Turnovers
and penalties marred the start of the 2012 Green Bay Packers' march to
Super Bowl XLVII. We usually only get to see the starters for the first
few series of the game in Week 1 of the preseason. As a result I expected to see sloppy play from the second
and third stringers this week but the first-stringers were the ones
that worried me the most. Here are a few quick thoughts on the Week 1
Preseason game between the Packers and the Chargers:
#1) Player that hurt his stock most: Let's relax on replacing Donald
Driver with the likes of Diondre Borel and Shaky Smithson. I understand
that the shadows were tricky in the Whales Vagina but if Borel and
Smithson can't field balls cleanly on special teams in the preseason
that does not make me confident that they are ready to do it when the
games count. Obviously Driver is no longer a special teams player but
he does everything the Packers ask of him on the field and more
importantly, off the field he is a legitimate veteran presence in the
locker room that the Packers desperately need. You want an indictment
on Borel and Smithson, the Packers had stud returner Randall Cobb
essentially fair catching punts in the 4th quarter instead of giving them more reps.
#2) Player that helped his stock most: With Charles Woodson not in
uniform it gave the Packers a good chance to see what they have at
cornerback and safety besides the mainstays (Woodson, Tramon Williams, and Morgan Burnett). Davon House showed flashes of
brilliance before getting hurt on special teams. If House can stay
healthy (huge if based on last season) and play that well in the regular
season then we might be looking at Al Harris 2.0 not only aesthetically with
the locks and the jersey number but with his play. Casey Hayward was routinely
victimized on defense while House played well so as long as House is
healthy, look for him to push Sam Shields for playing time.
#3) Position to watch: With
middle linebacker Desmond Bishop leaving the game with what looked like a
serious knee injury, only half of the guys that will start defensively for the 2012 Green Bay Packers are set: B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett, Claymaker,
Tramon Williams, Charles Woodson, and Morgan Burnett. Let's focus on linebacker, which looks like the spot with the most uncertainty where the Packers will
most likely keep 10 guys. The only locks to make the roster are
Claymaker, Bishop (assuming he isn't lost for the season), Perry, and
D.J. Smith. Odds are that the Packers keep A.J. Hawk despite his
bloated salary so that leaves eight guys for five spots. There is still
a ton of preseason left but if I had to guess today I would bet Erik Walden, Jamari Lattimore, Terrell Manning, Frank Zombo, and Dezman Moses make the team while Brad Jones, Robert Francois, and Vic So'oto will be cut.
Final Note: I don't know all the in's and out's of the labor
negotiations between the NFL and the NFL referees but Roger Goodell
needs to sort this out well before the start of the regular season. It is
downright crazy that NFL referees are not full-time NFL employees. Obviously Goodell realizes that the referees are
essentially the gatekeepers of a multi-billion industry right? One
way or another the real NFL referees better be presiding over the regular
season games or the product on the field will suffer.
No comments:
Post a Comment