That was an awful, awful ending. Terms like "grimtrillescent" come to mind. Seriously, are you kidding me? Fighting that hard and playing that well to get back into the game and take the lead, and then every facet of your team lets you down, just at the wrong time. Ugh. The Packers are now 5-7. The season is essentially over, sad to say, as either the Bears or the Vikings will be 7-5 (barring a tie) in about seven hours, and there will definitely not be any wild card berths earned in the NFC North this year. Random scattershot thoughts---
- I like what Brandon Jackson did today. But I don't know about no Ryan Grant for the entire second half, unless he was hurt. Everybody needs a blow sometimes.
- Obviously, the game went South as soon as the Packers got that last first and goal at the 10. Delay of game penalty (two delays of game?), then Rodgers tattooed out of bounds, first down at the seven. That would be fine usually, but McCarthy seemed afraid to pass after Rodgers took that hit. Jackson makes a nice run to the one. Then two straight runs for nothing, or slight losses, where the Panthers were stacking the box chock full. Field goal, another embarrassing return, the bomb to Smith, the one yard run, game over. UGH.
- I wonder if McCarthy thought about using Grant down at the goal line. Probably not.
- I wonder if McCarthy thought about squib kicking that last kickoff? No offense, but that seems like it would have been a pretty good idea-- all of the Panthers' big returns came from that direction. I bet he would have done it for sure had the Packers scored a touchdown on the previous drive.
- Is anyone else just depressed by this loss? I mean, I know the Packers weren't likely doing anything this year. Winning the division would have probably led to a first-round or divisional round playoff loss, likely a sound beating. But still. The team displayed so much of the good and the bad in this game. The ability and then the boneheadedness-- like Driver's great snag compared with Wells' completely unclutch snap over Rodgers' head. The team really plays like its age. Maybe that's it. Maybe there are too many guys who are fading, mixed with too many young guys who are still figuring it out. I mean, I'm hard pressed to think of more than one important player on the Packers who is "in his prime" right now. (Only Aaron Kampman comes to mind. Jenkins and Barnett would have too, but they're both injured. Donald Lee, maybe?) So the squad plays like a team full of aging but crafty veterans, and talented but inconsistent youngsters-- it sputters. Sometimes the veterans get beat physically, sometimes the young guys make execution errors (or they're just not good enough and get beat physically too).
- I guess I feel especially nervous about (and sad for) the aging veterans who are having renaissance seasons. Charles Woodson has played like the effing man this season. And Driver is simply a fine receiver. Both of them are on the verge though. The river flows faster as it gets close to the water fall.
- And what's scary is that the creaky veterans man important positions-- namely both CBs and both OTs. Ignoring Trammon Williams' unclutchness and penalties today, I feel okay about the replacements at corner. But I have no idea who might replace Clifton (Colledge? The mind reels), and Tauscher's potential replacement (the Brazillian kid from Louisville who was drafted this year) has yet to play a real down. This is all well known, I guess. Sigh. Who knows what the future holds. It's been a tantalizing, but ulitimately disappointing season.
Showing posts with label Ryan Grant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan Grant. Show all posts
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Packers-Dolts Notes and Thoughts
Beside the obvious-- a big win over one the marquee teams and players in the league-- yesterday's game had some other positive developments. Here are the ones I can recall, along with some other musings.
- The Packers and the fans should definitely feel good about this game. But think about all the Colts penalties. They had 12 for 110 yards! And stupid ones, like that Colts gunner gifting the Packers a first down by disco dancing around at the line of scrimmage. The game would have been significantly closer without some of those penalties.
- Grant finally broke 100 yards, and looked, at times, something like his old self. True, his yards per carry average was mediocre, but he only had a couple runs for no gain or for losses. That's the key to keeping drives alive. Here's hoping that Grant continues to improve as the year progresses, as he did last season.
- Hey, we had a Donald Lee sighting! That guy can catch some passes, in case we forgot.
- Zero sacks allowed, and Rodgers only took a few big hits, I thought.
