Since this is a bye week, I decided to go slowly, dig deep and hopefully bring you some in-depth insight on a few things I have noticed. Therefore, I will be breaking my film study into a series of articles over the next week.
Aaron Rodgers:
As I sat down to re-watch the Packers - Vikings game, remote control in hand, I wondered about one thing; Is Aaron Rodgers as good a quarterback as I think he is? The answer, for the most part is YES. The part that still needs improvement may only come with time, but it's definitely missing right now. Aaron Rodgers does not feel the pressure if it's not right in front of him. Then, when the pressure is upon him, in that fateful moment of truth, Rodgers is not yet making the right decision. Yes, there are times when taking a sack is the best thing [...]
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Here are the updated NFL Power Rankings now that the first quarter of the 2009 NFL season in the books.
32. St. Louis Rams 0-4 (preseason ranking: 24)
It’s hard to play football without an offense.
31. Cleveland Browns 0-4 [...]
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The Green Bay Packers running game has taken a lot of hits lately, both on and off the field. Sportswriters, bloggers and fans have all been lamenting the paltry number of rushing yards being gained. I dare to dissent and say it's been "good enough".
Everyone has been criticizing the Packers play calling for running 17 times on first down in the win against the St. Louis Rams. I dare to say that the Packers did a good job with the play calling and were actually very aggressive on first downs. Huh? Don't worry, more on that later.
How can I come to these conclusions, you ask? Well first, you have to spend [...]
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Detroit @ Chicago
Som egood news for the Bears is that Jay Cutler has a passer rating of 110.4 over the past four quarters, and Devin Hester has caught at least four passes in all three games this year. While the passing game is working, surprisingly enough, Chicago can't move the ball on the ground.
Matt Forte is averaging a paltry 2.5 yards per carry. He hasn’t been getting to the second level, which means he hasn’t had an opportunity to showcase his marvelous fluidity.
An [...]
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This weekend I traded in my Green and Gold for the Blue and White of Penn State. Once a year, we will go to a Penn State "White Out" game and put together a real "Jersey" Tailgate with about 40 friends and family.
From Friday night to Sunday morning there is no Packers talk, no TV or radio reports, no internet news or blogs. Just tailgating, Penn State football, and then a great Sunday Brunch at the famous Nittany Lion Inn.
As we hit the road for home on Sunday, usually around 12:30, my thoughts start to wander back to the Green Bay Packers. I know I won't be watching this game on TV, but in my glove compartment is my temporary savior—my Sirius [...]
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Ever have one of those epiphanies that's just so radical you spend the first few days in a soft state of shock, waiting for the new truth to be disproved and for your world to restore its familiar order? Every person's life has at least a few of these epiphanies. (The one we can all relate to is the childhood revelation about Santa Clause.)
I had one of these epiphanies after the Dolphins-Colts game last Monday night. As I rose from my chair and headed out the door to run some postgame errands, I found myself thinking “Gee, running the ball truly does not matter anymore.”
I’ve long [...]
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Click here to read the Week 2 edition of my weekly New York Times feature on the Top 7 Most Noteworthy Things from Sunday.
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To quote Vince Lombardi; "What the hell is going on out here?"
Carefully read between the lines of this quote by Aaron Rodgers after the Cincinnati game: "We need to have a good week of practice. Offensively, our two weeks of practice have been average. We haven't practiced the way we're capable of practicing. Young guys and old guys alike need to focus in a little more in practice and practice like a professional. I'm including myself in that sentence, but we're two weeks into the season now and it's time to grow up and be a pro and practice and play like it. Charles Woodson played his butt off today and kept us in the game, but we need to [...]
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Houston @ Tennessee........These clubs have replaced the Panthers and Jaguars as the two teams most often mistaken for one another. Their only similarity in Week 1 was that they both lost. The Titans looked good against Pittsburgh, particularly in the passing game (which was a result of solid pass protection). The Texans looked utterly inept against a Byzantine Jets defense.
A slow start (0-4) killed Houston last season. It’s never easy to get off the snide on the road, but at least the Texans defeated Tennessee (in Reliant Stadium) last December. [...]
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Now that the euphoria over the Packer's exciting win over the Bears has worn off, it's time to take a closer look at this game. Watching the game live is a great experience, but impressions we develop can be affected by many things. Your own emotions, announcer's comments, too much beer - all of these can taint what you think you're seeing.
As Mike McCarthy will tell you, he doesn't know what the real story is until he "looks at the film." So down to my mancave I went. I fired up the DVR and the HDTV and spent some quality hours pressing the play, rewind and slow-motion buttons on the remote. After [...]
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