Gut Reactions: Packers take long look at their depth vs Texans

Aaron's gut reactions from the Packers first preseason game

  • Solid debut from Jordan Love. Thought he looked better when things broke down than he has in camp. 
  • In particular you saw him know exactly where his checkdown was a few times when the rush broke through quickly. 
  • Speaking of the rush breaking through, rough night up front from some backups along the line. 
  • This is Yosh Nijman's third year in the Packers program and this is probably the best opportunity he's going to get. Sadly, I don't think he made the most of it.  
  • Winslow may have outkicked his coverage on a couple of those big returns. 
  • Josh Jackson just gave up another completion.
  • Kylin Hill's vision on that screen for the touchdown was just outstanding. 
  • I'm not sure how "good" Oren Burks was vs how much he was sent on blitzes in the first preseason game of the year. But it was good to see him active. 
  • Wonder what Devin Funchess was thinking while he was out there well into the second half against backups of backups. Saw that he left the game. Hope he's back out there against the Jets next week.
  • Innis Gaines not only had that near-interception, he played really well against the run and had a nice tackle on special teams. He did have that one rough play on the big run at the end of the 3rd quarter where he should have made the tackle. Overall though, a good night for the rookie out of TCU.
  • Another undrafted rookie who flashed: Jack Heflin. The recognition and hustle to stop that screen play in particular was impressive. 
  • Someone tell the Lambeau crowd that The Wave is supposed to be done when the home team is on defense. 

 

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16 points
 

Comments (105)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Guam's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:25 pm

Offensive line did not show much all night. I think Patrick and Myers were the only starters who played and then not for long, but this O-line group is supposed to be deep and talented. They didn't show it tonight, particularly in run blocking. Nijman also missed the block that caused Love's fumble.

Funchess looked really good and that one handed grab was spectacular. Are ESB and Winfree hurt? Can't understand why they didn't play unless they were hurt.

Special teams coverage units did not look good. Not much lane discipline that I could see. I think the punters outkicked their coverage on several occasions, but the coverage units still just looked bad. Sigh.......

The battle for RB3 is going to be interesting. I thought all three looked good and Hill has some speed. He just ran by some defenders on his touchdown run.

10 points
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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:37 pm

Winfree missed the last several practices. ESB is hurt, nothing new in that. He, too, has missed some time in practice. I wanted to see Winfree, and both those guys need to show something to make this team.

I gather LaFleur wanted to give Love at least one NFL-caliber receiver, and that is why Funchess played as long as he did. And Amari played a fair amount. Sternberger with the nice receiving play and the blocking penalty.

5 points
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Guam's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:51 pm

Thanks TGR. I didn't recall Winfree missing the last several practices and thought ESB was hurt but wasn't sure.

2 points
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flackcatcher's picture

August 15, 2021 at 11:27 am

The Packers wanted to get extended video on Funchess, I mean it been two years. If they decide not to keep him, then they'll try to swing a trade first before releasing him. Same thing with Sternberger. Other teams need to see him playing healthy with his concussion issues and all.

-1 points
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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 15, 2021 at 08:29 pm

Those are also likely factors into the decision to play Funchess so long. Quite possibly the same for Sternberger, though I am less certain about him.

0 points
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Horrible4's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:17 pm

Spoiler: the Packers offensive line isn't THAT deep, they're just good at developing long term projects at oline. The 2nd and 3rd stringers are largely late round flyers that you would hardly expect to make a roster spot and just look good playing next to stout players. Packers are known for throwing these late round picks into the trash. Never understood the hype behind Yosh Nijman neither who (rather predictably) got beat consistently.

The Packers have good swing linemen that can play multiple spots in a pinch, but one or two injuries and things get out of hand as we saw. Things could improve, obviously, there's still a lot of preseason left but none of this should be surprising.

Edit: also LaFluer doesn't run a lot of his playbook out of preseason, could be why a lot of the holes at O-line were uncovered.

Also Kylin Hill is basically just a more athletic, better pass catching version of Aaron Jones, I would be surprised if anyone besides Hill won RB3 and got respectable snaps as a rookie. He can essentially give you 95% of what Aaron Jones brings, if not 100%.

5 points
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Swisch's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:30 pm

It's one thing to work in one new lineman with a group of experienced veterans used to playing with each other.
It's another thing to put a bunch of new guys out there at the same time. That's chaos.
We're already going to have two new starters on the offensive line for at least the first part of the season. The two missing guys were stars last season. That's a challenge in itself for the unit to get up to speed for the mayhem of the regular season.
To put a makeshift unit of mostly reserves out there who aren't used to each other isn't a fair way to evaluate any of them. The new guys should be put in a position to succeed.
It can also be dangerous on the field for the skill players who are counting on their blocks.

