Showing posts with label Green Bay Packers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Bay Packers. Show all posts

Monday, January 23, 2017

Green Bay Packers implode in first half vs. Falcons


Green Bay Packers VS Atlanta Falcons HIGHLIGHTS 1/22/2017| NFC Championship game (REACTION)

Green Bay Packers fans want the first half of Sunday"s NFC title game erased from human memory. Can you blame them?

Instead of surging into the Georgia Dome to go punch-for-punch with the high-flying Falcons, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers simply couldn"t get out of their own way.

Let"s examine the wreckage from the ugliest first half we"ve ever seen from a Rodgers-led team, who lost 44-21 to the Falcons to send Atlanta to their first Super Bowl since 1998:

That"s no exaggeration, by the way, with NFL Research noting that Sunday marks the first time the Packers have trailed by 24-plus points at the break during the Rodgers era, dating back to 2008.

The blame begins on defense, where green bay could only watch as otherworldly Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan ripped through the secondary for 20 first downs and a whopping 325 total yards of offense. Ryan connected with eight separate targets, overcoming a handful of drops to author one massive chunk play after the next.

After the Falcons took the opening possession 80 yards off 13 plays -- capped by Ryan"s touchdown strike to Mohamed Sanu -- it was time for the Packers to do their part. Instead, Green Bay"s Mason Crosby botched a 41-yard field goal try, becoming the first kicker to miss in this year"s playoffs. Doh!

On their following drive, trailing 10-0, Green Bay saw the series blown to bits when fullback Aaron Ripkowski barreled to the Atlanta 11-yard line only to fumble the ball away to the Falcons at the goal line for what was ultimately ruled a touchback.

On their following possession, trailing 17-0, Green Bay went three-and-out. One drive later, Rodgers unfurled a deep shot downfield on third-and-long -- right into the hands of Falcons safety Ricardo Allen. Scary stuff.

Beyond the inability to score -- or stop the Falcons on any level -- Green Bay"s lauded pass protection crumbled in the first half, allowing a sack and four rugged hits on Rodgers.

Source: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000777655/article/green-bay-packers-implode-in-first-half-vs-falcons

Continue Reading ..

Monday, October 17, 2016

Green Bay Packers open as huge favorites against Chicago Bears


Cowboys vs. Packers Trailer (Week 6) | NFL

After a disappointing loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Green Bay Packers need to find a way to move on from it quickly because they have to face the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on Thursday. And despite the loss on Sunday, Las Vegas still feels good about the Packers.

The Packers will face the Chicago Bears on Thursday night at Lambeau Field. Make sure youre in the loop take five seconds to Sign up for our FREE Packers newsletter now!

According to Odds Shark, the opening line of the Packers-Bears game is big as the Packers are a nine-point favorite with the over/under being set at 47. This might be a surprise to some because the Packers have yet to blow any team out of the water yet. But based on the way the Bears have looked this year, this might be the game where the Packers put up a huge number.

5 Green Bay Packers who tried to save Week 6Start SlideShow

With the loss on Sunday, the Packers are now 3-2 and two games behind the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC North lead. As for the Bears, they have a 1-5 record and are tied for the worst record in the NFC.

Source: http://gnb.247sports.com/Bolt/Green-Bay-Packers-open-as-huge-favorites-against-Chicago-Bears--48313443

Continue Reading ..

Monday, September 12, 2016

Juggernaut Index, No. 3: The Green Bay Packers


Green Bay Packers 2016 Pump-Up
Green Bay fans have a lot to be enthusiastic about entering 2016, including a healthy receiving corps and rejuvenated running back. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Juggernaut Index is our annual ranking and review of NFL teams for fantasy purposes repeat: FANTASY PURPOSES. Here we concern ourselves with a franchises likely contributions to the fantasy player pool. We are not concerned with projected wins and losses. Instead, were focused on yards and points. As always, were beginning with the leagues least useful teams, working our way toward the elite fantasy juggernauts.

[Join a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for free and make 2016 your season!]

