2012 WK8 JAX @ GB Inside The Game (Analysis-Interviews-Grades)

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MM Presser
packers.com

GREEN BAY PACKERS HEAD COACH MIKE McCARTHY:
(opening statement)
“It was definitely a grind-it-out type victory today. We’re pleased to be at 5-3. I’ll share my thoughts with you as I shared with the football team. I felt the victory was obviously important, but it was a little bit of a rollercoaster throughout our play. I thought today was a very good example of offense, defense and special teams picking it up for one another when it wasn’t going as well in their particular area. These games are always hard fought and our focus is on moving to the Cardinals. Part of our message leaving the locker room before I came in here was we need to be 6-3 at the bye. Today was a tough contest. Offensively we had some tough sledding, particularly early with the no huddle. I got away from that after the hits to the quarterback. Our protection in the run game needs to improve. We came in here to be balanced, a balance between run and pass. Statistically we hit that, but the efficiency was not there. I thought our defense played very well, particularly in the third quarter. They kind of carried us. Special teams, they’ve been the lead dog all year. They set the tempo with the blocked punt. For (Special Teams Coordinator) Shawn Slocum and the special teams our focus was to put pressure on the punt protection. I thought the execution by Davon House and the block was excellent.”

(on if the injured players had an effect on the game)
“The inactive list, everybody has one. It happens in every game. I don’t really think it’s something we need to talk about. No disrespect to the people on the inactive list. Our preparation this week was cut short because of the stress we had at practice. I felt the team was ready to play coming out of Friday. I thought segments of the football team didn’t come out with the energy or the focus. I thought we were a little bit of a rollercoaster in certain segments and individuals. We have to get that removed. That’s something that [needs to improve] as the weather starts to turn and we get into these games that are more important. It’s important that our record stands at 5-3. Our inactive list is something that we can’t control, so we’re not looking for excuses.”

(on the decision to go for a fake with P Tim Masthay)
“The fake field goal, we were just kind of watching the wind. I thought the wind changed throughout the day. I thought the ball was carrying more to the north. We were pretty close to being to the point where we would talk about going for it on fourth down and so forth. It was a play that we had been practicing. I think it was pretty obvious that the decision that was made was probably not the best decision. We’ve been aggressive on special teams and this one didn’t work.”

(on the defense’s performance)
“I thought our defense came out in the second half and just did an excellent job. They were able to make some plays in the fourth quarter. I thought with their energy and the way they flew around, they gave the offense a number of opportunities. But yes, I thought that was a big part of the victory. That’s what I’m referring to. I thought special teams set the tempo early with the big play. Offense, we were up and down. Defense, I thought definitely picked it up in the third quarter. Once again, that’s what good teams do. You win games. You pick it up for one another when the efficiency isn’t quite where you want it to be.”

(on the blocked punt)
“Those are game plan decisions you make going into the game. That’s something that we talked about on Monday and Tuesday and that was the route we wanted to go. You have to credit (Special Teams Coordinator) Shawn Slocum and (Special Teams Assistant) Chad Morton with their game planning. I thought (CB) Davon House was excellent. As far as the design and the execution of it, and the finish, it was excellent. Obviously, it was a huge play in the game.

PACKERS QUARTERBACK AARON RODGERS:
(on how the absence of WR Jordy Nelson and WR Greg Jennings affected the offense)
“I think it was more that we didn’t run it well. We were 5 for 13 on third downs, didn’t throw it very well. It was a choppy game, I think, from the start. We didn’t get into a rhythm early, went three and out, and we went down and scored. We had a punt block for a touchdown. As big as that is for us, sometimes that keeps (the offense) on the sidelines for a while, which kind of takes us out of our rhythm. So, I think it was more that we had opportunities and we didn’t play very well.”

(on how healthy he is right now)
“I’m looking forward to the bye week to get to 100 percent, but other than the one day, I haven’t missed any practice and haven’t had anything to put on any type of list. It’s just bumps and bruises that in Week 8 bother you at different times. Today I got a helmet to the arm, which kind of hurts. I got hit in the head a couple times, (but) I’ll be all right.”

(on if they looked past the Jaguars at all)
“I don’t think so. I think it was just that you’ve got to give them credit. They played their scheme pretty well. They brought pressure probably twice all game and decided to play a lot of combo coverage, some quarters to the single receiver side and four over three to the other side. That was what they wanted to do, get after us with their four-man pass rush and stop the run with six in the box. I think mission accomplished for them. They had some steady pass rush, they did a good job stopping the run and they put enough guys in coverage to slow us down a little bit.”

