A quick summary of preseason game 1

[RashanGary]

This is a compilation of everyone who contributed to the game thread.

GOOD

Holliday, Blackmon, Rodgers, Jackson, 2nd Oline, Crosby, Jenkins, Bush, #1 defense, Ryan, Jones, No injuries

BAD

Favre (with starting WR's)
Bubba Franks
Bigby
Underwood
Dendy
3rd string had VERY bad conditioning. They were tired after less than a quarter.

[Joemailman]

Really bad night for Dendy because the 3 guys he's battling with (Walker, Bush and Blackmon) all played better than he did. Same thing with Fergy. Jones, Ruvell Martin and Holiday all had a better night than Fergy.

[vince]

It doesn't show in the stats, and I didn't see the game (just listened online to a Pittsburgh broadcast) so I'd like to hear from others who saw the game, but it sounded like Will Blackmon did a nice job with his punt and kick returns. He had a long one that was called back and was pretty elusive in some others...

First cuts don't happen before a couple more games yet, so a lot can happen between now and then obviously, but I'd have to believe the coaching staff and TT would love for their returner(s) to provide quality position depth as well as providing a strong return threat - which neither Bodiford nor Clowney seem to offer. Blackmon's continued emergence in the return area - combined with solid play at CB - could mean Bodiford and Clowney may be either on the practice squad or the street.


Also, the post-game analysts on WTMJ were very complimentary of Harrell... He had some nice plays and looked big out there in limited action...

[HarveyWallbangers]

I take little away from preseason games--especially the first game. That said, they were better than in recent years. They had lost 5 of the last 6 preseason openers, and in many of them, they didn't look competitive.

[Scott Campbell]

Was Harrell's sack enough to get him on the good list?

[pack4to84]

This is a compilation of everyone who contributed to the game thread.

GOOD

Holliday, Blackmon, Rodgers, Jackson, 2nd Oline, Crosby, Jenkins, Bush, #1 defense, Ryan, Jones, No injuries

BAD

Favre (with starting WR's)
Bigby
Underwood
Dendy
3rd string had VERY bad conditioning. They were tired after less than a quarter.

You forgot to put Larry Birdine DE under Good. He did a nice job tonight 1 sack and a few other hurry s that came close to sacks.

Bigby played himself off the team tonight. 3 bad tries at tackling. The one for the TD was horrible. He tried to hit with his shoulder instead of wrapping up.

[vince]

I take little away from preseason games--especially the first game. That said, they were better than in recent years. They had lost 5 of the last 6 preseason openers, and in many of them, they didn't look competitive.What I think you CAN take from the preaseason games is the same as what TT and the coaches take away from them... Who and what needs work in what areas, and who should be where on the depth chart... I think you can learn more about your team relative to itself more than the opposition, as there is little to no game planning for the opposition. You can't really project preseason W's and L's to the regular season of course, but you can get more information from these games than from practice...

[Iron Mike]

The only memorable thing for me is that on the play where Jenkins stripped the ball away from Roethlisberger I remember thinking "I'll bet that had this game been played last year, that would have been KGB getting walked back 10 yards past the QB"

I'll jump on the TT bandwagon. Both OL and DL lines look miles ahead of last year.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Bigby played himself off the team tonight. 3 bad tries at tackling. The one for the TD was horrible. He tried to hit with his shoulder instead of wrapping up.

That's why I didn't believe the talk about him having a stellar camp. Same thing was said last year, and he wasn't very good in the preseason. He's a hard hitter, but he's awful in space. He's a poor man's Marquand Manuel.

[BallHawk]

He's a poor man's Marquand Manuel.

Marquand Manuel doesn't deserve to have a poor man version of him. He's already a poor man's version of other safeties, as is.

[RashanGary]

I laughed when I read that too, ballhawk. The sad thing is that, that is exactly what Bigby looked like; a poor mans Manuel. Bigby was so bad that he might have played himself out of a roster spot in that one game.

[RashanGary]

I thought the 1st team offenses poor play was exaggerated.

1. Favre pleaded with McCarthy to get continuity through pre-season play
2. McCarthy and the Packers NEED to see Rodgers

Solution:

Play Favre for only 12 snaps so you can see Rodgers with some good offensive players. However, since Favre wants continuity in the passing game, have him throw the ball every time so he gets his needed reps with the WR's.


