IPBprez
Cheesehead
by Mark Lawrence
PackerChatters Staff
The lowly Browns (30-66 since rejoining the NFL) came to Lambeau field, in what looked like a good tune-up game for the Packers. The Browns, quarterbacked by Trent Dilfer (0-7 in Lambeau field), are perhaps the least talented team in pro football. Their only noteworthy assets would be new wide receiver Braylon Edwards and new coach Romeo Crennel.
Meanwhile, the Packer, coming off a very painful loss in Detroit, were misfiring on all eight cylinders. The part-new secondary continued with their well established inability to play an effective zone coverage. The new linebackers are also having assignment troubles. The new o-line is having problems with pass protection, with run blocking that involves pulling, and with the Packers signature U-71 package. In addition, the Packers are effectively playing without two of their three play makers: wide receiver Javon Walker is out for the year with a torn ACL, and running back Ahman Green is apparently struggling with asthma and is unable to play more than a couple quarters of football.
Romeo Crennel, previously the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, has well established tendencies and put these to good use against the Packers. The Patriots believe in defending run downs and passing downs very differently. For running downs, they favor the 3-4 alignment with seven DLs and LBs in the box. For passing downs, they favor either a 4-3 alignment with 4 DLs rushing the passer, or a quarter package where they rush three, put a linebacker into close coverage, and drop seven into a cover-two zone defense. Crennel's philosophy is clearly that top NFL quarterbacks are rarely phased by the blitz anymore, so he rarely blitzes. Instead, he doubles every receiver and waits for the Bledsoes, Mannings, Roethlisbergers and Favres of this world to make their inevitable mistakes.
If a Reporter can see the basic guideline of Crennel's setup.. why can't Rossley and Sherman prep more easily? You'd think they would see this coming... Better yet, why can't Sherman imitate this tactical... and see how it works..? IPBprez
The listless Packers continued their offensive ineffectiveness left over from the Detroit game for three quarters. With Green unable to shoulder more than a half load, and Walker unavailable to stretch the field, Crennel's job was to stop the run, bull rush Favre, and drop so many men into zones that where ever Favre looked there were two defenders salivating over the prospects of an interception.
The Packers OL continued their poor run blocking, limiting Green to 54 yards on 16 carries, a very pedestrian 3.4 yards per carry average with a long run of 10 yards. This kind of running game will never pull a safety up into the box and free up the middle of the field. One could hope that in time the Packers running game would take its toll on the defenders; unfortunately Green ran out of breath before the defense. So much for a dominating running game.
In pass protection, the Browns said they found looking at tape that the Packers center and guards could be bull rushed. The Packers OL was considerably better in pass protection than against Detroit, but still Favre was hurried and moderately harassed by the 3 or 4 man rush, and his receivers proved completely unable to beat the 7 and 8 man zones for three full quarters.
DOH - even I knew this and yet Sherman NEVER sent in Scott Wells.... ever! IPBprez
On defense, the Packers held up reasonably well. On the last play of the Browns first drive, Packers DC Jim Bates grew frustrated by his DLs inability to reach Dilfer. This frustration was a bit difficult to understand - in the previous week the Browns faced the far stronger defense of the Ravens, and did not yield a single sack. None the less, Bates called for a blitz. The Packers DBs spend essentially all their practice time working on press and man coverage, and seem completely clueless in a zone. Sure enough, when called upon to play a zone behind a blitz, they promptly lost track of the Browns TE and gave up an easy TD. However, that mistake was not repeated for a long time - for the next 40 minutes of football, the Packers defense was able to keep the Browns out of the end zone, and keep the game to a one score difference.
The Packers all but lifeless offense, however, was completely unable to produce points. Their next 6 possessions ended in an interception, a false start / punt, a bull rush sack and punt, 3 and out, an interception in the end zone, and a botched snap and pair of incompletions followed by a field goal,
Most of this time, the Packers bend but don't break defense bent but didn't break, holding the score to a very manageable 13 to 7. Unfortunately, in spite of the earlier lesson, a blitz was called in the late third quarter, and 12 year veteran Trent Dilfer was inexplicably able to pick it up and exploit the Packers zone confusion, resulting in an 80 yard score and a lead of 19 to 7 (extra point blocked).
Fool me once...... Am I right? IPBprez
The Packers offense, after some 8 quarters of near complete ineffectiveness, finally found a rhythm and managed to score a field goal and a touchdown - doubly impressive when you figure in that they had to eliminate the false start penalties, stop the Browns bull rush, and work with no running back (Ahman was all but completely unavailable in the second half apparently due to the aforementioned asthma) and no deep threat WR. In the middle of the fourth quarter, the score was a very competitive 19 to 17, and the game was suddenly looking very winnable.
