More Banjo: Week 6 vs Detroit

[bobblehead]

Maybe that’s why Aaron seems so different you’re saying??

Maybe.

Look at the usage of RB/TE in the first 2 games compared to now. I think the flower got through to Rodgers. Last night the first several drives were built around RB/TE in the pass game and once the D sagged a bit it was bombs away.

[pbmax]

Look at the usage of RB/TE in the first 2 games compared to now. I think the flower got through to Rodgers. Last night the first several drives were built around RB/TE in the pass game and once the D sagged a bit it was bombs away.

Not since Rodgers was a rookie starter has this offense consisted of such short plays for drives. Whatever LaFleur's offense eventually becomes, I will always remember this first.

Well, after audible-gate.

[bobblehead]

He was right, though. Rodgers and the Packers were gifted this one big time. Those were truly awful calls.

I wouldn't object to Gooter pulling the Anti-TT and sending a message and cutting Shepherd tomorrow. I know he was the pre-season darling but 6th receivers are a dime a dozen. Unless they think he is special - which he probably isn't likely to be - I'd like to see him cut simply to light a fire.

1) If they never make the last call we kick a FG and a Lions team that hadn't moved the ball all half has to move it to FG range.

2) We got hosed all game long. They got hosed 3 times. We were not gifted anything....although we tried to gift the lions with all of our turnovers.

[bobblehead]

This is exactly what I mansplained to my wife last night. I’m assuming our coaches, and perhaps others previously have brought Flowers “move” to their or the leagues attention and this was the result - officials calling a player for a choke.

And the other guy crying about the hit on Allison is as big a fucktard as Booger. The official explanation after the game said it all. It don’t matter if you’re going after the ball. You hit another player in the head asshole and even if you had intercepted that ball, you still would have been called for hitting him in the head, because the penalty was for... hitting him in the fucking head you crybaby loser. And all you apologists can go fuck yourselfs you bunch of hormonally deficient pussies.

Hard to believe those announcers were the best espn can do for a national broadcast.

Welcome back dick!!!

[bobblehead]

You haven't been paying attention hahahaha. I do have a degree of greater appreciation for the running game. HOWEVER, the very first series that the Packers had the ball, what did they do? Run it twice, and then a throw by necessity on third down - catchable but dropped, then punt. THAT to me, typifies the run-first mentality that so many seem to crave. I was ranting at the TV about that time calling it (and LaFleur) stupid.

Of course, we had good success running the ball later - I will say good, not great. The fact is, though, it was the passing success of Rodgers or at least the threat of it that made that running game possible. Another point damn Booger made (and hell yeah, I hate him as much as anybody) was that the Packers running game worked best, maybe only worked, if we had a lot of WRs and it looked like we were set up for a pass play. Does anybody seriously think that would have been possible with a lesser QB, especially with this O Line which rose all the way up to mediocre plus one last night?

For the 50th time, I don't want to be the '85 Redskins. I want to run effectively/often enough to keep people off our HOF QB.

[mraynrand]

One thing about last night is that Patty Genius II might be a tough out going forward. They had a good game plan going in to exploit House and Sullivan. That’s a pretty good team. Glad Packers had the horses and a good defensive mind in Poutine to adjust. Can’t wait to look at the all 22s after the first deep shots.

[mraynrand]

This is exactly what I mansplained to my wife last night. I’m assuming our coaches, and perhaps others previously have brought Flowers “move” to their or the leagues attention and this was the result - officials calling a player for a choke.

And the other guy crying about the hit on Allison is as big a fucktard as Booger. The official explanation after the game said it all. It don’t matter if you’re going after the ball. You hit another player in the head asshole and even if you had intercepted that ball, you still would have been called for hitting him in the head, because the penalty was for... hitting him in the fucking head you crybaby loser. And all you apologists can go fuck yourselfs you bunch of hormonally deficient pussies.

Hard to believe those announcers were the best espn can do for a national broadcast.

It’s like listening to Ferrell.

Prob coulda called head shots on Jones as well.