- No major injuries. Pickett's aggravated triceps didn't tear in half (phew). And rookie Jeremy Thompson (who's been playing more and more and hasn't looked terrible, which is really encouraging) was the only guy who left the game. Turns out it was just a neck stinger. Thank goodness. Plus, Justin Harrell should be back after the bye week, though no can know what he'll be able to do on the field. Hopefully, he'll help the run defense. The undefeated Titans and their power running game are looming after the bye.
- Despite garnering zero sacks against Manning, who often held the ball a bit too long as he waited for his guys to get off of jams, the line had several tipped passes. Although they're nowhere near as emotional or exciting as a sack, or a pass break up downfield, tipped or batted passes are simply huge plays. Enormous. Great to see the defensive line contributing like that.
- Was that quick fullback run on third and short the first time this season Kuhn has carried the ball? I can't remember the Packers calling that particular play before. I liked that call a lot, but maybe it only worked because the Colts hadn't seen it from the Packers before.
- Speaking of fullbacks, it's great to have Korey Hall back. That catch, run and hurdle he did kept a drive alive, and his hustling recovery of Grant's fumble was huge.
- Brandon Chillar looked pretty good in coverage, and the lack of Poppinga on run downs didn't seem to hurt the team too much. So the personnel switch there seemed to work out, though Chillar bit hard on a playaction fake on the one long completion he gave up to Dwight Clark. When they make that switch though, I'd like to see Poppinga subbing in as a rusher in passing situations. He's a big, strong, intense guy, and I don't see how adding him to the rotation at end would hurt.
- Interesting to see that Chillar replaced Hawk in the nickle package. I wonder if that's permanent or due to Hawk being a bit limited due to his groin injury? Did anyone hear Hawk's name at all this game? It did seem like the nickle was on the field almost all of the game. (Update: Hawk played only two snaps.)
- The Packers and the fans should definitely feel good about this game. But think about all the Colts penalties. They had 12 for 110 yards! And stupid ones, like that Colts gunner gifting the Packers a first down by disco dancing around at the line of scrimmage. The game would have been significantly closer without some of those penalties.
- Grant finally broke 100 yards, and looked, at times, something like his old self. True, his yards per carry average was mediocre, but he only had a couple runs for no gain or for losses. That's the key to keeping drives alive. Here's hoping that Grant continues to improve as the year progresses, as he did last season.
- Hey, we had a Donald Lee sighting! That guy can catch some passes, in case we forgot.
- Zero sacks allowed, and Rodgers only took a few big hits, I thought.
- No major injuries. Pickett's aggravated triceps didn't tear in half (phew). And rookie Jeremy Thompson (who's been playing more and more and hasn't looked terrible, which is really encouraging) was the only guy who left the game. Turns out it was just a neck stinger. Thank goodness. Plus, Justin Harrell should be back after the bye week, though no can know what he'll be able to do on the field. Hopefully, he'll help the run defense. The undefeated Titans and their power running game are looming after the bye.
- Despite garnering zero sacks against Manning, who often held the ball a bit too long as he waited for his guys to get off of jams, the line had several tipped passes. Although they're nowhere near as emotional or exciting as a sack, or a pass break up downfield, tipped or batted passes are simply huge plays. Enormous. Great to see the defensive line contributing like that.
- Was that quick fullback run on third and short the first time this season Kuhn has carried the ball? I can't remember the Packers calling that particular play before. I liked that call a lot, but maybe it only worked because the Colts hadn't seen it from the Packers before.
- Speaking of fullbacks, it's great to have Korey Hall back. That catch, run and hurdle he did kept a drive alive, and his hustling recovery of Grant's fumble was huge.
- Brandon Chillar looked pretty good in coverage, and the lack of Poppinga on run downs didn't seem to hurt the team too much. So the personnel switch there seemed to work out, though Chillar bit hard on a playaction fake on the one long completion he gave up to Dwight Clark. When they make that switch though, I'd like to see Poppinga subbing in as a rusher in passing situations. He's a big, strong, intense guy, and I don't see how adding him to the rotation at end would hurt.
