Too Many Weapons? Receiver Playing Time

James Jones may be questioning his decision to re-sign with the Packers for the 2011 season as he is 6th in the playing time rankings through 3 games (See Chart Below).

2011 Playing Time: Packers
Player Plays Pct.
Greg Jennings 166 of 204 81.4
Jermichael Finley 159 of 204 78.0
Donald Driver 112 of 204 54.9
Jordy Nelson 106 of 204 52.0
James Jones 38 of 204 18.6
Randall Cobb 36 of 204 17.6
Source: ESPN Stats & Information

I don't know why Jones has been riding the pine for the majority of the season as the Packers definitely made it a priority to re-sign him over other free agents (Cullen Jenkins). It could be his costly drops and mistakes in crucial game situations. Or maybe the other receivers have just looked better in practice. Regardless, I have been surprised to not see Jones on the field more.

As we've seen before, the Packers are only 1 injury away from a backup becoming a capable starter and Jones fits in to that category. There is also the question of how much longer Donald Driver will be able to keep up his amazing pace at the age of 36, in which case Jones would be the logical replacement unless it's Jordy Nelson. But the return of JerMichael Finley, the emergence of Nelson since the Super Bowl, and the presence of dynamic rookie Randall Cobb has put Jones on the bench 81% of the time through the first 3 games.

The Packers are the only team (to my knowledge) where the 6th receiver (including TE) could be a starter on almost any other NFL team. Jones' playing time will be something to keep an eye on as the season progresses. GO PACK!

Update: Bulaga Injury

Coach Mike McCarthy explained that Starting Right Tackle Bryan Bulaga sustained a knee bruise and sprain in Sunday's win over the Bears. The Packers may have "Dodged a bullet" here because on film the injury certainly looked like it could have been season ending. The full extent of the injury is not known as the team doctors will continue to do tests this week.

Although the Packers have not made an official statement on Bulaga's status, I would be surprised if he was able to go against the Broncos this Sunday. If he is not ready, then Marshall Newhouse - who played well against the Bears - will likely get the start. It is likely that we will see 1st round pick Derek Sherrod suit up for the first time in Green and Gold as well. But we hope he doesn't have to get into the game beacuse of injury. Go Pack!

Burnett steps up against Bears

The Packers' pass defense has been absent so far this season and with the season ending injury to Pro Bowler Nick Collins in Week 2, the secondary was looking like it could be the Achilles' Heal for the Pack.

Enter Morgan Burnett! This is Burnett's 2nd season in the NFL and he had a season ending injury that made him miss the majority of last season. Burnett has started 2011 strong, leading the team in tackles against the Saints with 14 and he leads the team thus far with 3 interceptions, two of them coming against the Bears.

I like what I see from Burnett and he seems to be a ball hawking safety that isn't afraid to get in there and make the tackle. I really hope to see more good things from him throughout the season and I think if he can stay healthy that he is going to have a very good career ahead of him.

Leaders of the Pack?

With the upset of the New England Patriots yesterday, are the Packers now the top dog in the NFL?

Since the Packers won the Super Bowl at the end of last season, everyone knew that they would not only be a good team again in 2011, but maybe an even better team with all of the key players returning from injury. The Packers have been projected as one of the top teams up until this point, but after the Bills took down the Patriots, Green Bay looks as if they are the team to beat in the NFL.

Packers Outplay Bears, Move to 3-0

It's always nerve racking for me leading up to the Packers-Bears matchup. Especially the one at Soldier Field. There aren't many things that can slow down the Packers' potent offense, but the bears defense and the crappy field in Chicago seem to do a decent job every year.

But it seemed like McCarthy and the Packers had a great gameplan ready this time to kill the bears...Here are my thoughts:

WHAT I LIKED:

JerMichael Finley - This is the most obvious of anything that we saw in the game. Finley finally showed the dominance we have been expecting of him all season. I expect this to be a trend that will continue and the Packers' offense will only get better the more that Finley is involved in it.

