Jaire Alexander's Safety

[El Guapo]

It sounds like we got VERY lucky on Alexander's safety. From the reports that I read and having watched his post-game interview, this is what I know:

1) Alexander saw Thielen motion and decided on his own, based on Thielen, to run-blitz
2) When the ball was snapped, he realized that it was actually a pass play but couldn't back out of his decision.
3) He got there quick and got a safety
4) After the play, Pettine called him "sneaky" and gave him a fist pump

My thoughts:
- Had Thielen recognized that he was free, he should have aborted his route and turned for a hot throw from Cousins
- Cousins didn't check his blind side, or even notice Alexander creeping up before the play. He was un-prepared to make a hot throw

We would have gotten burned hard by a wide open Thielen, so luckily this all work out for the Packers. It is always interesting to see what freedoms the players do and don't have to improvise. Hopefully Alexander is right more often than wrong!

 

[jon]

True, but this is Kirk Cousins you're talking about.
"Cousins didn't check his blind side, or even notice Alexander creeping up."

 

[Mondio]

it is funny to hear how many big plays were screw ups for or against many times. I remember, barely and with no details LOL, Cobb saying he actually ran a wrong route, but the way everything went down he happened to be in Rodgers line of sight and ended up catching a game winner I think in his first game as a Packer.

 

[El Guapo]

Yup, and Andre Rison switched routes with Freeman or Beebe before Favre unloaded that bombed to kick off the 1996 Super Bowl.

To Alexander's credit, he stayed with it and made something good out of a mistake. Great players, just like great musicians, make the mistakes turn out better than what was originally planned.

 

[thisisnate]

A play like that doesn't happen without someone ******** up... so yeah, some things always have to fall in your favor there.

 

[HardRightEdge]

What it boiled down to was the luck of the play call, play action with the throw progression to the right. Alexander was still 4 yards off the line at the snap. Cousins really didn't have any reason to think Alexander was coming or look his way. Since it was play action and slow developing, Alexender got there with plenty of time.

If anybody screwed up it was the two receivers who saw Alexander coming, either of whom could have at least chipped him. With the progression from right to left those guys were not even primary with time to get into their routes. A chip and Cousins might have been able to at least throw it away.

Whether you call it luck or exploiting a mistake or a combination of the two, you need some of that from time to time. As we say in golf, if you pitch in for birdie it looks the same on the score card as if you hit one stiff.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Bad luck, good luck, whatever luck.....I just appreciate that Alexander got the Safety. I won't list (them all) the recent DB's that have marched through Green Bay that luck had nothing to do with how bad of a player they were.

Anyone notice that the following former 1st and 2nd round picks are Free agents?

1. Ha Ha Clinton Dix
2. Damarious Randall
3. Quinten Rollins

Kudos though to Josh Jones for becoming a starting S for the Jaguars.

 

[XPack]

Says a lot about both Jaire and Pettine. Giving our players freedom to take some risks and make on spot decisions enables them to get these kind of plays in.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Bad luck, good luck, whatever luck.....I just appreciate that Alexander got the Safety. I won't list (them all) the recent DB's that have marched through Green Bay that luck had nothing to do with how bad of a player they were.

Anyone notice that the following former 1st and 2nd round picks are Free agents?

1. Ha Ha Clinton Dix
2. Damarious Randall
3. Quinten Rollins

Kudos though to Josh Jones for becoming a starting S for the Jaguars.

If Sunday's snap counts are any indication Jackson and Burks will heading to Jacksonville next season.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

If Sunday's snap counts are any indication Jackson and Burks will heading to Jacksonville next season.

• Burks: 3rd round pick, in his 3rd year, gets 3 snaps at ILB. Playing behind an UDFA Rookie. He did see some special teams action (18 snaps), but nothing special at all about this guy. When Kamal Martin comes back, he will be the 4th best ILB on the team.
• Jackson: Josh Jones V2.0

 

[swhitset]

Bad luck, good luck, whatever luck.....I just appreciate that Alexander got the Safety. I won't list (them all) the recent DB's that have marched through Green Bay that luck had nothing to do with how bad of a player they were.

Anyone notice that the following former 1st and 2nd round picks are Free agents?

1. Ha Ha Clinton Dix
2. Damarious Randall
3. Quinten Rollins

Kudos though to Josh Jones for becoming a starting S for the Jaguars.

I didn’t realize that Ha Ha was a free agent.... It wasn’t that long ago that the Bears were spreading the nonsense that they got the better safety when we signed Amos.

 

[swhitset]

• Burks: 3rd round pick, in his 3rd year, gets 3 snaps at ILB. Playing behind an UDFA Rookie. He did see some special teams action (18 snaps), but nothing special at all about this guy. When Kamal Martin comes back, he will be the 4th best ILB on the team.
• Jackson: Josh Jones V2.0

I think Jones might actually be better unfortunately.

 

[PikeBadger]

I didn’t realize that Ha Ha was a free agent.... It wasn’t that long ago that the Bears were spreading the nonsense that they got the better safety when we signed Amos.

