Packers vs. Eagles: Quick Takes from Green Bay’s 39-26 Loss in Preseason Week 3

Quick takes from the Packers' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the third week of the 2015 preseason. 

A second indispensable receiver needed attention in the locker room and the starting defense got run over as the Green Bay Packers dropped their third preseason game to the Philadelphia Eagles by a 39-26 final Saturday night from Lambeau Field. 

 

It was over when…

…Mark Sanchez found tight end Trey Burton for a 7-yard touchdown with eight seconds left in the first half, giving the Eagles a 39-14 advantage. Philadelphia also held leads of 25-0 and 32-7. 

 

Game Balls

Brett Hundley: ESPN will show only his pick-six in the first half, but don’t be fooled: The rookie quarterback had a terrific night. Hundley completed 22 of 31 passes for 315 yards and two scores, and the interception came on a pressured play when his receiver (Richard Rodgers) fell down. He showed off a good arm, and his anticipation delivering the ball far exceeded my own expectations. Hundley’s pocket presence is still a little jittery, but he also stood in there a bunch of times and threw strikes. A big part of his game—extending plays—was obvious. He’ll play a bunch again in the fourth and final preseason game next week, but I’m most excited to see him next August. Mike McCarthy has a lot to work with in his young quarterback. 

Raijon Neal: Forget a defensive gameball. The competition for Green Bay’s third running back slot all but closed Saturday night, as Neal put together a strong all-around performance. He rushed for 23 yards on four carries, with a long of 14. He also caught five passes for 61 yards and a 36-yard score. The second-year back has some burst in his step, and his soft hands as a pass-catcher and awareness and experience as a pass-protector will be valuable as a RB3. Unless something crazy happens during next week’s preseason finale, expect the Packers to keep Neal as the offense’s third back.  

Young WRs: Forget the special teams, too. That unit committed eight penalties during a horror show night. Instead, let’s highlight the young receivers. Ty Montgomery, Jeff Janis and Myles White all made big plays. Montgomery raced 52 yards after catching a throw over the middle, Janis had a contested catch near the boundary for 29 and a late touchdown, and White made a circus catch along the sideline. Mike McCarthy challenged these guys during the week, and they mostly responded. It’s a small step forward after losing Jordy Nelson. 

 

Stat of the Game

5: Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez combined to throw five first-half touchdowns, completing 23 of 29 passes for 271 yards. The Eagles had 39 points by the time the two teams hit the half-time locker room. 

 

Other Notes

-- This preseason has done a number on what looked like an unassailable offense. Jordy Nelson already won’t play a regular-season snap. Saturday provided more scares. Randall Cobb went down hard on his right shoulder in the first half and Bryan Bulaga left with an ankle injury. Four-fifths of the starting offensive line and both of Aaron Rodgers’ favorite targets are now dealing with some kind of problem. Of course, this is all coming after a season in which the Packers offense waltzed through the year with hardly a scratch. Injuries are just an unpredictable—but nevertheless terrible—part of this silly game. 

-- The preseason caveat still applies, but the Packers starting defense did not provide a good look Saturday night. Say all you want about vanilla schemes and game-planning and such, but the Eagles came in and steamrolled many of the players who will line up Week 1 in Chicago. In fact, Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez made the first half look like a glorified 7-on-7 session. It was pitch and catch. A grisly showing in the third preseason week isn’t always a precursor of regular season horror, but it certainly won’t calm any fears. I’d expect Bears offensive Adam Gase to attempt to exploit nickel linebacker Sam Barrington in the passing game in the opener, especially with running backs Matt Forte and Jacquizz Rodgers. Micah Hyde was roasted at least three times by Jordan Matthews. 

-- The special teams were a disaster. Ron Zook’s mixed-and-matched unit had eight penalties, while also allowing a 67-yard kickoff return to start the game. Mason Crosby missed a field goal, and Tim Masthay had another night that makes you wonder why Green Bay cut his competition in camp. Crosby’s miss isn’t concerning, but Masthay’s continued funk is. His longest punt in four tries was 40 yards. Zook and McCarthy have many decisions to make on the structure of the unit. If there was a bright spot, it was rookie Damarious Randall lighting up Kenjon Barner on a punt return. 