Ryan Grant - Grant put up 89 yards on 15 carries. We had thought up until yesterday that Starks was starting to move into the featured back role for the Packers, but seeing Grant play well is a good sign for us.

Matt Forte - We have agreed all week that the Packers' focus needed to be to stop RB Matt Forte and that if the defense could do that, it would be a W for the green and gold. Forte had 2 yards on 9 carries and only a couple of catches for minimal yardage...impressive.

Morgan Burnett - With the loss of Nick Collins, someone in the secondary needed to step up. Burnett looked great yesterday with 2 INTs. Let's hope this continues.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:

Charlie Peprah - I understand that Peprah is a significant downgrade from 3-time Pro Bowl Safety Nick Collins, but Charlie was out of position, missed tackles, and was the reason for several big plays for the Bears. I expect him to improve, but we are lucky that it didn't result in a closer game or a loss.

Penalties - Thankfully none of these killed us like they did in the Packers-Bears game last October, but there were too many false starts and delay of games. Simple mental errors that can easily be avoided.

Bryan Bulaga - Bulaga's injury raises concerns with our already shake offensive line. Marshall Newhouse is the backup, and while he didn't make any glaring errors that I saw, I have a feeling that if Bulaga's injury is lingering we may be in for some trouble.

Pass Rush - The Pack's D amassed 3 sacks and a few more hits on Cutler, but I was not impressed. With the Bears depleted offensive line, I was expecting Jay to be on his back all afternoon. This needs to improve for the Packers to get to Super Bowl XLVI.

Special Teams - The crazy play the end of the game concerned me, we got lucky with the holding call. But I just don't understand why we would kick the ball to Hester at all. Crosby needs to kick touchbacks every time and Masthay should just kick the ball out of bounds.

All in all, I am very happy with the win and it's great to be on top of the division (in a tie with the LIONS?! Crazy!). I feel a lot better after the win yesterday than I did before. Bring on the Broncos! GO PACK!

Packers - Bears open thread

So far the Pack looks sharp! Good drive for the touchdown to get the game started right. It doesn't look like the Bears can cover Jennings so far and he is tearing their defense up left and right. It's also good to see Finley get a score early, he was due.

Cutler Cry!

I found this picture on BrentFavre.com and I just couldn't resist posting it. I love the hate for Cutler and in the words of the Black Eyed Peas, I'm addicted and I just can't get enough!

'85 Bears to visit White House?

Well, I am scratching my head right now in amazement. The '85 Champion Chicago Bears are going to be visiting the White House, which they were unable to do after winning the Super Bowl 26 YEARS AGO!!!


I shouldn't be surprised. I have been around Bears fans for a long time now and have lived in Chicago for the last 3 years. Bears fans will never forget 1985 and they won't let anyone else forget it either. They need to get over it already, 26 years of celebrating has got to be exhausting! The other thing I have to say is that Obama should really spend his time more wisely. I think he has more important things to do than be a Bears fan. We already know you love Chicago sports, but you're reaching with this one. Enough said...Go Packers! The Bears still suck!

Black and Blue Division about to get all Black and Blue!

This weekend begins the inter divisional play for the NFC North. The Packers travel to Soldier Field to face off against against their hated rivals in a rematch of last year's NFC Championship game, while the Queens play host to the Detroit Lions.

Lions @ Vikings

The Detroit Lions seem to be everyone's Underdog this season. The hype meter is all the way up on the Lions and for good reason. Having Matt Stafford back is step #1. Step #2 was to surround him with the necessary weapons on offense, and right now Jahvid Best is looking really tough out of the backfield and Stafford has one of the top receivers to throw to in Calvin Johnson. If you add a scary defense to the mix, you're looking at a Lions team that should compete for the division in 2011.

