PFW Packer items 01/07/2007

[motife]

Robinson, Martin pushing rookie Jones

After appearing to be firmly entrenched in the No. 3 WR role for three-quarters of the season, third-round rookie James Jones has been relinquishing playing time the past month or so to both Koren Robinson and Ruvell Martin. But that’s not to say Jones won’t re-emerge as a key weapon in the team’s passing attack in the playoffs beginning this weekend. Team insiders believe the reduction in Jones’ playing time has more to do with the improvement by Robinson and Martin than it does with any of Jones’ particular shortcomings. Robinson, a proven commodity on the rebound from off-the-field problems, has developed an increasingly strong rapport with Brett Favre, who struggled to overcome his own off-the-field demons. Martin, meanwhile, has continued to make his presence felt, despite not having as much raw talent as either Jones or Robinson. Word is Martin has established himself as the scrappiest blocker in Green Bay’s WR corps, in addition to displaying deceptive speed. As for the team’s usage of five-wide sets, it will be interesting to see to what extent head coach Mike McCarthy features them in the playoffs after cutting down on them significantly the final month of the season.

While the Packers might provide some added motivation in the playoffs by giving well-deserved contract extensions to GM Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy right now — team insiders had told us a month or so ago that the team could possibly re-up with both of them before start of this year — we now hear that those extensions will almost certainly be put on hold until after the Packers’ season is completely over.

[vince]

While the Packers might provide some added motivation in the playoffs by giving well-deserved contract extensions to GM Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy right now — team insiders had told us a month or so ago that the team could possibly re-up with both of them before start of this year — we now hear that those extensions will almost certainly be put on hold until after the Packers’ season is completely over.

Oops. I guess they were right when they said ALMOST... :P

[motife]

out of the 8 writers at PFW, 2 pick Seattle to win outright, 6 to beat the 8.5 point spread.

PFW gives GB the nod on QB, RB, Rec, ST, and coaching.

It gives Seattle the nod on LB & DB.

The OL & DL are rated ties.

[motife]

in the last 5 drafts, the Packers had 34 picks. 25 are still on the roster, 12 are starters, and none have been Pro Bowlers.

[motife]

Ron Wolf has been promoting Scott McCloughan AND TED THOMPSON to take over the reins in Atlanta.

Wolf has been spending a lot of time with Bill Parcells since he was hired in Miami.

[MJZiggy]

I can't see TT wanting to leave a position in which he has pretty much complete autonomy to go work under a control freak where he'd have to pretty much start all over again.

[Lurker64]

Ron Wolf has been promoting Scott McCloughan AND TED THOMPSON to take over the reins in Atlanta.

Glad we just re-upped him, I wouldn't want to lose my GM at this point.

[HarveyWallbangers]

none have been Pro Bowelrs.

Not sure I'd rate how well these guys are doing based on Pro Bowl selections. The Pro Bowl is a joke. Even with that, only about 5% of the players make it.

[motife]

Scouts, Inc. :

Seattle's Pro Bowlers stepping up by: Keith Kidd
filed under: Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks' underrated defense stepped up again in Saturday's 35-14 wild-card win over the Redskins. Seattle defensive coordinator John Marshall and his unit's playmakers controlled the Washington running game, attacked from every angle, pressured rookie RT Stephon Heyer and hit QB Todd Collins consistently.

CB Marcus Trufant had six tackles and an INT for a TD against the Redskiins.Seattle's defense, highlighted by four Pro Bowlers, gave Redskins offensive coordinator Al Saunders fits all game and forced him to adjust his game plan and spread the field with multiple receivers. Collins switched to a quick, controlled passing attack that took a lot of pressure off the Washington offensive line. This allowed him to get the ball to his playmakers in underneath areas on quick drops and tried to keep Seattle's defense on its heels.

However, the Seahawks defense, which finished second in the NFC in takeaways (35) and scoring defense (18.2 ppg) came up big. Pro Bowl CB Marcus Trufant and fellow CB Jordan Babineaux both picked off Collins in the fourth quarter and returned their interceptions for touchdowns.

Trufant has played very well this season and is a big reason why the Seattle defense is so dangerous. Under new secondary coach Jim Mora he has finally developed into the shutdown corner that Seattle envisioned when it drafted him with the 11th overall pick in 2003.

Pro Bowl DE Patrick Kerney, who is an explosive edge rusher that must be accounted for on every snap, also had seven tackles and took on double-team blocks all game. Plus, Pro Bowl LBs Lofa Tatupu and Julian Peterson contributed with 22 combined tackles and a sack. These versatile LBs have oustanding playmaking skills and allow Marshall to use them in different roles within his schemes.

After coming off an unbelievable performance against the Redskins, the Packers need to watch out because