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Green Bay Packers wide receiver Diondre Borel runs the ball against the San Diego Chargers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Thursday. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Diondre Borel had an opportunity to separate himself from the competition in the race for the sixth wide receiver spot on the Packers’ roster Thursday night.

Did he do it? Well, not really. But he also didn’t take a major step backwards. Like the whole battle-for-the-sixth-receiver-spot storyline has been thus far, Borel was just kind of meh against the Chargers. Not terrible, but far from great.

Things didn’t start well for Borel. He got drilled by San Diego’s Demorrio Williams on a first quarter kickoff and fumbled. Coughing the ball up is the surest way to find yourself in Mike McCarthy’s doghouse and off the team, so Borel put himself in a deep hole right off the bat.

Borel returned three more kicks/punts on Thursday, including a 34-yard return late in the first half where he flashed some of the speed and burst that make him an intriguing prospect.

Borel finished with three catches for 13 yards and was targeted five times by Graham Harrell. Those numbers are nothing to brag about, but he didn’t have any drops and he definitely didn’t look overmatched.

Like he showed on the 34-yard return, Borel looked quick after he caught the ball — as quick as someone can look when they’re immediately being swarmed by defenders, anyway.  Read more... (490 words + 1 image, estimated 1:58 mins reading time)

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Aaron Rodgers and the first team offense had a rough day in limited action against the Chargers

First things first: the sky is NOT falling.

Despite losing 21-13 last night to the San Diego Chargers in their exhibition opener, the Green Bay Packers are not doomed.  Some fans have a tendency to put way too much stock in the first preseason game.

Still there was some good, some not-so-good and some downright awful things to take from the defeat.

Here’s a look at some of the good and the bad.

Game Balls

Nick Perry

A nonsense excessive celebration penalty notwithstanding, Perry made a great first impression right out of the blocks with a sack on Philip Rivers.  As the game went on, Perry showed flashes of ability in the pass rush that the Packers hoped he had when they selected him the first round of the draft.

In the words of Mike McCarthy, it’s definitely an experience Perry can grow from. While it’s silly to draw conclusions from one preseason game, Perry has gotten off to a solid start in his rookie season.

Davon House

What else is there to say? The man made plays.  House showed hustle and playmaking ability in breaking up multiple passes.  Wherever the ball was, #31 seemed to be close by.  He definitely outperformed Jarrett Bush, who basically was named the starter for the game by default.  Read more... (1204 words + 1 image, estimated 4:49 mins reading time)

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Green Bay Packers vs. San Diego Chargers:

Here is my unfitered game day blog post of comments, observations and first impressions.

Inactive for Packers today:

It’s a long list:

S/CB Charles Woodson, RB Du’ane Bennett, RB Brandon Saine, FB Jon Hoese, CB Sam Shields, TE Eric Lair, OLB Frank Zombo, T Mike McCabe (injured reserve), G Jaymes Brooks (PUP), G Ray Dominguez, T Marshall Newhouse, DT Mike Daniels, T Derek Sherrod, TE Andrew Quarless, TE Ryan Taylor, WR Greg Jennings, WR Tori Gurley and TE Jermichael Finley.

Notes: Shannon Eastin makes history this evening as the first female to ever referee an NFL game. Eastin will be the line judge.

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Mike McCarthy Pregame Show on 620 WTMJ:

Anxious?: Our players and coaches look forward to the first game, get out of installation mode.

First-string plans: First offense will go 20-25 plays, complete the first quarter. Probably the same for the defense.

Main goal: You want to make sure you come out of this game with information on each and every player.

First NFL game for MM (vs San Diego): I remember it very clearly – it was exciting. Hopefully we’ll compete in tonight’s contest better than we did that particular night. (SD won 17-3)

Overall camp eval:  It’s been a good camp. We were able to really have quality practice every single day. I feel like pawsitives have come out of every practice.  Read more... (885 words + 2 images, estimated 3:32 mins reading time)

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Last preseason @ Indianapolis

The Packers preseason opponents were announced by the team yesterday afternoon. The schedule for the 2012 preseason is as follows:

Aug. 9 @ San Diego Chargers (ESPN)

Aug. 16-19 Cleveland Browns

Aug. 23-26 @ Cincinnati Bengals

Aug. 30-31 Kansas City Chiefs

After being snubbed by the NFL and missing out on the season opener against the New York Giants, the Packers get the first primetime, national televised preseason game outside of the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 5.