Aaron Rodgers is coming off arguably his worst season as Green Bays starting quarterback, as both his completion percentage (60.7) and yards-per-attempt (6.7) dipped well below his career averages. His passer rating fell below 100.0 for the first time since 2008. The fact that Rodgers still threw 31 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions in his worst professional season is a testament to his position among the all-time greats. He remains the NFLs career leader in passer rating (104.1) and interception percentage (1.6), and he ranks fifth in Y/A (8.0). Among pure passers, hes as good as it gets as good as anyone has ever been.

We have to consider Rodgers slip in efficiency last season to be, in large part, a reflection of the remarkably poor performance by his receivers. Jordy Nelsons preseason ACL injury removed a 1500-yard receiver from the equation, and no player on the roster really, no three players on the roster were able to adequately replace his production. James Jones, Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery combined for 115 catches, 1509 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 211 targets last season, with Jones doing most of the heavy lifting (50-890-8). The year prior, Nelson by himself delivered 98 receptions for 1519 yards and 13 spikes on just 151 looks.

Adams in particular was an on-field comedy last season, making the absolute least of a huge opportunity. He caught only 50 b***s on 93 targets, gaining just 483 yards and visiting the end-zone once. Dropped passes were routine, and its a problem thats dogged him in camp and preseason this year, too. This should go without saying, but Adams is not a recommended fantasy flier. Jones is a free agent as of this writing, recently cut by the Chargers. Montgomery is buried on the depth chart. Playoff legend Jeff Janis is dealing with a broken hand, and thus undraftable in leagues of standard size. Former Wisconsin Badgers receiver Jared Abbrederis made some noise in camp, but hes a player with limited tools, still apparently behind Adams in Green Bays receiving hierarchy.

So it really comes down to this: Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb need to remain fully functional in order for this teams offense to meet the lofty expectations of NFL fans and fantasy owners. Cobb took a huge backward step in production last year, while dealing with both increased focus from opposing defenses and, perhaps more significantly, the season-long effects of an August shoulder injury. Based on Cobbs history and his setup, however, its tough not to like him at his ADP (43.6). Nelson carries a loftier price (23.7) and hes been sidelined for much of the summer with tendinitis in his non-surgically repaired knee. So yes, he carries some risk. But he returned to full practice recently, which is no small thing. If you can snag him near the end of Round 2 or top of Round 3, Im not opposed.

Eddie Lacy was a notable fantasy bust in 2015, but looked good in preseason play. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Green Bay added tight end Jared Cook to the mix, enabling him to enter a season as a fantasy sleeper for the fifth time in his eight-year career, an unprecedented achievement. Kudos, Jared. Without question, Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback that Cook has ever been paired with, by orders of magnitude. I wont deny his sleeper appeal in 2016. Cook certainly wouldnt be the worst player that Rodgers has carried to fantasy relevance. As a late-round target for those who pass on luxury tight ends, I like him. However, I would not draft him in a format so deep that I couldnt easily replace him from the free agent pool. Richard Rodgers had several nice moments last season during his eight-TD campaign none nicer than this but he now finds himself behind Cook on the depth chart. Rodgers is probably a red-zone-only weapon at the moment.

Eddie Lacy struggled with girth last year, eventually falling into a job-share with James Starks. Lacy reportedly entered camp this season at a size that better suits the demands of his position, and he had some nice moments in the preseason, gaining 114 yards on 20 carries over three games. Its tough not to like him in the third round of fantasy drafts. We cant just ignore his terrific first and second NFL seasons, when he delivered 1400 scrimmage yards and double-digit TDs each year. Eddie is entering the final season of his deal, for those who care about such things. Ive drafted him in multiple leagues in recent weeks, because the history is promising and he remains the featured back in an elite offense. Starks will no doubt have a role, but we can assume the early workload tilts toward Lacy.

The Packers D is nothin special, despite various brand-name players. But this teams early-season schedule should be loaded with turnovers, so Im interested in this group for fantasy purposes. Green Bay opens with Jacksonville (Bortles!), then Minnesota (Hill!/Bradford!). Its a promising short-term setup, though it seems unwise to get too attached to this D/ST. Its not an every-week fantasy asset.

