PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT? PACKERS BEAT CARDINALS 44-37

Jerry Gilbert
A friend of mine always refused to dignify preseason encounters as games. He called them "scrimmages", merely an extension of training camp practices. He has a point. While Green Bay Coach Mike McCarthy talks about the importance of winning the games, it was clear, this preseason, that his decisions about personnel and play calling were directed toward evaluating his players rather than winning the game. This is all about practicing for the real thing.

Many coaches and commentators have been heard to say that a team plays the way it practices. That is what is encouraging about the third Preseason Game in Arizona. The Green Bay Packer starters were very impressive in the scrimmage. If they play like they practiced on Friday night, they could have a very good season.

Two players stood out in the contest. Aaron Rodgers, with a nearly perfect 151 quarterback rating, began the game by forcing a pass to James Jones between two defenders, showing that he can do the Bret Favre thing. A few plays later, he eluded some capable defenders on the way to a 34-yard scramble, showing he can do that as well. These were followed by a perfectly thrown fade pattern in the end zone, and a perfectly thrown bomb to an open receiver. Throughout the first half, Rodgers consistently waited for a receiver to break open when he had time, and moved around to get more time when he was rushed. All but one of his errant passes were intentional throw aways. It was a virtuoso performance.

There was also a nearly perfect performance on defense. Defensive back Charles Woodson has stood out in training camp with at least one interception in nearly every session. In the full contact scrimmage on Friday, he honed his skills in forcing fumbles. In the Cardinals opening drive, that powerful offense was moving well, until Woodson stripped the ball from a receiver and recovered the fumble. Later, he was asked to blitz the quarterback and succeeded in forcing two quarterback fumbles, the second of which led to an Aaron Kampman touchdown. That play turned a close game into a likely rout.

Because the focus in the scrimmage was to evaluate players, Coach Mike McCarthy stayed with his reserves in the third quarter even though Arizona, except for the quarterback was mostly playing its starters. However, second stringer Matt Leinart is a pretty good player. His night featured 24 completions for 360 yard and one touchdown. He played the entire second half ( the third string quartrback was inactive), and led his team to a comeback that virtually tied the game. The Packer offense under third stringer Brian Brohm rarely moved the ball against the Cardinals.

As the victory was slipping away, coach McCarthy made no move to insert better players in an effort to stem the tide. This is practice. He was evaluating how the second and third team performers can handle adversity. In the end, he made one concession to winning. He went for a two-point conversion after a late Packer special teams touchdown because the Cardinals still had 30 seconds to score again. On the other hand, this was a great opportunity to practice a two-point play. Because of the success of the first team throughout this preseason, the Packer coaches and staff have had an excellent opportunity to watch the reserves against good competition. This scrimmage certainly helped sort out the depth chart on offense. Allen Barbre, fresh from being named the starter at right tackle, turned in a solid performance. His competition, Breno Giacomini, played most of the second half and was not as consistent. Because of a lack of production by other backups, Scott Wells will, in most cases, be the first reserve off the bench for the offensive line. Assuming that Darren Colledge is the best reserve at left tackle, Wells should get the call when any player other than the right tackle goes down. Jason Spitz would slide over to left or right guard. In addition rookie running back Tyrell Sutton got a chance to play with the starters and he looked okay. One position not settled is the second fullback. Barring injury rookie Quinn Johnson will make the team. The problem is that both Korey Hall and John Kuhn are playing at a high level. I suspect that General Manager Ted Thompson is trying to trade one of them.

On defense, several starting and backup positions remain in question because of injuries. Nick Barnett will be given every chance to start at inside linebacker now that he is cleared to play, but Brandon Chillar and Desmond Bishop have each made a strong case for playing time. Barnett may have to prove that he should be on the field in all formations as he has been in the past. At cornerback, the leading candidates to be the fourth corner back, Will Blackmon and Patrick Lee, both missed the game as injured.

That opened an opportunity for rookie Brandon Underwood who has made some good plays in the preseason. Underwood at 6-1 198 offers added value because he seems to have the ability to play safety as well. The safety position has other issues. Atari Bigby has seemed a step slower as he returns from injury and free agent addition Anthony Smith may challenge for playing time. Veteran Aaron Rouse has not been making plays because or an injury.

Preseason practices are designed to get a team ready for the real season, and to weed out the players who will not be part of the final 53. The third preseason game, against the defending NFC Champion gave evidence that the starters are ready to begin the season. At the same time, as coaches often say, the players who will not make the team are cutting themselves.