Driver Hints at Future...

Donald Driver has been a long time favorite in Green Bay. He went from an unknown 7th round draft pick out of Alcorn State to the Packers' all-time leading receiver in yards and receptions. But as much as he has meant to Packer fans on the field, I feel that he has meant even more off of it. He's the kind of guy you want to root for, the kind of guy you want your kids to look up to, and the kind of guy you wish you were friends with (check out his website here: www.donalddriver80.com).

There has been speculation that 2011 was Driver's last season in Green Bay due to his worst statistical season since his rookie year and the emergence of younger receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Donald himself even seemed to be thinking that way the week after the Packers' disappointing loss in January. But comments he made recently lead me to believe that my thoughts about him are true. Driver is a Packer to the core...

“The organization knows what I’ve done on and off the field, and they want to keep me around as long as possible,” said Driver, WISN-TV reported. “If that means sitting down and taking pay cuts to stay around, then you take pay cuts to stay around. I’ve always said it’s not about the money for me anymore.

“What I’m pushing for is for my legacy to stay around in the state of Wisconsin and around the world forever. So the money’s not a big issue.”

Easily one of the classiest guys in the league, I personally hope that he is able to continue to wear #80 at Lambeau Field, win another Super Bowl, and be inducted into the Hall of Fame having worn the Green and Gold throughout his entire career.

GO PACK!

Last Minute Drive Inches Pack Past Giants - 12-0!

In a game that was the most nerve racking since week 1 when the Packers squeaked one out against the Saints, the Packers managed to pull through and crown themselves NFC North Division Champions. It was a sloppy game on both sides of the ball (but more on defense than offense), but the great teams always find a way to win...and the Packers have the look of a great team! Here's my analysis:

Things I Liked

Jordy Nelson - It's becoming common practice for me to include Jordy on this list. He made spectacular catches when other receivers couldn't hold onto the ball, and is becoming not only one of Aaron Rodgers' favorite targets but an elite receiver in the NFL.

Aaron Rodgers - Anyone who had doubts about Rodgers' ability to lead a last minute, game-winning drive was silenced yesterday. Aaron made it look easy, completing 4 of 4 passing to make it an easy game-winning chip-shot field goal for Mason Crosby.

Donald Driver - The old man can still play the game. He was one of the few sure-handed targets that Rodgers had in New Jersey. And he was rewarded with 2 touchdown catches. The second of which was spectacular!

Clay Matthews - In an otherwise under-whelming defensive performance, the Claymaker was the one bright spot. He returned a beautifully anticipated interception for a touchdown, and had a sack/fumble that the Packers recovered at the end of the 1st half to stifle a NYG drive.

Things I Did Not Like

Defense - Wow are they bad!!! I can't believe the Packers have won any games, much less 12 with such a pitiful defense! They can't stop the pass, they can't stop the run, and they can't tackle! It's pretty amazing to watch.

Offensive Line - Granted the Giants have one of the best defensive lines in football and the packers are playing 2 players with less than 10 games of experience on the line, but the showing was not very good. There were no holes for the running backs to run through, and Rodgers was under duress the whole game.

Mason Crosby - I know that Crosby kicked the game winner and that he hasn't had to kick many meaningful field goals this year, but the missed 47-yarder at the end of the 1st half was very makeable and Crosby needs to make that for a few reasons. #1 - it gives the packers more of a cushion going into the 2nd half. #2 - it gives the packers the momentum of being the last to score. and #3 - he's getting paid to make those field goals.

Dropped Passes - Jermichael Finley was awesome and terrible. He had some big catches and good plays and some key drops that killed us. Greg Jennings dropped a couple of key passes as well (I was surprised they ruled the 4th quarter touchdown a catch), and i believe the final total was 6 drops for the whole crew. Unacceptable.

There you have it, my thoughts. Overall, the offense was sufficient. Rodgers posted his first game of the season with a QB rating under 110 (106.2), but I put the blame on the receivers and the o-line for that. I liked Clay's intensity on defense, but the rest of the unit was lacking. I'd especially like to see BJ Raji turn it up a notch. Next up, the Oakland Raiders at Lambeau. GO PACK!

Packers Do Enough to Squeak Past Bucs...10-0 and counting...

Thankfully, ugly wins count. It's the mark of a good team. When everything seems to go wrong and you still come away with a victory. The Packers did not look like an undefeated team yesterday against a sub-par Buccaneers squad, but a win is a win and the Pack are 1 step closer to making the playoffs. Here's my analysis:

Things I Liked

Jordy Nelson - He is becoming an excellent receiver, and just makes it that much harder for teams to defend the undefendable Packers' offense. I wish I had drafted him on my fantasy team.

BJ Raji - Raji didn't do anything special on Defense that I noticed. But it was fun to see him plow through the line on a 1 yard TD plunge for his 2nd career touchdown.

Tim Masthay - Masthay fumbled twice on the same play without being touched...normally this would be a bad thing. But anytime your punter scrambles for a 1st down rather than getting a punt blocked, it's a good thing. I laughed out loud, shook my head, and was happy when it happened. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.

Donald Driver - Driver has quietly been having a solid season and is still an integral part of our offense. Didn't do anything spectacular, but had a few key catches that went relatively unnoticed. I think he deserves the credit for them.

