What We Learned Against the Chiefs

Last Updated on Thursday, 02 September 2010 23:08 Written by John Rehor Thursday, 02 September 2010 22:52

Preseason game number four (and the preseason for that matter) is in the books with a 17-13 loss against the Chiefs. A few early takeaways from the game.

• Mike McCarthy sat QB Aaron Rodgers, CB Charles Woodson, RB Ryan Grant, S Will Blackmon, CB Brandon Underwood, LB Clay Matthews, LB Desmond Bishop, LB Brad Jones, OT Bryan Bulaga, OT Chad Clifton, DE Cullen Jenkins, OT Allen Barbre. One would have to assume this does not bode well for Barbre or Blackmon, both of whom could be cut by Saturday. 
• Jason Chery fumbling the opening kickoff may have fumbled his chances away 
• T.J. Lang started at left tackle-guess we know who the number 3 LT is now. 
• Nothing changed-our punt return coverage sucks 
• Breno Giacomini-you cannot block. Slapping a defender does not qualify. See ya! 
• First few plays Frank Zombo got sucked into the play too much-let up his containment responsibility 
• T.J. Lang allows a sack in the 1st quarter from the LT spot. Thank goodness Clifton and Bulaga are ahead of him. Also beaten badly from RT in the second quarter. He has not looked good. 
• Eleven minutes into the game and I cannot stand preseason game number 4. Such a waste. 
• 3 guys around Bowe in the endzone on a TD pass from Cassell. Still not getting any comfort in the non-starters back there. 
• Quinn Johnson continued to deliver the crushing blocks. Really think all three fullbacks are staying. 
• John Kuhn as a third RB-I can live with that. 
• Brett Swain has made this team. He had a great game. 
• Kregg Lumpkin had a terrible first half, but a much better second half. Curious if its enough to make the cut. 
• Price Chopper, shown on the NFL.com feed from Kansas City, peaked my interest at the end of the half. 
• Helmets were falling off the entire first half. Something has to be done before someone is seriously injured during a game. 
• Mike McCarthy said at halftime "You can't play in Green Bay if you can't catch the football." Good bye Jason Chery. 
• Dare I say Jarrett Bush had a decent game? He definitely stated his case for a roster spot with an interception and flying all over the field. But if he is our Nickel back against the Eagles we are in trouble. 
• Matt Flynn looked better tonight-much more confident in himself and got a ton of work. Looked like Matt Cassell from '08 when he was in New England. Knows the system, can make some plays, but may not have the "it" factor 
• Brett Goode was knocked out of the game, and the long snapping adventures by Evan Deitrich-Smith were interesting to watch. 
• Justin Harrell made this team, whether it was a case of numbers or his play. I'm happy for him, and hope he contributes this season. He has to for the defense to succeed, and this is something I touched on in May
• Mike McCarthy lost weight was a topic on Twitter for a bit 
• Graham Harrell will not last on the Practice Squad. He will be picked up by somebody else 
• Final point: this may have been the worst Packers game I have ever seen. Difficult to stay focused with a bunch of guys playing for their jobs. 

Thank goodness the preseason has come to an end. The journey is always better than the victory, but the preseason can be difficult to watch at times. The next major date on the calendar is Saturday September 4, when teams must cut down to 53 man rosters and establish their Practice Squads. That means the end of the line for 22 players, but the beginning of another journey for the ones fortunate enough to stay.

Written by :

jrehor