Due to it being a national televised game, the Chargers game is the only game that has a specific date and time. The dates and times for the other games will be revealed in the coming weeks.

When the team released the information, some players took to twitter to express their frustration with having to play a West Coast preseason game. Josh Sitton tweeted, “that’s terrible. West coast preseason games suck. Especially early [in] pre season!” When asked why, Sitton claimed the long flight and time change.

While the players may not be happy, it presents the Packers a chance to open their training camp before most other teams. According to NFL rules, teams can begin their camps 15 days prior to their first preseason game. The Arizona Cardinals and the New Orleans Saints will be the first to open because their Aug. 5 meeting.  Read more... (390 words + 1 image, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

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Last weekend was the opening of deer hunting season and I had a dilemma: Do I skip the Packers vs. Chargers game to maximize my chances to bagging the 30-point buck, or do I leave the deer stand early to watch the game? I chose to watch the game (there’s always next weekend to chase the 30-pointer) and I was pleased with my decision.

What a game.

Also, by watching the game, I decreased my chances of sounding like an idiot in this week’s stock report.

Rising

Aaron Rodgers
Besides missing an open Greg Jennings on a key drive late in the fourth quarter, Rodgers was nearly flawless once again on Sunday.

Desmond Bishop
He had all he could do to keep up with Antonio Gates, but Bishop kept getting after it. He tipped a pass that led to Peprah’s first interception, sacked Philip Rivers and was the only Packers defender that looked explosive throughout the game.

Packers WRs
I can’t decide which WRs should go in the rising category and which belong in the steady, so lets just label them all risers. This group of WRs gives you a little bit of everything and is rolling right now.

Steady

Mason Crosby
A 47-yard field goal in the rain? No problem for Crosby. I should probably put Crosby in the rising category, but I don’t like kickers to get too high or too low. I want them to be steady. This is my way of keeping Crosby consistent and grounded. I’m sure he appreciates it.  Read more... (565 words + 1 image, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)

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Photo: Packers.com

Aaron Rodgers threw for four scores, Tramon Williams and Charlie Peprah each had interception returns for touchdowns, and the defense held off a frenzied fourth quarter rally as the Green Bay Packers beat the San Diego Chargers, 45-38, on Sunday to remain the NFL’s lone undefeated team at 8-0.

Here are five observations from the game:

1. Defensive issues

There was optimism that the Packers defense might rebound after a bye week in which some key players were getting healthy and an adjustment or two could be made. That wishful thinking was dashed in San Diego with another disappointing performance. Philip Rivers threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns, and there were times in which the Chargers marched up and down the field seemingly at will. San Diego finished with 460 total yards on offense. So what are the issues? Or maybe the better question, what isn’t an issue? The Packers had breakdowns in both man and zone coverages on Sunday. Tramon Williams, Charles Woodson and Sam Shields were beaten several times, and each is having a considerably worse season than they did a year ago. No one in the front seven can consistently pressure the quarterback either. That’s a frightening combination for any pass defense. And don’t forget, the tackling has been atrocious through eight games. Mike Tolbert ran through several more arm tackles on Sunday.  Read more... (1649 words + 1 image, estimated 6:36 mins reading time)

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AP Photo from Packers.com

Green Bay Packers vs. San Diego Chargers:

It seems like forever since the Packers last played – I guess that’s to be expected when your team is 7-o.  The Packers travel to normally sunny (but rainy today) San Diego today hoping to stay on their roll and keep the “what’s wrong?” questions about Philip Rivers and the Chargers going.

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Inactive for the Packers today are:

CB House, LB Francois, LB Lattimore, G/T Dominguez, T Clifton, DE Neal, LB So’oto.

Sam Shields returns to the active roster after his silly end zone antics against the Rams that earned him a concussion.

It’s a bit unusual to see 3 linebackers inactive, given their special teams contributions. Also make you wonder if Dom Capers game plan lessens the need for linebacker depth.

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Mike McCarthy Pregame Show on 620 WTMJ:

Bye week: We focused on getting back to schedule. Important to get back into that work week routine. I feel good about the quality of the preparation that went into this week. Important for us to be ready and get off to a fast start.

5 straight days off -reward?: Combination of things. When you’ve had this kind of success, it should be recognized in some way, but we also wanted to take the opportunities to let guys rest.

Injuries: This is as healthy as we’ve been this year.  Anytime you have 3-4 healthy inactives on game day, it’s a good sign.  Read more... (1136 words + 3 images, estimated 4:33 mins reading time)

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