More Banjo: Week 3 vs. Cincinnati

[run pMc]

Reading a lot of Josh Jones Kool Aid...was he really that good? I saw some bad but mostly good...but want to see more before calling him a great pick...am I missing something?
King seemed to do ok, had a tough assignment with Green who had a big day but for a rookie I don't recall much as far as blowing coverage.

Martinez played decent run D at times, even Randall wasn't bad. When (if) this team can get healthy they could be a tough out. Really want to see the 1st string OT's play. Jahri Evans and Ahmad Brooks were good pickups.

[mmmdk]

We learned a lot: Huge ot win for Packers. Bengals must be beating their heads against a wall for letting Packers come back and win it. Packers corners still suck. If Rodgers is not playing near perfect then WE are the Bengals. Depth at OL, DL, LB and secondary is only slightly better than last season sans at CB which still sucks. It's going to be difficult to duplicate last seasons Rodgers heroics as I bevielve in balanced (D & O) teams with depth win championships. I think it'll be a fun season but no cigar...but Rodgers is unreal so there's always a heros hail mary of a chance!

[Guiness]

O line can't block it up

It occurs to me that Branden Albert is sitting on his couch waiting for the phone to ring.

[texaspackerbacker]

I'm thinking the roots of this season go back several years when the Packers started fast and then burned out in the end. Last year, it seemed there was a concerted effort not to do that. This year, it kinda seems like the coaching staff is saying let's not burn out, but let's also not get in a hole, record-wise either. That maybe takes the injuries out of the equation, but it seems more plausible to me than that the team is really no better than it has played the last two weeks.

[pbmax]

It occurs to me that Branden Albert is sitting on his couch waiting for the phone to ring.

I bet Murphy gets one more week to prove it. That kid he was against looked unstoppable, but if it repeats then its a bigger issue.

Would also depend on Bach returning in short order after 10 days after the Thursday game.

[pbmax]

Reading a lot of Josh Jones Kool Aid...was he really that good? I saw some bad but mostly good...but want to see more before calling him a great pick...am I missing something?
King seemed to do ok, had a tough assignment with Green who had a big day but for a rookie I don't recall much as far as blowing coverage.

Martinez played decent run D at times, even Randall wasn't bad. When (if) this team can get healthy they could be a tough out. Really want to see the 1st string OT's play. Jahri Evans and Ahmad Brooks were good pickups.

It was only one game, so he's not that good yet. And we had a nice view and replay of one play that he and his teammate blew the coverage on.

So he has more to work on, plus teams might give him some specifics looks now that they have tape of what he likes to do.

But the thing is, even more than Dix, he looked like a proverbial field tilter back there, something not seen since the heady days of Nick Collins, Charles Woodson or Yuri Gregarin.

[pbmax]

They still hit one per game, last week it was the Adams TD (not sure if from 50 yards but it was a bomb).

But they do not do it regularly like they used to and the rest of the game is much shorter these days.

[Pugger]

We learned a lot: Huge ot win for Packers. Bengals must be beating their heads against a wall for letting Packers come back and win it. Packers corners still suck. If Rodgers is not playing near perfect then WE are the Bengals. Depth at OL, DL, LB and secondary is only slightly better than last season sans at CB which still sucks. It's going to be difficult to duplicate last seasons Rodgers heroics as I bevielve in balanced (D & O) teams with depth win championships. I think it'll be a fun season but no cigar...but Rodgers is unreal so there's always a heros hail mary of a chance!

Most teams are gonna suffer if 5 starters are in street clothes like ours were yesterday.

[pbmax]

Hey, I called one right!

Wilde: http://host.madison.com/wsj/sports/f...48838e603.html

On Sunday, Capers employed a four-safety look – Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Marwin Evans at traditional safety, Burnett mostly in the slot and Jones as the hybrid inside linebacker

[bobblehead]

Huge OT win. Packers were 0-8 in OT during Rodgers tenure, at least one of those was a playoff game. 6 of those losses were on the road.

http://pfref.com/tiny/qJIMs

Thought it was 0-7. Of the 7 we lost the toss in 4 and Rodgers never saw the field. In all 7 defense allowed a score at earliest opportunity.

