motife
10-16-2007, 05:33 PM
INSIDE FOOTBALL with Eric Baranczyk: Week 6
Posted: Oct. 16, 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.
That was a one-play game. It was decided by Charles Woodson's 57-yard fumble recovery. That's the epitome of what coaches mean when they say one or two plays decide most games. Things are going the Packers' way this year whereas they didn't last year. Some people might say, "They're lucky." In my opinion, luck is when preparation meets opportunity. And when you watch that team, I think they're coached pretty darn well. The big things that need to get fixed get fixed. And I think a lot of little things got fixed on defense.
But right now, it looks to me like a two-team league: The two teams in the AFC, New England and Indy, and everybody else. I think San Diego could still come back and surprise some people. But it's Tom Brady and Peyton Manning; and they both have weapons. Those teams might beat themselves at some point, but if they stay healthy, I don't see anybody who can beat them. There isn't anybody in the NFC who scares you, even the Dallas Cowboys are second class to the Patriots. So heading into the bye week, I think the Packers have a shot in the NFC. Anybody who gets into the tournament has a shot in the NFC. But the Super Bowl could be ugly. There's some defense in the NFC. But in the AFC, the scoreboards look like pinball machines.
The Packers' defense is really good right now, but a lot of that 5-1 record is Brett Favre. He killed them against the Bears, but I think for the most part, he's playing a little closer to the vest and making the right decisions. And look at the NFC. What other team has a quarterback that they can hitch their wagon to? Look at Minnesota, Chicago. Look at some of the quarterbacks who are starting right now in the NFC: Vinny Testaverde, Tim Rattay, Gus Frerotte, Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington.
The Packers are hitching their wagon to Favre and he's going to take that offense as far as it's going to go. Favre's stats weren't beautiful by any standards, but when it came down to it, when the Packers needed Favre to get the ball where it needed to be at certain times, he got it done. When he needed to make some first downs, he made the throw. Anything deep was ugly, but throwing underneath he was fine. On the other hand, I thought Jason Campbell got rattled at the end of the game. I don't think his composure was there. He took some sacks when he could have dumped the ball off, but he was looking downfield. That just shows the advantage that Favre's experience and composure give you in a game like that.
And I'll tell you what, Favre froze the Redskins again on some of those play-action passes. He did an awesome job of play-action, especially in the first half, even though there was no running game. The 60-yard pass to Donald Lee that set up their only offensive touchdown was the classic example. That's also the way to attack a two-deep zone: Run the tight end deep down the middle between the safeties. But it was a great play-action by Favre and also Lee.
The Packers couldn't run the ball in this game and Washington was even dropping eight guys back. The Redskins were dropping a defensive tackle. I've got it in my notes that they did it at least 12 times. So they had four over the top in coverage and four on the bottom. That's why it was even hard for the Packers to throw that little dump-off to the tight end or the dump-off to the running back. That eighth guy, No. 92 (Demetric Evans), was covering the back out of the backfield, covering the tight end on the little delay. That makes it tough to throw when you're throwing against eight guys.
The Packers had to formation everything they got. If they were looking to throw a slant, they had to overload one side of the field. For instance on the one slant where they got anything, they lined up twins left, the fullback was offset to the right and the tight end was to the right; and then they put the slot receiver in motion back to the right. At the snap, they had one receiver to the left and the backer couldn't get back. But, normally, the Redskins' outside backers were screaming back to cut off the slant and the corners were playing inside leverage. So there were no slants to get out there. All you're going to get are the little six- to eight-yard digs, where the receiver just turns around and the ball is going to hit him in the guts.
I went back another time to watch the tape just on those deep balls that Favre was hanging up there. You know, I think it was a result of his crappy mechanics. He has the arm, but he throws off his back foot far too often on those deep balls and they're underthrown or intercepted or dropped. But I'll say this: Sean Taylor can cover some ground. On that one to James Jones, Jones is streaking up the sidelines and there's nobody within 15 yards of him when Favre throws that ball; and Taylor comes over and intercepts it from the center of the field. That guy can run. I don't think I've ever seen a safety who could run like that guy. That was incredible.
I thought Jason Spitz was up and down, and Tony Moll was like a fish out of water. I wasn't impressed with Moll at all, pass blocking or run blocking. It all comes down to getting a push at the point of attack and on so many occasions, they just got collapsed inside. It wasn't all Spitz and Moll, either. It was Daryn Colledge, too.
