Blue, Red & Cow Chips From Preseason Win At Seattle
Aaron Rodgers looked good, Breno Giacomini looked bad, but who else earned our post-game designations in the aftermath the Seahawks game?
Continuing a tradition begun at Railbird Central, we give out our blue, red & cow chips from Saturday's preseason win against the Seattle Seahawks...
Red Chips
- Aaron Rodgers: Was there any doubt Rodgers would get a blue chip for last evening's performance? All he did was lead the Packers to two touchdowns in two possessions completing 8-of-11 passes for 116 yards and a 146.2 quarterback rating in the process. It may not be a stretch to call him the best quarterback in the NFL by the end of the season.
- Jermichael Finley: The tight end is emerging as Rodgers' security blanket. On the Packers' first possession he converted a key third down in the red zone to set up their first touchdown. On the second possession he scored the touchdown himself, a 12-yard strike that put the Packers on top 14-7. He finished the game leading the team with 4 receptions for 48 yards.
Blue Chips
- Brandon Jackson: Most of his carries and yards came in the second half against the Seahawks second- and third-string defensive players, but he still provided a spark to a running game that couldn't get going a week ago against Cleveland. Jackson finished with 80 yards, but more impressive was that it came on only 11 carries, good for a 7.3-yard average with a long of 26 yards. He shouldered the load on the Packers' game-winning drive by carrying the ball the final 38 yards to the endzone on two carries. Plus he also caught one screen pass with the first-string offense that went for nine yards.
- Frank Zombo: Saturday's performance alone wasn't good enough for him to earn a roster spot with the Packers, but it was a step in the right direction. In fact, ever since coming back from an ankle injury that slowed him early in training camp, Zombo deserves credit for fighting through pain and contributing to the team. Last night he was the only Packer to register a sack, but he also led the team in tackles with five including one for a loss and one more quarterback hurry. Zombo has two quarterback hurries in two preseason games. The rest of the team team only has one.
Cow Chips
- Breno Giacomini: The big man took a big blow to his chances of making the team. He had been putting up a good fight for most of training camp, but last night's performances was downright pitiful. Giacomini gave up a sack to defensive end Nick Reed on a spin move that made him look silly. Later he missed an assignment on an off-tackle run to the right where he made the mistake of not sealing off the inside pursuit before moving onto the outside. He also gave up a quarterback hit on Matt Flynn in the second half. And if that weren't enough, the final play of the first half was inexcusable. If Jason Spitz wasn't called for a snap infraction, Giacomini would have been called offsides when the Packers were trying to set up a field goal before heading in for halftime.
- Jarrett Bush: Bush was picked upon in the second half of last night's game as a cornerback and the result was two consecutive penalties that put the Seahawks in good field position. It can be argued whether Bush deserved the pass interference he was called for, but the unnecessary roughness penalty was spot on considering the emphasis referees placing on defenseless players this year. Bush also made a very poor attempt at a block on kickoff return in the first half of the football game.
Comments (31)
August 22, 2010 at 05:54 pm
Pretty good assessment with the exception of one thing.
The call on Bush was bogus, SloMo replay showed he lead with his shoulder and the helmet hit was a result of the receiver lowering his head. I don't belive the NFL will fine him one red cent because he did nothing wrong THAT time. Ironic, isn't it?
Brian Carriveau
August 22, 2010 at 05:55 pm
Whether you agree with it or not, that's going to be a penalty in the NFL starting this year.
August 22, 2010 at 09:10 pm
I agree with Brian. At game speed that is a penalty. When replayed in slow motion, it may show otherwise but by then it doesn't matter, it is still a 15 yard penalty. How do you correct it? Learn how to tackle.
August 22, 2010 at 11:36 pm
No, you do what it takes to put the guy on the ground. Bush should have wrapped up, but you can't start second guessing yourself every time you go in for a hit. If the guy lifts his head up, it's no problem. And if the guy had fumbled the ball because of the hit we'd all be singing his praises.
August 22, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Bush has a knack for drawing questionable penalties. Tramon Williams does to, but possibly to a lesser extent. Not sure what it is. Ahmad Carroll had that too, but it was because of the way he conducted himself like a whiny little bitch to the referees.
August 23, 2010 at 08:38 am
My best guess? Reputation. The officials know that these guys are prone to getting penalties and if they don't then the other team will sure tell them. Even if officials don't do it intentionally, they are more critical of those guys because of that.
August 22, 2010 at 06:12 pm
Brandon Underwood was absolutely abused last night. I'm not comfortable with him getting beat by anyone and everyone. Pat Lee didn't do himself any favors either. Granted, the Seahawks have some vets at WR that run great routes, but there's no reason to look LOST on every play, and Underwood did.
