SB Nation - Matt Flynn

Packers Monday Presser: Injuries And Offense

Brandon — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:00:31 -0000

For the Green Bay Packers, Mike McCarthy on the injuries:

Johnny Jolly, he will probably miss some practice time this week with his knee sprain. Ryan Pickett will test probably Wednesday, possibly Thursday, to see if he'll go later in the week. Brandon Underwood, he will be limited this week in practice. And B.J. Raji will also be limited this week in practice.

For the second week in a row, a number of defensive lineman are banged up. But he didn't mention DE Cullen Jenkins who was limited in practice last week.

He was also asked why fantasy star QB Aaron Rodgers laid an egg just as the fantasy playoffs started, and McCarthy said there were "two minuses for the offense":

Our two biggest failures were No. 1, giving the ball away, and No. 2, the third-down production.

The two turnovers, a fumble by TE Jermichael Finley at the end of the first half, and a fumble by Rodgers on the first drive of the second half, were both in Bear territory, and ended potential scoring drives. Obviously turnovers are always bad.

But the third-down production comment was surprising. The Packers were 5 for 13 on 3rd down, plus 1 for 1 on 4th down, against the Bears. That's either a 38% or 43% success rate, if you factor in the 4th down conversion. The Packers have the 5th best 3rd down conversion rate this season at 45.2% (the Colts are No. 1 at 51.6%). I understand a coach will always want push his players to improve, but it was odd for him to mention something that they've been good at this season. Maybe the two failed 3rd down conversions in the red zone during the first half are stuck in his mind.

On the continuing struggles of K Mason Crosby:

(Are you going to bring in any kickers this week or work any out?)
I'll just say this. I have all the confidence in the world in Mason Crosby. As far as what players, what position, we bring players in here all the time on Tuesday, and I've never commented on it in the past, and I won't today. But I have all the confidence in the world in Mason Crosby.

I've got no patience for the lousy special teams performance on kick and punt coverage (and returns...) this season, but I agree with McCarthy on this one. Crosby has a league leading 8 missed FGs, and has only made 75% overall. But it didn't look like QB Matt Flynn did him any big favors holding both of his misses in the last two weeks. He's only made 1 of 5 attempts beyond 50 yards. I wouldn't be expecting many kickers would do well from that distance. Three teams this season haven't even attempted a field goal beyond 50 yards this season. Pull out those 4 misses (and 1 made) and he's an average kicker (85% made). Not a ringing endorsement, but it's not time to find any guy off the street either.

Woodson Is Honored; Allen Is Released; Brohm In Buffalo

Brandon — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:34:56 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Browse more photos »

It's well deserved that CB Charles Woodson was named NFC defensive player of the week. When was the last time a Green Bay Packer defender had as dominant a game?

In a minor move, WR Jake Allen was released. He was quickly claimed by the Browns. Aaron Nagler was less than impressed with Allen during the Buccaneers game. He rarely played this preseason, only recording 2 receptions. He was just your generic, undrafted free agent who made no impression.

This does leave a roster spot open, but three key players returned to practice on Wednesday, TE Jermichael Finley, LB Aaron Kampman, and RT Mark Tauscher, so they don't necessarily need to add someone this week since that new addition would likely be left inactive on Sunday.

But according to Greg Bedard, the Packers opened up that roster spot so they could add QB Brian Brohm from the practice squad. Unfortunately he declined the offer and instead signed with the Buffalo Bills. That's the 2nd player they've lost from the practice squad to the Buffalo Bills, OL Jamon Meredith was the other player lost back in September.

It hurts that they lost a recent 2nd round pick for nothing in return. But Brohm was clearly the 3rd best QB on the team over the last two seasons. He was much better this preseason compared to his rookie year. He probably had little chance of moving ahead of backup QB Matt Flynn, and had no chance of taking the starting job away from QB Aaron Rodgers. At best, he could have shown some improvement next preseason, as did former Packer preseason superstar QB Matt Hasselbeck, and then been traded for something in a year or two. In the end, he turned out to be a high priced insurance policy in case Rodgers fell on his face last season. And it was offset by the knowledge that they used a 7th round pick in 2008 on a backup QB (Flynn) who appears to have 2nd round talent.

