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Why are these guys smiling?

Time I think, for a bit more PACKERS talk with Game 2 of the Pre-Season in the books and still not a lot to get excited about from their on-field performances overall. Week two started out fairly well until AARON RODGERS went to the bench. Then it got scary and ugly thanks primarily to their lack of a back-up QB.

It’s not time for THOMPSON/McCARTHY to panic, but they had better be concerned and considering other options effective now. GRAHAM HARRELL ain’t no MATT FLYNN, and shows no signs of becoming him. He’s been studying under McCARTHY & CLEMENTS for several years and looks no more able to handle things out on the grass than a raw Rookie. He does not look to be able to read the D quickly enough to take advantage of opportunities in a small window of time. His delivery is too deliberate and his arm strength is just not of NFL caliber.

And I’m gonna question his attitude, at least as it is portrayed by the camera in his sideline demeanor. I don’t want to see a petulant, sullen guy like CUTLER on the Green Bay sideline, but I don’t want a seemingly indifferent, vacantly smiling guy either. Look like it means something to you and get your face into the photo sheet that shows what the Defense was doing against you last possession when you went three and out… again. If RODGERS goes down for any length of time, and HARRELL is the back-up option, this team will be Drafting in the Top 5 next April, just like COLTS this year.  Read more... (1933 words + 3 images, estimated 7:44 mins reading time)

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Packers Preseason Perspectives

There is no getting around the fact that last week’s Packers – Browns game was ugly (for the Packers). Yes the Browns played their starters much longer than the Packers did, and yes the Packers had 18 players out with injuries, so excuses are readily available.  But the bottom line is, the Packers team on the field that night, did not look like the Super Bowl contenders we know they are.

The “chicken littles” were out in force, clucking that the Packers have not resolved their issues from last season. Never mind that it’s preseason game 2 and the Packers’ coaches mainly used this game to get tape on players to help their personnel decisions in a few weeks. Hell, we even saw some of the Ted Thompson haters crawl out of their caves.

But now that the dust has settled and we can perhaps look more calmly at the situation, here’s a selection of views on the Brown game, what it means or doesn’t mean and where the Packers go from here:

Over at Acme Packing Company the writer known as PackApologist was left feeling “sick” about the Packer’s performance Thursday Night.

Looking at this game from the Browns’ perspective, the commenters seem absolutely giddy about the Browns’ performance over at waitingfornextyear.com, a blog dedicated to Ohio sports teams.

Over at CheeseheadTV, in the aftermath of the Browns game, C.D. Angeli dares to ask the question: Have the Packers peaked?”  Read more... (379 words + 3 images, estimated 1:31 mins reading time)

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It’s only preseason.  It’s only preseason.

After being willing to forgive the Green Bay Packers’ performance one week ago in a 21-13 loss to the San Diego Chargers, fans are beginning to sweat after the Packers were trounced 35-10 in their preseason home opener.

While fans do a have a reason to be concerned, we must not forget that it is only the preseason.  The Detroit Lions went 4-0 in the 2008 preseason and went 0-16 in the regular season.  Each team approaches the exhibition games in a different way and Mike McCarthy seemingly has been using them as a scrimmage and not really an actual game.

Despite the lopsided score, there was some good to come from the game for the Packers.  There also obviously were some bad things as well.

Let’s get to it in another edition of “Game Balls and Lame Calls.”

Game Balls

Jarrett Boykin

With Graham Harrell struggling all night, Boykin was a perfect antidote for a young quarterback trying to develop any kind of rhythm.

Boykin finished with five catches for 63 yards and was the leading receiver for the Packers.  Two receptions of 25 and 24 yards respectively helped set up a Mason Crosby field goal for the Packers’ final points of the game.

It’s not clear if Boykin has a shot at making them team but regardless, he made a decent case on Thursday night.

Marshall Newhouse  Read more... (1242 words + 1 image, estimated 4:58 mins reading time)

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Aaron Rodgers and Colt McCoy

Packers backup quarterback Graham Harrell replaced Aaron Rodgers on the team’s first possession in the second quarter, and he remained on the field well into the fourth quarter.

The Packers got an extensive look at Harrell during the game, but in almost three quarters of action, he was only able to muster up a meager three points for the offense. Harrell completed 12 of 24 passes for 100 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. And he drew a flag for intentional grounding in the endzone, resulting in a safety.

In completing fifty-percent of his passes, throwing two picks and recording a safety, it was a night to forget for the Packers’ backup quarterback.