Then another blitz. They say in the NFL "Live by the blitz, die by the blitz." My response is that for the last 18 games, the Packers blitzing is the football equivalent of playing Russian Roulette with Dirty Harry's .44 magnum. The Packers third blitz on the day resulted in a third Browns TD on the day, another quick pass to the TE outlet receiver and a 57 yard TD. This time we were treated to the sight of 355 pound Grady Jackson being the only Packer trying to chase down the TE. Although Favre was able to marshall up the troupes for another touchdown, it was a case of too little too late.
Absent the three poorly thought out and ill-fated blitzes, the Packers defense held the Browns to 50 yards on 20 carries, and 18/21 for about 200 yards. These are perfectly reasonable numbers.
But three big mistakes, three big plays, one painful loss.
The Packers have proven completely inept at playing zone, which means they are completely unable to blitz. I don't see this as a major problem: it's very difficult to rattle experienced NFL quarterbacks with a blitz package, but the Patriots have shown clearly that it's very easy to stop even Payton Manning with 8 men in coverage. The Packers have more than enough man power to implement this strategy: CBs Carroll, Harris, Thomas, and Horton are quite accomplished at playing the press front end of such a package, and safeties Roman, Little, and Collins should be very adequate to back them up, leaving Barnett to roam the middle of the field for quick runs or outlet passes. It's completely beyond me why a bend but don't break defense doesn't fall back on this very tried and true defense against top notch passers.
Good point - is this just Bates trying to see something from all the wreckage.. He proved that with a similar Team structure winning is somehitng he's used to.. So, is Sherman getting in the way (again)? One wonders..... IPBprez
Next week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rising phoenix-like from the ashes of their post-SB self destruction, come to Green Bay. The Bucs are excellent at playing the cover-2 zones that have historically given Favre so much trouble, and with Green most likely unavailable for 25+ carries the Packers will not be able to wear down the undersized Bucs front four. The outlook for the Packers scoring more than 17 points is poor. Fortunately, the Bucs have a below average passing game, and the Packers are not too bad at stopping the run. If we manage to make it through a game without feeling lucky and blowing our defensive heads clean off, it should be very possible to limit the Bucs offense to 13 to 17 points. The Packers have all the tools it takes to win this game, if they play smart and stay patient.
Griese is better than this guy gives him credit for.. you watch! IPBprez
The Packers also have all the tools they need to lose this game, if they force passes and call blitzes in an artificial panic.
I'm taking my ulcer medicine for this show... better to be calm and sedated ahead of time.... if they win, I can celebrate after it wears off.. :shock: IPBprez
PackerChatters Staff
The lowly Browns (30-66 since rejoining the NFL) came to Lambeau field, in what looked like a good tune-up game for the Packers. The Browns, quarterbacked by Trent Dilfer (0-7 in Lambeau field), are perhaps the least talented team in pro football. Their only noteworthy assets would be new wide receiver Braylon Edwards and new coach Romeo Crennel.
Meanwhile, the Packer, coming off a very painful loss in Detroit, were misfiring on all eight cylinders. The part-new secondary continued with their well established inability to play an effective zone coverage. The new linebackers are also having assignment troubles. The new o-line is having problems with pass protection, with run blocking that involves pulling, and with the Packers signature U-71 package. In addition, the Packers are effectively playing without two of their three play makers: wide receiver Javon Walker is out for the year with a torn ACL, and running back Ahman Green is apparently struggling with asthma and is unable to play more than a couple quarters of football.
Romeo Crennel, previously the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, has well established tendencies and put these to good use against the Packers. The Patriots believe in defending run downs and passing downs very differently. For running downs, they favor the 3-4 alignment with seven DLs and LBs in the box. For passing downs, they favor either a 4-3 alignment with 4 DLs rushing the passer, or a quarter package where they rush three, put a linebacker into close coverage, and drop seven into a cover-two zone defense. Crennel's philosophy is clearly that top NFL quarterbacks are rarely phased by the blitz anymore, so he rarely blitzes. Instead, he doubles every receiver and waits for the Bledsoes, Mannings, Roethlisbergers and Favres of this world to make their inevitable mistakes.
If a Reporter can see the basic guideline of Crennel's setup.. why can't Rossley and Sherman prep more easily? You'd think they would see this coming... Better yet, why can't Sherman imitate this tactical... and see how it works..? IPBprez
The listless Packers continued their offensive ineffectiveness left over from the Detroit game for three quarters. With Green unable to shoulder more than a half load, and Walker unavailable to stretch the field, Crennel's job was to stop the run, bull rush Favre, and drop so many men into zones that where ever Favre looked there were two defenders salivating over the prospects of an interception.
The Packers OL continued their poor run blocking, limiting Green to 54 yards on 16 carries, a very pedestrian 3.4 yards per carry average with a long run of 10 yards. This kind of running game will never pull a safety up into the box and free up the middle of the field. One could hope that in time the Packers running game would take its toll on the defenders; unfortunately Green ran out of breath before the defense. So much for a dominating running game.
