Relevant Facts and Figures from the Green Bay Packers' Preseason

The 2014 preseason is over for the Green Bay Packers. We dug for some relevant figures from the exhibtion games. 

Final roster cutdowns have begun across the league. The Green Bay Packers and the rest of the 31 NFL teams need to have their rosters trimmed to 53 players by 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The regular season opener in Seattle looms just five days from final cuts.

There's still time for one last look back at the preseason. Here are some relevant facts and figures from Green Bay's exhibition schedule. All stats from Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.  

 

  • More than enough been said about the backup quarterback situation. A majority of the numbers favor Scott Tolzien, but one in particular stands out. On passes over 10 yards, Tolzien was 17 of 23 for 297 yards and three touchdowns and zero interceptions. That's good for a near perfect passer rating of 155.3. Meanwhile, Matt Flynn was just 5 of 15 for 88 yards and one touchdown (76.5). He was just 1 for 6 on passes over 20 yards. His one completion was when he hit a wide open Davante Adams on Thursday. Also, Tolzien had a 150.4 passer rating on his 16 dropbacks under pressure. Flynn finished at 46.7. Tolzien was considerably better attacking downfield and when facing chaotic situations. 

 

  • The Packers can't let DuJuan Harris waste away on the bench. Over his 36 touches (31 carries, five receptions) this preseason, Harris broke 11 tackles (tied for second most) and averaged 2.81 yards after contact. He finds space when there is none, runs behind his pads and likely ranks as the offense's top pass-catching back. The Packers need to find ways of getting him on the field. That said, Eddie Lacy carried just 11 times and broke six tackles. He's on the verge of a monster season. 

 

  • Ted Thompson would probably like to have receiver Alex Gillett back on the 10-man practice squad. He was targeted eight times this preseason, catching six of the attempts for 80 yards and a circus touchdown. Quarterbacks had a 145.8 passer rating when targeting him (tied for 12th best among receivers). While others had notable drops in camp, Gillett had none. Few holdovers from 2013 improved more. 

 

  • The Packers had three tight ends finish the preseason with at least a 2.0 yards-per-route-run number. It's a statistic that provides a look at overall efficiency as a receiver. The best in the NFL are generally in the 2.0-yard range during the regular season. Jake Stoneburner (2.37), Ryan Taylor (2.28) and Richard Rodgers (2.23) were all in the top-20 this preseason.  

 

  • Davante Adams led the team with 14 targets. He caught just seven of the 14 but dropped none. He ran 31.3 percent of his routes from the slot. Two of Jeff Janis's four targets went for touchdowns. 

 

  • Rookie center Corey Linsley allowed just a single hurry over 70 pass-blocking snaps. JC Tretter allowed one hurry over 42. Both had positive run-blocking grades. Linsley finished as PFF's No. 5 overall center, while Tretter was No. 11. 

 

  • Bryan Bulaga and David Bakhtiari were each given 37 pass-blocking snaps. Bulaga did not give up a single pressure; Bakhtiari allowed two hurries. 

 

  • Datone Jones rushed the passer on 33 preseason snaps. He did not record a single quarterback disruption. Third-round rookie Khyri Thornton got 62 cracks at rushing and produced just one hurry. Mike Daniels needed just 22 pass-rushing snaps to quadruple their combined disruptive production. 

 

  • Davon House graded out as the top preseason cornerback in the NFL. Quarterbacks targeted him 13 times but completed just six for 38 yards. He led the NFL with five passes defensed. Also, four of his seven tackles were credited as "stops." However, here's the list of receivers targeted against House this preseason: Derek Hagan, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens, James Jones, Marcel Reece, Denarius Moore, Mychal Rivera and De'Anthony Thomas. Not exactly a murder's row. Still, it's an encouraging start to his season. He needs to now show he can consistently handle starters on the perimeter when the games matter. 

 

  • Jayrone Elliott graded out as the top preseason 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL. He rushed 21 times from the right side and produced an NFL best five sacks and two hurries. His +9.9 rush grade was the best during the preseason, regardless of position. Meanwhile, Nick Perry had four stops on 24 snaps against the run, third most among 3-4 outside linebackers.

 

  • Rookie safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was targeted five times and allowed just one reception. He was also one of just eight safeties to record a sack this preseason. 

