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| Aaron Rodgers With His New In-Game Duties - Sideline Entertainer |
It's official or about as official as things get when you considering pronouncements or non-pronouncements coming from 1265 Lombardi Avenue Aaron Rodgers will not play against the Raiders tonight and will not play against the Chiefs in the final preseason game.
How much he plays against the 49ers in the third preseason game is still up for grabs. It shows what the Packers brain trust thinks about my suggestions since I feel Rodgers should be playing in every game to get his timing down. I guess Mike McCarthy is right (30 seconds later), but I'm really right.
According to Rodgers it has nothing to do with preparation or timing or his natural All-World ability to play without practice (even though every year prior to this one Rodgers has always said he wanted as much reps as possible.
He's how Rodgers explained it, "When you have a major injury to a star player like we had last year in the preseason I think it’s only natural that there’s a little bit of a more cautious approach to the rest of that preseason, and then to the next season.”
I'll tell you like I tell them all, "You can't play football scared of being injured." This is not a good approach.
Rodgers continues, “You’re seeing some of the marquee players play less. Running backs notoriously haven’t played a whole lot in the preseason, but now you’re seeing quarterbacks play less and less. Obviously, my reps have gone down over the years. It’s just the way it is.I think everybody feels like four or five (preseason games) is probably more than we need to get ready, but until they make a change there that’s the way it’s going to be, and we’re going to be smart about it.”
Jordy Nelson Is Back or Is He?
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It was announced today that Jordy Nelson has passed his physical and has been cleared to practice and play in games. I thought I heard a sigh of relief sometime this afternoon before I found out about Jordy's announcement and I live 474 miles from Lambeau Field.
I don't want to pour water on the Green Bay press corps and fans jubilation, but didn't Jordy pass the same physical before he "hiccupped" and "tweaked" his knee on July 26?
I'm just saying there is nothing to get excited about until he actually practices and makes it all the way through and catches a pass down the sidelines like we expect him to do this season. It's too earlier to get this excited.
Morgan Burnett Was He Hurt or Wasn't He?
Safeties coach Darren Perry on if he was expecting Morgan Burnett to play against the Browns, "Yeah we were. Things happen. It was a little setback, but he’ll get healthy".
Did you hear that? Morgan Burnett was injured and not a healthy scratch like it was reported. LIES. LIES. LIES. Can you believe anything reported out of 1265 Lombardi Ave. these days?
Speaking of LYERS:
General Manager Ted Thompson finally addressed the "Al Jazeera 4" or 3 or I guess 2, “We’re going to support our players, we’ve always supported our players and we will continue to support our players. I think everyone is going to have an opinion on things. I think there’s a lot of people who don’t understand what’s going on. It’s a little more complicated than we might want it to be. The more people pipe in, especially someone like me, into the whole serenade, the less likely it will work itself out.”
As for whether the Packers are making plans to potentially not have Matthews and Peppers for some portion of the season, Thompson said, “Not necessarily specifically them. We make contingency plans for all of our players, because you never know what’s going to happen.”
Ok, we learned something despite him not saying anything. Thompson thinks this serious situation concerning the success of the 2016 season is nothing more than a serenade. I don't think he understands the severity of the issue. The NFL is not kidding. So we also learned Thompson can shovel the old wind song with the best of them.
For Thompson to stand there in front of the press and say with a straight face the possibility of losing Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers for any length of time doesn't bother him is the height of chutzpah.
I will give him this. While the Packer press corps has no balls at all when dealing with Thompson, Thompson had a pair the size of ostrich eggs to give the non-answers he does day in and day out. I'm not worthy.
Is Kenny Clark Another John Michels?
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| The First #1-27 John Michels |
Defensive line coach Mike Trgovac on No. 1 draft pick Kenny Clark, "He’s a very serious young man. When you talk to him, he’s always looking you in the eye and he takes in everything you could say. Sometimes when you take in younger players, that’s not always the case. He takes his job very serious for a young guy. I do like that about him. Likes to have fun, but doesn’t joke around a whole lot."
