Bleacher Report - Articles by Jersey Al Bracco

Packers Vs. Ravens: Inside Scoop with Ravens Writer and Author John Eisenberg

Jersey Al Bracco — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:34:52 -0500

As the Green Bay Packers prepare to meet the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night, I felt the need to get the inside scoop on the Ravens from someone in the know.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview John Eisenberg, a long-time Baltimore sportswriter and author of seven sports books. John is currently employed by the Ravens organization, writing a regular column for the official team web site.

Also of great interest to Packers fans is John's latest book, "That First Season ," about the 1959 Green Bay Packers. Based on new interviews with people who were there, the book recounts how Vince Lombardi came to Green Bay and transformed a downtrodden organization into one of the NFL's greatest dynasties.

More about the book later, but first let's get to my question and answer session with John Eisenberg.

Al: Thinking about this Packers-Ravens match-up, I have this uneasy feeling that the Ravens are a team ready to break out with a big game. Looking at the Ravens' record, one thing stands out. The Ravens' five losses have come to teams with a combined record of 44-10. The average margin of loss in those games was 4.6 points. Are the Ravens a very good team ready to explode on the unsuspecting Packers?

John: The Ravens are indeed a dangerous team. I don't think anyone relishes playing them. They hit hard and play close games. A couple of late-game gaffes, including a missed field goal by a kicker no longer with them, have kept them from being 8-3 or even better. Having said that, they're also one of the most penalized teams in the league, they've been prone to make key mistakes, and most importantly, their defense, long one of the game's best, is not playing at the same level this year—still solid but more yielding against both the run and pass. I don't think they will explode on the Packers. And I don't think the Packers are unsuspecting—they have seen the films of all these brutal games the Ravens play in their division with Pittsburgh and Cincy. I would expect a close, hard-nosed game.

Al: Joe Flacco can expect to see plenty of blitzing from the Packers defense. How would you say he has handled teams that try to rattle him in that way?

John: The Vikings had a lot of luck early in their game with the Ravens by blitzing Flacco. And Pittsburgh had some success last week. Flacco is just in his second year and is still learning about reading defenses and coverages—sometimes his youth shows. But he is a big guy and not afraid to take a hit. A warning, he gets up and comes back at you. The Vikings had him on the ropes, and he directed a huge rally in the fourth quarter and had the game won until Steve Hauschka missed the 44-yard kick—in a dome, unforgivable. Flacco's biggest problem right now is a sore ankle that is hampering his mobility and also his throwing mechanics.

Al: The Ravens brought in kicker Billy Cundiff two weeks ago. He has made an immediate impact, making 5-6 field goals against Indianapolis and then kicked a game winner in OT against the Steelers. How much were the Ravens affected by missed field goals in their five losses?

John: Cundiff has provided stability, which the Ravens needed. They took a big gamble and failed by not bringing back Matt Stover, a superb kicker who was getting old but still had it. They thought Hauschka could step in with a huge leg, but he was a kid (24) and he crumbled under the pressure. The miss in Minnesota was devastating, and he missed a couple of other key kicks before the Ravens cut him. It is not impossible that Cundiff could eventually struggle, too, but he looks good so far.

Al: Ravens fans have been very critical of head coach John Harbaugh, much like Packer fans were of Mike McCarthy earlier this season. Do you feel he's being out coached during games and is the criticism warranted?

John: The fans are rightfully upset with all the penalties, which indicate a lack of discipline that falls on the shoulders of the head coach. And he has had problems with time management, timeouts and challenges. But he isn't really taking that much heat. Cam Cameron runs the offense and Greg Mattison runs the defense. Mattison is taking more heat than Harbaugh because the defense has had some problems. Mattison was a longtime college coordinator and some fans don't like his more conservative approach. They long for the days of Rex Ryan, the mad scientist, who brought all kinds of blitzes.

Al: Having followed Ray Rice at Rutgers, I was very high on him coming into the NFL draft. The Ravens grabbed Rice in the second round, one pick before the Packers made their ill-fated selection of Brian Brohm. I have often wondered if the Packers would have taken Rice if the Ravens didn't. I consider Rice a future Pro Bowler. Do you agree, and what problems do you think he presents for the Packer defense?

John: The Ravens drafted Rice, but like every team, had no idea he would be this good, especially so soon. They thought they were set at running back with Willis McGahee but Rice has made Willis expendable. He can run and catch and makes a ton of yards after the first hit. He has been a huge playmaker. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes the Pro Bowl this year—he deserves it. He will present the Packers the same problem he has presented every opponent—with his strength and low center of gravity, he is elusive in traffic, has a knack for getting through scrums.

Al: How did the Ravens come out of the Pittsburgh game injury-wise? Will any starters be out for the Packers game? Is Terrell Suggs expected back?

John: The Ravens are banged up. I realize that is true for every team this time of year, but the Ravens have issues. Flacco is playing on a sore ankle that is having an impact. Their best defense defensive player, Haloti Ngata, is also playing on a sore ankle that has made him less effective. Suggs is questionable, and if he plays, won't be 100 percent. Starting cornerback Fabian Washington is out for the season, but the rookie who replaced him, Lardarius Webb, had a great game against the Steelers. Webb is a classic Raven, a third-round pick from a little school who plays tough.

Al: In your opinion, what are the three main things the Packers will have to do to beat the Ravens?

John:

1. Run the ball. It can be done against the Ravens this year, as opposed to years past, and it throws the defense off.

2. Pass the ball down field. The Ravens are susceptible to big plays in the secondary.

3. Don't make mistakes. The Ravens tend to make their share penalties and turnovers. If you don't give the game away, you're halfway there.

That concluded my interview with John Eisenberg. I find it interesting that the three things John mentioned as keys for beating the Ravens are all things the Packers have had issues with. Running the ball successfully has been a problem until just recently. Being able to throw down field, of course, depends on the offensive line's ability to protect Aaron Rodgers. Excessive penalties have been a recurring problem for the last three seasons.

Personally, I think the performance of the offensive line will be the key for this game. Can they open some holes for Ryan Grant to keep the Ravens defense honest? Can Rodgers be given enough time to pick apart the Raven's struggling secondary or will he spend the evening fearing for his life? The answers to those questions will most likely determine the outcome.

Getting back to John's book , the full title is "That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory." It is interesting to note that John grew up in Dallas and was a Cowboys fan during the 60’s. He jokingly says that the Green Bay Packers “ruined his childhood.” But you would never know that from reading his book.

I am about halfway through the book and have found it both entertaining and informative. I rate it a “must-read” for anyone interested in the Green Bay Packers or NFL history, in general.

Thank you, John, for the interview and enjoy the game!

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports web sites: Jersey Al’s Blog , Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge , NFL Touchdown , and, of course, Bleacher Report . Jersey Al is the Green Bay Packers Draft Correspondent for Drafttek.com.

You can also follow Jersey Al on facebook and twitter .

Green Bay Defeats Detroit: Five Reasons to Be Thankful

Jersey Al Bracco — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:10:36 -0500

As the Green Bay Packers knocked the stuffing out of the turkeys known as the Detroit Lions, Packer fans everywhere were surely in a thankful mood.

After watching the game, here are five things this Packer fan and writer is thankful for. Feel free to add your own in the comments section:

Thank you for the 2009 NFL Draft

Clay Matthews, BJ Raji, TJ Lang, Brad Jones, Quinn Johnson, Brandon Underwood. Six Packer draft picks have made significant contributions in just their first year in the NFL.

Clay Matthews has shown he can be a star in this league. Watching him beat two players easily in a three-man rush and then chase down a scrambling Stafford for a sack showed me the kind of will he has to be successful. I have no doubts that he will.

BJ Raji has been coming on strong and making an impact, as his ankle injury has healed and his play count has increased. Today, he crushed a Lion running back in the backfield, knocked down a pass, and was a force in the short yardage defense.

TJ Lang once again stepped in at left tackle today when Chad Clifton pulled a hamstring. The line did not miss a beat and Mike McCarthy called Lang's play "impressive." Lang, Jones and Johnson are all potential starters next season.

Thank you for making it through a game with Jarret Bush as the nickelback

I've never seen a defensive back look more confused in coverage than Jarret Bush. Now, this is his fourth season with the Packers, shouldn't he know who to cover by now?

On the Tramon Williams interception, he first ran at the receiver Williams was covering, turned and ran at another receiver, turned again and realized he was covering nobody.

Fortunately, Williams stuck with his man and Stafford made a poor decision to throw it to the wrong receiver. Had he looked down-field, he would have seen the receiver Bush should have been covering wide open.

Did I forget to mention that a punt hit Bush in the back?

Thank you for Jermichael Finley still having a head

Finley took a vicious hit after an incomplete pass, as Lions rookie Louis Delmas took a run at him in what was very nearly a direct helmet-to-helmet hit. Only a slight turn of the head at the last minute prevented what could have been a serious injury.

Finley did stay on the ground for a while holding his head, causing me to fear a possible concussion, but luckily, he just had the wind knocked out of him. Regardless, it was a scary hit that is sure to draw Delmas a fine from the league office.

Thank you for Donald Driver

Like Old Man River, Donald Driver just keeps rolling along. Driver caught seven passes today for 142 yards and a touchdown.

For the season, that gives him 53 catches for 845 yards and five touchdowns. With five games to play, Driver is sure to reach the 1,000 yard mark for the sixth straight season.

Driver is on a mission to disprove the perception that he is getting old. After the game, as he was awarded the "Golden Gobbler" as player of the game from Fox, Driver commented, "I may be old in age, but I still play young." Yes, you do Donald, and thank you for that.

Thank you for Charles Woodson

A multi-dimensional player like Woodson, who can do so many things, and all in an outstanding manner, is a rarity.

It was just another day at the office for Woodson, with 7 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 1 touchdown, 1 forced fumble and fumble recovery, 4 passes defended and he also returned a kickoff.

Even more significantly, it was announced before the game that Woodson has donated $2 million to a new children's hospital at his Alma mater, the University of Michigan. Clearly, Charles Woodson doesn't do anything in a half-hearted manner.

Hopefully, other multi-millionaire players will be inspired to follow his example. After all, how many millions does one need to be able to live a good life?

So those are the five things from the Packers Thanksgiving Day victory that this writer is thankful for. I'd like to hear yours...

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You can also follow Jersey Al on facebook and twitter .

Green Bay Packers' Injury Fallout Hits Charles Woodson Hardest

Jersey Al Bracco — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:32:21 -0500

The injury bomb fell on Green Bay, WI this Sunday, and the fallout will surely hit Charles Woodson the hardest. Just as many Packer fans were marveling at the relative good health of this team, Aaron Kampman and Al Harris, two Packer stalwarts that have had few injuries throughout their careers, were hit hard by misfortune.

The first question that comes to mind is, "Will these injuries have the same devastating effect on the Packers' defense as Nick Barnett and Cullen Jenkins' injuries did last season?" With the improvement this year in personnel and scheme, I wouldn't expect that drastic a drop-off.

What hurts as much as anything is that the two players whose seasons have just ended might have been the Packer's two least-injured players.

When Kampman missed the Packers' Nov. 15 win over Dallas because of a concussion, it was the first game since 2003 Aaron had missed. Harris has only missed four games in his entire career, all last season when he suffered a ruptured spleen. For his part, an adamant Al Harris says he'll be back in six months.

The fallout from these injuries will affect the Packers in many ways: For one, the inexperienced Brad Jones and much-maligned Jarret Bush suddenly will see a lot more playing time and another cornerback will probably be brought in.

As I am writing this, I see that it's already happened. On Monday, they worked out and signed Josh Bell, a former Denver Broncos backup who started five games last year.

With Dom Capers' propensity for playing nickel, Jarret Bush will now see significant playing time as the nickelback, as Tramon Williams moves into Harris' spot. That also means Brandon Underwood will see action when the Packers go to the dime package.

Jeremy Thompson, the OTA marvel that looked so impressive in shorts and helmets, but disappeared once the pads came on, will now be active on game day for the Packers. The Packers are unlikely to look at free agent linebackers, as they feel that is a position of depth and they also have Cyril Obiozor waiting on the practice squad.

The leadership quotient on the Packers has also taken a big hit. The veterans Kampman and Harris were fixtures on defense and in the locker room. As Nick Collins said, "Guys were ready to step up, but not hearing their voices out there, it was tough, because they’re so vocal out there and they’re leaders and everybody feeds off their passion for the game."

This also ratchets up the pressure on the offense to score more points and be more efficient in the red zone. Few people doubt the Packers' ability to chew up yardage (they are currently seventh in the league in total yardage), but they currently have scored a touchdown only 52 percent of the time from the Red Zone (18 of 34).

That's a lot of points left on the table that has kept some games unnecessarily close. The margin for error will now just get considerably smaller.

But the biggest impact, I fear, will be on Charles Woodson (AKA Superman). Can Dom Capers afford to let Woodson loose as he did in the Dallas game, where Woodson single-handedly ruined any plans Tony Romo had for a Cowboys victory?

For your answer, watch the replay of the 49er game. Two plays after Harris went out, Capers blitzed Underwood and Woodson. The result; touchdown to Vernon Davis over the top on a vertical route, covered man-to-man by Clay Mathews with too-late help from Jarret Bush.

After the game, Capers said he decided to stop calling for pressure packages at that point to keep Woodson exclusively on Vernon Davis. So for everyone clamoring to know why the Packers stopped blitzing, there's your answer.

Of course, with a straight four man rush and no blitz pressure, Alex Smith had the time to quickly march the 49ers down the field for a touchdown to bring the game to a one score differential. Fortunately, the offense was able to move the chains and kill the clock on their final possession.

So the question I'll be asking myself every week is WWCD? What Would Capers Do?

Regardless of WWCD, there can be no question about one thing: The Packers' defense has been at its best when they have been aggressively attacking opposing quarterbacks. A huge part of that was due to Charles Woodson. I hope this doesn't mean we've lost that.

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Jersey Al

You can also follow Jersey Al on facebook and twitter .

Green Bay-Dallas: Three Reasons To Smile After Packers' Win Over Cowboys

Jersey Al Bracco — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:14:36 -0500

Hold on everybody, the Packer roller-coaster season is only in mid-ride. Just when most Packer fans were ready to bail out of the car, the season swooped up to its highest point so far.

The amazing win against the formerly on-a-roll Dallas Cowboys has left Packer fans everywhere just a bit giddy.

So what changed? What was responsible for the 180-degree turnaround from the putrid performance in Tampa? Specifically, what three things put a smile on my face?

1. Mike McCarthy had a good game plan and called a good game—for a change.

As critical as I have been of his coaching, I have to give him credit. Here are some of the things he did that I liked:

a) The running game. For once, Mike McCarthy ran the ball throughout the entire game, never abandoning it as he is so inclined to do. The Packers' running backs ran the ball 23 times for 90 yards, an average of 3.9 yards.

You wouldn't call that great, but it was enough to help keep the Cowboys honest. A good number of draw plays were called, again to keep the Dallas defensive linemen from committing all-out to the pass rush.Seems like a simple concept, but one that often eludes the Packers' head coach.

b) Screen passes: The Packers ran five screen plays, and while the average gain was not great, it would have been much better if the first screen to Ryan Grant hadn't been nullified by a penalty.

Not to mention what would have happened if Chad Clifton could just throw a block in the open field. On two quick screens to his side, Clifton had but one Dallas player to block and the Packers would have had large gains, as there were no other defenders in sight. Instead, he whiffed twice and the Packer running back was tackled for a loss or no gain.

And let me also add here that the Packers fool no one when they run a screen. They are very poor at disguising it. You can see the opposing players running to the ball carrier before the ball is even thrown. Perhaps if the Packers keep running it, practice will make perfect.

c) Blocking help: There were only three passes thrown to the tight ends this game, because the majority of the time, they were part of the protection package. When you are playing a team with a pass rush like Cowboys have, that's the right thing to do.

While in many cases Lee and Havner were of help in protection, Lee was called for two holding penalties and Havner was slow to react on two plays, both resulting in sacks.

But despite that, I am at least pleased that Mike McCarthy didn't do what he has done in other games this year—left inexperienced players out on an island to deal with All-Pro defensive lineman on their own.

d) Short passing game: Mike McCarthy finally realized that no matter the advantage he thinks the Packers receivers may have against opposing secondaries, it does no good to try to hit the home run if Aaron Rodgers doesn't have time to throw it.

The short routes and completions were plentiful. The slant route was back (despite Troy Aikman not realizing it had ever left). The screen pass, as discussed above, was back.

From my unofficial count after watching the game tape, 23 of the 35 passes thrown were passes of less than 10 yards in the air. To me, this was the best called game by Mike McCarthy in a long time.

e) Aaron Rodgers: Let's not give Mike McCarthy too much credit. Aaron Rodgers was given more responsibility for making line of scrimmage calls this past week. He managed the game well, and made an obvious conscious effort to get the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible.

Rodgers threw the ball away three times to avoid a sack (one was penalized, but I applaud the thought, anyway).

He also dumped the ball off four times to avoid a sack. These numbers may not seem earth shattering, but compared to his other games, it's a downright plethora of sack-avoidance maneuvers.

Rodgers also seemed to move a bit better in the pocket, avoiding a few sacks and only losing a total of 11 yards on the four times that he was sacked. For comparison, the Cowboys lost 34 yards total on the Packers' five sacks.

Perhaps the Monday "Come to Jesus" meeting clarified everything for Rodgers. Evidently, in this no-holds-barred meeting, a few Packer players called out Rodgers for holding the ball too long.

Hearing it from his own teammates is probably what it took for him to see things in a different light and make a concerted effort to change things. I think he did a great job of it and showed his commitment winning and to his teammates.

2) Dom Capers finally let it all hang out.

Blitzes from the Edge. I've been calling for it all season: "Where is Matthews coming off the edge?" I have asked. "Why do the Packers keep running the same crossover blitz with the inside linebackers over and over? What happened to the DB blitzing we saw against the Bears?" Well guess what, all of that arrived last weekend, plus a whole lot more.

Watching the game tape, it was startling some of the blitzes I saw. Capers called some things you hardly ever see, like two defensive backs blitzing from the same side. Now, unless you're in a situation where you're blitzing eight, you just don't see that.

Let me tell you, from one play to the next, Romo had no way to predict who was coming and from where.

As an example, lets just look at the first half. The Packers blitzed 13 times in the first half. Here's what occurred.

Blitz #1: Bigby
Blitz #2: Matthews
Blitz #3: Woodson
Blitz #4: Collins
Blitz #5: Matthews & Jones
Blitz #6: Collins & Bush (same side)
Blitz #7: Bigby
Blitz #8: Barnett & Hawk - inside crossover blitz - sack
Blitz #9: Matthews
Blitz #10: Matthews
Blitz #11: Matthews - sack
Blitz #12: Barnett & Woodson - inside crossover blitz
Blitz #13: Matthews & Jones

Eleven of the 13 blitzes were from the outside. The first seven of the game were all from the outside, from six different players. When the Packers finally ran their inside crossover blitz on Blitz no. 8, it worked to perfection. No wonder!

Suddenly the inside blitz was a surprise and not expected. This is what we had heard since the day Capers had been hired, that the Packers defense wanted to be unpredictable and confuse the offense. Looks like that day finally arrived.

3) T.J. Lang:

Early on in training camp, word was that the Packers were going to give T.J. Lang a chance to compete for the right tackle job. I want the head of whomever decided to change that.

