Grading the Pack - Week 8 - Packers vs. Rams

It was supposed to be a perfect setup. Aaron Rodgers, down two points, two minutes left, against the undefeated L.A. Rams. This type of finish is what NFL fans pay to see. There was only one major problem—Ty Montgomery never allowed it to get to that point.

Of course that was a special teams’ play and it won’t reflect in the grades below, but it was still unquestionably the biggest play in the game. It would take a potentially season changing play for Montgomery to get shipped off for basically nothing in return, and that’s exactly the type of play it was.

Had Montgomery not fumbled and had Green Bay won the game, the Packers would have moved to 4-2-1 and would have stood on top of the NFC North. Instead, they are in 3rd place, at .500, and will look to win an incredibly important game against the Patriots on the road.

 As a whole there were a lot of positive performances in this game. Davante Adams, Aaron Jones, Kenny Clark, and Jaire Alexander all really stood out, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling had a bit of a breakout moment as well. There were positives to build off of for sure. But there continued to be issues at guard, edge, and safety—the same issues that have plagued this team since week one.

Top 3 Offensive Players

Aaron Rodgers +1.55
Davante Adams +1.50
Aaron Jones +1.25

Top 3 Defensive Players

Kenny Clark +1.75
Jaire Alexander +1.65
Mike Daniels +1.20

Bottom 3 Offensive Players

Byron Bell -2.75
Lane Taylor -1.45
Lance Kendricks -0.80

Bottom 3 Defensive Players

HaHa Clinton-Dix -2.25
Jermaine Whitehead -1.90
Nick Perry -1.35

Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers +1.55

There’s still something just a little bit off with Aaron Rodgers’ game, and maybe it’s something as simple as the injured knee, but it just seems that Aaron Rodgers and the offense get in too many stretches where they can’t get in any sort of rhythm. Rodgers had some plays where he missed open receivers, or stayed in the pocket too long, but he also had a couple of incredible throws to Davante Adams, and hit MVS perfectly in stride for the go-ahead touchdown. Overall it was a winning performance for Aaron.

Running Back

Aaron Jones +1.25
Jamaal Williams +0.25
Ty Montgomery -0.45

We all know Aaron Jones is a stud; he just needs to see the field more often. Hopefully the trade of Montgomery will open up more playing time and this becomes a 70/30 split in favor of the best running back the team’s had since Ahman Green in his prime.

Wide Receiver

Davante Adams +1.50
Marquez Valdes-Scantling +0.95
Equanimeous St. Brown +0.20
Geronimo Allison -0.15
Randall Cobb -0.75

There were moments in this game where it felt like Davante Adams was going to will this team to victory. When it has mattered most over the course of the past few weeks, Adams has stepped up and made big plays in big moments. It hasn’t always resulted in the Packers winning the game, but the effort by Adams shouldn’t go unnoticed. He’s near uncoverable at the line of scrimmage right now and more and more teams are starting to bracket him in big situations.

The move by MVS to get off the line of scrimmage on the go-ahead touchdown was beautiful and if he starts becoming more of a technician with his route running—look out!

Randall Cobb didn’t look fully healthy and ultimately didn’t quite look like himself. Green Bay will need him back to normal against the Patriots.

Tight End

Marcedes Lewis +0.30
Jimmy Graham -0.10
Robert Tonyan -0.15
Lance Kendricks -0.80

If Green Bay is in the mood to move on from underperforming players, then Lance Kendricks would be a logical next option. Yes, he’s the best H-back type player on the team but he’s the worst tight end of the four and he’s still nowhere close to good in the H-back or fullback role. Green Bay would be wise to give his tight end snaps to Lewis and Tonyan and pick up Dan Vitale off the practice squad to play as the fullback.

Offensive Line

David Bakhtiari +1.20
Bryan Bulaga +0.95
Corey Linsley -0.05
Lane Taylor -1.45
Byron Bell -2.75

These scores shouldn’t be super surprising. The edge rushers for the Rams aren’t exactly super stars and for the most part Bakhtiari and Bulaga were able to hold up throughout the course of the day.

