I didn’t think the Packers were going to pull that one out on Sunday. The offensive line couldn’t do much of anything, Mason Crosby gave away points, and the Lions seemed one play away from delivering the dagger.
Then all of the sudden, the offensive line came together, Aaron Rodgers connected with Randall Cobb on a crazy play, and the Packers had a division win on the road in November despite a ton of injuries and being way off their A-game.
Crosby even made a kick and Jermichael Finley came up with a few big plays.
Weird game, that football.
New Feature: A few of the writers here on AllGreenBayPackers.com have put together a podcast based on Adam’s Stock Report. Want more discussion and other writer’s views on who’s rising and who’s falling? You got it! You can download the podcast from itunes or use the player below. Give a listen:
Onto the stock report:
Rising
Randall Cobb
Cobb is like the wide receiver version of a stud running back. You keep feeding the ball to your stud running back even if he’s been contained because you never know when he might break a big run. With Cobb, you keep throwing it to him (and sometimes handing it to him) even if he’s been bottled up most of the game because there’s always a chance for the big play. That big play came late in the fourth quarter on Sunday and brought the Packers a division win.
Erik Walden
Like he’s done all season, Walden kept plugging away and plugging away, even with Clay Matthews on the sideline. Walden’s strong game finally resulted in some impressive stats (six tackles, two sacks, two QB hits) and helped the Packers defense bother Matthew Stafford most of the afternoon. The snaps are adding up for Walden and fatigue could be an issue later in the season, but the Packers have to be thrilled with what they’re getting out of Walden right now.
Casey Hayward
Ted Thompson’s last three first-round draft picks are injured and out for the season (likely out for the season in Derek Sherrod’s case). Meanwhile, Thompson’s later-round picks in the secondary are rising every week. Hayward had another interception on Sunday, broke up three passes and held Stafford to a 0.0 quarterback rating on passes thrown his way. Almost as important as his production, Hayward plays with an attitude. He’s always talking, yelling and trying to fire up his teammates. It’s an attitude we didn’t see much of last season and I love it.
Steady
Ryan Pickett
I love it when Pickett busts through the line and waddles after an opposing quarterback. The 340-pounder broke through on a third-and-goal play Sunday and flushed Stafford out of the pocket and right into Morgan Burnett, who registered the sack. The Packers are allowing only 85 rushing yards per game since week three. Pickett is a big reason for that.
Mike McCarthy
The Packers lost even more players to injury over the bye week, but McCarthy still had his team ready to win a tough road game against a desperate opponent. Whatever he preaches behind closed doors, it’s working. Often, we get so caught up in judging a coach’s playcalling or in-game decision-making that we forgot about his main duties: Player development, game preparation and acting as the CEO of the football team. McCarthy appears to excel in all three areas.
Morgan Burnett
Ten tackles (one for a loss), a sack and a quarterback hit. Just another solid game for Burnett. I’m still waiting for that spectacular play that vaults him to the rising category, but I’m in no way complaining about his play this season.
Falling
Mason Crosby
Tarynfor12, a frequent commenter on this site, has suggested that I include a “Splat” category in the Stock Report for players that have fallen so far that they’ve splattered all over the pavement. If Crosby keeps this up, he might have the (dis)honor of being our first player in the Splat category.
Morgan Burnett’s Hands
Someone needs to remind Burnett that his thumb injury from last season is healed and he no longer has a giant club on his hand. It’s ok to go ahead and catch the ball if an opposing quarterback throws it to you. No more pretending that your hands are field-goal uprights.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are terrible. Splat!
Adam Czech is a a freelance sports reporter living in the Twin Cities and a proud supporter of American corn farmers. When not working, Adam is usually writing about, thinking about or worrying about the Packers. Follow Adam on Twitter. Twitter .
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Someone remind me what a good pass-protecting O line looks like….and its even harder to imagine a good run blocking O line.
I guess they failed to be in the falling category because they have already fallen so far they are currently at the bottom of a mile deep mineshaft.
after last week i would put saturday on the falling list. he is just too weak to handle the larger DTs in this league. he has plugged a hole this year, but another answer needs to be found by next season. is it EDS? he did not show too much last week.
The o-line has limited the Packers’ ability to throw it deep….
We need a high draft pick center or guard for the left side. EDS is a good back up but I have no confidence in his filling the center role with lang back at LG. If possible to trade up with St Louis for their extra 1st round, TT should get the best center in draft. Otherwise use our 1 to get best Guard and then a developmental center in rnd 3 or 4 or 5.
ARod will not last five years at this rate.
My high hopes for the future are based on the young, but highly promising, D secondary. Very tough to build successfully but we ARE doing it. The injury list continues to be our biggest opponent. If we conquer it, there will be no stopping us.
Interesting you have Walden in the stock up. McGinn’s review was critical of Walden saying Gosder Cherilus neutralized him (paraphrasing from memory) and if it weren’t for inside push on the pass rush driving Stafford right into his arms he would have had an average to poor game. Walden was also penalized a few times and blew coverages (according to McGinn).
I don’t disagree w/ McGinn.
But I don’t base the stock report just on the previous week’s game. I try to incorporate how the player has played over the last few weeks and gauge which direction he might be headed in the near future.
Walden has been solid most of the season, but the numbers haven’t necessarily been there. He’s been just a tad late getting sacks or or an inch or two away from a pick in coverage.
Sunday might not have been his best game overall, but two sacks, six tackles and a hit are huge no matter how you come about it, especially w/ Matthews on the sideline.
