Packers Vs Seahawks - 3 Plays That Make You Go Hmmm

Jersey Al picks out three thought-provoking plays from the Packers' game against the Seattle Seahawks

After re-watching the Packers game, here are three plays that made me go hmmm, for various reasons.

King Me - Kevin King returned from injury and has had two very good games in a row. What's been most impressive is that he seems to have found himself as a tackler. This play is a perfect example. In years past, he would have charged at the receiver and thrown his shoulder at his legs, making it an easy task for the ball carrier to side-step him. Here he plays it perfectly. He closes the space, but doesn't over commit. He keeps a wide base, stays on his toes and is ready to react to whatever the ball carrier does. This is textbook. As I've said many times in this space since King was a rookie, King is a good man corner with the ball in front of him, but runs into trouble when he has to turn and run with a receiver. We all know what that can result in. He is at his best in situations like this one, even more so now if he's bought into proper tackling technique.

 

Not the King - The Anti-Kevin King is Eric Stokes. When King has to turn and run, he takes wide turns and loses contact with the receiver, often conceding several yards. Looking at this play, Stokes turns THREE times on the run, never giving an inch or losing contact with the receiver and mirrors him the entire way. Ths is elite skill.

 

Big John - Two things usually make for a successful screen pass, a believable enough deception of some type,and a big block downfield from one of your linemen. The Packers had two successful screens on the same drive against the Seahawks that had both of these things. In both cases, the key block was by Jon Runyan who showed acute awareness in picking out the target most likely to get to Jones first and sealing him off. They weren't devastating blocks, but you don't always need that and often times when the big boys try too hard downfield, they'll whiff on the block entirely. Runyan executes both plays perfectly.

 

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__________________________

"Jersey Al" Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of many hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He is also a recovering Mason Crosby truther.  Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP

__________________________

8 points
 

Comments (32)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Bitternotsour's picture

November 18, 2021 at 03:08 pm

Eric Stokes put Lockett in his pocket.

you're welcome. i'll show myself out.

12 points
13
1
scourge's picture

November 18, 2021 at 11:31 pm

Man...another HR for Gutey. It is RARE for a Rookie CB to come out and just be competitive. This kid has massive upside. And the way he gets his head around and finds the ball...I think the Picks will come...for both he and Jaire. They're not gonna be able to throw the ball away from one side of the field nearly as often is you have another CB who can lock down #1 WRers.

Gute's emphasis on RAS scores is certainly paying off in a big way. Stokes is having a huge impact...and Slaton is having a massive impact. Freeing up Clark to play the 3 tech and making life SO much easier on our MLBers. Hell, even Lowry and Lancaster are looking like competent DL.

Packers are gonna have to take a page out of the Cowboys playbook and give their young SUPERSTARs the 6-7 year deals if they're going to be able to keep everyone. Guys like Jaire and Jenkins for now. The preferred 4 year deals end up costing so much more long-term. See Tyron Smith's contract vs Bahktiari's. Dallas gave Smith what people thought was a silly 9 year 97 million dollar extension. Made him the highest paid. Packers gave Bahk 4/48 around the same time.

Had they given Bahk a 8 year 100M dollar extension, his cap hit would be a fraction of what it is and....there's be little dead money.
Zach Martin vs Elgton Jenkins
Amari Cooper vs Davante Adams

Where Dallas goes wrong, they give them out to players before they KNOW they're foundational players. Lawrence being one example, Jaylon Smith. If you can avoid that, you can keep more talent.

It just costs more cash up front due to the massive signing bonuses. But again, rather than give Adams a 4/58M deal when you KNOW he's a stud, go 6/90.

Long way of saying...I agree and more than that, I am just SO excited for the talent the Packers are developing all over the field right now, I just wanna see Rodgers back in Green and Gold and the next 4-5 years and all this young talent and whatever young talent they continue to add staying in GB.

I really think the Packers could be starting a very interesting 3-4-5 year run to finish out #12's career...provided he wants to stay and is willing to sign an extension that has as small of cap hit next year as possible.

