Studs and Duds Week 7

[ThunderDan]

Studs-

The DBs - held Manning and the Colts in check. Return 2 to the house.
Chillar - He was everywhere in tight coverage. Made numerous tackles of Dallas Clark on crossing paterns holding IND to 3 yard gains.
I want to give someone on the O side a nod but can't think of one that was a stud. Rodgers managed the game well and the O-Line opened some holes for Grant. Grant ran hard.

Duds-
Barnett - Gone again. The only positive was thats the first time in weeks I remember seeing the Samuri celebration.

Pretty darn good game by the D. But if the Packers don't take 2 to the House and INDY kicks field goals the end of the game is a nail biter. Minimum 20 point swing.

If that Favre stuff is true. I am going to hurl.

[RashanGary]

I thought Barnett had his best game of the season. He made some big tackles, didn't miss any, and made a copule big plays behind the line of scrimmage.

I also thought Rouse, Blackmon and Thompson each had their best games of the season but they're not studs. They just weren't duds like we're accustomed to seeing.

[red]

i think the harris injury has been a blessing for this team. t-will and blackmon have both really stepped up their games since he went down. when harris gets back we'll be in much better shape then we were in before the injury

plus, it sure looks like nick collins has finally taken that next step that most of us have been waiting for him to take since his rookie year. the guys playing great and making all the big plays we've been waiting for

[ThunderDan]

I thought Barnett had his best game of the season. He made some big tackles, didn't miss any, and made a copule big plays behind the line of scrimmage.

I also thought Rouse, Blackmon and Thompson each had their best games of the season but they're not studs. They just weren't duds like we're accustomed to seeing.

I guess I just expect more from him. On numerous plays he let an O-line from INDY blow him out of the play. He at least has to hold his ground.

I did see that he was credited for 5 solos and will move him off of my dud list.

[GBRulz]

I also say kudos to M3's game plan this week. Came out aggressive and wanted to really establish the running game.

[RashanGary]

I also say kudos to M3's game plan this week. Came out aggressive and wanted to really establish the running game.

I agree. We didn't break any big ones, but the last couple weeks our run game has been as consistent (keeping us in 3rd and 5 or better) as we've seen it in 4 or 5 years.

[red]

I also say kudos to M3's game plan this week. Came out aggressive and wanted to really establish the running game.

yeah, he didn't let up at all in this one

[texaspackerbacker]

Yeah, Barnett wasn't bad--not quite a stud compared to the way he ought to play, but decent.

Collins, Rouse, Woodson, Blackmon, Williams--ALL of them were oustanding, and Chillar can damn sure play pass coverage.

We're basing Studship on a sliding scale compared to expectations, right?

By that standard, I thought KGB--who I have been very negative about previously--played a good game today--against the run, mostly.

Cole went out there and played like he knows Justin Harrell is gonna be after his job.

A lot of others played good, but pretty much expectedly: Kampman, Pickett, Rodgers, Grant, Spitz, Jennings, etc.

The only ones I'd label Duds would be: Crosby--I saw the miss coming the way he pulled the first FG and extra points. Also, he should have executed that onside kick, and Frost, who seems to be just plain bad. I guess it's hard to find a decent punter, though. The guy the Cowboys picked up was worse than Frost.

[Joemailman]

Even though the DB's were mentioned, I'll single out Nick Collins for praise. In addition to the TD, he made a great play to deflect a pass where Marvin Harrison had Blackmon beat. That saved another touchdown. He's having a Pro Bowl year. Hope he gets the recognition.

The decision to start Chillar was also a great move. He's our TE killer.

[gbgary]

I also say kudos to M3's game plan this week. Came out aggressive and wanted to really establish the running game.

i agree. more westcoast looking in the passing game and the running game looked much better (when running up the middle). i only remember one slant though and it was incomplete. i think he kinda shut it down in the forth which bothers me a little. only two offensive tds but a boat load of first downs that kept our d off the field.

[Bretsky]

Rodgers and Collins

I'm in amazement at how good those two look

Gotta lock Jennings up soon too

[pbmax]

Nice game by the D, esp. Collins, Wood, Williams, Chillar and Blackmon. I couldn't believe we had Blackmon on Marvin freakin' Harrison, but we did. He clearly has taken a step up this week.

