Packers show promise in Falcons' victory

[woodbuck27]

Posted August 19, 2006

Chris Havel column: Packers show promise in Falcons' victory


Mike McCarthy urged his team to throw the first punch.

It responded by coming out swinging.

“I definitely think we hit the targets that we intended to hit,” the Green Bay Packers’ first-year coach said. “We wanted to get out there and generate home-field advantage, and I think we took advantage of that. I’m pleased with the enthusiasm we played with tonight.”

Even more impressive in the Packers’ 38-10 preseason victory against Atlanta was the way they counterpunched. When the Falcons scored the game’s opening touchdown, the Packers responded with 10 unanswered points. When Atlanta made it 10-10, the Packers countered with consecutive touchdowns to make it 24-10.

“It’s a style of play,” McCarthy said. “You have to play this game a certain way, and I think our guys have grabbed hold of the rope for that mindset.”

After a lackluster loss in last week’s preseason opener at San Diego, the Packers answered the challenge with a stellar performance in McCarthy’s Lambeau Field debut.

Arguably the greatest miscue of the evening belonged to McCarthy, who was guilty of a rookie mistake to open the second half.

McCarthy said it was the plan to go with the starters in the second half, but he should have altered that thinking after the offense ran 38 plays in the first half. McCarthy and his team took a huge step forward, but the coach nearly ruined it with a puzzling lapse in judgment that nearly got Brett Favre broken in two.

Fortunately, coaches can learn from their mistakes the same as players.

Other than subjecting Favre to unnecessary abuse, McCarthy’s game management and play calling were effective.

The running game grew legs despite an offensive line that featured a pair of rookie starters at guard and a running back, Najeh Davenport, that is serviceable, at best.

The zone-blocking scheme got a boost from a coach willing to stick with it. McCarthy’s play calling showed rhythm, flair and a commitment to the run.

He hammered away with Davenport, mixed in a well-timed reverse to Donald Driver, and relied on Favre to convert manageable third downs. In the first half, Favre completed 6 of 7 passes for 63 yards and five first downs in seven third-down throws.

“If third down is manageable, especially with a quarterback like Brett Favre, I think your chances are excellent,” McCarthy said.

Perhaps the best example of McCarthy’s willingness to run came late in the first half. On first-and-10 at Atlanta’s 23, he ran Arliss Beach for 3 yards. On second-and-7, he gave it Davenport for 2 yards.

Third-and-5 is much easier to convert than third-and-7, especially with the defense having to honor the run, and Favre delivered.

Meantime, Bob Sanders’ defensive unit yielded an opening-drive touchdown, but counterpunched by allowing a 51-yard field goal the rest of the half. The defense was solid against the run, forced three turnovers and even scored a touchdown.

In its Lambeau Field debut, McCarthy’s team showed promise, and the coach showed a certain play-calling pizzazz. Fortunately for him, a temporary lapse didn’t ruin an otherwise bright first step.

Chris Havel can be reached by voice mail at (920) 431-8586 or by e-mail at chavel@greenbaypressgazette.com

GO PACKERS ! FAITH FOR 2006 !!

[woodbuck27]

Posted August 19, 2006

Offense finds punch, Packers beat Falcons 38-10

By Pete Dougherty
pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com

Whether it was the change at offensive line or the change in opponent, the Green Bay Packers displayed a much different, and much sharper, offense Saturday night than in coach Mike McCarthy’s debut a week ago.

After a discouraging preseason debut against the San Diego Chargers’ talented defense, McCarthy and quarterback Brett Favre found a rhythm Saturday night. Favre was given far better pass protection by the work-in-progress offensive line in the Packers’ 38-10 in the Midwest Shrine Game at Lambeau Field.

With rookie Tony Moll playing his first game ever at right guard, Favre led the Packers to 17 first-half points, including 10 in three series against Atlanta’s starting defense. Favre converted five of eight third downs and put up a passer rating of 118.4 points.

“I think he managed the game very well, except for that backed-up series at the beginning of the second half,” McCarthy said. “The tempo was where it needs to be. If we play at that tempo and get that production on third down, I think we’re going to be fine on offense.”

Like most teams in the preseason, the Falcons were a little short-handed - they were missing standout linebacker Keith Brooking.

Regardless, Moll held up well enough to give Favre time to throw most of the night. Moll’s lone obvious miscue was a missed block on a blitz that led to Favre throwing the ball away.

