Monday, October 30, 2017

10.30.17

  • Basically have had two games with Hundley at QB and things haven't looked so good…Brett has accuracy problems but hopefully he can correct them.  He's a good athlete and has a strong enough arm.
  • Hopefully Morgan Burnett will be healthy enough to play Monday night vs the Lions (on 11.6.17).  I agree with those that believe HHCD is very dependent on Burnett…but I also think HHCD is a better box player vs deep safety or single-high deep safety (i.e., centerfielder).
  • Josh Jones…why haven't they used him to blitz off the edge much since his 2-sack game?  I'm not saying all the time but I don't recall seeing it much recently…he has explosive speed…as does Kentrell Brice.
  • 2nd half defense vs the Saints was brutal…but then again, they were facing Drew Brees and the Saints have a pretty good RB duo.
  • I recently read a quote of some NFL personnel guy saying that Ty Montgomery is a fraud as a RB.  I disagree with the assessment but I'm also a fan…I think Ty can play but I'm thinking he's best suited as a pass receiving RB and think he could be used with Aaron Jones (who looks really good after having two 100+ yard rushing games).
  • Blake Martinez!...he's becoming a good ILB/MLB…and looks like he's able to play all 4 downs.  He still scares me a little in pass defense but he's usually around the ball and has good awareness…excellent tackler.
  • If the defense fails the rest of the season, will McCarthy fire Capers?  That seems to be the #1 question / comment of fans out there…  I think they can use more defensive talent but also think there's a serious communication / understanding of scheme (defensive play calls) issue(s).
  • Basically two games behind the Vikings in the standings ATT…with one game remaining with them at Lambeau…which will be hard to overcome.
  • I'm not optimistic AR12 will play again in the 2017 season.
    •  Probably means >.500 record
    • Top 15 draft pick in 2018?
  • They need at least one more pass rusher…but the more the merrier.
  • When will they play Montravious Adams to see if he can offer some inside pass rush?

As of 10.30.17 the Packers have 12 pending UFA + 9 R/ERFA:
  • Of the 12 UFA, only Morgan Burnett, Davante Adams, Corey Linsley, and Davon House are starters.
  • Linsley will cost considerably more than his rookie contract but arguably the number 1 priority resign.  IMO, the positional importance on the OL goes LT is #1, then C is #2.  but the other three cannot be slugs.  Jahri Evans was a good FA acquisition and wouldn't be a bad option to resign in 2018. 
  • The amount of injury the Packers incurred at OT in 2017 was unprecedented for the Packers (at least that I can remember).   Fortunately, Bak and Bulaga appear to be regaining their health for the 2nd half of 2017.
  • Justin McCray appears to be a solid back-up OL that has starting potential which IMO is why Barclay was released from IR.
  • How much $$$ will Davante Adams cost?  Is he worth paying $10m/yr ave?
  • Can/will they restructure/extend CM3, Jordy, and Cobb?  If not, will they release any of them?  IMO, 2017 is the last season we see Jordy, Cobb, and Adams together.
  • Can Geronimo Allison become the 3rd WR to replace Cobb or Adams?  I don't know…and I'm more intrigued by Michael Clark because he's 6'6/217 compared to G-Mo's 6'3/202
  • The Packers have approximately $12.2m available cap space as of 10.30.17 that they'll carry-over into 2018.

  • 13 drafts by Ted Thompson with his best being his first because of AR12.  Nick Collins is arguably his 2nd best pick (or CM3).
  • My biased draft grades:
    • 2005 - A+
    • 2006 - C
    • 2007 - C-
    • 2008 - B+
    • 2009 - A-
    • 2010 - B
    • 2011 - C-
    • 2012 - B-
    • 2013 - B-
    • 2014 - B
    • 2015 - C
    • 2016 - C
    • 2017 - ?

