Today's the day the ViQueens visit Lambeau Field. The Pack won at the Humpty Dump earlier this season, and will win at home again today. They're favored by 6 points. While you like to see the Pack finally getting that kind of respect from the oddsmakers, that's a big point spread, particularly in this rivalry and no matter how good or bad the respective teams are at the time of play.
Basically, the 'Queens have nothing on offense except one of the best young running backs to enter the league since...Reggie Bush? OK, that was just a year ago. But Adrian Peterson is the real deal. And the Packers will have to focus their defensive efforts on stopping him. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Peterson will get some yards. Probably more than 100. But as long as he doesn't set another single-game rushing record for the second week in a row, and doesn't make a habit of visiting the end zone, there should be no excuses for the Packers not coming out of this game 8-1. The 'Queens are down to former UW Badgers QB Brooks Bollinger as starter. While Bollinger was a great college QB, particularly within the UW scheme, he is nothing more than a serviceable backup (sorry, Brooks). Don't look for him to win games.
As for the 'Queens defense, they have an excellent d-line; one of the best in the league in terms of rushing defense. So, let's think about this: the Packers rushing offense still stinks and they go against a great rushing defense. OK, nothing different than the rest of the season from a Packers standpoint. Keep the ball in the hands of ol' #4 and his band of merry receivers and all will be well. Oh sure, former Packer Darren "used to be" Sharper (my apologies to Chris Berman) will be ball-hawking in the secondary. Might even get a pick off his old teammate when he guesses correctly. But he will not be able to keep up with receivers going deep. Just ask Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly.
The Packers defense will have a change at safety, with rookie Aaron Rouse replacing Nick Collins who was injured in last week's game. Rouse is a different type of safety at 6'4". He has speed and size. Perhaps against a more experienced quarterback Rouse could be exposed as the rookie he is. But today, he has an opportunity to make plays particularly if the Packers defensive line continues its fine play, putting pressure on the opposing quarterback. With his size, he can also be an effective player against the run. Aaron Kampman could again have a big day with pressures and sacks, although Bollinger is a mobile QB and may negate some of the sack possibilities as a result. But that's only a factor if the 'Queens forget to hand off early and often to Mr. Peterson.
On the offensive line, the Packers will probably be going without Junius Coston at right guard. He continues to have a sore ankle which has been limiting his play. If he can't go, Jason Spitz will likely start at right guard with Daryn Colledge at left. Coach McCarthy had a meeting with his guards earlier in the week during which he expressed his displeasure with their performance not only in the running game, but also in terms of their protection of Brett Favre. We'll see how well they got that message, particularly against a stout 'Queens d-line.
This could be a classic letdown game for the Pack, coming off two remarkable road wins. But a letdown game doesn't come very often against division rivals. And it definitely shouldn't come against a team the Pack is far superior to. Of course, if they were to get sloppy and commit turnovers, or let Adrian Peterson scamper about, things could take a nasty turn. But the odds are against it. Just like they are against the ViQueens.
Count on the Packers to get it done back in the friendly confines of Lambeau.
Showing posts with label Junius Coston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Junius Coston. Show all posts
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Packers - Chargers wrap up
OK. I think I'm calmed down now. It may not always be easy being a Packers fan. But it sure can't be beat. And right now, neither can the Packers. 3-0 has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Especially when some of those high-paid talking heads -- and you know who you are! -- expected the Pack to be 0-3 at this point of the season.
Seventy-six percent of the teams that start 3-0 go to the playoffs, according to a stat cited on-air by WTMJ620 radio sports guru, Bill Michaels. And all teams last year that started 3-0 went to the playoffs. Does this mean the Pack will? Of course not. But is it better than the alternative? A-duh! The ViQueens lost today to make them 1-2. The Lions got blown out by the Eagles, to put them at 2-1. And after Da Bearz lose to the Cowboys tonight in Chicago to fall into a tie with the 'Queens at 1-2, the Packers will stand alone atop the division at 3-0. (OK, they stand at the top of the division regardless, but you know what I mean.) They'll take that record and a 7-game winning streak (going back to last season) into the Humpty Dump to take on a team that rightly deserves to share the basement with Da Bearz.
But enough about records and next week. What happened in the 4th quarter of the game? Here are a few highlights.
