My Take -> Preseason Week 4

Greetings, G-Force.

It was a true delight to belt out my first "GO PACK GO!" at maximum volume on Saturday night. It was spectacular to take my 4 year old to his first game. In his car seat on the way home, he said, "Dad! Roll my window down! I want to yell 'GO PACK GO!' at all of the people wear Packers clothes!" Yes, Dylan. Yes, I will roll the window down. To no one's surprise, he not only made it through 4 quarters. But, he didn't miss a play. And, he wanted to know all the details. Great fun!

I listen to Femi Kuti's "Africa for Africa" album. Femi brings a great bounce to the head as you seek rhythm in life. His energy is uplifting. He takes my spirit up a notch. Plainly stated, it's happy music.

Here are my quick vibes from the Packers visit to COlorado.

* The Packers buzz is healthy. The team is engaged. They feel like the time is now. Fully noteworthy that when the offense was on the field, Rodgers was positioned right next to McCarthy throughout the game. They're working to get on the page. Ensuring that they're seeing the same things. Preparing for a special season.

* I love every Packers team. I especially love the 2017 Green Bay Packers. We have so much personality. The camaraderie is at a championship level. They're having fun together. Seeing true teamship. The culture on this team seems to be surrounded with more both a unified and a fun approach. It's playful.

* Are the Packers trying to hide Taysom Hill, so they can tuck him onto the Practice Squad? Sure seemed like it.

* Ty Montgomery is a true baller. He has all of the traits to be a top-shelf RB. There's no reason he's not touching the ball at least 15 times every game. He's a dual threat. I'm already anxious to see him running a wheel route against a LB.

* Aaron Jones. Really liked the vision to see the cutback. But, where was the speed to take that one to the house?

* Devante Mays is a tough minded man at RB. Love his game in the flat. Hasn't shown that he can step thru an arm tackle yet, but it looks like it's a simple fix if he just picked his knees up a little more. What's interesting is that Edgar Bennett was the master at running with eyes knees in traffic and that was one of the reasons he excelled in the screen game. Hope he passes that trait to Mays.

* Lance Kendricks and Martellus Bennett are open. Especially over the middle of the field on crossing routes. Rodgers isn't used to seeing an open TE running across the middle of the field. He'll have to grow into that option. He'll have to learn to trust that the play is open. If so, we could see multiple games in which both Kendricks and Bennett are grabbing 3-plus passes.

* On two separate plays the Packers ran stop routes on third down that were completed. Both times the receiver stopped his route short of the first down. Once it was Adams. The other time is was Kendricks. Gotta be aware of the marker and run that route to the sticks.

* Surprising to see how Malachi Dupre and DeAngelo Yancey were used. It was clear that Michael Clark was who the Packers really wanted to see perform in the altitude. Appeared as though Clark was ahead of both on the depth chart. I highly doubt that Dupre will make it to the practice squad. Though he's a 7th round pick and Yancey was a 5th round pick, Dupre really passes the eye test of an NFL receiver. I want to see Dupre grow as a receiver in Green and Gold. I'm less optimistic about Yancey evolving into a legit player. He didn't seem to have any separation against Denver.

* Jason Spriggs. Not ready to give up on him yet, but the guy looks like he's lost all of his confidence. He used to look good on his feet. He shuffled well. Now, it appears as though he's thinking and not playing. He might also be suffering from the new CBA rules and the inability to make serious contact during practices. Hard to development as a lineman if you're not consistently blocking with the pads on.

* Kyle Murphy is a much better run blocker than a pass blocker. He's too stiff as a pass blocker. It's too easy to get underneath him. Needs to get lower and extend his hands with a wider base.

* I don't like any of our back-up Guards. Not one of them. McCray, Amichia and Gray were all abused in an ugly way.

* Didn't think I'd say this, but the Packers need Donny Barclay to return.

* If I were TT, I'd be searching for a veteran swing OL that falls victims to waivers over the next week.

* I wouldn't keep Kerridge. He doesn't impress me. Didn't like his penalty, which was unnecessary. He also missed a special teams tackle. Not sure why we'd eat up a roster spot with a 2nd FB. I certainly wouldn't.

* This team needs to sign Ahmad Brooks. With Biegel still in recovery mode and Fackrell looking like he can't play in the league, the Packers need depth. They need a veteran presence who is experienced in the 3-4. Brooks is that guy. He'd immediately upgrade the defense and would be a perfect fit in a rotational role that required him to play 15-20 plays a game. He's a mean dude. He'd bring attitude. Brooks needs to be signed!