-- I didn’t understand exposing Eddie Lacy to a few extra hits in a game without starting guards Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang. What was there to gain? He got through the four carries just fine, but it sure felt like playing with fire. Lacy seeks contact and takes a great deal of punishment over 16 regular season games and the postseason. Saturday night felt like a good time to surround him in bubble wrap and keep him on the shelf. There’s a reason Aaron Rodgers didn’t play behind that offensive line. 

-- At this juncture, it appears the Packers avoided some major injury bullets Saturday night. Mike McCarthy did not sound worried about Randall Cobb’s shoulder injury at his post-game press conference. Bryan Bulaga was revealed to have an ankle sprain, while Micah Hyde dealt with neck spasms. None of the three sound serious. Sounds like a win on a night in which the Packers trailed on the scoreboard from start to finish. 

-- The Packers finish up this nightmare preseason by hosting the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night. Don’t expect anyone of significance to play in the contest, especially after tonight’s scares. The real games are finally right around the corner. 

 

Zach Kruse contributes to Cheesehead TV. You can reach him on Twitter @zachkruse2 or by email at [email protected]. 

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Comments (87)

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aj's picture

August 29, 2015 at 11:05 pm

At first I was angry because I couldn't find this game anywhere, but it sounds like that was for the best. I might have broken my TV. What was Mcarthy doing playing Cobb or Lacy? Rodgers is the best qb in football, but he still needs some weapons surrounding him. Plus, it would have given MM an extended look to our young wide receivers and the 3rd running back battle, both important components for the regular season.

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porupack's picture

August 30, 2015 at 04:47 am

I respectfully disagree, and have no pampering twitch in me. When teams play pansy, they become soft, play soft, and ironically, probably get injured more. Get those guys out there in contact, because CBA seems to have even taken friendly contact out of practice, shortened practice and done just about everything to keep players from being "game-ready". They're professionals, not kiddy-league.

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aj's picture

August 30, 2015 at 01:21 pm

I agree to an extent, but Cobb and Lacy are blue chippers. Some players are simply so important to a team's success that you need to protect them from undue hits. With that porous offensive line being thrown out there this preseason and a young qb capable of leaving his wide receivers out to dry with a misplaced toss, I'd rather they hadn't played yesterday.

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Imma Fubared's picture

August 30, 2015 at 10:29 pm

Who said he was smart? You play Lacy because that's all you got. He gets hurt so what next man up. Ditto Rogers, ditto the whole dam team.
Why would you let your young inexperienced players take the field when the game is still in doubt 10 seconds into the game. I mean these dam pre season games are dam dam dam important to one person: Mike M

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Nerd's picture

August 29, 2015 at 11:07 pm

-Neal made the team tonight. He's gonna look really good running those screens Clements has been calling. Excited about that.

-Special Teams look WORSE than last year. Get it together, Zook. Masthey is beginning to make my stomach turn.

-Janis seems to be making the team with his upside, but I'd like him to get it together too. I like Pinkard's upside, but I think they keep White and PS Pinkard.

-Mike was supposed to be doing something about all these ridiculous injuries. He is not getting it done. Hyde at a "neck spasm?" All neck injuries end up being "career ending" for this team. Am I wrong?

-Agreed on Hundley. That dude's got a future. Blanchard seemed to acquit himself well too.

-Chip Kelley had his preferred matchups all night against Barrington and Hyde. I'm not gonna sweat the defense at this point. We weren't game planning. They were.

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Oppy's picture

August 30, 2015 at 12:49 am

if it gets you to come down off the ledge, I'll tell you that sean richardson had a neck injury and operation, and he actually did return.

But, yeah, otherwise, pretty much everyone who has had a neck injury since Sterling Sharpe has been of the career ending type.

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Nerd's picture

August 30, 2015 at 01:34 am

Nope. That was lower down on the spine.

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MarkinMadison's picture

August 30, 2015 at 06:27 am

"Spasm" is a muscular description. I'm sure a lot of us have had back or neck spasms. It doesn't necessary indicate there is a problem with a disc. My wife had a problem with the disc and couldn't mover her legs for three days. It's a little bit different. I'd chill about Hyde.

My God, Masthay could not look any worse. If anything, the Special Teams actually looks worse than last year. I get that there are a lot of rotations going on, guys who won't make the club, etc., but what a freaking train wreck. Has to be the worst in the NFL. Why the heck they didn't look outside the organization for a ST coordinator is beyond me.

