motife
10-04-2006, 06:09 PM
Rating the Packers vs. Eagles: Eagles were vulnerable, but it really didn't matter
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Oct. 3, 2006
Green Bay - Brian Westbrook didn't play. Two of the Philadelphia Eagles' top three cornerbacks didn't play. A pair of first-half drives inside the Green Bay 5 resulted in no points because of fumbles. And the visit by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday had just about everyone in Philadelphia looking ahead.
If ever the Green Bay Packers would be in position to stage a major upset this season, Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field might have been their best chance.
Instead, the Packers looked as if they didn't even belong on the same field as the Eagles in the second half in the first collapse of Mike McCarthy's coaching tenure.
Here is a rating of the Packers against the Eagles, with their 1 to 5 football totals in parentheses:
RECEIVERS (2½)
There's a price to be paid for sending Donald Driver inside all the time. Game after game, Driver runs the routes nobody else wants. Once Driver was splattered by S Sean Considine on an ill-considered throw by Brett Favre just before the half, he wasn't any good the rest of the day. There was no excuse for Driver not to catch the short slant in the end zone. But his critical drop on another slant in the third quarter came after the hit by Considine and shouldn't have been a surprise. Even Driver has a limit on how many times he can sell out in traffic. Philadelphia's Sheldon Brown became the latest cornerback to be caught out of position on one of Greg Jennings' lightning-quick bursts after the catch. Jennings dominated the Eagles' cornerbacks, although with Lito Sheppard and Rod Hood sidelined, castoffs Joselio Hanson and Dexter Wynn were shaky. Jennings can be a little loose with the ball. Fortunately for Jennings, he was out of bounds when SS Brian Dawkins stole the ball from him early and forced him to fumble out of bounds later. Bubba Franks' false-start penalty on third and 1 to open the game was terrible.
OFFENSIVE LINE (2½)
Eagles coordinator Jim Johnson, the master of the big blitz, came with six or more on just two of the Packers' 51 dropbacks. He was content just to rush with four players from his prized defensive line and protect his depleted secondary, and the pressure was more than enough. Although there were no sacks, Favre was down three times and hurried another six. Mark Tauscher might have been tired, giving up three pressures in the second half. When matched against LDE Darren Howard, he fared well. Chad Clifton gave up two pressures on inside charges, something that almost never happened before his knees got bad. After Tony Moll started and played 12 of the first 25 snaps, Jason Spitz played the rest of the way. Spitz is a better drive blocker than Moll or Daryn Colledge because he's more explosive and probably more tenacious. They need him on the field. Colledge got jacked around a few times and his headgear was knocked off twice. Improvement was not evident in his play this week. Scott Wells was buckled by rookie DT Brodrick Bunkley twice on the goal line but generally is doing a competent job.
QUARTERBACKS (2)
Favre was OK until the middle of the third quarter. Then he threw too hard for Vernand Morency at point-blank range even though he was tightly covered and was intercepted. His second interception, a late throw down the middle to David Martin, was the result of thoughtlessness tinged with desperation. Earlier, Favre hung Driver out to dry on the type of throw that he can't continue making. Driver never expected that ball to be thrown so late because Considine was sitting there waiting for him. Favre started the game in decent rhythm but his accuracy deteriorated. Three or four times, he was more of a thrower than a passer on third-down balls that sailed high. Another interception was nullified by penalty and he came close to having two others. After Favre left with a slight stinger, Aaron Rodgers was all right in the final 11 snaps.
RUNNING BACKS (2)
With Westbrook and Ahman Green sidelined, the best running back on the field was Morency. Granted, that is saying very little, but for a first start in Green Bay he did show some promise. His grade was spoiled by the goal-line fumble in which he lunged for the handoff from Favre. He also deserved some of the blame for the interception that bounced off his hands. Yet, in his 70 snaps, Morency had a few impressive moments. He made sharp lateral cuts in the backfield. He didn't shy away in blitz pickup. Morency kept getting creamed at the linebacker level, raising questions about his elusiveness. His long gain in 26 carries was 10 yards, which could be reflected in his tendency to stumble and go down easily on occasion. Following FB Brandon Miree, Morency failed to score on three late cracks from the 1. He would have had a much better chance if McCarthy hadn't called the same basic play four times in a row. Miree played 38 snaps; William Henderson played none. Miree made good contact five or six times on WLB Matt McCoy but he didn't look as physical as the departed Vonta Leach.
DEFENSIVE LINE (1½)
Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila beat L.J. Smith for a sack, his first against a tight end since mid-2002, and set up another with a flush against LG Todd Herremans. But in his one-on-one matchups against LT William Thomas, whom he has never beaten for a sack, "KGB" was locked up too many times. A time or two, he even resorted to a head-slap trying to make some head-way. Aaron Kampman makes hustle plays and smart plays each week. However, he was rendered null and void too often by RT Jon Runyan. Other than Cullen Jenkins' sack against Herremans, the inside pass rush was absent, as usual. Corey Williams (40 snaps) worked through trash and didn't back down against brutish RG Shawn Andrews. Containment of Donovan McNabb wasn't good. Colin Cole (24 snaps) was back on the field and made two or three plays. Given how poorly Ryan Pickett was moving on a bad ankle, it's somewhat surprising he even was in uniform let alone playing 38 snaps. Rookie Jason Hunter got manhandled on one of his three snaps.