(on if he got hit on the arm on the sack-fumble)
“No, that was just poor ball security.”

(on WR Donald Driver making the most of his opportunities)
“He’s really good at that route he caught the touchdown on. He’s had a few of those the last couple years and I just liked the matchup. He ran a nice route (and I) put the ball in a spot he could make a play on it. He’s going to make the most of his opportunities. Donald’s been around for a while, knows how to run his routes, knows how to get open – and with some injuries, he had some more opportunities today and made a couple plays. We know what we get out of Donald. We know what kind of player he is, what kind of professional. When he gets opportunities, he’s going to make the most of them.”

(on whether he thought his fumble should have been classified under the Tuck rule)
“That was my initial reaction. I actually told the white cap (referee), I said ‘Tuck rule,’ as my first thing. Now, I’m not a big fan of the rule. I was actually pulling for the Raiders back in the day when (Charles) Woodson made him (Patriots quarterback Tom Brady) fumble. I was living in northern California and pulling for Rich Gannon and the Raiders there, so I’m not a huge fan of it, but it is the rule. That being said, as I stepped in the pocket I felt like the ball was extended and I was bringing it back in. Next thing I know, I’m on my back and I know the ball’s not in my grasp. They recovered it, obviously they didn’t think it fell under that great rule.”

(on whether this game is a setback)
“I don’t see it as a setback at all. I see it as playing an opponent with a stout front four, uncommon opponent. It’s good to be on this side of an ugly win. It’s tough to win in this league and I think the expectations we’ve set around here and the way we’ve played on offense – especially in the last couple weeks – the expectations were we were going to come out and maybe blow them out. But we didn’t start fast. We didn’t have enough juice early on and didn’t play well enough on offense to get that done. Defense and special teams did their part and offensively we’re going to very critical as we watch the film tomorrow and move forward. However, that being said, we’re 5-3. As much with the adversity we’ve dealt with early in the season has affected us, I think we’ve come out. We’ve won three in a row and we’re moving in the right direction.”

(on what it means to get a win when they don’t play their best)
“That’s important. It’s important when you don’t play your best that you can still come out with W’s because it’s a lot easier to watch that film when you’ve won, even if you didn’t play very well on whatever side of the ball you’re on. We struggled on offense. You’ve got to give them credit. They had a good plan, they executed really well, but it’s going to feel a lot better tonight as we’re relaxing knowing we’re 5-3 and we’re right in the mix.”
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Larry McCarren on the game
620wtmj.com
Jay Sorgi

The Packers running game didn't perform much better than the Charles Woodson-less secondary, with just 66 yards on 26 carries.

Alex Green produced 54 of them, for fewer than 2.5 yards per carry.

"On occasion, he looks pretty good, but those occasions are few and far between,"explained McCarren.

"The word finish comes to mind. Plays that seem to have a promising start end poorly. That's when people start on their blocks and don't finish their blocks...the offensive line and tight ends have got to do a better job of finishing blocks...and giving the Alex Green's of the world more of an opportunity."
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Packers' blocked punt came short-handed
jsonline.com
by Bob McGinn on Sunday, October 28th, 2012

Blocked punt returned for a touchdown, 10 men on the field.

Want to create a new entry for the National Football League record book? The Green Bay Packers are ready to etch their name for a mark that might never be tied

It appeared, however, that rookie receiver Jarrett Boykin was the missing party. Boykin lined up outside of Moses on the right side for the punts immediately before and after the block.
...

"Anger is a three-step guy, which takes obviously a little more time," Moses said. "Young punter. Very talented, though."

In a nod to special-teams coaches Slocum and Chad Morton, Moses said, "Lot of research, lot of detail work went into that."
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Play Diagram/Analysis:
Play of the Game
jsonline.com

A schematic diagram with detailed notes of the Morgan Burnett 3rd quarter sack.

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Packers Replay
jsonline.com
by Tom Silverstein 10-28-12

Charles Woodson wasn't around to play his usual hybrid cornerback / linebacker position Sunday, so safety Morgan Burnett went ahead and picked up the slack. Burnett was not used the same way Woodson has been, but defensive coordinator Dom Capers asked him to play near the line of scrimmage like Woodson and shut down the run game. Burnett was not a very physical player when he first came to the Packers, but he has improved immensely in that area and was all over the place Sunday against Jacksonville. He finished with 11 tackles, including a sack and forced fumble and a fumble recovery. continue

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Packers' lack of energy is troubling
jsonline.com
by Tom Silverstein 10-28-12

Going deep: If he had to do it over gain, punter Tim Masthay would not have tried to throw the bomb.