August 22, 2010 at 07:42 pm
Housyourmamma is a very good receiver. You're right, Underwood struggled. He needs to get his shit together. But he's the nickel corner. The dime corner when Harris comes back. He won't have to cover receivers to the level of Housh...
August 23, 2010 at 02:14 pm
The reason he's a fantasy sleeper is BECAUSE he'll be their 3rd WR, meaning he'll face guys like Underwood....
August 22, 2010 at 06:37 pm
Barbre was pretty bad at LT also.
They said Jackson has really stepped up with off-season with tougher work-outs and stricter diets. Maybe that will translate to a better performance in 2010.
August 22, 2010 at 06:54 pm
I think the refs should also be noted in your list as a cow chip. Some calls and no calls were puzzling.
Can someone explain to me why there was no intentional grounding on Whitehurst, ran straight back, still in the pocket and thru the ball to the ground. Of course watching it on TV you only get to see what the Director wants you to see, so I guess I missed something.
August 22, 2010 at 10:21 pm
They gave us some pretty generous marks, though.
August 23, 2010 at 08:39 am
It's because he threw it at the feet of an eligible receiver. Is this your first time?
August 23, 2010 at 08:42 am
It was a stupid technicality, though, the guy was on his back on the ground. Not to say the call they made was wrong, but you can see how some fans look at that and say "What the hell?"
August 22, 2010 at 07:22 pm
Sam Shields
August 22, 2010 at 07:36 pm
pat lee, barbre, giacomini, and shields (as a punt/kickoff returner) all get cow chips
August 22, 2010 at 07:57 pm
I thought Matt Flynn deserved at least a red chip. He looked very confident and his decision making was very good. I think if he keeps this up in the following preseason games, we may have found our backup QB.
August 22, 2010 at 08:49 pm
OK!
August 22, 2010 at 08:55 pm
Also, can we throw a Cow Chip in for TT and MM for cutting Jon Ryan? I know it's been said plenty before, but holy hell, what a mistake.
August 22, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Good call. Absolutely horrible personnel move.
August 22, 2010 at 11:39 pm
Yeah, it definitely hurt every time he pinned us inside the 5.
August 23, 2010 at 08:50 am
Wow, yeah. I'm typically a big TT defender... but *man* was that dumb.
August 22, 2010 at 09:12 pm
The entire kickoff coverage unit should get a Cow Chip. All versions. There are all of the excuses. I even get that some of the excuses are legitimate. But at the end of the day Packers are just plain bad in this area. New coordinator has not helped. Extra time on special teams has not helped. These are guys who are trying to make the team for crying out loud. Someone from the unit needs to be cut tomorrow just to make an example out of him.
August 23, 2010 at 01:35 am
yeah I still wanna know when will Special Teams be fixed. Because it still looks bad.
August 23, 2010 at 06:02 am
And what about Spencer Havner???? After all, he is the only player in the NFL to be able to play offense, defense and special teams... and more importantly to be a good player in these three dimensions. This guy really has something special!
August 24, 2010 at 05:56 pm
Spencer had a whopping 112 yards on offense ("he just catches TDs" does very little to me), no snaps on defense and played decent on STs.
He's quite overrated.
August 23, 2010 at 07:07 am
agree ?
August 23, 2010 at 07:47 am
I dont put too much stock in the DBs performance because the officiating was inconsistent from play to play and player to player. At least call the downfield contact the same throughout the game so ths players can adjust to how you're calling it today.
And Warren Moon was unbearable to listen too on the Seahawks TV broadcast. MIKE Flynn? Darren COOLIDGE? GORDY Nelson?
August 23, 2010 at 03:01 pm
He actually NEVER got Matt Flynn right. He called him I think 5 or 6 times. Every time, it was Mike. Call him Flynn at least.
August 23, 2010 at 07:55 am
as far as special teams go,we are trying mucho people,so ill give them another week to get it together.not worried about the defense yet either,we are holding out alot of guys...injuries etc.etc.the big italian guy and the barber must goooooooo.bush is clueless of course.shields is a gamer.only way i trade spitz is 4 a good pass rusher or a decent corner,but dept at center is critical...just ask the eagles last year.this guy neal who we all complained about drafting is going to be a player,boy hes a load.q.johnson is 1 hell of a blocker and will make the team.....porter or lumpkin that is a question.how bout havner guy can do it all.j. harrell hmmmmmm...id play him almost all the next preseason game,if he holds up and plays decent keep him if not ...later. i like the guy but enough is enough.i like this c.dillion guy also,not sold on swain.ashame about starks.bulaga is a beast.m.barnett still needs alot of work ,hurry up atari.the aussie should b our punter.give bishop his chance ....please....and thats all i have to say
August 23, 2010 at 02:40 pm
yeah i got sick and tired of him butchering our players names.