People who have posted here about Janis body catching too much, I think you are correct. He may have Jordy's height and speed, but that is it. Can you teach someone to have better hands? I don't think so. Go back and look at his touchdown catch. I'm not sure if it bounced off his hands or if he caught it with his forearms, but it was just not clean. I wonder if he could even catch the back-shoulder throw at all. Janis may make the '15 squad because of Jordy's injury, but I doubt he'll be here in '17.

Hundley looks like one of Farve's love children. Somebody's going to be giving TT some draft picks for either him or Tolzien next year. Heck, if he puts on a show next week I wouldn't be surprised if the phone is already ringing.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 30, 2015 at 07:19 am

Yes, it looked like he caught the TD with his forearms. God gives some great hands, but one can work on the jugs machine to improve whatever gifts you've been granted.

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WKUPackFan's picture

August 30, 2015 at 08:09 am

So true. It is difficult to imagine Janis could get this far without being able to catch with his hands . I taught my son to do it when he was six, but he was one of the gifted ones.

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NickPerry's picture

August 30, 2015 at 09:51 am

Janis is going to keep getting better. I've posted it before, go look at Donald Drivers first 3 years, not very impressive. I could see Janis taking a few years to truly develop. I'm glad we got him and didn't lose him like Charles Johnson.

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Dan Stodola's picture

August 30, 2015 at 11:09 am

Jordy too. It was't till his 3rd yr he showed promise and then in his 4th blew up on the NFL. Janis has to get better w/ his hands, but I'm sure that's something they are already working on.

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NickPerry's picture

August 30, 2015 at 11:19 am

Excellent point Dan, Jordy had his coming out party in SB 45 and blew it up the following year.

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Dan Stodola's picture

August 30, 2015 at 01:36 pm

Looks like you know who, gave you a dislike for agreeing w/ me. LOL How dare you.

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NickPerry's picture

August 31, 2015 at 04:19 am

LOL...I've been giving you nothing but "Likes" since you've been around. We've had our differences in past but I've always said you know Football. And yes, I know who's giving out the dislikes for BOTH of us.

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Oppy's picture

August 30, 2015 at 07:40 pm

Janis is a LOUSY route runner and doesn't grasp the play book. He's a body catcher, too.

I've said this since before his first training camp- you look at this kid's highlight reel, and you see ugly, ugly routes and ugly, ugly catches.

He's made it this far because he was physically superior to the talent in Div II. He made his plays being bigger, faster than everyone else.

That's seemingly how he makes his plays so far in both preseason games. Someone blows a coverage, and Janis is GONE. He's really fast. He's big. The issue is, GB's WR's rely on exceptional route running and they are expected to know the offense inside and out- this offense has the WR's changing their routes on the fly based on how the defense reveals itself as the play unfolds. Over and over again, the Packers have commented that Janis is not where they expect him to be- where he NEEDS to be- in regards to the play book.

I think he sticks because he's such a threat to block punts and field goals (as he has proven in both practice and preseason play), and the Packers hope something will click, but I fear what Janis is- is simply a very athletic guy who isn't really much of a football player, and might not be bright enough to really get a grip on the offense. Hope I'm wrong.

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Nerd's picture

August 30, 2015 at 09:55 pm

Corey Bradford 2.0

Willie Gault 3.0

He did go over the middle on a slant yesterday, so maybe he's beginning to grow a pair in that regard.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 30, 2015 at 06:26 pm

Oppy, those are strange words if intended as consolation. Richardson was out for over a year. You made me go looking for a ledge!

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John Galt III's picture

August 30, 2015 at 11:42 am

Janis fan:

2nd time he scored a TD by simply blowing by the CB. They can't keep up with him. He gets a step and it is game over. He runs routes like that and Aaron Rodgers will hit him every time. People say he only runs go routes. He had a great slant route play. He will be playing a great deal this year.

With Nelson out and Cobb injured (hopefully not fro long) we will be seeing a lot of Janis, Montgomery, White and a an extra TE or two on the roster. We have a lot of receiving talent

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dobber's picture

August 30, 2015 at 01:05 pm

"People say he only runs go routes."

Weren't his preseason TDs from last year on crossing routes he ran over the middle and then beat-ass for the pylon?

