My Take -> Week 7

Greetings, G-Force.

Dear, Football Gods. Have mercy on us. Sure, you can strip away the NFL’s MVP from us. But, to take our Pro Bowl Tackles from us and our budding star at Guard away in the same game? Well, that’s not fair. I’m not crying. I’m being real. All I’m looking for is a fighting chance. Let me continue to be real: a lot of people want to blog or write as a journalist. I’m a blogger. A Packers blogger. It’s easy to sit down and write when you’re pondering the amazement of Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers. For me, as a lover of the Green Bay Packers, it’s just as easy to write about Brett Hundley. If you’re reading someone who makes you feel differently, you’re looking in the wrong place. This is not a time for doldrums. This is a time for unity. A time to come together. A time to help ensure that we do everything in our power to help this team go 8-0 at Lambeau Field. Go 8-0 at home and 2-6 on the road, finish 10-6. See what happens. Further, when looking at the road schedule, we have games against Chicago and Cleveland. I’d like to think we can win those game with Hundley. While, yes, the outlook is bleak, if we take care of Lambeau, we have a shot at a January run. You owe it to yourself to be as rowdy as possible at Lambeau this week. You owe it to the Green Bay Packers organization to be loud and to be proud this weekend. You owe it to Aaron Rodgers to go to Lambeau Field and to make a difference this weekend. Let’s get this team to 8-0 at home this year.

Don’t just do as I say. Do as I do. I’m headed to Lambeau this weekend. Flying in on Thursday night. Flying out on Monday. I’m going to do everything in my power to help get the win this weekend.

As I write, the Widespread Panic 2012 Wood tour spins. Love the acoustic feel. The sound quality is absolutely perfect on this album. I’m super stoked to couple a Packers weekend with a music. Excited to see good friends in Milwaukee for the Friday Night WSP show. Hoping to hear JoJo’s keys taking over the show so that the Irish dancing legs are swinging.

Here are my quick vibes over the last week:

* Enough of the talk about Kaep joining. It’s not a political thing. It’s being real. This team has enough distractions and Mike McCarthy has invested significant time in Brett Hundley. If Brett Hundley is the guy and he helps push the Packers to the playoffs, then after the season, the Packers will be in position to trade Hundley for a top 45 pick. If Hundley is not the guy, well then the Packers will have two top 45 picks as we’ll be among in the bottom half of the league. But, the Packers have to see what they have in Hundley. The Packers have to give him the rest of the year. They’ve invested time in Hundley. Now, we have to see if we can reap the rewards of that time investment. In order to see Hundley perform, the Packers need their OL together. We need Bakhtiari, Taylor and Bulaga healthy. Without them, it’s impossible to make an accurate assessment as to the quality of Hundley’s play.

* Martellus Bennett. Wow. Dude. We need better. Much better. I expected Bennett to be a passionate, physical force who brought a sure handed presence to the middle of field.

* Gotta make that catch, Ty. That was an easy 6 points. We needed it. Different ball game if it’s 14-14 at that point in the game.

* Blake Martinez is flashing Pro Bowl potential. He’s everywhere. Wish he’d have grabbed the pick, but man, he’s putting himself in position and he’s making plays.

* Kenny Clark gets better and better each and every week. He, too, is flashing Pro Bowl potential. He takes on the double team and anchors. He releases and pushes through. He eats ball carriers. He’s a force on the interior.

* Liked Quinton Dial’s push. He’s been a really solid addition.

* Another highly productive game from Clay Matthews. He’s playing better than he has since 2014.

* Really quiet game for Nick Perry. Needed him to step up. He didn’t.

* Great to see that Biegel is going to get practice reps this week. Fackrell can’t play.

* Plug that hole, Jake Ryan! Should’ve stepped up and taken McKinnon to the floor at the goal line. Would’ve forced 4th down.

* Kentrell Brice has had a rough year trying to make tackles in the open field. I expected so much more. A part of me thinks they should give Evans a look over Brice.

* Mike Daniels. We need Mike Daniels to be the guy that he was against Seattle. He was a superstar then. He’s been slightly above average since his return from injury. Daniels has to be a difference maker.

* Loved Dean Lowry’s motor. Great hustle play-in and play-out. Disruptive a handful of plays.

* Lenzy Pipkins impressed. Like his size and his athleticism. He should be our slot CB from here on out. Without a question.

* Really hope Lane Taylor is ok. That injury looked bad.

* I'm not going to complain about the officiating, but man, it felt like the Packers caught a lot of tough breaks. Felt like the officiating was one-sided. Especially the 3rd down pass to McKinnon that clearly hit the ground and went for a first down. How does the ref miss that? It clearly hit the ground. It would've given the Packers the ball back trailing 14-10. Instead, the 'queens went down an added a FG. Blatant missed call and it shifted momentum.

* The #1 thing that the Packers have to focus on in practice this week is blitz pick-up. Hundley was not seeing the pre-snap blitz. It was obvious on TV. It was not so obvious for Hundley during his first significant regular season action. Not only does Hundley have to study, but so does Aaron Jones. Together, they were clueless with respect to identifying the disguise of the ‘queens blitzes.

* Jerod Evans was a solid signing. Like him as a Practice Squad developmental player. He has great athleticism. He's mobile. He has a big arm. He seeks the big play. He needs maturity. He's going to take time to develop. I like having him in the Packers QB room.

* Brad Kaaya was just released. I don’t love his mobility, but he has tools to be a pro style drop back QB. He’d be an interesting name for the Packers to consider as a developmental prospect.

