Come to Jesus? More like jobs on the line

Dave from Milwaukee, a great friend and follower of OBOD sent me this link this morning from the Journal Sentinel that the offense cleared some air after watching film on Monday.  Greg Bedard reported that veteran offensive players took turns addressing the unit.  It sounds like Aaron Rodgers was called out on holding the ball too long, the line wasn’t blocking well enough, receivers dropped too many passes, running backs not getting that extra yard or two.  Stuff of that nature.

That is great and I’m not here to rip on this meeting because it needed to happen and is something very good teams do.  Constructive criticism from your co-workers is essential for success in any line of work.  In football it is what makes good teams great.  Look at Peyton Manning and the Colts.  You always here stories of how tuned in he his to every aspect and position on his offense and constantly addresses their problems and areas of improvement.  I’m not comparing Rodgers to Manning in any sense, but that is a reason why the Colts are title contenders every year and will be until Manning retires.  You could argue that at the skill positions the Packers have just as much, if not greater talent than the Colts.  You have to get better as a team first before you can individually.

The only question I have about this meeting is why did it take so long to have it?  Daryn Colledge called it, “A come-to-Jesus meeting.”  I guess that is all you really can call it after the team’s most embarrassing loss in recent memory.  It is really only after those kinds of losses you hear about these type of meetings.  What bothers me is that it sounds like it took a loss like this for players to finally call out their teammates on their flaws.  That should be happening on a daily and weekly basis no matter if you win or lose.  This is done at every level of sport.  Like a lot of you, I played high school football (oh the glory  years) and every week watching film we would call out each other, be very open and critical and everyone took it as a positive.  And we were in high school! You tell me that professional players have issues calling each other out on a weekly basis?  If a lineman isn’t blocking for you or the quarterback doesn’t get rid of the ball, you let them know how you feel so it doesn’t become a constant problem.

According to the story, and to no surprise, Donald Driver was one of the most vocal ones in this meeting.  “If we don’t win – and I mean now – they are going to fire all of our (butts) at the end of the season,” Driver said. “I’m serious.”

That quote got me thinking of which Packers are actually safe going into 2010?  We all know about the problems and transitions on defense, but what about offense?

Well, the number is actually quite low on how many players you can guarantee will be back next year on offense.  Rodgers, Driver and Jennings for sure.  Probably Quinn Johnson and Jermichael Finley because of their potential. Same goes for T.J. Lang, Josh Sitton and Spencer Havner (special teams stud).  But realistically that’s it.  Hardly anything is guaranteed in the NFL and  Ryan Grant could even be cut before he gets his roster bonuses in March.  James Jones and Jordy Nelson have shown flashes, but there are plenty of guys around the league that do that and then take the next step (see Austin, Miles).

So Driver hit on the head that (almost) everyone is playing for their jobs.  Maybe that is the fire that everyone needed to hear because it is not like there will be starting jobs waiting for any of these guys elsewhere they aren’t brought back.  Dallas is a must win-game without question, so it is good that this meeting took place.  I am just wondering what took so long.

-Adam Somers

Mid-season report card, part one

I had to make a choice.

I could do what I usually do on Tuesdays and write some sort of lighthearted, (hopefully) funny post about why we as Packers fans hate the team’s upcoming opponent, the Dallas Cowboys. But seeing as how they’ve pretty much owned us for the past, oh, I don’t know, length of time since the “Ice Bowl”, that seemed like an exercise in jealousy.

I could give you another round of depressing leftover thoughts from the Green Bay Packers’ 38-28 road loss to the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. It would include the fact that Mark Tauscher (knee sprain) is out for at least a few weeks and Aaron Kampman (concussion) might not play Sunday against Dallas. I actually started to write one of those, in fact, but decided against it. I really don’t want to spend ANY more time re-hashing that horror show or the somewhat serious injury fallout from it.

Instead, I’ve decided to use this space to give a mid-season report card for the 4-4 Packers (second place, NFC North). I did one – actually three (here, here and here) – of these after the first four games. This will be the last one I do until the end of the season and this time, I’m limiting it to two parts. This is part one; part two will be up later today.

(Wait, what’s that? By going with this option I have to talk about not only one depressing game but a depressing series of eight games? Is it too late for me to back out? It is? Crap)

Alrighty then, the midseason report card starts…now.

Enjoy. Or at least try not to throw up too much.

Offense

Bad news all around for this group, expected to be so good before the season started.