- Interesting to see that Chillar replaced Hawk in the nickle package. I wonder if that's permanent or due to Hawk being a bit limited due to his groin injury? Did anyone hear Hawk's name at all this game? It did seem like the nickle was on the field almost all of the game. (Update: Hawk played only two snaps.)
Sunday, August 03, 2008
5 Things To Be Glad About
1. With Favre now reinstated and reporting, this whole thing is going to end soon, one way or another. I really hope that the Packers relationship with Favre isn't damaged irreparably.
2. Ryan Grant has signed his deal and is due to report to camp today. As the wise Mr. Man predicted, he signed a heavily incentive-laden deal. He also gets a big chunk this year, which it sounds like was the sticking point from the beginning. It seems to me that he wanted to be compensated for his performance last year, which is fair enough. Congrats Ryan, and may you continue to run fools over this year.
3. Javon Walker did not quit football. I know that there has been some animosity between Walker and Packers fans, but he is a decent enough guy and has had about the worst 2 year stretch that anyone could have and still be alive. After a New Years Eve loss to the 49ers that cost the Broncos a playoff berth, Walker had to watch his best friend on the Broncos die in his arms after being shot in their limo after a New Years Party. Then, he injured his knee again and had an incredibly disappointing season. This off-season he was found unconcious in an alley in Las Vegas after being abducted and beated senseless. He almost walked away from football and offered to return $11 million of signing bonus. Al Davis talked him out of it, and he is in camp. I don't usually have a lot of space for a) people who whine there way off my favorite team, or b) Oakland Raiders in general, but I hope the best for Javon. Nobody deserves to go through what he has.
4. The Badgers are not in the top 10. Why is this good? It means they don't have inflated expectations from everyone else, and thus can be driven from within by motivation rather than via external pressure to meet expectations.
5. Chocolate Chip Cookies.
2. Ryan Grant has signed his deal and is due to report to camp today. As the wise Mr. Man predicted, he signed a heavily incentive-laden deal. He also gets a big chunk this year, which it sounds like was the sticking point from the beginning. It seems to me that he wanted to be compensated for his performance last year, which is fair enough. Congrats Ryan, and may you continue to run fools over this year.
3. Javon Walker did not quit football. I know that there has been some animosity between Walker and Packers fans, but he is a decent enough guy and has had about the worst 2 year stretch that anyone could have and still be alive. After a New Years Eve loss to the 49ers that cost the Broncos a playoff berth, Walker had to watch his best friend on the Broncos die in his arms after being shot in their limo after a New Years Party. Then, he injured his knee again and had an incredibly disappointing season. This off-season he was found unconcious in an alley in Las Vegas after being abducted and beated senseless. He almost walked away from football and offered to return $11 million of signing bonus. Al Davis talked him out of it, and he is in camp. I don't usually have a lot of space for a) people who whine there way off my favorite team, or b) Oakland Raiders in general, but I hope the best for Javon. Nobody deserves to go through what he has.
4. The Badgers are not in the top 10. Why is this good? It means they don't have inflated expectations from everyone else, and thus can be driven from within by motivation rather than via external pressure to meet expectations.
5. Chocolate Chip Cookies.
He's Back?
ESPN has apparently been fed some info by Favre (big surprise-- he either uses them or Peter King) claiming that he's been reinstated and is arriving in Green Bay tonight. Oooo, the excitement. Will some legitimate trade offers now step up? Come on, Bears, Vikings, Ravens, Jets and Bucs. Everyone's made mistakes, everyone has communication problems, yadda yadda. We should all just relax. Favre has another year left in the tank, max, and unless the Vikings pick him up and he gets to run play-actions off of Adrian Peterson all day, he's not going to be as effective as he was last season ever again. And when he does actually retire, he will undoubtedly sign the same personal services contract with the team that's already been offered, and will always be thought of as a Packer. It's really a short term issue, and one that got totally blown out of proportion by a sporting media that has realized the NFL is its most popular sport hands-down and that had nothing to do with itself this summer. Please, just let this thing end now. Training camp has been going on for a week, and I feel like I haven't heard much of anything about how the team is actually doing. It's ridiculous. Let it end, for the love of all that is good and holy.
