Chargers vs. Packers: Game Balls & Lame Calls
By jasonperone
The Green Bay Packers just keep on rolling, somehow. Having found ways to win with offense both passing and running or defense, the Packers escaped defeat against the San Diego Chargers and improved their record to 6-0. After jumping out to a 14-3 lead early, the Packers sustained a record passing day from Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers & Co and made enough plays when it counted, including a nice pass breakup by Packers cornerback Damarious Randall on a fourth down play with the Chargers bearing down on the goal line.
Rivers passed for a team record 503 yards (488 net) on 65 attempts. Rivers escaped throwing an interception on at least three occasions and showed very good accuracy throughout the day. Somehow, Rivers' favorite target, receiver Keenan Allen, continued to beat a Packers defense that should have found a way to contain him, but couldn't. Allen had 14 catches and 157 yards despite missing the fourth quarter with a hip injury. I'm glad we won't have to answer the question of what might have been if Allen had been able to play all day.
With that, on with this week's top performers and those who need to use this extra week to right the wrongs.
Game Balls
Keenan Allen's Hip
A little Monday morning humor here for you. But it's truly a wonder what might have been had Allen been able to finish this game.
Damarious Randall
This one is a gimme. While the pass defense surrendered a gaudy 500 yards passing, it was a defensive back who sealed the win. Randall had a nice pass break up earlier in the game on a deep 50/50 ball that he went up for and nearly intercepted. He was drafted for his ability to do good things around the ball and he has not disappointed. Randall sealed the win for the Packers with a great read and pass break up on a pass intended for Chargers scat back Danny Woodhead. Randall continues to fill in nicely on the outside when Casey Hayward is moved into the slot. It's the second-straight season the Packers are getting solid contribution by a rookie first-round defensive back and it's also a big reason why they aren't missing Tramon Williams and Davon House.
Datone Jones
I left Jones off the list last week despite his playing well against the Rams, including his getting a hand on a field goal attempt by the Rams. Not this time. Jones had a huge fourth quarter against the Chargers. With the Packers pass rush having no luck getting to Rivers, Jones came up with a big sack on a third-down play with San Diego just inside Green Bay territory. The Chargers were not likely in field goal territory at the time, but the sack made even an attempt impossible and the Chargers punted the ball away. The play reminded me of the sack that Mike Daniels and Mike Neal combined on to take down New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady last season. Late and very much needed. The Packers added a field goal on their next offensive possession.
On the last series of the game and with the Chargers at the Green Bay 15-yard line, Jones was flagged for an illegal hands penalty, which was declined as the Chargers completed the play anyhow. Three plays later on a third-and-goal play from the two-yard line, Jones perfectly read a run by Woodhead and stuffed it for a loss, setting up the final play of the game. Jones has been on the radar of many as a guy who needs to put up or shut up in his third season and after being a former first-round pick. Jones has strung together some nice performances so far and with no B.J. Raji on Sunday, it was much needed.
James Starks
Starks stepped up and carried the load while Eddie Lacy continues to try and heal and fix whatever else is ailing him. Starks had 10 carries for 112 yards on the day, highlighted by a 65-yard touchdown run that displayed a very nice piece of open field running. Starks turned on the jets and, while not known for his speed, found his way into the end zone for Green Bay's second score of the day. The first also came on a Starks catch and run of a shovel pass on the Packers' first possession of the game.
Neo, as he's known, continues to be a nice change-of-pace to Lacy and also a steady fill-in. He's also underrated in pass protection. Hopefully he can stay healthy for the remainder of the season, as he has proven to be a very important part of the Green Bay offense.
Jeff Janis
It's about time! Janis had himself a nice day in a few different ways. His first big play came on a nice block down field on the Starks touchdown run. Many, myself included, have criticized Janis for his lack of awareness at times and inability to get in sync with Aaron Rodgers. The nice block was a sign that Janis can be effective outside of running deep routes and gunning on punt coverage. Janis also had a few nice catches on the day. The first came on a deep pass that went for 46 yards. We've all been waiting to not only see the deep ball this season, but also to see Janis hauling it in. A sign of things to come? Hopefully. These are the types of plays that continue to build the chemistry between Rodgers and Janis. The second came on a shovel that went for 33 more yards and helped set up the last Mason Crosby field goal of the day.
Reminder: Janis is no Jordy Nelson, but if he can start contributing with Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery ailing, the Packers will be all the better for it and lose much less in their passing game.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Short n' sweet because I don't like to overload any one side of this piece, but the nice job of punching the ball out of the hands of Chargers running back Melvin Gordon was another big play by Clinton-Dix and his involvement in a turnover for the second-straight week. Without Morgan Burnett for five of six games this season, Ha Ha has balled out.
