By Rob Demovsky rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com November 8, 2008


Its easy to evaluate a team that at the midway point of the season has a 7-1 record, like the Green Bay Packers did a year ago.
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Likewise, judgments are easily made when a team is 1-7, like the Packers were in 2005.

But 4-4 where the Packers stand as they begin the second half of the season on the road against the Minnesota Vikings can be much tougher to analyze. In many cases, teams that hover around the .500 mark have one or two strong components but also contain some serious deficiencies. That seems to be the situation with this years version of the Packers.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has played as well or better than could be expected after having the unenviable task of replacing Brett Favre. He has a star receiver in Greg Jennings and another solid one in Donald Driver. However, the lack of a consistent running game has left the offense incomplete and is largely the reason the Packers are a middling 14th out of 32 teams in yards.

On defense, the shoddy play of the front seven has crippled a unit that seemed on the verge of being a top-10 outfit. At the same time, the secondary has been among the best in the league. But it adds up to a 20th overall ranking in yards allowed.

The inconsistencies are reflected in the Press-Gazettes annual midseason position grades, which range from D on the low end to B-plus on the high end.
Quarterbacks

Waiting behind Brett Favre for three years and then going through the roller-coaster ride of Favres decision to return might have caused some quarterbacks to come out and play with reckless abandon, but Aaron Rodgers avoided that pitfall. His even-keeled personality was reflected in his early play. Except for last weeks overtime loss at Tennessee, Rodgers decision making has been spot on. He has been interception-free in five of the eight games and has thrown 13 touchdowns to just five interceptions. His passer rating of 95.3 is fifth-best in the NFL behind Philip Rivers (107.8), Kurt Warner (104.2), Tony Romo (103.5) and Drew Brees (101.6). Its hard to know just how much his right shoulder is hurting after it was sprained on Sept. 28 at Tampa Bay, but he has answered the bell despite whatever pain he might be feeling. His third-down playmaking has been remarkable. Ten of his 13 touchdown passes have come on third down, and he leads the NFL in third-down passer rating (126.7). Hes still learning when to run and how much yardage to go for before sliding or getting out of bounds, but his ability to take off has been an asset. He also has three rushing touchdowns (all on 1-yard quarterback sneaks). Backup Matt Flynn couldnt move the team in his only meaningful action two series at Tampa and third-stringer Brian Brohm has to be considered a disappointment at this early stage.

Grade: B.
Running backs

The best individual rushing performance came in the opener against the Vikings, when Ryan Grant ripped off a 57-yard gain in the fourth quarter that helped ice the victory. The next-longest run from scrimmage has been 21 yards, and it came on a Rodgers scramble in the same game. Grants next-best gain was a 19-yarder, also against the Vikings. The longest runs by any other back were 19-yard gains by Brandon Jackson and Kregg Lumpkin, both against the hapless Lions. Grant has the only 100-yard rushing game, and he needed 31 carries to get 105 yards against Indianapolis. After missing the first week of training camp because of contract negotiations and then pulling his hamstring upon his return, Grant doesnt look like the same back that rushed for 956 yards in basically half a season a year ago. After 1 seasons, Jackson looks like nothing more than an average situational back, which has to be disappointing considering he was a second-round draft pick. Grant and Jackson have one rushing touchdown apiece. Lumpkin, an undrafted rookie, looked promising before a hamstring injury ended his season. DeShawn Wynn got a second chance after being promoted from the practice squad but has played only sparingly. Fullbacks Korey Hall and John Kuhn have been solid and each has a touchdown catch. Running backs have been responsible for three of the 17 sacks (two by Jackson and one by Grant).

Grade: D.
Receivers

Coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Joe Philbin havent used the Big Five formation that was so effective last season, but theyve found other ways for the receivers to flourish. Greg Jennings has surpassed Donald Driver as the teams No. 1 receiver. Jennings looks like a sure Pro Bowl pick and a possible All-Pro. He ranks second in the league with 764 receiving yards and trails only Houstons Andre Johnson (834). Though hes tied for only 21st in the league with 40 receptions, his 19.1-yard average is tops among those in the top 30 in receptions. Hes a big-play receiver both down the field and in catch-and-run situations. Driver showed last week against the Titans (seven catches for 136 yards and a touchdown) he can still be effective. He ranks tied for 30th in the league with 36 receptions. Last years No. 3 receiver, James Jones, has been slowed by a knee injury and has played in just three games. He was a healthy inactive against the Titans in part because rookie Jordy Nelson has been productive (18 catches for 211 yards and a touchdown). Ruvell Martin (five catches for 61 yards) hasnt made the most of his opportunities. This group has 11 drops the exact total it had at the midway point last season. Jennings leads with four drops but has dropped just 6 percent of the balls thrown his way. Driver has three drops (5.6 percent), Martin has two (18.2 percent), Jones has one (9.1 percent) and Nelson has one (3.7 percent).

