Packers’ Ground Game Hits Wall vs. Bears: So What Needs To be Changed?

The week one matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers didn’t show itself to be the high scoring affair most of us thought it was going to be.

As we take an analytical look at the Packers, there is one glaring issue that has seemed to rear its ugly head for the past three years. If it’s one philosophy the NFL teaches, it’s the importance of the ground game.

Without a competent rushing attack, teams are forced to throw more than they should, which leaves the door wide open for turnovers.

You don’t need an Adrian Peterson to utilize the ground game—although it does help—in a way that produces positive results. Without it, there is no play action setup to draw the safeties in, there is little room for proper clock management, and the overall offensive becomes one-dimensional.

For the past three years, the Packers have averaged only 19.5 carries a game; a number that’s more anemic than it is stout. Last night’s opening game was no different, with Ryan Grant rushing only 16 times.

The Chicago defense made good in containing Grant, but it wasn’t as if there weren’t just as many holes for him to exploit—he just simply didn’t get enough touches.

The Bears showed that, if you can stuff the Packers ground game in the early goings, they are more reluctant to abandon it later on; something that needs to be addressed now, before Cincinnati comes rolling into town.

 

The X’s and O’s

The Packers didn’t have too many problems opening up the gaps for Grant, but Grant seemed, at times, hesitant. When the Packers ran off-tackle they had better success, especially when sealing the outside block.

The Bengals—Green Bay’s next opponent—did a pretty good job shutting down Denver’s ground game, but the Bronco rushing attack is vastly different from the Packers. So, the Bengals will have their hands full with a more talented backfield than Denver had to offer.

But all of this will be a moot point if Green Bay doesn’t run more than 16 times.

 

Tweaks and Adjustments

Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, and running backs coach Edgar Bennett must get Grant more inclined to finish through his runs. If you look at the “tape”, there were a few runs where Grant just seemed to stop; something he does often.

Grant must learn to “run through the run” so to speak, and simply finish the job if the Packers are to have a good rushing campaign this season. The offensive line did a good job opening up the primary gaps, but that’s not where you want to hit the Cincinnati defense.

Dhani Jones is a good run stuffer capable of making life miserable for anyone coming through the middle, so a north-south approach may not be favorable. Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga work well at the point of attack, but can be exploited at the line of scrimmage.

The Bengals are a jumpy team. They are a respectable group of players, but tend to be in places where they are not supposed to be—the perfect situation for off-tackle running.

The Packers showed they can get the blocks down to open up the outside road for Grant, and Grant showed last night he is not only healthy, but deceptively fast. Mixing in Wynn, is a great third down option as well, so don’t expect the Packers to change that part too much.

The Packers have a golden opportunity to get Grant’s motor running now, before it’s too late.

If Aaron Rodgers can pass early with success, and the O-Line can block a little better (I’m talking to you Allen Barbre), then Grant can be utilized better, allowing the Packers to control the game and establish the run.

 

The Future of Ryan Grant

Provided Grant remains healthy, there is no reason to think he won’t eclipse 1,500 yards on the ground, and that’s allowing for many games under 100 yards.

Ultimately the more they run, the easier it will be for Grant to achieve such numbers.

In the end, I would like to see Grant with at least 400 carries for the year (a 25 per-game-average), but as history has shown, it will be significantly less than that; a projection I hope I am not correct.

Grant Projections: 350 carries for 1,426 yards and seven TD’s—a 4.0 YPC average compared to last year’s 3.8.

 

For fantasy breakdown of week one’s matchup and a weekly look at the NFC East matchups click here.

 

 

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20/20 Hindsight: When Would You Have Moved On From Jake Delhomme?

Following quarterback Jake Delhomme’s meltdown Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, he reached David Carr levels of unpopularity in Panther nation. Fans and pundits alike are screaming for Delhomme’s head.

Following a controversial contract extension in the offseason, it seems that Head Coach John Fox and General Manager Marty Hurney might be going down with the ship with this one. While it’s possible that the Panthers could cut him in a capless 2010 and not take a penalty, it’s looking more and more like Delhomme’s contract is an albatross.

Looking back, however, it is unclear to me when the Panthers would have upgraded the position, and with whom. In this midrash I am trying to remain realistic. Therefore I don’t see a reason for the Panthers to actually draft Matt Cassel (never played in college) or Matt Schaub (played in a spread zone blocking scheme all through high school, college, and now the pros).

Furthermore, I am going to assume that no one would have realistically wanted Delhomme gone until after 2006. He took the team to the 2003 Super Bowl, led an amazing late season comeback after falling to 1-7 in 2004 amidst a cascade of injuries, and took the team to the NFC Championship game in 2005.

