Greetings, G-Force.
The buzz is brewing. The vibes feel right. We will sit through 4 more exhibition Quarters until it gets real. Sit back. Relax. Take it all in. Live for the moment. While we have it.
As I write, I sip a Weldwerks Juicy Bits. Juicy IPA goodness. It’s beer sipping glory. I’m listening to the Phish 12/30/19 show. The Tweezer is a moment in time that I’ll cherish forever.
Here are my quick vibes from the last week:
LaFleur and Rodgers’ relationship is so good to watch. QB and Coach. Buddies. If I were in charge, I’d ensure that this tandem was guaranteed to be locked up together for the next 5 years. The key word being guaranteed. Offer the contract. Guarantee the money. 5 years.
AJ Dillon reminds of a young Eddie Lacy. Tackling him is a business decision. Aaron Jones has been susceptible to injury. Dillon should be able to eat up carries in order to help keep Jones fresh.
Kylin Hill’s quickness continues to impress. He’s become a legitimate candidate to be the gadget guy in this offense. Almost wildly, if Dillon shows that he can handle the workload, Aaron Jones might also be a candidate for the gadget role this year. Imagine how many eyes would be following Jones as he motioned. That’d create a whole world of possibilities.
Tip of the cap to Kurt Benkert. He slings it. A fearless competitor.
Question marks remain along the OL until Bakhtiari returns. If I were LaFleur, Lucas Patrick would be my Week 1 starting Guard and Newman would be battling Runyan for the other starting spot. From what I have seen — and it hasn’t been much — I’d give the nod to Runyan. I would not play Patrick in the game this weekend.
Based on what I’d read heading into the preseason games, I expected more from Ben Braden. I’ve been anxious to see more of Amari Rodgers wiggling his way through traffic. Braden’s whiff in the open field on a WR screen prevented that.
Was bummed to see Funchess and Redmond put on IR. Funchess flashed brightly. Thought he might add a fun dimension to the offense. While Redmond isn’t irreplaceable, he has been a core special teams player.
TJ Slaton just gave us a glimpse of dominance. A hope offering. This defense needs another presence in the middle. Hopefully, Slaton can play valuable snaps this year.
Have high hopes for Kabion Ento, but he showed himself as a poor tackler. Hadn’t seen that before. Worrisome!
Until I see Za’Darius on the Field, I won’t believe that his injury isn’t contract related.
This week - it’s the Bills at Buffalo. A MST Saturday am Matinee game.
I’m really looking forward to seeing Jordan Love. I hope the Packers OL performs better for him than they did in the first preseason game. I want to see Love whip it.
Look for Hill to get some work as a receiver out of the backfield.
Love will target Amari over the middle of the field on crossing routes.
Malik Taylor has a another good game.
Ento grabs an interception to earn himself a roster spot.
The Packers will likely rest all of their core players again, but this time they find victory.
Packers 27
Bills 23
Go Pack Go!
Talkin’ S-Mac.
talkins-mac.blogspot.con
Friday, August 27, 2021
Saturday, August 21, 2021
My Take -> Preseason Week 2
Greetings, G-Force.
The preseason opener is in the books. Despite the play on the Field, Lambeau looked festive. The vibes were high. This team has confidence.
I sipped a New Glarus Scream IIPA tonight. So delicious. In my earbuds, I play Queen’s Greatest Hits. I haven’t dialed into this album in so long. It flows properly. Such a great listen.
Here are my quick vibes from the last week:
Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers are legitimately football buddies.
Jordan Love looked better than I expected. No gimmicks to his game. Pocket passer. Can sling it.
I’ve thought this for a couple of years and I hope I’m proved wrong on this, but others think Amari Rodgers is better than I do.
The OL was embarrassingly bad. Expected so much more. I had wondered if Lucas Patrick might be on the bubble and whether his relationship with Rodgers might become a topic between him and Gutekunst on cutdown day. But, after the Week 1 preseason performance by this unit, it’s my belief that Patrick should be a lock. We know what we will get from him.