I'd say the blocking is the biggest deficiency with the running game, but DeShawn Wynn isn't the guy. He has to realize, he's not a 210-, 215-pound running back. He can't dance around back there. He has to pick a hole and go. I also thought he made some poor decisions where he could have cut back for some more yardage, but ran it into the hole where there was nothing. Last week, there were some plays where Vernand Morency showed a second gear. I didn't see it Sunday. And he's really a liability when they keep him in the backfield against the pass. I don't think he blocks well. I think he's a poser. He looks the part, but he's not it. I thought there were some opportunities Sunday, where he or Wynn could have cut back and gotten some positive yards. I'd like to see Brandon Jackson again. They don't have anybody right now who can make the first guy miss or make the next cut. Plus, they don't have anybody like Ahman Green, who could get his shoulders low and once he was going north and south could get positive yards.
I thought Korey Hall looked pretty good blocking in the first half, but for whatever reasons, they started to put a tight end back there and he didn't play much after that.
I thought the front four was really good. The Redskins ran it a little on first down in the first half, but that defense really buttoned down in the second half. Those defensive tackles were really good: Ryan Pickett, Johnny Jolly and, at times, Corey Williams. They make tackles downfield, on the sidelines. That whole defense is really playing with a great motor. And Aaron Kampman really stepped his game up. When the Packers needed to get pressure or sacks, look who was standing there. Kampman just doesn't make mental mistakes. He's always in the right spot. We haven't talked much about Kampman this year and part of it is that he's so solid. But I thought he played a great game. What did he have? Two sacks, eight tackles. But that's why the Packers rotate those players, so the defense can take over the game in the fourth quarter.
Nick Barnett had a monster game. He ran through some blocks. I counted only one time where he overran a play. And that fourth-and-two where he tackled Ladell Betts was an awesome play. A lot of middle linebackers don't get there. Brady Poppinga had some problems with Chris Cooley, but, boy, do the Redskins use Cooley well. Poppinga wasn't in there on that touchdown pass at the end of the half, but the Redskins essentially had trips to the left. The two split receivers ran a crossing pattern and a post, and then they wheeled Cooley out of there. You don't see many tight end wheels. You're asking the tight end to run a long way. But Poppinga got burned on that first long pass by Cooley. Poppinga is an aggressive player, but he comes up-field and then he can't turn his hips fast enough to get back in coverage.
Woodson had a pick, too, in addition to the fumble recovery. He doesn't have the speed he had coming out of college, but he's a ball hawk. That's experience and knowing where to be.
There was another time the Packers needed a big play to stop a drive - it was third-and-one or two - and Atari Bigby came up. They were running the old Redskins' sweep where they pulled two guards. You had a cornerback taking on a block, a linebacker taking on a block and there was Bigby filling in the alley. It was a beautiful tackle on Clinton Portis for no gain. I don't know about his coverage, but Bigby fills nice against the run.
Posted: Oct. 16, 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.
That was a one-play game. It was decided by Charles Woodson's 57-yard fumble recovery. That's the epitome of what coaches mean when they say one or two plays decide most games. Things are going the Packers' way this year whereas they didn't last year. Some people might say, "They're lucky." In my opinion, luck is when preparation meets opportunity. And when you watch that team, I think they're coached pretty darn well. The big things that need to get fixed get fixed. And I think a lot of little things got fixed on defense.
But right now, it looks to me like a two-team league: The two teams in the AFC, New England and Indy, and everybody else. I think San Diego could still come back and surprise some people. But it's Tom Brady and Peyton Manning; and they both have weapons. Those teams might beat themselves at some point, but if they stay healthy, I don't see anybody who can beat them. There isn't anybody in the NFC who scares you, even the Dallas Cowboys are second class to the Patriots. So heading into the bye week, I think the Packers have a shot in the NFC. Anybody who gets into the tournament has a shot in the NFC. But the Super Bowl could be ugly. There's some defense in the NFC. But in the AFC, the scoreboards look like pinball machines.
The Packers' defense is really good right now, but a lot of that 5-1 record is Brett Favre. He killed them against the Bears, but I think for the most part, he's playing a little closer to the vest and making the right decisions. And look at the NFC. What other team has a quarterback that they can hitch their wagon to? Look at Minnesota, Chicago. Look at some of the quarterbacks who are starting right now in the NFC: Vinny Testaverde, Tim Rattay, Gus Frerotte, Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington.
The Packers are hitching their wagon to Favre and he's going to take that offense as far as it's going to go. Favre's stats weren't beautiful by any standards, but when it came down to it, when the Packers needed Favre to get the ball where it needed to be at certain times, he got it done. When he needed to make some first downs, he made the throw. Anything deep was ugly, but throwing underneath he was fine. On the other hand, I thought Jason Campbell got rattled at the end of the game. I don't think his composure was there. He took some sacks when he could have dumped the ball off, but he was looking downfield. That just shows the advantage that Favre's experience and composure give you in a game like that.
And I'll tell you what, Favre froze the Redskins again on some of those play-action passes. He did an awesome job of play-action, especially in the first half, even though there was no running game. The 60-yard pass to Donald Lee that set up their only offensive touchdown was the classic example. That's also the way to attack a two-deep zone: Run the tight end deep down the middle between the safeties. But it was a great play-action by Favre and also Lee.