Grade: B-plus.
Tight ends

The blocking has been solid, and some of the most productive runs have come out of a three-tight end formation. Big plays in the passing game have been nonexistent except for a 37-yard gain by Tory Humphrey (five catches for 74 yards) against Atlanta. Donald Lee is slightly off pace from his career-high numbers from a year ago, but has 22 catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns and has just one drop. His 7.4-yard average is well off his 12.0-yard mark last season. Rookie third-round pick Jermichael Finley has been a major disappointment. Though he doesnt officially have a drop, he should have caught the second-and-goal fade from the 5-yard line for a touchdown against the Titans, but he badly misplayed the ball.

Grade: D-plus.
Offensive line

Each lineman has had his share of bad plays and poor games, and collectively, it has resulted in more struggles in the run game. Though its not as bad as the first half of last season, when the running game was almost nonexistent, its not even close to being average. Veteran tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher struggled early in the season and still dont appear to be a great fit for the zone running scheme. The interior linemen have been inconsistent, but Jason Spitz (who has started at three different positions the first three games at center, the next four at right guard and one at left guard) has been the best of the group. Spitz has not been charged with a sack (after allowing only a half-sack last year in 14 games) and has two penalties (one hold, one false start). Clifton has given up a team-high 4 sacks in just seven games (he missed the Titans game because of an allergic reaction to medication) and leads all linemen with six penalties (four holds, one false start, one illegal formation). All last season, Clifton allowed only 3 sacks and committed three penalties. Tauscher has been responsible for one sack and three penalties (two holds and one illegal formation) after allowing a career-high six sacks last season. Daryn Colledge (seven starts at left guard and one at left tackle) has allowed two sacks (after giving up 3 last season) and has three penalties (two false starts and one hold). Center Scott Wells has 1 sacks and one penalty (a hold) in five games after allowing just a half-sack and three penalties all last season. Tony Moll started the first three games at right guard and has played spot duty, allowing one sack and four penalties (two ineligible downfield, one false start and one trip). One of his downfield penalties wiped out a 68-yard touchdown pass to Driver against the Vikings. Rookie Josh Sitton might have been the opening-day starter at right guard if not for a knee injury in training camp. He finally got his first start against the Titans and gave up a half-sack.

Grade: C-minus.
Defensive line

A position of strength a year ago, this group has turned into a major weakness. The loss of Corey Williams, who was traded to Cleveland, combined with injuries to Justin Harrell and Cullen Jenkins plus the lack of productivity from Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila has dropped the defense from 11th in yards allowed and tied for sixth in points allowed last season to 20th in yards allowed and 17th in points allowed this season. Jenkins was playing his best football and perhaps the best of any Packers lineman when he tore his pectoral muscle in Week 4 and was lost for the season. Journeyman Colin Cole, veteran Ryan Pickett and third-year pro Johnny Jolly have been just OK in the middle. Pro Bowl defensive end Aaron Kampman has been the only consistent pass rusher and leads the group with six sacks. Jenkins ranks second on the team with 2 sacks, and he hasnt played in a month. Linemen have 11 of the teams 14 sacks, but the teams 28-sack pace is well off last seasons mark of 36. Gbaja-Biamila was so unproductive (with a half-sack) that he was cut loose after seven games. Michael Montgomery and Jeremy Thompson have shown promise but are by no means significant contributors. A year ago, the Packers ranked eighth against the run at the midway point of the season before finishing 14th. This year, theyre 27th against the run.

Grade: D.
Linebackers

How much of the linebackers decline in play has to do with the defensive line struggles is debatable, but theres no question this group has dropped off. Nick Barnett has the only forced fumble of the group, but even Barnetts playmaking has suffered. He doesnt have a sack, an interception or a fumble recovery. His position coach, Winston Moss, described his play as just adequate. The same goes for A.J. Hawk, who has been slowed by chest and groin injuries. Not only has he not taken the next step to being a playmaker, he hasnt matched his level from Year 1 or 2. Brady Poppinga has seen his snaps decrease with the addition of free agent Brandon Chillar but remains the strong-side starter. Poppinga committed a horrible personal-foul penalty against the Titans that kept a drive alive and cost the Packers three points. In a limited role, Chillar has been an upgrade over Poppinga when it comes to covering tight ends. Desmond Bishop has played primarily on special teams and after keeping seven linebackers initially, they released backups Abdul Hodge and Tracy White.

