The Pack’s 2010 preseason opener was again at home – again versus the Browns – only this time, words like “good”, “bad” and “ugly” don’t seem to [...]]]> In our game recap for the Green Bay Packers’ 2009 preseason opener, a home game against the Cleveland Browns, we broke down the good, bad and ugly portions of the contest.

The Pack’s 2010 preseason opener was again at home – again versus the Browns – only this time, words like “good”, “bad” and “ugly” don’t seem to fit quite as well.

Things were, well, a little more extreme this time around.

On both ends of the spectrum.

Green Bay was extremely good at times and extremely poor at others in Saturday’s uneven 27-24 loss to the Browns at Lambeau Field.

The extremely good portions could be found in the play of the Pack’s starting offense, particularly the passing game. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was, in a word, flawless, 12-of-13 for 159 yards and a touchdown, leading the offense to two scores in four drives. Why head coach Mike McCarthy decided to send him out for a fourth drive, we can not be certain, though I’m certain it was a stupid decision.

The numbers only tell so much, especially with this being a meaningless contest. The biggest thing to come out of Rodgers’ showing is this: The internal clock that quarterbacks must have – something Rodgers lacked at times last season – is there now. He instinctively knows when the ball must come out. No more uncertainty. That was on display countless times Saturday against a Browns defense that was definitely bringing some pressure.

And another step towards greatness appears to have been taken by the young signal-caller.

(P.S. Thank God Brandon Jackson is there to bust the blitz. Guys who can do that are invaluable.)

The weapons at his disposal looked sharp, too, particularly Greg Jennings. The wideout took some heat this offseason for his uneven 2009 campaign. With three catches for 68 yards and a score, he appears ready to quiet those doubters. Again, it’s more than the numbers; Jennings made Cleveland’s secondary look silly with his skill set. That group won’t be the last.

While the second-teamers failed to generate much through the air – Matt Flynn had an up-and-down night and Graham Harrell was pretty tough to watch – the running game looked good. Quinn Porter (nine carries, 38 yards) and Kregg Lumpkin (11 carries, 42 yards, one touchdown) both ran hard and made guys miss. If rookie James Starks does indeed end up on I.R. (or even the PUP list), both backs showed they could be viable options. Ryan Grant had, however, a tough night. He fumbled on the team’s opening play, then ran three times for six yards before leaving the game after a shot to the head. He should be fine, though, from the sounds of it.

Now it’s time to get to the extremely poor portion of the night. Those honors – or are they dishonors? – go to Green Bay’s starting defense and special teams.

Boy, did that defense struggle or what?

In four trips to the field, the Packers starters allowed three touchdowns. Two different, but equally mediocre, quarterbacks (Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace) ate that group up. No surprise as neither QB was under any significant pressure at all.

It’s important to note that Green Bay ran a fairly vanilla scheme and was minus Clay Matthews (hence the lack of pressure). Still, the Packers appeared to have the Browns outclassed in that matchup, in terms of talent, as every other starter was available. That alone should have equaled more pressure (and better coverage on the back end, Brandon Underwood’s strong performance notwithstanding).

It didn’t.

Matthews’ return will help significantly, but you have to wonder if Dom Capers isn’t going to have to start involving non-front seven players in order to generate pressure consistently this season. I’m just not sure the front seven guys are enough to get it done. I’m not panicking, just wondering.

I am, however, deeply concerned about yet another awful showing from the special teams. Were both punters, Chris Bryan and Tim Masthay, good? Yes, and that’s a major positive going forward.

But every other area of the unit appears to be right where they were last season. The coverage units continue to allow multiple lanes for opposing returners to target. Not only that, but the lanes were quick-developing lanes against Cleveland. As I’ve said before on this site, even bad teams can beat you if they consistently have good field position (not to mention the mental boost teams get from good returns). Gulp.

If that wasn’t enough, the Packers did a grand total of nothing when they had their shots to return punts and kicks. Five yards on three punt returns (Cleveland averaged 16.5 yards on its two returns); a 17.3 yard average on four kick returns (compared to 26.5 for the Brownies). No lanes for the returners to hit - that is, if they were able to hang on to the ball (not good enough, Sam Shields). Double gulp.

