Studs and duds Charger game

[Packerlifer]

http://www.packersnews.com/story/sp.../thumbs-up-starks-down-pass-defense/74112290/

 

[yooperpackfan]

Studs: The Green Bay Packers for winning a clunker that they would have lost more times than not over the last 10 years.
Mike McCarthy for getting his 100th win.
Duds: The San Diego Chargers for wasting an historic performance by their quarterback.

 

[Vrill]

It's called "finishing", something in short supply in recent seasons. I need not recount the most infamous example.

For that, the defense gets a "stud".

Finishing is starting to look like a habit.

Yep. For as bad as the D played, they won us that game at the end.

 

[greenandgold]

Don't know if I have any real studs. I guess our run defense, because Rivers had to pass for almost 500 yards just to keep it close. Have to give Randall a game ball there though. Duds of course is the pass defense. Time after time Rivers had all day to find somebody, or have time to throw it away even IF he had nobody open. If we blitzed him to get any pressure there was Gates or Woodhead getting wide open.

 

[Carl]

most of the game unless DTV replay is showing a different game, 2 inside D lineman lined up with 2 line backers, 1 Lineman in the middle with 2 line backers rushing on both sides no 3 lineman at scrimmage rushing like previous games..

Just looking at how they lined up isn't an indication of how many rushed the passer.

 

[Carl]

Personally I would have liked to see an adjustment where our CBs were jamming their WRs at the line with deep safety coverage (or basically the same D the Niners used on us a few weeks back) instead of playing off and turn and running. That's the best way to disrupt the short passing game as you mess up the timing. The safeties take care of anyone who gets beat at the line to stop it from being a home run. The downside is now your LBs have responsibility for a larger coverage area for the TE and backs and can't blitz as much, so I can understand why we didn't come out in that to start the game. But I think it would have been worth switching to this style for a possession or two to see if it could stop them more effectively as a mid-game adjustment.

There were a couple plays early when we were jamming at the line and the WRs were beating us with quick slants.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I think that posters that believe everything is perfect because the Packers won the game are equally at fault as the ones thinking there wasn't any player deserving of a stud grade for his performance during yesterday's game.

There's no denying the defense gave up way too many passing yards but most importantly the unit only gave up 20 points and was able to get the decisive stop at the end of the game. In addition they only allowed 2.9 yards per carry.

The offense scored 27 points which is a pretty good accomplishment in this league in any way but especially considering they were missing Nelson, Adams and Montgomery for most of the game. The unit will improve by hopefully getting some of the injured players back after the bye.

I have to admit that I'm worried about Lacy though. I'm not totally convinced the ankle injury is the only thing bothering him, to me he looks out of shape as well.

Overall, Packers fans should enjoy the team being 6-0 (for just the second time in the Super Bowl era) and while there are some areas to be concerned about the Packers are without a doubt one of the best teams in the league and on a good way to secure the #1 seed in the NFC.

 

[Carl]

I disagree with some posters here excusing Capers from the Dud list. Capers kept blitzing and Rivers tore the defense apart with quick passes taking anywhere from 1.5 - 2 seconds. On this board we always like to dare the other team's defense to blitz Rodgers because we're pretty sure that he'll torch them. That's exactly what Rivers did yesterday and the fault lies in part with Capers for whom a defensive adjustment to play the short pass did not compute.

The defense went from terrible to giving up only 3 points on the Chargers final 4 possessions. Something changed. Whether the players stepped up or adjustments were made, I don't know. Capers defense did change for the better late. As the defensive coordinater, he certainly deserves some credit for that turn around.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Time after time Rivers had all day to find somebody, or have time to throw it away even IF he had nobody open. If we blitzed him to get any pressure there was Gates or Woodhead getting wide open.

Most of the time Rivers got rid of the ball extremely quick. It's close to impossible to get pressure on him in those situations. The secondary for sure didn't do a great job covering receivers on those plays though.

 

[Carl]

After the Chargers got to 17 points with about 9 minutes left in the 3rd, who would have thought they'd only get to 20 for the game?

