Graham Harrell Shuts up Critics, Moses Does Enough

For all the time spent questioning Graham Harrell's ability to be the primary backup for the Green Bay Packers this year, Harrell needed just about two quarters of PT to end the discussion. Finishing yesterday's preseason game with a completion percentage over 85, two touchdowns, no picks and a perfect passer rating, Harrell stated his case to the world and validated all the praise he's garnered from coaches and teammates alike. He made just about every throw you're looking for your quarterback to make, including an accurate (if a tiny bit underthrown) deep ball to Tori Gurley that led to a touchdown, and a pinpoint screen pass under duress that hit Alex Green in stride for a touchdown. He looked poised in the pocket, knew when to move outside the hash marks to buy time, made the correct reads and delivered accurate passes. Let's hope that we can stop talking about Graham Harrell until the next offseason.

I was sitting in the south endzone about 30 rows up, which gives you an interesting (though not ideal) perspective on the game. It gave me a great opportunity to focus on things away from the ball, and I chose to watch Dezman Moses as much as I could. By my count, he was on the field for every defensive drive except two, and likely played more than anyone on both squads. It's clear that the coaches wanted to give him every opportunity to make the team, and I believe he did just that. His performance was not perfect by any means, but he played with aggression and never looked overmatched. In the first half he lined up over the team's left tackle every snap. It was clear to me that he was focused on rushing the passer first and foremost, and he was able to power through for a couple of nice hits on the quarterback. He seemed to have his ears pinned back no matter what the down and distance. I saw multiple times when he got up the field too quickly in an attempt to squeeze the pocket, but succeeded only in neglecting his lane responsibility, which led to nice gains on the ground for the offense. My question is, was he told to focus on rushing the passer over all else, or was he simply too excited to showcase that ability at the cost of giving up a first down. Sadly, we'll never know. In the second half, he lined up on the opposite side of the field, and stopped opening up his running lane. Again, I wonder if he was instructed to play differently when lining up on the strong side, or if he was reprimanded for playing reckless early on. At any rate, he put good pressure on the quarterback, made some nice tackles, stuck his nose in on seemingly every play, and did more than enough to make the team. Meet Dezman Moses, the 2012 undrafted rookie free agent to make the Green Bay Packers roster.
Sam Shields made the obvious impact play in the secondary with his red zone interception, but he played well beyond that. He was left in man coverage quite a bit and held his own as far as I could tell. He seems to be the favorite to start at corner opposite Tramon Williams for now, thanks to a Davon House injury and shaky play frm rookie Casey Heyward. He's got the most experience and isn't afraid of big moments, as evidenced by his two interceptions in the NFC Championship game as a rookie.

It seems as though the long winded discussion of who would be the sixth wide receiver on the roster this year may have been for naught. Tori Gurley had a real opportunity to make the team last night, but let what I consider to be his best shot slip through his fingers down the left sideline. It was a decently thrown deep ball that would have been a tough but not spectacular catch by Gurley and would have put him over 100 yards receiving for the game. In other words, exactly the kind of play the coaching staff wants to see you make if they're on the fence. Diondre Borel did very little in terms of receiving during the preseason, and looked below average at best in the return game. I don't see him making the squad. The surprise here was number Jarrett Boykin. This guy came out of nowhere to pass the overhyped practice squad receivers and have a very productive preseason. He's got the best chance in my mind to make the team of any of the fringe receivers. The undrafted rookie out of Virginia Tech made play after last night, and was clearly the favorite target of fellow rookie BJ Coleman. Good measureables are all well and good, but on-field production usually leads to employment.

I've included a couple of shitty pictures of the addition taken with my cheap telephone from across the stadium. I suppose it looks nice and it will bring in plenty of extra revenue, but I wouldn't be clamouring for one of these nosebleed seats. I mean I'd sit in 'em, sure, but I'm a hopeless football addict, and cannot be counted on to make rational decisions when it comes to live football viewership. Now, BRING ON THE REGULAR FUCKING SEASON!!!!!!!!

Roster Spots

I was doing a little research on specific position battles with the intent to put together something resembling a rundown of position battles when I came across a fantastic article by JS Online’s Bob McGinn. I don’t love everything this guy writes, but he really nailed it on this one, no chance I could have done it better myself.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/packers14-co6fkt7-166068776.html

Lang Got His Deal, Who is Next?