Meanwhile, the interior group had to deal with the likes of Suh, Donald, and Brockers on the inside for 78 snaps. It’s not an enviable situation for any interior group and Taylor and Bell weren’t exactly up to the task.

While I’ve been a huge supporter of Brian Gutekunst’s moves so far as GM, not better addressing the right guard situation in the offseason was by far one of his biggest mistakes.

Defensive Line

Kenny Clark +1.75
Mike Daniels +1.20
Tyler Lancaster +0.15
Montravius Adams -0.30
Dean Lowry -1.05

You can basically just pencil in Kenny Clark for a +1.00 or better grade every single week. Daniels continues to perform well even though he’s not racking up stats and Tyler Lancaster actually put some really nice snaps together this week, albeit in limited action.

Meanwhile Dean Lowry had his most difficult game in a while and it’s time to start realizing that Montravius Adams just isn’t the player Green Bay had expected. Adams is currently in a heated battle with Reggie Gilbert for most disappointing regular season performer after a tantalizing preseason. If Adams played more he’d probably get the nod.

Edge

Kyler Fackrell -0.35
Clay Matthews -0.40
Reggie Gilbert -0.95
Nick Perry -1.35

At this point, Green Bay doesn’t have a single edge rusher who should be starting in the NFL. They are legitimately two starting edge rushers short of a solid rotation. Clay Matthews should be a specialized player who rotates in as someone who can lineup either as an edge rusher or inside linebacker. He shouldn’t be expected to play 60+ snaps at this point in his career as a starting edge rusher.

Nick Perry is a mostly solid edge-setting run defender who based on his performance this season shouldn’t ever be in on obvious passing downs. Fackrell is a solid rotational depth piece as a number four or five edge rusher, and Reggie Gilbert is basically the practice squad player that Green Bay thought he was last year.

Brian Gutekunst has some serious work to do at this position in 2019.

Linebacker

Blake Martinez +0.60
Oren Burks -0.15

Blake Martinez had a nice game but still had his moments where you’d like him to be a bit more aggressive.

Meanwhile, Green Bay basically took Burks off the field against the Rams and used a lot of Jermaine Whitehead in his spot. It’s not difficult to see that Burks needs more time before he’s truly NFL ready. The raw talent is there but he’s not always assignment sure and he’s still thinking way too much.

Cornerback

Jaire Alexander +1.65
Josh Jackson +0.00
Kevin King -0.10
Tramon Williams -0.30

There was a TON to like about Jaire Alexanders’ performance against the Rams, but maybe my favorite aspect is that he can still get even better. There were some plays where Cooks was able to get the best of him and one play where he basically missed his assignment entirely. Even then, it never once affected his confidence. For a rookie to come in and get beat a couple times and still play with his incredible confidence is truly impressive. He’s a really good player already who is going to be truly special as time goes on.

Safety

Kentrell Brice -1.15
Jermaine Whitehead -1.90
HaHa Clinton-Dix -2.25

It’s only fitting that HaHa graded out as my lowest graded defender in his last game in Green Bay. He actually started this game out fairly neutral, but in the second half the same HaHa we’ve come to expect over the last season and a half showed up.

It was also a pretty bad day for Jermaine Whitehead who also played fairly passive, missed some easy tackles, and never looked comfortable in coverage. It was his biggest assignment of his career and on Sunday he didn’t look up to the task.

Green Bay took steps to try and improve this position this week by trading HaHa and moving Tramon Williams to safety. The next step should be to put Josh Jones next to Tramon and give the safety position a complete makeover.

At the end of the day there were some really interesting grades. On defense the fantastic play of a handful of players really covered up for the deficiencies of the rest. It’s no surprise but edge rusher and safety continued to be massive disappointments. It will be fun to see what Green Bay does at safety against New England with HaHa in Washington.

The offense showed flashes as well and it’s going to be harder and harder to keep MVS off the field. I like the rotations they used (outside of not using Aaron Jones enough) and hope they continue to get unique mismatches as the weeks progress.