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Dan Stodola's picture

August 30, 2015 at 02:15 pm

Not really true crossing routes. One for sure and I think both, were short yardage where the Packers passed. He ran a drag route where others run down field, and Janis releases running underneath even the ILB drops. A 3 yd route when you need a yard and Janis just ran away from everyone. He didn't run them downfield and cross. On a drag route like that he didn't have a CB playing him, he ran free underneath all the coverage, basically uncovered, caught the ball and ran away from everyone.

It only shows what we already know. He's fast. But it wasn't a route he ran and beat anyone since he was uncovered.

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SpudRapids's picture

August 31, 2015 at 10:30 am

I haven't seem Janis get separation on an in route or button hook. That's where Jordy was so valuable... his speed allowed him space to hook back and get that separation. Just take a look at how many 3 and 8 conversions happened on that route between Rodgers and Nelson. I can't say I've seen any film that shows Janis coming out of breaks with clean separation.

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aj's picture

August 30, 2015 at 01:27 pm

It's truly amazing how much scouts can miss. This guy is burning nfl cornerbacks like nothing. Such an amazing athlete on a field full of elite athletes. I could see him having a Martavis Bryant impact for us this year, with Jordy working with Janis on honing his route running this season/off season and Janis becoming the next big thing for us. Probably another season before he gets command of the entire route tree.

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John Galt III's picture

August 30, 2015 at 07:22 pm

There will people who after 50 touchdowns by Janis say, " Well, that's still all hype."

You can't please everyone. I watched the Packers in the late 1950's and 1960s'. People back then said Jim Brown wasn't all that good. either. Whatever.

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Imma Fubared's picture

August 30, 2015 at 10:31 pm

Unfortunately his only ability is to run straight ahead. After two seasons he has yet to learn how to run pass routes. His ball return skills are abysmal. No lose if they gut this sucker in my mind.

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NickPerry's picture

August 31, 2015 at 04:25 am

Just think though, that's one more thing he does better than Patterson, and Janis came 7 rounds later!

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Bearmeat's picture

August 29, 2015 at 11:19 pm

Don't care one bit about the score. The Iggles have been lighting up everyone this season. Let's see if they can do it when the scores matter.

The execution on defense is a bit concerning and the execution on special teams is VERY disconcerting.

The important thing is that Cobb Bulaga and Hyde are on for week 1.

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ray nichkee's picture

August 30, 2015 at 08:31 pm

I must agree for now, chip kelly seems a tad bit too much like spurrier in the preseason although he has proven to be more successful in the regular season. I view it as a go for the jugular performance and the defense should have a good lesson to learn from.

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Mojo's picture

August 29, 2015 at 11:28 pm

Concerns in order of importance:

1. First team defense was horrible. How can anyone expect anything different if these teams( or any explosive offense) meet in a real game. Don't know why, with all the high draft picks on D, but the Packers have had some of the worst games in their history under the Caper regime. And to think I was optimistic after how well they played against Seattle last year.

2. Randall Cobb's injury. Normally in an exhibition game this would be number one, but the D was so bad this won't matter anyway. Prognosis is pretty good that it won't be long lasting at least.

3. Special teams. Not much to like here. Penalties galore, Best thing was they caught the kicks, else not much to say. And who stole the Ginger Wolverine and replaced him with this imposter.

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Nerd's picture

August 29, 2015 at 11:28 pm

Agreed on special teams, but in the regular season, Sam Barrington isn't gonna be covering at WR. Or Sproles.

Chip Kelley is trying to make people believe in his offensive gimmickry, so he's game planning in the preseason, against vanilla defenses. We obliterated them last year iirc.

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croatpackfan's picture

August 30, 2015 at 10:50 am

Nerd, I agree with a lot you wrote here, but do not underestimate Eagles. Of course I'm not telling that they will be in SB 50 (we will), but still, they are very good team which plays future football... I agree on your vanilla defenses, but still there was some lack of communication in Packers D, which will be solved before the season...
I'm not expecting to see Sam to often on the field against speedster RB. He will play against big bruisers and big, slow TE...

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FITZCORE1252's picture

August 29, 2015 at 11:25 pm

Barrington... I'm concerned.