Lastly, I am going to avoid unrealistic moon trades just because we can dream about Peppers + Third Rounder + Dan Conner + John Fox to Indianapolis for Peyton Manning + Dwight Freeney all day.

AFTER 2006

2006 was an interesting year for the Panthers. Jake Delhomme certainly had a drop off from 2005, but he wasn’t terrible by any stretch. That season seemed like a death by a thousand cuts.

The Keyshawn Johnson experiment was a disaster. He was a cancer in the locker room and didn’t perform on the field. His miscue in the final moments against Philadelphia cost them the game in the end zone. A bizarre lateral play by Chris Gamble in the Minnesota game cost them that contest. A busted play against Cincinnati in the final moments led to a Delhomme interception. The team was never able to find their stride and finished a game out of the playoffs.

I don’t believe the quarterback position was a more pressing need following that season than linebacker. Furthermore, I doubt any Panther fans would do anything (draft, trade) that would take Jon Beason out of a Carolina uniform. In the 2007 draft, the best drafted quarterback was Tyler Thigpen.

As far as free agents go, the best quarterback of the class was Kerry Collins. Collins was originally drafted by the Panthers with their first ever pick in 1995. However, he fell out of favor stemming from his alcoholism, rampant racism, and basically quitting on the team. While he’s obviously matured, it would be a hard pill to swallow.

AFTER 2007

Through two-and-a-half games, against weaker competition granted, Jake looked better than he ever had. He was throwing the ball away, making better reads, spreading his passes around, etc. His technique looked better. Maybe he had been pressed in training camp by David Carr.

Now let us analyze the 2008 draft. Most Panther fans would be happy with Matt Ryan at quarterback, but that is unrealistic.

Atlanta General Manager Thomas Dimitroff has said numerous times they were dead set on Ryan with the third overall. Bill Parcells has said numerous times that they were dead set on Jake Long with the first overall pick.

Maybe you can fleece St. Louis for the second overall pick and beat Atlanta to the punch, but that would have been incredibly costly, and would have prevented the Panthers from drafting tackle Jeff Otah and running back Jonathan Stewart. That leaves us with Joe Flacco.

Flacco was considered a massive project coming out of Delaware. The Panthers passed on Flacco to draft Jonathan Stewart who was crucial to their 2008 NFC South crown. Flacco performed admirably in his rookie year, and has seemingly developed under the tutelage of Head Coach John Harbaugh (brother of quarterback Jim Harbaugh) and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron (a former quarterbacks coach), two things the Panthers certainly wouldn’t have been able to offer him.

On top of that, Flacco almost certainly doesn’t start in 2008. He would have had a year to sit on the bench and develop, though it is difficult to say how he would do without Cameron and Harbaugh.

I think this is the only defensible move. However, if the Panthers do this, do they still send their 2009 first rounder to San Francisco to draft Jeff Otah? I doubt the Panthers make the playoffs last year without him anchoring the right side of the line. In retrospect though, I would be much happier with Flacco and Otah than I am with Stewart and Otah.

AFTER 2008

There was not a viable upgrade to Jake Delhomme. The Panthers did not have the firepower to acquire Cutler or Cassel or realistically move up to draft Stafford or Sanchez.

To this writer, it appears that Jake was the best option every single year. Even with the drafting of Flacco, they would not have started him over Delhomme in 2008, and it’s debatable whether he would have been starting yesterday.

The Panthers are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Yesterday, during a post game radio interview, Hurney described it as “…the worst case scenario.”

Maybe it is.

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North Scold: Green Bay Makes Defensive Statement in 21-15 Win Over Chicago

Was Green Bay’s dominating performance in the preseason a mirage or for real?

If Sunday night’s 21-15 victory over the Chicago Bears was any indication, the answer is yes … and no.

Green Bay’s new 3-4 defensive scheme under defensive coordinator Dom Capers proved a success as the Packers harassed Jay Cutler all night.

Cullen Jenkins was a beast up the middle for the Packers, who had little productivity from linebacker Nick Barnett and were without first-round draft choice B.J. Raji. No matter because Jenkins, Aaron Kampman, rookie linebacker Clay Matthews and Brandon Chillar were able to set up camp in the Bears backfield for most of the night.

Chillar and Jenkins each recorded sacks, and the pressure got to Cutler, who looked uncomfortable when flushed from the pocket. Green Bay picked off the Bears offseason acquisition four times, and could have been more had it not been for consecutive drops by cornerback Tramon Williams.

The third-year player from Louisiana Tech made up for his early drops by intercepting Cutler later in the game, but the first pick of Cutler came from safety Nick Collins late in the first.