5 points
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Horrible4's picture

August 15, 2021 at 03:17 am

It's what every other team in the league does pretty much. The issue is Gutekunst is hit and miss with his draft selections: he'll wow you with value one round and completely blunder the next. Having position flexibility is nice, but it doesn't matter if those players were never good to begin with. Josh Meyers will probably be good, buy Royce Newman wasn't a draftable prospect for example and they took him in the 4th round. Disgusting.

Hopefully just getting Yosh Nijman off the line will do wonders for next week, but I wholly agree: the Packers depth isn't as deep as people seem to lead on.

-7 points
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9
LambeauPlain's picture

August 15, 2021 at 11:51 am

And you post your opinion of hit and miss of Gutey and Matt based on a preseason game played by virtually no starters, a few second stringers, and mostly bottom of the roster "try outs". OK. Whatever.

I evaluate a team roster based on performance and two consecutive NFCCG are rather impressive....your opinions are yours, but not the facts.

2 points
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Horrible4's picture

August 15, 2021 at 04:21 pm

That's true, they're just calculated guesses at the end of the day but why would Gutey draft 6 offensive linemen in 2 separate drafts if he was confident in his picks? Is it any coincidence that one of them is already retired, another one can't play, 2 of them were reaches and the rest are projects? Not trying to discredit the success the team has had, I'm just pointing out why the depth might not be as stellar and why it will probably show in preseason (which it has so far). It's not supposed to be a damnation of everything they've done, but it deserves criticism.

1 points
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Bure9620's picture

August 16, 2021 at 12:44 am

He drafted 6 o-linemen primarily due to a philosophy shift in how they want to play. MLF wants to run the ball. He also drafted a 250 lb. Back in the second.

0 points
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scullyitsme's picture

August 16, 2021 at 01:09 pm

There isn’t any basis for this claim yet it constantly gets said here. The packers under Lafleur haven’t run much if any more than 45% up to now. Every coach and scheme wants to run the ball, they will all tell you they want to run the ball, they may even believe it( and get fans believing it) but the reality is most don’t or can’t. Baltimore ran 53% of the time for number one in the nfl. Mostly because of Lamar scrambling. Please stop misinforming the public. Thanks

0 points
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flackcatcher's picture

August 16, 2021 at 05:33 pm

Lafleur in his first season 1st presser stated that he wanted to run the ball. Gutekunst's 2019 draft was direct to fill the holes at F-Back and a second big back that MLF needs to run effectively. Bure9620 is right. It's the same reason they drafted the other Rodgers for the slot and agreed to the Cobb trade. Positions that they needed in their offensive scheme that they were thin at. Or did you not watch the 4th quarter of last year's NFCC game at Lambeu.

0 points
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scullyitsme's picture

August 16, 2021 at 08:49 pm

But,,,, we don’t run any more than others…,I say all the time I’m the greatest at lots of stuff.

0 points
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dobber's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:31 am

The Packers have a pile of bodies on the OL, but there's a difference between bodies and depth. Right now, they're slinging spaghetti against the wall and waiting to see what sticks.

One thing we can't ignore is that the second C on the field for the Packers last night was Runyan...not Patrick, not Hanson. And he played quite a few snaps there and looked like he belonged. IF that holds up, and he continues to get play at C, that doesn't bode well for Lucas Patrick.

4 points
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LambeauPlain's picture

August 15, 2021 at 12:12 pm

Dobber....it may also mean a key competency of Coach Matt, versatility, is being tested with Runyon. Bahktiari may be off the field for a few games meaning Jenks will be at LT and the interior will need shoring up with guys who can play both G and C.

I think Patrick will be on the roster. When Jenks plays T, Patrick one of the best Gs the Packers have.

1 points
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Coldworld's picture

August 15, 2021 at 06:57 pm

Compare Patrick to either Runyon or Braden’s play at guard last night and Patrick emerges as a clear leader. Runyon was particularly unimpressive.

1 points
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Bure9620's picture

August 16, 2021 at 12:45 am

Agreed

0 points
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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 15, 2021 at 08:38 pm

We just disagree for the most part. I thought Runyan in particular had a poor game at guard. I confess I didn't notice Runyan at center.