Problem:

The Steelers were all over short routes and for whatever reason, FAvre was getting rid of the ball on short routes as quickly as possible.

Conclusion:

Tip your hat to the Steelers for smothering our short routes and stopping our short passing game. Don't, however, assume that Favre or the whole #1 offense sucks. It was a couple quick passes that were smothered. It was half of a quarter. Did it inspire shit loads of confidence? NO, but it was hardly a reliable sample of what we can expect. Let's let this preseason play out. The Oline looked pretty good. Jackson looked decent. We know Favre is decent. IT was just a couple short, smothered patterns.

I would have rather seen 12 plays for 80 yards, but I'm not jumping off any cliffs about the offense yet.

[esoxx]

Don't forget, one of the drives was ruined with a holding call on Colledge. Instead of 2nd & 7 and manageable, it's 2nd & 17 backed up at the their own 12 yard line.

A little too early to make any judgements on the 1st teamers when they play less than a quarter of the game.

[esoxx]

The best thing tonight was no injuries to a key player or starter. Kenny Irons tears his knee up for Cincy...nice to see them come out unscathed.

[Him8123]

i didnt see the game listened to it on sirius but our running game seemed non existent and jackson seemed like a better reciever did he look good on tv anyone????

[GBRulz]

him, you are right, our running game was pretty much non-existent. I am not sure Jackson is to blame though, I mean the guy wasn't getting any holes at all. Our OL wasn't losing any battles at the line, but they certainly weren't winning any, either.

[Terry]

It doesn't show in the stats, and I didn't see the game (just listened online to a Pittsburgh broadcast) so I'd like to hear from others who saw the game, but it sounded like Will Blackmon did a nice job with his punt and kick returns. He had a long one that was called back and was pretty elusive in some others...

First cuts don't happen before a couple more games yet, so a lot can happen between now and then obviously, but I'd have to believe the coaching staff and TT would love for their returner(s) to provide quality position depth as well as providing a strong return threat - which neither Bodiford nor Clowney seem to offer. Blackmon's continued emergence in the return area - combined with solid play at CB - could mean Bodiford and Clowney may be either on the practice squad or the street.


Also, the post-game analysts on WTMJ were very complimentary of Harrell... He had some nice plays and looked big out there in limited action...

Kick returns:
D. Clowney 1 for 24
W. Blackmon 1 for 19
S. Bodiford 1 for 18

Punt returns:
S. Bodiford 2 for 13
W. Blackmon 2 for -4

It's misleading for Blackmon. He took a third punt, which was a fair catch. He was run out of bounds for -4 on one return, the other return was a big return (I don't know how long), but was called back for holding.

Personally, I hope the Packers keep 6 WR's until KRob returns - Bodiford. He's a returner and he's the wedge breaker on kickoffs. A lot can happen between now and KRob's return - someone could end up on IR. If worse comes to worse, he could be cut or traded in week 4 or 5, whenever it is, to make room for krob if he's the odd man out. I certainly hope we aren't keeping only 5 including krob - it would be a real shame to cut any more of those guys. At least we can keep Bodiford on the practice squad.

I like Ferguson - I mean, the guy himself. He's a great guy. I loved what he had to say about the Vicks situation and some of the things he's done in the community. But I agree with everyone that he's just the odd man out in that WR corps.

[Bretsky]

All good stuff; thanks for posting. I watched a replay

Views I have from that game:

Rodgers, who I've disliked in the past, is starting to look like he'll make it
The Packers starting offense looks like they have a long way to go
Dendy and Bigby had a sad game
Harrell has a ways to develop
The Packers Safety position besides Collins may again be in trouble
Brandon Jackson looked alright
James Jones looked solid
Cullen Jenkins is the real deal
KGB looked active
Boddiford needs to look more impressive in special teams to make it
Holiday did nothing to disappoint me

Green Bay should be spending this week calling other teams trying to trade the Fraud for a 7th round draft pick in 2020.

[Him8123]

everyone keeps forgetting to say how impressive crosby was, pretty damn good job first night out on the job to nail a 52 yarder id say :?

