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//  Saturday, July 31, 2010

NFC North Progress Report: Part Two

Sunday, October 11, 2009
Posted by Jacob Peklo

Part Two: Grading on a Bit of a Curve…

Green Bay (2-2) Grade: C

Does anybody honestly know how good this team is?  After winning their opener against a very talented Bears’ team, the Packers lost in the waning moments to the Cincinnati Bengals, formerly the Bungles. They handled the Rams on the road before dropping Monday night’s game against Brett Favre and company. The team that was picked by many as the best in the division, maybe even in the upper echelon of the conference, has performed at a .500 level. With a new defense installed, there were supposed to be some growing pains, but the offense has been equally instrumental in the surprising 2-2 beginning. 

Offense: Everything starts and ends with the offensive line, which has been absolutely awful throughout the first quarter of the season. Right tackle Allen Barbre and left tackle Daryn Colledge have had a tough go of things this year, as they have been a revolving door to quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, who looked solid—if not spectacular—during the preseason, has been unable to find a rhythm thus far. He has been sacked twenty times in the first four games, including games in which Cincinnati’s Antwon Odom got to him five times and another where the Vikings’ Jared Allen 4.5 times. His quarterback ranking is over 100, with a nifty six-to-one touchdown to interception ratio, but the victories have been scarce because of the porous line, dropped passes, and an ineffective running game. These things need to be resolved quickly or the Packers will miss out on the postseason party. 

Defense: Defensive coordinator Dom Capers has a reputation as one of the great gurus in transforming defenses. His Packers’ players looked unstoppable in Week One against the Bears as they kept Jay Cutler on the run and forced four turnovers, but since that opening burst have been rather pedestrian. Charles Woodson’s move to free safety has been the brightest spot for the defense, but Aaron Kampman has struggled in his transition from end to outside linebacker. Overall, the defense is in the middle of the pack, but they really need to improve on third downs. Currently, they rank fifth from the bottom. The 3-4 defense gets increasingly ineffective as the players wear down. A lot of that starts with the defensive linemen getting an initial push up front, but the outside backers—most notably Kampman—need to be the real difference makers.

Special Teams: Kicker Mason Crosby has been perfect inside 40 yards and leads the team in scoring, but he needs to start making some longer kicks to help out the offense, which has struggled to get inside the red zone. Jeremy Kampinos has been average punting, and Will Blackmon has failed to get anything going on punt returns, with a meager 3.7 yards per return to his credit thus far on 11 returns.

Next Four Games:

October 18th v. Detroit

25th-at Cleveland

November 1st v. Minnesota

9th at Tampa Bay

2nd Quarter Key: The offensive line needs to get their act together. Rodgers will benefit the most directly from the unit coming together. This will be noticeable not only in his overall comfort level in the pocket, but also when tailback Ryan Grant starts running like he did in late 2007. The defense will continue to experience some rough patches as they learn the system, but they have plenty of talent on that side of the ball. A 3-1 second quarter could put them right back into the wild card discussion. The rematch with the Vikings at Lambeau on November 1st poses the best litmus test of their progress. 

 

Detroit: C+

When a team fails to win a single game in a season, even a single victory can be considered as progress. The Lions are playing harder and look much better, but there are going to be many more rough patches for them. With so many new players, continuity generally does not come quickly. Most importantly, their skill positions are filled, which bodes well for the future.

Offense: Despite Daunte Culpepper’s strong preseason, Head Coach Jim Schwartz decided that rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford still deserved to start opening weekend. Though the move was second-guessed by some at the time, Stafford has surpassed expectations. Wideout Calvin Johnson and he have tremendous chemistry, as evidenced by the 21 receptions in the first four games. Tailback Kevin Smith had a tough opening week, but has bounced back nicely with three rushing touchdowns and 16 receptions out of the backfield. Stafford still needs to find a reliable secondary option to Johnson, and rookie Derrick Williams could become that player very soon. Another rookie, tight end Brandon Pettigrew, has the size and awareness to control the middle of the field. Offense is the least of the Lions’ concerns at this juncture of the season. Schwartz should be very proud of the progress of this unit. 

Defense: Middle linebacker Larry Foote has brought some of his Pittsburgh attitude to the Lions’ defense, but that has still not transferred fully to his teammates. Rookie safety Louis Delmas already has a fumble return for a touchdown and shows great range all over the football field. As a whole the Lions have created a lot of turnovers, with five, but their offense has lost the ball eight times, for a net of -3. The big plays are nice, but opponents are still getting huge chunks of yardage against them. Even though they are winning the time of possession battle, opponents are piling up yardage, and opponents are scoring an NFL-high 33.5 points per game against them. Cornerback Anthony Henry has played decently, but needs help from William James and Phillip Buchanon on the opposite side. When healthy, linebackers Ernie Sims and DeAndre Levy have complemented Foote well.  

Special Teams: There have not been too many opportunities for Dennis Northcutt to return punts, but he has a 43 yarder already to his credit. Rookie tailback Aaron Brown returned a kickoff 87 yards earlier in the year, and looks like a sixth round steal for the Lions. Kicker Jason Hanson continues to roll along and punter Nick Harris maintains the status quo.

Next Four Games: October 11- v. Pittsburgh

18th-at Green Bay

November 1st-St. Louis

8th-at Seattle

2nd Quarter Key: The schedule is not too kind for them, with games against Pittsburgh and at Green Bay. They need to keep Stafford healthy and will likely not play him against the Steelers, as he is nursing a variety of injuries. Kevin Smith needs to run with more authority to keep the Lions close in the next slate of games if they want to improve. Someone needs to emerge next to Johnson for the Lions to take their passing game to the next level. 2-2 is a possibility in the next four games, but another 1-3 stretch is more likely. Still, 2-6 at the halfway marker of the season would be worth celebrating as the Lions continue their baptism by fire in the NFC North.  

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