T.J. Lang was very good against the Cowboys. Not just OK, actually very good . He did not give up a sack himself, he neutralized Ware and Spencer on running plays and I saw him plant a few players into the ground.

After the game, McCarthy commented on how Lang is more comfortable on the right side. I see, so that's why the Packers decided to slot him as a backup left guard and left tackle.

Of course, there were plenty of other reasons to smile; Superman, aka Charles Woodson, better kick coverage, shutdown run defense, and more. But the three items above you could say were pleasant surprises, and I'm still smiling...

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog , Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge , NFL Touchdown , and, of course, Bleacher Report .

You can also follow Jersey Al on facebook and twitter .

Green Bay Packers Coach Mike McCarthy Said What?!?

Jersey Al Bracco — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:46:20 -0500

Watching a Mike McCarthy press conference always brings out my emotional side. The chuckles, the sneers, the jaw-drops, the yelling, the abusing of my computer monitor. Good thing I don't work in an office full of people.

I am often left wondering, does McCarthy really believe the s**t he drops on us every week? Does he get a kick out of insulting beat reporters and fans with the same empty promises and catch-phrases? After this Tampa debacle, a real coach would have just come out and said: We stunk today - players, coaches, collectively we were horses**t. I promise you it will NOT happen again as long as I am coach of this team.

Instead, what was heard was the Mike Milquetoast show. A few examples:

QUOTE: "We have four individuals on our offensive staff that I'd be very confident in coaching the offensive line... I think Shawn Slocum has done a good job in putting his print on what we're trying to do... But our problems to me aren't teaching and scheme; they do not fall in that area."

MY COMMENT: Yet every week, the Packers are hurt by self-inflicted wounds. Missed assignments, mis-communications, bad decisions, penalties, etc. And he thinks the coaches have all done a good job. So is Coach McCarthy saying the players are too dumb to execute what they are taught? Or is he saying he's coached them perfectly and they're just not good enough?

QUOTE: "We don't need wholesale change. We may need to adjust some things and that will be our focus. ...I'm very confident in the issues that we've had in pass protection, that they are correctable."

MY COMMENT: Half the season is gone. NOW the coach thinks he MAY need to adjust some things? There goes another clump of my hair... It's also heartening to hear that the pass protection issues are correctable. Whew! That's a relief. I'll just wait here patiently...

QUOTE: "If there was an error that was made leading up to this game it was probably too much work this week."

MY COMMENT: Earlier in the season, Coach McCarthy was called out for possibly not keeping the players focused in practice. Now he thinks he may be working them too hard? So basically, he doesn't know how to run a practice correctly and efficiently.

Here's what Packers great Leroy Butler had to say about this: "The guys weren’t in full pads all week, so it’s hard to overwork a group that’s not in pads. If they were in pads Wednesday and Thursday, I could see him overworking them where they’re tired... But if you have the youngest team in the league, they need to be overworked every day because you’re seeing the same mistakes. If he did overwork them, then they’re not working on the stuff that needs to be worked on." How great is that?

QUOTE: "There is structure. To have a new message or a new messenger, I'm confident that's not what our football team needs right now. They have a very loud, direct, clear message in the team meetings day in and day out. So there is no question or uncertainty of what we are asking everybody to do, coaches and players, and the accountability of what needs to be done."

MY COMMENT: I think Coach McCarthy is not being honest with himself. What is the message? That if we make mistakes, we'll "fix'em" next practice? Where is the accountability? One more quote from Leroy Butler: "But he needs to be more of a dad than a friend to these guys. Your dad disciplines you, but also loves you. Your friend tells you what you want to hear even when you’re playing bad."

SUMMARY:
Mike McCarthy is failing in many aspects of his job. Mostly, he seems to accept mediocrity while regurgitating the same old excuses and empty promises. He has proven to be a poor leader of men and his game-day decision making incites more questions than answers. His post-game press conferences ostensibly do the same.

Mike McCarthy has 3 1/2 years left on his contract that pays him approximately $4,000,000 per year. Despite the widespread clamoring, McCarthy is not likely to be fired during the season. It would also take a monumental failure during the second half of this year for the Packers to eat the final three years of that contract. It's not something the Packers will want to do, and I'm sure Mike will tell his bosses the same s**t we are hearing: It's correctable...

By the way, if you haven't read it, the full Leroy Butler interview can be found here :

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog , Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge , NFL Touchdown , and, of course, Bleacher Report .

You can also follow Jersey Al on facebook and twitter .

Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings, II: Three Plays Tell the Story

Jersey Al Bracco — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:30:26 -0500

I sat down tonight to review the Packers-Vikings game...

I didn't make it very far.

Within the first five minutes, I saw three plays that would foretell how the game would unfold. Already disgusted, I threw down the remote and bailed on watching the whole game.

Why torture myself? It was clear that these three plays would give me plenty to write about.

Play No. 1: Ryan Grant Makes a Bad, Bad Decision

With Quinn Johnson as the lead blocker, Rodgers hands off to Ryan Grant on what looks like an outside zone run. Johnson meets the linebacker head-on, and the play is blocked perfectly.

Every Vikings player, except the deep safety, has a Packer in his face.

The Packers are all holding their blocks well, and you can see a nice seam for Grant to run through between Josh Sitton and Allen Barbre. Make it through that hole and at least a 10-yard gain or possibly a huge play awaits....

In the picture above, you'll see that Grant is looking to that hole. But look at the picture below.

For some reason, Grant cuts inside, trying to squeeze between Johnson and Sitton. He ends up running right into Johnson and the Vikings player he's blocking.

As you can see from the next picture, Grant goes nowhere:

Grant actually ends up fumbling on this play, but the Packers get lucky and the officials rule forward progress stopped, so Minnesota was not allowed to challenge.

With all the heat the offensive line has been taking, I have felt that their run-blocking has been good enough, and I held off laying the full blame at Grant's feet.

Well, the gloves are off.

Ryan, if this is the best you can do, then you are a thief—you are stealing the Packers' money.

I would opine that Brandon Jackson, of whom I am no fan, Ahman Green, or ex-Packer Tyrell Sutton would have hit the correct hole. Even Kregg Lumpkin, currently buried on the Packers' practice squad, would have hit the right hole.

Play No. 2: Rodgers Doesn't Sense the Pressure

There has been much discussion of Aaron Rodgers holding the ball too long, and most of it is accurate.

He is too often determined to make the big play, ignoring safer and quicker options. I devoted an entire article to this subject after the first Vikings loss.

But another issue is that he doesn't sense pressure until it is too late.

It's maddening to watch at times, and the play I will show you is very telling.

Here, Rodgers moves to his left in the pocket. Ray Edwards gets around Barbre late and is pursuing Rodgers from behind. It's 3rd-and-17, so Rodgers is looking downfield, hoping for a long completion.

As you can see from this picture, Edwards is only two steps away with no defenders in sight, but Rodgers is ignoring him and still looking downfield.

As Edwards gets closer, Rodgers is still waiting for the deep receiver to complete his pattern. Although he has room, Rodgers doesn't continue to move up in the pocket to avoid Edwards because he doesn't feel him coming. Instead he sets himself to throw.

In the next picture, you can see a wide-open Donald Driver directly in front of Rodgers, but does he unload the ball to him?

No, he does not.

He ignores Driver and Brandon Jackson (again) and tries to throw the ball further down the field. Because Rodgers didn't feel the pressure, Edwards is able to hit his arm as he throws.

Finally, in this picture you can see what Rodgers was waiting for:

It appears that third Packers receiver James Jones has just made the inside cut on a post pattern.

Unfortunately, the ball is now fluttering to nobody and Rodgers is on the ground.

While Rodgers was looking for a big play on 3rd-and-17, he ended up with nothing.

As you can see, Jackson and Driver are still wide open. If he had sensed the pressure sooner and continued to move away, Rodgers would have bought himself another half-second, which would have been enough time to get the pass off.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

Aaron, you have to improve this part of your game, or all those gaudy numbers you put up will mean nothing in the end.

Play No. 3: Brett Favre Will Make You Pay

Now, 3rd-and-5 on the Vikings' first possession, the Packers are showing blitz (a bit too obviously and too soon), and the Vikings make adjustments.

You can see the Vikings' right guard pointing and, no doubt, calling out a blocking assignment. (See that, Aaron?)

The Packers run their tired crossover blitz, with Aaron Kampman circling behind Clay Matthews. Barnett does not blitz and is responsible for coverage, if needed.

You can see the huge area that will be left empty when the linebackers blitz:

Favre also sees it coming (See that, Aaron?), looks over, and gestures to running back Chester Taylor to move to his right:

When the blitz does come, the Vikings offensive line is ready for it.

So is Favre.

He simply lets Taylor run into the empty area and, feeling pressure from Cullen Jenkins, quickly unloads the ball to Taylor. A five-yard pass becomes a 20-yard gain.

It's so basic, and it's what Favre did to the Packers in both games: pick up the blitz, throw the ball to the area vacated by the blitz, and move the chains.

It's the reason why in both games the Packers covered more and blitzed less. Of course, that in turn allowed Favre more time to throw, and we all know he can pick you apart if you let him.

So it becomes a no-win situation for Dom Capers.

In the end, it was these three plays that showed how the game would turn out.

Rodgers continued to have issues with not feeling pressure and focusing on the big gain.

NO running game, to which Mike McCarthy's answer is to just give up on it. Can't he see how poorly Grant is playing? Why wouldn't you at least try to give Jackson or Green a few carries?

Finally, if the Packers cannot pressure, hurry, or sack the quarterback, they cannot stop a team like the Vikings.

Don't waste your time watching the whole game again, Packers fans. The first five minutes will tell the whole story.

You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports Web sites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters, Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown, and, of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings: The History, the Rivalry and Favre

Jersey Al Bracco — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:49:33 -0400

Throughout the 48-year history of the Packers-Vikings rivalry, there have been some special moments, but probably none that will live up to this weekend's events. An aging Viking leader returns with a new band of men, looking to plunder the very homeland he once loved.

The word Viking is Scandinavian for "pirate," an appropriate description of our former hero gone astray. Like the Vikings of the eighth and ninth centuries, Brett The Grey and his band of marauders will be trying to claim a foreign land for their own—in this case, Lambeau Field.

Residents of Minnesota and Wisconsin certainly have a deep-rooted interest in this battle. Packers fans and Vikings fans have always had a special dislike for each other. As bordering states, there was a natural competitiveness between people of the two states. When close-to-Wisconsin Minneapolis-St. Paul suddenly became host to a professional football team, many fans, including those in Western Wisconsin, had a difficult choice to make.

As fans made their choices, resentment built and friends became enemies. The Green Bay loyalists sneered at the Vikings converts and the new Vikings fans became jealous of the Packers as their dominance of the 1960s became a sore point.

The Minnesota Vikings entered the NFL in 1961 as the 14th franchise in League history, but not without a few interesting twists. The Minnesota team was originally slated to be one of the eight charter members of the new American Football League, and had even completed the college draft.

But the NFL saw great potential for a team in Minneapolis, and the prospective owners were lured away from the AFL by the promise of an NFL franchise. The Oakland Raiders took Minnesota's place in the AFL and automatically inherited all of their draft choices.

Bert Rose, the first GM of the Minnesota franchise, chose the Vikings nickname to embrace the area's heavy Scandanavian population and then set about looking for a head coach. Ara Parsegian was his first choice, but when that didn't work out, he hired Norm Van Brocklin, who had just beaten the Packers in the NFL Championship the year before and had retired as a player.

The irony of that choice was not lost on Vince Lombardi, and beating Van Brocklin and the Vikings became another obsession for Vince. They were fierce rivals as coaches, engaging in many shouting matches, as both teams occupied the same side of the field in those stadiums.

Van Brocklin delighted in giving Lombardi a hard time and played up the David vs Goliath role to his players. Lombardi was convinced that Van Brocklin was instructing Viking players to try to injure the Packers players whenever possible. When Jerry Kramer broke his leg in a game vs. the Minnesota Vikings, Lombardi had one of his most famous tirades.

Both Packers and Vikings players have stated throughout the years that the Vikings never purposely tried to injure the Packers players, but they did play hard and tough against those elite Packers teams.

But in the late '60s, as Vince Lombardi exited and Bud Grant entered, the rivalry would begin to turn on it's head. During the '70s, the Packers would win only four out of 20 games against the Vikings. Suddenly the Packers fans were jealous and Vikings fans were sneering. That decade was when the rivalry grew some nasty teeth among Packers fans.

In the 48-year history of this rivalry, the Packers hold a slight winning edge at 49-46-1. There have been many special moments, but let's take a look at just a few:

1961, The First Season

In the first year of the Vikings' existence, a scheduling quirk matches up the Packers and Vikings for two consecutive weeks. The first-ever meeting between these two teams was played before a sellout crowd at Metropolitan Stadium, with the Packers entering the game as 17-point favorites.

Norm Van Brocklin joked that he would petition the league to reschedule the game in a few weeks, so that Paul Hornung and Ray Nitschke would miss it due to military commitments. The game was played on schedule and the score at halftime was a surprisingly close 13-7.

Vince Lombardi must of had a few choice words for the Packers at halftime, because they came out a different team and rolled over the Vikings, 33-7. The very next week, playing at City Stadium in Green Bay, the Packers would beat the Vikings 28-10 in a driving rainstorm.

After that second game, the Vikings record stood at 1-6 while the Packers were 6-1 and on their way to winning their first NFL championship under Vince Lombardi.

1972, Packers Clinch Division Title

When the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings met on a frigid December Sunday in Minnesota, the Packers success of the 60s and their domination of the Vikings were nothing more than fond memories. Coming into this game, the Vikings had won seven of their last eight meetings.

With a game time temperature of zero degrees and a wind-chill of minus 18, this would be a game where the running game would dominate. Fortunately for the Packers, they had the bruising tandem of John Brockington and MacArthur Lane on their side. While neither team could mount much offense in the first half, the Packers' running game and some key turnovers helped the Packers take control of the game in the second half.

Brockington and Lane finished with 114 and 99 yards, respectively. Willie Buchanon had two interceptions and his fellow cornerback, Ken Ellis, also had one. With this win, Brockington would reach the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season and the Packers clinched the division title for second-year coach Dan Devine.

1998, Green Bay, Meet Randy Moss

On a rainy October Monday night at Lambeau, Randall Cunningham introduced the Packers and a national TV audience to their newest heart-breaker, Randy Moss.

Although only catching five passes on the night, Moss gained 190 yards, including two long TDs against undersized and over-matched Packer CB Tyrone Williams. Randall Cunningham threw for 4 TDs and 442 yards on only 20 completions.

"This was the greatest night in my football career," Cunningham would say after the game. It was one of the worse nights for the Packers, as they lost 37-24 and their secondary was thoroughly embarrassed on national TV.

1995, T.J. F'ing Rubley

The Minneapolis Metrodome had been developing the reputation of being a house of horrors for the Wolf-Holmgren Era in green Bay. The Packers game on Nov. 5 solidified the feeling and sparked talk of a Metrodome "curse." In a crazy game that included four turnovers in the last five minutes, the Packers went down to defeat, 27-24 to the foot of Fuad Reveiz

In this game, Bret Favre was injured and missed the last third of the game. Hi replacement, Ty Detmer, and defensive ends Reggie White and Sean Jones were all injured in the fourth quarter. Despite everything, the Packers had an opportunity to win this game. With under a minute left and the game tied 24-24, the Packers found themselves at the Viking 38 yard line with third down and a foot to go.

Third-string quarterback T.J. Rubley, who had fumbled the snap on his first play from scrimmage, called the play in the huddle from Coach Holmgren—a quarterback sneak. Holmgren wanted to get a first down, run the clock down, setup a field goal and escape with a road win. Unfortunately, Mr. Rubley had other ideas.

As he got to the line of scrimmage, he saw the Vikings stacking the box and decided to audible to a pass. He found nobody open, but threw the ball anyway and it was intercepted. The Vikings then took the ball down the field and won the game as time ran out on a Reveiz field goal.

After the game, Rubley would say he had no problem with the decision to audible and would do it again, since he thought he was doing what he had been coached to do. His coach, however, seemed to disagree, as Rubley was quickly cut from the team.

After the game, Ron Wolf was uncharacteristically angry at the loss and the team's troubles at the Metrodome. “We’re sick and tired of Fuad Reveiz deciding the outcome of the game,” Wolf said. “All this B.S., ‘Wait until next year,’ is meaningless. The bottom line is, when you’re playing a division opponent, you have to beat that division opponent. I don’t care where it is.”

The ugly loss seemed to spark the Packers, as they would go on to win six of their last seven games to finish 11-5 and win the division title for the first time since 1972.

For those of you who still feel the need to vent your anger, there is a Facebook page for those who despise T.J. Rubley.

2000, The Immaculate Deflection

On a cold, windy, rainy, November Monday night at Lambeau Field, one of the most amazing and improbable catches in NFL history sent the Packers home a winner. The Packers came into the game under rookie head coach Mike Sherman with a 3-5 record, while the Vikings were 7-1.

Despite being heavy underdogs and being thoroughly outplayed statistically by the Vikings, the Packers somehow found themselves tied with the Vikings at the end of regulation. It was mostly the Vikings doing, as they committed five turnovers in the game, including three interceptions by Dante Culpepper.

The Vikes were also flagged for 11 penalties, one of which would earn Vikings WR Chris Carter a $5000 fine for kicking Packers CB Mike McKenzie. With eight seconds left in the game, the Vikings Gary Anderson lined up for a 33-yard field goal to win the game. But the Vikings holder couldn't handle the wet ball, bobbling it before recovering and trying to throw a pass.

His throwing wasn't any better, as it was intercepted by Tyrone Williams to force the game into overtime. The Packers won the toss and marched down to the Vikings 43-yard line, where they had a 3rd-and-4. The play call was a quick slant, but as the teams lined up, with the Vikings Chris Dishman showing blitz, Freeman yelled to Favre and made a motion indicating he was going to run a slant and go.

Despite the driving rain and strong winds, Favre went along with the plan and threw the ball deep to Freeman. But Dishman did not blitz and was there to deflect the floating pass that was being knocked around by the wind. Everyone thought the play was over as Freeman fell to the ground.

Of course, the ball miraculously hits his leg, rolls up his body into his hands. Amid widespread confusion, Freeman gets up off the ground and starts running to the end zone. he put a move on the only Viking player that seems to know what was happening and scores the touchdown to give the Packers the overtime win.

The Vikings stood in stunned silence while the Packers celebrated wildly in the end zone. The touchdown inspired Al Michaels' famous "he did WHAT?" In 2005, ESPN named this play the greatest catch in the history of Monday Night football.

Watch it again...along with comments by Brett Favre and Mike Sherman.

2009, Brett the Grey Returns to His Former Homeland

The storyline on this Sunday's game hasn't been written yet. So why don't YOU write it? I think it would be fun if the readers would leave a comment describing how you all think the story will play out. Go for it, readers...

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog , Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge , NFL Touchdown , and, of course, Bleacher Report .

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Green Bay Packers Quinn Johnson Is Already Serving Up The Pancakes...

