Eaglesfandan
10-02-2006, 10:28 AM
Green Bay Packers
1-2
The Packers beat the Lions 31-24 last week.
Last year the Packers were 4-12. That led to the firing of Mike Sherman and the hiring of Mike McCarthy.
We did beat GB 19-14 in '05, but both teams have had a lot of changes since then.
OFFENSE
Mike McCarthy has a background in the WCO. He also brought in the zone blocking running attack. Jeff Jagodzinski was hired away from Atlanta to come up and teach the zone blocking techniques and to teach the RBs how to run in the system.
The Packers offense is a project that is still a work in progress. They were shut out in the opener, but Ahman Green ran for 110 yds. He has run for 42 and 63 in the last two games and GB has put up 27 and 31 points. The passing game has improved each week. Favre threw for 170, but was sacked 3 times in the opener. He threw for 340 yds and 3 TDs in each of the next two games. And he was only sacked twice by the Saints and the Lions didn't get to him at all. That tells you the OL is getting better.
The goal is to establish a strong running attack, but that has been inconsistent. Luckily for them, Favre has been able to throw the ball very effectively while the running game is being developed. The zone blocking running style isn't something that players have seen a lot. The OL has to learn how to block and the RBs have to learn how to read holes and how to run in that system.
The passing game is in good hands with Favre. He will throw short, medium, and deep. One thing to watch for is Favre rolling out to his right side on bootlegs and sprintouts. The LDE will have to stay wide and not crash down vs the run. If you give Brett time to look for receivers, he can light you up. And the Packers have been a good screen team for years. Expect that to still be something to watch.
The skill players are solid, but not scary. Donald Driver and rookie Greg Jennings are the starting WRs. Driver has excellent speed and can be a playmaker. Jennings has scored TDs each of the last two weeks. He had a 76 yd pass vs DET. Caught a short pass and took off down the sideline. Very good RAC ability. They still have Robert Ferguson, but he's had a quiet year. TE Bubba Franks is a good blocker and receiver. Ahman Green has been up and down and will be bothered by a sore hamstring. He should play, but I don't know how effective he'll be. FB William Henderson has been benched and Brandon Miree will take his place. One of the reasons for the switch is that Miree spent time in DEN and has a good understanding of the running attack.
The OL is a real mixed bag. The Tackles are Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher, a pair of excellent veterans. Scott Wells is the young Center. The Guards are rookies Darryn Colledge and Tony Moll. They have only allowed 2 sacks in the last 2 games, so they are doing something right. The run blocking is not very good right now, though.
DEFENSE
The Packers run a 4-3.
This is the same scheme they ran last year. Jim Bates was the coordinator last year, but left in the offseason. DL coach Bob Sanders got the DC job, so there is continuity. He knows the players and they know the scheme. They like to have the corners play bump and run and be real physical.
The Packers have one of the biggest sets of CBs in the league in Al Harris and Charles Woodson. They can be physical at the line, but still turn and run with receivers.
GB has struggled this year with allowing big plays. Check out this blurb from an article:
QUOTE
In the 31-24 victory over the Lions, the Packers gave up nine explosive plays, which by coach Mike McCarthy's definition are runs of more than 12 yards and pass completions of more than 16. Through three games, the Packers have allowed a whopping 23 explosive plays, 19 of which have come through the air. Eleven of the 23 have gone for at least 25 yards and six have gone for touchdowns.
LB Brady Poppinga has struggled in coverage and the Safeties have not played well either, especially Marquand Manuel.
One of the real keys for GB is NT Ryan Pickett. He has to be disruptive and eat up blockers to keep MLB Nick Barnett free. Ryan was signed as a FA and has done a pretty good job, but is banged up.
The D has allowed 28 ppg and is 30th in the league in yards allowed. They are dead last in pass defense, giving up 301 yds per game.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Up and down group (isn't that the whole team?).
The new PK is Dave Rayner. His only miss of the year is from beyond 50 yds, so he's off to a good start.
