Zero2Cool
14 years ago
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/101235844.html 

Seattle Nobody has any idea yet what the Green Bay Packers' defense will be in 2010.

Everyone can see what's in store for the offense.

Logging two series Saturday night in an exhibition game against the Seattle Seahawks after going four in the opener against Cleveland, the Packers' No. 1 offense polished off two more long touchdown drives, giving it four in two weeks.

The starters gained 137 yards in 17 plays before coach Mike McCarthy pulled the plug after one quarter. Last week, the net was 173 yards in 20 plays. Their total is 310 yards in 37 plays, an average of 8.4 yards per play.

The Packers (1-1) defeated the Seahawks, 27-24, on Brandon Jackson's 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland ranked 31st in defense last season and Seattle finished 24th. Neither figures to be significantly improved this season.

Still, it would be difficult not to see the talent that was on display with Aaron Rodgers and his starting lineup, which was intact except for Donald Driver. McCarthy gave him the night off.

On the other hand, it is impossible to judge the defense, particularly against Seattle. Seven starters from last year - linebackers Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, Nick Barnett and Brad Jones and defensive backs Charles Woodson, Al Harris and Atari Bigby - weren't on the field.

What passed for the No. 1 defense was torn apart for the second week in a row. What did it mean? Probably whatever you want it to mean.

Offensively, Rodgers is off to another magnificent start. In 2 1/2 quarters, he has completed 20 of 24 passes for 275 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 154.0. Perfection is 158.3.

The four touchdown drives engineered by Rodgers have measured 84, 72, 71 and 76 yards.

Rodgers played with total confidence against Seattle, starting with the first play. On a bootleg to the right, he had all day to pick a receiver when the Seahawks were fooled completely.

His decision was Greg Jennings, who kept running and running and running from the left side into the middle of the field. Rodgers hurled a high, arching pass more than 60 yards in the air, and it was caught by Jennings for a gain of 56.

Rodgers capped the 71-yard charge with a 1-yard touchdown pass to John Kuhn.

"I don't think Aaron Rodgers is a special, special 25-year-old quarterback," said Jeff Smith, a longtime scout for several National Football League teams now working for the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League. "But he will win championships because he plays within himself and works within that structure. He's just a real good, solid player."

When the Packers got the ball back, Rodgers went 25 yards downfield on the first play to Jennings. His pass was on target, but cornerback Marcus Trufant made a great play and stripped the ball away.

On third and 2, Rodgers held the ball hoping a receiver would free himself. When no one did, he turned on a burst to circle right end and make it a yard beyond the first-down sticks.

Once again, Jermichael Finley simply looked imposing.

On the first drive, he flanked wide left against nickel back Kelly Jennings and beat him on a third-and-8 stop route for 12. On the second drive, he looked remarkably fluid turning a wide-open flip from Rodgers on a bootleg into a gain of 12.

Later, Rodgers went to Finley on a pair of third downs.

On third and 5, McCarthy flanked three wide receivers left and Finley alone to the right. Finley ran an inside breaking route against Trufant, a former Pro Bowl cornerback, and Rodgers fired it to him for 12.

Then, on third and 6, Finley accelerated free from a conventional location on the left side. His speed off the ball probably was one reason why linebacker David Hawthorne and safety Lawyer Milloy blew the coverage. They converged on Jennings underneath, leaving Finley open to the post for a 12-yard TD.

Rodgers looked right just enough to draw the defense there, then came back to Finley with what appeared to be perfect timing and footwork.

"The body of work of those receivers speaks for itself," Smith said.

At this point, Rodgers is playing with utter confidence behind a line that has kept him free of sacks and virtually untouched.

Passes are coming out of his hand rapidly and in a tight spiral. His accuracy, other than an overthrown fade to Jennings, was razor-sharp. And his deep-ball touch, honed daily in practice by throwing long rainbows into a net, is superlative.

Seattle's offense, which produced merely three points in three possessions despite ideal field position in the opener against Tennessee, went three-and-out to open the game. New coach Pete Carroll apparently wanted to establish the run, but when the first four rushes gained merely 4 yards he took to the air.

Matt Hasselbeck shredded the Packers' linebackers and secondary, finishing with a passer rating of 120.7. Deion Branch beat Nick Collins for an 11-yard touchdown in the left corner, and a nine-play, 80-yard drive was finished off by Leon Washington's 11-run through the middle of the defense.

Green Bay had to start free agent Robert Francois at inside linebacker because of the injuries. Alex Joseph, a more talented free agent than Francois, also sat out with a thigh injury.

"The whole interior of the defense is hurt," Smith said. "Three starting linebackers are hurt. People don't want to think it but there is a difference between first and second unit."

The fact that the Packers' offense dominated the Seahawks when it was 1s against 1s shouldn't be a surprise. In the last three meetings, Green Bay won by 42-20 in the 2007 playoffs, 27-12 in '08 and 48-10 last year.

