Packers finding their groove?

The Green Bay Packers won their second game in a row and with now having won 4-of-6 they are back in the NFC playoff hunt. With games against Detroit Thursday and the Ravens on Dec. 7 in Lambeau, the Packers have a good chance to keep the momentum going as we enter the stretch run. Of course beating the 49ers by only six points was not nearly good enough for most fans I talked to today. It is as if the Packers made a conscious decision at halftime to “let” the 49ers back in the game. Never mind that the 49ers are actually an up-can-coming team that until Sunday was right in the mix in the NFC.

People who actually watch the NFL have seen many games like Sundays’ 30-24 win by the Packers. In fact it pretty much happens every week. Last week it happened in San Diego when Philly fell behind early and rallied late to make the final score not as close the game actually was. The Packers had 368 yards of offense in the first half, it is completely asinine to think the Packers could duplicate that in the second half. I bet you can count the career 700 yard games in NFL history on one hand. In fact, one finger and it happened in 1951. Teams make adjustments on defense and on offense the game plan changes when you have a big lead, right or wrong. My only complaint Sunday offensively was that they should have scored more points with all those yards.

The Packers did not “let” the 49ers back in the game, the 49ers forced themselves back in the game, thanks to a complete change in their game plan to start the second half. The 49ers went to their two-minute offense with thirty minutes to go and thanks to yet another special teams gaff by the Packers they almost had a chance to win. But for the second week in a row the Packers offense rose to the occasion and put the game away. Last week it was a long time-consuming drive to go up by 10 points in a defensive battle with Dallas and this week the Packers ran out the final six minutes of the clock in true grind it out fashion.

The Packers’ offense the last two weeks has finally ditched the “let’s go vertical” offense and actually look like a West Coast Offense again. Short passes to set up the run, more yards after the catch and controlling the clock. Add that to a defense that is getting better by the week and the Packers are hinting at peaking at the right time. Losing Aaron Kampman and Al Harris for the year might be the monkey in the wrench, but I personally don’t think so. Brad Jones should be able to take over for Kampman and if Brady Poppinga returns to health soon they have some flexibility at the linebacker position. Brandon Chiller should again be part of that mix Thursday after not playing much in the last two games because of a hand injury. I’m not that worried about Harris’ position as I think Tramon Williams can do a good job, it is filling Williams’ position that is the problem.

Jarrett Bush plays like he has one and if there ever was a reason to fire Ted Thompson it has nothing to do the quarterback, matching an offer-sheet from Tennessee to keep Bush is inexcusable. There are no free agents available this time of year so the Packers will have to make do with what they got, which will put to the test the coaching ability of coordinator Dom Capers. It is very bad timing for the Packers whose defense is now ranked third in the NFL and has a short week meaning they have zero time to train somebody new. The Packers won’t have to face Matthew Stafford as it looks like for the second time this year he will miss the Packers’ game with an injury. Daunte Culpepper doesn’t exactly scare you anymore, so the Packers may have caught a break, especially when you consider Stafford threw for five touchdowns against the Browns, including an incredible one with no time on the clock and in severe pain.

To beat the Lions the Packers will need their offense to carry the load while the defense re-adjusts. The Lions are 31rst in the NFL in defense so that shouldn’t be too much to ask. Get the win Thursday and the Packers have 11 days until Ravens’  game. Capers and crew will be able to determine a course of action that will keep this train on the right track. Confidence is creeping up. Just don’t lay an egg on Thanksgiving. No offense Mike.

Here a are couple of shots from seats Sunday:

Al Harris Aaron Kampman

A sad day for two true Packers.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 7:46 pm and is filed under Al Davis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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  • packer_bob

    Mostly agree with your post Al. I’m more concerned than you about the injuries, but as you say, we’re stuck with what we have and time will tell who steps up and who doesn’t.

