The 53 - Packers lose to Bengals on the road

The Green Bay Packers won the toss and deferred to the second half, which means the Packers kicked off to the Cincinati Bengals to start the game.  The Bengals had an impressive opening drive that resulted in a touchdown.  On the ensuing kickoff, Packers wide receiver Jeremy Ross fumbled the kickoff and the Bengals recovered.  The Bengals capitalized on the turnover to go up 14-0 just six minutes into the game.  The Packers followed that up with 30 unanswered points to go up 30-14.  The Bengals struck back with 20 consecutive points to make the score 34-30 (would have been 21 but rookie defensive lineman Datone Jones blocked an extra point) with just over three minutes remaining in the game.  The Packers failed to score on the ensuing drive so they lost 34-30 to the Bengals to head into their bye week with a record of 1-2.

With the quick rundown of the game out of the way, here are my thoughts along with updated rankings to The 53 following the Packers/Bengals game:

The 53

1. Aaron Rodgers (QB, LW 1) 2. Clay Matthews (OLB, LW 2) 3. Randall Cobb (WR, LW 3) 4. Morgan Burnett (S, LW 4) 5. Jermichael Finley (TE, LW 9) 6. B.J. Raji (DL, LW 6) 7. Jordy Nelson (WR, LW 5) 8. Sam Shields (CB, LW 11) 9. James Jones (WR, LW 7) 10. T.J. Lang (G, LW 8) 11. Josh Sitton (G, LW 10) 12. Tramon Williams (CB, LW 14) 13. David Bakhtiari (T, LW 12) 14. Evan Dietrich-Smith (C, LW 13) 15. Brad Jones (MLB, LW 27) 16. Nick Perry (OLB, LW 15) 17. Casey Hayward (CB, LW 16) 18. Datone Jones (DL, LW 17) 19. Tim Masthay (P, LW 18) 20. Eddie Lacy (RB, LW 19) 21. Ryan Pickett (DL, LW 20) 22. Don Barclay (T, LW 21) 23. Micah Hyde (CB, LW 22) 24. Johnny Jolly (DL, LW 23) 25. A.J. Hawk (MLB, LW 24) 26. M.D. Jennings (S, LW 29) 27. Mike Daniels (DL, LW 25) 28. James Starks (RB, LW 26) 29. C.J. Wilson (DL, LW 28) 30. Jerron McMillian (S, LW 30) 31. Mason Crosby (K, LW 31) 32. Mike Neal (DL/OLB, LW 32) 33. Jonathan Franklin (RB, LW 45) 34. Brett Goode (LS, LW 33) 35. Jarrett Bush (CB, LW 34) 36. Ryan Taylor (TE, LW 35) 37. Jarrett Boykin (WR, LW 36) 38. Davon House (CB, LW 37) 39. Robert Francois (MLB, LW 38) 40. Chris Banjo (S, LW 39) 41. Andrew Quarless (TE, LW 41) 42. Jeremy Ross (WR, LW 40) 43. John Kuhn (FB, LW 42) 44. Marshall Newhouse (T, LW 43) 45. Greg Van Roten (G, LW 44) 46. Seneca Wallace (QB, LW 46) 47. Jamari Lattimore (LB, LW 47) 48. Andy Mulamba (LB, LW 48) 49. Sam Barrington (LB, LW 49) 50. Brandon Bostick (TE, LW 50) 51. Nate Palmer (LB, LW 51) 52. Josh Boyd (DL, LW 53) 53. Lane Taylor (G, LW 52)

2. Clay Matthews (OLB, LW 2): After two fairly quiet weeks to open the 2013 season, Matthews put together a huge game with two forced fumbles (an assist from rookie defensive lineman Datone Jones on one of them).  The first forced fumble lead to a recovery and return for a touchdown by safety M.D. Jennings.  Matthews was on the sidelines at the start of the second half with the 10,001 hamstring injury for the Packers in 2013.  The absence of Matthews was felt in the second half as the Packers struggled to contain the Bengals offense.

5. Jermichael Finley (TE, LW 9): I am sure the main game-plan for the Packers was to work Finley over the middle but since he was lost on the first offensive series to a concussion, head coach Mike McCarthy had to modify his game-plan.  We know in-game adjustments are not McCarthy's forte.  Much like safety Morgan Burnett, Finley's stock rose when he was out due to injury.  After dropping a couple balls, backup tight end Andrew Quarless seemed to be benched in favor of Ryan Taylor.  The drop-off from starter (Finley) to backup (Quarless and Taylor) is very pronounced at tight end.  Sure the backups had a couple catches but they do not possess Finley's rare combination of size and speed.  Add in that the Bengals have such slow linebackers and if Finley were healthy, I honestly think he would have had a career day and the Packers would have won by two touchdowns.  That may sound like sour grapes but it just goes to show you how valuable Finley is to this offense despite the Packers having arguably the best quarterback in the NFL and three stud wide receivers.

