SB Nation - Brady Poppinga

Packers Sign Chillar to a 4 Year Extension

Brandon — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:30:18 -0000

First reported by Adam Schefter, the Green Bay Packers signed LB Brandon Chillar to a 4 year contract extension for $21 million. About $7 million is guaranteed, but he's almost certain to receive the $9.5 million he's due before the end of 2010. That's a lot of money for a sometime starter who will probably be the backup behind LB A.J. Hawk for the rest of the season. But they had to pay him more than LB Brady Poppinga, who received a 4 year, $17 million extension last year. At least Chillar starts sometimes.

I don't like either contract given to Chillar or Poppinga, LB Desmond Bishop is probably just as good for a fraction of the price, but I'm willing to give GM Ted Thompson a pass here. Overall he's done a great job at identifying talent in the draft and avoiding high price free agent busts. But he's a former backup LB himself, and he apparently has a sweet spot for them. So long as it doesn't stop the Packers from signing important potential free agents such as FS Nick Collins.

New Starters: Tramon Williams and Brad Jones?

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

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

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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.

Friday Injury Report: 49ers at Packers

Brandon — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:26:28 -0000

It's a long list for each team this week. The Green Bay Packers have 17 players listed, and the 49ers 13. But most of the injuries are not serious, and nearly everyone is expected to play.

For the Packers, it's been a rough week of practice. Both RT Allen Barbre and OL Evan Dietrich-Smith were injured during practice, and I'm not expecting either of them to play. C Scott Wells reported a concussion on Wednesday, though the injury likely happened during the game last Sunday. Mike McCarthy expects Wells will start. RB Ahman Green injured his groin late Thursday during practice, and it's not clear whether he'll play. Every other player should be available to play, including three guys who didn't play last week: LB Brandon Chillar, TE Jermichael Finley, and RT Mark Tauscher.

Tauscher will start the game, but he will rotate with OL T.J. Lang, depending on Tauscher's endurance.

For the Niners, only CB Nate Clements and LT Joe Staley are out. Those are two of their big name players, but they missed last week's game too. Fooch said their replacements have played really well. The only other player who could miss the game is LB Takeo Spikes who's day-to-day with a hamstring injury.

Overall, both teams are relatively healthy and injuries shouldn't play a major role. The complete injury list for both teams is after the jump.

Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Allen Barbre	T/G	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
Desmond Bishop	LB	Ankle	Full Participation	Probable
Brandon Chillar	LB	Hand	Full Participation	Probable
Chad Clifton	T	Not Inj. Related	Limited Participation	N/A
Evan Dietrich-Smith	G/C	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Questionable
Jermichael Finley	TE	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Ahman Green	RB	Groin	Did Not Participate	Questionable
Cullen Jenkins	DE	Ankle	Full Participation	Probable
Johnny Jolly	DE	Back	Full Participation	Probable
Brad Jones	LB	Concussion	Full Participation	Probable
Aaron Kampman	LB	Concussion	Full Participation	Probable
John Kuhn	FB	Hand	Full Participation	Probable
Clay Matthews	LB	Jaw	Full Participation	Probable
Brady Poppinga	LB	Quadricep	Full Participation	Probable
Mark Tauscher	T	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Scott Wells	C	Concussion	Full Participation	Probable
Charles Woodson	CB	Hip	Full Participation	Probable


Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Isaac Bruce	WR	Ankle & Elbow	Full Participation	Probable
Nate Clements	CB	Shoulder	Out	Out
Glen Coffee	RB	Concussion	Full Participation	Probable
Michael Crabtree	WR	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Demetric Evans	DT	Shoulder	Full Participation	Probable
Aubrayo Franklin	NT	Not Inj. Related
Michael Lewis	S	Quadricep	Full Participation	Probable
Michael Robinson	RB	Not Inj. Related	Did Not Participate	Probable
Mark Roman	S	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Justin Smith	DT	Back	Full Participation	Probable
Adam Snyder	T/G	Shoulder	Full Participation	Probable
Takeo Spikes	LB	Hamstring	Limited Participation	Questionable
Joe Staley	T	Knee	Out	Out

49ers-Packers Final Injury Report

Fooch — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:08:35 -0000

We're two days away from a monstrous game for the 49ers and we've got our final injury report of the week. A whole lot of probable players, but not much beyond that. Barrows thinks we'll see Matt Wilhelm starting at the Ted linebacker spot over Takeo Spikes, who remains "day-to-day." Wilhelm was solid last Thursday as a mid-game replacement for Spikes, so let's hope it carries over to Sunday.

