carries, 5 yards, 0.4 ypc, fumble lost
Monday, August 24, 2009
Brewers Week in Review
Week of August 17th-August 23rd
Monday August 17th, @ Pittsburgh Pirates, lost 5-9
Tuesday August 18th, @ Pittsburgh Pirates, lost 2-5
Wednesday August 19th, @ Pittsburgh Pirates, lost 1-3
Thursday August 20th, Off Day
Friday August 21st, @ Washington Nationals, won 7-3
Saturday August 22nd, @ Washington Nationals, won 11-9
Sunday August 23rd, @ Washington Nationals, lost 3-8
Record: 2-4 Runs Scored: 29 Runs Against: 37 Overall Record: 60-63 (4th Place NL Central)
Player of the Week
Mike Cameron: 9-25, 0.360, 2HR, 6 runs, 5 rbi's
-First time Cameron has won player of the week
Pitcher of the Week
Braden Looper: 6.0 innings pitched, 3.00 ERA, 1.00 whip, 4K, win
-Third time Looper has won pitcher of the week
Goat of the Week
Manny Parra: 9.1 innings pitched, 7.91 ERA, 1.98 whip, 3K, 2 losses
-Second time Parra has been goat of the week
Players who played well:
F. Lopez: 9-26, 0.346, 4 runs, 5 rbi's, error (5th time in a row)
F. Catalanotto: 5-14, 0.357, 2 runs
J. Kendall: 7-12, 0.583, 2 runs, 2 rbi
A. Escobar: 5-13, 0.385, HR, 3 runs, rbi, 2 errors
C. Narveson: 2.2 innings piched, 0.00 ERA, 0.91 whip, 2K, win
D. Weathers: 3.0 innings pitched, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 whip
T. Coffey: 4.0 innings pitched, 2.25 ERA, 0.50 whip, 2K
Players who struggled:
C. Counsell: 3-19, 0.158, 2 rbi, error
C. McGehee: 3-17, 0.176, HR, 2 runs, 3 rbi, error
M. Burns: 3.0 innings pitched, 18.00 ERA, 2.33 whip, 2K
M. DiFelice: 3.1 innings pitched, 6.00 ERA, 0.67 whip, 3K (4th in a row)
C. Villanueva: 6.2 innings pitched, 8.71 ERA, 2.42 whip, 3K, loss
Transactions
August 17th: Traded Bill Hall to Seattle Mariners for Ruben Flores
August 21st: Placed Jesus Calome on 15 day DL
August 21st: Recalled Chris Narveson from Nashville
Monday August 17th, @ Pittsburgh Pirates, lost 5-9
Tuesday August 18th, @ Pittsburgh Pirates, lost 2-5
Wednesday August 19th, @ Pittsburgh Pirates, lost 1-3
Thursday August 20th, Off Day
Friday August 21st, @ Washington Nationals, won 7-3
Saturday August 22nd, @ Washington Nationals, won 11-9
Sunday August 23rd, @ Washington Nationals, lost 3-8
Record: 2-4 Runs Scored: 29 Runs Against: 37 Overall Record: 60-63 (4th Place NL Central)
Player of the Week
Mike Cameron: 9-25, 0.360, 2HR, 6 runs, 5 rbi's
-First time Cameron has won player of the week
Pitcher of the Week
Braden Looper: 6.0 innings pitched, 3.00 ERA, 1.00 whip, 4K, win
-Third time Looper has won pitcher of the week
Goat of the Week
Manny Parra: 9.1 innings pitched, 7.91 ERA, 1.98 whip, 3K, 2 losses
-Second time Parra has been goat of the week
Players who played well:
F. Lopez: 9-26, 0.346, 4 runs, 5 rbi's, error (5th time in a row)
F. Catalanotto: 5-14, 0.357, 2 runs
J. Kendall: 7-12, 0.583, 2 runs, 2 rbi
A. Escobar: 5-13, 0.385, HR, 3 runs, rbi, 2 errors
C. Narveson: 2.2 innings piched, 0.00 ERA, 0.91 whip, 2K, win
D. Weathers: 3.0 innings pitched, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 whip
T. Coffey: 4.0 innings pitched, 2.25 ERA, 0.50 whip, 2K
Players who struggled:
C. Counsell: 3-19, 0.158, 2 rbi, error
C. McGehee: 3-17, 0.176, HR, 2 runs, 3 rbi, error
M. Burns: 3.0 innings pitched, 18.00 ERA, 2.33 whip, 2K
M. DiFelice: 3.1 innings pitched, 6.00 ERA, 0.67 whip, 3K (4th in a row)
C. Villanueva: 6.2 innings pitched, 8.71 ERA, 2.42 whip, 3K, loss
Transactions
August 17th: Traded Bill Hall to Seattle Mariners for Ruben Flores
August 21st: Placed Jesus Calome on 15 day DL
August 21st: Recalled Chris Narveson from Nashville
Ten Observations from Preseason Week 2
