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Chris Chambers Gets To Be On A Decent Team

Right before the NFL trading deadline passed on Tuesday night, the Miami Dolphins traded former Wisconsin Badger Chris Chambers to the offensively loaded San Diego Chargers. In return, the Dolphins receive the Chargers' second round pick in next spring's draft. Miami is 0-6, and appears to have punted on the season, despite Ronnie Brown's emergence as an excellent player.
It'll be neat to see what Chris can do as part of a talented offense. If you have the best running back and tight end in football on your team, you'd think your wide receivers would see a lot of single coverage. And Chris has been playing at a high level this season-- even with Miami struggling, he's been on pace to have 1,000 yards receiving, so he could really be a boost to the Chargers passing offense. I'm not that impressed with Vincent Jackson or Buster Davis, so Chris may very well become the Chargers number one wideout. Good for him. San Diego's nicer than Miami anyway. (And Mexican food kicks the crap out of Cuban food.)

The Packers, as you might anticipate, didn't make any trades. Their one potential trading piece, defensive lineman Corey Williams, who's an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, has made himself too valuable to the team-- subbing in well at end and tackle, and forcing the Santana Moss fumble that enabled Woodson to score the game winning touchdown against the Redskins. The team's likely going to lose him in the offseason, and will receive almost nothing in return. (Football does give compensatory draft picks, but they're almost always really late in the draft.) Hopefully, his play over the rest of the season will be worth it.

"We were just off. We were off."

-- Packers' Offensive Line Coach (and former center) James Campen, September 10, 2007.

At least someone is acknowledging the suck-a-thon. I generally think Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy are doing an okay job so far, but the Professor Positive, refusing to level with the media thing has got to stop. When people stink up the joint, admit that they played poorly and move on.

Thompson also needs to explain whey he makes certain moves. I'm sure many fans would feel better if Thompson, for example, explained that he had Harrell rated right next to Marshawn Lynch, and well above any of the wide receivers available at sixteen. What he may not realize is that the Packer board and Harlan aren't the sole owners. He is not accountable just to them. There are thousands of owners all over the country, myself included. I want to know why the hell he does things, and the press is my only method for finding out. So cut out the unnecessary obfuscation, Ted, and level with the media. The people who own your team want to know why their most important employee is doing what he's doing. Sheesh.

Ha!

I hope people got a chance to watch the Packers game, because that was hilarious. Not only did the Packers manage to beat the City of Brotherly Love 16 - 13, but they did so with their offense only contributing three points to the cause. Hell, the 9 to 7 victory over Minnesota last year was a more impressive offensive showing. To be plain, the offense was so inept, the Packers should have lost the game. With Westbrook and McNabb, Philadelphia is a more talented team, and if the two teams played 10 games, I'd pick the Eagles to win 6 or 7, at least at this stage in the offense's development. The Eagles will definitely challenge Dallas for the NFC East. Here are some take aways:

First, the defense looks close to as good as advertised. They got almost no help in terms of time of possession from the offense, but only gave up thirteen points to a team with a top tier quarterback, offensive line, and running back. (That same team put up 31 points on the same personnel, minus Bigby, last season.) Thanks to players like Johnny Jolly (three batted passes) stepping up, McNabb completed less than 50% of his passes, and threw for under 200 yards-- both surprisingly bad stats for such a good player. The box score says the defense only had one sack, but they tackled McNabb for little or no gain on several scrambles, and flushed him repeatedly. (Though, sadly, KGB looked ineffective; get healthy Mike Montgomery!) If McNabb wasn't so damn mobile and strong, the D would have had at least four sacks. Against a worse offensive line and less mobile quarterback (hello, Jack Kitna!), the pass rush should be fun to watch. Barnett's interception was one of the best plays I've ever seen him make, and he had a pretty good game otherwise, swooping around to make 9 solo tackles, though he did give up the D's one touchdown. Al's elbow injury was scary (easy there, Atari!), but he came back on and played decently, so hopefully it's manageable. If folks can stay healthy, this could be an excellent unit this season. The early results are good.

Second, the offense was as bad as the pessimists feared, but the fault does not necessarily lie where people expected. The pundits predicted that the Packers would struggle on offense because of inexperience, injury, and lack of talent at the skill positions. Yes, Driver did seem to struggle to get open against the Eagles' good corners, Jackson dropped a pass that could have been a ten yard gain, and Bubba continues to not look fast. But these issues were not the source of the offense's ineptitude.