 

  • Aaron Adams, who tore his ACL and MCL in the finale, had a tough preseason. He gave up seven quarterback disruptions and finished with the third worst grade among the 134 qualifying offensive tackles. However, Derek Sherrod allowed just four disruptions over 206 total snaps (second most among offensive tackles). He graded out at No. 17 overall. 

 

  • Jordan McCray finished as PFF's third worst guard. He won't make the team. Starter T.J. Lang was third best. He did not allow a pressure and was dominant in the run game.

 

  • Sam Barrington, Chris Banjo and Morgan Burnett were among six players with two special teams tackles. 

 

  • Janis was the only punt returner on the roster to finish the preseason with a positive grade. He returned four punts for 35 yards and had four uneventful fair catches. 

 

  • Tim Masthay had six punts returned for -1 yards. Mason Crosby handled 20 of the 22 kickoffs. 

 

Zach Kruse contributes to Cheesehead TV. He is also the Lead Writer for the NFC North at Bleacher Report. You can reach him on Twitter @zachkruse2 or by email at [email protected].

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Comments (15)

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Jamie's picture

August 29, 2014 at 11:26 pm

How did Sherrod look on Thurs? Guessing he had a quiet game in a good way.

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PackerAaron's picture

August 30, 2014 at 05:09 am

He looked solid. He's still having trouble anchoring against power, but he's worlds better than he showed in St. Louis.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 30, 2014 at 02:57 pm

I agree that Sherrod looked somewhere between okay and pretty good (solid, if you will). As Mr. Nagler noted, Sherrod got walked back a number of times against bull rushes, but he did stay in front of his opponent. Full Disclosure: I have been classified as one of 3 or 4 Sherrod-lovers on this site.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

August 29, 2014 at 11:43 pm

"The Packers can't let DuJuan Harris waste away on the bench."

Given that Starks has never played 16 games in a season I'm sure Harris won't have too. Harris looked powerful, quick and decisive against the Chiefs.

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Otto's picture

August 29, 2014 at 11:51 pm

I read somewhere that after this preseason, Harris is second on the depth chart and Starks is third. I don't know how accurate that is, but to me it's 2 and 2A.

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Bearmeat's picture

August 30, 2014 at 10:13 am

WILL YOU TWO JUST STOP ACTING LIKE FOOLS!

It's clear you don't like each other. It's clear that you disagree on many things. It's clear that you are both certain you are usually right.

So move on. Spare the rest of us. Please.

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BradHTX's picture

August 30, 2014 at 01:50 pm

I only you two could keep it this civil all the time...

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Bearmeat's picture

August 30, 2014 at 02:52 pm

Sorry. I just lost it for a minute. They argue like old women on every single thread.... I should just ignore them.

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Tundraboy's picture

August 30, 2014 at 01:10 pm

I totally agree. Only question is can he play 16 two years in a row. Wouldn't that be a nice change from all the full and just about full year injury plague stories.

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Don Hutson's picture

August 31, 2014 at 04:51 am

The coaching staff is my biggest worry on offense, baring injuries. It starts with the high paid guy from Pittsburg who calls plays. If he adjusts well to game-day conditions, we may be Super. If I end-up posting excessively about what an idiot we have for a head coach.... maybe not so super. But for now, lets hope for the former.

Go Pack Go.

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4thand1's picture

August 30, 2014 at 06:55 am

Just out of curiosity, how old are you? (GF)

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Chad Lundberg's picture

August 30, 2014 at 04:26 am

Is Jay Elliot from area 51??? That stat is just absolutely MIND BLOWING!!! Even if it is just preseason!!!

Dang, it's gonna be hard to keep my hopes from coming up. I want this player to be a star!!!

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4thand1's picture

August 30, 2014 at 06:53 am

Finding a diamond in the rough. If Elliot can do it for real in the regular season it'll be great. You need play makers and stars. The Packers appear to be designed to stop Wilson and Kaepernick. Speed , speed , speed.

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Jamie's picture

August 30, 2014 at 10:17 am

I recall watching a few of his YouTube clips when we signed him and immediately seeing he was a bit of a physical freak. He almost seemed like a man playing against boys, but didn't always seem to fully exert himself.

That doesn't seem to be an issue so far in the big boy league, so I'm not surprised he's standing out. Of course I never expected the production in such limited snaps.

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FITZCORE1252's picture

August 30, 2014 at 02:06 pm

This no mobile commenting thing was a trying time, But those days are over.

GO MUTHALOVING PACKERS!

Woooot

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