PACKER INSIDER- Getting somebody their money's worth

[Bretsky]

Well, the CC just got hit again for another $34.95 for the year so I figured it's time to post some PI articles. Here they came

[Bretsky]

Posted: Sept. 27, 2006


Richard Pufall
E-MAIL

To trade Brett Favre or not to trade him? That is the question. And it comes with at least three simple answers: No. No. And of course, no.

We're not quite sure why this question is out there, but we know where it came from and it didn't go away after the Green Bay Packers beat the Lions, 31-24, Sunday in Detroit.

The so-called "national media" has thrown this flaming log of controversy on the fire, mostly because the NFL trade deadline looms on Oct. 17. And, of course, the fire was fueled by Green Bay's horrid 4-12 record last season and its slow 1-2 start this year.

You know who these national media are. It's the sportswriters, TV talking heads and squawk radio hosts from outside the state of Wisconsin who couldn't name five players on Green Bay's roster, yet somehow know what should be done with Favre, the team's only marquee player.

Sure, there are a handful of media types within the state and a few fans who have suggested a trade of Favre would be in the best interest of the future of the Packers. Some even believe what they write and say, but most are just contrarians, those maverick agitators who like to see which way the popular wind is blowing, then lean against it.

A team trading for Brett Favre would face the nearly impossible task of fitting him under its salary cap.

But just for grins, let's entertain the notion that the Packers soon will be courted by teams looking to trade for Favre. Maybe such quarterback-challenged teams as Denver, Tampa Bay and Washington see Favre as the guy who can make their seasons, perhaps take them to the Super Bowl.

But there's an article of NFL apparel that makes a trade unlikely, if not impossible. It's that tight-fitting salary cap that all teams must wear; that financial governor that keeps the owners with large wallets from ruining the league. It's that parental tool that the NFL uses to slap the hands of naughty little boys like Malcolm Glazer and Daniel M. Snyder who love to spend more than their allowances.

A team trading for Favre would have to find room for the pro-rated portion of his $7 million base salary under its $102 million cap limit. That's chump change for many teams, but the real issue is cap room, not money. And getting it done would be nearly impossible. Sure, some team doubtless would find a way if Favre came stamped with a Super Bowl guarantee. But, of course, he doesn't. No one does.

Logistically and financially, a trade of Favre seems impossible no matter how you spin it. And it's just plain wrong rationally, practically, sensibly, historically and emotionally. And if you've got another "ly," throw it in here, please.

Trade Favre? Why not just go to the Louvre, break into the case that holds the Mona Lisa and paint that woman out of the picture?

The national media and the in-state contrarians would have us believe that Green Bay's future is imperiled if Favre is not traded while he still has some value.

They tell us that the Packers could get a first-round draft pick for Favre or a second-rounder at the very least. And this, they insist, would be good for the Packers?

Bull cookies.

But let's humor those who would send Favre packing for a first-round draft choice, "in the best interest of the future of the franchise."

These folks, it seems, place a lot of faith in the intelligentsia that has been running the draft show at 1265 Lombardi Ave. over the last several years.

It's unlikely the Packers could get a first-round pick for Favre. But if they did, that choice does not come with a guarantee. Green Bay's last 10 No. 1 selections were A.J. Hawk, Aaron Rodgers, Ahmad Carroll, Nick Barnett, Javon Walker, Jamal Reynolds, Bubba Franks, Antuan Edwards, Vonnie Holliday and Ross Verba. Not exactly Murderers Row.

Would you trade Favre, even in the twilight of his career, for any of those players? Hawk has a chance to be a special linebacker, but he will never mean as much to this franchise as Favre. Barnett has been solid, but only slightly above average as middle linebackers go. The other eight have been varying degrees of disappointment.

Worst-case scenario: The Packers trade Favre for the second coming of Jamal Reynolds. And with double first-round picks who is to say Green Bay wouldn't draft Reynolds times two?

And if the Packers traded Favre for a second-round pick, the public relations beating they would take would shake the foundation of Lambeau Field.

Those who would have Favre traded argue that the Packers must not make a decision based on sentiment.

Why not?

Favre, without question, is the sentimental favorite. He is like no other player in the history of the franchise, with the possible exceptions of Bart Starr and Don Hutson. How could the Packers expect to get more out of Favre than they have over the last 15 seasons? What right do they have to expect more?

If our interest is the future and how we view this team down the road, let's fast forward 10 years and ask ourselves if we would be able to fondly remember Favre's legacy without thinking of that troubling day when he was traded. And ask yourself if you think you'll have pleasant memories of who they got in the trade.

Then there are the fans, who seem to be the last people considered in this issue. What about the fans who have never seen Favre play at Lambeau Field? Maybe their first chance to see him is Oct. 29 against Arizona or Dec. 21 against Minnesota. Or maybe it's the New England game on Nov. 19 or Detroit on Dec. 17.

But if Favre is traded by the Oct. 17 deadline, those fans will not have their day. Anybody out their buying tickets with the hope of seeing Aaron Rodgers running the show?