49ers
Out
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
OT Joe Staley (knee)

Questionable
LB Takeo Spikes (shoulder)

Probable
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)
RB Glen Coffee (concussion)
S Michael Lewis (quadricep)
RB Michael Robinson (stinger)
WR Michael Crabtree (knee)
DT Demetric Evans (shoulder)
S Mark Roman (knee)
DE Justin Smith (back)
OT Adam Snyder (shoulder)

Packers
Doubtful
OT Allen Barbre (ankle)

Questionable
G Evan Dietrich-Smith (ankle)
RB Ahman Green (groin)

Probable
LB Desmond Bishop (ankle)
LB Brandon Chillar (hand)
TE Jermichael Finley (knee)
DE Cullen Jenkins (ankle)
DE Johnny Jolly (back)
LB Brad Jones (concussion)
LB Aaron Kampman (concussion)
RB John Kuhn (hand)
LB Clay Matthews (jaw)
LB Brady Poppinga (quadricep)
T Mark Tauscher (knee)
C Scott Wells (concussion)
CB Charles Woodson (hip)

Friday Injury Report: Cowboys at Green Bay Packers

Brandon — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:00:31 -0000

It's a long injury report for the Green Bay Packers. Despite the fact the Cowboys have 5 starters on their injury report, all of them are expected to play. Only ex-Packer KR Allen Rossum is out.

The Packers have 4 players out, including starters LB Aaron Kampman and RT Mark Tauscher. I'm not a fan of LB Brady Poppinga, but he's out too. Also, TE Jermichael Finley will miss his 3rd game in a row.

The good news is that the other 10 players on the injury report should all play. LB Brandon Chillar underwent hand surgery a couple weeks ago for a broken hand, but Mike McCarthy said Chillar will play with a club on his hand. It's unknown whether Chillar will replace LB A.J. Hawk or just play part of the game.

With Kampman and Tauscher out, rookie OL T.J. Lang will move over from the left side and play for the first time this season at right tackle, and rookie LB Brad Jones should start on the left side. Some high praise from defensive coordinator Dom Capers, as he compared Jones to a young Chad Brown (both fellow Buffaloes).

Complete injury list after the jump.

Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Jake Allen	WR	Quadricep	Full Participation	Probable
Allen Barbre	T/G	Concussion	Full Participation	Probable
Brandon Chillar	LB	Hand	Limited Participation	Questionable
Chad Clifton	T	Not Inj. Related	Limited Participation	N/A
Jermichael Finley	TE	Knee	Did Not Participate	Out
Korey Hall	FB	Calf	Full Participation	Probable
Cullen Jenkins	DE	Ankle	Full Participation	Probable
Aaron Kampman	LB	Concussion	Did Not Participate	Out
Derrick Martin	S	Concussion	Full Participation	Probable
Jordy Nelson	WR	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Brady Poppinga	LB	Quadricep	Did Not Participate	Out
Aaron Rodgers	QB	Feet	Full Participation	Probable
Mark Tauscher	T	Knee	Did Not Participate	Out
Charles Woodson	CB	Hip	Full Participation	Probable

New Starters: RT T.J. Lang and OLB Brad Jones

Brandon — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:49 -0000

by Morry Gash - AP

4 months ago: Green Bay Packers' T.J. Lang is reflected in a puddle as he rides a bike to NFL football training camp Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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It looks like the Green Bay Packers will have two players starting different positions for the first time. According to Tom Silverstein, it's a "lock" that T.J. Lang will start at right tackle. Mike McCarthy acknowledged that Brad Jones is getting more work at OLB than Jeremy Thompson.