Funchess!! He must be on the team. He’s built differently.
Oren Burks! Yes, I know it was the 1st preseason game, but this defense is desperate for ILB depth, so I’ll take any bone I can get.
Kylin Hill! Kid can play. Showed great wiggle. An attention grabbing burst. Power to his legs. Worry about his ability to hold onto the footballs the ball looked loose to me, but his shake.
From a coaching perspective, the only thing you can remotely assess is special teams. Those units were putrid.
Chauncey Rivers grabbed my attention. Wonder if he has a shot to make a push at a roster spot.
Innis Gaines showed tremendous quickness. Missed an open field tackle, but he’s worth paying attention to.
Props to Kabion Ento. He looks like he can play. I want to see him as a gunner on special teams.
Shemar Jean-Charles has the confidence that is required to play in this League.
Henry Black can play in the NFL, me thinks.
Well done, Vernon Scott. Liked how he tossed his body around.
Zack Heflin made a Practice Squad worthy appearance.
This week - it’s the Jets at Lambeau. Looking forward to seeing Lambeau in the afternoon spot again. Even if it’s preseason. I'll be sitting on a couch next to Brotherman Vargas. Getting rowdy. When you think your team has a chance to be Super, you have to revel in each of the moments. I'm going to hold onto each tick of the 2021 Football clock as though it's precious and needs to be savored.
I’m going to be watching the OL closely again. The Packers need some of this young talent to show well.
I expect the Packers OL to rebound in strong fashion. They dominate the line of scrimmage. Kylin Hill bursts through!
I’m going to watch the secondary with heavy intent. This team looks stacked with secondary depth. I expect them to grab two interceptions.
Kurt Benkert can sling it. He’s fearless this weekend. He makes mistakes. He also finds the end zone.
Packers 23
Jets 20
Go Pack Go!
Talkin’ S-Mac.
talkins-mac.blogspot.com
The preseason opener is in the books. Despite the play on the Field, Lambeau looked festive. The vibes were high. This team has confidence.
I sipped a New Glarus Scream IIPA tonight. So delicious. In my earbuds, I play Queen’s Greatest Hits. I haven’t dialed into this album in so long. It flows properly. Such a great listen.
Here are my quick vibes from the last week:
Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers are legitimately football buddies.
Jordan Love looked better than I expected. No gimmicks to his game. Pocket passer. Can sling it.
I’ve thought this for a couple of years and I hope I’m proved wrong on this, but others think Amari Rodgers is better than I do.
The OL was embarrassingly bad. Expected so much more. I had wondered if Lucas Patrick might be on the bubble and whether his relationship with Rodgers might become a topic between him and Gutekunst on cutdown day. But, after the Week 1 preseason performance by this unit, it’s my belief that Patrick should be a lock. We know what we will get from him.
Funchess!! He must be on the team. He’s built differently.
Oren Burks! Yes, I know it was the 1st preseason game, but this defense is desperate for ILB depth, so I’ll take any bone I can get.
Kylin Hill! Kid can play. Showed great wiggle. An attention grabbing burst. Power to his legs. Worry about his ability to hold onto the footballs the ball looked loose to me, but his shake.
From a coaching perspective, the only thing you can remotely assess is special teams. Those units were putrid.
Chauncey Rivers grabbed my attention. Wonder if he has a shot to make a push at a roster spot.
Innis Gaines showed tremendous quickness. Missed an open field tackle, but he’s worth paying attention to.
Props to Kabion Ento. He looks like he can play. I want to see him as a gunner on special teams.
Shemar Jean-Charles has the confidence that is required to play in this League.
Henry Black can play in the NFL, me thinks.
Well done, Vernon Scott. Liked how he tossed his body around.
Zack Heflin made a Practice Squad worthy appearance.
This week - it’s the Jets at Lambeau. Looking forward to seeing Lambeau in the afternoon spot again. Even if it’s preseason. I'll be sitting on a couch next to Brotherman Vargas. Getting rowdy. When you think your team has a chance to be Super, you have to revel in each of the moments. I'm going to hold onto each tick of the 2021 Football clock as though it's precious and needs to be savored.