1. One of the biggest and most underrated aspects of the new 3-4 defense is better communication. The Packers were checking with each other before the snap, making sure everybody was on the same page and doing an excellent job of communicating between one another. Over the past couple of seasons the communication has been lacking and because of it the Packers have given up a number of big plays just because somebody wasn't doing what they were supposed to. Look for those number of big plays due to lack of communication to decrease and the Packers to be better schematically because of it.
2. Jermichael Finley is going to be a beast. With his combination of size and speed he is a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. Look for him to dominate in play action because all he needs is a quarter of a second to burn his defender and play action easily enables him to do so. His blocking is also much improved and with Finley and Lee the Packers will have one of the best tight-end combinations in all of football.
3. If the Packers can run the football they will be impossible to stop. With Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, one of the best, if not the best, quintet of receivers in football, and one of the top tight end duo's in football it shouldn't ever be a problem passing the ball. But if the Packers can run the ball effectively they become almost unstoppable. Being able to run the ball with any consistency sets up play-action as well as opens up the field for big plays. The Packers are good enough on offense that they should be able to pass even without a major threat of run, but if they can run 20-25 times for 100 yards look out.
4. If Ted Thompson wants to continue to build almost exclusively through the draft, he's going to have to get better with his earlier picks. I don't want to make this out to be a anti Ted Thompson list, because I actually am a huge supporter of Ted Thompson. But right now the Packers have some early picks that do not look like first or second round picks. Terrence Murphy and Justin Harrell were early picks that have tanked due to injury. Murphy is tough to blame on Thompson because he looked really good and had a career ending injury, but Harrell even when playing hasn't looked like a first round pick. Not to mention he had injury problems in college and had the red flag coming into the NFL. Beyond those two players though, Thompson has also used 1st or 2nd round picks on A.J. Hawk, Brandon Jackson, Pat Lee, Brian Brohm, and Jordy Nelson. The good news is that 4 of the 5 are NFL players and can at least contribute in some way, shape or form. But A.J. Hawk was taken with the 5th pick in the draft, and is basically a good linebacker on running downs only. Brandon Jackson is a good 3rd down back or change of pace back, but not what anybody was looking for with a 2nd round pick. Jordy Nelson is a solid possession receiver, but not a game-breaker and probably not worthy of a 2nd round pick. Brian Brohm looks like a bust at this point in his career and is having trouble even being a 3rd quarterback. Pat Lee hasn't had enough playing time to decide whether or not he will be a good corner down the line, but the fact that he hasn't beaten out Will Blackmon or Tramon Williams is not a good sign. Overall Ted Thompson has done an above average job of drafting and excels in later rounds, but if he wants to continue to build the Packers primarily through the draft, he's going to have to do a better job in the early rounds.
5. The Packers need to sign or trade for a new punter. The Packers look so much better throughout their special teams units on coverage and in the kicking game, but the huge downfall of the entire unit is still the punter. The Raiders are probably stupid enough to trade Shane Lechler if the Packers would offer them somebody fast and the Titans have two capable punters so maybe there is a chance there, but regardless of how it happens, it has to happen, the Packers can't go another season losing 10 yards of field position every time they punt the ball.