Jersey Al Bracco — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:06:29 -0400

The Green Bay Packers have finally found something that can help their running game, and I'm not talking about the signing of former Packer Pro-Bowler Ahman Green. No, quite accidentally (thanks to the injury to Korey Hall and the blowout of the Lions), the Packers finally put fifth round draft choice Quinn Johnson onto the field.

With a safe 26-0 lead and only the hapless Lions to hold off for one quarter, Coach Mike McCarthy took the opportunity to see what Quinn Johnson could do in live game action.

Inactive for the first five games as fullback No. 3 in the Packers fullback triumvirate, Johnson finally got to play in a regular season NFL game. Based on Johnson's performance and the success of the running game in the fourth quarter, McCarthy may have found a serviceable power running game for the Packers.

Quinn Johnson lined up for 13 snaps in the fourth quarter of the Lions game. The last two were Aaron Rodgers kneel-downs, so lets throw those out and call it eleven snaps. Here's a quick synopsis of what Quinn Johnson did on those eleven snaps:

1. Grant runs to the right, Johnson has a backside seal block and he successfully keeps his man away from the play.

2. Straight lead blocker into the hole with Grant following. Johnson meets the linebacker head-on and neutralizes him. LB has no chance at a tackle.

3. (See No. 2)

4. Johnson PANCAKES the linebacker. Meets him head-on, ties him up and throws him onto his back.

5. Leads into the hole, sideswipes the linebacker out of the play then continues on and throws a cut block at another player.

6. In a short yardage situation (third and one), Johnson ties up the linebacker, keeping him sealed to the inside. Kuhn runs behind Johnson to get the first down.

7. Johnson blasts into the hole, blocks the linebacker and pushes him back five yards down field. The linebacker tries to get away and Johnson continues to chase after him until the whistle blows.

8. Johnson PANCAKES a Lions linebacker. Johnson comes through the hole, heads for the outside linebacker, meets him head on and pulverizes him. The Lions linebacker seems to disappear into Johnson like a scene from Alien played backwards.

9. Leading Ryan Grant off-tackle, a Lions linebacker takes himself out of the play in an attempt to avoid Johnson's block. That, plus TJ Lang sprinting 10 yards down field from the other side to make a block, help Ryan Grant spring loose for a 22-yard gain, his longest of the season.

10. Johnson can't find anyone to block on this play, as the Detroit defenders have obviously figured out it's better to avoid him.

11. Johnson leads Ryan Grant into the hole, standing up the linebacker with another successful block.

One big thing you should take from the descriptions above - you'll notice there is not even ONE case of a missed block or assignment. Johnson knew exactly where to be, who to block and how to do it. Johnson has come a long way from training camp, where he struggled with learning the offense, running too upright and missing or not holding blocks.

That last part is the key. Johnson is now holding blocks and not letting the defender slip away. In training camp, Johnson was trying too hard to blow up opponents with a single hit. That may have worked in college, but the NFL is a whole different story. NFL defenders can take a hit and brush it off. Johnson has learned to take the player on squarely with his his elbows extended and to keep the defender centered in front of him using his forearms. That allows him to hold the block longer and then use leverage to potentially drive him to the ground for the pancake. His blocking techniques are markedly improved. Kudos to Johnson and running backs coach Edgar Bennett for bringing about this transformation so quickly.

So now that we've seen what Quinn Johnson can bring, will we see Coach McCarthy commit the Packers to more of a power running game, utilizing Quinn Johnson and playing more to Ryan Grant's strengths? The Cleveland Browns appear to be the perfect test case and the perfect opportunity for the Packers to establish confidence in some type of running game before Brett Favre and the Vikings come to Lambeau. This is one writer who says, "Bring on the Mighty Quinn!"

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog , Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge , NFL Touchdown , and, of course, Bleacher Report .

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Green Bay Packers' Offensive Line: Things Are Not Always As They Seem...

Jersey Al Bracco — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:48:45 -0400

(From the “Things are not Always as They Seem Department”: Offensive Line Edition)

Perception No. 1 ” “Jared Allen had 4 sacks so Daryn Colledge was awful against the Vikings…”

When the Green Bay Packers played the Minnesota Vikings last Monday night, Aaron Rodgers was sacked eight times, with four credited to Jared Allen. Since Daryn Colledge was the man drawing the difficult task of blocking the two-time Pro-Bowler, one would assume he had a bad night.

In fact, I have heard many say how awful Colledge played on Monday night.

But being the curious type, I needed to know if this was really true or just another case of overreaction by Packers beat writers, bloggers, and fans. So, I did the only thing that could be done: I went back to the game films and watched Jared Allen on every play.

I learned a lot, mostly that Jared Allen is even better than I thought. Like him or not, he has to be the best speed pass-rusher in the league right now. Allen is that annoying, arrogant jerk that everyone hates, unless he’s on your team. Then you love him.

Like Sean Avery in hockey, if you follow hockey at all. He’s a disruptive force and excels at getting into the heads of opposing players.

The other thing I learned was that Daryn College did not do as bad a job as you probably think. In fact, he actually did fairly well, considering he is at tackle only because of Clifton’s injury.

OK, so you’re probably saying to yourself, what is Jersey Al drinking? Well, I did go to a wine tasting last night, but I am completely sober this afternoon and I know what my eyes have seen after watching the film. Let me prove it to you:

Sack No. 1: Alan Barbre gets beat, Rodgers holds the ball too long and turns right into Jared Allen’s path. Colledge’s job on that play was to just cut-block Allen, as it was a three-step drop and a quick pass out.

Colledge doesn’t get Allen down, but he does force him deep and wide, giving Rodgers plenty of time on the backside to get off his quick pass. If only he did. Sack blame: Barbre and Rogers.

Sack No. 2: This was a bad blocking scheme. Play action right, Rodgers reverses and rolls to his left. Colledge blocks down on the LB and does his job. Spitz and Sitton drop back along with Grant to protect Rodgers’ back side.

Barbre blocks his man easily. The Packers have five players protecting the back side, but only John Kuhn to block in front of Rodgers.

Scott Wells stands in the middle of the field and blocks nobody (this would turn out to be a recurring event ). Vikings linebacker Brad Leber is unaccounted for and untouched (what are you waiting for Scott?) and just circles around and pounces on Rodgers before he has time to react. Sack blame: Coaches, thumb-twiddling Scott Wells, Aaron Rodgers.

Sack No. 3: Colledge Stands up Allen and DeShawn Wynn is to his left, supposedly to help block. Allen takes an inside slant, and Colledge handles it. Wynn reaches out and touches Allen with his hand (tag you’re it) and then quickly releases out into a pattern.

Allen sees this and changes direction with a speed rush into the area that Wynn just vacated. Colledge is beat, his help is gone and Rodgers is sacked. Sack Blame: Colledge and Wynn

Sack No. 4: Quick ZBS play action right. Rodgers turns, fakes the inside hand off to Kuhn, then is obviously looking to throw a quick slant. The problem is, the receivers are apparently blocking for a running play. This looks like it was a broken play. Perhaps Rodgers changed the call at the line and the receivers didn’t pick it up.

The entire line blocks right, leaving Allen purposely not blocked on the back side. With the broken play, he runs smack into an Aaron Rodgers again holding on to the ball unnecessarily. Sack blame: Rodgers.

Sack No. 5: Aaron Rodgers drops back to throw and has excellent protection, he waits, he waits, he dances around, waits some more and finally Alan Barbre can’t hold Brian Robinson off no longer and Rodgers is sacked. Sack blame: All Aaron Rodgers.

Sack No. 6: Colledge has Allen neutralized. Jason Spitz gets beat by a quick move and Jerry Kennedy sacks Rodgers. In trying to catch Kennedy, Spitz crashes into Colledge’s knee, sending him out for the rest of game. Sack blame: Jason Spitz.

Sack No. 7: This was the safety where Allen beats a double-team by T.J. Lang and Ryan Grant with another change-of-direction move that leaves the blockers wondering where he went. Sack Blame: T.J. Lang, Ryan Grant, Aaron Rodgers.

Sack No. 8:Jared Allen beats T.J. Lang cleanly with an outside speed move. Sack Blame: T.J. Lang.

So you see, after analyzing every sack, Daryn Colledge’s name comes up only once. Surprised, aren’t you? And that sack doesn’t happen if Wynn sticks around a second or two longer and actually helps out.

Oh, and have I mentioned recently that the Packers kept DeShawn Wynn supposedly for his blocking? Did I also mention that he drops easy passes every game? What? You say I manage to work those into every article I write? That’s not possible, is it? Oh, OK. Sorry...

Perception No. 2 “The Packers finally found their screen game against the Vikings…”

Most of you are probably thinking, finally the OL did something right. Sorry to burst every one’s bubble. I know you all want to believe we can run a decent screen. Believe me, nobody wants that to be true more than I do. But alas, our screen game is weighed down quite simply by interior linemen that simply cannot get outside fast enough to even help out.

Any yardage the Packers gained on screen passes against the Vikings was a direct result of an outstanding individual effort by the pass catcher and a great block by a wide receiver. The lead-blocking linemen had NOTHING to do with it.

The linemen can’t get out in front of the play, and even if they do, they don’t block anybody! It was uncanny seeing this on every screen play. Here’s the evidence:

Screen Pass No. 1:

This play surprised the Vikings, who most likely were not expecting a screen pass from green Bay so early in the game. The play looks well setup and succeeds, but not why you might think. Jason Spitz is able to get out in front of Grant, but completely misses the block.

Fortunately, Grant's picks the correct lane and the LB misses. Wells never come close to catching up and does what he does on a lot of plays—ends up blocking nobody. If he had gotten out in front, he would have had the chance to block the player that eventually tackled Grant.

Wells is slow and doesn’t look for someone to block down field, he always just seems to be running along with the play. I can see why the Packers chose Spitz as the starter. Sitton can “lumber” at best, and never comes close to being part of the play. The only blocker who does his job on this play is Jordy Nelson, who keeps the cornerback tied up.

Grant hits the hole aggressively and picks up 13 yards, no thanks to his linemen.

Screen Pass No. 2:

Donald Lee (the player in the center of this frame) does a good job on this screen play selling his block before peeling off outside. Alan Barbe is the outside player that misses his block. James Jones is the player on the outside right that has completely missed his block.

Josh Sitton, late once again into the play, is attempting to cut block a Viking but ends up missing the block. Scott Wells is once again seen trailing the play and blocks absolutely nobody. The three Vikings defenders converge on Lee, but Lee miraculously hurdles over them to go on and pick up 16 yards.

This screen play succeeded purely because of the outstanding individual effort by Lee. No help was received from anyone else.

Screen Pass No. 3:

On this screen to Grant, Jason Spitz not only doesn’t slow his player’s rush at all, he then for some reason is jogging and looking back at Rodgers instead of hustling out to get in front of Grant.

As Grant catches the ball and turns outside, there is an unblocked Viking there to meet him. Grant does a very un-Grant-like thing and makes the Viking defender miss by cutting inside. By that time, Spitz has now gotten down field.

That takes us to this frame. Here we see Ryan Grant reading the block by Greg Jennings and about to cut inside. There is only one defender that can prevent a touchdown and Spitz is right there to block him. Spitz misses him and Grant is tackled. Scott Wells, once again runs down field and blocks nobody.

And also once again, the only player executing a block is a wide receiver. Instead of a touchdown, Grant is tackled at the five and the Vikings go on to stop the Packers on four downs for zero points. If Spitz makes that block, the Packers would have ended up tying the game, eventually, instead of losing by seven.

Screen Pass No. 4:

I had trouble getting this frame, so I’ll just have to describe it. This was another tight end screen to Lee. Again, there is no blocking on this one. The Viking player that makes the tackle was surrounded by three Packers when Lee catches the ball, yet was not blocked and tackled Lee for a two-yard loss.

Sitton and Wells are in contact with the defender, Barbre sees that and advances down field to block someone else. That was the correct play, because you would assume that two offensive linemen could block or at least slow down one defensive tackle and prevent him from making a tackle outside on a screen play.

Wrong assumption.

Summary

So what did I learn from watching our interior linemen closely? Basically that they are not good in open space. They are slow, not aggressive enough and are easily run around by fast defenders. Their best work is definitely done inside where there is less room for the defenders to work in and the offensive linemen simply have to hold their ground and let the player take themselves in whatever direction they want.

Also, despite what many have said, Daryn Colledge should not be the poster boy for the offensive line’s struggles based on this game. You can directly fault Colledge for only one of the eight sacks registered by the Vikings. There were plenty of other players more deserving of the goat horns, so don't put them on Colledge's head.

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown, and, of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Vikings-Packers: Film Study of Aaron Rodgers

Jersey Al Bracco — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:59:49 -0400

Since this is a bye week, I decided to go slowly, dig deep, and hopefully bring you some in-depth insight on a few things I have noticed. Therefore, I will be breaking my film study into a series of articles over the next week. This article is about Aaron Rodgers.

Aaron Rodgers

As I sat down to re-watch the Packers—Vikings game, remote control in hand, I wondered about one thing: Is Aaron Rodgers as good a quarterback as I think he is?

The answer, for the most part is "Yes." The part that still needs improvement may only come with time, but it's definitely missing right now. Aaron Rodgers does not feel the pressure if it's not right in front of him.

Then, when the pressure is upon him, in that fateful moment of truth, Rodgers is not yet making the right decision. Yes, there are times when taking a sack is the best thing to do. But that wasn't often the case in the Vikings game.

I studied every one of his sacks, over and over again. On five of them, Rodgers had every opportunity to either throw the ball away or look for a safety valve. In each case, he kept looking down the field, hoping against hope and holding on to the ball too damn long. It's nothing more than bad decision-making in that critical moment.

The two best examples are these:

The Fumble

After moving the Packers down the field nicely on their first possession, the Packers have a first and 10 on the Minnesota 24 yard line.

Rodgers takes a quick three-step drop, looks down field, and doesn't like what he sees. Right in front of him is his safety valve.

Ryan Grant has run about five yards past the line of scrimmage and is all alone—closest Viking player is seven yards away and backpedaling in the opposite direction.

Rodgers gets pressure from the right and all he has to do is just toss it to Grant for an easy and safe completion and probably a 7-10 yard gain. Instead, he freezes with the ball, and tries to navigate out of the pocket—which is pretty impossible to do on a three-step drop when everything is closing in around you.

He runs right into the path of Jared Allen, who gets the sack and strips the ball, causing the fumble.

The Safety

There were roughly seven minutes left in the game with the Packers looking at third and 10 on their own one yard line. Rodgers in the shotgun in the end zone with Grant to his left. Ball is snapped. Grant helps T.J. Lang with Allen.

Rodgers has a nice pocket to step up into, which he does. When Allen gets pushed deep, he stops on a dime and reverses his direction, leaving both Grant and Lang looking at the back of his jersey.

In the meantime, Donald Lee, who had lined up in the backfield, ran a quick turn-around.

He is available for a quick dump off. Sure, it wouldn't have been a first down, but it would have been better than a safety. Instead, Rodgers is looking deep. He shifts his weight back, winds up and starts to let one fly.

For some reason, he stops his throw. A split-second later, Allen is on top of him and the Vikings have a safety.

Why would Rodgers change his mind there at the very last second? Heave it as far as you can. Not much to lose. An interception down the field would be like a punt.

But he doesn't feel Allen behind him, doesn't see Lee in front of him, hopes he'll have time for a better option, and gets sacked.

Brett Favre

In both of those situations, Rodgers had an easy dump-off to avoid the sack, but chose to keep looking down field. Contrast those with a play that Brett Favre made to neutralize the Packers blitz.

On a second and 11, with about eight minutes left in the second quarter, the Packers run their all-too familiar crossover blitz with the two inside backers (Barnett and Chillar).

Chillar finds a rare open lane and is coming through untouched. As soon as Favre saw what was happening, he didn't hesitate; he immediately turned and threw to his safety valve, Adrian Peterson out in the flat. Peterson was stopped for no gain on the play, but there was no sack, no fumble, no interception.

This appears to be about the only thing Aaron Rodgers is lacking right now. He's already led several drives down the field late in games this season, so that monkey is off his back. He looks to have all the tools, the confidence, and the leadership qualities you will find in a premier quarterback. He just has to get over this final hump. If he does, I think he can be a top-five QB in this league.

You'll notice I haven't discussed the offensive line. For those of you yelling at your screens that it's the line's fault, I say—somewhat. But that's a separate article (hopefully in a few days).

However, no matter how good a team's offensive line is, a top-flight QB will have to face moments like these in a game. Rodgers has to learn to handle it and make the right decision—period. That's how you become a Peyton Manning or a Tom Brady.

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown, and, of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Green Bay Packers Ryan Grant and Offensive Line Struggle to Find Their Way

Jersey Al Bracco — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:49:02 -0400

The Green Bay Packers running game has taken a lot of hits lately, both on and off the field. Sportswriters, bloggers and fans have all been lamenting the paltry number of rushing yards being gained. I dare to dissent and say it's been "good enough."

Everyone has been criticizing the Packers play calling for running 17 times on first down in the win against the St. Louis Rams. I dare to say that the Packers did a good job with the playcalling and were actually very aggressive on first downs. Huh? Don't worry, more on that later.

How can I come to these conclusions, you ask? Well first, you have to spend a few hours with the game tape. Last night I played back the Packers game, with heavy use of the rewind and slo-mo buttons. Because it seems to be the favorite post game topic of the Rams game, I specifically focused on the Packers running plays.

Albeit a bit bleary-eyed, I can distill the Packer's running game's struggles down to two major factors: Offensive linemen that aren't holding their blocks long enough and a running back that just takes too long to get to the line of scrimmage.

Now, there are certainly plenty of other contributing factors. Grant's lack of lateral movement, how easily he goes down when tackled very low and the lack of creativity in the running plays (seriously, 80 percent of the running plays look like the same play). But I just felt it was important to identify the top two.

Analyze the running plays closely, and you will see how many times Grant is tackled from behind or the side (often around the ankles) because an offensive lineman could not keep the backside sealed off or hold their block. Using freeze-frame, you can see that many times there are holes early on, but the Packers running plays are not designed as quick hits (with the exception of the fullback dive).

By the time Grant gets there, the hole is often gone. He then lacks the lateral movement and quickness to make a last minute change of direction. In my opinion, the Packers had two backs better suited to running in this scheme. But Tyrell Sutton is in Carolina and Kregg Lumpkin is languishing on the practice squad.

Having said all of that, after watching for hours, I'm actually not as upset with the running game as most people seem to be. If the Packers can average 3.8 YPC on 25 attempts per game, that's just about good enough. The Packers will never have the game breaking threat from the current running game, but it's OK. That's what Rodgers and the wide receivers are for.

As we all know, running the ball is necessary to keep the safeties honest and setup the deep play-action passes down the field. Although the running game didn't exactly burn it up, the plan still worked for the Packers. Every big pass play in the game was off of play action. The Rams linebackers and safeties bought the run fakes because the Packers had shown the run so much. Here are some examples:

2nd and six, Driver, 46 yard pass reception—I formation, play fake right, single coverage on Driver.
3rd and seven, Jennings, 50 yard pass reception—Shotgun with single back. Fake draw play, single coverage on Jennings.
1st and 10, Driver, 21 yard TD reception—I formation, play fake right, rollout left, single coverage on Driver.
1st and 10, Jennings, 53 yard pass reception—I formation, play fake right, single coverage on Jennings.
There were at least three other long passes attempted, two on first down. Jordy Nelson dropped one right in his hands and two were overthrown.