[mmmdk]

Most teams are gonna suffer if 5 starters are in street clothes like ours were yesterday.

And none of the 5 injured players were a HOF'er named Aaron Rodgers - this ain't my first rodeo! AR threw a rare pick six yesterday and he had to be perfect for the rest of the game for this Packers team to win. Fortunately there's a lot of talent and help on offense but we don't get those 9-0 wins (versus NY Jets 2010) where the Packers defense just won games for us. Green Bay Packers is a solidly built football club with a HOF QB. Only one or two QBs in the league could carry this franchise to be the contender that they are now with AR.

In modern football you actually win SBs without a top 5 QB...IF you have a great defense. Ravens, Seahawks, Broncos (Peyton was done) and to some extend the two Giants SB wins but Eli Manning was a HOF in those games. My point is; with a great defense and a well balanced built team, you don't need a HOF QB to play hero ball. Packers need a Greek god-like QB to win the SB and that's becoming a rarer thing to win in that fashion - Brady is a HOF QB but he's had much better teams. Packers won their last SB with a much better roster that overcame injuries, had a great defense and had an emerging HOF QB. Rodgers has actually played better since the SB win with only some minor slumps. To me, Aaron Rodgers is the best QB I've ever seen play but I can't truely judge any QB from before the 1980'ties. I want AR to win the 14th and even the 15th NFL championship for Green Bay. I just don't like the odds.

[bobblehead]

Man, I dunno. I realize the O-Line is down a couple of starters, but Ty Montgomery just doesn't look like an NFL running back. To my eye there is a lack of cut back and/or outside burst of speed and swerve.

I applaud his willingness to accept his reassignment in the offense, but I haven't seen any flash, gash or dash over the first three games.

He runs like Bell. He scrapes the line looking for a lane. It just so happens that this OL isn't providing a lane. He isn't your typical guy who puts his head down for 4 yards. It has strengths and weaknesses. For my money he is right there with any back we have had in the last decade. Get our OL back in tact and I think you will all change your opinion.

I have stated for eternity that the OL makes the back not vice versa with about 2 exceptions in the entire league at any moment. It always amazes me that great OLs are blessed with 3-4 good RBs on a team at a time, but McCray, Patrick and Pancky are stuck with a stiff like Monty. Think how good they would look if we had Tony Fischer and Najeh Davenport back there@!!@!

[bobblehead]

. King battled. He's arguably faced the 2 best WR's in the NFL the last 2 weeks and hasn't backed down. Rodgers is one call away from having 3 straight games where he gave the other team a TD. He needs to clean that up. Monty looked indecisive.

NO excuses...King sucked. Don't care who was blocking for him...er he was matched up against.

We need this guy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHFgaDm3hpA

[channtheman]

And none of the 5 injured players were a HOF'er named Aaron Rodgers - this ain't my first rodeo! AR threw a rare pick six yesterday and he had to be perfect for the rest of the game for this Packers team to win. Fortunately there's a lot of talent and help on offense but we don't get those 9-0 wins (versus NY Jets 2010) where the Packers defense just won games for us. Green Bay Packers is a solidly built football club with a HOF QB. Only one or two QBs in the league could carry this franchise to be the contender that they are now with AR.

In modern football you actually win SBs without a top 5 QB...IF you have a great defense. Ravens, Seahawks, Broncos (Peyton was done) and to some extend the two Giants SB wins but Eli Manning was a HOF in those games. My point is; with a great defense and a well balanced built team, you don't need a HOF QB to play hero ball. Packers need a Greek god-like QB to win the SB and that's becoming a rarer thing to win in that fashion - Brady is a HOF QB but he's had much better teams. Packers won their last SB with a much better roster that overcame injuries, had a great defense and had an emerging HOF QB. Rodgers has actually played better since the SB win with only some minor slumps. To me, Aaron Rodgers is the best QB I've ever seen play but I can't truely judge any QB from before the 1980'ties. I want AR to win the 14th and even the 15th NFL championship for Green Bay. I just don't like the odds.