With the Bolts leading 21-14, and with about 12 minutes to go in the game and the Chargers at about their own 20, KGB sacked QB Phil Rivers causing a fumble. It looked as if KGB tried to pick up the ball and couldn't. Chargers recovered, setting up a punt.
The Pack started to move the ball and on 3rd and 2, Brett threw a pass to TE Donald Lee that would have resulted in a first down...if he hadn't pushed off. Which, if memory serves, is something he got called on last week as well. Most if not all receivers push off. So obviously Mr. Lee must perfect his technique so as not to be so obvious...not that I'm advocating that sort of thing, of course. Anyway...that made it 3rd and 12 from the Chargers 29. Brett went right back to Lee with an 18-yard strike for a first down at the 11. There was another pass that appeared to be for a TD, only to have the refs call the receiver down at about the 1-yard line. Brett wanted to challenge, but McCarthy apparently decided to not jeopardize his remaining timeouts on a failed challenge. Depending upon the replay view, it was a TD...or it wasn't. The Pack decided that they should be able to score anyway, so with the ball at the 1...RG Junius Coston promptly proceeded to have a false start penalty that moved the ball back to 6. After then overthrowing his outlet receiver, and then being sacked, Brett threw a bullet to WR James Jones at the goal line and...he was called down at about the 1-foot line. So, 4th down with about a foot to go. What do the Packers do? Not run. No-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o. Why would we do that? In fact, let's not even bother to put any running backs in to even feign a run...let's just clear the backfield and make it even more obvious we'll be passing. And, surprise, surprise...the pass was tipped at the line and the Pack was turned away with less than 6 minutes remaining.
At this point, it did not look good. And if the Pack hadn't gone on to win, there would have been a lot of second-guessing about that series of plays. Rightly, there can still be some second-guessing. (Just a stat to ponder: with about 2:30 to go in the game the Packers had 6 yards rushing in the entire second half!)
So the ball went over to the Bolts who proceeded to get out of the near-end zone on a 3rd down pass to Antonio Gates. However, the Pack was able to hold and got the ball back via a punt at their own 44. On second down and with a little over 2 minutes to go, Brett hit Greg Jennings on a quick slant that Jennings proceeded to catch in full stride and turn into a 57-yard TD catch and run. Jennings may not be the fastest guy on the planet, but it sure seems as if he can pull away from defenders trying to catch him. It's nice to have him back in the playing line up, that's for sure. This was the TD pass that also tied Brett with Dan Marino for most all-time TD passes at 420. This put the Packers ahead 24-21.
The Packers stiffened on defense and on third down from their own 30 with a little over a minute to go, Rivers' pass was intercepted by Packers LB Nick Barnett, who returned it to the 2. Amazingly, the Packers actually scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown on a hand off to Brandon Jackson. Pack 31 - Chargers 21.
To the Chargers credit, they came down the field and took a field goal on third down with about 20 seconds to go to put them within a TD of tying...assuming they could recover an onside kick...which an on-screen stat showed they hadn't done in 10 years. The kick was high, but too far, right into the waiting and secure hands of Donald Driver. Game over. Pack wins 31-24.
Make no mistake: there is still a lot to work on. Especially that, what do they call it? Oh yeah, running game. But the defense shut down a powerful offense enough to allow the Pack to score the points it needed to make to win. And contrary to the prior 2 games where we were assisted with special teams turnovers, etc., this game was no fluke as some might have thought about the earlier ones.
This young team has confidence. That's what's needed going into the Humpty Dump. The Pack have won the last 3 out of 4 there. Let's make it 4 out of 5.
Enjoy, Packers fans. It's going to be a fun ride this year.
Oh, and one more record before closing this post: Donald Driver has now caught more TD passes at Lambeau Field than any other Packers receiver. Ever. Congrats Donald. Congrats Brett. It sure is fun watching you guys.
Seventy-six percent of the teams that start 3-0 go to the playoffs, according to a stat cited on-air by WTMJ620 radio sports guru, Bill Michaels. And all teams last year that started 3-0 went to the playoffs. Does this mean the Pack will? Of course not. But is it better than the alternative? A-duh! The ViQueens lost today to make them 1-2. The Lions got blown out by the Eagles, to put them at 2-1. And after Da Bearz lose to the Cowboys tonight in Chicago to fall into a tie with the 'Queens at 1-2, the Packers will stand alone atop the division at 3-0. (OK, they stand at the top of the division regardless, but you know what I mean.) They'll take that record and a 7-game winning streak (going back to last season) into the Humpty Dump to take on a team that rightly deserves to share the basement with Da Bearz.