17 RUNS ON FIRST DOWN!!!
Now, for all of you screaming about the Packers running 17 times on first down versus 11 passes, look a little closer. Seven of those runs came in the fourth quarter, when they were protecting a lead—that's what your SUPPOSED to do! So through three quarters, the Packers were actually 10/11, run/pass on first down. And one of those runs was a reverse, which warms the cockles of my heart. In light of those facts, there is NOTHING wrong with a 17/11 pass/run ratio on first down, especially if four of those passes were long shots down the field and a fifth was a TD.

I have often accused Mike McCarthy of being too conservative, but this was not one of those times. And for the first time this season, the Packers won the time of possession battle over their opponent. Yes it was only the Rams, and yes they could stand to gain more yards on their first down runs, but it's a good start towards developing a serviceable running game.

My main criticism after watching this game is one that I have had before: the lack of originality in the running play design. The Packers' second play from scrimmage was a creatively designed play. Rodgers in the shotgun, Grant to his right. Nelson slot left, Lee tight end on the right side. Nelson goes in motion to the right. Ball is snapped, Lee blocks down on the DE, Barbre pulls around him to the outside, pitch out to Grant with Barbre and Nelson lead blocking. It worked beautifully and picked up 10 yards. They never ran it again. Every other running play to Grant was a straight hand off. But I digress—play design is a pet peeve of mine and a whole separate article.

The litmus test for McCarthy will come in situations like the Packers trailing by 10 points in the third quarter. Will he revert to his old ways and throw the running game out the window, or will he stay committed?

With the Favre-led 3-0 Minnesota Vikings next on the schedule, that test could very well come this week. The Packers' offensive line will have their hands full with the Vikings front four. That matchup will probably be the deciding factor in this game. Sorry Brett, but it's not ALL about you.

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Green Pay Packers vs. St. Louis Rams: Blind Impressions Of a Carbound Packer Fan

Jersey Al Bracco — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:14:31 -0400

This weekend I traded in my Green and Gold for the Blue and White of Penn State. Once a year, we will go to a Penn State "White Out" game and put together a real "Jersey" Tailgate with about 40 friends and family.

From Friday night to Sunday morning there is no Packers talk, no TV or radio reports, no internet news or blogs. Just tailgating, Penn State football, and then a great Sunday Brunch at the famous Nittany Lion Inn.

As we hit the road for home on Sunday, usually around 12:30, my thoughts start to wander back to the Green Bay Packers. I know I won't be watching this game on TV, but in my glove compartment is my temporary savior—my Sirius Radio. God bless the NFL Network on Sirius.

Thanks to Sirius, while trapped in my car for the four hour car ride home, I can utterly annoy and then bore the three women in the car with me. Yes, to these ladies, a Packers game on radio is the perfect cure for insomnia. They are all asleep 10 minutes into the game.

For me, the dulcit voices of Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren are the perfect antidote to falling asleep at the wheel. Larrivee with his picture-painting play-by-play and McCarren with his commentary and analysis, keep me wide awake and hands firmly gripping the wheel.

I've always had a love affair with radio, from a very early age. I remember listening to NY Knicks and NY Rangers games on my little transistor radio hidden underneath my pillow when I was supposed to be asleep. In my mind's ear I can still hear a very young Marv Albert calling those games. Frazier to Monroe, he spins, he shoots, Yessssss!

But getting back to the Packers, I listened to the entire Packers-Rams game while making that rainy ride home on Sunday afternoon. It was up to Larrivee and McCarren to be my eyes and tell me what I was "seeing."

After enjoying the win, I decided to try a little experiment: I would keep my impressions pure and not look for any more information on the game. I didn't watch Sportscenter, didn't look for Packers highlights on the internet, didn't hit packers.com for game stats and interviews, didn't read any Packers blogs. My impressions would not be influenced by anything other than the radio call of the game.

I do plan on getting a copy of the game and doing some "film study" (time permitting), but for now I'm going to give you my thoughts on the game, thanks to the Packers' Radio announcers:

Stephen Jackson is a horse and we did very well containing him as much as we did. After Jackson had carried a few times, McCarren lamented (I am paraphrasing), "While unfortunate he's on the other team, it's nice to be able to watch a really good runner once in a while." Ouch. Sorry Ryan...
Whatever happened to JerMichael Finley owning the end zone? Every time the Packers were in the red zone, I kept waiting to hear Finley's name called there. For that matter, I'm waiting to hear Finley's name called anywhere. Did he have any catches in this game? Was he ever thrown to? My "radio" impression is no.
It wouldn't be a Packers game without a Jarret Bush penalty. Yet the Packers decide to cut Aaron Rouse when they have injuries at safety. There was an article in the local Jersey paper here quoting Tom Coughlin saying how fortunate the Giants were to find a safety of Rouse's quality on the waiver wire. Ouch...
The Packers actually ran a quarterback draw AND a reverse in the same game?! Are you kidding me? PLEASE let this be a pattern. I am a HUGE proponent of running a few trick plays EVERY game. Let's give the other teams as much as possible to think about and prepare for. Just like Capers' approach to defense.
So DeShawn Wynn is now officially nothing more than a blocker. With Jackson out, Sutton gone, and Lumpkin rotting on the practice squad, we have a one trick pony at running back. Easy for other teams to plan for? I would say so.
There were lots of Packers fans at the game. Listening on the radio, it was hard to tell from the crowd noise if something good had just happened for the Rams or for the Packers. Only until the announcers' call caught up, did I really know.
We still can't run a decent screen.
All of that "Chillar at safety" talk wasn't so crazy. I'm curious if on the two Rams TDs he was playing at LB or in the quasi-safety position?
I understand they are still going slow with Nick Barnett, but couldn't Bishop have gotten some more reps spelling Hawk for a series or two as well? Would there really be a drop-off?
The Packers finally committed to the run. Of course, they decide to be as predictable as possible and continually run on first down. Again, I haven't seen the game stats, but it felt like 70-80 percent of first down plays were running plays.
I am not, however, criticizing the commitment to the run. Committing to the run like this will certainly make your play-action passing game more successful. I am guessing that most of the successful long completions were off play-action. Of course, Packer fans have seen sudden commitments to the run before, and it's easy to keep running when you are winning fairly comfortably. Will Mike McCarthy have the fortitude to keep running if down by two TDs in the third quarter against Minnesota?

So those are my impressions of the game after emerging from the video-proof booth otherwise known as my Jeep Grand Cherokee. I hope to be able to get a copy of the game, find the time to break it down and see how I did with my "blind impressions." Of course, if I'm totally off-base, I'll just blame Larrivee and McCarren.

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Green Bay Packers-Bengals Aftermath: Is Mike McCarthy in Charge Here?

Jersey Al Bracco — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:22:46 -0400

To quote Vince Lombardi, "What the hell is going on out here?"

Carefully read between the lines of this quote by Aaron Rodgers after the Cincinnati game: "We need to have a good week of practice. Offensively, our two weeks of practice have been average. We haven't practiced the way we're capable of practicing. Young guys and old guys alike need to focus in a little more in practice and practice like a professional.

"I'm including myself in that sentence, but we're two weeks into the season now and it's time to grow up and be a pro and practice and play like it. Charles Woodson played his butt off today and kept us in the game, but we need to have eleven guys on defense and eleven guys on offense playing and wanting it as badly as Charles does. We have to follow his example."

Maybe Aaron Rodgers should be coaching this team. Or maybe Charles Woodson. Because Mike McCarthy is not getting it done. That's really what Rodgers is saying. Sure, he's putting it on the players shoulders, but who is responsible for the team being focused in practice?

Mike McCarthy is a lousy motivator and does not hold his players accountable. He makes excuses, laments the things that were done wrong, and promises to fix it in practice, but it doesn't happen. We just see more of the same.

This isn't a new complaint from me. I'm not jumping down his throat after one bad loss. I've been saying this since his first season as Packers coach.

Play a horrible game, and you'll "work on it" in practice and be right back in there the next game—no worries about your job. Get called for four penalties and go to sleep that night knowing you'll just be asked to "clean things up."

I'm done with the penalties. I hold you, Mike McCarthy, solely responsible for that mess. The Packers are going to have a third straight penalty-ful (like plentiful) season? It's your fault, Mike. And just accepting blame in your press conferences isn't enough. Where is the discipline on this team?

And now we find out that the Packers' head coach can't even get the players to focus in practice? Players are not acting like professionals in practice? Where is the accountability? What kind of leadership abilities is McCarthy displaying for the players to not take practice seriously?

In fairness, let's give Coach McCarthy a chance to explain. Here is what he had to say about the practices after the Bengals debacle. "But you go through it every year at the beginning of the year. I don't know of how many teams that I've been a part of that just jumped right out of training camp and were having great weeks of practice.

"I thought we practiced better this week than we did last week. I thought the defense has put together two good weeks of practice, solid weeks of practice. The offense has got some work to do and I think it's carrying over to our performance. So, you have new faces, you have different things, guys doing different things during the work week.

"It's a normal progression and we will clean up the problems that we had today, we will clean them up tomorrow and I can promise you we will have a hell of a practice Wednesday."

So Coach McCarthy is saying that all his teams have had lousy practices early in the season and that's normal. Blame it on "different things, guys doing different things during the work week. It's a "normal progression."

Really Coach McCarthy? It's normal for your QB to have to call out his teammates after game two for poor focus in practice? Normal?! Normal?! (Say that to the tune of "playoffs?!")

For a guy that was supposed to be a tough, hard-nosed Pittsburgh guy, when do you see him get in someone's face? The once a year he supposedly gets really angry is not enough for me. Sorry, but I like my coaches "old-school." When is Coach McCarthy going to do something more demonstrative than stand up at press conferences and promise to "get things cleaned up".

If you need a current frame of reference, check out the job Rex Ryan is doing with the NY Jets. He has completely changed the mindset of that team and those players. He is truly the Anti-Mangini (and Anti-McCarthy).

In a recent interview with Mike Vandermuse of the Green Bay Press Gazette, when asked about last season, McCarthy said, “Professionally it was the most frustrated I’ve ever been. Clearly the hardest year I’ve ever been through.”

Well Coach McCarthy, if you don't get this cleaned up fast, last year will start to look like a cakewalk.

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Packers-Bears: Jersey Al "Looks at the Film"

Jersey Al Bracco — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:49:07 -0400

Now that the euphoria over the Packers' exciting win over the Bears has worn off, it's time to take a closer look at this game.

Watching the game live is a great experience, but impressions we develop can be affected by many things. Your own emotions, announcer's comments, too much beer—all of these can taint what you think you're seeing.

As Mike McCarthy will tell you, he doesn't know what the real story is until he "looks at the film." So down to my man cave I went.

I fired up the DVR and the HDTV and spent some quality hours pressing the play, rewind, and slow-motion buttons on the remote.

After re-emerging, I have a question for you all and some observations.

Question: There was one huge play in this game that will be completely overlooked. Yet without this play, the Bears finish the game with 22 points. Can you think of what play I'm referring to? The answer is at the end of this article.

The offensive line seemed a bit disjointed, a bit slow, and often indecisive. While all of the attention was rightly on Alan Barbre, the rest of the offensive line had a disappointing night.

Josh Sitton was probably the best of the bunch, but I spotted him making some bad choices on who to block. That's what happened on the play where Sitton was penalized for holding.

He couldn't decide which of two players to block and by the time he did, the defender was rushing past him. So Sitton did the only thing he could do in order to protect Rodgers—he held.

The Bears defense easily won the line of scrimmage battle, consistently getting a strong push and moving the Packers' OL back.

Of course, this resulted in few clear-cut holes for Ryan Grant to run through. Grant had to make a lot of yards on his own running through people, as he did on his touchdown run.

On that play, there was nowhere to go, as Urlacher stuffed his inside running lane, so Grant bounced it out around Chad Clifton and inside Donald Lee.

Two Bears defenders met him head on in the hole, but he refused to get pushed back and was able to fight through them for the TD.

Do not make the mistake of looking at Grant's 68 yards rushing and saying he didn't do well. Ryan Grant earned every yard he gained in that game.

I also don't want to hear anyone say that Rodgers was "off his game." Anytime a pass he threw was off the mark, it was due to heavy pressure. The long passes that came up short were due to Ogunleye being in his face and Rodgers not being able to step into the ball.

So please, no Rodgers criticisms this week.

As for the safety: Watching the game live, I thought that he could have gotten rid of the ball and I was critical of Rodgers. Playing it back multiple times and in slow motion, I can say I was clearly wrong.

Rodgers doesn't even see the blitzer until he was a few short steps away. His best option was to try to get away. As he was doing that, the receivers were just starting to break off their routes and look back at Rodgers.

There was a split second where Rodgers might have been able to throw the ball safely in front of Jermichael Finley, but Daniel Manning hooked Rodgers' right arm. Rodgers actually did a very smart thing, transferring the ball to his left hand to avoid Manning stripping the ball from him in the end zone.

As well as the Packers' defense played, continuing their preseason turnover spree and playing with aggression, they did relinquish 352 yards of offense.

The problem of course was the big play. The Packers gave up six plays of 20 yards or more, all in the air.

On the plus side, the run defense was outstanding, holding the Bears to a 2.8 yard per carry average. Equally good was the third down defense, stopping the Bears on 11 of 15 third down attempts.

These were both big problems last year, so the marked improvement is more than welcome. But there's still plenty to work on with the secondary and the big plays.

Defensive Line:

Exactly when did Johnny Jolly become a defensive back? They dropped him in coverage a few times and then he sniffs out the screen and makes a diving one-handed interception (Tramon, were you paying attention?).

This is a different Jolly than the one we have known in the past. He was in for over 50 plays, along with Cullen Jenkins, and was still going strong at the end of the game.

The Packers played most of the first half in the nickel, with Jenkins and Jolly as the only two defensive linemen. The second half saw much more three-man fronts, with Pickett at nose tackle.

Linebackers

Brandon Chillar was outstanding. I've watched his sack now at least 20 times and I'm still amazed by the hurdle and how quickly after it he closed in on Cutler.

As for all you Hawk haters and Kampman disbelievers, you'll have to find yourselves some new whipping boys (I believe Poppinga is available). Hawk finally played like a No. 5 draft pick. It seemed like he was involved in every play in some manner.

Whether it was standing up blockers, crashing through the line, pressuring Cutler on blitzes, covering tight ends, or running down Devin Hester on the sideline to stop a possible TD, he was everywhere. He played with aggression, smarts, and ability we haven't seen before.

Mr. Invisible left a huge impression on this game, his best game as a pro that I've seen.

Aaron Kampman was, quite simply, Aaron Kampman. His coverage responsibilities were limited and any time he was asked to cover, the Packers were blitzing other players, making it difficult for Cutler to take advantage of the supposed mismatch of Kampman in coverage.

A perfect example would be Chillar's sack. Kampman was back in coverage on that play.

He looked fine as a linebacker against the run, especially when the ball was run wide to his side, standing up blockers and slowing down Matt Forte until more help arrived.

He was used extensively in the pass rush and was in the Bears' backfield all night. He mostly played like Aaron Kampman, just not from a three point stance.

I would complain about the penalties, but three of them (against Clifton, Matthews, and Harris) were just horrendous calls. The phantom illegal contact on Al Harris might be one of the worst I've seen in 40 years of watching football.

Having said that, it does still seem like the Packers draw penalties at the worst times—when the defense gets a big stop or the offense runs off a big play.

Perhaps the second most amazing play of the night was Bret Swain's tackle on the fake punt. Swain is the outside end on the right side, down in a three point stance. He takes one step in like he's rushing the passer, then stands up.

He immediately sees the fake, hustles down the line of scrimmage behind the scrum, and makes a textbook, wrap-your-arms, linebacker-like tackle just as the ball carrier was breaking through the hole.

If you look back at that play, you will see that there isn't another Packer in sight. If Swain doesn't make that tackle, we're looking at a 30-yard gain and a back-breaking first down for the Bears.

As much as everyone loved Ruvell Martin, Swain has already paid dividends.

Best TV Announcer Moment of the Night:

After the fake punt:

Al Michaels: "Lovie's thrown the challenge flag."

Collinsworth: "Maybe on his own call."

Random Thoughts:

Aaron Rodgers is much more Bart Starr than Brett Favre, and as much as I enjoyed watching Brett Favre, I think that's a really good thing.

DeShawn Wynn couldn't run the ball, couldn't block anyone, and couldn't catch a pass. Did I miss anything?

Answer to the Question Above:

Charles Woodson on the Johnny Knox 68-yard pass. What? Have I lost my mind? No, not at all. If you have the ability to watch it again, you'll see an amazing thing. You'll see Charles Woodson, beaten badly by one of the fastest players in the NFL, refuse to give up.

He could easily have eased up and relinquished the touchdown. But he didn't. By sheer will, he somehow caught up to Knox, dove, and got enough of Knox's left leg to make him take a step out of bounds.

A sure touchdown and seven points were put on hold. A few plays later, Jolly intercepts a pass and the Bears get zero points when they should have had seven. When you win the game by six points, I'd say this was a key moment.

So blame Woodson all you want for getting beat, but also laud him for the amazing play he made to prevent the touchdown.

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Green Bay Packers Vs Chicago Bears: Great Moments From a Classic Rivalry

Jersey Al Bracco — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 08:42:25 -0400

In the very first meeting between the Packers and the Bears in 1921, there was a single moment that would foretell a future of heated battles. Chicago's John (Tarzan) Taylor threw a sucker punch that broke the nose of Packers tackle Howard Buck. It would prove to be the opening salvo in what became a long and tenuous rivalry between Green Bay and Chicago.

7,000 fans at Wrigley field watched the Bears shut out the Packers that day by a score of 20-0. While a mere 200 miles separates these two cities, the differences couldn't be greater. Small town Green Bay vs. big city Chicago. In 1921, Chicago was the second largest city in the country with a population of 2.7 million people. Green Bay was a blue-collar paper mill town with a population of only 31,000 people.

But while the cities' demographics are at opposite ends of the spectrum, they do share a common bond, one of football greatness.

With Curly Lambeau and George Halas steering the ship, these two teams established themselves early on as the standard to aspire to. The Packers have won the most Championships in NFL History (12) and the Bears are second all-time with nine. The Bears have won 17 Division Championships, the Packers 13.

A total of 52 Pro Football Hall of Fame members (28 for the Bears and 24 for the Packers) have played in this rivalry. Names like Bronco Nagurski, Johnny Blood McNally, Red Grange, Don Hutson, Sid Luckman, Bart Starr, Gayle Sayers, Paul Hornung, Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, Walter Payton, Bret Favre.

These two teams epitomized what football should be. As renowned sports author Dick Schaap once said, "If you want to draw a picture of football, you just draw Ray Nitschke's face and Dick Butkus' face. That tells you all you have to know about the game."

Over the 90 years of this rivalry, there have been many moments that helped define this rivalry. Let's take a look at just a few that epitomize what this rivalry is all about..

1924: Ejected for fighting: The first time players were ever ejected from an NFL game for fighting was naturally during a Packers-Bears game. Bears end Frank Hanny and Packers end Walter Voss were tossed from the game before the end of the first half, as verbal sparring led to fisticuffs. Hanny would be ejected from a Bears-Packers game once again in 1926 and the pattern of nastiness had been established.