Grade: D.
Defensive backs

This easily has been the strength of the defense thanks to a giant leap by safety Nick Collins, the amazing performance of Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams ability to step in for the injured Al Harris. After three years of dropped interceptions, missed tackles and blown coverages, Collins has turned into a playmaker. He and Woodson are tied for the league lead with four interceptions. Whats more, each has two interception returns for touchdowns. Both have played at a Pro Bowl level, and Woodson has done so despite missing about 90 percent of practice time with a broken toe. Woodson leads all defensive backs with four penalties (three for illegal contact, one holding) but hes on pace to cut down from his team-high 12 infractions last season. Woodson has given up just one touchdown reception and has broken up 12 passes. He has been thrown at 47 times and has only allowed 13 catches for 206 yards. Collins has just one penalty (roughness), has allowed one touchdown and has eight pass breakups. He has been targeted 31 times and has allowed 12 catches for 215 yards. Williams has allowed 22 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns in 35 times he has been targeted, but he has three interceptions and six pass breakups. He has been penalized three times (one pass interference, one illegal contact and one roughness). He showed hes probably a viable option as a starter whenever Harris or Woodson leave. Harris remarkably missed only four games because of the torn spleen he sustained in Week 3 against Dallas and made his return last week against the Titans. He committed two pass-interference penalties in his first three games but hasnt allowed a touchdown and has given up only four completions for 38 yards while being thrown at 19 times. Atari Bigby and Aaron Rouse have split time at the other safety spot and performed well. Each has an interception Rouse returned his 99 yards for a touchdown against the Colts. Backup cornerbacks Will Blackmon and Pat Lee have been OK in nickel and dime duty.

Grade: B-plus.
Special teams

Mike Stocks units havent give up the big return and rank fifth in punt coverage and 14th in kickoff coverage. Other than one good return Blackmons 76-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Vikings those units havent done much. They rank 27th in kickoff return average and ninth in punt return average. Kicker Mason Crosby inexplicably missed a 36-yard field goal against the Colts and had a 33-yarder blocked against the Vikings. He also had a kickoff go out of bounds but otherwise has been dependable, going 14-of-17 on field goals and recording 10 touchbacks on kickoffs. Derrick Frost hasnt been much of an upgrade over Jon Ryan, and the Packers probably will have to find another punter in the offseason. Penalties have been problematic. Bush has three special-teams infractions, and a holding call on Finley wiped out a 43-yard field goal in a three-point loss to Atlanta.

Grade: C.
Coaching

Its hard to imagine any coach doing a better job of keeping the team from splintering during the Favre saga than McCarthy. He not only kept the team together, but kept Rodgers on point. McCarthy, Philbin and quarterbacks coach Tom Clements deserve credit for Rodgers solid play. The offensive staffs inability to get the running game going has been a persistent problem. McCarthy will have to take a long, hard look at what changes will be necessary in the offseason. He also will have to examine every aspect of the defense after that unit has underperformed. With virtually the entire team back, Bob Sanders unit has been perhaps the biggest disappointment so far.

Grade: C-plus.
Personnel moves

General Manager Ted Thompson made the boldest move of his tenure when he rebuffed Favres desire to return, then traded him to the New York Jets. Thompson may have mishandled it from a public relations standpoint, but on a pure football decision, it might be the right move. To be sure, it will take more than half a season to determine that. Would Favre have won a game or two this season that Rodgers didnt? Perhaps. But theres just as good a chance he would have lost one that Rodgers won. Thompson traded Williams to Cleveland for a second-round pick in large part because he feared Williams might go the way of a Cletidus Hunt with a big-money contract. Maybe Thompson should have paid Williams for one year with the franchise tag. He made a $6.15 million mistake by not cutting Gbaja-Biamila before the season. His only free-agent signing (Chillar) has done well in a reserve role. After trading back to get out of the first round (from No. 30 to 36), there was no blockbuster player in his draft. Nelson looks solid. Brohm (drafted with the pick from Cleveland) and Flynn need to be developed before they can be judged. Thompson came close to trading for Kansas City tight end Tony Gonzalez but wouldnt pull the trigger right before the deadline when the Chiefs wanted a second-round pick instead of the third rounder he offered.

Grade: C-plus.

Note: Dropped passes, sacks allowed and completions/touchdowns allowed are courtesy of Stats, an independent research firm. Individual penalties include infractions that were declined.