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Preseason Packers vs Steelers: Reports & Reviews
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<blockquote data-quote="TOPHAT" data-source="post: 160898" data-attributes="member: 781"><p><strong>Reviews</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070811/PKR01/70811035/1989" target="_blank">http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070811/PKR01/70811035/1989</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Mike Vandermause column: First-team offense lives down to expectations </strong></p><p></p><p>The worst fears about the Green Bay Packers’ offense were realized Saturday in their preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. If the brutal performance turned in by the starters was any indication, the Packers could be in for a long year. Questions abound about who will score this season, who will run the ball and who will catch Brett Favre’s passes. The Packers didn’t supply any answers against the Steelers, and in fact, created more doubt about how they will move the ball. The No. 1 offense went three-and-out on the first four series. It never came close to picking up a first down. It struggled to move beyond the line of scrimmage.</p><p></p><p>Before the starters were mercifully removed late in the first quarter, their four drives netted the following yardage totals: 3, minus-1, 5 and minus-4. If you don’t have a calculator handy, that works out to 12 plays and 3 total yards, for an average gain of 9 inches per play. Favre completed 2 of 7 passes for 7 yards. When he wasn’t being pressured by blitzing Steelers defenders, Favre was struggling to find a receiver that could get open. Rookie Brandon Jackson did nothing to make Packers fans forget Ahman Green. Jackson rushed three times for 8 yards playing with the starters. To make matters even worse, the Packers’ No. 1 unit was guilty of a fumbled snap and a holding penalty. It was an alarming display of ineptitude, but the offensive struggles didn’t come as a complete shock. </p><p></p><p>All offseason, General Manager Ted Thompson was quizzed about why he didn’t do anything beyond the draft to bolster the offense. The Packers were one of the worst teams in the NFL in red-zone efficiency last season and ranked in the bottom third of the league in scoring. So what did the Packers do to address those problems? Instead of adding any veterans in free agency or the trade market, the Packers allowed their starting running back (Green) and likely starting tight end (David Martin) to sign with other teams. They were content to draft a running back, a pair of receivers and a tight end, and wait for players already on the roster to improve. The Packers’ passive offseason approach was curious, and the ugly consequences of that strategy were on display for everyone to see against the Steelers.</p><p></p><p>Based on the solid showing of the defense, the Packers appear to be a team that will have to win a lot of low-scoring games, which isn’t an impossible task. The Baltimore Ravens won a championship with virtually no offensive firepower in 2000, and the Chicago Bears advanced to the Super Bowl last season on the strength of their defense. No team can be fairly judged on one quarter of preseason football. There is time for players to step out of the back-row shadows into the spotlight. Jackson finished with 57 rushing yards on 16 carries, and fellow rookie James Jones hauled in six catches for 58 yards. Although those numbers came largely against Steelers’ backups, they show there’s at least potential for future offensive success. The regular-season opener is four weeks away, so there’s ample opportunity for the Packers to work out the bugs. But Saturday night provided a snapshot of where the offense stands, and the picture isn’t pretty</p><p>______________________________________________________________</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070811/PKR01/70811027/1989" target="_blank">http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070811/PKR01/70811027/1989</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Notebook: Jenkins impressive in preseason opener</strong> </p><p></p><p>Cullen Jenkins’ contract extension this offseason is starting to look like money well spent. The Green Bay Packers’ defensive lineman, who received a four-year, $16 million deal in February, started the preseason with a flurry. The fourth-year pro easily was the most impressive of any starter — either on offense or defense — during Saturday’s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. In a continuation of what has been a strong training camp, the 6-foot-2, 303-pounder made three big plays, including a pair of sacks, during the limited playing time the No. 1 defense received. The Steelers started their first possession at the Packers’ 41-yard line thanks to a poor punt by Jon Ryan, but Jenkins bailed him out. On third-and-5 from the 36, Jenkins beat left tackle Marvel Smith and sacked Ben Roethlisberger. In the process, he forced the Steelers’ quarterback to fumble, which Jenkins also recovered.</p><p></p><p>“I was trying to turn the corner, and it wasn’t working too well,” Jenkins said in quotes distributed by the team during the third quarter. “I saw him getting ready to throw, so I just tried to time it up and hit the ball when he pulled it back.” On the next series, Jenkins blew up the blocking on a third-and-1 play from the Steelers’ 38-yard line, and it freed linebacker A.J. Hawk to stop running back Najeh Davenport, the former Packers’ backup, for no gain. Jenkins recorded his second sack shortly before Packers coach Mike McCarthy pulled the plug on the starters following their fourth series. On this one, Jenkins beat Max Starks, who came on in relief of Smith at left tackle, and dumped backup quarterback Charlie Batch for an 8-yard loss.