Injuries, Defense and Bakhtiari

One thing is for sure after last night's 38-28 win over the Chiefs is that Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' offense is good, very good. The Chiefs have a very stout defense and, despite, being rushed Rodgers was unstoppable.

 

However, the victory was marred by three things. 1. Injuries. 2. Late defensive effort. 3. David Bakhtiari.

 

Injuries:

 

Eddie Lacy was able to play and finish on a sprained ankle, but I thought it would have been best if he rested this game and let James Starks and Alonzo Harris handle the rushing duties. That gamble paid off, but I still feel it was too much of a gamble to take at this time of the season.

 

Eddie Lacy made it through the game without further injury

Davante Adams lasted just one play and now may be out for an extended period of time after re-aggravating his high ankle sprain. I also thought playing him was a risk and in this case it didn't pay off.

 

Monday Morning Quarterback

It's Monday morning and the usual Monday Morning Quarterback is patting himself on the back for making the right predictions of his Sunday game. Today I will try to bring some sanity to the Green Bay Packers-Kansas City Chiefs Monday Night Football game on ESPN.

 



My office chair last week

If you were wondering why my posts were sporadic last week was I was and still am suffering from food poisoning. Sitting in my desk chair is not a fun thing when my business end is sore. I hope I will not be the butt of your jokes this week after making my prediction at the end.

 

First, we seem to live in a have and have not world in the NFC North. The Packers (2-0) and the Vikings (2-1) are legitimate Super Bowl candidates and the Bears (0-3) and Lions (0-3) are not.

 

Typical Bear fans before and after the game

I was on the radio Sunday morning with a Bears fan who was lamenting the loss of Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffrey (as if I worry about how to spell a Bears' receiver name-alright it's Jeffery) and during his wining fest he gave those injuries as an excuse for the then 0-2, soon to be 0-3 Bears. As if losing the star receiver was a reason to fall apart, but as I pointed out to his suddenly deaf ears the Packers lost Jordy Nelson and the Packers are still 2-0 going into MNF. I love it when Bears fans are wishing for the good old days when Cutler was under center. All I can say is how low can the Bears fans go. Something for us to watch and revel in as the season progresses.

 

Now to the subject at hand the 1-1 Kansas City Chiefs. All of the Packers pundits are predicting a win in the area of 27-24. That says a lot about the state of the suddenly powerful Packers defense. First, the Bears fan made a comment how the Packers had a great defense. It just goes to show you they don't no nuttin'. Remember the only redeeming value of the Chiefs offense is running back Jamaal Charles, who is ranked 15th in the league in rushing with 182 yards and one touchdown. He might be a little more motivated after fumbling the ball in overtime for the game-losing touchdown the last time out.

 

Alex Smith beating Rodgers the first time

The Chiefs are led by that future Hall of Famer Alex Smith. Let's take a walk down memory lane. Smith and Aaron Rodgers were the top two quarterbacks in the 2005 draft with both being talked about as the No. 1 overall pick. When the big day came Smith was chosen first by the 49ers and their offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy and Rodgers was embarrassed as the cameras kept peeking in on him in the green room as he fell all the way to 24th where Ted Thompson took him as his first first-round draft pick.

 

The rest is history. Smith became an often-injured bust who eventually found a career with the Chiefs as a game manager and Rodgers became the best quarterback in the league, two-time MVP, Super Bowl MVP, future Hall of Famer, the best quarterback of all time and more importantly Olivia Munn's boyfriend..

 

In head-to-head battles Smith and Rodgers are 1-1 with both games being played at Lambeau Field when Smith was a 49er. In 2009 Rodgers won 30-24, but in the first game of the 2012 season won 30-22. Later that season Smith suffered a concussion in week 9 and lost his job to Colin Kaepernick. This is the first time Smith faces Rodgers as a Chief.

 

This season Smith has thrown for 434 yards - four yards behind Rodgers - with 3 touchdown passes and two interceptions. By the way, Rodgers has 5 TDs and no interceptions.