ProFootball Focus agrees that Walden was bad:
Outside Linebackers: Erik Walden, GB (-5.0)
Walden had two sacks, but both were when the quarterback was flushed to him and he did nothing else all game except get flagged for two penalties.
In fact, PFF has consistently rated him as one of the worst if not the worst 3-4 OLB in the game. Not sure why everyone is saying that he’s having a good year. In fact, PFF makes the point that our pass defense has been better because of Hayward, Shields, House, McMillan, which caused QBs to hang on longer and are the only reason Walden is even getting close to any of those plays.
So Walden should have just let Stafford run by him when he was flushed in his direction?
I know the game is different today, but there is still value in, you know, tackling the guy with the football…..
I don’t think anybody is attempting to argue Walden didn’t finish the play, which he did. I believe (some) observers are saying Walden’s statistical output (productivity) is a byproduct of his teammates effort. Does that merit the ‘rising’ status.
Personally, I think he sets a mean edge against the run, is fairly instinctive and plays hard. I don’t think he’s a finisher and, like you intimated in your comments, will his play dissipate as the season wears on?
The point is that, despite there being value in tackling the guy with the football, there is far greater value in being any one of the other 3-4 OLB in the league (PFF has him rated last)
If you think Walden is the worst 3-4 LB in football, you need to watch more football.
I think it just boils down to the fact that first impressions aren’t always what they appear. Once you go back and watch the game tape, there are a lot of things that you discover.
Brad Jones should be somewhere on the list. He has made some mistakes, but the guy is flying to the ball. You have to like that.
Davon house has also had a couple quiet but quality games. cannot wait to see what he looks like next year with a healthy shoulder.
also, Mashtay was a beast again. atleast two kicks inside the ten yard line. one was downed on the one. that is big time in a close game.
Brad Jones has been good. He has been “flying” to the ball. Literally.
Jones needs to quit leaving his feet when he gets close to the QB. He needs to stay under control so he doesn’t get another hit to the QB’s head like he had on Sunday.
That being said, I thought that penalty was B.S. He was going for the ball and the contact was incidental and minor. Even the announcers appeared to agree, especially considering he was attempting to pull up.
It is a BS penalty, but one that will be called every time. Don’t go near a QB’s head. Period.
Intent means nothing. If a guy gets called for holding, he can’t say “Well, I wasn’t trying to hold” and expect to be excused for the penalty.
Have to disagree Adam. It is not called every time. In recent years I’ve seen ARod hit in the helment numerous times and nothings called. And most times it shouldn’t be. The ‘helmet touch” rule was amended as such: The QB “helmet touch” penalty rule has been eliminated. “Hits to the head of a passer that are not considered ‘forcible’ blows will not be penalized.”
The penalty to Jones was in no way forcible. The call was B.S.
Most of these touches to a QB’s head are incidental contact when a defender is going full bore often times trying to shake a blocker. Plus the QB is moving too. Sometimes it’s next to impossible to avoid contact – hence the rule. Because it’s discretionary, it’s often miscalled or can go either way – much like PI.
Don’t touch the QB’s head. Period. The best way to not get a BS personal foul for touching the QB’s head is to not touch the QB’s head.
I guess you didn’t get the part where I said when a player is going full bore and the QB is also moving, sometimes you might accidentally touch his helmet. Never mind.
Seriously. Pass rushers can’t try to bat the pass anymore or they get called for roughing the passer when their arms come down. Woodson’s been called on that before, too.
Such a shame.
I guess they need to install the over the head ‘side to side’horizontal and forget the’up=down’ paint the fence stlye….where is Mr Miyagi?
lol.
I’m very happy with House.
I was concerned as to what his deal was last season- healthy but always inactive, I wasn’t sure if he just wasn’t what the Packers had hoped he’d be when they drafted him, or whether the Packers were just being patient with his development and weren’t going to force him into action if they didn’t need to.
He has looked very good.. Good enough I completely forgot he’s playing with a bum shoulder in a sling.
Just when we Packers fans thought the Packers just could not draft/develop a NFL-caliber CB, the Packers have gone ahead and pulled Shields, House, and Hayward out of their hat. This secondary could be absolutely out of this world if these young CBs (and safeties!) continue to develop for the next 2-3 years.
Didn’t House have a hammy issue or something for much of last season?
I hear ya. It’s always good to look at context and big picture, but end result also matters.
We complained a lot about missed tackles and inept play opposite of Matthews last season. I don’t think it’s fair to complain about Walden when he’s making tackles and holding his own in other areas.
Walden is not Matthews. He won’t single-handedly take over games on his own. Of course he relies on his teammates. So do 95 percent of the other defenders in the NFL.
Oline has to get better or we are not going to far in the playoffs. Real bummer about Bulaga hurting himself
I would like to see some improvement as well, but this offensive line is no worse than the Giants offensive line that won the Super Bowl last year. That line was awful beginning to end.
I worry about how they will look against SF front 7, if the Pack meets them in the playoffs. This next game will give us some clues on this Oline as they go up against a well rested Giants front.
Outside of Pierre-Paul that front is grossly overrated. Not in the same class as the Lions rotation. I believe PFF (which I take as the starting point to a conversation, not the ending point) has the Giants defense as allowing the quarterback the most amount of time from snap to throw in the NFL. Outside of Pierre-Paul the others play when is suites them.
Several close sacks over the past 4 games. Hayward, jones,walden all “just missed” because they were out of control. That is game experience, coaching up and attempts. Improvement will come soon.
I wasn’t a walden fan last year but for pete sack: I remember saying would someone JUST TACKLE the ball carrier last year. Next Year with Nick Perry & Walden that side looks to be solid.
remember walden is a FA after this year.