Matt Flynn took over for Rodgers with 12 1/2 minutes remaining in the second quarter and immediately threw two of his better balls in a Green Bay uniform. The first was a 21-yard pass to Brett Swain and the second was a 19-yarder to Jordy Nelson in the middle of the field.

The pass to Nelson was positively drilled.


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dfosterf (17h) : Make sure to send my props to him! A plus move!
Zero2Cool (19h) : My cousin, yes.
dfosterf (19h) : That was your brother the GB press gazette referenced with the red cross draft props thing, yes?
Zero2Cool (2-Jul) : Packers gonna unveil new throwback helmet in few weeks.
Mucky Tundra (2-Jul) : I know it's Kleiman but this stuff writes itself
Mucky Tundra (2-Jul) : "Make sure she signs the NDA before asking for a Happy Ending!"
Mucky Tundra (2-Jul) : @NFL_DovKleiman Powerful: Deshaun Watson is taking Shedeur Sanders 'under his wing' as a mentor to the Browns QBs
Zero2Cool (30-Jun) : Dolphins get (back) Minkah Fitzpatrick in trade
Zero2Cool (30-Jun) : Steelers land Jalen Ramsey via Trade
dfosterf (26-Jun) : I think it would be great to have someone like Tom Grossi or Andy Herman on the Board of Directors so he/they could inform us
dfosterf (26-Jun) : Fair enough, WPR. Thing is, I have been a long time advocate to at least have some inkling of the dynamics within the board.
wpr (26-Jun) : 1st world owners/stockholders problems dfosterf.
Martha Careful (25-Jun) : I would have otherwise admirably served
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Also, no more provision for a write-in candidate, so Martha is off the table at least for this year
dfosterf (25-Jun) : You do have to interpret the boring fine print, but all stockholders all see he is on the ballot
dfosterf (25-Jun) : It also says he is subject to another ballot in 2028. I recall nothing of this nature with Murphy
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Ed Policy is on my ballot subject to me penciling him in as a no.
dfosterf (25-Jun) : I thought it used to be we voted for the whatever they called the 45, and then they voted for the seven, and then they voted for Mark Murphy
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Because I was too lazy to change my address, I haven't voted fot years until this year
dfosterf (25-Jun) : of the folks that run this team. I do not recall Mark Murphy being subject to our vote.
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Ed Policy yay or nay is on the pre-approved ballot that we always approve because we are uninformed and lazy, along with all the rest
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Weird question. Very esoteric. For stockholders. Also lengthy. Sorry. Offseason.
Zero2Cool (25-Jun) : Maybe wicked wind chill made it worse?
Mucky Tundra (25-Jun) : And then he signs with Cleveland in the offseason
Mucky Tundra (25-Jun) : @SharpFootball WR Diontae Johnson just admitted he refused to enter a game in 41° weather last year in Baltimore because he felt “ice cold”
Zero2Cool (24-Jun) : Yawn. Rodgers says he is "pretty sure" this be final season.
Zero2Cool (23-Jun) : PFT claims Packers are having extension talks with Zach Tom, Quay Walker.
Mucky Tundra (20-Jun) : GB-Minnesota 2004 Wild Card game popped up on my YouTube page....UGH
beast (20-Jun) : Hmm 🤔 re-signing Walker before Tom? Sounds highly questionable to me.
Mucky Tundra (19-Jun) : One person on Twitter=cannon law
Zero2Cool (19-Jun) : Well, to ONE person on Tweeter
Zero2Cool (19-Jun) : According to Tweeter
Zero2Cool (19-Jun) : Packers are working on extension for LT Walker they hope to have done before camp
dfosterf (18-Jun) : E4B landed at Andrews last night
dfosterf (18-Jun) : 101 in a 60
dfosterf (18-Jun) : FAFO
Zero2Cool (18-Jun) : one year $4m with incentives to make it up to $6m
dfosterf (18-Jun) : Or Lions
dfosterf (18-Jun) : Beats the hell out of a Vikings signing
Zero2Cool (18-Jun) : Baltimore Ravens now have signed former Packers CB Jaire Alexander.
dfosterf (14-Jun) : TWO magnificent strikes for touchdowns. Lose the pennstate semigeezer non nfl backup
dfosterf (14-Jun) : There was minicamp Thursday. My man Taylor Engersma threw
dfosterf (11-Jun) : There will be a mini camp practice Thursday.
Zero2Cool (11-Jun) : He's been sporting a ring for a while now. It's probably Madonna.
Martha Careful (10-Jun) : We only do the tea before whoopee, it relaxes me.
wpr (10-Jun) : That's awesome Martha.
Mucky Tundra (10-Jun) : How's the ayahuasca tea he makes, Martha?
Martha Careful (10-Jun) : Turns out he like older women
Martha Careful (10-Jun) : I wasn't supposed to say anything, but yes the word is out and we are happy 😂😂😂
Mucky Tundra (10-Jun) : I might be late on this but Aaron Rodgers is now married
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