Facing Jamaal Charles is a scary proposition

Back to Charles and the Packers' defense. It seems no one thinks the job they did against Marshawn "I've been here all along" Lynch was a harbinger of things to come. That performance fell off their radar and they think Charles will tear up the Packers. Let's hope not because it is beginning to shape up to be a lost season for one of our best runner stoppers strong safety Morgan Burnett, who is out again after tweaking (or worst) his calf injury.

 

The Chiefs top receivers are tight end Travis Kelce (10-164-2TD), wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (9-109-0TD) and Charles (9-48-1TD). Who? Kelce is a former 2013 third-round (63rd) pick and Maclin, who is a former No. 1 pick by the Eagles, who was allowed to leave in free agency after last year despite having cap room. But, of course, I read somewhere Coach Chip Kelly hates black players. Those aren't my words, but former Eagles running back LeShon McCoy's.

 

Let's hope Dom Capers comes up with another great game plan to cover the tight end, to get pressure on Smith and to stop the run. Besides Burnett, the defense is almost at full strength (except for the loss of backup nose tackle Josh Boyd), game 3 of the 4 game suspension of defensive end Letroy Guion and backup cornerback Demetri Goodson (hamstring). Outside linebacker Mike Neal (groin) and safety Sean Richardson (ankle) are listed as questionable. The Chiefs are healthy coming in.

 

Normally I would say something about Capers and the defense, but today I will just say this should be where the game is won or lost.

 

Now the Packers offense verses the Chiefs defense. The Chiefs give up 347.5 yards a game (268 passing/79.5 rushing). I feel the Packers will be using running back James Starks more this game because of Eddie Lacy's ankle injury (questionable). Wide receiver Davante Adams (ankle) is also listed as questionable, so maybe we'll see more of Jeff Janis (hey, Andrew), as the fourth receiver behind Randall Cobb (probable-shoulder), Adams and Ty Montgomery, but if recent history means anything Janis won't play much, if at all, on the offense. Probably tight ends Richards Rodgers and Andrew Quarless will take up the slack.

 

Controlling Justin Houston is job No. 1

The Chief defense brings the heat led by outside linebacker Justin Houston (3 sacks), defensive end Allen Bailey (2 sacks) and their No. 1 draft pick this year cornerback Marcus Peters with 2 interceptions with 1 TD. The hallmark of this defense is they don't miss tackles, while the Packers have trouble tac....oops I can't say that. Let's just say the Chief defense has that one on us.

 

The outside pass rush could be a problem, but if Don Barclay and David Bakhtiari hold up enough to give Rodgers breathing room to roam like last week then that shouldn't be a major problem.

 

Let's hope the game plan is to target Peters and give him a schooling from the best quarterback in the league. Make him uncomfortable and it should it be a good day in the passing game for the Packers.

 

The Chiefs lead the overall series 7-3-1 and have won six of the last seven, including 19-14 in Week 13 of the 2011 season to hand the Packers its first loss during a 15-1 season.

 

Now here's a weird factoid about tonight's game. The Chiefs have never lost to the Packers at Lambeau Field. They have won three and tied one. So I think it's Miller High Life time to end that streak in front of the Super Bowl I Alumni and I think the Packers pull this one out, 24-17.

I Give Up

Dom Capers cheering my giving up

One of my missions in my Green Bay life is to see Dom Capers on another team or at the very least not the Packers Defensive Coordinator any more. I have stated that fact over and over and over again, but now I am stating a new fact that this will be my last word on the subject until I can sing to rooftops, "Ding, Dong, the Dom is Dead."

 

I may not like Capers and his too complicated schemes, but I do give credit where credit is due and the defensive game against Seahawks last Sunday night reminded me of one of my favorite defensive coordinators Fritz Shurmur's games and that is the highest compliment I can give.

 

The hallmark's of Capers reign of terror in Green Bay has been the inability to stop the run. the inability to cover a tight end and the inability to play coverage overall. Against the Seahawks the scheme Capers used stopped Marshawn Lynch (however, age and hubris may finally be catching up with him like Brett Favre suddenly turning old between January 24th and September 9th of 2010) and for the most part played good coverage.

