Tag: Clay Matthews (Page 4 of 5)

      The Packers have some big-time issues

      October 10, 2010 /
      Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) is stopped on the goal line by the Washington Redskins defense in the first quarter of their NFL football game in Landover, Maryland, October 10, 2010. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      If you wanted to trace back where the Packers started having issues, go ahead and start with the Monday night loss to the Bears three weeks ago.

      That was the game where their troubles were put on full display. They had trouble running the ball, they were undisciplined and they lacked that killer instinct that most Super Bowl contenders have. At 3-2, Green Bay is still in great shape (it’s early yet), but this is a team that is hurting right now in more ways than one.

      On the second play of Sunday’s 16-13 overtime loss to the Redskins, tight end Jermichael Finley (who is a huge part of the Packers’ pass-happy offense) suffered a knee injury and was carted off the field. Nobody knows at this point how long he’ll be out, but some are already speculating that he won’t play next week.

      Making matters worse, Clay Matthews left Sunday’s game in the third quarter due to a hamstring injury, which affected the Packers’ pass rush for the rest of the game. Donovan McNabb had spent most of the first half running for his life but once Matthews came out, the Redskins were able to chip away at Green Bay’s 13-3 lead and eventually won the game in overtime. If you wanted to know what kind of an impact Matthews has for the Packers’ defense, just pop in the tape of today’s game and compare halves.

      Finley and Matthews’ injuries come at a time when Morgan Burnett, Nick Barnett and Mark Tauscher are already out with various aliments. At this pace, Aaron Rodgers will be playing on both sides of the ball in a couple of weeks.

      Speaking of which, Rodgers and the passing game continues to sing off key. Rodgers played well again today, but he was plagued by drops and was obviously affected by Finley’s injury. The fact that this team can’t run the ball (Brandon Jackson had 115 yards today, but 71 of which came on one play) doesn’t help Rodgers’ cause.

      Things don’t get any easier for the Packers, either. They play a Miami team coming off a bye next Sunday and then host the Vikings before going on the road to face the Jets in Week 8. They host the Cowboys in Week 9 before having their bye in Week 10.

      If this team can’t get healthy soon, we won’t be talking about Green Bay the potential Super Bowl team, we’ll be talking about Green Bay the what-could-have-been team.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 4 MVP, COY and ROY power rankings

      October 10, 2010 /

      We are a quarter of the way through the NFL season, and there are lots of wacky things happening. The Chiefs are 3-0 and the only undefeated team. That’s a far cry from last year, when the Colts and Saints were unbeaten almost all the way to the end of the 2009 campaign. There are also some interesting candidates emerging for MVP consideration, as well as for Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year. And like last year, we’ll start to analyze them in power rankings fashion. For this week and maybe the next few, we’ll put this in one post and give three names for each category. Around the halfway point of the season, more candidates will emerge so we will separate things out. Sound good? Right. Let’s go……..

      MVP Power Rankings

      1. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles—Do we even have to spell this out? He steps in for Kevin Kolb in Week 1 and almost leads the Eagles to victory against the Packers. Then he wins against Detroit and Jacksonville before having his ribs crushed on a meaningless play vs. Washington last Sunday, knocking him out of the game early. Kolb comes back in, and the Eagles lose. Vick is averaging 200 yards passing per game, has 6 TDs and no interceptions, and is also averaging 7.2 yards per rush on 26 carries and one TD on the ground. He has a QB rating of 108.8 while Kolb’s is 71.1. Simply put, this team is dangerous with Vick, and not scaring anyone without him. That’s the very definition of MVP.

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      External Sports, NFL

      The Packers will have many more believers after beating Eagles in Week 1

      September 12, 2010 /
      Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers throws a forward pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter of NFL football action in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 12, 2010. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Super Bowl caliber teams can win on the road, no matter what type of environment they play in.

      Super Bowl caliber teams play defense, especially late in the fourth quarter.

      Super Bowl caliber teams can run the ball.

      Super Bowl caliber teams have quarterbacks that make plays when opportunities present themselves.

      If you can’t see where I’m going with this, then you’ve probably been drunk since about 3:00 in the afternoon and if that’s the case then I applaud you, my friend. Because everyone should crack open a cold one on the first NFL Sunday of the year. (Thank God football is back.)

      The Packers are a Super Bowl caliber team and they proved it today. Philadelphia is not an easy place to win on the road, yet Green Bay went into the “City of Brotherly Love,” built a 20-3 lead and then made plays late in the fourth quarter to earn a hard-fought win. The biggest play they made came on a 4th and 1 when they stoned Michael Vick on a rush attempt to seal the win.