Against the Falcons’ starters, Favre led the Packers to a touchdown and a 30-yard field goal. He also took the Packers to a score against mainly the Falcons’ No. 2 defense, and ended the half with a passer rating of 125.8 points and a 14-point lead.

The Packers’ new zone-blocking run game kept the night from being an unequivocal success on offense, though it looked superior to last week at San Diego, when the starters gained only 12 yards on six carries in four series against the Chargers.

That poor run blocking and shoddy pass protection led McCarthy last week to change his starting line from what he’d worked with since the draft. He demoted second-round draft pick Daryn Colledge from starting left guard, moved third-round pick Jason Spitz from right guard to left guard, and had Moll working at starting right guard last week for the first time in his career.

McCarthy played his starters the entire first half and the first series of the second half, and he force fed the running game more than against the Chargers. He ran the ball on 14 of 34 plays in the first two quarters - Favre and center Scott Wells fumbled an exchange that ended a 35th play - and got just enough mileage out of it to keep the Falcons’ defense honest.

“I didn’t see a lot of free (defenders), like we had last week,” said Jeff Jagodzinski, the Packers’ offensive coordinator. “I’m real encouraged.”

The Packers’ halfbacks averaged 3.4 yards a carry on those 14 first-half runs. With starter Ahman Green not expected to make his first preseason appearance until next week, Najeh Davenport started at halfback and gained 30 yards on 10 carries.

“I thought he played physical,” McCarthy said of Davenport. “I thought he poured it up in there.”

Backup Noah Herron had two carries for 10 yards more, and Arliss Beach even got a carry in the first half, for 3 yards.

The biggest run of the night was Donald Driver’s 19-yarder on a reverse that caught Atlanta overplaying a stretch run to the left.

Favre, in the meantime, was sharp in the first half with plenty of time to throw, though his protection broke down on his lone possession of the second half. He finished 15 for 22 for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

“We put a stress on (pass) protection and making sure he was protected this week,” Jagodzinski said.

“We didn’t want the guy to get hit, and he needs to have confidence in these guys, too.”

Favre had an especially good chemistry with Driver, who caught six passes for 75 yards in the first half - the official stats had Driver with a seventh catch, but he was given credit for a 16-yarder that rookie Greg Jennings caught - and was on target to everyone else.

Robert Ferguson caught two passes for 21 yards, tight end Bubba Franks had two catches for 8 yards, and rookie receiver Greg Jennings had two catches, the 16-yarder plus a 5-yarder that converted a third down.

One of Franks’ catches was a 3-yard touchdown that he caught after the ball skipped off the hands of backup tight end David Martin that tied the game at 7-7.

Jennings later caught a short, tipped pass from backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers and took it 85 yards for the touchdown that put the Packers ahead 31-10 in the fourth quarter.

“(Jennings) is a young guy that hit his stride pretty early,” McCarthy said.

“I don’t think that’s common in this league.”

The Packers’ defense got only a short look at Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick, and held a big edge because the Falcons didn’t play his top two weapons, running back Warrick Dunn and tight end Alge Crumpler.

Vick played only two series before giving way to promising backup Matt Shaub, and gave a glimpse of his singular running talent while taking Atlanta to a quick score on its first possession. He had a 12-yard bootleg on the second play of that drive, and halfback T.J. Duckett had a 23-yard gain.

The Falcons scored their lone touchdown when linebacker Ben Taylor and rookie safety Tyrone Culver blew a coverage on an easy 22-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Blakely.

Taylor was supposed to cover Blakley, but instead went to a running back in the flat, which left Culver alone on Blakley. Culver thought he had help to the middle of the field, and didn’t see Taylor’s mistake, which allowed Blakley to run free behind the entire defense.

Culver came back to make a big interception of Vick on the Falcons’ next drive. Safety Nick Collins set up the play when he effectively mirrored Vick as the fleet quarterback scrambled to his right. Vick then made a bad decision and floated a pass downfield to receiver Eric Beverly. He overshot Beverley, and Culver was in position for the interception, which he returned to the Packers’ 41. That set up the Packers’ first touchdown.

Cornerback Jason Horton broke open the game in the second quarter with a gift 44-yard interception return for a touchdown. Quarterback Matt Schaub’s short pass hit receiver Jerome Pathon in the chest, but Pathon couldn’t hold on. Horton grabbed the carom and ran 44 yards untouched for the touchdown.

Schaub blew a chance to keep a drive when he over led an open Pathon on a short crossing pattern that would have converted a third-and-5. Instead of continuing a drive deep in Packers territory, Atlanta kicked a 51-yard field goal, which Michael Koenen made to tie the game 10-10.