Lame Calls
Sam Shields
I'm nitpicking here. The first dropped interception wasn't a gimme. The second one was, especially for a former wide receiver and more sure-handed Shields. Shields was also targeted and beaten on several occasions, despite drawing the tough task of covering Allen, who was catching everything. Shields is going to be expected to lock down the opposing team's best receivers and has played well of late. This just wasn't one of this better games.
Eddie Lacy
Something is up with Lacy and hopefully it's just the ankle injury he suffered in week two that just needs some extra time to heal. Lacy came in early in the fourth quarter and promptly put the ball on the ground. Fortunately, an alert T.J. Lang recovered and the Packers were able to keep the ball. Lacy doesn't fumble often and he wasn't put in the best position, by being thrown in there after having sat most of the day.
The Packers are going to need more from Lacy after the bye and into the season's home stretch. Hopefully the week off is some of the medicine Lacy needs.
Pass Defense
This unit gave up 500 yards through the air, which is never a recipe for success. Yes, the Packers won the game but this was a performance that opposing offensive coordinators will likely study to find opportunities against them.
Honorable Mentions
- Mike Daniels again nearly cracked the list. Half-sack and active up front all day, as usual
- Clay Matthews with a fumble recovery and three more hits on the quarterback
- Julius Peppers with a sack and two hits on the quarterback
On to the bye and hopefully this Packers team emerges much healthier and ready for the back half of the 2015 season!
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Jason is a freelance writer on staff since 2012 and also co-hosts Cheesehead TV Live, Pulse of the Pack and Pack A Day podcasts. You can follow him on Twitter here
Comments (75)
dobber
October 19, 2015 at 08:17 am
I wonder what's up with Lacy, but just prior to that 4th quarter fumble, he took a helmet-to-helmet shot and looked dazed/slow to get up. I thought sure that was his concussion for 2015.
A win is a win is a win, but this team needs to find its rhythm on offense and fix those defensive flaws that SD saw and allowed them to throw at will.
Here's to getting healthy.
Evan
October 19, 2015 at 08:19 am
Question on that deep ball to Janis - any sense that it was actually intended for Richard Rodgers?
Not that it really matters, but it sure looked like RR was the target.
RCPackerFan
October 19, 2015 at 08:29 am
According to Rodgers in the post game press conference he said it was intended for Janis.
Big_Mel_75
October 19, 2015 at 10:43 am
Still looked weird having two receivers so close like that...
RCPackerFan
October 20, 2015 at 06:30 am
yeah, that definitely didn't look right.
RCPackerFan
October 19, 2015 at 08:28 am
Perfectly written!!!
I would like to add about Janis, that even when Adams and Montgomery get back healthy, I don't see any reason why Janis can't be included in the offense. He clearly provides a ton of speed and a big play ability, that has been missing without Nelson.
He had 3 really big plays in the game. The block on Starks run, and the 2 catches that were for 30+ yards on each. He can have a role in this offense.
To add to the Lame calls.
I would like to add offensive play calling to the list. I have been reluctant to criticize play calling because usually its players that make the plays with execution. But on a day when Starks runs the ball 10 times for 112 yards, how do you only run him 10 times? And Lacy only got 4 carries. Top 2 RB's get 14 total carries?
The offense really didn't get going again until it used Janis and until it started doing some play action bootlegs.
The offense is without a number of options at WR right now. I understand that, but they need to use what they have and might have to adjust what they do to accommodate those players. The fullback pass seemed to be pretty effective when they ran it.
Packer_Pete
October 19, 2015 at 08:38 am
Agreed on the play calling... The most baffling call of the game to me was when it was 3rd & less than 1 and instead of handing to Starks or do a quick shovel pass to him (he had 1 guy to beat and could've easily bulled his way to a 1st down), #12 threw it long to R. Rodgers - it would've needed a miracle catch from him as the ball was overthrown. Why not take what the D gives you, take the 1st down, run down some clock, and have the chance to extend the drive? But I feel that #12 lately thinks that he can draw the opposing D into jumping, and then get a free play. If that doesn't work, unleash a long ball to someone. I think he lacks the patience to direct a 12 or 13 play drive downfield...
A win is a win, but of all remaining unbeaten teams, this is the weakest IMHO. Denver can't score but has a better D. Patriots are the best team in the NFL, and I think Carolina is the team to beat in the NFC this year.
calabasa
October 19, 2015 at 08:55 am
Not only all those pass plays (who knows- maybe 12 is checking out of a lot of running plays), but I couldn't believe he was snapping it with 12 and 10 seconds on a running clock when there was about 6 minutes left in the game. There were three consecutive plays that he left about 30 seconds on the clock. Weird for a guy who's such a control freak...
AZPack
October 19, 2015 at 11:20 am
"The most baffling call of the game to me was when..."