Good teams get it done when it matters the most.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

After the Chargers got to 17 points with about 9 minutes left in the 3rd, who would have thought they'd only get to 20 for the game?

Good teams get it done when it matters the most.

The Chargers losing Keenan Allen to a hip injury helped out the defense though.

 

[Carl]

The Chargers losing Keenan Allen to a hip injury helped out the defense though.

That's s good point. The Chargers did show they could move the ball without him though.

 

[JBlood]

Overall, Packers fans should enjoy the team being 6-0 (for just the second time in the Super Bowl era)

McGinn had this to say (http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/333923701.html): "The Packers are joined by Carolina as the lone unbeaten teams in the NFC. They also were 6-0 in 2011 before the Giants' debacle in the postseason, but the franchise's other five seasons with a 6-0 start (1929, '30, '31, '62 and '65) all ended with a championship."

Let's hope the Giants' debacle remains the lone outlier of great starts.

 

[Sky King]

All the talk this past week about how the the best Packer pass rush in recent history was going to pressure Rivers relentlessly, especially with the Chargers coming off a short week, having a makeshift O line consisting of a group of rag-tag backups, and them playing on the road...

Stud: Luck (that Rivers didn't throw that 11th hour pass to the RB a couple of plays earlier, when it was wide-open)
Dud: Taking the Chargers lightly

 

[DaveRoller]

Agree with those emphasizing that every win in the NFL is worth cherishing and that the journey to the ultimate goal is a long one.

The Packers' team that played yesterday was very different from the one envisioned 2-3 months ago and I'm sure the team will also look differently once the playoffs start (in both good and bad ways).

I will say this, however, the Pack team that played yesterday would have a hard time winning in the playoffs. Too many 3 and outs on O and too many 3rd down conversions on D = a recipe for playoff disaster.

 

[HardRightEdge]

I have to admit that I'm worried about Lacy though. I'm not totally convinced the ankle injury is the only thing bothering him, to me he looks out of shape as well.

I went back and looked at some Lacy tape from last year and then the SF game 2 weeks ago. I don't see a different player in terms of physical dimensions or quickness. He's always been a big body guy, quick but not fast, 4.65 on a good day.

There's a tendency to think of him as a pile driver, but he's as much a jump cut runner. If he's not confident in his ankle, he's not going to be the same guy.

We're at the point of the season where are lot of guys are not 100%, they go out and give it try, and if it isn't working the coaches have to go to plan B.

I'm reminded of Starks, Mr. Knee Sprain once upon a time, who was in and out of the game day roster, particularly in 2012. In that season, he never looked right, lacking his stock-in-trade explosiveness at the hole.

So, I wouldn't be too concerned at this juncture. We'll see how he looks after the bye.

 

[mradtke66]

503 yards? Seriously? The 20 points is not bad, but if it had been 505 yards..........

I'm not really worried about his yardage total. He threw a metric-****-ton (which is approximately 1.27 imperial **** tons...). 65 attempts. 7.7 yards/attempt.

He got more than I want, but as much as they were throwing, anyone will land some body blows.

 

[HardRightEdge]

After the Chargers got to 17 points with about 9 minutes left in the 3rd, who would have thought they'd only get to 20 for the game?

Good teams get it done when it matters the most.

San Diego had an outrageous 89 offensive snaps. By the time the defense got to those last 4 possessions, they'd already played nearly a full game at 52 snaps.

First and goal at the 3, snaps 86 - 89, stopped.

Stud: Defensive gut check

 

[Carl]

All the talk this past week about how the the best Packer pass rush in recent history was going to pressure Rivers relentlessly, especially with the Chargers coming off a short week, having a makeshift O line consisting of a group of rag-tag backups, and them playing on the road...

Stud: Luck (that Rivers didn't throw that 11th hour pass to the RB a couple of plays earlier, when it was wide-open)
Dud: Taking the Chargers lightly

Upon watching the replay, Randall had Woodhead in the flat and didn't come off until he read Rivers eyes and Rivers started to throw. Randall would have broken it up if it was thrown to Woodhead.

 

[easyk83]

Very ugly performance but i'm not about to sit here and act like we're a 2-4 team or anything. 6-0 and we got room to improve.