    I disagree with you about the 2nd half yesterday, though. They made adjustments, sure, but we didn’t as usual. I felt like we let the 49ers get into the game with 5 minutes to go. Just glad we didn’t have any mistakes then, a TO by us could have cost us the game, and that is what really distuurbs me. We found a way to give them a chance to win at the end of the game when they should have been dead and buried. Thank God the O managed to run out the clock.

  • jonnyfootballhero

    I agree pb, it could have been the Tampa Bay game all over again. I too was at the game and in the second half you could sense a definite change in attitude in the gameplay and in the crowd. There were times during the second half when you could hear a pin drop, it was that quiet. I think that was a direct result of the seemingly lacidasical attitude of the gameplay. I was getting very worried in the 4th quarter and really thought that the 49ers were gonna walk away with a win in the last two minutes. I feel that McCarthy went into prevent mode and took away some of the killer attitude that the team had in the first half. Of course all this is just my opinion. Also, hope to see Harris back on the field next year….He’s been a great Packer!

  • http://www.packernet.com admin

    If the 49ers had gotten the ball back one more time, maybe I’m worried, but it would have been a long way to go and I was confident in our defense. You know, it is OK to be positive once in a while. We did find a way to win a game I guess we should have lost. Not too shabby.

  • The Little Sheshoe

    The Packers defense is getting better & better. I think we too quickly forget that it’s a new defensive scheme and expected too much too soon. Of course those expectations were based upon a stellar preseason. As long as the defense continues to improve & our offense sticks more to the true west coast offense (short quick routes), I don’t see any reason we can’t have a win 10 or 11 games in the regular season. As usual, our running game is terrible the first half of the season then starts to pick up. Oh well, better late than never. GO PACK!!!

  • Mel e Mel

    My only criticism of Capers is that he has more faith in his playbook than his players.
    Woodson had responsibility for Davis in the 1st half. Why Change? And if the Nickel was so necessary why not put Collins on Davis. This dropping Clay Matthews 20 yards downfield is horsecrap. Right now The Pack has 3 very solid cover guys. Do we need a petition to get Bush out of town?

  • Richard Krause didisc d d

    In the second half our defense went into “Prevent” mode. IMO the only thing the prevent, prevents is a victory. The three times we only sent 3 pass rushers, SF scored 3 passing TDs. It makes you wonder what Dom was thinking. SF went from 53 yards of total offense in the first half to over 220 yards in the second. We should have at least played a cover 3.

  • Larry

    I see alot of humor in the cornerback situation…at least from the blog sense…Bush is the 4th CB..and anyone else who replaced Bush would be the 4th CB as in not as good as the top 3 CB’s. I have no idea how Bush stacks up to other 4th CB’s but given that GB is ranked in the top 5 on offense he probably is as good or better. We must be completing some passes against someone.

    We also seem to forget that perhaps the real 4th CB …Blackmon got injured earlier…don’t know if he was or wasn’t but when you head down the depth chart that low you’re not going to find a pro bowl player.

    Hell the drop-off between a starting QB and the back-up is steep on most any team…and you would expect steeper from 1 to 4 if such a thing existed.

    Give this kid a break and trust that you can scheme some help for the secondary. Detroit is going to pass for 225 yards or more on Thursday as even the worst teams do (except Oakland). Part of that will be the prevent defense and not the poor cornerback play.

  • Pack4life

    The fact that TT wasted no time getting another corner and placed him on the active roster shows that Bush is a lost cause. They had an empty roster spot and instead of going Oline which could use another player they went straight to corner and got a former starter not a practice player.

  • Steve Cheez

    You leave me somewhat baffled, Larry. What does Bush have to do with our offense or how many passes we complete? :-)

    I’m not too worried about Tramon, it seems he did pretty well filling in for Harris last year. But it does always leave us with a weak link then when we go to the nickel or dime packages. IMO, that just means we have to step up the pressure. If the QB is on his back, they probably won’t make too many plays, even if you put me in at DB.

  • iccyfan

    Larry Says: “I see alot of humor in the cornerback situation…at least from the blog sense…Bush is the 4th CB..and anyone else who replaced Bush would be the 4th CB as in not as good as the top 3 CB’s.”

