| First Impressions By Mike Joerndt Neenah, WI Even with constant coverage of training camp on television and in newspapers, it's tough to get a decent impression of any football team until they actually take the field. Using preseason games to measure the progress of the team is unfortunately the best method we have until the season begins. I don't take much stock in the preseason. The game plan is not well-developed, the players don't have the same intensity, and the primary goal is to get out without injury. Still, Green Bay's loss in Philadelphia gave fans a glimpse of where the Packers are strong and where they need to improve. First impressions left Green Bay fans feeling pretty good. That is, the first-string players in the first quarter of the game. The Packers offense moved the ball well, and despite Favre's interception, the offense looked like it hadn't lost too much in the off-season shake-ups. A little rust, but the offense moved the ball well, controlled the clock and put points on the board at the start of the second quarter. On defense, the Packers pushed around an able Philadelphia offense, containing Donovan McNabb for the most part. The Packers recovered from Favre's interception by limiting the Eagles to a three-and-out series. The back-ups, however, gave Packer fans a few fits. Eagles head coach Andy Reid (who never fails to remind me of Mike Holmgren, at least physically) had to keep his first-string offense in the game during the second quarter. They barely had time to break a sweat in the first quarter. So it wasn't necessarily a fair match-up in the early part of the second quarter - Eagles' starters against Packers' back-ups. Still, it was unnerving to see our guys blown off the line and missing tackles as Dorsey Levens ran up 64 yards on just 8 carries. At the halftime interview, Packers coach Mike Sherman noted the team needed to work on getting off their blocks to make the play. I agree. The NFL is an injury-prone league. We need back-ups who can step up and play during the regular season. Not all the second-stringers did poorly, but as a unit the defense failed in the second quarter. The Green Bay offense sputtered as well when the backups arrived. However, the second-string offense didn't play terribly. Doug "Crazy Legs" Pederson had an impressive rush for 28 yards. I had no idea he was so mobile. Considering he is more than a year and a half older than Favre, I never expected him to tuck the ball and run. Pederson had some solid throws as well, on the whole providing a much better impression on me than he did last year (I would have exposed him in the expansion draft). The running backs fighting to be Ahman Green's backup did pretty well as a whole too. As more back-ups took to the field, the game ceased to be an accurate measure of the team as a whole. Many of those third and fourth quarter players are just fighting to make the roster on special teams, and their performances don't offer much insight into the regular season. But like the coaches, the fans could observe individuals as they entered the game. Here are a few of mine: Ryan Longwell still isn't putting enough distance on his kickoffs, and Louie Aguiar isn't much better at it. Longwell says he's looked at the factors that contributed to his poor season last year, and he tried to prove it by connecting on his two field goal attempts. I don't doubt his ability to score points, but the Green Bay coaching staff may want to sign a kick-off specialist to put the football in the endzone. Aguiar didn't impress me much as a punter either. Josh Bidwell had a shaky start, but still had some excellent kicks against the Eagles. I suspect Aguiar was brought in to put some pressure on both Longwell and Bidwell so they continue to work hard and improve before the season begins. He'll probably be out of a job when the final cuts come. Former Packer Matt Hasselbeck was once called "Mr. August" for his excellent play in the preseason. That title should now belong to Rondell Mealey, who is having another promising training camp. Besides his physical gifts, Mealey is beginning to display some development on the mental side of the game. There's nothing I like more than watching a running back follow his lead blocker into the hole and explode off the block. He needs to stay healthy though. Ending his first two pro seasons on injured reserve, Mealey should be cut if it happens again this season. Herbert "Whisper" Goodman spent the spring in NFL Europe, leading that league in rushing. The experience was obviously good for him. He seems to be a stronger and more confident back. Should Ahman Green go down to injury, the Packers should be okay with Goodman on the depth chart. Torrance Marshall is probably smarting after losing his starting role to Hardy Nickerson. I can't blame him. Marshall apparently worked hard to become a better linebacker in the offseason, and he displayed some of that improvement in the second quarter against Philadelphia. This season, he will likely have chances to display his abilities if injuries take their toll like they did last year. After losing Mike Flanagan for at least two weeks to a broken hand, Frank Winters proved he still has the ability to start in the NFL. I'm glad he chose to finish his career in Green Bay. In what is probably the most important position on the offensive line, the Packers are solid this year. Craig Nall soothed the irritation I felt when Henry Burris signed with the Bears in the offseason. For a rookie, he showed excellent ability at reading plays. He'd have thrown a touchdown pass if receiver Karsten Bailey hadn't pulled up in his endzone route. Nall demonstrated good arm strength as well. Green Bay may have drafted him as a future replacement for Brett Favre. He needs grooming, but so far, so good. The Packers starters did very well, but their backups did not. Flashes of individual ability provide hope, even though there is room for improvement as a whole. This loss doesn't mean anything, but it gives Mike Sherman plenty of ammunition to push his team in camp this week. It also keeps the team from getting overconfident before the season starts. Better to lose when the games don't count. |
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