As far as Lang goes, I'm not sure about this move. Though I like his potential more than RT Allen Barbre, he has struggled this season when he's played at left tackle. Back at Eastern Michigan, he started 10 games at right tackle as a sophomore, but played exclusively at left tackle as a junior and senior. So this week was the first time he's played on the right side since 2006, although he might have gotten some reps on the right side during training camp. He doesn't have a lot of experience on the right side. RT Mark Tauscher is out this week, but he could be back for the 49ers game on the 15th. Barbre suffered a concussion near the end of the game in Tampa, but he's back at practice. The only other option would be T Breno Giacomini, but as far as I can tell, he hasn't been seriously considered for playing time this season. Moving Lang to an unfamiliar position is just the best they can do this week.

I'd been hoping Jones could get some more playing time. He showed some good speed pass rushing moves in the preseason. He's been playing left OLB since his first preseason game, so it's not an unfamiliar position for him. That's probably why he's practiced more than Jeremy Thompson, who has played almost exclusively at right OLB. With LB Brandon Chillar, LB Brady Poppinga, and, of course, LB Aaron Kampman all likely to be out this Sunday, Jones and Thompson are the only options left. Or do you think Thompson deserves to start ahead of Jones at this point?

The Status of Aaron Kampman

Brandon — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:31:36 -0000

More photos » by Brian Blanco - AP

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I noted in the Green Bay Packers game recap that LB Aaron Kampman was bad in coverage on the TD pass to RB Derrick Ward in the 1st quarter. It was a surprise that he was ineffective against the Buccaneers. His main opponent was RT Jeremy Trueblood, who as far as I know is good but not heading to the Pro Bowl. But Kampman occasionally has a game when he doesn't make a big impact.

It turned out he suffered a concussion on the 4th play of the game, but he played until the middle of the 4th quarter. He might not play at all next Sunday against the Cowboys.

With only 2.5 sacks this season, the transition to the 3-4 hasn't been a huge success for him. Something he apparently was worried about when he didn't speak to the media back in May. But he has had many opportunities to lineup as a down lineman, and he hasn't often taken advantage of those opportunities either.

The big problem with his absence is that he'll be replaced by some combination of LB Jeremy Thompson and LB Brady Poppinga. Due to various injuries, Thompson has rarely played outside LB in a game this season or preseason. He's an unknown in some respects, although we've seen him play some at defensive end last season. I know what Poppinga can do, and he's a significant step down from Kampman, but the coaches seem to love him. Rookie LB Brad Jones is another option, but he's an unknown too.

There's not a lot of good options here if Kampman can't play. Who's the best one?

That's More Like It

Mitchell_M — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:15:11 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

So this is what it's like to have open lanes.

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Last week's blowout of Detroit was the least exciting 26-0 victory I had ever studied. There were numerous miscues, stupid penalties, awful pass protection, and reaggravated injuries.

This week's 31-3 blowout of Cleveland? Much more exciting.

As usual, I'm going to start off by analyzing the negatives. Yeah, yeah, simmer down, there weren't that many this time. Once again, what follows are all impressions that I got despite not watching the game. (Sidenote: If anyone has a problem with me breaking down the games using NFL.com's video packages, play-by-plays, and box scores, please e-mail me for information on my favorite charity, Mitchell's DirectTV Fund.)

8 penalties for 70 yards. While they cut the yardage lost to yellow flags from last week by 50%, this is still far too many flags. Some of them were just downright sloppy (Al Harris' facemask of Mohamed Massaquoi, 12 men on the field, Atari Bigby's unnecessary roughness). Others were fairly normal calls (Brady Poppinga's defensive holding, Donald Lee's offensive holding and offensive pass interference, Al Harris' illegal contact).