* Mike Daniels as a pass rusher. Looked like he's ready to get after the QB on 3rd down. Happy to see that Lowry is healthy again because he'll be able to eat up early down snaps and he'll help keep Daniels fresh. Daniels as a 3rd down pass rusher could net 5 sacks.

* Kenny Clark looks like he's ready to have a break-out year in a big way.

* Ricky Jean Francois was extremely active, once again. Really excited that he's in the mix on the defensive front.

* Christian Ringo looks much quicker this year than in past years. He's been active. He'll be a tough cut as he finally looks ready to be depended on as a rotational DL. There isn't room for Ringo and Price. Tough choice.

* Izaah Lunsford continues to impress. I'm hopeful that he's on the Practice Squad.

* Ahmad Brooks. Make it happen, TT. Go ALL-IN!

* Call me crazy, but I'd strongly consider keeping Derrick Mathews. Mathews absolutely deserves to be on the practice squad, at a minimum. He's active. He sees the field well. Love his instincts. He wraps up well. He finds the football. He looks to have a really big upside. Wish there was a roster spot for him.

* Reggie Gilbert needs another year of practice squad development. However, there's no question that he's outperformed Kyler Fackrell this preseason.

* Jayrone Elliott. Going to need much more out of Elliott this year. Wish he'd just let himself go and try to get the edge as a rusher again. The less he engages the OT, the better. He needs to run around the Tackle.

* KENTRELL BRICE! Fantastic presence in the secondary. Loved seeing him grab the pick. Wanted to see him dancing in the end zone, but terrific return nonetheless.

* Marwin Evans can play in this league. Each week - he's seemed to be the best player on the field each and every week. Really wanted him to grab the pick. Would have been such a fun moment to see him striding down the sideline. In some ways, Evans is reminding me of the way I viewed Des Bishop early in his career. Each week - in the preseason - he's the best week, but then when the season starts, Evans is relegated to special teams in the same way that Bishop was prior to the Nick Barnett injury.

* Kevin King. Dude really likes to get in a WR's face. Like the way he jams the WR. He turns and runs well. I'm concerned about his ability to cover the crossing route. Hoping that he has the make-up speed if he's off-balance early in the route or if he loses his initial jam. He's a fighter and he's easy to cheer for. I'm optimistic that King will have a really strong year.

* Lenzy Pipkins had a chance to really make his mark as a legitimate contender for the roster, but he didn't perform as he needed. Now, he seems like he's a prime candidate for the practice squad. He was in position. But, he didn't finish the play.

* Aaron Taylor won't make the roster due to the great depth at Safety. He probably won't make the practice squad either, but Taylor has shown well throughout the preseason.

* Josh Jones showed his speed. Really liked seeing his back-side blitz. He was absolutely destroying plays and loving every moment of it.

* I really hope Capers doesn't continue to call zone coverages in short yardage situations. Man up, Dom!

* How fun would it be for Biegel to be studying the game from the sidelines while standing next to Ahmad Brooks as Brooks awaits his next snap? Needs to happen.

Headed into the Final Preseason Game, here's my Final 53. Admittedly, this is tough to do without attending practices. Also, this is what I would do if I were the GM, not what I think the Packers would do.

QB: Rodgers and Hundley
RB: Ty, Williams, Mays, Jones RIP
WR: Jordy, Cobb, Adams, Janis, Davis, Dupre
TE: Bennett, Kendricks, Rodgers
OL: Bakhtiari, Evans, Linsley, Taylor, Bulaga, Murphy, Spriggs, Barclay, Amichia
DL: Daniels, Adams, Lowry, Jean Francois, Clark, Ringo
LB: AHMAD BROOKS, Clay, Perry, Tripp, Ryan, Thomas, Martinez, Elliott
DB: King, Randall, Rollins, House, Gunter, Hawkins, HaHa, Evans, Burnett, Jones, Brice
ST: Goode, Crosby, Vogel
Suspended: GERONIMO
PUP: Biegel
Practice Squad: Yancey, Clark, Pipkins, Mathews, Patrick, Lunsford, Gray, Gilbert, Price, Hill

Every year - I attempt to get a Packers centric mock draft out prior to Labor Day weekend. As always, I only select players that I've actually watched play. Otherwise, it wouldn't be authentic. I've given the Packers four draft picks due to their losses in Free Agency. OVER THE CAP projects that the Packers will receive a 3rd, a 5th and two 6 round picks as compensatory picks. I've also given the Packers a 7th round pick in the Lerentee McCray trade. I have the Packers penciled in as the 32nd pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. I haven't invested enough time into RB's nor TE's. I've been more focused on CB's and LB's.