While I am impressed by M3's willingness to ride the run game even when it isn't busting long runs, I am now officially tired of run on first, run on second and pass with max protect on third. We can still run twice to milk the clock, but for Pete's sake, let's throw on play action out of a run formation on first or second. Pretty please?

Still not much pass rush and Rhodes got loose on one pass and two or three runs where we lost him. All in all, pretty good. Very good first half for the O, Spitz and Colledge have really started to run block better. And Aaron's jersey was pretty clean.

Sanders' was up to the task of game planning them, I don't think we fooled them at all, but given their trouble with their own run game, we didn't need to.

[Freak Out]

Does Woodson have a broken toe? That guy is playing his best football ever. Rodgers looks pretty damn good out there...very impressed with that one throw to Ruvell.

The Falcons must be way better than we thought. :D

[retailguy]

How about praise for John Kuhn?

He covered that int, made a 3rd & 1, and leaped over the Dback....

Where's the LOVE? Hey? C'mon - lets hear it!

[MJZiggy]

He did have a good game--and I did LOVE that hurdle.

[retailguy]

In retrospect, I think it was a combo of both Hall and Kuhn. So, how about praise for both of them? :oops: :wink:

[MJZiggy]

Sorry, Hall didn't have the hurdle... :lol:

[retailguy]

Sorry, Hall didn't have the hurdle... :lol:

no he converted the 3rd and 1. Hall had the hurdle. One of them fell on Grants fumble. I think it was Kuhn. I'm checking.

Either way... lots of production, meaningful, from the fullbacks today.

[crosbiegrad]

Wasn't it Korey Hall that was hurdeling defenders and recovered the fumble? He looked real good today too, made some nice blocks for Grant

[Zool]

I will say that Barnett was in better position today, but I'm sick to death of the dammed drag down tackles. Hit someone Nick!

[boiga]

Yeah, Barnett wasn't bad--not quite a stud compared to the way he ought to play, but decent.

Collins, Rouse, Woodson, Blackmon, Williams--ALL of them were oustanding, and Chillar can damn sure play pass coverage.

We're basing Studship on a sliding scale compared to expectations, right?

By that standard, I thought KGB--who I have been very negative about previously--played a good game today--against the run, mostly.

Cole went out there and played like he knows Justin Harrell is gonna be after his job.

A lot of others played good, but pretty much expectedly: Kampman, Pickett, Rodgers, Grant, Spitz, Jennings, etc.

The only ones I'd label Duds would be: Crosby--I saw the miss coming the way he pulled the first FG and extra points. Also, he should have executed that onside kick, and Frost, who seems to be just plain bad. I guess it's hard to find a decent punter, though. The guy the Cowboys picked up was worse than Frost.

I support this list save that I thought Frost did fine today. He only punted twice, but both were boomers with the wind. He earned his game check.

[channtheman]

I also say kudos to M3's game plan this week. Came out aggressive and wanted to really establish the running game.

i agree. more westcoast looking in the passing game and the running game looked much better (when running up the middle). i only remember one slant though and it was incomplete. i think he kinda shut it down in the forth which bothers me a little. only two offensive tds but a boat load of first downs that kept our d off the field.

I like how we were able to move the ball running and passing but am I the only one that wishes McCarthy would run some play actions more often? There was that slow developing run play that we ran numerous times where if Rodgers fakes the handoff he can roll out and have a tight end wide open coming across the field. The Colts defense was overpursuing on that play so much that the when Rodgers would have rolled out he would have a wide open field to either run or pass.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I've been offering my opinions about todays game without having seen it. Funny thing is, I don't feel at all constrained, its amazing how the stuff just flows.

[Scott Campbell]

I've been offering my opinions about todays game without having seen it. Funny thing is, I don't feel at all constrained, its amazing how the stuff just flows.



I noticed that you seem more insightful than usual.

[oregonpackfan]

I thought the entire offense were studs.