 

The game I'm referring to was played on January 6th, 1996 in San Francisco - the year before the Super Bowl. The 49ers had one of the best passing attacks in all of football (channeling Chris Collinsworth again) with Steve Young, Jerry "NFL's All-Time Leading Receiver" Rice and John "The Catch" Taylor.

Final Thoughts on Sherman and Crosby

I'm still loving it (sorry McDonald's) - the win over the Packers new BEF (Best Enemy Forever) - and before I move on the Monday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs a couple of observations.

It pays to target "The Mouth That Roars". The unwanted one - old man James Jones - beat Richard Sherman for the first touchdown of the game. Later on the disputed offside-flinch play Sherman was called for a 52-yard interference play setting up a Mason Crosby field goal.

Richard Sherman doing what he does so well

The previous two games against the Seahawks were highlighted by stroking Sherman's immense ego by totally ignoring him in the season opener last season and, for some odd reason, never throwing at him after he injured his arm in the playoff collapse.

What's in a Name?

A comment on Cheesehead TV got me thinking about something I have thought about a lot when I have time to think, which at times is a lot and at other times not so much with my feast and famine schedule.

Out, Out, Damn G-Force

The messy divorce between the Viking mascot Ragnar and the powers-that-be had someone say the Vikings could buy the "G-Force" stuff at a cheap price to replace him. I would give them all of the stuff, including the huge G-Force flag they use when the team comes out of the gangway, for free and throw in 24 bratwursts and a case of Milwaukee's Best to sweeten the deal.

Can You Say 2-0, Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!

The losing streak is over. The Seahawks have finally been plucked. The Bears (0-2) lost and the Lions (0-2) lost to the Vikings (1-1). After two games the Packers lead the North and are tied for the lead in the NFC and the NFL.

 

Full Disclosure up front. I predicted a 35-24 loss while wishing I was wrong. I got my wish, but you all have to understand something I'm the pessimist in our Packer Backer group while Timmer is the optimist and Andrew jumps off the couch and cusses as he blocks our view of the TV. We all do our jobs. I, of course, AM the "Pouring of the Beer" with help from Andrew, Andrew, the pouring machine.

 

The Green Bay Packers did a lot of good things Sunday night, including overcoming the glaring deficiency of Dom Capers not making adjustments at halftime and the opposing team always coming out and owning the third quarter.

 

However, this time the Packers fans, James Starks, Aaron Rodgers, Randall Cobb and my vote for game MVP Jayrone Elliott stepped up in the fourth quarter to bring the victory home.

 

Other big time contributors were right tackle Don Barclay (Turkey Leg), wide receiver Ty Montgomery (Turkey Leg), nose tackle B. J. Raji (Turkey Leg), wide receiver James Jones (Turkey Leg), tight end Richard Rodgers (Turkey Leg) and linebacker Nick Perry (Chicken Leg).

 

I also want to give a complete Butterball Turkey dinner to the Packers special teams. Mason Crosby didn't come close to missing a kick from every distance going 4-for-4 on field goals (54, 44, 21, 18) and 1-for-1 on extra points (33). The kickoff coverage team had the Seahawks bottled up inside their 20 on six of his seven kickoffs. Punter Tim Masthay had a good night. Finally and more importantly there was not a penalty on special teams.

I have noticed over the years that the Packer fans at Lambeau Field aren't very vocal and it seemed Coach Mike McCarthy did too, because he made a point during the week to ask for some noise Sunday night. Lambeau Field was rocking, except for the third quarter, but they came back in the fourth quarter when the Packers needed them the most. TWO THUMBS UP WITH A BEER BELLY CHASER.

Final Thoughts and Prediction on Seahawks Week

Packer Cheerleaders

I was sent an article about how Aaron Rodgers was the top quarterback in the league as decided by some pundit as though his opinion meant something to me. If I want someone's opinion the only people I would like to see what their opinion of Rodgers is Vince Lombardi (and he isn't talking these days) and Bart Starr (and sadly he isn't either). Beyond them the only opinion I care about is mine and I hope you feel the same.

 

I don't look at the subjective rankings by the 100 ex-football players that populate the airways these days because that is just their opinion based on nothing. Most of them just talk bullshit, especially Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders, who don't even get up to BS most of the time, just shit.