Watching the Browns game on Monday night reminded me of Brohm. Both he and QB Brady Quinn have poor accuracy past about 10 yards. If Quinn could be an NFL starter, it seemed ridiculous that Brohm couldn't find a team interested in adding him to their active roster. If QB Bruce Gradkowski can start in Oakland, then certainly Brohm deserves a chance somewhere. He might not get that chance this season, but he'll probably be given an opportunity to win the Bills starting job next season.

Recap: Green Bay Packers Dominate Browns 31-3

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

More photos » by Scott Heckel - AP

Browse more photos »

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.

Analysis: Green Bay Packers defeat Bears 21-15

Brandon — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:00:30 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Browse more photos »

This is the 3rd straight season that the Green Bay Packers have won their 1st game of the season.

Although, in each of those opening season wins, the offense has come out flat. The offense wasn't awful against the Bears but there wasn't a lot of passing or rushing yards. No turnovers, but awful pass protection. If you look back at last season, QB Aaron Rodgers was crisp in his first NFL start, but something did seem wrong with RB Ryan Grant. I was an optimist at the time, but in hindsight, Grant wasn't the same runner he had been at the end of 2007. Speaking of 2007, the Packers could have lost the season opener to the Eagles except the special teams bailed them out. The offense is usually behind the defense at the start of the season. They've just got to fix that offensive line. I wonder what Mark Tauscher is up to?

The defense really impressed me. I was concerned they might get beaten up front, but they really controlled the line of scrimmage. All of the linebackers (except my least favorite one) were great. The return of DE Cullen Jenkins made a big difference, and they should be even better once DT B.J. Raji is fully recovered from his ankle injury.

Bears vs Packers coverage; Bears vs Packers recap; Bears vs Packers boxscore; Windy City Gridiron

As usual, the play descriptions are from the play-by-play at NFL.com.

First Quarter

(13:04) 25-R.Grant right end to CHI 32 for 1 yard (55-L.Briggs, 53-N.Roach).
(12:27) 25-R.Grant left tackle to CHI 31 for 1 yard (55-L.Briggs, 44-K.Payne).

Mike McCarthy wants to improve the strength up front because they switched from a zone blocking to a man block scheme. The idea was to open more running lanes for RB Ryan Grant. After they got into FG range, they ran two straight plays to nowhere, and settled for a missed FG attempt. The good news was that the blocking got better as the game went along.

(8:53) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at GB 35 for -7 yards (93-A.Ogunleye).

This was the first of two sacks allowed by RT Allen Barbre, although he seemed to be operating a revolving door for most of the game. He beat out RT Breno Giacomini this preseason, in part, because of a sack allowed by Giacomini that led to the shoulder injury for QB Matt Flynn. But Barbre did redeem himself on the game winning TD drive, NBC showed a good replay of him keeping the DE well outside the pocket. I expect the coaches will stick with him, but he'll need a lot of work this week in practice. And I bet they don't leave Giacomini inactive again.

(7:37) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete deep right to 80-D.Driver (24-A.Afalava) [54-B.Urlacher].

Oh, that was so close. QB Aaron Rodgers just threw it a little too far. After watching such a crisp preseason from the 1st team offense, it was surprising to watch them struggle with their timing.

(7:13) 6-J.Cutler pass deep left to 23-D.Hester pushed ob at CHI 38 for 20 yards (31-A.Harris).

I guess I keep expecting WR Devin Hester to fail as a receiver, but he made a nice move to stay inbounds. He should have a big season.

(4:17) 6-J.Cutler pass deep middle intended for 88-D.Clark INTERCEPTED by 36-N.Collins at GB 12. 36-N.Collins to GB 43 for 31 yards (22-M.Forte).