That's not play calling. That's Rodgers decision making once a play has started. 2 completely different and separate issues altogether.
Packers only ran a total of 49 offensive plays. I'm guessing a little here, but the 14 rushes in 49 attempts probably isn't far off from the season average of running plays to pass ratio.
IMO Its been an ongoing Packers philosophy. Pass more early in the season when the weather is nice and starting in early/mid Nov, start ramping up the running game.
Oppy
October 19, 2015 at 07:35 pm
It would be a record low run-pass ratio under MM if the Packers were at 70/30. 14/49 = .2857 run percentage.
That's low. really low.
2014 regular season the Packers ran the ball 435 times, passed 536.
435 + 536 = 971 total plays, 435/971 = .4479 run percentage on the entire season.
RCPackerFan
October 19, 2015 at 11:58 am
'A win is a win, but of all remaining unbeaten teams, this is the weakest IMHO. Denver can't score but has a better D. Patriots are the best team in the NFL, and I think Carolina is the team to beat in the NFC this year.'
I disagree. The only team that I think is probably better then Green Bay is New England. Once the Packers get healthy again, they are easily the best team in the NFC, and possibly the best in the NFL.
The offense hasn't played up to its ability's yet, but lets not forget why. They are playing with Cobb, and Jones hurt, Adams has been out and Montgomery left yesterdays game. The OL has been banged up, as has Lacy.
Packer_Pete
October 20, 2015 at 07:17 am
"I disagree. The only team that I think is probably better then Green Bay is New England. Once the Packers get healthy again, they are easily the best team in the NFC, and possibly the best in the NFL."
Sorry RC, but I disagree with that. So far, the Packers haven't really beaten any good team. In fact, I could argue they haven't played any good team yet, as none of their opponents has a winning or even record so far, every single one has a losing record. The opponents so far have a combined 11-24 record, and even if you take away the 6 wins the Packers have had, the record of those teams in other games combined is 11-18. That's pretty bad.
Patriots opponents have a much better record. Bengals and Broncos opponents have similar records, but both have beaten teams which have even or winning records so far. Only Panthers opponents were worse, but at the same time, they have a pretty good team. this is the team with home town coverage for me, and I've seen a few of their games. They beat up on weaker teams, whereas it seems to me that Packers play down to the level of their opponents. Big difference. And I am sure many now want to point out that the Packers beat the Seahawks, but that team is one botched ref call away from being 1-5. They will not make the playoffs, unless they win the NFC West. Which I doubt they will.
And I don't really get into 'they have a lot of injuries' thing as many others do. Every team has injuries this time of year, and nobody is 100% anymore at this point.
But we will see after the bye week how the Packers will do. The next 2 games are @Broncos and @Panthers. Those are 2 tough ones. If they win both then I'll buy into the hype. Don't get me wrong, the Packers will win the NFC North, and they will make the playoffs. But unless they improve the run game and in general play better offensively, this will be a 1-and-done playoff appearance again.
dobber
October 19, 2015 at 08:46 am
"The offense really didn't get going again until it used Janis and until it started doing some play action bootlegs."
I would argue that the OL hasn't gotten back to it's "second-half-of-2014" level of play, and that's part of the problem. Of course, now that the starting OL is finally intact again, we might see that start to come about over the second half of the season.
The announcers kept pointing out that SD did a nice job of keeping ARod bottled up in the pocket and preventing him from using his legs to extend plays. We've seen teams, over the last couple weeks, adjust to the Packers short passing game and contain the run...hence the bootlegs. I think ARod was getting pretty frustrated yesterday...or as frustrated as you can get when you throw for 250+ yards and a couple TDs with no picks.
RCPackerFan
October 19, 2015 at 12:22 pm
Yeah, their OL has been banged up for sure and hasn't gotten back to the level they were last year. I would expect to see the OL start to get better as they are going to get a week off. The bye should help them out a lot.
croatpackfan
October 19, 2015 at 08:50 am
With no intention to diminish Jeff Janis very good day on the offense, it have to be understood that all those 3 plays where not called plays (OK, except that 46 yard pass, but we do not know for sure)... James Startks TD run was suddenly opened opportunity and shallow pass from Aaron was more his desperation then planned action play. When I read what coaches talking about Jeff, problems why he is not contributing more depends on correct route running than on his speed and physical attributes. Lets be honest and say that I questioned 46 yards catch he made as play not called on the line of schrimage because RR did not know nothing about that play and Aaron said he pray the Lord RR will not mess that throw... That is the main problem, because you do notwant to see 2 Packers WR bumping into each other, or fighting for the ball thrown to one of them!
Other: I agree on article. We are banged as San Diegi is by injuries, but pray the Lord we lost our most potent WR (Ty) to the injury, what was equilized with Allen injury later. I hope for both that there are not serious injuries...