Of course, this whole question could be moot. Favre likely would retire before agreeing to a trade.

"Would I go?" Favre said last week when asked about a trade. "I don't think so. I really don't."

The Packers are a rebuilding team right now, but Favre gives everyone a reason to watch. Without him, it's just a rebuilding team with no reason to watch.

We'd like to think that GM Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy have seen enough to know that Favre is still Green Bay's best player. That was evident Sunday at Ford Field.

Favre turns 37 on Oct. 10, but he plays a lot younger. He still has the arm. He still has the legs. No, he's not the player he was 10 years ago. But he remains among the NFL's top 10 quarterbacks. And if he wants to, he can play at a high level for at least another three seasons.

Favre is not the problem with today's Packers. And trading him won't help tomorrow's.

[Bretsky]

No one scapegoat for Packers' lack of playmakers
Posted: Sept. 26, 2006


Cliff Christl
E-MAIL

Green Bay - In case any of you missed it, Javon Walker caught three passes for 130 yards and scored the two touchdowns that allowed Denver to beat Bill Belichick's New England Patriots Sunday night. A week earlier, it was a reception by Walker that set up Denver's winning field goal in an overtime victory over Kansas City.


The big plays covered 24, 32 and 83 yards. The 24-yarder against the Chiefs came against Ty Law, a Pro Bowl cornerback last year. The 83-yarder against the Patriots came against double coverage.


Three weeks into the season, the Broncos appear to be one of several teams with a legitimate shot at winning the Super Bowl and Walker has emerged as their biggest playmaker.

Those who feel it necessary to blame Mike Sherman for all that ails the Green Bay Packers shouldn't lose sight of that.


It was Sherman who traded up to select Walker with the 20th selection in the 2002 draft. It was Walker's emergence as a playmaker late in 2003 that gave the Packers a real chance at winning their first Super Bowl in six years.


It was the receiving combination of Walker and Donald Driver - they combined for 173 catches, more than 2,500 yards and 21 touchdowns - that allowed Brett Favre to finish with a 30-17 touchdown-to-interception ratio and the Packers to win another division title in 2004, despite a defensive collapse that led to the team's lowest ranking in 21 years.


It was under current general manager Ted Thompson's watch that Walker first threatened a holdout over his contract and then became so disenchanted with the organization, in addition to a personal clash with Favre, that he demanded to be traded and threatened to become a cancer within the locker room if he wasn't.


Of all the players the Packers have lost through free agency or been forced to trade in recent years, Walker was the one who left the biggest hole and probably would have had the biggest impact had he stayed.


In a league where quarterbacks and playmakers matter most, Walker was the only young playmaker on the Packers' roster.


Had he not been lost for the season with a knee injury in last year's opener, he might have made enough plays to win enough of the eight games that the Packers lost by a touchdown or less to keep them in playoff contention.


This year, how much more explosive might the Packers be if they had a receiving corps of Walker, Driver and rookie Greg Jennings? How much would their mere presence in a three wide receiver set open up the running game? How much better would Favre be?


Thompson traded Walker for a second-round draft pick. He parlayed that choice into five picks. Those players turned out to be Daryn Colledge, Will Blackmon, Ingle Martin, Johnny Jolly and Tyrone Culver.


Does anybody believe that it will ever turn out to be an even exchange?


The intent here isn't to blame only Thompson for the current state of the Packers. Or to even second-guess him for the trade. The circumstances involving the Walker mess might have been largely unavoidable and, in the end, trading him might have been the Packers' only recourse.


Nor is the intent here to absolve Sherman of his role in the Packers' decline since the start of last season. His obsession with trying to find the one or two players who might have put the Packers over the top and allowed them to win another Super Bowl while Favre was still in his prime backfired. By trading too many picks during the three years that he ran the draft, Sherman was at least partly responsible for the erosion of the Packers' infrastructure. And as a result, they are not only short on playmakers, but also solid starters.


But Thompson's at fault, too.


He chose to let Mike Wahle, Marco Rivera, Darren Sharper and Ryan Longwell go.


Think about it. How much better would the Packers look on paper with Walker, Wahle and Sharper? Then again, they might only have been good enough to tread water - another two, three years of 10-6 finishes and early exits from the playoffs - before the bottom fell out.


Maybe Thompson's approach will hasten the Packers' rebuilding efforts. After all, it was inevitable after going 13 years without a losing season that the organization would have to rebuild at some point. That's just how the system works in the NFL.


So why not sooner than later?


In truth, neither Thompson nor Sherman is more to blame than the other. Considering he never drafted higher than 20th, Sherman did well with his three first-round picks: Walker, Nick Barnett and Ahmad Carroll. That's a better track record than Ron Wolf ever had over a three-year period with his first-round selections.


It was Sherman who drafted perhaps the Packers' two best defensive players: Aaron Kampman and Barnett. If Walker hadn't been traded, he'd probably be the Packers' best offensive player.


But, you say, Sherman's picks from the second round on down were a disaster?


That's true to an extent.


Besides Kampman, only Scott Wells is starting. Corey Williams is a solid reserve.