[run pMc]

Sheppard might get cut after last night. I wonder if with G-Mo's injury they give him one last chance.
Lazard stepped up, MVS had a couple decent plays. G-Mo had a rough game pre-injury, and then it got worse for him.
Graham was up and down -- had some good catches and blocks (!) but had at least one drop IIRC.
Marcedes seems like as much of a threat as Graham. Good to see the TE/RBs involved and Rodgers threw to 9 players.

Rodgers and MLF made chicken salad out of you know what.

Jamaal played like a man last night, he was fired up to be back and MLF was smart to feature him. A.Jones had a bad game with fumbles, drop, slips, etc.

Defense played a lot of bend-don't-break with good RZ defense, and they did a nice job of minimizing DET's O in the 2nd half given the field position advantages they had. If they keep Clay/Perry and don't sign the Smiths I think they'd have given up 34 and lost this game.
Will Redmond is getting better at safety, although he got fooled badly on the opening fleaflicker. King played hurt and had some struggles, but overall I thought he and especially Alexander had tight coverage last night. Jaire basically shut Marvin Jones down.

Winning this game despite being -3 in turnovers is big. They're finding ways to win, even if it's just with dumpoffs to the backs to move the chains.
I thought the hit on Allison was a penalty, so don't understand the complaint there...helmet-to-helmet is a penalty regardless of intent. I've seen grazing hits get called, that was a full on hit. The penalties to Flowers at the time I thought were bad calls and happy gifts for the home team, but he was definitely up at the top of his jersey near Bahk's throat and Bahk's head was reared back, so maybe that's what the ref was calling. Nobody wants games decided by the refs, especially when they are part-time employees of a multi-billion dollar business.

Big redemption game for Crosby after last year...the Lambeau Leap was fun.

3-0 in the division gives them a leg up on the rest. It's a win and I'll take it. They gotta get healthy and ready for Gruden.

[Fritz]

Sheppard might get cut after last night. I wonder if with G-Mo's injury they give him one last chance.
Lazard stepped up, MVS had a couple decent plays. G-Mo had a rough game pre-injury, and then it got worse for him.
Graham was up and down -- had some good catches and blocks (!) but had at least one drop IIRC.
Marcedes seems like as much of a threat as Graham. Good to see the TE/RBs involved and Rodgers threw to 9 players.

Rodgers and MLF made chicken salad out of you know what.

Jamaal played like a man last night, he was fired up to be back and MLF was smart to feature him. A.Jones had a bad game with fumbles, drop, slips, etc.

Defense played a lot of bend-don't-break with good RZ defense, and they did a nice job of minimizing DET's O in the 2nd half given the field position advantages they had. If they keep Clay/Perry and don't sign the Smiths I think they'd have given up 34 and lost this game.
Will Redmond is getting better at safety, although he got fooled badly on the opening fleaflicker. King played hurt and had some struggles, but overall I thought he and especially Alexander had tight coverage last night. Jaire basically shut Marvin Jones down.

Winning this game despite being -3 in turnovers is big. They're finding ways to win, even if it's just with dumpoffs to the backs to move the chains.
I thought the hit on Allison was a penalty, so don't understand the complaint there...helmet-to-helmet is a penalty regardless of intent. I've seen grazing hits get called, that was a full on hit. The penalties to Flowers at the time I thought were bad calls and happy gifts for the home team, but he was definitely up at the top of his jersey near Bahk's throat and Bahk's head was reared back, so maybe that's what the ref was calling. Nobody wants games decided by the refs, especially when they are part-time employees of a multi-billion dollar business.

Big redemption game for Crosby after last year...the Lambeau Leap was fun.

3-0 in the division gives them a leg up on the rest. It's a win and I'll take it. They gotta get healthy and ready for Gruden.

While I like this take, I'd like to offer a slightly different one.

What Rodgers said last night rung true for me - this didn't feel like a win. In fact, what it seemed to me to be was a very Mike McCarthy-esque post-2013 win: the other team comes out prepared and wired, and the Packers come out like they just stumbled out of bed fifteen minutes ago. "Huh? What? What did they just do?"

Like those MM teams, there were the turnovers. You turn the ball over three times, yet somehow you're magically still in the game. Rodgers drops back to pass, and waits . . . and waits . . . and shuffles around . . . and flings the ball into the sideline bench. But then, finally, Rodgers maneuvers the team down the field a couple times, aided by some fortuitous refereeing, and Crosby boots it through.