LINEBACKERS (2)
With Westbrook in street clothes this unit could breathe much easier. For the second straight week the linebackers had some problems with screens. For the first time, Brady Poppinga didn't get undressed in coverage. Coordinator Bob Sanders rushed five or more on 27% of passes and six or more on 15%, and Nick Barnett came through with a pair of pressures. He also beat C Jamaal Jackson to the spot and got to RB Correll Buckhalter before Charles Woodson stripped him inside the 5. Barnett looks so lean he could pass for a safety. A.J. Hawk plays almost every down, never misses any time and performs adequately each week. He plays a measured game, seldom overrunning plays but never blowing anything up, either.
SECONDARY (1)
Ahmad Carroll's last game might have been his worst. He showed no instincts at the breaking point on Greg Lewis' 45-yard bomb over him. He peeked at McNabb instead of concentrating on Reggie Brown, giving up post-corner routes of 31 and 23 yards. Donte' Stallworth had him beaten for a 54-yard touchdown but McNabb overthrew him. And he was penalized twice. Andy Reid constructed his game plan around Carroll and he couldn't hold up. Other than Carroll, the coverage was a bit tighter than it has been, but the Eagles' corps of fringe receivers had something to do with that. Al Harris had two penalties but competed hard. Besides his great strip and fumble recovery, Woodson was solid other than getting lost on a 22-yard sideline pattern run by rookie free agent Hank Baskett. Marquand Manuel just isn't getting the job done in space.
KICKERS (4½)
Dave Rayner did all the scoring, tying the club-record from 54 yards and also hitting from 46 and 23. He also had a miss from 54. His kickoffs were shorter than usual (64.3-yard average) but his average hang time was 3.99 seconds. Jon Ryan kicks long and not real high each week. His five-punt averages were 46.6 yards (gross), 38.2 (net) and 4.09 (hang time).
SPECIAL TEAMS (3)
When the Eagles completed a fake-field goal pass at the end of the half, three of 10 players on the line saved the day with fast reactions: Kampman, Jenkins and Barnett. Reno Mahe's 34-yard kickoff return went right past Henderson. Even though Woodson's experience as a punt returner is minimal, he has that athletic swagger and confidence to get the job done right.
OVERALL (2)
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Oct. 3, 2006
Green Bay - Brian Westbrook didn't play. Two of the Philadelphia Eagles' top three cornerbacks didn't play. A pair of first-half drives inside the Green Bay 5 resulted in no points because of fumbles. And the visit by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday had just about everyone in Philadelphia looking ahead.
If ever the Green Bay Packers would be in position to stage a major upset this season, Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field might have been their best chance.
Instead, the Packers looked as if they didn't even belong on the same field as the Eagles in the second half in the first collapse of Mike McCarthy's coaching tenure.
Here is a rating of the Packers against the Eagles, with their 1 to 5 football totals in parentheses:
RECEIVERS (2½)
There's a price to be paid for sending Donald Driver inside all the time. Game after game, Driver runs the routes nobody else wants. Once Driver was splattered by S Sean Considine on an ill-considered throw by Brett Favre just before the half, he wasn't any good the rest of the day. There was no excuse for Driver not to catch the short slant in the end zone. But his critical drop on another slant in the third quarter came after the hit by Considine and shouldn't have been a surprise. Even Driver has a limit on how many times he can sell out in traffic. Philadelphia's Sheldon Brown became the latest cornerback to be caught out of position on one of Greg Jennings' lightning-quick bursts after the catch. Jennings dominated the Eagles' cornerbacks, although with Lito Sheppard and Rod Hood sidelined, castoffs Joselio Hanson and Dexter Wynn were shaky. Jennings can be a little loose with the ball. Fortunately for Jennings, he was out of bounds when SS Brian Dawkins stole the ball from him early and forced him to fumble out of bounds later. Bubba Franks' false-start penalty on third and 1 to open the game was terrible.
OFFENSIVE LINE (2½)
Eagles coordinator Jim Johnson, the master of the big blitz, came with six or more on just two of the Packers' 51 dropbacks. He was content just to rush with four players from his prized defensive line and protect his depleted secondary, and the pressure was more than enough. Although there were no sacks, Favre was down three times and hurried another six. Mark Tauscher might have been tired, giving up three pressures in the second half. When matched against LDE Darren Howard, he fared well. Chad Clifton gave up two pressures on inside charges, something that almost never happened before his knees got bad. After Tony Moll started and played 12 of the first 25 snaps, Jason Spitz played the rest of the way. Spitz is a better drive blocker than Moll or Daryn Colledge because he's more explosive and probably more tenacious. They need him on the field. Colledge got jacked around a few times and his headgear was knocked off twice. Improvement was not evident in his play this week. Scott Wells was buckled by rookie DT Brodrick Bunkley twice on the goal line but generally is doing a competent job.
