Since the Green Bay Packers didn’t play this week, it’s tough to do a traditional stock report.
I supposed we could look at what a couple of Packers players did over the bye week and rank their activities as rising or falling. For example, Jordy Nelson going to the World Series and Aaron Rodgers hanging out with Olivia Munn would land them in the rising category.
T.J. Lang whining about how he can’t block any punts in Madden would put him squarely in the falling category.
Ted Thompson doing whatever Ted Thompson does would make him steady. Ted Thompson is always steady.
An off-the-field Packers stock report could be interesting, but let’s save that one for another time. Instead, I’ll take a look at the Packers roster and try to predict who will rise, remain steady and fall over the season’s second half.
On to the stock report:
Rising
Aaron Rodgers
We’re seeing quarterbacks like Andrew Luck and Ben Roethlisberger put up some crazy videogame passing numbers. While Rodgers has been really good through eight games, he hasn’t had a video-game type of breakout yet. I think it’s going to happen.
Eddie Lacy
It wasn’t the stellar first half many of us predicted for Lacy. However, it wasn’t until November and December last season when Lacy really got going, logging three 100-yard rushing games. As the weather gets chillier, look for Lacy to warm up. He’s also showing signs of life as a pass-catcher, which will only help his cause.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
The rookie is always around the ball and is quick to close. He hasn’t made a WOW! play yet, but I get the sense that more WOW! plays are coming given how often Clinton-Dix is around the ball.
Steady
Mike Daniels
With the exception of the Seattle game, Daniels has delivered. As the Packers run defense continues to fall on its face, Daniels is going to have to remain steady down the stretch. I think he can do it.
Josh Sitton
There hasn’t been a more steady Packers offensive lineman in recent years and I don’t see any signs of that changing over the next eight games.
Mason Crosby
Hopefully I haven’t just cursed the second half of Crosby’s solid season……
Falling
Tramon Williams
Williams has looked a step slow and a few inches short on jump balls in recent weeks. I’m worried it could be a long season catching up with the aging veteran. Then again, I thought the same thing last year and Williams rebounded to have a monster second half. He even turned into an aggressive and willing tackler, something I never thought I’d see. Here’s hoping he has a similar breakout second half in 2014-15 and I’m wrong for putting him as a faller.
A.J. Hawk
What else is there left to say about Hawk? Packers fans have yearned for an alternative for years, but he’s always plugged in as the opening-day starter and he rarely lives up to starter status.
The Chicago Bears
Come Sunday at around 10:30 p.m. Lambeau Time, after another drubbing at the hands of the Packers, the Bears will have yet another reminder about why they still suck.
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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The Bears are going to play tough. I don’t think this is going to be an easy game. lol never mind Jay Cutler is the qb…
Rodgers will need to totally be on his game, if we are to win this match. We need to turn it into a road-race and force Cutler to take chances otherwise the Bears have the tools to win. I can see them feeding us a steady diet of Forte and letting their TE’s control the middle. If we have to play from behind, it will be a different game and our offense will be watching from the sidelines
Nah. I think this will be a walk in the park. 42-20 Pack.
“Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
The rookie is always around the ball and is quick to close.”
Needs to be a little more sure-handed as a tackler, but he was a winner for the Packers at draft time.
Yup, tends to bounce off too many potential tackles. But I don’t envy the tackling jobs faced by safeties in this league. They’re often in open space against a talented ballcarrier. It’s hard.
More than the victory itself,the Packers need to have a solid showing in regard to its constant fundamental lapses.These issues need to show strong signs of erasure and not repeating. 🙂
P.S. I don’t even want to hear/read any excuse about the offense being limited as to play calling,roll outs etc, because of Rodgers hammy.
Thank god I’m sure Hawk will be gone after this season. Would have been cut years ago had he not agreed to a massive pay cut. Clearly too much of a liability and can’t be covered up. By far the weakest starter on a below average defense. I’m interested to see if any team would pick Hawk up when the Packers cut him.
Sorry Adam – I can’t see Tramon Williams on the falling side. Aside from his shoulder injury year he has been a backstop for this team and the spark when we need one. I have see little decay in his game and definitely nothing to warrant a failing grade. To boot, he has played through pain and injury and still performed. He is steady until the big games when he is always rising.
