motife
09-26-2007, 10:16 PM
INSIDE FOOTBALL with Eric Baranczyk: Week 1
Posted: Sept. 11, 2007
As told to former Packer Insider columnist Cliff Christl, 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.
In the latest issue of the Sporting News, they had 10 NFL personnel people rank the best players in the league. Among the Packers and Eagles, the highest ranked offensive player was Donovan McNabb at 54. Donald Driver was rated 56th; Brian Westbrook, 80th. I'm surprised Westbrook wasn't up there higher. But that was the story of the game. There were no playmakers on either team. None.
McNabb was elusive enough. I'll bet with any other quarterback, the Eagles would have given up six or seven sacks. So there was nothing on offense for the Packers, and the Eagles weren't much better.
I thought Westbrook was the best offensive player on the field Sunday. No question in my mind. But he's more of a playmaker when they put him out in the slot, put him in motion or sneak him out of the backfield into the flat for a quick pass. And he didn't do much in the passing game - 6 catches, 46 yards - and part of that's a testament to the Packers' defense.
I thought every passing play, except for the one where Charles Woodson slipped, they contested every throw. It wasn't like it was last year when you had someone streaking up the sideline with nobody within 10 yards or someone sitting in the middle of the field wide open. There wasn't any of that. I think that was the most impressive improvement on the Packers' 'D.'
I think it's pretty tough for any quarterback to do anything when you're lying on your back most the game. At times, the Packers' pass blocking was good. But there were other times when it was just horrible.
I also think Favre sprayed the ball a little bit. His accuracy wasn't as good as it has been in the past. The one that sticks out in my mind was Bubba Franks cutting across the middle and Favre led him too much. Franks could have caught it, but the ball was out in front of him and there was no one around him. Another one was the deep ball to James Jones on third-and-one in the fourth quarter. I really like Favre, but if you look at it objectively, I think he did that twice where he overthrew guys up the sideline. Those are plays he has to hit. He needs to get more air under the ball sometimes. He tries to rocket it and a guy can't run underneath it. He still has plenty of zip on the ball, but it's more the accuracy issue. Five years ago, I think that pass to Franks is dead on the money.
And I think most people who have been around the game will tell you it's two or three plays in an entire game that determine the outcome. There it was Sunday: The two punt plays that went bad for the Eagles. Those plays don't go bad for the Eagles and the Packers lose, maybe miserably. But if Favre makes that long strike down the sideline to Jones that could have been the difference. If it's not a touchdown, it's certainly going to get them in the red zone. But, then again, Favre made two plays on that 51-yard drive in the third quarter. That's Brett Favre. Gosh, he's a competitor. He was running around like he was a kid again. The guy is 38 years old. But that shows he still wants to make plays and that he can still make plays. He has the wherewithal.
There was another ball Favre threw downfield to Ruvell Martin in the first half. There was bracket coverage: A guy underneath and a guy over the top. I watched that play about five times and I think he has to catch that ball. The first thing that came to my mind was that a really good receiver catches that ball.
But the Packers had trips to the left on that play with the tight end in the inside position running down the field. The safety, Sean Considine, got a good jump on that ball because he's not worried about the tight end. I think the Packers are using their tight ends a lot differently than they'd like. They had the tight ends coming out of the backfield half the game. I think if they're going to open up the field, they have to do something with their tight ends in the middle part of the field to keep those safeties in, so they're not just running to the edge. The tight ends don't even have to run 9s (or deep patterns), just a curl or a comeback pattern in front of the safeties and just behind the linebackers. That would open the running game a little bit, too. I don't think Mark Chmura was a blazer. Even at the end, Keith Jackson could get up the field. But more importantly, those guys were good at getting to a spot: Either inside the linebacker or outside the linebacker. And I don't think Donald Lee has that. I don't think Franks does either. It just doesn't seem like he has that little wiggle. I guess he's a loper. Dum, da dum, dum. He's not explosive or exciting.
