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Painful
This was not the way Ted Thompson and his lacky Mike McCarthy wanted to start the season, but with poor or at least questionable off season moves, or failure to make moves that would seem sensible for team that was 36 million under the cap at one point, this loss should have been expected. Ted Thompson has looked out classed and over his head as the Packers General Manager in the last two seasons. His 2005 draft has already been considered a failure. His lack of concern over the offensive line is mind boggling, especially when you have a QB like Brett Favre that needs protection. His hire of Mike McCarthy now has to come into question. After the first game of the 2006 season, and 4 preseason games, it seems that McCarthy might not be ready to be a head coach in the NFL. He was outclassed by Lovie Smith, and his game plan was basic and uninspiring. His hire of Bob Sanders can also be considered a reach. The special teams is down right unwatchable and fails to ignite this team in anyway. The bottom line is that Thompson has taken this franchise in the wrong direction over the last year and a half.
Winners
1. Ahman Green, In his first game back from a thigh injury suffered in 2005, Green was able to rush for 110 yards on 20 carries. He didn't score a touchdown, but then again no one on the Packers were able to score a single point. The most important thing, was that Green was able to run with his old athority, and give the hit instead of taking one. He had the explosive running style that we last saw in 2004. Green was also able to catch 3 balls for 22 yards. It is going to be a long season for Ahman running behind this offensive line, but if he was able to gain 110 yards against the Bears. this could be a big year for Ahman Green. He was the only bright spot on this offense.
2. Donald Driver, he like Green didn't score, but he did manage to be the only impact player on offense. Driver was able to catch 7 balls for 96 yards. Unfortunately for Driver, if Jennings, or Ferguson don't step up in the next couple of games, Drive will have to get used to again beating double teams on a consistent basis.
3. AJ Hawk, Hawk demonstrated today why he was the 5th overall pick, and why he is the most capable defender the Packers have at this point. He simply knows the game of football, and knows how to get to the ball. The Bears ran mostly to the strongside of the field, meaning that Hawk had to go across the field keeping the correct angle to take away the cut back. When the Bears did run to the weakside Hawk was there to either meet the ball carrier, or take on the lead blocker with athority and turn the ball back to the inside. Hawk also didn't get beat once in coverage, and was able to pick the right hole on a blitz where he forced Grossman to throw early. According to JSO, Hawk only had 5 total tackles, and next to Poppinga's 8 it proves that the Bears decided to run at Poppinga instead of going to the weakside of the field against Hawk.
4. Aaron Kampman, Aaron played really well along the defensive line. He was able to stand pat agains the run, and recorded 7 total tackles with one sack. Infact he was the only defensive line man that had any pressure on Rex Grossman. I will give Thompson credit, so far Kampman looks to be earining his big pay day.
5. Ryan Pickett, he had 5 total tackles along with 4 solo tackles. He failed to get any significant pressure on Grossman, but he is paid to take on the run. Pickett along with the other defensive tackles were able to absorb most of the Bears running attempts up the middle. Pickett was also a good move on the behalf of Ted Thompson.
Losers
1. The offensive Line, the sad part is that the interior of the offensive line didn't play that poorly, they didn't play great by any stretch of the imagination, but I thought they played much better than the combination of Chad Clifton and and Mark Tauscher. The Bears defensive ends took Tausch and Clifton to school all day. Tauscher who has a reputation for playing cleanly and penalty free, was called for two holding penalties, both deserved. Clifton played with an illness, and it showed. Clifton who has fought threw knee problems this off-season is not fitting the zone blocking scheme at all. He has never been known as a run blocker, but the zone scheme demonstrates his slow feet in the run game. Spitz was to blame for tripping Favre, and there were times were defensive linemen were running free on missed blocks or missed assignments. This offensive line only has one way to go and that is up, but it has a long way to go to being considered an average offensive line in the NFL.
2. Greg Jennings, to be the number 2 reciever you have to do more than drop 2 balls and only catch one ball and that was done in mop up time. Jennings has a room to grow and that is to be expected, but with Favre under pressure all day and with limited options of open receivers it would have been a big addition for Jennings to be able to contribute on this offense today.
3. Brett Favre, Brett played within the system for 3 quarters, although they were 3 unproductive quarters, Favre made plays when there were plays to be made. Once again, Favre decided to play by his own rules and made two throws that were inexcusable. those throws were not going to win the ball game, they were useless attempts by Favre. Favre can't roll to his right and then look back and try to throw across his body 30 yards to a covered receiver, it just doesn't work that way anymore, infact it usually never did. His first interception was totally on him. With an unusual amount of time in the pocket Favre overthrew Greg Jennings and the ball ended up into the open arms of the defender. It was the capper to several throws by Favre that were all high.
