Not Favre News
Since I really wanted to say thanks for the dough, I worked extra hard today on a post basically about nothing. Yet, it's Favre free and that's good.
favrevsrodgers
Since I really wanted to say thanks for the dough, I worked extra hard today on a post basically about nothing. Yet, it's Favre free and that's good.
On That's Pretty Good
To start, I want to know more about the Jared Allen injury. Since teams aren't forced to release those details in the pre-season, we may never know. It seems I can get plenty of injury updates from Packer practices, so I don't know what the deal is there. Either way, the Vikings are feeling the injuries just as much as the Packers.
On Fumbles
Moving on, while watching Monday night football there was series in which Carolina fumbled the ball (well that was every series) and the Giants went to scoop it up and run. It of course brought me straight back to Jarrett Bush and his dumbass decision to not fall on the football in NFC championship game.
What interests me the most, is something John Gruden said after the play. Instead of chastising the guy for not falling on the fumble, Gruden said, "They are coached to scoop and score." I personally never realized that teams were coached to scoop and score or to fall on the ball. Most importantly, if the Packers teach anything other than flopping on that sucker hard, I want some names.
On Video Games
I don't play Madden all that much anymore. I have however played Madden every single year since its inception. Since I just sold my twice used controller to @midwestfan I most likely will not be playing at all bar the two games I got in this week at my buddy's house. On Madden, much like paper, the Packers looked pretty good. Two things stuck out to me that if true to the game this season will make me pretty darn happy.
B.J. Raji is a stud. He tears through people like they aren't even there. If he can dominate the line like he does in the game, we might have a shot of doing something.
James Jones is a beast. I personally think that this is James Jones' year. If he can dominate most nickel backs in the league and perform at a high level in the place of Driver or Jennings, this offense could be pert near unstoppable.
On Al Harris
I talked a little bit about Al Harris in my season predictions. Although I may have gone a little light on the record as to not be a homer, I think many of these predictions will come true and it doesn't mean the Packers will have a terrible season.
Al Harris does not have a single interception in team drills this training camp. He is going to struggle and let's make darn sure that the best guy is on the field.
On Clay Matthews, Jeremy Thompson, and Brady Poppinga
I hate if I am right on this one, but I predicted that Clay Matthews is essentially not going to make an impact for most of the season. They may say they are being cautious, but everyone knows what happens when you get a significant hammy hobble. Clay Matthews may not be one hundred percent for quite some time.
This in mind, I definitely am not sold on Jeremy Thompson and his injury status isn't helping any. With that, we are once again left with Brady Poppinga. Not all that good. I think with all this talk of Bishop and Chillar being so studly this season, it's time to start rotating either them or Hawk into to the mix to see what happens. One of those guys has to be better than Brady Poppinga. Please, Poppinga is not the answer.
Comments (11)
August 19, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Brett isn't a traitor, I think it's wonderful that he is playing for the Vikings, I hope they stomp the Packers into the ground on October 5'th.
August 19, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Dear Lynne,
If you're a Packers fan then please go flush your head in the toilet.
And if you're a Vikings fan then please go flush your head in the toilet.
Carry on,
Mark
August 19, 2009 at 01:48 pm
Alex, as I've said over at RBC, Harris not having a single pick doesn't mean squat. That's not his strenght. Let's be clear, I DON'T like Al Harris. He's rendered useless agains't big, strong Wr, and is a penalty machine. However, 85, 90% of the time, he completely blankets the opposite Wr. He just don't let the ball get to them. There're 3 type of good CBs IMHO: The playmakers who give big plays, the secure guys who don't make big plays, and Charles Woodson. I'd rather have a secure guy like Harris than a playmaker that'll sometimes get burned (see Collins).
-
That being said, I really believe Williams can become a playmaker that won't give many big plays. Don't know if he's ready yet, though.
August 19, 2009 at 02:10 pm
Speaking of Madden. Anyone noticed that hardly any of the coaches look anything like their real life counterparts. Mike McCarthy looks like Shrek for fucks sake.
I think we need to put Brandon Chill-pill in at OLB. You're right Brady Poppinga needs to be removed from further activities.
August 19, 2009 at 03:55 pm
I wouldn't be a bit surprised if players are coached to scoop and score on fumbles. This is the 21st century, after all, while most sports announcers are still stuck in the 20th century. So they repeat the "just fall on it" mantra over and over. For a long time now I've thought that falling on a fumble is highly overrated. How many times have we seen players fall on fumbles, only to have the ball squirt out from underneath them?
I do think that if the ball is lying relatively still (which is seldom the case) and the player is big and does not have great agility, he is best to fall on it. But in most situations, I think it is best to scoop the ball up, and if the scooper can run for a score, that's an absolutely huge play that gives the team a much better chance of winning the game.
I've defended Al Harris many times before, so here goes again. Many Packer fans do not know how lucky we are to have Harris on our team. Up until last year, he always guarded the other team's best receiver. Clearly, Charles Woodson has surpassed him now, but before that he was our best CB at least since Doug Evans back in the mid-90's. And guarding big, physical receivers is not his weakness, it is his strength. That game against Plaxico Burress was an exception. Sometimes a big-time WR burns your best CB. There are no shut-down corners in the NFL. The only shutdown corner I ever saw was Deion Sanders.
I share your concern about Brady Poppinga possibly starting at OLB. I was really hoping for Matthews, because it's hard for me to believe that Jeremy Thompson is that much improved from last year. I hope we can see these guys on the field soon so we can make our own judgments. I wouldn't mind seeing Chillar or even Bishop being given a shot at OLB if Poppinga is our only other option.
August 19, 2009 at 09:29 pm
i totally agree about the fumble thing. I think every single player on our team should be thinking about scoring points every single play.
August 19, 2009 at 04:13 pm
With Bishop and Chillar apparently "making a move for more playing time" maybe a move to OLB makes sense. It certainly wouldn't hurt right now especially since we're signing OLBs just for training camp fodder.
August 19, 2009 at 11:56 pm
pert near!!
You are a true Wisconsinite
August 20, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I thought fat guys were taught to fall on it, and skinny fast guys were taught to pick it up. Thats how it worked in high school, needless to say I was a faller!!
August 20, 2009 at 02:49 pm
Right. But when you get to the NFL nowadays it's presumedly that you're athletic and intelligent enough to be able to gain at least a few yards on a fumble. The "fall on it" philosophy is long past due IMO.
August 20, 2009 at 08:44 pm
Just a reminder:
Al Harris did not have a single interception in 2008 and made the Pro Bowl. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.