I can live with the holding penalties (provided they occur at lower rates), but the sloppy mistakes really bother me. Especially Harris' facemask, where he overran the receiver and reached back to grab whatever he could, despite having help on the tackle.
Jermichael Finley's short day. Before the game, one of my friends was debating whether he should start Finley or Owen Daniels in fantasy football. I was adamant that Finley was going to have a career day against Cleveland and that Daniels would struggle against San Francisco's linebackers. Had he listened to me, he would have gotten the dreaded double-whammy of a starter getting hurt and the benched player going off for a point explosion.

Finley has looked really good in 2009, and has shown improvement each and every week. Seeing him in street clothes before halftime was not an encouraging sign, even if they didn't need him against the Browns.

I have yet to see any news regarding Finley's diagnosis and how much time he will miss. As soon as I do, I'll post an update. Especially since one of today's problems was...
Stalled drives. I know I shouldn't complain about a day where the offense gets both a 1-yard run and a 5-yard pass for touchdowns. But in the early going, the Packers had their first drive stall at the Cleveland 32-yard line. Later, on the first drive of the second half, they had a drive stall at the Cleveland 37-yard line, and followed that by settling for a field goal after getting 1st-and-goal from the Cleveland 8-yard line.

While this might be considered nitpicking (mainly because it is nitpicking), the fact that the offense had three drives stall in the opponent's territory is somewhat worrisome. Against Cleveland, you can get away with it, but heading into the toughest part of the 2009 schedule, the offense needs to sustain every drive it possibly can.

If Jermichael Finley is healthy, this will probably be a lesser problem going forward. A big target like that is a major asset, especially deep in enemy territory. However, if he's going to miss significant time, it's up to the rest of the offense to step up and make scores happen whenever they cross midfield.

See, that wasn't so bad, was it? Now let's talk about the positives.

Donald Driver and the Fountain of Youth. When I was in grade school, my favorite subject was social studies. Social studies was a fancy way of combining history and political science, which ended up being my concentration in college. One of my favorite stories in this subject was Ponce de Leon searching for the fountain of youth in Florida. Clearly, he was looking in the wrong spot, since Donald Driver has evidently used it in the Midwest.

While Driver only had 2 catches for 84 yards, his 71-yard touchdown came off of a beautiful hot read by Rodgers, who saw the seam in coverage and zipped it between the defenders and into Driver's chest. From there, Driver showed off the acceleration, angular running, and body control that made him the franchise reception leader. He might not be AP, but he can still get it done in the open field. Just ask Eric Wright.

At 34, Driver is leading the team in catches (27), yards (479), and touchdowns (3). While this is awesome in so many ways, it's curious that Greg Jennings' numbers are not at the same levels. Jennings had another relatively quiet day (5 catches, 52 yards), and his stats for the season are modest by his historical standards.

Some readers attribute this to the new development of defenses double-covering Jennings to prevent big plays. I tend to agree with this assessment, especially since Jennings hasn't seen consistent double-coverage in his career yet. Plus, it explains why Driver has been able to make so many big plays; he has less defenders in his way.
Aaron Rodgers' short day. Anytime your starting quarterback has a line of 15/20 for 246 yards and 3 scores by the middle of the fourth quarter, it's time to give the backup some reps. That's exactly what happened today, and it is a welcome sight.

It helps that Rodgers was able to avoid what little pressure Cleveland managed to throw his way and come away unscathed. Today's zero sack performance by the offensive line lowered the per-game average from 5.0 to 4.1. We can build on this!
T.J. Lang = LT of the future? If you would have asked me in September where Lang would have ended up this season, I would have told you that he would either be on the bench or in the rotation at RT. I never would have thought he would have made such a good case for starting at LT. Chad Clifton's ankle injury will likely keep the mainstay tackle sidelined for a few weeks, and we already know that Daryn Colledge can't handle the position.

Lang, however, has looked solid in his three week audition. He gets excellent force behind his initial punch, but more importantly, he follows through by creating contact with the defender. While Detroit and Cleveland are not defensive stalwarts, keeping a man of that size at bay is impressive, and Lang now has the inside track towards starting against Jared Allen next week.

