SB Nation - Jarrett Bush

At Pittsburgh - The Packers Naughty and Nice List

Brandon — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:00:36 -0000

by Jim Prisching - AP

A couple more Green Bay Packers need to be mentioned after the loss in Pittsburgh. Some have been naughty and some have been nice.

The Nice:

C Scott Wells. Aaron Nagler reminded me that Mike McCarthy praised Wells (along with Rodgers) for his outstanding work calling the pass protection. Tom Pellisero said that QB Aaron Rodgers was hit on 4 of his first 6 passes, and the Steelers rushed 5 or more on 60% of his attempts overall. After that initial flurry of pressure, Rodgers was sacked only once and was hit on only one more play.

LG Daryn Colledge. Tom Pellisero reminded me that Colledge made RB Ryan Grant's TD run. Colledge got into the second level and took out ILB Lawrence Timmons to open that side of the field. Other players contributed with blocks, but Colledge's block was the key.

SS Derrick Martin. Tom Pellisero, again, reminded me that Martin had a big game on special teams. This isn't the first week he's stood out in kick coverage. But he still shouldn't be playing on defense again unless it's absolutely necessary.

LB Clay Matthews. I've already mentioned him a couple times, but he's been nominated (again) for NFL Rookie of the Week. Go vote here. At least the Packers can beat WR Mike Wallace to this award.

The Naughty:

I've mentioned most of the naughty already, but I forgot one more.

LB Brandon Chillar. He got to play on defense for the first time in a few games, he's been out with a broken hand, because LB A.J. Hawk was getting beaten badly by TE Heath Miller. Hawk forgot to cover him entirely on one play. Chillar was better than Hawk in the sense that he didn't leave him wide open, but he also didn't record a single stat in the game. Except he did manage to commit 3 penalties (one was declined), and his 3rd penalty wiped out an INT by CB Jarrett Bush. The good news is that he's been locked down for the next four seasons and will cost at least $9.5 million.

On The Packers 37-36 Loss To The Steelers

Brandon — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:51 -0000

More photos » by Gene Puskar - AP

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I already ran through a brief recap of the Green Bay Packers' end of regulation loss in Pittsburgh. The more I think about the loss, the more I'm OK with it. The Steelers didn't expose any new weaknesses. It showed that they have lousy special teams (missed FG), CB Jarrett Bush can't cover anyone (in fact, we can't trust anyone in the secondary in coverage beyond the starting 4 of Williams, Bigby, Collins, and Woodson), and LB A.J. Hawk is lousy in pass coverage. None of these things are surprises. They are still the same team they were during their 5 game winning streak, and as long as QB Aaron Rodgers keeps playing great, they can beat anyone at any time.

The Packers are still in the lead for the wild card spot. Just win the next two games, and they control their own destiny.

This loss reminded me of the inexplicable November loss in 1997 against the Indianapolis Colts, when a great Packers' defense had a breakdown against a struggling offense. The Packers went on to play Denver in the Super Bowl that year, and I'm sure everyone remembers how it went. It's not a perfect comparison because the 1997 Colts were 1-10, and they probably don't remind anyone of the 2009 Steelers.

There were only 5 injuries during the game (LB Nick Barnett, RB Ryan Grant, WR Greg Jennings, LT Chad Clifton, LB Brad Jones) and all 5 returned during the game. Barnett had the scariest injury, his knee buckled under him without any contact, but he was obviously able to shake it off.

New dime CB Josh Bell, signed back on November 24th, has apparently entered the SS Derrick Martin memorial dog house of blown assignments. Unfortunately there aren't many options to turn to. Rookie CB Brandon Underwood has been battling a hip injury, and maybe (big maybe) he could play better if he can return soon. From Greg Bedard at JSOnline.com:

On the final Steelers touchdown from Ben Roethlisberger to Mike Wallace, CB Josh Bell was supposed to play underneath Wallace at all costs. Packers had three deep safeties on the play.

Brief Recap: Green Bay Packers Stunned On Steelers TD With No Time Left On The Clock, 37-36

Brandon — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:30:14 -0000

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Emotionally I was all over the place while watching this game. After the Steelers scored on their first play of the game, I thought it wasn't the Packers day. Then they kept trading scores, which made me think the game could go either way, and finally the Packers scored on a TD pass to WR James Jones with 2 minutes left to play. It seemed like they had the Steelers stopped a couple times, deep in their own territory and then around midfield, but they ended up giving the Steelers too many second chances on that final drive.