-2 points
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Minniman's picture

November 19, 2021 at 12:46 pm

Rodgers now is exactly like Manning was at the end of his career. He's going to elevate an otherwise solid team that's just missing a good QB, but he's not going to be able to lift a team on his shoulders and make it better than it was (like Rodgers used to be able to do).

......It's certainly going to be an intriguing off-season for the Packers!

-2 points
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Lphill's picture

November 18, 2021 at 03:10 pm

King after seeing how Alexander got hurt is gonna be very cautious when tackling.

1 points
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marpag1's picture

November 19, 2021 at 02:54 am

Jaire was injured almost seven weeks ago. When do you anticipate that this extreme caution will kick in?

Or are you just grasping at straws trying to find something to be critical of?

1 points
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dobber's picture

November 19, 2021 at 07:34 am

Mostly, yes.

2 points
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splitpea1's picture

November 18, 2021 at 03:42 pm

Play 2: Like glue, and with minimal hand contact-that's the way to do it. As a matter of fact, our secondary (with the exception of a couple of bad calls) has been really good this year about keeping their hands to themselves and not attracting the yellow.

6 points
6
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Matt Gonzales's picture

November 18, 2021 at 04:12 pm

Stokes got his lumps early, but has blossomed into a helluva player. This play shows really good instincts continuously turning back to keep making plays on the ball, while still being able to keep pace with one of the best deep threats out there this year.

4 points
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scourge's picture

November 18, 2021 at 11:34 pm

Yes, he gave up some big plays...but what's so impressive is the maturity he plays with. He doesn't panic or start grabbing when someone gets a step on him, he just stays with the play and tries to find the ball. That often takes years for a CB to get down...or they don't get over it and they get scared of giving up the big play and start panicking.

When a guy plays like this, the next step is finding the ball earlier and making a play on it.

3 points
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Minniman's picture

November 19, 2021 at 12:54 pm

I so badly want to see the Buccs give up a zillion DPI calls in a playoff game and go out because of it.

........ it's not like I'm holding a grudge or anything!

Stokes is demonstrating what happens when elite speed melds with the pursuit of technical excellence. No-one's going to blow him away with raw speed - and increasingly they can't out-technique him.

I suppose that this is the upside of lining up against the best route runner in the league in practice every day!

2 points
2
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Houndog's picture

November 18, 2021 at 04:08 pm

It's nice to see King having some success.
It's been a long time coming, and then it was like someone flipped a switch, he came back from injury and was a different guy.
Keep it up Kevin, we love it, and we'll need it

7 points
7
0
TheKanataThrilla's picture

November 18, 2021 at 04:38 pm

I think many on here have said that King is a decent CB when he is not hurt. The problem is he is hurt a lot of the time. I am glad he is playing his best football when we need him the most. Perhaps this gets him another short term contract here or with another team. Not sure if any team would give him anything over 2 years, but I could be wrong.

Stokes...what a draft pick. He makes mistakes as all rookies will do, but he is showing himself to be a potential all-pro at the position. Him and Alexander together is pretty exciting as a fan.

Love the love given to one of the big guys. Runyan is quietly doing the dirty work to help this offense succeed.

3 points
3
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scourge's picture

November 19, 2021 at 12:15 am

I think with Stokes early success, Jaire and the depth we have, plus the 9 picks in the upcoming draft, plus an additional 3rd or 4th, King re-signing is a looong shot.

Either he keeps playing well...which is the hope, and then he'll price himself out of GB given our massive salary cap constraints, OR he plays poorly and is banged up...in which case, these two games aren't enough.

We've got 2 studs on the outside. We've got some nice young depth that may develop. Maybe we use a mid-round pick on a CB and hope he develops or that Jean-Charles or Sullivan can lock it down another year(or we bring Rasul Douglas back, though I think people are relying too heavily on a few good games and I don't think he's a great fit scheme wise).

As for Runyan...we need to figure out RT long term(not a fan of Taylor) but we look really good there. I'd extend Jenkins and then move him over there full time. RT is the 2nd most important position and Jenkins is a great run blocker as well...in fact, I don't get why he wasn't drafted as a tackle. You don't usually see guys move off tackle unless they have physical limitations...and he does not. He's long enough, he's athletic enough...and gosh darn it, people like him!

