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Putting the Packer Preseason into Perspective
The preseason is a mystery. No one really knows what it all means and those newcomers to the game think that a team can be judged off their performance. Wrong. The preseason is like an expressionist painting; it only makes sense if you know what you are looking at. The coaches use the preseason to try out combinations of players, plays, formations or even to deliberately not try out certain tactics. That sounds counter intuitive but some coaches deliberately keep certain players and plays away from preseason so they have that extra edge and element of surprise when the new season swings around.
Throughout training camp and OTAs, the players have all been competing with the veterans, the rookies, the players off injured reserve who are eager to prove their worth, the free agents with a chip on their shoulders and the those looking to keep their place in spite of old age or an expiring contract. As such, there wont be a greater sense of competition found than at training camp. This is why we see so many injuries and training ground bust ups; the players are gunning to impress and keep their dreams of pro ball alive. Who would you play more passionately against: the person who can take your job if he plays better than you or a person on a separate team who cant threaten your position on the roster? That’s right, the first option.
This is precisely why the loss to the Cardinals doesn’t really mean anything. The Pack lost their first two preseason games to the Chargers and the Browns last season. That’s right; to Brandon Whedon’s Browns! Was everyone screaming and panicking then? No. The changes to the Offensive line, the loss of Greg Jennings, the lack of experience at safety and the young running game is what has everyone concerned. But as stated before, there are certain things to look at that will give you the best idea as to how the Packers are shaping up.
Firstly, don’t look at the veterans. Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews aren’t going to play many snaps and they don’t need to prove themselves. You can assume this is the same for all the veteran players. When you see them step out on the field for preseason, pay no mind. They are simply getting a run out to stretch their legs or facilitate the play of another player by filling in numbers.
Look at the rookies and free agents. Their performances are going to be mightily hindered by other rookies on the field but look for young wide receivers getting away from their CBs and running backs Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin showing cutability, lateral quickness and breaking tackles. The two stud running backs will be influenced by the offensive lines ability to open running lanes and this may be difficult as the O Line will be made up of veterans and rookies alike.
Keep a close eye on Harrell, Coleman and Young at QB. Aaron Rodgers was sacked more than any other QB in the league last year. As such, the Packers need to plan for the devastating loss of Rodgers to injury. Vince Young was brought in to give more competition to Harrell and Coleman. Young is a mobile quarterback and can help the Packers prepare for the run and read option threat they will face in the likes of Kaepernick and RGIII. Preseason will give the back ups an opportunity to get some playing time and show accuracy. The quality of receiver they are aiming at is not important. Whether the young receiving core can catch the pigskin or not is irrelevant in assessing the QBs. We are interested in the accuracy of the throw, the strength of the arm and the tactical awareness to roll out under pressure and make an accurate attempt.
The performance of David Bakhtiari and Datone Jones is important for the future and effectiveness of the offense and defense. The O Line was reshuffled this year to move TJ Lang and Brian Bulaga to protect A Rod’s blindside. Bulaga then tore his ACL at the Packer’s Family Night and this dramatically changed things again. In steps Bakhtiari. He is touted as being the solution the Pack need to replace Bulaga on the left and keep Rodgers upright. During the loss to the Cardinals, he played exceptionally; allowing zero pressures on 20 pass plays. He needs work on his run game play but this was massively encouraging for the Packers O Line.
Where Vince Young will school the Packers on the read option style offense, first rounder Datone Jones will be helping the Packers protect against it. He is excellent at stopping the run and reading mobile QBs and his performance is vital for the Packers this season. If they play Jones during preseason, look at his lateral quickness and ability in which he reads the plays and gets to the ball.
Lastly, pay attention to what you don’t see. If you don’t see Eddie Lacy take to the field for instance, it is because he doesn’t need to. This means that what they see during training camp is enough and they do not want to show their hand and give the other teams in the NFL a chance to game plan for him. This is an extremely positive thing and just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist!
All in all, the preseason can be a tricky one to form an objective opinion from. Rex Ryan, for instance, said that he didn’t even see Sanchez’ interception with his first throw in their preseason game because he wasn’t interested in the offense, just the defense. This is a little hard to believe but could be true. The coaches hide their true intention in the game and are only monitoring certain players on certain plays and disregarding whatever else goes on. The Packers will be a different ensemble when they take the field to take on Harbaugh’s Niners in September and with Rodgers under center, you always stand a chance of a bringing the Lombardi trophy home.
Thanks to the team, Ryan Peacock @R1J3P, Ste Diddy (post author) @SteDiddyNFL and Dave Pione @dpione03.
