We give grades to the different aspects of the Packers game from Sunday or Monday. Am I too critical sometimes? Yes. Am I also too nice sometimes? Yes. I do not have a teaching degree in case you were wondering.
A-Game
Dat Touchodwn Throw - This thing is an absolute beauty. They will put this on the highlight reels for the 2013 NFL season. Aaron Rodgers running the perfect play fake and then loads the cannon to find Jordy Nelson for the first big strike of the game pushing the Packers lead out to 13 points. Rodgers told Peter King of the MMQB, he worked on his deep balls in the offseason and we finally got to see it in full force. (H/T BuzzFeed Sports for the GIF)
Micah Hyde - What a game from the rookie out of Iowa. Hyde took over for Davon House at the nickel corner and excelled at the position. Dom Capers sent Hyde on a couple blitzes and also he was making plays in the open field. Hyde also looked pretty competent returning punts and I imagine he will be taking that role over with Randall Cobb out with an injury. If not for a huge hole at strong safety, it is tough to imagine a tougher, deeper secondary in football.
Eddie Lacy - Grown ass man game from Eddie today. He played the role of the closer that everyone expected him to be when the Packers drafted him in April. Lacy looked punishing busting through the middle for big gains and also showed off a little speed here and there. Anyone want to talk about the fact the Packers are over 100 yards as a team in four of their first five games of the season? The Packers can run the football and everyone else is in big trouble.
A.J. Hawk - For my money, the MVP of the defense so far this season. I have no idea what Hawk is doing differently, but he seemed like a man unchained. Hawk is getting to the quarterback more often and finding ways to meet the running back quicker. Some of Hawk's strong start can be attributed to the play of the defensive line, but he still needs to make plays which he is doing at a high rate right now.
B-Game
Aaron Rodgers - I have to imagine it was weird for Rodgers seeing no one else out there after James Jones and Cobb both out of the game. He had goddamn Jarrett Boykin as his second receiver. I realized Rodgers praised him in training camp, but still he did not want a situation where Boykin is the second option. He played well minus his boneheaded interception. B-game might be a little high, let's say it is a B-
Mike McCarthy's decisions - We have been critical of Mac's play calling at certain points yet he did a damn good job with this one. He trusted his defense to make a goal line stand thus declining a penalty to bait John Harbaugh into going for it on fourth and two. McCarthy's calls in the fourth quarter with both drives were pristine. Maybe he is starting to really figure out this team out even with all the injuries.
Linebacker auditions - In general, I thought the linebackers filling in for Clay Matthews did a fine job. Mike Neal did not register a single tackle, but I felt like I saw number 96 hanging around the ball for the entire game. I might be wrong here, but he looked good. Andy Mulumba played a pretty good game as well as Jamari Lattimore. Next man up is working thus far.
Jermichael Finley - J-MIKKKKEEEE. Charlie Tritschler's Sports Redemption Tour continues after the Summer of Carlos Gomez with the Fall of J-Mike. That is a bit of stretch but huge catch from Finley on third down when the Packers needed it the most. Love you sports radio callers bitching about how he went out of bounds. Y'all the best.
C-Game
Davon House - Bummed for him. He had three pass deflections to start the game but as Bleacher Report's Aaron Nagler pointed out House gave up on Dallas Clark's long pass reception leading to McCarthy pulling him from the game putting him in his own house, the dog house. That's cornier than corny, I'm so sorry. But yes, let's hope it is a one game thing because House is a stud out there.
Tramon Williams - One of those games for Tramon where he played pretty well as they held Jacoby Jones, Torrey Smith in check yet he got bitched pretty hard on Marlon Brown's big reception plus a couple other instances where he did not tackle well. He could have been better.
D-Game
Pass Protection - Packers took a little step back with their pass protection. It was probably the worst its been since the first half of the Washington game. Rodgers fumbled twice, but luckily, the Packers fell on both of them. It needs to be better going forward, and I assume it will be, Baltimore is no easy team to face when it comes to rushing the passer.
Ray Rice - Talk about a guy whose seem to have lost a step. Maybe it is the Packers rush defense, but good golly, he did nothing at all. Rice was not even in on fourth and goal which speaks volume to me about him right now. I know Rice is a bit banged up, but still there needs to be more from him if Baltimore wants to win the game.
F-Game
John Kuhn - You big dummy. Just cover up the damn football and move on. Good punt block by the Packers, I cannot remember the last time they had one. Maybe Denver 2011? I do not know why that comes to my mind, but it does.
Injuries, damn injuries - Hate to see what happened to James Jones and Randall Cobb. So far the reports are encouraging, but we know how that can change within a day. I am going to withhold trade proposals before I see what their injury length will be although I fully expect them to miss at least the next two games. McCarthy will have a true west coast team with one great wide receiver, a solid tight end and a good quarterback.
One of the best Packers win since the Super Bowl honestly. They dealt with so much bullshit plus completely and utterly banged up to begin with then add on what happened, it is incredible. This is a resilient and tough team, not using that 's word' anymore, Mike Daniels, I got you.
Charlie.
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