I don't think the problem with the running game is Brandon Jackson. I thought he caught the ball OK. He dropped that first one. But Steven Jackson had a couple of drops Sunday and so did LaDainian Tomlinson. They all do it. But I thought Brandon Jackson ran the ball as well as he could. There wasn't anywhere to run. When he's trying to run the ball and the backside tackle and backside end are making the play that's not his fault. A lot of times they had Korey Hall and a tight end in the backfield. They'd motion them in to that kind of a Power-I look. At times, I thought they both missed guys. They missed backside linebackers: Hall, Donald Lee, Bubba Franks.
I didn't think the guards and centers looked like they got any better from last year. They have to understand timing and when to cut. If you cut right off the bat, that's good if you get the defensive lineman's hands on the ground. The problem is if you cut him to early, he gets back up and gets in the play, and you're still lying on the ground. That happened to both Jason Spitz and Daryn Colledge. They need to understand timing a little better and stay up on the block just a fraction of a second longer and then cut them when the back is to the line of scrimmage. That way, there will be guys on the ground and the back can make that cut. What was happening on Sunday on many occasions, they'd cut the backside tackle and he'd get up and get in and still make the tackle. The same thing against the defensive ends. Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher don't look like they want to cut at all. They stay up, the flow goes away and the defensive end on the backside makes the play.
There were times when all five of the offensive linemen were good at pass blocking. There were other times when just one guy would break down. And there were times when most of those guys broke down on the same play. I was talking with someone yesterday and they said, 'Well, that's a good defensive line.' It doesn't matter. You still have to block. If you want to be a good offensive team, your offensive line has to block everybody. I watched Clifton a lot. I thought last year he had some injuries and maybe they should have put him on the shelf early for a couple of weeks and let him heal up. But I wonder if his body isn't just done. He just didn't seem to have that flexibility in his hips or knees that an offensive lineman needs. His pass blocking was terrible at times. Both those guys, Clifton and Tauscher, off the corner, just got beat.
I think the defense played very well and I still think it's going to get better. On that drive when the Eagles got close to the end zone, and on third down they threw that little flip pass to Westbrook. I'll bet 90% of the teams that play the Eagles are going to get beat on that play for a touchdown. The defensive end and the defensive tackle - I think it was Aaron Kampman and Corey Williams - didn't give up the edge. They kept coming up-field. So Westbrook had to run wider. Atari Bigby had great outside leverage. And, then, because the defensive end and defensive tackle didn't give up the edge, Nick Barnett had the opportunity to scrape underneath and make the play from an inside position. That was a heck of a play and you saw a lot of that: Good team defense. I don't think Ryan Pickett had one of his better days. And where did Johnny Jolly come from? I thought he might get cut last year. Wow! But as for the defense as a whole, I just thought it needed to finish better. Finish on the sacks. Finish on the big tackles in the backfield. Instead of making a hit and letting a guy squirm off for another yard or missing the quarterback. Once they finish better that defense is going to get better. And they have to be better on first down. But I think a big part of that was Pickett. There were times he got driven back or was slow off blocks. But if he plays better, like he did at mid-season last year, when he was getting off blocks and his lateral movement was good that will make a big difference. Now, it will be second-and-seven or second-and-eight as opposed to second-and-six or second-and-five.
I thought Bigby flew around pretty good. He maybe missed some tackles, but he always seemed to be around the ball. Another play where they didn't finish was when Nick Collins had the chance at that pick in the fourth quarter. A big-time player makes that catch. His rookie year, I thought he might be the second coming of LeRoy Butler. But that's the difference between those guys. Butler makes that play and it could have gone for six. Any time there's an interception on the numbers to the sideline, you can score. Collins has to catch that ball if he's going to be anything more than just a guy.
Mason Crosby looks about 17 years old. The guy's still got zits and he's kicking a game-winner. I thought that was impressive. Pretty good start for a young guy. Who knows? Maybe Dave Rayner goes two-for-three and they lose. Crosby has some leg strength. Holy cow! Kicking it out of the end zone. That 53-yarder would have been good from a lot longer. It looks to me like he has some ice in his blood.