QB Jay Cutler was rattled by the pass pressure the entire 1st half, but he was also forcing it. I'm sure he wanted to prove himself to everyone. This pass couldn't get there before S Nick Collins jumped the route. Of course CB Tramon Williams dropped two INTs before Collins finally took one of the gifts Cutler was handing out.

Second Quarter

(10:22) 25-R.Grant right end pushed ob at CHI 8 for 25 yards (44-K.Payne). PENALTY on GB-72-J.Spitz, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at CHI 33 - No Play.

The refs didn't do the Packers any favors in this game, but penalties were still a problem. The box score only shows 6 penalties for 45 yards, but this one was a 35 yard swing.

(8:13) 6-J.Cutler pass deep right to 13-J.Knox pushed ob at GB 8 for 68 yards (21-C.Woodson).

This is why I'm not a blitz fanatic. Maybe Collins couldn't have gotten there in time to break it up, but the weak side blitz didn't get to Cutler and CB Charles Woodson couldn't keep up with the speedster (even with a little tug of his jersey). There was one safety back to cover the entire deep field, and he fell down. I'm probably too conservative, but I prefer it when there are two safeties playing deep and outside the hash marks.

(6:54) 6-J.Cutler pass short middle intended for 22-M.Forte INTERCEPTED by 97-J.Jolly at GB 12. 97-J.Jolly to GB 14 for 2 yards (57-O.Kreutz).

Watch the replay if you missed it. Just an amazing play by DT Johnny Jolly.

(5:58) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers sacked in End Zone for -11 yards, SAFETY (38-D.Manning).

OK, the Bears were taking advantage of Barbre's struggles, but what the hell was Rodgers doing? He can't scramble that far back when he's so close to the end zone.

(4:56) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass deep middle intended for 13-J.Knox INTERCEPTED by 38-T.Williams at GB 32. 38-T.Williams pushed ob at CHI 1 for 67 yards (80-E.Bennett). Chicago challenged the fumble ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #2 at 04:39.)

The recap says Knox was the intended receiver, but he wasn't in the same area code. Cutler was pressured again on the play and rushed it, but he's obviously expecting Knox to run a different route. He still has to get familiar with all his new receivers.

(4:40) 25-R.Grant left end for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. PENALTY on CHI-96-A.Brown, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced between downs.

My new favorite lead blocker is TE Spencer Havner. Once I saw him come in, I expected a TD run, which was something that wasn't a sure thing last season at the goal line. He wasn't directly responsible, but he tied up a blocker or two in the middle that couldn't go outside and tackle Grant.

Third Quarter

(14:21) 22-M.Forte left guard to CHI 32 for 10 yards (74-A.Kampman).

This was the longest run by RB Matt Forte of the game. He's never killed the Packers, but he couldn't get anything going on the ground and had zero receptions. Despite all the offseason talk about the pass rush in the new 3-4, what I really watched was how it would hold up against the run, and they were great in this game.

(13:50) 22-M.Forte left tackle to CHI 29 for -3 yards (77-C.Jenkins, 36-N.Collins).

Welcome back DE Cullen Jenkins! He was great in his first game back since last September, and had a sack too later in the quarter, but this was my favorite play. The sack was great; he split two blockers and got to Cutler. But on this play, he tossed one of the Bears top free agent pickups, LG Frank Omiyale, to the ground before getting into the backfield to stuff Forte.

(10:19) 6-J.Cutler pass deep right to 23-D.Hester for 36 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Cris Collinsworth was going crazy trying to figure out why Collins didn't get over in time. Apparently he had cramps and he just couldn't move fast enough. Collins was held out for at least one series, he was replaced by S Aaron Rouse, but then returned later in the game.

(9:00) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete deep right to 87-J.Nelson.

Another deep pass where the timing was off. Rodgers just had to put a little bit more air under it, although WR Jordy Nelson might not have been running the crispest route.

(8:55) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete short left to 42-D.Wynn.

This was the 2nd or 3rd attempted screen pass. They seem to like calling them on obvious passing downs to slow the pass rush, but they always seem to get busted. I wouldn't be heartbroken if the screen pass vanished from the play book.

