Vikings @ Packers Week 12 Studs and Duds

[pbmax]

Toby Gerhart says Hawk and Jones are duds. The two had problems shedding blocks all game long.

Jones has gotta be the worst starting ILB in the league. It is not a coincidence that the D is now having problems stopping the run with Jones back in the lineup. When Lattimore was playing, the D kicked ass against the run.

Lattimore is way more psychical than Jones and he should be starting instead of Jones. I don't know why the coaches are so in love with Jones.

I disagree that Lattimore is more physical, but I agree with your assessment of Jones as part of the problem in run defense. He makes a lot of reads to get into gaps for a free run and is wrong WAY too often. Lattimore was slower to react and therefore was less often out of position. The irony is that last year Jones being slow to read and react cost them versus running QBs and Peterson.

This year he is trying to diagnose faster but is now getting himself in the wrong place. I agree Lattimore on 1st and 2nd down might help.

Jones is still the best ILB for the dime, even with Hawk having a great year.

[denverYooper]

Instead of BJ Raji can the Packers simply truck a huge piece of fudge out there?

He's become a lump of useless flesh.

I don't know about this. He's more like Hawk as a high pick -- not as many splash plays as you'd like out of a high pick but he's pretty good and he's got elite availability.

[denverYooper]

Boykin was a stud. He had a strong game receiving, but he also played defense and broke up 2 potential interceptions.

[oldbutnotdeadyet]

I agree, Boykin has been a very pleasant surprise.

[bobblehead]

Tolzien couldn't hit the water if he fell out of a boat.

.

Funny, that was my exact text to my friend when they pulled him.

[bobblehead]

I am off the Tolzien bandwagon. He is dead to me.

Flynn played admirably, and I concede I am being a bit of a dick about it.

I fear the Lions D coordinator is going to game plan for Flynn's rag arm, and Packers O is going to grind to halt. We'll see. I'm expressing my frustration at both backups, and I think Flynn's prospects are out of focus.

Big thing with flynn though. When they do play for his rag arm he knows exactly where to go. I still remember people hammering him for throwing that "bomb" on 4th and 1 with game on the line that time. It was the right decision. Everything underneath was being defended, they stacked the box for the run, and Flynn attacked the right spot. It won't always work, but it only has to leave a mark to loosen up the underneath stuff.

[Fritz]

Boykin was a stud. He had a strong game receiving, but he also played defense and broke up 2 potential interceptions.

From Tyler Dunne, talking about the players' apparent attitudes after the game: "For the most part, players sounded defeated."

This - the team's attitude - is the biggest dud of all. I really, really thought this team could tread water - as in 2-2 during these last four games - without Rodgers and the other injured players. Not 0-3-1.

I am disappointed that the defense is playing so, so poorly - they seem to be getting pushed around regularly. What the hell happened?

In the end, this falls on MM. His job is to get them ready to play hard and smart, and they don't. They flounder, they lack energy, they miss tackles, they get pushed out of gaps, they drop interceptions, they drop passes.

Of course the injuries have hurt them. Of course. You can't deny that, even without Rodgers, had the team had a healthier group - Shields, Finley, Jolly, Perry, Cobb - it would have done much better.

However, the team's listlessness is not a result of a lack of talent. That's on the coach.

Their attitude is a dud, and MM is a pud.

[woodbuck27]

From Tyler Dunne, talking about the players' apparent attitudes after the game: "For the most part, players sounded defeated."

This - the team's attitude - is the biggest dud of all. I really, really thought this team could tread water - as in 2-2 during these last four games - without Rodgers and the other injured players. Not 0-3-1.

I am disappointed that the defense is playing so, so poorly - they seem to be getting pushed around regularly. What the hell happened?

In the end, this falls on MM. His job is to get them ready to play hard and smart, and they don't. They flounder, they lack energy, they miss tackles, they get pushed out of gaps, they drop interceptions, they drop passes.

Of course the injuries have hurt them. Of course. You can't deny that, even without Rodgers, had the team had a healthier group - Shields, Finley, Jolly, Perry, Cobb - it would have done much better.

However, the team's listlessness is not a result of a lack of talent. That's on the coach.

Their attitude is a dud, and MM is a pud.

That's a bold post.

For that I commend you because too many here will avoid any criticism of MM.

They'll drum up his past achievements and overall record and ignore that it's all now about ....now.

[pbmax]

From Tyler Dunne, talking about the players' apparent attitudes after the game: "For the most part, players sounded defeated."

This - the team's attitude - is the biggest dud of all. I really, really thought this team could tread water - as in 2-2 during these last four games - without Rodgers and the other injured players. Not 0-3-1.

I am disappointed that the defense is playing so, so poorly - they seem to be getting pushed around regularly. What the hell happened?

In the end, this falls on MM. His job is to get them ready to play hard and smart, and they don't. They flounder, they lack energy, they miss tackles, they get pushed out of gaps, they drop interceptions, they drop passes.

Of course the injuries have hurt them. Of course. You can't deny that, even without Rodgers, had the team had a healthier group - Shields, Finley, Jolly, Perry, Cobb - it would have done much better.

However, the team's listlessness is not a result of a lack of talent. That's on the coach.

Their attitude is a dud, and MM is a pud.

While it doesn't address your primary charge, Dunne was talking about their reaction to a tie. Whether the players would view it positively after a big comeback and near certain defeat or view it as a loss regardless.

He is telling us the players took it hard like a loss.

[Guiness]

If we can get healthy and make the playoffs I think we can compete and make some noise. Rodgers overcomes a huge amount of defensive carp.
As to studs and duds, Stud Lacy, Mathews and Flynn
Dud, 4th and 2 in OT call, Tolzien and Jolly's groin. I think if we had Jolly in this would have been a completely different game, dude is huge for our dline.

Jolly being in might've made a difference, but on paper it didn't. He was replaced by CJ Wilson who is a good run defender, and that was supposed to be what the Pack had to worry about Sunday. You know, as opposed to Ponder having a 129 QB rating (seriously, wtf????)

[Patler]

There were no studs for GB yesterday.
This was against the Vikings.
GB failed to beat the Vikings.
There were no studs.

Not even Lacy, who admitted that he had a lane to the end zone on one of his two carries inside the 10 yard line in overtime. He said he read it wrong and missed the lane.

Studs rise up and win the game when the opportunity is there. Lacy wasn't a dud, but neither was he a stud.

[SkinBasket]

Brad Jones is a dud. The guy had concrete shoes on the entire game. When he looked good, it was usually the result of another player. I used to think he might serve adequately, but shit was he slow and showed the decisiveness of a drunk kitten yesterday.

McCarthy's goal line playcalling in OT was worse than dudlike. It was unmanly and smelled of cowardice.

[Pugger]

Xavier Rhodes looked like an all-pro, never heard of the guy.

Rhodes got knocked on his fanny by Lacy. Eddie made him look like rag doll.

[Pugger]

Jolly being in might've made a difference, but on paper it didn't. He was replaced by CJ Wilson who is a good run defender, and that was supposed to be what the Pack had to worry about Sunday. You know, as opposed to Ponder having a 129 QB rating (seriously, wtf????)

And then Wilson left the game hurt.

[Rutnstrut]

That's the other thing thats been bothering me other than piss poor tackling, is all the dropped interceptions. I mean, tackling drills and catching drills are basic football 101, how does this shit happen?

I've said it for YEARS now, for some reason a Dom Capers defense doesn't seem to practice the fundamentals.