The Punter, Jon Ryan, is averaging 47.3 a punt. That's excellent. However, he may be outkicking his coverage. Teams average 13 yds a PR against GB. The net punting avg is only 33.5. By comparison, the Eagles have an net avg of 38.6.
CB Charles Woodson is the PR. He does have a 28 yd'er to his credit, but has been handled other than that.
The KOR is WR Koren Robinson. He's averaging 22.4 a return. And remember, he did go to the Pro Bowl as a RS last year. Opponents average 22 yds a KOR, a middle of the road figure.
LAST GAME
GB beat DET 31-24.
Favre threw 3 TDs and Manuel ran back an INT 29 yds for a TD. The game was the first win of the year for GB. And it was a road win.
Ahman Green struggled running the ball, but did catch 8 passes. He did lose a fumble, as did backup RB Noah Herron.
One of the keys to the passing attack was the protection. Mike McCarthy decided to help the OL by keeping guys in to block. He played a lot of 2 TE's. He had 6, 7, and 8 man protection sets during the game. The adjustment worked as DET didn't sack Favre and wasn't credited as even hitting him.
PERSONNEL NOTES
* A. Green - When healthy, a very good RB. Downhill runner. Runs with a lot of power. Tacklers have to get in front of him. If you come from the side, he will likely run through the tackle. Good rcvr.
* Greg Jennings - Rookie WR from Western Michigan. Very good RAC skills. Not a burner, but deceptively fast. Elusive. Medium build. Quick.
* Donald Lee - Backup TE. Can get down the field. Had a 32 yd catch last week.
* D. Colledge - Rookie LG. The Eagles liked him a lot as a prospect. Played LT at Boise State. Solid athlete and good effort guy, but isn't that big and can be pushed around by strong DL.
* Koren Robinson - Former top ten pick by SEA. He was signed by GB after the opener. Only has one catch, so hard to say how much of an impact he'll have as a WR. Good KOR.
* KGB - Still a good pass rusher. Only has one sack, though.
* Aaron Kampman - Starting LDE. Has played really well so far. Has 4 sacks and a couple of FFs. Not explosive, but has a good motor and will battle on every snap.
* Corey Williams - Leads the interior DL with 2 sacks.
* AJ Hawk - Top ten pick in April has been up and down. I have seen a lot of potential. Plays fast. Powerful LB. Will run through targets. Does have a sack. Fast enough to be effective in coverage, but can be beaten mentally. Still learning his assignments and reads.
* Al Harris - Has struggled a bit this year. Asked for a raise in the offseason, but didn't get it. Some have speculated as whether that has affected his play. Still a good man-to-man CB. Takes chances and can be burned. Has one INT, but it came on a tipped ball. Here's a blurb on him:
QUOTE
Though Harris bounced back with a solid game against the New Orleans Saints, he gave up at least four completions to Roy Williams of the Detroit Lions and had two holding penalties. With three penalties, he's halfway to his total from last season and on pace to top his 12-penalty season of 2004.
* Nick Collins - 2nd year FS. Has good cover skills, but has been somewhat erratic as well. Still learning.
THE GAME
When The Packers Have The Ball...
They should try to run, but may come out throwing. 5 of the first 6 plays last week were passes.
McCarthy really wants to get his running game going, but may look back at what HOU did to us and try to duplicate that. The Texans ran bootlegs and play-action successfully early in the game. And our secondary is a huge question mark at this point, so it would make sense. TEs could be key for GB. They caught 5 passes last week. I could see the Packers using them on PA passes quite a bit early on to help set up the run.
They will run the ball at some point. We've faced this running style (HOU, DEN, ATL) and had mixed results. The big advantage is that Favre doesn't have the running ability of the other QBs who we've faced. The key is for guys to control their gaps and not over-pursue. We did a great job of that vs the Texans. Can't allow cutback lanes.
The Eagles have to get pressure with the front four. I'm sure McCarthy will use max protection against us as much as he can in order to give Favre time. Getting pressure on Brett is crucial. He will throw some bad balls if you get to him. And our DBs/LBs have to make him pay. If a ball is out there, we have to catch it. We have had luck with blitzing Favre over the years. Expect that to continue.