(1:10) 42-D.Wynn left end to CHI 43 for -2 yards (96-A.Brown).

This was only the second possession of the 3rd quarter, and McCarthy had really noticed that LB Brian Urlacher was out of the game. But this was the 5th running play in a row, and the Bears jumped all over it. It turned a 2nd and 5 into a 3rd and long. There was not a good rhythm to the play calling, and it did not keep the Bears off balance.

Fourth Quarter

(12:43) (Punt formation) 25-G.Wolfe up the middle to CHI 30 for 4 yards (16-B.Swain, 55-D.Bishop). Chicago challenged the too many players on field ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #2 at 12:39.)

Oh, boy. There's going to be hell to pay on Chicago talk radio next week for that little stunt. And to make matters worse, they wasted their final challenge and another time out on it.

(8:39) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass incomplete deep middle to 80-E.Bennett (21-C.Woodson). PENALTY on GB-31-A.Harris, Illegal Contact, 5 yards, enforced at CHI 40 - No Play.

Yep, the ref screwed up badly. WR Earl Bennett was actually lined up in the backfield, it should have been an illegal formation on Chicago. But then the ref saw CB Al Harris check Bennett over 5 yards from where Bennett was illegally standing, although still within 5 yards from the line of scrimmage, and called a penalty on Harris. There would have been hell to pay, if it had cost them the game, but luckily it didn't.

By the way, I expected Bennett was a bust since he didn't catch a single pass in his rookie season, but he made some nice catches in this game. He also made a couple penalties, one that was even caught by the ref, so he still needs some more experience.

(7:16) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short right to 82-G.Olsen to GB 23 for 8 yards (37-A.Rouse).

For everyone looking for a breakout performance from TE Greg Olsen, it sure didn't happen in this game. This was his only catch. Hardly his worst game against the Packers, he had a two fumble disaster a couple seasons ago, but he either kills the Packers or sucks. He's just inconsistent.

(6:34) 6-J.Cutler pass short left to 37-J.McKie to GB 15 for 8 yards (31-A.Harris).

I couldn't figure out the Packers linebacker rotation. LBs A.J. Hawk, Nick Barnett, and Brandon Chillar all played inside, but it seemed like the plan was to rotate Hawk on running downs and Chillar on passing downs. Although for week 1, they also seemed to rotate Barnett out, probably to take it easy as he comes back from his torn ACL. LB Clay Matthews wasn't expected to start, but he played a lot at outside LB, and seemed to rotate with LB Brady Poppinga. Matthews didn't have a flashy game, but he didn't give Chicago anywhere to run outside. On this play, Poppinga bit inside and left FB Jason McKie wide open in the flat. Hopefully Matthews plays more and more as the season goes on.

(3:11) 22-M.Forte left end to GB 3 for no gain (79-R.Pickett, 77-C.Jenkins). GB-97-J.Jolly was injured during the play.

Congratulations run defense! Last season, this goal line stance would have failed, and the opponents would have scored a big game winning TD while exhausting the clock. Instead they stuffed the Bears and forced them to settle for a FG with 2 minutes left. Plenty of time...

(1:18) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep left to 85-G.Jennings for 50 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

It's hard to feel sorry for a Bear, but CB Nathan Vasher had a great game, until he allowed the game losing TD. On the other hand, hopefully he's still in their starting lineup for the next game in Chicago. Also, they finally got the timing on a deep pass right.

(1:06) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short left intended for 13-J.Knox INTERCEPTED by 31-A.Harris at CHI 43. 31-A.Harris pushed ob at CHI 14 for 29 yards (6-J.Cutler).

I loved this play. Not only because it was a game ending INT, but because the veteran Harris jumped a route that the rookie Knox went soft on. A great veteran move.

Friday Injury Report: Bears at Green Bay Packers

Brandon — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:00:26 -0000

The complete injury report for the Packers and Bears is after the jump. It's a short list for both teams.

The Friday injury report is the only one I watch all week. It's the final one before the game, and gives the clearest indication of who's out on Sunday.

