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"They're kicking this thing off on Sunday, and (Spitz and Moll) are going to be playing. That's the way we're going."
One advantage of the zone-blocking scheme is temporary double-teams are a staple, so rarely will Spitz and Moll be left to block one-on-one at the point of attack. They also have a center who's had a good training camp in Scott Wells.
"You can get a guy off on an aiming point," said Joe Philbin, the Packers' offensive line coach, "and 80 percent of the time, 90 percent of the time, somebody else is coming to protect your behind enough so you have that chance to come off the ball. (But) you still have to block. Even though you have that initial help, you've got to get your pads down and play with good fundamentals."
"Making the decision (to start Moll) early is important," McCarthy said. "You'd really like to make it earlier, you think, 'Gosh, I could have had two more weeks (of the starters practicing together). That's the situation we're in, and they're responding and they're continuing to get better. You have the cards you're dealt, and (if) you're able to go play them, then it's our job to get it done."
It's hard to envision the Packers scoring many points against this defense this early in the season, especially because McCarthy will have to accommodate the experience limitations of Spitz and Moll in his game plan and play calling. Chicago isn't a dynamic offense, so avoiding major mistakes probably will be more important than scoring.
McCarthy and Jagodzinski have preached all offseason that they'll run the ball even when the run isn't working, so the entire offense doesn't fall on Favre. The Packers averaged only 3.3 yards per carry in the preseason, but the regular season is an entirely different animal, with the extensive game planning and regular work of the starters together in practice.
Spitz came as the most NFL-ready of the three offensive linemen the Packers drafted — second-round pick Colledge was the other — because of his unusually advanced technical skills using his hands. He opened training camp as the starter at right guard but moved to the left side when Colledge was demoted.
Moll got his shot at a starting job by holding his own at right tackle against San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman in the preseason opener.
"I know Spitz kind of has a veteran mind-set already," Wells said. "He doesn't get rattled, so I'm not worried about him. Tony Moll, he's coming along well, also. As long as we're all on the same page and communicating, we'll be all right."
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I can't wait~!
"They're kicking this thing off on Sunday, and (Spitz and Moll) are going to be playing. That's the way we're going."
One advantage of the zone-blocking scheme is temporary double-teams are a staple, so rarely will Spitz and Moll be left to block one-on-one at the point of attack. They also have a center who's had a good training camp in Scott Wells.
"You can get a guy off on an aiming point," said Joe Philbin, the Packers' offensive line coach, "and 80 percent of the time, 90 percent of the time, somebody else is coming to protect your behind enough so you have that chance to come off the ball. (But) you still have to block. Even though you have that initial help, you've got to get your pads down and play with good fundamentals."
"Making the decision (to start Moll) early is important," McCarthy said. "You'd really like to make it earlier, you think, 'Gosh, I could have had two more weeks (of the starters practicing together). That's the situation we're in, and they're responding and they're continuing to get better. You have the cards you're dealt, and (if) you're able to go play them, then it's our job to get it done."
It's hard to envision the Packers scoring many points against this defense this early in the season, especially because McCarthy will have to accommodate the experience limitations of Spitz and Moll in his game plan and play calling. Chicago isn't a dynamic offense, so avoiding major mistakes probably will be more important than scoring.
McCarthy and Jagodzinski have preached all offseason that they'll run the ball even when the run isn't working, so the entire offense doesn't fall on Favre. The Packers averaged only 3.3 yards per carry in the preseason, but the regular season is an entirely different animal, with the extensive game planning and regular work of the starters together in practice.
Spitz came as the most NFL-ready of the three offensive linemen the Packers drafted — second-round pick Colledge was the other — because of his unusually advanced technical skills using his hands. He opened training camp as the starter at right guard but moved to the left side when Colledge was demoted.
Moll got his shot at a starting job by holding his own at right tackle against San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman in the preseason opener.
"I know Spitz kind of has a veteran mind-set already," Wells said. "He doesn't get rattled, so I'm not worried about him. Tony Moll, he's coming along well, also. As long as we're all on the same page and communicating, we'll be all right."
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I can't wait~!