In other news, Grant signed yesterday and should be in camp today, though he won't play in tonight's scrimmage. He gets a fair amount of guaranteed money, which is justifiable given how impressive he was last season, but most of it is tied up in him staying healthy (roster bonuses) and performing (performance bonuses). A solid result for both sides, I think. At least one personnel headache is at an end.
In other news, Grant signed yesterday and should be in camp today, though he won't play in tonight's scrimmage. He gets a fair amount of guaranteed money, which is justifiable given how impressive he was last season, but most of it is tied up in him staying healthy (roster bonuses) and performing (performance bonuses). A solid result for both sides, I think. At least one personnel headache is at an end.
Monday, July 28, 2008
And another thing...
Lost in this Favre mess is the Ryan Grant situation. It seems strange that a guy who put together 1/2 to 2/3 of a season up last year, after doing nothing previously in his career, is holding out for a contract. Is he overly concerned that he isn't good enough to repeat his success? Is his agent an asshole who actually thinks that this is a good way to endear your client to his team/fans?
Note to Ryan Grant: T.O. is not a good role model. Just show up and practice in good faith while you work out a new deal. Surely we would have heard if the Packers were refusing to negotiate with you, so why use a holdout as your first strategy? It looks selfish, not Favre selfish, but selfish nonetheless. We need a solid presence behind AR, so please come and get ready for the season.
Oh...and the argument that Favre has earned the right to his behavior is BS. Nobody earns the right to be a selfish baby by being a Hall of Famer. Barry Sanders wasn't a selfish baby, nor was Walter Peyton. If the Lions and Bears get unselfish franchise players, why can't we?
Note to Ryan Grant: T.O. is not a good role model. Just show up and practice in good faith while you work out a new deal. Surely we would have heard if the Packers were refusing to negotiate with you, so why use a holdout as your first strategy? It looks selfish, not Favre selfish, but selfish nonetheless. We need a solid presence behind AR, so please come and get ready for the season.
Oh...and the argument that Favre has earned the right to his behavior is BS. Nobody earns the right to be a selfish baby by being a Hall of Famer. Barry Sanders wasn't a selfish baby, nor was Walter Peyton. If the Lions and Bears get unselfish franchise players, why can't we?
Monday, December 10, 2007
Los Championes del Norte!
On a weekend when the state was divided between scripture and secularism, it was good to see everyone put Saturday behind us, come together and remember how much they used to hate Warren Sapp. Yes, the Packers delivered a solid smackdown of the semi-improving Oakland Raiders, with a 38-7 victory that clinched the NFC North with three games left.
The main lines of commentary will likely be Ryan Grant having another big day (over 150 yards rushing and a touch), and Will Blackmon's return from injury-nowhere land to special teams stardom. Both were excellent developments. However, Grant's big day came against the 30th worst rush D in the league according to the raw stats (Football Outsiders actually had them as the worst rush D in the entire league through last week), so it wasn't all that surprising, especially given his other performances in the past six weeks. Blackmon's returns were great, and it's wonderful to see a guy get on the field and produce after struggling with so many injuries in his short career.
What I found interesting was the strategy. The Packers went right at the Raiders' defensive weakness- stopping the run. They ran and ran until Oakland committed a safety closer to the line, and then started throwing the ball. And when they threw, since the Oakland pass defense is quite good, the Packers didn't challenge it directly, it seemed, instead throwing screens and to the tight ends, and looking for holes in the zone rather than going right at individuals, especially the Raiders' Nnamdi Asomugha, who is a top-flight corner. The Packers only threw at his man twice. That somewhat short-armed bomb that Jennings came down with was thrown away from Asomugha, and off a play-action where Favre got time, and the Oakland safeties had come up towards the line of scrimmage. A pretty smart-strategy, especially with an injured Favre-- attack their run defense until they overcommit, then take further advantage.