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Zola Davis's picture

August 29, 2015 at 11:59 pm

Yes. The ilb can't cover squat & the secondary can't tackle. Hundley in the pocket makes me nervous, even some of his scrambles were questionable. Definitely needs another year but has potential.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 30, 2015 at 12:50 am

Hundley looked very talented but also unprepared to run an NFL offense. Looks like he can run the Matt Flynn offense. As soon as Blanchard came in GB started taking shots downfield. Hundley needs to not throw fastballs when the WR is only 5 yds away, and his accuracy leaves something to be desired. He showed good athleticism and a strong arm, & a little better pocket awareness. Philly sure was able to time its blitzes beautifully - bet Rodgers gives them a hard count and makes them less aggressive. Gerhart had no chance against the one blitzer who timed it perfectly. Hundley is a lock for the 53. In other "news" the TEs still can't block a lick. Neal does everything pretty well. TT would have to love Harris' pure running ability a lot to give the nod to Harris over Neal. Crockett did little of note. Clinton Dix did some nice things.

If Philly cuts that punter, TT has to think about a waiver claim.

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Oppy's picture

August 30, 2015 at 12:51 am

Someone please yank Raji out of the NT position and insert Mike Pennel before Chicago. Please.

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Allan Murphy's picture

August 30, 2015 at 01:08 am

Ya he's sure not the player we saw in 2010 sad .

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murph27's picture

August 30, 2015 at 02:11 pm

Pennel or Gaston. Someone who is going to play with heart.

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Oppy's picture

August 30, 2015 at 07:45 pm

Nailed it on the head.

Raji can be a beast when he's given the green light to press the pocket and get after the QB.

When he's asked to hold the point, he gets rolled back repeatedly.

He's got no heart for anchoring vs. a double.. He's not a natural NT. He simply isn't wired for it.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 31, 2015 at 12:13 am

Agree on Raji. He can't play 3 or 5 technique and doesn't want to play a double-gapping 1 or 0 technique. Never give this guy a long term deal with significant guaranteed money.

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Oppy's picture

August 31, 2015 at 07:56 pm

I agree about no LTC, but I actually think Raji would be a beast in a traditional 4-3defense playing a role as a penetrating 3 tech DT.

Raji's strong suit is he is incredibly nimble and agile for a man of his size. He could be a very disruptive presence in the right scheme.. He just isn't what our scheme needs, and our scheme isn't what he seemingly wants to play.

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Allan Murphy's picture

August 30, 2015 at 12:58 am

What the hell is going on out there i could here vince screaming !!!!!

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Allan Murphy's picture

August 30, 2015 at 01:06 am

Special team wow they better get it together worse i have ever seen in my 35 years of watching football they should be lighting it up looked like high school kids out there.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 30, 2015 at 02:30 am

For some positives:

Walker: Maybe he can be the utility O-lineman. Not great but looked good enough at RT;
Montgomery: showed some great burst (sorry Nick - he did not show 4.38 speed) I'd like another look to see if that was a drop or an errant pass;
White: looked like he belonged in the slot but he did a lot of good things outside - he just looks frail;
Janis: Hundley isn't ready to throw downfield so that hurt Janis a bit - his routes looked better;
Raijon: Did everything well and is a natural receiver;
Dix: Filled well tonight and tackled better;
Mulumba: Decent edge setter and disrupted the QB;
Burnett: Saw some good things but obviously GB gave up a lot of passing yards - I tried to focus on the lines so I didn't see what the safeties were doing in the secondary;
Hundley: He's got talent, did a better job at keeping his eyes downfield when scrambling. A guy who can make a bad team better

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NickPerry's picture

August 30, 2015 at 09:37 am

Hey Reynaldo I didn't see that 4.38 speed I read about at his pro day either!!!! LOL I just saw the nice catch and run and he looked about 4.5 didn't he?

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=119917&draftyear...

That's the link where I had read about Montgomery. Rob Rang of CBS Sports was the one who said he ran the 4.38.

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NickPerry's picture

August 30, 2015 at 04:44 am

I haven't seen the game yet but after what I've read on various sites, I'm not sure I want to. I had hoped for a Top 10 Defense this season but I heard the same MM excuses on more than one site. Bradford had played a total of 14 snaps and threw 5 passes this preseason before playing against the Packers, 10 for 10 and 3 TD's? Vanilla, game planning, or whatever you want to add as excuses, that's pathetic. These guys are REAL Professionals with pride so getting your jock handed to you like that isn't a positive sign no matter what twist you put on it.