1941: WWII can't stop the rivalry: Exactly seven days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Packers and Bears met in the first and only playoff meeting between these two teams. In a time when the country was devastated by the advent of World War II, an overflow crowd of more than 43,000 fans came to Wrigley Field to watch the Bears defeat the Packers 33-14. The following week, when the Bears hosted the NY Giants in the NFL Championship game, only 13,000 fans showed up to see them win their fourth title.

1964: The Free Kick Game: Vince Lombardi's Packers were the first team to ever invoke the "fair catch free kick" rule. After Elijah Pitts fair caught a punt on the Packers 48 yard line just before halftime, Vince Lombardi informed the referees that they would be trying a free kick. There was confusion among all. Neither team had ever seen it before or practiced it.

The Packers lined up on the line of scrimmage with Bart Starr holding the ball. Paul Hornung stepped up and made the 52-yard field goal as the half ended. Everyone was shocked and the Bears were embarrassed as the Packers went on to win 23-12. Lombardi said after the game it was probably a "once in a lifetime" occurrence. He was proven wrong, however, as the Bears would return the favor 4 years later, beating the Packers on the free kick.

1980: Chester Marcol's freak touchdown: This is one of the most memorable plays in NFL History. The Packers and the Bears were tied at 6-6 in overtime. A 32-yard pass from Lynn Dickey to James Lofton helped set up a game-winning field goal attempt by Packers' kicker Chester Marcol. The Bears’ Alan Page managed to break through a block the field goal, with the football hitting his helmet. While it wasn’t immediately clear to the players what had happened, Marcol grabbed rebound off Page’s helmet and ran around the pile for a touchdown and the win.

1986: The Charles Martin Hit List: Packers defensive tackle Charles Martin wore a towel with numbers of specific Bears players he planned to "get" Walter Payton and Jim McMahon topped the list. AFVter a McMahon interception, as he was looking to walk off the field, Martin came up behind McMahon and body-slammed him to the turf. McMahon's shoulder was separated and he was lost for the season.

Martin was suspended for two games, at the time the longest suspension in NFL history for an on-field incident. The Bears still finished the season 14-2, but were upset in the playoffs leaving many Bears fans wondering what might have been if the Bears still had McMahon. If Martin was sorry for his actions, he took it to his grave, as he never apologized for the incident. To Bears fans, Martin is surely one of the most hated Packers of all time.

1989: The Instant Replay game: I can hear Bears fans groaning right now. Trailing 13-6 very late in the game, Packers quarterback Don Majowski is leading the Packers downfield. After advancing to a first and goal from the seven, Majik threw two incompletions and was sacked for a loss. With 40 seconds left and a fourth and goal from the fourteen, Majkowski scrambled out of the pocket and threw a TD pass to Sterling Sharpe. But an official threw a flag on the play, claiming Majkowski had stepped over the line of scrimmage.

Packers coach Lindy Infante challenged the call and after a deliberation of over four minutes, the replay official overturned the call and allowed the TD. Packers win 14-13. Of course Bears fans are still angry over this, but the Packers and their fans were elated. It was their first win over the Bears after eight straight losses.

1995: Favre ironman act continues: The Packers entered the game trailing the Bears by one game in the standings. A win would put them in a tie and give them a sweep of the season series. QB Brett Farve’s status for the game was doubtful due to a sprained ankle. He had not practiced all week, but started the game and went on to have a classic Brett Favre game. He completed 25 of 33 passes for 336 yards and five touchdown passes as the Packers won the game 35-28.

This game was a key turning point for the Packers of the late 90s. Just 5-4 coming into the game, this win started the Packers on a streak of winning six out of their last seven games to win the Division Title with an 11-5 record. They would make it to the NFC Conference Championship game that season and to the Super Bowl the next two seasons. This was the game that put Green Bay on the winning track and sent the Bears in the opposite direction.

Of course, there have been many more great moments in Packers-Bears history. There have been better played games and even more important games than those listed here. But these were chosen for the effect they had on building and intensifying the rivalry that is Packers-Bears.

And one shouldn't mistake rivalries for matchups. True rivalries take a long time to develop. In most cases, geography and defending ones turf was a motivating factor. As we have become more national in focus, regional rivalries have become less important. Certainly, nobody can say that Packers vs. Bears means as much today as it did earlier in the century, or even as recently as the Nineties. But reveling in the history of this classic rivalry can only help.

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You will find my prediction for the upcoming Packers - Bears game ON THIS PAGE

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Green Bay Packers 2009 Cuts: Ted Thompson Rocks the Roster

Jersey Al Bracco — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:40:07 -0400

In the never-ending irony that is the NFL to the real world, Labor Day weekend has brought unemployment to a host of football players throughout the country.

On this weekend that we celebrate the American worker, the Green Bay Packers sent 22 players to the unemployment line. Some may resurface on other teams or on the practice squad, but others will be looking for a new line of work.

First lets look at the Packers' moves:

Released Saturday:

Quarterback Brian Brohm - This really is a different Ted Thompson we are seeing, isn't it? Starting with his trading up in the draft to take Clay Matthews to more quickly acknowledging mistakes, he seems to have a greater sense of urgency this year (if that phrase even makes sense in the context of describing Ted Thompson).

I had gotten really sick of hearing people say how it was too soon to give up on Brohm and defending his arm over Matt Flynn's. Brohm cannot complete a pass over 10 yards. Brohm is just a bad quarterback. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...

Having said all this, if Brohm clears waivers, I do think he will be brought back to the practice squad, mostly because he knows the offense.

Safety Anthony Smith - For most people, this was the shocker. Capers just last week indicated he was competing for the starting job with Bigby and now he's gone. There had to be more to this than just on-the-field performance. Rumors are swirling of attitude issues and not wanting to play special teams. The new acquisition of Derrick Martin from the Ravens sealed his fate.

Wide receiver Ruvell Martin - Certainly a surprise, but his main strength has always been blocking downfield. Despite having good size, the Packers didn't often utilize Martin in the Red Zone, and now with Jermichael Finley laying claim to that piece of real estate, keeping the more versatile Swain makes sense.

Running back Kregg Lumpkin - Alas, my favorite Packer running back is gone. When the Packers decided to keep 3 fullbacks, his fate was certainly sealed. He has a good chance to get picked up by another team.

Running back Tyrell Sutton - Another real surprise, but again, keeping three fullbacks for their special teams play and Sutton's own lack of special teams prowess got him sacked. Now, I do think the Packers hope to bring him back to the practice squad. I also think that by releasing Lumpkin at the same time, they hope that Lumpkin draws the attention of other teams and they leave Sutton alone.

Wide receiver Jake Allen - never had a chance.

Wide receiver Kole Heckendorf - A Wisconsin native, he was the surprise WR in camp. I thought it would be Jaron Harris, but Heckendorf outlasted him. Definite practice squad possibility.

Guard/tackle Andrew Hartline - I predicted that an undrafted free agent offensive lineman would make the team, I just picked the wrong one. I thought Hartline would be the guy, but the choice was Evan Dietrich-Smith.

Dietrich-Smith's experience in having played every OL position in college surely was a big factor, but Hartline just never seemed to distinguish himself in camp. He held his own, but didn't impress and the Packers have too many guards already.

Tackle Jamon Meredith - Drafted as the possible LT of the future, I think the Packers discovered Meredith to be a far bigger project than expected. They are probably hoping other teams see that as well and let the Packers slip him onto the practice squad.

Linebacker Cyril Obiozor - This was a tough one. He is nowhere near being ready, but he has the perfect size and demeanor to be a good OLB in the NFL. Much patience will be required and with the Packers depth at LB, there was just no room. Word is that other teams are interested, so he may done with the Packers.

Tackle Dane Randolph - Randolph is a really good guy, hard worker, just too green and too inconsistent.

Nose tackle Dean Muhtadi - He was 4th on the nose tackle depth chart and the first one let go. No surprise.

Defensive end Ronald Talley - A project, but the Packers coaches like Talley and will certainly look to add him to the practice squad.

Nose tackle Anthony Toribio - He is the potential nose tackle insurance if something happens to Pickett or Raji. Practice squad for sure.

Defensive end Alfred Malone - Never had much of a chance. Not skilled enough, just a big body.

Linebacker Danny Lansanah - Good guy, good player, just not good enough.

Cornerback Joe Porter - Fastest player on the team, good run defender but not so good in coverage. Underwood has more upside, so he sticks.

Cornerback Trevor Ford - Was just a camp body. Would have been cut sooner if not for the injuries in the secondary and the resting of Woodson and Harris.

Trade:

Packers trade OL Tony Moll to the Baltimore Ravens for safety/cornerback Derrick Martin

A real WIN for Ted Thompson. Getting a usable player back for a guy that was going to get cut anyway is always a good thing. Martin has been a cornerback and just this preseason made the switch to safety.

The Ravens were stacked in the secondary and it became a numbers game for him. Just recently, Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh had this to say about Martin:

"The thing about Derrick Martin that’s interesting is, he’s always the same," Harbaugh said. "Derrick Martin comes out and plays well in every single practice. Then, he lines up in a game and plays well in every single game.

"He plays extremely fast. He’s made the transition from corner to safety. So, he can play both. Derrick Martin is a valuable piece to that secondary. He’s a guy that’s in the mix to make our roster, and he’s earned that. It’s going to be interesting to see how it shakes out, but I think Derrick Martin has played his way, pretty potentially, onto this football team.”

In the end it didn't work out for Martin in Baltimore, but his acquisition meant the Packers could cut Anthony Smith. Reportedly the Packers have been eyeing Martin for a while and like him better than Smith. Martin is a special teams gunner and can play cornerback or safety. Overall, he seems to offer more value than Smith.

Placed on Injured Reserve:

Defensive end Justin Harrell
Cornerback Pat Lee
Tight end Evan Moore
Safety Charlie Peprah

No surprises here. Harrell and Lee are annual members of the IR club. Peprah will probably get an injury settlement and be let go.

Green Bay Packers 2009 roster as of Sunday Sep 9th (pending more moves)

Quarterbacks (2): Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn.
Halfbacks (3): Ryan Grant, Brandon Jackson, DeShawn Wynn.
Fullbacks (3): Korey Hall, John Kuhn, Quinn Johnson.
Receivers (5): Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Brett Swain.
Tight ends (3): Donald Lee, Jermichael Finley, Spencer Havner.
Offensive linemen (9): Chad Clifton, Daryn Colledge, Jason Spitz, Josh Sitton, Allen Barbre, Scott Wells, T.J. Lang, Breno Giacomini, Evan Dietrich-Smith.
Defensive linemen (6): Johnny Jolly, Ryan Pickett, Cullen Jenkins, B.J. Raji, Jarius Wynn, Michael Montgomery.
Linebackers (9): A.J. Hawk, Brady Poppinga, Nick Barnett, Aaron Kampman, Clay Matthews, Brandon Chillar, Desmond Bishop, Brad Jones, Jeremy Thompson.
Defensive backs (10): Atari Bigby, Charles Woodson, Al Harris, Nick Collins, Jarrett Bush, Will Blackmon, Brandon Underwood, Aaron Rouse, Tramon Williams, Derrick Martin.
Specialists (3): Mason Crosby, Jeremy Kapinos, Brett Goode.

Some quick comments:

The Packers will look to carry a QB on the practice squad. Brohm will be taken back if he's not claimed. Could this be the opportunity for a veteran signing (like Jeff Garcia)?

Three Fullbacks: It was essentially an impossible decision to pick one to let go, so the Packers decided to keep them all and only carry 2 QBs and 3 RBs. Considering Kuhn and Hall's special teams contributions and Johnson's potential bright future, I'm fine with keeping all three.

Offensive Line: Giacomini probably doesn't deserve to be there, but with the trade of Tony Moll, the Packers are thin in the tackle department. It has been sugggested by several Packers writers and bloggers that the Packers may look to bring back Mark Tauscher (if healthy) after all.

Defensive Line: I wish the Packers had a better option for that last backup spot than Michael Montgomery, but alas they don't. Vonnie Holliday was just signed by Denver, so that possibilty is over. This could be a position where the Packers may look to claim a late camp cut from another team. Someone who is a more prototypical 3-4 DE than Montgomery.

I'm sure there is still some tweaking to be done, as Ted Thompson is certainly scouring the waiver wire right now looking for ways to improve the roster. The next few days will likely bring a few more changes. What do you think they could be?

You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

The Green Bay Packers' Turk Says: Whack DeShawn Wynn, Leave Kregg Lumpkin

Jersey Al Bracco — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:35:26 -0400

This is my final plea.

I am writing this on the eve of the final NFL roster cuts. By 4PM ET on Saturday, 22 Packers will be off the team. Some will return via the practice squad. Some will be picked up by other teams. Maybe some will be traded and some will take that long drive home to Realityville.

But there's one guy that shouldn't be doing any of those things. One guy that I think would be the perfect No. 2 running back on the Packers. Kregg Lumpkin. OK, you can stop rolling your eyes. Sure you've heard this from me before. But hey, I really believe it.

And yet, it seems that everyone is in love with DeShawn Wynn and has Lumpkin gone. Why? What do you all see that I don't?

Both Lumpkin and Wynn have had their injury problems, so lets throw that out. Is he a better receiver that Lumpkin? NO. Is he a better blocker than Lumpkin? YES. Is he a better runner than Lumpkin? NO.

Oh, you don't believe that last one? We'll to me, a good running back is one that gains yards when he has the ball. Lets look at some facts:

In the 2008 preseason, Lumpkin was the Packers leading rusher (38 carries, 153 yards, 4.0-yard average, one touchdown) and also added seven receptions for 59 yards and another TD. DeShawn Wynn was CUT by the Packers in favor of: Kregg Lumpkin.

In this preseason, lets look at these numbers:

Wynn, 17 carries, 49 yards, 2.8 YPC
Lumpkin, 27 carries, 95 yards, 3.8 YPC
Sutton, 40 carries, 191 yards, 4.8 YPC

Obviously, Sutton deserves to make the team. But getting down to that last RB spot (and like Brian Carriveau at Railbird Central, I think the Packers may keep four), Lumpkin offers much more. Lumpkin has moves, picks a hole quickly and is able to bounce outside if needed. Wynn just plods forward.

Watching tape of the Tennessee game, I often spotted Wynn not following his lead blocker, and instead, "running to darkness." Yes, he had six carries for 11 yards in that game. Watching that same tape, you'll see Kregg Lumpkin with some great moves and "running to daylight". He had 9 carries for 34 yards and a touchdown.

All I've heard this preseason is how Lumpkin hasn't show anything. Well what has Wynn shown? Somebody PLEASE tell me.

One of the few allies I have in this area is fellow Packers blogger D. D. Driver, who is on record as saying "BTW, I am a Wynn hater. I don’t know what it is about the guy. I think it is the cult that has somehow grown up around him that see him as some sort of superstar in the making that just drives be batty."

Now, I don't know how he feels about Lumpkin, but it's obvious he doesn't get the Wynn hype, as I don't. More surprising to me is a late change of heart shown by Greg Bedard, a Packers beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Greg has had little good to say about Lumpkin, yet in his last projected 53-man roster, he has Wynn gone and Lumpkin in. Bedard also points out Wynn's "plodding" style and Lumpkin's ability to always gain positive yardage.

Now if the Packers only keep three running backs and both Wynn and Lumpkin are out, so be it. But if it comes down to a choice for a roster spot between Lumpkin and Wynn, you know where I stand.

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Packers vs. Cardinals: 2009 Preseason Game Three Winners and Losers

Jersey Al Bracco — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:43:27 -0400

Last week I spoke of tempering my excitement and keeping things at a “McCarthy-like” even keel. Well, after whipping the Super Bowl runner-up Arizona Cardinals in the first half to the tune of 38-10, that’s pretty darn hard to do. But I’m still going to try. So once again, let’s take a calm, rational look at this past week’s winners and losers.

Winners:

Jeremy Kapinos: With his only camp competition (Durant Brooks) sidelined with a hip-flexor injury, Kapinos went into preseason game three as the Packers No. 1 punter. Kapinos had two punting opportunities in the game (thanks to the Brian Brohm-led second team offense) and did well. His punts covered 52 and 56 yards, respectively, with good hang time.

While many people, (including myself) have been writing that the Packers would be scanning the waiver wire after the final team cuts for another punter, perhaps that was never an option.

Here’s what Mike McCarthy had to say in a Sunday press conference when asked if Jeremy Kapinos had won the punting job, “Kapinos has the ball. It’s his responsibility to keep it. He’s battled through this competition. I thought he kicked well in the game.

"I have no interest in going through what we went through last year. We’ll learn from that experience, and I think it’s a great opportunity that he’s handled very well so far.”

The key phrase in there, of course, is the “I have no interest in going through what we went through last year.” That is an obvious reference to last preseason when the Packers cut punter Jon Ryan and brought in Derrick Frost with disastrous results. So it sounds like McCarthy is happy enough with Kapinos to award him the punting job.

While I am a huge believer that winning the field position battle leads to winning in general, if the Green Bay offense is really as good as they’ve shown, then I’m fine with Jeremy Kapinos. The Packers won’t be using him that much, anyway.

Brian Brohm: Nobody has been a bigger critic of Brian Brohm than this writer. While I still don’t think he’ll ever be more than a backup QB in the NFL, I have to give some credit where credit is due. Brohm has actually shown some signs of improvement over the first three preseason games.

In those three games, his QB rating has improved from 0 to 51 to 104.2. Now, I still don’t think he has an accurate enough arm to be successful in the NFL, even if he does get his head straightened out.

I still think that comparatively, Matt Flynn was a steal as a seventh round draft pick. And I still want the Packers to get an experienced backup QB on their roster (as I have ranted about before).

But if there’s one thing I strive for, it’s to be fair. Last week I put Brian Brohm on my ‘winners” list as a bit of a joke, noting how he had improved from a 0 rating to a 51 rating. But this week, I actually mean it. I’m taking him off the “favorite whipping boy” list - at least for this week.

Aaron Rodgers: Duh. OK, so this is an obvious choice, but let me explain. Rodgers makes my list not for his TDs, not for his leadership and not for the results—THOSE are obvious. Rodgers is making my winners list for two less-obvious reasons.

In analyzing Aaron Rodgers play last year, there were three things I thought he needed to improve on. The first one was leadership on the field—and Rodgers showed me that was taken care of in the first two preseason games. The other two things were footwork in the pocket and accuracy on deep passes.

Too often last year, Rodgers took sacks that could have been avoided. He would often turn right into the path of a rusher. Other times, he seemingly couldn’t decide what to do and got "frozen” in the pocket as it collapsed around him. The Aaron Rodgers we saw against the Cardinals looked like a completely different player.

He did an absolutely fantastic job of moving in the pocket and avoiding rushers, all while still going through his progressions. On the long pass to Driver, a fast-rushing Cardinal defender had him dead to rights, but a quick side-step in the right direction avoided the sack and gave him time to hit Driver down the field.

Speaking of the long completion to Donald Driver, that brings me to my third Rodgers observation. There was really only one pass that Aaron Rodgers had trouble throwing last season—the bomb. His long passes did not have enough air under them, consequently, he under-threw some wide-open receivers and made it easier for DBs to break up some of those passes.

His pass to Driver had plenty of height, allowing Driver to shield the defender from the ball with his body, letting the ball to drop safely into his hands. On the touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson, there was no defender to worry about.