One of the best ways to defeat Peyton Manning is to keep him off the field. The Packers offense did just that in the first half. The Packers first three drives for 17 points were all long, sustained drives which took a lot of time off the clock. The Packers literally had a 2 to 1 advantage in time of possession.

The Packers' defense took the field well rested between those drives.

[RashanGary]

Summary:


Rodgers (for taking what was given all game long)
Jennings (for changing the way defense play us and giving Rodgers the Randy Moss type coverage to pick apart)
Collins (for making huge plays and not giving any up)
The rest of the secondary (for holding Manning down)
The whole defense (for scoring twice and holding Manning and co to 14 pts)
Nick Barnett (for not looking like a total puss, for a change)
Bob Sandars (for starting Chillar against a top TE and seeing Chillar kick ass)
The offensive line and Ryan Grant (for putting Rodgers in manageable 3rd downs all game)
McCarthy (for acctually running the ball)
BJack (for not dropping any of the 6 balls thrown his way to end drives)
Grant (for being a work horse)
Kuhn for converting a 3rd and 1 (something we're doing better at this year)
Korey Hall for alertly falling on the fumble and hurdling his way to a big first down)

Did I get them all?

[gbgary]

Summary:


Rodgers (for taking what was given all game long)
Jennings (for changing the way defense play us and giving Rodgers the Randy Moss type coverage to pick apart)
Collins (for making huge plays and not giving any up)
The rest of the secondary (for holding Manning down)
The whole defense (for scoring twice and holding Manning and co to 14 pts)
Nick Barnett (for not looking like a total puss, for a change)
Bob Sandars (for starting Chillar against a top TE and seeing Chillar kick ass)
The offensive line and Ryan Grant (for putting Rodgers in manageable 3rd downs all game)
McCarthy (for acctually running the ball)
BJack (for not dropping any of the 6 balls thrown his way to end drives)
Grant (for being a work horse)
Kuhn for converting a 3rd and 1 (something we're doing better at this year)
Korey Hall for alertly falling on the fumble and hurdling his way to a big first down)

Did I get them all?

rouse for "rouse to the house",

t. williams and chuck for the "shut-down",

all the tight-ends for showing up big,

the o-line for keeping them off AR,

i'm still thinking...

[Harlan Huckleby]

rouse for "rouse to the house",

Funny that JustinHarrell missed that one. :)

[hoosier]

Even though the DB's were mentioned, I'll single out Nick Collins for praise. In addition to the TD, he made a great play to deflect a pass where Marvin Harrison had Blackmon beat. That saved another touchdown. He's having a Pro Bowl year. Hope he gets the recognition.

The decision to start Chillar was also a great move. He's our TE killer.


Agreed about Nick Collins. At the beginning of the year many people thought he was heading toward being a bust, and that the very best we could hope for from him was solid play--but that he had no knack for making big plays. Well, he's made four of them so far (4 picks) and has taken two back for TDs. I didn't get to watch the game, but it sounds like he is playing solid and coming up with some big plays now. Let's hope he can keep it up in the second half of the season.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Agreed about Nick Collins. At the beginning of the year many people thought he was heading toward being a bust, and that the very best we could hope for from him was solid play

ya, I was TOTALLY wrong about Nick Collins, I sure didn't see this one coming. But I was right about Darren Sharper back when he was making mistakes.

Now, if only Aaron Rouse can pan-out, I can raise my record above .500

(I think Atari Bigby is a good but unspecial player because of his limits in the open field. I should be ok standing firm on that one.)

[Patler]

I wonder what Collins did to learn to catch?

One of the reasons he looks so much better this year is because of the interceptions. But...in previous year he had lots and lots of opportunities for interceptions, but dropped the ball time and again, sometimes even on fairly easy looking interceptions. Our opinions of how well he was playing may have been better if he had simply caught the ball more often. Maybe that's why the coaches have remained so high on him and the way he played previous year.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I wonder what Collins did to learn to catch?

One of the reasons he looks so much better this year is because of the interceptions. But...in previous year he had lots and lots of opportunities for interceptions, but dropped the ball time and again, sometimes even on fairly easy looking interceptions. Our opinions of how well he was playing may have been better if he had simply caught the ball more often. Maybe that's why the coaches have remained so high on him and the way he played previous year.