6. The Packers were right and the media was wrong about the transition to the 3-4 defense. The sceptics stated that the Packers wouldn't be ready until maybe mid-season to be able to run the 3-4 successfully. Those sceptics were wrong. The Packers already look to have a good enough grasp of the 3-4 to be able to compete with NFL offenses. The players seem to love the more aggressive play on defense and have really taken to the new coaching staff. It helps that the team is either made up of veteran players who can pick it up easily: Collins, Woodson, Harris, Barnett, Hawk, Kampman, Pickett, Jenkins, or made up of rookies that are versed in the 3-4: Raji, Matthews, Brad Jones, and J. Wynn. Either way the Packers' defense should be more than ready week 1 against the Bears.
7. The Packers need to experiment with some new kick returners. Will Blackmon is a great punt returner and maybe the best that Green Bay has had since Desmond Howard. But as a kick returner Blackmon's shiftiness is limited and they would be better off with somebody who can hit the hole hard and take advantage of their speed. Blackmon isn't a bad returner and may still end up being the best option, but as far as kick returns go it may be time to try some different players.
8. The fullback cut down is going to be the hardest decision to make. It may not end up being the most important decision the Packers make but it will be the most difficult. Ryan Grant ran much better last season behind Hall than he did Kuhn, but Kuhn was used in more short distance situations. Quinn Johnson is a beast at fullback and can lead block better than either Hall or Johnson, but is nowhere near as good as either on the coverage units on special teams. Both Kuhn and Hall are very good at special teams and the slight nod goes to Kuhn for his overall play. If I were to bet I would still say Hall and Johnson make it, but Kuhn might be the best overall fullback of the three.
9. B.J. Raji is the real deal. He may not have been credited with any statistics in his first action as a Packer, but he is going to be a player that opposing offenses are going to have to keep an eye on at all times. The best part of Raji is that he is a hard worker and is able to stay in shape. So many of the top defensive tackles have trouble staying in shape, but that seems to not be a problem at all for Raji. He is quick, explosive and it's going to be hard for offenses to block him with only 1 lineman.
10. The Packers look like they have a full set of NFL linebackers, and Nick Barnett, Clay Matthews and Jeremy Thompson haven't even seen action yet. The way that Chillar, Bishop, Hawk, Kampman, and Poppinga have played so far it makes it really hard to believe that three of the Packers' major contributors of the linebacking corps and 2 starters still haven't even seen the field. Chillar, Hawk and Bishop are all playing like starters in the middle and Kampman and Poppinga are playing like starters on the outside. It will be interesting to see the type of reps that all of the linebackers get when Thompson, Matthews and Barnett are all ready to go. The longer that Thompson and Matthews are out, the less likely they are to make any significant contributions this season.
2. Jermichael Finley is going to be a beast. With his combination of size and speed he is a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. Look for him to dominate in play action because all he needs is a quarter of a second to burn his defender and play action easily enables him to do so. His blocking is also much improved and with Finley and Lee the Packers will have one of the best tight-end combinations in all of football.
3. If the Packers can run the football they will be impossible to stop. With Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, one of the best, if not the best, quintet of receivers in football, and one of the top tight end duo's in football it shouldn't ever be a problem passing the ball. But if the Packers can run the ball effectively they become almost unstoppable. Being able to run the ball with any consistency sets up play-action as well as opens up the field for big plays. The Packers are good enough on offense that they should be able to pass even without a major threat of run, but if they can run 20-25 times for 100 yards look out.
