Convince Me
I've tried to temper my excitement so far this pre-season. This hasn't been easy, but tonight will go a long way in convincing me the 2009 Packers are for real.
convince
I've tried to temper my excitement so far this pre-season. This hasn't been easy, but tonight will go a long way in convincing me the 2009 Packers are for real.
Tonight's game against the Cardinals will be in my eyes the first real test of this season's team. It's the first time on the road, with some weather, and the starters playing at least the first half.
Here is what I am going to be looking for to solidify my belief that the Green Bay Packers are legit.
Al Harris
Can Al Harris take on a big? Not just any big either, the best big in the game Larry Fitzgerald. I am sure Charles Woodson will get his share of Fitz too, but if not, can Al Harris hold his own and will the new defensive scheme cater or inhibit Al's style of play.
Atari Bigby
Can we get a Bigby sighting please? So far, we haven't seen a whole lot out of Atari. Bigby was supposed to be the hard hitting missile ala Troy Polamalu in Dom Capers defense. To date, this hasn't been the case. Atari Bigby, please stand up.
Brady Poppinga
What Poppinga will show up tonight? Was last week's ball hawking performance just an anomaly, or is Brady Poppinga finally for real? I have never really been on board the Poppinga bandwagon, and tonight will go a long way in deciphering exactly what we have at outside linebacker.
Brian Brohm
The kid has taken a ton of heat this week. Tonight may be Brohm's last stand. Can he man up in the face of adversity, or will he wilt under the pressure? Brian Brohm is playing for his future; will he show up to greet it?
Tyrell Sutton
Is Sutton the real deal? We will find out this evening as he gets time with the ones. The Packers haven't had a solid number two for quite some time. Does the rookie have what it takes?
Swagger
Last season, I attacked the toughness of the Green Bay Packers. In 2008 we had a bunch of unemotional pansies hitting the field every week. This year, it seems we have fire, we have swagger, and we have toughness. Will that attitude continue? I hope so.
I don't know if I have ever been more excited for a pre-season game. Are the 2009 Green Bay Packers a force to be reckoned with? Tonight will go a long way in finding out that answer.
Housecleaning
There is two weeks left to get your entry into the Packers Lounge Limerick contest. We have some great entries so far. Make sure and get yours in by posting it here.
The Packers Lounge fantasy league kicks off tomorrow night with a live draft. We have 13 teams and really would like just one more. If you are interested in playing "Lounge Ball" this season, make sure and send me an email by clicking here.
Finally, make sure to check out the in-game blog at Cheesehead TV or Railbird Central this evening. If you are looking for a more open platform, check out the Packers Lounge Gameday Chat sponsored and run by Mark at PackerHQ. I'll make sure to make a stop at both spots... if I can drag myself away from the television.
Go Pack Go
Comments (18)
August 28, 2009 at 09:34 am
I think you are putting too much on this one game. I believe the roof of the stadium will be closed, so there won't be any weather, and two out of their three 1,000 yard receivers will not suit up for the game. Al Harris typically plays badly in preseason and Larry Fitzgerald is maybe the best WR in the game, so I won't be worried if Harris gets burned.
The other players you mentioned are the ones that I am most interested in as well. Atari Bigby has been so invisible so far that I'm beginning to wonder if Anthony Smith might have a chance of taking his job away. I have heard nothing from the coaching staff to suggest that, however.
I would like to see a good game from Poppinga, but if not, he is likely to be replaced in the starting lineup within a few weeks anyway. I am most interested in Tyrell Sutton. I'm beginning to wonder if he could become sort of an X factor for us this season--a change-of-pace guy with big play potential.
As for Brohm, I am thrilled that thus far fans have had nothing better to bitch about than our third-string QB. I'm fully expecting another poor performance from him. Anything positive that he does will be a bonus.
Alex Tallitsch
August 28, 2009 at 10:42 am
Greg,
I think the stadium is fully retractable, the heat is around 110. If they open it up, the weather I mentioned could be in effect, namely the heat.
August 28, 2009 at 10:51 am
Well, I think the reason for the roof is so they can close it if the weather is extremely hot. Rain is not often an issue there. We'll see what happens.
August 28, 2009 at 09:47 am
I want to watch Sutton the most, but sadly he is only 2'6". Which means the D-Line will watch him go under the legs, and fly into the endzone.
Packers win MEGABOWLZ 34, 750 to -45.