It was kind of the same feeling as going to a prostitute - you got off, but you feel a little ashamed and dirty afterward. And when your friends give you a hard time about it, you get a little defensive.

On the plus side, the defense played the run well. I thought the Leos could have made more out of the run at the end of the game - Johnson starting getting six or seven yards a pop. But they abandoned the run.

Also, I am not a believer in cutting Darius Shepard to "send a message." Send a message to whom? The other ten guys on the bottom of the roster? Kevin King's not going to say to himself, "Gee, I played a shit first quarter, I better pick it up or I'm getting cut." Or Aaron Jones - will he see that Shepard got cut and say, "Geez, I'd better start catching those easy TD throws, and stop fumbling, or I'm outta here"?

Nah. Cut Shepard cuz he sucks.

Speaking of that, as much as I don't like Tank, I do think he's right about Allison. I defended Allison occasionally, but this season has been his chance to shine, and he hasn't. Dropped a few balls this season - more than is the occasional, okay drop - and he doesn't get open well.

And Lewis, at this point in their respective careers, is maybe a better player and receiver than Jimmy Graham?

And why is no one bitching about what seems the solid fact that on the Lions's sole touchdown, the running back absolutely did not get the ball across the plane of the goal line?

[pbmax]

"It didn't feel like a win, until about the end." Let's not let the other version of this quote start to bolster the complainers.

https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=27848487

I get the MM comparison with the early game flow, but really that came down to a fumble on a drive where they were moving. And the halftime score was within 3 after a brutal start.

The most McCarthy thing was settling for a FG at the end of the half. At least it wasn't a 50 yarder.

The least McCarthy thing was long, multi-play drives.

On thing I will say about LaFleur, his clock management is light years ahead of what we have seen before.

[call_me_ishmael]

1) If they never make the last call we kick a FG and a Lions team that hadn't moved the ball all half has to move it to FG range.

2) We got hosed all game long. They got hosed 3 times. We were not gifted anything....although we tried to gift the lions with all of our turnovers.

The touchdown drive was extended via a terrible penalty. Agree to disagree on this one. A win is a win. It balances out over time. But there is no question that the Packers were benefactors of some timely awful calls last night.

[deake]

What does the rule say, is it just face or does it say neck and face. He clearly had his hand at the neck. It would seem that the neck area should be protected.

[Fritz]

"It didn't feel like a win, until about the end." Let's not let the other version of this quote start to bolster the complainers.

https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=27848487

I get the MM comparison with the early game flow, but really that came down to a fumble on a drive where they were moving. And the halftime score was within 3 after a brutal start.

The most McCarthy thing was settling for a FG at the end of the half. At least it wasn't a 50 yarder.

The least McCarthy thing was long, multi-play drives.

On thing I will say about LaFleur, his clock management is light years ahead of what we have seen before.

Clearly, PB, you are not yet skilled at using the internet.

Funny, but I thought that as the game went on, there were stretches that seemed very MM-ish, mostly in terms of Rodgers hanging on to the ball. I thought the Packers could learn by watching film of the first quarter Lions' offense how to keep a defense on its heels simply by moving with alacrity between plays.

I'm not as down as I sounded about the win - it just felt like an MM win, but I also liked some of what I saw - the use of the run game, successfully, was a plus (though I wanted even a bit more running). In addition, the Smith Brothers are such a tremendous upgrade over Matthews/Perry that it's actually a pleasure to watch them work on a third and long, as opposed to the dread of knowing that no distance was too great for an opposing QB to manage last year (though that was not strictly MM's fault). I also liked the run-stopping for the most part.

[pbmax]

I have temporarily lost my snark because that win was very fun and unexpected after the first quarter.

But I agree, the pass offense especially in the fourth quarter, looked very McCarthy/Rodgers. When they did run, they did so more effectively.

[pbmax]

What does the rule say, is it just face or does it say neck and face. He clearly had his hand at the neck. It would seem that the neck area should be protected.

http://packerrats.com/showthread.php?31134-More-Banjo-Week-6-vs-Detroit&p=1028384&viewfull=1#post1028384

The neck is out of bounds. The first call, when Flowers had a handful of jersey, was more defensive holding than illegal hands to my way of thinking.