My Take -> Week 10

Greetings, G-Force.

6-2. Once again, it was nice to see the LaFleur and Rodgers combo amaze. But, the most exciting thing for my eye was to see the defense forcing turnovers. Sometimes, turnovers can come in bundles. Let’s hope that destruction of a depleted 49ers team brings some turnover mojo.

As I write, I sip a Guinness. Sometimes, it’s just fun to go back to the roots. I listen to the Grateful Dead’s Record Store Day 5/9/77 release.

My quick vibes from the last week:

Matt LaFleur. Count your blessings, Packers fans.

Aaron Rodgers. Leader. Playing like an MVP.

Davante Adams. Exceptional body control. His catch on 4th and inches with just over 9 minutes left in the 2nd Qtr in a 7-3 game was beyond magnificent.

Aaron Jones is bred differently. His body control never ceases to amaze me.

Solid game from Billy Turner.

I hope the Wagner injury isn’t serious. If so, I hope Gutekunst has Jared Veldheer’s number on speed dial to convince him to come out of retirement.

When Runyan has played, he’s held up well.

Rodgers first half stats: 13/18, 149 yds, 3 TD’s, 0 interceptions.

Happy for Preston Smith. He didn’t show up with monstrous numbers in the box score, but he was a difference maker.

Sensational strip sack by Za’Darius!

Raven Greene continues to show that he belongs. He’s a solid contributor. Fearless.

Liked Oren Burks’ activity.

Montravious Adams is quietly having himself a really good year.

Dean Lowry played his best game of the year.

This team needs more from Kenny Clark.

Wanted Savage to grab the pick to jump start his season.

Hoping Lazard is healthy after the mini bye.

Tyler Ervin might be better in disguise than he is as a playmaker. His presence forces the defense to react differently as he has to be accounted for.

Happy to see MVS respond with two TD’s after the 3rd down drop. Loved seeing Rodgers’ excitement after the 2nd TD.

Big Dog with the TD. Epic play design. The post TD celebration was ridiculously grand. It was defining of everyone’s relationship with him. First to get there was his little bro Big Bob Tonyan who couldn’t have been more happy for him. Big Bob Tonyan sprinted to him and jumped into him in kid-like fashion. Next was each of the Offensive Lineman yelling at him and banging into him him in fraternity fashion. Then, it was Aaron Jones jogging to him with and greeting him with a tough guy teammate-style high five and head butt. Finally, it was Aaron Rodgers as his business partner walking up to him with a wide smile and a hand shake. I fucking love the bond in this locker room.

Props to FOX for consistently playing the Dead, Phish and WSP on the way to commercial breaks.

I love Corey Linsley. Gonna miss him when he’s gone.

Big Bob Tonyan is a difference maker in this offense. He has many big plays awaiting him.

I say this playfully: Matt LaFleur does a terrific job of designing plays to draw Ted Thompson’s acquisitions wide open.

I trust Ervin, Jones and Williams as receivers more than I do ESB and MVS. That’s tough to swallow.

I hope Seth Roberts and Aaron Rodgers are spending immense amount of time together right now.

Packers fans, please don’t take this for granted. It was 14-3 with 5:26 to play in the 2nd Qtr. The game still felt competitive. Aaron Rodgers could smell blood. How did he lead an 87 yard TD drive. Well, he stared at 3rd and 5 from his own 18 and he was the smartest man on the field. He went no-huddle and he moved the sticks by noticing that SF still had 12 men on the field. First down, Packers. Then, on 3rd and 6 from his 27, on a busted play, Rodgers was nimble enough to use his legs to pick up the necessary yardage. First down, Packers. Finally, the communication on this team was on full display at the 2:00 warning. LaFleur and Rodgers discussed a shot play to MVS. They confirmed with MVS that he wanted the opportunity. Boom! 52-yard TD. 21-3, Packers. All gas, no fuckin’ breaks.

Oh, wait. One more. How about the play call with less than 12:00 left in the 3rd. The 1st 3rd down of the 2nd half. You know LaFleur and Rodgers discussed this play. You know that SF watched TB jump the out pass on 3rd down to Adams earlier this year. So, what is the call? A double move to Adams out of a similar look to the play a couple of weeks earlier. Rodgers even telegraphed it by stating it down pre-snap. 49 yards. Bang! Shortly after, Rodgers hits MVS on a busted play in the corner of the end zone. I love the brains behind this offense.

Was sad to see Dexter Williams go down with what appears to be a serious injury. I really liked him coming out of college. He hasn’t panned out. I was super interested to see how Gutekunst replaced him. He has done well in this fashion previously with additions like Veldheer, Lazard and Ervin. And, this time, Gutekunst has turned to Mike Weber. I had studied him thoroughly coming out of college and here’s what I wrote: “Undersized, but powerful. Dynamite receiving option. He'll make the first person miss in the open field. Plays with both speed and quickness. Runs with great hunger. Bounces off of tackles. He beats defenders to the spot and grabs yards in bundles. Isn't going to be a consistent between the tackles runner. Fumbles too much.”

Wish the Packers would've brought T-Mon back. Wanted him to retire as a Packer.

Halfway through the season and Aaron Rodgers leads the NFL in passer rating.

Yes, it's worth mentioning again, I'm eager to see Lazard back on the field.

With Kirksey on the brink of recovery and Martin activated from the COVID list, Pettine has a choice to make. Barnes has played well. Martin has been intriguing. I’m going to closely monitor how Pettine utilizes his rotation at ILB.

This week - it’s the Jags. At Lambeau. Weather is expected to play a factor. Normally, you’d anticipate that poor weather would benefit the Packers. Not in 2020. The Jaguars aren’t even on the same platform as the Packers. In normal conditions, Green Bay would win by more than 20. But, with heavy winds and precipitation on the horizon, this game plays into Jacksonville’s hands and therefore, the game might be much closer than any of us expect. Granted, there’s almost no way I can see the Jaguars coking into Green Bay and stealing a victory with a back up QB. But, it’s important to recognize that Jacksonville can run the football and Green Bay has shown that they’re extremely vulnerable against the run.

Look for Pettine to stuff the box. He’s going to dare Jacksonville to throw the ball. And, don’t be surprised if early on, the Jags call a play action deep ball to try and take advantage of an early down run blitz. Expect Jacksonville to be a little more aggressive on a couple of occasions than one might normally think.

The Jaguars are bringing Jake Luton into town to take on Aaron Rodgers. That should be all you need to know.

The Packers will need to account for Josh Allen as a pass rusher, but if that mission is accomplished, I'm feeling really good about the Packers prospects of moving the football.

The turnover train continues this week. The defense forces two more turnovers.

Packers 34.
Jaguars 13.

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