Friday, August 10, 2012

Recap: Packers vs. Chargers - Week 1 Preseason


Thumbs Up: Nick Perry, Dezman Moses, Anthony Levine, Randall Cobb, Erik Walden, Tim Masthay


Thumbs Down: James Starks, Shaky Smithson, Diondre Borel, Herb Taylor, Casey Hayward, Jerron McMillian, M.D. Jennings, Graham Harrell, Marc Tyler


Our take: The Packers' offense struggled to get anything going throughout the entire game. Other than a nice drive from
Graham Harrell at the end of the 2nd quarter, the Pack just couldn't move the ball well, averaging only 3.4 yards per play. Some of the youngsters (Starks, Gilleylen) had trouble hanging onto the ball and backup QB Graham Harrell overthrew his targets multiple times. The uncertainty at left tackle didn't seem to be much of an issue, but Herb Taylor seemed overwhelmed by Chargers rookie DE Melvin Ingram. The offensive line as a whole allowed only two sacks.

Defensively, the secondary looked like it struggled in coverage at times, allowing a wide open pass down the middle to Antonio Gates for a TD in the 1st quarter and another to Vincent Brown in 2nd quarter. Tackling was also an issue on a couple plays; veteran safety Morgan Burnett missed a touchdown-saving tackle in the 2nd quarter. Pass rush looked decent, though only two sacks were recorded.

On special teams, punter Tim Masthay was in the zone averaging 49.5 yards/punt, with a long of 62 yards. Youngsters Diondre Borel and Shaky Smithson both fumbled punts, though Smithson recovered his.



OVERALL GRADE: D+


Green Bay played with a losing effort. Too many mistakes. Sloppy play just a part of the preseason, however. Look for some of the kinks to be worked out by the time the team plays Cleveland next week.