PaulRosik
October 19, 2015 at 12:14 pm
Actually the fact that these plays were all heads up plays by Janis made by being aware of the situation make them even better not worse. One of the criticisms of Janis has been his awareness and not being where Rodgers expected him to be. So that he was on the spot to make three big plays by being aware is great to see.
Oppy
October 19, 2015 at 07:41 pm
Seeing that a play is breaking down and improvising to get open doesn't translate to showing you are becoming more aware of where you are supposed to be, how you are supposed to run a route, or even knowing which route you are supposed to run on a certain play.
It's two different things. But I'm happy Janis caught a pair of balls and made some plays. However, If Janis wasn't running the correct routes or otherwise wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing before things broke down, it is likely that Janis will not have gained much more trust from #12 regardless.
4thand1
October 20, 2015 at 05:19 am
I'm happy Janis caught a pair of balls too.
zoellner25
October 19, 2015 at 09:10 am
The hard count that drew Mike Daniels off-side was bad. I know Rivers is good, but you can't just give them a free play.
one thing I like about Janis, he seems like he wants it, bad. He hustles, he makes tackles on punt coverage, and he is fast. I can't wait to see what MM and Clements come up with when Adams and Montogomery come back so we can actually use 4 wides.
AZPack
October 19, 2015 at 12:19 pm
Its never been an issue of hustle, desire or physical ability w/ Janis. Its always been about his mental approach and abilities to get on the same wavelength w/ Rodgers.
It took till end of year 3 for Jordy to get there. Why is everyone trying to force it to happen in 1/2 the time w/ Janis? Obviously, The Janis hype train continues.... Ad nauseum.
If its meant to happen, it'll be when Janis is ready (to be a professional) and not before. Even if he has the desire it'll happen in due time. Janis seems to have the desire to get there, but it takes time and can't be rushed.
4thand1
October 19, 2015 at 02:55 pm
People are trying to force the issue because of the Nelson injury. They have to be realistic, Janis isn't going to step right into his shoes and be as productive. But, we did get a glimpse of what he can do. Now a little improvement each game would be nice. A did see one play where he ran a fly route upfield and drew 2 defenders to him. Someone else has to be open.
RCPackerFan
October 19, 2015 at 03:32 pm
It did take Jordy that long to be the player he is now, but along the way he did play and contribute.
I am not expecting Janis to be the next Jordy or anyone. I am not putting that kind of expectations on him. I just see a guy with a skill set that he can help the team out, especially now with all the injuries that we do have.
For me the thing with Janis is, I don't expect him to be catching 6-10 passes a game and play 80% of the snaps. But I don't see why he can't have similar types of games to what he had against the Chargers each week. 2-4 catches a game, and put into positions to use his speed and play making ability.
AZPack
October 19, 2015 at 04:08 pm
Rodgers didnt give Jordy many looks till end 3rd yr. Why does it have to NOW w Janis. I know what he could provide and his abilities too. When he's ready for it Janis will make it abundantly clear in practice and coaches and Rodgers will reward him appropriately.
RCPackerFan
October 19, 2015 at 06:15 pm
The biggest difference with Nelson then to Janis now is the depth at the position. Nelsons first few years they had more depth and did not have the injuries. Right now the injuries are what is forcing Janis to play. Whether he is fully ready or not, he is needed to play.
Oppy
October 19, 2015 at 07:53 pm
The biggest difference with Jordy and Janis is that Jordy entered the league a far, FAR better wide receiver than Janis did.
It's completely overlooked by people when they talk about the projected development curve of Janis based on other WR's in the Packers receiving corps. Janis came out of college as a very unpolished WR who got over on Div II competition by being bigger and faster than everyone on the field. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy technique. Jordy, or Cobb, or Driver, or Jones for that matter, all far better football players than Janis coming out of college. Better route runners, better release, better technique in general.
Janis is raw and a physical specimen, the Packers are -hoping- he can develop the skills. Different development curve, Janis is a project of a different sort than most of our WRs.
RCPackerFan
October 20, 2015 at 06:44 am
Yes, I am in agreement for the most part with you and Dan on this. I am not saying Janis is ready to take over Nelsons job or ready to be a starter.
He is very raw, and has a long ways to go to become the WR we all hope he will eventually be.
The biggest difference between Nelson's situation and Janis' right now is the depth of the position. In Nelson's 2nd year, they had Driver, Jennings, Jones all ahead of him. Nelson was the 4th option.
If the Packers WR's were all healthy Janis would either be the 5th or 6th option. Right now though the WR's are hurting. James Jones is playing with a bad hamstring, Randall Cobb is playing with a bad shoulder, Adams hasn't played in however many games, and now Montgomery got hurt. They had to have Janis come in and play whether he is ready or not.