I have floated the notion that Patrick might get traded. That requires Myers to be good, plus at least one and preferably two guys to emerge as viable starting guards. It would be helpful if someone who can play center also emerged. I had penciled in Kelly as a viable swing starting tackle, but he had some hiccups in practice which translated into this preseason game as well. Hope it's just rust and not that there is a reason he was still available and very inexpensive.

Still hoping for Newman, Braden, and yes, Runyan, to emerge.

1 points
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Coldworld's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:18 pm

I think Funchess just booked his spot on the roster. Head and shoulders the best player out there. Scott, Black and Gaines, Ento, Wilford, Helflin, Burks and Rivers stood out as positives.

Hill might be great in the passing game it he looked like the third best runner. That competition just got opened wide. Love had a pretty good night, which is likely the main prize anyway, but ST was bloody awful with the exception of Burks. Disorganized, big gaps, dubious punt blocking and an in pressured fumble on a return by Rodgers. The D was awful against the run. 157 yards I think. I get that it wasn’t starters and vanilla, but it wasn’t impressive organizationally. I think Jackson just can’t be used outside. He was picked on at will on the outside.

5 points
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dobber's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:21 am

For me, I don't think Funchess' spot is in much doubt. LaF seems to really like him, and with Sternberger out the first two weeks, Funchess gets that opportunity. One of the big knocks on him was his hands and I thought he looked pretty good last night. Just one game, though.

"Hill might be great in the passing game it he looked like the third best runner."

The offensive line did the RBs no favors over the first 3 quarters.

3 points
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Coldworld's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:47 am

No, the offensive line did not. It was the first go round for them and Hill, and we have to allow for that and the lack of experience playing together, but Hill needs to show more patience and take what is there. Taylor has the advantage of power and Williams looked much more decisive.

2 points
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Guam's picture

August 15, 2021 at 09:08 am

I re-watched the first half this morning and the offensive line was not good at run blocking, particularly the tackles (Nijman and Kelly). Hill made one bad read when he tried a cut back, but should have bounced it outside; however he did not have much to work with in terms of "running to daylight". The O-line was just getting stuffed.

It should be noted that the Texans played Shaq Lawson, Blacklock and other D-line starters for most of the first half.

6 points
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flackcatcher's picture

August 15, 2021 at 11:40 am

I thought it was great for the O-line to play against NFL level competition. Don't think that Lafleur is not all unhappy to have video cuts of his 1-2 years playing against NFL veterans first game out. There are a number of hard cuts coming, and the Texans made Gute's and MLF jobs easier for them. (Nijman was out on an island most of the game. It showed. And he got his QB hurt by not protecting his blind side, job no. 1 for a left tackle. He's gone. Kelly was fine, he got no help on the run game, as expected in the first preseason game.)

-1 points
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Guam's picture

August 15, 2021 at 12:08 pm

Agreed that MLF loved the competition as long as Love's shoulder is not seriously injured. Not sure I would call Kelly fine as I expected better from an NFL veteran, but he didn't play himself off the roster like Nijman did last night.

1 points
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Coldworld's picture

August 15, 2021 at 06:58 pm

Kelly was as bad if not worse

0 points
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Swisch's picture

August 15, 2021 at 12:10 pm

Thanks for the report, Guam.
I'm glad for fans like you who study the film and break down the game to help fans like me.

0 points
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1
LambeauPlain's picture

August 15, 2021 at 11:44 am

Yeah, the STs looked like the Mennenga squad that is being run by his top assistant of last year. Novak, Slocum, Zook, Mennenga just were not effective ST coaches.

Last night was troublesome.

3 points
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flackcatcher's picture

August 15, 2021 at 12:06 pm

But But But he's Matt guy. So we know ST will get better right?//////

-2 points
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Savage57's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:16 pm

Florio:

Rodgers' dissatisfaction was glaringly apparent in blowout loss to the Texans, Packers management is clearly worried about how to fix their mess.

-11 points
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Coldworld's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:48 am

Was that when he was laughing and joking with LaFleur?

2 points
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CrazyPackersFan's picture

August 15, 2021 at 08:01 am

I can’t believe how many people thought this was serious.

8 points
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Savage57's picture

August 15, 2021 at 09:04 am

Neither can I.

2 points
2
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dobber's picture

August 15, 2021 at 09:24 am

Friends don't let friends read Mike Florio posts.

4 points
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1
Savage57's picture

August 15, 2021 at 09:52 am

It was a lampoon of his whole running narrative on the situation.

Seems nuance doesn't play well with the CHTV readership.

6 points
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Savage57's picture

August 15, 2021 at 09:52 am

It was a lampoon of his whole running narrative on the situation.