I’m going to be watching the OL closely again. The Packers need some of this young talent to show well.
I expect the Packers OL to rebound in strong fashion. They dominate the line of scrimmage. Kylin Hill bursts through!
I’m going to watch the secondary with heavy intent. This team looks stacked with secondary depth. I expect them to grab two interceptions.
Kurt Benkert can sling it. He’s fearless this weekend. He makes mistakes. He also finds the end zone.
Packers 23
Jets 20
Go Pack Go!
Talkin’ S-Mac.
talkins-mac.blogspot.com
Saturday, August 14, 2021
My Take -> Preseason Week 1
Greetings, G-Force.
The 2021 NFL Season is upon us. It is firmly a Super Bowl or Bust year for the Green Bay Packers. The team has an abundance of expiring contracts and clearly, this will be the final hurrah for this cast of players. It’ll be impossible to afford everyone without the majority of them taking significant pay cuts to play together. The vibrancy of this group of players has been sensational. Now, it's time to finish this run off with a ring!
As I write, I listen to the Goose “Alive and Well” album. I sip a Green Flash West Coast IPA. Lately, it’s been my most sipped hop.
My quick vibes heading into the preseason opener:
I’m unbelievably baffled with how much Gutekunst + Murphy have butchered the Rodgers communication issues. I am not going to get into all the details, but I hope they can remedy all of the issues in time for Rodgers to sign a lengthy contract extension after the Season. I know that there will eventually be a Packers team that is led by someone other than Aaron Rodgers. I’m just not ready for the rebuilding years quite yet. Not when you have the opportunity to have a 3x MVP, sure-fire 1st ballot Hall of Fame QB commanding the huddle. The quickest path to sustained success is to have #12 under center. And, I'd rather have Rodgers under center for 1-year too many. Case in point: look at the Saints last year. Drew Brees was done. But, he was still a Jared Cook fumble away from likely playing in the NFC Championship.
I wasn’t sure what the buzz would be around 1265 Lombardi Ave this year, but from the outside, it certainly appears as though the energy inside the Locker Room is high. The team seems to possess the right spirit. I worry about the lingering Za’Darius Smith injury and wonder if it’s possibly tied to a non-existent future contract. Maybe? But, other than that, everything appears to be bright.
Here are the top 5 things I’m most excited to watch in preseason:
5.) I don’t know if Jordan Love will be a good QB. But, I really enjoy the way he handles himself with a mic in front of him. I’m curious to see how he plays in live action.
4.) The Packers need their DL to be much improved. They were often sieve-like against the run game last year. Kingsley Keke has to take the next step. Dean Lowry must find his form. TJ Slaton is one to pay close attention to over the preseason. He has to be game ready to start the year.
3.) The Packers ILB play has been inconsistent for many years. Krys Barnes gave us glimpses of hope. He’s supposedly trimmed weight and expects to be quicker this year. DeVondre Campbell had been a solid contributor for the Falcons in the past. Can he fit the bill and bring stability to the position? Can Kamal Martin stay healthy and make an impact?
2.) The return game. Will it be Randall Cobb or Amari Rodgers returning punts? Who will win the Kickoff Return duties? Can Kylin Hill play the role? The Packers must have a better return game this year than they did over the course of the last two years, with the exception of a couple of positive Tyler Ervin moments.
1.) If the Packers are going to be Super this year, the depth in the secondary is going to have to be Super. Kevin King has proven to be unreliable from a health perspective. Josh Jackson hasn’t been good enough. Kabion Ento has been someone who has intrigued me in the past. He’s healthy and ready to make a push for a roster spot. Keep your eye on him. I’m eager to see Eric Stokes with the Packers “G” on his helmet. I’m hoping that he can be a reliable fill-in across Jaire if Kevin King is unfit to play. Shemar Jean-Charles is someone that my good friend and NFL Draft fanatic, Craig Forrestal, has spoken highly of prior to the Draft. He swears that Jean-Charles will make an impact on this team. When he speaks, I listen.