Posted: Sept. 11, 2007
As told to former Packer Insider columnist Cliff Christl, 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.
In the latest issue of the Sporting News, they had 10 NFL personnel people rank the best players in the league. Among the Packers and Eagles, the highest ranked offensive player was Donovan McNabb at 54. Donald Driver was rated 56th; Brian Westbrook, 80th. I'm surprised Westbrook wasn't up there higher. But that was the story of the game. There were no playmakers on either team. None.
McNabb was elusive enough. I'll bet with any other quarterback, the Eagles would have given up six or seven sacks. So there was nothing on offense for the Packers, and the Eagles weren't much better.
I thought Westbrook was the best offensive player on the field Sunday. No question in my mind. But he's more of a playmaker when they put him out in the slot, put him in motion or sneak him out of the backfield into the flat for a quick pass. And he didn't do much in the passing game - 6 catches, 46 yards - and part of that's a testament to the Packers' defense.
I thought every passing play, except for the one where Charles Woodson slipped, they contested every throw. It wasn't like it was last year when you had someone streaking up the sideline with nobody within 10 yards or someone sitting in the middle of the field wide open. There wasn't any of that. I think that was the most impressive improvement on the Packers' 'D.'
I think it's pretty tough for any quarterback to do anything when you're lying on your back most the game. At times, the Packers' pass blocking was good. But there were other times when it was just horrible.
I also think Favre sprayed the ball a little bit. His accuracy wasn't as good as it has been in the past. The one that sticks out in my mind was Bubba Franks cutting across the middle and Favre led him too much. Franks could have caught it, but the ball was out in front of him and there was no one around him. Another one was the deep ball to James Jones on third-and-one in the fourth quarter. I really like Favre, but if you look at it objectively, I think he did that twice where he overthrew guys up the sideline. Those are plays he has to hit. He needs to get more air under the ball sometimes. He tries to rocket it and a guy can't run underneath it. He still has plenty of zip on the ball, but it's more the accuracy issue. Five years ago, I think that pass to Franks is dead on the money.
And I think most people who have been around the game will tell you it's two or three plays in an entire game that determine the outcome. There it was Sunday: The two punt plays that went bad for the Eagles. Those plays don't go bad for the Eagles and the Packers lose, maybe miserably. But if Favre makes that long strike down the sideline to Jones that could have been the difference. If it's not a touchdown, it's certainly going to get them in the red zone. But, then again, Favre made two plays on that 51-yard drive in the third quarter. That's Brett Favre. Gosh, he's a competitor. He was running around like he was a kid again. The guy is 38 years old. But that shows he still wants to make plays and that he can still make plays. He has the wherewithal.
There was another ball Favre threw downfield to Ruvell Martin in the first half. There was bracket coverage: A guy underneath and a guy over the top. I watched that play about five times and I think he has to catch that ball. The first thing that came to my mind was that a really good receiver catches that ball.
But the Packers had trips to the left on that play with the tight end in the inside position running down the field. The safety, Sean Considine, got a good jump on that ball because he's not worried about the tight end. I think the Packers are using their tight ends a lot differently than they'd like. They had the tight ends coming out of the backfield half the game. I think if they're going to open up the field, they have to do something with their tight ends in the middle part of the field to keep those safeties in, so they're not just running to the edge. The tight ends don't even have to run 9s (or deep patterns), just a curl or a comeback pattern in front of the safeties and just behind the linebackers. That would open the running game a little bit, too. I don't think Mark Chmura was a blazer. Even at the end, Keith Jackson could get up the field. But more importantly, those guys were good at getting to a spot: Either inside the linebacker or outside the linebacker. And I don't think Donald Lee has that. I don't think Franks does either. It just doesn't seem like he has that little wiggle. I guess he's a loper. Dum, da dum, dum. He's not explosive or exciting.