It seems as though Ted Thompson did not agree with my assessment that Sam Shields was the most pressing pending free agent to resign, as he opted to extend the current contract of TJ Lang first. Lang was heading into the last year of his four year rookie contract, and was scheduled to make $1.26 million. The extension includes a $5.5 million signing bonus and raises his average annual compensation to $5.2 million for the next four years. Both guard spots are now locked down by solid young starters for the foreseeable future.

The price paid to secure Lang’s services through 2016 is not exactly a steal, but he’s not overpaid for his resume. Offensive linemen are as important to the success of an NFL team as they’ve ever been. Of course they never get the publicity that quarterbacks or wideouts or running backs (or even d backs for that matter), but that comes with the territory. Lang was solid in starting all 17 games last season, including the playoff loss to New York. He’s been the best left guard in Green Bay since Mike Wahle left town, but that’s not exactly the toughest list to top.

During Lang’s first two years in Green Bay, he started a total of three games. He had been bounced around between a few different positions, but has settled in nicely as the left guard. He’s been through quite a bit personally during that time, having lost his father to cancer and had a son of his own. Having developed a reputation as a party boy early on, Lang has apparently gained a renewed focus as a result of these personal events. Perhaps that has more to do with the new contract than we’ll ever know.

Now that Lang is locked up, Ted Thompson can turn his focus to the two remaining free agents to be; Greg Jennings and Sammy Shields. Jennings has stated that unless a deal gets prior to the season, nothing will get done until next offseason. He has stated convincingly that he will not be a distraction to the team, but that he knows the NFL is a business first and foremost. The guy is no dummy and I have no doubt that he will test the free agent waters if he and his agent feel that’s what they need to do. Greg Jennings is somehow still underrated as a player and a person. He’s right when he says he could fit in on any of the 32 teams in the league, and I really hope we don’t have to let him go. Rest assured that if Thompson does let him walk (and he very well might), that the decision will be based on sound logic and thoughtful analysis. Shields hasn’t said much, since nobody really wants to talk to him since he lost his starting gig anyway.

Packers Hurting but it Ain't the First Time

Fully 19 players are being held out of practice today due to injury. Astonishingly, that number is down from 21 yesterday. Add to the sheer numbers the importance of the potentially season ending hamstring surgery for Mack linebacker Desmond Bishop, and the Packers’ injury situation isn’t looking great. Indeed coach McCarthy was quoted as saying he’d, ‘never seen anything like this before’ and ‘never dealt with (injury) numbers like this before.’ While all that may be true, I don’t think we’re anywhere near panic time just yet.

The Packers won Superbowl XLV with a host of players on injured reserve (15 to be precise, the most of any team in the league at the time). The list included our starting running back (Ryan Grant), starting middle linebacker (Nick Barnett), starting cornerback (Al Harris), starting tight end (J-Mike Finley), starting right tackle (Mark Tauscher) and more. If all of the starters at those positions went down this week, there would be countless individuals writing the team off before the season even starts. The reality of the situation is that the Packers have unbelievable roster depth that allows us to compete even after losing key starters. Take the example of Desmond Bishop, who was a little used back-up prior to Nick Barnett’s injury. ‘Bish’ quickly developed into a defensive leader, facilitated the release of the mercurial Barnett, and made one of the biggest plays in the Superbowl. So although it certainly hurts to lose him for what looks like the entire season, there is a guy named DJ Smith backing him up that would no doubt like to assuage any concerns we may have of ‘soft play’ in the middle of our defense. Who is to say that Smith isn’t the next star waiting to emerge?

The reality of our injury situation in 2010 is that we were hit hard, but early. In other words, the replacements had time during the regular season to adjust to the speed of the game and learn to play as a cohesive unit. It’s no secret that the health of your team in week 16 is far more important than the health of your team in week two of the preseason. Every team deals with injuries, the successful ones have a plan in place and execute in the face of adversity. Yes, we could continue to suffer injuries at a rapid pace throughout the season, but history tells us that’s not likely. For whatever reason, injuries seem to come in bunches, and we’re right in the thick of a bunch right now. McCarthy is adjusting practice schedules and preseason playing time accordingly, and will continue to be proactive in limited the exposure he gives his team to injury. Basically, don’t expect Clay Matthews or Charles Woodson to be making too many plays in August.