Seems nuance doesn't play well with the CHTV readership.

0 points
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0
mbpacker's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:22 pm

Nags, appreciate the scouting report. Wonder what Dexter is thinking, did he play at all? I thought Love would play more.

1 points
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Guam's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:27 pm

Williams played late in the fourth quarter and looked good. Had several good runs. RB3 battle is going to be interesting.

4 points
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mbpacker's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:29 pm

Thank you! GPG!

1 points
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Rebecca's picture

August 15, 2021 at 05:36 pm

He looked bigger and much more decisive along with some downhill power. I hope his blocking gets as good as Jamal’s did.

0 points
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PackerAaron's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:45 pm

LaFleur indicated the plan was to play Love into the 3rd quarter but he got hurt on the strip sack.

3 points
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dobber's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:23 am

As soon as they committed to looking at mostly scrubs on the OL, they needed to get him out of there. If they wanted him to play into the second half, they needed to commit to protecting him.

5 points
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Hematite's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:54 am

I think that they planned on playing Love longer but they were afraid that he may have "tweaked" his shoulder on that fumble.

1 points
1
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TheKanataThrilla's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:22 pm

Think they wanted Funchess to get more reps as he hasn't played in awhile. He is a bubble guy... who knows he could have asked to be out there. The running game was not there tonight. Hill is a keeper. I agree that TD screen was a thing of beauty. I like Begelton and I don't know how we keep him unless on PS again. Liked the props to Gaines and Heflin. Can we really keep Jackson? Yikes. I do think some of the young DBs showed stuff. Ento had a pretty good night.

Do we keep 3 QBs?

5 points
5
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Guam's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:30 pm

Benkert will make the PS. Pretty sure he will not be on the 53 given the surpluses at WR and O-line. I am starting to think they keep six WRs just because of the number of good ones and the contract situation next year.

6 points
6
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dobber's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:16 am

I agree on Benkert to the PS. Benkert is no threat to be poached at cutdowns. There are plenty of Kurt Benkerts out there delivering mail and selling cars right now.

1 points
2
1
mbpacker's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:32 pm

Do we keep 4 running backs?

0 points
1
1
Guam's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:36 pm

Would like to see more of Taylor and Williams, but Hill played well and was the receiver for kickoffs. I think Hill has the inside track on RB3 simply because of his special teams play, but lots more of training camp to go.

2 points
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Coldworld's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:23 pm

Hill was very unimpressive in terms of vision or patience on the ground. As a passing weapon yes. Both Williams and Taylor looked more likely to get yards.

1 points
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2
Swisch's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:57 pm

Coldworld, do you think Hill had a fair chance to find running room?
It's hard to be patient when you're getting hit in the backfield.
I'm concerned about him getting injured running behind an overmatched offensive line.

8 points
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Coldworld's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:55 am

I don’t think any did really. But I was impressed with Williams’ patience, decisiveness and burst. He made holes. That’s the difference. Taylor is different in style, but he showed that he can get hard yards. None of them had it easy. Hill had the lions share of opportunities and the others looked far more likely to win on the ground. I think we need a 3rd RB who can do that. We have receivers who can win if you pass it to them short in space.

-1 points
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2
flackcatcher's picture

August 15, 2021 at 11:52 am

Difference of being in the system a couple of years and being a rookie. Still, Hill's M.O. coming out was really good in space with excellent hands. He opted out after 5 games in his senior year over Covid. So getting use to NFL style speed may surprise him, like it does most rookies. Still, beyond Jones and Dillon, these are all tough cuts.

2 points
2
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Guam's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:34 am

Not sure whether the issue was Hill or the O-line. I will have to re-watch the game, but I just didn't see any running lanes until the third quarter. The third string O-line seemed to give Taylor and Williams some better running lanes. The second string O-line (starters for this game) weren't getting any movement in the run game and were mostly just stood up in position by the Texan's D-line.

I think the RB3 position is open with three good candidates.

3 points
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saltandpeppers's picture

August 15, 2021 at 11:33 am

Benkert is a lock for the 53.

-6 points
1
7
Packers0808's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:33 pm

D. Williams 32 0f 49 yards the Packers got on the ground tonight. He may very well play himself onto the 53 if he keeps up that kind of production. 3rd string QB looked good on some of his plays early on. He may give Love his run for the money. If not on 53 good candidate for PS!