Following a Green Bay field goal, Cutler led the Bears on a drive deep into Packers territory, but 320-pound defensive tackle Johnny Jolly made a diving, one-handed pick on a screen attempt to kill the drive.

Green Bay, backed up in its own territory, then allowed a sack of Rodgers in the end zone for a safety as Danieal Manning came on a corner blitz.

This was Green Bay’s biggest problem, allowing pressure on Rodgers, who unlike Cutler maintained his composure and was not intercepted. But the Packers offense never showed the dominance they displayed in the preseason, scoring touchdowns on nine of 13 possessions.

Rodgers went down five times and the Packers running game was stifled as Adewale Ogunleye treated Packers tackle Allen Barbre as his whipping boy.

Ogunleye constantly beat Barbre, and dropped Rodgers twice as well as being a disruptive force on the Bears front four. Ogunleye’s pressure led to other openings for the Bears defenders.

Using Barbre to replace solid stalwart Mark Tauscher is just another example of the poor personnel decisions made by head coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson.

The poor offensive line play, as well as a pair of drops from Jordy Nelson and Donald Driver allowed Chicago to remain in a game that Green Bay was completely dominating. The Packers were only able to convert one of Cutler’s three first-half picks into points, and that came when Williams returned an interception to the 1. Grant, who finished with 61 yards on 16 carries, took it in from there.

Another issue that plagued the Packers was penalties, but there were also a couple of really bad calls, and non-calls, that contributed to Green Bay’s woes.

An early late hit on Rodgers by Brian Urlacher, who left the game with a dislocated wrist and is done for the season, went unpunished. But that was tame in comparison to a bad holding call that negated a long Grant run, and a phantom illegal contact penalty on third down that led to Chicago’s go-ahead field goal late in the game.

Al Harris barely shucked Chicago receiver Devin Hester and Cutler threw an incomplete pass to the opposite side of the field. The grazing contact took place right at the five-yard mark, but in one of the worst calls anyone will ever see from an NFL referee, the flag was thrown and the Bears drive was kept alive.

The Packers didn’t fold, instead Rodgers and McCarthy dialed up a perfect third-and-1 play. With a perfect play-action fake to Grant, Rodgers got the Chicago secondary to bite, leaving Greg Jennings wide open downfield for the 50-yard game-winning score.

Harris then had the last laugh as the Bears took over with a minute remaining and zero timeouts. The Pro Bowl corner stepped in front of a slant route and returned the interception to the 11, where all Green Bay had to do was trot out the offensive victory formation to seal the win.

The four takeaways was a good sign from the new defense, which did allow 352 yards of total offense. Most of those came on two long pass plays, including a 36-yard strike from Cutler to Hester in the third. The Packers contained tailback Matt Forte, who managed just 55 yards on 25 carries, and did not catch a single pass.

It was a good win for the Packers to open the season, but definitely left them things to work on as they prepare for next week’s game against Cincinnati, which lost 12-7 to Denver.

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The Biggest Problem for Jay Cutler

Michigan freshman quarterback Tate Forcier found himself, just months removed from taking high school finals, playing in one of Michigan’s biggest rivalry games against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

He was up against a stout defense, an opposing offense that had highly touted QB Jimmy Clausen, and a team ranked No. 18 in the nation, his Michigan team was unranked.

But he took his offense down the field and won the game by throwing a passing touchdown with just 11 seconds left in the game.

On the day, he had 240 passing yards going 22-of-32 with two touchdowns and an interception, leading Michigan to 38 points on the day.

After the game, when asked if he was nervous on the final drive, he said, “I don’t get nervous.”

USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley was off most of his big game against Ohio State, and although he had below 200 yards passing and didn’t throw a touchdown pass, he led the Trojans on their final drive down the field to win the game with about a minute left in the game.

What does this have to do with the Chicago Bears, whom this article is about?

Jay Cutler is known as a stud quarterback. He went to the Pro Bowl last season and threw for over 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns last season; however, that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Over the last three games of the season, only needing one win to clinch a playoff berth, he threw two touchdowns and four interceptions and didn’t have one game with a QB rating over 75. The Broncos lost all three games and missed the playoffs.

Now, being nervous is not always a bad thing, sometimes it can drive you to do great things, but to certain people, being nervous can completely take you out of your game and it can completely ruin any chance you have of doing great things.

Cutler admitted the night before the game that he was nervous, according to Chris Collinsworth. I don’t always agree with Collinsworth (people rarely do), but on this occasion, he was correct and it showed.

Cutler threw three interceptions in the first half of his debut against the Green Bay Packers, a game that was played at Lambeau Field against the Bears’ biggest rival.

He then threw another interception as the Bears got the ball back, down by six points with one minute to go and no timeouts.