Once the Packers WR's get healthy again, I would expect Janis to get a quite a bit less playing time.
That all being said, even if its just a hand full of plays a game you have to find ways to get play makers the ball. I would classify Janis as a play maker. He has big time speed, and Packers would be wise to finding ways to use it.
Amanofthenorth
October 19, 2015 at 05:37 pm
Amen, dan. Let the coaches coach, the great QB win and the second year kid from D 2 grow. Division Two!
egbertsouse
October 19, 2015 at 09:39 am
Lame: Randall Cobb---Nothing but drops and penalties.
I agree about the play calling. I understand the D may be jumping your short stuff but you just can't try to wing it 30 yds every play. If your receivers can't get open run some pick plays and strip off defenders. MM, watch some Patriot film and see how they get average guys open.
WKUPackFan
October 19, 2015 at 10:05 am
Cobb is playing injured. He never gets a lame call.
D Ernesto
October 19, 2015 at 01:41 pm
My take, MM does not need a headset on while were on O unless he is either overiding the calls or telling the O coach what to call. I think he is interfering with the offense. I do not beleive for one minute he gave up the play calling. He is a control freak.
Oppy
October 19, 2015 at 08:00 pm
Gameday just doesn't feel the same if you can't complain about MM's totally predictable call on 3rd and 3, huh?
It's okay, I don't blame ya.
Evan
October 19, 2015 at 10:14 am
I might be mistaken, but after Janis' real nice heads-up 30+ yard dump off, Rodgers was one of the first guys to run up to him, slap him on the helmet and congratulate him on the nice play.
Hopefully the start of something good.
WKUPackFan
October 19, 2015 at 10:36 am
I would say all this "AR doesn't like Janis" stuff is needless speculation, but that would be redundant, as all speculation is needless.
RCPackerFan
October 19, 2015 at 10:44 am
I don't know.
His play says some stuff too. Early in the game he almost took a sack instead of throwing to Janis where Janis was open. He doesn't do that to most other players.
Also, if you listened to Rodgers post game press conference he still doesn't want to acknowledge Janis much. When asked he said Janis had 2 good plays in the game.
He was asked a couple of questions about Janis and he either turned the focus onto other players (Adams) or doesn't really give him a lot of 'love'. Whatever the reason is for that, I am not sure.
WKUPackFan
October 20, 2015 at 07:06 am
I'm sorry RC, I just don't buy it. I don't think AR takes a sack instead of throwing to an open anyone, It could be Idi Amin (Stripes reference) out there. A thousand things could be happening we can't see on TV.
With regard to the presser, perhaps Adams was on AR's mind at the time. Perhaps AR knows that Janis personally doesn't like publicity. Perhaps it's a motivational ploy. Perhaps Janis is a jerk.
In the end, most likely it's two isolated events that folks are linking together and drawing conclusions from. Of course, all of the above is speculation also.
RCPackerFan
October 20, 2015 at 07:15 am
I'm not saying that Rodgers doesn't like him or whatever. We don't know. I just find it odd the way that he gushes about certain players, and when it comes to Janis, he starts talking about other players. In his press conference when he was asked specifically about Janis, he brings up Adams. It was just odd.
I don't think Rodgers dislikes him, I just think he is probably is expecting more out of Janis.
As far as throwing to Janis, last week Rodgers took a sack instead of throwing to a wide open Janis running across the middle of the field. (perhaps he didn't see him wide open, but Janis was open) And this week, he was doing a bootleg and Janis was wide open, he didn't throw it to him, and nearly took another sack and ended up throwing the ball away, when he could have thrown it to Janis. That was early in the game.
Perhaps Janis has more of Rodgers trust after making those 2 big plays. We shall see.
RCPackerFan
October 19, 2015 at 10:38 am
That to me was a huge confidence boost for everyone. For Rodgers, Janis, Clements, McCarthy.
Lets face it, Janis has speed and is a play making type of player. You have to find ways to get those guys some touches.
Even when Adams and hopefully Montgomery come back, I hope they find ways to get Janis involved.
Evan
October 19, 2015 at 01:09 pm
Wilde just tweeted a pic of what I was referring to:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CRsusI6WcAAKdi7.jpg:large
4thand1
October 19, 2015 at 03:00 pm
I think Rodgers is being smart with the way he's handling the Janis run away train. He's putting a chip on Janis's shoulder which will only motivate him more.
Ibleedgreenmore
October 19, 2015 at 10:25 am
Not the highest scoring game, it was not pretty but the big thing is it was a win. Several games in past years have come down to the wire. We are pretty spoiled as a team but I will take this.
tm_inter
October 19, 2015 at 10:50 am
I was happy to see both Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis finally contributing to the team. It's obvious to me that both really wanted to play.