-4 points
3
7
dobber's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:29 am

I think the Packers already know what they want to do with their RBs. Based on where Williams--who has played 2 years in the system--fell in the pecking order, I don't think it looks good for him in that regard. They know what they have in Williams, which might dictate why he was last on the field. Maybe he plays his way on to the roster, but the street is littered with RBs who ran for a few yards in the 4th quarter of preseason games.

6 points
6
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Packers0808's picture

August 15, 2021 at 08:15 am

My point was simple though seeing the other two guys playing didn't do a thing worth mentioning and yes Williams been with team 3rd year now I believe and was thinking they knew what they have and wanted too see other guys first and Williams in comparison shined a lot more! Oh well some time left to go for evaluation which I am glad I don't have to do!

1 points
2
1
Swisch's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:34 pm

There's something to be said for playing top linemen at least part of a preseason game, which is that it helps to evaluate the skill positions if there is better blocking.
It would've been nice to see Love and Hill and the receivers getting more time to show their abilities early in the game.
I don't know how many starters the Texans played on defense, but it would seem questionable if our blockers were playing against guys with a lot more experience.
Also, with Bakh out and Linsley gone, there's enough newness to the front line, so to speak, to warrant putting the starters out there to get some rhythm as a unit.
With only three preseason game nowadays, I think that they have to be more than about evaluating the backups. It seems that at least some time in these games should be used to prepare many of the starters -- not only as individuals, but getting them in sync with each other.
If you play the starters in the first quarter, there's still three quarters left to evaluate the others.

-1 points
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Guam's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:42 pm

I don't know if the Texans played more starters, but the announcers made the point several times that the Texans have brought in and were playing an unusually high number of veterans this camp. Whether it was talent or experience, the Packers O-line certainly did nothing in the run game against the Texans' front seven.

Since the Packers sat most of their starters it is clear MLF is trying to avoid any injuries and views that as more important than playing time in preseason.

They also interviewed Rodgers during the game and he made it clear he does not like preseason games or scrimmages against other teams - too much risk of injury.

5 points
5
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Swisch's picture

August 15, 2021 at 12:03 am

I think it's good to be careful about injuries, but not afraid of them.
Let's get these guys out there playing some football.
***
In 2017 and 2018, Rodgers was injured in the first or second game of the season.
It's hard to say, but it may have been because the offense didn't have enough experience together in the preseason to get as coordinated as possible.
I don't understand how you can just go from practices to the regular season.
It seems like there are so many different assignments and adjustments that it's necessary to work with each other in game situations.
A little time on the field as a unit in preseason may actually diminish the risk of injuries in the first few games.
***
I'm really tired of hearing about Rodger's opinions of things outside of his jurisdiction.
In this case about preseason games, he puts Matt LaFleur in an extremely awkward position if he thinks it's a good idea to play Rodgers a little.
It's not all about Rodgers. It's about the other guys on offense getting used to playing with Rodgers. Even for the guys who have been with the Packers for awhile, it's a new season requiring a new round of preparation.
As an example, the linemen have to practice blocking for Rodgers in tandem; and it's generally easier to do that against the simpler defensive schemes of the preseason than the total assault of the regular season.
Even if I'm wrong, it's not Rodger's call. He's not an assistant coach. He's not as smart as he thinks he is, and he's getting more and more annoying.
For a guy who has won only one Super Bowl, and that not in the last decade, I would think he should focus on his own improvement, not coaching or personnel decisions.

-1 points
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7
Packerpasty's picture

August 15, 2021 at 10:10 am

and he certainly seems to annoy you..

2 points
2
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dobber's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:36 am

This is an important observation: the Texans' depth chart is littered with journeyman players trying to punch one more meal ticket in the league.

Why do crappy teams tend to win their preseason games? Because, as my Dad would say, "shit runs downhill." Last night's game was a clear indication.

"They also interviewed Rodgers during the game and he made it clear he does not like preseason games or scrimmages against other teams - too much risk of injury."

When was the last time he took a preseason snap? 2016 maybe?

2 points
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jurp's picture

August 15, 2021 at 09:32 am

To your point about crappy teams and preseason wins - didn't the Lions win their four preseason games the year they went 0-16 in the regular season?

5 points
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LambeauPlain's picture

August 15, 2021 at 12:26 pm

Your point on the Texans playing vets is a good one. The Texans are in a massive rebuild and their roster has as many new players as the Pack does....but their new guys are veteran FAs and the Packers bottom 1/3rd are mostly rookies and UDFAs. NFL vets will win most of those plays.

The score in such games is less important than the value to evaluate guys you want as backups on the final 53.