After the game, Cutler said, “There were a lot of failures. We’ve got to go back and look at it. I think we’re still going to be a good football team; there’s no need to panic.”

Now sure, Nathan Vasher slipping while playing man coverage against Greg Jennings to allow the game-winning touchdown was a failure, but he played fine throughout the rest of the game, as did the entire defense.

And yes, Patrick Mannelly made a poor decision in calling the audible to a fake punt, an audible that Garrett Wolfe didn’t catch and maybe the Bears win the game if they just punt it.

But the Bears would not be in that position if you hadn’t thrown the ball up for grabs every time the Packers blitzed.

The only touchdown that the Bears allowed before the final big touchdown was on a two-yard drive that was set up on an interception against Cutler.

In fact, the defense allowed only one drive of over 50 yards the entire game, so you really can’t blame them.

Devin Hester had four catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, and fifth-round draft pick Johnny Knox had a big catch that almost went for a touchdown, but guess how that drive ended.

For those of you who thought touchdown, you are unfortunately wrong, as Cutler threw an interception to 325 lbs defensive lineman Johnny Jolly.

Although the interception was extremely acrobatic, especially for a man of his size, the fact remains that he should have recognized the lineman staying back and not thrown that pass.

Finally, Jay Cutler gets his chance to completely redeem himself. One last drive, he can live up to all the comparisons that he used to have to deal with and be just like John Elway.

Go through adversity and come out the other end confident and ready to win the game.

However, on the first play of the drive, Cutler threw his fourth interception of the game, ending any chances the Bears had of pulling out a Week One victory over their hated rivals.

Now I don’t think that Cutler is going to go out there and throw four interceptions a game. I fully expect that he will be able to lead the Bears to a respectable record, maybe even get to the playoffs.

The problem I have is that, when he is in crunch time fighting to save the season, is he just going to wilt under the pressure?

These are questions that should linger in the back of Bears fans’ minds when he is going out there and dominating teams like Detroit later in the season. Yes, he will look good, yes he will have stats, but what will he do when the game is on the line.

The Bears get to come back home and face the Steelers next weekend, and that is an even more daunting task than facing Green Bay, even with Troy Polamalu and his amazing hair sidelined.

The Bears’ offensive line isn’t a great one, and he needs to realize that he needs to make plays or get rid of the ball.

Although he is a very good gunslinger, he is no Brett Favre, and he can’t thread the needle into triple coverage like Favre could in his heyday.

The problem is, Cutler didn’t realize that. He routinely tried to find a covered receiver when he was scrambling outside of the pocket instead of throwing it away.

If he had thrown it away on half of those interceptions, the game could have ended in a much different way with the stellar way that the Bears defense was playing.

Although this may be something for a different story, big props to Johnny Knox and Al Afalava, two late-round draft picks making plays in their rookie season.

As for Cutler, in a sticky situation with having to go against one of the best defenses in the NFL in Pittsburgh next week, and if he can’t prove himself against a stout defense under immense pressure, Bears fans will only have to wonder if he can carry this team through the playoffs.

If we can come to expect big performances in big games out of people fresh out of high school, we should be able to expect a Pro Bowler to hold his own in a season opener, no matter how much pressure is there.

And if Cutler can’t prove himself under pressure, the Bears may be stuck with a great QB who can’t get it done when the spotlight is on him.

I’m Joe W.

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Breaking News: Brian Urlacher Likely Done For Season

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher is likely out for the season after injuring his wrist in Sunday night’s loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Although there has been no official confirmation from the Bears, Lovie Smith is expected to address the issue during hsi afternoon news conference today.

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/huddleup/2009/09/brian-urlacher-out-for-the-season-with-wrist-injury.html

Urlacher’s right wrist is said to be dislocated. According to the Tribune, Urlacher said in a text message that his “season is over.” Urlacher had been scheduled to undergo surgery Monday morning, and it is possible that more extensive damage was revealed at that time.

Pisa Tinoisamoa will also be out at least one game, and maybe more, after spraining the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

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Why Jake Delhomme Makes Me Want to Cut My Ties to His Team and Football

It’s all a blur.

For the first time in my seven-year Panthers fandom, I had a hard time getting pumped up for a home Panthers opening week game. 

I was excited, but mostly because I thought I had kept down my cold enough overnight to be able to go to the game. I would later find out that I hadn’t.

I went through all the motions of a traditional game day. I put on my newest Panthers jersey, a beautiful bright blue No. 52 Jon Beason jersey I got at Fan Fest.

I played the NFL Films music that usually gets me going. I read all the game previews and picks. I even took a long, hard look at the stadium as we passed by it on the light-rail.

