Looking Damn Good

[call_me_ishmael]

The Packers are looking pretty damn dominant right now.

I would like to see them start to establish the run more. I would love to see them pound the rock down someone's throat one of these weeks for 30-35 carries combined from Starks and Lacey. This will give teams something to think about going forward.

I would also like to see the team play from behind for a bit and see how the D can fair against a rushing attack. Lately the D has looked dominant because they are playing from a big lead very early in the game.

A few guys to single out:

HHCD looks like as good of a rookie pick as we've had in years. He looks very good to me. He secondary looks incredibly solid all around. They have more guys than spots. TT has really excelled in building the CB depth and now the safeties look to be on their way.

Peppers, IMO, is making a much bigger impact than felt on the stat sheet. I would love to know how many hurries and pressures he has. He seems to be making big plays all over the field. To me, he seems like their best defensive player. He is playing at a very high level. Does anyone else think he deserves some mention for DPOY?

The left tackle seems pretty good to me. He seems like a heck of a find for a mid-to-late round pick. He may never be a superstar but he is solid.

Lacey is proving to be a great threat in the passing game.

The offense has really taken off since Devante Adams started getting regular snaps. They may not have sheer volume of weapons as in 2011 but the offense looks unbelievable right now.

Rodgers is playing at an insanely high level. He will be the MVP if he keeps this up.

MM really has followed through with playing with a wide variety of personal packages. It seemed to me like Mike Pennel was on the field a good bit today and I think Mike Neal got a sack from inside on one of his rushes. The D looks more like a Rex Ryan type scheme to me than it has in years past. Though I could be imagining this, too.

I'm trying not to be a prisoner of the moment. I wish we played a truly good team like Denver, SF or Seattle so we could see how we fare against them. Do we play any elite defenses the rest of the way? I want to see a true test and how we fare when we aren't playing ahead by so much.

[RashanGary]

Good post. Agree with all of it..... Don't pencil in a second chapionship for Ar, MM and TT..... But don't sleep on these Packers. Time will tell!

[smuggler]

This was definitely a statement game. The Eagles have been generating a lot of sacks and pressure with their front four, which has been a death knell to our offense over the last two+ seasons.

Playing New England in two weeks will be another good guage. If we do something similar to them, we are clear Super Bowl contenders. Probably the favorite at that point. I feel that will be more along the lines of 38-35

[Tony Oday]

A huge game next week, Packer are by far the superior team but this has the markings of letdown all over it.

[George Cumby]

Hopefully Big-Boned Mike keeps them focused on the Vikes and doesn't let them think about the Pats.

[denverYooper]

Detroit has an elite defense. That'll be a good test before the playoffs.

[George Cumby]

Playoffs? Playoffs?!

[pbmax]

Detroit has an elite defense. That'll be a good test before the playoffs.

Caldwell has had an odd effect. Detroit scores by Game:

35, 7, 19, 24, 14, 17, 24, 22, 20, 6

[3irty1]

There is reason to feel confident... at home. The Packers have to be the favorite to win the division at this point, their two toughest games are the Pats and Lions but both are at home. The Lions toughest are the Pats and Packers both on the road.

In seasons past I feel like the Packers were road warriors under McCarthy and home field advantage felt negligible. Now they look invincible at home and very weak in the trenches on the road. The Bills game is circled for me. Its the toughest road game we have left against a pretty physical but snakebitten team. Its also got tiebreaker implications since the Lions lost to them.

[Pugger]

A huge game next week, Packer are by far the superior team but this has the markings of letdown all over it.

I was just going to post this. Let's hope Mac keeps them focused so we don't trip up next weekend.

[Tyrion Lannister]

HHCD looks like as good of a rookie pick as we've had in years. He looks very good to me. He secondary looks incredibly solid all around. They have more guys than spots. TT has really excelled in building the CB depth and now the safeties look to be on their way.

Ha-Ha certainly is an upgrade over the bums we had last season, but he hasn't made enough plays to get me excited. I want my free saftey to be a motherfucker like Collins was, like Earl Thomas is. Ha-Ha's still a rookie, so there's still a chance he turns out to be a MOFO saftey, ala Sean Taylor.

Note: I read somewhere that the Jets benched Pryor in their last game. Recall that they took Pryor over Ha-Ha. Fire Idzik!

[Carolina_Packer]

Ha-Ha certainly is an upgrade over the bums we had last season, but he hasn't made enough plays to get me excited. I want my free saftey to be a motherfucker like Collins was, like Earl Thomas is. Ha-Ha's still a rookie, so there's still a chance he turns out to be a MOFO saftey, ala Sean Taylor.

Note: I read somewhere that the Jets benched Pryor in their last game. Recall that they took Pryor over Ha-Ha. Fire Idzik!

I know others have mentioned this before, and you alluded to it. Collins did not come into his own until a couple of years in. I'd say we should be encouraged by what we've seen so far. I hope he stays healthy and energized and that he is getting to where he's not thinking as much as he is reacting and playing down hill.

[smuggler]

Pryor would possibly have been the guy if the Jets had taken HaHa.Scary. Reminds me of a few years back when we traded up to get Burnett and the Bears were left to draft Major Wright. Sucks to suck, Chicago.

[wist43]

Yes, we're looking much better than earlier in the year - however, dunderdummy is the eternal x-factor and cannot be trusted game-to-game.

He mixed things up fairly well in the first half, but after we got off to the big lead he reverted back to his vanilla 2-4 that has been so disasterous for so long. If Sanchez could have hit the broadside of a barn yesterday, the Eagles would have hit on a couple of long TD's and many long gainers.

We had the game in hand, but it's still mindnumbing to watch that shit. Still, I hope MM keeps the pressure on dunderdummy to actually do his job - b/c if we can maintain at least a mid-level defense, we have a shot at a title.

Denver looked terrible yesterday, and of course the NFC is surprisingly average. Right now, it's looking like Green Bay and New England rising to the challenge. Still a long way to go though. We'll see.

[Joemailman]

I know others have mentioned this before, and you alluded to it. Collins did not come into his own until a couple of years in. I'd say we should be encouraged by what we've seen so far. I hope he stays healthy and energized and that he is getting to where he's not thinking as much as he is reacting and playing down hill.

Yup. I think HaHa is better as a rookie than Collins was. He doesn't have Collins' great speed, so we don't know if his upside will be as great. For a rookie though he seems to make very few mental errors. He looks like a keeper.