FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS, PART 28

Straight number because this is serious

RIDICULOUS

There has been nothing sublime the past couple weeks with President Trump and the right wing talk radio nattering nabobs of culture attacking the NFL and its players over the National Anthem protests.

How It All Began

 The Republicans and the right wingers own the high ground on social issues with the majority of Americans in the Heartland thinking symbols mean more than substance.

  

Who Will Run The Ball Against The Texans And Other Stuff

Since Eddie Lacy went down with an ankle injury in Week 6 quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been the Packers leading rusher. He has consistently gained yardage averaging 6.2 yards a carry and saved drives by making 20 first downs most on third down.

 

However, last week in the win over the Eagles Rodgers tweaked his hamstring, so his mobility will be restricted leaving the ground game up to the halfback James Starks, tailback/slot back Ty Montgomery, fullback Aaron Ripkowski and halfback Christine “A Boy Named Sue” Michael.

 

Starks is beginning to show signs of life with 41 yards on 17 carries against the Eagles for 2.8 yards a carry after beginning the season with the worst statistics of his career averaging just 1.8 yards. Starks had some good runs, but he needs to do more this week.

 

Staty Stuff

The Green Bay Packers (2-1) will host the New York Giants (2-2) at "The Shrine" LAMbeau Field on Sunday Night Football with the most insufferable color man in the business in the broadcast booth Chris "The Best in All of Football" Collinsworth.

 

Aaron Rodgers Needs To Be Back

Aaron Rodgers verses Eli "Packers Killer" Manning is the big matchup with the Odell Beckham, Jr. and his fragile psyche against the banged up Packers secondary the under-card.

Andrew Quarless Finally Finds Work

Conan and Jodie Foster Cheesing It Up

I keep track of the ex-Packers and was surprised when I was looking at the Detroit Lions roster Friday and found former Packers tight end Andrew Quarles' name. Somehow I missed this in the news I check each day when he was signed on August 15th.

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.

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.

Post-Game Analysis: The Offense - Receiver Edition

WIDE RECEIVERS:

(Targeted 20 times with 12 catches for 132 yards and one touchdown)

 

Davante Adams Surrounded

The starting trio of Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams were targeted 10 times. Rodgers likes Adams and threw to him seven times, but he caught only 3 for 17 yards. Nelson caught both passes thrown his way (25 yards) and Cobb caught his only pass for 16 yards.

 

I noticed last year that Rodgers seemed to favor Adams more as the season progressed and it seems to continue this year as the defenses cover Nelson and Cobb or not. I just hope he doesn't forget them, because they always seem to find a way to get open as evidenced by catching all three passes thrown their way for 41 yards.

 

When you look at numbers the Packers have a lot of wide receivers on the roster. Behind the Big 3 there are eight on the roster three returning from last year's roster and five newcomers.

 

The first one to talk about is former 2014 5th round (176) choice Jared Abbrederis. A home-state boy all the way around born in Wautoma and played at the University of Wisconsin where he played in 53 games, starting 39, and finishing as the all-time leading receiver in catches (202) and second in yards (3,140) and touchdowns (23) as where as the all-time leader in kickoff return average (25.8) and fifth all-time in punt return average (10.7). This was an excellent choice, but after missing his rookie season with a knee injury he has now been sidelined with a concussion. It seems his career is over before it got started.

Post-Game Analysis: The Offense - Backfield Edition

Offensively there was a lot to feel good about except for the red zone problems. I would hope Associate Head Coach Tom Clements and Aaron Rodgers will get together without Mike McCarthy in the room and figure out how to score touchdowns from 20 yards in as well as they do from 20 yards out.

QUARTERBACKS:

(27-of-43 for 295 yards, 2 touchdowns, no interceptions with 4 sacks)

 

Aaron Rodgers Zeroing In

For the second year in a row Rodgers looks a bit tentative on his throws. I noticed last year his accuracy was off and it was again Thursday night against the Patriots. He completed 11-of-19 for 117 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions for a quarterback rating of 76.0. He had two tries for touchdowns from the red zone and missed on both. Not a good outing for him.

 

He missed twice on the first drive with incompletions to Davante Adams from the five to the right and to Eddie Lacy from the two to the left. After going four-and-out from the New England 43 the Packers drove from the Patriots eight from the Packer 14, but once again couldn't punch one in. First down was an incompletion to Adams in the middle followed by a one-yard completion to Adams to the left and another incomplete pass to Adams to the right. FIELD GOAL resulted. Rodgers was also sacked twice, including on the first play.

 

Scott Tolzien looked good. He went 10-of-16 for 107 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions for a rating of 102.9. He showed a good pocket presence and a nice touchdown on his longer throws, especially his fourth-and-one from the New England 26 to Jeff Janis for the touchdown. Now that was a great play and if you haven't noticed it came from outside the red zone.

Post-Game Analysis: The Big Picture

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.

 

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.

I'm Back and Pissed Off

It's been a while since I've posted anything and there are two reasons - well actually more than two, but I will only share just two of them - I've fallen behind in my analysis of the Green Bay Packers.

 

First, not much was happening and I had already gave my analysis of the draft and the undrafted free agents, so any further comments during the lull could wait until the "Organized Team Activities" got underway this week.

 

Second, I am a working sports reporter and we have been in the middle of softball, baseball, track and girls soccer conference, regionals and sectionals and I've been very busy.

 

But today a story out of the Falcons griped my butt forcing me to return to the fray - even though technically it has nothing to do with the Packers.

 

Some idiot named Prince Shembo was cut by the Falcons (May 29) after being charged with killing his girlfriend's little dog. Great - zero tolerance on animal cruelty - is a good thing, but this action was only the tip of the iceberg of an attitude towards women by the NFL (and other sports leagues and organizations)

 

CHEATERS NEVER WIN UNTIL THEY DO

I'm going to step out of my Packers in-dept analysis mode for a day and address "Deflategate". Normally, I couldn't care a hoot about what's going on outside of Lambeau Field, but driving through town I caught the Sean Hannity Show on the radio and, while I never listen to that cretin because he gripes my butt.............All Things Considered wasn't on yet and he wasn't taking shots at Democrats like he does every single minute or every single day and he was talking about "Deflategate".

 

Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen

Hannity's point was Tom Brady would never be fined or suspended because the report didn't exactly say he did anything and to a lesser point Brady is good for the game, so the NFL would never sanction him because in essence he is too big to fail, which, ironically, Hannity is against if somehow it hurts the Democrats and he always seems to find a way to turn anything that happens into something to hurt the Democrats. But not today.