* This really felt like it was our year. The overall quality of play in the NFL is at an all-time low. Injuries aren’t just affecting the Packers, but they seem to be hurting more teams than not. It felt as though the Packers were playing at a level above the rest of the NFL. Rodgers was playing at an MVP level. It appeared as though we were primed for a serious run at the Super Bowl. It felt as though that playoff run was going to go through Green Bay with the Packers as the #1 seed. Now, in many ways, it’s up to us. Yes, it’s up to the fans to be supportive and to help propel this team to victory in what will be an extremely emotional contest this weekend. If we can win this weekend, we can regroup during the bye at 5-2. We can be overly prepared for a date with the Lions at Lambeau after the bye. If we own Lambeau, everything is possible. We can’t get down on this team. We can’t get frustrated. This team needs us to keep the faith. This team needs us to stay positive. As fans, we can’t focus on a playoff run. We have to focus on the play at hand. As fans, we have to make a difference each and every play. As we saw in Minnesota, you never know when that game changing – and potentially season changing – play is going to happen.

* Here are some reasons that I feel we shouldn’t give up on the year: Mike McCarthy is a demanding Head Coach with a history of winning in the NFL. If healthy, we have an OL that is among the best in the NFL. I assume that most, if not all, of our OL are going to be available after the bye. I have great confidence in Adams, Cobb, Allison, and Nelson. Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery should make up a solid rotation at RB. Kenny Clark, Mike Daniels, Dean Lowry, Quinton Dial, Blake Martinez, Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Ahmad Brooks, Josh Jones, Morgan Burnett, Marwin Evans, Kentrell Brice and HaHa Clinton-Dix are winners. The Packers have 5 games on the schedule at Lambeau Field. I’m hopeful that Davon House and Kevin King can be answers at CB on the perimeter along with Lenzy Pipkins in the slot. If so, we’ll be competitive throughout. And, if Hundley can limit turnovers, I think we can win more games than we lose.

This week - it's the Saints. At Lambeau. I can't wait to be in attendance. The Packers need their Faithful to be rowdy. I promise to do my part.

The Saints offense has found their stride. Drew Brees is in control. He's whipping the ball around. He's using all of his weapons. Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn have been good targets. Ginn is often used on the end around. Sometimes as a disguise. Either way, when Ginn is in motion, good things are happening for the Saints offense. Thomas is a do-it-all kind of WR. Brandon Coleman is a big, long striding target who can get downfield and win jump balls. Josh Hill and Michael Hoomanawanui are good blocking TE's. Both are possession receivers who like to sit in the soft spot of the zone. When used properly, Coby Fleener is a talented who can get down the seam. The Saints have invested wisely on their OL and they're reaping the rewards. Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk are skilled Tackles. Max Unger is a star at Center. Andrus Peat and Larry Warford are tough, big bodied Guards. At RB, the Saints have a great combination in Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. Kamara is fast becoming a top-flight RB. Ingram has found his stride. Not only are Kamara and Ingram dangerous runners, but they're both lethal in the pass game. The Saints will run a number of different screen plays. Those plays will have great disguise. They'll confuse the Packers front. And, if the Packers happen to be blitzing on the screen play, the Saints are likely to find big results. It wouldn't stun me to see Kamara and Ingram combining for 10+ receptions this weekend. The Saints count on Kamara and Ingram to grab yardage in big chunks. Thus far, they've produced.

The Saints defense has been opportunistic. Cameron Jordan is an absolute beast at DE. Sheldon Rankins moves people on the interior. Tyeler Davison is a try-hard defender with an endless motor. Alex Okafor can get to the QB. He's a tireless pass rusher. AJ Klein is a work-hard ILB who finds the football. Klein lacks speed, but has heart. Kenny Vaccaro flies around the field. Marshon Lattimore is a solid rookie CB. Ken Crawley can be attacked at CB. He can cover any of the Packers WR's. He's the wink link. Rafael Bush is a below average safety. Vonn Bell hasn't been the CB that the Saints imagined.

The Packers have to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. This game starts with Kenny Clark, Mike Daniels, Dean Lowry, Quinton Dial, Clay Matthews, Ahmad Brooks and Nick Perry. If those 7 players can't dominate the line, this is going to be a long day for the Packers. But, if we can stop the run and get in Brees' face, the Packers will get off the field. We might even force turnovers. If I'm Dom Capers, Jake Ryan wouldn't see much time. I'd give the game to Josh Jones. We need Jones' speed in attack mode. Pin the ears back, Double-J, and get after them. Jones can match up with Kamara. I'm not sure that we have anyone else who can.

If King and House can play, I actually like the way the Packers match up with the Saints on the outside. I expect the Packers to force a turnover or two. Without King and House, it could be a rough day for the Packers secondary. The Packers need King and House in a big way. Not just this week, but every week.

Instead of the screen pass, look for the Packers to get the ball to Jones and Montgomery in the flat on swing passes. The design of the screen pass hasn't worked this year. McCarthy switches it up and gets the ball to Montgomery and Jones as they're on the run attacking the Saints defense. Hundley finds his rhythm. He hits Adams on the back shoulder. He connects with Nelson deep down the middle of the field. He finds Cobb on a quick out for a first down. Hundley stays within himself. He uses his legs to pick up first downs. He's cool. He's calm. He's confident.

Look for Pipkins to make a play coming on a safety blitz.

With the temperatures calling for 62 degrees and rain, look for Jones and Montgomery to show their worth as mudders.

Look for Daniels and Clark to control the line of scrimmage.

Bakhtiari, Taylor and Bulaga gut it out. With a bye coming and a week to rest, they know the importance.

Josh Jones forces a turnover.

Jordy finds the end zone.

Packers 20.
Saints 19.

Go Pack Go!

Talkin' S-Mac.
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