</p><p></p><p>“We had some pretty good pressure from the D-line,” Jenkins said. “Our goal this year is to be the best defensive line and the best defense in the league. We want to try to carry this team with our play, so we’re just trying to get off to a good start.” Both of Jenkins’ sacks came with him lined up at the right defensive end spot, where he has replaced Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila as a starter in the base defense. Jenkins moved inside to his old defensive tackle spot when defensive coordinator Bob Sanders went to his nickel package. </p><p></p><p><strong>Cornerback shuffle</strong></p><p></p><p>With starting cornerbacks Al Harris (back) and Charles Woodson (left hamstring) out, the Packers started Jarrett Bush at right cornerback and Patrick Dendy at left cornerback. Will Blackmon worked as the third cornerback in the nickel and later replaced Bush in the base offense. Dendy gave up a 9-yard completion to receiver Nate Washington in the first quarter and got beat deep by Washington later in the first quarterback, but Washington couldn’t haul in a long pass from Batch. Later, Blackmon gave up a 49-yard completion to Santonio Holmes that set up a 27-yard field goal by Jeff Reed with 12:22 left in the second quarter. None of the backup corners appeared to be at fault on Batch’s 41-yard touchdown pass to Walter Young in the first quarter, but Blackmon was called for holding (which was declined) on that play.Frank Walker and Tramon Williams opened the second half at the cornerback spots. </p><p></p><p><strong>Other inactives</strong></p><p></p><p>As expected, running backs P.J. Pope (knee), Vernand Morency (knee) and DeShawn Wynn (quadriceps), fullback Brandon Miree (shoulder stinger), defensive end DeVon Hicks (groin) and tackle Tony Moll (shoulder stinger) were scratched before kickoff. That meant the Packers opened with a rookie backfield — second-round pick Brandon Jackson at running back and sixth-round pick Korey Hall, the converted linebacker from Boise State, at fullback. Of the injured players, only Morency made the trip with the team. The rest stayed in Green Bay. </p><p></p><p><strong>Odds and ends</strong></p><p></p><p>Defensive end Michael Montgomery blocked Reed’s extra point in the first quarter. … Rookie James Jones was the No. 3 receiver — ahead of Robert Ferguson — with the No. 1 offense. … Bubba Franks had a bad drop on a pass from Aaron Rodgers in the second quarter. … Jon Ryan punted four times in the first half for a gross average of 47.5 yards and an average hang time of 4.2 seconds. His best punt was a 47-yarder with 4.4 seconds of hang time that went out of bounds at the Steelers’ 3-yard line. Ryan Dougherty punted three times in the first half for a gross average of 47.7 yards and an average hang time of 3.86 seconds. However, one of his punts went into the end zone for a touchback.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TOPHAT, post: 160898, member: 781"] [b]Reviews[/b] [url]http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070811/PKR01/70811035/1989[/url] [b]Mike Vandermause column: First-team offense lives down to expectations [/b] The worst fears about the Green Bay Packers’ offense were realized Saturday in their preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. If the brutal performance turned in by the starters was any indication, the Packers could be in for a long year. Questions abound about who will score this season, who will run the ball and who will catch Brett Favre’s passes. The Packers didn’t supply any answers against the Steelers, and in fact, created more doubt about how they will move the ball. The No. 1 offense went three-and-out on the first four series. It never came close to picking up a first down. It struggled to move beyond the line of scrimmage. Before the starters were mercifully removed late in the first quarter, their four drives netted the following yardage totals: 3, minus-1, 5 and minus-4. If you don’t have a calculator handy, that works out to 12 plays and 3 total yards, for an average gain of 9 inches per play. Favre completed 2 of 7 passes for 7 yards. When he wasn’t being pressured by blitzing Steelers defenders, Favre was struggling to find a receiver that could get open. Rookie Brandon Jackson did nothing to make Packers fans forget Ahman Green. Jackson rushed three times for 8 yards playing with the starters. To make matters even worse, the Packers’ No. 1 unit was guilty of a fumbled snap and a holding penalty. It was an alarming display of ineptitude, but the offensive struggles didn’t come as a complete shock. All offseason, General Manager Ted Thompson was quizzed about why he didn’t do anything beyond the draft to bolster the offense. The Packers were one of the worst teams in the NFL in red-zone efficiency last season and ranked in the bottom third of the league in scoring. So what did the Packers do to address those problems? Instead of adding any veterans in free agency or the trade market, the Packers allowed their starting running back (Green) and likely starting tight end (David Martin) to sign with other teams. They were content to draft a running back, a pair of receivers and a tight end, and wait for players already on the roster to improve. The Packers’ passive offseason approach was curious, and the ugly consequences of that strategy were on display for everyone to see against the