Packers Pile Up

Desmond Bishop, one of the bright spots of last years defense sustained a knee injury during the game

FINAL SCORE

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 21 GREEN BAY PACKERS 13

Earlier the Packers took on the Chargers at home. By halftime:

• Nick Perry had his first sack (although it was called back due to taunting, which was a bad call by the ref)
• Davon House had a pass breakup and a big hit on a tackle for a loss
• Cobb was targeted a lot, especially by Graham Harrell late in the half during the 2 minute drill.
• Shaky Smithson looked shaky (pun intended) and muffed his first punt return
• Casey Hayward had flashes early, breaking up a pass after jumping a route but also gave up a big gain
• Herb Taylor and Andrew Datko have been getting straight up beat by rookie Melvin Ingram
• Graham Harrell started with a lot of incompletion’s due to bad throws but cleaned it up while targeting Diondre Borel, and his clear favorite, Randall Cobb

In the Second Half:

• Offensive line depth continues to scare me, they seem to be getting consistently beat by rookies Kendall Reyes and Melvin Ingram
• Marc Tyler steps up when Alex Green and James Starks can’t get the running game going
• BJ Coleman shows off his rocket arm, and improved accuracy
• Vic So’oto comes up with a sack
• Anthony Hargrove bats down a pass

Awards and Concerns

Awards:

Defensive Rookie Award: Nick Perry

I have to give this one to Nick Perry, on the second play of his NFL career he brought down Phillip Rivers, yes it was called back by the refs for taunting (bad call) but it still showed his skills as a pass rusher.

Offensive Rookie Award: Marc Tyler

It was early in the second half, the Packers running game had been nonexistent and sloppy, out comes Marc Tyler. Marc Tyler had a slow start but after some time he was picking up chunks of yards at a time. He is definitely a north/south power back, and does not mind contact. He flashed tonight and will need to show some more consistency to continue getting reps.

Defensive Veteran Award: Tramon Williams

Tramon Williams, along with the rest of the Packers defense had a down year playing with a bum shoulder. Williams is looking to get back to 2010 form and showed he still had it when he jumped Robert Meachem’s route and intercepted Phillip Rivers

Offensive Veteran Award: Randall Cobb?

I’ll be honest it was hard to make a choice for this award, the offense could not get it going at all tonight. The blocking was very bad especially from the LT spot. I have to award Cobb because not only was he statistically the most productive receiver with 4 catches for 58 yards, Cobb also stepped up to help Graham Harrell a few times. When Harrell was under pressure Cobb cut his route short so the Harrell would not be hit or lose yards. Later, Cobb ran a nice deep route over the middle and made himself noticeable by Graham Harrell. Although he did not have a spectacular game, Cobb did his job from the slot and made some plays that made me proud.

Concerns (ranked from biggest concern to smallest)

Left Tackle Depth

Don’t be surprised if we draft a left tackle early in the 2013 draft. Marshall Newhouse suffered a concussion and was not able to play, and Derek Sherrod is still recovering from a severe broken leg. So here comes Herb Taylor…yikes. Herb Taylor has potential, I will give him that, but he was not ready to take on Melvin Ingram, an elite rookie pass rusher out of South Carolina. Later in the game Andrew Datko, 7th round pick out of Florida State steps in, ready to battle Melvin Ingram…so we thought. Although Datko put up a better fight then Taylor, he was still dominated by Ingram. Hopefully Newhouse can play soon, and show that he has improved from last year, or Aaron Rodgers will be running a lot this year.

Desmond Bishop Injury

Desmond Bishop went down early in the game due a knee injury. Bishop is one of the most underrated LB’s in the NFL and led the team in tackles last year and was ready for some pro bowl recognition this season. Bishop’s injury is said not to be season ending, but I would like to see him rested for the rest of the pre-season to see some DJ Smith/ Robert Francois/ Terrell Manning action.

Running Back Productivity

I said I would be watching the ground game in the preview, and I was watching it pretty closely. Let’s just say I was disappointed. James Starks had only 1 run that would be considered average, and then had a fumble which he lost. Alex Green got more rushes than I thought but got maybe only 1 or 2 yards a pop. Marc Tyler did come out and impress me with his power running, he managed to get us some nice yards while running up the gut.

Young DB Inconsistency

Draft and develop. The motto of Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy. Tonight we got to see some of the DBs in the developing stage. To describe the young DB’s play in one word: inconsistent. One moment Davon House is breaking up a pass, the next Casey Hayward is giving up 30+ yards through the air. They had their shining moments, Anthony Levine had an interception, and Hayward had some breakups. But they also had a lot of low lights, Jerron McMillian missing a tackle for a loss, Casey Hayward missed a tackle while a receiver entered the red zone, and Morgan Burnett missed a tackle that ended up going for 6 points. With the type of secondary play we saw last year in Green Bay, you would think this would be a higher ranked concern. Right? Wrong. I saw the potential tonight, we have three more games to play in which players will emerge and push for their roster spot.

Roster Bubble Players Making Moves

Erik Walden- Many people are screaming for Walden to be cut, after tonight more people might open their minds to the idea of keeping him as a backup. Walden finished the night with 2 tackles and a QB hit that put enough pressure to cause an interception

Anthony Levine- Tonight Levine led the team in solo tackles with 5, and caught an interception

Vic So’oto- The Packers LB spot is full of question marks, So’oto is trying to prove he is not one of them. Trying to prove himself as a pass-rusher that makes plays in the backfield So’oto finished the night with a sack, QB hit, tackle for a loss, and a tackle.

Anthony Hargrove- Hargrove did not get much snaps tonight, most snaps go to players who will be ready for Week 1, however Hargrove had a heads up play and broke up a pass late in the 4th quarter, if makes more plays like this he could be a pair of fresh legs in the rotation when he’s back in week 8

Daniel Muir- Operating from the NT spot Muir showed some awareness tonight when detecting the screen and eliminating it for a short gain

Injuries

Desmond Bishop: Knee

Davon House: Shoulder

Anthony Levine: Back

Diondre Borel: Groin

Tori Gurley: Groin