The Green Bay Packers evened their preseason record at 1-1 by beating the Seattle Seahawks 27-24 on Saturday night. The starting offense was terrific, the “starting” defense – minus Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, Charles Woodson, Brad Jones, Nick Barnett, Atari Bigby and Al Harris – predictably struggled and the special teams, well, they were anything but special once again. Here’s some post-game observations: Matt Flynn didn’t put up big numbers or generate much offense, but for the first time he looked like a quarterback who could win regular season games in the NFL. Yes, he showed plenty of moxie in his first two seasons, but he didn’t have the arm strength needed to complete throws against starting-caliber defensive backs. After working extremely hard in the weight room and on his mechanics, he does now. Daryn Colledge has done absolutely nothing wrong this summer, but Bryan Bulaga should be the starting left guard at Philadelphia. The rookie was solid against Cleveland and he was even better on Saturday night. Bulaga’s strength makes him almost impossible to bull rush,...
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Maybe I’m blind when it comes to Breno Giacomini. The coaches keep talking him up, but I keep seeing the same old guy. Here’s what I wrote about the former Louisville standout after watching him practice for the very first time back in 2008: “Giacomini looks pretty good in shorts, but I have my doubts about his long-term potential. He tends to play tall, and at over 6-7, that’s a big (pardon the pun) problem at this level. And while he might be a converted tight end, I don’t see a particularly impressive athlete. His feet look kinda slow. He might be worth developing for a year, but I’d be very surprised if he ever starts in the NFL.” After seeing him live last week – both at practice and in the game against Cleveland – I wouldn’t change a word of my original analysis. Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote an article last week titled, ‘Packers’ Giacomini looks the part.’ You’ll get no argument here. McGinn was correct when he wrote, “No one looks...
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For whatever it’s worth, Mike Neal has made a better first impression with the Packers than did either Justin Harrell in 2007 or B.J. Raji a year ago. The rookie from Purdue is nearly as strong as the two much bigger former No. 1 picks and he’s unquestionably a lot quicker. So why was Neal still available late in the second round? Because for all of his physical skills – which include doing 31 reps and running 4.86 at the Combine – he was very rarely a dominant player in college. He was good, but players with his size, strength and athleticism are expected to be great at that level. And when they aren’t, general managers tend to worry. The two most common criticisms of Neal prior to the draft were his inconsistent effort and his tendency to get blown off the ball by double teams, but neither has been the case in Green Bay. His energy level has been terrific and he’s more than held his own at the point of attack – even while learning...
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Some people are surprised that Quinn Johnson is third on the depth chart at fullback and in danger of not making the 53-man roster. In reality, the only surprise should be that GM Ted Thompson chose to spend a fifth-round pick on the former LSU star in 2009. Johnson today is exactly the player most experts thought he’d be 16 months ago. Here’s part of one scouting report: “Extremely physical. Great contact balance and finishing power – can take out multiple defenders. Can create a surge and move a pile back. Has been a non-factor as a runner and receiver and is too one-dimensional. Not quick or agile with the ball in his hands. Would fit best with a power running team like the Giants or Pittsburgh.” Sounds about right, doesn’t it? Sounds nothing like the typical fullback who plays for Mike McCarthy, does it? From William Henderson in Green Bay (circa 1999) to Terrelle Smith and Sam Gash in New Orleans to Fred Beasley in San Francisco, fullbacks on a McCarthy coached or coordinated offense are...
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It was easy to make excuses for B.J. Raji following his nondescript rookie season. From his training camp holdout to his nagging ankle injury to his playing out of position, there were plenty of reasons to explain why the No. 9 pick in the ’09 draft often looked like just another guy. It was expected that a healthy ankle and a switch back to nose tackle would enable the player who dominated the ACC to cause similar havoc in the NFL, but that isn’t happening – at least not yet. Through 18 practices and one preseason game, Raji has been good, but far from great. The front three was the strength of the defense last season, and coordinator Dom Capers is counting on that to be the case again. But without the suspended Johnny Jolly at left end, the only way for that to happen is if Raji has a breakthrough year. The former Boston College star needs to be as strong at the point of attack as Ryan Pickett was a year ago, and he must...
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The National Football Post reported on Tuesday that Al Harris is close to returning to practice – perhaps as soon as Monday. And since Harris’ agent, Jack Bechta, is one of the web site’s founders, it’s safe to assume that the information is credible. Of course, returning to practice and being able to play at a high level are two entirely different things, and the odds are still stacked against the former Pro Bowl cornerback. But just the possibility of Harris starting opposite Charles Woodson at some point this season has to make the entire coaching staff – not to mention every single fan – feel a whole lot better. Harris underwent major knee surgery last November and then turned 35 a few weeks later. That’s a lethal combination for any football player. But the Florida native has beaten the odds for years. After all, this is a guy who went undrafted out of Texas A&M-Kingsville and then was unceremoniously dumped by the Buccaneers in 1998. In the ensuing 11 years, all he’s done is start 123 games,...