But let's go back to Denver and New England, two teams with two of the most respected GM-head coaches in the game: Mike Shanahan and Belichick.


Do you know how many players on Denver's roster Sunday night were taken in rounds two through seven from 2002-'04 drafts? Two and only one starter, running back Tatum Bell. Another, Clinton Portis, was traded for Denver's standout corner Champ Bailey.


You know how many from those drafts played for New England in that game? Five, four of them from the 2003 draft. But only three started: Safety Eugene Wilson, center Dan Koppen and cornerback Asante Samuel. One other, Deion Branch, was recently traded for a first-round draft pick.


True, Belichick and Shanahan drafted better than Sherman over that three-year span, but not by much. And they each had a top 20 pick in that period.


So if you feel compelled to play the blame game at least spread the blame around.

[Fritz]

It'd be really really dumb to trade Favre unless somebody was willing to give up, say, the first and second round picks in the next draft. And NOBODY in the NFL, not even the Lions or the Cards, is that foolish, to pay that price in mid-season for a guy who's soon to retire.

Therefore, given what one could get for Favre, it would be foolish to trade him.

[Bretsky]

Tom Silverstein
E-MAIL

Maybe it's one of those statistical oddities that will correct itself as the year wears on, but three weeks into the regular season one has to wonder, what has happened to the great running games that dominated the NFL last season?

If you check the stats, the running numbers from this year compared to last are nearly the same after three weeks of the season.

League-wide, teams were averaging 107.2 yards on 79.4 carries for a 3.9-yard average last year. After Week 3 this year, they're averaging 106.7 yards on 78 carries for a 3.9-yard average.

Missing from those numbers, however, are the big individual performances that marked a season in which eight players topped the 1,400-yard mark and league MVP Shaun Alexander set the NFL record for most touchdowns in a season.

Want to know who's leading the league in rushing?

Seattle running back Shaun Alexander has 187 rushing yards after three games compared to 357 last season.

Try Buffalo's Willis McGahee, who in three games has 311 yards. He and Atlanta's Warrick Dunn are the only two backs who have topped the 300-yard mark this season and together they have three 100-yard rushing days.

A year ago?

Tampa Bay's Cadillac Williams led the league with 434 yards, and six players had rushed for at least 300 yards total. Williams and the No. 2 rusher, Alexander, had gone over 100 yards in a game a combined five times.

And the number of long runs?

Nine players had a run of at least 40 yards last year compared to just three this season.

"I don't know how good a start guys are off to," said Green Bay backup running back Noah Herron. "This year, nobody has really jumped out that had those big games last year."

The difference in get-offs is remarkable for some players.

Williams has 107 yards compared to 434 last year; Alexander has 187 compared to 357; Arizona's Edgerrin James has 231 compared to 324; Pittsburgh's Willie Parker has 268 compared to 327; Chicago's Thomas Jones has 181 compared to 276.

Of the top seven rushers after three weeks last year, only McGahee has as many or more yards than he did at this time last year. San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson has only played two games because of a bye, but his per game average is down from 105.3 to 101.

Injury, change of teams and weakened offensive lines are playing a part in some of the aforementioned backs failing to hit their stride.

But while the slow start of the NFL's running elite might only be pertinent to fantasy football participants, it does reflect the struggles of a number of top teams to get their running games going and an overall philosophy in the NFL that defenses aren't going to allow those big-name backs to do to them what they did a year ago.

"I feel like it's just going to be that way all year; they're going to come in to stop the run," Williams said. "But me, my mentality is I don't care how many they have in the box. As an offense, we should be able to run the ball, and I feel like in time we're going to be OK."

Maybe, but the Buccaneers have shown no sign of coming out of their running game funk, falling from No. 2 in Week 3 last year to No. 32 this year. Others have followed a similar path. Pittsburgh has fallen from fifth to 15th, Chicago has fallen from 14th to 23rd, Seattle has dropped from fourth to 14th and Indianapolis has dropped from 13th to 24th.

It's one thing for teams like the Packers, Minnesota, Houston, St. Louis and the New York Jets to struggle because they all have new head coaches installing new offensive systems. But for some of the others it's a problem that must be corrected for the playoffs to be in their future.

"As a play-caller, if you don't have that established foundation it's hard," said Washington offensive coordinator Al Saunders, who couldn't be happier to have Clinton Portis back from a shoulder injury. "All of a sudden you're grasping at things trying to move the ball. You have a big play, then you have a little play and then a minus play, instead of being able to establish the run."

Offense in the NFL is down as a whole, but not a tremendous amount. Scoring is down from 56.7 points per team to 53.9, as well.

Eventually, someone's going to break through. If not, you can bet the NFL will alter the game next year to make sure they do.

Un-super Mario
Patience is running thin in Houston where No. 1 pick Mario Williams has yet to register an NFL sack.

In three exhibition games and three regular-season games he has put up a donut and coach Gary Kubiak decided to let his rookie defensive end know that his performance hasn't been up to snuff. With eight tackles in three games, Williams heard the criticism and couldn't agree more.