4. Marquand Manuel, lets face it, he is slow in coverage. His inablity to run with a receiver down the middle of the field set the tone for this game. He was beaten by at least 5 yards. Other than that play, Manuel was able to play decently in the box, and make tackle in against the running game, and hopefully that is where they decide to use him.
5. Charles Woodson, it seems that Charles just doesn't want to man up against the big boys. Woodson still has the ability but for some reason along the way he has lost the motivation to play physical football. He doesn't get a jam on receivers and is content to run step for step with them and hope the QB doesn't test him. When the ball is in the air he simply gives up on it and doesn't fight the receiver for the ball. Muhammad abused both him and Harris for most of the day.
6. KGB, he barely held up against the run today, but the fact that he had 1 pressure on Grossman all day should tell you that he needs to be given not only plays off, but whole series off. He was invisible in the second half of the ball game today.
7. Brady Poppinga, he was outclassed all day today, and Ben Taylor may have some hope in starting against the Saints. Poppinga was average against the run, but the tight end busted him up all day. Desmond Clark had 77 yards receiving and seemed to be open all day. On Devin Hester's Punt returner for a touchdown, Poppinga simply ran by Hester not even getting a hand on him. He was playing out of control. Poppinga better hurry up and get on the same page as the rest of the defense or his starting job will be in jeopardy.
8. Special Teams, this was the worst special teams performance that I have seen in 15 years, and thats just because I don't remember much past 15 years ago. Noah Herron has no business returning kicks, let alone being on this team. Samkon Gado looked scared running back kicks and totally indecisive with the ball in his hands. Both Gado and Herron are going to have trouble adding anythign positive to this team offensively, or on special teams. Devin Hester should have been stopped after a 5 yard gain on his TD return, but Poppinga ran right past him, and nobody else was in position to make a play. Herron's fumble was costly and the challege after was absurd.
Well as always be free to add your own and comment on my selections. The Packers have some positives to build on like their run defense, but they need to put together a complete game on defense, and find some consistency on offensive. Ted Thompson has a lot to be responsible for and very little of it is positive at this point in his tenure.
This was not the way Ted Thompson and his lacky Mike McCarthy wanted to start the season, but with poor or at least questionable off season moves, or failure to make moves that would seem sensible for team that was 36 million under the cap at one point, this loss should have been expected. Ted Thompson has looked out classed and over his head as the Packers General Manager in the last two seasons. His 2005 draft has already been considered a failure. His lack of concern over the offensive line is mind boggling, especially when you have a QB like Brett Favre that needs protection. His hire of Mike McCarthy now has to come into question. After the first game of the 2006 season, and 4 preseason games, it seems that McCarthy might not be ready to be a head coach in the NFL. He was outclassed by Lovie Smith, and his game plan was basic and uninspiring. His hire of Bob Sanders can also be considered a reach. The special teams is down right unwatchable and fails to ignite this team in anyway. The bottom line is that Thompson has taken this franchise in the wrong direction over the last year and a half.
Winners
1. Ahman Green, In his first game back from a thigh injury suffered in 2005, Green was able to rush for 110 yards on 20 carries. He didn't score a touchdown, but then again no one on the Packers were able to score a single point. The most important thing, was that Green was able to run with his old athority, and give the hit instead of taking one. He had the explosive running style that we last saw in 2004. Green was also able to catch 3 balls for 22 yards. It is going to be a long season for Ahman running behind this offensive line, but if he was able to gain 110 yards against the Bears. this could be a big year for Ahman Green. He was the only bright spot on this offense.
2. Donald Driver, he like Green didn't score, but he did manage to be the only impact player on offense. Driver was able to catch 7 balls for 96 yards. Unfortunately for Driver, if Jennings, or Ferguson don't step up in the next couple of games, Drive will have to get used to again beating double teams on a consistent basis.
3. AJ Hawk, Hawk demonstrated today why he was the 5th overall pick, and why he is the most capable defender the Packers have at this point. He simply knows the game of football, and knows how to get to the ball. The Bears ran mostly to the strongside of the field, meaning that Hawk had to go across the field keeping the correct angle to take away the cut back. When the Bears did run to the weakside Hawk was there to either meet the ball carrier, or take on the lead blocker with athority and turn the ball back to the inside. Hawk also didn't get beat once in coverage, and was able to pick the right hole on a blitz where he forced Grossman to throw early. According to JSO, Hawk only had 5 total tackles, and next to Poppinga's 8 it proves that the Bears decided to run at Poppinga instead of going to the weakside of the field against Hawk.