Reading between the lines Trgovac didn't have anything good to say about his performance on the field, so he dug down to find something he could say good things about. THIS IS NOT GOOD.
{NOTE: For those of you under 40 John Michels was the Packers No. 1 pick in 1996 and the only other 27th pick in the first round like Clark. He was a left offensive tackle and a bust}.
Was Datone Jones Playing Out of Position And Not A Bust?
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Linebackers coach Winston Moss did have good things to say about Datone Jones, "I thought Datone really played well. I thought Datone has shown some growth in being able to consistently play in all three phases. I think he took really good job the times he had pass-rush opportunities. I thought he showed some athletic ability when he rushed the passer. Great start for Datone, but he has to keep it going. … He dropped some more pounds. Every single day, he’s going to look more comfortable looking like an outside linebacker than someone’s an elephant-type or making a transition."
Maybe Clay Matthews Isn't Very Smart?
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| Maybe Clay Isn't So Dumb After All |
Defensive coordinator Dom Capers on Clay Matthews moving back outside, "I think he played there long enough that Clay knows what we do outside there. It’s just a matter of getting your reps and getting ready. He still rushed on third down from the outside quite a bit. I don’t think it’s like he’ll lose anything"
Was this really an issue? Did anybody think Matthews has forgotten how to play outside linebacker after just a season and a half, sort of? This was a dumb question.
Everybody Still Loves Blake
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On NFL. com Bucky Brooks evaluated the NFC rookies after week one. Here's what he said about the GREEN BAY PACKERS, "Blake Martinez, inside linebacker. Against the Browns on Friday, the fourth-round pick showed he was more than capable of manning the middle of coordinator Dom Capers' defense. Martinez showed outstanding instincts and awareness floating between the tackles as a designated hitter. Most impressively, he flashed pass-rush skills (registering a QB knockdown on Robert Griffin III in the first quarter) and adequate coverage ability on passing downs. Martinez's solid debut performance should encourage team officials that the ex-Stanford standout -- a potential starter on a team with championship aspirations -- is ready for the job. GRADE: B".
Now that's good news. I also thought Martinez played well against the Browns. I also liked two-thirds what he said about the rest of the NFC North.
CHICAGO BEARS: Leonard Floyd, outside linebacker. The Bears are counting on the ultra-athletic Floyd to add some juice to the pass rush off the edge. Despite his best attempts against the Denver Broncos on Thursday, the ninth overall pick was unable to get home, as veteran blockers sniffed out his moves and forced a stalemate at the line. Although Floyd did show up against the run as a "chase-down" player from the backside (see: his tackle holding Devontae Booker to a 3-yard gain), the Bears need him to be a bigger factor against the pass to hold up in a division stacked with talented quarterbacks. GRADE: C+
DETROIT LIONS: Taylor Decker, offensive tackle. The 16th overall pick faced a rough baptism by fire against the Pittsburgh Steelers and James Harrison on Friday. Decker committed a holding penalty and surrendered a sack-forced fumble to the former Defensive Player of the Year on consecutive plays. Yes, even veteran pass blockers struggle against the feisty pass rusher -- but still, Harrison's flawless execution of a "dip and rip" maneuver exposed a potential balance and body control issue with Decker. As a tall player (6-foot-7, 310 pounds) with a tendency to play too high, he must work on playing lower to neutralize the elite rushers he'll face on the Lions' schedule. Grade: C
MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Laquon Treadwell, wide receiver. The Vikings' soon-to-be WR1 is exactly what the team needs on the perimeter. As a big-bodied (6-2, 215 pounds) playmaker with strong hands and superb ball skills, the 23rd overall pick is a natural "chain mover" capable of doing all of the dirty work between the hashes. He posted a team-high four receptions for 41 yards against the Bengals, including an 18-yard catch on a dig route that should become the team's bread-and-butter passing play when Treadwell -- who did not starton Friday -- settles in as a starter down the road. GRADE: B
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