Packers Stock Report: A Relaxing win over the Bears Edition

Jordy Nelson

So far, the 2014 Green Bay Packers have gone from bad, to pretty good, to really bad, to TAKE THAT CHICAGO BEARS, THE PACKERS ARE BACK, BABY!!

In baseball, basketball and hockey, the good teams eventually rise to the top over the course of a long season. In football, the season isn’t that long. There’s less time for the truly good teams to separate from the bad ones. We find out who the good teams are, at least early in the season, almost on a game-by-game, week-by-week basis.

That’s why the emotional week-to-week swings in football seem so dramatic. Fans don’t want to see their favorite team’s season derailed because they fell flat for an entire month.

It’s still too early to tell how good the 2014 Packers are, but here’s what gives me hope: Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy loathe turnovers. The Packers are plus-4 in the turnover category, and if that keeps up, this team will contend like most of us thought they would.

Because there isn’t a huge talent differential team-to-team in the NFL, games are decided on a couple of mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are forced (Tramon Williams making a nice play on the Packers’ first interception on Sunday) and sometimes they’re not (Sam Shields getting a pick off a miscommunication later in the game).

Teams that avoid those game-changing miscues should win often enough to outlast the rest of the league and give themselves a chance to make a run once January rolls around. From there, you hope your quarterback or defense catches a fire that burns all the way to the Super Bowl.

Yes, it’s maddening to see the Packers get run over on defense and struggle to run the ball on offense. It’s also frustrating when the playcalling looks predictable and the rest of the offense isn’t clicking.

But if the Packers maintain a positive turnover ratio and avoid game-breaking mistakes, there’s more than enough talent on this team to do something special.

Well, there’s at least enough talent to win enough to be in the mix at the end. From there, it’ll be up to the defense to come around and the running game to figure things out.

On to the stock report:

Rising

Aaron Rodgers
A nice, relaxing 302 yards and four touchdowns earns Rodgers a spot in the rising category for the first time this season. Even if the Packers lost to the Bears and Rodgers failed to complete a single pass, I’d still probably put him as a riser solely because of the unbelievable throw he made to Davante Adams for a touchdown that got wiped out by a holding penalty. I almost stopped watching the game just so I could watch that throw over and over again. Perfection.

Jordy Nelson
Stafford/Johnson and Cutler/Marshall/Jeffrey get most of the hype, but Rodgers/Nelson is the best QB/WR combo in the NFC North, probably in all of football.

Tramon Williams
Halfway through last season, Packers fans were talking about cutting Williams. Now, he’s returned to form as the Packers’ best defensive back and one of the toughest players on the team.

Steady

David Bakhtiari
He needs to be better run blocking, but let’s be honest, the Packers don’t have Bakhtiari in there because of his run blocking prowess. His job is to protect Rodgers’ blind side, and he’s performing well.

Josh Sitton
After a rough day trying to deal with the Lions interior brutes, Sitton rebounded and had a great game against the Bears.

Bryan Bulaga
Similar to Bakhtiari, Bulaga isn’t showing much in run blocking, but his pass blocking has been excellent. When Rodgers never even gets knocked down, it’s no wonder the steady category is filled with nothing but offensive linemen.

Falling

Letroy Guion
I hope Ryan Pickett is having fun in Houston. Packers didn’t need him. Nope, no reason for the Packers to sign a 335-pound veteran to try and fix the run defense. No reason at all…

Brandon Bostick
What’s up with Bostick? I thought he was supposed to be Jermichael Finley-lite and create some space down the seam in the Packers passing attack. So far, he’s just playing special teams. Is he still injured? Does he not know the plays? Does he fall asleep during meetings? Maybe he steals Rodgers’ iPad on the sideline to play Angry Birds. It’s unfair to put a guy who doesn’t play in the falling category, but I’m doing it anyway because something is up with Bostick. He’s falling, but nobody knows why.

Clay Matthews’ groin
This is the first time I’ve put a groin in the falling category. Well, in any category. It’s kind of gross. I wish I hadn’t done it. But now that I have, I might as well talk about it. Matthews didn’t play poorly on Sunday, but he didn’t look all that explosive. I’m worried that his groin injury will hamper him all season. Then again, perhaps it’s Matthews’ atrocious beard slowing him down, not his groin. Clay: Shave your beard, heal your groin (and don’t mix up those two pieces of advice).