No excitement whatsoever. But I was so focused on going to the game that I ignored it.

I sat next to a couple of vocal, funny fans in the upper deck. There were more fans like them all around us. With these folks sitting around us, the game atmosphere was amazing.

Much better than anything I had ever experienced in the lower deck. As a matter of fact, I vowed to never sit in the lower deck at a pro football game again.

If I had truly been into the game (and not sick), the fun of being with the right fans would have been limitless.

The game, however, was a completely different story.

After a solid opening drive that spanned 13 plays and 70 yards, culminating in a nifty touchdown run by DeAngelo Williams, the Eagles didn’t just dominate the Panthers. They subjugated them.

At the end of the first quarter, the Panthers had the lead, 7-3. They still controlled the game. But in the second quarter, the Crumbling Cats reared their ugly heads as the Eagles scored 28 unanswered points.

The pathetic part of this ridiculous imitation of football by the Panthers is that the Eagles’ offense only had to get about 30 yards to score their four touchdowns. Thirty yards. You may be asking if it’s even possible for a team to gain 30 yards collectively to score four touchdowns.

Julius Peppers may be placing the blame for two of those touchdowns on himself and the defense, but the Eagles started the drives at Carolina’s 10 and nine. That’s a razor-thin margin for error. On the contrary, the defense surprised and was easily the Panthers’ best unit.

The Panthers said throughout the off-season that they’ve been looking forward to this game for months, since that dreary January night, and that they really wanted to get that bad taste from that game out of their mouths.

But it looks like they came back the same team the Cardinals slaughtered. Delhomme hasn’t fixed what was keying opposing defenses into him. The offensive line hasn’t figured out how to protect Delhomme.

And Double Trouble (plus Mike Goodson) will do the Panthers no good unless the passing game can keep opposing defenses from putting eight or nine men in the box.

If the Panthers continue to play football as uninspiring as the effort they gave against the Eagles, they will lose fans (even hardcore ones such as myself—or at least what I was) and attendance.

I fully expect that to happen. Carolina plays the Falcons next week. Fox has already announced Delhomme will start. Atlanta does not have a particularly strong secondary or pass rush.

They lost their top defensive back, Domonique Foxworth, in the off-season. Their top pass rusher, John Abraham, is one of the most underrated defensive ends in the league.

He had 16 sacks last year and somehow flew under the radar. The Panthers should double-team him. That could partially solve the Falcons’ defense.

But even then, Delhomme will likely telegraph a pass or two, and then stupidly throw the ball to the spot several seconds after he first locks onto his receiver.

Both throws will at least get batted down, but more likely intercepted considering Delhomme’s lackluster velocity.

Then the defense, as improved as it is over the pre-season, will get run over by the Atlanta Express.

Then comes Week Three at Dallas. The Cowboys may only have an average secondary, but their extraordinary pass rush can make their entire defense look better. Mark my words: DeMarcus Ware will earn his season-high in sacks in this game.

The defense has a slim chance to chance to stop Tony Romo and Co., but don’t count on it.

Even after the Panthers’ Week Four bye, expect their opponents to watch game tape of the Cardinals and Eagles games, which will reveal the secrets to beating Carolina.

I have a couple tickets to the Week Five home game against the Redskins. But I don’t see a lot of improvement out of every facet of the team, I will not hesitate to sell the tickets. Heck, I might not even watch the Falcons game. 

I can use my time for something more worthwhile, such as going to the batting cage to hit. I actually enjoy baseball, and a strong gut feeling tells me I have a bright future in the game.

I think that’s part of the problem with my relationship with football. There used to be realistic goals that the Panthers could achieve. Milestones to look forward to and have fun trying to earn and surpass. 

Back in early January it was winning the Super Bowl. In the off-season it was re-signing Julius Peppers. In August it was making the playoffs. At dawn yesterday it was winning a game.

But not just the Eagles game. Panthers fans still believed their team could win. What goal do the Panthers have their fans believing in achieving now? Losing by fewer than 30 points?

I believe that I can go far in baseball. And I love the game. That’s why I love baseball. And it’s why I used to love football and the Panthers.

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Matthew Stafford Will Get Worse before He Gets Better

That was pretty bad wasn’t it?

Two rookie quarterbacks debuted on Sunday. The Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford, and the New York Jets’ Mark Sanchez. While Sanchez was adequate, Stafford was borderline bad.

Yet, Stafford almost certainly has the higher upside. He may not have shown it against the New Orleans Saints, though.

On Sunday, Detroit’s shiny new quarterback completed a God-awful 43.2 percent of his passes for 205 yards and three interceptions. He targeted star receiver Calvin Johnson 14 times during the game, but only completed three of those passes to him.

