Packers - Browns Thoughts

There was a lot to be happy about as Packer fans on Saturday night. Before getting into individual units or players, the team as a whole played with energy, looked very fresh and athletic, and seemed to enjoy football again. Last year there was a huge cloud over the team due to the NFC Championship loss that was un-avoidable, but the Favre drama created even more distraction. It is a new season, and the team looked very eager to play.

Rodgers
Very impressive. To me, he looks like he knows he is the man now. His demeanor in the huddle and at the LOS are much more poised, calm and in control. Those are things that come with confidence and experience.
The next item could be what determines this season and quite possibly the level to which Rodgers can take his career. The TD pass to Driver.
Rodgers was very capable of working the offense within the expected parameters of the offense last season. That alone will enable him to have a solid career. However, he did not make the big plays when things broke down. This was one of Favre's greatest strengths. This is what makes Ben Rothlisberger such a good QB, and the reason they won the Super Bowl.
That pass to Driver could be evidence that Rodgers will become better at looking for the big play when things break down. With his ability to evade the rush, and his arm strength, this could become a huge problem for defenses. It will be fun to see if he can continue to develop that ad-lib skill.

Running Backs
It looks like the Packers have 4 "Good" crappy RBs. I actually mean that as a compliment. Grant looks slightly above the rest, but is there much difference between Sutton, Jackson, Lumpkin, and Wynn? I would not be surprised if any of them were to get the appropriate amount of carries, they could get 1200 yards. They are all good enough to be in the NFL, but none are lights out. Very solid, hard runners.

Jeremichael Finley
He looks great. He is one of those athletes that stand out to me when he is on the field. If he can mature this season he will be a major piece to the offense. He will create such matchup problems for the D as they have to respect his receiving skills to the point that he cannot be guarded with a LB. He is another player that can really raise the Packers to the next level.

Wide Receiver
This is a really strong unit. James Jones looked good. We know what Jennings can do. If Driver can continue at a high level this will be one of the best all-around units in the league. A really strong group of 4 and Ruvell Martin is not bad as a tall 5th WR.

OLine
There was a lot of mixing and matching going on as the game went along, but at least when Rodgers was in there, the line looked good to me. As the game went on the Running Game really picked up.

Backup QBs
Brohm looks off to me. Something isn't right with him. It isn't even close between Flynn and him as to who is the backup. The INTs were both unfortunate plays, but the first one he held the ball too long.

Quinn Johnson
I thought the rookie FB looked very good. Several times they just went I formation and Johnson found and stood up LBs. He will be a weapon in short yardage.

3-4 Defense
In general the 3-4 looked great. When you move to a 3-4 it allows you to keep more "Athletes" on the roster. That was evident as the entire defense just looked more athletic. Think of some of the most athletic and intimidating defenses in the league. Pittsburgh, Baltimore were there last year. In the past Dallas and San Diego were among those at the top. When you run a 4-3, you keep up to 10 defensive lineman and 5 or 6 LBs. When you run the 3-4 that is flipped. The Packers will likely keep 6-7 defensive lineman, and up to 8 LBs.

The nickel packages are one of the biggest benefits of being a 3-4 team. You will see only one or two defensive lineman, then 9 or 10 LBs and DBs. That is a lot of speed on the field and allows for effective blitzes.

Kampman
I think Kampman is too good and too smart a football player to not have a really good year. He will have a lot of opportunities to make big plays as he will find himself going up against RBs or TEs in certain rush situations. It will also be much tougher for the offense to plan where he will be coming from.

Bishop
How will they keep him off the field! He seemed to be everywhere, knocking guys around. He is a very explosive player.

There were some growing pains early, particularly when they lost contain on the end around to Cribbs. That is an easy problem to fix.
Some things that are difficult to fix?
Ability to play man Check, the Packers may still have the best duo in the league and Williams is also very good.

Beef up front This is still a wait and see, but the addition of Raji should be a huge boost. Wynn, the rookie from Georgia also will help out there. I do not see this as being a weakness.

Athletes to get to the QB Check. Bishop, Hawk, Mathews, Kampman, Thompson are all guys that will be able to get to the QB from the LB. Add in some safety and corner blitzes and the pressure will be coming from everywhere.

Zone Coverage This will have to be learned. Zone will need to be utilized, but I see a lot of Combo Coverage used since the strength of the secondary lies in Woodson's and Harris's ability to bump and run.

It is great to have Packer football back. As fans we have to be pleased with what was displayed on Saturday. Pre-season means very little. But if your team is athletic and energetic in the pre-season, that carries over into the regular season. There will be some tough calls for the coaches to make when the cuts come, but that allows for a lot of competition and makes the team better.


Thoughts on the Monday Night Football crew