uffda udfa
7 years ago
From NFL.com...

PACKERS WITHOUT RODGERS: Brett Hundley can lead a playoff push
R-E-L-A-X!

Not to steal a line from Aaron Rodgers, but Green Bay Packers fans should chill out because their team is in good hands with Brett Hundley stepping in as QB1 with Rodgers sidelined by a broken collarbone.

Now, I'm not suggesting the third-year pro is poised to play at an MVP level as a first-time starter, but he is more than capable of leading the Packers into the playoffs. And I think he'll begin to show this in Sunday's home game against the Saints.

Hundley exhibits enough of the core characteristics to function as a winning quarterback under Mike McCarthy. From his ample frame (6-foot-3, 226 pounds) to his explosive athleticism to his outstanding arm talent and football IQ, the ex-UCLA standout has made tremendous progress since entering the league as a fifth-round pick. Although preseason success should always be taken with a grain of salt, it's not irrelevant. Hundley's play during the exhibition season suggests that he can perform at a B+ (or higher) level while guiding the Packers' offense. And that's a testament to Green Bay's developmental system, given what I thought about Hundley as a prospect coming out of college.


Looking back at my notes on Hundley before 2015 NFL Draft, I questioned his pocket poise, judgment and deep-ball accuracy. He appeared a little indecisive with the ball under duress and his hesitancy frequently led to sacks (as evidenced by his 125 sacks in three collegiate seasons). Although I loved his athleticism and playmaking potential inside and outside of the pocket, my concerns about his ability to consistently "connect the dots" as a rhythm passer prevented me from affixing a big grade next to his name.

While I thought Hundley was a much better player than the 147th pick in the draft, I believed he needed some time and seasoning to develop into a potential NFL starter. He needed to become a more efficient and effective passer from the pocket, while improving awareness and anticipation against pressure. Studying the All-22 Coaches Film from the past three preseasons, Hundley has improved tremendously as a playmaker from the pocket. He has been more decisive and accurate as a passer, while exhibiting outstanding touch, timing and ball placement.

From a numbers perspective, Hundley's 66.2 completion rate and 10:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio in nine preseason games accurately depict his overall effectiveness guiding the Packers' 2s in glorified scrimmages.

Again, the intensity of preseason football is a lot different than regular-season action, but you can certainly make some solid assessments on Hundley's potential by studying his exhibition outings. After examining how Green Bay performed with Hundley on the field, I believe you will see the team use a variety of quick-rhythm routes from spread and empty formations. While the bulk of those throws will be "catch, rock and fire" tosses (slants, hitches and sticks), he will also work the outer edges of the field on hinges and stop routes. With the Packers intent on using empty formations from a variety of personnel packages, the team can eliminate some of the exotic pre-snap disguises that confuse young quarterbacks in the pocket.

McCarthy will also take advantage of Hundley's athleticism by putting him in motion via an assortment of bootlegs and movement passes following play-action fakes. By using run action and quarterback movement, the play caller can beef up his young field general's completion rate with some easy half-field reads featuring receivers available at every level (short, intermediate and deep) within his sight lines.

From a personnel standpoint, the Packers probably will stay with the same rotation, using a variety of "11" (1 RB, 1 TE and 3 WR) and "12" (1 RB, 2 TE and 2 WR) groupings as their primary sets. But the team could lean more on Aaron Jones at running back -- instead of Ty Montgomery -- to give Hundley a little more pop in the running game. Jones is averaging a healthy 4.8 yards per carry, as opposed to Montgomery's 3.2. If the rookie back can steady the ground game with a more consistent effort, the Packers can alleviate the pressure on Hundley to throw the ball 30-plus times as the driving force of the offense.


One element that might change is the Packers' use of the no-huddle offense. Rodgers loved playing at a breakneck pace, and his ability to call the game from the line of scrimmage prevented opponents from substituting defenders to match up with the Packers' personnel. In addition, Rodgers' savviness operating an up-tempo offense frequently led to Green Bay generating explosive plays on "freebies" due to neutral-zone infractions or illegal-substitution penalties. Without the veteran controlling the game from the line of scrimmage, the Packers could lose one of their sneaky scoring tactics in the short term.

Overall, though, I don't expect Green Bay's offense to grind to a screeching halt with the young quarterback at the controls. Hundley has spent three seasons honing his craft behind Rodgers, and McCarthy has a long track record of elevating the play of his quarterbacks. Although I don't expect the third-year pro to shatter the record book as a passer or fill up the highlight reels as a spectacular playmaker, I believe he will chalk up enough Ws to keep the Packers in the mix as a playoff contender.