I will also play devil’s advocate with Mike Daniels. Everybody adopted him as our defensive poster child. What’s not to like – he talks like John Wayne and plays with a lot of heart. The problem is that he gets pushed around and is part of a last place run defense. If it is a straight passing down, he will work. I guess you could give him a steady if this is a niche award.
I can’t say I disagree w/ you. Putting Williams as a potential faller may have been a little Skip Bayless-like on my part. But how fun would the column be if I put AJ Hawk as a faller? I slotted Williams there becuase he’s been a little off since rolling his ankle in Miami and he can’t seem to defend the up-for-grabs passes against taller WRs (then again, not many CBs can).
Oh wait a minute, I did put AJ Hawk in the falling category!
Perhaps you need to add a ‘Stead Falling’ category.
I think you were searching for the “never got up” category for #50.
Agree totally about Tramon not being able to jump to contest the catch since he rolled his ankle. If that has healed, however, I see him having an excellent 2nd half. I thought he was the Defensive MVP. I can’t see why all the love for Daniels. Like him as a person, but he should be a situational sub. He is not a full time DE. He is part of the rushing defense problem, not part of the answer. His PFF grade/ranking is absurd.
Our TEs as a group should be in the falling category. Quarless has been terrible in run blocking and R Rodgers is not much better. Rodgers has made some catches as has Quarless but overall defenses are not very concerned about them and it hurts the offense overall. Both of our OTs need to play more consistently as well. AS for the DL do we have anyone who can hold the point of attack? Daniels is better at talking then he has been at playing. Guion has made a few plays but is not consistent. Our ILBs who are not great to begin with, have little or no chance behind our DL. Da’ Bears will be trouble if we can’t stop the run. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since ’61
I agree with you 61. Be careful they may accuse you of being a realist.
They may, that’s fine. There’s no help on the way at this point in the season unless Tretter is ready to take over at LT which I doubt. If he is ready he may be able to solidify the OL for the rest of the season assuming that Lang is also ready to go. Too soon to discuss the draft now but if everything remains as is over the 2nd half of this season, our 1st 3 picks need to include an OL, a DL and a TE. Thanks, Since ’61
Yep.
How many TEs has TT drafted the past 4 years? I cannot remember the last time GB carried fewer than 4 or 5 TEs, while having room for only 7-8 O-linemen. And what have been the results? A guy named Finley and a dozen other guys no one can remember.
I don’t think we had 4 TE’s worth keeping. Thought Bostick would come on strong after flashing last season, looks like he is gone after the year. Rodger’s I like and could develop into a really really solid 2nd TE, but we still need a true starter for the offense to really be potent. Quarless is average but steady and we have won the super bowl with him as a starter. We have 2 TE’s on the roster and as long as they refuse to play Bostick, I assume there are no prospects either. Need to bring in at least 3 for next season and 1 of them needs to be a good starter.
Why the Hawk snark?
After 8.5 years (and over $30,000,000 in salary) I fully expect it will finally all come together for our top 5 overall pick AJ Hawk during the second half of this season. I look forward to AJ unleashing a number of big plays — hard-charging sacks, athletic interceptions, bone-crunching hits, and blanket coverage of tight ends and running backs alike.
With AJ in the middle of the D all is good. I feel so privileged to watch his great play all these years and completely understand why TT has not even contemplated grooming his successor, because Hawk at 30 is so much better than younger ILBers.
With Barclay and maybe Kuhn and Raji back next year, LB and TE are by far the biggest problem area’s for the team. Hawk might stay 1 more year to help the new LB develop but I can’t see him staying past 2015 in ANY scenario. Ever since we switched to the 3-4, I thought TT (being a former LB himself) would stock our D with good to great LB’s and it would be a strength of the team. Having Nick Barnett and Desmond Bishop cover up for all his shortcomings made Hawk look average for a few years, but without a good starter next to him, Hawk is exposed as the worst starter on a bad defense. Hurts to imagine how much better our D would be if our LB core was Mathews, Peppers, and 2 good ILB’s.
Rising: Davante Adams.