Full Green Bay Packers Midseason Awards

The Green Bay Packers may be coming off their first loss of the season, but they're still 6-1 and there's a lot to like about this team.

The defense is having one of its best seasons in recent history, since it led the Packers to the Super Bowl in the 2010 season, and the team's 2015 draft class is reflecting positively on general manager Ted Thompson. 

As we pass the mid-point of the season, it's time to take a look back at the first seven games and recognize some players for their accomplishments—or put them on notice for their shortcomings. 

Let's break down who has earned a spot on the midseason awards list.  

Offensive ROY: WR Ty Montgomery

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

Ty Montgomery is currently nursing an ankle injury, but there's no doubt how much the rookie flashed prior to getting injured in Week 6.

Drafted as a developmental receiver in the third round of the 2015 draft, Montgomery was expected to make the field only on special teams this season as a return specialist.

But injuries to Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams and Jeff Janis' continued development led Montgomery to get his first offensive snaps in Week 2 against Seattle and his first NFL start in Week 4 against San Francisco. 

Montgomery then started three consecutive games before injuring his ankle against San Diego.

In those games, Montgomery had 15 receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned seven kicks for 218 yards. His 31.1 kick return average is significantly higher than the team's combined 19.1 average in 2014, and higher than both DuJuan Harris and Micah Hyde's averages last season.

Montgomery's numbers aren't out of this world, but his skill has impressed coaches in the short time he's been playing professional football. 

Said Packers coach Mike McCarthy in early October, per Ryan Wood of Press-Gazette Media:

"

Ty Montgomery is a four-down football player, and that's something we always liked about him from the time he was drafted out of Stanford. The fact that you can play him the backfield, the return game, and I think he's done some really good things at receiver too. Ty is getting better each and every week.

"

Montgomery could have won this category by default, as he's played more than the Packers' other offensive rookies (tight end Kennard Backman and fullback Aaron Ripkowski). But he's truly making a contribution when he wasn't even expected to play on offense much, if all all, in his first season.

McCarthy was hopeful Montgomery could play in Week 8 against Denver, but the rookie sat out. The team would love to get him back before meeting the Carolina Panthers in Week 9. 

Defensive ROY: CB Damarious Randall

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

The Packers have enjoyed notable performances from many of their defensive rookies in 2015. 

Cornerback Quinten Rollins, for instance, has two interceptions, two passes defended and a touchdown on the season, proving the Packers were right to trust that the playmaking ability he demonstrated as a college basketball star and a one-year college cornerback would translate to the NFL.

But Green Bay's first-round pick Damarious Randall earns the title of Defensive ROY at the mid-season mark, even with perhaps less flashy stats. He has one interception not returned for a score and eight passes defended, along with 26 combined tackles. 

However, Randall is demonstrating that, despite playing at safety in college, he has the skills and understands the technique required to be a starting NFL cover corner. 

Randall's crucial breakup of a Philip Rivers pass intended for Danny Woodhead in the end zone that would have forced the Packers-Chargers game into overtime in Week 6 earned him the title of the NFL's Clutch Performer of the Week per Packers.com.

And in Week 8, which most Packers defensive players would sooner have erased from their stat sheets, Randall had one of the only positive plays, getting his first NFL interception on Peyton Manning. 

Randall is currently ranked as the No. 17 best cover corner out of 76 qualifying players by Pro Football Focus, higher than Pro Bowler Sam Shields and outside-cornerback convert Casey Hayward. He has allowed 18 receptions on 37 targets and has held opposing quarterbacks to a rating of 75.1 when targeting him.

Though the rookie has been earning snaps on the perimeter in the dime package, don't be surprised to see him starting there, with Hayward moving to the slot, in future games. He's earned the opportunity, and Hayward's playmaking ability on the inside mitigates his lack of speed on the outside.  

Most Improved: OLB Nick Perry

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Though his season was shortly interrupted by a shoulder injury that caused him to miss one game, linebacker Nick Perry looked like a different player to start the year. 

In 2014, Perry played 15 games, but he didn't have much of an impact. He had three sacks, one pass defended and one forced fumble, a moderate impact against the run and struggled to set the edge. 

Perry had never lived up to his billing as a first-round draft selection, and that caused the Packers to decline his fifth-year option on his rookie contract.

But Perry started the 2015 season on a high note, with sacks in three straight games between Weeks 3 and 5, including two in Week 4 against San Francisco. He has eight quarterback hurries and is currently ranked the No. 14 outside linebacker in pass-rushing, per Pro Football Focus. 

However, it's only the mid-point of the season, and Perry needs to keep the heat turned up through the second half of the season if he hopes his improved play will result in a contract extension. 

