Packers vs. 49ers – Game Day First Impressions, Unfiltered: SF 30 GB 22

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Jermichael Finley vs. 49ers
Jermichael Finley scores a TD against 49ers.

Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers:

My unfitered game day recap and blog post of comments, observations and first impressions.

Inactive for Packers today:

11 WR Jarrett Boykin
28 S Sean Richardson
31 CB Davon House
39 CB Brandian Ross
44 RB James Starks
57 LB Jamari Lattimore
76 DT Mike Daniels

Notes:

Ted Ginn is inactive for 49ers today – takes away a big return threat.

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Mike McCarthy Pregame Show on 620 WTMJ:

Starters:

Opening day: It’s very special – just to be able to hear the drums outside sitting in your office, looking forward to that lambeau atmosphere. We’re excited to get started

Do you have a special team? Well, you definitely think you do. I go back to an old Ron Wolfism – the bad teams don’t even know they’re bad at the beginning of the year. We have a very difficult matchup, but we’re excited to go for this victory and grow as a team

Successful camp?: Very much so. Look at our roster, our players went through a thorough and rough camp, as far as what we were able to achieve and install. I feel we’re very well prepared.

Unscouted looks: The flow of the game dictates that. I’m not obsessed with the first 15 plays, as has been the case with this offense. – I let the game take me where it takes me.

SF: Very good football team. Playing them the prior 2 years, a team that always has a number iof talented playetrs. It will be interesting to see which way their offense goes with ther new additions, but surely their defense is what they hang their hat on.

Willis & Bowman: It’s a defense with a number of playmakers, a very stout front. It will be a challenge to run the footbnall, but it’s something we will have to do today.

Alex Smith & new targets: I would expect them to be more diverse. Smith has a litle more playmaking ability than peeople realize. Cerebral and a very good athlete.

SF-GB: There are going to be a lot of good football players on that field today. This game has everything you’re looking for

Rodgers making adjustments: It rests on his shoulders. He’s been ready for a few years now. You have great trust in your QB to make those calls. Big part of Aaron’s makeup,

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Packers vs. 49ers – First Impressions – First Half:

49ers win the toss and receive. Good – I wanted the Packers to start on defense – let’s see what they have…

Jarrett bush does indeed, start at cornerback.

Claymaker sets the tone  I was hoping for with a sack – and there is what having Nick Perry at the other OLB will do. One-on-one for Matthews. No TE or RB help.

No running lanes for Benson so far…

On the sack by Carlos Rogers, Rodgers had both Finley and Jennings in the middle of the field right in front of him, but he seemed to be looking for Nelson wide left for the home run.

Jim Harbaugh foaming at the mouth – literally… very entertaining…

Very underrated part of Jennings’ game: he is not easy to tackle at all – slippery, elusive and does not go down easily…

James Jones was my Packers secret weapon for this game. Almost there for the long TD catch, but great coverage by the DB…

This is going as expected – except for the part about the Packers not scoring yet.

Dom, lining Nick Perry up in the secondary and covering a wide receiver? Really?

Morgan Burnett signalling before the play that someone should have the deep middle behind him. Nobody listened, TD randy Moss – alone alone.

Alex Smith has found the mismatch or the weak spot on almost every play – reason for their success so far.

Gotta say this about the 49ers, they do not allow much YAC. You catch the ball, you’re being tackled right there…

I thought Finley had been watching too many soccer games when he grabbed his leg on the ground, but he actually did get stepped on. Then he catches a TD pass.

Dom – Nick Perry on a wide receiver is NOT going to work. Please stop doing this!

Love those Packers third down defensive penalties to keep drives going. Just love it.

When the Packers have brought the blitz, they’ve gotten nothing out of it…

Mason Crosby would have broken the NFL 63yd field goal record long ago – if he could kick as straight as David Akers…

49ers 16  Packers 7

 

Packers vs. 49ers – First Impressions – Second Half:

I SOOOOOO Don’t agree with that move from that spot of the field… (going deep on third and one on the first possession).  I’m much more in favor of trying for a sustained drive to start the half…

True to form, Charles Woodson going for the strip on his sack – his swipe at the ball just missed.

