Bretsky
09-18-2007, 07:52 AM
Runners stuck in neutral
Inconsistency, mistakes dog a struggling ground game
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Sept. 17, 2007
Green Bay - This is why it's so hard for Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin to sleep at night:
Save for a couple touchdowns against the Giants, DeShawn Wynn (42) and the Packers have found the going tough rushing the football so far this season.
Against the New York Giants Sunday, the Packers opened the game running the ball six out of nine plays, totaling a respectable 29 yards while moving from their 25 to the Giants' 25.
Facing third and 1, they called a timeout and then watched as the Giants brought linebacker Kawika Mitchell up to the line of scrimmage in a slightly different look from the one they expected. At the snap of the ball, everything went wrong. Right guard Tony Palmer allowed nose tackle Fred Robbins to penetrate the middle, left guard Daryn Colledge was pushed back by defensive tackle Barry Cofield and running back DeShawn Wynn hit the pile too high and was dropped for no gain.
That is the current state of the Packers' running game.
"It was disappointing," Philbin said Monday, a day after the Packers' 35-13 victory over the Giants. "We had some good runs. But there were a couple plays yesterday that you just shake your head.
"As I told our guys, Giants Stadium has the best press box to watch a game as a coach in the league. You're up there and you see guys running in your backfield and it about makes you sick."
There's no telling what Philbin's condition would be were the Packers not 2-0 and tied with Detroit for the NFC North lead.
But without question, difficulty running the football remains the Packers' No. 1 concern, and if it doesn't get fixed soon (San Diego, Minnesota and Chicago are the next three opponents), they're going to squander their fast start.
"We want to be a good running football team," Philbin said. "The only way we're going to get good is to work through some of these problems right now. I think there are some subtle strides but it certainly wasn't as dramatic or improved as we would have liked it to be."
The fact the Packers' top three running backs and their starting fullback are playing in the regular season for the first time isn't lost on anyone. There are times Wynn and Brandon Jackson aren't on the same page with the line, but it certainly wasn't their fault when on separate plays they were drilled in the backfield almost as soon as they took the handoff Sunday.
There's no question Colledge wasn't on the same page with the rest of the line when he chose not to block end Osi Umenyiora on an off-tackle run, leading to Wynn getting dumped for a 5-yard loss. Colledge apparently thought left tackle Chad Clifton was going to handle Umenyiora, but it was supposed to be a combination block between the two.
"We just read it wrong," Colledge said. "He (Umenyiora) did something we totally didn't expect and hadn't showed on tape."
Later, tackle Mark Tauscher was supposed to block end Michael Strahan, but apparently thought he had help inside from guard Junius Coston and allowed Strahan to bolt into the backfield and drop Jackson for a 3-yard loss with the ball inside the Giants' 10-yard line. It was an uncharacteristic mistake for a veteran like Tauscher, but another example of how discombobulated the running game appears at times.
"Offensively, we didn't have a penalty, but we had way too many mental errors in a very straightforward game," McCarthy said of a rushing attack that gained 83 yards in 29 carries. "We have to get to the bottom of that. We scored 35 points, I'm aware of that. But there are a number of things on that film we need to get fixed."
The uneven play up front and the inexperience of the running backs has resulted in the Packers ranking tied with the New York Jets and San Diego Chargers for 29th in rushing with 129 yards. The Packers' per carry average of 2.8 yards ranks tied with the Jets for 30th, just ahead of the Chargers' 2.3.
It won't be long before San Diego rights its ship - LaDainian Tomlinson is going to break loose at some point, maybe Sunday - which leaves the Packers in danger of having the worst running game in the NFL. Though there were signs of life, such as Wynn's touchdown runs of 6 and 38 yards, there is little sign of consistency.
It's logical to wonder whether the shuffling of running backs in and out of the backfield is part of the problem. Jackson remains the lead back, but Wynn got more plays from scrimmage Sunday and flashed more big-play ability in his two touchdown runs than Jackson has shown in nearly two months as the No. 1 back.
If anything, Wynn showed he could make something out of nothing, which is what he did when he bounced outside on his 38-yard run. There's no question Wynn's role is going to grow, but at the same time McCarthy has to consider Vernand Morency when he returns, and newcomer Ryan Grant, who looked impressive in his little bit of playing time.
"I kind of like the way that backfield is kind of coming into an identity in a sense, who's doing certain things," McCarthy said. "I don't really want to just have one guy do certain things and other do others because that obviously plays to the favor of the defense. But we're really just trying to get them all involved."
McCarthy said he was excited about Grant, which means he has to find enough practice repetitions for him to get acclimated with the offense while at the same time allowing Jackson and Wynn to develop. When Morency finally gets back from his hamstring injury, someone is going to be left out in the cold.
For now, McCarthy isn't ready to pick one back and make him the lead. It would certainly seem a recipe for better consistency if he did, but he and Philbin don't necessarily agree with that assessment.
"They (the offensive line) have their job to do regardless of who is carrying the ball," Philbin said. "I don't think it matters who carries the ball. They have to live up to their end of the bargain (regardless)."