 

Aaron Rodgers. If I were to rank Rodgers right now I would look at cold hard stats, but after just one week even the stats don't mean anything because they are clouded by who they played in the only game that has been played.

Countdown to Seahawks

The dreaded Seahawks are coming to town to play on NBC's Sunday Night Football and besides having to play a team that seems to have the Packers' number lately (Failed Mary, the opening season 36-16 loss the next year and the worst collapse in NFL playoff history in terms of time it took) we have to suffer through the over-bloviations (I know that's an over exaggeration of the term which means to discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner) of Chris Collinsworth, who has never seen a player on either team at any position that wasn't the best in football. I live in Southern Illinois and can't get any other play-by-play that isn't somehow ahead of the TV or behind the TV by a few seconds. I am doomed to suffer the slings and arrows of not only Collinsworth, but, I fear, another loss to the pompous and boastful Seahawks.

Winning TD over Tramon Williams in the playoffs

The Packers are coming off an uneven effort against the Bears, which if they had played another team that didn't have Cutler on it probably would have lost. Take that Ask Vic. In your eye with an apple pie. It gripes my butt (and I have a thing on it I'm about will have removed to prove it) to be scolded by insecure fans when us (I've been a Packer Backer since 1965) who have been through the Wilderness Years and didn't jump ship point out the deficiencies of the current Ted Thompson teams (yes, I said it, you Trust in Ted sycophants).

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS, PART HAT

(really, hat is six in Hungarian. I try to be topical. I guess that would qualify as being ridiculous)
MUCHO SUBLIME-O




It's going to be 72 degrees and partly cloudy with an 8 mph SSW wind and 63 percent humidity Sunday night for the game against the Seahawks.

How Did They Do?

The Packers survived its opener at Soldier Field, 31-23, while the Chargers came back from a 21-10 halftime deficit to beat the Lions, 33-28, and the underdog San Francisco 49ers manhandled Adrian Peterson and Vikings, 20-3 Monday night. Can you say, "First place, baby."

 

Like I said in a previous post there are 30 ex-Packers on the active rosters of 20 teams and while a former ex-Packer did very well in his first game with his (new) team the others were quite ordinary on the whole.

 

Welcome Back, Jones

 

James Jones in his second Packers coming was spectacular catching all four balls thrown his way for two touchdowns. However, our favorite ex-Packer (sorry Brett Favre) Raiders strong safety Charles Woodson (I remembered his first name-remind me to tell that story sometime) was injured in the third year of his second Raider coming suffering a dislocated shoulder with 1:16 left of a 33-13 loss to the Bengals. Before he was hurt he had 3 solo and 2 assisted tackles.

Thoughtful Thoughts: Bears Game

The perks of beating the Bears being interviewed by Erin 'I Love My Ass' Andrews

 

Contrary to what Ask Vic (Vic Ketchman) from Packers.com says we can enjoy the win, but still realistic that we were lucky to win. So I think I will analyze the game, instead of putting on Vic's rosy glasses and ignore the Packers have serious problems trying to live up to being one of the two Super Bowl teams at the end of the season.

 

Offensively, the Packers scored on five of its seven drives that didn't end the half or the game against the Bears. There was one throw-back series when the Packers defense made its second of three stops on eight drives that left the offense at the two-yard line. The calls were safe, but except for the first play weren't designed to make a first down. Coach Mike McCarthy doesn't take chances, but with punter Tim Masthay and the rest of our un-specials teams not being an asset I would say punting from the end zone is taking a chance.

Quick Takes From Chi-Town

The quickest take from the win over the Bears was same old, same old. Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes and no interceptions and Jay Cutler threw an interception at a crucial time. Result: Packers 31, Bears 16, oops I mean 23 (more on that later).

 

The next quickest take is the win snapped a three-game opening game losing streak. If you've been reading I was worried about this game and being down 13-10 at the half didn't give me much confidence.