Studs:
Starks - The number 1 back in this offense? I still think lacy is banged up and the number 1, but Starks is impressing me more this year.
JJ - can get what feels like 5 yards but still contribute cause he catches TD's
Rodgers - Sometimes he's too conservative, but he improved upon last weeks un-charactistic performance. Not worried about The boss
Janis
Dantone

Duds:
Micah Hyde
Damarious Randall (nice play at the end though)
Shields
Rest of the secondary basically
Lacy

Randall shouldnt be in the dud category. Kid was drafted as a high upside project who wasn't supposed to be more than a nickle or dime back this season yet he's already seized the number 2 cornerback role for us. He struggled at times last night yet he kept competing and made key plays in crucial moments including that final defection. Contrast that with Sam Shields who usually struggles and continues to struggle after making mistakes. I think he was more of a push last night.

 

[Sky King]

Upon watching the replay, Randall had Woodhead in the flat and didn't come off until he read Rivers eyes and Rivers started to throw. Randall would have broken it up if it was thrown to Woodhead.

I'm presuming your first sentence above refers to the 4th down play in which Randall did, in fact, break-up the pass.
The second sentence is referring to the play that occurred two plays prior, correct?

Question: How were you able to determine that Randall had read the QB's eyes on the prior play and, most importantly, that Rivers may have held back throwing to a seemingly wide-open Woodhead for that reason? It appeared to me that both DBs were covering the same player nearby and that Woodhead was left free in the flat either by design or by error. Perhaps, Rivers simply chose the wrong guy to throw to on 2nd down.

To my eye, Woodhead seemed to be more open on the prior play than he was during the subsequent break-up on 4th down. Otherwise, why else go would he bother to revisit that same play if he had determined that the play on 2nd down had already been sniffed-out successfully?

 

[Carl]

I'm presuming your first sentence above refers to the 4th down play in which Randall did, in fact, break-up the pass.
The second sentence is referring to the play that occurred two plays prior, correct?

Question: How were you able to determine that Randall had read the QB's eyes on the prior play and, most importantly, that Rivers may have held back throwing to a seemingly wide-open Woodhead for that reason? It appeared to me that both DBs were covering the same player nearby and that Woodhead was left free in the flat either by design or by error. Perhaps, Rivers simply chose the wrong guy to throw to on 2nd down.

To my eye, Woodhead seemed to be more open on the prior play than he was during the subsequent break-up on 4th down. Otherwise, why else go would he bother to revisit that same play if he had determined that the play on 2nd down had already been sniffed-out successfully?

The whole post refers to the 2nd down play. Randall was on Woodhead and ran to the back of the endzone once Rivers was looking there and started to throw. Looking at screen shots, we can see Randall is originally on Woodhead and doesn't break off until Rivers starts to throw. I have no idea why the Chargers would attempt to do it again. Maybe they figured they could trick the rookie into thinking they'd throw to Gates again.

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[Sky King]

Thanks for the clarification on which down(s). I'm admiring that passing lane. I would not be surprised if Rivers would want have that throw back for a redo. It looks like Randall is back on his heels just as Rivers is about to launch the pass. Had he gone Woodhead's way I wonder if Randall may have been caught leaning back too much. Got to hand it to Randall. Whatever he did got the best of Rivers on that particular play at that particular moment.

 

[Carl]

Thanks for the clarification on which down(s). I'm admiring that passing lane. I would not be surprised if Rivers would want have that throw back for a redo. It looks like Randall is back on his heels just as Rivers is about to launch the pass. Had he gone Woodhead's way I wonder if Randall may have been caught leaning back too much. Got to hand it to Randall. Whatever he did got the best of Rivers on that particular play at that particular moment.

Randall drive towards Woodhead early and as Rivers begins to throw, he changes directions back towards Gates. That's why I assumed Randall was reading Rivers' eyes.

 

[Sky King]

Randall drive towards Woodhead early and as Rivers begins to throw, he changes directions back towards Gates. That's why I assumed Randall was reading Rivers' eyes.

Logical. Good thing he didn't do a pump fake or who knows what may have happened.