Inconsistency, mistakes dog a struggling ground game
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Sept. 17, 2007
Green Bay - This is why it's so hard for Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin to sleep at night:
Save for a couple touchdowns against the Giants, DeShawn Wynn (42) and the Packers have found the going tough rushing the football so far this season.
Against the New York Giants Sunday, the Packers opened the game running the ball six out of nine plays, totaling a respectable 29 yards while moving from their 25 to the Giants' 25.
Facing third and 1, they called a timeout and then watched as the Giants brought linebacker Kawika Mitchell up to the line of scrimmage in a slightly different look from the one they expected. At the snap of the ball, everything went wrong. Right guard Tony Palmer allowed nose tackle Fred Robbins to penetrate the middle, left guard Daryn Colledge was pushed back by defensive tackle Barry Cofield and running back DeShawn Wynn hit the pile too high and was dropped for no gain.
That is the current state of the Packers' running game.
"It was disappointing," Philbin said Monday, a day after the Packers' 35-13 victory over the Giants. "We had some good runs. But there were a couple plays yesterday that you just shake your head.
"As I told our guys, Giants Stadium has the best press box to watch a game as a coach in the league. You're up there and you see guys running in your backfield and it about makes you sick."
There's no telling what Philbin's condition would be were the Packers not 2-0 and tied with Detroit for the NFC North lead.
But without question, difficulty running the football remains the Packers' No. 1 concern, and if it doesn't get fixed soon (San Diego, Minnesota and Chicago are the next three opponents), they're going to squander their fast start.
"We want to be a good running football team," Philbin said. "The only way we're going to get good is to work through some of these problems right now. I think there are some subtle strides but it certainly wasn't as dramatic or improved as we would have liked it to be."
The fact the Packers' top three running backs and their starting fullback are playing in the regular season for the first time isn't lost on anyone. There are times Wynn and Brandon Jackson aren't on the same page with the line, but it certainly wasn't their fault when on separate plays they were drilled in the backfield almost as soon as they took the handoff Sunday.
There's no question Colledge wasn't on the same page with the rest of the line when he chose not to block end Osi Umenyiora on an off-tackle run, leading to Wynn getting dumped for a 5-yard loss. Colledge apparently thought left tackle Chad Clifton was going to handle Umenyiora, but it was supposed to be a combination block between the two.
"We just read it wrong," Colledge said. "He (Umenyiora) did something we totally didn't expect and hadn't showed on tape."
Later, tackle Mark Tauscher was supposed to block end Michael Strahan, but apparently thought he had help inside from guard Junius Coston and allowed Strahan to bolt into the backfield and drop Jackson for a 3-yard loss with the ball inside the Giants' 10-yard line. It was an uncharacteristic mistake for a veteran like Tauscher, but another example of how discombobulated the running game appears at times.
"Offensively, we didn't have a penalty, but we had way too many mental errors in a very straightforward game," McCarthy said of a rushing attack that gained 83 yards in 29 carries. "We have to get to the bottom of that. We scored 35 points, I'm aware of that. But there are a number of things on that film we need to get fixed."
The uneven play up front and the inexperience of the running backs has resulted in the Packers ranking tied with the New York Jets and San Diego Chargers for 29th in rushing with 129 yards. The Packers' per carry average of 2.8 yards ranks tied with the Jets for 30th, just ahead of the Chargers' 2.3.
It won't be long before San Diego rights its ship - LaDainian Tomlinson is going to break loose at some point, maybe Sunday - which leaves the Packers in danger of having the worst running game in the NFL. Though there were signs of life, such as Wynn's touchdown runs of 6 and 38 yards, there is little sign of consistency.
It's logical to wonder whether the shuffling of running backs in and out of the backfield is part of the problem. Jackson remains the lead back, but Wynn got more plays from scrimmage Sunday and flashed more big-play ability in his two touchdown runs than Jackson has shown in nearly two months as the No. 1 back.
If anything, Wynn showed he could make something out of nothing, which is what he did when he bounced outside on his 38-yard run. There's no question Wynn's role is going to grow, but at the same time McCarthy has to consider Vernand Morency when he returns, and newcomer Ryan Grant, who looked impressive in his little bit of playing time.
"I kind of like the way that backfield is kind of coming into an identity in a sense, who's doing certain things," McCarthy said. "I don't really want to just have one guy do certain things and other do others because that obviously plays to the favor of the defense. But we're really just trying to get them all involved."
McCarthy said he was excited about Grant, which means he has to find enough practice repetitions for him to get acclimated with the offense while at the same time allowing Jackson and Wynn to develop. When Morency finally gets back from his hamstring injury, someone is going to be left out in the cold.
For now, McCarthy isn't ready to pick one back and make him the lead. It would certainly seem a recipe for better consistency if he did, but he and Philbin don't necessarily agree with that assessment.
"They (the offensive line) have their job to do regardless of who is carrying the ball," Philbin said. "I don't think it matters who carries the ball. They have to live up to their end of the bargain (regardless)."