I don't like Donavan Mcnabb, I've never liked the Vikings, and I really don't like their chances this week against the Lions. There has been too much turmoil in Minny over the past year to expect much from them. Lets backtrack... Two seasons ago Brett Favre comes out of the tunnel at the Metrodome wearing Purple. They had a great season and were one of the top teams in the league and expected to do great things. 2010 rolls around and Brett gets hit left and right, gets battered and bruised and struggles throughout the season. Brad Childress brings in Randy Moss...Moss does nothing and leaves after a couple games...Childress gets fired. Then the Metrodome roof collapses in the middle of winter, which seemed fitting for the season that they were having. Brett is now gone. Tavaris Jackson is gone too. So the Queens decide that their best option is Donavan McNabb (I'm giggling to myself right now). McNabb is 0-2 as the starter for the Vikings and his only real weapon is Adrian Peterson, but when you only have 1 weapon, its much easier to stop. That being said, I'm picking the Lions to leave Minnesota with an easy victory.

Packers @ Bears

Being a HUGE Packer fan and living in enemy territory is always scary for me when the Packers play the Bears. Its very nerve racking and for some reason, I always am nervous about the way we match up against Chicago.

The Packers defense has been terrible to this point. We have let up over 400 yards passing both games this season and its hard to imagine it getting too much better with Nick Collins out for the season. However, Jay Cutler has been sacked 11 times in two games and the Bears' offensive line is brutal. Combine that with Gabe Carimi being injured and you just begin to see the holes open up. Although the Packers gave a lot up through the air against the Panthers, the defense was still forced key turnovers in the game against the Panthers, and guess what...Cutler likes to throw the ball to the other team. Lets just not forget that our friend Jay has a lot to prove after the way he finished the last game he played against the Pack.

The Bears defense is another story. As much as I hate the Bears, they have a good defense. Brian Urlacher is simply a beast and runs the show for the defensive unit. They run the Tampa 2 very well and every person on that defense is constantly looking to strip the ball (see 2010 Packers @ Bears fumble by James Jones below). Aaron Rodgers is arguably in the Top 2 or 3 at QB in the NFL and has all the weapons in the world to be successful. The only question is whether or not he gets time to throw, and whether or not we can keep from turning the ball over. I think that the Packers Offense against the Bears Defense is the battle to watch during this game. I'm sticking with the Super Bowl Champions in this one, but I have a feeling its going to be too close for comfort.

Injuries

Just a quick update on this week's injuries. Tramon Williams (shoulder) returned to practice yesterday and apparently looked good. It is likely that he will play this Sunday vs the Bears. Huge!

Charles Woodson (foot) and Clay Matthews (quad) were held out of practice yesterday, we are assuming it is only precautionary as neither seems to have a significant enough injury to keep them from playing the division rival on Sunday.

On a side note - Mike and Mike in the Morning will be broadcast live from Chicago tomorrow (Friday, Sept 23) at the House of Blues. Look for one of the contributors to this blog on TV (ESPN2).

GO PACK!

Nick Collins Out for the Season

We've been here before...It's the same story, just a different year and different players. Mike Neal, Tramon Williams, and Nick Collins are all injured. Hopefully Williams will be back for the Bears game. Hopefully Neal can be back before the end of the season. But our hope for Collins is that he can have a successful recovery and be back to pro bowl form in 2012. As of now, Collins is consulting doctors for surgical and rehabilitative options. He is in our thoughts and prayers. Charlie Peprah will start in his place in week 3 and going forward. I hope this is the last post we have to make about injuries this season. Go Pack!

Packers Do Enough Again...2-0!

It wasn't pretty, but it counts. The Packers join the Lions and Redskins as the only undefeated teams in the NFC. That's right, I said Lions and Redskins...crazy stuff! Anyway, let's get right down to it; here are my thoughts on yesterday's game:

THINGS I LIKED

Poise - Being down 13-0 could have caused reason for panic, forcing poor decision making. But the Packers stayed the course and chipped away at the lead and eventually took control of the game in the 2nd half.

Charles Woodson - The Packers' defense has not been suffocating by any means in these first 2 weeks, but the big plays have been made when we needed them the most. Woodson made 3 of them against the Panthers with 2 INTs and a fumble recovery. Looked like the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year.

