Bits and Pieces

EX-Packers:

 

The firing of former Packer Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin has brought a renaissance to the Dolphins offense turning a 1-3 start to a two-game winning streak under the interim coach. However, the Renaissance turned into the Dark Ages after the thumping by the Patriots on Thursday night.

 

However, the new found offensive excellence hasn't trickled down to former Packers' No. 1 receiver Greg Jennings. Under Philbin the 10-year veteran had caught 7 passes 54 yards (7.7 average) with no touchdowns. Since then he caught 1 pass for 13 yards in the first game - a 38-10 win over the Titans - and then doubled that production to 2 catches for 37 yards (23 long) in the 44-26 win over the hapless Texans. Against the Patriots Jennings was shutout.

 

Greg Jennings tries to tell Ryan Tannehill he's still on the team

He still hasn't caught his first touchdown pass of the season and his per catch average is the second lowest in his career at 10.4. His lowest came in 2012 - his last as a Packer - when he was injured and averaged 10.2 yards a catch. He missed the second game and games 5 through 12 and started only 5 of the other 8 games.

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.

Where Are They Now?

Currently there are 45 ex-Packers in the NFL on 22 teams. The Giants and the Raiders lead the list with four while the Chiefs, the Panthers, the Seahawks and Vikings are next with three.

 

As of the August 25 depth charts there are 16 starters, 15 on the second string, 7 on the third string, 4 on the fourth string, 1 on the fifth string and 2 on the sixth string, so to speak.

 

Out of the 16 starters four are on special teams. Three are long snappers J. J. Jansen with the Panthers, Thomas Gafford with the Bears and Clark Harris with the Bengals and one is Seahawks punter Jon Ryan. Place kicker Georgio Tavecchio is currently sitting behind Sebastian Janikowski for the Raiders after being signed as injury insurance.

 

In addition, second string wide receiver Jeremy Ross of the Lions is their punt and kickoff returner.

 

Of the remaining 12 starters there are six on offense and six on defense. On offense there are Greg Jennings as right wide receiver for the Dolphins and Charles Johnson at left wide receiver for the Vikings; Evan Dietrick-Smith (now just Evan Smith) at center for the Bucs; and Breno Giacomini at right tackle for the Jets.

 

There are two surprises with every Packers' fan's least favorite left tackle, until this year, Marshall Newhouse starting at right tackle for the Giants and former 2007 fourth round bust Allen Barbre starting at left guard for the Eagles after starting his career as a right tackle with the Packers.

 

Tramon Williams with the Cleveland Browns

DRAFT DAY TRADES

The Packers hold the No. 30th draft pick in the first round and my guess is General Manager Ted Thompson will probably trade down to acquire more draft picks than trade up. I have a reason for making that prediction.

 

When the draft opens Thompson has nine picks. The Packers have all seven of their own picks (No. 1-30; No. 2-62; No. 3-94; No. 4-129; No. 5-166; No. 6-205; No. 7-247) and two compensatory picks (No. 6-210 and No. 6-212), which can't be traded, for losing wide receiver James Jones to Oakland and center Evan Diertrick-Smith to Tampa Bay. Defensive end C. J. Wilson to Oakland and offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse to Cincinnati were also free agency losses, but they weren't deemed good enough for compensation).

 

Thompson has been very active on draft day making 27 trades on draft day during his previous 10 drafts. In his first draft he traded down in the third round (No. 89) for two No. 4's (115 and 126). He then traded down again trading the No. 4 (126) for two No. 5's (167 and 175), and a No. 7 (245). He traded down for the third time trading the No. 6 (175) for a No. 6 (195) and a No. 7 (246).

 

In the end he traded away a No. 3-89 (DT Atiyyah Ellison), a No. 4-126 (T Todd Heremans) and a No. 5-175 (DT Anttaj Hawthorne) for a No. 4-115 (S Marviel Underwood), a No. 5-167 (CB Mike Hawkins), a No. 6-195 (WR Craig Bragg), a No. 7-245 (LB Kurt Campbell) and a No. 7-246 (G Will Whitticker). To sum up three draft picks for five.

 

ANALYSIS: None of the five picks Thompson acquired amounted to anything (see Lombardi's Den Draft Redux) while Ellison played six years for seven teams; Heremans was a solid starter for the Eagles for 10 years before signing with the Colts recently; and Hawthorne played two seasons with the Raiders and ended his short career in the Arena League. RESULT: Minus.

 

BOSTICK GETS HIS DUE

The personnel moves have begun and to no one's surprise (at least I don't think anyone should have been surprised) one of the goats from the NFC Conference Championship game tight end Brandon Bostick was cut.

Brandon Bostick

 

Bostick came in with a lot of promise, but never developed - in part because of various injuries (a broken foot that ended his 2013 season. He started them 2014 season with a leg injury and later missed two games with a hip injury) into a first or second team player.

 

However, another aspect of his inability to move up the depth chart was demonstrated early in the season when rookie Richard Rodgers was benched before the third game of the season - a loss to the Lions - and Bostick didn't fill the void.

 

What was reported was while Rodgers had a bad day at the blocking office Bostick also had a bad day on special teams (foreshadowing) with two penalties, so he didn't take a snap against the Lions. The explanation was his practice habits didn't warrant playing time.

Brett Favre, The Man, The Myth, The Legend, The Gunslinger

The long nightmare of Brett Favre's mouth seems to have finally come to a close. Don't get me wrong. I love the man, the myth, the legend, the gunslinger, the greatest Packers quarterback (by statistical analysis), the face of the Packers, the man who brought the team out of the Wilderness Years and made Green Bay relevant again.

 

I watch the games in my town in what is now known as a Bears bar. This makes watching the games a Maalox event because Bears fans are absolutely the worst people (even worse than Seahawks fans only because they have been at it longer) to watch games with in general and to be a Packerbacker in the same room with them. They go out of their way to hurl insults at us when we just want to watch the game and don't make comments about them (unless provoked, since I have been known to make comments back, but only if hurled at first).

 

Anyway the excellence that is Favre (interceptions withstanding) seemed to have really got under their fur. Anti-Favre comments are the majority of their insults, but since he left they seem to have settled on just insults in general.

 

But I digress again. A little more historical context. I'm not a fan of Ted Thompson (the list of many reasons will be another rant) and I felt (seems I'm in the minority on this one) he wasted Favre's last years, especially the 2007 season when we lost to the Giants in overtime at Lambeau.