This week it’s the Texans to start the 2021 preseason. At Lambeau Field. I can't wait to see a packed stadium through the TV.
Expect Jordan Love to get the first 3 quarters of play. LaFleur will make it easy for him early. Look for play action, Love rolling right and Tonyan open in the flat. I anticipate that Love will mostly show well. He will show his mobility. He will also show his arm strength. My guess is that we will also see that he’s prone to mistakes.
I’m looking forward to seeing how LaFleur uses Kylin Hill. Hill seems to fit the LaFleur offense. In many ways, his college style reminded me of Jamaal Williams. With a little more flash. He was a tough runner with soft hands. I would like to see Hill on a wheel route. My guess is that Love will dump off to Hill multiple times.
Patrick Taylor was a fun player to watch in college. He was a tough runner with a nose for the end zone. He couldn't be arm tackled. He was a solid one-cut runner.
Devin Funchess knows he needs to have a big preseason to make the roster. Davante, Cobb, MVS, Lazard and Amari are locks. Now, he's injured. If he can play, I expect Funchess to be see a lot of action in the preseason. There’s no reason for him to not be a dominant force.
Juwann Winfree has received heightened praise for his play in camp. I was really excited to watch him. Bummed he's injured. It should have been his time to shine under the lights this week.
The Packers have made heavy investments in the OL over the last 2 off-seasons. They’re rich with depth. The competition will be heavy. They’ll be bringing out the best in each other. Expect the Packers OL to dominate the line of scrimmage throughout the preseason opener. They’ll be putting Love in a position to shine. They’ll open up holes for RB’s to burst through as well. I want to see them creating space for Patrick Taylor and Kylin Hill. On the current roster, I'd imagine that the Packers have a minimum of 12 OL that will be on rosters this year: David Bakhtiari, Yosh Nijman, Dennis Kelly, Elgton Jenkins, John Runyan, Josh Myers, Jake Hanson, Lucas Patrick, Ben Braden, Royce Newman, Billy Turner and Cole Van Lanen. At cut-down time, look for one of them to get traded for a pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Kabion Ento grabs an interception on a deep ball.
The Packers win this one handily.
Packers 27
Texans 13
Go Pack Go!
Talkin’ S-Mac.
talkins-mac.blospot.com
The 2021 NFL Season is upon us. It is firmly a Super Bowl or Bust year for the Green Bay Packers. The team has an abundance of expiring contracts and clearly, this will be the final hurrah for this cast of players. It’ll be impossible to afford everyone without the majority of them taking significant pay cuts to play together. The vibrancy of this group of players has been sensational. Now, it's time to finish this run off with a ring!
As I write, I listen to the Goose “Alive and Well” album. I sip a Green Flash West Coast IPA. Lately, it’s been my most sipped hop.
My quick vibes heading into the preseason opener:
I’m unbelievably baffled with how much Gutekunst + Murphy have butchered the Rodgers communication issues. I am not going to get into all the details, but I hope they can remedy all of the issues in time for Rodgers to sign a lengthy contract extension after the Season. I know that there will eventually be a Packers team that is led by someone other than Aaron Rodgers. I’m just not ready for the rebuilding years quite yet. Not when you have the opportunity to have a 3x MVP, sure-fire 1st ballot Hall of Fame QB commanding the huddle. The quickest path to sustained success is to have #12 under center. And, I'd rather have Rodgers under center for 1-year too many. Case in point: look at the Saints last year. Drew Brees was done. But, he was still a Jared Cook fumble away from likely playing in the NFC Championship.
I wasn’t sure what the buzz would be around 1265 Lombardi Ave this year, but from the outside, it certainly appears as though the energy inside the Locker Room is high. The team seems to possess the right spirit. I worry about the lingering Za’Darius Smith injury and wonder if it’s possibly tied to a non-existent future contract. Maybe? But, other than that, everything appears to be bright.
