It looks like no one is very worried that in the one exhibition that counts the most after the Packers laid an egg. Not just a warm and fuzzy chicken egg, but a large cold imposing ostrich egg before the faithful at Lambeau Field.
I didn’t get home until the second quarter because I was covering a volleyball tournament, but when I turned on the game the score was 25-0. Later some time in the second or third quarter the faithful started booing the defense. HEAR THAT McCarthy and Dom Capers you were being booed. Take that to heart and make some changes.
I was spared the first quarter when the No. 1 defense, which had all it parts together on the same field for the first time, when Clay Matthews played for the first time and its first string secondary on display made All-Pros out of Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez.
The rosy glasses crowd that cover the Packers and run the organization really need to watch this game over and over again and then sit down with a large dose of reality and take assessment of where the 10th year of the Mike McCarthy regime and seventh year of the Dom Capers era has us sitting entering the season.
McCarthy’s post -game press conference was amazing. After being torched by two second-tier quarterbacks to the tune of 23-of-29 for 271 yards and 5 touchdowns with no sacks or interceptions followed by two busts (7-of-11 for 43 yards) McCarthy said basically I’m not worried, we’ll fix what needs to be fixed (on defense). Anybody heard that song before I have? Like maybe every post-game presser.
McCarthy wasn’t watching the same game we all saw. The defense was unable to stop Sam Bradford (10-for-10, 121 yards, 3 touchdown passes). Under the rules of full disclosure his part of the game I didn’t see, so I can’t say who he was picking on and how weak the pass run was, but just looking at the starting lineup with Mike Daniels and Clay Matthews in the lineup what happened shouldn’t have happened and yet it did.
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| The smiles ended when the game started |
The game opened with a two-man line of Daniels and B. J. Raji, the linebackers with Mike Neal and Julius Peppers on the outside, Matthews and Sam Barrington on the inside. The secondary had Sam Shields and Casey Hayward at the corners, Morgan Burnett and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at the safeties and Micah Hyde in the slot. This is Dom Capers’ No. 1 defense. This is the defense that will carry the Packers this year and it was a total disgrace.
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| A. J . Hawk -type tackles against the Eagles were mostly down field |
The Eagle first-team offense against the Packers first-team defense had three drives in the first quarter for three touchdowns. They ran 18 plays for 152 yards with only one negative play (-2 yards by Clinton-Dix and Barrington on a Ryan Matthews run on a 3rd-and-1 from the Packer 1 in the second drive) and one play for no gain two plays earlier (by Neal on a DeMarco Murray run on a 1st-and-8 from the Packer 8). The Eagles then scored on 4th-and-3. No rest for the wicked or the bad. Does beat like a drum come to mind.
The Packers special teams were not only not special, but also totally inept. The kickoff coverage team allowed a 67-yard return to open the game, which Mason Crosby had to make the save push out at the Packer 38. Punter Tim Masthay continues to have a rough exhibition season.
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| Ron Zook looking for divine guidance and getting none |
The inept part was the penalties on almost every kick. No matter how good a return the Packers have it will be called back. With McCarthy and newly elevated special teams coach Ron Zook supposedly focussing like a laser beam on the much maligned kick units this shows they both don’t have a clue despite all the glowing reports coming out of camp by the Packers scribes.
There were bright spots and big bright spots, but they were on offense and I will address those later. Injuries again reared their ugly head with Randall Cobb, Micah Hyde and Bryan Bulaga going down, but that’s part of the game and it seems the Packers are never spared that aspect of one of the worlds most violent sports.
Going into the meaningless fourth pre-season game against the Saints this Thursday means any problems the defense and special teams has won’t be addressed until the Packers face the Bears to open the season. I don’t like where things are going and can’t see how things will be solved before the games count because the Saints won’t play their starters very long if at all and neither will McCarthy.
I was happy to face the Bears in the first game, but now I would hate to be lit up by Sam Bradford Jr. (aka Jay Cutler). My heart couldn’t stand the strain. We may have to drink up all 11 bottles of my first Mann’s Bootleg Brew to just get through the game. I really hope it doesn’t come to that but I can’t see how this defense can stop anyone at this point. I AM WORRIED, VERY WORRIED.
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