Remember, McCarthy found a way to win games with a pair of ho-hum quarterbacks (Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien and Seneca Wallace) filling the QB1 role in Rodgers' last extended absence in 2013, so I'm not worried about the Packers falling by the wayside with a more athletic and talented signal caller stepping in this time around.
UserPostedImage
Ted Thompson sits on his hands per former GM: "because they’ve had 25 fricking years of great quarterbacks. Of course it works. Try it without a special quarterback."


gotarace
7 years ago
Holy Shit that was one long novel to tell us we have a chance with Hundley at the helm. It's not over by a long shot...any given Sunday.
Smart As a Horse
Hung Like Einstein
Cheesey
7 years ago
We will know a lot more after tomorrow.
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Fan Shout
Zero2Cool (13h) : QB coach Sean Mannion
Zero2Cool (13h) : DL Coach DeMarcus Covington
dfosterf (16h) : from ft Belvoir, Quantico and points south. Somber reminder of this tragedy at Reagan Nat Airport
dfosterf (16h) : So eerily quiet here in Alexandria. I live in the flight path of commercial craft coming from the south and west, plus the military craft
dfosterf (16h) : So eeri
Mucky Tundra (20h) : Now that's a thought, maybe they're looking at the college ranks? Maybe not head coaches but DC/assistant DCs with league experience?
beast (21h) : College Coaches wouldn't want that publicly, as it would hurt recruiting and they might not get the job.
beast (21h) : I thought they were supposed to publicly announce them, at least the NFL ones. Hafley was from college, so I believe different rules.
Mucky Tundra (21h) : Who knows who they're interviewing? I mean, nobody knew about Hafley and then out of nowhere he was hired
beast (30-Jan) : I wonder what's taking so long with hiring a DL coach, 2 of the 3 known to interview have already been hired elsewhere.
Zero2Cool (27-Jan) : Packers coach Matt LaFleur hires Luke Getsy as senior assistant, extends Rich Bisaccia's deal
Zero2Cool (27-Jan) : Chiefs again huh? I guess another Super Bowl I'll be finding something else to do.
Mucky Tundra (27-Jan) : Chiefs Eagles...again...sigh
dfosterf (27-Jan) : Happy Birthday Dave!
Mucky Tundra (27-Jan) : happy birthday dhazer
TheKanataThrilla (26-Jan) : Exactly buck...Washington came up with the ball. It is just a shitty coincidence one week later
buckeyepackfan (26-Jan) : I forgot, they corrected the call a week later. Lol btw HAPPY BIRTHDAY dhazer!
buckeyepackfan (26-Jan) : That brings up the question, why wasn't Nixon down by contact? I think that was the point Kanata was making.
buckeyepackfan (26-Jan) : Turnovers rule, win the turnover battle, win the game.
packerfanoutwest (26-Jan) : well, he was
TheKanataThrilla (26-Jan) : Eagles down by contact on the fumble....fuck you NFL
Mucky Tundra (26-Jan) : I think this games over
beast (26-Jan) : Eagles sure get a lot of fumbles on kickoffs
Mucky Tundra (26-Jan) : This game looks too big for Washington
packerfanoutwest (26-Jan) : that being said, The Ravens are the Browns
packerfanoutwest (26-Jan) : Browns, Dolphins have longest AFC Championship droughts
packerfanoutwest (26-Jan) : As of today, Cowboys have longest NFC Championship drought,
beast (26-Jan) : Someone pointed out, with Raiders hiring Carroll, the division games between Carroll and Jim Harbaugh are back on (who can whine more games)
beast (26-Jan) : I'm confused, Pete Carroll and Brian Schottenheimer? When Todd Monken, Joe Brady, Kellen Moore, Kliff Kingsbury and Zac Robinson are availab
Zero2Cool (25-Jan) : Any reason I'm catching a shot here about my intelligence?
Martha Careful (25-Jan) : thank you Mucky for sticking up for me
Martha Careful (25-Jan) : some of those people are smarter than you zero. However Pete Carroll is not
Mucky Tundra (24-Jan) : Rude!
beast (24-Jan) : Martha? 😋
Zero2Cool (24-Jan) : Raiders hired someone from the elderly home.
dfosterf (24-Jan) : I'm going with a combination of the two.
beast (24-Jan) : Either the Cowboys have no idea what they're doing, or they're targeting their former OC, currently the Eagles OC
Zero2Cool (23-Jan) : Fake news. Cowboys say no
Zero2Cool (23-Jan) : Mystery candidate in the Cowboys head coaching search believed to be Packers ST Coordinator Rich Bisaccia.
beast (23-Jan) : Also why do both NYC teams have absolutely horrible OL for over a decade?
beast (23-Jan) : I wonder why the Jets always hire defensive coaches to be head coach
Zero2Cool (22-Jan) : Still HC positions available out there. I wonder if Hafley pops up for one
Zero2Cool (22-Jan) : Trent Baalke is out as the Jaguars GM.
dfosterf (22-Jan) : Jeff Hafley would have been a better choice, fortunately they don't know that. Someone will figure that out next off season
Zero2Cool (22-Jan) : Aaron Glenn Planning To Take Jets HC Job
dfosterf (22-Jan) : Martha- C'est mon boulot! 😁
Zero2Cool (22-Jan) : Thank you
wpr (22-Jan) : Z, glad you are feeling better.
wpr (22-Jan) : My son and D-I-L work for UM. It's a way to pick on them.
Zero2Cool (22-Jan) : Thank you. I rarely get sick, and even more rarely sick to the point I can't work.
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