Monday, October 16, 2017

10.16.17 - My impressions after 6 games…


  • Things were going pretty good until the broken collarbone bone.
  • The OL has been decimated by injury!  Hundley could get pounded because of it.
  • Guess we'll see how good Hundley really is…see if he's starting quality.  I think it's going to be a rough go because of the OL.
  • The OL cannot perform well enough with 3 key starters out.
  • Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins are still so damn inconsistent it's maddening.  Lenzy Pipkins is intriguing and plays hard.  Josh Hawkins might be their 3rd best CB; he's certainly one of their fastest, which is important…
  • Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels appear to becoming a dynamic duo at DT/DL.  Daniels is obviously the key player up-front but Clark, IMO, is becoming a really good DL, and similar in style to MD.
  • Playing 3-DL more frequently isn't such a bad idea either…especially when it's Dean Lowry, Clark, and MD.
  • I'm not optimistic and think the Packers are a sub-500/.500 team without AR12…but maybe they will get a better read on some of their players and whether they're worth keeping.
  • …maybe they don't win again either…guess that's why they'll have to play the games!
  • Blake Martinez is becoming a good/very good ILB/MLB.  He doesn't miss many tackles; blitzes pretty good; has pretty good mobility and diagnosis ability.
  • Josh Jones is better suited to the in-box S/LB role than traditional deep safety ATT.  I'm not sure I'd call Josh Jones a safety per se or whether it really matters WRT a positional classification.  I do believe he's a player that needs to be on the field though and I also like seeing Brice on-field at the same time.
  • When Morgan Burnett gets healthy, the "Four Safety" line-up could become a common look.  I'm convinced #21, 27, 29, & 42 are four of the Packers better defensive players regardless of position.  Having them on-field together would be a good thing.
  • CM3, Perry, Daniels, Clark, Lowry, Martinez, HHCD, Burnett, Josh Jones, Kevin King, Davon House; or replace Lowry with Brice and play both Josh Jones and Burnett in the box.
  • Just got a Bleacher Report that Q. Rollins is on IR due to Achilles injury sustained vs Vikes.  Wonder if they'll use his roster spot for Vince Biegel?...does it matter?...


Wednesday, October 11, 2017

10.11.17 - Four & one


  • I'll start out bullet style...easiest way to portray random thoughts about the game and season
  • Watched the Dal-GB game a second time just for the pure enjoyment...what a shootout!
  • Enough cannot be said about AR12; still hard to believe the Packers' have had such greatness at QB since Favre...Only the 49ers can say they've had back-to-back HOFers at QB
  • In shootout type games, if the defense can come-up with one or two big plays it can be the difference.  Say what you want about #23 Damarious Randell but that INT return was such a game changer...  I still don't know what to expect from Randell though.  He's very talented (physically) and has good ball skills.  Obviously he's immature...
  • I like the Packers' style of offense and how they're playing.  Obviously, AR12 is the key.  
  • Lane Taylor...he's becoming my favorite OL but I'd still rather see him at LG than LT
  • Aaron Jones...wow!  Now the Packers will have a real nice combo at RB 
  • I don't think the lack of game breaking speed at WR will hurt that much; besides, Jordy can still sneak deep on occasion as well as other players (Kendricks, GMo); the consistency of the passing attack has been apparent and will get a little better with time.  
  • Maintaining control of the ball is always a good thing; scoring is even better.
  • AR12 has a lot of toys at his disposal.  AR12 having 3 TEs to use is very interesting and they've got three that can catch the ball!
  • Yeah, Davante Adams is a stud...will Ted pay him Dez money?  Fortunately, the cap goes up next season, Ted will have roll-over $$ to spend on Davante, but will likely have to make decisions regarding Jordy & Cobb's 2018 cap numbers.  It's going to be hard from a cap perspective to pay huge contracts to three WRs...but they might be able to get away with it for one season.  Jordy's probably good for one more short term (e.g., 3 years) contract.  
  • Cobb hasn't been worth his contract payout the last couple of seasons but is is definitely valuable when healthy.  Extending Cobb a few seasons for cap relief is an option.
  • Whoever said that Mike McCarthy is a stale play caller / Offense Coordinator is clueless.
  • There's people out there who think Dom needs to go (i.e., be fired or needs to retire) I'm not one of them.  I'm not saying he's the best DC there is but I'm certain there are worse.  The grass isn't always greener on the other side.  I also prefer to stay with the "3-4" concept.
  • There's no doubt coaching plays a very important role in wins & losses but ultimately it's up to the players to make plays vs designed schemes that matters the most.
  • The defense needs Kevin King
  • I like Josh Hawkins but he's still very, very raw
  • I'm still amazed by the finish in Dallas...brilliant throw and catch for the win!