GO PACKERS ! FAITH FOR 2006 !!

[woodbuck27]

PACKER FAN COMMENTS ON THE Falcons at Packers preseason game.

** it's preseason Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:10 am

nothing means anything in preseason, unless you want to compare each team's first possession.


** O Line Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:40 pm

They looked a whole lot better than last week. Favre, Driver and Jennings might provide some punch before the season is over. Hawk was all over the field and Hodge and Culver showed some cover also. Hopefully when Green returns, he'll fire up the running game a bit. They still have a long way to go.


** nice Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:15 pm

Driver must've been really cooking. Excellent.
Favre and the rookies Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:02 pm
Leave it to Favre to make the coaching staff look good. Great job by the rookie guards as well as Culver and Jennings.

Still concerned about the running game. Got to make that happen.

[woodbuck27]

Kampman speaks for the defense

Defensive end Aaron Kampman was quoted at halftime...

On the defensive effort against the Falcons' run game: "We held our own. We can still keep improving, but we're definitely on our way toward being ready for the regular season."

On this week's performance compared to last week at San Diego: "I just think we came out and hit them in the mouth a little more than we did against the Chargers. It was more of a team effort."
posted by PackersNews.com at 9:30 PM 0 comments

Falcons recover Rodgers fumble

Aaron Rodgers fumbled on a scramble and the loose ball was recovered by the Falcons' Travis Williams. Atlanta took over at its own 48 with just under 11 minutes remaining in the game.
posted by PackersNews.com at 9:28 PM 0 comments


McCarthy speaks at halftime

Quotes from Mike McCarthy at halftime...

On stepping up the level of play, physically: "Yeah, I think we're off to a good start. We started a little slow there in the first quarter, but I think we're definitely off to a good start."

On the play of the offensive line: "Yeah, so far, they're holding up OK. The film will always tell you the true story but today, obviously, our point production is up. We've made a couple of big plays. I think we've been excellent on third down for the offense. I'm very pleased so far."

General thoughts on the first half: "We just have to finish the game. This is only 30 minutes of good football. We need to make sure we finish with another 30 minutes of good football."


Attendance set at 69,845

The announced attendance was 69,845. Last year for the Packers' first home preseason game, attendance was 69,611.

GO PACKERS ! HOLD FAITH FOR 2006 !!

[woodbuck27]

Favre still in game in 3rd quarter

In a surprising move, Brett Favre was still in the game for the Packers' first series of the third quarter.

Coach Mike McCarthy had said Favre would play the first two quarters. Favre was nearly sacked twice on the first series, in which the Packers were backed up inside their 10-yard line.

The Packers were forced to punt and Jon Ryan dropped he ball, picked it up and managed to get off a 42-yard boot.

A penalty on the Packers, however, gave the Falcons excellent field position at the Green Bay 35.

[woodbuck27]

Team Stat Comparison

Falcons..........Packers

1st Downs 14............ 23
Total Yards 245........ 356
Passing 134............. 230
Rushing 111............ 126
Penalties 9-69......... 5-40
3rd Down Conversions 7-13..... 9-13
4th Down Conversions 0-0........ 0-0
Turnovers 3 1
Possession 27:29...... 32:31

Individual Leaders

Atlanta Passing
C/ATT YDS TD INT
Schaub 5/9 61 0 1
Vick 5/7 59 1 1

Green Bay Passing
C/ATT YDS TD INT
Favre 16/22 134 2 0
Rodgers 3/6 111 2 0


Atlanta Rushing
CAR YDS TD LG
Duckett 5 37 0 23
Jackson 7 20 0 11

Green Bay Rushing
CAR YDS TD LG
Beach 9 50 0 19
Davenport 11 29 0 6


Atlanta Receiving
REC YDS TD LG
White 2 32 0 19
Blakely 3 31 1 22

Green Bay Receiving
REC YDS TD LG
Jennings 3 115 1 85
Driver 7 91 0 16


Scoring Summary

FIRST QUARTER ATL GNB

TD 5:47 Dwayne Blakely 22 Yd Pass From Michael Vick (Tony Yelk Kick) 7 0

TD 11:56 Bubba Franks 3 Yd Pass From Brett Favre (Dave Rayner Kick) 7 7

SECOND QUARTER ATL GNB

FG 2:17 Dave Rayner 30 Yd 7 10

FG 5:18 Michael Koenen 51 Yd 10 10

TD 12:18 Najeh Davenport 5 Yd Pass From Brett Favre (Dave Rayner Kick) 10 17

TD 14:02 Jason Horton 44 Yd Interception Return (Dave Rayner Kick) 10 24

FOURTH QUARTER ATL GNB

TD 7:14 Greg Jennings 85 Yd Pass From Aaron Rodgers (Dave Rayner Kick) 10 31

TD 10:01 Zac Alcorn 1 Yd Pass From Aaron Rodgers (Dave Rayner Kick) 10 38

GO PACKERS ! HOLD FAITH IN 2006 !!