4. If Ted Thompson wants to continue to build almost exclusively through the draft, he's going to have to get better with his earlier picks. I don't want to make this out to be a anti Ted Thompson list, because I actually am a huge supporter of Ted Thompson. But right now the Packers have some early picks that do not look like first or second round picks. Terrence Murphy and Justin Harrell were early picks that have tanked due to injury. Murphy is tough to blame on Thompson because he looked really good and had a career ending injury, but Harrell even when playing hasn't looked like a first round pick. Not to mention he had injury problems in college and had the red flag coming into the NFL. Beyond those two players though, Thompson has also used 1st or 2nd round picks on A.J. Hawk, Brandon Jackson, Pat Lee, Brian Brohm, and Jordy Nelson. The good news is that 4 of the 5 are NFL players and can at least contribute in some way, shape or form. But A.J. Hawk was taken with the 5th pick in the draft, and is basically a good linebacker on running downs only. Brandon Jackson is a good 3rd down back or change of pace back, but not what anybody was looking for with a 2nd round pick. Jordy Nelson is a solid possession receiver, but not a game-breaker and probably not worthy of a 2nd round pick. Brian Brohm looks like a bust at this point in his career and is having trouble even being a 3rd quarterback. Pat Lee hasn't had enough playing time to decide whether or not he will be a good corner down the line, but the fact that he hasn't beaten out Will Blackmon or Tramon Williams is not a good sign. Overall Ted Thompson has done an above average job of drafting and excels in later rounds, but if he wants to continue to build the Packers primarily through the draft, he's going to have to do a better job in the early rounds.
5. The Packers need to sign or trade for a new punter. The Packers look so much better throughout their special teams units on coverage and in the kicking game, but the huge downfall of the entire unit is still the punter. The Raiders are probably stupid enough to trade Shane Lechler if the Packers would offer them somebody fast and the Titans have two capable punters so maybe there is a chance there, but regardless of how it happens, it has to happen, the Packers can't go another season losing 10 yards of field position every time they punt the ball.
6. The Packers were right and the media was wrong about the transition to the 3-4 defense. The sceptics stated that the Packers wouldn't be ready until maybe mid-season to be able to run the 3-4 successfully. Those sceptics were wrong. The Packers already look to have a good enough grasp of the 3-4 to be able to compete with NFL offenses. The players seem to love the more aggressive play on defense and have really taken to the new coaching staff. It helps that the team is either made up of veteran players who can pick it up easily: Collins, Woodson, Harris, Barnett, Hawk, Kampman, Pickett, Jenkins, or made up of rookies that are versed in the 3-4: Raji, Matthews, Brad Jones, and J. Wynn. Either way the Packers' defense should be more than ready week 1 against the Bears.
7. The Packers need to experiment with some new kick returners. Will Blackmon is a great punt returner and maybe the best that Green Bay has had since Desmond Howard. But as a kick returner Blackmon's shiftiness is limited and they would be better off with somebody who can hit the hole hard and take advantage of their speed. Blackmon isn't a bad returner and may still end up being the best option, but as far as kick returns go it may be time to try some different players.
8. The fullback cut down is going to be the hardest decision to make. It may not end up being the most important decision the Packers make but it will be the most difficult. Ryan Grant ran much better last season behind Hall than he did Kuhn, but Kuhn was used in more short distance situations. Quinn Johnson is a beast at fullback and can lead block better than either Hall or Johnson, but is nowhere near as good as either on the coverage units on special teams. Both Kuhn and Hall are very good at special teams and the slight nod goes to Kuhn for his overall play. If I were to bet I would still say Hall and Johnson make it, but Kuhn might be the best overall fullback of the three.
9. B.J. Raji is the real deal. He may not have been credited with any statistics in his first action as a Packer, but he is going to be a player that opposing offenses are going to have to keep an eye on at all times. The best part of Raji is that he is a hard worker and is able to stay in shape. So many of the top defensive tackles have trouble staying in shape, but that seems to not be a problem at all for Raji. He is quick, explosive and it's going to be hard for offenses to block him with only 1 lineman.
10. The Packers look like they have a full set of NFL linebackers, and Nick Barnett, Clay Matthews and Jeremy Thompson haven't even seen action yet. The way that Chillar, Bishop, Hawk, Kampman, and Poppinga have played so far it makes it really hard to believe that three of the Packers' major contributors of the linebacking corps and 2 starters still haven't even seen the field. Chillar, Hawk and Bishop are all playing like starters in the middle and Kampman and Poppinga are playing like starters on the outside. It will be interesting to see the type of reps that all of the linebackers get when Thompson, Matthews and Barnett are all ready to go. The longer that Thompson and Matthews are out, the less likely they are to make any significant contributions this season.
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