"I thought it was well-deserved," he said. "Obviously, the production hasn't been what everyone anticipated. I deserved to be called out. For me to be the No. 1 pick, I have to accept that responsibility. I feel like I have to set the standard, be a leader and keep everybody pumped up."

Meanwhile, Reggie Bush, the player the Texans (0-3) passed on to take Williams ranks 27th in total yards with 264 and has yet to score a touchdown, but his New Orleans Saints are 3-0.

In-Vince-ible
Another rookie from the 2006 class is getting a lot of publicity.

Not only do fans in Tennessee want to see Vince Young take over at quarterback, at least one veteran player does, too.

"I just have to be honest and say I'd rather just go ahead and go with Vince," linebacker Keith Bulluck said. "KerryCollins has the experience and he's played a lot of football in this league, but Vince is hungry. Of course he'll make mistakes because he is a rookie, but if we're losing we might as well go with the future."

In his three starts, all losses, Collins has thrown one touchdown and six interceptions and carries a passer rating of 42.3 Young spot-played in the Titans' first two games, but coach Jeff Fisher hasn't said when he'll get back on the field.

Class dismissed
Colts punter Hunter Smith called the Jacksonville Jaguars classless after a victory Sunday in which the visitors were called for two personal foul penalties, prompting Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio to say:

"It must be something with the kickers over there," he said, "If he starts talking about Peyton, let me know."

Del Rio's reference was to ex-Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who several years back laid into quarterback PeytonManning and coach Tony Dungy for lacking intensity. Del Rio went on to complain that the Colts were the ones who were dirty.

Run, Ben, Run
Usually coaches want to put a harness on their quarterbacks so they'll be able to yank them back in the pocket anytime they get the dumb idea it's OK to scramble.

But Steelers coach Bill Cowher had a message for struggling quarterback Ben Roethlisberger this week.

Run.

"I talked to coach about it; we decided that maybe I need to get out a little more, run a little more," Roethlisberger said. "I've kind of gotten away from running the ball. He said, 'Yeah, take your 6 yards and slide.' "

Over the last two seasons, Roethlisberger has run the ball 87 times for 213 yards and four touchdowns, but has taken off just twice this year. Roethlisberger ranks next to last among the 32 ranked quarterbacks with a 34.3 passer rating, so it couldn't hurt him to try something new.

Cowher's hope is that it will jump-start Roethlisberger and remind him of all the big plays he made on the run the past two years.

Tense moment
Carolina defensive lineman Al Wallace knew he hit Chris Simms hard on Sunday, so when he was driving home from the game and heard Simms was going to the hospital, he got worried.

"I was kind of physically sick," he said.

The Buccaneers are saying Wallace's fourth-quarter hit in which he slammed Simms to the ground was what ruptured Simms' spleen. Tape of the hit was sent to the league by the Buccaneers because they want Wallace to get fined.

No penalty was called. Simms showed signs of weakness and pain before Wallace hit him, so it's unclear whether his tackle caused the rupture.

Twice baked
For the second time in less than a year, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin has been ripped by one of his star players.

Running back Tiki Barber did it after the Giants' playoff loss to Carolina and Jeremy Shockey did it Sunday after a loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Both second-guessed Coughlin's coaching through the media.

"I am surprised," Coughlin said. "It's extremely disappointing. (It's) not done."

It is in New York apparently. Coughlin met with Shockey Monday, but neither would say what they talked about.

Send e-mail to tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com

[Bretsky]

Eric Baranczyk, an assistant high school football coach and a former player and coach at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, offers a weekly analysis of the Green Bay Packers with a inside football slant. Read more about him here.





THURSDAY, Sept. 28, 2006, 11:10 a.m.

Week 3 analysis

I believe in my heart of hearts that Ahman Green can still be a very productive, good running back. Is he the Ahman Green of ’04, ’03? I don’t think so. Is he serviceable? You bet yah. I think he just needs somewhere to run the ball. There’s no where to run. When they had William Henderson leading through the hole, there was no hole. When Green catches the ball and there’s some field to move in, you see some burst. It’s not the burst that it used to be, but it’s better than anybody else on that team right now. I don’t think Green has that fifth gear he used to have. But as far as being a punishing runner, he’s still there. I still think he could start in a lot of places around the league. In this offense with these players, you probably could use somebody a little more special: A LaDainian Tomlinson, a Reggie Bush. But, right now, I think even Tomlinson would have a hard time running the ball with the Packers. I guess until Green starts getting some holes, nobody is going to really know where he’s at.

Henderson doesn’t block like he used to. He can still catch the ball. But he’s no Mack Strong or Lorenzo Neal. I don’t know if Henderson has lost his will or if it’s just physical and he doesn’t have the lateral movement that he used to have. Even when he catches the ball, there’s no lateral movement. He’s running up-field. That’s it. When he goes to block a linebacker, he has no ability to adjust.