    I appreciate your optimism, but Bush is presently our 3rd CB with rookie Brandon Underwood 4th. When training camp opened, Bush was a deep backup at safety with at least three other CB’s in line before they even thought about him there (Harris, Pat Lee & Will Blackmon). I’ve never even heard of Josh Bell but I’m thrilled to death TT went out and got him.

    If you want a glimpse of what Bush brings to the table, watch Tampa Bay’s winning TD pass. Our then dime-back (Bush) is nowhere near his assignment, some no-name WR (Sammie Something) taking in the pass from a rookie QB. Bush is so bad he makes me long for the return of Bhawoh Jue (of 4th & 26 fame). Having Bush on the field regularly would be catastrophic…

  • PackerPete

    iccy has the scent on this trail.

    Bush was never a corner this entire season, pre or otherwise. He was shifted to S an buried on the depth chart.

    As I stated in a previous post:

    “BUSH cannot play vs Det. BUSH is quite simply not an NFL caliber defensive back. I do not want to debate his roster-worthiness or ST value, we are not talking about ST, we are talking about NICKLE-BACK in our Defensive scheme. This means he would be on the field for half or more of our defensive snaps. DOOM DOOM DOOM.

    Do you get it?? He would get lit up like Baghdad. He has a track record and it is very poor. Now is the time for our so called Management team to earn their dough. We need a DB, not a ST demon. They need to find a “FIT” and get him in here.”

    Bush was on the roster ONLY because of his ST play.

    TT seemingly knows this and has signed a DB.

    Lets see how the coaches prepare and scheme to put our players in the best position for success before we lop all of their heads off.

  • PackerPete

    and actually in front of Bush at CB were:

    Woodson
    Harris
    Blackmon
    Lee
    Underwood
    Ford
    Porter

    That makes him the 8th best CB at best, assuming that no other Safetys would be ahead of him should they have to switch positions. I would put Collins ahead of him if we absolutely had to switch a Safety to CB.

  • Pete H

    Al, what was your assessment of the 49ers before last weeks game? It certainly wasn’t “up and coming”. There was no excuse for that team having a thought at a comeback. Yes, they made some plays, but the Packers simply stopped. They didn’t slow down, they stopped. The best of the best don’t let that happen week in and week out as you say….the shitty and the mediocre do. When was the last time the Colts gave up that kind of lead to a sub par team? They pound them into submission….much like GB did against Clev and Det. They have also pounded two teams in the first half, only to let them back in…once losing altogether. That is still a mediocre team. I think the talent is way above mediocre. I still blame the game plan. They still can’t score in the red zone. They got cheap and lame and it almost cost them the season. MM is a garbage coach. His zone blocking sucks. His discipline clearly sucks and his game management skills lack severely. I used to back MM and want TT gone and now I’ve come full circle

  • packer_bob

    Iccy,

    Damn it man! I almost had completely exorcised the name Bhawoh Jue from my memory banks, then you go and bring it back up. I just threw up in my gargage can at work. Please man, never again!

    Al, getting back to the beginning of the thread, nobody said we won a game we should have lost. What I’m saying is we let up on a team in the 2nd half where we had 20 point leads twice, and it could have conceivably cost us the game. You seriously don’t believe we went into a shell?

    This has been a complaint of mine about MM for a long time now, (and you can throw Capers in on this one in the 2nd half, suddenly we’re rushing 3 guys and Woodson isn’t covering Davis anymore). We get up by 20, then suddenly quit doing the very things that got us there in the first place. We shift into “protect the lead” and as JFBH pointed out, the feeling in the air was palpable. I know I was feeling it at home. Hey, we got the win, but why in the hell wouldn’t you keep your foot on the gas?

    Whoever was defending Jarrett Bush, I hope to hell you’re right, but observation and common sense tell me you’re way off. That guy sucks, as I’m afraid will become all too clear over the coming weeks.