2015 Offensive Stats & RanksPoints per game 23.0 (15)Pass YPG 218.9 (25)Rush YPG 115.6 (12)Yards per play 5.1 (28)Plays per game 66.2 (9)

Previous Juggernaut Index entries: 32) Cleveland, 31) San Francisco, 30) Philadelphia, 29) Baltimore, 28) Tennessee, 27) Los Angeles, 26) Miami, 25) Detroit, 24) Chicago, 23) San Diego, 22) Minnesota, 21) Tampa Bay, 20) Atlanta, 19) Washington, 18) Buffalo, 17) Kansas City, 16) Oakland, 15) NY Giants, 14) Indianapolis, 13) Jacksonville, 12) Houston, 11) Denver, 10) NY Jets, 9) Dallas, 8) Cincinnati, 7) New England 6) New Orleans, 5) Seattle, 4) Carolina, 3) Green Bay

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/juggernaut-index-no-3-the-green-bay-packers-123403705.html

Continue Reading ..

Friday, August 19, 2016

Green Bay Packers fans will get refund for Hall of Fame Game


ESPN FIRST TAKE (8/11/2016) WHY THE GREEN BAY PACKERS NEED TO EXTEND AARON RODGERS SOON

It looks like the NFL is doing something very nice for the fans.

After the Hall of Fame Game debacle, the NFL along with the Pro Football Hall of Fame has decided to give refunds to Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts fans who bought tickets. Not only that, fans will be eligible to receive refunds for pre-paid parking as well as one night hotel accommodations.

Whats happening with the Green Bay Packers during training camp? Make sure youre in the loop take five seconds to Sign up for our FREE Packers newsletter now!

Here"s the announcement of the refund made by Pro Football Hall of Fame president Dave Baker.

Hall of Fame Game refund policy finalized: pic.twitter.com/4aANHKaUGa

Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 18, 2016

The Hall of Fame game was cancelled due to poor field conditions. Instead of the game, fans were treated to a fan fest while the players got to talk to the Hall of Fame inductees.

The reason the Packers were invited to play in the Hall of Fame game was former QB Brett Favre was being inducted as well as former Packers assistant coach Kevin Greene.

Packers training camp: Winners and losers of Week 3Start SlideShow

Source: http://gnb.247sports.com/Bolt/Green-Bay-Packers-fans-will-get-refund-for-Hall-of-Fame-Game-46829244

Continue Reading ..

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Cleveland Browns vs. Green Bay Packers: Live updates and chat


Super Bowl XLV | Packers vs. Steelers (FULL GAME) | #FreeGameFriday | NFL

CLEVELAND, Ohio The Browns open the preseason Friday at Green Bay. Consider it a soft opening for the Hue Jackson era in Cleveland.

It"s also the first preseason game for the Packers, who were supposed to play last week"s Hall of Fame Game before it was cancelled due to field issues.

Join in the discussion in the commentsduring the game with live updates and chat with other fans. I"ll be in the comments during the game, plus you"ll see Tweets from Mary Kay Cabot, Dan Labbe and others. The gamewill be broadcast live on WEWS NewsChannel 5 (ABC). Kickoff is at 8:00p.m.

App users, click here to join in the chat.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/08/cleveland_browns_vs_green_bay_3.html

Continue Reading ..

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Aaron Rodgers' return saved the Packers



GREEN BAY, Wis. -- As Aaron Rodgers limped across the locker room Sunday evening, tape still wrapped around his injured left calf, receiver Randall Cobb stopped him.

He threw his arms around the Green Bay Packers quarterback.

"You're unbelievable, man," Cobb told him. "Unbelievable."

The two remained locked in an embrace.

"Keep doing your thing," Cobb said.

Few among the 78,408 at Lambeau Field thought that would even be possible after they saw Rodgers ride shotgun on a cart to the locker room late in the second quarter of Sunday's 30-20 victory over the Detroit Lions -- a win that gave the Packers (12-4) the NFC North title for the fourth straight year, the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs and a much-needed first-round bye.