I still think (Brett) Favre is a pretty good football player. Back-to-back 300-yard games, six TDs. He doesn’t have the elusiveness he used to have and that ability to run around and make something out of nothing. But I think he’s pretty darn savvy. And when he’s on with his guys, like Donald Driver, it looks like all he has to do is give Driver a look and they know what they have to do. He definitely has enough arm strength to play. The foot speed isn’t there. But if the Packers are going to continue to run a true West Coast offense, you don’t need a quarterback who has to run. All Favre has to do is be able to get outside the tackles from time to time on play-action passes.

Greg Jennings has field speed. There’s field speed and there’s track speed. Sometimes you get a guy with track speed, put on a helmet and shoulder pads, and he’s not as fast. Other guys, you put a football in their hands, and their 40 time seems to drop like a rock because of adrenalin, their competitive nature, blah, blah, blah. Another thing about Jennings, he seems to get good position. He plays strong. He seems to have an understanding of where he needs to be with his body position in relationship to the D-back to make the play. You see with (Robert) Ferguson a lot, where the defensive back is running up the sideline and able to squeeze Ferguson to the outside. That doesn’t seem to happen with Jennings. He seems to be able to stay true to his routes.

I have a hard time believing that Nick Collins and Al Harris have taken steps back. I can buy it with (Charles) Woodson. He has the big, fat contract. But those guys seem so confused at times. I think it’s more than just the individual play. I don’t know if its scheme or what they’re taught, but something goes wrong and they all seem to be standing there looking at each other. That’s a coaching staff problem. I think physically the secondary is good enough. I don’t think Collins should be at the dime corner. I think Woodson quits some times and I don’t think you’re going to get a good press out of him. I don’t think that’s the type of player he is. But Al Harris still should be able to stick them at the line. Maybe he knows he has some problems behind him with the safeties. If you’re pressing and you’re afraid that those safeties won’t be there to cover your butt if you do happen to get burned, you’re probably going to just tap it and hope you can run with the guy. I just can’t believe Harris has lost it or that Collins has taken a step back. But big plays keep happening. Even if Collins didn’t get the help he was expecting on that long touchdown, the receiver still ran by him. But Collins fills on the run okay. I don’t like (Marquand) Manuel’s feet. I don’t know if he gets caught peeking in the backfield or what, but guys are running by him and it looks like his feet are in concrete. He’s not back-pedaling. He’s not turning to run. His feet are standing still when he turns to run. That’s a big problem. He’s getting caught flat-footed.

Corey Williams was active up front. Maybe it was the guy he was playing against, but he looked quick. I think they have a pretty good combination. I think (Ryan) Pickett is pretty good. (Cullen) Jenkins has been active. Your tackles don’t have to get sacks. They just have to collapse that pocket in the quarterback’s face and make him nervous. That’s when you get picks. Another thing Sunday, they got pressure with four guys on numerous occasions. Again, a pass rush doesn’t need to produce a sack to be successful. If you can just get that quarterback to move around and throw the ball up that’s almost better. (Aaron) Kampman was getting close. And they got home a couple times. It just seemed they got more pressure. It wasn’t quick pressure, but they got the quarterback to move his feet. (Jon) Kitna didn’t make too many bad decisions, but he also didn’t make some plays because he couldn’t just sit back there.






FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2006, 3:30 p.m.

Week 2 analysis
I think (Daryn) Colledge and (Tony) Moll are athletic guys. But I don't think they're as strong as they need to be. I don't think there's any snot running out of the nose of those defensive tackles after Colledge and Moll hit them. They don't have the power to just man-up and push somebody out of the way. They're getting high. They'll make decent contact at the initial level, but by the end of the block, the defensive tackles' helmet will be below their helmets. When that happens, unless you're just a big, strong guy, it's really tough to move people out of the way. I think what's happening is that they have to get to that second level and they start peeking. And the old saying goes, 'When your head comes up, your legs straighten out.' There's two ways about it. They have to get good separation with their arms. If they do that then they don't have to creep up and look over the top of the guy they're trying to block to see the second level. If they get good separation, they'll be able to see that other colored jersey come across their face and they'll be able to move off and get to him. But if they get no separation and are eyeball to eyeball with the defensive linemen, the only way for them to see the second level is to get up high and look over the top. The other thing is that if they're just not confident about where they have to go, they start looking around. They have to be confident enough to stay with their blocks until they see the other color flash. But I think a lot of it just comes down to the fact that they need more strength.

With the backside breakdowns, here's the deal: When you're a zone blocking team there are only a couple plays they can run. You're either going to run right inside, run right outside, run left inside, run left outside. So when the defense sees backfield motion going, they're running down the line of scrimmage to make plays. Now, for that to work to the advantage of the offense, if you can cut off those guys, you have more ways to cut back at the point of attack. It works against the defense because they get aggressive. But what has to happen is the Packers have to be able to cut off the guys shooting down the line of scrimmage. Especially with (Chad) Clifton - and I know this doesn't seem to jive because he's supposed to be a pretty athletic guy - he doesn't seem to be athletic enough to get the cutoff on those plays. Maybe it's his knee. How many times did the backside end or linebacker make plays Sunday? It wasn't just Clifton. It's both the guard and tackle. On the other side, with Tauscher, I'm surprised there, too. I thought they did more zone blocking at Wisconsin. I thought he'd be better at it. I think Tauscher is athletic and moves his feet pretty well. But, then, maybe they're just not getting the push inside with their center-guards. They just can't get anything going north and south.