The Packers have yet to put together anything close to a full 60 minutes of football, so let’s hope this week is the week and Green Bay can escape New England with a winning record.

2018 Grades: https://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/grading-the-pack-2018-regular-season-totals-547

Friday Film Room: 

Here are the players we will focus on during the Friday Film Room:

Jaire Alexander +1.65
Tramon Williams -0.30
Kenny Clark +1.75
MVS +0.95
Jermaine Whitehead -1.90

Listen to the Friday Film Room 9:45am every Friday at http://www.thefan1075.com/

How I Grade

  • Each player starts by getting a zero or neutral grade on a play. If they performed as expected on a play, their grade stays at zero.
  • For a slightly above or below average play, the player gets graded -0.1 or +0.1. The vast majority of grades on the vast majority of plays are graded -0.1, 0, or +0.1.
  • The highest and lowest grades on an individual play are +2.0 and -2.0 respectively. These would be large, game-changing plays.
  • I won’t grade a play negatively if I cannot tell which player was at fault.
  • Most of the time it’s difficult to tell the play, so I’m not grading on the execution of the play call as an NFL coach would.
  • The goal of this exercise is to grade every snap over the course of the season to get a long-term view of which performers are performing well and which are not meeting expectations. This is very similar to what Pro Football Focus tries to achieve. Is it perfect? No. But what you are getting is a consistent grader who is watching specifically Packer games and putting multiple hours into every week to breakdown film and assign grades.
  • Grades are for offense and defense only (including two point conversions). Special teams does not factor in.

 

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.

__________________________

Andy is a graduate of UW-Oshkosh and owns & operates the Pack-A-Day Podcast. Andy has taken multiple courses in NFL scouting and is an Editor for Packer Report. Andy grew up in Green Bay and is a lifelong season ticket holder - follow him on Twitter @AndyHermanNFL!

__________________________

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Comments (43)

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jclombardi's picture

November 02, 2018 at 08:32 am

I feel the same way! lol

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

November 02, 2018 at 11:44 am

I remember the HaHa play on the 2 point conversion. Any effort from him may have helped generate enough push to stop them short. Good riddance.

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dobber's picture

November 02, 2018 at 09:13 am

Remembering back to 2014, his standing around on the 2pt late was one of many egregious on-field things that happened in that game that cost the Packers a trip to the SB.

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RCPackerFan's picture

November 02, 2018 at 09:00 am

Just curious, who has been in the top 3 on each side of the ball the most?
Also who has been in the bottom 3 the most?

We know Adams, Jones, Alexander and Clark all had big games.

The player who just keeps rising is MVS.

My bold prediction is that he will have a 200 yard receiving game this year. I am not going to say this week, but I think its going to happen this year.

He is starting to change the way defenses defend him too. I don't see the film but it seems defenses are putting a S overtop of him more frequently. Also CB's tend to play off coverage on him. On the goal line play Rodgers should have hit him on the slant. He was wide open at the 5 with no one within 5 yards of him. That is one of the best CB's in the league that is play that far off of him.

I think he is about to explode for a huge game!

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dobber's picture

November 02, 2018 at 09:17 am

It's hard to bracket Adams and put a S over MVS, too. Someone's going to get single coverage. Hopefully ARod keeps finding that guy. As many have been saying for a long time: they need a guy to open up the field. They may have gotten lucky on MVS.

...AND, to his credit, MVS has not yet officially recorded a dropped pass in 2018.

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RCPackerFan's picture

November 02, 2018 at 09:33 am

Exactly.

The great thing is Adams has been beating the other teams best CB too. In all honesty, they could probably throw it to Adams almost every play. He is one of those guys that is open when he is covered.
But he is drawing extra coverage and now MVS is also drawing attention.

It is going to open up someone. And its not like its just those 2 guys that are threats. They have Graham who still has the respect of other teams. They have Cobb and Allison who are more then capable of making plays. St Brown has proved to be a guy that can make big plays.

Completely agree that Rodgers HAS to find the open receiver and throw it to them.