A week after Rodgers first pulled his left calf muscle, he did it again, only much worse this time. The previous Sunday at Tampa Bay, he didn't miss a single snap. On this Sunday, however, he missed the Packers' final possession of the first half and first one of the second half. During that time, the Packers saw their 14-0 lead evaporate.

Rodgers' calf seized up as he scrambled to his right, yet he still managed to fling a 4-yard touchdown pass to Cobb with 2:24 left in the second quarter. When he needed help to get up after that play, the stadium went silent.

"I didn't know if he could come back from that," right tackle Bryan Bulaga said. "It looked pretty bad, like he got shot how he went down on that touchdown pass."

No one saw Rodgers at halftime. He was with team physician Dr. Pat McKenzie and the training staff, who applied heat and then tape. Rodgers said he did not take any painkillers.

"I was worried about the severity of the injury and my ability to walk off the field at that point," Rodgers said. "But once I got back in the locker room, I was actually watching the game on TV with some heat on my calf thinking if I could finagle myself to go back in."

With the third quarter already underway, Rodgers waited in the tunnel while backup Matt Flynn handled the first series. When the offense went three-and-out, Rodgers made his way back to the bench as the crowd serenaded him with chants of "MVP, MVP."

"I thought of Willis Reed hobbling on to the court when he came back [to help the New York Knicks win Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals]," Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk said.

Like a tag-team wrestler tapping his partner out, Rodgers had a message for Flynn.

"I'm sitting on the bench, and he comes over, taps me on the shoulder and says, 'I've got it,'" Flynn said. "And there he goes."

On his first throw after his return, Rodgers fired a laser to Cobb for a 29-yard gain. He then capped that seven-play, 60-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Cobb. Coach Mike McCarthy kept Rodgers in the shotgun and even used some pistol formations to help limit the distance Rodgers had to cover on handoffs.

As usual, Rodgers thrived. He completed 11-of-13 post-injury passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. For the day, he was 17-of-22 for 226 yards with two touchdowns and not a single interception to close his case for the MVP. His final regular-season numbers looked like this: 38 touchdowns, five interceptions, 4,381 yards and a passer rating of 112.2.

"He's, in my opinion, the most valuable player in the National Football League this year," McCarthy said. "I think what he demonstrated tonight in a must-win game against an excellent opponent, I think it's clear what he means to our football team."

It didn't hurt that Eddie Lacy, with 100 yards on 26 carries, became the first running back this season to reach the century mark against the Lions' top-ranked rushing defense.

Imagine what might have been, had Rodgers been unable to return. A loss would have relegated the Packers to a wild-card game on the road, perhaps as early as Saturday, which would have given Rodgers less than a week to recover. Instead, the Packers will enjoy a week off, followed by a home game Jan. 11 against one of three possible opponents (Dallas, Arizona or Carolina).

"It's critical," McCarthy said of the time off. "He'd be on the same time clock he was on coming from Tampa into this game -- or maybe six days. I don't even know when we would have played this week if it went the other way. I think the two weeks is huge for us."

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/16854/aaron-rodgers-return-saved-the-packers



Continue Reading ..

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Packers aim to 'put a stop to' blocked kicks



GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Mason Crosby wants to share the blame with the linemen blocking for him. In Crosby's mission of always looking inward for ways to improve, he isn't going to throw anyone under the bus for not performing at a higher level.

As the Green Bay Packers had their sixth kick of the season blocked Sunday in Buffalo, it's clear that something is wrong in the special teams operation.

Crosby launched what he felt was a strong, 53-yard field-goal attempt before it was swatted out of the air at the line of scrimmage by Mario Williams. When Crosby later connected on a 34-yarder, he believed that he hit that one the same as the kick that was blocked.

"Sometimes blocked field goals are a combination of getting a good jump, kind of getting lucky at times," Crosby said. "Because if you watch a lot of kicks, almost every kick in the NFL it almost seems like, if a guy gets his hand up or a guy gets in the right spot, he can potentially block one."

Crosby knows the unfortunate experience well. He also had a field-goal attempt blocked Week 4 in Chicago, in addition to having extra points blocked Week 11 against Philadelphia and Week 14 against Atlanta.

