BOUNCE BACK TIME

Packers Look to Rebound from Shaky Start at Lambeau

Life in the NFL is measured in weeks, not days. Had a bad game last week? Nothing you can do about it now. Move on to next week.

The Green Bay Packers most decidedly had a bad game last week. For the record the Pack ranked at the bottom of the NFL is missed tackles. Brad Jones had an awful game but he wasn’t alone. Misery loves company; while Jones was the lowest ranked tackler the guy right in front of him was A. J. Hawk. Even import Julius Peppers said afterwards “I had an awful game. I have to play better.”

A team like the defending champ Seattle Seahawks can make a team look that bad. The Packers were manhandled and now face another defensive test when the New York Jets come into Lambeau Field for the Packers home opener of the 2014 season.

There is little subtlety about the Jets. Led by former defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan the Jets are a physical defense-first type smash mouth team that is going to run, run, and then run some more on offense. It won’t take a rocket scientist to figure the Jets out. Ryan is old school much like his old man Buddy with his approach. He sends 11 big, fast, tough defenders out and looks to take the game over defensively and then tells the offense “Try not to screw this up.”

The Jets boast 2 1^st rounders on their defensive line that are studs. Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson are imposing defenders and Ryan stirred the pot a bit this week as well. When asked about selecting S Calvin Pryor ahead of the Packers Ha Ha Clinton- Dix Ryan said “Don’t get me wrong. They’re both good players, but I took the one that would knock your face in.” Clinton-Dix responded to Ryan’s bluster by saying "I'm not afraid to do that at all," Clinton-Dix said. "And you're going to continue to see that out of me. If that's what they thought, hey, that's on him. I'm going to show him."

It’s a good thing players in the NFL have necessary amnesia. Clinton-Dix’s first game as a pro was anything but stellar as he looked overmatched on occasion while at the same time he provided a peek at what may come. Ha Ha was laughable as WR Ricardo Lockette shoved the flatfooted Clinton-Dix face first into the turf on a Russell Wilson 33 yard TD toss.

But Clinton-Dix also came up with a big fumble recovery from a muffed punt and also had an opportunity to get his first interception in The Show. On the near pick he said he had a feeling the quarterback would go deep. Clinton-Dix read Wilson's eyes and ignored the slot to react to the long ball along the sideline instead of covering the seam middle area where the second slot receiver was headed. The play showed Clinton-Dix’s early ability to understand what QB’s do and his instinctive reactions to put himself in a position to make a play. The fact that he dropped the ball is less relevant than the fact he was where he was supposed to be and at the very least broke up what would have been a big ‘splash’ type play, the type of play the Packers need to get things rolling.

Jordy Nelson referenced the Packers need for the big play, the play that never came against Seattle. Nelson, Randall Cobb and Aaron Rodgers were held in check and now look to bust a few wide open in Sunday. Ryan knows that. The defense the Packers will face knows that. Now it boils down to the mano-a-mano confrontations of the game. Aaron Rodgers will have few games and numbers like he had in Seattle. The Jets have a stout defense but the matchup that will be a good barometer to measure this year’s squad will be the Packers defense and how they bounce back from their dud of an opener.

The good news for the Packers comes in the form of the injury report. RB Eddie Lacy left early in the game with concussion symptoms and did not return. RT Bryan Bulaga and rookie TE Richard Rodgers collided and both went out. While Rodgers ultimately returned Bulaga left the field favoring his surgically repaired knee. With Don Barclay lost for the season and new C J.C. Tretter not yet ready to join the varsity Bulaga’s loss would have been devastating to the OLine. But Bulaga strained the knee and did not suffer any “…major damage…” according to Mike McCarthy. TE Brandon Bostick may be back from a lingering foot issue. Brad Jones tweaked a hamstring which may open the door for either Jamari Lattimore or Sam Barrington. Lacy and Bulaga are both expected to play while Jones is not after missing Thursday’s practice.

The Packers defense needs a bounce back game in which they show that can play tough, hard-nosed defense. The Jets come in with a revamped backfield that features holdover Chris Ivory and former Titan Chris Johnson. Ivory posted a 102 yard effort in the Jets 19-14 win over the Raiders in their opener. Johnson chipped in for 68 yards on the ground and QB Geno Smith went 23-28-1-221 for the day. One thing is clear – the Jets are not a passing team. WR’s Eric Decker and Jerome Kerley are the top of the list of the Jets receivers and hardly strike fear into an opponent. Ryan and his offense will try to control the clock and keep the ball on the ground and keep Rodgers on the bench.

The Packers defense will be pushed to put in a better effort to stop the run. Stop the run has been a phrase that has been beaten to death in Green Bay and until the defense actually does stop the run that drum will only beat louder with time. The Pack need to tackle better and prove they can plug the holes in the line to be considered among the league’s elite. To a man the Packers defense was embarrassed by their showing in Seattle and Marshawn Lynch ran over them for 110 yards. It would be unfair to single out Brad Jones’ performance as the root cause of the problems in Seattle. That was a collective effort and now the defensive counterpoint needs to balance the scales.

The defense will also have to contend with the mobile Smith at QB. Smith is not highly regarded as a passer yet but can make plays with his feet, an area the Packers seemingly struggle annually to find an answer. McCarthy can give the rhetoric but ultimately it falls to the players on the field to make the plays. Micah Hyde said on the subject of the missed tackles “If you want to put a man down, you put a man down.” The words are easy; doing it is now what the Packers must do.

The Packers will find some footing. The Packers aren’t the Raiders and then Jets are good but not great. Ryan can flap his gums with the best of them but his team will find out quickly that when Rodgers and his arsenal find their footing they are a nightmare for a defense. This game will see just that. The big ‘splash’ plays McCarthy preaches and Nelson invoked will be there. Rodgers will have his shot and he will take them If Lacy, James Starks and DuJuan Harris can get traction on the ground the Packers can go a long way in picking up the pieces.

The defense will look better. It will be almost impossible to not look better. Then tackling has to show up as well as the committed effort to bottle up the run. The Jets are not a top tier offense and this is the exact matchup they need to make their declarations for the year. An interception would go a very long way to restoring dome swagger and pride to a group that has been savaged for the past 10 days. The bounce back is right on time – the Pack has had 10 days t digest the bitter pill forced down their throats in Seattle and are now hungry to show what they truly can do.

The Packers will show up en masse for this game. Ryan may still like his guy better than Clinton-Dix and will never shut up but will come away with a bit more respect for the Packers defense.

 

 

  GREEN BAY 34   

 

 

 

 

 

 

  New York Jets 17