0 points
1
1
dobber's picture

November 19, 2021 at 07:40 am

I think you're right on RT: Turner is on his way out. The Packers are going to end up paying Jenkins T money (or someone else will) and he looks more than capable, so they might as well move him out there in '22. Runyan can play that LG spot and Myers has the C spot. RG is the longer term question, and here's hoping that Newman will add some strength in the off-season and that he'll settle in. It's looking like Nijman is the swing OT. This has the makings of a very good OL for quite some time...which makes it hard to get too far down on this offense when ARod departs.

3 points
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Lphill's picture

November 18, 2021 at 05:08 pm

King is good playing up and as a slot corner , he has less success covering the deep ball .

0 points
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2
Minniman's picture

November 19, 2021 at 01:01 pm

With other D positional groups holding up their end of the bargain, the Packers now use a lot of 2 high safety looks - allowing King to play off-man........and therefore to his strengths.

He's playing his role well this year.

2 points
2
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stockholder's picture

November 18, 2021 at 05:11 pm

I still think King has a future. I remember how slow everyone thought Hyde was. Then he became an All-pro safety. (Not to mention Casey Hayward) How often did we hear, speed wasn't important for a CB? (Per last 10 years) Isn't that what we should have been looking for all along? Alexander and Stokes have it. But the bigger observation might be. A good safety can make everybody better.

5 points
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scourge's picture

November 19, 2021 at 12:23 am

Yeah...the thing is, King is the exact opposite of them. He's the most gifted player on the team in terms of pure athleticism. He tested off the charts in short area quickness.

He ran a 6.56 3-cone. That is absolutely insane. 3.89 Shuttle. Both blow Hayward and Hyde out of the water. And he ran a 4.4 40.
King's not a better fit as a Safety. He's a CB, but he's a fragile one. Heyward got by off instincts, but he was also banged up early.
Hyde...not sure why they let him go, but that was just a mistake....but he was used more like a 3rd safety or in the slot.

King excels in man coverage whereas the other two were better in zone. So yeah, he may have a future, but it's not in GB. Lets just hope he can earn himself a big contract moving forward...but it won't be in GB. Jaire will get 25M a year, we've got so many other players to pay. King is great when he's playing aggressive and when he's healthy. It's been rare he's been either of those...but hey, maybe he can help us win a SB and then leave GB with good experiences with the city/franchise.

1 points
1
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Bitternotsour's picture

November 19, 2021 at 09:51 am

They let Hyde and Hayward go because you can't pay them all. Similar succession will happen this offseason and we'll lament that Yosh Nijman has growing pains at right tackle, that we didn't have the money to keep Z, and that douchey Aaron Rodgers still had a season or two left in his career.

Younger, faster, cheaper. The Ted Thompson way.

-1 points
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2
jannes bjornson's picture

November 19, 2021 at 04:45 pm

Excuses, excuses for low-ball and company. Ted didn't even offer Hyde a Contrct and He was the Playmaking safety. Dix a fraud robbing the Cap. DaMarious randall and josh jones was their idea of talent infusion. Read'em and weep. No time for Accountants.

0 points
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0
TXCHEESE's picture

November 19, 2021 at 08:36 pm

Uhm, I don’t believe anyone on this site has EVER said anything about speed not being important concerning CB skills. In fact, that and the ability to flip the hips and switch directions are the two most important physical attributes.

0 points
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0
THESZOTMAN1's picture

November 18, 2021 at 06:44 pm

One of my favorite articles every week, Al.
Try to feature an offensive lineman every week. Breaking down OL performance so hard to do without film like you have here.
Thanks!
The Szotman

6 points
6
0
GregC's picture

November 18, 2021 at 08:13 pm

Nice plays by Runyan. People are often looking for the big pancake block by an O-lineman on the screen pass, but as you note, that's not necessary. When the O-lineman is in the best position he often doesn't even need to make the block because smaller defenders are not going to take him on. Runyan was also smart to avoid blocking in the back on that one play.