This was a great game from QB Aaron Rodgers. He threw for 3 TDs and ran for another. He committed no turnovers, and overcame weak pass protection and dropped passes early in the game. RB Ryan Grant had a long TD run, but that was about all the backs provided. In their defense, it appeared that it was the Packers' game plan all along to go with pass heavy strategy (their first 6 plays were all passes).

The special teams had another forgettable game. They didn't have a kick return longer than 25 yards against the worst kick coverage team in the NFL, though the Steelers were trying to kick the ball away from WR Jordy Nelson for some reason. And K Mason Crosby had another missed FG, though it might have been more a poor hold by P Jeremy Kapinos instead of a poor kick by Crosby.

As for the 503 yards passing allowed by the usually great pass defense, the Steelers got big yardage against the weak links in the Packers defense. LB A.J. Hawk was abused early by TE Heath Miller. CB Jarrett Bush got abused early, late, and in-between by WR Mike Wallace, WR Hines Ward, and nearly anybody he covered. Due to injuries in the secondary, recently signed CB Josh Bell was forced into coverage as the dime back, and he failed late when he allowed the game losing TD reception. There are no solutions to this problem, due to injuries throughout the season these are the players they've got, but hopefully they aren't as exposed like this again.

It would have been better for a win, I'm not going to feel safe until it's official they've locked up a wild card spot, but it's obviously not a mortal blow. They still control their own destiny, if win their remaining two games then they're in, and they now have a week 17 matchup with a Cardinals team that just clinched the NFC West division title. Now it's time to forget about this close loss and get ready for the Seahawks next week.

Extended Recap: Green Bay Packers Defeat Lions 34-12

Brandon — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:20:53 -0000

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I was nervous the entire first quarter while watching the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving. The Lions had a quick 7-0 lead, and the Packer offense had already stalled once before they missed a FG attempt. I was wondering if this was going to be like their last loss in Tampa. But once QB Matthew Stafford threw his first INT, and QB Aaron Rodgers completed a 68 yard pass to WR Donald Driver to end the 1st quarter, I wasn't nervous anymore.

The Lions weren't exactly a big test for the Packers, they beat them in most major categories like points, yards (422 to 272), time of possession (33:59 to 26:01), and turnovers recovered (5 to 2). But I'm not a big believer in tests, or teams having to prove something. I believe in wins against any team they play, as they right now control their own destiny for a wild card playoff spot. And also stay healthy, which is something they did a good job of on Thanksgiving.

The complete play-by-play recap is after the jump.

Packers vs Lions coverage; Packers vs Lions recap; Packers vs Lions boxscore; Pride Of Detroit

Play-by-play from NFL.com:

First Quarter

4-J.Hanson kicks 71 yards from DET 30 to GB -1. 87-J.Nelson to GB 21 for 22 yards (75-T.McBride). FUMBLES (75-T.McBride), RECOVERED by DET-57-J.Dizon at GB 20. 57-J.Dizon to GB 20 for no gain (87-J.Nelson).

And they started the game with a thud. The special teams were awful, committing 4 penalties (1 intentional 4th quarter delay of game), and 2 big kick returns could have even been bigger if not for saving tackles by TE Spencer Havner and K Mason Crosby.

(14:23) 9-M.Stafford pass short right to 84-B.Pettigrew pushed ob at GB 6 for 12 yards (50-A.Hawk).

It was interesting that this was their first pass play. The Lions must have seen something they liked because they threw 13 passes to their tight ends, usually out in the flat. None of them were big plays, but Stafford completed 9 of them, so they were just about as successful as anything they did on offense. Unfortunately this was the last one for rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew. He suffered a season ending knee injury on the play.

(13:07) 9-M.Stafford pass short right to 81-C.Johnson for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.

Instead of taking advantage of the LBs in coverage against the tight end, the Lions decided to force 12 passes to an obviously hurting WR Calvin Johnson. This was their biggest offensive play of the game, and maybe it gave them false hope that Johnson could have a big game. Instead, it just might have made CB Charles Woodson very angry.