[vince]

Boy, was I wrong about this game. I anticipated the o-line struggling again, which, as Woody points out, means a struggling offense.

They did much better than I anticipated. These first two preseason opponents have given the coaches a lot of great learning opportunities...

Brett Favre ran the West Coast offense brilliantly the first half...

When Ahman Green is back in the mix, that'll be another real shot in the arm...

[]{ilr]3]

I was glad to see the o-line working better, but I am still concerned about them facing the 3-4 defenses again and all those bull rushes the Chargers did.

I am betting the pack still would have won this game, but Atlanta started putting in 2nd stringers by the middle of the 2nd quarter. Favre was still there after the half for one series.

As much as I would like to drink a tall glass of green coolaid on this win next week agains the Bengals with Carson Palmer back will say a lot about how far this team has come and how far they have yet to go to face the Bears in week 1.

[Rastak]

{ilr]3]I was glad to see the o-line working better, but I am still concerned about them facing the 3-4 defenses again and all those bull rushes the Chargers did.

I am betting the pack still would have won this game, but Atlanta started putting in 2nd stringers by the middle of the 2nd quarter. Favre was still there after the half for one series.

As much as I would like to drink a tall glass of green coolaid on this win next week agains the Bengals with Carson Palmer back will say a lot about how far this team has come and how far they have yet to go to face the Bears in week 1.


Yea, next week is the real test for Green Bay. The Ravens looked tough so Minnesota will have a good challenge also on Friday. 3rd preseason game is always the most interesting.

[wist43]

Better, but they have a ways to go... I've only looked at the 1st half so far.

Offense

The OL was much improved in their pass blocking, but the run blocking was poor. As one of the articles mentioned, take away Drivers 19 yd run, and the avg/rush is only 2.7 yds (36yds/13 carries - his math was off).

Favre looked sharp. Jennings looks like the real deal - gotta hand it to TT, Jennings was a great pick.

Defense

The defense was better as well, compared to San Diego, but they really didn't play as well as might seem. By my count they had 3 pressures the entire 1st half.

Vick thru one pick - it was just a terrible throw; there was no pressure - the defense did not "force" this turnover. The second INT that went for the TD was another bad throw - although there was modest pressure. What best can be said of these turnovers is that the defenders were in position to take advantage of mistakes.

Beyond the lack of pressure, they also gave up 3 plays over 20 yds (24, 22, 27), and 4 more plays over 10 yds (13, 14, 13, 19).

[The Leaper]

The key is that there was clear improvement. It speaks well not only for the young kids on the field, but also for the coaching staff that MM has put together.

There still is plenty that can be addressed and improved on. I loved the fact that the defense actually capitalized with turnovers when the opportunities presented themselves. The offense looks crisp running a purer form of the WCO...where Favre is allowed to make quick reads and let the receivers make plays. In all of Sherman's tenure, I don't remember once where Favre audibled at the line of scrimmage when the DBs played back to make a quick pass to a WR in the flat. This offense is going to be solid if Favre continues to make good decisions and take what the defense gives him. He made some fabulous throws last night.

[pack4to84]

Vick thru one pick - it was just a terrible throw; there was no pressure - the defense did not "force" this turnover. you must of not saw the DB coming at Vick and forced him to throw, by not jump for his pump fakes. If you want I will post the video for this.

[pack4to84]

By my count they had 3 pressures the entire 1st half.
Atl first drive knocked down on first pass play by 74

blitzing 56 force Vick to throw incomplete.

no presure on TD throw though.

2nd possession Vick sacked on first pass play. the next pass play they held in TE and FB to mass protect.

Next pass play packers blitz Hawk but quick drop and throw by Vick.

Next came the presure by Collins forcing INT.

Next possession they took out Vick I wonder why with all the pressure, afraid of Vick getting hurt.
Forgot to mention that the first play Atl ran was a rollout to the right where 74 was waitng but Vick ran instead of trying to throw.