[Scott Campbell]

Kick returns:
D. Clowney 1 for 24
W. Blackmon 1 for 19
S. Bodiford 1 for 18

Punt returns:
S. Bodiford 2 for 13
W. Blackmon 2 for -4


Did anyone who watched notice how our ST coverage teams look? Any of the rooks standing out there?

I think ST was our greatest area of need this offseason. Maybe more than RB or TE. And it's hard to get a read on ST until live tackling in pre season games.

[Bretsky]

everyone keeps forgetting to say how impressive crosby was, pretty damn good job first night out on the job to nail a 52 yarder id say :?


Very true; TT didn't use a 6th rounder on a kicker because he thought he could compete. IMO TT thought he was better than our current kicker.

A great start

[Iron Mike]

Why isn't Dan "Gimme another couple of" Franks on the Bad list???

How much are we paying that guy for his two drops yesterday??

[Bretsky]

Why isn't Dan "Gimme another couple of" Franks on the Bad list??? How much are we paying that guy for his two drops yesterday??


Bottom line is we are paying him way too much; I think he escapes these lists because our expectations are so low. of him and the TE position.

Maybe we use some of that cap space for salary cap hits this year...aka...Fergy and Bubba.

That being said, I don't see how GB can cut Bubba with the slop they have at TE. Bubba can still at least block.

[Scott Campbell]

That being said, I don't see how GB can cut Bubba with the slop they have at TE. Bubba can still at least block.


I wouldn't be surprised if somebody elses castoff ends up costing Bubba his job. He's not in the long term plans, and he has not even good enough to keep around short term anymore. They've got to begin developing other guys. And it looks like were going to suffer for a while.

[BEARMAN]

Outsider looking in,
1. Farve has had better games, he looked hurried, and not his usual sharpness. He has become predictable, the steelers had him covered at every turn, as most teams will this season. The heart is still there, I wounder if the body can keep up?
2. Running game, or lack of. One of your RB's needs to step up and say I am the man. It looked like they have the ability to play well, they just didn't get much help.
3. Oline, I understand this is the first game in preseason, but you all got to do better then that. Your RB's didn't have a chance to hit the hole, cos there weren't any holes to hit. I know that your oline is young, but in this world of what have you done for me latley, you just got to get the job done, ... now.
4. TE's, some one said use Bubba cos he can block, he looks like the best shot you got at TE, and he is old.
5. WR's, what can one say, "Catch the Ball" !
6. Rogers, now he looked ok, better then I have seen him play in the past. With alittle more playing time he may be you next QB.
7. Hawk, looked good, he is no Urlacher, but he is a damn fine LB'er. Your "D" over all looked ok, for the first preseason game.
Overall I say the pack got a C+ for beating the steelers. Good Job.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

I don't know why Babba can't catch anyone, it doesn't make any sense. I mean earlier in his career he never had a problem catching the ball. It's surprising how a guy only 29 can have such a decline in play. It's really hard to fault TT for re-signing him because he was always reliable and was still young, but he really needs to be replaced now.

[RashanGary]

Holy shit bearman. I think you just made your first decent post. Nice insight. I agree with the run game, although they only ran it a couple times with the ones. I'm hoping that straightens out over the preseason. The run game is supposed to be a rythm thingt hat takes time to get right. Hopefully we get it right before game one.

[Iron Mike]

I gotta say I was also really impressed with the effort that Turd Ferguson put in on trying to go get BFs overthrown ball in the first quarter.

I mean, it's not like we have WRs on the roster who will go up and try to catch errant balls (Jones, Holliday) that you have to worry about taking your roster spot, now do we, Fraud?

:butt:

[Harlan Huckleby]

Brandon Jackson looked alright.

Ya, he looked alright, a lot like Morency. But I think you have to throw the running game into the disappointing column. An impressive play or two was needed to bring the running game out of limbo, and they didn't show anything.

One factor that has been overlooked is that the Steelers were playing their second preseason game. That's a big advantage, teams are often a mess on their first outting.

[Iron Mike]

I gotta say I was also really impressed with the effort that Turd Ferguson put in on trying to go get BFs overthrown ball in the first quarter.