(12:16) 25-R.Grant right tackle to GB 32 for 15 yards (41-W.James).

This was a good run in a game with few good runs. RB Ryan Grant should have had a big game against a weak Lions run defense, but instead he had a poor game (only 3.1 yards/carry). Four days earlier, he was great against an excellent 49ers run defense.

(4:43) 2-M.Crosby 43 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Right, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn.

More lousy special teams. As good as this drive was, the Packers were forced to convert four times on 3rd down and they went 3 for 4. It seemed odd since the Packers weren't taking any shots down field against a defense that was torched 4 days earlier. 10 minutes into the game, down 7-0, and I'll admit I was a little nervous.

(1:27) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass short right intended for 89-W.Heller INTERCEPTED by 36-N.Collins at GB 26. 36-N.Collins ran ob at GB 26 for no gain.

The Lions were getting a little something going, moving the ball 30 yards after the missed FG, and FS Nick Collins made a great reaction on the ball. Watch the replay.

(:13) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep right to 80-D.Driver to DET 7 for 68 yards (25-M.White).

What a way to end the quarter. The Packers were still down 7-0 at this point, but after watching them force an INT and 3 plays later attack the awful Lion secondary, it felt like they had turned the corner.

Second Quarter

(15:00) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 86-D.Lee for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

That was quite a leap by TE Donald Lee. Watch the replay.

(14:26) 34-K.Smith left tackle to DET 34 for 4 yards (36-N.Collins).

There were a few times in the game when RB Kevin Smith got a cutback lane, and it looked like he could bust out for a big gain. But there was always a Packer there to tackle him, and Smith didn't have a single carry for more than 6 yards. Everyone on defense did their part on run defense.

(8:24) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete short middle to 88-J.Finley. GB-88-J.Finley was injured during the play. His return is Probable. PENALTY on DET-26-L.Delmas, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced at DET 40.

(8:19) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 88-J.Finley to DET 16 for 9 yards (25-M.White). PENALTY on DET-25-M.White, Horse Collar, 8 yards, enforced at DET 16.

It was rough going for TE Jermichael Finley on those two consecutive plays. He took one (two) for the team, and set up a 1st and goal, but they settled for a FG.

(5:28) 34-K.Smith up the middle to DET 44 for -4 yards (90-B.Raji).

(4:49) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep left intended for 86-D.Northcutt INTERCEPTED by 38-T.Williams at GB 40. 38-T.Williams pushed ob at GB 46 for 6 yards (86-D.Northcutt).

DE B.J. Raji slipped a tackle and got quickly into the backfield. His tackle set up a 3rd and 5, which was then intercepted by CB Tramon Williams. Two great plays in a row.

(1:03) 2-M.Crosby 25 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn.

Another good drive ends in a FG (or FG miss). They've been settling for a lot of FGs the past two weeks, but overall they're still about average (scoring a TD about 51% of the time in the red zone). It's a bad trend, but it's hard to call it a problem since the offense is playing so well overall.

(:04) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford sacked at DET 48 for -8 yards (52-C.Matthews).

What would you call that sack by LB Clay Matthews? Tenacious? Watch it here.

Third Quarter

(14:11) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass short right intended for 80-B.Johnson INTERCEPTED by 21-C.Woodson at DET 38. 21-C.Woodson to DET 38 for no gain (80-B.Johnson). Detroit challenged the incomplete pass ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #1 at 14:06.)

He had a sack in the 1st half, but the Woodson show got going early in the 2nd half. The 1st of his 2 INTs.

(13:27) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete short right to 86-D.Lee.

Lee had a TD earlier, but he had been dropping some passes in recent games. I'd been wondering if TE Spencer Havner should be playing ahead of him. This play is another drop, and I'm not sure how he'll be going forward.

(12:41) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at DET 37 for -6 yards (59-J.Peterson). FUMBLES (59-J.Peterson) [59-J.Peterson], RECOVERED by DET-97-J.Hunter at DET 37. 97-J.Hunter to DET 37 for no gain (71-J.Sitton).