Here's the main problem-- the offensive line played like garbage. Especially the Packers' lone Wisconsin alum-- Mark Tauscher. Yes, I'm calling you out, Grizzly Adams. Tauscher gave up at least one sack directly, gave up too many pressures to count, let ends breeze past him on several run downs, and took a pathetic ankle dive at a Philly DT during a broken play that led to Favre being sacked again. Clifton got soundly beat for another sack, and Colledge either thought Wells was helping him out or just got owned on an additional sack. If it weren't for Favre's in the pocket shenanigans, like the one that resulted in the 18 yard shuffle pass to Wynn, the team would have given up even more than the four officials sacks noted in the box score. Brandon Jackson didn't look explosive, but he had almost nowhere to run the entire game. On the whole, it was a terrible outing by what is supposed to be an improved line.

And Philly's defensive line is just pretty good, not elite. If this had been the Bears or the Chargers (two of the Packers' next four opponents) it would have been far worse. Tauscher needs to get his act together, and the line needs to play far better, and quickly. Based on last night's performance against the Cowboys, the Giants, the Packers next opponent, don't have too fearsome a front four. But after that, things will get rough quickly in the form of the Chargers Vikings, and Bears. Uh oh.

Now, the offense should be improved with a healthy Greg Jennings and Vernand Morency, both talented guys who have at least some experience. (The return of Jennings, for example, will boost the entire passing game. Not only will he be a threat in his own stead, but he'll force opposing teams to cover James Jones with their nickel backs, rather than their starting corners. Advantage, Pack Attack.) It sounded like Vernand was close to playing this week, and I don't think Jennings' pulled hammie was too serious.

Third, the special teams are much improved, but no one can expect this sort of luck every week. The first fumble/touchdown was a great play by Jarrett Bush, just leveling Philly's returner a millisecond after he caught the ball, and then crazy luck in favor of the Packers, with Sega helping hurl the ball into the end zone and Tracy White ending up on top of it. That's a lot of things playing out for the Packers on that one play-- a receiving team will often jump on a fumble, and punt returners should call for fair catches in when the gunners are that close. But still, Bush made it happen with his great hit, and the other players were aware enough to chase the ball.
The second and deciding punt/fumble was a total fluke though. The best play was by Brady Poppinga (my favorite name on the Packers) dodging the returner so as not to draw a penalty. The initial camera angle made it look like Brady bumped him, but really he made a heady move to twist out of the way to avoid contact. Then the Philly returner flubbed it on his own. Craziness.
The returns looked decent, especially with back up guys at the returner spots. When Blackmon gets healthy, and with the apparently improved special teams blocking, returns could actually be exciting, and not just an excuse for FOX to run another three minutes of commercials.

Crosby looked good as well, as everyone must have noticed. His 53 yard boot in the first half rewarded my decision to draft him in both of my fantasy leagues. (The theory was, he has a big leg and the Packers are going to have difficulty scoring TDs this season, and all kickers are basically even. ) So far, the choice of Crosby over Rayner has played out well for the Packers, but it's a long season.

In summary, I guess we have what we thought we'd have, albeit for slightly different reasons. The skill positions aren't great, but the offense's troubles are mainly in the line, and it's the veteran guys, like Clifton and Tauscher, who need to get their acts together. The special teams look younger and more aggressive. The defense is solid, and has a chance to be special. But it needs help from the offense, at least in terms of ball control and time of possession.

A crazy first game, leading to a win over a superior opponent. The Packers are undefeated at home this season. First time anyone's been able to say that since 2002.

Developments

Yesterday afternoon, Coach Bielema and the rest of the Badger staff named Hartland Arrowhead alumnus Tyler Donovan as the team's starting quarterback. This is understandable, but a little disappointing.

I don't say that just because I dislike Hartland Arrowhead for my own personal reasons. But rather because Allan Evridge is a little more talented. He's almost as mobile, stands at least two inches taller, has started more games than Donovan and has a stronger arm. What he lacks, however, is experience with this team. Donovan's spent five years in the program, three under Coach Chryst and his unique offensive system. Allan first arrived on campus last fall. It sounds like Chryst's scheme is a bit complicated to learn, and reports have made it very clear that the coaching staff didn't use their time last season to help Evridge get acquainted with the system. Thus, he's only had about five months to learn the plays, from spring football to now. That just wasn't enough time to surpass Donovan.

