KYPack
08-29-2006, 11:12 AM
Not many fans want to remember this el stinko exhibition game, but I was there, so here’s my report live from Paul Brown Stadium. I live in the Cincy area and all week long it looked bad for the Pack. The tom-toms were beating that the Stripers were getting up for this game. In addition to Carson Palmer, 3 All-Pro Lineman were announcing that Monday would be their first game this season & they indicated a strong desire to play hard & well. 4 All-Pro’s added to the line-up for the Bengals? We don’t have 4 All Pro’s anymore, so this could be bad for us. (Check my pre-game prediction if ya don’t believe me.)
Everybody started calling me to tailgate at 11 AM. I had stuff to do, so I didn’t show up until 7PM. When I got there, everybody started with the anti-Packer guff, so I milled around. Met some tailgaters from Milwaukee & Appleton, & went into the game. There were quite a few Packer fans, but they were scattered around the stadium. Last years regular season game had all the Packer fans around the Packer’s tunnel. I’d say there 15,000 Pack fans at that game and 8 – 10,000 fans at this one.
Last year’s game featured the guy running on the field & stealing the ball from Brett. That shit wasn’t gonna happen this year. There was dozens of security and real live cops all over the place, espec behind the Packer’s bench. Also, last year’s PBS fans were some totally drunked-up assholes. Security was 10x’s tighter this year, & a guy was cuffed up and taken out in my section.
The only time the Pack looked impressive is when they ran out onto the field. In fact, it was one of the few times I cheered all day. It was 21 zip before I could figure out what was up. The team looked lost and listless, like a young club on the road who don’t travel real well. Which is what they are.
The following are some impressions I had during the game:
Hawk played better. He’s developing pro technique and learning pro reads. The Bengals killed us, but the D held their running game in check & Hawk was one of the reasons.
Poppinga hustles and gives 100% every play. He has poor technique and really doesn’t know how to play NFL linebacker. He’s a couple years away from helping us at a regular spot. He can be a specialty DE, but not a regular LB.
Hawkins is a strange player. He shows flashes of brilliant speed, but was badly whipped on a deep post by a Bengal sub WR. He really doesn’t understand pro corner technique and may never get it.
Ruvel Martin and Joey Horton are two of the worst gunners in the league. They should never be allowed to run the end spot on punts again. These two goofs need to show something on ST to lock down a roster spot and they screw off on the field? What’s wrong with this team?
Cut Ferg and David Martin. I can’t take it anymore. They won’t come back to haunt us, who in the hell is gonna pick’em up? We can’t trade either one of these stiffs, just get rid of ‘em already. Martin left early and Ferg dropped his only catch attempt.
Give Jennings the PR job. This kid is great. He’s our #2 reciever and has a lot of skills and moxie. He’s a rookie that won’t have a rookie year. Cut Cory Rogers today. I think they will give him one more game to make the club, but he has no grasp of catching the ball and returning a punt. I could help this goofy kid, but I’m sure he’s ignoring better coaches than me.
Speaking of coaches, find Bates, get down on your knees and beg him to come back. Sanders is a timid, shell-shocked wimp. He looks flat out scared on the sidelines. When the guys on D come off, they don’t look to Sanders at all. There is no need to. He’s staring off into space, looking like a frightened child. Bates was over there, yelling, screaming, shaking his fists and, well, coaching. Sanders is maybe a good assistant to a Coordinator, but he ain’t no DC. We need one of those, a real DC.
I really love Cullen Jenkins. He played tough and hustled every second he was in there. He’s our best DLineman. Pickett is a blob, and enveloper. OK, but not worth the $ we threw at him. KGB and Kamp got spanked by the aforementioned All-Pro tackles. KGB is almost a caricature of himself. Levi Jones just waited for KGB to bust his one move & then drove him into the ground.
Couple other concerns:
Wells moves to his right to help Moll on pass pro about 98% of the time. You can’t do this during the regular season. That tendency will be exposed big time by regular teams on D
The Pack doesn’t run any conventional running plays other than an occasional draw or screen. No traps, no Power O’s, no drive blocks to the A or B gap. Just zone lead tight right or left. I don’t think they have put in zone lead wide, just tights. That ain’t gonna cut it, either. We’ve got to run BOTH conventional and ZBS or we will get smoked off the field this year.