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With Will Blackmon still a question mark due to his surgically repaired knee and none of the young players stepping up, it’s time for general manager Ted Thompson to do something about the return game. We’ve been banging this drum since last November so we’re not getting our hopes up, but if Thompson does finally decide to make a move, he should bring in ex-New Orleans wide receiver Larry Beavers as soon as possible. Who’s Larry Beavers? He’s a first-year player from Wesley College who holds the NCAA all-division record for kick returns for touchdowns with 10. Still not overly impressed? Well, he also returned a kick 97 yards for a score last week against New England. His reward was being cut on Monday, but you know the old saying about one man’s garbage. Beavers, who ran a 4.28 at his pro day in May of 2009, was dumped by the Saints for two reasons. One is that there are plenty of talented return candidates on the roster. The other is that the 24-year-old dropped a kickoff in...
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Daryn Colledge has started 60 games in the NFL at left guard. Bryan Bulaga has barely taken 60 snaps at the position all summer. And yet it seems almost inevitable that the first-round draft pick from Iowa is going to be in the starting lineup at some point this season – perhaps as early as week 1. That’s because Bulaga has looked pretty darn impressive at a position that he hadn’t played since his freshman year in college, and let’s be honest, the Packers have been trying to replace Colledge since 2008. Allen Barbre wasn’t nearly good enough to take the job two summers ago and Jason Spitz’ expected challenge this August has been derailed by a calf injury. But just when it looked as if Colledge would pull another Houdini and escape with his starting job once again, coach Mike McCarthy brought out Bulaga – who could wind up being the football equivalent of the Chinese Water Torture Cell. Bulaga obviously has a lot to learn about playing left guard, but working between veterans Chad Clifton and...
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The battle to capture the two or three roster spots behind Jermichael Finley is as close today as it was 15 practices ago. In fact, with the surprisingly strong showing of little-known Tom Crabtree, things are even more competitive than anticipated. The following is a detailed breakdown of Crabtree, Spencer Havner, Donald Lee and rookie Andrew Quarless – based on their past performances and their current work in training camp. We analyzed and graded the tight ends in five categories – blocking, hands, intangibles, play making ability and route running. BLOCKING: Crabtree has been impressive in one-on-one drills. He takes a lot of pride in this part of the job and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares in the preseason (7). Havner‘s blocking isn’t bad for an ex-linebacker, but he’ll need to improve dramatically now that he’s a full-time tight end. He still struggles to sustain and keep his feet (5.5). Lee‘s never going to be a road-grader, but he can positional-block and steer defenders. This is the part of his game that could keep...
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People were ready to anoint James Starks the No. 3 running back the minute they watched highlights of the former University at Buffalo star on You Tube. And why not? He looked big and fast, and more importantly, his competition was a veteran who couldn’t beat out DeShawn Wynn last summer and an undrafted rookie from Stillman College. Well, a funny thing happened on the way to final cuts – Starks suffered a hamstring injury and Kregg Lumpkin and Quinn Porter stayed healthy and got better every day. Now it appears as if the pre-training camp favorite is going to be spending the entire summer on the PUP list while the underdogs are duking it out for a spot on the 53-man roster. So it looks like Lumpkin vs. Porter for the chance to sit and watch Grant run and Jackson block. OK, so it’s not exactly Ali vs. Frazier for the heavyweight title, but it should be a pretty interesting battle nonetheless. The tale of the tape shows a distinct advantage for Lumpkin in size and...
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The idea for this post came to me while I was watching the Family Night scrimmage from the comfort of my own living room. Here’s something a little different for a quiet Wednesday. I don’t know the man personally, but Bob McGinn doesn’t strike me as somebody who would ever visit a blog about the Packers, so it’s highly unlikely that he’ll ever read this post. But that’s not going to keep me from writing what amounts to a long thank you note to a stranger who has inspired and entertained me for the past three decades. Growing up a Packers fan in New Jersey in the 80s wasn’t easy. Not only were wins few and far between, but following the team was every bit as frustrating as watching it. There was no DirecTv, no Internet and no satellite radio. Remember those days? We watched our movies in theaters, we found our porn in seedy stores and we listened to whatever station came in clearly on the AM or FM dial. And as far as Packers news...
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