It was a game the Packers needed to have coming off the disappointing loss the week before against the Giants. And they got it: a 23-14 win over the ViQueens at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
It might not have been the prettiest game they've played this season (in fact, other than the Houston game, there haven't been many of those games at all), but it was a hard-earned win by a team that was simply better than its opponent, despite missing about eight of the preferred starters on offense and defense. The ViQueens, with WR Percy Harvin on the sidelines, had no offense other than RB Adrian Peterson...which isn't all bad, admittedly. In fact, Peterson was the Minnesota offense, rushing for more than 200 yards, with about 150 of those yards coming on just three runs. The lack of tackling ability on the part of more than a few Packers' defenders helped contribute to that total but make no mistake about it: with a better quarterback and some wide receivers...well...talk to me when the 'Queens get that in place, will you?
Back to the Pack...
One of the good things to come out of the game was the rushing attack of the Packers, which saw James Starks and Alex Green combine for 123 yards on the day. One of the game's two touchdowns for the Pack even came on the ground, a 22-yarder by James Starks; it was only the third rushing TD of the season for the Pack. It's all a long way from Peterson's 210 yards, but it was more than enough to keep the Minnesota defenders from launching full-out rushes on QB Aaron Rodgers with every snap; they had to stay honest against the run and that helped open up the pass. As a result, Rodgers was 27 for 35 and 286 yards with one touchdown and one interception (that was as good as a punt on an ill-advised flea flicker type play).
A second and unexpected positive for the offense was the workman-like play of undrafted rookie offensive lineman, Don Barclay. Barclay was forced to take over the right tackle slot after starter T.J. Lang went out with an ankle injury. Lang, of course, was playing in that spot after a move from his starting left guard spot after regular right tackle starter Bryan Bulaga was lost for the season. (Still with me?) Yes, this is how thin and precarious it has gotten on the offensive line for the Packers. In fact, there is currently only one other lineman available should any of the current players go down, another undrafted rookie, Greg Van Roten. Still, Barclay wound up holding his own and, truth be told, the Packers actually ran to his side of the formation quite often in the second half.
Another plus for the Packers was that it appeared (fingers and toes still crossed!) that kicker Mason Crosby may have finally gotten the monkey off his back with his field goal issues. He was three for four on the day, missing only a 50+-yarder. Granted, he clunked his first kick off the left upright, but it went in. And it seemed on a 4th and 7 that -- after missing his second attempt on the day -- his head coach had lost faith in him; McCarthy called Crosby back to the sideline and was going to go for it until Minnesota got confused and had to call a timeout. It was during that timeout that apparently McCarthy reconsidered his decision and sent his kicker out...one more time. Crosby made it. And later, he made a third kick that was the "dagger" on the day, putting the Pack up by 9 points and making any comeback possibility by the 'Queens next to nil. Good for Crosby. He had a huge smile on his face and teammates were celebrating with him. It might just have been what the doctor ordered in order for Crosby to once again begin doing what he's paid very well to do: make field goals.
On defense, the negatives primarily centered around the Packers' inability to get Peterson on the ground. Now, lots of teams have that issue. But any time you give up 210 yards on 21 carries to a back -- even of Peterson's calibre -- you know that something is not right with the tackling ability of your defense. This was a problem last year and it's an issue that has seemingly re-emerged. It needs to get corrected, whether it's your starters or backups on the field.
One definite area of improvement for the Pack this season, however, is the play of the defensive backs. Granted, they really didn't have too many threats to cover yesterday and they certainly were not going against a top-tier quarterback in Christian Ponder. But when they didn't hand off to Peterson, Minnesota had no offense to speak of. The Packers' defensive backs had receivers covered all day long. S Morgan Burnett, in particular, did a tremendous job, coming up with two picks on the day, including one in the endzone to end a promising 'Queens drive.
The Pack needed to get the game in the win column and they did. With the Lions losing at the end of regulation to the Colts and Da Bearz losing in overtime to the fomer Wisconsin Badgers Russell Wilson-led Seattle Seahawks, the Packers are in first place in the NFC North. Despite being tied at 8-4 with Chicago, the Packers are technically in first place by virtue of holding the tiebreaker against Da Bearz.
With a win against the hapless Lions at Lambeau Field on the horizon this coming Sunday evening, the game against Chicago the following week at Soldier Field could very well determine who wins the NFC North. The Packers are hurt and may get a few players back. But the way the season is going, the team will lose a few yet, as well. So the team is pretty much what you see. In many ways, coach McCarthy and his staff have once again done an amazing job keeping this team winning despite all the setbacks, as they did in 2010. The difference, as one pundit pointed out, was that in that year most of the injuries were done by this point in the season and players were actually starting to return. This season, injuries are still occurring that are affecting lineups on the field. Beyond that, who knows?
Let's enjoy the win...a good 29th birthday present for Aaron Rodgers...and something to keep us fans yearning for what's to come.