Geez, (Aaron) Kampman is playing excellent. He looks different. He looks sleeker. He looks quicker. And, of course, any time you're in the league so long, you get savvier. I would suspect he's a film freak. That he watches a ton of film and figures out what works on guys. (Ryan) Pickett runs down the line of scrimmage nice. That's impressive. I think at the point of attack, he needs to get stouter. I don't think he's as good maintaining a gap as he is running through a gap. But he covers ground pretty well. He's faster than he looks. I kind of wrote Cullen Jenkins off in the pre-season. But he's gosh darn active up the field. What he has going other than his speed is that he uses his hands very, very well. It's hard for offensive linemen to get their hands on him. He's not real heavy in the shorts. But he's very active.

The linebackers fill the hole nice. How many linebackers do you know who could chase down Reggie Bush the way A.J. Hawk did in the flat? I'll tell you this, Bush probably would have run right around (Brady) Poppinga. I think Hawk played a fantastic game. He didn't have 10 tackles or have two or three sacks. But he's a solid player. You have a player as quick as Bush is and that's a tough play. And Hawk didn't let Bush jitterbug him. He didn't make shoestring tackles. He just ran him down.

That's a high school mistake Poppinga made when he didn't line up inside Joe Horn. When the receiver lines up in that position, you line up inside the guy to take away the slant. You make the receiver run more of a crossing pattern than a slant. With the slant, if they hit the seam, they're going to go for awhile. If you line up inside, the receiver has to bend more to the inside of the field. Then, you'll have a middle backer there and another backer that the receiver will have to cross-face and you'll have a safety coming up. But if it's a skinny slant like that and you hit it in the seam, the receiver can start running north and south or, like on Sunday, cut across the field.

Collins must be in a sophomore slump. I thought he was better last year. They lined him up in the dime at corner. I think he's out of position there. He certainly can't cover one-on-one. We've seen it two weeks in a row now.

I thought Favre played a good game. Everybody bitches about that pass he threw in the end zone for an interception. And he probably held on to that too long. But I thought he made the throws he had to make. And he got killed by guys who couldn't catch the ball. Bubba Franks got hit right between the '8s' and couldn't even catch it. Come on! Those are drive killers. You have to get those little six-, seven-yard gains. You can't be sitting in third-and-eight or second-and-10 all day. That first touchdown to (Greg) Jennings. That was a tight spiral. It was right where it needed to be. That was vintage Favre right there.






THURSDAY, Sept. 14, 2006, 5:28 p.m.

Week 1 analysis
You know you're in trouble when your running back is your best pass blocker. I think Chad Clifton was the one whose pad level was awful. His knee has to be bothering him more than he's letting on. It seemed like he just couldn't get out of his stance. Run blocking especially his pad level was too high. I don't know if he's rusty from not practicing this summer, but wow. That was shocking. I didn't think the mistakes of the two rookie guards were as glaring as Clifton. You know, (Jason) Spitz can pull pretty good. Their best play was that power play that has always been so good to them. You have to have a good tackle that can down-block well, which Tauscher is great at. And then you have to have a good blocking tight end to seal the (defensive) end. Then, the guard (Spitz) pulls around the corner. Every time they ran that power play they got yards.

That quarterback sneak was a bad play. When you've got a guy like Ahman Green, I would think you'd want him to have the ball. I thought it was a gutsy call to go for it, a great call. But it comes down to pad level. That happened a couple times where the defensive tackle had better position than the guard and center, especially against (Tony) Moll. Moll played really high.

I like the linebackers. I think that's the shining part of that entire team. Brady Poppinga had seven solo tackles, although I only counted six. Poppinga's hips aren't as loose as Hawk's and Barnett's. He got burned once. He fell down once. But I think it was the second pass against him, he was in position and it was just a great throw. You know what? He didn't do a great job against the pass. But all he has to do to get better is engage that tight end in the first five yards coming off the ball. I think if Poppinga gets contact with the tight end, he'll be able to run a little better. If he gives them a free release, he's going to be in trouble all year. But he can fill on the run like you won't believe.

You know Hawk doesn't have to make the tackle to make the play. As long as he does his job and fills his hole and the running back stops and cuts inside or jitterbugs and goes further east or west that's great. Hawk was in position on most those running plays. I can think of a stretch play in the first half, where Hawk filled his gap, the running back stopped and turned inside, and by that time (Nick) Barnett was there and made a big play. And they stuck Hawk out on a wide receiver. You put a linebacker on a wide receiver that's saying an awful lot. I think he's going to get nothing but better. If he was playing in the middle, he'd get six, seven, eight tackles a game. Playing on the outside, he might not get that. Barnett makes the plays he's supposed to make. I thought he played very well. He did a real good job rushing the passer. He seemed to have a little jitterbug in him that we haven't seen. Last year, he'd rush the passer and run by guys or run right into the blocker. I still think he has to come to balance a little bit better before he makes contact, but he was solid.