PaulRosik
October 19, 2015 at 12:18 pm
For most of the game Randall was really being schooled and given an NFL education. But he kept his head up and made the play assisted by Peppers pressure that got the ball off target some as well.
Oppy
October 19, 2015 at 08:02 pm
Yup. Randall's outing was a reminder that while he's gifted, he is still a rookie. Expect some ups and downs.. He really had a rough game overall.
Since'61
October 19, 2015 at 12:37 pm
Honorable mention should go to Abbrederis who came in and did a solid job on the KO returns after Montgomery went down.
As for the 14 running plays, my first thought is that the Packers planned to rest Lacy for yesterday's game but realized they might need him when SD kept the game close. Also, I believe the Packers review of SD films probably showed they could pass effectively against SD. Considering that they only had the ball for 22 minutes and scored 27 points that's is very efficient. Lame call on the officials, I thought they were bad for the entire game. MM was correct that the SD RT moved on the 4th down TD play at the end of the 1st half. Volume of Packer injuries showed up today on offense and defense. Kudos to Rodgers for utilizing 8-9 different receivers and not turning the ball over against a well prepared and aggressive San Diego defense. A. Rodgers to R. Rodgers just missed on a couple of big plays today. No excuse for Cobb's drop, should have been a big play. A win is a win! 6-0, time to heal up over the bye week. MMs teams usually get stronger and play better as the season goes on. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since '61
4thand1
October 19, 2015 at 03:02 pm
Exactly!
LASVEGAS-TOM
October 20, 2015 at 12:23 am
Whoever is giving all the dislikes on this board should get the Hell out of here. How could anyone give Since61 a dislike for his comment. What's there to dislike?? What did he say here that was wrong? Why don't you Troll the Minnesota blog? You're certainly Not a Packer Fan. What,? Do you get your Jolly's by giving dislikes.? I'd like to find out who you are. LVT
AZPack
October 20, 2015 at 01:12 am
Almost everyone knows exactly who's giving all the dislikes. Same guy that got the most dislikes in the history of the site and said he was finished commenting a week ago, only to show up again today.
It doesn't take a genius to figure who that is. I hope.
Thegreatreynoldo
October 20, 2015 at 08:56 am
He only posted to write his condolences to Moe, whose wife recently passed away. Surely no one thinks tWins should be criticized for that. I don't. I am not aware of any other recent post by him.
AZPack
October 20, 2015 at 09:22 am
There were one or 2 other comments as well. That doesn't preclude him using dislikes either.
RCPackerFan
October 20, 2015 at 09:38 am
I was disliked for telling Moe sorry for his loss.
I don't care who is doing it, but that to me is very disrespectful...
Since'61
October 20, 2015 at 08:37 am
LVT - I appreciate your support. I'm Ok if someone disagrees or dislikes my comments but I would prefer if they would actually reply with a comment of their own so that we could have or at least attempt to have a genuine discussion of the issue(s). Hopefully that discussion would actually add to the blog. Speaking for myself a different point of view, well thought out and supported with facts may increase my understanding or remind me of something that I have overlooked. At Jersey Al's we had a system where we could see who voted up or down on our comments, which gave us the opportunity to engage if we chose to. Not available here but I suspect that Dan is correct about the origin of most of the dislikes over the last day or two. BTW, I enjoy your posts. Thanks, Since '61
LASVEGAS-TOM
October 20, 2015 at 03:16 pm
Since '61, When I post, I do expect to get dislikes. In most cases my posts are my opinions, based on my observations, that in many or most cases differ from those of others on this board. That's ok. I understand that other people will disagree with me. Everyone has their own opinions, & they may very well be right on things that I post. I'm stubborn, & I like raising controversy.
Your posts, unlike mine, are based mainly in fact. Unless someone is watching a different game, it would be hard to dislike anything you post. Your post is almost a blow by blow of the game.
I don't follow the players & the game like most of you. I'm like you. If someone disagrees with me, I'd rather have them respond. Like I said most of my posts are my opinions, & I may be wrong, but they are my opinions. If I'm wrong, I live with them.
I had to reply on your post. It was based in fact, & there was nothing to dislike about it. Right or Wrong, I call them like I see them. LVT
Ibleedgreenmore
October 19, 2015 at 12:51 pm
Seems like the site is having issues, had to get on three times and you can not leave thumbs up or down.
D Ernesto
October 19, 2015 at 01:38 pm
My 2 cents.
Not raging on our D backs anymore. I think its all Capers and his defensive scheme. All I know is I ran track and in my best day could not out run a bullet. Translated, don't care if you rush 8 guys you aren't going to get there before the QB rifles an 8 yard pass for a first down, time and time and time and time again. Its got old now. 503 yeards. Really?