I don't understand why Cobb and Bulaga are even playing. This is a team that said "The Packers were laughing at us" when they hung 55 points on them. You can't play scared though McCarthy has before, you sure as hell can be smart. IF Cobb needs reps its with Rodgers not Hundley. With Jordy on the shelf for the season why take a chance with Cobb, Lacy, and some others?

Zook was part of Slocums of that ST mess last year. While I expected the team to be better in ST, this doesn't surprise me. If nothing changes, nothing changes. Zooks never been a winner anywhere, are we really hoping that changes when he's in his 60's?

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dobber's picture

August 30, 2015 at 05:37 am

Not too worried about many of the issues...injuries appear to be minor, and those players won't likely see the field on Thursday anyway.

Re: defensive performance. How much did Julius Peppers and CMIII play last night? I'm concerned, but not as concerned as others appear to be.

Remember that Chip Kelly completely destroyed and rebuilt his roster in the off-season and was criticized heavily for it. I think he's coming out feeling that he has something to prove, and the preseason is when he's doing it.

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MarkinMadison's picture

August 30, 2015 at 06:38 am

CM3 and Peppers played enough that they will share in the embarrassment. They were caught flat-footed. I understand what you are saying about Kelly, but the first half was truly ugly. The score at the half looked like a Badgers' basketball game.

Sam Barrington was exposed.

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dobber's picture

August 30, 2015 at 08:09 am

True, but the best defense the Packers have is their offense, and it will continue to be that way until #12 is done and they're looking for their next HOF-er. When you're playing your #3 and #4 QB and mostly scrubs on the OL, you can expect to give the opposition plenty of possessions. And with Masthay's punting, they're going to get favorable field position.

I'm not trying to take much away from Philly: they looked good on the hoof last night and made good on their opportunities. But without much punch when the Packers were playing against Philly's defensive #1s, they made it a pretty one-sided game early on.

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WKUPackFan's picture

August 30, 2015 at 12:30 pm

Brady Poppinga just had some interesting observations on FSR regarding the D and Barrington:

Brady said the Packers had a game plan, but it wasn't necessarily designed as a regular season plan. He said that every time Philly showed read option with an offset back the Packers ran the same blitz. It was obvious according to the alignment.

The Eagles continued to run the ball away from the offset side. This created man-to-man situations, such as Barrington on Sproles. Essentialy it was a game for Dom to experiment. Brady said there is no way anyone runs that D against the Eagles in the regular season.

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Dan Stodola's picture

August 30, 2015 at 01:43 pm

Like I said in another comment. The only game plan was to put players in position where they are able to evaluate the players strengths and weaknesses. There was no game plan to try to stop the Eagles offense. The outcome and all other eventualities go out the window in preseason. Its about one thing and one thing only. Putting players in a position where you can evaluate. Nothing else. And for amatuers like us that's especially so.

Best thing anyone can do is watch for the sake of football w/o caring about a win.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 30, 2015 at 06:52 pm

Yes, I think no DC would be happy with their ILB having to cover Sproles one on one. Sproles has made living as a scat back eating up ILBs when his team can force such a match up. Probably aren't more than a couple of LBs who can hope to keep up with Sproles and then not for too long - maybe a Bobby Wagner or Levy.

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NickPerry's picture

August 31, 2015 at 04:42 am

Interesting WKU, excellent post. All 3 of you, Dan, Reynaldo, and yourself brought up some points I obviously hadn't considered. Thanks to all of you!

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WKUPackFan's picture

August 31, 2015 at 12:48 pm

You're welcome Nick, thanks for the compliment!

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porupack's picture

August 30, 2015 at 05:39 am

Clearly wasn't much starter material on display last night.

Cut Masthay. He needs to be held accountable. What does he do all day in practice? Play madden football?

This is going to be a long year judging by the Special Teams play. It will keep GB out of the postseason.

Rajion Neal looks to me a better runner from pure talent, than even Lacy. I think more decisive and bigger arsenal of moves. I think if he was #1 back, he would find a rhythm and put more challenge for opposing defenses.

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MarkinMadison's picture

August 30, 2015 at 06:41 am

I haven't seen anything out of Starks this pre-season. I've never been a fan, but his running looks less effective to me than ever. Not sure why he is a lock at #2, other than familiarity.

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NewNikeShoes's picture

August 30, 2015 at 10:33 pm

Yeah. Don't forget, if he does suck, we can always not resign him this year and keep Neal and Harris, aka the human frankenstein of Starks and Lacy.