In the past, Rodgers might have under-thrown Nelson, allowing the DB to get back into the play. Last night, he led him perfectly. Nelson never had to break stride, resulting in the easy touchdown.

Charles Woodson: Triple Duh. In my opinion, the individual star of the game. Yes, even over Aaron Rodgers. For the last year, whenever I was asked who the Packer’s best defensive player was, I always answered Charles Woodson.

For the past month, whenever I was asked by some fan which Packer defender they should take for their fantasy football team, I have always answered Charles Woodson.

And let me say this one final time: Charles Woodson is NOT “getting old”. I have seen this written multiple times by bloggers and professional sportswriters alike. Charles Woodson has played 11 seasons in the NFL and is 32-years old. He is an incredible athlete, keeps himself in outstanding shape and has shown NO signs of a drop-off.

If anything, he seems to be getting better. Charles Woodson can easily play another 4-5 years at a very high level and probably a few more years after that, if he chooses. So the next guy who writes about how Woodson is not getting any younger and we need to have a replacement for him ready—well, they will feel my wrath.

Losers:

Ruvell Martin: OK, so this really isn’t very fair, but hey, it wasn’t easy finding “losers” in this game. Martin was pressed into holding for field goal attempts and was pretty awful at it. In his defense, he is only the “emergency” holder, but I think the Packers need to look elsewhere in case of emergency.

Martin also was guilty of a mistake near the end of the game, but it’s one you can almost forgive. He recovered the Cardinals onside kick, saw a lane to the goal line and ran it in for a touchdown. A natural reaction, for sure, but the right play would have been to fall on the ball.

By scoring the TD, Martin gave the Cardinals the ball back with an opportunity to go win the game. Falling on the ball would allow the Packers to just run out the clock to win the game. Lets just say I’m glad it happened in preseason.

A.J. Hawk: He is the Packers international man of mystery. Against the Cardinals, he was the invisible man. Looking at the game stat sheet, other than being listed as a starting ILB, Hawk’s name is nowhere to be found. No tackles, no assists, no passes defended, no special teams notes. He did play, didn’t he?

Twenty-five different players are listed on the Packers defensive stat sheet as having accomplished something ( at least an assisted tackle). Hawk’s name is not among them. Desmond Bishop led the team with 8 tackles.

I don’t have the game to go replay. So maybe I missed something. Maybe he got hurt, but then again, he wasn’t listed in the post game injuries. Maybe he was just rested a lot. Maybe he was semi-benched. If anyone out there knows what happened, please let me know. It’s a mystery to me.

The rest of the NFC North: Ignoring the Detroit Lions (for this season, at least), what do you think the Bears and Vikings were thinking as they gathered around their TVs Friday night? I

’m sure they were curious to see what all the fuss was about with the Packers. After all, this team was 6-10 last year, right? So what do you think was going through their minds as they watched Aaron Rodgers and the Packers first team offense embarrass the Super Bowl runner-up Cardinals?

After seeing the Packers put up 38 points by halftime, surely only two words entered their minds: Oh s***!

You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Vikings' Favre Will Divide, Packers Will Conquer

Jersey Al Bracco — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:00:19 -0400

It has started already.

The rumblings out of Minnesota. A team divided. A "schism" it's being called.

In the words of one Brett Favre has liitle support in Vikings Locker Room">NFL source, Favre has "little support" in the locker room.

Ah, it's music to my ears.

Like Napoleon Bonaparte, the self-proclaimed emperor of France that didn't know when to stop, has Brett Favre gone too far and agitated his own Minnesota minions?

There are many players in the Viking locker room that don't want Favre there. Some resent his riding in on his white horse to seemingly "rescue" the Vikings. "We didn't need rescuing" is the sentiment.

Some resent the special treatment he has received from the Vikings organization and Brad Childress.

What self-respecting NFL coach drives to the airport to pick up a player? None. Except for Brad Childress.

Some are just buddies of Tarvaris Jackson and are incensed at the raw deal he has received. All T-Jack wanted was a fair fight between him and Sage Rosenfels. That scenario is officially dead.

And some are in Rosenfels' corner. They felt he could bring the consistency that T-Jack lacks.

After all, the Vikings did pretty well when unspectacular, but steady Gus Frerotte was at the helm last year. Why not give Sage a chance? That possibility is also dead.

As Abe Lincoln said (borrowed from the new testament, I believe), "A house divided against itself cannot stand."

Will Favre turn the Minnesota Vikings into "Team Turmoil?" It really only depends on one thing—how well he plays. If he is able to play at a high level and lead the Vikings to some wins, most likely all will be forgotten.

I happen to be one Packer fan that still believes he can play and if healthy, he will help the Vikings. But I don't regret the Packers' decision to go with Aaron Rodgers. That decision is looking better every day.

But if Favre playing well doesn't come to pass, resentment will linger, the "schism" will get larger, and the Vikings divided "house" and season will come tumbling down.

Like the egomaniacal emperor Napoleon, Brett Favre has recorded many victories and conquered many hardships. But will going to Minnesota be his Waterloo and mark the end of his reign as emperor of the NFL?

If so, then perhaps the Packers will conquer the NFC North. As a Packer fan, it's what I have to hope for.

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Packers Vs. Bills: Preseason Game Two Winners and Losers

Jersey Al Bracco — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:12:50 -0400

While many euphoric Packers fans already have the team going to the Super Bowl based only on two preseason games, I am trying to keep a level head. There are some great signs, to be sure, but let's not assume anything. Just ask the 0-16 Lions that were 4-0 in preseason last year.

So, in the spirit of keeping things at a "McCarthy-like" even keel, let's take a calm, rational look at this past week's winners and losers.

Winners:

The "Ones": The No. 1 defense forced three turnovers in four Buffalo drives, and the No. 1 offense scored three touchdowns in four possessions. But before anyone gets overly exuberant, let's watch this week's game against the Arizona Cardinals. If the Packers "Ones" repeat their dominant play, then I'll personally jump to the front of the bandwagon.

Aaron Rodgers: He finished 8-of-9 for 98 yards and two TD passes for a gaudy 151.6 quarterback rating. Rodgers completed passes to six different receivers and hasn't been sacked or even knocked down yet in preseason. That's a wonderful thing to see, as holding on to the ball too long was one of the few things you could justly criticize Rodgers for last season.

Jermichael Finley: "A completely different person and player this year" is how Mike McCarthy has described him. It is showing with remarkable results on the field.

While we all have witnessed his athleticism and pass-catching ability, he has worked hard on his attitude, blocking, and route running. The results so far have been impressive.

Along with the reliable Donald Lee, when the Packers go to a two tight end formation, there are more options that the defense has to worry about. In this game, the Packers went with two tight ends on 13 of the first 23 plays, when the "ones" were in the game.

Johnny Jolly: Despite seeing limited action due to an ongoing ankle injury, Jolly recorded two sacks and a forced fumble in just 12 plays from scrimmage. What will he do when his ankle is OK?

Jolly is another guy that looks like a completely different player out there. I have been critical of Jolly in the past for taking too many plays off. Let's hope he has found himself in this, his fourth NFL season.

Desmond "The Destroyer" Bishop: If you ever run into Desmond Bishop, just step out of his way. Packer fans have seen flashes of Desmond Bishop's talent the last two seasons, but there were also a plethora of mental mistakes to offset the big plays.

As he starts his third season, it seems his mental game has caught up with his physical game. He has made an inarguable case for more playing time at linebacker, in addition to his role on special teams. I see a nice four-man ILB rotation developing between Hawk, Barnett Bishop, and Chillar, with Bishop earning more time as the season progresses.

Tyrell Sutton: In my mind, I think he has already made the team. The Packers' coaches like the different look he presents to defenses. Sutton seems very comfortable with the zone blocking scheme, picks his holes quickly, and seems to always be getting positive yardage. He's one of those guys that doesn't fit your perfect mold for a running back, but he just makes plays.

Brian Brohm: Hey, he improved his quarterback rating from 0 to 51 in just one week. What's not to like about that, right?

Losers:

Kregg Lumpkin: Besides the rantings of some lunatic blogger (yours truly) that insisted Lumpkin could be the Packers best running back, he has shown little this preseason.

Yet prior to the Buffalo game, he was listed as third on the depth chart at RB, ahead of Deshawn Wynn. That would probably be surprising to many Packers fans, but not to me. I think the Packers' coaches see a lot of things they like in Kregg Lumpkin. Unfortunately, he had an awful day against Buffalo. He better turn it around next week or the practice squad will be looming.

Breno Giacomini: Anytime you let your opponent sack your quarterback, and it results in your quarterback getting hurt, you wear the big L on your forehead.

After the game, Coach McCarthy stated that he will look at the OL closely on film. He hopes to pick his starting offensive line before Friday's game against the Cardinals and let them play together for three quarters. Once he sees the films, look for McCarthy to name Alan Barbe as the starter.

Jeremy Kapinos: Is there anyone on this team with less apparent competition in camp that has such an insecure grip on a job? The Packers worked out four punters during the week before the Cleveland game but kept none of them.

Durant Brooks was scratched for the Buffalo game with a hip flexor injury. Kapinos is the No. 1 punter on the depth chart. And yet, the odds are pretty good that the Packers' punter in 2009 is probably on someone else's roster right now.

Of course, if the offense continues to play like it did against the Bills, who needs a punter, anyway? I'm just being facetious there; I happen to be a big believer that winning the field position battle leads to consistent success in the NFL. I've watched the Giants do it for years.

Bob Sanders: There was a mini-reunion after the game between some of the Packers players and former Packer defensive coordinator and current Buffalo defensive line coach Bob Sanders. There were smiles and hugs everywhere, and all the right things were said.

Yet one has to feel sorry for Bob Sanders. If Dom Capers' amazing transformation of the Packers' defense continues, with basically the same players Bob Sanders had, then what picture does that paint of Bob Sanders? How about a loser with a "kick me" sign on his back. I'm not saying it's right, just that it will happen. Even though he deserves better, many Packer fans will turn Bob Sanders into the second-most disrespected ex-Packer still in the NFL.

You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Green Bay Packers Defense: Training Camp Improvements to Wish For

Jersey Al Bracco — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:32:17 -0400

As the Packers’ 2009 training camp continues, here are the developments I want to see on the defensive side of the ball by the time the Packers break camp.

Developments I want to see on Defense:

Lets hope the “new look” defense is ready for game one

I started writing this article a few days before the first preseason game. When I wrote “game one, I was referring to the first game of the regular season. Little did I know, the defense would be ready by the first preseason game—a shutout!

But seriously, I’m not reading anything into this first game against the awful Browns, other than our reserve DBs and LBs played well.

Getting back to my point, if the Packers are to have a winning season, it’s imperative the new defense is humming and ready to go to start the season. The way the Packers’ schedule shakes out, the early games are where the wins will be there for the taking.

The Packers’ first six games are against Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Minnesota, Detroit and Cleveland. Even if we give the Packers a loss to one of their division rivals, that’s still 5 games they should put in the win column. But only if the defense is ready.

I’ve seen this scenario before, firsthand. In 2006, the Packers had fired Mike Sherman and brought in a new coaching staff headed by Mike McCarthy.

The opening game of the season was against Chicago, and it happened to be my first ever visit to Lambeau Field. Unfortunately, my day was ruined as the Packers were a disorganized mess.

Nobody was on the same page, there were missed assignments galore and it seemed like on every play there was a Bear receiver open by ten yards. I’ll swear on anything you like,; that day, they made Rex Grossman look like Joe Montana. The final score was 26-0, but it could have easily been much worse.

In any case, my point is that the Packers’ coaches simply had done a poor job getting the team ready for the start of the season. In fact, it took the better part of the season that year before the Packers started to look like a football team.

With a new defensive staff and scheme in 2009, the Packers can’t afford to repeat that mistake. The good news is that Dom Capers is not Bob Sanders. Capers’ track record of successful defensive turnarounds has me feeling confident he will get the job done in time for the season opener against Chicago.

The Packers find more defensive line depth

HELP! Even before training camp started, I considered this to be an area of concern for the Packers. The potential DL backups are Johnny Jolly, Justin Harrell, Mike Montgomery, Alfred Malone, Dean Muhtadi, Anthony Toribio and sixth-round draft pick Jarius Wynn. There isn’t one name on that list that makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

Now that we are two weeks into training camp, it’s a BIG concern. Projected starter BJ Raji is just getting into camp, Justin Harrell is again trapped in his injury hell and Johnny Jolly (who takes too many plays off for my liking, anyway) is a bit banged up.

The only bright spot on the line is Cullen Jenkins looking like his old self while coming back from his injury. Ryan Pickett is a solid player and is now surely the starter at nose tackle.

Having watched a lot of the New York Giants defense for the last few years, what makes them so good is the depth they have on the defensive line. They can run reserves out onto the field that are fresh and almost as talented as their starters.

Opposing offensive linemen have to deal with a seemingly never-ending string of big, nasty defensive linemen coming at them. It wears the offensive linemen out and saps them of some of their strength as the game progresses.

This is a major reason why the Giants’ defense is able to shut down opposing offenses late in games.

In my opinion, the Packers could really use another veteran on the DL to provide some depth. Ebenezer Ekuban, Kevin Carter, Vonnie Holliday and others are still out there and unsigned. Shouldn’t we have brought one of those players in instead of signing Stryker Sulak? Sure, it would have cost some money, but isn’t there a bigger need at DL than there is at outside linebacker?

Al Harris moves to nickel back

Let me make this perfectly clear, I have nothing against Al Harris. This is really more about Tramon Williams than it is about Al Harris. While Al Harris may have lost a step and isn’t the greatest tackler, he is still in the top 20 percent of cornerbacks around the league.

If the Packers break camp with Harris at the nickel, that means Williams had a GREAT camp and the coaches feel he is ready for NFL stardom. I’m looking for Tramon to take that next big step and show us that the flashes of good play we’ve seen were just a preview of greater things to come.

Admittedly, this is a long shot. Deposing Al Harris would be no small feat, and the Packers coaches would surely be reluctant to make the move. Another factor is that Williams is probably better suited to the nickel position than Harris is. But who’s to say that in nickel situations, the Packers don’t bring Harris in to play corner and move Williams to nickel? Is that the type of move an NFL head coach would make? I personally don’t know the answer to that question, but if any readers do, please leave a comment and enlighten us. Regardless, my simple wish is to get Tramon Williams on the field for every defensive down.

Aaron Kampman

By the end of training camp, I would just like to see Aaron Kampman be one thing: Comfortable. If Kampman is able to grasp the responsibilities of his new position well enough to be able to play without having to over-think, then he will be just fine. Will he become a great cover linebacker? Probably not. Can he become a great rushing linebacker and an above-average all-around linebacker? Probably yes.

I trust Dom Capers to use Kampman in the best way and maximize his effectiveness. He will surely attempt to limit the game situations when Kampman will be called upon to cover one-on-one. Kampman will be protected by schemes in which he will get help from corners or safeties. And you can expect Kampman to be turned loose in passing situations, often in sub packages, where he will play as an end in a three-point stance.

I also trust that Capers and Kevin Greene have gotten Kampman to “buy-in” to the change and have worked tirelessly to make him feel good about it. To Kampman’s credit, he has been a model student. Kampman has spent a great deal of time in Green Bay since Capers and his crew were hired. He has studied the playbook extensively and worked one-on-one with Greene for much of the off-season.

Now that training camp is underway, I mainly want to see Kampman become comfortable with the schemes and know what his responsibilities are in each situation. If he has that part mastered, I’m confidant his ability will take care of the rest.

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Check back for the next installment when I will cover some remaining miscellaneous topics. You can also read the previous installments on the kicking game and the offense.

You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can also follow Jersey Al on twitter (when it's not being hacked).

Green Bay Packers Offense: Training Camp Improvements to Wish For

Jersey Al Bracco — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:44:49 -0400

As the Packers’ 2009 training camp begins, here are the developments I want to see on the offensive side of the ball by the time the Packers break camp.

Developments I want to see on Offense:

Quinn Johnson wins at least a portion of the fullback job: For the Packers offense to be successful, the running game has to improve, especially the power running game. Protecting a lead late in games was a key failure point for the Packers last year.

The ability to grind out the tough yards late in games is a demoralizing dagger to your opponent. A power fullback leading those runs is just that much better. John Kuhn and Korey Hall have done an adequate job as blockers, but neither one would scare me. Quinn Johnson, however, is big, powerful, and would definitely put a little fear in me.

Johnson caught the eye of Packers scouts, leading to his selection by the Packers in the fifth round.

Says head coach Mike McCarthy, “Quinn, when you watch him play at LSU, when he hits you, he keeps moving forward. He definitely has that lead blocking ability that you’re definitely looking for in tight situations, whether it be short-yardage, goal-line, or first and second down, getting up and leading on those linebackers.”

So, I’m looking for the Mighty Quinn to live up to the hype (sounds weird for a 5th round draft pick, I know). If he is half of what he has been made out to be in the Packers Blogosphere, then we should be able to lessen the three-and-outs and keep those lead-keeping, time-eating late drives going.

Running Backs: Kregg Lumpkin makes the roster. OK, so this is blatantly self-serving, being that I wrote an article making the outlandish declaration that he is the best running back on the team.

But putting that aside, Lumpkin is a power runner like Ryan Grant, but with better vision and moves. He can make defenders miss, doesn’t run into his blockers (unlike Grant) and can push the pile when a hole isn’t there.

As Tom Pelissero of the Green Bay Press Gazette recently wrote “RB Kregg Lumpkin is the picture of form…he gets low while also keeping the ball high…” He is also a very good receiver, something else “Hands of Stone” Grant is not.

Lumpkin was the No. 2 running back prospect in the nation coming out of high school (some guy named Reggie Bush was No. 1). But his career since then has been a major disappointment because of inconsistency and the fact that he simply cannot stay healthy.

Competition for the last running back spot is fierce, with DeShawn Wynn and Tyrell Sutton also looking good. For Lumpkin to win the job, that would mean that he has finally put it all together. If that were to happen, the Packers would reap the rewards of having unearthed a real “hidden gem.” That’s what I’m hoping for.

Aaron Rodgers as a leader: Few will dispute that Aaron Rodgers did a fine job in his first year replacing the Packers’ legendary QB, (he whose name we do not speak.) The only criticism you could render would be in the execution of the two-minute offense. But replacing a legend might be one of the most difficult tasks in sports.

You will forever be compared, undeserved as that may be. In the case of a quarterback, it’s about more than just touchdowns and interceptions, it’s about leadership. I don’t feel that Rogers was ready last year for that part of the job.

I think he was still a bit immature (I’m sure you saw his long hair, shaggy beard, and wacky hats). Whether he would admit it or not, running through his mind were probably thoughts about measuring up and insecurities about being THE MAN.

Now that he’s had a year to convince himself that he is capable on and off the field, there are signs that he could be ready for the role.

First, he has “cleaned himself up.” No more California slumming look. He looks like a quarterback now (although he has the beard growing again). You may consider this silly, but if anyone thinks appearance does not influence how others perceive you, then you’re not in touch with reality.

There are other signs. Here are some recent comments about Rodgers from Packers head Coach Mike McCarthy: “The biggest change I see is just really the interaction and the way he treats (his teammates) and the way his teammates treat him. You are definitely seeing his leadership ability moving forward.”