2 points
2
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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:56 pm

Who Houston plays matters more, of course. That said, the Packers rushed 21 times for 49 yards against the Texans, who finished dead last in run defense last year when they allowed 5.2 yards per carry. As someone noted above, a lot of those yards were earned by Dexter late in the game against who knows who.

Edit: I see that Battle Red Blog noted that the Texans left Shaq Lawson in until the 3rd quarter.

4 points
4
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Swisch's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:14 pm

Perhaps a learning moment for Matt LaFleur.
He's been great as a head coach, but would likely agree that he's still growing with experience.
I get the injury concerns, but let's not be afraid, either.
A reasonable risk would seem to be playing many of the starters and near-starters for the first quarter.
Another consideration is let's not get guys like Love and Hill hurt, either.

-3 points
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6
Hematite's picture

August 15, 2021 at 08:00 am

I agree wholeheartedly!

0 points
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PackfanNY's picture

August 14, 2021 at 10:47 pm

I understand why Packers sat 30 players. Silly to risk injuries. However, it is just as silly to draw many if not any conclusions on a game that is being played mostly by people who won’t make the team or will barely see the field if they do. The only people I feel bad fo is the people who paid real money to see this in person. It really is an inferior product.

12 points
12
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dobber's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:51 am

"It really is an inferior product."

At this stage, people know what they're getting when they go to these PS games. My friends who have season tix and end up with PS tix usually sell them off or give them away. For a lot of people in the stands, this is one of the few chances they get to be in Lambeau for a game.

But owners are reluctant to give these games away...it's all about the $$$.

9 points
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Roadrunner23's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:05 pm

Thumbs up-
Heflin
Jean Charles
Love
Hill
Burks
Ento
Scott
Funches
Sternburger

Thumbs down-
Offensive line (Yosh Nijman)
Special Teams
Josh Jackson
Chris Blair

Player of the game: Funches
Play of the game: Love-Hill TD

J. Love looked pretty good and at times bad. But he has the arm talent. Hope he’s not hurt!

It’s only preseason

Great to see fans in the stands!

ND

15 points
15
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Guam's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:43 am

Agree ND. Love has a strong arm and when his footwork is good, he is accurate. He will need to learn to avoid tight coverage more as he has too much trust in that strong arm right now (reminds me more of Favre than Rodgers).

1 points
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Alberta_Packer's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:18 pm

Stock - Up:
Jordan Love - fulfilled his game plan - up another level next game
Jack Heflin - of course the D-line was gouged more than soggy turf - except Heflin who should supplant someone on the depth chart.
DBs - at various times - Ento, Scott, Gaines, Black, Jean-Charles. Meanwhile on the updated Worry List - Redmond, Hollman and Jackson
Funchess - simply was the best receiver

Stock- Down:
Jackson - even though he was a Packers CB - he was the Texans best offensive weapon - permitting more passes and first downs than anyone else. He was also the reason that the Texans did not try Stokes in the first half.

Yosh Nijman - goodbye Yosh, we hardly knew you (or saw you play well)

Christian Uphoff - m.i.a.?

Punt coverage team - omg - could they be worse than last year?

11 points
11
0
Coldworld's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:31 pm

It’s one game, so need caution before writing players off, but Jackson is tempting me. I’m deeply unimpressed by the ST showing.

Redmond is on the NFI list, so I think he probably wasn’t to blame for anything though. Might be he’d help on the STs too. At times they looked Zook-like in their lack of cohesion. How short can a coaching leash be?

8 points
8
0
Alberta_Packer's picture

August 15, 2021 at 12:01 am

Unfortunately cw, I do not have your patience. After having watched Jackson all last year and now today - I would encourage him to contact a career councilor for his life-after -football transition. Nor should we be too upset if he's cut because, to date, he's made (I hesitate to use "earned') $5m for doing very little. It's time for another young player to try and capitalize on their talents.

7 points
7
0
jannes bjornson's picture

August 15, 2021 at 11:43 am

The guy just is not a NFL Player. Should have been pink-slipped 2 years ago and let another CB compete for a spot who knows the Game.

3 points
4
1
Alberta_Packer's picture

August 15, 2021 at 01:32 pm

He has little twitch or burst - which is not good for a CB - so WRs can hard-cut him all day without fear of being stopped - which has happened a lot.

1 points
1
0
Rebecca's picture

August 15, 2021 at 05:56 pm

And he has at least 4 hands. Usually grabbing a receiver who has a step on him and hips that rotate. He’s dependably handsy and always will be.