...He had tight end Ryan Taylor open in front of him.

"D.J. was the home run hit," Masthay said. "If I would have recognized the defense enough, I would have known that, 'OK, he's probably going to be the guy who's open,' hit him quick and we would have gotten the first down.

"That's what I need to do. "continue

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Packers still dealing with anemic run game
jsonline.com
Gary D'Amato 10-29-12

Facing a steady stream of questions about the Green Bay Packers' ineffective running game after a 24-15 victory over Jacksonville, Green steadfastly refused to throw the offensive line under the bus.

"I definitely wasn't satisfied with my performance," Green said, after rushing for 54 yards in 22 carries for a 2.5 average - the third consecutive game he has averaged less than 3 yards per carry.

"The line did a great job. I've got to do a better job making the right reads."

On third and 1 from the Jaguars' 14, Green took a handoff from Rodgers, saw a wall of defenders in front of him, cut to his right and tripped over tackle Bryan Bulaga's foot for no gain.

"I saw the defense crash and I tried to bounce it outside," Green said.
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Driver catches TD in 200th career game
foxsportswisconsin.com
by Paul Imig on 10-28-12

Even after seeing the way this season has played out for him, Driver said he doesn't have any regrets about his decision to stay with the Packers.

"It was all for the opportunity to win another Super Bowl, and for the fans," he said. "It's hard to leave fans who supported you throughout your career. You can't let them go. Every time I catch the ball in that stadium, it goes crazy. I don't think I could have gone anywhere else and got the same love."
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Packers on winning end of 'nasty' game
foxsportswisconsin.com
by Paul Imig on 10-28-12

"You get a guy like (Rodgers) on his back several times, it distracts him," Finley said of his quarterback. "He's looking behind his back, in front of him, beside him. It can throw us off in the passing game, too.

"I'm not blaming a soul on the team, but we have to keep '12' (Rodgers) off his back."

Finley complimented Rodgers extensively for continually getting up, even as the hits kept coming.

"I don't see how he do it, I don't know how he do it, but he's a soldier," Finley said. "He's a warrior, I'll tell ya that."
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More quotes from Finley after the click.

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"Our protection smashmouthing in the run game needs to improve."

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Originally posted by Tdog:

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"Our protection smashmouthing in the run game needs to improve."

let me FTFY MM...

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We have to get that removed. FIXED

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Total View: Packers vs. Jaguars
totalpackers.com
by Shawn on 10/31/2012 at 4:12 pm

12:48, 1st quarter — The Jaguars go four plays and punt on their opening possession. No Packers opponent this season has gotten even two 1st downs to start the game.

The Packers start the game in their nickel, which now features Davon House and Tramon Williams on the outside while Casey Hayward is in the slot. Ryan Pickett and B.J. Raji are the two defensive linemen on the field and when Morgan Burnett slides down on the tight end, the Packers essentially have nine men in the box... continue

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Packers Playbook (aka Hobbjective Analysis): Week 7 vs Jacksonville Jaguars
jerseyal.com
by Thomas Hobbes on 11-01-12

So I’m going to do something a little bit unusual from the usual Packers Playbook series; first off I’m going to breakdown a special teams play, namely Davon House’s blocked punt which turned into a special teams touchdown,

The Situation: The score is 7 to 3 in Green Bay’s favor and the Packers defense has just forced a 4th down...
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Packers Film Study: Expanding the Running Game
jerseyal.com
Chad Toporski on 10/30/2012

While reviewing the game book and watching the film of the Green Bay Packers’ 24-15 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, I noticed something strange. Well, it’s not strange from a football standpoint, but it is very much out of the ordinary for Mike McCarthy’s offenses. He added backup C/G Evan Dietrich-Smith as a sixth offensive lineman on four running plays.

Here are the four plays where Evan Dietrich-Smith (#62) reported as eligible against the Jaguars:..continue

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Packers: Backup OL Evan Dietrich-Smith just happy to get on field
cbssports.com
By James Carlton October 31, 2012 10:19 pm ET

The reserve interior lineman said he loved the opportunity to play and was happy to be in the action.

“It's fun to get on the field, regardless of how it happens,” Evan Dietrich-Smith said. “My big thing is, when I get in there I want to make sure (coaches) have confidence in me. I try to get in there and do the best that I can so that we can keep running those packages because I have a lot of fun doing them. It keeps you in the game, and a lot of the guys on offense, they get a kick out of running the plays as well."continue