QUARTERBACKS (2)
Favre was OK until the middle of the third quarter. Then he threw too hard for Vernand Morency at point-blank range even though he was tightly covered and was intercepted. His second interception, a late throw down the middle to David Martin, was the result of thoughtlessness tinged with desperation. Earlier, Favre hung Driver out to dry on the type of throw that he can't continue making. Driver never expected that ball to be thrown so late because Considine was sitting there waiting for him. Favre started the game in decent rhythm but his accuracy deteriorated. Three or four times, he was more of a thrower than a passer on third-down balls that sailed high. Another interception was nullified by penalty and he came close to having two others. After Favre left with a slight stinger, Aaron Rodgers was all right in the final 11 snaps.
RUNNING BACKS (2)
With Westbrook and Ahman Green sidelined, the best running back on the field was Morency. Granted, that is saying very little, but for a first start in Green Bay he did show some promise. His grade was spoiled by the goal-line fumble in which he lunged for the handoff from Favre. He also deserved some of the blame for the interception that bounced off his hands. Yet, in his 70 snaps, Morency had a few impressive moments. He made sharp lateral cuts in the backfield. He didn't shy away in blitz pickup. Morency kept getting creamed at the linebacker level, raising questions about his elusiveness. His long gain in 26 carries was 10 yards, which could be reflected in his tendency to stumble and go down easily on occasion. Following FB Brandon Miree, Morency failed to score on three late cracks from the 1. He would have had a much better chance if McCarthy hadn't called the same basic play four times in a row. Miree played 38 snaps; William Henderson played none. Miree made good contact five or six times on WLB Matt McCoy but he didn't look as physical as the departed Vonta Leach.
DEFENSIVE LINE (1½)
Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila beat L.J. Smith for a sack, his first against a tight end since mid-2002, and set up another with a flush against LG Todd Herremans. But in his one-on-one matchups against LT William Thomas, whom he has never beaten for a sack, "KGB" was locked up too many times. A time or two, he even resorted to a head-slap trying to make some head-way. Aaron Kampman makes hustle plays and smart plays each week. However, he was rendered null and void too often by RT Jon Runyan. Other than Cullen Jenkins' sack against Herremans, the inside pass rush was absent, as usual. Corey Williams (40 snaps) worked through trash and didn't back down against brutish RG Shawn Andrews. Containment of Donovan McNabb wasn't good. Colin Cole (24 snaps) was back on the field and made two or three plays. Given how poorly Ryan Pickett was moving on a bad ankle, it's somewhat surprising he even was in uniform let alone playing 38 snaps. Rookie Jason Hunter got manhandled on one of his three snaps.
LINEBACKERS (2)
With Westbrook in street clothes this unit could breathe much easier. For the second straight week the linebackers had some problems with screens. For the first time, Brady Poppinga didn't get undressed in coverage. Coordinator Bob Sanders rushed five or more on 27% of passes and six or more on 15%, and Nick Barnett came through with a pair of pressures. He also beat C Jamaal Jackson to the spot and got to RB Correll Buckhalter before Charles Woodson stripped him inside the 5. Barnett looks so lean he could pass for a safety. A.J. Hawk plays almost every down, never misses any time and performs adequately each week. He plays a measured game, seldom overrunning plays but never blowing anything up, either.
SECONDARY (1)
Ahmad Carroll's last game might have been his worst. He showed no instincts at the breaking point on Greg Lewis' 45-yard bomb over him. He peeked at McNabb instead of concentrating on Reggie Brown, giving up post-corner routes of 31 and 23 yards. Donte' Stallworth had him beaten for a 54-yard touchdown but McNabb overthrew him. And he was penalized twice. Andy Reid constructed his game plan around Carroll and he couldn't hold up. Other than Carroll, the coverage was a bit tighter than it has been, but the Eagles' corps of fringe receivers had something to do with that. Al Harris had two penalties but competed hard. Besides his great strip and fumble recovery, Woodson was solid other than getting lost on a 22-yard sideline pattern run by rookie free agent Hank Baskett. Marquand Manuel just isn't getting the job done in space.
KICKERS (4½)
Dave Rayner did all the scoring, tying the club-record from 54 yards and also hitting from 46 and 23. He also had a miss from 54. His kickoffs were shorter than usual (64.3-yard average) but his average hang time was 3.99 seconds. Jon Ryan kicks long and not real high each week. His five-punt averages were 46.6 yards (gross), 38.2 (net) and 4.09 (hang time).
SPECIAL TEAMS (3)
When the Eagles completed a fake-field goal pass at the end of the half, three of 10 players on the line saved the day with fast reactions: Kampman, Jenkins and Barnett. Reno Mahe's 34-yard kickoff return went right past Henderson. Even though Woodson's experience as a punt returner is minimal, he has that athletic swagger and confidence to get the job done right.
OVERALL (2)