The fact is, Stafford has plenty of offensive talent around him, but it’s going to take some time for him to figure out how to use it.

Prized rookie tight end, Brandon Pettigrew didn’t have a catch all game, and only two wide receivers caught a pass. Dennis Northcutt and Derrick Williams couldn’t be found.

There are things to like about him now, such as his big arm that can reach all over the field, and his aggressiveness. However, those could also be weaknesses at the present time, when you factor in that Stafford’s brain hasn’t quite caught up to his arm yet.

Things will click eventually, but don’t count on it happening next week, or the week after that, or for the three weeks after that even.

Stafford and the Lions’ next five games are against Minnesota, Washington, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Green Bay. All five of those teams have quality defenses.

The kid is going to have some very bad games. The Saint’s secondary isn’t exactly top tier in the NFL and he threw three picks to them, what will happen in the weeks to come?

Still, Detroit’s front office absolutely must stick with Stafford. They made the decision to start him in week one and pulling him after a possible 0-5 start would only set him back further.

We can take solace in the coaching staff, which I think is finally the right mesh to get this team turned around. I hope I can still say that by the end of this season.

The Lions must take their lumps and think of the future. That’s the only blessing that comes with going 0-16 during the previous season. There are no expectations for this year other than the expectations of the fans to see the Lions develop a quarterback.

So brace yourselves for more humiliation, it’s coming right around the bend. Keep in mind, though, that good times should be coming in the future.

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Colts Week One: a Little Case of History Repeating

There’s a well known expression about the importance of history.

Those that ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

The Colts nearly lost their season opener to the Jacksonville Jaguars because they ignored history and allowed it to repeat.

The bitter defeat to the San Diego Chargers in the playoffs last season boiled down to the Colts’ inability to convert a third and short play because they couldn’t run to get the first down.

Fast forward to yesterday.

Facing another third and short, the Colts went to the run and came up short. Trying again, the Colts inexplicably decided to run wide on fourth down. Great penetration (or was it poor blocking?) allowed the Jags to stuff the play and get the ball back.

But a funny thing happened on the way to another Josh Scobee game winning field goal (he’s done it twice to the Colts, in Indianapolis no less).

The defense won the game.

Yes, on a day when a vast majority of the crowd inside Lucas Oil Stadium were excited starting the year with a healthy Peyton Manning and his vast arsenal of weapons, it was the defense that saved the day.

The Jags last shot to drive down the field to win the game ended on four very unremarkable plays, punctuated by David Garrard throwing into the turf on fourth down after being pressured by the Colts.

It goes without saying the the game ball went to the defense today. The stat line may say the Colts only registered one sack, that going to Dwight Freeney, but Garrard was harassed throughout the day.

Garrard never had a chance to stay in the pocket long enough to stretch the Colts’ defense. He ended up with a paltry 122 yards on 28 pass attempts.

The defense should also be commended for the play against Maurice Jones-Drew. The Colts’ killer didn’t managed to get his usual 100 yards on Sunday. It’s usually a foregone conclusion that Jones-Drew mauls the Colts’ defense.

Not Sunday.

While Jones-Drew did have one spectacular 26 yard run in the first half, he was held mostly in check throughout the day. And on a warm day where you’d expect the Colts’ defense to wear down, it was Jones-Drew that looked as if the weight of the Jags’ offense was too much as the game wore on. A majority of his yards came in the first half.

Make no mistake. This was an important win, but the Colts have a lot to work on. The Jags, historically, always play the Colts tough, but this is not a very good Jaguar team.

It’s fairly clear that they will go as far as Jones-Drew can carry them…and if the unseasonal heat of Indianapolis slowed him down in the second half, how long will he hold up this season?

Still, the Colts are in the best position imaginable. Week One is done and they have a game lead on the division.

Now that’s a part of the usual Colts’ history worth repeating.

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Lions-Saints: Finding Some Positives

We lost big time to a certain playoff team in the New Orleans Saints.  I like seeing that the coach puts up a front of “everybody sucked”, but is it really that bad? 

Sure, we gave up the most passing TDs (tied) in Saints QB history, we let up a 14-point lead early, and our rookie QB has a rating of 27.4 after a 3 INT-0 TD performance, but there ARE some positives that show this won’t be another 0-16 season.

For that matter, it will be far from it.

Anybody who was expecting an upset Sunday had their heads in the clouds (or a pitcher of BEvERage).  New Orleans had the best ranked offense in 2008 and didn’t lose much from that team. 

Our pass defense was ranked 27th, and didn’t beef up enough to warrant any problems for the New Orleans passing attack. 