Tramon Wiliams - Tramon came up with 2 Interceptions against the Bucs, making his season total 4. His 2nd also sealed the game for the Pack. As bad as this defense is, they seem to come up with a big play everytime it's needed.

Things I Did Not Like

Aaron Rodgers - Rodgers looked flustered and off target for a lot of the game. Granted he still threw for 299 yards and 3 TDs, but he also threw a costly INT. And when our defense plays that badly we can't afford for him to look bad at all.

Defense, defense, DEFENSE!!! - The defense was just flat out BAD. There is no excuse for there to be a wide open receiver on every play or for LeGarrett Blount to break 6 tackles and run for a 50+ yard TD. I keep expecting improvement, but it's just not happening.

Hopefully the defense comes to play on Thursday against the Lions. Happy Thanksgiving and GO PACK!

And Then There was One...Packers are 6-0

After a slow start, the Packers showed that they were the superior team in the 2nd quarter with 3 Aaron Rodgers Touchdown passes. The second half was quiet, leaving the final score at 24-3. Granted, the Rams have not won a game yet this season, so this is not really considered a big win. But every game is important, and this is a conference win that could end up being important in the seeding at the end of the season. Here is my game analysis:

Things I Liked

No Huddle Offense - The Packers' offense just seems to get better and become more complex every week. The no-huddle gives opposing defenses yet another thing to worry about when preparing for the most potent offense in the NFL.

Linebackers - Clay and the rest of the Packers' linebacking corps looked very good on Sunday against the Rams. Bradford was under duress for a majority of the game and Clay Matthews looked the best that I had seen him all season.

Scoring Defense - The D kept the Rams out of the end zone and gave up 2 field goal attempts (only 1 was successful). Bend but don't break has been how the defense has been described this season. I think that is accurate.

Things I Did Not Like

Dropped Passes - I noticed drops by at least 3 receivers on Sunday. Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, and Greg Jennings all dropped passes that hit them in the hands. Jordy's was on a 3rd down, and Jennings' drop resulted in an INT. We can afford to make these mistakes against the Rams, but when we face a legitimate team these situations could be the difference between a win and a loss.

Defense - The defense gave up over 400 yards again yesterday. This is not acceptable. Even though the Rams only put up 3 points, I would like to see the Defense show a little bit more pride in themselves and learn to wrap up and not miss tackles.

AJ Hawk - It was unacceptable to see Hawk's obscene gesture on the field after a first quarter sack on Sam Bradford. He needs to realize that he is on TV and he can't act however he wants. Apparently he will not be fined, although I think he should be.

Not much else to say here, the Packers were the better team from start to finish. Next week the Pack will be in Minneapolis to take on the Vikings. Will we see Christian Ponder make his first NFL start? More to come...GO PACK!

"We Can Only Beat Us." Packers reach 5-0...

Donald Driver made the statement after the game on Sunday night that there is only one team capable of beating the undefeated Green Bay Packers...and it's themselves. I agree with this statement and I believe it was a true statement in 2010 as well. When the Packers play the way they are capable, there is no team in the NFL that can beat them.

The Packers moved to 5-0 with a 29-14 win over the Atlanta Falcons last night. It started off rough, but the Pack stayed the course and came up with a big win. Here are my thoughts on the game:

Things I Liked

Defense - The defense finally made the kind of impact we had been hoping they would all year. I would still like to see more pressure on the QB and for Capers to use Clay Matthews in more of a variety of looks. But all in all it was good to see the defense pick it up after giving up 2 quick scores.

Receivers - Rodgers hit 12 of them, tying a Packers' record. Nobody can defend the Packers' passing attack.

Marshall Newhouse & Derek Sherrod - The 2 young tackles were thrust into active duty with injuries to Bulaga and Clifton. I was more impressed with Newhouse who started the game at Right Tackle and then when Clifton went down shifted to Left to allow Sherrod to take over the Right. Rodgers was sacked 3 times after Clifton went out, but all 3 came from interior pressure.

Poise - Being down 14 points is nerve racking. But the team and coaching staff remained calm, stuck with the game plan, and came out on top. It's great to see our team playing with confidence.

Things I Did Not Like

Dropped Passes - Jermichael Finley dropped 2 big-time passes. 1 for a Touchdown and the other for a 3rd down conversion. The 3rd down conversion is less of an issue because he was hit by 2 defenders, nevertheless he still should have made the catch. He redeemed himself with a big catch in the 4th quarter, but it would have been nice to be winning at half time.

Slow Start - The defense missed tackles and assignments, and Ryan Grant fumbled on the first drive of the game putting the Pack in a 14-0 hole. Thankfully this did not ultimately affect the result of the game.

Clifton Injury - The fill-ins were satisfactory at Tackle last night, but it makes me nervous to think that they could be our starters for the remainder of the season. Will Bulaga play Left Tackle when he returns, or will we keep Newhouse at that spot? More on this in the days to come.

Ultimately, I am very happy with the win against a very good team at their stadium. Tune in tonight to find out of the Lions can beat the Bears and remain atop the division (and league) with the Packers. Go Pack!

Jordy Nelson - #2 WR??

The Packers gave Jordy Nelson a contract extension this week, making him a higher paid WR than James Jones. Nelson has certainly made more of an impact on the field this season and is seeing much more playing time than Jones. All signs are pointing to Jordy replacing Donald Driver as the #2 WR on the roster, especially after Driver tweaked his knee Sunday against the Broncos.

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!