The Eagles must tackle well. Jennings and Driver are dangerous in the open field. And sloppy tackles won't work against Green.
When The Eagles Have The Ball...
The Eagles, believe it or not, are going to throw a lot. The #1 passing offense is going against the #32 passing defense. This is one case where Andy would be crazy not to attack them with our passing game.
I think Andy will still run some in the 1st half, but he will mainly attack through the air. We showed last week that we could move the ball with or without Donte Stallworth. Having him back, though, would be nice.
LJ Smith could be in for a big night. The SLB Poppinga doesn't cover well and the Safeties have been up and down. That might leave a lot of open space in the middle. GB could put Nick Barnett on Smith. If so, expect us to attack the perimeter around Poppinga with Westy and Buck.
I do hope to see us run the ball more and more effectively in the 2nd half. Hopefully Ryan Moats will get more touches this week. He had two carries last week and showed his speed on both runs.
The OL should be able to handle the GB pass rush. If so, Donovan should eat up that back seven. I'm sure the Packers will mix in some blitzes, but Sanders has got to be scared to expose his secondary too much in man coverage.
INTANGIBLES / RANDOM STUFF
* The Eagles have lost 4 MNF games in a row. Ouch.
* The Packers coaching staff has made quite a few lineup changes so far this year. Sitting FB William Henderson can't be something the veterans in the locker room are happy about. Henderson isn't happy, but is taking the high road. I don't know how the team is feeling right now about the moves, but they did win last week and that will give the coaches the freedom to do what they want.
* The Eagles have won four straight against the Packers, and Green Bay has not won in Philadelphia since 1962, a stretch of seven games.
* The Packers have been pretty good at converting 3rd downs (39%) and have played pretty good 3rd down defense (32%).
* They have faked a punt this year. 16 yd pass play worked.
* GB's long run of the year is 16 yds.
This is a game the Eagles should win, but anytime you have a banged up secondary and face a veteran QB, you have to be a bit nervous.
1-2
The Packers beat the Lions 31-24 last week.
Last year the Packers were 4-12. That led to the firing of Mike Sherman and the hiring of Mike McCarthy.
We did beat GB 19-14 in '05, but both teams have had a lot of changes since then.
OFFENSE
Mike McCarthy has a background in the WCO. He also brought in the zone blocking running attack. Jeff Jagodzinski was hired away from Atlanta to come up and teach the zone blocking techniques and to teach the RBs how to run in the system.
The Packers offense is a project that is still a work in progress. They were shut out in the opener, but Ahman Green ran for 110 yds. He has run for 42 and 63 in the last two games and GB has put up 27 and 31 points. The passing game has improved each week. Favre threw for 170, but was sacked 3 times in the opener. He threw for 340 yds and 3 TDs in each of the next two games. And he was only sacked twice by the Saints and the Lions didn't get to him at all. That tells you the OL is getting better.
The goal is to establish a strong running attack, but that has been inconsistent. Luckily for them, Favre has been able to throw the ball very effectively while the running game is being developed. The zone blocking running style isn't something that players have seen a lot. The OL has to learn how to block and the RBs have to learn how to read holes and how to run in that system.
The passing game is in good hands with Favre. He will throw short, medium, and deep. One thing to watch for is Favre rolling out to his right side on bootlegs and sprintouts. The LDE will have to stay wide and not crash down vs the run. If you give Brett time to look for receivers, he can light you up. And the Packers have been a good screen team for years. Expect that to still be something to watch.
The skill players are solid, but not scary. Donald Driver and rookie Greg Jennings are the starting WRs. Driver has excellent speed and can be a playmaker. Jennings has scored TDs each of the last two weeks. He had a 76 yd pass vs DET. Caught a short pass and took off down the sideline. Very good RAC ability. They still have Robert Ferguson, but he's had a quiet year. TE Bubba Franks is a good blocker and receiver. Ahman Green has been up and down and will be bothered by a sore hamstring. He should play, but I don't know how effective he'll be. FB William Henderson has been benched and Brandon Miree will take his place. One of the reasons for the switch is that Miree spent time in DEN and has a good understanding of the running attack.