4. Aaron Kampman, Aaron played really well along the defensive line. He was able to stand pat agains the run, and recorded 7 total tackles with one sack. Infact he was the only defensive line man that had any pressure on Rex Grossman. I will give Thompson credit, so far Kampman looks to be earining his big pay day.
5. Ryan Pickett, he had 5 total tackles along with 4 solo tackles. He failed to get any significant pressure on Grossman, but he is paid to take on the run. Pickett along with the other defensive tackles were able to absorb most of the Bears running attempts up the middle. Pickett was also a good move on the behalf of Ted Thompson.
Losers
1. The offensive Line, the sad part is that the interior of the offensive line didn't play that poorly, they didn't play great by any stretch of the imagination, but I thought they played much better than the combination of Chad Clifton and and Mark Tauscher. The Bears defensive ends took Tausch and Clifton to school all day. Tauscher who has a reputation for playing cleanly and penalty free, was called for two holding penalties, both deserved. Clifton played with an illness, and it showed. Clifton who has fought threw knee problems this off-season is not fitting the zone blocking scheme at all. He has never been known as a run blocker, but the zone scheme demonstrates his slow feet in the run game. Spitz was to blame for tripping Favre, and there were times were defensive linemen were running free on missed blocks or missed assignments. This offensive line only has one way to go and that is up, but it has a long way to go to being considered an average offensive line in the NFL.
2. Greg Jennings, to be the number 2 reciever you have to do more than drop 2 balls and only catch one ball and that was done in mop up time. Jennings has a room to grow and that is to be expected, but with Favre under pressure all day and with limited options of open receivers it would have been a big addition for Jennings to be able to contribute on this offense today.
3. Brett Favre, Brett played within the system for 3 quarters, although they were 3 unproductive quarters, Favre made plays when there were plays to be made. Once again, Favre decided to play by his own rules and made two throws that were inexcusable. those throws were not going to win the ball game, they were useless attempts by Favre. Favre can't roll to his right and then look back and try to throw across his body 30 yards to a covered receiver, it just doesn't work that way anymore, infact it usually never did. His first interception was totally on him. With an unusual amount of time in the pocket Favre overthrew Greg Jennings and the ball ended up into the open arms of the defender. It was the capper to several throws by Favre that were all high.
4. Marquand Manuel, lets face it, he is slow in coverage. His inablity to run with a receiver down the middle of the field set the tone for this game. He was beaten by at least 5 yards. Other than that play, Manuel was able to play decently in the box, and make tackle in against the running game, and hopefully that is where they decide to use him.
5. Charles Woodson, it seems that Charles just doesn't want to man up against the big boys. Woodson still has the ability but for some reason along the way he has lost the motivation to play physical football. He doesn't get a jam on receivers and is content to run step for step with them and hope the QB doesn't test him. When the ball is in the air he simply gives up on it and doesn't fight the receiver for the ball. Muhammad abused both him and Harris for most of the day.
6. KGB, he barely held up against the run today, but the fact that he had 1 pressure on Grossman all day should tell you that he needs to be given not only plays off, but whole series off. He was invisible in the second half of the ball game today.
7. Brady Poppinga, he was outclassed all day today, and Ben Taylor may have some hope in starting against the Saints. Poppinga was average against the run, but the tight end busted him up all day. Desmond Clark had 77 yards receiving and seemed to be open all day. On Devin Hester's Punt returner for a touchdown, Poppinga simply ran by Hester not even getting a hand on him. He was playing out of control. Poppinga better hurry up and get on the same page as the rest of the defense or his starting job will be in jeopardy.
8. Special Teams, this was the worst special teams performance that I have seen in 15 years, and thats just because I don't remember much past 15 years ago. Noah Herron has no business returning kicks, let alone being on this team. Samkon Gado looked scared running back kicks and totally indecisive with the ball in his hands. Both Gado and Herron are going to have trouble adding anythign positive to this team offensively, or on special teams. Devin Hester should have been stopped after a 5 yard gain on his TD return, but Poppinga ran right past him, and nobody else was in position to make a play. Herron's fumble was costly and the challege after was absurd.
Well as always be free to add your own and comment on my selections. The Packers have some positives to build on like their run defense, but they need to put together a complete game on defense, and find some consistency on offensive. Ted Thompson has a lot to be responsible for and very little of it is positive at this point in his tenure.
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