Spreading the Ball Around - While this is frustrating for anyone who has a Green Bay receiver on their fantasy team, it is even moreso for opposing defenses. There is no way that any defense in the NFL can cover the Packers' 5 receiver set (or the Tight Ends).

THINGS I DID NOT LIKE

Pass Defense - Some of this was caused by playing a ridiculously elusive QB who could make time with his feet and another part could be the fact that Tramon Williams did not play, but it's inexcusible to give up 400+ passing yards in 2 consecutive games.

Running Game - Not to say that the Packers didn't run the ball well, but I don't think that the effective running game was used enough. James Starks is poised for a breakout year if he gets the touches.

Nick Collins Injury - This was scary as Collins injured his neck while attempting to tackle Jonathan Stewart. He was carted off the field on a stretcher. Apparently he is doing better, but his status is still in question and will not be good to have him and possibly Tramon out against the Bears as Collins is Jay Cutler's favorite target.

Cam Newton - This is unrelated to the Packers, but Newton has proved his worth as the #1 overall pick by posting 400+ yards in 2 consecutive games as a Rookie...impressive.

There you have it. My thoughts. Next week will be the bears...hopefully some of our injured guys can make a quick recovery before Sunday. GO PACK!

There..is..your..DAGGER!!!

This is the first edition of The Weekly Dagger here on The Malnarn. For those of you not familiar with the Packer's Radio Network and commentator Wayne Larrivee, every time that the Pack has a play that seals victory, he refers to that play as "The Dagger" because it kills the other team's chances. Yesterday against the Carolina Panthers the Pack let the Panthers keep the game way too close for comfort, but the long pass to Jordie Nelson late in the 4th Quarter was the play that sealed victory in Week 2. And there is your dagger!

Tramon sits out Friday's Practice

News from the Packers facilities is that CB Tramon Williams is sitting out of practice again today. Williams is yet to practice this week following a bruised shoulder against the Saints over a week ago. The Packers have not given much information as to when we can expect Tramon back, but his status for Sunday is still up in the air.

Urlacher's Mother Passes, Expects to Play Sunday

Brian Urlacher's mother passed away on Wednesday, and we here at The Malnarn are sorry for his loss. There has been a great deal of discussion following this topic as well as the question on whether Urlacher would play following his loss.

Urlacher has already returned to Chicago and is reportedly back with the Bears today and is expected to play Sunday. ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" was discussing how professional athletes deal with these situations, such as death of a family member, or birth of a child. The current situation for Brian Urlacher was compared to Brett Favre's historical performance after the death of his Father on Monday Night Football back in 2003, a night that was inspirational and will be remembered by not only Packer fans, but NFL fans for years to come as one of the greatest moment's of Brett Favre's career.

Our condolences go out to Brian Urlacher this weekend, and although we do not wish for the Bears to be successful, we have great respect for Urlacher and hope him the best this weekend.

James Jones is Frustrated

News out of the Packer Clubhouse is that WR James Jones is frustrated not with his performance in Week 1, but with the amount of playing time he received. Up until last week's game, I had thought that James Jones would be the WR to emerge as the #2 guy behind Jennings, but it was Jordie Nelson who continues to shine ever since his great game in the Super Bowl.

I am not sure what the problem was last week, but I expect for Jones to get more involved in the offense this week and moving forward. Lets not forget that Aaron Rodgers outwardly lobbied for the Packers to re-sign Jones during the offseason. He pointing to Jones as a reason that the team was successful and won the Super Bowl Last season.

Justin Harrell's Heir? Meet Mike Neal

DE Mike Neal, the Packer's 2nd round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, continues to battle with injuries. Neal had his season cut short in 2010 because of injuries, and 2011 looks to be just another chapter in the same sad story. Wednesday it was announced that Mike Neal had surgery this week on his knee, which flared up again after participating in practice last week.