Will T.J. Lang be able to protect Rodgers' blindside from the best pass rusher in the league? I don't know. But I do know that he will give Rodgers a much better chance than a gimpy Chad Clifton or Daryn Colledge, who clearly belongs at LG.
Ryan Grant earning his paycheck. Raise your hands if you're happy to see Grant put up a dominating rushing performance (27 carries, 148 yards, 1 TD).

OK, now raise your hands if you're irritated it took this long to happen.

While Grant's struggles are well-documented on this site, I place myself in the "better late than never" camp when it comes to success on the ground. A consistent run game gave Green Bay a 10-minute edge in time of possession, and the workload allowed Grant to get into a rhythm and bust off some good carries.
Red zone defense. The Browns had an abysmal offensive showing, but they still were able to move into striking distance (inside the Green Bay 5-yard line) on two seperate occasions. The fact that the defense held them to no touchdowns and only one field goal speaks volumes of the defensive effort yesterday.

Charles Woodson again showed why he deserves to at least be in the conversation for DPOY (even if he won't win it) with a pick and a forced fumble. Aaron Kampman got good pressure all day, and came away with a sack. Cullen Jenkins and B.J. Raji consistently got penetration, which opened up plays for the linebackers. Jenkins also recorded a sack and a forced fumble. A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett registered seven and six tackles respectively, and generally looked like they belonged on the field.

All in all, the defense looks active and aggressive, creating pressure from various positions and angles, flowing to stop the ball, cutting off running lanes from ball carriers, and forcing quarterbacks into bad throws. Sounds like a good recipe going forward to me.
Scoreboard watching. It's not even close to playoff time, but many of us were keeping tabs on the other teams in the NFC North that were in action. Seeing Chicago getting blown out by Cincinnati did wonders for some Packer fans' confidence, as it shows just how much the Bengals were overlooked at the beginning of the season. Likewise, seeing the Vikings' luck run out in Pittsburgh was equally therapeutic, even if the two biggest plays in the 4th quarter (Favre sacked, stripped, and the fumble returned for a TD and Chester Taylor's inability to snag a short screen pass that was thrown a bit too hard) were somewhat fluky.

The most important result from the weekend is Green Bay improving to 4-2 while Minnesota falls to 6-1 and Chicago to 3-3. Moving into second place in the division and only 1.5 games behind the leading Minnesota Vikings isn't the ideal scenario we imagined back in September, but it's a far sight better than it could be.

Recap: Green Bay Packers Dominate Browns 31-3

Brandon — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:29 -0000

More photos » by Scott Heckel - AP

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Just a great game for the Green Bay Packers. They clearly outplayed a lesser team. The biggest stat, box score from ESPN.com, was 460 yards on offense for the Packers, and only 139 for the Browns. RB Ryan Grant had 151 total yards by himself.

The offensive line gave Grant a lot of room to run, and there were no sacks on QB Aaron Rodgers. LT T.J. Lang looked good in this game, getting into the 2nd level to make blocks all over the field. He also kept pass rushers off Rodgers's blind side, he even cleared that side of the field on Rodgers's long 19 yard scramble. Rodgers completed 75% of his passes and seemed to have no trouble finding open receivers. The defense held the Browns to 2.8 yards/carry (21 for 58), and it was another dismal day for QB Derek Anderson (12 of 29 for 99 yards and 1 INT). The special teams really struggled, but the Browns offense couldn't do anything with good field position or second chances. Penalties were a problem again (8 for 70 yards).

There were a couple injuries during the game. According to Mike McCarthy, TE Jermichael Finley and WR Brett Swain both have knee sprains. It's too early to tell, but I expect they'll both miss next week's game. Grant was hurt in the 3rd quarter, but he did come back. Also, DE Cullen Jenkins and LB Brandon Chillar were injured, but then returned. WR Greg Jennings got some dirt in his eye, and he should be fine.

Complete play-by-play recap after the break. This was an important game to win, and not lose sight of, before the Vikings come to town next week. We've got lots to talk about this week.

Packers vs Browns coverage; Packers vs Browns recap; Packers vs Browns boxscore; Dawgs By Nature.