On defense, besides the lack of sacks and the bomb to Curry and the touchdown that Porter ripped away from Al, I thought the team played very well. Fargas is a good running back, and the Oakland line has been blocking solidly in recent weeks. One play that sticks out in my mind is Nick Collins' tackle on Fargas on Oakland's 4th and one try in the first half. The game was still close, the Raiders had fourth and one right around midfield. Oakland fakes an inside run, then flips back to Fargas who runs wide left, away from the pile of bodies in the middle. It looks like he has the first down. Then Collins comes flying down, takes a great angle, and makes an excellent smart tackle-- going for Fargas's ankles instead of trying to engage him up high. Fargas trips and falls for a short loss. Packer ball. I guess that's why Collins immediately jumped back into the starting line-up once he got healthy-- he's just a great athlete. The team made a lot of excellent plays in the running game today, and it showed up on the bottom line. The Raiders gained only 233 total yards. That's the smallest amount allowed the defense has allowed the entire season. And it did this against a team that had won two straight. To me, that was the most impressive aspect of Sunday's game.
The main lines of commentary will likely be Ryan Grant having another big day (over 150 yards rushing and a touch), and Will Blackmon's return from injury-nowhere land to special teams stardom. Both were excellent developments. However, Grant's big day came against the 30th worst rush D in the league according to the raw stats (Football Outsiders actually had them as the worst rush D in the entire league through last week), so it wasn't all that surprising, especially given his other performances in the past six weeks. Blackmon's returns were great, and it's wonderful to see a guy get on the field and produce after struggling with so many injuries in his short career.
What I found interesting was the strategy. The Packers went right at the Raiders' defensive weakness- stopping the run. They ran and ran until Oakland committed a safety closer to the line, and then started throwing the ball. And when they threw, since the Oakland pass defense is quite good, the Packers didn't challenge it directly, it seemed, instead throwing screens and to the tight ends, and looking for holes in the zone rather than going right at individuals, especially the Raiders' Nnamdi Asomugha, who is a top-flight corner. The Packers only threw at his man twice. That somewhat short-armed bomb that Jennings came down with was thrown away from Asomugha, and off a play-action where Favre got time, and the Oakland safeties had come up towards the line of scrimmage. A pretty smart-strategy, especially with an injured Favre-- attack their run defense until they overcommit, then take further advantage.
On defense, besides the lack of sacks and the bomb to Curry and the touchdown that Porter ripped away from Al, I thought the team played very well. Fargas is a good running back, and the Oakland line has been blocking solidly in recent weeks. One play that sticks out in my mind is Nick Collins' tackle on Fargas on Oakland's 4th and one try in the first half. The game was still close, the Raiders had fourth and one right around midfield. Oakland fakes an inside run, then flips back to Fargas who runs wide left, away from the pile of bodies in the middle. It looks like he has the first down. Then Collins comes flying down, takes a great angle, and makes an excellent smart tackle-- going for Fargas's ankles instead of trying to engage him up high. Fargas trips and falls for a short loss. Packer ball. I guess that's why Collins immediately jumped back into the starting line-up once he got healthy-- he's just a great athlete. The team made a lot of excellent plays in the running game today, and it showed up on the bottom line. The Raiders gained only 233 total yards. That's the smallest amount allowed the defense has allowed the entire season. And it did this against a team that had won two straight. To me, that was the most impressive aspect of Sunday's game.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Running Backs, Running Backs
As most Packer fans must have heard by now, the oft-injured, but, when not injured, most impressive back on the team, rookie DeShawn Wynn, has been put on injured reserve. His one carry against the Broncos led to a "stinger" in his neck that was so serious he would have missed most of the team's remaining games. So, a la Noah Herron, instead of waiting for him to regain his health, the Packers put him on injured reserve, ending his season. My apologies to all of you who picked him up on your fantasy teams. Wynn looks like a pretty talented guy, and, if he drops some excess weight, could be a legit starting back in the league. But that's only if he can stay healthy, something that looks dubious. But hell, he was a seventh round pick! Keep him around, and see if he can do anything. There's virtually no risk on the Packers' end.
