Packerholic

Last night the Packers held their annual Family Night Scrimmage and fans fnally go their first look at what they can expect out of the Packers this season. Despite being delayed 2 hours and being crammed in the concourse with 60,000 other fans I still really enjoyed the night. I can also say first row seats are exactly what you would expect them to be. You are so close it is almost like you are on the field with the players.  Before I begin my analysis of the scrimmage I would like to welcome everyone who saw either my shirt or sign at Family Night and have decided to drop by. I actually got put on the jumbo screen and I will be looking later today if I was actually put on TV. Well thats enough talking about my experience at Family Night lets get to what actually happened on the field.

• Overall the QBs had an average night. If you look at the passing numbers it will look like they played terribly. That doesn’t tell the whole story. They all made some bad passes but their problems weren’t only their fault. Receivers dropped balls left and right and the whole offense seemed out of synch. It also doesn’t hurt that the defense played very well. As long as our defense can stay healthy I think we will have a very scary defense.
• The passing game didn’t do so well last night but the running game impressed me quite a bit. Brandon Jackson showed everyone what McCarthy has been raving about. With several nice runs that lead to a TD I would say Jackson was easily one of the stars of the scrimmage. Vernand Morency also played well and at this point he actually has a pretty good to good chance of making the final roster when I thought he essentially had no chance when training camp started. Morency just looks like a much better RB this season. Herron really didn’t do anything and DeShawn Wynn didn’t even play (or i don’t think he did). Kregg Lumpkin had one nice run but he will need to show much more before he even comes close to getting a roster spot on the team. At this point I would have to say that Grant, Jackson, and Morency will be our RBs this season.
• Overall the WRs didn’t have a great game in my opinion. Almost every receiver was responsible for a drop except for Jordy Nelson (who had a great long reception). I wouldn’t be too worried about the receivers though. The defense had pretty good coverage the whole night and it did rain so the ball was probably wet which lead to some of the drops. Despite a poor showing last night I don’t think the Packers have anything to worry about as far as the wide receivers are concerned.
• Nothing notable either way from the TEs. None of the TEs made any big plays.
• The O-line is still a question mark at this point. I didn’t get a great look at the blocking since it is always hard to see blocking when you are at the stadium. I did notice some bad pass blocking since the D-Line did get some great pressure on the QBs and tipped a lot of balls.
• Speaking of the defensive line I thought they had a great game. As I already mentioned they put plenty of pressure on the QBs and would have had several sacks if they were allowed to tackle in the scrimmage. The standout on the D-Line was Jeremy Thompson. He made several big plays including a tipped pass and a sack. If Thompson continues to develop I think he has a bright future with the Packers.
• The linebackers played great as well. The linebackers truly showed their speed last night. They were all over the field and made it hard for the offense to do anything well. If last night was any indication I think we will have one of the best linebacking corps in the whole NFL next season.
• Of every position I was actually most impressed with the CB position. The CB position played well the entire game. Three standout players were Tramon Williams, Pat Lee, and Joe Porter. At this point I would be shocked if Tramon WIlliams doesn’t get the 3rd CB spot. He is a very solid CB who appears able to make plays when needed as well. Pat Lee really surprised me. So far in practice he has looked that great but he truly did play great yesterday. He had several tipped balls and he showed the potential to be a shut down CB. Finally Joe Porter made a statement as far as the Packers having to really look at keeping him on the final roster. Joe Porter has his work cut out for him but I can possibly see him making the final roster now.
• I have only one thing to say about the safeties. Once again Aaron Rouse intercepts a pass (from Aaron Rodgers). At this point if Aaron Rouse isn’t named the starter I will be upset. Aaron Rouse has essentially made a big play in every practice and now even at Family Night. Rouse is a playmaking machine. Plays just seem to always happen around him. Unless something happens before the start of the season the Packers should have a new starter at safety this season.
• Jon Ryan has definently improved his kicking (at least for distance). In the scrimmage Ryan punted a ball that traveled almost 80 yards. It also had good hangtime and if tackling would have been allowed the returner possibly could have been stopped within the five yard line. Lets hope Ryan has improved his directional punting and that he can kick in cold winter.
• Mason Crosby had an average day. I don’t know exactly how many field goals he kicked (around 5) but he missed one that was between 30-40 yards. I wouldn’t get that concerned since it is only one missed field goal.
• I will conclude the analysis with Will Blackmon (as a returner). I am so glad that he is back. Hopefully his foot can stay healthy because if it can we have a dangerous return threat. Will Blackmon almost returned a punt back for a touchdown (he might not have gotten quite as far if tackling was allowed). I think Blackmon will be a very good returner for the Packers this season as long as he can stay healthy.

As always I have some pictures for you. I did have front row seats but my vision was a little obstructed due to the players standing on the sidelines. Due to this fact most of the pictures are of players on the sidelines.