Which is one of the reasons I kept a little faith. He was said to have good hands coming out of college, and he was a playmaker on that level (although small college). It's not just the interceptions though. He's taking better angles, making big plays in the run game, and he is also breaking up more passes--not just being in the area because of his speed.

The article about Woodson helping him out makes me wonder why Chuck couldn't have done this a year or two ago.
:D

Sounds like Chuck is not only playing well, but he's become a team leader. Makes me think he's really enjoying his time in Green Bay.

[Patler]

The article about Woodson helping him out makes me wonder why Chuck couldn't have done this a year or two ago.
:D

Sounds like Chuck is not only playing well, but he's become a team leader. Makes me think he's really enjoying his time in Green Bay.

There was an article about Woodson this past off season in which he mentioned that when he first came to GB it was just a job, and he wanted to be back home. But last year he realized how much he liked and wanted to be in Green Bay, even for the off-season activities. He also mentioned that as a newcomer it takes a while to feel like you are entitled to put forth a leadership role, not wanting to step on others' toes.

The more I see and hear from Woodson, it is hard to imagine how he had such a bad reputation coming out of Oakland. He was labeled as a malcontent, a selfish player unwilling to play with injuries, and even a locker room cancer. He has been exactly the opposite in Green Bay. Just proves how messed up the situation in Oakland must be.

[boiga]

Collins is considered the best athlete on our defense and thus always had the skill to make athletic catches. His teammates are giving him a lot of credit this season for improving the mental side of his game. Woodson's been helping him out in the film room to better take advantage of quarterback tendencies in various formations. This means that Collins is more likely to be in the right position to make a play on the ball than in the past.

If you know where the ball is going, you're going to have a lot better chance to catch it.

[Bossman641]

Collins is considered the best athlete on our defense and thus always had the skill to make athletic catches. His teammates are giving him a lot of credit this season for improving the mental side of his game. Woodson's been helping him out in the film room to better take advantage of quarterback tendencies in various formations. This means that Collins is more likely to be in the right position to make a play on the ball than in the past.

If you know where the ball is going, you're going to have a lot better chance to catch it.

Yep. I know Collins has been doing a lot more film study this year. After his pick 6 against the Lions he said he had watched a ton of film and had been waiting for the Lions to run that route all game. When he saw it, just reacted and jumped the route.

I don't know if the other DB's have been getting studying a ton of game film as well, but they seem to be getting better jumps on a lot of balls - Rouse's pick yesterday as an example. When Manning wound up to throw that ball I was just hoping Rouse would get there in time to put a big hit on Gonzalez and knock the ball loose. I was shocked when he reached out and snared the ball.

[retailguy]

Even the OL played a wee bit better.... Maybe there is hope! :P

[Fritz]

Collins is considered the best athlete on our defense and thus always had the skill to make athletic catches. His teammates are giving him a lot of credit this season for improving the mental side of his game. Woodson's been helping him out in the film room to better take advantage of quarterback tendencies in various formations. This means that Collins is more likely to be in the right position to make a play on the ball than in the past.

If you know where the ball is going, you're going to have a lot better chance to catch it.

Yep. I know Collins has been doing a lot more film study this year. After his pick 6 against the Lions he said he had watched a ton of film and had been waiting for the Lions to run that route all game. When he saw it, just reacted and jumped the route.

I don't know if the other DB's have been getting studying a ton of game film as well, but they seem to be getting better jumps on a lot of balls - Rouse's pick yesterday as an example. When Manning wound up to throw that ball I was just hoping Rouse would get there in time to put a big hit on Gonzalez and knock the ball loose. I was shocked when he reached out and snared the ball.

My theory is that a lot of guys come out of college having thrived on mere talent, and hard (mental) work was never necessary. Once these young guys mature (the ones who do) they see this as a profession more than as a game, and they begin to understand the need to go beyond playing to understanding the game - and that that comes from study and from reps.

So it seems that Collins has seen the light, and he's begun to study. This gives him an advantage he did not have before. That and the fact he's played long enough to have a feel for the game.