Steelers. Based on the solid showing of the defense, the Packers appear to be a team that will have to win a lot of low-scoring games, which isn’t an impossible task. The Baltimore Ravens won a championship with virtually no offensive firepower in 2000, and the Chicago Bears advanced to the Super Bowl last season on the strength of their defense. No team can be fairly judged on one quarter of preseason football. There is time for players to step out of the back-row shadows into the spotlight. Jackson finished with 57 rushing yards on 16 carries, and fellow rookie James Jones hauled in six catches for 58 yards. Although those numbers came largely against Steelers’ backups, they show there’s at least potential for future offensive success. The regular-season opener is four weeks away, so there’s ample opportunity for the Packers to work out the bugs. But Saturday night provided a snapshot of where the offense stands, and the picture isn’t pretty ______________________________________________________________ [url]http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070811/PKR01/70811027/1989[/url] [b]Notebook: Jenkins impressive in preseason opener[/b] Cullen Jenkins’ contract extension this offseason is starting to look like money well spent. The Green Bay Packers’ defensive lineman, who received a four-year, $16 million deal in February, started the preseason with a flurry. The fourth-year pro easily was the most impressive of any starter — either on offense or defense — during Saturday’s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. In a continuation of what has been a strong training camp, the 6-foot-2, 303-pounder made three big plays, including a pair of sacks, during the limited playing time the No. 1 defense received. The Steelers started their first possession at the Packers’ 41-yard line thanks to a poor punt by Jon Ryan, but Jenkins bailed him out. On third-and-5 from the 36, Jenkins beat left tackle Marvel Smith and sacked Ben Roethlisberger. In the process, he forced the Steelers’ quarterback to fumble, which Jenkins also recovered. “I was trying to turn the corner, and it wasn’t working too well,” Jenkins said in quotes distributed by the team during the third quarter. “I saw him getting ready to throw, so I just tried to time it up and hit the ball when he pulled it back.” On the next series, Jenkins blew up the blocking on a third-and-1 play from the Steelers’ 38-yard line, and it freed linebacker A.J. Hawk to stop running back Najeh Davenport, the former Packers’ backup, for no gain. Jenkins recorded his second sack shortly before Packers coach Mike McCarthy pulled the plug on the starters following their fourth series. On this one, Jenkins beat Max Starks, who came on in relief of Smith at left tackle, and dumped backup quarterback Charlie Batch for an 8-yard loss. “We had some pretty good pressure from the D-line,” Jenkins said. “Our goal this year is to be the best defensive line and the best defense in the league. We want to try to carry this team with our play, so we’re just trying to get off to a good start.” Both of Jenkins’ sacks came with him lined up at the right defensive end spot, where he has replaced Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila as a starter in the base defense. Jenkins moved inside to his old defensive tackle spot when defensive coordinator Bob Sanders went to his nickel package. [b]Cornerback shuffle[/b] With starting cornerbacks Al Harris (back) and Charles Woodson (left hamstring) out, the Packers started Jarrett Bush at right cornerback and Patrick Dendy at left cornerback. Will Blackmon worked as the third cornerback in the nickel and later replaced Bush in the base offense. Dendy gave up a 9-yard completion to receiver Nate Washington in the first quarter and got beat deep by Washington later in the first quarterback, but Washington couldn’t haul in a long pass from Batch. Later, Blackmon gave up a 49-yard completion to Santonio Holmes that set up a 27-yard field goal by Jeff Reed with 12:22 left in the second quarter. None of the backup corners appeared to be at fault on Batch’s 41-yard touchdown pass to Walter Young in the first quarter, but Blackmon was called for holding (which was declined) on that play.Frank Walker and Tramon Williams opened the second half at the cornerback spots. [b]Other inactives[/b] As expected, running backs P.J. Pope (knee), Vernand Morency (knee) and DeShawn Wynn (quadriceps), fullback Brandon Miree (shoulder stinger), defensive end DeVon Hicks (groin) and tackle Tony Moll (shoulder stinger) were scratched before kickoff. That meant the Packers opened with a rookie backfield — second-round pick Brandon Jackson at running back and sixth-round pick Korey Hall, the converted linebacker from Boise State, at fullback. Of the injured players, only Morency made the trip with the team. The rest stayed in Green Bay. [b]Odds and ends[/b] Defensive end Michael Montgomery blocked Reed’s extra point in the first quarter. … Rookie James Jones was the No. 3 receiver — ahead of Robert Ferguson — with the No. 1 offense. … Bubba Franks had a bad drop on a pass from Aaron Rodgers in the second quarter. … Jon Ryan punted four times in the first half for a gross average of 47.5 yards and an average hang time of 4.2 seconds. His best punt was a 47-yarder with 4.4 seconds of hang time that went out of bounds at the Steelers’ 3-yard line. Ryan Dougherty punted three times in the first half for a gross average of 47.7 yards and an average hang time of 3.86 seconds. However, one of his punts went into the end zone for a touchback. [/QUOTE]
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