1 points
1
0
Guam's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:55 am

It was not a good start at all to Drayton's tenure as ST coach. The coverage teams did not look well organized and there were huge gaps in the lanes. On one of the later punts, the whole left side of the field was wide open. This needs to improve and very quickly.

1 points
1
0
flackcatcher's picture

August 15, 2021 at 12:04 pm

Man oh man, it's way too early to be mashing coaches. (Otherwise I've been calling for Barry's head on a pike already. Heh heh heh heh.. :-)

2 points
2
0
4thand1's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:17 pm

Calling the o-line ugly is an insult to ugly people, places and things.

13 points
13
0
Swisch's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:42 pm

Good one, 4thand1.
I would add a question though: Is it fair to put raw recruits on the battlefield against hardened veterans?
It seems this may have been the case, and it wouldn't be reasonable to put our newer linemen at such a disadvantage.

-1 points
1
2
jhtobias's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:32 pm

And the overreactions begin on Cheesehead tv as usual !! Congratulations !

1 points
7
6
Swisch's picture

August 14, 2021 at 11:37 pm

That's what we get not paid to do ;-).
Humor us diehard fans a little, jhtobias.

3 points
6
3
Harold Drake's picture

August 15, 2021 at 12:17 am

Do the Packers need any more evidence that Josh Jackson is not very good at his job? It's as if they can't believe he's a bust three years down the road. But it is encouraging that Love is showing signs of developing into an NFL QB to take over from a departing AR12 in 2022.

16 points
16
0
Thegravedigger's picture

August 15, 2021 at 01:21 am

My guess is lafleur sees what you guys see and a shit ton more than what you or I see. But injurys ain't worth it man. There really not. Maybe some more starting o line play next week, but they don't have to. let the young kids prove themselves. That's what preseason is. Y'all have a short memory. There was no preseason last year. Does anybody remember how the Packers started off? Record pace on offense through multiple games.

4 points
4
0
Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 15, 2021 at 05:04 am

True. OTOH, Bakh, Jenkins, Linsley, Patrick and Turner/Wagner were all proven NFL vets. They didn't need preseason games.

If Bakh isn't back for game one, someone needs to emerge from Runyan (who had a poor game), Braden, and Kelly (who also had a rough game). Myers has to be competent - I am just assuming that he is the starter.

I thought signing Kelly was a stroke of genius. Well, maybe he just needs to knock some rust off. Or maybe that's why he was available for so long and at such a cheap price.

No need to panic. However, it was not an encouraging performance.

2 points
2
0
dobber's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:47 am

Yeah, I was pretty unimpressed with Kelly's play, too. I had to double check my roster a couple times to make sure they weren't putting van Lanen or Newman out there at a couple points. Could just be he's still getting used to the calls and the OL scheme (I said, crossing my fingers).

2 points
2
0
egbertsouse's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:30 am

After all the raves, I was waiting to see Slaton play. I was not impressed. He got moved off the ball a lot. I guess the caliber of his opponents was better than in camp.

As I had heard from friends at Utah State, Love looked somewhat like Deshone Kizer; inconsistent, with a slow wind-up and a long stride. He’s going to need a big pocket to be effective.

Special teams are in mid-season form.

Funchess looked good, really goes after the ball. Why did they play him so long? Showcasing him for a trade?

-5 points
1
6
marpag1's picture

August 15, 2021 at 08:41 am

Agree that Slaton looked unimpressive overall. I think he looked OK at the beginning when he was fresh, but it seemed he wore down quickly, and then he was just standing around getting stalemated a lot at the end. I question his conditioning. He just looked fat and tired at the end.

3 points
4
1
Thegravedigger's picture

August 15, 2021 at 01:24 pm

he played alot of snaps for a big boy. he will definitely rotate much more in the regular season. i honestly think they were just like lets see how much he can handle, knowing that a big boy like that wouldnt play that much in the regular season. he is huge. hes going to be tired. hes going to be a 20 play max type of guy on first and 2nd down. not an every down guy. he made a few stuffs. he will make a few more next week. that will be his job. 5th round pick for a reason if he was a in perfect shape and a pass rusher he would be a first round guy. they ran him ragged to see what hes got and probably to condition him.

0 points
1
1
MarkinMadison's picture

August 15, 2021 at 07:53 am

I don't know anything about the Texans' roster. Hard to say what anything means in that context. Funchess dominated, but he might have been the most experienced guy on the field.

I thought Nijman looked o.k. in pass pro up until the strip. But Greenard is not a name to strike fear in anyone. So back to the comment about context.

Special teams looked bad to me. I didn't see the gunners do much. Hard to judge the punting competition when the coverage looks that bad.