How stupid is this guy. Mathews in the middle puts the fear of god in the QB's knowing they have to unload it quick. On the outside, he is basically out of the play. So we put him on the outside why?
Down the stretch the rest of the teams we face are going pass happy and run some. Until we show we can defend the pass its pass happy.
Last night I saw great one on one coverage on both sides of the ball. Rarely was a receiver open to just run 10 yards before being hit. This zone thing is beyond stupid.
The Packers have set records for three years now in the largest passing yards given up and done nada to correct it. It will bite us in the ass.
Oppy
October 19, 2015 at 08:23 pm
Packers 2015
Average Yards Per Pass allowed, 6.8, #6 in the league
Total Passing Yards allowed, 931, #6 in the league
Opponent Passing Attempts, 227, #26 in the League (Think about the differential between total attempts and the above two stats...)
Average Yards Passing allowed per game, 236.5, #11 in the league
Opposing QB Completion Rate 56.8%, #2 in the league
PPG allowed via passing, 16.8, #3 in the league
Passsing TDs allowed, 7, Tied for #7 in the league
Interceptions, 8, tied for #3 in the league
Receptions of over 20 yards allowed, 17, #11 in the league
Opposing QB rating, 73.4, #5 in the league
.......
Sorry, dude.. I'm going with Dom Capers on this one
Oppy
October 19, 2015 at 08:25 pm
**all the above stats are through 6 games, i.e. the stats INCLUDE the 500+ yard game vs. the Chargers.
AZPack
October 19, 2015 at 10:50 pm
All that w/ 2 rookie CB playing significant minutes and a 2nd yr Safety! I would say the pass D is acquitting itself very well. Especially considering the youth in the secondary and w/o Burnett.
Thegreatreynoldo
October 20, 2015 at 12:46 am
Damn, Oppy, those actual stats cited today have been tremendous.
Since'61
October 20, 2015 at 08:23 am
Great job Oppy! Thanks, Since '61
D Ernesto
October 19, 2015 at 01:44 pm
Did anyone else notice, maybe it was my big screen TV, I could be dead wrong on this I admit but I swear Lacy came in and he looked 50 pounds over weight. He looked so out of shape I could out run him. Bad ankles often is just a result of carrying too much weight.
Something ain't right with this guy. No way MM lets always on the bench Starks start the game. At least I can tell you which guy is in football shape.
4thand1
October 19, 2015 at 03:05 pm
Starks is always on the bench? 6 posts, new guy in the room, or is he?
AZPack
October 19, 2015 at 10:52 pm
Are you suggesting Cow has returned to the fold? I'm sure Its not that "other" guy!
WKUPackFan
October 20, 2015 at 07:12 am
A 300 fat-ass laying on his couch watching his "big screen TV" (1970s projection model?) says Lacy is overweight. Well done sir, you get the idiot award for the week.
Thegreatreynoldo
October 20, 2015 at 08:50 am
McGinn quoted scouts who presumably have seen Lacy and suggested Lacy is around 260 lbs. He looked pretty hefty to me, but I was not sure. Could be his ankle is cutting into his conditioning. If so, Lacy seems conscientious so if he needs to shed a few, I am sure he will.
AZPack
October 20, 2015 at 09:20 am
I've been saying he is too heavy for awhile. I figure in the 250 range. I wish he would drop the weight to about 235 like he was at Bama. He would still be a power RB, but his quickness and speed would be much better IMO. He had a very solid game vs SF and we haven't seen a reinjury on the field, so I'm going under the assumption that its not the ankle, even tho it could be.
I just don't think Lacy is running w/ much authority and is too indecisive. He wasn't like that a Bama. I don't know for sure what it is, but I would certainly like to see him drop weight.
LASVEGAS-TOM
October 19, 2015 at 02:48 pm
Well, I have 4 Game Balls to give out.
The 1st one was a tough decision. He may not have had a great game but I'm giving Ball #1 to Randall, for making the play to end the game. That was a Great Play & may have made the difference in winning or losing. Way to go Randall!!
The 2ond Ball I'm giving to James Starks. I think it's the Best Game I've seen him play, & we needed him, & he came through. Way to go Starks!! Great Game.
I don't care about the 500 yards, I'm giving the 3rd Ball to the Defense, who seemed to play the whole game. Everyone but . Shields. I'm telling you now, 3 years ahead of time. He's too Small, Not Good Enough, & the most Over Paid CB in the NFL.
And the 4th Ball, ONCE AGAIN!! I'm giving to "My Buddy, My Pal, My Friend", JAMES JONES!!. He's playing hurt, & he may not have had a great game, but if I'm not mistaken, he caught the Winning Touch Down Pass. That's all that matters to me.
I'm not in love. I'm not obsessed. I just think James Jones is better than a Pretty Good Receiver. All of you that have Adams penciled in as the #3 receiver, better make sure he's healthy, & can play before you write off James Jones. As of now, I've seen very little of Adams to change my mind.
