PACKERS 17 BROWNS ZIP A GOOD START

Jerry Gilbert
It did not count. The Game was against what at this point is a pathetic Cleveland Browns unit. But taking all that into consideration, the performance of the Green Bay Packers in their opening preseason contest has to be rated as a positive.

The performance is not typical. During most of the last decade and beyond, the performance by the first team offense in the initial pre season game was not like this. It was typical of the team in the Brett Favre years, for the first unit to be somewhere between substandard and barely adequate in the preseason. In 2000 against the Jets and 2001 versus these same Browns, Favre's offense managed 3 points in two series. The year 2002 brought the Eagles and a first quarter of no points and one interception. In the weather shortened Hall of Fame Game in 2003, the Chiefs shut out the Packers for the entire game. In 2004, the motivation of playing against Mike Holmgren was not enough to produce more than one field goal.

The situation has improved some in the last few years. Brett Favre and company were effective against San Diego in 2005, scoring the only touchdown of the game on a pass to Donald Driver. That was followed by two years of frustration as San Diego and then Pittsburgh applied enough pressure to disrupt the Green Bay offense and shut out the starters. In 2008 with Aaron Rodgers in command, the opening offense scored 10 points, but it took 4 offensive possessions, rather than the usual two.

This season was different. The Packers ran the ball with some success. The first opportunity for third and short was conquered with room to spare. The passing game was crisp and effective, and when the Browns rushed three and covered with the rest, ageless Donald Driver got behind double coverage for the opening touchdown.

On the second offensive series, Aaron Rodgers mixed runs with short passes for a time consuming drive. Near the goal line, a problem all last season, Coach Mike McCarthy called a play we have hardly seen in recent years. In a departure from zone blocking principles, McCarthy had Left Guard Darren Colledge pull around left end as Fullback Corey Hall cut blocked the linebacker. Ryan Grant ran untouched to the pylon. This could be the 21st century version of the Packer sweep.

The game was our first opportunity to see the new 3-4 Defense, and the initial impression is favorable. The only big play they allowed was an end around against the third string right linebacker and a safety who fell down. Taking into account that the defense played with neither of its top cornerbacks, neither the first nor second string outside linebacker, and without two of its interior linemen, the defensive performance was pretty good. Cullen Jenkins, Johnny Jolly and Mike Montgomery were all active and frequently in the Browns backfield. The second string backfield covered pretty well. Although much has been said about the holding penalty that nullified the Browns opening field goal, it should be remembered that pressure applied by the Green Bay rushers also had something to do with that penalty.

The starting defense also allowed another drive by the Browns, but a combination of rushing the passer and effective zone coverage resulted in an interception by newcomer Anthony Smith who ran the route better than Braylon Edwards. As the Packer starters retired to the sidelines, the Packer offense had scored two touchdowns, while the Cleveland Browns, continuing a string of scoreless quarters from last season, had been shut out. It is also significant that the final futile drive by the Cleveland starters was against the second team of the Green Bay Packers

Saving the multiple wide receiver formation for later, Green Bay opened the game in a two tight end formation. Both Donald Lee and Jermichael Finley produced a highlight reel catch and run, and both, as blockers, contributed to the rushing attack. Finley surprised many of us by being involved in key blocks on at least two successful running plays. He is showing signs of becoming a significant contributor to the offense. It will also help if the game plan involves the dependable Donald Lee, whose hurdle of a defender may have been the athletic play of the game. That also brought back memories of William Henderson.

The final three quarters of the contest resulted in only one more field goal, although the Green Bay third string could have scored another touchdown in the waning minutes of the final quarter. Significantly, the Packer offense continued to move the ball behind Quarterback Matt Flynn. Penalties, and his unwillingness to throw down field combined to stop the drives short of easy field goal range. Mason Crosby missed a 60 and 55 yard attempt.

Significantly, the Green Bay defense stopped the Browns cold after each missed field goal and basically dominated for the remainder of the game. The varied Blitz package, which is a feature of the Dom Capers defense, confounded the Cleveland play callers and produced multiple sacks and hits on the quarterback and four interceptions. I believe that a Desmond Bishop hit on the quarterback on second down may have caused the QB to throw an interception as Bishop closed on him on the next play. Consistent pressure on the passer is one of the best weapons a defense can employ.

In one sense, it is not very important that the second and third string Packer defensive players were dominant against the reserves of another team. On the other hand, the performance showed the progress that Dom Capers and his assistants are making in teaching his version of the 3-4 defense to the Green Bay players. It showed how effective the defense can be if the players outplay their opponents.

The offense was not as effective in the second half primarily because they could not sustain a passing attack with Brian Brohm under center. In his defense, it must be noted that left tackle Tony Moll was a sieve on the blind side of the quarterback. Brohm could not be comfortable in the pocket with inconsistent protection. The good news is that Green Bay was able to run the ball behind the second and third string offensive lines, and by the fourth quarter, they ran at will. The four reserve tailbacks compiled over 200 yards, led by 91 yards from rookie free agent Tyrell Sutton. As with the defense, if the players do it right, these Packers showed how a running attack can be effective.

This was a meaningless game, but a meaningless butt kicking is much better than the alternative.