I mean, it's not like we have WRs on the roster who will go up and try to catch errant balls (Jones, Holliday) that you have to worry about taking your roster spot, now do we, Fraud?

:butt:

Wow, I'm gonna quote myself. :oops:

The off-season mantra has been "We didn't sign any FAs, so the new guys have to step up for us."

I think that the new guys HAVE been stepping up.



Franks--two drops.

Ferguson--alligator arms.

Driver--didn't he have a drop, also???

Isn't it time we hold some of the old guys accountable, also??? :roll:

[MadtownPacker]

Nice post bearman, always good to see what the enemy really thinks.


One factor that has been overlooked is that the Steelers were playing their second preseason game. That's a big advantage, teams are often a mess on their first outting.
Thats a good point lil blue. By those standard last night game was a blow out.

[RashanGary]

I like this picture. This was the 3rd and 1 where our #1 defense shut down their #1 offense. I think we might be seeing a little more of this.


http://i.packers.com/pg/2007-08-11/photo8.jpg

[vince]

I didn't see how the tackle looked in real time, but it looks like an obvious 5-yard facemask penalty in that pic.

[Carolina_Packer]

I too listened to the Steeler's broadcast. Thanks to the poster who gave the web site for the Steeler's station. The broadcasters were not great, but I got to listen.

I agree with all the points made about who did well and who did poorly.

I don't know why, and TT would give us nothing to think that he's going to do this, but I have a feeling we will be looking to acquire some kind of experienced depth at RB. If Morency is dinged up all season (and I'm not saying he will be), and Jackson hits a wall or gets injured, we're down to Noah Herron a third round back at best.

Strong Safety depth is also a concern, but I'm not sure if they are looking to build on that position or not, or just keep one of the many they have. How did Rouse look?

We have to do something about TE. I know it's a broken record, but geez, we could have had an Eric Johnson if we had pushed a little harder. The guy would have been a nice target for Brett. Not sure if he can block or not. Randy McMichael would have been another option. I sure as hell hope Bubba can get it together. I hope the brass is not willing to live with a glaring hole in their line-up all year. Why not address it during training camp? How much do you think San Fran would want for Eric Johnson? I know they signed him to a 1 year this past off-season, but that ain't no big thing. They have the second year year super-freak from Maryland who dissed Green Bay, so you'd think Eric Johnson would enjoy the chance to compete for a starter's job.

Can you think of any other TE's from teams with lots of depth whose talents are being wasted on the bench? I've hear the Rams Dominique Byrd's name tossed around, but I'm not sure he's a much better option than Donald Lee or another else we've got. What do you think will happen?

[Rastak]

I like this picture. This was the 3rd and 1 where our #1 defense shut down their #1 offense. I think we might be seeing a little more of this.


http://i.packers.com/pg/2007-08-11/photo8.jpg


Was it a 5 yard facemask or 15?


edit: oops, Vince already pointed that out....

[PackerBlues]

I gotta say I was also really impressed with the effort that Turd Ferguson put in on trying to go get BFs overthrown ball in the first quarter.

I mean, it's not like we have WRs on the roster who will go up and try to catch errant balls (Jones, Holliday) that you have to worry about taking your roster spot, now do we, Fraud?

:butt:

Yeah, he really put a lot of effort into that. I would hope that we see Fergy's name on the list for first cuts when it comes out. :twisted:

[RashanGary]

Hawk has done that and gotten away with it a couple times. He's a clever face masker :) Hopefully he rips Petersons head off or breaks his collar bone or something :)

[HarveyWallbangers]

Actually, on the broadcast, it didn't look like a facemask. I noticed the play at game time. His hands got on the facemask, but he never actually grabbed or pulled it. At least, that's the way it looked on TV. This picture sure looks like he's grabbing it a bit though. You'll see the replay in a little while, Rastak, you can make your own decision about whether it was bad call or not. I don't think it was a blatant bad call though. To me, it looked iffy.

[Rastak]

Hawk has done that and gotten away with it a couple times. He's a clever face masker :) Hopefully he rips Petersons head off or breaks his collar bone or something :)


Maybe he'll tear his finger off and have to retire.....

[HarveyWallbangers]

BTW, the play is 3rd and 1 on the Steelers second drive I believe. I think it was Jenkins or Williams who did a nice job on the play that freed up Hawk to make the play. The play shows exactly why good DTs can make LBs look good.