Oh nick Collins, we miss you so.

Davis rejected on his TD celebration dunk attempt. Seems like the goalpost is offering more resistance to the 49ers than the Packers…

Do you suppose someone’s starting up a FireDomCapers.com web site at this very moment?

It’s uncanny how many times I have said to myself as a play unfolds, “ok, Packers have this play bottled up,” and it goes for a big first down.

Did Fox-TV play Aerosmith’s “Dream On” during that pause to signify the #Packers chances to come back in this game?

4th quarter begins, Packers at their own 47 with the ball, down 23-7

Once again, a Finley drop and a non-called interference results in a Packers Punt.

Packers using the bubble screens in lieu of a running game. Consistent 4-5 yard gains, but it’s not much help at this point in the game…

Today’s Packers’ star of the game: punter Tim Masthay.  Masthay has done more to keep down the 49ers offense that the Packers, Defense.

There have been three instances this game where the 49ers got away with a penalty & the Packers were flagged for the same thing soon after. I thought the penalty on Randall Cobb’s punt return was going to be #4.

These refs have been so bad, you really can’t complain about any one call. It’s a collective effort. They’ve tainted this game.

On the third down stop by Shields, he gave a good effort, but I would have liked to have seen Shields get lower & throw a shoulder into Gore instead of going on top of him.

Harbaugh challenges the spot, but ironically, the referees get what might be one of the harder things to gauge absolutely correct…

This just in, Aaron Rodgers is human. Throws a just awful interception which quickly turns into a TD for the 49ers, as the D goes back to their “no resistance” sub package.

James Jones is a #2 receiver on most teams. Which is why he’s not going anywhere…

Packers D finally come up big, Packers get the ball back with over 3 minutes, down by 8.

Rodgers gets lucky. DB drops a sure INT. Rodgers under heavy pressure the first two plays, with no safe options. Why were ALL the Packers receivers running vertical patterns on the first two plays? Anyone?

49ers continue to bring pressure. Rodgers with little time. Desperation 4th and 10 try to nelson broken up

For me, the worst offense is the continued mis-communication in the secondary. My local HS Team looks more organized back there…

49ers 30 Packers 22

 

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Jersey Al Bracco is the founder and editor of AllGreenBayPackers.com, and the co-founder of Packers Talk Radio Network. He can be heard as one of the Co-Hosts on Cheesehead Radio and is the Green Bay Packers Draft Analyst for Drafttek.com.

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29 thoughts on “Packers vs. 49ers – Game Day First Impressions, Unfiltered: SF 30 GB 22

  1. As I said before the game, this was Mike McCarthy’s “redemption” game after his poor showing in the Giants game.

    But this was even poorer. Stuck with the run when it wasn’t working, went for a bomb on a 3rd-and-1 (good call against anyone but the Niners), and failing to adapt to the game. Cobb out of the backfield was working all day but he went away from it.

    Capers was similarly bad. They had Jarrett Bush over Sam Shields, Nick Perry over Dezman Moses, etc. Playcalling was questionable.

    They got outplayed and out-coached the entire game.

    I’m somewhat glad, this team needs to be humbled.

  2. These guys NEED a lot of work.No body wants to practice in preseason and we got our ass kicked…period.
    Matthews will be spent in a few weeks in Perry doesn’t get something going.
    WRs forget how to get any seperation?
    Lets trade JJ…..

    Ugly game just like I thought.

    1. Lots of people talking about Perry needing to get something going, not showing up, etc etc..

      I think people need to actually go back and watch the game again, and actually WATCH Nick Perry.

      He had a pretty darn good game for a rookie in his first ever NFL regular season game. He’s a collegiate DE learning to play OLB. He looked good, minus the fact he isn’t able to play zone coverage against a WR named Crabtree. Shocking, I know.
      .