The game (inevitably) got called early because of lightening storms, was delayed, and then finished. I walked over a metal bridge in a lightening storm to the Packer bar. There twelve of us all sat around and bitched about the Pack, while drinking away our troubles. It worked.
The drinking, that is.
Everybody started calling me to tailgate at 11 AM. I had stuff to do, so I didn’t show up until 7PM. When I got there, everybody started with the anti-Packer guff, so I milled around. Met some tailgaters from Milwaukee & Appleton, & went into the game. There were quite a few Packer fans, but they were scattered around the stadium. Last years regular season game had all the Packer fans around the Packer’s tunnel. I’d say there 15,000 Pack fans at that game and 8 – 10,000 fans at this one.
Last year’s game featured the guy running on the field & stealing the ball from Brett. That shit wasn’t gonna happen this year. There was dozens of security and real live cops all over the place, espec behind the Packer’s bench. Also, last year’s PBS fans were some totally drunked-up assholes. Security was 10x’s tighter this year, & a guy was cuffed up and taken out in my section.
The only time the Pack looked impressive is when they ran out onto the field. In fact, it was one of the few times I cheered all day. It was 21 zip before I could figure out what was up. The team looked lost and listless, like a young club on the road who don’t travel real well. Which is what they are.
The following are some impressions I had during the game:
Hawk played better. He’s developing pro technique and learning pro reads. The Bengals killed us, but the D held their running game in check & Hawk was one of the reasons.
Poppinga hustles and gives 100% every play. He has poor technique and really doesn’t know how to play NFL linebacker. He’s a couple years away from helping us at a regular spot. He can be a specialty DE, but not a regular LB.
Hawkins is a strange player. He shows flashes of brilliant speed, but was badly whipped on a deep post by a Bengal sub WR. He really doesn’t understand pro corner technique and may never get it.
Ruvel Martin and Joey Horton are two of the worst gunners in the league. They should never be allowed to run the end spot on punts again. These two goofs need to show something on ST to lock down a roster spot and they screw off on the field? What’s wrong with this team?
Cut Ferg and David Martin. I can’t take it anymore. They won’t come back to haunt us, who in the hell is gonna pick’em up? We can’t trade either one of these stiffs, just get rid of ‘em already. Martin left early and Ferg dropped his only catch attempt.
Give Jennings the PR job. This kid is great. He’s our #2 reciever and has a lot of skills and moxie. He’s a rookie that won’t have a rookie year. Cut Cory Rogers today. I think they will give him one more game to make the club, but he has no grasp of catching the ball and returning a punt. I could help this goofy kid, but I’m sure he’s ignoring better coaches than me.
Speaking of coaches, find Bates, get down on your knees and beg him to come back. Sanders is a timid, shell-shocked wimp. He looks flat out scared on the sidelines. When the guys on D come off, they don’t look to Sanders at all. There is no need to. He’s staring off into space, looking like a frightened child. Bates was over there, yelling, screaming, shaking his fists and, well, coaching. Sanders is maybe a good assistant to a Coordinator, but he ain’t no DC. We need one of those, a real DC.
I really love Cullen Jenkins. He played tough and hustled every second he was in there. He’s our best DLineman. Pickett is a blob, and enveloper. OK, but not worth the $ we threw at him. KGB and Kamp got spanked by the aforementioned All-Pro tackles. KGB is almost a caricature of himself. Levi Jones just waited for KGB to bust his one move & then drove him into the ground.
Couple other concerns:
Wells moves to his right to help Moll on pass pro about 98% of the time. You can’t do this during the regular season. That tendency will be exposed big time by regular teams on D
The Pack doesn’t run any conventional running plays other than an occasional draw or screen. No traps, no Power O’s, no drive blocks to the A or B gap. Just zone lead tight right or left. I don’t think they have put in zone lead wide, just tights. That ain’t gonna cut it, either. We’ve got to run BOTH conventional and ZBS or we will get smoked off the field this year.
The game (inevitably) got called early because of lightening storms, was delayed, and then finished. I walked over a metal bridge in a lightening storm to the Packer bar. There twelve of us all sat around and bitched about the Pack, while drinking away our troubles. It worked.
The drinking, that is.