 

Now for some slower takes. Rodgers and the offense was rusty. Rodgers and the offensive line hadn't played together since the second pre-season game. I don't care what you pampered, over-paid prima donnas say pre-season games do mean something. Football is the ultimate team sport that depends on 11 men (so far) playing in rhythm to be successful. One game (as our Mr. Rodgers wants) is not enough to develop that rhythm and today's game proved that in spades. The second half was when Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood started to click.

James Jones finds the endzone not once but twice

Speaking of rusty James Jones wasn't. The old rapport with Rodgers was there and it resulted in the first two of what I hope is many touchdowns. He caught all four balls thrown his way (two with spectacular catches) for 51 yards with a long of 34.

Predictions

I am totally split on the opener at Soldier Field. Or maybe I should say I don't have a clue who will win. I know that is sacrilege for a game against the Bears, but there are too many question marks coming out of the pre-season.

Packerbacker Bikini Girls

OFFENSE:

1. The offensive line hasn't played together since August 13. Will the Fab 5 be together? That is the big question mark heading into the game.

The Offense Has Been Anything But Offensive

While Dom Caper's defense has been iffy at best and the Mike McCarthy/Ron Zook special teams completely un-special the Tom Clements/Edgar Bennet offense have provided the only shinning moments in a somewhat dismal pre-season.

 

Which Aaron Rodgers will play? I don't know either

QUARTERBACKS: Like I said in an earlier post I can't really say how Aaron Rodgers is playing after playing just 18 minutes and 15 seconds in the first two pre-season games and sitting out the final two. He took 46 snaps (plus one 2-pt. conversion), throwing 24 passes (completing 15), one run (for 8 yards) and suffering 3 sacks (including one for a safety). He finished with a quarterback rating of 84.4 a good 21.6 points below his career average. He also suffered a bruise to his throwing arm on the safety three weeks ago.

Can the Packers Defense and Special Teams Turn It Around?

Well the clock is ticking as I write this Friday morning (2 DAYS, 3 HOURS, 41 MIN, 25 SEC) to the opening kickoff of the 2015 season. The memory of the Packers last game still haunts me and despite Brandon Bostick being 1,921,04 miles away on the Cardinals practice squad I have a lot of doubts about two of the three units.

Watch the return of Clueless at noon on Sunday

NO-DEFENSE: The last time the first-string defense played it was dismantled by four future Hall of Famers (tongue in cheek) Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow (who isn't even in the league anymore).

T minus 2 And Counting

There are two days left before the Packers take the field against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field and before the pre-season began I was feeling pretty good, but now I don't know what to expect.

My brother Larry made a comment last week and it got me thinking. Aaron Rodgers hasn't throw a pass in a game since 3 minutes left in the first quarter of the Aug. 23rd game against the Steelers. His last play was being sacked in the end zone for a safety.

After that Rodgers declared he had had enough and didn't need to play another down until the games counted. It was funny because back in July Coach Mike McCarthy declared they wouldn't limit Rodgers' playing time during the pre-season, but once Jordy Nelson went down against the Steelers and Don Barclay was a turnstile at left tackle in place of David Bakhtiari he was not only limited, but totally finished.

The last two pre-season games Rodgers not only wasn't dressed, but he didn't seem to be into the game. He couldn't be bothered to help with his three backup quarterbacks and now as I think about as I write this he is starting to act like a certain No. 4 (this is how Rodgers refers to Brett Favre) his last three years in Green Bay when Brett said it wasn't his job to tutor his backup who happened to be Rodgers.

Hummn, movie star girlfriend Olivia Munn, appearing on game shows (and winning Jeopardy), being called the best quarterback in the league and a certain Hall of Famer, maybe everything is going to his head. Next we'll find out he has his own locker room and gets catered food before, during and after games..

Where Are They Now - After The Cuts

Since my last Where Are They Now when there were 45 ex-Packers on 22 teams a lot has happened. First I missed middle linebacker Jamari Lattimore with the Jets, so there actually 46 on 22 team and then during the next day another four ex-Packers were signed tight end D. J. Williams by the Redskins, middle linebacker Terrell Manning by the Falcons, defensive end Luther Robinson by the Chargers and tight end Ryan Taylor by the Chiefs upping the grand total to 50 just before the final cuts on Tuesday and Saturday.