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Skip greenBayless's picture

November 02, 2018 at 12:24 pm

As I said a couple weeks ago, I look at MVS and how tall and skinny he is with his track speed and I flash back to the great James Lofton of the late 70's. Lofton also was capable of returning punts and kickoffs just like MVS. Not saying MVS is going to have a hall of fame career like Lofton but early on he just has a lot of similarities in my opinion. Another person compared him to Javon Walker. He's definitely an exciting player and one a defense needs to start paying major attention too. If not say goodbye, he's gone for a long score like he did this past week.

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PeteK's picture

November 02, 2018 at 05:41 pm

Hope so, Lofton had great hands and was a college high jumper so really went high for some catches.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

November 02, 2018 at 11:44 am

Having a top 3 Season to Date tracker would be awesome.

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AndyHerman's picture

November 02, 2018 at 07:03 pm

It’s always in the link at the bottom of the article ; )

https://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/grading-the-pack-2018-regular-season-total...

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flackcatcher's picture

November 02, 2018 at 09:13 am

Andy, nice job as always. Few random comments. I laughed at your Ha Ha Clinton Dix comment. Montrvaius Adams is in effect a rookie coming off a near career ending foot injury. It may take a whole season for him to get back to were he was pre draft. To expect him to be nothing more than a space eater at this point is asking for something he may not have right now. Mike Daniels is a monster, he eats and beats double teams so easily. Teams do not power run against him and Clarke. Both are playing at close to or at an elite level. The secondary as a unit is good, really good. So good they are disrupting the other sides game flow. Overall, this defense is gelling at the right time, as a unit they are getting close to shutdown territory. Something the Packers have not have since 2015. Davante Adams is special. He may be the best WR in the NFL. At this point, even bracket coverage would not stop him. The leap he has taken right before our eyes is unreal. I agree with the rest. I am puzzled by the lapses of execution on offense. This offense should be better than what they shown to date. Game flow is a problem that shows time and again. That is not on McCarthy, that's on Rodgers. His knee injury must be more serious than what we are hearing. Monty oh Monty...... Well. On to New England.

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cpheph1's picture

November 02, 2018 at 03:23 pm

Which WR is the best in 2018 is certainly debatable. Davante is on pace to set single-season records for the Packers. I still think Julio is the best and then it's a toss-up between Hopkins or AB. Davante is arguably top five…top ten for sure.

I concur on the game flow issue. I don't think the knee is the issue…AR12 has always preferred the chunk play vs the shorter, potentially easier completion (i.e., think Drew Brees & Brady). It's possible AR12 throws a harder ball to catch than other some QBs (i.e., Drew Brees & Brady).

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flackcatcher's picture

November 02, 2018 at 10:19 pm

I don't disagree at all. Still, Adams has been uncoverable this season, to the point the Rams put bracket coverage with a ILB in trail during the last drive, and still couldn't stop him. I thought the same about Rodgers, with his escape ability compromised that he go more on rhythm. I thought the game plan pushed that aspect forward. Rams front 7 is really good and disruptive but it's Aaron Rodgers, so he will take his shots.

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dobber's picture

November 02, 2018 at 09:16 am

"While I’ve been a huge supporter of Brian Gutekunst’s moves so far as GM, not better addressing the right guard situation in the offseason was by far one of his biggest mistakes."

It's one they should have seen coming a long ways away. To his credit, he tried to pick up some help on waivers this week, but was too far down for the claim to stick...

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2018/11/giants-jamon-brown-waivers

Imagine what this OL would look like if Bulaga hadn't made it back from injury...

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flackcatcher's picture

November 02, 2018 at 09:46 am

I wonder if the Packer medical staff missed something in McCay? shoulder that wasn't picked up until after the start of the season. By all accounts Cole told the Packers he couldn't play this season. Giving what he is going though, that's understandable. Bulaga has earned every penny of his contract, I hope there are no more 'whispers' from 1265 about his contract status. Overall, the OL is what it is, one of the few areas where our new GM might have slipped up. But with the amount of injuries that unit played though last year, evaluation must have been hard.