As far as this season goes, I'm hoping that losing Wynn won't hurt the Packers that much. Although this may mean we see more of the (right now) totally pedestrian Brandon Jackson (Brandon's only 21, so I have hope for his future development), Ryan Grant and Vernand Morency should be able to contribute about as much as Wynn could. And it's not like the team isn't used to playing without Wynn anyway, with all of his various injuries and health issues.
In more immediately troubling news, it looks like PJ Hill may not be able to play at OSU on Saturday. And Lance Smith is still suspended for road games, due to his cab fare/battery of girlfriend/shoe stealing incident. (Man, being an Ohio native, you have got to think that Lance would have been really amped for this game.) This means that the running game will be in the hands of true freshman Zach Brown, backed up by true freshman Quincy Landingham. Uh oh. Zach has good acceleration, and appears to be an excellent blocker, but he has not shown that he can pick up tough yards or break tackles like PJ, though, to be fair, few backs can. And he certainly doesn't have Lance's agility or experience. Since OSU is ranked number one in total defense so far this season, and number four in rushing defense, you have to think, come Saturday, there won't be a lot of wide open holes for Badger backs to run through. PJ's ability to get yards after contact and Lance's ability to freestyle probably would have come in handy. Zach will do his best, I'm sure, but the offensive game will largely be in the hands of Donovan and the receiving corps. Double uh oh. Unless the defense comes up absolutely huge in Columbus, it could be a long day.
Now it's time for some happier running back news. Two Badger running back recruits from the Chicago area had huge days in the first round of the Illinois state playoffs. Eric Smith, from Bolingbrook High School (far Southwestern suburbs) had 25 carries for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Dex Jones, from Montini High School (a Catholic school in the Western suburbs) had 15 carries for 202 yards and a score. Now, since this was the first round of the playoffs, and both guys are on pretty good teams, they weren't playing against totally awesome opponents or anything. But you'd hope your recruits would dominate middling opposition, and so it's good to see they did. Treading positive...
As far as this season goes, I'm hoping that losing Wynn won't hurt the Packers that much. Although this may mean we see more of the (right now) totally pedestrian Brandon Jackson (Brandon's only 21, so I have hope for his future development), Ryan Grant and Vernand Morency should be able to contribute about as much as Wynn could. And it's not like the team isn't used to playing without Wynn anyway, with all of his various injuries and health issues.
In more immediately troubling news, it looks like PJ Hill may not be able to play at OSU on Saturday. And Lance Smith is still suspended for road games, due to his cab fare/battery of girlfriend/shoe stealing incident. (Man, being an Ohio native, you have got to think that Lance would have been really amped for this game.) This means that the running game will be in the hands of true freshman Zach Brown, backed up by true freshman Quincy Landingham. Uh oh. Zach has good acceleration, and appears to be an excellent blocker, but he has not shown that he can pick up tough yards or break tackles like PJ, though, to be fair, few backs can. And he certainly doesn't have Lance's agility or experience. Since OSU is ranked number one in total defense so far this season, and number four in rushing defense, you have to think, come Saturday, there won't be a lot of wide open holes for Badger backs to run through. PJ's ability to get yards after contact and Lance's ability to freestyle probably would have come in handy. Zach will do his best, I'm sure, but the offensive game will largely be in the hands of Donovan and the receiving corps. Double uh oh. Unless the defense comes up absolutely huge in Columbus, it could be a long day.
Now it's time for some happier running back news. Two Badger running back recruits from the Chicago area had huge days in the first round of the Illinois state playoffs. Eric Smith, from Bolingbrook High School (far Southwestern suburbs) had 25 carries for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Dex Jones, from Montini High School (a Catholic school in the Western suburbs) had 15 carries for 202 yards and a score. Now, since this was the first round of the playoffs, and both guys are on pretty good teams, they weren't playing against totally awesome opponents or anything. But you'd hope your recruits would dominate middling opposition, and so it's good to see they did. Treading positive...
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