Neal was expected to step in and fill the shoes of former defensive end Cullen Jenkins and be an impact player for the Pack. Unfortunately, Neal's career statistics are at a stand still with totals of 3 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble in 2 games played. I hope for Mike's sake, that he is able to get healthy and get a chance to show what he can do in the NFL. 

** Please note that this photo is Mike Neal in his college days at Purdue... there are limited pictures in circulation of him in an actual Packers uniform... for obvious reasons. 

Tramon, Neal, Zombo sit out Wednesday's Practice

Tramon Williams, Mike Neal and Frank Zombo are all sitting out of Wednesday's practice. All of these players would contribute on defense if they were healthy. The main thing that we still need to worry about is Tramon getting back on the field. The Packers secondary would really take a hit if he cant recover quickly from his bruised shoulder.

Urlacher on leave for Personal Reasons

Brian Urlacher is away from the team for personal reasons having to do with his mother. Right now it is unclear as to the time frame of the matter and if he will be active for his week 2 Matchup. 

There would certainly be a huge hole to fill should he miss the game. Urlacher made several key plays in week 1 with an interception and a fumble recovery he took for a touchdown. 

Starks vs. Grant

To begin the 2011 Regular Season, Mike McCarthy and the Packers came out with a true two-headed running attack with both James Starks and Ryan Grant splitting carries. In the first game, the Packers started with Ryan Grant getting the majority of the first half carries and Starks taking over as the game went along.

Ryan Grant finished the game with 9 carries for 40 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Starks had about the same workload and similar results carrying the ball 12 times for 57 yards and 4.8 yards per carry.

First of all, the Packers are the defending Champs. Last season the leading rusher on the team was Brandon Jackson, and now, we not only have 1 healthy and talented running back, but two!! And they are competing for the top spot!! This is great news to me, and aside from trying to figure out which one I want on my Fantasy Football team, I don't care who gets more carries at this point, because they are both better than Brandon Jackson.

After watching the first game, I would have to give Starks the edge, just based on his impressive touchdown run and his strength and size. I think that either of these guys can carry a larger load for the Packers, but one thing is for certain...We are a completely different team with a running game, so everyone else better watch out, because this is a better team than the one that won the Super Bowl back in February!

Tramon Williams Injury Update

It was a scary moment on Thursday night watching the replay of Tramon getting his arm squished in between two players. At that moment the thoughts running through my head were something like this:

"Oh no! Not again. There goes one of our best defensive players and his arm is going to be broken and he will be out for the season."

Well, it turns out that its looking like only a bruised shoulder. We are unsure at this point if he will miss any game time, but Coach Mike McCarthy is scheduled to discuss Tramon's status during Wednesday's press conference.

Also, if any of you are like me and looking for something to take up some time today, check out playerwives.com. Their site provided the image for this post. 

1-0! A Solid Start to a Title Defense...

Packers 42 - Saints 34. The opening game of the 2011 NFL season was nothing short of a thriller. In fact, it came down to the last play of the game where the Packers' worn out defense made a crucial stop on the goal line to bring home the victory and start the season off 1-0. There were a lot of positives in the game, and a few negatives. Here's my take:

THINGS I LIKED-
Randall Cobb - Easily the biggest surprise of the game, the rookie WR out of Kentucky dazzled us all with his 2 touchdown performance. He took in a 35 yard catch and run on a slant (which he admitted after the game was a mistake in that he ran the wrong route) and brought back the first kick return TD for the Packers in over 10 years from 108 yards deep (which he admitted after the game, by team rules, he should have knelt). In spite of these 2 "mistakes", Cobb proved to be another valuable weapon in the arsenal that is the Packers' potent offense.

Aaron Rodgers - Rodgers came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, throwing 3 touchdowns in the first quarter. Granted, he slowed down after that and missed a few throws. But all in all, Rodgers looked sharp and is poised for a great season.