The OL is a real mixed bag. The Tackles are Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher, a pair of excellent veterans. Scott Wells is the young Center. The Guards are rookies Darryn Colledge and Tony Moll. They have only allowed 2 sacks in the last 2 games, so they are doing something right. The run blocking is not very good right now, though.
DEFENSE
The Packers run a 4-3.
This is the same scheme they ran last year. Jim Bates was the coordinator last year, but left in the offseason. DL coach Bob Sanders got the DC job, so there is continuity. He knows the players and they know the scheme. They like to have the corners play bump and run and be real physical.
The Packers have one of the biggest sets of CBs in the league in Al Harris and Charles Woodson. They can be physical at the line, but still turn and run with receivers.
GB has struggled this year with allowing big plays. Check out this blurb from an article:
QUOTE
In the 31-24 victory over the Lions, the Packers gave up nine explosive plays, which by coach Mike McCarthy's definition are runs of more than 12 yards and pass completions of more than 16. Through three games, the Packers have allowed a whopping 23 explosive plays, 19 of which have come through the air. Eleven of the 23 have gone for at least 25 yards and six have gone for touchdowns.
LB Brady Poppinga has struggled in coverage and the Safeties have not played well either, especially Marquand Manuel.
One of the real keys for GB is NT Ryan Pickett. He has to be disruptive and eat up blockers to keep MLB Nick Barnett free. Ryan was signed as a FA and has done a pretty good job, but is banged up.
The D has allowed 28 ppg and is 30th in the league in yards allowed. They are dead last in pass defense, giving up 301 yds per game.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Up and down group (isn't that the whole team?).
The new PK is Dave Rayner. His only miss of the year is from beyond 50 yds, so he's off to a good start.
The Punter, Jon Ryan, is averaging 47.3 a punt. That's excellent. However, he may be outkicking his coverage. Teams average 13 yds a PR against GB. The net punting avg is only 33.5. By comparison, the Eagles have an net avg of 38.6.
CB Charles Woodson is the PR. He does have a 28 yd'er to his credit, but has been handled other than that.
The KOR is WR Koren Robinson. He's averaging 22.4 a return. And remember, he did go to the Pro Bowl as a RS last year. Opponents average 22 yds a KOR, a middle of the road figure.
LAST GAME
GB beat DET 31-24.
Favre threw 3 TDs and Manuel ran back an INT 29 yds for a TD. The game was the first win of the year for GB. And it was a road win.
Ahman Green struggled running the ball, but did catch 8 passes. He did lose a fumble, as did backup RB Noah Herron.
One of the keys to the passing attack was the protection. Mike McCarthy decided to help the OL by keeping guys in to block. He played a lot of 2 TE's. He had 6, 7, and 8 man protection sets during the game. The adjustment worked as DET didn't sack Favre and wasn't credited as even hitting him.
PERSONNEL NOTES
* A. Green - When healthy, a very good RB. Downhill runner. Runs with a lot of power. Tacklers have to get in front of him. If you come from the side, he will likely run through the tackle. Good rcvr.
* Greg Jennings - Rookie WR from Western Michigan. Very good RAC skills. Not a burner, but deceptively fast. Elusive. Medium build. Quick.
* Donald Lee - Backup TE. Can get down the field. Had a 32 yd catch last week.
* D. Colledge - Rookie LG. The Eagles liked him a lot as a prospect. Played LT at Boise State. Solid athlete and good effort guy, but isn't that big and can be pushed around by strong DL.
* Koren Robinson - Former top ten pick by SEA. He was signed by GB after the opener. Only has one catch, so hard to say how much of an impact he'll have as a WR. Good KOR.
* KGB - Still a good pass rusher. Only has one sack, though.
* Aaron Kampman - Starting LDE. Has played really well so far. Has 4 sacks and a couple of FFs. Not explosive, but has a good motor and will battle on every snap.