But enough about records and next week. What happened in the 4th quarter of the game? Here are a few highlights.
With the Bolts leading 21-14, and with about 12 minutes to go in the game and the Chargers at about their own 20, KGB sacked QB Phil Rivers causing a fumble. It looked as if KGB tried to pick up the ball and couldn't. Chargers recovered, setting up a punt.
The Pack started to move the ball and on 3rd and 2, Brett threw a pass to TE Donald Lee that would have resulted in a first down...if he hadn't pushed off. Which, if memory serves, is something he got called on last week as well. Most if not all receivers push off. So obviously Mr. Lee must perfect his technique so as not to be so obvious...not that I'm advocating that sort of thing, of course. Anyway...that made it 3rd and 12 from the Chargers 29. Brett went right back to Lee with an 18-yard strike for a first down at the 11. There was another pass that appeared to be for a TD, only to have the refs call the receiver down at about the 1-yard line. Brett wanted to challenge, but McCarthy apparently decided to not jeopardize his remaining timeouts on a failed challenge. Depending upon the replay view, it was a TD...or it wasn't. The Pack decided that they should be able to score anyway, so with the ball at the 1...RG Junius Coston promptly proceeded to have a false start penalty that moved the ball back to 6. After then overthrowing his outlet receiver, and then being sacked, Brett threw a bullet to WR James Jones at the goal line and...he was called down at about the 1-foot line. So, 4th down with about a foot to go. What do the Packers do? Not run. No-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o. Why would we do that? In fact, let's not even bother to put any running backs in to even feign a run...let's just clear the backfield and make it even more obvious we'll be passing. And, surprise, surprise...the pass was tipped at the line and the Pack was turned away with less than 6 minutes remaining.
At this point, it did not look good. And if the Pack hadn't gone on to win, there would have been a lot of second-guessing about that series of plays. Rightly, there can still be some second-guessing. (Just a stat to ponder: with about 2:30 to go in the game the Packers had 6 yards rushing in the entire second half!)
So the ball went over to the Bolts who proceeded to get out of the near-end zone on a 3rd down pass to Antonio Gates. However, the Pack was able to hold and got the ball back via a punt at their own 44. On second down and with a little over 2 minutes to go, Brett hit Greg Jennings on a quick slant that Jennings proceeded to catch in full stride and turn into a 57-yard TD catch and run. Jennings may not be the fastest guy on the planet, but it sure seems as if he can pull away from defenders trying to catch him. It's nice to have him back in the playing line up, that's for sure. This was the TD pass that also tied Brett with Dan Marino for most all-time TD passes at 420. This put the Packers ahead 24-21.
The Packers stiffened on defense and on third down from their own 30 with a little over a minute to go, Rivers' pass was intercepted by Packers LB Nick Barnett, who returned it to the 2. Amazingly, the Packers actually scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown on a hand off to Brandon Jackson. Pack 31 - Chargers 21.
To the Chargers credit, they came down the field and took a field goal on third down with about 20 seconds to go to put them within a TD of tying...assuming they could recover an onside kick...which an on-screen stat showed they hadn't done in 10 years. The kick was high, but too far, right into the waiting and secure hands of Donald Driver. Game over. Pack wins 31-24.
Make no mistake: there is still a lot to work on. Especially that, what do they call it? Oh yeah, running game. But the defense shut down a powerful offense enough to allow the Pack to score the points it needed to make to win. And contrary to the prior 2 games where we were assisted with special teams turnovers, etc., this game was no fluke as some might have thought about the earlier ones.
This young team has confidence. That's what's needed going into the Humpty Dump. The Pack have won the last 3 out of 4 there. Let's make it 4 out of 5.
Enjoy, Packers fans. It's going to be a fun ride this year.
Oh, and one more record before closing this post: Donald Driver has now caught more TD passes at Lambeau Field than any other Packers receiver. Ever. Congrats Donald. Congrats Brett. It sure is fun watching you guys.
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