The corners certainly had their problems with Muhsin Muhammad. I know (Charles) Woodson is kind of a finesse guy. He let Muhammad run all over him. He didn't stop him on the line of scrimmage at all. But I thought Al Harris was good at neutralizing wide receivers at the line. I don't know what the deal was. It looked like he got overpowered. You saw him in the pre-season neutralize Chad Johnson. But Chad Johnson is more of a speed and finesse guy. Muhammad just ran wherever he wanted to. I know they had a problem in a zone scheme, too, on the (Bernard) Berrian touchdown and that should never happen. That was a mental mistake. That was mostly (Marquand) Manuel. When you're a safety, you should never get caught peeking in the backfield.

On kickoff returns, (Noah) Herron and (Samkon) Gado looked like they didn't even want to be there. I don't know what the deal was, but they looked like they just wanted to make sure they didn't drop the ball and just jogged up in there instead of trying to make something happen.

I know why they picked up Koren Robinson. That's because of the kickoff returns. But I think that's a horrible decision. I know you give a guy a first and second try. But that's a chicken-(bleep), cowardly move. Plus, they're bringing him into a fishbowl. What do people do in Green Bay beside watch the Packers? Drink beer. You're going to bring him into that environment? That's the culture in Green Bay. Just think of the negative feedback if he does it again. I thought they got rid of all those guys when they got rid of Mossy Cade and Tim Harris. I thought they were done with those types of players. We know nobody on the current roster can return kicks, but somebody on the wire should be able to run straight ahead like they aren't scared.








FRIDAY, Sept. 8, 2006, 5:01 p.m.

By Cliff Christl

Back for another season...
There are far more personnel officials and scouts in the National Football League who played small college football and/or came up through the ranks as high school and small college coaches than there are former NFL players and coaches.

Well into the 1980s, it wasn't uncommon for personnel departments to operate with six or fewer people, most of whom tended to be former NFL players and coaches, or so it seemed. Now, counting everyone from general managers to personnel directors to area scouts, most teams have upwards of 12 or more people working in personnel. And there are a growing number of scouts around the league who never even played college football. They received degrees in sports management and got their starts in the NFL as interns in public relations, ticket offices, video departments, marketing, the equipment room, you name it.

As recently as last season, research of NFL press guides showed that more than 350 people were working in player personnel. Fewer than 20% were former NFL players and fewer yet were former NFL coaches. Close to half either were former high school or small college coaches, or former small college players.

With that in mind, JSOnline last sesaon enlisted the services of Eric Baranczyk, a former player at small college powerhouse the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and an assistant coach at state power Ashwaubenon High School, to serve as a personnel analyst. Baranczyk's weekly reviews of each game were well-received on Packer Insider and he's coming back for a second season.

Starting this week, Baranczyk will offer weekly evaluations of the Packers' personnel after viewing video tapes of the team's games. After tape-recording his analysis each week, I will write it up, edit it and post it on Friday in this Weblog.

Baranczyk, 32, grew up in the shadows of Lambeau Field. In fact, he could see the stadium from his bedroom window. Starting in about fourth grade, he also spent several summers hanging out at training camp. "Ezra Johnson, one summer, rode my bike," said Baranczyk. "I was one of the kids on the rail every day who was looking for a player to ride my bike. I did it until seventh grade when I started football."

Baranczyk played varsity football for three years at Ashwaubenon and was named all-conference both as a junior and senior. He lettered four years as a defensive tackle at UW-La Crosse. As a junior, he played on an NCAA Division III national championship team. Mike Maslowski, who played five years of linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, was one of Baranczyk's teammates all four years. As a freshman, Baranczyk played with former Packers wide receiver Bill Schroeder.

Baranczyk also played with and under Brian Gutekunst, one of the Packers' five area scouts. Gutekunst's background is similar to Baranczyk's. Gutekunst played high school football in Plymouth, Minn., and then two years for UW-La Crosse. After suffering a shoulder injury, Gutekunst spent two years as a student coach at UW-La Crosse. In 1997, he was hired as an intern in the Packers' scouting department. A year later, the Kansas City Chiefs hired him fulltime. He returned to the Packers following the 1998 season.

Baranczyk's coaching career began at Onalaska High School, outside La Crosse, in 1997. In 1998, he served as a graduate assistant at UW-La Crosse. He returned to Ashwaubenon in 1999 and spent the next six seasons coaching the school's defensive line. During that time, Ashwaubenon won two state championships. After starting his own business a year ago, Baranczyk quit coaching. But he recently returned to the sidelines as defensive end coach.

Baranczyk also played a season with the Green Bay Bombers, champions of the Indoor Professional Football League, forerunner to AFL2.

One personnel official of an NFL team noted a year ago that scouts and even general managers come from a variety of backgrounds and that it wouldn't be at all unusual for a team to hire someone with Baranczyk's qualifications.