JerMichael Finley - Finley was not as involved as I anticipated he would be, and McCarthy could be easing him back in due to his minor injuries. But when he was on the field, he was impossible for the saints to cover. There is no team in the league that can cover the Packers' receiving corps.

Offensive Line - I will admit that I was concerned about the line going into the season because of the issues I noticed in the pre-season. Even though they gave up a few sacks, I thought that overall they did a pretty good job of protecting Rodgers and opening up running lanes. I believe that they will continue to improve going forward.

Running Backs - It was hard to determine who was the better RB last night. Grant started off the game well, and just when it seemed like he was the sure fire starter, James Starks took over and looked even better. I think that this will cause problems for opposing defenses knowing that they can't just try to cover the pass anymore and will have to deal with the Packers' in 2 different dimensions.

THINGS I DID NOT LIKE-

Missed Tackles - I don't have the exact number, but I'm guessing it was somewhere in the teens. There were several occasions where the defense looked like they were going to make a stop, they were in position, and then bounced off of the ball carrier. This is actually the reason why Tramon Williams is now injured. If AJ Hawk makes the tackle, Tramon is still healthy...This will need to be improved upon if the Packers are going to be successful this year.

Tramon Williams' Injury - The worst part about this is that it could have been completely avoided. We do not know how serious it is yet, but it could potentially have a big impact on the season. Jarrett Bush is a decent CB, but is a significant drop off from Williams. We will keep our fingers crossed that Tramon will be back on the field soon.

3rd Downs - It seemed the defense could not get off the field on 3rd downs. They either missed a tackle or let a receiver get wide open. Granted the saints offense is good and Brees is an elite QB, but elite defenses need to be able to make stops more often than the Packers did last night.

There you have it. My thoughts. It was a great win for the Packers and all-in-all I think the things I didn't like are fixable and will be addressed and improved upon in the coming weeks. For now I am going to enjoy being 1-0 and watching football the rest of the weekend! GO PACK!

Pre-Season Predictions

August is over, so is the preseason. It's less than a week until REAL football starts. So that means it's time for us to make our pre-season predictions.

PACKERS

The Pack return 21 out of 22 starters from the Super Bowl run of 2010. I believe that the loss of Cullen Jenkins will prove to be a mistake, but not a big enough one to lose the division. I predict that Rodgers shreds defenses with the help of JerMichael Finley, the running game is mildly improved (but not substantial), and the defense led by the Claymaker will be top 5 for the 3rd year in a row. Packers win the division with a record of 11-5.

LIONS

I was a believer in the Lions in 2010 and thought that they would finish ahead of the bears until Matthew Stafford went down for the season. This year there is a lot of hype surrounding the defense and Stafford's impressive pre-season performance. I think the Lions are on the verge of making a big splash in the NFL. They have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, but injuries have been their downfall. Even this pre-season they have lost their first 2 draft picks. If Stafford stays healthy, it will be a tight race (but not too tight) at the end of the season. I have the Lions finishing 2nd in the NFC North with a record of 9-7.

BEARS

I think this will be the year that the bears luck will catch up with them. They have historically had a better record than their ability and I find it difficult to believe that they can do it again this year. Cutler will be 2nd in the league in INTs only behind Eli Manning. And the new kickoff rule will kill the bears' field position and take Hester/Manning partially out of the game. Along with an aging defense, I think this will be the beginning of the decline of the bears. Opposing defenses will catch more touchdowns from Cutler than Roy Williams. The Bears finish 3rd in the North with a 7-9 record.

Vikings

The Queens are an intriguing team, but not really that intriguing. The acquisition of Donovan McNabb will bridge the gap between Brett Favre and QB-of-the-future Christian Ponder. The O-line has major problems, and the defense and receiving corps have big question marks. I see the vikings giving up on the playoffs just after midseason and handing the reigns to the rookie QB to gain experience. Last in the division at 5-11.

Those are my predictions for 2011. Make sure you have your brats, cheese curds, and Miller beer ready to go for next Thursday against the Saints. GO PACK!