The overall performances of the offense and defense should be taken with an extreme grain of salt. The offense won’t always be perfect and the defense won’t always be atrocious.

But if you want to be extremely concerned with the special teams, that’s fine. You can get behind me in line there.

-Chris Lempesis

Sure, you’ve cleared that Monday hurdle well enough – perhaps with some help of your fond memories from the past weekend – but now what do you have to look forward to? Those weekend memories (if you can remember what actually happened) fade quickly, leaving [...]]]> Let’s face it: Tuesday is the worst day of the week.

Sure, you’ve cleared that Monday hurdle well enough – perhaps with some help of your fond memories from the past weekend – but now what do you have to look forward to? Those weekend memories (if you can remember what actually happened) fade quickly, leaving you with two full days to get through before you can begin to get excited about the upcoming weekend.

That’s where we at OBOD come in.

We’re here with some Tuesday quick slants (copyright Adam Somers), a handful of interesting items that – hopefully – give you a little shot in the arm on this most dreadful of days.

Enjoy.

• Strong safety Ryan Clark re-upped with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday (four years, terms undisclosed). He was one player I thought Ted Thompson would take a serious look at. The Green Bay Packers are clearly trying to be Pittsburgh West and, with Atari Bigby oft-injured and up-and-down in his play, Clark would have been an upgrade. But, as we all know, Thompson won’t likely begin to look at signing anyone until later this week and Clark just didn’t make it that long.
• The Minnesota Vikings have finally signed someone…and it’s Rhys Lloyd, a kickoff specialist (guffawing over here). Ryan Longwell, as us Packers fans know, isn’t terribly great at booming kickoffs, so I guess Lloyd is an upgrade…I guess. He’s an alum of the University of Minnesota – as are Adam and I – so it’s unfortunate that we now have to turn on one of our own. But we are more than prepared to do it.
• The Vikings also could have some interest in LaDainian Tomlinson, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. They lost Chester Taylor to the Chicago Bears on Friday, so they have an opening for a third down/pass catching back. And, while LT brings some star power, he’s pretty much washed up and doesn’t scare me one bit as a Packers fan. Plus, is there a lockeroom big enough to contain the egos of LT and Judas? I’m not so sure.
• As you may or may not remember, I wrote a post during the season talking about which new jersey I might get. My A.J. Hawk one isn’t getting it done anymore, frankly, and I need an upgrade. I’ve since narrowed my list down to the final four: Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji and Johnny Jolly. I’d get a Charles Woodson one, but I think Adam’s going to beat me to it. We already both have Hawk jerseys (happened completely by coincidence). If we both get Woody jerseys, we’ll look like idiots. I hope to have a decision made soon and any other suggestions are welcomed.
• Mike Holmgren has found his quarterback of the future. Okay, so he hasn’t, but he has traded for Seneca Wallace (the longtime backup in Seattle whom Holmgren coached for quite some time), according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Apparently the Brownies surrendered an undisclosed 2011 draft pick. If I was Derek Anderson, I’d be giving my realtor a call right about now.
• Man, I’m not sure how we forgot to mention this sooner, but the Packers cut defensive end Mike Montgomery and safety Matt Giordano on Friday. Montgomery, for some unknown reason, was kept around for five seasons, producing a grand total of almost nothing. Even though he was undersized at end in the 3-4, Green Bay actually re-signed him last offseason. He and his (alleged) score of eight on the Wonderlic test – with a score that low, can you even spell your name? – will not be missed. Giordano was signed early in the season after being cut by the Indianapolis Colts. While not around as long as Montgomery, he also produced nothing and won’t be missed. The two moves save Green Bay just under $2 million next season.
• We’ve got a new addition to our blogroll: PocketDoppler. It’s a site for fans of all things Wisconsin sports-related. It’s a very entertaining site and you should definitely check them out.
• Finally, if you’re wondering where Gene Bosling went to college, I’m more than happy to tell you: He went to the University of It’s None of Your Damn Business. Their football team stinks but the softball program is just awesome.

-Chris Lempesis