Aaron Rodgers might be putting up good fantasy football numbers (63.1 percent completion percentage, 2,255 yards, 16 touchdowns, five interceptions) but he still isn’t progressing at all in more than one key area. He can’t get rid of the ball quickly enough, too often looks for the home run and either can’t or won’t trust his abilities enough to make tight throws. His confidence has clearly been shaken by the 37 sacks he’s suffered and, if the beatings continue, Gene’s Philip Rivers comparison might be too kind. Rodgers might be headed for David Carr and Tim Couch territory. Grade: B

A Monday trip to the question department

As Oasis once said, questions are the answers you might need.

I’ve always loved that line and it seems to hold particular importance today. There are a few fairly major question marks surrounding the Green Bay Packers as they get ready for round two with Judas and the Queens on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

(On that note, I’m already incredibly psyched about the re-match and it’s only Monday. I’m going to be a lunatic come game time. I might not even be able to speak English, instead sounding like Chucky when he angrily spoke Latin at the end of “Child’s Play”).

Finding answers will be extremely important for the Pack as they look to exact revenge:

• Question #1: Who will be the starting five offensive linemen?

The re-shuffled offensive line – wish I had a dollar for everytime I’ve had to write that this season – gave without question its best performance of the year Sunday. But that was against the Cleveland Browns. Playing well against Fat Pat, Hillbilly Jared and Kevin “I can’t think of a degrading nickname for him” Williams will be another story altogether.

Quarter report: Where are the Packers at on offense?

As the Green Bay Packers begin to gear up for the second quarter of the 2009 NFL season, we’re going to take a look back at how the first quarter went and determine just where this team is at.

The good and bad elements of the team’s offense, defense, special teams and schedule will all be analyzed.

In part one, we’ll look at the offense. Part two, which will be up tomorrow morning, will focus on the defense. The special teams and schedule will be discussed in part three, which will run later Monday afternoon.

How the Packers look, position-by-position, on offense

Now that the Packers have their 53-man roster set for the 2009 season, we wanted to take a look at the team, position-by-position, and give our thoughts on how the Pack really looks.

After all, we’re now less than a week away from the season opener.

I wanted to do this as one post, but it ended up being too much. So I decided to split things up into offense and defense/special teams. This is part one; part two will be up later today.

Labor Day? Day off? We at OBOD don’t know the meaning of the words.

Quarterback (2)

Starter: Aaron Rodgers

Backup: Matt Flynn

A position of strength, strictly because of Rodgers’ presence. The man some call A-Rodg is primed to break out with a huge second season as full-time starter as he is now fully out of Judas’ shadow. In fact, I’d say Judas now has to prove he’s as good as Rodgers.

If Rodgers goes down, though, this team is in a world of trouble. That’s not to say Flynn isn’t getting better and won’t someday become a solid backup, because he will. It’s just that Flynn isn’t ready to lead a team.

Running back (3)

Starter: Ryan Grant

Backups: Brandon Jackson, DeShawn Wynn

This group is good but not without some question marks.

Grant bounced back after injuries slowed him down for the first half of the season. I am pretty confident that will carry over to this season. The Packers being a more physical run-blocking team will also help.

Jackson is entering a crucial year. He has to show just why the team used a second round pick on him in 2007. He’s already hurt and might miss the season opener, so he’s not off to a good start. Wynn is definitely talented. If he stays healthy, he could easily surpass Jackson for the No. 2 spot. With Wynn, though, that’s a big if.

Fullback (3)

Starter: John Kuhn

Backups: Korey Hall, Quinn Johnson

I didn’t think the team was serious about keeping three fullbacks, but it looks like it is. All three bring a little something different to the table and the group is solid.

Kuhn is a more traditional fullback. He’s a solid blocker and occasional short-yardage and goalline back.

Hall is a good pass catcher and has gotten better as a blocker. Johnson is likely the fullback of the future and is a potentially punishing run blocker.

Wide receiver (5)

Starters: Greg Jennings, Donald Driver

Backups: James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Brett Swain

Arguably the best group of wideouts in the league, in terms of both talent and depth. Jennings has his new contract and will get even better, taking his place amongst the best in the league. On most teams, Driver is a No. 1 receiver. Yes, Driver is 34 but he plays like he’s 24.

Jones, if healthy, is a major playmaker and Nelson should build on his solid rookie season. Swain replaces Ruvell Martin and will bring athleticism that Martin lacked a bit.

Tight end (3)

Starter: Donald Lee

Backups: Jermichael Finley, Spencer Havner

What is now a very solid group has potential to be even better.

Lee is a good, if unspectacular, tight end. His numbers dipped a bit last year but should improve.