I'm also disappointed because I don't have a ton of faith in Donovan. Despite his solid performance at Iowa and his good work against Buffalo, I don't think he has great arm strength. I keep thinking back to the long touchdown pass to Swan in the Iowa game. Swan had his man beat, but Donovan significantly underthrew him. Then Swan made a great play to come back under the defender and retrieve the ball, totally saving Donovan's duck of a pass.
Also, based on the camp reports I've read, it sounds like Donovan has been throwing a lot of interceptions in practice, more than Evridge. Hopefully this is due to our defense being both awesome and very familiar with our offense, and Donovan getting a few more snaps than the other QBs. Unfortunately, some of these interceptions have occurred after tipped passes, which may be due to something Donovan can't control-- his height. He's listed at 6'1" but I think he's shorter. Now TD is a great runner. He showed that in the Iowa game. He doesn't have exceptional speed, but he's shifty and is very comfortable running the ball. Allegedly, the coaches have designed more options, rollouts and bootlegs, all designed to play to TD's strengths. These plays have the added plus of negating the issues with Donovan's height.

I honestly hope I'm wrong about Donovan. I hope he's Stocco combined with Bollinger-- a heady, accurate thrower with great running ability. But I'm skeptical. Also, with the announcement coming this late (a mere ten days before the team's first game), the competition was quite close. Considering the talent and experience the Badgers have at tight end and wide receiver (I think Hubbard and Beckum could both be first day draft picks next spring), if the passing game struggles, it's quite likely that Donovan could get bumped for Evridge at some point during the season. So stay ready, Allan, and keep your chin up. (Remember, you have all next season as well.) But I do wish Donovan luck. He's a Wisconsin kid who turned down other good programs to go to Madison, and he's put in his time. Besides some reports about his pretty-boy tendencies, I haven't heard a bad word about him. Also, as the picture below shows, he'll be taking us all to the Gun Show all season:
Aww, yeah. If the Badgers win the Big Ten with Donovan at the helm, I'm buying him this t-shirt. And no, I'm not a booster, so relax.

In other news, the Packers play their third preseason game tonight against the Yacksonville Yaguars. And it'll actually be broadcast live on national television-- on Fox affiliates across the country. Here in the Chiccy-G, that is, Central Time, it comes on at 7 pm. I'm heading to the gym to watch while Jazzercising.

The third game is typically when starters play the longest, usually about a whole half. I still think the team will play it carefully with some important starters like Woodson and Al. I bet they don't play more than a quarter. So the back-up corners could be in against the Jacksonville starters. All of these guys, probably with the exception of Blackmon who has definitely made the team, have a lot to lose with a poor performance tonight. Keep an eye on Jarrett Bush, #24, who played very well against the Ospreys, and Tramon Williams #38, Frank Walker #41 (the team's lone free agent signing), and Dendy #43. Whoever looks the worst may be gone by the weekend.

Former Iowa standout Abdul Hodge, #52, is also playing for his professional career. Besides a decent training camp last season and a gift-wrapped interception in Seattle last November, he hasn't done much as a Packer. Rookies Desmond Bishop, #55, and Juwan Simpson, #54, could very well make the team ahead of him.

Other things to look for include our offensive line's performance tonight. Jacksonville has two of the best defensive tackles in the league in John Henderson and Marcus Stroud (who we passed on to draft, sigh, Jamal Reynolds). If the Packers consistently get decent gains on the ground in the first half, that's a very good sign.
Unfortunately, there's still no interesting running back competition, since Morency and DeShawn Wynn remain injured. This is getting annoying. Jackson has looked fine, but I am very curious to see what these other guys can do. It's a shame, because barring a miracle Wynn is not going to make the team, and he's never gotten a chance to show what he could do. In his brief moments of health, he looked really good, according to reports, so I hope he clears waivers and gets signed to the practice squad.

Nice!

So, because the first game was kind of lame and depressing, I'm trying to express a reduced level of excitement about the airing of the Packers next preseason game. Here's the info: Saturday's preseason Packer game against the Seattle Sea-Ospreys is scheduled to be rebroadcast on NFL Network at 11 pm this Saturday night. So for those of you not fortunate enough to live in Seattle or Wisconsin, set your Tivos and DVRs.

It sounds like the first string will actually play a decent amount, into the second quarter, so you could actually watch players that will actually be on the field during the actual season . . . actually.