[Scott Campbell]

Hawk has done that and gotten away with it a couple times. He's a clever face masker :) Hopefully he rips Petersons head off or breaks his collar bone or something :)


Maybe he'll tear his finger off and have to retire.....


This finger?


http://www.wordsoup.com/blog/kid-middle-finger.jpg

[RashanGary]

I can't wait till we play the Vikings. Hawk and Poppinga are a couple physical guys and they play behind a deep line. It's going to be great to see Peterson running through the hole, upright like he does, like he is on some sort of morning jog and then Hawk comes blasting through the hole, breaking Petersons collar bone as he spikes him to the turf.

SNAP!! CRACKLE!! POP!!

The nicknames of Hawk, Barnett and Poppinga when we play the Vikings :smack::smack::smack: :laugh::cry:

[Rastak]

I can't wait till we play the Vikings. Hawk and Poppinga are a couple physical guys and they play behind a deep line. It's going to be great to see Peterson running through the hole, upright like he does, like he is on some sort of morning jog and then Hawk comes blasting through the hole, breaking Petersons collar bone as he spikes him to the turf.

SNAP!! CRACKLE!! POP!!

The nicknames of Hawk, Barnett and Poppinga when we play the Vikings :smack::smack::smack: :laugh::cry:


Maybe his cleat in will get caught in the turf and he'll tear his acl and patellar tendon. What's up with the injury shit JH? You hitting the bottle this afternoon?

[RashanGary]

hahaha. . .I'm sick of going at it with Packer fans. Maybe I should pick the Bears as a target.

Replace Peterson with Grossman, replace running upright through the hole with standing around in the pocket waiting for the deep ball and replace collar bone with ankle and now we have something we can both enjoy :)

[Rastak]

hahaha. . .I'm sick of going at it with Packer fans. Maybe I should pick the Bears as a target.

Replace Peterson with Grossman, replace running upright through the hole with standing around in the pocket waiting for the deep ball and replace collar bone with ankle and now we have something we can both enjoy :)


Yea, it's better to fire shots at the enmey instead of your own teams other faction. I do get that......I don't want Grossman to get hurt though. I'd rather kick their ass when nice and healthy. No excuses that way.

[falco]

I'm not worried about taking on the vikings. I'm more worried about teams with passing attacks. If Manuel is going to be the best we have, I'm afraid we'll be near the bottom of the league for giving up long yardage plays again.

[RashanGary]

I'm not worried about taking on the vikings. I'm more worried about teams with passing attacks. If Manuel is going to be the best we have, I'm afraid we'll be near the bottom of the league for giving up long yardage plays again.

Manuel, Franks and the running game scare me most. I'm really hoping some way, some how we either cover weaknesses with new strengths or improve them through scheme and disapline. We have a lot of things we can hang our cheese heads on, and we have a few things that could hurt us. I'm sure every team doesn't enter the season thinking their defense is flawless.

[falco]

I'm not worried about taking on the vikings. I'm more worried about teams with passing attacks. If Manuel is going to be the best we have, I'm afraid we'll be near the bottom of the league for giving up long yardage plays again.

Manuel, Franks and the running game scare me most. I'm really hoping some way, some how we either cover weaknesses or improve through scheme and disapline. We have a lot of things we can hang our cheese heads on, and we have a few things that could hurt us. I'm sure every team doesn't enter the season thinking their defense is flawless.

Did anyone else see on tv last night, after Bigby gave up that huge play, they cut to a scene of Manuel talking to Al Harris and laughing. It was almost like he was saying "as if they are going to find anyone better than me".

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it was pretty funny.

[RashanGary]

Did anyone else see on tv last night, after Bigby gave up that huge play, they cut to a scene of Manuel talking to Al Harris and laughing. It was almost like he was saying "as if they are going to find anyone better than me".

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it was pretty funny.

Hopefully he was laughing saying "Damn, I did that same thing a couple time last year. I can relate. It's good that I got that thing fixed, hopefully Atari figures it out"

I'm sure he said it just like that :)

[Joemailman]

I would remind everyone that Manuel was still the starting safety when the defense made its rather dramatic improvement last December. I'm not crazy about the guy, but I do think it's at least possible that he'll be decent.

