Thursday night slates the Packers against the Patriots in a preseason game to which the Packers will have to travel. The preseason is important and risky in that while nobody wants to see any player injured, the coaching staff has to have tape on the young players to help make decisions and move forward with roster cuts. For my part, I just want to see these guys get on the field and start to get a sense of how good this team can be. The Patriots will be a good test when (as limited as it may be) the ones go agains the ones. I will be laser-focused on this team as it takes on the Super Bowl champions. This is a team that I believe won the championship by default (because the Packers were not there) and it is fitting that they are the Packers’ first rival of 2015.
What 2 Watch 4
- While most of this game will be the rooks trying to make enough plays to cement roster spots…keep an eye on BJ Raji and Christian Ringo up front. If those two guys get a push up front when they are in, it bodes well for the Packers defense overall and the run game in particular.
- Keep an eye on the young corners Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins. Yes, I know that these guys probably
need time to develop but if one of these can become a Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and contribute immediately, the Packers’ defense is going to be set. We have way more depth at the cornerback position than it would seem with the offseason losses of Williams and House but there are still question marks. I am high on these two young players with their ball skills and it will be interesting to see how they perform against the Patriots.
- Does the offense click. There will be limited reps for the Packers number one offense and most of this game will be putting in young players to see how the offense runs with them in the mix. But I do want to see the Packers offense show something in this game. If they don’t it is not to worry but if they do…I might be thinking this could be just the exceptional year that Packernation wants it to be.
So the season is soooo close. This team is starting to come together and Thursday’s game will hopefully be a big step in the right direction. Of course the most important thing is for the team to stay healthy, but along with that I will be paying careful attention to the above items. So what will you be watching for? I know you’ll be watching…let us know in the comments section below or back at the Facebook Fanpage.
Go Pack!
The defense