A.J.Hawk

Almost immediately Williams, Manning, Robinson and Taylor were cut and then Cowboy running back Michael Hill, Seahawk cornerback Will Blackmon, 49ers inside linebacker Desmond Bishop, Panthers wide receiver Jarrett Boykin, running back DuJuan Harris from the Vikings, kick returner Jeremy Ross and defensive end Jerel Worthy from the Lions, quarterback Matt Flynn from the Jets, place kicker Giorgio Tavecchio and defensive end C. J. Wilson from the Raiders and tackle Aaron Adams from the Texans were put on waivers along with the NFC Championship Game Goat tight end Brandon Bostick by the Vikings and former No. 1 draft choice tackle Derek Sherrod by the Chiefs. By Saturday at 3 p.m. 17 ex-Packers were unemployed.

Tramon Williams

Outside linebacker Dezman Moses survived the cut to 53 with the Chiefs, but was cut almost immediately after tight end Brian Parker was claimed off waivers from the Chargers on Sunday. Then Wednesday he was re-signed when guard Paul Fanaika was placed on injured reserve.

Panic Room

Panic Room

You can look at the re-signing of wide receiver James Jones in two ways. The first is that a valuable resource was on the market and General Manager Ted Thompson jumped at the chance to upgrade a now weak position. Or it could be seen as a panic move bringing in a one-year solution at the expense of a couple of promising young players.

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS, PART CINQUE

THE SUBLIME: 

The pre-season is over and we're in the week before the 2015 regular season opens at noon at the Chicago Bears. The roster has been set (well almost because I haven't seen who got cut with the signing of James Jones) and it is time for us fans and/or pundits to get ready.

 

Packersbackers #4 (L to R-Me, Timmer, Andrew, Avery)

Like I've mentioned before it is now six days before the unscrewing of the inaugural batch of Mann's Bootleg Brew. I haven't decided whether I open a bottle first to see if it's good or just let the Packerbackers (Timmer Freeman, Therese (Melot) Foltz, Andrew Freeman and Jared Avery) and myself try it the first time when the "Pouring of the Beer" occurs at 1 p.m. I'm leaning towards unveiling it for the first time to all with the "Pouring".

The Time to Retool Your Roster is Now

Let the Lady Packerbackers make the call-Steve Weatherford
 instead of Tim Masthay?

The final cuts were not unexpected although I missed on four (running back Rajion Neal was cut instead of Alonzo Harris; defensive end Christian Ringo instead of defensive tackle Bruce Gaston; inside linebacker Carl Bradford instead of outside linebacker Nick Perry and safety Jean Fanor instead of Chris Banjo).

 

Now let's look at the best free agents now available and who Packers General Manager Ted Thompson might be interested in or should be interested in. The Giants cut punter Steve Weatherford in a cost-cutting move and I think he should be signed immediately before someone else gets him.

 

Tim Masthay is in his second year of struggles and Weatherford's stats last year were better than Masthay's. You just can't have an erratic punter or place kicker. Being patient with Mason Crosby when he lost it three years ago worked, but it hurt in between. Masthay lost it the second half of last season and is still in his "slump". A good punter is now available and I vote for signing him.

I Hope He is Happy

Tom Brady Laughing at Goodell

The ruling came down that Tom Brady doesn’t have to sit out any games. The judge ruled that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell overstepped his authority and that the inmates are now allowed to run the asylum.

He based his ruling on the fact Goodell never told Brady what the consequences would be if he broke the rules (i.e. play with his own balls no matter what the NFL rules are and to obstruct an investigation). Like I said many posts ago cheaters never win until they do.

So let me get this straight. Tom Brady wasn’t aware of what his punishment would be, so he gets away with cheating and obstruction of justice. I thought ignorance of the law was not a defense in the USA. I guess I was wrong.

I predicted Tom Brady would win and now he has. I hope he’s happy with his victory and the hit his reputation has taken everywhere in the country except Boston where a media person advocated and suggested the murder of Goodell. I guess now that Brady won maybe this person will now advocate just shooting his dog on his front porch and keying his car.