Recent general managers who started out coaching at the high school level included: Tom Donahoe, formerly of Buffalo; Charley Casserley, formerly of Houston; Carl Peterson of Kansas City and A.J. Smith of San Diego.

The top three administrators in player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles are Tom Heckert, general manager; Jason Licht, vice president of player personnel; and Scott Cohen, director of pro personnel.

Heckert played defensive back at Hillsdale College in Michigan and served as an assistant coach there for two years before being hired for his first NFL scouting job in the early 1990s. Licht played defensive tackle for two years at Nebraska-Wesleyan, finishing in 1994, and was hired as a scout by Miami the following year. Cohen played at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania before starting out as an intern and training camp director for the Washington Redskins in the early 1990s.

The average age of the Eagles' seven college scouts is under 30. One played at Dickinson, another at Carroll College in Montana, a third at Ricks College in Idaho and their latest hire at DePauw in Indiana.

There are even several scouts across the league that got their starts performing work somewhat similar to what Baranczyk will be doing for JSOnline.

Andy Weidl, West Coast scout for the Baltimore Ravens, was first hired by Pittsburgh after working for a year as a sports reporter for Comcast in Philadelphia.

Kevin Kelly, area scout for the Cleveland Browns, started out as a scout for Prep Football Report and jumped to the NFL after five years as offensive coordinator at St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, Ill. Paul Roell, regional scout for the Minnesota Vikings, played at Ohio Northern and scouted high school football in western Pennsylvania for Metro Index Scouting. Adam Engroff joined the Miami's college scouting department in 1999 after working for Prep Recruiting Network. Jim Nagy, area scout for the New England Patriots, worked for The Sporting News' service, War Room Scouting, Inc.

[MJZiggy]

I think Richard Pufall is my new favorite GB media "expert." Dude at least makes sense...

[KYPack]

Hey B,

Thanks a million for this!

That Eric Baranczyk reminds me of me!

I agree with this guy 100%. His comments echo mine and he writes what I see. I have been mystified when I watch the game, form a few opinions, and then when I see in the articles in the paper, they are 180 degrees from what I just saw.

So many of the JSO reporters are party-line writers. They merely spew out articles that reflect what the Packers or their managment want them to write.

The two worst offenders are Lori Nickel and Silverstein. Nickel seems to be an enthusiastic young reporter who has the Packer beat, but doesn't know much, if anything about football. That's OK, it seems like she's trying to learn.

Silverstein OTOH, disgusts me. He's coin operated and spoon fed. He is nothing but a lap dog. Sherman had him in his hip pocket and now Silverstein is looking for a new home. I can't tell if he knows the game or not, but his work is shoddy at best.

Put more of his (Eric Baranczyk's) stuff up here. It's good.

[SkinBasket]

Well, the CC just got hit again for another $34.95 for the year so I figured it's time to post some PI articles. Here they came

Damn it B. I hope you like reading the paper version. All you have to do to read the on-line PI articles is press your browser's STOP button before it redirects you from the article. Sometimes if the whole article doesn't show, I have to click "View" and "Page source" but it's all there for the taking.

Hell one run through a word processor to take out the

and </p>, and it's just as good as new.

Although I know not everyone wants to go though the trouble and I sincerely appreciate the notion of "sharing." :D

Just don't want you wasting your good money on those bad articles.

[RashanGary]

shh...skin..

I've been stealing from them for quite some time and i don't want it to get out. IF too many people starting doing it, they'll catch on. I hope they don't read this thread acctually.

[SkinBasket]

shh...skin..

I've been stealing from them for quite some time and i don't want it to get out. IF too many people starting doing it, they'll catch on. I hope they don't read this thread acctually.

As far as I'm concerned, there isn't usually anything worth shit in there anyway. I don't think you have to worry about the JSO hiring someone who knows how to secure their website properly. They don't seem too interested in that kind of stuff.

[vince]

Hey B,

Thanks a million for this!

That Eric Baranczyk reminds me of me!

I agree with this guy 100%. His comments echo mine and he writes what I see. I have been mystified when I watch the game, form a few opinions, and then when I see in the articles in the paper, they are 180 degrees from what I just saw.

So many of the JSO reporters are party-line writers. They merely spew out articles that reflect what the Packers or their managment want them to write.

The two worst offenders are Lori Nickel and Silverstein. Nickel seems to be an enthusiastic young reporter who has the Packer beat, but doesn't know much, if anything about football. That's OK, it seems like she's trying to learn.

Silverstein OTOH, disgusts me. He's coin operated and spoon fed. He is nothing but a lap dog. Sherman had him in his hip pocket and now Silverstein is looking for a new home. I can't tell if he knows the game or not, but his work is shoddy at best.

Put more of his (Eric Baranczyk's) stuff up here. It's good.

I'm with you KY. That guy is right on the mark, IMO with his football observations and analysis.

The only perspective I disagree with is his opinion on Robinson. I certainly understand his perspective, but I personally think it's a good signing. Just my philosophical opinion that player's personal behaviors are their own business and not the domain or responsibility of the Packers. If KRob has future propblems, that'll be tragic, but I won't blame the Packers for them...