Biggest Underachiever: RB Eddie Lacy

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

First, a disclaimer: Eddie Lacy injured his ankle in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, leaving that game and apparently suffering the effects of the injury all the way up until the Week 7 bye. 

The injury is a big reason Lacy had just 260 total yards through six games before the bye. He had just three attempts in Week 2 before suffering the initial injury and ran the ball just four times in Week 6 despite not appearing on the injury report that week. 

But head coach Mike McCarthy revealed before the Packers' Week 6 game against the Chargers that Lacy's injury was no longer an issue.

"He looks good just watching him work out Monday in the individual stuff. I don’t think the injury is affecting him anymore," the coach said the week before the game, per Ryan Wood of Press-Gazette Media. 

Lacy did have an improved game, scoring a touchdown for the first time since Week 1. But it's not just his production that has been lacking; it's his playing style that has really been underwhelming. 

Known for his bruising running style and ability to evade tacklers, Lacy has looked hesitant when hitting the hole and has been less elusive than usual. 

Pro Football Focus' "elusive rating" for Lacy, which measures a runner's success beyond the point of being helped by his blockers, is 25.3 in 2015, putting him at No. 23 among qualifying running backs. 

Some of the stats that factor into that rating include his 2.4 yards gained after contact on average, his seven missed tackles while carrying the ball and his one missed tackle as a receiver.

Lacy really needs to turn it on in the second half of the season now that injuries are no longer an excuse.  

Puts the Team on His Back: QB Aaron Rodgers

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is so good that he can usually cover for many of the flaws in the Packers offense.

This season, he's without his top wideout and has dealt with multiple other pass-catchers missing time due to injury. His biggest target, Randall Cobb, faces constant double coverage.

The offensive line has been leakier than would be ideal, allowing defenders to penetrate the backfield.

The run game has been sluggish and now that Eddie Lacy is out of the injury woods, James Starks has been dealing with injury problems. 

And, perhaps most important of all, head coach Mike McCarthy and play-caller Tom Clements continue to run a spread-style offense forcing the wideouts to beat man coverage on isolation routes, which this particular group isn't necessarily adept at doing.

Through it all, Rodgers has tried to keep the offense moving down the field. Often, that has meant tucking the ball and running; he currently has 31 rushing attempts for 191 yards and, notably, 12 first downs. 

Now, Rodgers isn't without his flaws. He had a game with an uncharacteristic two interceptions—at home—and holds the ball too long. He doesn't appear to trust any of his targets aside from Cobb, and perhaps James Jones, and appears to be so unwilling to throw an interception that he will ignore some reads altogether.

But Rodgers' talent is one of the biggest reasons this team is 6-1, and he's doing his best with the limitations of the team.  

Hardest Hitter: FS Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

Jeffrey Phelps/Associated Press

Though he had a solid rookie season, free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has elevated his game in his sophomore season. 

"Ha Ha is playing his best football as a Green Bay Packer," head coach Mike McCarthy said in late October, per Ryan Wood of Press-Gazette Media. 

Clinton-Dix earns the title of "hardest hitter" as a result of leading the team in tackles, with 48 total and 42 solo. He also has two passes defended and an interception, as well as a forced fumble. 

The second-year player grades out as the No. 13 safety in coverage by Pro Football Focus, having allowed eight receptions on 11 targets and only 34 yards after the catch. 

Clinton-Dix's efforts were a big reason why the Packers were able to pull out the win over the San Diego Chargers in Week 6. He had eight tackles (seven solo), forced a fumble and deflected a pass in the game. 

His pick of Nick Foles in the end zone against the St. Louis Rams also prevented that team from staging a comeback. 

First-Half MVP: LB Clay Matthews

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

There's no question on the defensive side of the ball that the player the Packers are least prepared to lose is linebacker Clay Matthews. 

That was made more apparent than ever in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos, when Matthews left the game briefly to get his left ankle looked at.

His short absence made it clear how much playmaking he does for the front seven; though none of the Packers were able to sack quarterback Peyton Manning, Matthews had two of the team's three quarterback hits and was the only player consistently able to break into the backfield. 

Matthews' value has only increased this season as he has proven he can be just as much of an asset on the inside as on the edge. 

His 4.5 sacks are second only to Julius Peppers' 5.5, and his 24 total tackles are the fifth-most on the team. He also has an interception which he returned for 42 yards. 

Against the run, Matthews is ranked as the No. 10 inside linebacker by Pro Football Focus, putting him in the company of players such as Carolina's Luke Kuechly, Chicago's Shea McClellin and Pittsburgh's Ryan Shazier—players who were drafted specifically to play inside. 

The quarterback of the defense, Matthews has been calling the defensive plays and sharing his veteran knowledge with his teammates.

Aside from Aaron Rodgers, Matthews has been the most valuable player on this Packers team through the first half of the season.