LT Chad Clifton left LB Julian Peterson unblocked, while Clifton blocked no one, and it led to the only sack of the game for the Lions on 4th down. Tom Pelissero goes into more detail about why Clifton's decision to leave Peterson unblocked was more complicated then it seemed, and that Rodgers should have gotten rid of the ball quickly since it was an empty backfield and they left no one in to block on a blitz.

(11:06) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep middle to 80-D.Driver to DET 45 for 45 yards (41-W.James).

(9:01) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short left to 80-D.Driver to DET 31 for 7 yards (23-K.Hobbs).

(6:43) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 80-D.Driver for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN [23-K.Hobbs].

A quick 3-and-out by the defense was somewhat wasted after a 51 yard net punt pinned the Packers down at their 10 yard line. But that didn't matter because WR Donald Driver took over. 59 yards alone on the drive, including the TD reception.

(1:31) 12-A.Rodgers pass short left to 89-J.Jones to DET 21 for 4 yards (41-W.James).

(:47) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short middle to 89-J.Jones for 21 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Earlier this season, I was ready to write WR James Jones off. He only had a couple catches, and it seemed like Rodgers would only throw to him if he was wide, wide open. But he's become more involved in the offense (15 receptions in the last 4 games) and has 4 TDs on the season. He might never be good enough to start, but now he's doing well as a No. 3 receiver.

Fourth Quarter

(12:35) 7-J.Kapinos punts 57 yards to DET 11, Center-61-B.Goode. 86-D.Northcutt ran ob at DET 25 for 14 yards (51-B.Poppinga).

A conservative drive, the Packers were trying to kill some clock, ended with the Packers' first punt of the game.

(12:02) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep middle to 86-D.Northcutt to GB 22 for 47 yards (38-T.Williams).

If there was one weak link in the pass defense, it was CB Jarrett Bush. WR Dennis Northcutt got behind Bush, and ran away from him for the big gain. All the comments I've read about Bush are usually hoping he'll be released soon, and he didn't do anything in this game to prove to those fans that he's becoming a better defender.

(10:09) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass incomplete short right to 81-C.Johnson [20-A.Bigby]. Ball thrown away.

(10:05) 25-R.Grant right tackle to GB 1 for no gain (90-G.Jackson).

(9:22) 25-R.Grant right end to GB -1 for -2 yards (26-L.Delmas). FUMBLES (26-L.Delmas), RECOVERED by DET-57-J.Dizon at GB -1. TOUCHDOWN. Green Bay challenged the fumble ruling, and the play was REVERSED. 25-R.Grant right end tackled in End Zone for -1 yards, SAFETY (26-L.Delmas).

A big defensive stop on the 1 yard line leads to a collapse by the run blocking. I'm sure everyone blocking on those two running plays will be hearing it from their coaches next week.

(5:05) 4-J.Hanson 22 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-2-N.Harris.

The drive stalled, but should Detroit have really been settling for a FG? No pass was completed for greater than 13 yards on the drive. They were just daring Stafford to make accurate, short passes. The Packers were going to let them work their way down the field, which was something they hadn't done well all game.

(3:55) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass short right intended for 81-C.Johnson INTERCEPTED by 21-C.Woodson at DET 38. 21-C.Woodson for 38 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

(2:51) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass short right to 82-C.Fitzsimmons to DET 41 for 13 yards (21-C.Woodson). Green Bay challenged the fumble ruling, and the play was REVERSED. (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass short right to 82-C.Fitzsimmons to DET 40 for 12 yards (21-C.Woodson). FUMBLES (21-C.Woodson), RECOVERED by GB-21-C.Woodson at DET 41. Referee blew the ball dead.

Unlike their last game against the 49ers, the Packer offense wasn't able to run out the clock. They give the Lions two more chances, and Woodson forced two turnovers (one returned for a TD).

The Packers Straightforward Defense

Brandon — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 07:03:24 -0000

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From Tom Pelissero at the Press-Gazette:

This was as straightforward a game plan as Capers has put together. The Packers played 60 of 77 snaps (77.9 percent) in nickel against Scott Linehan’s three-wide offense. The rest was base (16 snaps) and a single snap of prevent — no dime, no "corner Okie," no "big Okie," not even any goal-line defense as the Packers made a pair of key red-zone stands.