I hope James Jones is retained by GB next year. IMO he belongs in the same conversation as all of the Really Good GB Packers, including AMOND GREEN who I feel belongs in the Ring Of Honor. I said that for you DS, but I still don't know why if Taylor is there, why Green isn't.
IMO James Jones at 31 is still a Great WR, & an even a better GB Packer.
I can tell you this, I WOULD CUT or TRADE A.J. SHIELDS if someone would take him, & CUT MY LOSSES.
I'm sure I'll hear back on this. I don't care. I know a GOOD PLAYER, from a BAD ONE!! Randall one day will be a Great CB, Shields will never be. LVT
Oppy
October 19, 2015 at 08:28 pm
Sorry, LVT, but while shields didn't have a good game, he's also played like a true lock down corner the last two weeks. I don't believe he allowed a single catch last week.
His ball skills are pretty fantastic.
I would say he is prone to a game here or there where he's definitely off, but I can't deny his top-end ability is pretty darn good.
AZPack
October 20, 2015 at 01:23 am
From what I've read, Shields gave up 7 rec for 117 yds or something similar. 2 plays in particular led to about 1/2 the yds on 2 rec.
1st was a deep ball to Allen of 40 yds that was an absolutely perfect pitch and catch down the deep middle. Can't say or sure, but it certainly looked like Shields was expecting Safety help in the deep middle that didn't show up. Shields was in perfect trail position like he had help from a Safety deep. Either way it was a GREAT throw And Catch.
The 2nd was the very next play IIRC, again to Allen on the sideline. Shields had excellent coverage again. Only a perfect pass and amazing (Jordy-esque) sideline toe tap by Allen allowed the completion.
Assuming those plays are included in the stats against Shield, and taking them out of the equation, Shields gave up 5 rec for about 57 - 60 yds. Which might be considered a pretty good day.
Those plays were both excellent throws and very good to amazing catches by Rivers and Keenan Allen. Not much any CB can do against those 2 plays.
sheppercheeser
October 19, 2015 at 05:51 pm
My first reaction when the game ended was disappointment that GB played so poorly on defense. But then, when you figure that the time of possession was drastically one-sided in SD's favor and for the defense to have enough in the tank to finish off the Chargers was a great feat.
Lphill
October 19, 2015 at 07:00 pm
you would think the Packers were 0 and 6 rather than 6 and 0, from the negative comments, hey lets hope after the bye they get some guys back, run the ball better and everything will fall into place, the Patriots have flaws, their injuries are starting to creep up, they are not great against the run, nobody is going undefeated this season, so lets enjoy the ride.
mrj007
October 19, 2015 at 08:23 pm
Las Vegas Tom - AJ Shields comment is classic! He reminds me of terrell buckley. I think you just need length at CB. Too many 6ft 3 plus wideouts in the league
Oppy
October 19, 2015 at 08:32 pm
There are a bunch of lengthy WR's out there, I always know when they are playing the Packers because of the look of bewilderment when they go up to get the ball and come down without it because little Sam Shields timed and high pointed the ball or knocked it out of their hands.
Shields is no T Buck. Shields is a very good CB. If he could nail down his consistency and alleviate the 2 or so 'off' games he has a year, I wouldn't hesitate to say he's a top 8 starting CB in the league.
LASVEGAS-TOM
October 19, 2015 at 09:52 pm
mrj007, I'm glad at least one other person can see it. IMO, Shields is as far away from a lock down corner as you can get. Both Shields & Williams were Highly Over Rated, & Highly Over paid. You saw last year what Williams cost us. I respect everyone's opinion, but Shields is No Charles Woodson, & never will be. If he improves, I'll be the 1st to admit it. As far as I am concerned, he is too small, & not worth any where's near the money he is getting. GB will over pay him, let good players go in the process, & in about 3 years the light bulb will go on somewhere, & I see him getting cut. The only thing keeping him in a uniform is his speed. He's just Too Small. Just my opinion. LVT
Handsback
October 20, 2015 at 09:39 am
Wow, it was a game that the Packers won...right?
I wasn't expecting the Chargers to play that well and maybe the Packers didn't either which may be the reason for their time domination during the game.
Here's the thing, the Packers have major injuries to their playmakers and still won the game. I may not think it looked pretty, but it's still a win. Let them rest a week and see how they handle Denver and Carolina. After that if they are undefeated, let's talk about how good they can be.
4thand1
October 21, 2015 at 07:56 pm
Winning close hard fought games is more important than blowing teams out. I see them clicking on all cylinders come December. To be 6-0 and missing keys guys speaks volumes for this team. Last year a rookie won the SB for the Patriots. We have a lot of really good young players.