According to Mike McCarthy, CB Will Blackmon and NT B.J. Raji are game-time decisions. Blackmon will be missed on punt returns, but WR Jordy Nelson is his replacement, again according to McCarthy, and he's almost as good. Blackmon might not be missed at all on defense because the Bears love running in a two tight end set and the Packers might not use a dime package.

Raji could be missed as he'd battle the two new starters on the right side of the Bears o-line. Improving the run defense is a priority, and without Raji, it's the same defensive front seven that struggled against the run last season. But if his ankle isn't ready to go, he should be held out.

RB Brandon Jackson has been hurt for a couple weeks, so his absense isn't surprising. Mike McCarthy prefers leaving RB Ryan Grant in for most of the game anyway, so the few times Jackson would have played will easily be covered by RB DeShawn Wynn.

Everyone in Chicago has been watching the return of CB Charles Tillman. He had back surgery in July and just returned to practice on Monday. He might be healthy enough to play, but he's probably not in football shape yet.

From Packers.com:

Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Will Blackmon	CB	Quadricep	Limited Participation	Questionable
Matt Flynn	QB	Right Shoulder	Full Participation	Probable
Brandon Jackson	RB	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
B.J. Raji	NT	Ankle	Limited Participation	Questionable
Aaron Rouse	S	Hamstring	Full Participation	Probable

Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Devin Aromashodu	WR	Quadricep	Limited Participation	Questionable
Israel Idonije	DT	Hamstring	Full Participation	Probable
Charles Tillman	CB	Back	Full Participation	Questionable

Final Preseason Practice: Injuries, Barnett and Matthews, and Final Preseason Roster Battles

Brandon — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:00:17 -0000

by Ross D. Franklin - AP

View full size photo »

Tuesday was the last open practice of training camp. From Tom Pelissero, the 200 fans that watched it gave them a standing ovation. It's been a great preseason and training camp.

Speaking of Tom, he provided a great run down of who won't play on Thursday night. CB Charles Woodson and CB Al Harris won't play; coaches' decision. The players battling injuries won't play either; RB Brandon Jackson, S Charlie Peprah, CB Will Blackmon, S Aaron Rouse, DE Justin Harrell, and WR Greg Jennings.

Anyone not mentioned above will play. That means it's the first live action for LB Clay Matthews and LB Nick Barnett. Although they've missed the first three preseason games, depending on how they both play at Tennessee, it's possible they could both start Week 1. Back in 2006, LB Brady Poppinga won the starting OLB job after missing the first three preseason games. If Barnett is healthy, is there any justification for starting LB Brandon Chillar ahead of him? Does Matthews deserve a chance to start Week 1 after missing most of the preseason?

From Mike McCarthy:

(Do you still have a lot of evaluating to do?)
Oh yeah, I think we have a lot of evaluating to do, especially the special teams part of it.

Special teams might be the reason they keep FB John Kuhn over rookie FB Quinn Johnson, although according to Tom Silverstein, it sounds like the competition is still open. I hope they don't release or take away the starting job from FB Korey Hall, I think the running game is much better with him in as the lead blocker, but he could easily become the odd man out.

According to Pete Dougherty, Rouse and Peprah are battling for one roster spot at safety, but those guys are both in danger. It's not their fault, but it's hard to evaluate someone when they're not playing. And the team would be fine with CB/S Jarrett Bush and S Anthony Smith as the only backup safeties. I'd hate to see them release Rouse.

In the final preseason game against Tennessee last season, QB Aaron Rodgers and the 1st team offense only stuck around for one play. So it's lots of playing time for QB Brian Brohm while QB Matt Flynn continues to nurse his sore shoulder. Pete Dougherty discussed the possibility of claiming former New England QB Kevin O'Connell, but he couldn't possibly be an improvement over Brohm? Maybe my judgment is clouded because I'm a big Brohm fan.

Mitchell has admitted his mistake, but I can't help myself. Cincinnati finally signed OL Andre Smith last week after a lengthy contract dispute and almost immediately he breaks his foot. I'm so happy they landed DT B.J. Raji instead.

