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Coming into the this game I heard a lot about how tall the starting two corners are for Seattle. Now I pictured cornerbacks along the line of Davon House or the Vikings Chris Cook: guys who are about 6'1" or 6'2". No. The Seahawks starting corners are 6'3" (Richard Sherman) and 6'4" (Brandon Browner)! Needless to say that is going to be a difficult match up for some of the Packer WR's who tend to be an inch or three shorter than these guys on average. It's also why I'm not highlighting Jordy Nelson, the tallest Packer WR. Something tells me he's not going to get too many jump balls in this game.
Something interesting happens though when you get beyond the number one and two guy for the Seahawks...then there is a dramatic drop off in what they have playing at corner. The next two corners in line are Marcus Trufant (a solid, but not great 10 year vet - who stands at 5'11" by the way) and Jeremey Lane (a rookie CB out of Northwestern at a respectable 6 foot even). These are the types of corners that the Packer receivers can match up with favorably....either due to a lack of a top gear (Trufant) or due to inexperience (Lane). This is why it's so important to have five or six NFL capable wide outs on the roster.
The guy who is going to allow the Packers to exploit this gap in the Seahawk defense is James Jones. Jones is that third receiver who is able to win against man on man coverage, go up for the ball if need be, and solid to very good option for Aaron Rodgers to throw to. He's the guy who can stress the defense when they see the Packers go into three and four wide receiver sets. Jones is also a player who gives the Packers a bit of insurance. Right now there is still some question about where Greg Jennings is with his groin injury. Jones can adequately fill in for Jennings if need be and provide most of what Jennings does for the offense....even though he is not quite as reliable as Jennings can be.
The Packers will need to get the passing game going if they want to beat the Seahawks on Monday night. They will need to force Seattle out of its comfort zone of running the football and controlling the clock. More importantly, the Packers will need to force the Seahawks into putting the game in the hands of Russell Wilson and make Wilson make plays in the deep passing game in order to keep up with the Packers offensive machine.
We haven't seen this happen quite yet, but if James Jones can help exploit the depth of the Seahawk secondary then Monday may be see the return of the super explosive Packer offense in 2012.
Previous Packer vs. Seahawks Coverage
Five Packers To Watch | Five Seattle Players To Watch | Week 3 Fantasy Start/Sit Advice | Key Match UP #2: A.J. Hawk vs. Marshawn Lynch | Key Match Up #1: Clay Matthews vs. Russell Okung | Fantasy Spotlight | Series History
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