Green Bay Packers-Washington Redskins: A Five Question Survey with a Packer Analyst

I was recently emailed by Bleacher Report Analyst Zach Kruse. He is following his hometown Packers throughout the season and has been interviewing other Featured Columnists for the teams that Green Bay will play that week.

This week the Packers and Redskins square off.

It was a pleasure to do his interview for him, and I look forward to seeing his completed work. He was kind enough to answer a few questions about Green Bay so that Redskins fans who read my articles can gain a little foresight into how a Packer fan is looking at the game against Washington.

The following is his Q&A:

Brandon Keener: John Kuhn appears to be able to produce the most yards per carry but Brandon Jackson seems to be the better blocking and receiving back. Who do you think will see the most action this weekend?

Zach Kruse: You most likely will see split action between Kuhn and Jackson this weekend. My guess is that Kuhn will get the majority of first and second down carries, along with short yardage situations, and Jackson will be used primarily on third downs and obvious passing situations.

Neither has done much with their opportunities, however. The Packers run game took a big hit when Ryan Grant went down, and I’m far from convinced that these two are capable of carrying the load the rest of the season.

I wouldn’t worry much about the Packers running game. Green Bay wants to throw the football to score points, especially now that Grant is done. If the Packers run for over 100 yards combined, I’d be surprised.

BK: Aaron Rodgers has 5 INT through Week 4. His accuracy is never a question, but the only game so far that he has not thrown an interception was against the Bills. The Redskins secondary is a bit better than Buffalo's, so how do you see him doing against the Redskins secondary?

ZK: Rodgers’ interception rate has me a little concerned. He’s made some careless decisions early on that he never made last season. That said, I still think he’s one of the top five or six quarterbacks in the league.

Last week, it seemed to me that the Redskins were content in taking away anything downfield from Kevin Kolb. You and your readers can correct me if I’m wrong, but I’d assume the ’Skins would try and duplicate that defense this weekend against Rodgers.

Rodgers has seen that already this season. Against the Bears, Chicago was content with dropping in their Cover-2 look and giving Rodgers anything underneath. It’s a safe strategy that helps eliminate the Packers’ big plays down the field which they rely on, but Rodgers was able to the move the Green Bay offense down the field at will with dump-offs and quick passes.

If the game stays close and the Packers can afford to take the dump-offs underneath, I think Rodgers will be comfortable against the Washington defense.

BK: Jermichael Finley and Donald Lee are two really good tight ends. They remind me a lot of Chris Cooley and Fred Davis here in Washington. Finley is a definite up-and-comer in the world of tight ends, and I can really see him becoming a Pro Bowl caliber tight end in the next few years. How long do you think before Finley reaches his peak potential?

ZK: Finley is really an exciting player. He’s a joy to watch as a Packers fan because he is a matchup nightmare where ever he is on the field.

With 21 catches for 301 yards already through four games, Finley is on pace for an 84- catch, 1204-yard season. Those are Pro Bowl numbers in my mind from the tight end spot.

All numbers aside, however, Finley still hasn’t hit his potential. He’s still a little immature at times, and his blocking leaves something to be desired. Good news is, Finley is only 23. He’s got a lot of time to get better, and he’s got a heck of a quarterback that trusts him mightily already in his young career.

Expect to hear Finley’s name the most out of all the Packers’ receivers Sunday. (By the way, I love your guys’ tight end Chris Cooley. What a fun guy to cheer for every Sunday. I think it wouldn’t be surprising to see Finley and Cooley lining up in a two-tight end set in the Pro Bowl.)

BK: The ageless Charles Woodson is only getting stronger as the season goes on. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year lit up the Lions last week with 13 tackles and a pick-six with three pass deflections. There is no hiding that the Redskins are weak at the wide receiver position. Do you expect another big week from old No. 21?

ZK: It’s always safe to expect a big week from Charles Woodson. He never ceases to amaze me with what he does week-in and week-out for the Packers defense.

That said, he’s far from invincible. Calvin Johnson also had a big week against the Packers, catching two touchdown passes, including one before the half where he towered over Woodson to catch the ball. Woodson also has been penalty-prone so far through four games.

I’m not saying he’s lost a step, but he’s also not an immovable force. I think the Redskins will be able to exploit the Packers ailing secondary, as another member will be missing in rookie safety Morgan Burnett, who tore his ACL last Sunday.

A veteran quarterback like McNabb should be able to find success against the secondary, although Woodson might get his hands on a pass or two.

BK: Jason Crosby has a career kick off return average of 22.7 with a length average of 63.7. This season both numbers have greatly increased to 26.3 and 66.3. Is Crosby just kicking harder or what? The way I see it he has been one of the best “kickers of the future” the NFL has to offer, so why kick harder and change the way he’s been doing things?

ZK: Those are interesting numbers, and to be honest, I have no idea why.

One reason the return average might be higher is the fact that our special teams has not played well through four games. If the Redskins have a threat returning kicks, he probably will be able to find success Sunday.

And Crosby might be trying to kick it harder. With a lackluster coverage unit, touchbacks could be a blessing. That said, Crosby has kicked two kicks out of bounds already this season. You just never know with Crosby, really. He’s been kind of a frustrating talent so far. You see the potential, but he hasn't necessarily put it all together yet.

I would again like to thank Zach Kruse for giving the Redskins fans here in the DMV a taste of what to expect come Sunday.