My Take -> Week 11

Greetings, G-Force.

4-4-1. 1-2 in the season defining 5-game stretch. Firmly in position to make our push in both the NFC North and the Wild Card race. Really, when it’s all said and done, it feels like this will be the outlining week when describing the 2018 Green Bay Packers. With the win over the Fins, the Packers improved to 4-0-1 at home. On the road, the Packers are 0-4. And, now, the Packers travel to Seattle, which has been a house of horrors for our great franchise. Making matters even more complicated, the Packers travel on a short week to play in the Pacific Northwest.

When life needs a pick me up, I listen to Michael Franti. Right now, I'm vibing into his new tune, "Stay Human 2" and it hits home.

Here are my quick vibes from the last week:

Yes, an aggressive Mike McCarthy is a good Mike McCarthy. But, McCarthy has to keep his wits with him. He should be most concerned with the down and distance coupled with the situation at hand. There was no reason to go for it on 4th and 2. Punt the ball. Play field position. Don’t let the opposition in the game. There’s a difference between being aggressive and being intelligent.

It was an absolute treat to see the Packers converting Red Zone opportunities into TD’s.

The Packers backs were against the wall. In return, the Packers based the majority of their offense around Davante Adams and Aaron Jones. The results were unsurprisingly splendid. It offers optimism for the future.

Aaron Jones is a flat-out superstar. A gem of a runner. His burst, his leverage and his toughness are an extremely unique combination. He has to continue to get a minimum of 15 carries and ideally, he’ll get 20 per game. He’s a true difference maker.

Breeland and Jostling Jaire bring an attitude that accompanies winning football. They’re confident. They’re physical. They’re tough. They break on the football.

Mad props to Raven Greene! The sack was awesome! The fake punt was thrilling. I loved how he broke on the ball near the goal line. He needs to hang onto the football, but still, it was a great treat to see him in position to make a play.

Tony Brown continues to play with a confident swagger to his step. He’s an intense mind. A weaker character would be defeated with his boneheaded plays in past weeks. Not Brown. He mans up and fearlessly sticks his nose into each play.

Looking around the secondary, we feel way more athletic with Josh Jones, Breeland, TMon, Jostling Jaire and Greene manning the back end of our defense.

Toughen up, Josh Jackson. Don’t grab. Tackle! I keep waiting for him to make a game changing play. He’s been close. He’s yet to finish.

Oren Burks is a bulldog on special teams. I want to see him coming on inside blitzes.

Again, Kyler Fackrell deserves props. Crucial third down sack. He’s dropping into coverage. He’s playing his best football as a Packer.

Kenny Clark. All Pro. Synonymous.

Breeland with the pick!

Save three plays and this was a mostly impressive performance! Take away the TMon fumble, the blocked punt and the decision to go for it on 4th and 2 in the 2nd Quarter. Other than those moments, this team felt a little different than other games this year. Sure, Rodgers still missed throws. Yes, Rodgers took a sack to knock us out of FG range. Yes, the tackling could’ve been better. But, overall, the team looked faster, better prepared and more efficient than we have all year.

Imagine this defense with two EDGE rushers? Pettine is doing wonders with a severe lack of pass rushing talent. Still, somehow, this team notched 6 sacks. It was very cool to see Jaire calling Pettine the best DC that he’s ever been around.

Corey Linsley was a stud. He consistently got to the second level. He ate up defenders and took out multiple players on a number of Jones’ big runs.

A gutty performance by Byron Bell. He played through pain and again, he stepped up on the interior of the OL.

Another really solid day for MVS. It’s clear that defenses are shifting a safety over the top to help track MVS on the deep ball. Once again, his hands were money. Instead of targeting him deep down the field, they targeted him underneath the sticks to keep the defense honest. In return, look for a wheel route

Wins cure all. It’s time to build a little momentum. It’s time for Rodgers to get in a quick release rhythm. It’s time for the defense to continue to force turnovers.

It’s easy to be a leader when things are going smoothly. It’s tough to lead when it feels like things are falling apart. I’m not being the body language police, but it feels as though MM is grumpy. I want the fiery MM. The motivating MM. The MM that has consistently had his team playing fantastic football as the weather changes. I’m hoping that this victory continues to swing the vibes at 1265 back to full out positivity.

There’s a lot to like about this team. I like our OL. I like 12. I like Jones. Williams is a solid back up RB. I like Adams, Cobb, MVS and ESB. I like Graham in the Red Zone. I like Daniels and Clark. Lowry is a solid rotational DL, too. I like Martinez and OB. I like Jaire and Breeland. When healthy, I like King. I like TMon. Greene and Brown offer a sparkling personality. Josh Jackson has had good moments. I like Crosby. I like Scott. We just need to put it all together and we need Matthews + Perry to apply a pass rush. This season is not lost.

As long as there is hope for a playoff run, I’m not going to toss this season into the blender. We’ve seen Wild Card teams make Super Bowl runs too many times over the last 15 years. So, as long as there is a chance, I’m going to watch with positivity. I’m going to hope to see Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy as a unifying force. As Leaders. I’m going to expect to watch this team playing with extensive fight. I’m going to expect to watch this team playing with composure as they hold onto a lifeline. For today, the Packers are in good position to make a significant playoff push over the last 7 weeks.

Congrats on the career, Jordy! XLV FOREVER!