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Turophile's picture

November 02, 2018 at 01:41 pm

As flackcatcher pointed out, Cole Madison is sitting the season out.

Gutekunst probably had no idea that was going to happen with Madison, so he did have his plans to man the guard position, they just got derailed. Byron Bell was the backup plan, which was not awful considering how hard it is to get functional O lineman.

As dobber pointed out Gute did also try for an O lineman a day or two back, but wasn't the waiver winner. Sometimes the battle plan goes all ends up, leaving improvisation as the only tool left in the box.

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Bearmeat's picture

November 02, 2018 at 09:27 am

Thanks once again, Andy!

My thoughts:

1. I am GLAD Haha is gone. He has been B-A-D for the last year and a half. Good riddance and welcome to the 4th round pick.

2. I have to quibble with you at RG: Gute DID hedge his bets. He drafted Cole Madison, who for one reason or another, didn't show up. That guy was supposed to be an excellent pass blocker. I'd bet he would be starting if he were here.

3. Our OLBs suck donkey nuts. This is not new. Cut them all the day after the season is over, and I don't care about the dead money. Yawn. Mark my words - a lack of 1v1 pass rush WILL end our season (in the playoffs I think) against a good QB.

4. Something has to wrong with J Jones that he hasn't seen the field - because we have no options at safety. I'm hoping that Tramon can play FS well enough to get buy - I'm concerned about run fills at his size. But we NEED better play at strong safety. Ideally, J Jones would be the guy.

5. I have to quibble with your "33 is the best Packers RB since Ahman Green" line. No. Not true. Phat Ed - before he got Phat - was literally one of the best RBs in the league in 2013. Go back and watch his highlights from his rookie season. He always had power and vision. But back then, he was light enough to have speed and excellent balance.

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RCPackerFan's picture

November 02, 2018 at 09:42 am

"4. Something has to wrong with J Jones that he hasn't seen the field - because we have no options at safety. I'm hoping that Tramon can play FS well enough to get buy - I'm concerned about run fills at his size. But we NEED better play at strong safety. Ideally, J Jones would be the guy."

What IF... Williams plays S and they are able to go more base defense to stop the run? With Williams at "S" they have an extra CB that can come down on any play and cover anyone. They don't have to remove an ILB for an extra CB.

In my mind Williams at S provides them more options for covering teams then they had with Clinton-Dix. Pettine will be able to use different personnel and packages now that they essentially have an extra CB already.
Also Clinton-Dix is not a good tackler. They won't be losing anything with Williams as far as tackling.

I do wonder about Josh Jones. I am wondering if they start finding a role for him. If he keeps flashing on ST's its going to be hard to not put him on defense.

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Bearmeat's picture

November 02, 2018 at 09:50 am

If he's not assignment sure, then his athletic talent is wasted. Or, if he's inconsistent with his technique, etc...

Other than effort and assignment surety, I don't think Williams will be a better safety in any way than HHCD - which isn't a high bar to clear. That said, maybe those two things alone make him better?

We can hope. Man, Gute really should have grabbed a veteran safety this year - good players were so cheap, and I don't think that will be the case again unless this Anthem thing picks up (ughh) again...

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RCPackerFan's picture

November 02, 2018 at 10:21 am

The thing is I don't think Williams (or whomever) has to be better then Clinton-Dix. I think they will change the defense to better fit those players. I also think that while Clinton-Dix has made some big plays, he has given up to many. I don't think there would be a to much of a drop off no matter who starts.

Also, IMO, Williams has lost a step at CB. Moving him to S where he did play at in Cleveland for Pettine (supposedly played well there), will allow Jackson and/or Breeland to get on the field. That IMO can be an upgrade. So if its a wash at Clinton-Dix spot, and and upgrade at CB, then our defense could be upgraded.

Honestly, as much talk as there was around Reid. I'm happy they didn't get him. From the outside looking in he seems to be a big distraction there.

Gutekunst went and got Breeland. That was a really good move. Hopefully he pays off this week.