8. Sam Shields (CB, LW 11): Until this season cornerback Tramon Williams covered the opposing team's best wide receiver.  Starting this season Shields handles that assignment, which shows you how much the Packer value Shields.   Despite giving up a touchdown to Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green late in the 3rd quarter, today's performance by Sheilds against Green (blanket coverage along with an interception) shows that he is a special player.  Despite all the talent the Packers have at cornerback, since Shields is in a contract year, they need to workout a long-term deal with Shields before the end of this season.

15. Brad Jones (MLB, LW 27): I've been very critical of Jones. In fact, before the seasons, I wrote that he has the 4th worst contract on The 53.  My issue with paying middle linebackers is that besides former Packer Desmond Bishop, the Packers have been unable to create big plays from the middle linebacker position.  Jones did his best Bishop impression against the Bengals registering 11 tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

26. M.D. Jennings (S, LW 29): With safety Morgan Burnett missing his third consecutive game, the Packers are still trying to get settled at safety.  The emergence of Chris Banjo has given the Packers three safties competing one position next to Burnett once he is healthy.  A fumble return for TD, a sack, and four tackles allowed Jennings to stake his claim to line-up next to Burnett at safety following the bye.

33. Johnathan Franklin (RB, LW 45): The running back position continues to be the definition of "next guy up".  Last week the Packers lost rookie running back Eddie Lacy to a concussion.  Running back James Starks ran very well in place of Lacy last week but got hurt at the end of the first half against the Bengals, which left Franklin as the only healthy and active running back or fullback.  After a lackluster preseason, Franklin performed well until he fumbled on a 4th and 1 that was returned for a touchdown to give the Bengals a 34-30 lead.  That was ultimately the winning scoreline.  Franklin ran for 103 yards (a touchdown but he broke off a 51 yard run) and caught three passes for 23 yards.  Franklin running for over 100-yards against the Bengals gave the Packers consecutive games with a 100-yard rusher for the first time since December of 2007.

42. Jeremy Ross (WR, LW 40): After fumbling on his first touch of the game on a kickoff return, McCarthy stuck with Ross.  Fumbles in general, let alone on special teams, are inexcusable so luckily Ross atoned for his fumble by properly fielding a kickoff out of bounds to give the Packers the ball on their own 40-yard line instead of essentially the goal line.

There were five guys inactive against the Bengals that if healthy would have been active: Morgan Burnett (S), Jarrett Bush (CB), Casey Hayward (CB), John Kuhn (FB), and Eddie Lacy (RB) while Josh Boyd (DL) and Lane Taylor (G) continue to be healthy scratches.  The Packers suffered three more important injuries against the Bengals: Finley (concussion), Starks (knee), and Matthews (hamstring).

Before today I was super salty about the Packers having a bye week so early in the season season for one selfish reason and one practical reason.  Selfishly, Cheesehead Chick and I are going on a two week vacation to South America in early October.  Somehow our bye week fell even before that trip so I am not going to see the Packers until I go to the game on October 20th against the Browns in Green Bay.  That means after the bye week next week, I am going to miss two Packers games (at home against the Detroit Lions and on the road against the Baltimore Ravens).

The practical reason I was salty about the Packers having a bye so early was that I did not think it would help them rehab injuries since it fell so early in the season but with a number of players hobbled, the bye week came just in time.

Check back if the Packers make any roster moves over the next few weeks before they host the Lions at home on October 6th.  If not, check for a bunch of other Cheesehead sports related coverage.

The 53 - Initial Player Rankings for 2013 GBP

I wanted to rank The 53 before the Green Bay Packers play the San Francisco 49ers on the road to open their 2013 season so that I am on the record with my initial thoughts about The 53.  Just as a refresher, these rankings take into account age, skill, contract, and positional depth.  Going forward, I plan to post updated rankings of The 53 by noon the day after each game.  Not only will I rank the players 1 through 53 but I will write about players whose rankings change drastically from the previous week.  Without further adu, here are my thoughts on a few players from The 53:

The Initial 53

1. Aaron Rodgers (QB) 2. Clay Matthews (OLB) 3. Josh Sitton (G) 4. B.J. Raji (DL) 5. Jermichael Finley (TE) 6. Randall Cobb (WR) 7. Morgan Burnett (S) 8. T.J. Lang (G) 9. James Jones (WR) 10. Sam Shields (CB) 11. Jordy Nelson (WR) 12. Tramon Williams (CB) 13. Evan Dietrich-Smith (C) 14. Casey Hayward (CB) 15. Nick Perry (OLB) 16. Eddie Lacy (RB) 17. David Bakhtiari (T) 18. Datone Jones (DL) 19. Tim Masthay (P) 20. Ryan Pickett (DL) 21. Don Barclay (T) 22. A.J. Hawk (MLB) 23. C.J. Wilson (DL) 24. Brad Jones (MLB) 25. M.D. Jennings (S) 26. Mike Daniels (DL) 27. Jerron McMillian (S) 28. Micah Hyde (CB) 29. Brett Goode (LS) 30. Jarrett Bush (CB) 31. Ryan Taylor (TE) 32. Johnny Jolly (DL) 33. Jarrett Boykin (WR) 34. Robert Francois (MLB) 35. Jeremy Ross (WR) 36. Marshall Newhouse (T) 37. John Kuhn (FB) 38. Mason Crosby (K) 39. Greg Van Roten (G) 40. Davon House (CB) 41. Jonathan Franklin (RB) 42. Andrew Quarless (TE) 43. James Starks (RB) 44. Seneca Wallace (QB) 45. Josh Boyd (DL) 46. Jamari Lattimore (LB) 47. Mike Neal (OLB) 48. Brandon Bostick (TE) 49. Sam Barrington (LB) 50. Nate Palmer (LB) 51. Chris Banjo (S) 52. Lane Taylor (G) 53. Andy Mulamba (LB)

15. Nick Perry (OLB): After rewarding fellow outside linebacker and USC alumni Clay Matthews with a lucrative contract extension during the off-season, the Packers have high hopes that Perry can be the long-term solution opposite Matthews.  As a rookie, Perry showed flashes of being a quality pass rusher despite having to transition from playing defensive end in a 4-3 in college to outside linebacker in a 3-4 for the Packers.  Unfortunately an injury cut Perry's rookie campaign short but as long as Perry can stay healthy, I see him having a big year just by virtue of how much attention Matthews will command.

17. David Bakhtiari (T): Going into training camp the Packers decided to flip each side of the offensive line moving right tackle Bryan Bulaga to left tackle, right guard Josh Sitton to left guard, left guard T.J. Lang to right guard, and left tackle Marshall Newhouse to right tackle.  Unfortunately the Packers lost Bulaga for the year to a knee injury so the offensive line went influx again.  The Packers gave the rookie Bakhtiari a chance to win the job and he has never looked back.  This summer Bakhtiari worked out with Clay Matthews, which could be a big factor in why he has performed well so far.  That said, practice and preseason is much different than the regular season, so it will be interesting to see how Bakhtiari responds against the formidable 49ers defense.

32. Johnny Jolly (DL): Heading into training camp Jolly seemed like a long-shot to make the roster after missing three NFL seasons due to a drug suspension.  I am not sure why expectations were so low for Jolly though, when clean and healthy, let's not forget that Jolly was one of the most disruptive defensive lineman for the Packers in the 2000's.  I am much more worried about Jolly off the field than on the field.  I am worried about Jolly getting into trouble off the field so much that if I were the Packers, I would assign him a "dork escort" that went with everywhere with Jolly in hopes of keeping him out of trouble off the field. Assuming Jolly is fine off the field, I expect big things from him on the field.

41. Jonathan Franklin (RB): The Packers traded up in the 4th round to draft Franklin despite drafting running back Eddie Lacy in the 2nd round.  Franklin had a lackluster training camp.  One training camp does not make a career so luckily for Franklin, the Packers had enough invested in him that since he is healthy, he was a lock to make The 53.  Despite struggling in the preseason, at some point early in the season I expect to see the Packers give Franklin reps on offense despite the fact that he is most likely fourth on the depth chart behind Lacy, Starks, and Kuhn at this point.  Even before Franklin plays consistently on offense, I expect the Packers to give Franklin a chance to return kickoffs.

44. Seneca Wallace (QB): The Packers held a three-way competition between B.J. Coleman, Graham Harrell, and Vince Young for the backup quarterback job behind Aaron Rodgers.  Two days after keeping Coleman ahead of Harrell and Young, general manager Ted Thompson moved in yet another direction cutting Coleman and signing quarterback Seneca Wallace.  All the backup quarterbacks had rough patches in the preseason but in terms of on the field performance I still favor Young ahead of Wallace but there were reports that Young is not the most helpful backup while Wallace has made a lucrative ten year NFL career of being a professional backup so I understand the decision.  Still I am somewhat surprised that the Packers have been unable to develop a quality backup quarterback since Matt Flynn left Green Bay after the 2011 season.  Keep in mind that Coleman and Harrell attended McCarthy's "vaunted" off-season quarterback camp last off-season, which doesn't look like it helped either quarterback very much since Wallace is the backup instead of McCarthy's prize pupils.

Enjoy the start of the 2013 NFL season for the Packers.  Make sure to check back on Monday for my thoughts on the game via my updated rankings.