  • packer_bob

    Pete H,

    Here was Al’s assesment of the Niners a few weeks back:

    “admin Says:

    October 29th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
    PB- The Ravens and 49ers are jokes as are the Bears.”

  • iccyfan

    PackerPete Says: “and actually in front of Bush at CB were: Woodson, Harris, Blackmon, Lee, Underwood, Ford & Porter. That makes him the 8th best CB at best, assuming that no other Safetys would be ahead of him should they have to switch positions.”

    You forgot Tramon Williams, so there were actually eight true corners ahead of Jarrett Bush for playing time consideration during TC. My recollection of TC Notes has Bush listed as a backup safety with the versatility to play corner if he had to.

    Porter was cut (evidently he couldn’t fill as many roles as Bush); Lee got hurt in TC and placed on IR; Harris & Blackmon injured during the season; Underwood evidently isn’t ready and Ford doesn’t even merit a call-up from the practice squad.

    I understand that roster manipulation is difficult and suffering three season-ending injuries at one position is unexpected, but having Jarrett Bush as our nickelback is unacceptable. Hell, having him as our dime was unacceptable – Ted should have done something before Harris got hurt (when Ty Law & Mike McKenzie were still available). I’ve been on this board for years and I’m not one to over-react, but I see having Bush on the field in our nickel as CATASTROPHIC!!! I don’t even know who the Lions have in the slot, but I’m gonna look it up and add him to my fantasy football team for Thursday…

  • Larry

    Again, you miss the point…is he or is he not as good as any other teams dime CB…I think and obviously MM and TT think he is. They also must think him better than Ty Law (probably too much money) or Mike McKenzie who was sitting at home waiting for a call.
    And by the way the Saint defense appears to have improved since McKenzie’s departure. Bush is what we have…appears to deserve to be where he is (and Tennesse thought so)..and should be as good or better than any other option at this time of year.

    Do teams pick on the 3rd 4th or 5th CB ..absolutely…because they’re not as good as 1, 2, or 3. Lighten up!!!!!!

  • roy jamison

    Didn’t know Mike McKenzie was available. He must have been hurt too. Sounds like Bell has some experience, altho he is 5’11 and won’t be able to stand up to the rangy receivers.

  • packer_bob

    Just read the deal on Bell. Nothing really too exciting there, but he’s got to be better than Bush, right?

  • Pete H

    I am better than Bush

  • jonnyfootballhero

    agreed, Pete H is better than Bush

  • roy jamison

    Is there anyone on this blog that is not better than Bush? I mean even I can trail a receiver into the endzone by 5 yards.

  • http://www.packernet.com admin

    I know I could have covered that guy in Tampa. That had to be one of the worst plays by a professional football player I’ve seen since the 1987 replacement teams.

  • Pack4life

    The Pack needs this game as well, dominate the line of scrimmage and win going away.
    Go Pack

  • Pete H

    It is a relatively fair assessment to say that everyone here could cover better than Bush. I also believ that at least 90% of us would simply FALL ON THE BALL!!! ……………just can’t let that one go

  • Lew

    It is a proud day in Packernet. Everyone (except Larry) agrees. Jarrett Bush is crazy bad. Here’s hoping Josh Bell is at least better than him.

  • Larry

    When Bush intercepts TWO balls this week I’ll expect homage to be paid!! GO Jarrett!!!

  • Pete H

    If Jarrett Bush intercepts two balls in his career I’ll build a little shrine for him where my Favre shrine used to be

  • jonnyfootballhero

    Larry, is your last name Bush?? J/K man… I wish I saw in him whatever you do… I have very little confidence in that guy…

  • http://www.packernet.com admin

    The Packers don’t need to “win going away”, they just need to win. If you think you are going to blow a team out you are going to get beat. Has the memory of Tampa faded that fast?