  3. same team as last year.

    no run.
    no run d.
    no pass d.

    i was wrong with my score of 31-17 9’ers.
    but i was damn close.

    0-4 is a very real possibility.
    the bears may score 50.

    i am so very sick of watching guys run wide open in the secondary. they might as well just line up and point to the guy they’re going to cover like we did when we were playing at recess in grade school… couldn’t be any worse.

    how bad must woodson be on the outside (and jennings/mcmillian altogether) for the Packers to feel that woodson/bush is better than anyone/woodson.

    capers’ days have to be numbered.

    oh well… i’d rather lose the first one than the last one.

    just gotta find 9/10 wins somewhere.

    i’m predicting 9-7 (and i had that as my final record BEFORE today’s game).

  4. Not sure about the Bears scoring 50 on the Packers. Part of the problem today was that the Niners shut down the offense for a good part of the game. I’m not sure that the Bears can do that as well as they used to.

    However, i do agree that this looks like a 9-7 team. And even if this team does better than 9-7, they’d still have to face a team like the Niners or last years Giants in the playoffs — most likely on the road, too. Just don’t see them winning against teams like the Niners, especially on the road.

    1. Let’s not forget the Packers lost by 8 points to a team that was a handful of plays away from representing the NFC in the Superbowl and beat the living hell out of Eli Manning in the attempt.

      We weren’t playing a scrub team, or an average team, or even a “good” team. The 49ers are a top-tier team. Arguably the best defense in the entire league, the number one rush D in league, This isn’t the end of the world

  5. I was worried about the D because there were really no difference makers, or really no upgrades at all from last years crappy D. It’s the same D with some rookies on it. Some of the rookies will be good down the road, but for now, they are rookies. I did get a small case of the pre-season “maybe things will be better hype” but reality quickly set in watching the game. I’m hoping by November things are gelling better. Other wise , nothing has changed. The niners are a better team then the Pack, So were the giants in the playoffs. I hope the bears are not a better team Thursday.

  6. I’d rather this loss happen now than later. It’s a long season. All we have to do is make the playoffs.

  7. 1.Finley starts looking like a TE, then becomes “drop the ball” Finley.
    2. Matthews is still a beast.
    3. Cobb for team captain. Does it all.
    4. Bush needs to be told he is a football player. Completely lost.
    5. Bye bye Capers. Love to see you go.
    6. 3rd and 1 bomb? WTF?!
    7. Same defense.
    8. Please don’t beat me up guys but as I said last year, Woodson is overrated and a liability.
    9. Masthay did his job.
    10. Did I mention, Finley dropped a few important passes?

    1. I agree Woodson is overrated. He’s constantly getting penalties, he constantly gambles, and he’s not getting younger. But a liability? Ok, he’s not Woodson of old, but he still contributes as one of the best defensive players out on that field.

      1. I don’t think he’s been held accountable by fans, bloggers or media for his failings. Aikman said yesterday he’s led the Packers in penalties the last two years. He also led the DB’s in missed tackles last year. His freelancing pays off but it’s rarely if ever acknowledged when it costs us.

        Yesterday, he had a huge 3rd down penalty taht extended a drive and he had a huge missed tackle resulting in 15+ extra yardage. Case in point last year. He gets praise for the 2 INT’s he had vs the Panthers last but no one really said anything about the 6 catches for 156 yards Steve Smith had mainly while Woodson was covering him.

        I just want more balanced evaluation of his play.

        1. Like I SAID, he’s overrated, but not a liability. A liability would imply that we’re better off without him that we are with him.

          Overpaid? Yes. Too many mistakes? Yes. But a leader on defense? Yes. Still makes turnovers and big plays? Yes.

          Woodson may never get out of his bad habits, but as the defense improves, which it will, Woodson should improve as well.

    1. “D will get better”

      sure – they’ll go from horse sh*t to whatever one level above horse sh*t is.