[Fritz]

I agree with the Blue Dog's post on page two. This was the Steelers' second game, and the Pack's first. That usually means disaster for the team playing its first game, so the fact that the Pack hung in is a huge plus.

I like Shaun Bodiford. I think he ought to get a roster spot, and the last receiver spot should be between Martin and Holliday. Sorry, Bretsky, but you have as much chance of getting a draft pick for the Fraud as I have of getting laid by Drew Barrymore. Just cut the dude.

I think the o-line will be okay, and the running back situation will iron itself out. Tight end will be a weakness, but I think it'll be addressed next year...I see a trade for Jeremy Shockey...

I'm slightly encouraged after game one.

[Harlan Huckleby]

We have to do something about TE. I know it's a broken record, but geez, we could have had

I know it's a reach, but desperate times call for desperate measures. It may be worth checking if the wily old vet has anything left. Sure, he may have a beer gut now, but he had a beer gut then too.

http://www.ecrater.com/26228/468541a857bdd_26228n.jpg

[4and12to12and4]

You know who's name hasn't been mentioned here that may end being the dark horse? Tramone Williams. He hits as hard as Rouse and Manuel, and seems to have good speed and might end up surprising us all and be a key kog in our defense. I like what I've seen from him so far.

Our run defense (especially 1st stringers) were dominant. Our first string defense REALLY looked good. If the offense would've held the ball for any length of time, we may have shut the Steelers out. I know it's one game, but this looks like a defense that has the talent and depth to be dominant this year. If we can get our TE situation figured out, we could really give teams a run for there money this year. Our WR's seem fine. Driver, Jennings, Holiday, and Martin all look very good, and I am very high on Holiday and Martin. Jennings better do some spectactular things, or he might end up as the third WR on this team. Of all the receivers, I think that Holiday has shown flashes of Probowl ability. He's big and strong and fights for the ball. He reminds me a lot of Javon Walker.

Brandon Jackson looked very good. He, in the first half, had absolutely NOWHERE to go. As the second stringers came out, he began to show how fast and elusive he can be if given a hole. Very hard to bring down by the 1st tackler.

If the 1st string offense would've done better, this would have been a very positive game. The great thing is, that's the least I'm worried about. I think our offense will be fine, and our defense has top 5 caliber written all over it.

Maybe I'm just a homer.

[4and12to12and4]

BTW, I think Ingle Martin will lose his job to Thompson.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Watched the game on the NFL Network today--after only getting to see parts of it last night. My thoughts:

QBs Not too worried about Favre. He often gets off to a slow start. He had 2-3 throws that were on the money, but were dropped or defensed well. A fumble and holding penalty didn't help on two of the drives. Rodgers impressed me. He looked confident, had several nice scrambles, and threw well on the run. The scrambling wasn't your typical rollouts and stuff. He had some moves that were a bit reminiscent of #4 when he was younger.

RBs Jackson was okay. He ran hard and had some nice runs in the second half. He missed on a couple of runs. Most of the time, there wasn't good blocking.

WRs Jones caught a bunch of balls, qne looks to have good size and hands. Not a lot of speed though. He doesn't look like a future star, but he could solidify the third WR spot if he keeps it up. I don't think Greg Jennings has to worry any time soon. Holliday, Martin, Bodiford, and even Fergie made some plays.

TEs Not good

OL First team run blocking was poor. Moll was out, so our second team OL isn't very good. Rodgers was scrambling and Jackson didn't have a ton of room.

DL Looked good from the start to the finish

LBs Starters looked good in brief time. Nobody else stood out--although White had a coverage breakdown, it looks like, on the Young TD.

CBs Everybody but Dendy looked at least decent. Bush just looks like a player, so does Blackmon. Walker had a very good game. Tramon Williams made some plays.

Ss Collins and Manuel only played 3 plays. Rouse had a couple of good licks, but wasn't really tested in the passing game. Underwood and Bigby looked pathetic.

STs Ryan and both Ks did well. Blackmon showed nice moves on his returns. Bodiford looks okay, but I don't think he'd be dynamic. More like an Antonio Chatman. Coverage breakdowns at times.