Monday Practice; Flynn is Back, Jackson is Hurt, and Who Will Start

Brandon — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:00:16 -0000

by Ross D. Franklin - AP

View full size photo »

It was suspected on Sunday, and confirmed on Monday. "The Green Bay Packers have released P Durant Brooks, WR JaRon Harris and LB Stryker Sulak."

How to turn a great preseason awful: trade WR Donald Driver and TE Donald Lee for WR Brandon Marshall. Feel free to explain in the comments, either here or at the original FanPost, how dumb this is. Does this even count as a rumor?

QB Matt Flynn was back at practice and back at holder, but he doesn't appear to be throwing yet.

I'm not sure how bad RB Brandon Jackson is hurt. It was reported to be a shin injury, but it seems more serious if there's talk about keeping four running backs.

I don't believe that S Atari Bigby is being pushed by S Anthony Smith. Bigby has always played with the 1st team defense and Smith only did on Friday night after Bigby got hurt. Bigby hasn't had a flashy preseason, but I haven't seen him get burned either, while I have seen some dumb penalties from Smith.

The team may love LB A.J. Hawk, but I'm not a fan anymore. The 2008 season was too disappointing. LB Desmond Bishop is better against the run, and LB Brandon Chillar is better in pass coverage, so Hawk should start because...?

Wednesday Practice: Injuries and The Linebackers Continue To Impress

Brandon — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Mike Roemer - AP

Browse more photos »

I'm sure Thursday is a travel day to Arizona for Friday's game against the Cardinals. Mike McCarthy said QB Matt Flynn, LB Clay Matthews, and LB Nick Barnett are doubtful for the game, which in preseason means they're out. A few others won't play either, from Tom Pelissero:

That's in addition to the list of players who didn't suit up once this week and won't play against the Cardinals: CB Pat Lee (back), S Aaron Rouse (hamstring), DE Justin Harrell (back), S Charlie Peprah (knee) and CB Will Blackmon (quad).

During the Wednesday itself practice, the backup linebackers continued to impress. First LB Brandon Chillar, and then LB Brad Jones.

When they ran the 4-3 defense last season, they usually only kept five linebackers on the roster. But as Green and Bold predicted, they might keep as many as nine on the 53 man roster this season. At first, that seemed like too many, but players like Aaron Kampman, Clay Matthews, Brady Poppinga, and Jeremy Thompson might all be asked to play at defensive end in a 4-2-5 alignment on passing downs, so they are providing depth throughout the entire defensive front seven.

Tuesday Practice: Poppinga, Wells, and Lumpkin

Brandon — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00:19 -0000

More photos » by Mike Roemer - AP

Browse more photos »

Can we start a new nickname for LB Brady Poppinga? The Cockroach? From Greg Bedard:

"Oh, and expect Brady Poppinga to be the opening-day starter at ROLB. He's like a cockroach. He survives anything."

After RG Josh Sitton beat out C Scott Wells for the starting job on Monday, Bob McGinn speculated that the Green Bay Packers might trade Wells because they have C Duke Preston available as a backup. On Tuesday, they released Preston, so I guess that means Wells isn't going anywhere. He's signed to a reasonable 5 year, $15 million contract, so the team can certainly afford him, and Mike McCarthy admitted he's played great. On one hand, his trade value is never going to be higher since he's only 28 and signed to a reasonable contract. On the other hand, he's under their control for the next three seasons and the team could always use quality depth.

Of course Wells is not happy about any of this. And I don't blame him. From Rob Demovsky:

"You think I'm happy?" Wells said after today's practice...

"They told me I played well," Wells said. "That's all I can say. If you want further explanation, you need to talk to somebody other than me."

As for the practice itself, it looks like the rest of training camp will be quite dull. From Greg Bedard:

"Think we could be done with truly competitive training drills for the rest of camp."

He also told fans of RB Kregg Lumpkin to brace yourself for his release:

"Lumpkin fumbles again. That is going to get him cut."