I don't think the problem with the running game is Brandon Jackson. I thought he caught the ball OK. He dropped that first one. But Steven Jackson had a couple of drops Sunday and so did LaDainian Tomlinson. They all do it. But I thought Brandon Jackson ran the ball as well as he could. There wasn't anywhere to run. When he's trying to run the ball and the backside tackle and backside end are making the play that's not his fault. A lot of times they had Korey Hall and a tight end in the backfield. They'd motion them in to that kind of a Power-I look. At times, I thought they both missed guys. They missed backside linebackers: Hall, Donald Lee, Bubba Franks.
I didn't think the guards and centers looked like they got any better from last year. They have to understand timing and when to cut. If you cut right off the bat, that's good if you get the defensive lineman's hands on the ground. The problem is if you cut him to early, he gets back up and gets in the play, and you're still lying on the ground. That happened to both Jason Spitz and Daryn Colledge. They need to understand timing a little better and stay up on the block just a fraction of a second longer and then cut them when the back is to the line of scrimmage. That way, there will be guys on the ground and the back can make that cut. What was happening on Sunday on many occasions, they'd cut the backside tackle and he'd get up and get in and still make the tackle. The same thing against the defensive ends. Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher don't look like they want to cut at all. They stay up, the flow goes away and the defensive end on the backside makes the play.
There were times when all five of the offensive linemen were good at pass blocking. There were other times when just one guy would break down. And there were times when most of those guys broke down on the same play. I was talking with someone yesterday and they said, 'Well, that's a good defensive line.' It doesn't matter. You still have to block. If you want to be a good offensive team, your offensive line has to block everybody. I watched Clifton a lot. I thought last year he had some injuries and maybe they should have put him on the shelf early for a couple of weeks and let him heal up. But I wonder if his body isn't just done. He just didn't seem to have that flexibility in his hips or knees that an offensive lineman needs. His pass blocking was terrible at times. Both those guys, Clifton and Tauscher, off the corner, just got beat.
I think the defense played very well and I still think it's going to get better. On that drive when the Eagles got close to the end zone, and on third down they threw that little flip pass to Westbrook. I'll bet 90% of the teams that play the Eagles are going to get beat on that play for a touchdown. The defensive end and the defensive tackle - I think it was Aaron Kampman and Corey Williams - didn't give up the edge. They kept coming up-field. So Westbrook had to run wider. Atari Bigby had great outside leverage. And, then, because the defensive end and defensive tackle didn't give up the edge, Nick Barnett had the opportunity to scrape underneath and make the play from an inside position. That was a heck of a play and you saw a lot of that: Good team defense. I don't think Ryan Pickett had one of his better days. And where did Johnny Jolly come from? I thought he might get cut last year. Wow! But as for the defense as a whole, I just thought it needed to finish better. Finish on the sacks. Finish on the big tackles in the backfield. Instead of making a hit and letting a guy squirm off for another yard or missing the quarterback. Once they finish better that defense is going to get better. And they have to be better on first down. But I think a big part of that was Pickett. There were times he got driven back or was slow off blocks. But if he plays better, like he did at mid-season last year, when he was getting off blocks and his lateral movement was good that will make a big difference. Now, it will be second-and-seven or second-and-eight as opposed to second-and-six or second-and-five.
I thought Bigby flew around pretty good. He maybe missed some tackles, but he always seemed to be around the ball. Another play where they didn't finish was when Nick Collins had the chance at that pick in the fourth quarter. A big-time player makes that catch. His rookie year, I thought he might be the second coming of LeRoy Butler. But that's the difference between those guys. Butler makes that play and it could have gone for six. Any time there's an interception on the numbers to the sideline, you can score. Collins has to catch that ball if he's going to be anything more than just a guy.
Mason Crosby looks about 17 years old. The guy's still got zits and he's kicking a game-winner. I thought that was impressive. Pretty good start for a young guy. Who knows? Maybe Dave Rayner goes two-for-three and they lose. Crosby has some leg strength. Holy cow! Kicking it out of the end zone. That 53-yarder would have been good from a lot longer. It looks to me like he has some ice in his blood.