Greg C.
Cheesehead
Here are some of my impressions of the scrimmage against the Bills after watching it on FOX 11 tonight. Additions and corrections are welcome as always.
Thumbs-Up:
1. Colin Cole--Was a real force in the middle. Had the most impressive game of any Packer. He could be our next nose tackle.
2. Antonio Chatman--Appears to already own the punt return job, considering that nobody else was even tried tonight, and his first return was very good. As a receiver, he struggled to get open at times and dropped one pass, but also had some nice catches and is way, way ahead in the race for the #4 receiver spot.
3. B.J. Sander--His first punt was a beauty: 47 yards with excellent hang time. His next one was mediocre: 33 yards, caught at the 12 yard line and returnable. It's true that a 45 yarder would've gone into the end zone, but a punt that's caught at the 12 and returnable is really no better than a touchback. Still, that first punt was important, and he nailed it. No shanks, no jitters. I'm cautiously optimistic.
4. Ben Steele--Dropped his first pass, which was not an easy catch but should've been caught. Then he made a nice diving grab for a TD and another routine catch for a TD. This is just what he needed for his confidence. Were you watching, Bubba?
5. Aaron Rodgers--Looked sharp early, even though his receivers dropped two passes. Then the protection broke down and he didn't have a chance to do much more.
6. Na'ill Diggs--A couple of nice tackles in the backfield.
Thumbs-Down:
1. Ahmad Carroll--Still grabby in coverage on one play and got flattened by a McGahee stiffarm on another.
2. Najeh Davenport--Ten pounds lighter this season but didn't look any quicker and got stopped cold by tacklers. One of them was a cornerback, and he hit Davenport hard enough to knock him out of the game. Embarrassing.
3. Offensive line--Looked terrible after the first couple series. Buffalo was running way more blitzes than one would expect in a scrimmage, so I have to cut the O-line some slack. Still, they were getting beaten in a lot of one-on-one situations.
4. Sterling Sharpe--It was good to see him back in Green Bay, at least until he opened his mouth. He had almost nothing good to say about the Packers, but he perked right up any time he started talking about the Bills. Don't come back, Sterling.
Incomplete:
Craig Nall--Had no protection and no open receivers, and therefore no chance to show his skills. As long as Rodgers plays decently and Nall does nothing to put himself well ahead of Rodgers, Nall is more and more in danger of dropping to #3 or even being cut.
OVERALL: Thumbs-Down. The Bills looked more talented and more together as a team. It was just a scrimmage, of course, but I was hoping it would at least look like an even match. There is lots of work to be done.
Thumbs-Up:
1. Colin Cole--Was a real force in the middle. Had the most impressive game of any Packer. He could be our next nose tackle.
2. Antonio Chatman--Appears to already own the punt return job, considering that nobody else was even tried tonight, and his first return was very good. As a receiver, he struggled to get open at times and dropped one pass, but also had some nice catches and is way, way ahead in the race for the #4 receiver spot.
3. B.J. Sander--His first punt was a beauty: 47 yards with excellent hang time. His next one was mediocre: 33 yards, caught at the 12 yard line and returnable. It's true that a 45 yarder would've gone into the end zone, but a punt that's caught at the 12 and returnable is really no better than a touchback. Still, that first punt was important, and he nailed it. No shanks, no jitters. I'm cautiously optimistic.
4. Ben Steele--Dropped his first pass, which was not an easy catch but should've been caught. Then he made a nice diving grab for a TD and another routine catch for a TD. This is just what he needed for his confidence. Were you watching, Bubba?
5. Aaron Rodgers--Looked sharp early, even though his receivers dropped two passes. Then the protection broke down and he didn't have a chance to do much more.
6. Na'ill Diggs--A couple of nice tackles in the backfield.
Thumbs-Down:
1. Ahmad Carroll--Still grabby in coverage on one play and got flattened by a McGahee stiffarm on another.
2. Najeh Davenport--Ten pounds lighter this season but didn't look any quicker and got stopped cold by tacklers. One of them was a cornerback, and he hit Davenport hard enough to knock him out of the game. Embarrassing.
3. Offensive line--Looked terrible after the first couple series. Buffalo was running way more blitzes than one would expect in a scrimmage, so I have to cut the O-line some slack. Still, they were getting beaten in a lot of one-on-one situations.
4. Sterling Sharpe--It was good to see him back in Green Bay, at least until he opened his mouth. He had almost nothing good to say about the Packers, but he perked right up any time he started talking about the Bills. Don't come back, Sterling.
Incomplete:
Craig Nall--Had no protection and no open receivers, and therefore no chance to show his skills. As long as Rodgers plays decently and Nall does nothing to put himself well ahead of Rodgers, Nall is more and more in danger of dropping to #3 or even being cut.
OVERALL: Thumbs-Down. The Bills looked more talented and more together as a team. It was just a scrimmage, of course, but I was hoping it would at least look like an even match. There is lots of work to be done.