The Packers couldn't run the ball in this game and Washington was even dropping eight guys back. The Redskins were dropping a defensive tackle. I've got it in my notes that they did it at least 12 times. So they had four over the top in coverage and four on the bottom. That's why it was even hard for the Packers to throw that little dump-off to the tight end or the dump-off to the running back. That eighth guy, No. 92 (Demetric Evans), was covering the back out of the backfield, covering the tight end on the little delay. That makes it tough to throw when you're throwing against eight guys.
The Packers had to formation everything they got. If they were looking to throw a slant, they had to overload one side of the field. For instance on the one slant where they got anything, they lined up twins left, the fullback was offset to the right and the tight end was to the right; and then they put the slot receiver in motion back to the right. At the snap, they had one receiver to the left and the backer couldn't get back. But, normally, the Redskins' outside backers were screaming back to cut off the slant and the corners were playing inside leverage. So there were no slants to get out there. All you're going to get are the little six- to eight-yard digs, where the receiver just turns around and the ball is going to hit him in the guts.
I went back another time to watch the tape just on those deep balls that Favre was hanging up there. You know, I think it was a result of his crappy mechanics. He has the arm, but he throws off his back foot far too often on those deep balls and they're underthrown or intercepted or dropped. But I'll say this: Sean Taylor can cover some ground. On that one to James Jones, Jones is streaking up the sidelines and there's nobody within 15 yards of him when Favre throws that ball; and Taylor comes over and intercepts it from the center of the field. That guy can run. I don't think I've ever seen a safety who could run like that guy. That was incredible.
I thought Jason Spitz was up and down, and Tony Moll was like a fish out of water. I wasn't impressed with Moll at all, pass blocking or run blocking. It all comes down to getting a push at the point of attack and on so many occasions, they just got collapsed inside. It wasn't all Spitz and Moll, either. It was Daryn Colledge, too.
I'd say the blocking is the biggest deficiency with the running game, but DeShawn Wynn isn't the guy. He has to realize, he's not a 210-, 215-pound running back. He can't dance around back there. He has to pick a hole and go. I also thought he made some poor decisions where he could have cut back for some more yardage, but ran it into the hole where there was nothing. Last week, there were some plays where Vernand Morency showed a second gear. I didn't see it Sunday. And he's really a liability when they keep him in the backfield against the pass. I don't think he blocks well. I think he's a poser. He looks the part, but he's not it. I thought there were some opportunities Sunday, where he or Wynn could have cut back and gotten some positive yards. I'd like to see Brandon Jackson again. They don't have anybody right now who can make the first guy miss or make the next cut. Plus, they don't have anybody like Ahman Green, who could get his shoulders low and once he was going north and south could get positive yards.
I thought Korey Hall looked pretty good blocking in the first half, but for whatever reasons, they started to put a tight end back there and he didn't play much after that.
I thought the front four was really good. The Redskins ran it a little on first down in the first half, but that defense really buttoned down in the second half. Those defensive tackles were really good: Ryan Pickett, Johnny Jolly and, at times, Corey Williams. They make tackles downfield, on the sidelines. That whole defense is really playing with a great motor. And Aaron Kampman really stepped his game up. When the Packers needed to get pressure or sacks, look who was standing there. Kampman just doesn't make mental mistakes. He's always in the right spot. We haven't talked much about Kampman this year and part of it is that he's so solid. But I thought he played a great game. What did he have? Two sacks, eight tackles. But that's why the Packers rotate those players, so the defense can take over the game in the fourth quarter.
Nick Barnett had a monster game. He ran through some blocks. I counted only one time where he overran a play. And that fourth-and-two where he tackled Ladell Betts was an awesome play. A lot of middle linebackers don't get there. Brady Poppinga had some problems with Chris Cooley, but, boy, do the Redskins use Cooley well. Poppinga wasn't in there on that touchdown pass at the end of the half, but the Redskins essentially had trips to the left. The two split receivers ran a crossing pattern and a post, and then they wheeled Cooley out of there. You don't see many tight end wheels. You're asking the tight end to run a long way. But Poppinga got burned on that first long pass by Cooley. Poppinga is an aggressive player, but he comes up-field and then he can't turn his hips fast enough to get back in coverage.
Woodson had a pick, too, in addition to the fumble recovery. He doesn't have the speed he had coming out of college, but he's a ball hawk. That's experience and knowing where to be.
There was another time the Packers needed a big play to stop a drive - it was third-and-one or two - and Atari Bigby came up. They were running the old Redskins' sweep where they pulled two guards. You had a cornerback taking on a block, a linebacker taking on a block and there was Bigby filling in the alley. It was a beautiful tackle on Clinton Portis for no gain. I don't know about his coverage, but Bigby fills nice against the run.