  8. I have to say that it’s the same D except that now Clay has help on the other side and it showed with him getting 2 sacks today. Perry looks pretty good and will get better as the year goes on. But, that middle is a big joke and hasn’t improved even with Perry there now. If I were the opponents coach I would run the middle so much that those two bums in the middle would drop from exhaustion.

    Capers hasn’t fixed THAT BIG problem at all this year and we will suffer because of it unless he realizes that both of them or at least one of them should sit the bench and give someone else a shot at it.

    And tell me if I’m wrong on this. Experts have always said that you can figure out a Capers defense after the second year he has it. Kinda looks that way doesn’t it?

    1. There’s all this talk about figuring out a Capers D, it’s really en vogue.

      Football is football. Capers’ zone blitzing schemes are a standard in many defenses across the league. He and LeBeau pretty much designed the 3-4 D that the Steelers, the 9ers, the Packers all implement in various forms.

      Capers has had one poor season defensively in Green Bay. I will give this D the benefit of doubt for now. It was not a good showing, to be sure- but I don’t think it’s a scheme failure. It’s a personnel failure at this point.

      Confusion in the defensive backfield is a serious problem. Collins loss is still being felt.

      The Packers need to get someone in the backfield who can absolutely make sure the DBs have their coverages right and make the proper adjustments with authority. MD Jennings looked like he had a major busted coverage that allowed Randy Moss uncovered in the endzone for a TD, and there were many other indications that Burnett felt guys were completely out of position.

      I actually thought the front 7 played relatively well today, overall. Safety is an issue.

  9. Make of this what you will, but I think of this game this way: the Packers were thoroughly outplayed and outcoached in every facet of the game today…and the game was still within reach up to the last play. If they play even mildly better, I think we see positive results.

  10. What was Smiths QB rating today? I’m sure it was much higher then what his avg should be. Isn’t that what this D did all last year, make avg or below avg QBs look like Montana? Is House playing on Thursday? I’ll take his one arm over Bush.

  11. There’s a lot of extremely harsh words about Bush’s performance today, but they are always extremely vague words.

    Anyone got some specifics? I don’t think Bush had a pro bowl day, but I also didn’t see a complete liability, either. Thought he played tough for the most part.

  12. Great majority of Packers fans and experts thought this was going to be a very tough match up that would go either way.

    Well, it went the way we didn’t want, and now a whole boat-load of Packers fans are acting like a bunch of band-wagon riding little sissies.

    Hey, Chicken Littles, pull up your britches and lace up your boots, it a long effin’ season, the sky is NOT falling after the season opener. You’re starting to act like Bears and Vikings fans. Good god, have some dignity. YOU ARE PACKERS FANS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

    1. Exactly Oppy, my God the over-reaction by many of the posters is amazing. If they’re playing this way mid-way through the season, then yes, voice your concerns. It is one loss against a very good team.

    2. yep – i’m panicing.

      even though it’s just one game.

      why?

      because for all the aerodynamics involved with football now-a-days, a lot still depends on what happens on the line of scrimmage (the trenches). the Packers got their assess handed to them on the line of scrimmage – both offensively and defensively… and it wasn’t because of scheme – it was because they just don’t measure up physically.

      it is a major problem.

  13. Yeah, ugly game. But I like the adversity the pack will face after starting the season 0-3. I still confident that they’ll turn it around…but on week 4, onward…we’ll see who on the team has heart. It will help if fanbase has believer support, and not screaming for heads of players after mistakes/bad games. They’re our players…make up our team. How they gonna give that extra when fans turn so hateful with a mistakeful game? Be cool to the players….but coaches need to be called out for poor playcalling, poor scripting (offense). MM playcalling is always admired by announcers…but compare that to Shanahan who scripted perfectly to beat the Saints. MM has not shown me he is creative and adjusts to the opportunities.

  14. I swear to God I saw the ghost of Favre working through Rodgers on three throws yesterday. Someone please call a priest and lets perform an exorcism..

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