Packers.com August 14th @ Lambeau Field at 7:00 PM. [CBS WFRV-5] August 21st @ Qwest Field at 9:00 PM. [CBS WFRV-5] August 26th @ Lambeau Field at 7:00 PM. [ESPN] September 9th @ Arrowhead Stadium at 7:00 PM. [CBS WFRV-5]
August 14th @ Lambeau Field at 7:00 PM. [CBS WFRV-5] The first pre-season game is finished and the Packers came up short. Even though this is a loss, its not a loss in my eyes. Preseason doesn't mean that much to me, only thing I care about is how the team is playing. If they win or loss, its not a big deal. Lets start with the offensive stats. Aaron Rodgers went 12 for 13(92.3% completion) and threw a touchdown. While backup potential Matt Flynn went 9 for 15(60% Completion) and threw an interception. Graham Harrel went 3 for 7(42% completion). The backup potential didn't put up the numbers, and I am not able to watch the preseason games from Illinois so I am not sure how well they did. They were playing with the second and third teams, so I give them credit. On the ground Kregg Lumpkin had 11 attempts for 43 yards and a touchdown. His longest run was 12 yards. Quinn Porter had 9 attempts for 38 yards with the longest run being 15 yards. Solid numbers for players battling for the third spot. Ryan Grant didn't show good numbers and had a fumble. Hopefully that does not continue. I believe Ryan Grant will be the starter, with Brandon Jackson behind him. The reviving core still shows they have the hands. Greg Jennings had 3 receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. His longest reception was 34 yards. James Jones had 3 receptions and 46 yards. His longest reception was 22 yards. The hope the hands of the team continue doing what they did last season. Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones are the solid top three receivers. Jordan Nelson and Brett Swain are the two guys I think will go 4 and 5 on the team. I think there will also be a sixth receiver. Jermichael Finley and Spencer Havner are the solid 2 Tight Ends. Now what I really want to talk about is the defense. Coming off a great season with the transition to the 3-4 there are still answers the defense needs to answer for the fans. The first is the depth of the defensive backs. With Al Harris and Charles Woodson set at the two starting Corner Backs, and Nick Collins set at Safety, theres room for an opening. Atari Bigby was good last season, but he might loss his job. The Packers drafted Morgan Burnett who can be a starter. Will Blackmon was moved to Safety this offseason. Brandon Underwood put up good numbers during the game with five tackles and an interception. Derrick Martin also snatched an interception. I think that the Packers D-Line will easily fill out, because of the depth and the great players like Cullen Jenkins and B.J. Raji as well as the Linebacking core with Nick Barnett, AJ Hawk and Clay Mathews set in stone as 3 of the 4 linebackers. Game Highlights Aaron Rodgers Highlights
August 21st @ Qwest Field at 9:00 PM. [CBS WFRV-5] The second preseason game the Packers won by a fieldgoal. Aaron Rodgers and the first string offense ran over the Seahawks defense when they took the field. They did a great job, I saw some amazing catches. Rodgers went 8 for 11 with 116 yards and two touchdowns. Pretty good work when he was on the field. Finley and Kuhn scored touchdowns, again. Jennings and Rodgers still showed their good with their one reception that went for 56 yards. Rodgers only threw to Jennings twice, I believe. Finley, Nelson and Swain both did very well. Finley is probably going to be the first TE, while Nelson and Swain are in a battle for the 5th WR spot. Brandon Jackson showed he is the backup to Ryan Grant and I don't think he will be replaced this preseason. The defense still let up a lot of plays, but again, they are not the starters, so its not to bad. Waiting to see what they can do against Peyton Manning next week. They went against Hasselbeck, hes not Manning, but hes still good. If these guys can take on Manning next week, and do well, I will feel confident in them. The biggest thing that got to me was the kickoff return defense.. Hope that changes!
August 26th @ Lambeau Field at 7:00 PM. [ESPN] This game was fantastic... Aaron Rodgers and the first string kicked Peyton Manning's ass, then the Second String kicked the Colts ass, and finally the third and fourth strings kicked the Colts asses.. 59-24, the Packers second highest game where they won by a lot of points. The first was 75-0 against a team that does not exist anymore. Rodgers went 21 for 29 for 195 yards and scored 3 TDs. Backup Matt Flynn went 8 for 13 and scores 2 TDs while Graham Harrel went 4 for 5 and the end of the game to close off the win. The Defense was fantastic against Manning, an interception by Morgan Burnett and Sam Shields as well as a sack by Frank Zombo. Manning and backup Painter threw interceptions. Burnett's was on Manning, and Shields was on Painter. Just look at these stats. NFL.com