"We need to put a stop to it," special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum said.

It's a difficult balancing act for Crosby as he tries to not deviate from his plan before a kick. Asked a couple times whether Crosby will need to perhaps kick the ball higher to avoid it being blocked, Slocum did not directly answer.

"I really think everyone just needs to do their job," Slocum said. "If you do that collectively, you have success."

On one hand, Crosby said he can "always kick the ball higher." But it's also dangerous territory for him to change what would otherwise be a successful attempt just because there is penetration up front.

"I'm going to kick my ball," Crosby said. "I'm going to go out there and do my process for what I've done in pregame. I have to know what I've done in pregame, what kind of ball I have to hit to get the distance, make the kicks. That's why I go out and I'm out two hours before the game hitting b***s and seeing what trajectory I need to get it there from 53 yards, and what kind of ball I need to hit.

"Watching the film and what I remember in the game, I felt like I did all those things, I checked off that list of my mechanics and the process that I went through. (Williams) made a good play, got his hand up right in the line."

Crosby used the word "trust" frequently to describe the relationship he has to have with the blocking. He wants to "trust the operation, trust the protection."

When Crosby has had good protection this season, he's been very efficient, making 25 of 27 field-goal attempts and all of his extra points. But adding in the four blocks, his percentages drop considerably.

Yet, Crosby's trust in the protection hasn't wavered.

"Our operation, the snap, hold, the protection is solid," he said. "We don't have free runners coming through all the time. It's very minor things that we need to adjust. I just have to continue to kick my ball. I don't worry about those guys. I know they're going to do their work and they're detailed with it. I know that they took pride with what they do.

"For me, I have to trust what I do during the week and what I do in pregame, that when I go out there I keep my head down and hit that ball through. For me, that's my mindset, trusting those guys, and I have full faith in them every time I go out there."

Slocum wasn't making any excuses for the blocking in front of Crosby.

"We have to do a better job in protection," Slocum said. "I said that last week (and) we had another problem. It's something that we need to do a better job of. It has to be a focus as we move forward."

Slocum stated before the Buffalo game that "continuity and personnel" were the biggest reasons for the protection not performing well. Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang no longer playing in those units after suffering injuries midway through this season has made a significant impact.

Sitton and Lang have continued to show up on the injury report every week. Sitton's toe and Lang's ankle have kept them limited in practices, so the Packers have opted to decrease their workloads by not giving them any special teams snaps.

Given the struggles, though, head coach Mike McCarthy might have no choice but to put Sitton and Lang back out there.

"They've had some rough Wednesdays and Thursdays; they have things they're battling through," McCarthy said of his two guards. "It all really, when it comes down to these types of decisions from my view point is, it's risk assessment. That's a challenging football play for anybody on the interior of a protection unit. It's a unique skill and a unique physical capabilities, too. I think that's a big part of it. If you look at Josh and T.J., just their body types, there's a reason why they're excellent when they're in there."

It's been a similar issue in Green Bay's punt protection. Tim Masthay had a punt blocked Week 6 at Miami and Week 11 against Philadelphia.

The six kicks blocked are the most allowed by the Packers in at least the past 25 years.

"Our field-goal protection has been an issue," McCarthy said. "This is our last week of padded practice, so we'll take advantage of that to make sure we work on the fundamentals and the things that we're doing there. The personnel is not right. We don't feel like we have that right yet as far as how we're utilizing some of the players and some of the matchups that the defensive or the field-goal rush unit has been able to get on us."

For Crosby, he's just going to keep doing the same routine. And when he hasn't had a kick blocked, that routine has been a successful one for him the past two seasons, making more than 90 percent of his field-goal attempts and all 89 of his extra points.

"We've done a lot of great things, there's been a lot of great moments," Crosby said. "I made 25 field goals (in 2014) and I plan to make a bunch more here down the stretch."

Follow Paul Imig on Twitter

Source: http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/green-bay-packers-aim-to-put-a-stop-to-blocked-kicks-121514



Continue Reading ..