Still befuddled how Dix was viewed as a 1st round draft prospect. I never saw anything that would lead me to believe he was anything better than a 3rd or 4th round guy. Got to be careful about assessing those Alabama guys.

 

[ARPackFan]

So it was blown coverage and Jaire Alexander got lucky. I applaud his improvisation to make amends but the bottom line is he did not do his job. Hopefully he gets "coached-up" this week because the usual outcome is he gets his a** torched and the offense gets a big play. There have been too many games where Packers defenders have been out of position or did not stick with their assignments under Capers and now under Pettine.

 

[Mondio]

So it was blown coverage and Jaire Alexander got lucky. I applaud his improvisation to make amends but the bottom line is he did not do his job. Hopefully he gets "coached-up" this week because the usual outcome is he gets his a** torched and the offense gets a big play. There have been too many games where Packers defenders have been out of position or did not stick with their assignments under Capers and now under Pettine.

well that could be the way he was "coached up". they all have their keys. They all have different levels of audibles, free lance, decisions to make within a certain play. Probably depends on player, position and function in a defense as to how much or what so not even going to try and ascertain just how much liberty a certain player has.

But he said he read it as a run, which may have been how he was supposed to read it? one thing, the coaches will have to keep that in mind for the next opponent. you can be sure other teams are paying attention and will try to exploit his aggressiveness with a similar look in a similar situation.

 

[GleefulGary]

• Burks: 3rd round pick, in his 3rd year, gets 3 snaps at ILB. Playing behind an UDFA Rookie. He did see some special teams action (18 snaps), but nothing special at all about this guy. When Kamal Martin comes back, he will be the 4th best ILB on the team.
• Jackson: Josh Jones V2.0

Jackson and Jones aren't anything similar, maybe just a little in situation.

 

[Fredrik87]

I was actually half surprised we didn't cut bait with Jackson and keep Stanford Samuel.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Still befuddled how Dix was viewed as a 1st round draft prospect. I never saw anything that would lead me to believe he was anything better than a 3rd or 4th round guy. Got to be careful about assessing those Alabama guys.

I could be wrong, but I think he lacked more in the mental aspect of the game, than the physical. Some of these guys coming out of top programs like Alabama seem to have the attitude of "I have achieved greatness, not much more I need to work at". Basically, they are much harder to coach.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I was actually half surprised we didn't cut bait with Jackson and keep Stanford Samuel.

No doubt in my mind that if Jackson was a late round pick or UDFA, he would have been gone. I think its hard for teams to let go of a high draft pick, thinking that they just need a little bit more time. Someone like Josh Jones made the decision easier for the Packers, he expressed his unhappiness and he was out the door.

 

[GleefulGary]

Jackson isn't bad, he's just an outside CB only, and Alexander and King have those spots locked up.

Jackson really just isn't a fit in this defense. Needs a zone scheme. Should have never been drafted, like I said the whole time.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

So it was blown coverage and Jaire Alexander got lucky. I applaud his improvisation to make amends but the bottom line is he did not do his job. Hopefully he gets "coached-up" this week because the usual outcome is he gets his a** torched and the offense gets a big play. There have been too many games where Packers defenders have been out of position or did not stick with their assignments under Capers and now under Pettine.

The defense gave up way too many plays vs. the Vikings but I have hard time understanding someone complaining about them actually making a great play.

 

[El Guapo]

One of the main problems that the players themselves identified about our atrocious defense in last year's NFCCG was that players were free lancing too much. They weren't playing to their responsibilities and were therefore out of position to stop the run. That is my only concern in the case of Alexander. He made a great play, but I hope that it is not a lucky stroke in a bad line of decision making. I like Alexander and his play, but overall, one of Pettine's main goals in 2020 is to make sure that guys are in position to make plays.

I saw Preston Smith shooting down the line on running plays quite a few times on Sunday giving Dalvin Cook the edge. Mental mistakes are killers when guys get greedy for the big money plays.

 

[gopkrs]

One of the main problems that the players themselves identified about our atrocious defense in last year's NFCCG was that players were free lancing too much. They weren't playing to their responsibilities and were therefore out of position to stop the run. That is my only concern in the case of Alexander. He made a great play, but I hope that it is not a lucky stroke in a bad line of decision making. I like Alexander and his play, but overall, one of Pettine's main goals in 2020 is to make sure that guys are in position to make plays.

I saw Preston Smith shooting down the line on running plays quite a few times on Sunday giving Dalvin Cook the edge. Mental mistakes are killers when guys get greedy for the big money plays.

While I agree with a lot of what you say; I think Jaire made a great play. It would not have been easy for Cousins to get the ball out with any accuracy. And I definitely disagree that our problem against SF was due to freelancing.

 

[gbgary]

the safety worked out as we now know the back story. as great as it was his int was the bigger play and turning point imo.

 

[HardRightEdge]

....the int was the bigger play and turning point imo.

Your namesake had something to do with that.