Week Three in Review

Well that was not very fun. Just ask my houseguests. I really can’t remember a worse offensive performance during the Rodgers/McCarthy era. The Lions’ defense is not good when healthy, and they were far from healthy on Sunday. The offensive line is looking more and more like a season-ruining weakness and Rodgers seems to be getting frustrated. It’s still very early but I’m reading a lot more into this loss than I did the week one loss to Seattle. Here’s what I liked and didn’t like:

What I Liked:

Secondary: I really like this unit quite a bit. They’re talented, deep, and confident. Shields and Williams did a terrific job on Calvin Johnson, holding him to a mortal 82 yards on six catches. House is looking more and more like a potential star to me. It’s great that he had a pick, but he’s also tackling well and playing great in coverage. Ha Ha got the safeties on the board with a nice interception, so we can stop talking about how long it’s been since that happened. Golden Tate’s production was a little annoying, but overall this was a terrific performance for the secondary against a potent passing attack.

Pass Rush: We only had two sacks on the day, but we were consistently in the backfield and put

some nice hits on Stafford. Mike Daniels has been a force of nature this year, and he was consistently disruptive again today. He’s a super star, no doubt about it. He’s got the rare ability to create pressure up the middle, which is so hard for an offense to overcome. Julius Peppers finally made a big play, sacking, stripping, and recovering in a crucial situation. Matthews was around the ball, but never broke through for a big play. He sustained some kind of injury late in the game, but didn’t look too concerned standing on the sideline. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious. The one reservation I have about the pressure that we got today is the fact that we had to rush five to get it. Most good quarterbacks can beat the blitz, but maybe our secondary is good enough to cover even when the blitz is on. We’ll have the answer soon enough.

What I Didn’t Like:

Aaron Rodgers: Let’s be real, he played like shit. Sure he was frequently under pressure, but what the fuck? Isn’t this guy a superstar? Some of his throws were so far off target I couldn’t even make sense of them. I’m also sick and tired of him showing up teammates on the field. If someone makes a mistake, just be an adult and deal with it in the huddle or on the sidelines. Does he really think that rookie receiver Davante Adams is going to be more assignment sure after getting yelled at by his quarterback in front of 70,000 people? It’s stupid and it makes the team worse. His frustration was obvious and understandable, but he’s got to play better than he did today or this team is going nowhere.

Running Game: Just terrible. 22 rushes for 76 yards and no touchdowns. Also a fumble from our feature back. Eddie Lacy has yet to put together anything even close to a solid game this year. Starks was apparently running too well for the coaching staff to continue giving him the ball. I get that Eddie is the star, but if James is producing, leave him in the fucking game until he isn’t! McCarthy’s inability and/or unwillingness to make offensive adjustments to the game plan is becoming a more and more credible narrative. This was exactly the kind of game where you need to run the football and we simply could not. This has got to get better.

Pass Protection: We only gave up two sacks, but that stat does not tell the story. Rodgers was under pressure once again, and could not produce. The Lions have a good defensive line, but so do like eight or ten other teams. Do we just throw our hands up and mail it in every time we’re up against a decent unit? Jesus Christ this does not feel like a playoff team right now. The offense produced 5.06 yards per passing play against arguably the worst secondary in the league.

Extra Points:

       -          All 52 active members on the roster practiced in some capacity on Wednesday. Everyone (myself included) has been bitching about injuries ruining seasons for years. Well we’re healthy right now, so let’s do something about it.

       

       -          The Packers have started each of the last three seasons 1-2, and made the playoffs the first two times.

       -          The Bears are last in the league in rushing through three weeks, and 26^th out 32 when it comes to stopping the run. Looks like an opportunity for the Packers to control the clock and for Eddie Lacy to put up his first big game of the year.

      -          Four key starters for the Bears are currently listed as questionable, and a fifth (Peanut Tillman – one of my favorite non-Packers) is on IR. Let’s see if we can capitalize on a banged up opponent like we should have done last week.

** Bonus Quote of the Week **

‘The Vile Maxim of the Masters of Mankind: All for ourselves and nothing for other people.’

-          Adam Smith

** What Was I Drinking **

Pliny the Elder, courtesy of my boy Chowder out in Oaktown.