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

10.4.17 - the defense's DBs & the front five


  • Here's an article from CheeseHeadTV that talks about Josh Hawkins' current opportunity for significant PT at the expense of D. Randall.  I've seen lots of opinions regarding what to do with Randall.  We'll see how things transpire... 
  • I've been intrigued with Josh Hawkins pretty much from the start.  I've read (don't have the link) where he patterns his game after Sam Shields.  Hawkins has good speed but he's not as fast as Sam was plus I think Sam's ball awareness was very good (CW's the best ever).
  1. CM3  
  2. Mike Daniels 
  3. Kenny Clark 
  4. Nick Perry
  5. Blake Martinez
  6. Josh Jones
  7. Morgan Burnett
  8. HHCD
  9. Kentrell Brice
  10. Kevin King
  11. Josh Hawkins / Davon House
It appears that using four safeties is becoming Capers' MO with this defense; I think it's a smart move & there's no doubt in my mind safety is the strength of the defense.  Josh Jones and Morgan Burnett are playing great in the box and Capers is scheme diverse for those guys.  It's also important that the defense can start out with two deep with HHCD & Brice and can also move these two around too.

I don't know if this four safety (4S) alignment is unique to the Packers or not but I don't remember the Packers ever using four at the same time.  I love it!  I think all four can/will be play-makers.

Because the Packers have four safeties good enough to start, they only need two CBs that can play the boundary.  Kevin King is obviously the RCB but IMO also the #1 CB.  The #2 is House when he's healthy and until then, it appears Josh Hawkins will get those fill-in snaps.

The front-five need to attack the ball/penetrate the LOS to cause as much disruption as quickly as possible.  The front-five includes an ILB/MLB type plus the front four.  The Packers consistently deploy a front four of 2 OLB and 2 DL or 1 DL plus 3 LB/EDGE guys.  

Can Blake Martinez be replaced with another LB (CM3?), Marwin Evans, or a 3rd CB?

Can Capers deploy CM3 as rover, Nick Perry at ROLB/edge, and three DL to encompass the front-five "heavy" -- the light version is 2 DL & 3 LB.  Here's my ranking of DL/LB


  1. CM3  
  2. Mike Daniels 
  3. Kenny Clark 
  4. Nick Perry
  5. Blake Martinez
  6. Ahmad Brooks
  7. #94 Dean Lowry
  8. #51 Kyler Fackrell
  9. Quinton Dial
  10. Montravious
  11. Ricky Jean
  12. Jake Ryan
  13. Joe Thomas
  14. Chris Odom
  15. Vince Biegel?...will he be off the PUP soon enough or will his rookie season be a wash-out?  Which player will Vince replace in the 14 above?  My guess is Ricky Jean unless the 3 DL is a standard or frequent deployment.  





Tuesday, October 3, 2017

10.3.17 - @ the 1/4 mark


  • A 3-1 record at this point is a good thing all things considered... It appears to me that ARod's patience has improved regarding accepting that using his quick-release is a good thing; that sustaining drives on a consistent basis is something he can do if he's focused on it.  It reinforces that he really can control games and help his defense out.
  • Playing four safeties -- HHCD, Burnett, Brice, and JJones -- is playing to a defensive strength and I love it!...plus they have depth with Marwin Evans
  • Starting four guards and a center...WOW...it worked!  TT's gut feeling on Lane Taylor is noteworthy because he's really playing good...and please no more OL injuries...
  • The offense is diverse and risk adverse because of ARod.  It'll be Jordy as his #1 & maybe it'll be Cobb @ #2...he's looking good ATT anyway.  Marty Bennett has had too many drops but I still think he's going to be a huge contributor the rest-of-the-way.  2-TE set will be a huge
  • Again, a  3-1 record at this point is a good thing all things considered... 
Coming up are two tough road games (Dallas & Minnesota)...very tough teams and very different.  Vikes defense is top 5 IMO & Dallas is all about their OL and Zeke running the rock.  Dallas will be a major challenge for the Packers defense to slow down, much less stop on a consistent basis.  The dynamic in Minnesota changes because of the injury to D. Cook...very unfortunate injury & significantly impacts their offense...he looked to be a very explosive runner.

The Pack will be extremely hard to beat if the defense limits its scoring allowed to the 17 pts range,
  • I think the 17 ppg/allowed is realistic IF the offense can control things and consistently score.
  • I think the offense is capable of scoring (at minimum) 26 ppg maybe 30.
If Cobb stays healthy...watch out, this offense will be exciting because of how he can be deployed...but he's already missed 1 game...and now Davante is in concussion protocol.  Jordy looks great...I like the 2-TE offense or even 3-TE.  Ty Montgomery has broke ribs?...not sure of his status for the Cowboys; Aaron Jones will likely be the #2 RB behind Monty.  Mays will be #3