      Aaron Rodgers wasn’t particularly sharp (he only threw for 188 yards and tossed two interceptions), but his touchdown throws to Donald Driver (1:48 left before halftime) and Greg Jennings (1:56 remaining in the third quarter) were a thing of beauty and like he proved so many times before, he was resilient under pressure. He was also aided by a running game that churned out 132 yards, including 63 from Brandon Jackson (3.5 YPC) and 45 from Ryan Grant (5.6 YPC).

      Defensively, Clay Matthews was practically a one-man wrecking crew. He lead the team in solo tackles (7), sacks (2), tackles for loss (2) and hits on the quarterback (2). For as good as Michael Vick looked at times running the ball, he’s going to have nightmares of Matthews chasing him out of the pocket when he goes to sleep tonight.

      Had the Packers played well and lost a tight game, the people that picked them to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl wouldn’t have wanted to change their pick. Again, Philly is a tough environment to play in – especially on opening day.

      But the fact that they won only cemented the belief that this team has what it takes to play for a championship this season. They have a long way to go, but they’re off to a perfect start.

      External Sports, NFL

      Seven Packers questioned in sexual assault investigation

      June 6, 2010 /

      The Green Bay Press Gazette reports that six Packers players were questioned in an alleged sexual assault case in Lake Delton. While all six (Clay Matthews, Matt Flynn, Brad Jones, Khalil Jones, Josh Sitton and Korey Hall) were cleared of any wrongdoing, an unnamed seventh player remains under investigation.

      Police responded to Canyon Road in Lake Delton around 4:20 a.m. Saturday to a report that two women were sexually assaulted, Grimsled said. The assault reportedly occurred between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. at a rental condominium at 1050 Canyon Road at the Wilderness Resort Golf Cabins.

      Seven players staying at the condo were questioned, and all cooperated, according to police. They were all released, but police are still investigating whether one player was involved in both assaults. The six others are not suspected of criminal activity, Grimsled said. They are Matt Flynn, Khalil Jones, Josh Sitton, Korey Hall, Brad Jones and Clay Matthews.

      The women initially indicated more than one player was involved, according to police. After further interviews, the six men were allowed to leave. The seventh was further interviewed before being released, but his involvement remains under investigation.

      The players were reportedly in Lake Delton for a golf tournament hosted by Matthews. No other details are currently available, so it’s best not to jump to conclusions without any hard facts being made public yet.

      That said, if the unnamed player is eventually charged with sexual assault, how stupid does he have to be to get nabbed for that with everything that Ben Roethlisberger has gone through over the past couple of months? Again, let’s not jump to any conclusions. Nobody knows what actually happened at this hotel and for all we know, these women are looking for money and/or attention.

      Still, this is troubling news to say the least and not just for the Packers, but for the NFL as well.

      Update: The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that cornerback Brandon Underwood is the unnamed Packer that is under investigation for sexual assault.

      “(The) seventh did have contact with the two females,” Grimsled said. “We were pretty sure of that. Everybody was cooperative.

      “It comes down to ‘was it consensual sex?’ One side says yes, the other says no.”

      When apprised that the investigation centered on Underwood, 23, several players who wished to remain anonymous said he had been a problem since he was drafted in the sixth round in 2009 out of Cincinnati. Cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt talked last season about Underwood being immature early in his rookie season.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Peter King releases his 2010 NFL Power Rankings

      May 17, 2010 /

      SI.com’s Peter King released his first NFL power ranking for the 2010 season and has more than a handful of surprises, most notably at No. 1.

      1. Green Bay. It’s not just the maturation of Aaron Rodgers. It’s the carryover from a fluky end to 2009 (the weird playoff loss at Arizona) and the fact that only one team in football — New Orleans — had a better point differential than the Pack’s plus-164 last year. I like Jermichael Finley to become a great player in his second starting season. I don’t trust the pass-rush (where Clay Matthews is the only real thing), and I worry about two of the top three corners coming off ACL surgery, and aging. But the defensive front is formidable, and a very good match for the good run teams of the AFC North. I also like Weeks 2 through 5 on the schedule (Buffalo, at Chicago, Detroit, at Washington), which sets up for a strong start.

      This should make my colleague John Paulsen extremely happy. The Packers’ offense is explosive, although the offensive line will once again be the focus. Rodgers endured a ton of hits last season and those blows eventually catch up with a quarterback. His O-line must do a better job of protecting him for them to get back to the playoffs.

      With Green Bay ranking first, King must have the Saints at No. 2, right? Wrong.

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      External Sports, NFL

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