Packer Thoughts

Some Thoughts from the Weekend
By Kevin Pachucki (10-21-14)

You’ve got to hand it to the Green Bay Coaching staff…they seem to be accomplishing what they set out to do, improving every week, and firing on all cylinders. Before we pen them in for the Championship, lest we forget their wins on this 4-0 stretch came over the Bears, the Vikings, the Dolphins, and the Panthers, four teams that barely have have a prayer of window shopping at the jewelry store this season.

Keeping that in mind, here are some things that really stood out in the weekend game that ought to give you some reason to be excited:

• Open-field tackling. As bad as it was against the Seahawks, a fan would expect the Packers to be far from where they’re at now. Tramon Williams, Morgan Burnett, and even Ha Ha Clinton-Dix are wrapping up and putting licks on running backs and wideouts. Jonathan Stewart is no Marshawn Lynch, but it was nice to see great run support when it needed to be there.
• Solid cornerback play in the absence of Sam Shields. I always like Davon House, but he admittedly is a step down from Shields. I think the way he played yesterday was a testament to how much he bolsters a defense that often relies on one-on-one coverage on the outside.
• Utter domination. This is what Green Bay fans expected at the beginning of the season: a balanced attack, lots of points, a backup quarterback seeing a lot of mop-up duty, a much-improved pass rush (despite the Easter Egg sack from Peppers), and turnovers. I realize Scam Newton (Can I trademark that or put it on a shirt?) isn’t anywhere close to some of his counterparts in the league, but the Packers did well. I’ll talk about Scam in the future…save the hate for another date (another shirt!)
• Richard Rodgers is awesome. He’s a tight end…great. He’s a big guy…great. Fans have to be thrilled about the downfield block he threw in the Carolina game to spring Randall Cobb for an additional 20 yards.
• The RBBC approach. I think seeing Eddie Lacy get the yards and notoriety he’s received has really pushed James Starks to a higher level. He’s getting his shoulders square and heading up the field hard. Actually, it would be nice to see Lacy do a little bit more of that.
• And…Davante Adams looks to be a nice addition. He reminds me of Cobb two years ago, when he was breaking out. Or, he’s a Jarrett Boykin now, even though Jarett is in his third year in the league already. I like the fact that this guy can catch in traffic, find seams in zones, and even get some separation on the outside. Being rewarded with two touchdowns is also great (two more than Boykin.)

Next week, it’s the Saints. Lay the points. NO -2. They’re Carolina with a better quarterback, better receivers, and a better corps of running backs. The New Orleans defense might not be as stout, but their offense will more than likely expose any remaining weaknesses the Packers have in their own D.

Other games:
Minnesota Gophers -6.5
Nebraska -17
Minnesota Vikings +3