The blitz package wasn’t extensive, with extra-man pressure coming on only 11 of 47 dropbacks (23.4 percent) even as the Lions threw heavily in the fourth quarter. Slot blitzes were especially rare with CB Jarrett Bush taking Woodson’s usual spot in the nickel.

The secondary did most of its damage out of basic zones, with FS Nick Collins exploding from Cover-2 to record the first of four interceptions and CBs Tramon Williams and Woodson each getting one in quarters coverage.

As good as QB Matthew Stafford looked against the Browns, Capers must have watched the game film and saw that Stafford is still playing like a rookie QB. He mixed up the coverage a little, sometimes it was cover-2 and sometimes it was man coverage, but he didn't blitz much and he let his excellent secondary wait for Stafford to make a mistake. A good job by the coach to identify that his players could beat their players, and then to let them do just that.

Packers Post-Game: Injuries and The Week Ahead

Brandon — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:16:06 -0000

More photos » by Daniel Mears - AP

26 days ago: Green Bay Packers' Charles Woodson intercepts a pass intended for Detroit Lions' Calvin Johnson, second from right, and takes it in for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at Ford Field in Detroit, on Thursday Nov. 26, 2009.(AP Photo/The Detroit News, Daniel Mears)

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From Mike McCarthy's press conference:

(Did you have any injuries?)
Jermichael Finley has the wind knocked out of him; he did return. Chad Clifton had a hamstring; he did not return. Cullen Jenkins had the wind knocked out of him; he did return. Jordy Nelson had a shoulder injury; he did not return. Brandon Underwood had a hamstring; he did not return. And with that, I'll take your questions.

The only injury he didn't address above was QB Aaron Rodgers, who had x-rays after the game for an injured knee and elbow, but when asked specifically about it, Mike McCarthy said "Yeah he's fine. He'll be sore in the morning."

One thing that did surprise me was that Underwood didn't play a bigger role in replacing CB Al Harris, though he still got injured at some point. But now I see that the Lions don't play more than 3 WRs and they like to use multiple tight end sets. The Packer LBs were usually left in the game to cover the tight ends.

They didn't do a good job exploiting Harris's absence, in part because their No. 2 and No. 3 WRs aren't very good. WR Dennis Northcutt had one big 47 yard reception against CB Jarrett Bush, he dropped another one with Bush in coverage that should have been a 1st down, but then only caught 1 of the other 3 passes thrown his way for 5 yards. WR Bryant Johnson only had 1 reception for 17 yards on 3 pass attempts.

It will be a slow news period for the rest of the long Thanksgiving weekend. The Packers are treating this like a bye week, and the players have off until Monday. They don't play the Ravens until December 7th, so they'll have 11 days in between games. It also might give all the injured players time to heal, including LB Brandon Chillar who's been on the active roster but kept out to rest his broken hand.

New Starters: Tramon Williams and Brad Jones?

Brandon — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:09:27 -0000

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From Mike McCarthy's Monday press conference:

We just got the confirmation on both Al Harris and Aaron Kampman's results, and both individuals will have season-ending knee surgery.

I'm sure everyone reading this already knew that the Green Bay Packers have lost both of them for the season, but I keep double checking, hoping it's not true. Although CB Tramon Williams and LB Brad Jones should move into the starting lineup, McCarthy said "the natural move" is Williams as the starter, but he wouldn't name Jones the starter or who would play in the nickel or dime.

The big concern with not announcing Jones as the starter means more playing time for LB Brady Poppinga.

CB Jarrett Bush has few fans in the comments (any fans?) and the good news is that he might not actually be the nickel corner. Bush might remain the dime corner, and CB Brandon Underwood might effectively replace Harris as the right CB when he comes into the game as the nickel. Then Williams and CB Charles Woodson would not have to change their roles drastically.

Injuries: Al Harris and Aaron Kampman Are Out For The Season

Brandon — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:16:44 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

about 1 month ago: Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy, left, watches as trainers look at Al Harris' knee during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won 30-24. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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It's been reported by the Journal-Sentinel that the Green Bay Packers just lost both CB Al Harris and LB Aaron Kampman for the year with ACL tears.

