When the 2011 NFL schedule was released Packers knew in advance that the Pack would draw as tough a schedule as possible based on last season’s success. On paper in April it looked daunting.
It has a decidedly different look today.
On paper the Pack had to face the super Bowl Champion they replaced in New Orleans, and divisional winners in Chicago (twice), the Kansas City Chiefs, and St. Louis Rams, not to mention their annual home and home slugfests against the rising Lions and always challenging Vikings. Up and down the lineup it looked like there were few softies.
Until, of course, the games start being played. All of sudden it has become a bizarro-type landscape with the bottom sitting on the top. The Chiefs have imploded under Head Coach Todd Haley, the Bears have been exposed, the Vikings have nothing left outside of Adrian Peterson.
And in comes the once promising St. Louis Rams, led by last year’s flavor of the Month QB Sam Bradford. Bradford is a quality QB. We suspect he is more than a tough kid and a pretty competent leader. But the Rams are learning a painfully difficult lesson regarding their passing game – you can’t win if you can’t catch.
The Rams are sporting a black eye and collar in the oh-fer( 0 - 4) start to the season. After drafting Bradford the Rams had been steadily building but the question is now in what direction? The Rams have spent 7 - seven! – picks on receiving targets for Bradford over the past 3 years and nary a one remains a viable option, and the majority are gone from the Rams roster. The O Line boasts top picks Jason Smith (#2 overall 2008) and Roger Saffold (2nd round last year) and the Rams have nearly matched the Eagles in overspending on overvalued free agents for a line that is as solid as the hull of the Titanic. Harvey Dahl (RG), Jason Brown (C) and Jacob Bell (LG) were supposed to be the FA big money additions that kept Bradford out of harm’s way. In stark contrast Bradford has been chased, harassed, and hurried all year long and things don’t look much brighter on the horizon. Green Bay GM Ted Thompson may draw criticism for not delving deeper into the FA pool but when abysmal results such as the Rams and Eagles are being trumpeted daily we can only thank Ted for keeping a tight rein on his wallet.
Big back Stephen Jackson has been hampered by nagging leg injuries but is still capable of breaking off a big gainer and putting up 100+ yards on the ground. Cadillac Williams has been a nice 2nd vehicle to take the heat off Jackson. The real problems are in the Rams coaching areas. New Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels is pulling a Mike Martz like job in St. Louis by overplaying his own reputation. Much like Martz, who inherited the Greatest Show on Turf under Dick Vermeil’s watch in St. Louis, while in New England under Belichick McDaniels had Tom Brady and a party of favorites to make his complex offense work. In Denver he ran off any one who did not subscribe to his “my way or the highway” style and that included shipping Jay Cutler over to his fellow overblown ego of a coach in Martz in Chicago. McDaniels and Martz may be responsible form running more talent off the field than developing it. Their collective arrogance is troublesome to watch and their collective lack of results outside the arenas that hey inherited that brought them the acclaimed tag of “offensive guru” when they were OC’s for the Dick Vermeil Rams and Bill Belichick Patriots is most telling. Neither has made any type of impact as a head coach and neither has displayed any ability to develop players under their own command. And yet, these two seem to be endlessly recycled under the mistaken belief they alone hold the answers to a team’s offensive questions.
Head Coach Steve Spagnulo will ultimately take the heat for the hiring of McDaniels and the total failure of the offense to produce. Whether it is Spagnulo or McDaniels at this point it is irrelevant. The Rams are in free fall mode and it doesn’t get any easier this week against the Packers. Instead of contending for the NFC West title the rams are the early front runner at the #1 pick in the draft. Their point total of a paltry 46 thus far is hands down the worst of any NFL team. The defense led by MLB James Lauranaitis is a solid but banged up defense. The corners are hurt and nothing spells doom for a team like the phrase “…The ____ will be without their corners this week when they face the Packers…”
Green Bay has issues of its own. LT Chad Clifton sustained a serious hamstring injury last week against the Falcons and will miss a significant amount of time according to head coach Mike McCarthy. FS Nick Collins was finally placed on the Injured Reserve list ending his season, and his spot on the roster will be taken by enormous G Rey Dominguez from the practice squad. At 335 lbs. Dominguez is huge and had an impressive camp but he is here strictly as an emergency fill in. Starting RT Bryan Bulaga is still out so the question will be where 2nd year man Marshall Newhouse and 1st round rookie Derrick Sherrod line up. Newhouse has filled in for Bulaga capably and when Clifton went down he moved to LT while Sherrod slid into the RT slot. MM’s mandate that his O Line be flexible is now paying the dividends he hoped it would when he was taking heat for it. The defensive backfield took yet another hit when Head Coach Mike McCarthy announced that 2nd year safety Morgan Burnett suffered a broken hand in practice. While MM also stated that Burnett would be listed as a ‘probable’ if any game called for sitting out a high impact player such as Burnett as a precaution it would be this one.
As long as Aaron Rodgers has a clean jersey the Packers have their best foot forward. While there will be some who will try to say this could be a major upset – and it would – the reality staring the Packers and the NFL in the face is this game should not even be close. The Rams drop more passes than any other team in the NFL. The Eagles lone W came when the Rams could not hang on to the ball. It doesn’t get any easier for them and for the Packers this will be an opportunity to have their young bucks tested but not over run. That being said the Pack now has to show up. The running game will have a big day as Rodgers will not have the need to hit 12 different receivers.
With the Lions playing lights out at this point the Packers have no intention of taking their foot of the accelerator. In this game the Pack holds all the cards and the Rams are marching on to the #1 pick in the draft. This one will be over by the half.
GREEN BAY 38
St. Louis 10
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