3 points
3
0
BruceIrons's picture

November 18, 2021 at 08:55 pm

That first play, King really uses his length well to make the receiver hesitate and juke while other defenders rally to the ball. I think this Joe Barry's impact on the defense. King is playing better in this defense and the unit as a whole is playing better.

The Stokes play, on the other hand, simply shows dominant ability at cornerback. He's a natural and is still improving.

If you throw Jaire Alexander in the mix, you have a trio that can absolutely smother any passing attack in the league (especially with Amos and Savage playing behind them).

If this team gets healthy for the playoffs, they will be the team to beat.

7 points
7
0
scourge's picture

November 19, 2021 at 12:33 am

No question. The only thing that makes me nervous is the Packers are so tight lipped about injuries this year, it's hard to know what to expect.

Stenavich let it slip that Myers had surgery and they HOPE he can make it back. That was supposed to be a 2-3 week injury, now??

They said today they HOPE Bahk will make it back.
They were real quiet on Z's back issues(a few weeks and then surgery)
Jaire...not much info there other than we HOPE to get him back.

But IF this team gets Jaire, Z, Bahk, Gary, Myers..all of them back and healthy, this team could have a whole other level it could reach.

If we can put out our 5 best OL by the Browns game, get Jaire, Za'Darius back...and stay relatively healthy the rest of the way, I'll feel better about this team heading into the post-season since 2011...just hoping this time our starters don't take 3 weeks off and we don't give up a Hail Marry before half to cost us the game vs an inferior team!

0 points
1
1
marpag1's picture

November 19, 2021 at 04:06 am

"If you throw Jaire Alexander in the mix, you have a trio that can absolutely smother any passing attack in the league (especially with Amos and Savage playing behind them)."

TOTALLY agree with this, 100%. I just hope we can see it this year, because there's a good chance King won't be resigned, and there is at least the possibility that Amos could be a cap casualty. But this 5 man group should be lights out and able to stifle some very good passing attacks.

Now imagine that we get Za'Darius back to boost the pass rush. The football gods need to smile on us...

2 points
2
0
jannes bjornson's picture

November 19, 2021 at 04:47 pm

Too bad the Pack didn't draft Both corners fromGeorgia...

0 points
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marpag1's picture

November 19, 2021 at 03:52 am

I love Runyon's potential and his play as a young guy, and on the two plays in question he definitely did his job well, But I think it's a stretch to say that he showed "acute awareness" in picking out his target. On the All-22 it's clear that Runyon didn't have a lot of other choices. Especially on the second of the two clips there is literally not another defender within 10 yards, and the block that he made was the only one that was even possible to make. The first clip is not so clear cut as the second one, but I still think that the choice he made wasn't all that difficult. But kudos to him for getting the job done.

4 points
4
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dobber's picture

November 19, 2021 at 07:57 am

The other thing is that the LB he blocks had overrun the play (maybe to force it back inside?), and had taken himself out of the play. Jones is going to run past Runyan anyway. In the end, I don't know how much difference that block makes on that play.

-1 points
2
3
dobber's picture

November 19, 2021 at 07:53 am

The thing about that King play, as you watch it unfold, is that he's playing way off at the snap against Metcalf--a real stud WR--but he diagnoses quickly and is downhill on the WR immediately. He's the aggressor and makes Metcalf react to him rather than sitting back and letting Metcalf dictate the play.

THEN--King breaks down, rather than coming in hot and whiffing on the tackle as he always used to do, and makes the play. Even if he DOESN'T make the tackle, he's held up the WR long enough that his help can mop it up. The "prior to 2021 King" misses that tackle on a fly-by and Metcalf gets the sideline with a head of steam and goes for 10+.

"Not the King - The Anti-Kevin King is Eric Stokes."

Look at how nicely Stokes uses the boundary on that play. He knows he can run with Lockett, and he forces him outside, puts him on his back, and takes away any realistic possibility for a catch. He's going to be a good one.

4 points
4
0
jannes bjornson's picture

November 19, 2021 at 04:54 pm

So Barry teaches Fundamentals or has a couple High School coaches come in on Wednesdays to prep the Pros ?

0 points
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TXCHEESE's picture

November 19, 2021 at 08:39 pm

Si! Si!

0 points
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0