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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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15 thoughts on “Packers Stock Report: A Relaxing win over the Bears Edition

  1. I would add Clinton Dix and Richard Rodgers to the rising category. In addition to his great goal line play Dix made some good plays against Chicago run game. The early catches by R. Rodgers caused the Bears to pay attention to our TEs, this helped open things up for Cobb, who I just realized should also be rising after his 7 catch performance. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since ’61

  2. We have Mike Pennel. 5 games from now, if Dom will use him on more snaps, he will be our strenght. He is strong, quick, and brave… I’m all on his side. For bull rush which led to 1st interception and for 2 tackles in the limited time of play. I say he is also in rising category…

    1. At first, I was a little leery of him (like Lyerla) based on his checkered past, but I’m on the Pennel bandwagon now, as well. I’d like to see what he can do in 25-30 snaps per game and against OL’s that aren’t as beat up as the Bears. At this stage, he’s mostly a run-down guy, but maybe he becomes a presence pushing the pocket in passing situations.

      1. I believe he played 22 snaps versus the Bears. He has earned more playing time, that’s for certain. GoPack!

        1. Thanks for the number. I thought someone had posted about 15 snaps vs. the Bears. Have to be careful not to wear him out.

          I can’t remember who had posted this before but it’s true here, too: The Packers can be dead last in the league in total defense with him in the game as well as without him.

          Can’t hurt to try.

          1. Damn right Dobber!! We are a better run defense with Mike Pennel in the game than on the sideline or worse yet… inactive list.

      2. If he plays much against the Vikings, you’ll get your answer. As much as I hate to admit it, the Vikes’ O-line is pretty damn good.

    2. I agree Croat. Just think being Mike Pennel this week. He has a chance to literally change his life depending on how good or bad he plays this week and he will play this week because Capers is under fire being ranked dead last in rushing defense.
      He has the chance to be the Green Bay Packers starting defensive linemen going forward. Considering where he was just a year ago he has to be almost pinching himself asking if this is real. Raji is hurt all year and Guion and Boyd have been disappointments. All it takes sometimes is opportunity and I can’t think of a better one than this for Mike Pennel. I hope the kid takes this opportunity and runs away with it like Brett Favre did when he took over for Majik. I’m rooting for you Mr. Pennel!!

  3. One guy that could have been in the falling category was Hyde. He had a number of uncharacteristically bad missed tackles in that game. Accidentally obstructing the camera doesn’t make up for those. Dix may see more time if that continues. GoPack!

    1. Watching TT and MM continually putting whale pussy players like that in the game makes me sick to my stomach.

  4. Woah… I don’t wanna think about Clay Matthew’s groin “rising.” Can we pick a different metaphor?

    Nelson should be steady… he’s already at the top. Not much room to rise. Cobb is the one who is (finally) rising. Watch for Davante Adams too. I like his game, he just needs to get comfy. (And speaking of Adams, that TD throw to Adams that was called back because of penalty was completely sick. No one in the NFL but Rodgers makes that throw. Nice route and catch by Adams too).

    I hope Bostick is just getting over the injury, because it does look like R. Rodgers is coming on. On thing we saw in this game that we hadn’t in the previous games is the double tight end sets. If Rodgers and Bostick are both at least competent, that will be a killer for teams to defend with Nelson/Cobb wide and Lacy or Starks as the single back.

    And speaking of Lacy, when do we put him in the falling group? Gotta be soon, I’m afraid…

  5. “Because there isn’t a huge talent differential team-to-team in the NFL, games are decided on a couple of mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are forced (Tramon Williams making a nice play
    on the Packers’ first interception on Sunday) and sometimes they’re not (Sam Shields getting a pick off a miscommunication later in the game).”

    This is the specific argument for not playing Janis (and Adams, to a lesser extent), and the premise for not playing rookies who might not be assignment sure on defense. Given the overall situation of GB at present, it is not one to which I subscribe, since I think GB needs an infusion of talent which might (or might not) be provided by some of these rookies. We need a #3 WR and better NT play. We might see how Pickett does if he plays some, but I don’t think he was the answer.

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