Showing posts with label Greg Van Roten. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greg Van Roten. Show all posts
Monday, December 03, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Packers vs. Lions: Big Game for Both Teams
In the unofficial start to the second half of the NFL season for the Green Bay Packers following the team's bye week, the schedule-makers begin to serve up a heapin' plateful of NFC North Division opponents. Five of the Pack's final seven games are within the division. The NFL has finally decided to create a schedule that keeps things interesting right until the end of the season. First up for the Packers is the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
The Packers are 6-3 and the Lions are 4-5. The Pack is favored by 3-1/2 points. This is a huge game for both teams. With a win, the Packers will go to 7-3 and thus will likely be tied for the division lead with Da Bearz who, especially without QB Jay Cutler, will likely be on the losing end of their game with San Francisco Monday night. Actually, because the Pack beat Chicago in their first meeting, Green Bay holds the tiebreaker and actually would be in first place based upon that factor. If the Pack loses today, and Da Bearz also lose, they will remain one game behind...not horrible, but with this game setting up so well to pick up a game on Chicago, it really is a game they need to win. On the outside chance the Pack loses and Chicago wins, they'd be two behind Chicago and doing themselves no favors coming up on the stretch run, especially with a game against the Giants in New York coming up next Sunday evening.
For the inconsistent Lions, they need this game to avoid falling to 4-6. There are lots of mediocre teams sitting in that vicinity. If they lose today, the Lions would have to likely win all their remaining games to even keep open a chance of getting a wildcard spot with a 10-6 record. It's not likely that would happen, nor that the Lions would win out. Winning today to go to 5-5 would at least give them a lifeline.
Let's look at the matchups
For the Packers, they will likely be without six starters today including Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson and Bryan Bulaga. There has been a great deal of discussion on the radio call-in shows this week about whether Matthews or Bulaga is the biggest loss for today's game. Some feel that without the pass rush threat from Matthews, Lions' QB Matthew Stafford will have time to find WR Calvin Johnson and rack up yards and points; of course, CB Tramon Williams will have something to say about Johnson's success or lack thereof no matter what happens on the line. Others feel that the loss of Bulaga created two moves on the offensive line for the Packers: LG T.J. Lang moves to right tackle and back up Evan Dietrich-Smith fills Lang's spot at left guard. This obviously creates a different dynamic along the whole offensive line. More worrisome, however, is if additional injuries occur on the O-line there are only two backups to fill in: Don Barclay and Greg Van Roten. Can you say, "Yikes!"?
Back to the Matthews vs. Bulaga debate...My take is that knowing they would be without Matthews for this game, Mike McCarthy and Dom Capers will get creative with their schemes and personnel to still pressure Stafford and keep the passing game in check. As for the Lions running game, RB Mikel Leshoure, a 2011 second-round draft choice from Illinois, will be making his debut against the Packers. If the Packers let him get active, it could give the Lions enough balance to cause problems defensively for the Pack.
Early reports today are that the Packers will get WR Jordy Nelson back in the lineup. That would return the full complement of receivers except for Greg Jennings. In other words, pretty much the full set of weapons QB Aaron Rodgers wants and needs on the field, particularly against one of the worst secondaries around.
The trick here will be how effective the Packers newly configured line will be against a very good and disruptive front four of the Lions. If the Packers offensive line can't handle defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley especially, it will be a long day for Aaron Rodgers and the offense. That would open the door to the real possibility of an upset. Of course, if the Packers can generate any semblance of a rushing game with Alex Green and James Starks that will help considerably in all aspects of the game. Getting FB John Kuhn back today will also be a plus in pass protection and short yardage situations.
Prediction
The oddsmakers have set the over-under for this game at 52 points, the third highest of any game this weekend. A shoot-out apparently is expected. I think that's the case as well, although I'd be on the "under" side of things. It seems as if, while acknowledging Detroit's desperate state and upset chances, most pundits are picking the Packers to win. The Packers are the unanimous choice of the ESPN pundits. I know, that should make us all nervous.
The Packers are 5-1 after their bye weeks under Mike McCarthy. McCarthy is also 11-1 against Detroit overall. You have to like those trends. Even without some of their best players on offense and defense, the Packers are the better team. They will, however, have to play like it for a full 60 minutes today to get the win. But win they will.
I'm calling it 27-20 Packers.
Go Pack Go!!!
The Packers are 6-3 and the Lions are 4-5. The Pack is favored by 3-1/2 points. This is a huge game for both teams. With a win, the Packers will go to 7-3 and thus will likely be tied for the division lead with Da Bearz who, especially without QB Jay Cutler, will likely be on the losing end of their game with San Francisco Monday night. Actually, because the Pack beat Chicago in their first meeting, Green Bay holds the tiebreaker and actually would be in first place based upon that factor. If the Pack loses today, and Da Bearz also lose, they will remain one game behind...not horrible, but with this game setting up so well to pick up a game on Chicago, it really is a game they need to win. On the outside chance the Pack loses and Chicago wins, they'd be two behind Chicago and doing themselves no favors coming up on the stretch run, especially with a game against the Giants in New York coming up next Sunday evening.
For the inconsistent Lions, they need this game to avoid falling to 4-6. There are lots of mediocre teams sitting in that vicinity. If they lose today, the Lions would have to likely win all their remaining games to even keep open a chance of getting a wildcard spot with a 10-6 record. It's not likely that would happen, nor that the Lions would win out. Winning today to go to 5-5 would at least give them a lifeline.
