ROLLINS ROLLS RAMS

Rookie Rollins Pick 6 Leads Pack over Rams

Quick… when was the last time the defense won a game and carried the offense for the Green Bay Packers on Aaron Rodgers’ watch? Or when was the last time Rodgers was intercepted at home? Or when Rodgers personally turned the ball over an ugly three times?

So he is human after all. The Packers offense is a stunning array of talent across the board and Rodgers is the biggest jewel in the crown. But Rodgers had (for him at least) a very pedestrian day going 19 for 3o good for 241 yards, 2 TD’s but 2 very ugly picks and 1 fumble on a strip sack. Eddie Lacy was largely contained as he was limited to 27 yards on 13 carries while the Packers as a whole ran for a measly 86 yards. The Rams however, behind their budding superstar Todd Gurley ran wild over Green Bay. Gurley put up an eye popping 159 yards on the ground but the Pack’s ever improving defense kept him out of the end zone.

While Gurley ran wild the rest of the Rams struggled against a ferocious Packer’s defense that was

swarming and attacked Nick Foles relentlessly. The NFL is now a passing league and for all Gurley’s exploits he couldn’t dent the goal line. Rookie Quentin Rollins made a huge impact with very large splash plays with his 2 INT;’s of Foles, one of which he took to the house early in the contest for his first pick 6 of his young career. The Rams lone TD came on a reverse with Tavon Austin who darted around the left side and into the end zone giving the Rams their only touchdown for the day.

It was expected that the front 7 would make a huge push and pressure the QB all day. What was not expected was it would be Green Bay’s front 7 that was the bully pushing the Rams all over the lot. Clay Matthews was a one man wrecking crew and was seemingly in the backfield before Rams QB Nick Foles could even hand the ball off. Foles was under constant pressure and his stat line was an embarrassing 11 of 30 for 141 yards but Foles also tossed 4 INT’s for the day. Compounding the felony Rams K Greg ‘The Leg’ Zuerlein missed 3 FG attempts. While Zuerlein’s misses were all from 50+ yards the Rams left a considerable amount of points of the field.

The Packers once again opened the scoring early when Rodgers found rookie Ty Montgomery on a

nifty 31 yard catch and run for 6. Montgomery’s role has been expanding weekly as the Pack deals with the inevitable injuries that will hit. Davante Adams was a scratch and Randall Cobb is still nursing a sore shoulder and Montgomery is stepping up when and where he is needed and he is consistently answering the bell. James Jones put in another stellar performance and he also found the end zone on a 65 yard catch and carry that ended when as he was hit near the goal line Jones launched himself forward. Realizing he may hit the turf before he crossed the goal line with the ball jones deftly planted his left hand down and gave himself a little extra ‘Oomph!’ that carried his momentum just enough to plant the ball on the stripe for 6. Jones’ contributions and value to the offense cannot be overstated. In his return to Green Bay from the scrap heap of the NFL he has been nothing short of spectacular in his return.

On draft day when the Pack’s first 3 picks were announced there were many left scratching their heads and even more scrambling to look up Damarious Randall, Quentin Rollins and Ty Montgomery. All 3 have already contributed mightily through the first 5 games of the season. After Rodgers staked the Packers to a 7- 0 lead as the 1^st period drew to an end Foles dropped back and as he was being hounded in what would become a game long theme he underthrew his target and Rollins, playing in the nickel slot, jumped the route, grabbed the ball and was off to the races. 45 yards later the Packers were up 14 – 0, Rollins had his first pick, first TD and first game ball of his career.

Foles would not fare much better throughout the day. Rollins added another pick late to seal the

deal. The Rams woes were exemplified by their inability to finish a drive deep in Packer territory. On consecutive drives late Foles was intercepted by Micah Hyde and Ha Ha Clinton Dix who grabbed the bouncing ball as it was deflected. Clinton- Dix’s pick was the dagger to dash the hopes of the Rams who had ridden Gurley’s ground pounding day to the brink of scoring only to come away empty handed.

The Rams dearth of receivers makes it difficult for them to get into a shootout. Rodgers, even on his worst days, is capable of beating anyone, anywhere, anytime under any circumstances. After Green Bay was up 14 – 0 it took trickery to dent the end zone on Austin’s reverse, a play that was aided when CB Casey Hayward lost Austin as he went in motion from the right side. It was one of the few miscues posted by the Packers defense.

The return of Letroy Guion cannot be undervalued in any form. The Packers lack the star power of their counterparts in St. Louis and can’t match them talent-wise. But they are becoming a far more ferocious group and have been playing at a high level since the latter part of last season. Dom Capers has become a genius again with his deployment of blitzes, zone blitzes and disguised coverages. Of course, now having the horses Capers can execute the schemes he employs knowing with the likes of Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji, Julius Peppers et. al. the likelihood of success is much higher.

Not enough can be said about the Packs’ top 3 picks in the draft. Damarious Randall, Quentin Rollins

and Ty Montgomery have all stepped in and have been delivering far sooner than expected. When Jordy Nelson was lost for the year the head-scratching pick of Montgomery suddenly became far more relevant. Now withy Adams ailing Montgomery has earned Aaron Rodgers’ trust so much so he has become an integral part of the team’s offense. Not enough can be said about the steady development of tight end orchard Rodgers who alos is seeing an expanded role in the aerial game. Rodgers led all Packers receivers with 4 catches on Sunday. And James Jones has done nothing expect be magnificent is his return to Green Bay. As Rodgers hit Jones on a post route Jones turned on the jets and cut across the field for the corner pylon. Showing an atypical burst of speed Jones’ lunge will make the highlight reel in Titletown for many years to come.

Randall has seen much more playing time than initially expected but he has yet to shy away from the demands. He has been routinely used in nickel and dime packages and now Rollins is also joining the mix. He opened eyes not only in Green Bay but across the league with his pick 6. Rollins followed that up with another key INT that kept the Rams and Foles frustrated.

An earmark of a balanced and deadly team is a

team that can win ugly and win when their best effort isn’t out there. For his part Rodgers was visibly upset at himself and the offense. In his post-game press conference Rodgers looked like he was delivering an apologetic eulogy instead of his usual winners’ casual air. “We’ve got to play better (offensively)” said Rodgers. “"We didn't run it very well. They kind of challenged us in the box and then challenged us outside, and we didn't get open enough and didn't throw it well enough.

"We got bailed out by our defense."

I can’t turn the ball over. Some guys will sleep well tonight but I know I won’t.” His 3 turnovers will only add fuel to an already smoldering fire and somehow Rodgers will turn his play into something that will make some other poor team pay the price. Rodgers can take some solace knowing that while he committed 3 turnovers his defense not only picked off Foles 4 times the defense also either sacked or hit Nick Foles on 12 of his 33 pass attempts. Matthews may take a hit to his wallet for the hit laid on Foles in one of those sacks that wasn’t flagged on the fi8eldm but may get reviewed in the league offices.

At 5- 0 Green Bay is on top of the NFC. The NFC North has a huge gap between the Pack and the

Vikings, Bears and Lions. Chicago and Minnesota both have 3 losses and the Lions have yet to put up a W. While it is far too early to anoint the Packers with their 5^th NFC North crown they certainly are in the catbird’s seat. As for the rest of the NFC yes, Atlanta and Carolina are also undefeated but the smart money is on the Packers. Eventually Green Bay will lose a game or two but they now have a team with talent on both sides of the ball. Even when they beat themselves the defense is finding ways to carry the team. How far can this team go?

It is far too early to speculate but thus far it has been all systems go, go, go.