  • Mel e Mel

    MJS has an article detailing the sins of Jarrett Bush. He actually is surprised the fans hate him “18 Penalties in 56 games as part time player” The former defensive staff is gone so they are absolved. One out of every 3 times on the field he commits a penalty.
    That should be enough for him to be immediately waived. If you dont cut the cancer it spreads.
    http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/73146002.html

  • Mike from Arizona

    Bush states:

    I thought them matching the offer and me being on the team and playing to the best that I can, regardless of where, I’m playing is repaying the faith of Ted Thompson,” Bush said. “I mean, he wanted me here for a reason.”

    Ted, What is the reason? We would all like to know???

    How can Rouse and/or Smith be waived and this guy is still on this team?

  • Pete H

    Its not that they should think they are going to blow out a team, its that when you have the chance to blow out a team, you do it!

  • ChrisAZ

    Mel e Mel, I was just about to post that link about Jarret Bush when I saw you beat me to it. I think it’s a perfect commentary on just about what every packer fan thinks of Bush. I’m not sure what TT see’s in him, but Rouse or Smith sure would come in handy right now. Maybe Josh Bell will show up and actually play..or at least not hurt the team.

  • Pete H

    Thats a funny read. Although it failed to mention the scalding the Cowboys laid on him when we played them for first in the conference in ’07. He seems like a good guy, just a really bad cover back

  • packer_bob

    I’m sure there’s many things the article failed to mention, Pete, they usually have word limits to those things, lol.

    I like the part where the coach says he’s a darned good ST player right after they talk about the ball hitting off his leg in Chicago and the blown fumbled punt recovery in the Championship game.

    I didn’t know the kid’s history as a converted wide out, and he probably is likable enough. His attitude is definitely good, he seems eager to prove he can play. Maybe he’ll take it to the next level, but I’m not holding my breath. My eyes have told me he’s not going to suddenly get better.

  • PackerPete

    Larry, please see the real point.

    It doesnt matter what other teams 3, 4, 5, 124th DB look like.

    Jarrett Bush is not an NFL caliber DB!!! He is not on the roster to be one. He is listed as a backup at safety only because there is not a roster designation for Special Teams Penalty Magnet and Play Blower.

    His insertion into the defensive backfield has absolutely nothing to do with his ability, or lack thereof, to play DB in the NFL. He has been inserted after an ungodly number of injuries simply because his uncle TT is too egotistical and stubborn to admit that his Holy Roster from God lacks depth in certain areas and should necessitate actual GM-like moves to shore things up when bad things like injuries happen.

    The Bell signing is a step in the right direction. Underwood should be the next man up after AH went down. There are 4 CB on the roster, if #4 cannot play he should have been jetisoned long ago. We should be looking for a number 4 CB to fill in from the bottom, not a number 2 to come out of thin air.

    This is TT roster philosophy biting this team in the A$$. If he built a roster to compete in NFL games instead of building a starting lineup to compete and using the rest of the roster spots as a farm team for development, we might have a chance to win throughout an entire season instead of competing only until the inevitable injuries hit during the course of a normal NFL season. A few developmental players I can dig, but the entire lower half of the roster??? This is TT philosophy, go back to when he started and check the roster every year. SSDD.

  • iccyfan

    Larry Says: “When Bush intercepts TWO balls this week I’ll expect homage to be paid!! GO Jarrett!!!”

    I’ll be at the in-laws for Thanksgiving (out of town) so it won’t be immediate, but I’ll laud your foresight if Jarrett Bush is credited with DEFENDING TWO PASSES! :)

  • packer_bob

    Wow, PP, and people think I’m hard on TT!

    What’s SSDD stand for, btw?