Love has got zip on the ball. I thought he risked throwing into double-coverage a bit much for me. I felt like there were a couple of plays where he was really staring a guy down.

1 points
1
0
jont's picture

August 15, 2021 at 08:47 am

"Wonder what Devin Funchess was thinking while he was out there well into the second half against backups of backups."

Aaron, I don't tell many people this, but I'm a mind reader. He was thinking that the coaches were giving him every chance to show his stuff and make the team. He was thinking "I got this."

6 points
6
0
porupack's picture

August 15, 2021 at 10:44 am

sweet!

1 points
1
0
SwedeBayPacker's picture

August 15, 2021 at 08:54 am

The Love Train had its maiden voyage, kind of a bumpy ride but with some flashes here and there. Imagine what he could do behind a decent o-line and with grade A receivers creating some separation?

4 points
4
0
HarryHodag's picture

August 15, 2021 at 08:57 am

Overall a C-. You look for tidbits among the rubble of the game. Overall, Love looked pretty good. His style is different than Rodgers, but he didn't let all the build up affect him. Benkert should be kept and developed as well. Funchess has to be kept. You see a veteran there with good hands. Williams showed he wants it. Burks had a good game.

1) Effort was lacking. I don't care that it's preseason. There were only a few giving it 100 percent. Do these guys think they have a job locked up? Houston's players were giving it they're all, pre-season or not. As a reserve, this is your playoff time. Many didn't play like it.
2) Barry's defense looks more passive, overall, than Pettine's. He did blitz a couple of times but overall, too many receivers given too much space. Too much space given Houston's running backs. Houston didn't give that much space did they? Lovie Smith is already showing his coaching.
3)Given that two starters were on the offensive line and a third, Runyan, played last year, they sure didn't show much. Love had time to throw, but they simply couldn't open up any space for the backs to run.

Overall, the team looked underpracticed. I see they don't practice again until Wednesday. I hope MLF can get more out of the 1's & 2's.

0 points
2
2
HarryHodag's picture

August 15, 2021 at 09:18 am

I didn't say anything about Josh Jackson. He should have been let go awhile ago. Notice Houston targeted him repeatedly?

1 points
1
0
porupack's picture

August 15, 2021 at 10:48 am

"team looked underpracticed"

Hmmm, those 90 minute per day practices didn't quite cover everything? Good point. Time for an 8 hour work day like the rest of America. Do your job, get paid. 15 minute breaks. 1/2 lunch.

-2 points
1
3
saltandpeppers's picture

August 15, 2021 at 09:02 am

As Larry put it to Funch after the game, this is "the process of becoming a Packer." If he wants on this team, he's gonna have to earn it (esp after his press conference snafu a week ago).

0 points
0
0
porupack's picture

August 15, 2021 at 10:50 am

When does do the anti-preseason riots begin? :-) That's usually the chorus this time of year...hehe. Glad FB is back, and thanks for the updates CHTV writers. I can't get any games where I'm at.

1 points
1
0
Crankbait's picture

August 15, 2021 at 11:39 am

Pre-season regardless,
special teams and that nagging habit of the defense not being able to get off the field on third down, does not
look good or make one optimistic.

0 points
1
1
crayzpackfan's picture

August 15, 2021 at 11:51 am

It’s just a preseason game (thank God). There is lots to dissect while evaluating individual players, skills, poise, athleticism, and seemingly every other microscopic detail one might be interested in. With that said, the one thing I noticed that made me cringe was how far back the CB’s played off the LOS. Especially on 3rd downs. It looked all to familiar to the last several seasons. I really hope our starters and coaches will be more aggressive in the regular season. Giving up 3rd downs have been the norm with GB for far too long. Hopefully that won’t be the case going forward.

0 points
1
1
PatrickGB's picture

August 15, 2021 at 11:55 am

I don’t know if it was the fault of the line, talent or game plan. But the run game did not look as good as expected. I figure that it will improve with the starters and in a regular game. The ST’s also disappointed yet I also expect that it will improve when the starters play after cut downs.

1 points
2
1
Istanbul's picture

August 15, 2021 at 02:23 pm

Perhaps Houston was auditioning Josh Jackson for a potential trade.

0 points
0
0
Istanbul's picture

August 15, 2021 at 02:42 pm

I was surprised how good it was to see Randall again. Actually, If A-Rod is gone next year, he could be really helpful supporting Love if he isn't cut for cap reasons.

0 points
0
0
Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 15, 2021 at 09:39 pm

Cobb is a goner.

0 points
0
0