There's no way to replace what either player can do for the defense. Harris is their top cover corner, and Kampman is still their best pass rusher. A pass defense that is struggling after giving up another 3 TD performance to an opposing QB just got a little worse. With the game coming up on Thanksgiving, there isn't much the Packers can do to replace either this week. Not that there are Pro Bowl LBs or CBs looking for jobs right now.

I'd expect CB Trevor Ford and LB Cyril Obiozor are added to the roster this week from the practice squad, after Harris and Kampman are placed on I.R. Both played extensively in preseason. They are undrafted free agents who were signed back in April. Ford is a poor cover corner, but good in run support. Obi is a project of linebacker coach Kevin Greene's and a former college DE making the transition to LB. He's an athletic player, but didn't manage to put much pressure on the QB. If there's another injury in the secondary, remember the Packers have already lost CB Will Blackmon during the season, then Ford might play. Obiozor could be added to the active roster, but would still be buried deep on the depth chart.

As far as replacing them on the field, LB Brad Jones has impressed the last two week and he'll start in Kampman's spot. LB Brady Poppinga is his backup, with LB Jeremy Thompson behind them. Jones showed some promising pass rush moves this preseason, but his strength right now is against the run and in pass coverage. CB Tramon Williams will now start, with CB Jarrett Bush as the nickel. Though they've run a lot of sets with 4 CBs lately, so CB Brandon Underwood got some playing time after Harris went out. None of those players can replace what Kampman and Harris can do. The team will just have to try their best going forward, and defensive coordinator Dom Capers is going to have to make some adjustments to compensate for their absences.

Analysis: Packers (4-4) After 8 Games

Brandon — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:00:42 -0000

by Chris O'Meara - AP

about 1 month ago: Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Kellen Winslow (82) grabs a fourth-quarter touchdown pass as Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson (21) looks on during an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers defeated the Packers 38-28. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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Obviously the 1st half of the season ended badly with a loss to what was previously the last team without a win. Ex-Packer DT Gilbert Brown took some shots at Mike McCarthy this week, and former S LeRoy Butler says it's time for Mike to "turn the play calling over to Joe Philbin." Really? Philbin might be a heck of a guy, but he's primarily been an offensive line coach since 1986 and became a 1st time offensive coordinator in 2007. After watching the offensive line struggle this season, it's not exactly clear whether Philbin is doing a very good job himself.

Here's how they measure up statistically after the first 8 games compared to the rest of the league, rankings from NFL.com:

Team	Run Offense	Pass Offense	Run Defense	Pass Defense
Packers	10	9	9	8

They're top 10 in every major statistical category. I would expect a winning record with those stats. For as bad as the offensive line has been this season, it sure hasn't stopped the offense from being productive. I'm not defending them, just pointing out that we can't just say the 4-4 record is all the offensive line's fault. There's something else going on here. More after the jump.

Let's compare them to three other teams, the unbeaten Colts and Saints, and the Cowboys. I think everyone would consider those three teams better than the Packers. Again rankings from NFL.com:

Team	Run Offense	Pass Offense	Run Defense	Pass Defense
Saints	5	4	19	16
Colts	29	1	14	9
Cowboys	8	6	12	20

According to Football Outsiders: all 3 teams have an offense in the top 5 (the Packers are at No. 8); the defenses of the Colts (No. 6 overall) and Saints (No. 4) are playing great (the Packers are No. 5), while the Cowboys are struggling with the No. 20 defense. The No. 29 run offense from the Colts sticks out like a sore thumb, but obviously their No. 1 pass offense is more than compensating for it. The official rankings don't take into consideration that the Saints lead the NFL in INTs, but their run defense really isn't very good anyway you look at it. And the official stats don't notice that the Colts have only allowed 4 TD passes this season.

My point is that the Packers seem to measure up well against 3 teams that have combined for 2 losses in their first 24 games.

Though one area I haven't addressed is special teams. The Packers are dead last by a comfortable margin, according to Football Outsiders. The 3 worst special teams games of the season have been against the Bengals, Vikings (at Lambeau), and Buccaneers; all losses. An easy answer might be it's the special teams fault, but good special teams play doesn't necessarily equal a winning football team. Currently the Browns have the best special teams unit in the NFL, while some winning teams like the Saints (No. 26), Broncos (No. 27), and Steelers (No. 30) aren't getting much from their special teams either.