Play-by-Play from NFL.com:

First Quarter:

2-M.Crosby kicks 69 yards from GB 30 to CLV 1, out of bounds.

This was the first of two kickoffs by K Mason Crosby that went out of bounds. I guess they were a little too concerned about WR Joshua Cribbs.

(12:44) 25-R.Grant right tackle ran ob at GB 18 for 4 yards (24-E.Wright).

This was the first of 6 carries on the opening drive by Grant. I had been hoping they would run the ball more, but this drive was ridiculous. They moved the ball 60 yards for almost 7 minutes, and it ended on a failed 4th down attempt.

(4:34) 3-D.Anderson pass deep middle to 11-M.Massaquoi to GB 36 for 22 yards (31-A.Harris). PENALTY on GB-31-A.Harris, Face Mask (15 Yards), 15 yards, enforced at GB 36.

This happened on one of the 2 good drives the Browns managed. They went 70 yards in over 6 minutes, and apparently saw something they liked in the matchup of CB Al Harris and rookie WR Mohamed Massaquoi. Obviously this play was won by Massaquoi, but in all Anderson attempted 8 passes to the rookie, that was his only catch, and usually Harris was in coverage. Overall, a win for Harris.

(:06) (Shotgun) 3-D.Anderson pass incomplete short right to 87-M.Furrey (56-N.Barnett).

Maybe he could have picked it off, but it was a great play by LB Nick Barnett to break up the short pass and force them to settle for a FG.

Second Quarter:

(12:22) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 41-S.Havner for 45 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Finally some pass attempts. Maybe all the 1st quarter running plays were just setting up this pass to TE Spencer Havner. It was 3rd and 1, an obvious running play, but Havner was left uncovered and he turned it up the sideline all the way for a TD.

(11:09) 15-D.Zastudil punts 40 yards to GB 28, Center-64-R.Pontbriand. 38-T.Williams to GB 33 for 5 yards (54-B.Costanzo). PENALTY on GB, Defensive 12 On-field, 5 yards, enforced at CLV 32 - No Play.

This was the 12 men on the field play on a 4th down punt, which gave the Browns a 1st down. Swain was injured on the previous kickoff and McCarthy said it caused a communication/coaching error.

(10:56) 31-J.Lewis right tackle to CLV 37 for no gain (97-J.Jolly, 79-R.Pickett).

The Browns tried to run right up the middle for most of the game, and usually had nowhere to go. This was a play clogged up by DE Johnny Jolly and NT Ryan Pickett, but they didn't have any better luck when NT B.J. Raji and DE Cullen Jenkins played. The Browns aren't a great running team, but they did even worse than usual against the Packers defense. LB A.J. Hawk and Barnett were left unblocked a lot, and they led the team in tackles.

(7:12) 12-A.Rodgers pass short left to 80-D.Driver for 71 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

The Browns showed Rodgers a look he had seen in practice this week, he knew right where to throw the ball, and WR Donald Driver did the rest. Great play by Driver to run past the rest of the secondary, and fend off CB Eric Wright, who was the last man to beat.

(5:15) (Shotgun) 3-D.Anderson pass short right intended for 80-B.Robiskie INTERCEPTED by 21-C.Woodson at CLV 40. 21-C.Woodson to CLV 15 for 25 yards (35-J.Harrison).

Looking back at the last two games, Anderson has attempted 8 passes to rookie WR Brian Robiskie, and he only has 1 reception. Anderson and Robiskie seemed to be running different plays. The learning curve for a rookie WR can be steep.

(2:00) 25-R.Grant left tackle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.

After the INT, the Packers had to go 15 yards for the TD. They attacked the weak Browns run defense with 12 yards by Grant, and 3 yards rushing by Rodgers.

(:30) (Shotgun) 3-D.Anderson sacked at CLV 49 for -7 yards (74-A.Kampman).

LB Aaron Kampman has looked much better these last two weeks. He had 5 QB hits last week, and 3 more against the Browns. Including this sack.