The situation at hand reminds me of the baseball fan that calls for the manager’s head after a 4-11 start. Although the NFL is certainly more of a sprint to the finish than MLB, it would be equally as foolish to panic after week one of the preseason. We’re going to lose more starters to injury, that’s a fact. The injury rate in the NFL is 100%, no player escapes unscathed. I, for one, will sleep easy knowing that we’ve had Ted Thompson at the helm planning for these injuries literally years ago. He knew we’d end up here, and he’s taken steps to limit the damage.

For Real?!

I could have used his mug shot, but I took the high road.

Try this one on for size Packer fans, Chris Mortensen is reporting that Green Bay is on the verge of signing Cedric Benson to a contract. No details are known at this point and it has not been confirmed by the Packers, but Mortensen is a pretty reliable source. A deal looks imminent at this point to bring in the former fourth overall draft pick.

Benson was originally drafted by Chicago in 2005 out of Texas. He never panned out with the Bears and was released after three disappointing seasons. He was promptly signed by the Bengals and produced three straight thousand yard seasons. The move is somewhat puzzling considering Benson’s numerous off the field problems, but he certainly fits a need at this point.

Ted Thompson seems to be continuing his unusual offseason by pursuing another veteran free agent. No attempt was made to resign Ryan Grant this offseason, and the remaining running backs were the epitome of inexperienced. We’ll never know whether the shaky running performance in week one of the preseason had anything to do with this move, but my guess is it had little, if any, impact. It’s more likely that the coaching staff grew increasingly uncomfortable with the situation at running back since the beginning of OTAs, and implored Thompson to find them more help in the backfield.

If Benson is signed, it will be fascinating to see how he is used. In a system in which blocking is the running back’s primary responsibility, the best runner doesn’t always get the most snaps. Benson has shown an ability to run effectively during the second half of his career, but I’m not sure how much he’s been asked to pass block. Considering his, ahem, reputation, it’s hard to believe he’d be willing to accept a role so far removed from the spotlight.

Although this move has not been officially made just yet, I once again applaud Ted Thompson for his creativity and development as a general manager. The Packers are in full-fledged ‘win now’ mode, and Thompson is acting accordingly. Maybe now our franchise quarterback won’t also lead the team in rushing yards and touchdowns.

Fake Season Week One

The first preseason game of 2012 has come and gone in predictably underwhelming fashion. We’ve been without football for so long that we’ll watch nearly anything, which is the only reason these games rate. Sure it’s nice to see the new guys lace ‘em up, watch a position battle or two and find out who this year’s surprise guy might be, but the play is mostly awful. The play-calling is vanilla (as to not put your favorite plays on tape) and the game-planning is seemingly non-existent. That being said, if you can withstand the mostly grueling quality of play, you can get to know your team a little better.

His body language was about as ugly as that trainer's belly

The actual storylines from last night are obvious. Desmond Bishop and Davon House were injured, and the replacement referees were absolutely horrible. As of noon today there is still no official word on the severity of the injuries to these two important defensive players, but McCarthy did admit that Bishop’s ‘didn’t look very good.’ The loss of Bishop would be huge, but let’s wait on that discussion until we get further word on a timetable for his return. As of now it’s a knee sprain with possible hamstring damage. House is certainly more replaceable, but the coaching staff thought enough of him to give him the start last night over the suddenly stiff competition at the number two cornerback position. He looked to be in a tremendous amount of pain yesterday, and a shoulder injury severally limited Tramon Williams’ effectiveness last season. Let’s hope he’s not lost for the season. The replacement refs were hilarious at best. They served up head-scratcher after head-scratcher last night from start to finish. Did I mention that one of them had no professional experience outside of the Lingerie Football League? And that he was FIRED from that ridiculous position? Roger Goodell’s plan of thumbing his nose at the currently on-strike referee’s union backfired in a major way. I’m happy about this for two reasons; it will likely speed up negotiations to get the real refs back on the field, and Goodell is a dick that needs to be humbled in the worst way.

'I'll be honest, I just kinda spaced on that last play.'

There were some good things to come out of yesterday’s performance. Nick Perry looked incredibly strong on his bull-rush sack in his first drive in the pros. Then again, it’s not really his strength that I’m worried about. He wasn’t really tested in coverage, so the jury is still very much out on his ability to transition to outside linebacker. He was called for a phantom penalty following the play, but that call would never have been made in the regular season. Dezman Moses was on the field as much as anyone last night, which means the coaching staff wants to give him every opportunity to make this team. Although he was exposed in a cover-two zone for a touchdown, he undoubtedly flashed on special teams. He plays with passion and seems to fire up his teammates. His best chance to make the squad will be as a special teamer, so I don’t think he hurt his chances one bit last night. Randall Cobb also had a good night and continues to make his job look easy. Truth be told I’d rather see him on the bench while things don’t matter.