But something else jumped out in those 4 losses this season: passing TDs allowed. The Packers have allowed 16 passing TDs this season, tied for 4th worst in the NFL. 12 of those have been given up in the 4 losses, and it has worked out exactly to 3 TDs in each game. The common theme in those 12 TD passes was the absence of the pass rush.

Another problem is that 10 of those 12 TD passes were for 15 yards or less. In theory it might be easier to cover in the red zone, where there is less field to cover, but that hasn't been the case this season.

Against the Bengals: TD passes of 5, 5, and 13 yards. If you watch the highlight of each TD pass on NFL.com, you'll see QB Carson Palmer dropping back with no pressure in his face as he steps up in the pocket and throws. On the final 2 TD passes, you'll also notice S Aaron Rouse standing around after the play, looking confused. Which is probably one reason why he was released a couple days later.

Against the Vikings (in Minneapolis): The first TD pass from the 1 yard line was asking for trouble (Favre ran one way then turned to throw across the field for the TD) but they got away with it. The 2nd one was a strike to WR Sidney Rice for 14 yards, and similar to the TD passes by Palmer, Favre dropped back in the pocket and then stepped up to throw with little pressure on him. The final TD was a 31 yard pass to Berrian on which S Derrick Martin played the wrong coverage, and he hasn't been seen playing defense since.

Against the Vikings (at Lambeau): The 12 yard TD pass to TE Visanthe Shiancoe had no pass rush again. The 51 yard TD pass was a fluke play where 3 Packers collided as they jumped for the ball, and Favre got away with throwing into triple coverage. The final 2 yard TD pass was a quick pass out into the right flat which the OLB couldn't get to.

Against the Buccaneers: A 6 yard TD pass that was a quick pass out into the right flat which the OLB couldn't get to. That play is something teams will try and exploit again since it worked in consecutive weeks. A 7 yard TD pass during which the Packers finally got some pass rush! DE Johnny Jolly broke free and collapsed the pocket, but LB Clay Matthews tried to go inside, so there was nobody outside to the left when QB Josh Freeman scrambled to throw a high arching pass to TE Kellen Winslow that only he could catch. On the final 7 yard TD pass, CB Jarrett Bush was fooled on a double move by a rookie WR into the right corner of the end zone. He could have gotten it if he hadn't been fooled, but Bush has been underwhelming us with his coverage skills for the past 3 seasons.

Some of those TD passes couldn't have been avoided. But on most of them, the QB had too much time to throw. The special teams and the offensive line have been bad this season, and the team would be a lot better if those units could get themselves turned around. But where they're losing games is on TD passes allowed in the red zone. What they really need is a pass rush, especially up the middle (paging Cullen Jenkins and B.J. Raji), to turn the opponent's red zone opportunities into FGs or stops.

Analysis: The Backup Safety

Brandon — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:00:30 -0000

by Jeffrey Phelps - AP

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With the return of SS Atari Bigby, to play alongside FS Nick Collins, the safety position is as solid as it has been all season. But the lack of depth behind the starters was exposed when Bigby missed 3 games.

Coming into the season, it looked like free agent S Anthony Smith would be the top backup, but he was surprisingly cut after the final preseason game. The backup job initially went to S Aaron Rouse, but his only start, the loss to the Bengals, was the final straw and they wisely decided to release him. Though he resurfaced with the Giants, and has become their starter, it's not because he's playing well. At this point, the Giants have no other options. The Packers also traded for S Derrick Martin before the season started, but he was bad in the Vikings game at Minnesota and hasn't played on defense since. Now he's suffered a concussion and it's not clear whether he'll be able to play next Sunday. After Rouse was released, they signed S Matt Giordano, but when asked whether Giordano was up to speed, McCarthy only said "he's been working." So apparently he's not up to speed. Now the Packers found themselves right back to where they started, and put a waiver claim in on Smith, but they lost out to the Jaguars.

Right now CB/S Jarrett Bush has to be the top backup for either safety position, and it's likely he's the best option of any the other backup candidates I've written about. Who's the best option at this point?