Packer Notes: Lions Lose Two Starters, Two Packers Hurting, and NFC Offensive Player Of The Week

by Brandon on Dec 9, 2010 7:01 AM CST in Green Bay Packers News

Two significant defensive injuries have knocked two Detroit Lions starters out for the year. DE Kyle Vanden Bosch already missed last week, and now they'll be without CB Alphonso Smith too. However the Lions pass rush didn't slip too much in Vanden Bosch's absence as DE Cliff Avril had "a monster game" against the Bears. While Smith has been a pleasant surprise for the Lions at times this season, he's had a brutal stretch lately including a disastrous game against the Patriots. On the other hand, the Lions secondary might need all the help they can get. They haven't held a quarterback to a QB rating of under 100 over their last three games (QB Jay Cutler, QB Tom Brady, and even QB Jon Kitna).

Mike McCarthy announced that LT Chad Clifton suffered a concussion against the 49ers. It wasn't reported until Wednesday because the symptoms didn't appear until Monday. He'll be evaluated by an independent specialist on Thursday to see if he can return to practice. Hopefully he can come back this week (see Cliff Avril above). Also, CB Charles Woodson injured his ankle, but the extent of the injury was unclear.

QB Aaron Rodgers has been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. It's always well deserved when he gets recognized for his awesomeness. Take that Drew Stanton!

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Strategery

If the Pack is fortunate to have another 14-point lead at the half, let’s hope they come out at least trying to control the clock and not playing pass-whacky catchup football like last time.

by clincher on Dec 9, 2010 9:13 AM CST reply actions

The problem is

A couple of three and outs on running plays and everyone will complain that we weren’t playing to win the game, didn’t keep doing what got us the lead in the first place, etc, etc.

Really what everyone wants when we get a lead is for the offense to keep having successful drives. If those don’t happen, it’s fairly easy to come up with the usual Monday-Morning Quarterback criticizims about how the play calling was terrible and we let the other team stay in the game and it would have been better to (run or pass) more than we did.

by Puddleglumed on Dec 9, 2010 10:08 AM CST up reply actions 4 recs

+!!!

We have a winner folks!!! And a rec’d coming your way…

You've been Stroh'd™!!!

by Strohman on Dec 9, 2010 10:31 AM CST up reply actions

No problem

I just want to see them mix it up, maybe even run a play action or two, and not line up with an empty backfield on every down when they don’t need yards by the chunks.

by clincher on Dec 9, 2010 5:40 PM CST up reply actions

Try not to

get too butthurt about the Drew Stanton thing – you’ve brought it up in 3 posts in a row now. Rodgers had a good – but not great – game Sunday. His first quarter was pretty bad, he overthrew a wide-open Driver in the left corner of the endzone, and we settled for 3 points on a drive that should’ve had 7.

It was a good game for him after that, but not a masterpiece – it’s unsurprising that a few other QBs had better games than he did.

by Archibaldcrane on Dec 9, 2010 9:42 AM CST reply actions

If you want to get mad at something

be mad that shitty Peyton Manning has more pro-bowl votes than Rodgers.

by Archibaldcrane on Dec 9, 2010 9:43 AM CST up reply actions

hivemind Colts fans

remember what happened the last time the Packers and Colts went head to head? Yeah.

Wisconsin, Big Ten Champions for the first time since 1999...
"What's your formula for the corner?" -Doctor Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory

by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Dec 9, 2010 5:31 PM CST up reply actions

So if Clifton can't go this week

Do we have a line of Bulaga-Colledge-Wells-Sitton-Lang? What’s the starting lineup?

Towlieppan: "You wanna throw high?"

by GoGregGo on Dec 9, 2010 10:41 AM CST reply actions

No

According to Wilde over at 540 ESPN Radio in Milwaukee it’s looking like it would go Lang-Colledge-Wells-Sitton-Bulaga.

For the life of me I don’t know why though.

by PackApologist on Dec 9, 2010 10:49 AM CST up reply actions

Lang

I can’t recall if he ever played LT last year? I only recall him playing on the right side.

by Puddleglumed on Dec 9, 2010 10:58 AM CST up reply actions

Lang

Played LT vs Minn last year! And with Bulaga having been concentrating on RT for about 2 months now, Lang has been the backup at LT and RT, so he’s been getting more reps at LT than Bulaga… Hence Lang starting at LT for this game, if thats what happens!

You've been Stroh'd™!!!

by Strohman on Dec 9, 2010 11:11 AM CST up reply actions

it also helps that KVB is out for this game

So not quite an elite pass rusher on that end.

by PackApologist on Dec 9, 2010 11:48 AM CST up reply actions

Doesn’t this fall back to the preseason argument of leaving people in the positions they are comfortable in? Bulaga is playing ok at RT and is getting comfortable there. If we were to flip him and Lang we would have 2 spots with players out of their current element for this game instead of 1.

"I agree but dont agree"

by juggernaut400 on Dec 9, 2010 12:10 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

If it's just for the one game

I don’t have a problem with Lang on the left side, but if the coaching staff thinks this is going to be a multiple week thing, I’d rather do the switch. Let Bulaga get used to the left side against Detroit now so he’s prepared for the last three weeks against NE, NYG, and CHI.

Towlieppan: "You wanna throw high?"

by GoGregGo on Dec 9, 2010 12:22 PM CST up reply actions