Philly's take on Rodgers and the Packers.

[Patler]

Interesting to read the views from the other side:

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/top_sports/20110105_Paul_Domowitch__GRASPING_FOR_AAR.html

[MichiganPackerFan]

Not to take anything away from Rodgers because he's been great against the blitz, but how much has BJack contributed to that success. He's matured a lot, identifies quickly and has worked to become a very good blocker.

[Smidgeon]

My favorite part:

"The other thing that helps him against the blitz is that he's got the quickest, most compact delivery in the league."

Remember when Rodgers' delivery was the thing that most people worried about in regards to him being in the NFL? Take that Tim Tebow!

[Patler]

My favorite part:

"The other thing that helps him against the blitz is that he's got the quickest, most compact delivery in the league."

Remember when Rodgers' delivery was the thing that most people worried about in regards to him being in the NFL? Take that Tim Tebow!

I think it was TT who said at the time that he was not concerned, because the "Tetford mechanics" were not natural to Rodgers. Rodgers himself said he had to work real hard to do as Tetford wanted, and that his natural tendency was to throw differently.

It would be interesting to see how his delivery now compares to his natural delivery that he probably used while in Junior College. It would show what influence MM and Clements have had on his mechanics.

[Fritz]

I think sometimes we fans are more pessimistic than the other team's fans are about our team. In a way it's a protective device - if we get too excited and optimistic and the Pack loses, it really, really hurts. But if we point out their flaws and try to be pessimistic, it hurts less (sort of) if they lose.

I did not know the Eagles were missing so many players - thought apparently Bradley might be back. Which means they're missing two starters since the beginning of the season. It didn't mention how many key backups have been put on the shelf.

[MichiganPackerFan]

I think sometimes we fans are more pessimistic than the other team's fans are about our team. In a way it's a protective device - if we get too excited and optimistic and the Pack loses, it really, really hurts. But if we point out their flaws and try to be pessimistic, it hurts less (sort of) if they lose. ...

Well described - I end up in the same position a lot. The dare to hope phase, because I take the big losses WAY to personally. They're MUCH easier for me to take if its not officiating however.

[Cheesehead Craig]

There was one article there where they compare the positions and it's funny how the guy poo-poos Masthay. He says Masthay is nothing special but their punter has this powerful leg.

Stats:
Masthay 43.9 avg, 62 yd long, 25 inside 20
Rocca 43.8 avg, 63 yd long, 28 inside 20

[Smidgeon]

There was one article there where they compare the positions and it's funny how the guy poo-poos Masthay. He says Masthay is nothing special but their punter has this powerful leg.

Stats:
Masthay 43.9 avg, 62 yd long, 25 inside 20
Rocca 43.8 avg, 63 yd long, 28 inside 20

Or the ESPN article that said Vick was a better QB than Rodgers (while he's having an amazing year, I haven't heard anyone rank Vick over Rodgers in the "Top 5 QB" discussions) and Trent Cole was better than Raji... I stopped reading right at that last one.

[mraynrand]

...Trent Cole was better than Raji... I stopped reading right at that last one.

Well, it depends on what they mean. They play different D line positions. I think if you said Cole was more vital to his team than Raji is to the Packers, you might be right. Cole seems to be a lot better, relative to other Philly starters. He did have 12.5 sacks last year (didn't look up this year). So there are some arguments to make that Cole is 'better' than Raji. But it's debatable, and not really a great comparison to begin with...

[vince]

I couldn't help but notice this quote for JH from the article about Rodgers' presnap recognition of defenses.

Rodgers is terrific at the line of scrimmage," said NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell, supervising producer of ESPN's "NFL Matchup" show. "He's right up there with [Tom] Brady and [Drew] Brees and [Peyton] Manning as far as presnap recognition and being able to check protections and move [running] backs.

[RashanGary]

I couldn't help but notice this quote for JH from the article about Rodgers' presnap recognition of defenses.

haha. I saw that too. On some level (probably most of them) I was wrong.

Something feels overcomplicated about our offense. I can't quite put my finger on it.

[vince]

It's complicated no doubt. However overcomplicated it is, it's been top 10 year in and year out. Good defenses often get the best of good offenses. And when you have an equally good defense, coaches often adjust their offensive plans (as McCarthy did against the Jets this year) to play field position games in order to secure the win.

It's tougher to do with an average (at best) running game, but Rodgers can run a pretty damn good ball control passing game as well. Their 3rd down conversion rate has gotten pretty good this year after suffering early. And for Rodgers' career, it's exceptional.

He and McCarthy often get attacked for throwing deep on 3rd and 2, but when the defense is jamming the line of scrimmage and you have a limited running attack - and there's heavy coverage on the short routes, it's better to safely overthrow a deep ball and maybe have Jennings catch up to it but probably punt than throw into coverage. It's an unconventional ball-control strategy, but a good one when you're defense is shutting down the opposition.