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Our O-Line can't be confused with the Hogs of yesteryear, but they work pretty well together. Largely underrated, but the huge weak link is by far Sam Baker. He's the LT and has been highly vilified on our boards for the majority of the season. He nearly got Ryan killed against Tampa a couple of weeks ago. Some members have wanted him to play a RG or RT, but at any rate, we can't wait for Dimitroff to draft a replacement LT for the future.
McClure is undersized, but he is very knowledgeable when it comes to picking up blitzes. We were worried like heck when he was questionable for the Ravens game, but luckily he was able to play. And then there's the right side of the line: Tyson Clabo and Harvey Dahl. These two guys always play through the whistle and finish their blocks. Harvey Dahl was actually nominated as the nastiest O-Lineman in the league. But therein lies the problem. They are extremely aggressive which could lead to costly penalties. So don't be surprised if you see Dahl or Clabo finishing up a block while the play is being whistled dead.
The group is above average run blocking but average on pass blocking. What helps the O-line is Ryan's ability to get rid of the ball quickly. Ryan is able to make quick decisions and rarely holds on to the ball longer than he has to. He would gladly throw the ball out of bounds and live to fight another day. In fact, we're 5th in the league in fewest sacks allowed (15).
On defense, Abraham is a playmaker and can take over a game when he has to. Biermann is undersized but has a relentless motor. On the interior, we rotate our D-lineman in and out on nearly every play. We'll use Chauncey Davis, Jonathan Babineaux (perhaps THE underrated interior D-lineman in all the league), Corey Peters (whom the coaches really love), Vance Walker, Peria Jerry (when he's healthy) and Jamaal Anderson (aka LUDA!). In the run game, Babineaux and Anderson do a great job in gap penetration and stopping the running back in the backfield. They have a horrible job containing mobile QBs, however. In fact, Freeman and Flacco burned us on a couple of scrambles on critical 3rd down situations. If the D-line isn't able to get to Rodgers, then he'll have all day to throw which brings me to the pass defense.
Brian Van Gorder employs a lot of underneath coverage which is designed to prevent deep plays over the top. He does try to blitz, but since we don't play typical bump and run coverages, any slant or in route will beat those blitzes. Mike Williams beat Dunta on a simple slant and ran all the way to the end zone. The TE from Cincy was able to run across the field on an all-out blitz with no one in the middle of the field for the easy touchdown. Same with Lance Moore. It was a blown coverage where we tried to match Weatherspoon on Moore which put DeCoud in a bad situation, and the result was one of the easiest touchdowns anyone could ever make.
Also, Brent Grimes is small, but he always finds a way to almost make a play. We've said it time and time again that if he was a few inches taller, he'd be a top 10 DB. As it stands, Rodgers can play jump ball with his receivers all day on Grimes, and 9 times out of 10 will complete those passes. However, Rodgers can't be lazy with his passes because Grimes has an amazing leaping ability; he also has by far the best hands on the defense.
Mike Mularkey hasn't won many fans this year especially with the debacle in Philly. Since then, we have actually applauded the way he's opened up the playbook and not being so conservative. You could argue though that Ryan has actually called the majority of the game himself. In the past few games, we've started to throw the ball downfield more than usual.
Misc. notes on personnel.
You won't have to worry about Gonzo beating you guys down the seam. He's more of a 5-10 yard receiver on comebacks and out routes. He's also the master at drawing PI calls. Lately, he's been dropping more and more passes each week (including a critical 3rd down drop in the red zone when he was WIDE OPEN). The one thing about Gonzo is that he tends to be Ryan's safety net, and we've labeled that Gonzovision.
Harry Douglas. We don't know what's going on with him. We all envisioned that he would be our Wes Welker and just run all over defenses this year. He's constantly dropping balls left and right, and he just doesn't seem to have the same chemistry with Ryan that other receivers do.
Michael Jenkins. He's not going to burn you down the field. He's more of a possession receiver that will gladly sit in holes in the zone and rarely gets any yac. He really likes the comeback routes and out routes, and he's an excellent blocker in the running game.
Jason Snelling is vastly underrated as a running back and receiver. He'll occasionally will spell Turner in the running game and is capable of going off at any time. He's been used more in the receiving game as of late, and has had key receptions on 3rd down. So, on 3rd downs, your LBs will need to smother him forcing Ryan to hold on to the ball even longer.
Mike Smith will usually go for it on 4th and short 75% of the time. Also, Matt Bryant is pretty much automatic when it comes to field goals. He can pretty much make any kick at any time.
Last but not least, this team plays all 60 minutes. The Falcons of old, would only play the first half and that's it. I'm being honest, but you will have to jump on us like Philly did. There was a stretch of a quarter and a half where we almost got back in it, but Philly shut the door on us. We believe we can come back from any deficit at any time. I am really looking forward to this game Sunday. If you guys have any other questions about our team, don't be afraid to ask.