I fully expected a loss to come from this, but I was pleasantly surprised at the Lions team that played yesterday.  I saw bright spots that I didn’t see last year. 

I saw possibilities of repeating last year’s mistakes that didn’t blossom.  I saw a Lions team that is no longer the worst team in the NFL.

27 points: The Detroit Lions scored more points in this game than they did in any game last year.  Yes, it is true that some of that was scored by the defense, but points are points.  The most Detroit scored last year was 25, when they took the lead against Green Bay in Week 3.  They were up 25-24 then promptly threw the towel as they ended up getting blown away 48-25.  The Saints defense isn’t great, but I would have given anything to see the Lions score 27 points last year.

Repeating last year’s mistakes: The Lions were down 14-0 very early in the game.  They had just given up excellent starting position to the Saints twice, which the Saints gobbled up like breakfast. 

After the Lions kicked a field goal to bring it to 14-3, they did not give up the third touchdown to the NFL’s top-ranked offense.  Their defense stepped up, I don’t know how, and stymied the Saints for two consecutive drives.

Good special teams play: After the second 3-and-out by the Saints, Northcutt returns the punt 43 yards to put the Lions into scoring position.  This leads the Lions to their closest margin at 14-10. 

After New Orleans widens the margin by another two TDs, the Lions don’t give up.  They recover a muffed punt by Reggie Bush to give the Lions another chance to bring it within two scores. 

They also block a field goal right at the end of the half to keep the margin where it was.

One sack on Stafford: That’s right, one.  For a Lions team that has averaged around three a game for the last couple years, that’s huge. 

The Offensive Line has stepped up their game.  For as much as the Saints were calling for “fresh meat” and “blood” in this opener, they really didn’t get to Stafford as much as they wanted. 

Stafford didn’t look great, but when a team’s down 14, the defense is looking for the pass.  He’ll get hit and hurried much more next week against the Williams sist..err Tackles. 

Zero turnover differential: They intercepted Brees on what should have been a touchdown throw.  I was fearful when I saw that flea-flicker until they panned downfield and I saw that the Lions didn’t bite. 

Last year, there would have been no blue shirts around, but we actually broke up a trick play and stole the ball.  We matched last year’s interception total for the defensive secondary, and I believe that we’ll pass it next week.

Defense showed signs of life: Nice hits by Delmas, an interception on Brees, a fumble recovery for a touchdown. 

While we gave up a fantasy player’s dream, we did show signs that weren’t around last year.  Our defense is better.  Still bottom half, but not the worst anymore. 

Stafford faced the worst situation a QB ever wants to start with: Down seven points off the bat, Stafford was battling from behind the entire game.  Their first drive, where the offense was trying to establish its image, was a bust. 

The next drive, they were now down by fourteen, looking downfield from their own 20.  Stafford did not choke, and led the team down the field to get their first score of the season. He went 3-of-4 for 37 yards, which was not bad for the drive. 

Unfortunately, they could not convert on a third-and-1 and had to kick the FG.  He left that drive 4-of-6 with 41 yards, and no INTs.  Not bad for a start. 

After the Lions gave up another two scores, he had another great chance.  It was a bad call, probably not only for him but the coaches as well.  With 39 seconds to go and within field goal range, the Lions should have been more conservative. 

They needed any points they could have gotten, and they got none.  Personally, I thought they should have thrown a Hail Mary with the last play.  What’s the worst that could happen?

While the second half counts, it should be noted that the Lions were down by three scores.  They made a valiant effort in the third quarter, but in a shootout between a rookie and a Pro-Bowl Quarterback, the veteran’s going to win every time.  It doesn’t matter if the rookie is Matt Stafford or Peyton Manning.

Overall, the Lions played well, considering the opponent and the situation.  If you compare the play yesterday to the play against the Falcons last season, you’ll see the difference. 

They will probably see this situation twice more this year: against the Steelers, whose passing offense is better than ever, and the Cardinals.  They will definitely lose to the Steelers, whose defense is better than the Saints, but they might show a similar tenacity against the Cardinals.

Next week, we see the Vikings in the Silv..err Ford Field.  Last year we lost by two.  At the time Orlovsky ran out of the end zone, I was just glad they didn’t get sacked for a TD (or Orlovsky get hurt).

Little did I realize that it would be a defensive struggle with that being the deciding score.  I don’t think the Vikings improved that much over last year.  The defense is still solid as ever; can’t improve much there. 

The offense picked up a geriatric Farve, who will give enough to keep Jackson on the pine.  I actually see a similar score this year, but no Stafford Safety.  It could be a 13-10 game in favor of the Lions. 

Sure our defensive line isn’t great, but I think our linebackers will help holding Peterson to an average game.  I put more money on our linebackers stopping a great run game than I do the best passing game in the NFL.