Greg Jennings' Beard MVP
August 28, 2009 at 12:35 pm
While I agree on the point spread, Greg Jennings' beard won't put up the performance that Ryan Pickett's fro-chin will.
Alex Tallitsch
August 28, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Nice
August 28, 2009 at 10:37 am
I would never let Harris cover the opposite best WR. Specally if that Wr has some bulk, and speed. Harris does tremenduosly well agains skinny, speed WR. Tremenduously well against bulky, slow WR. But against those elite, freak Wrs, he used to not be able to hold them on the LOS, and get beat in the speed. Of course, that was in the old, 50 seconds to throw the ball D. But even in this new D, why not let Chucky cover their best wr? When was the last time the guy C.Wood covered had even a 4-reception, 30 yards game??? He's just too good.
August 28, 2009 at 10:53 am
In the new defense, Harris is on the left (as seen from the defense's point of view) and Woodson is on the right. That's where they will stay every game, for the entire game. Opposing teams will decide which side to run their best receivers on.
August 28, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Isn't that kind of dumb? Let the offense take advantage of your weakness without even challenging them? As good as Harris is, if I'm the opposite OC, I would choose to say away from Woodson all day...
August 29, 2009 at 07:51 pm
It's not dumb when you have two excellent CB's, as we do, and even if you don't, you roll your coverage to the weaker side to compensate for the deficiency. And if the other team still wants to throw that way, fine. Their passing game is going to be very limited, using only half the field.
And a major advantage for us is that our CB's are not running back and forth across the field covering receivers who are in motion before the snap. They are setting up in their zones and concentrating their efforts on defending passes and ball-hawking, which is the best use of their talent.
August 28, 2009 at 10:40 am
I'm calling it right now. Its in writing.
A one Brian Joseph Brohm will have an outstanding game tonight. His first touchdown pass... comes tonight. Backup QB fears will subside after tonight.
August 28, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Brian J.?
August 28, 2009 at 11:16 am
I kind of look at the lack of an Atari sighting as a positive. Sure, he hasn't done anything spectacular, but he hasn't done anything spectacularly bad either.
Half full over here...
August 28, 2009 at 01:55 pm
meh....
August 28, 2009 at 02:58 pm
Leave Brohm Alone!!!
He scored a 32 on the Wonderlic exam for shit's sake, tying Matt Ryan for the highest score among quarterbacks. It's obviously the stat of all stats
August 29, 2009 at 09:36 pm
"It’s not dumb when you have two excellent CB’s, as we do, and even if you don’t, you roll your coverage to the weaker side to compensate for the deficiency. And if the other team still wants to throw that way, fine. Their passing game is going to be very limited, using only half the field.
And a major advantage for us is that our CB’s are not running back and forth across the field covering receivers who are in motion before the snap. They are setting up in their zones and concentrating their efforts on defending passes and ball-hawking, which is the best use of their talent."
Harris couldn't cover Fitz in the game, as I predicted. However, he didn't commit any penalty, and didn't got beat deep. I guess if you take into account that Fitzgerald is one of the top 3 receivers in the game, and Harris' age, it's pretty good. Still didn't like the moves Fitzgeral put up on Al Harris, on those slant routes. And Woodson, once again, proved he's the best CB in the league. What a game.
August 30, 2009 at 05:44 am
No CB is going to stop Larry Fitzgerald on a slant, especially with Kurt Warner throwing the ball. Harris had outside coverage, as he should have. It is the job of the LB's and safeties to stop the slant routes. There were huge gaps in the middle of the field on some of those catches by Fitzgerald. That's something that needs to be fixed. I heard there were some communication problems because of a malfunction of Dom Capers' headset. Maybe that was part of it.
If Fitzgerald had beaten Harris down the sideline, it would've been a TD, but he never even tried to do that. None of his catches went for TD's because he was forced to use the middle of the field. So the way I look at it, Harris played a very important role in a stellar defensive effort by the entire team.
August 30, 2009 at 10:06 am
The way I see it, on the aforementioned play, Harris was man covering Fitz, and the ILB was blitzing.
I don't know if Woodson wouldn't be able to stop him on a slant. But I guess you're right saying that he didn't allow any big play from Fitzgerald.
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And about the CBs playing only on one side, I've read that Finnegan (TEN) is moving from side to side. Nick Harper is a pretty good CB. And Jeff Fisher is no slouch either. But all indicates that we're going to be playing zone a lot more than man this season, so this discussion doesn't matter much.