It’s clear that the coaching staff still doesn’t know who’ll get the bulk of the snaps at running back this year. If Starks was truly the unquestioned starter, he never would have played as much as he did last night. He dropped a pass, put the ball on the ground, ran as upright as any back I’ve ever seen and showed very little imagination or vision when approaching the line of scrimmage. Interestingly, he may not have hurt his standing all that much last night, since he did a decent job of pass protecting. McCarthy has stated time and again that that is the number one responsibility of a running back in this system, so it’s good that Starks picked that as the one thing to execute on.

Graham Harrell got valuable snaps to build off of, and looked okay. He started off shaky, but settled in to complete more than half of his passes, including a touchdown. There is no way that he or McCarthy were satisfied with the performance (too many off target throws), but he could have done much worse.

It was good to see the Green and Gold back at it last night, but the injuries are troublesome to say the least. I’ve said it before, but the preseason needs to be shortened to two games instead of four. There is no need for an entire month of preseason, and nobody likes losing a starter in a meaningless game. This, of course, will never happen, as it would cost the owners money. The NFLPA will not approve an extended regular season schedule before the current CBA expires (10 full seasons), so we’ll just have to live with the current situation for a while. In the mean time I’ll continue to bitch as if anyone cares.

Pack All Set on Special Teams

For the first time in many years, the Packers appear set at special teams heading into the season. With the recent news of a lucrative (at least in terms of punters) extension for Tim Masthay, all five key special teams positions are filled for the foreseeable future. The Packers have had all kinds of problems on special teams in the 2000’s which included an 11 year kick return touchdown drought, awful punting, shaky kicking and poor personnel decisions. It seems that Ted Thompson has finally heeded the warnings of head coach Mike McCarthy and dedicated some significant resources to getting special teams back on track. Each of the five key positions have been addressed as follows, listed in increasing order of importance in my opinion.

Long snapper Brett Goode was brought in at the beginning of the 2008 season to replace the venerable Rob Davis. He has provided excellent continuity at the position following Davis’ 12 year stint, and has maintained a perfect record of zero wild snaps. The only reason I consider this position to be the least important of the five key special teams positions is because it’s likely the easiest to find a replacement for. If you don’t think a long snapper is important, ask yourself how comfortable you’d be snapping a ball 30 feet behind you, in the snow, as time expires, with the season on the line, 80,000 people watching, each one fully EXPECTING you to execute flawlessly. I’m a little nervous just thinking about it.

The aforementioned 11 year drought of kickoff returns for a touchdown was a painful one to live through. It was the longest such streak in the league the day it was broken. It was 21 year old Randall Cobb that took a ball out from eight yards deep in the endzone (in direct opposition to his coaches’ orders), barrel rolled a would-be tackler, and out-legged the coverage for six. Though the spectacular play elicited nothing more than a wry smile from Mike McCarthy, he was no doubt excited at the possibility that he had finally found a difference maker in the return game. Back-up return man Sam Shields has electrifying speed to be sure, but lacks the vision and instincts Cobb showed all season last year. It’s safe to say we’ve come a long way from sending our third string running back onto the field simply because he likely wouldn’t fumble.

It takes balls to be a punt returner. Plain and simple. The reason I feel a reliable punt returner is slightly more important than a kick returner is because there is more risk involved. If a kick returner muffs the catch, the play likely ends in a touchback or poor field position. If a punt returner muffs his chance, he’ll be hit HARD, will have at best a 50 percent chance at recovering the ball, and will potentially give great field position to the opposing offense. A punt return for a touchdown is certainly exciting and a huge boost for the team, but fielding punts is more about field position and ball security. Greg Jennings and Charles Woodson have both shown that ability in the past, but eventually proved too important in their respective full time roles to risk injury on special teams. Once again, the precocious Randall Cobb has proven fearless and reliable with punt coverage gunners bearing down on him. Quick side note on punt returners, am I the only one who thought Charles Woodson should have been returning punts all along? Yes there is some injury risk, but the guy has sure hands, has proven he can find the end zone and has not blood but ice coursing through his veins. He’s said he’d like to play offense, special teams always seemed like a nice compromise to me. Anyway…

