AllGreenBayPackers.Com

Chad Toporski, a Wisconsin native and current Pittsburgh resident, is a writer for AllGreenBayPackers.com. You can follow Chad on twitter at @ChadToporski  Read more... (185 words, estimated 44 secs reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

Packers RB Cedric Benson could provide a boost to the Packers play action game.

In the Green Bay Packers’ 27-13 preseason victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, Cedric Benson proved some of his worth to the offense. Though he didn’t see the field until the Packers’ second series, his influence on the defense was immediate, especially when it came to the play action fake.

In fact, the Packers went with a play action pass on the first three consecutive downs played by Benson. The first down resulted in an incompletion deep to Jordy Nelson, who probably should have drawn a defensive pass interference flag for getting knocked down when going for the ball. Greg Jennings hauled in the next two play action passes for 19- and 18-yard gains respectively.

Here is a video of the 18-yard completion to Jennings:

You’ll immediately notice that Bengals safety Reggie Nelson (#20) makes a nice fake at the line as if dropping into coverage before coming on a blitz. He even almost tips the pass intended for Jennings.

But go back again and this time keep your eyes on Bengals cornerback Leon Hall (#29), who is lined up across from Jennings in what appears to be a zone coverage. What the play action fake does here is draw him in to the center of the field, not only keeping Jennings wide open but also giving him room to run. (I particularly love how Jennings makes Hall completely whiff on the tackle.)  Read more... (809 words + 1 image, estimated 3:14 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

Terrell Manning

Green Bay Packers vs. Cincinnati Bengals:

My unfitered game day recap and blog post of comments, observations and first impressions.

Inactive for Packers today:

Shaky Smithson, Du ‘ane Bennett, Davon House, Brandon Saine, Jon Hoese, James Starks, DeMarco Cosby, Desmond Bishop, Frank Zombo, Johnny Jones, Ray Dominguez, Andrew Datko, Derek Sherrod, Andrew Quarless, DJ Williams, Jermichael Finley

Notes:

The Packers travel to Cincinnati for the first time since 2006; Mike McCarthy’s first season as Packers’ head coach.

Most memorable game in this series was 1992, when Brett Favre came in for an injured Don Majkowski and led the Packers to a 24-23 comeback win. Favre completed a 35yd TD pass to Kitrick Taylor with 13 seconds left to earn the win.

———————————————

Mike McCarthy Pregame Show on 620 WTMJ:

Dress rehearsal game:  It’s not just the game, it’s really the whole week leading up to the game. You have a set schedule, how you breakdown your opponent, run meetings…    The actual game, you have objectives to hit… play first group for a half and then let the competition begin in the second half.

Getting first team reps:  Hopefully we can six possession in the first half. Finley is not with us…   This is a chance for us to get in a rythm and practice the things we want to do when the season starts.  Read more... (985 words + 3 images, estimated 3:56 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

This time, RB Cedric Benson will be suiting up in Green and Gold.

The third week of the preseason is upon us, which is also known as the “dress rehearsal” for the starters before the real games begin in earnest.

That means we will get to see a full half of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers’ starting offense tonight as they face off against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.  The starting offense showed some signs of life last week against the Cleveland Browns, but still struggled in some areas.

Same goes for the Packers’ starting defense.  Tackling seemed to be improved, but the defense still was swallowed up in coverage by rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden.  This week, they face off against Andy Dalton and a Bengals offense that struggled at times in the 2011 season.

As for the backups, this is a big game for Graham Harrell.  Confidence in him as the backup behind Aaron Rodgers hit an all-time low after the 35-10 loss to the Browns in which Harrell failed to lead the offense to a touchdown in roughly three quarters of action.

Here’s what to look for in tonight’s game:

Turnovers

It’s starting to sound like a broken record, but the Packers must start taking better care of the football.  Read more... (905 words + 1 image, estimated 3:37 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

Fourth-quarter fumbles can turn the Packers low-risk signing of Cedric Benson into a disaster.

For a team that doesn’t run the ball much, the Packers sure like to talk about the importance of running the ball.

Yes, a good running game is nice to have, but it’s not necessary, especially with a QB like Aaron Rodgers and the Packers talented WRs.

It would be nice to see the Packers get more production in the run game during the fourth quarter, though, especially when preserving a lead and killing the clock. That’s one of the reaons Ted Thompson plucked Cedric Benson off his couch and brought him to Green Bay.

Thompson probably had visions of Benson crashing up the middle late in games, moving the pile forward as the lead built on the arm of Aaron Rodgers became more insurmountable and precious seconds ticked off the clock.

That’s a cool vision and all, but how close is it to reality?

Benson in crunch time
Last season with the Bengals, Benson had 67 carries for 289 yards in the fourth quarter. That’s an average of 4.31 yards per carry.

Not bad.

When the Bengals were ahead in the fourth, Benson had 24 carries for 110 yards and a 4.6 average.

Again, not bad.

The first of those run-the-clock-with-a-lead carries was a 39-yard TD in the season opener against the Browns to ice the game. If you take away that long run, Benson’s average drops to 3.1 per carry.  Read more... (725 words + 1 image, estimated 2:54 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny

While we work to get you more information about the newest Green Bay Packer, running back Cedric Benson, please enjoy the following highlight reel from when he played with the Cincinnati Bengals. (WARNING: Explicit music used in video.)

Chad Toporski, a Wisconsin native and current Pittsburgh resident, is a writer for AllGreenBayPackers.com. You can follow Chad on twitter at @ChadToporski

——————

---- Get AddToAny

The strength of the Giants' defensive line is just one observation from the 2011 NFL Wild Card weekend.

With four teams out of the playoff race and the New York Giants scheduled to take on the Green Bay Packers next week, I thought it might be prudent to take a look back at the weekend and reflect on the results. The games mostly went as expected, minus the Pittsburgh Steelers getting “Tebowed” in Denver.

Let’s get right down to it, then. Here are some observations from the four Wild Card games and how they might relate to the Packers going forward:

1. Regular season records don’t mean anything. This weekend, we saw two division champions take down Wild Card teams who held a better record in the regular season. The New York Giants (9-7) practically shut out the Atlanta Falcons (10-6), and the Denver Broncos (8-8) stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) with an overtime bullseye strike.

Yes, the Packers made an impressive run this season going 15-1, but don’t let that alone give you any sense of false hope. It won’t afford Green Bay any advantage on the field, because the only thing that matters is how well they are playing right now.  Read more... (1078 words + 1 image, estimated 4:19 mins reading time)

---- Get AddToAny