Third Quarter:

(11:04) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short middle to 41-S.Havner to CLV 15 for 12 yards (22-B.McDonald). PENALTY on GB-86-D.Lee, Offensive Pass Interference, 10 yards, enforced at CLV 27 - No Play.

A game to forget for TE Donald Lee. He had at least one drop, a big holding penalty in the 1st half, and then this penalty, which did nothing to help Havner on the reception.

(10:28) 2-M.Crosby 55 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Left, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn.

It was 4th and 20, but this whole play seemed rushed. Up 21-3, I was expecting a punt to keep the Browns in bad field position. Instead they attempted a 55 yard FG that missed wide left.

(9:06) 3-D.Anderson pass short right to 16-J.Cribbs to GB 44 for 3 yards (21-C.Woodson). FUMBLES (21-C.Woodson), RECOVERED by GB-54-B.Chillar at GB 48. 54-B.Chillar to GB 48 for no gain (55-A.Mack). Cleveland challenged the incomplete pass ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #1 at 08:56.)

CB Charles Woodson won't get any statistical credit for the fumble recovery, which seems unfair since it was all because of him. The Packers forced 2 turnovers and Woodson (unsurprisingly) was responsible for both.

(4:22) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 25-R.Grant to CLV 1 for 3 yards (50-E.Barton).

Great play by Browns LB Eric Barton, who stood up Grant at the goal line and forced the Packers to settle for a FG.

(2:01) (Shotgun) 3-D.Anderson pass incomplete short right to 83-G.Estandia. PENALTY on GB-51-B.Poppinga, Defensive Holding, 5 yards, enforced at CLV 36 - No Play.

The drive should have ended there on 3rd and 10, but LB Brady Poppinga grabbed the receiver and gave them another chance.

(1:51) (Shotgun) 3-D.Anderson pass short left to 35-J.Harrison ran ob at CLV 47 for 6 yards (56-N.Barnett). PENALTY on GB-20-A.Bigby, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced at CLV 47.

SS Atari Bigby said he took his eyes off of RB Jerome Harrison and he shouldn't have been near him.

(1:29) 31-J.Lewis left tackle ran ob at GB 22 for 16 yards (21-C.Woodson).

The Browns actually got something going on this drive. It was only their 2nd real scoring opportunity. RB Jamal Lewis had 25 yards rushing on the drive (and 22 yards the rest of the game). This isn't a criticism. I'm just pointing out how good the Packers defense was the rest of the game.

(1:02) 3-D.Anderson pass deep right to 86-M.Gaines to GB 1 for 21 yards (54-B.Chillar).

I'm not a fan of Chillar in coverage against TEs. He allowed two TDs during the St. Louis game, and this near TD pass down to the 1 yard line. A great goal line stand forced an incomplete pass on 4th down.

Fourth Quarter:

(10:19) 25-R.Grant right tackle pushed ob at CLV 5 for 37 yards (26-A.Elam).

I thought Grant was going all the way.

(9:47) 12-A.Rodgers pass short left to 89-J.Jones for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Nice play by WR James Jones to shield the defender away from the ball. I'm surprised this was the first (and only) pass attempt to him. They rarely had 3 WRs in the game. Usually they had 2 TEs and Havner played a lot.

(8:56) Flynn in at qb 25-R.Grant right guard to GB 14 for 3 yards (93-J.Trusnik).

A QB Matt Flynn sighting. A true sign the game was over.

(6:25) (Shotgun) 3-D.Anderson sacked at CLV 45 for -11 yards (77-C.Jenkins). FUMBLES (77-C.Jenkins), and recovers at CLV 45. 3-D.Anderson to CLV 45 for no gain (74-A.Kampman).

Great play by Jenkins, beating Pro Bowl LT Joe Thomas for the strip. This play started in Packer territory, down 31-3, the Browns couldn't get anything going and were forced to punt again.

(4:34) 10-M.Flynn pass short right to 85-G.Jennings to GB 37 for 12 yards (24-E.Wright).

And Flynn gets to complete a pass too.