Jersey Al's Packers Blog

In this installment of Film Study, I decided to focus on one player I get asked about quite a bit – B.J. Raji.  So I went back and watched all of his snaps in the Green Bay Packers – Indianapolis Colts preseason game and here are my observations:

From a personality standpoint,  Raji  hasn’t shown much of a mean streak, and that was my only real concern when the Packers first selected him. From observing Raji, and speaking to people here in NJ that knew him during his high school  years, he’s a “good boy.” Polite, kind, soft-spoken: the type of kid you’d want your daughter to marry.

Of course, that doesn’t translate well to the battlefield known as the NFL. Not to say they are mutually exclusive. There have been plenty of “good guys” who would rip your heart out on the field if needed. Bart Starr, the ultimate gentleman, has been described as such by many teammates. Raji hasn’t shown me that killer instinct, yet.  Read more... (905 words + 6 images, estimated 3:37 mins reading time)

First Impressions from the Green Bay Packers’ preseason game vs. the Indianapolis Colts:

Everyone’s was talking about the D, but I was looking at this as just as big a test for the OL. Can they really protect Rodgers? Evidently, they can.

Sam Shields: Overall, he held his own. As I said last week, he’s already a better corner than Bush. Always near the receiver, always aware of where the ball is and will never get outrun deep.  Welcome to the roster.

Dom Capers mixed in just a smidge of other flavors tonight.

As I mentioned the other night on Cheesehead Radio, Raji continues to get turned around and lost sight of the running back on Addai’s long run. Saw it on other plays, too This is going to be a problem if it’s not corrected.

Rodgers passes to Jones often seem to be a bit off target.  I think Jones surprises him sometimes.  Read more... (391 words + 6 images, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

In this next installment of Film Study, I select a few plays from the Packers – Seahawks preseason game that show something interesting upon review that might have been missed on first watch.

Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers are committed to doing whatever possible to keep QB1 un-sacked and upright. In just his limited preseason action, Rodgers has already shown the ability to more quickly recognized his checkdowns and not hold onto the ball too long. McCarthy, for his part, seems committed to giving the offensive line more pass protection help when needed, something I felt was lacking last season.

On Aaron Rodgers’ first play, 56 yard completion to Greg Jennings, Donald Lee was used in pass protection, and seemingly left to Rodgers to decide how. As you watch the play, you’ll see Rodgers look at Lee, who is lined up on the left side. He then glances to the right and sees the Seahawks have overloaded that side. He looks back at Lee, and most likely calls a protection change. Lee goes into motion and lines up on the right side, where he can help in the protection.  Read more... (739 words + 6 images, estimated 2:57 mins reading time)

First Impressions from the Packers preseason game vs. the Seattle Seahawks.

This thought scares me: Breno Giacomini has looked good against one defense so far – the Packer’s own.

Mason Crosby: Do it when it means something and I’ll lead the “Mason Crosby no longer sucks” parade.

Fo those just getting on the Jermichael Finley “go-to guy” bandwagon (like Pete Dougherty writes about ).  A reminder where you folks heard it first…

Sam Shields will be a better corner than Jarret Bush. He will need time (at least a year) to develop and learn his assignments, but from a talent perspective, Shields is better.

Matt Flynn can be effective if he’s kept to the types of passes he can throw. Just not enough arm strength. I will say, he has shown some toughness and leadership abilities the last 2 games…

Jarret Bush is always the first one down the field on kickoffs and punts, and the first one to do nothing while he’s there.  Read more... (585 words + 6 images, estimated 2:20 mins reading time)

The following are my observations on the Packers – Browns game after re-watching the game with the benefit of rewind and slow-motion:

Bryan Bulaga is an NFL starting lineman. Right now. Bulaga won his one-on-one battles while at guard and at tackle. He also looked noticeably better than Daryn Colledge. Bulaga was a little unsure of himself at guard on a few plays, which is to be expected. But once he found his mark an locked on to someone, they did not get away. I also saw Bulaga do something I haven’t seen from a Packers guard in some time. This was one of my pet peeves last season. In pass coverage, with Wells on the tackle and Clifton taking a blitzing linebacker, as Cleveland sent a defensive back on the edge outside of Clifton, Bulaga quickly slid over behind Clifton to meet the blitzing DB and stop his rush. Simple, effective, and something I just never saw as I would watch the game films last season. I don’t know if we credit Bulaga or the coaches for that, but either way, it’s a very good thing.  Read more... (1284 words + 6 images, estimated 5:08 mins reading time)

While the Green Bay Packers are still in the early stages of training camp, I usually like to pay more attention to the second units. This seems especially true this year, as there aren’t many starting spots up for grabs (left guard and fullback, maybe).

So my interest then turns to who will be called upon to save the day in case of injury to a Packers starter. To that end, I fired up the Family Night scrimmage on the DVR and put the old slow motion remote to use. Time for a little dissection by DVR.

Some observations…  Read more... (823 words + 6 images, estimated 3:18 mins reading time)

Kurt Warner came into the Cardinals – Packers playoff game with the second-best lifetime QB rating in NFL history. Only Bart Starr is better. Did everyone forget about that?

During the Sunday pregame shows on CBS, NBC and ESPN, only one football analyst picked the Cardinals to defeat the Packers (Bill Cowher). Everyone else picked the Packers. 14 out of 15 of the so-called experts were swayed. Swayed by what? The Packers meaningless win the week before against Arizona? The Cardinals lackluster play over the last four meaningless games of their season?

And a host of Packer fans were wrong. The prevailing sentiment in the week leading up to the game was that the Packers would win going away. I kept scratching my head at that. When I predicted the Packers pulling out a close victory (31-27), I was putting on a brave face, but inside, I feared Kurt Warner. In my mind, a close win would be the best case scenario. Packer fans kept telling me it wouldn’t be that close. I wanted to believe, I really did.  Read more... (683 words + 6 images, estimated 2:44 mins reading time)