Good post and I agree. You just need a QB who manages the game well and occasionally makes a terrific play.

[bobblehead]

Hey, I called one right!

Wilde: http://host.madison.com/wsj/sports/f...48838e603.html

Yea, I commented during the game to friends that when Brice comes back we have a good problem. 4 safeties you want on the field. Ghostpepper played pretty damn good and despite a couple bad coverage handoffs he was a gamechanger. Brice is a thumper. HaHa is a probowler and MM still loves Burnett.

[pbmax]

Thought it was 0-7. Of the 7 we lost the toss in 4 and Rodgers never saw the field. In all 7 defense allowed a score at earliest opportunity.

One was a Minnesota game where Flynn got it to OT.

[Teamcheez1]

Good post and I agree. You just need a QB who manages the game well and occasionally makes a terrific play.

No one has won a Superbowl without a good QB the last ten years with possibly the only exception being Manning, who still had a good year.
You don't have to be a HOF QB, but the way the game is evolving with rule changes, etc., you won't be sniffing a SB anytime soon without a great QB.

[pbmax]

In fairness, Lazor had a bad offense but one big advantage.

One of the Packers on the postgame show (Lowry I think) said they watched preseason and game film of only the Bengals. So they got a lot of unscouted looks from the Benglas and Lazor.

They fixed the run D in the second half and closed up on that offense, which a functional defense should do. Wth one exception, they got the ball back for the offense. On the one scoring play in the second half, the Bengals had good field position and the D game up a big play but then held for a FG.

It wasn't a fire drill and they tightened up. They are not there yet, but there were still encouraging signs.

[Maxie the Taxi]

And none of the 5 injured players were a HOF'er named Aaron Rodgers - this ain't my first rodeo! AR threw a rare pick six yesterday and he had to be perfect for the rest of the game for this Packers team to win. Fortunately there's a lot of talent and help on offense but we don't get those 9-0 wins (versus NY Jets 2010) where the Packers defense just won games for us. Green Bay Packers is a solidly built football club with a HOF QB. Only one or two QBs in the league could carry this franchise to be the contender that they are now with AR.

In modern football you actually win SBs without a top 5 QB...IF you have a great defense. Ravens, Seahawks, Broncos (Peyton was done) and to some extend the two Giants SB wins but Eli Manning was a HOF in those games. My point is; with a great defense and a well balanced built team, you don't need a HOF QB to play hero ball. Packers need a Greek god-like QB to win the SB and that's becoming a rarer thing to win in that fashion - Brady is a HOF QB but he's had much better teams. Packers won their last SB with a much better roster that overcame injuries, had a great defense and had an emerging HOF QB. Rodgers has actually played better since the SB win with only some minor slumps. To me, Aaron Rodgers is the best QB I've ever seen play but I can't truely judge any QB from before the 1980'ties. I want AR to win the 14th and even the 15th NFL championship for Green Bay. I just don't like the odds.

I don't know about all that. All I know is that a terrific Defense ALWAYS shows up on Sunday, whereas a terrific Offense sometimes doesn't. So if you are depending on a super Offense to carry your team, be prepared for occasional disappointments, especially in big games and especially in the playoffs.

In the old days Starr and company were terrific and won many games for the Pack, but that Offense occasionally was stymied. It was the Packers great defense of that era that kept them in games and won them championships.

[mraynrand]

All I know is that a terrific Defense ALWAYS shows up on Sunday, whereas a terrific Offense sometimes doesn't.

Wonder how the Ravens feel about this.