Sean Clifford played the most of any Packers quarterback with 26 pass attempts, but I wasn’t impressed. 

Clifford did showcase his blazing speed on a 13-yard keeper in the second half, which ultimately led to a touchdown. 

But if Clifford really wants to be the Packers backup quarterback, he needs to show more than he did.

To sum it up, he’s just late. He’s late on his reads, he’s late on his throws and he’s late feeling the pressure. And to make matters worse, there were numerous times where his throws didn’t have the necessary juice to keep drives alive. 

I was unsure when the Packers picked Clifford. I know that Clifford set the all-time record for wins, completion percentage, passing yards and passing touchdowns at Penn State but even with all those accolades, he still made plenty of questionable decisions. 

He was able to get by with late reads in college. And he was able to skirt by with an average arm. 

But that doesn’t work in the NFL. Making a late read combined with a throw that needs more juice is a recipe for disaster. 

Could Clifford be a solid leader and excellent motivator? By all means yes. Strictly from a technical aspect, Clifford is behind the eight ball. On numerous throws he was off his back foot — which doesn’t help him because of his lack of arm strength and and his eyes were often locked on one target. 

The question is, can Clifford win a couple games if Jordan Love misses time with an injury? After Friday’s game, I don’t see it. The NFL game is a lot faster. Granted, that was Clifford’s first appetizer as a pro quarterback, but his reads and arm strength have plenty of work before this team can trust him with the offensive keys. 

As we move forward this offseason, coach Matt LaFleur, general manager Brian Gutekunst and others have to find out how much of a leader they want from their backup quarterback. His leadership and camaraderie is apparent after seeing Clifford scamper 27 yards and watching all the smiles that were present on the sideline. 

What do the Packers want from Clifford and in turn what can Clifford give the Packers? I would imagine the Packers want to be able to get first downs by not committing unnecessary mistakes. Clifford can give the Packers a leadership edge and a calming presence. 

However, technically, he isn’t ready to play at this level. He’s a touch behind and in pro football, it’s like watching a TV show on a 10-second delay. 

Continue Reading @ CheeseheadTV 

CheeseheadTV wrote:

Um, he was 20 of 26... was he watching the same game that I saw?

I mean granted it was Bengals backups, but he's a rookie... 

Or does he have a point that I'm totally missing?
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Originally Posted by: beast 

That long throw wasn't "late." He drew the safety off with his eyes, but not long enough, according to Matt. I mean, it's his first game in the pros. He'll get his footwork down. 

Watson is supposed to run that route down along the hash, or just outside of the hash, so that the QB can drop it on his outside shoulder, give him some room to fade to the sideline, shield that defender. 

Oh yeah, that safety also runs a 4.3. Sharper has the speed to get over there too, but he'd have whiffed on the ball.

Originally Posted by: nerdmann 

Are you referring to the throw by Jordan Love?

Originally Posted by: go.pack.go.