For fun, lets make a little comparison. What if we compare the starting Safety position to the Starting Pitchers of the Brewers. Brewers went in an unorthodox way of managing their pitchers. What if the Packers do that with the Safety position. They have an abundance of CB's, like the Brewers had an abundance of Relievers. What if the Packers kind of merge the 2 positions and go heavy with CB's. Brewers essentially said do enough the first few innings and we will put in our relievers.
Basically the comparison is that they are putting their strength on the field.

Maybe a stretch in comparison, but it was fun trying anyways.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

November 02, 2018 at 01:44 pm

"Williams will be a better safety in any way than HHCD"

I think he'll for sure be better in one way, you won't see nearly as many loafs by the Free Safety.

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flackcatcher's picture

November 02, 2018 at 10:00 am

Packers play mainly press coverage with zone principles. Players have very little room for error in that type of system. Packers may think Jones is not assignment sure. Jones was drafted to play a more box/hybrid safety in Capers system. If he had made the adjustment then maybe we be seeing more of him. Or, the players ahead of him are just better. Who knows? Still, I think we will see him on the field on this defense soon. He has too much talent to ride the bench for this defense.

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stockholder's picture

November 02, 2018 at 10:14 am

Good points. It's time to try Jones at FS too. He played some in college. It's time to keep up with the Jones'. Burks looks to be catching on. Bigger roll please.

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RCPackerFan's picture

November 02, 2018 at 10:26 am

yeah, I agree with what you are saying as well. He did struggle in coverage last year too.

I think part of Jones problem is that he missed time. Last week was the best he has looked on special teams. If he puts another showing like that, I could see him earning time on defense.
Perhaps he will start getting an opportunity on defense soon too.

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arthurl's picture

November 02, 2018 at 10:14 am

Read the article and feel this is excellent assessment where the team stands. Thank you, know lot of time needed to evaluate each game and develop analytics

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Cartwright's picture

November 02, 2018 at 10:43 am

Nice run down... just saw these comments from Stephen A. regarding the Packers would like to share it. Don't agree but here it is anyway... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHAHLx1t9tQ

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Skip greenBayless's picture

November 02, 2018 at 11:10 am

I really enjoy this segment every week. This game was such a historic game in many ways as it changed the course for so many that played in it good and bad. So many great rookies and younger players emerged in this game that should have been a victory. What most will only remember years from now will the Ty Montgomery blunder and his crazy bizarre response a day later. Blamed humanity and everyone but himself. Looking back I am surprised he didn't blame Trump for the fumble. Such a disappointing game that maybe bears fruit later with all the changes that happened as a result of his stupidity. Glass half full.

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Point-Packer's picture

November 02, 2018 at 12:20 pm

Byebye HaHa

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CAG123's picture

November 02, 2018 at 01:13 pm

This Josh Jones situation is pretty frustrating the most physically gifted safety you have can’t get on the field to run support and rush the passer? Things he did pretty well last year but instead loses out to a heat seeking missile in Brice that misses the heat more times than not? You have a guy like Whitehead that appears to be thinking too much but that also seemed to be JJ problem so you might as well go sit with the more athletic one. You have your veteran converted safety out there in Williams who can use his range and football IQ to make plays on the ball at this point you might as well see what you have in Jones. Also I fully believe Jones could have made a better play on the ball than Whitehead did on that tipped pass like actually have his head around to knock the ball away.

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Oppy's picture

November 02, 2018 at 02:43 pm

Josh Jones was somewhere between "yuck" and "OMG acid reflux taste" in coverage last year.

That's the only reason I can think of that he hasn't been able to secure a more regular role at Safety in 2018.

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CAG123's picture

November 02, 2018 at 03:11 pm

Then what the hell is Brice?

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Point-Packer's picture

November 02, 2018 at 03:30 pm

If he is worse than Brice he is a bigger bust than I already think. What a disaster TT was toward the end of his tenure. Absolute disaster.

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Oppy's picture

November 02, 2018 at 09:14 pm

Brice has had some broken coverages, that's true.
However, the film guys will tell you he's been okay- not great, but okay- for the most part.