I noticed this in the box score against Buffalo, but I couldn't figure out why WR Ruvell Martin was the holder on extra points. Apparently they're down to their 3rd string holder. From Mike McCarthy:

Q: Is Ruvell likely to be the holder with [QB] Matt [Flynn] injured?
A: We'll see. We'll see where Matt's at. He's the third holder obviously with Durant Brooks and Matt having injuries. We're getting him ready.

Monday Practice: Barnett Returns, Poppinga Starts, and the Offensive Line Is Settled

Brandon — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:00:14 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Browse more photos »

The practice schedule this week for the Green Bay Packers was one on Monday night, then Tuesday morning, Wednesday morning, closed to the public on Thursday, and the preseason game at Arizona on Friday night. During the Monday night practice, according to Greg Bedard, there were no pads, plenty of jogthroughs, and it looked "like the lamest practice in terms of action this camp."

The biggest practice news was that LB Nick Barnett has been cleared for contact. Although there wasn't any contact on Monday. Mike McCarthy said Barnett has passed his physical and will take about 50% of the reps in practice this week.

The big news today was from McCarthy's press conference:

A:But that's the five we decided on with Jason Spitz at center and Allen Barbre at the right tackle position...

Q:Was it pretty close?

A:Very tough decision. Scott Wells has graded out at a very high level. Scott is probably one of our top three or four linemen as far as grading out so far in the preseason...

It was very close. Whether it was Spitz at guard, Wells at center, that was definitely a combination we looked at. But we felt last year Josh had earned a starting position at guard, lost that due to injury. We felt that he has improved. He's a physical player on that right side, and that's probably the reason why we did go with him.

Let's just say C Scott Wells is the 4th best lineman this preseason. My guess is that LT Chad Clifton, LG Daryn Colledge, and C Jason Spitz all graded ahead of him. Therefore it appears that he even graded ahead of RG Josh Sitton. But Wells lost the starting battle to Sitton. This goes with the Packers' goal to improve the strength and size of the offensive line since Sitton has at least 20 lbs. on Wells. But Sitton has made a couple of errors this preseason while I haven't noticed any from Wells. Either way, the offensive line was going to be fine, but Wells had actually outplayed Sitton this preseason.

Again from the press conference:

Q: What was the biggest difference between Barbre and Giacomini?
A: I just think Allen is further ahead than Breno.

While Wells made the decision to bench him hard, RT Breno Giacomini made it easy when he missed a tackle that led to QB Matt Flynn's shoulder injury. From Tom Pelissero:

On the sack he gave up Saturday that left Flynn injured: "Bad footwork, bad punch — just all-around bad technique. It’s a tough play. I felt pretty good in the game (until then). After that, I didn’t feel good at all. Losing performance on my part because of that play. That just can’t happen."

Unfortunately for Giacomini, he had played pretty well up to that point, and RT Allen Barbre did allow a pass deflection and committed a holding penalty. But as Breno said, the sack on Flynn just can't happen.

Luckily his sprained shoulder isn't too bad, according to McCarthy:

Q: What is the prognosis on Matt Flynn?
A: Matt may make it by the end of the week to practice. He's sore, so this is his first time he's gone through this type of injury. We'll see where he is at in two days. If he practices obviously he'll have a chance to play in the game, but I probably won't know that until Wednesday.

C'mon coach, it's just practice! Why can't LB Clay Matthews have a shot at beating out LB Brady Poppinga?

Q: Do they have their work cut out for them to beat out Poppinga at this point?
A: Oh, absolutely. I don't care who you are if you don't practice.

If Poppinga can play as well during the regular season as he's done during the first two preseason games, then I've got no problem with naming him the starter. I don't think he'll keep it up based on watching him on game day the last three seasons. At some point, Matthews will beat him out.

And, unfortunately, the injury to the undrafted rookie TE Devin Frischknecht was as bad as it looked:

Q: How about Devin Frischknecht?
A: He had season-ending surgery. He had a broken tibia and fibula. He was operated on shortly after the game, and he's doing very well.