Backups Shine in Huge Packer Victory

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Photo Credit: Jim Biever/ Packers.com

When the Packers lost Eddie Lacy and Davante Adams I thought the Seahawks would probably run away with the game. Green Bay was already shorthanded without Jordy Nelson, having lost Sam Barrington to IR this week, and with Brian Bulaga missing at least this game. Rarely has the depth of a Packer team been so tested, especially on offense. It was a pleasant surprise to see the depth of the team rise up so convincingly against such a quality opponent, and I want to highlight three players in particular.

Jayrone Elliott

Elliott is a second-year player acquired as an undrafted free agent out of Toledo. He saw a good number of snaps at the end of last season due to injuries in the linebacking corps, and while he never really stood out, he also didn’t embarrass himself which is a good start for an undrafted free agent. Elliott consistently improved as a pass rusher while in college culminating in a 9 sack 70 tackle senior season.  

Elliot is probably most famous to Packer die-hards as a preseason sensation. In 2014 he recorded 5 sacks and 3 hurries, and in the 2015 preseason, another 2 sacks and 4 hurries, while scoring an excellent 7.8 in Pro Football Focus’s grading system.

I am generally of the mindset that preseason statistics don’t matter at all, but his tape is consistently excellent as well, and it’s easy to see why he stuck on the team. Last night he showed off amazing athletic ability with his two game-changing plays. On his one-handed interception he showed elite quickness and the catch itself showed hands that Ha Ha Clinton-Dix can only dream of, and his strip of Fred Jackson to seal the game showed the hustle you get out of a guy who knows that if he stops, he might find himself off the team.  No one expects a player like Elliott to make the deciding play in a game of this magnitude, but on Sunday night the team’s scouting paid off, and Elliott was a hero.

Don Barclay

I use Pro Football Focus grades frequently, but their grade on Barclay for the Seattle game is completely unfair. His team worst -10.3 shows a complete lack of understanding of blocking technique or big-picture understanding of the Packer game plan.

Like Elliott, Barclay was acquired as an undrafted free agent, but unlike Elliott, he was the opposite of a preseason star, and I saw several people openly wondering if he would make the team. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about Barclay playing right tackle in this game, but he acquitted himself nicely. While Barclay was occasionally overpowered, the game plan clearly accounted for this. The Packers relied on their outstanding guards and center to stonewall the inside of the Seattle rush while simply requiring Barclay to take his outside rusher to the back of the pocket while Rodgers stepped up into safety. The Packers, in short, used Seattle’s aggressiveness against them. It was a brilliant plan that largely negated one of Seattle’s biggest advantages. 

Don Barclay is never going to “test well” as an NFL tackle, but as a max-effort backup with some impressive football smarts, you couldn’t ask for a better backup. Barclay didn’t play like an All-Pro, and I would have graded him a slight negative, but he did what he was supposed to do, it worked, and that’s really the bottom line.

Ty Montgomery

I love Ty Montgomery. He’s a very strange wide receiver; kind of what you would get if you mashed up Randall Cobb and Marshawn Lynch into a shifty, slot receiving uber-powerful dynamo. Montgomery wasn’t universally loved as a prospect out of Stanford partially for legitimate reasons (his hands are only average and he is occasionally careless with the ball), but mostly for nonsense. You see, Montgomery doesn’t look like a wideout. At 6’0” and 221 lbs. he’s built more like a running back. The first line in the “weaknesses” portion of his combine profile is:

“Doesn't display natural wide receiver characteristics.”

And that’s true, but I’m guessing Ted Thompson would say that we shouldn’t limit ourselves in what we think a WR can be. Randall Cobb is a WR and Jermichael Finley, while ostensibly a Tight End, was also basically a wide receiver. The two share very little in common. But the funniest thing is the last line of said profile:

Tightly wound with scouts questioning if he's too muscled.

Yes, that’s a weakness. I love it when Ted drafts players like Montgomery. After two games, what is apparent is that he’s an extremely smart player, very good route runner, excellent at reading his blocks on kick returns, and an absolute tank.

I cannot stop watching this gif of Montgomery running into and crumpling an engaged Richard Sherman while simultaneously causing Bobby Wagner to bounce backwards five yards.

You don’t see Seattle defenders get trucked like this often, and almost never by a WR. Montgomery’s stat line may look pedestrian, but it discounts the 52-yard pass interference penalty he drew against Sherman near the end of the first half, ultimately netting the team an additional three points. Montgomery understood the situation and audibled deep, adjusted to the pass, and attacked the point of the catch. He looked like an advanced wideout in almost all aspects and in the end, was a more than adequate replacement for a hobbled Davante Adams. Thompson’s ability to scout receivers is legendary, and I can’t wait to see Montgomery work his way into the offense. He’s going to be a stud.

This was a true team effort. From James Starks filling in brilliantly (outside of a fumble) to James Jones “veteran savvying” his way to yet another touchdown to the resurgence of BJ Raji, this team, even in its weakened state, is a force to be reckoned with.  The Packers have their stars, much of their staying power lies in the depth that Thompson continuously builds. That lesson was on display on Sunday night.