Author: samholman

As the Green Bay Packers and their fans look forward to a premature offseason, a dark cloud of uncertainty looms. The Packers are on the wrong side of the salary cap by a wide margin. A number of high-priced veterans may face a pay reduction or a release from the roster. Numerous significant contributors – Davante Adams, De’Vondre Campbell, Rasul Douglas, Allen Lazard, MVS, and Robert Tonyan to name a few – are approaching unrestricted free agency. However, by far the most important questions of the offseason revolve around the quarterback.  Will Aaron Rodgers return to the Packers for another…

In an end that few saw coming, the Green Bay Packers suffered a Divisional Round defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. The game was marked by failure at multiple levels of the offense and a complete collapse on special teams. Ironically, the defense – which was often the squad that has let down the Packers in past years – played a fantastic game. Led by stars like Kenny Clark, Rasul Douglas, and Rashan Gary, and boosted by returning contributors like Za’Darius Smith, Whitney Mercilus, and Jaire Alexander, the defense held the 49ers to only six offensive points.…

For the third year in a row, the Green Bay Packers are facing an NFC West team in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. After beating the Seahawks in 2019 and the Rams in 2020, the Packers play the 49ers in their first playoff game of the 2021 season. This isn’t Green Bay’s first time facing Kyle Shanahan’s squad this season. They emerged victorious in a Week 3 contest against San Francisco in September, 30-28. However, that long-ago game likely means little for Saturday. Both teams look quite different now. The 49ers overcame a 2-4 start to finish their season…

The past few weeks have been an almost constant stream of positive injury news for Packers fans. All-Pro CB Jaire Alexander was activated from IR on December 29, though he hasn’t suited up for a game yet. All-Pro LT David Bakhtiari was able to return to the field for the first time this season against the Lions. Rookie C Josh Myers was able to get playing time in the Lions game as well. This week, RT Billy Turner and All-Pro edge rusher Za’Darius Smith returned to practice. Earlier today, edge rusher Whitney Mercilus also made an appearance at practice. Green…

Off coverage. The very phrase seems to conjure up negative connotations in the minds of Packers fans. I think many remember the “bend but don’t break” philosophy adopted by the Pettine defenses of the last few years – which tended to lead to both bending and breaking. To many, the idea of off coverage seems synonymous with passivity. Whenever a short-yardage situation comes up, off coverage is seen as a white flag from the defense. Over the past few weeks, this view has come up several times. I especially noticed the discussion ramp up following the narrow Week 16 victory…

Good news on the COVID front! The Green Bay Packers have announced that they are activating a number of important contributors from the Reserve/COVID list. T Dennis Kelly, DL Kingsley Keke, KR/PR/WR Amari Rodgers, and S Darnell Savage will all now be available to play this Sunday. These moves leave only CB Jaire Alexander and G/T Billy Turner on the Reserve/COVID list at this time. The return of these players provide much-needed depth as the Packers approach the playoffs. However, they may not play much this week; with the #1 seed secured, Sunday’s contest against the Lions is largely meaningless.…

Unfortunately, it looks like the COVID issues that we saw affect the Green Bay roster last week are continuing. The Packers announced earlier today that safety Darnell Savage, tackle Dennis Kelly, and KR/PR David Moore were added to the Reserve/Covid list. The NFL’s current COVID guidelines allow vaccinated, asymptomatic players to return quickly. Thus, Savage, Kelly, and Moore still have a chance to play. Luckily, this news comes after the Packers clinched the #1 seed in the NFC. With Sunday’s game against the Lions meaningless, some of these players may have been rested by the team anyway. The main concern…

As I was watching film of the Packers’ game against the Browns, one thing stuck out to me. The Browns used a variety of run schemes on their way to racking up 219 yards on the ground. However, quite a few of these plays were based off of the same concept. Furthermore, this concept was not one I had seen much from previous Packers opponents. After doing some research – including consulting Coach Cody Alexander, an excellent resource for football insight – I came to the conclusion that this concept was a variation of the Buck Sweep. The Buck Sweep…

The Packers’ game against the Ravens was not particularly successful from a defensive perspective. The defense surrendered 354 yards and 30 points to a depleted Baltimore squad. Mark Andrews, the Ravens’ excellent tight end, was a particular problem, racking up 136 yards and two touchdowns on 10 catches. Allowing such dominance is unquestionably a blight on the Packers’ defense. During and following the game, Joe Barry received some heat for not adjusting quick enough to limit Andrews. However, upon reviewing the game film, I think that this criticism is somewhat unwarranted. The Packers defense did make adjustments, even doing so…

Earlier this afternoon, the Green Bay Packers announced that WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling was being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. This further weakens a position group that had recently seen Randall Cobb placed on injured reserve. MVS is vaccinated, according to reports, so he could still play against the Browns if he is asymptomatic and receives a negative test. If he can’t, however, the Packers will be without one of their most valuable weapons on Saturday. MVS provides a deep-threat ability that no other players on the roster can replicate. This loss stings even more considering that MVS is coming off…