This writer wants to see Rodgers come out of that always laid back California cool persona. When it’s required, he can’t be afraid to get in the face of teammates that are screwing up. He needs to demand top performance from his teammates, and in return, he will gain their respect and confidence. Once he has that, the Packers’ two-minute drill problems will dissipate.

Offensive Line: There are so many possible outcomes here, I could write a short novel. Yet that, in itself, is the whole problem. So I’ll keep this simple. There is ONE thing I want to see. CONTINUITY. A set 5 guys with reserves that know their roles and what positions they might be asked to play. The offensive line merry-go-round has to stop!

Check back for the next installment when I will cover the defensive side of the ball. To read the previous installment on the kicking game, look HERE.

You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can follow Jersey Al on twitter (when it's not being hacked).

Green Bay Packers Kicking Game: Training Camp Improvements To Wish for

Jersey Al Bracco — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 11:58:11 -0400

As the Packers' 2009 training camp begins, here are the developments I want to see in the kicking game by the time the Packers break camp.

Kickoff Returns: Green Bay was last in the league last year in kickoff return yardage. Which is a bit surprising, considering Will Blackmon was so good on punt returns. Jordy Nelson had even less success in his attempts.

The new NFL rules prohibiting wedge blocking are expected to make kickoff returns more like punt returns, so maybe that will help Blackmon and Nelson.

If not, the Packers need to find someone else. One possibility is one of their undrafted free agents, Jaron Harris (Jerry Rice's cousin), who returned kicks for four years in college. He hasn't been looked at as a returner yet by the Packers, but that could change if the struggles continue.

Of course, he would have to be a good enough receiver to beat out Ruvell Martin and Brett Swain for that fifth receiver spot or hope the Packers, keep six receivers if they are all special teams contributors. In any case, this must be addressed.

Punting: One of 2008's unmitigated disasters. Jon Ryan was the third ranked punter in the league in terms of average yardage when he was cut before the first game of the season in favor of Derrick Frost. Supposedly, the Packers were looking for more consistency.

Frost did so poorly, he was cut after 12 games and Jeremy Kapinos was brought in and did a decent job. At least he did what Mike McCarthy wanted. In McCarthy's press conference explaining the move, he was quoted as such: "I want him to punt the ball in the right direction." "I'm expected to win games. He's expected to punt the ball in the right direction."

Then, McCarthy added, "I'm not trying to be funny." Allllllll-righty, then...When the Packers break camp, they have to have a punter they believe in. And if Kapinos or Durant Brooks is not that guy, they have to find someone else. Evidently, they've tried, as this article by Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel describes.

Field Goals: Mason Crosby was 27th in the league last year in field goal percentage (79%). His rookie season he was 24th in the league (80%). Breaking down his numbers by distance, his Achilles heel has been the 30-39yds distance.

In 2008, there were 13 kickers in the NFL that were perfect from that distance. Some had more attempts than Crosby, some less. Crosby missed three field goals from that distance. Despite this, we have no other kickers in camp. Isn't it customary to at least have some kicking competition in camp?

Field goal kicking is something that hasn't been talked about much, but I feel it's an area that needs to be improved on in training camp. I feel Crosby is being given an undeserved pass and there should be another kicker in camp to push him, if nothing else.

While there are other issues to be addressed (kickoff coverage, for example), the Packers have taken steps by drafting players known for the special teams prowess and re-signing some of their own free agents that were big special teams contributors. I've already covered that subject here.

Check back for the next installment when I will cover the offensive side of the ball.

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

You can follow Jersey Al on twitter.

Brett Favre To The Football World: GOTCHA!

Jersey Al Bracco — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:41:01 -0400

(With apologies to the Grateful Dead)

Arrows of neon and flashing marquees out on main street.
Green Bay, New York, Minnesota and its all on the same street.
Your typical city involved in a typical daydream
Hang it up and see what tomorrow brings.

Brett Favre has done it again. In a unexpected turn of events, after a summer of surgery, workouts and much anticipation, Brett Favre has turned the NFL upside down once more. Like a Formula One race car driver, Brett has navigated us through the many twists and turns of the course, and we've all just been hanging on for the ride.

Brett Favre has notified the Vikings that he is going to stay retired.

In an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune, Vikings coach Brad Childress said that Favre informed the team he has decided to remain retired. Childress cited the daily grind both mentally and physically as part of the reason why Favre remained retired.

"It was the hardest decision I've ever made,'' Favre told ESPN's Ed Werder. "I didn't feel like physically I could play at a level that was acceptable. I had to be careful not to commit for the wrong reasons. They were telling me, 'You went through all this, you had the surgery and you've got to finish it off.' But I have legitimate reasons for my decision. I'm 39 with a lot of sacks to my name."

Favre, who had shoulder surgery in May, experienced soreness in both ankles and his left knee during his private workouts in Mississippi. The pain would not subside and worsened as he continued to prepare for another season in the NFL.

He was concerned that the pain might never subside and could continue to worsen, and he understood that signing and reporting to camp and then leaving prematurely would result in criticism over his decision to play again.

So once again, just as we thought we had Brett Favre figured out, he throws us another curveball. Minnesota is left to put on their best "it doesn't matter" face and act happy about having Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels to lead their offense.

And for Green Bay fans, a huge sigh of relief. Not because they feared Favre playing for the Vikings, but because they feared having to continue to deal with their beloved hero turning his back on them.

So Brett Favre is staying retired. As of today. As the song says, "Hang it up and see what tomorrow brings".

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

The Green Bay Packers Offense: Spinning the Undrafted Free Agent Wheel

Jersey Al Bracco — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:32:19 -0400

Part 2 - OFFENSE

In this two-part series, I am examining the Packer's crop of undrafted free agents and predicting their chances of making the 53-man roster. This was part 1.

With fifteen new undrafted free agents (UFAs) signed in 2009, the Packers are once again spinning the undrafted free agent wheel of fortune. Will the spin produce a winner? Or will we hit bankrupt and go away empty-handed? Recent history indicates we will walk away with at least a consolation prize.

Since 1992, 20 undrafted free agents who signed with the Packers immediately after the draft made the roster coming out of training camp. Currently, there are 20 players on the Packers current roster who entered the league as undrafted free agents.

In each of the last four years, at least one UFA has made the Packers 53-man roster. Will the trend continue in 2009? Lets take a quick look at the candidates on Offense.

TIGHT ENDS - Undrafted Free Agents

Carson Butler (RECENTLY CUT), Michigan. 6'4", 255 lbs, 4.72 40yd time. Ranked 21 out of 89 tight ends by NFLDraftScout.com. Appeared in 29 games as a tight end during his first two and a half seasons on campus, before a coaching and scheme change had him switched to defensive end midway through the 2008 season. Totaled 41 catches for 429 yards and three touchdowns in his two-plus seasons on offense.

Left Michigan with one year of eligibility left. Received a $6,000 signing bonus from the Packers, second-highest of all the UFAs.

Devin Frischknecht, Washington State. 6'3", 258 lbs, 4.83 40yd time. Ranked 25 out of 89 tight ends by NFLDraftScout.com. At Snow Junior college as a sophomore, had 54 catches for 763 yards and nine touchdowns. Transferred to WSU, and in two seasons, started eight of 22 games, with 35 catches for 412 yards and four touchdowns. Considered an average blocker, and a good pass-catching tight end.

Not what the Packers want from a 3rd-string TE.

The Packers have six TE on the roster (seven if you count Havner, trying to be a two-position player)—carried three last year. Sure things: Lee, Finley.Probables: Five-way fight (including Havner) for the third TE spot. Moore is mostly a pass-catcher, so he goes. Humphrey tries to hold off Butler and Havner from taking his spot.

Prediction: The Packers brought in three TE UDFs (two are gone already) because they are hoping to upgrade from Humphrey/Moore. Frischknecht has no shot here.

He could be cut before camp to make room for one of the still un-signed draft picks. As for Butler, I was going to write that if the knee sprain suffered in OTAs is healed, he would have a fighting chance at beating out Tory Humphrey. Evidently, the injury was more serious then expected or the Packers just weren't impressed.

Butler has often landed in coaches' doghouses and has had some anger issues. Perhaps that was a factor. In any case, he is now gone.

The wild card is Havner. If he can prove to be a good enough blocker, the Packers will be tempted to keep him as a LB & TE, saving a roster spot.

RUNNING BACK - Undrafted Free Agent

Tyrell Sutton, Northwestern. 5' 8", 213 lbs, 4.68 40yd time. Ranked 27 out of 146 running backs by NFLDraftScout.com. A four-time letter winner that started 38 of 40 games over four years.

Had 16 career 100-yard rushing games, scored 37 total touchdowns. Finished with over 5,100 all-purpose yards, including 1,200 yards on 149 receptions. A play maker that has great vision and balance, knows how to maximize yards per carry.

Had a horrible Pro day, came in 10lbs overweight, could only do 13 bench press reps and ran that "slow" 4.68 40 yard dash. A variety of injuries has him tagged with the "fragile" label.

The Packers have five RB on the roster. Carried three last year. Sure things: Ryan Grant, Brandon Jackson. Probable: Lumpkin (if he doesn't get hurt).

Prediction: His greatest value to the Packers would be as a third down back—think screen passes. Has good, but not great hands. Made a good initial impression on the coaches at rookie camp, but what will happen when the pads come on? Will he have enough talent to overcome his size at the pro level? He has a shot, but not a good one.

WIDE RECEIVERS - Undrafted Free Agents

Kole Heckendorf, North Dakota State. 6'2", 191 lbs, 4.44 40yd time. Ranked 86 out of 312 Wide receivers by NFLDraftScout.com. Started 42 of 43 career games, scored 17 touchdowns and finished as the all-time leading receiver in school history. At Mosinee, Wisconsin High School, set several Wisconsin State football records. Has worked in a Wisconsin cheese factory (intangibles).

Patrick Williams, Colorado. 6'2", 204 lbs, 4.54 40yd time. Ranked 81 out of 312 Wide receivers by NFLDraftScout.com. Played in 50 games, starting 20. Best season was his senior season, with 30 catches, 322 yds and 2 touchdowns. Not impressive.

Jaron Harris, South Dakota State. 6'0", 193 lbs, 4.46 40yd time. Ranked 76 out of 312 Wide receivers by NFLDraftScout.com. Extremely productive receiver.Three-year starter with 23 career touchdowns. Led league in all receiving categories his senior season while also returning 10 kickoffs for 333 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown. Kick returning could be his ticket. Cousin of Jerry Rice.

Jamarko Simmons, Western Michigan. 6'2", 231 lbs, 4.50 40yd time. Ranked 32 out of 312 Wide receivers by NFLDraftScout.com. Started 35 of the 44 games in which he appeared. A converted running back, he broke Greg Jennings' records to become the all-time leading receiver at Western Michigan.

He scored 17 touchdowns during his college career. Physical, good against the bump and run, excellent hands. Doesn't lack for confidence—has been quoted as saying he thinks he will prove to be one of the top five receivers in the draft, and that his hand's are as good as Larry Fitzgerald's.

The Packers have 11 WR on the roster—carried five last year. Sure things: Jennings, Driver, Nelson, Jones.Probables: Martin, Swain battling for last spot. Jake Allen will be cut. Only chance for any of these free agents is if the Packers decide to keep six WR's. Impetus would be if one of the FA WRs could be the kickoff returner they are desperately looking for.

Prediction: Can any of these guys beat out Ruvell Martin and Brett Swain? It would be tough, but there are some talented players here.

We'll start with the easy one—Williams has no-shot. Simmons got the most attention when he was signed, but Heckendorf and Harris are just as good. All three of these guys have been their team's No.1 receiver, have shown durability, have set school records and produced when it counted.

Simmons is unusual because of his size. He actually finished his senior season at 240lbs. He is the most ready of the three UFAs. He has faced the better competition and excelled against the toughest opponents. His size should make him an asset on special teams.

Heckendorf, the home-state Wisconsin boy, reminds me of Jordy Nelson, but not as strong. Being too similar to Nelson probably works against him, although he has been a pleasant surprise in OTAs. I think he is a mid-camp cut.

To me, the sleeper here could be Jaron Harris. He has the speed bursts to separate from defenders, runs good routes and reminds me of a young Donald Driver. He was also a very productive kickoff returner his whole college career.

Curiously, reports out of Packers mini-camp state that he was not given a chance at returning kicks. I hope that changes in training camp. The problem with Harris is that he is very raw. He only played one year of High School football and was red-shirted his first year in college. He's probably not ready for this level, but is a definite practice squad keeper.

OFFENSIVE LINE - Undrafted Free Agents

OG/C Evan Detrich-Smith, Idaho State. 6'2", 305 lbs, 5.13 40 yd dash. Ranked 64 out of 183 Offensive tackles by NFLDraftScout.com. Started 44 games for Idaho State and played all five line positions. Named Team MVP his senior season. The Packers outbid the Jets to sign Detrich-Smith, topping the Jets offer several times. Lacks the ideal height for a tackle, Packers are giving him a shot at guard and center.

OT Dane Randolph, Maryland. 6'5", 300 lbs, 5.15 40 yd dash. Ranked 34 out of 183 Offensive tackles by NFLDraftScout.com. Played in 43 games and started 24 games at right tackle for the Terps.

A weight room warrior, put on 40 lbs while at Maryland. Had fourth highest strength index on the team. Lost some playing time his senior season because of inconsistent play. Being looked at primarily as a tackle.

OG/OT Andrew Hartline, Central Michigan. 6'5", 297 lbs, 5.02 40 yd dash. Ranked 24 out of 183 Offensive tackles by NFLDraftScout.com. Started all 52 games of his College Career, the second longest streak in NCAA history. Played two years at right tackle and switched to left tackle his junior year.

Made first-team all-MAC at left tackle as a senior and a second-team choice as a junior. Very good straight-line speed, but lacks the foot speed for an NFL tackle—that's why the Packers are looking at him at the guard spot. Strong arms, very good run blocker and should be good at pulling on the sweep.

The Packers have 14 OL on the roster—The Packers carried nine last year.

Sure things: Colledge, Clifton, Sitton, Spitz. Probables: Moll, Preston, Barbre, Giacomini, Lang, Meredith. That's 10 already, and it's also assuming last year's center, Scott Wells is out of a spot.

Prediction: This is a really interesting group of linemen. Randolph is not ready for this level, but his size, strength and athletic ability means he is a target for further development on the practice squad.

Detrich-Smith has played every OL position, plays tough and will be a difficult cut, but he's the victim of the numbers game at OL.

I think Hartline could be the guy to make the roster outright. The Packers released Nevin McCaskill in June and put Hartline at second string left guard during mini camp. Presence of T.J. Lang is a possible road block, if the Packers move Lang back inside (right now, he's getting a shot at RT).

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

Green Bay Packers' Defense: Spinning the Undrafted Free Agent Wheel...

Jersey Al Bracco — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:01:00 -0400

In this two-part series, I will examine the Packers' crop of undrafted free agents and predict their chances of making the 53-man roster:

With 14 new undrafted free agents (UFAs) signed in 2009, the Packers are once again spinning the “Undrafted Free Agent Wheel of Fortune.”

Will the spin produce a winner or will they hit bankrupt and go away empty-handed? Recent history indicates the Packers will walk away with at least a consolation prize.

Since 1992, 20 undrafted free agents who signed with the Packers immediately after the draft made the roster coming out of training camp. Presently, there are 20 players on the Packers current roster who entered the league as undrafted free agents.

In each of the last four years, at least one UFA has made the Packers 53-man roster. Will the trend continue in 2009? Lets first take a quick look at the candidates.

Part One - DEFENSE

CORNERBACK - Undrafted Free Agent

Trevor Ford, Troy / Florida State. 6′0", 188 lbs, 4.48 40-yd dash. Ranked 76th out of 312 cornerbacks by NFLDraftScout.com. Transferred from Florida State to Troy after freshman year.

Sat out sophomore year, played in seven games as a junior and started every game as a senior. Signed by the Packers after a tryout invitation to their rookie camp.

The Packers currently have nine cornerbacks on the roster—they carried five last year.
Sure things: Woodson, Harris, Williams, Blackmon. Probables: Lee, Bush and Underwood battle for a spot. They could carry six, since both Bush and Underwood can double as safeties.

While I list Blackmon as a “sure thing”, that’s primarily because of his kick-returning. If a good kick-returner could be found elsewhere on the roster, his spot could be in jeopardy—but that’s not likely. Little chance here for Trevor Ford.

Prediction: Trevor Ford...no shot at roster spot. Could be cut before camp to make room for one of the still unsigned draft picks.

NOSE TACKLE - Undrafted Free Agent

Dean Muhtadi, Maryland. 6′3″, 295 lbs, 4.98 40-yd dash. Ranked 66th out of 158 defensive tackles by NFLDraftScout.com. Division III transfer who played in 13 games as a senior, starting three. Highest GPA on the team. Signed by the Packers after a tryout invitation to their rookie camp.

The Packers currently have four nose tackles on the roster—only two will be kept.
Sure Things: Pickett and Raji. Now that Jolly’s court case has been put off, he will provide the depth at the NT position and probably be in the rotation at DE.

Prediction: Dean Muhtadi...Much less of a shot with Jolly now available. Ability to play DE a plus. Will compete with Anthony Toribio for a practice squad spot.

DEFENSIVE END - Undrafted Free Agent

Ron Talley, Delaware. 6′3″, 282 lbs, 4.98 40-yd dash. Ranked 74th out of 175 defensive ends by NFLDraftScout.com. Started at Notre Dame, saw action as a red-shirt freshman and sophomore, but left the team halfway through the season.

Started 18 of 24 games over two seasons for Delaware and recorded 89 tackles and 6.5 sacks. Voted a team captain and was known as a fierce run defender. 3.5 GPA and currently taking graduate courses.

The Packers currently have seven defensive ends on the roster (not including Raji)—will keep five on the roster, or possibly four, if a NT/DE like Muhtadi is kept.

Sure things: Jenkins, Jolly (yes, that’s it!). Probables: Montgomery. Questionables: Harrell, Wynn, Malone

Certainly one of the most tenuous positions on the Packers as far as depth goes. Where will the depth come from? Until he proves otherwise, the Packers can not count on Harrell.

The rest of the DEs on the roster are a rag-tag collection of undrafted free agents and a rookie sixth-round pick.

The only good news is that you can assume the Packers will play four-man fronts part of the time, with Kampman as a situational DE.

Prediction: Ron Talley...might have the best opportunity of any. He has to beat out the sixth-round draft pick, Jarius Wynn and Alfred Malone, which is certainly possible.

LINEBACKER - Undrafted Free Agent

Cyril Obiozor, Texas A&M. 6′4″, 267 lbs, 4.74 40-yd dash. Ranked 31st out of 175 defensive ends by NFLDraftScout.com. Played defensive end in college, started the final 28 games of his collegiate career.

Big play defensive end, led the Aggies in both sacks and tackles for loss. One of the players the Packers brought in for a pre-draft workout. He received the largest signing bonus of any of the Packers UFAs.

The Packers currently have 12 linebackers on the roster. They should carry nine or 10.

Sure Things: Barnett, Hawk, Kampman, Matthews, Poppinga. Probables: Bishop, Chillar, Thompson. That leave one or two spots open for Brad Jones, Obiozor, Spencer Havner and Danny Lansanah.

Prediction - Cyril Obiozor - While he doesn’t have the easiest path, he has a strong fighting chance if he can handle the conversion from DE and excel on special teams.