Finley is a freak, athletically, and will provide the Packers with a consistent red zone receiving option they’ve lacked in recent years. He’s ready to bust out, big-time. Havner is more of a pure blocking tight end and won’t provide much as a receiver.

Offensive line (9)

Starters: Chad Clifton, Daryn Colledge, Jason Spitz, Josh Sitton, Allen Barbre

Backups: T.J. Lang, Scott Wells, Evan Dietrich-Smith, Breno Giacomini

Overall, I think the starters will be better than most think. Certainly, they’ll be more physical.

Clifton is aging, not as good as he once was and entering the final year of his contract. But, if healthy, he is still solid. Colledge was maybe the team’s most consistent o-lineman last year and should get even better. Spitz has a ton of talent but is still new to the position. Sitton is a nasty S.O.B. who has upside if healthy. Barbre is even nastier and will show why the team spent two years grooming him.

The backups, outside of Wells, are young and fairly inexperienced so the starters need to stay healthy.

–Chris Lempesis

Big-time offensive line developments

After Saturday night’s ass-kicking of the Buffalo Bills, head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters he hoped he’d find enough on the game tape to allow him to set his offensive line for the season.

Apparently, he did.

After Monday’s practice, McCarthy announced he had settled on five starters for 2009.

Chad Clifton (left tackle), Daryn Colledge (left guard), Jason Spitz (center), Josh Sitton (right guard) and Allen Barbre (right tackle) will comprise that group.

Not really a surprise, overall, but still interesting. Before camp started I thought Spitz, Sitton and Barbre would comprise the line from center-right. Not much happened to change that.

Spitz battled Scott Wells and while the battle seemed to be fairly even, Wells just didn’t do enough to overtake Spitz. Wells is a solid, talented player, no question about it. But Spitz has Pro Bowl potential at the position, plus he’s a little nastier in terms of demeanor and McCarthy seems intent on instilling that type of attitude in the line – especially on the right side, where a lot of the running plays occur. Also, don’t forget that Spitz is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The team has to figure out just what type of player he is before deciding whether to pay him or not.

Sitton was the favorite before camp at RG and was never really challenged. He, like Spitz, is a nasty S.O.B. and showed potential in camp last season before struggling with injuries. He could be something special.

Barbre faced the most significant challenge, from Breno Giacomini, and despite not really grabbing hold of the job, he did just enough to win it. He’s the nastiest of the bunch – too nasty sometimes, which will be something he has to work on – and could really come into his own in year three.

Truth be told, I think McCarthy had his mind made up before camp started that these would be the starters from center-right. It would have taken a damn near All-Pro type effort from any of the competition to win those jobs away from Spitz, Sitton and Barbre.

Regardless, I’m glad he set the line before game three Friday at Arizona. Now it’s important – make that crucial – for McCarthy to show patience and stick with these five guys for better or worse (barring injury, of course). They need time to gel as a group. If they get the time, I think the Pack will be better than most outsiders are thinking along the o-line.

Of course, there’s now been some fallout from this decision and not everyone is as happy as I am.

Remember a minute ago when I said McCarthy likely had his mind made up all along?

Well, it doesn’t sound like I’m the only one who thinks that.

Wells is furious at losing the battle. In a published transcript of a brief, tense-sounding session with the local media Tuesday, Wells wouldn’t say much other than “no comment” on a lot of issues. But when asked if he thought the competition was fair, he first chuckled before issuing a “no comment.” That’s telling. That’s Wells saying he doesn’t think he was given a fair shot. Like I said earlier, odds are he wasn’t.

He also issued a “no comment” when asked if he has been asked to be traded. The decision just came down Monday night so I doubt he has…yet. I think he will at some point though.

And, really, Wells is a fairly attractive trade option. He’s young (28) for the position, he has experience at both center and guard, he’s been fairly healthy outside of last season and, most importantly, he’s cheap (only due to make $1.5 million this season).

With that type of background, you have to think the Packers could get a fourth-round pick or another player to add depth to, say, the defensive line in return.

They might just decide to hang on to him for depth, though, especially since the starters from center-right are all pretty inexperienced at those positions. Either way, Wells will still bring value to the team, whether he is able to see that now or not.

If he isn’t, I don’t blame him. I’m glad he’s mad. He’s had that job for the better part of the past three seasons. If he was okay with the decision – or even pretended to be – something would be wrong.

And who was the reporter that asked him if he “was unhappy”? No, genius, I’m sure he’s thrilled. Man, sports writers are so dumb sometimes.

I should know; I used to be one.

–Chris Lempesis