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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Fan Shout
Mucky Tundra (5m) : Baltimore-Buffalo line has been BAL -1 to -1.5. Gotta be rare that a divisional home team that won 13 games is an underdog at home
Martha Careful (6h) : Ironically, our QB played the best of all 3
beast (13h) : 0-3 NFC North Dominated the Regular season and shutout in the post season
Mucky Tundra (14h) : Burn Detroit to the ground over losing to the Commanders? Bit extreme
packerfanoutwest (15h) : Burn your city Lion fans!!
packerfanoutwest (15h) : suck it lions!!!
Mucky Tundra (15h) : Knew that playoffs loss for the Lions would hit like crack but I could absolutely OD on this
TheKanataThrilla (15h) : Gonna sleep better after that game
Mucky Tundra (15h) : goodnight!
Martha Careful (15h) : goodnight
Mucky Tundra (15h) : (not you Martha, it's a saying lol)
Martha Careful (15h) : America loves an underdog
Mucky Tundra (15h) : That'll do pig, that'll do
Martha Careful (15h) : 4 turnovers by Goff
Mucky Tundra (15h) : that INT was definately on Goff!
Martha Careful (15h) : we arent the only guys who blow contain
Martha Careful (15h) : it should be 4th down
Martha Careful (15h) : I can't blame the call, Ijust would have gone for it
Martha Careful (15h) : miss
TheKanataThrilla (15h) : I had the feeling he was gonna miss
Mucky Tundra (15h) : The football gods chortled
Mucky Tundra (15h) : Absolutely! Rip their heart out a la The Temple of Doom!
Martha Careful (15h) : a first down wins the game
Martha Careful (15h) : do you go for FG on 4th?
Martha Careful (15h) : 3 guys open
Mucky Tundra (15h) : Go for the TUD! Want a 50 bomb especially after how Detroit constantly ran up the score this year
Martha Careful (15h) : bad play called against blitz
Mucky Tundra (15h) : another clutch throw!
TheKanataThrilla (15h) : Daniels is spectacular!!!!
Mucky Tundra (15h) : Washington uses a time out?
Martha Careful (15h) : I hate it when owners are on the field
Martha Careful (15h) : great game
Mucky Tundra (15h) : Detroit not officially dead but the Fat Lady is warming up
Martha Careful (15h) : more people should spike it
TheKanataThrilla (15h) : I still don't feel good yet. Ghost of bad Washington team past I guess
Mucky Tundra (15h) : Probably is
Martha Careful (15h) : Campbell looks like he is crying
Mucky Tundra (15h) : I could REALLY use another Pick 6 right now
TheKanataThrilla (15h) : 3 score lead and their D can't stop you
Martha Careful (15h) : and that play FB screwed up
Mucky Tundra (15h) : DAGGER!!!!!!!
Martha Careful (15h) : wow!!! 4th down mesh pass
Mucky Tundra (15h) : except for that goofy 4th down play to Mariota in the 1st Washington has been on fire with there play calls
TheKanataThrilla (15h) : 4th down killer again
Martha Careful (15h) : Kliff Kingsbury stock is rising
Mucky Tundra (16h) : Detroit crumbling right now
Mucky Tundra (16h) : yeah like i said, i thought it was goff but just got too excited at the Lions misfortune
Martha Careful (16h) : they need 6.. only up 10
Martha Careful (16h) : I think the receicer threw that
Mucky Tundra (16h) : Speaks volumes that they don't trust Goff there though
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