Round 1: Bradley Chubb, OLB, NC State. The Packers need depth at OLB. Chubb is stout. He uses leverage to power through blockers. He can also grab the edge with speed. He extends his arms to hold off OL and force run plays to the outside. He destroys QB's with his pass rush.

Round 2: Quenton Meeks, CB, Stanford. I thought that I was locked into Iman Marshall, CB, USC with this pick, but I'm giving the slight edge to Meeks. Meeks brings great length and make-up speed. He plays the ball well. He has football smarts. He has the physical make-up that would allow him to be left alone on the perimeter. Meeks has unlimited potential and appears to have the desire to become a star.

Round 3: Chad Thomas, OLB, []_[]. Thomas has top-tier length. He's overly disruptive as he extends his massive frame. Consistency is his biggest area of opportunity, but when Thomas is dialed in, he dominates the line of scrimmage. I expect Thomas to have a tremendous year.

Round 3: Dee Delaney, CB, []_[]. As I write, I am more excited to watch Delaney than any other prospect in college football in the 2017 season. Delaney has all of the tools to propel himself to a 1st round pick. Because he's a transfer from the Citadel, it's tough to gauge where he'd roughly fall at this stage in the process. Others have him as a 4-5 round pick. I see him as having way too much upside to drop him that low. He has length. He can turn and run. He plays the ball. I'm expecting a break-out year from Delaney.

Round 4: TJ Edwards, LB, WI. Edwards will be under the microscope. He's been surrounded with talent throughout his career, but the loss of Jack Cichy cannot be understated. Edwards led the Badgers in tackles last year. He also had 3 sacks and 3 interceptions. He was a run plugger. He's always in pursuit. I love his game. He drops well in coverage. He can do it all. He'd be a pillar in the heart of the Packers 3-4 defense.

Round 5: Michael Gallup, WR, Colorado State. Gallup's elusiveness and quickness make him a prospect to be an elite NFL slot receiver. Just get the ball in Gallup's hands and watch him get loose. He has a nose for finding the first down marker and when he sees the end zone, he'll juke most defenders in the open field to find his way to pay dirt. Dude can straight up boogie.

Round 5: Steven Parker, S, OK. Parker has everything you look for in a Safety. Now, it's up to Parker to put it all together. He has the size, the speed and the athleticism. He can step into the slot to assist in coverage. But, Parker has missed too many tackles and has not been the playmaker that I envisioned he'd become. He's now a Senior leader on the Sooner defense. If he takes the next step, he has the gifts to rise much higher than a 5th round pick.

Round 6: Jake Roh, TE, Boise State. Roh is a steady TE. Soft hands. He works the middle of the field. He'll dig in and help out as a blocker. A reliable target who sits down in the zone and falls forward. He's not an overpowering TE threat, but he seems to do everything well enough to warrant a late round pick.

Round 6: LJ Scott, RB, Michigan State. Admittedly, Scott doesn't have the speed that I'm going to be looking for throughout the 2017 college season. But, Scott has the size to be a workhorse and he fights for tough yards. He's been an under-utilized RB as a receiver. He has soft hands and can do damage in space as he's a good athlete. Scott shows heart every time he touches the football.

Round 6: Deadrin Senat, DL South Florida. Senat is a run-stuffing stud. He eats blockers and plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage. He's not going to add much in the way of a pass rush, but he has the physicality to be a solid run stopper in the NFL.

Round 7: Fred Warner, BYU, LB. Warner finds the football. He has NFL instincts. He fights on every play. He diagnoses plays and gets after the football with above average speed. Displays leadership qualities as well on the field. He's in command.

Round 7: Donovan Olumba, CB, Portland State. I actually think that Portland State has two prospects at CB to watch this year. The other being Chris Seisay. Olumba has the size and the confidence to be able to be groomed into an NFL perimeter CB.

This week - The Packers host the Rams. In the classic Midwest Shrine Game. I always loved this game growing up. Festive environment. Lambeau Field. You feel a little of the nerves inside that the real games are just about to kick off.

There's no reason for the Packers to not take it to the Rams. The Packers depth is much better than the Rams. Especially at QB. Additionally, I anticipate that the Packers back-up DL will destroy the Rams back-up OL.

Look for Marwin Evans to make another big play this week.

Expect Brett Hundley to be a star in the early going. He utilizes the depth at WR and hits Michael Clark on a jump ball. Handley rolls right and hits Dupre on an out route.

Jamaal Williams gets to the open field on a cut back run.

It's a blowout.

Packers 23.
Rams 6.

I'm ready for the regular season.

Go Pack Go!

Talkin' S-Mac.
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