My first impression of the Packers-Patriots pre-season game was same old, same old. A big deal was made of Coach Mike McCarthy not calling the offensive plays and it was evident because for the first time since he became head coach we got to see his face during a game instead of just his eyes and the hat as he hid behind the play sheet to make sure no one could read his lips as he called the plays.
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| Mike McCarthy and his Beard |
I never understood why he was so worried about it because without reading his lips I predicted almost every play he called in the second halves of game for the past five or six years, at least. It was no mystery to anyone with half a brain (Rush Limbaugh) that the Packer offense would go into slumber mode and would be punting more often than make first downs and adding to their advantage.
It seems McCarthy got used to having his lower face covered and decided to grow a beard to obscure his mouth. Maybe the refs won't notice and ignore him when he calls for a replay. Oops, I forgot. He asked for a replay and won on a first-down or fourth-down issue. Let's hope that doesn't fall back to the same old, some old, and he wins more than he loses or throws the red flag on the strangest of calls.
However, I regress on an old, but satisfying rant, so let's get back to Tom Clements and his inaugural play calling duties. The first drive was a great example of the acorn not falling far from the tree. Like has been the situation over the past two seasons the Packer offense bogs down in the red zone. My thoughts on the problem has been the lack of a play-making tight end is, at least, part of the problem, but the major problem being uninspired play calling.
Brett Favre had Mark Chmura and Bubba Franks as prime end zone targets and Aaron Rodgers had the much maligned Jermichael Finley, but Andrew Quarless and Richard Rodgers are no Chmura, Franks and Finley (to steal a phrase from former Vice Presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen). Quarless and Rodgers haven't progressed as much as I would like him to.
When the Packers got close to the goal line the drive stalled like it has almost every time when McCarthy was calling the plays the last two seasons. On three drives by Rodgers all they got was a field goal (which would have been three field goals if this had been a regular season game). Nothing has changed.
Defensively, a lot is being made of seven sacks and while that is better than no sacks with this being the first pre-season game those stats are a bit inflated. Five were by the linebackers and defensive end Datone Jones recorded two.
It was good the defense gave up just 11 points, but the 2015 Patriots are not your father's Patriots and their offensive line is not a strong suit even when they play the starters, which they didn't.
Once again it seemed when the Patriots were on the march they were taking advantage of assignment mistakes and being caught inside on their 55-yard touchdown run was a major one. So while the defense gave up just over 200 yards it wasn't a dominating performance.
The defensive line had its moments without two starters. The linebacking corps also had it moments with more on the negative side than the positive. The secondary play was improved and looks promising for the season.
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| Jimmy Garoppolo |
However, back to same old, same old. During the second half no budding super-star Jimmy Garoppolo looked like Tom Brady in his prime completing nine passes in a row and 15-of-17 after going only 5-of-13 in the first half. This is the same problem Dom Capers has had since the Super Bowl team. He makes no adjustments at halftime and the opposition does, which gives me heartburn.
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| Jermauria Rasco Sacking Garoppolo |
When the offense goes to sleep the defense takes a pill also. The second half is a disaster for the Packers and it seems they might have the same problem again this year.
Same old, same old, except for the fact they didn't lose. I will take some solace from that one fact alone.
OBTW: I don't know if you heard the comment made by Rodgers, but it seemed that the quarterback headset went dead at some point. Cheaters are cheaters. I hope Commissioner Roger Goodale adds to Brady's suspension eight games for being an arrogant ass-hole and keeps the original four intact, so he knows (but he won't) he is not bigger than the game and has hurt the game by his legal antics.
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