Next week’s line will probably be 12 points, the same as the line for this weeks game.  Detroit will cover that, mark my words. 

I’m not guaranteeing a win, but I think this is a great chance for us to shake off last year’s 0-16 record and prove we’re not the worst anymore.

On an additional note: Will St. Louis be the worst?  I actually went through their schedule.  Aside from the Lions, they have Green Bay, San Francisco and Jacksonville as the only sub-500 teams they play this year. 

They might be 0-15 coming home to play San Francisco.  Will they blow it and win a game, or will the Lions’ 2008 season be matched (or exceeded in point differential?)

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Some Random Cleveland Browns Thoughts With One Game in the Books

If there are any NFL schedule makers out there reading this, can you please give the Cleveland Browns a road game to open the 2010 season so they can actually have a better chance to win their first game of the season?

Eleven straight home openers and now 10 home opener losses.

Sunday’s game versus the Minnesota Vikings kind of felt like it was still the 2008 season, didn’t it?

It was only the first game, and hopefully the Browns have gotten a lot of bad out of their system.

Remember back in 2007, the Browns were destroyed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the home opener, but they went on to finish the season an exciting 10-6 and almost made the playoffs, so don’t put too much thought into game one.

Hopefully, Brady Quinn got all the backwards passes and double pumps out of his system, the offensive line got all the holding penalties out of their system, and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll got all the conservative play-calling out of his system.

Regardless, there were a few good things that came out of the game.

 

Josh Cribbs is the best at what he does.

Okay, so he is the new No. 2 starting receiver, but it may take several games for Cribbs to make an impact as a pass catcher, but one thing is certain, he can not be stopped as a return man.

Yes, he made a mistake when he fumbled a kickoff in the end zone then decided to run it out anyway, he should have took the touchback, but made up for it by returning a punt 67 yards for a score.

Let’s just hope the Browns can get him some more money very soon to keep him happy.

 

The defense got four sacks!

They also hit the quarterback two other times for a total of six times they made it to the quarterback.

That is excellent progress!

The only thing that I could see was that when defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan, brought pressure via blitzes, the defensive backfield needs to have tighter man-to-man coverage.

With four sacks in the first game of the season, the Browns defense are easily on their way to attaining many more team sacks than the 17 they had all of 2008.

 

Robert Royal is just an adequate addition at tight end.

Royal was Quinn’s favorite target all game long and ended up with four receptions for 60 yards and one touchdown.

He was able to fight for yardage, he can block, but he did drop passes which the Browns do not need another player doing that at all.

 

Jamal Lewis showed he still has gas left in the tank.

It’s a shame that the play-calling did not favor getting the ball into Lewis’ hands more, since he had a solid performance.

He may not have run for over 100 yards, but he did run the ball 11 times for 57 yards (which is a 5.2 yard per carry average) and caught three passes for 47 yards.

There were moments were Eric Mangini put in rookie runner James Davis with the first team, but after he took a really hard hit, Lewis was placed back into the game.

Davis may have been shaken up not only by that hard hit, but by the car accident he was in on Saturday, but the Browns coaches need to figure out how to get a better running game out of their back and a more consistent play-calling for the running game too.

 

Braylon Edwards seems like he has no clue what he is doing on the football field.

Edwards seems like he is always at the wrong place at the wrong time.

It could be going inside when he was supposed to go outside on his route, or not getting both feet in bounds, or not making enough effort to fight for the ball.

Seems like Edwards just doesn’t have a love to play football anymore.

You would think that he would be playing at a high level since it is his last year on his contract, but he is just playing without any fire.

How long until Mangini gets feed up with Edwards’ performance until he brings in either Mohamed Massaquoi or Brian Robiskie?

If Edwards doesn’t start contributing on offense, his one catch for 12 yards didn’t help, then look for a change soon.

 

The defense needs to tackle.

So Adrian Peterson threw Browns defenders around like dummies in the second half, but you have to give credit where credit is due, and he is an amazingly talented running back.

That still is no excuse for the fact the the Browns could not tackle him.

Just square up and wrap your arms around the ball carrier while hitting the guy as hard as you can.

Everyone needs to practice their tackling for at least 10 hours during this week of practices.

There were some positives that came out of the game Sunday, but the team will need to really play perfect football week in and week out to compete with the better teams in the NFL.

I have read many reports from NFL experts and writers saying that the Browns do not have enough talent to compete in games this year, but in the early 2000s, the New England Patriots won a championship with a bunch of no-name and mediocre players.

There is no reason that Mangini and this team cannot compete with the players they have, they just have to play better as a team.

 

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)

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