In pass protection, the Browns said they found looking at tape that the Packers center and guards could be bull rushed. The Packers OL was considerably better in pass protection than against Detroit, but still Favre was hurried and moderately harassed by the 3 or 4 man rush, and his receivers proved completely unable to beat the 7 and 8 man zones for three full quarters.
DOH - even I knew this and yet Sherman NEVER sent in Scott Wells.... ever! IPBprez
On defense, the Packers held up reasonably well. On the last play of the Browns first drive, Packers DC Jim Bates grew frustrated by his DLs inability to reach Dilfer. This frustration was a bit difficult to understand - in the previous week the Browns faced the far stronger defense of the Ravens, and did not yield a single sack. None the less, Bates called for a blitz. The Packers DBs spend essentially all their practice time working on press and man coverage, and seem completely clueless in a zone. Sure enough, when called upon to play a zone behind a blitz, they promptly lost track of the Browns TE and gave up an easy TD. However, that mistake was not repeated for a long time - for the next 40 minutes of football, the Packers defense was able to keep the Browns out of the end zone, and keep the game to a one score difference.
The Packers all but lifeless offense, however, was completely unable to produce points. Their next 6 possessions ended in an interception, a false start / punt, a bull rush sack and punt, 3 and out, an interception in the end zone, and a botched snap and pair of incompletions followed by a field goal,
Most of this time, the Packers bend but don't break defense bent but didn't break, holding the score to a very manageable 13 to 7. Unfortunately, in spite of the earlier lesson, a blitz was called in the late third quarter, and 12 year veteran Trent Dilfer was inexplicably able to pick it up and exploit the Packers zone confusion, resulting in an 80 yard score and a lead of 19 to 7 (extra point blocked).
Fool me once...... Am I right? IPBprez
The Packers offense, after some 8 quarters of near complete ineffectiveness, finally found a rhythm and managed to score a field goal and a touchdown - doubly impressive when you figure in that they had to eliminate the false start penalties, stop the Browns bull rush, and work with no running back (Ahman was all but completely unavailable in the second half apparently due to the aforementioned asthma) and no deep threat WR. In the middle of the fourth quarter, the score was a very competitive 19 to 17, and the game was suddenly looking very winnable.
Then another blitz. They say in the NFL "Live by the blitz, die by the blitz." My response is that for the last 18 games, the Packers blitzing is the football equivalent of playing Russian Roulette with Dirty Harry's .44 magnum. The Packers third blitz on the day resulted in a third Browns TD on the day, another quick pass to the TE outlet receiver and a 57 yard TD. This time we were treated to the sight of 355 pound Grady Jackson being the only Packer trying to chase down the TE. Although Favre was able to marshall up the troupes for another touchdown, it was a case of too little too late.
Absent the three poorly thought out and ill-fated blitzes, the Packers defense held the Browns to 50 yards on 20 carries, and 18/21 for about 200 yards. These are perfectly reasonable numbers.
But three big mistakes, three big plays, one painful loss.
The Packers have proven completely inept at playing zone, which means they are completely unable to blitz. I don't see this as a major problem: it's very difficult to rattle experienced NFL quarterbacks with a blitz package, but the Patriots have shown clearly that it's very easy to stop even Payton Manning with 8 men in coverage. The Packers have more than enough man power to implement this strategy: CBs Carroll, Harris, Thomas, and Horton are quite accomplished at playing the press front end of such a package, and safeties Roman, Little, and Collins should be very adequate to back them up, leaving Barnett to roam the middle of the field for quick runs or outlet passes. It's completely beyond me why a bend but don't break defense doesn't fall back on this very tried and true defense against top notch passers.
Good point - is this just Bates trying to see something from all the wreckage.. He proved that with a similar Team structure winning is somehitng he's used to.. So, is Sherman getting in the way (again)? One wonders..... IPBprez
Next week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rising phoenix-like from the ashes of their post-SB self destruction, come to Green Bay. The Bucs are excellent at playing the cover-2 zones that have historically given Favre so much trouble, and with Green most likely unavailable for 25+ carries the Packers will not be able to wear down the undersized Bucs front four. The outlook for the Packers scoring more than 17 points is poor. Fortunately, the Bucs have a below average passing game, and the Packers are not too bad at stopping the run. If we manage to make it through a game without feeling lucky and blowing our defensive heads clean off, it should be very possible to limit the Bucs offense to 13 to 17 points. The Packers have all the tools it takes to win this game, if they play smart and stay patient.
Griese is better than this guy gives him credit for.. you watch! IPBprez
The Packers also have all the tools they need to lose this game, if they force passes and call blitzes in an artificial panic.
I'm taking my ulcer medicine for this show... better to be calm and sedated ahead of time.... if they win, I can celebrate after it wears off.. :shock: IPBprez