* Corey Williams - Leads the interior DL with 2 sacks.
* AJ Hawk - Top ten pick in April has been up and down. I have seen a lot of potential. Plays fast. Powerful LB. Will run through targets. Does have a sack. Fast enough to be effective in coverage, but can be beaten mentally. Still learning his assignments and reads.
* Al Harris - Has struggled a bit this year. Asked for a raise in the offseason, but didn't get it. Some have speculated as whether that has affected his play. Still a good man-to-man CB. Takes chances and can be burned. Has one INT, but it came on a tipped ball. Here's a blurb on him:
QUOTE
Though Harris bounced back with a solid game against the New Orleans Saints, he gave up at least four completions to Roy Williams of the Detroit Lions and had two holding penalties. With three penalties, he's halfway to his total from last season and on pace to top his 12-penalty season of 2004.
* Nick Collins - 2nd year FS. Has good cover skills, but has been somewhat erratic as well. Still learning.
THE GAME
When The Packers Have The Ball...
They should try to run, but may come out throwing. 5 of the first 6 plays last week were passes.
McCarthy really wants to get his running game going, but may look back at what HOU did to us and try to duplicate that. The Texans ran bootlegs and play-action successfully early in the game. And our secondary is a huge question mark at this point, so it would make sense. TEs could be key for GB. They caught 5 passes last week. I could see the Packers using them on PA passes quite a bit early on to help set up the run.
They will run the ball at some point. We've faced this running style (HOU, DEN, ATL) and had mixed results. The big advantage is that Favre doesn't have the running ability of the other QBs who we've faced. The key is for guys to control their gaps and not over-pursue. We did a great job of that vs the Texans. Can't allow cutback lanes.
The Eagles have to get pressure with the front four. I'm sure McCarthy will use max protection against us as much as he can in order to give Favre time. Getting pressure on Brett is crucial. He will throw some bad balls if you get to him. And our DBs/LBs have to make him pay. If a ball is out there, we have to catch it. We have had luck with blitzing Favre over the years. Expect that to continue.
The Eagles must tackle well. Jennings and Driver are dangerous in the open field. And sloppy tackles won't work against Green.
When The Eagles Have The Ball...
The Eagles, believe it or not, are going to throw a lot. The #1 passing offense is going against the #32 passing defense. This is one case where Andy would be crazy not to attack them with our passing game.
I think Andy will still run some in the 1st half, but he will mainly attack through the air. We showed last week that we could move the ball with or without Donte Stallworth. Having him back, though, would be nice.
LJ Smith could be in for a big night. The SLB Poppinga doesn't cover well and the Safeties have been up and down. That might leave a lot of open space in the middle. GB could put Nick Barnett on Smith. If so, expect us to attack the perimeter around Poppinga with Westy and Buck.
I do hope to see us run the ball more and more effectively in the 2nd half. Hopefully Ryan Moats will get more touches this week. He had two carries last week and showed his speed on both runs.
The OL should be able to handle the GB pass rush. If so, Donovan should eat up that back seven. I'm sure the Packers will mix in some blitzes, but Sanders has got to be scared to expose his secondary too much in man coverage.
INTANGIBLES / RANDOM STUFF
* The Eagles have lost 4 MNF games in a row. Ouch.
* The Packers coaching staff has made quite a few lineup changes so far this year. Sitting FB William Henderson can't be something the veterans in the locker room are happy about. Henderson isn't happy, but is taking the high road. I don't know how the team is feeling right now about the moves, but they did win last week and that will give the coaches the freedom to do what they want.
* The Eagles have won four straight against the Packers, and Green Bay has not won in Philadelphia since 1962, a stretch of seven games.
* The Packers have been pretty good at converting 3rd downs (39%) and have played pretty good 3rd down defense (32%).
* They have faked a punt this year. 16 yd pass play worked.
* GB's long run of the year is 16 yds.
This is a game the Eagles should win, but anytime you have a banged up secondary and face a veteran QB, you have to be a bit nervous.