Let's look at the matchups
For the Packers, they will likely be without six starters today including Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson and Bryan Bulaga. There has been a great deal of discussion on the radio call-in shows this week about whether Matthews or Bulaga is the biggest loss for today's game. Some feel that without the pass rush threat from Matthews, Lions' QB Matthew Stafford will have time to find WR Calvin Johnson and rack up yards and points; of course, CB Tramon Williams will have something to say about Johnson's success or lack thereof no matter what happens on the line. Others feel that the loss of Bulaga created two moves on the offensive line for the Packers: LG T.J. Lang moves to right tackle and back up Evan Dietrich-Smith fills Lang's spot at left guard. This obviously creates a different dynamic along the whole offensive line. More worrisome, however, is if additional injuries occur on the O-line there are only two backups to fill in: Don Barclay and Greg Van Roten. Can you say, "Yikes!"?
Back to the Matthews vs. Bulaga debate...My take is that knowing they would be without Matthews for this game, Mike McCarthy and Dom Capers will get creative with their schemes and personnel to still pressure Stafford and keep the passing game in check. As for the Lions running game, RB Mikel Leshoure, a 2011 second-round draft choice from Illinois, will be making his debut against the Packers. If the Packers let him get active, it could give the Lions enough balance to cause problems defensively for the Pack.
Early reports today are that the Packers will get WR Jordy Nelson back in the lineup. That would return the full complement of receivers except for Greg Jennings. In other words, pretty much the full set of weapons QB Aaron Rodgers wants and needs on the field, particularly against one of the worst secondaries around.
The trick here will be how effective the Packers newly configured line will be against a very good and disruptive front four of the Lions. If the Packers offensive line can't handle defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley especially, it will be a long day for Aaron Rodgers and the offense. That would open the door to the real possibility of an upset. Of course, if the Packers can generate any semblance of a rushing game with Alex Green and James Starks that will help considerably in all aspects of the game. Getting FB John Kuhn back today will also be a plus in pass protection and short yardage situations.
Prediction
The oddsmakers have set the over-under for this game at 52 points, the third highest of any game this weekend. A shoot-out apparently is expected. I think that's the case as well, although I'd be on the "under" side of things. It seems as if, while acknowledging Detroit's desperate state and upset chances, most pundits are picking the Packers to win. The Packers are the unanimous choice of the ESPN pundits. I know, that should make us all nervous.
The Packers are 5-1 after their bye weeks under Mike McCarthy. McCarthy is also 11-1 against Detroit overall. You have to like those trends. Even without some of their best players on offense and defense, the Packers are the better team. They will, however, have to play like it for a full 60 minutes today to get the win. But win they will.
I'm calling it 27-20 Packers.
Go Pack Go!!!
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Packers finalize practice squad; get ready for 49ers
Following the flurry of cuts and waivers to get to their 53-man roster last Friday, the Green Bay Packers finally nailed down the eight spots on their practice squad. Most of the eight have already been with the Pack, either as rookies this training camp or as practice squad players previously. The eighth and final spot, however, was filled by a two-year veteran cut from the Steelers, Chris Scott, an offensive lineman. Considering that GM Ted Thompson only kept seven offensive linemen on the active roster, adding an experienced lineman to the practice squad gives the team at least a bit of depth. A bit. The Packers also kept seventh-round pick Andrew Datko and undrafted rookie free agent G Greg Van Roten on the squad. Only one defensive player, DE Lawrence Guy, made the squad.
Anyway, here's the practice squad roster:
49ers coming to Lambeau to kick off the season
The Packers had their first practice of the regular season yesterday as they began preparation for the San Francisco 49ers coming to Lambeau Field this Sunday. A few players were held out, including B.J. Raji who sustained an ankle sprain on the first play of the final preseason game. Today is the team's regular day off before they again resume preparations tomorrow.
Currently, the Packers are slotted as 5-point favorites over the Niners, who bring a talented defense into town. San Fran had a very good season last year, but they picked up four easy wins going against the likes of Seattle and Arizona.
We'll be back nearer game day to provide both a game -- and season -- prediction.
Until then...say it with me: It's great to be a Packer fan!
Anyway, here's the practice squad roster:
- QB B.J. Coleman
- WR Diondre Borel
- RB Marc Tyler
- TE Brandon Bostick
- T Andrew Datko
- G/T Chris Scott
- G Greg Van Roten
- DE Lawrence Guy
49ers coming to Lambeau to kick off the season
The Packers had their first practice of the regular season yesterday as they began preparation for the San Francisco 49ers coming to Lambeau Field this Sunday. A few players were held out, including B.J. Raji who sustained an ankle sprain on the first play of the final preseason game. Today is the team's regular day off before they again resume preparations tomorrow.
Currently, the Packers are slotted as 5-point favorites over the Niners, who bring a talented defense into town. San Fran had a very good season last year, but they picked up four easy wins going against the likes of Seattle and Arizona.
We'll be back nearer game day to provide both a game -- and season -- prediction.
Until then...say it with me: It's great to be a Packer fan!
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