Greetings from beautiful Seoul, South Korea where this edition 0f Packers Stream of Consciousness Monday is actually being written verrrry early in the morning on Wednesday, September 17th. So by the time this gets to you it will likely be around breakfast time on Wednesday morning for me while you’ll be approaching quitting time on Tuesday. Although people always like to claim that, “They’re way ahead out there in L.A.,” L.A. will never be able to catch up to the 18-hour lead on the future that Seoul has. You’re living in the past! Deal with it.
1. Not in my House — I’ve heard it from so many pundits, coaches and critics and I’ve seen it with my own eyes. “Davon House has played as well as anyone in the Packers secondary during training camp and preseason.” I might argue Tramon Williams has been outstanding as well, but House breaks up passes consistently. When he is targeted, you can count on him having velcro-like coverage and getting one of those long arms in front of the ball and making the play. Although some view House’s work against the Jets as a sign he has passed Casey Hayward on the depth chart, my guess is they will play the matchup and use the appropriate player. For me, that player is Davon House regardless. Hayward hasn’t shown much of anything since 2012 and is ripe to be replaced on a full-time basis.
2. DuJuan-na get more touches? — Can we see some more of DuJuan Harris please? This guy is healthy, electric and capable of going the distance every time he touches the ball. With the exception of Jordy Nelson, that can’t really be said for any other contributing Packers player. Harris might have surpassed James Starks in the number two tailback spot in Green Bay, but again, a little more playing time in one game doesn’t mean much in the Packers organization. As much as I like James Starks and the way he runs the ball, DuJuan Harris is the most exciting player on the team and should be elevated.
3. Mike Pennel — We suit this guy up and he doesn’t play a snap? Really?
4. Brandon Bostick — Aaron Rodgers is missing a big time tight end to help spread the field and Bostick seems the guy most likely to fill that void. We suit this guy up and don’t even put him in for one play up the seam? Really?
5. Jamari Lattimore — Great game, sir! Not that it means a whole lot. That’s because Brad Jones will come back from injury too soon again, be inserted into his starting inside linebacker position and continue his decline into being one of the most overpaid and under-performing linebackers in the NFL. In his defense, I do think Brad Jones has played some good ball for this team in the past… but again, it is the distant past. Does anyone notice a trend here?
6. Now you throw it? Is it nice to close out an opponent with your offense on the field? Of course it is. Does that mean Mike McCarthy’s decision to throw the ball on 3rd and 3 from their own 35-yard line with two minutes left, against a Jets team with zero timeouts, Geno Smith at the helm, and top wideout and deep threat Eric Decker out of the game was a good one? No one will ever convince me that was the right call despite Aaron Rodgers pumping his fist and seemingly looking at McCarthy after it was successful as if to say, “That’s right! Great call!”
It was not a great call. It was the wrong call that happened to work out. With only three yards to gain and an opponent with no timeouts that must score a touchdown because a field goal does no good, I would say you run the ball there just about every time. By running the ball you STILL give yourself ample chance to pick up the first down to end the game and you also run the clock from two minutes down to 1:20 plus the time of the play. If you fail to gain three yards you then run the play clock down to zero, call timeout, and punt the ball with about 1:15 left to play. If Geno Smith, who did pretty much nothing the whole second half, can march down the field and score a game-tying touchdown under those extenuating circumstances then so be it. If the Jets have one or more timeouts remaining, I think that would tip the scales and make passing a viable option on the 3rd and 3. With zero timeouts though, you run the ball there every time.
7. Referee Interview — The refs called a timeout they had no business calling and it impacted a game? No way! Will said ref or refs be disciplined? Hell no. In fact that guy will likely be working the Super Bowl this year. Yes, I know a lot of Packers players probably took the play off knowing it didn’t count, but that doesn’t change the fact that the refs screwed up and will never be held accountable for doing so. The head referee in every game should be forced to endure a press conference just like everyone else on the field is required to provide. Except Richard Sherman when he throws a little hissy.
8. Surprise Onside — Here’s another bad call by McCarthy and Shawn Slocum that fortunately ended up working out. The Packers had struggled mightily and the Jets were in control, but the Packers had finally found some momentum with back-to-back field goals and a forced Jets punt in between. For the first time in that game with the Packers trailing 21-9, there was some hope and a sign of life that Green Bay was getting on track and putting themselves back in the game. You felt it too didn’t you? There was a sense of calm coming to the surface and we all collectively knew the Packers could win the game after Mason Crosby crushed a 55-yard field goal.
If Mike Daniels doesn’t make the play of the game with Tramon Williams doing a great job to hang on to that moon-ball, how do you think the game goes from there? I am a proponent of and have written an article praising McCarthy for the use of surprise onside kicks in the past, but this one was not much of a surprise and really put the Packers in a bad spot where they were finally showing signs of life. If the Jets finish that drive, it’s very possible the air comes out of the balloon. And by the way, yes, had the onside worked I would have cheered for the success, but my opinion of it being the wrong call would not have changed.
9. Jordy Nelson’s poker face — Everyone has commented on Jordy Nelson’s awesome 209-yard performance versus the Jets and of course everyone is right. However, I can always tell when Jordy hasn’t caught a ball that was ruled a reception on the field. The Packers need to develop a signal that changes on a week to week basis that alerts the quarterback and everyone else that the refs missed the call and the offense needs to hurry up to the line so the opponent doesn’t get a look at the replay. This is not to say that Rex Ryan and company wouldn’t have caught this one for the Jets anyway, but I think the Packers and Nelson especially needs to work on body language to make those plays look just like any other because right now, it is easy to spot. You’re still a beast Jordy… just probably not much of a poker player.
10. Bring on the Leons — It’s time to start stacking success this season.