Good size, decent speed and a hard worker. Has the right body type for the OLB position. I think the Packers will keep 10 linebackers and he makes the team.

Look for part two of this series where we examine the offensive undrafted free agents on the Packers roster.

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packer Chatters , Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and of course, Bleacher Report.

Packers GM Ted Thompson Rolls the Dice Again

Jersey Al Bracco — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:06:50 -0400

Expectations can bring worries. And folks, I’m worried.

I expect the Packers to do well this season. I expect the offense to be better balanced and more productive. I expect Dom Capers’ revamped defense to be a big improvement over last year. And finally, I expect them to challenge for the NFC North Division Title.

So what am I worried about? Well, to those of you who are superstitious: turn away. If you believe in jinxes or “the evil eye,” stop reading. Go ahead and knock on wood, because I’m going to say it:

What if Aaron Rodgers suffers a season-ending injury?

What if the Packers come together in preseason, then beat the Bears, Bengals and Rams (totally conceivable) to get off to a quick 3-0 start. But the unthinkable happens towards the end of the Packers romp over the Rams. Mike McCarthy is slow to get Rodgers out of the game and some third-string Rams defensive end trying to make an impression crashes into Rodgers knee. One torn ACL later, Rodgers’ season is over.

Now, is there anyone out there that really believes either Matt Flynn or Brian Brohm can step in and continuing leading the team to a successful season? Any hands...? I didn’t think so.

As reported by the Green Bay Press-Gazette, even offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, when asked recently about the progress of his two young quarterbacks, had to think about it for a while. When he finally did answer, he could muster no better than an unenthusiastic “Well, certainly they’re better than they’ve been.” How’s that for a ringing endorsement from your own coach?

The man responsible for this bad situation is of course, Packers GM Ted Thompson. Thompson has proven to be a polarizing figure among Packers fans, mostly because of his role in the Brett Favre saga.

I find myself straddling the fence. There are things he’s done I like, there are things I don’t like. This one, I am not on board with. It’s a bad idea and a huge gamble, like going to Vegas with one year’s salary and putting it all on a roll of the dice at the craps table.

Thompson’s out there on an island with this one. I have to wonder, has any other NFL team ever done this? Starting the 2008 season with a first-year starter and two rookies as backup quarterbacks was as dangerous a move I remember coming from an NFL team. Add in the fact that neither of the rookies even remotely looked like NFL quarterbacks during that preseason, and you had to seriously doubt Thompson’s sanity.

The only thing that made it palpable to me was that I had few expectations last year. I had serious doubts about the season before it even started, so I wasn’t worried about what we would do if disaster struck. This season is different.

As previously stated, I have expectations. I am not willing to accept throwing our season away if something happens to Rodgers. And make no mistake, if that particular disaster struck, the Packers season would be OVER. No chance at the Division Title and no playoffs—again.

So why would Ted Thompson choose to roll the dice again? Why did he do it in the first place? The only reason one can assume is financial. Thompson didn’t want to in 2008 and still doesn’t want to in 2009, spend the money to bring in an experienced backup quarterback.

He doesn’t believe in spending money on short term solutions. I do respect a lot of the financial decisions he has made. It’s not a simple job being in the smallest NFL market, and running the only non-profit, community-owned, major professional sports team in the United States.

Thompson has to look for every opportunity to save money, and this was obviously an area he chose to do so. But what exactly does bringing in an experienced backup quarterback cost you?

Looking at various signings around the league this offseason, the going rate seems to be $1,000,000 or less for a one-year contract. For example, the World Champion Steelers signed Charlie Batch for $895,000, the Giants brought back David Carr for $1,000,000 and the Texans brought in Rex Grossman for $625,000.

While none of these guys will be starting quarterbacks on their own, at least they have enough experience that you could build a workable game plan around them. And is $1,000,000 that much to spend for a one year insurance policy at QB? Not when you’re paying Brian Brohm $2,000,000 to be a third-string quarterback. Whatever Ted Thompson is thinking, he certainly can’t believe the Packers are in good shape if Rodgers goes down, can he?

So here we are in July of 2009. With training camp only a few weeks away, it’s still not too late. Of course, this is a move that should have been made already. The most attractive free agent backup quarterbacks have already been snatched up by other teams.

However, there are still two guys out there that could be brought in relatively cheaply as some veteran insurance; two guys that each have 15 years experience and have played 260 NFL games between them; Gus Frerotte and Trent Green. I would take either one over Brian Brohm and/or Matt Flynn. Keep whichever of the kids you like best, but I need some veteran insurance on the Packers. After all, I have expectations…

For more info on Green and Frerotte with regards to the Packers, read this.

You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: NFL Touchdown, Packers Lounge, Packer Chatters , Jersey Al’s Blog and of course Bleacher Report.

The Green Bay Packers' Best Running Back Is Not Who You Think...

Jersey Al Bracco — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:15:48 -0400

In any discussion I have seen of the current Green Bay Packers running backs, the theme is the same: Can Ryan Grant return to the form of his rookie year and if not, will they finally give Brandon Jackson a chance to start?

In a recent interview, Packers beat writer Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal was asked why Brandon Jackson did not get more of an opportunity to play last year. Bedard stated without hesitation that there were people in the Packer organization that wanted Ryan Grant to be the starter last year, even as he was struggling on the field and battling a hamstring injury.

All indications are that it was not the coaches, but the Packers front office pushing Grant as the starter to justify the new contract he was given.

So as Packer fans continue arguing Grant vs. Jackson, I am here to throw a monkey wrench into the debate. Neither one of them is the best running back on the Packers. Lurking in the wings and waiting for his chance could very well be the best running back on the Green Bay Packers roster—Kregg Lumpkin.

As a running back from the University of Georgia, Kregg Lumpkin is in good company. Herschel Walker, Terrell Davis, Rodney Hampton, Garrison Hearst and other top NFL running backs have all came out of "Tailback U".

Lumpkin was expected to have as good a college career as any of them. But that did not happen. Lumpkin made the Packers roster as an undrafted rookie, and then ended up spending most of the season on injured reserve.

So what has he done for me to say he is the Packers' best running back? Why would I go out on such a precarious limb? What evidence is there to support this hypothesis?

Well, a lot of it may be circumstantial, but let me present my case.

Kregg Antonio Lumpkin was born in Albany, Georgia, about 60 miles North of Talahassee, Florida. His family later relocated to Stone Mountain Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Lumpkin played High School football there at Stephenson HS.

He started all four year at running back, and rushed for 2,088 yards during his junior season and 1,456 yards with 15 touchdowns as a senior.

Lumpkin was a Parade All-American and named the number one overall HS recruit from the State of Georgia. He was also ranked as the second best running back prospect in the entire nation, second only to some kid named Reggie Bush.

With those credentials and a 4.4 40-yard dash time, Lumpkin was recruited by top football programs like the University of Miami and the University of Florida. But those programs had little chance of landing him. Lumpkin chose to stay close to home and committed to the University of Georgia, less than an hour away.

In 2003, as a true freshman at Georgia, Lumpkin played in 12 games and finished as the team’s second leading rusher with 523 yards on 112 carries. But he missed the first two games with a hamstring injury, and fought it the rest of the year, starting a pattern of physical problems.

That pattern continued the next year. After being name "Most Improved Running back" at Spring practice, Lumpkin came to training camp ready to win the starting tailback position. That quest lasted about an hour, as he suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the first practice and was put on medical red-shirt for 2004.

Lumpkin battled back from that serious injury to play in the 2005, season, albeit in a part-time role. He appeared in 13 games, but was used carefully and sparingly, gaining 335 yards on the season, while averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

In 2006, his 3rd year of college football, Lumpkin started nine games at tailback, rushing for 800 yards and 6 TDs, while averaging 4.9 yards per carry. This was also the year he started to show his soft hands and pass-catching skills, pulling in 17 passes on the year.

Lumpkin was primed and ready for his senior season. Listed as the No. 1 Tailback, Lumpkin played in only five games due to a broken right thumb, the arrival of Knowshon Moreno and then another serious injury to his left knee, once again requiring season-ending injury.

Lumpkin evidentally made the most of all his time on the injury list. He concentrated on his studies and graduated with dual B.S. degrees in consumer economics and housing.

With his inability to stay on the field as well as a poor 40 time at the NFL Combine (4.64), Luimpkin's name was not called in the 2008 NFL Draft. But the Packers' southeast scout, Brian Gutekunst, college scouting director John Dorsey and general manager Ted Thompson all liked what they had seen of him. After the draft, quickly signed Lumpkin to the team as an undrafted free agent.

During preseason, Lumpkin got an opportunity to show what he could do and made the most of it. He finished the preseason as the Packers leading rusher (38 carries, 153 yards, 4.0-yard average, one touchdown) and also added seven receptions for 59 yards and another TD.

The Packers were so impressed with Lumpkin that they cut three veteran running backs (Noah Herron, DeShawn Wynn and Vernand Morency) and kept Lumpkin as the No. 3 Running Back. The Packers coaches were sure they had themselves a real find.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said, "He runs physical. He continues to improve. He breaks tackles. He's a better player when he gets past the line of scrimmage than I originally thought. As he gets more comfortable, you see the physicality of his play has increased. I thought he did some good things."

McCarthy later added, "Lumpkin is a perfect example of what you're looking for in a rookie. I think talent-wise, he brings a lot to the table, and he's improved every week. That's what you're looking for in rookies, to take advantage of their opportunity. He's put together a nice training camp."

Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said the 5-foot-11, 228-pound Lumpkin is "a pretty good fit for this system, with his style of running. He's not a real dancer, he's got a little bit of straight-line (speed), which I think fits us well. He's got nice size, he's a good-looking guy in pads. He looks like a running back. He's got some good attributes, no question... He's certainly produced when he's been in there."

Lumpkin was ecstatic to make the Packers roster, but expected it. "I don't think I've surprised myself," said Lumpkin, "I feel confident in what I'm doing."

With Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson nursing injuries going into game two vs. Detroit, Lumpkin got a lot of work in practice that week with the No. 1 offense. While both Grant and Jackson were expected to play, the Packers were not worried if Lumpkin had to be pressed into service.

"I think he could handle it all," coach Mike McCarthy told reporters in Green Bay. "He's done a very good job with his opportunities."

Grant and Jackson did play, but the Packers still got Lumpkin some playing time and he did well. He carried the ball once for nineteen yards and caught 3 passes for 22 yards. After the game Coach McCarthy said that Kregg Lumpkin "absolutely" earned more playing time going forward with his Week 2 effort.

But alas, the injury bug would hit once again. Lumpkin suffered a hamstring injury in practice and spent the next three weeks trying to come back, but to no avail. The Packers finally decided they need a healthy No. 3 running back on the roster, so they put Lumpkin on the injured reserve list and called up DeShawn Wynn from the Practice Squad. Once again, Lumpkin's season came to an early end.

So now that you know the Kregg Lumpkin story, you can see it is one of disappointment and unrealized potential. Admittedly, there isn't a lot of cold hard evidence to go by. But I do remember watching him in pre-Season last year and being really impressed. I remember thinking at that time, without knowing a thing about him, "this kid is going to make the team".

What did I like about him? He is a North-South runner that runs hard, low to the ground and is tough to bring down. Unlike Ryan Grant, runs with his head up and has great vision.

Unlike Brandon Jackson, he picks his hole quickly and has the ability to drive the pile. He also has soft hands as a receiver and has proven he has the ability to pass protect. The only thing he lacks is breakaway speed, but the Packers do not exactly design their offense for the 60 yard run anyway.

As described earlier in this article, the Packers coaches like what they've seen of Lumpkin. They see him as the move-the-chains type running back their offense calls for.I have also studied video of him at Georgia. He always seems to make the most of every run, and has been a consistant 5 yard-per-carry guy.

The big question of course, is, can he stay healthy? While there is no historical evidence to make you think he will, there is reason for hope. That hope lies in the Packers' Strength and Conditioning Hall of Fame coach, Dave "Red-Man" Redding.

Red-Man is an old-schooler, prefers the free weights over machines, is a motivator and is most concerned with keeping players on the field. Here is how Redding describes his philosophy:

"I don't care what they can max out at," he said. "I don't care what they can do 10 times at a max load. I'm here to weight train them to make them better football players. This is not about how much we lift. It's about how healthy we can stay and how well we can play throughout the year."

Beautiful.

While the Packer Organization would prefer Ryan Grant to live up to the big contract they awarded him, a healthy Lumpkin has consistently caught the eye of the Packers coaches.

If he can stay healthy, perhaps as the year progresses he will earn a share of the carries, especially if Grant struggles once again. At the very least, he may steal some snaps from Brandon Jackson.

Kregg Lumpkin could be the best running back on the Green Bay Packers. I know, it is a big leap of faith, a roll of the dice and a lot of "IFs". But it is my feeling and I am sticking with it.

In his appropiately-named poem "IF", Rudyard Kipling writes:

"If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too."

If you think I'm crazy, Packer fans, it's okay, I'll understand.

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco's articles on several sports websites: NFL Touchdown, Packers Lounge, Packer Chatters , Jersey Al's Blog and, of course, Bleacher Report.

Will the Real U.S. Men's Soccer Team Please Stand Up?

Jersey Al Bracco — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:09:13 -0400

USA 2, Spain 0.

Let me repeat that.

USA 2, Spain 0.

In one of the most shocking results we've seen in some time, the U.S. men's soccer team found a way to snap Spain's streaks of 15 straight wins and 35 games without a loss.

This is the same team that was recently embarrassed by Costa Rica in World Cup qualifiers, and was run over by Italy and Brazil in the first two games of this Confederations Cup with minimal effort required of those teams.

So, will the real U.S. men's soccer team please stand up?

The fact this team was even playing in this game was a minor miracle. The U.S. needed Italy to lose by 3 goals and had to beat Egypt by a three-goal margin, and most of us would have bet our life savings against the possibility of that ever happening.

Yet, someone waved a magic wand and "Abracadabra," it was done.

Or maybe they woke up the morning of the Egypt match and found giant pods in their basements. As in the Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the real players were replaced by the pod people, who are unrelenting in their mission of world domination.

Whatever happened, the reaction by the U.S. players after pulling off that miracle was an angry one. There were nasty "take that" comments directed at their critics and the "so-called soccer experts in the USA".

Obviously, they have been reading their press clippings. The players and coach have been under attack from all sides after their recent poor performances. I have been a critic myself, but mostly I'm just disappointed that we can't seem to develop players with the skills of the International footballers.

As the Spain match approached, one would assume that the U.S. team would give it a good try and eventually succumb to Spain's superior talent. Well, one thing is certain—Spain does have superior talent.

But the incredible happened.

The American team put forth an effort that hasn't been seen in many years. Pedestrian players played like stars and their star players played like International stars.

My players of the match

Oguchi Onyewu: He may have played the greatest game ever by a U.S. defender. Seemed like he cleared away every cross that Spain put in front of the goal. And there were plenty.

Landon Donovan: He became a man today. I have criticized him often for not stepping up his play in the big games. I can criticize him on that no more.

Jay Demerit: He defended flawlessly. This coming after I was calling for his head after he sheepishly ducked out of the way of two goals in the loss to Italy.

Best Tactical Decisions

Keeping DaMarcus Beasley on the bench. Hopefully, he'll be sent packing completely.

Starting Davies again. While he's not the long-term answer, his aggressiveness is a perfect complement to Altidore's more controlled demeanor.

Putting Bocanegra at left back and leaving Demerit in central defense. That solidified the back four, which needed to be at its best in this game.

So, which team can we expect to see in the Confederations Cup final?

If the USA draws Brazil once more, can it continue to ride the wave of emotion and find a way to reverse the results of the previous meeting? If it draws the host, South Africa, will it play as well while not in the role of the huge underdog?

Once again, will the real U.S. men's soccer team please stand up?

Green Bay Packers' Biggest OTA Surprise: OLB Jeremy Thompson - OTAs

Jersey Al Bracco — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:18:27 -0400

As the Packers OTAs have progressed, one of the most surprising stories has been the rapid ascension up the depth chart of Jeremy Thompson. A fourth-round draft pick out of Wake Forest (102nd overall) in 2008, Thompson saw limited action in his rookie season.

Thompson was inactive for the Packers first four games, but when Cullen Jenkins' season came to an early end, Thompson stepped into the defensive end rotation. He eventually started three games, but was hampered for much of the last seven games with an assortment of injuries.

Thompson didn't get a chance to show very much in 2008, but the Packers coaches thought he could be a contributor at DE in 2009 if he bulked up and added another 15 pounds to his 270lbs frame.

Then of course, the defensive coaching purge hit Green Bay on Jan 5, 2009. Soon after, new coaches and a new 3-4 defensive system were introduced.

In retrospect, it was the best thing that could have happened for Jeremy Thompson. He is now being asked to play a position the new Packers coaches feel he is a natural for.

Thompson changed his training regimen over the offseason, emphasizing speed and hip-flexibility drills. He also abandoned the need to put on more weight, instead focusing on becoming leaner and stronger at the same time. The end result was he actually dropped 10 pounds, while gaining speed, flexibility and strength.

Thompson has also been working extensively since January with linebackers coach Kevin Greene on techniques and tactics. He says every day Coach Greene will pick one aspect of his game that needs improving and work on it extensively. Greene has commented that he is "excited" by Thompson's athletic ability.

Evidently, all these factors have sent Thompson rocketing up the depth chart. He was installed as the first team right OLB at OTAs even before 2009 No. 1 pick Clay Matthews III injured his hamstring.

There have been a multitude of positive quotes about Jeremy Thompson coming out of Green Bay. Mike McCarthy called him "a natural fit for this defense." Dom Capers said, "He's made progress and, through just a short period of time we've been around him, has been encouraging. I think he has the ability to play the position."

Capers also warned, however, not to read too much into who's on the No. 1 unit during OTAs, because there will be significant competition for the job in training camp.

So as this relative unknown makes his bid for a starting spot over the much more high-profile Clay Matthews III and veteran Brady Poppinga, it left me wanting to know more about Jeremy Thompson.

Here's what I found...

Thompson did play some linebacker in High School, as well as tight end, running back and wide receiver. He also earned four letters in basketball, three in track and one in tennis. Natural athlete.

At Wake Forest, he was a two-time Academic All-ACC selection. Intelligent

As a senior at Wake forest, was a finalist for the NCAA National Sportsmanship Award. Good Person

Played in 46 games with 32 starts for Wake Forest and finished his career with 111 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and eight-and-one-half sacks. He also blocked two field goals and had two interceptions, one of which he returned for 86 yards and a touchdown. Productive.

Although Wake Forest plays a 4-3 defense, they do often drop their defensive ends into pass coverage, like an outside linebacker. At times, he even lined up on the slot receiver. Versatile.

So putting all these facts together, our quickie profile of Jeremy Thompson reads: Natural athlete, intelligent, good person, productive, and versatile. Sounds like “Packer People.”

Will all of this translate to a significant role for Jeremy Thompson in 2009? We’ll have a better idea after they put the pads on at the first mandatory mini camp June 22. Stay tuned...

For even more nuggets of information about Jeremy Thompson, check the end of my article here.

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You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco's articles on several sports websites: NFL Touchdown, Packers Lounge, Packer Chatters , Jersey Al's Blog and, of course, Bleacher Report.