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TKWorldWide's picture

August 30, 2015 at 01:06 pm

How good is Masthay at Madden football?

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NewNikeShoes's picture

August 31, 2015 at 12:58 am

Heard he lost against the vikes playing rookie

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porupack's picture

August 30, 2015 at 05:49 am

It was actually very smart of McCarthy to send out a confused team last night, unsure of assignments so that expectations of SB team would be dampened, and GBP could go back to its comfortable underdog role. Yes, McCarthy, the team is indeed best as underdogs, because it is too soft to defend its front-runner status. And fans want to protect players even more from having contact, so the attitude of toughness won't incubate there in foreseeable future. Most of GBP defensive matchups weren't in GBP favor, so only way to be competitive is elaborate schemes to compensate weak front 7. BJ Raji is exhibit #1, Barrington #2. The preseason hype about corners have to come back down to earth too, but its really the front 7 that is below average.

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EdsLaces's picture

August 30, 2015 at 06:51 am

HaHa played great ....Hyde was terrible.

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EdsLaces's picture

August 30, 2015 at 09:27 am

After watching the game again ...HHCD had 37 tackles.

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4thand1's picture

August 30, 2015 at 07:17 am

C'mon people. overreaction morning, WTF!. These guys were playing not to get hurt, period. After a couple of injuries everyone said f-it. ST's did suck though, and Masthay can't kick.

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WKUPackFan's picture

August 30, 2015 at 08:44 am

Jordan Matthews is going to toast a lot of people this year. Was really hoping GB would draft him last year, hopefully Adams will be better over their respective careers.

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packerfan9507's picture

February 13, 2019 at 07:39 pm

Go Pack

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Dan Stodola's picture

August 30, 2015 at 11:21 am

Much angst about nothing. Packers didn't plan to stop the Eagles, they planned and game planned only to put players in position to evaluate them. Its a PreSeason game. You can gain absolutely nothing from the score or the team in general. Its all about putting players in positions where you can evaluate them and their strengths and weaknesses.

Masthay is the only real worry I have, since there is no game plan for punting and right now, he looks terrible. He is totally lacking confidence.

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John Galt III's picture

August 30, 2015 at 11:47 am

Punting:

One more game like that and the packers will find someone to put on the practice squad just in case.

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dobber's picture

August 30, 2015 at 01:10 pm

Seriously need to see if Tolzien can hold for Crosby.

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RCPackerFan's picture

August 31, 2015 at 06:35 am

Exactly. It looked like to me that the eagles schemed to play the Packers, whereas the packers schemed to evaluate players, playing very basic schemes.

Right now Punting is my only worry. The only thing that I think is keeping Masthay's job right now is his holding for Crosby.

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egbertsouse's picture

August 30, 2015 at 12:26 pm

I've been saying all along that they should have canned all ST coaches and went outside the organization for some new blood. The ST are just awful, in all aspects. That's coaching, not players.

Barrington looked like AJ Hawk out there in coverage. Dom better fix that soon.

The few plays where I focused on Raji it looked like he was getting pushed around pretty good. Looked more like 2013 than 2010. Time to quit yapping and play, Raji.

HHCD looked a lot better this game...at least his tackling.

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TKWorldWide's picture

August 30, 2015 at 01:09 pm

I think many of last evening's special teamers won't make the final 53.
I don't think Dom will plan for Barrington to be manned up with a back like Sproles once the games start to count.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 30, 2015 at 06:56 pm

I'm okay with Barrington if he doesn't look like Hawk when tackling the ball carrier, and if he does it much closer to the LOS than Hawk was. Barrington is a 2 down ILB for the most part - we knew that going into the season.

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TKWorldWide's picture

August 31, 2015 at 07:34 am

Yes, a thumper.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

August 30, 2015 at 06:00 pm

Just now watching the game:

I absolutely love HHCD's anticipation/recognition.

I absolutely hate HHCD's tackling form/angles.

Why -- oh whyyyyy don't they teach leg tackles? Wrap the legs and the play is over.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

August 30, 2015 at 06:03 pm

Just now watching the game:

I am not worried about this defense. I agree with others that posted above. The defense was just thrown out there. Let's see how players communicate and lets evaluate from there. Everything has been man-to-man (from what I've seen so far).