But on the other sideline, Cleveland backup QB Colt McCoy looked like his usual steady self during his only possession of the night.

McCoy replaced starter Brandon Weeden in the middle of the third quarter and led the Browns on an impressive 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped off by a Brandon Jackson touchdown run. The former Texas star carved up the Packers’ reserves, completing four of six passes for 58 yards on the drive.

With the starting job occupied by Weeden, many have speculated about McCoy’s availability via trade. The most common suggestions to land McCoy? The Philadelphia Eagles with QB-guru Andy Reid, and the Packers.

General manager Ted Thompson certainly won’t speak on any specific personnel moves until something comes to fruition, but if the Browns offer McCoy for a late-round draft pick, Thompson may be tempted.  Read more... (364 words + 1 image, estimated 1:27 mins reading time)

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The Packers open up the 2012 preseason tonight against the Chargers

It’s been a long time coming, but we’re here.  Green Bay Packers football is back.

Yes it’s only the preseason opener, but after a long offseason and a few weeks of the Packers playing against the Packers in training camp the Green and Gold finally get to face off against someone in a uniform of a different color.

Tonight the Packers face off against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium in the first of four exhibition games.   Last season, the Packers beat the Chargers 45-38 in Week 9 to move to 8-0 on the year.  The Packers nearly blew the game in the fourth quarter but hung on for the win.

With starters for both teams only expected to see only a few series of action, this is a game in which the second and third string units get a chance to shine and prove that they belong on the roster when the regular season kicks off in earnest on September 9.

The Packers face a plethora of questions as they begin to shape their opening day roster.  Will they keep six wide receivers? How about the tight ends?  Who will be starting at cornerback opposite Tramon Williams with Charles Woodson now at safety in the base defense?  Will the pass rush be improved?

Those questions and more have been at the forefront of Packer fans’ minds all offseason and tonight’s game is only the first small step towards answering them.  Read more... (1113 words + 1 image, estimated 4:27 mins reading time)

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Is QB Graham Harrell truly prepared to lead the Packers over multiple games?

When Matt Flynn left for a shot at the starting quarterback job with the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason, one question immediately rushed to the forefront for Green Bay Packers fans.

Is Graham Harrell ready?

The answer was hotly debated from the day Flynn signed with Seattle and through mini-camp and OTAs with no definitive answer. The Packers reportedly at least considered a trade for Cleveland Browns QB Colt McCoy during the NFL Draft, but apparently decided that Harrell deserved a clear shot at the backup job.

Now that training camp is underway, Harrell’s prospects as the Packers’ second string quarterback may finally be clearing up.

The early reviews seem to be leaning towards  the idea that while he hasn’t done anything to change coach Mike McCarthy’s mind as far as penciling him in as the number two, he still has plenty of room to grow.  With rookie BJ Coleman showing some promise with his arm but having issues with accuracy, it seems like Harrell has the job by default.

In the NFL,  players need to actually win the job and not take it by default.  This raises the question: Are the Packers truly prepared for a doomsday scenario in Rodgers not only goes down, but goes down for a long time and they have to ride with their backup for more than one or two games?  Read more... (848 words + 1 image, estimated 3:24 mins reading time)

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Will the Packers be "fine" with Graham Harrell as the backup quarterback?

I’ve had about enough. After reading Football Outsider’s NFC North installment of their “Four Downs” series, it’s finally time to make known this humble blogger’s opinion regarding the backup quarterback situation in Green Bay. In a word, they’ll be “fine.”

For some reason, though, there are a good number of writers out there sounding the alarm. Perhaps they haven’t seen enough of Graham Harrell to put a lot of faith in him. (Of course, no one outside of the coaching staff really has.) Or perhaps they’re still clinging to the annual call for a veteran backup.

Whatever the case, it just needs to stop.

And I don’t think I’m alone in this. I’ve read some of the comments at Football Outsiders and our fellow Packers blog CheeseheadTV, and there seem to be a good number of people who all share the same opinion I do.

Look, I get it. Harrell, despite being in his third year with the team, is unproven. He’s never played a down outside of the preseason, and last year’s lockout kept him from developing in Mike McCarthy’s annual quarterback school. Now with the release of Nick Hill, seventh-round draft pick B.J. Coleman remains as the only other backup.

It’s not unreasonable to be dubious of a two-year practice squad player and a rookie. But it’s just crying wolf to say the Packers’ season might be in jeopardy without a more competent backup.  Read more... (953 words + 1 image, estimated 3:49 mins reading time)

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