Since the Pack will have to rely on defense this year, I'm going to focus on the unit's apparent weak link -- the safeties. I was hoping Aaron Rouse or Underwood would be making a move up the depth charts, and start putting some pressure on Manuel. Instead, NFL Europe and practice squad fixture Atari Bigby is getting first team reps. He looks faster than Manual, but I don't know if he'll be much of an improvement, given the way he tackled against the Steelers. That bounce off on former Illinois wideout Walter Young was embarrassing. Underwood isn't all they way back from his torn MCL/ACL surgery (ouch), and Rouse seems like he's getting ignored, although when asked, the coaching staff makes nice remarks about him. In the limited time Rouse got in the first game, I saw him make a nice explosive tackle. Keep an eye out for the big guy-- #37, Tyrone Williams' old jersey. I'm also going to follow Harrell to see if he can keep beating up other teams' third strings, and tally how many passes our tight ends drop.

Trading Favre

So Favre apparently reacted to the Packers' inability to acquire Randy Moss in the same way as many Packer fans and some posters to this website--with seething anger at Ted Thompson. In fact, Fox Sports reported that Favre was so upset that Moss ended up in New England that shortly after the draft his agent called the Packers and demanded a trade. Then, McCarthy tried to call Favre for a week and Favre dodged his calls. Finally, they spoke and Favre was talked off the ledge, as it were, and dropped his trade demands. But he remains pissed about the Pack not trading for Randy. In fact, he made various comments about how the team may be rebuilding, and how he's not sure if they're planning to "win now" and ponders whether the team is trying to tell him to retire.

Some Packer fans might react to this story with horror-- the best player in franchise history wants out because he thinks the team stinks! Others might view this as verification of their already dismissive opinion of the team's general manager, Ted Thompson. (E.g., "We've got lots of salary cap money, so where are the free agents?" "Why wouldn't he give a third or second round pick for Moss?" "Why the hell didn't we draft [insert high profile offensive skill position player]?") Personally, I find this really funny and a little bit sad. Funny because of the absurdity of the request and his behavior, and sad because it seems that Brett places his own interests above the teams'. I guess this kind of thing happens at the end of someone's career.

First, there's absolutely no way, at this point, that the Packers would trade Favre. In their minds, I'm quite sure that last year was supposed to be the rebuilding year (massive personnel turnover, offensive line revamp, new coaching staff), and now they may actually be eyeing a playoff spot. So if there was any time when they would have considered trading him, it would have been after the 4-12 season. Such a move would have signaled a full on, and perhaps necessary, rebuilding effort. But now they seem to think they can create a team that will be competitive for a long period of time without going through an ugly transitional period. Having Favre at the helm is a key portion of this "rebuilding while maintaining some decency" plan. He'll keep the team's offense somewhat afloat while the brass builds a strong defense, finds new stars to take over on offense, and grooms (or finds) his successor at quarterback.

Second, Brett's reactions to the team's decisions are hilarious. Calling and demanding a trade after a personnel move falls through is like what I used to do in grade school. When I was over at a friend's house and everyone would decide to play a game I didn't like, I'd just say "ok, then I'm leaving," go get my stuff and start to walk away. More often than not, my friends would cave and we'd end up doing something I liked better. Brett's second move, dodging Coach McCarthy's calls, is more Mean Girls-esque. It has a very high school feel-- I don't want someone to tell me why I'm being irrational so I'm just not going to talk to them! What is this, the Breakfast Club? Is Ted Thompson a modern day Dick Vernon? Talk about being spoiled. It looks like ESPN's constant hero-worshiping has sunk in a little too far.

But third, he's probably right about the team valuing sustainable long term success more than short term success. Why else wouldn't Thompson be willing to give up a third round draft pick for Randy Moss? They know that Moss would be a short term loan. He'd be looking to come into a decent offensive system, catch a bunch of bombs, resuscitate his reputation, and sign some T.O. like free agent deal with a better team. That was apparently one of the sticking points--he only wanted a one-year deal, but the Packers wanted two years. It's clear that management would rather develop a potential replacement at left tackle or find a new starting safety or wide receiver than borrow a talented, petulant and under-performing wideout for one season. Can anyone really blame them?

Fourth and finally, Brett doesn't seem to realize that these moves may make more sense for the team. Not overpaying iffy free agents, not reaching for offensive skill position players, and not giving away a solid draft pick for a one-year gamble are decisions that make long term sense. They may not make more sense to him, personally. But maybe he's forgotten, maybe we've all forgotten, that he isn't the team. That it's not all about going 10-6 his last season, or getting him back to the playoffs, or him breaking Elway's record for career wins. It's about the team being consistently successful, even after he's gone. He seems to have forgotten that, and it looks like many fans have forgotten as well. Maybe it's time we all start to remember.