On the heels of a franchise record setting season both in terms of average yards per punt, and net average yards per punt, Tim Masthay has been signed to a four-year, $5.45 million extension. This may seem like big money for a punter (and it is), but I think he’s worth every penny. Field position is absolutely crucial in the game of football, and the punter plays nearly as big of a role in determining that as anybody. Masthay has proven to be consistent, unfazed by the often inclement Lambeau weather and quite capable of punting with both power and accuracy. It’s refreshing to see solid punting rewarded instead of taken for granted in Green Bay for a change. Keep it up Ginger Wolverine.

Now I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that Mason Crosby is the next Adam Vinatieri, ok? I’m just not. But here’s the deal, kicking field goals in Green Bay sucks. A cold football travels differently than a room temperature football, it feels different on your foot (kind of painful, but this ain’t the freakin ice-capades) and snowy, soggy turf makes your plant foot a fickle friend at best. Crosby has five years of experience doing it, has made just about four out of five kicks in his time in Green Bay and has enough leg to kick 58+ yard field goals in real game situations. The shorter kickoffs make touchbacks a breeze for the strong-legged Crosby and he’s not afraid to stick his nose in on a tackle or two. He’s not the best kicker in the league, but we could do A LOT worse at the most important special teams position.

Training Camp: Week Two

                Week two of training camp is wrapping up and it feels great to finally have a steady stream of actual Packers news. McCarthy has been characteristically blunt in his reviews of each player, practice, period, whatever, and he’s handed out both praise and criticism thus far. The preseason is so close I can smell it, and it’s truly put up or shut up time for everyone trying to make this team. Here’s a quick run-down of news from week two of camp:

-      Davon House has (for the moment) been promoted to the first team base 3-4 defensive unit to play corner opposite Tramon Williams. Although it’s only been a couple of days with the ones for House, he’s been the talk of the defensive coaching staff. Defensive backs coach Joe Whitt has repeatedly brought him up as a player on the rise, and it did not take long for veteran Jarrett Bush to be unseated as the starter.

-           Second round pick Casey Hayward is also making a case for some significant playing time in the preseason to see where he’ll fit in during the regular season. He’s a lock for a roster spot because of where he was drafted, but playing time is not a guarantee. He’s thus far been described as an excellent man-coverage corner, but his tackling ability and run support have yet to be tested. Rest assured if he isn’t interested in tackling with aggression, the Packers’ coaching staff won’t be much interested in putting him on the field.

-    Veterans John Kuhn and Desmond Bishop have returned from minor injuries and have been limited participants in practice the last two days. While neither one of these players will be winning any MVP trophies any time soon, do not make the mistake of discounting their importance to the team. Kuhn knows the offense as well as anyone on the team and has played nothing but solid (and at times impactful) football during his tenure in Green Bay. Think of him as a swiss army knife in that he’s versatile, solid, old school and consistent. Bishop is a must have on defense this year, and would be sorely missed if he’s not 100%. He plays a huge role in directing the defense and will be called upon often to keep the young additions to the front seven lined up properly and sure of their assignments. He’s a great tackler, but his contributions go well beyond the stat sheet.

-     Dezman Moses has apparently continued to have success as a pass rusher, but he has yet to run with the ones. I’m happy for the guy and excited about his opportunity to make the team, but it’s one thing to beat the third string tackles in shells and shorts, and another thing entirely to beat Jeff Backus before Matt Stafford can deliver a 60 yarder to Megatron.

-     Anthony Hargrove is proving to be the outspoken powder-keg he was touted to be. He’s allowed to practice with the team despite his eight game suspension (and even did so in front of commissioner Roger Goodell, who was in Green Bay for a visit yesterday), and has been making his presence known. Now I’ve never been one to praise a loud mouth, and I don’t know exactly what he’s been saying at camp, but I know that this defense needs a fire lit under its’ ass, and Hargrove may be the man for the job.

-        Sadly, still no word on Johnny Jolly. I think at this point it’s a looooooooooong shot for him to be on the roster this year, but he might still have a chance to be with the team in some capacity. I’m thinking maybe a Mike Vick style return where he essentially red-shirts for his first season back, pays his dues in practice, and eventually earns the right to get back on the field. C’mon Goodell, do the decent thing here and give a man another chance at realizing his dream.