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DrealynWilliams's picture

August 30, 2015 at 06:14 pm

Just now watching the game:

If Montgomery wasn't on KO duties -- he would have had the stamina to burn the Eagles' defense for 6 on that big catch and run. It's obvious he let up after accelerating past the LBs and CBs. He gave up and protected the ball.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

August 30, 2015 at 06:20 pm

Just now watching the game:

The Eagles kept 8 or 9 people in the box unless it was a long 3rd and distance.

I HIGHLY doubt this is what Rodgers will face. I'd hope so. But the rest of the NFL isn't stupid -- are they?

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 30, 2015 at 07:01 pm

Yes, 8 in the box a lot - that's why I mentioned that Blanchard threw down field far more often than Hundley, who ran the Matt Flynn offense even though he has a better arm. With Hundley in there, Philly played 8 and 9 men in the box. Thus the need for a deep or intermediate threat from the WRs. Adams if he can get open has some open field running ability, as does Monty and Janis.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

August 30, 2015 at 07:15 pm

I have zero worries about this offense. Off top, in the Red Zone (first score) Montgomery put a hell of a move on the Eagles first string Safety and even with the defensive holding penalty he still got wide open.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

August 30, 2015 at 06:54 pm

Just now watching the game:

Another reason I like the 3-3-5:

You add another big body to help in run when playing Nickel. But that big body can also help collapse the pocket in pass rush. There's NO 2 DL combo on the Packers that should scare any O-Line. But how about Pennel, Raji and Daniels? Or Pennel, Daniels and Peppers? Seeing any combo with Boyd in at Nickel is bad.

MLB is not a strength, so removing a LB will not hurt.

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Tundraboy's picture

August 30, 2015 at 07:05 pm

Aaargh. Sorry I missed game. Seeing low-lights I do know they can not be as bad as they looked. Hope to see game somehow but reading all the comments I got a good read on the game. Thanks everyone.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

August 30, 2015 at 07:23 pm

I thought the worst while reading the live tweets and watching the low lights as well. But trust, the ONLY bad from this game was the Special Teams and the minor injuries to Cobb and Bulaga.

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John Galt III's picture

August 30, 2015 at 07:29 pm

My wife is a Bronco fan and one their punters will be let go.

The new guy is actually better than Colquitt and Colquitt is 10 times better than Masthay.

Either way we get a better punter.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

August 30, 2015 at 08:00 pm

Just now watching the game:

Right before Halftime:

Eagles have it on the 2 yard line. Why in the hell were we in Nickel?

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Pack88's picture

August 30, 2015 at 10:55 pm

Although no one except he Eagles know for sure, it appeared that the Eagles schemed quite a bit for this game. No problem by me other than the angst it creates among fans.

I'm sure that you all remember a few years ago when Singletary played the Packer game like it was the Superbowl so that Alex Smith would not look so bad in comparison with #12

I suspect that old Chipper took the same philosophy to heart with the same idea to help Bradford out. Just remember 8 months ago Phila was crushed by this same Packer D. With our 3rd string QB and most of the 2nd team O line that Phil D did not appear so that awesome!
The season will stand on its own but I suspect that GB will have a better season that Phila..
Pack88

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SpudRapids's picture

August 31, 2015 at 10:58 am

I don't understand why everyone is so doom and gloom... it's preseason!! So the eagles have killed everyone in preseason, good for them. The lion went 4-0 in preseason the year they went 0-16.

A bad unit like Special teams doesn't just get fixed overnight... I'm glad everyone can come to the conclusion they aren't any better from viewing 3 preseason games. I'll wait until week 8 of the regular season to make my assessment.

Personally I think a lot of good can come from the game. Take for example Barrington... maybe he was playing his technique in coverage wrong. Now there is tape on how he can improve on it an get better. The WR corps can build on some of there successes. There are many other examples.

I don't if this is the hangover from losing Jordy or what but I'm not sure why we are reading so much into week 3 of preseason.

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Dan Stodola's picture

August 31, 2015 at 11:32 am

Amen.

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Oppy's picture

August 31, 2015 at 08:01 pm

I just have to say this:

To those of you comparing Janis' projected growth curve to Nelson or Driver....

The problem is, nothing Janis has put on tape looks anywhere close to what Nelson and Driver had put on tape at this point in their careers.

Janis entering his second year as a pro looks worse than Nelson or Driver looked in college.

We're talking about two entirely different classes of player.

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