  • Pete H

    iccy…I would actually be suprised if he managed to be viewable on the TV screen in coverage. It usually takes a replay with him to even see thatit was his blown assignment because he is so far away from his WR. Reminds me of TBuck….remember Thanksgiving against Dallas when he gave up that 97 yd bomb and wasn’t even on the screen. Maybe we could talk Mark Lee or Willie Buchannon out of retirement….hell I’d take Tyrone Williams

  • http://packernet.com AJ

    Found this on the DFP website:

    SI poll: Players prefer Lions to Green Bay
    Who would you rather play for, the Lions or the Green Bay Packers?
    According to this week’s Sports Illustrated players poll, it’s the Lions — barely. So winning isn’t the only thing after all.
    In fact, the Lions beat out three teams when SI asked 296 NFL players, “Which NFL TEAM would you least like to play for?” and 20% said Oakland.
    Buffalo was next with 14%, followed closely by Green Bay with 13%, the Lions with 12% and Cleveland with 7%.
    So that’s four bad teams and the Packers, who were voted the least desirable among players who have been in the league five years or less, with 16% of that vote.
    No word on where Brett Favre ranked them.

    Gave me a chuckle!

  • PackerPete

    SSDD = same sh!t different day

  • iccyfan

    AJ – Especially given the young players vote, I’d assume the Packers and Buffalo are included in this group due to perceptions of the cities and weather. On the flip side, Oakland, Cleveland and Detroit are there because of their organizational failures. It’d be interesting to know the players perception of the Packers organization…

  • Larry

    Hey PackerPete stow the hate for the holiday and enjoy the game. Go Jarrett Bush!

    Happy Turkey Day!

  • roy jamison

    AJ, I wish I knew what the thinking of those players was. Part of it may be the obvious weather conditions, but I think the other part…for veteran players…is that the Packers have shown a preference to growing their own rather than overpaying for recycled has-beens.

  • Pack4life

    You have to look at the Urban Hip Hop culture that many young players are involved in. Most NFL players are African ancestry and NE Wisconsin is a foreign concept. If wasnt Wisconsin born I might feel the same.

  • roy jamison

    P4L, Yup I agree. But, then I think of places like Jacksonville whose fans don’t even turn out for the game. Would I like to play in Jacksonville in December better than the tundra? LOL. Even Minnesota’s fans won’t show up if the Vikes were losing. And they are at the bottom of the list for merchandising sales. So, I guess if I were an owner it all comes down to bottom line figures no matter where players want to play.

  • Devil’s Advocate…

    I would have bet the Pack to win by more than 6 too…… Actually did bet one time in my life about 20 years ago when I used to have time to catch a few games. Picked five games for twenty bucks. Had to get them all right, the more you picked the higher the pay back and of course the spread. Asked the old man about three times how the teminology works, cause it was a bit confusing. The five I picked were all correct………….. Unfortunely, marked them the oppposite of the way I should have. Haven’t bet since.
    As the game went……. MM gave me a “hell yeah!!!!!” moment w/his playcalling when he called the back to back screens. That’s playcalling!!!! Then the second half, I kept searching the sidelines for Shottenheimer. The way the Packers were covering the receivers, I was sure he must be back. The Packers were covering the receivers but A. Smith had nothing to lose at that point and threw it to them anyway. Unfortunately, none of the defenders would turn their head around to play the ball or they could have interecepted or knocked down some of those passes/TD’s. They should know at about 3 seconds the pressure will be getting to the QB or where the 3/4 point of the route is or get better angles to play the ball and get their heads around and then turn into the WR.
    Bummed over Kampy and Al. They are pros!!! And how those injuries happened is just sad. It’s one thing to actually get injured…… that was just wrong!!! That was 25% of our defense(DE,LB,and DB). Kampy goes to rush end in the dime and he’s going to be impossible to replace. Hope they come up w/something to help offset that. The only little bit of luck from all that shitty luck is that the next game comes against the Lions and a mini bye after it. Suppose B*tt F*ck and Vikes are yucking it up…….. they’ve gotta like anything that helps them.

  • roy jamison

    Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Let’s hope the Pack can stay focused and pick up the win tomorrow. 7-4 would be nice for this point in the season.

  • Pete H

    Hope all enjoy their T Day with safety and a Packers win….DA thats called parlaying the bets. I did that in Vegas on a 12 pick basis. 1000-1 payoff….got the first 11 right.

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