Josh Jones in coverage last season was really ugly.

Not saying he hasn't improved. Only that it might be the reason he hasn't been given a more substantial role in 2018. He really was that bad in coverage in 2017.

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CAG123's picture

November 02, 2018 at 10:22 pm

To be fair everyone was bad in coverage for DC last year and the year before and the year before.....

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JohnnyLogan's picture

November 02, 2018 at 03:19 pm

I think everyone is ignoring a major problem... Aaron Rodgers has not been Aaron Rodgers. Maybe his leg, maybe his ego refusing to throw to the open man... his completion % is 61.3. 27th in the league. Behind Prescott, Keenum, hell behind Winston who just got benched. Drew Brees % is 77%. Brady 67%. How many times this year has Rodgers missed guys or thrown to the wrong side, or simply ignored a first down to hold the ball and throw long? He needs to work for first downs to keep the CB's and safeties close and it will improve his long game. He needs to toss screens to Aaron Jones as Brees throws to Kamara. The Pack don't have an identity on offense. The Rams run Gurley, toss to Gurley, fake to Gurley and throw deep. The Saints run Kamara, screen Kamara, fake Kamara and toss deep to Thomas. The Packers?... who the hell knows? It sure isn't smooth, modern football. McCarthy is most to blame, if he's calling the plays. If it's Rodgers calling audibles then he's twice to blame, for bad play calling and poor execution. Hopefully, his leg better, Jones now the full time starter (I think) and MVS a serious weapon outside, they can be the powerful offense we all would like to see. But it begins with Rodgers. He needs to be called out by McCarthy and he needs to put his ego aside and involve Jones more.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

November 02, 2018 at 03:28 pm

MARCEDES LEWIS!!!

Got his first positive grade of the year!

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Christopher Gennaro's picture

November 02, 2018 at 05:47 pm

Hopefully it continues, had very high hopes when he was signed. Still hoping to see a few pancake blocks, from him this year. Quick question on his lack of use to you sir, is it him not getting the playbook or they miscasting him? I'm so confused by his lack of snaps.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

November 02, 2018 at 06:58 pm

IDK. Most of the film guys have written that Lewis just wasn't good with the snaps he did get. I certainly don't know why the best blocking TE suddenly wasn't so hot at it. Lots of admiring quotes about Lewis' blocking prowess during TC. I worried he got old. Worried about some nagging injury as well. He isn't going to run great routes: he's got to block well and then leak out to be productive as a pass receiver.

I don't think he's being miscast. Even I can't find a way to blame MM. He's an inline TE and that is how he's been used, as far as I can tell. No idea on the playbook.

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Doug Niemczynski's picture

November 02, 2018 at 04:36 pm

Packers just have too many holes on defense. We have missed Way Way too many times in the draft, still signing backup players when some of our starters arent even good enough to start.
Others like C. Matthews is just good for 3rd down rotation. No good safeties, no true pass rusher and MM is still not using TEs correctly. You wanna take pressure off Rogers? Line up Mercedes Lewis 6'6 270 and have him roll off a blocker and lrt some 225lb or less guy try and tackle him

Still not 1 lousy stinking pass to M. Lewis.

I really hope someone can use Ty Montgomery talents he definitely a mismatch and if Baltimore can use him properly, then its most definitely bye bye for MM.

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Doug Niemczynski's picture

November 02, 2018 at 04:38 pm

Who is Marcedes Lewis?

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Oppy's picture

November 02, 2018 at 09:18 pm

You mentioned M. Lewis in your own post...?
http://www.nfl.com/player/marcedeslewis/2495888/profile

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Skip greenBayless's picture

November 02, 2018 at 05:44 pm

Doug, the thing that Ty Montgomery was really really good at was getting hurt. I hope Baltimore can use more hurt players otherwise they are going to be disappointed. More playing time for Ty equals less playing time for Ty.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

November 03, 2018 at 10:34 am

I love these articles. As far as I know short of paying a subscription, Andy Herman/CHTV is the only site that grades every packer player every game.

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