Here are the top 5 things I’m most excited to watch in preseason:
5.) I don’t know if Jordan Love will be a good QB. But, I really enjoy the way he handles himself with a mic in front of him. I’m curious to see how he plays in live action.
4.) The Packers need their DL to be much improved. They were often sieve-like against the run game last year. Kingsley Keke has to take the next step. Dean Lowry must find his form. TJ Slaton is one to pay close attention to over the preseason. He has to be game ready to start the year.
3.) The Packers ILB play has been inconsistent for many years. Krys Barnes gave us glimpses of hope. He’s supposedly trimmed weight and expects to be quicker this year. DeVondre Campbell had been a solid contributor for the Falcons in the past. Can he fit the bill and bring stability to the position? Can Kamal Martin stay healthy and make an impact?
2.) The return game. Will it be Randall Cobb or Amari Rodgers returning punts? Who will win the Kickoff Return duties? Can Kylin Hill play the role? The Packers must have a better return game this year than they did over the course of the last two years, with the exception of a couple of positive Tyler Ervin moments.
1.) If the Packers are going to be Super this year, the depth in the secondary is going to have to be Super. Kevin King has proven to be unreliable from a health perspective. Josh Jackson hasn’t been good enough. Kabion Ento has been someone who has intrigued me in the past. He’s healthy and ready to make a push for a roster spot. Keep your eye on him. I’m eager to see Eric Stokes with the Packers “G” on his helmet. I’m hoping that he can be a reliable fill-in across Jaire if Kevin King is unfit to play. Shemar Jean-Charles is someone that my good friend and NFL Draft fanatic, Craig Forrestal, has spoken highly of prior to the Draft. He swears that Jean-Charles will make an impact on this team. When he speaks, I listen.
This week it’s the Texans to start the 2021 preseason. At Lambeau Field. I can't wait to see a packed stadium through the TV.
Expect Jordan Love to get the first 3 quarters of play. LaFleur will make it easy for him early. Look for play action, Love rolling right and Tonyan open in the flat. I anticipate that Love will mostly show well. He will show his mobility. He will also show his arm strength. My guess is that we will also see that he’s prone to mistakes.
I’m looking forward to seeing how LaFleur uses Kylin Hill. Hill seems to fit the LaFleur offense. In many ways, his college style reminded me of Jamaal Williams. With a little more flash. He was a tough runner with soft hands. I would like to see Hill on a wheel route. My guess is that Love will dump off to Hill multiple times.
Patrick Taylor was a fun player to watch in college. He was a tough runner with a nose for the end zone. He couldn't be arm tackled. He was a solid one-cut runner.
Devin Funchess knows he needs to have a big preseason to make the roster. Davante, Cobb, MVS, Lazard and Amari are locks. Now, he's injured. If he can play, I expect Funchess to be see a lot of action in the preseason. There’s no reason for him to not be a dominant force.
Juwann Winfree has received heightened praise for his play in camp. I was really excited to watch him. Bummed he's injured. It should have been his time to shine under the lights this week.
The Packers have made heavy investments in the OL over the last 2 off-seasons. They’re rich with depth. The competition will be heavy. They’ll be bringing out the best in each other. Expect the Packers OL to dominate the line of scrimmage throughout the preseason opener. They’ll be putting Love in a position to shine. They’ll open up holes for RB’s to burst through as well. I want to see them creating space for Patrick Taylor and Kylin Hill. On the current roster, I'd imagine that the Packers have a minimum of 12 OL that will be on rosters this year: David Bakhtiari, Yosh Nijman, Dennis Kelly, Elgton Jenkins, John Runyan, Josh Myers, Jake Hanson, Lucas Patrick, Ben Braden, Royce Newman, Billy Turner and Cole Van Lanen. At cut-down time, look for one of them to get traded for a pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Kabion Ento grabs an interception on a deep ball.
The Packers win this one handily.
Packers 27
Texans 13
Go Pack Go!
Talkin’ S-Mac.
talkins-mac.blospot.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)