In the Fanspeak Packers Mock Draft this week, things fell really well for me. I was able to grab the premier TE in the Draft. I was able to draft two OT’s to build depth behind Bakhtiari and to give me insurance for Bulaga’s future. I was able to draft 3 EDGE rushers. I was able to find 2 Safeties that could immediately compete for playing time. I was able to get a talented ILB and I drafted a highly talented DL in the 6th Round. Here goes:

Round 1a: Noah Fant, TE, Iowa.
Round 1b: Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky.
Round 2: David Edwards, OT, WI.
Round 3: Joe Jackson, EDGE, []_[].
Round 4a: Devin Bush, ILB, Michigan.
Round 4b: J.R. Reed, S, Georgia.
Round 5: Jordan Fuller, S, Ohio State.
Round 6a: Dontavius Russell, DL, Auburn.
Round 6b: Kendall Baker, OT, Georgia.
Round 7: CeCe Jefferson, EDGE, Florida.

This week – it’s the Seahawks. In Seattle. It is difficult to imagine Seattle making the playoffs if they lose this week. And, while the game is not a must win for the Packers, per se, it also carries significant weight as a loss would leave very little room for error over the last 6 games. A loss would also mean that the Packers are going to have to start scoreboard watching on a week-in and week-out basis. If the Packers don’t win on the road, they don’t belong sniffing the thought of the playoffs. The Packers need this one for their confidence. The Packers need this one for momentum sake. The Packers need this one to inspire believe within the locker room.

The Seahawks offense is a different team when Chris Carson is on the field. If Seattle could have Wilson, Carson and Rashaad Penny on the field at the same time, they’d be in a position to create big plays in abundance. They’d redefine the way the RPO was put on film. Carson has a physically tough speed and power combination to him. He’s difficult to bring down and while he runs straight-up, he’s shifty in the open field. He also has the speed to hit the corner. Penny is a Homerun threat every time he touches the ball. Wilson remains among the most innovative in-play players in the game. When the play breaks down, he becomes even more dangerous. He’s always looking downfield when he is on the move and because of it, he often delivers a big play when it looks like a busted play. Historically, Mike Daniels has destroyed the interior of the Seahawks OL. He will have to, once again, do so. I can’t imagine that the Seahawks OL can move Daniels and Clark backwards. That battle will be a telltale of the game on Thursday Night. The Packers should have Jaire active. They need Breeland to be active as well. Baldwin and Lockett can get deep. And, they’re consistently in lockstep with Russell Wilson from a mental perspective. The Packers should have Jaire follow Baldwin all over the field. Nick Vannett has been a solid producer at TE for Seattle. He’s going to be a tough match-up for us. Vannett has minimized the impact that the Seahawks have felt by losing Jimmy Graham. David Moore has been a very good deep threat for Seattle. He catches the ball in traffic.

Defensively, Seattle is not what they once were. Frank Clark and Jarran Reed can get to the QB. Both have been stars at the line of scrimmage. Shamar Stephen has battled injury, but he’s been a pleasant surprise for the Seahawks when he’s been on the field. Bobby Wagner is still a stud at ILB. KJ Wright is also still playing at a really high level, but Wright might not play. Barkevious Mingo is littered with talent and has to keep putting his game together. He has not lived up to his expectations. Still, he can’t be discounted. The Seahawks secondary is still opportunistic, but they’re a far cry from the days of the Legion of Boom. There’s no reason for Rodgers to not eclipse 300 yards. Shaquill Griffin is the best of the bunch. He looks like Richard Sherman. He plays the ball well. He has a bright future. Brad McDougald is back from injury. When healthy, he plays the ball well in the air and is a decent tackler as well. Justin Coleman has the talent to be a slot CB. Tre Flowers is a classic John Schneider draft pick. He was little known, but he stands 6-3 and weighs 200 lbs. When you have those dimensions, Schneider is taking a shot. I hope Rodgers targets Flowers early and often. Neiko Thorpe is oft injured at the other CB spot. Tedric Thompson shouldn’t scare many at Safety.

Any interesting thing to watch will be the punting battle. Both Michael Dickson and JK Scott were 5th round picks in 2018.

Seattle is going to move the ball on Green Bay. Green Bay will move the ball on Seattle. Really, this game will come down to two things: Turnovers and Red Zone efficiency. Simply stated, it’s vital for the Packers to have to finish drives. Seattle’s run game scares me. I have a hard time envisioning the Packers keeping Seattle under 23 points. The Seahawks will likely have at least 5 scoring drives. It’s tough to play defense on a short week.

McCarthy would be wise to hurry up the offense. If Cobb is healthy, I’d like to see a lot of 4 WR sets with Jones in the backfield. I’d like to open up the middle of the field for the run game. It’d also open up the middle of the field for the newly found play-action crossing-route pass game that McCarthy has implemented over the last 4 weeks. But, it’s important for McCarthy to trust that his OL can block Seattle’s front. And, then, the big boys up front have to deliver. If so, the Packers will have success moving the ball.

We haven’t seen much of the play action roll out to the right shot play. We see it this week. It’s Rodgers to MVS for a big play and a tide turning TD to silence the Seattle crowd.

Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that Clay Matthews is going to come up with a big sack or two this week. He’ll be intent on hunting down Wilson. In many ways, I wish that the Packers would use either Matthews or Josh Jones as a spy on Wilson.

The Seattle run game scares me a lot. But, here’s to hoping that the Packers tackle better than I expect them to and then the Packers keep Seattle out of the end zone.

Jaire seals it with a pick late.

Packers 31.
Seahawks 23.

Go Pack Go!

Talkin’ S-Mac.
talkins-mac.blogspot.com