Jim Bievers / Packers.com
I’m sure it’s happened before, but I personallydo not remember the last time Packer backs got 39 carries in a game, and I’llwager that the last time it happened the team was protecting a huge lead, notactively trying to score. The Cowboy defense is especially susceptible to therun and it was nice to see the team eschew the usual pass-heavy attack, andinstead to see Lacy and Starks go to town, and exploit their opponent’s biggestweakness. Starks and Lacy also did a huge amount of damage in the passing game.
Lacy is a power back, but he has flashed skillsas a receiver in the past. In the second half of last season his role as areceiver was critical to the success of the offense as a whole. If he can pulloff the occasional screen or successful dump-off he can make defenders thinktwice before crashing down on runs, and make his subsequent runs moreeffective. Here we see Lacy selling a screen, following his blocks, andpunishing defenders at the end:
Sitton and Tretter don’t get clean blocks, butthey do enough to force arm-tackle attempts, and Lacy is strong enough to powerthrough them. Starks is generally more dangerous as a receiver and he producedhis own highlight reel from this game, but it is important for the Packeroffense to be able to run multiple play concepts from any given personnel set.If Starks is only in on passing downs and LAcy is only in on running downs,that makes it much easier on the defense. It was only one play, but it was anice surprise for everyone watching at home, and for the Cowboys.
James Starks continued his excellent season aswell.
On his 30 yard touchdown the Packers lined up ina passing formation with Starks behind Richard Rodgers in a shotgun. It’s 2ndand 25 which helps with the deception aspect of the play. The entire Packer linepass blocks except for Rodgers, who hits the hole hard and completely wipes outthe excellent linebacker Sean Lee while also getting a chip on Rolando McClain.The Peyton Manning Colts used to run out of pass-blocking as a standard part oftheir offense and one of the side effects was that big plays were rare. Withlinebackers and DBs playing pass coverage down the field, there was usuallysomeone in the secondary to prevent huge gains, even if five to ten yard gainswere routine for Edgerrin James and crew. Starks has no such trouble. It’s adraw play, but the rare draw with a lead blocker. He explodes up the middle,follows his blocks perfectly, and Randall Cobb screens off the safety justenough to allow a clear path into the end zone. It’s a fantastic, well-designedplay that subverts the defense’s expectations and puts them in a vulnerableposition. Starks and Rodgers executed as well as they possibly could, and theresult was a decisive touchdown. This was the culmination of a 12-play, 84 yarddrive. It took 6:34 off the clock, featured eight running plays, five of whichgained eight yards or more, effectively icing the game. It was an old-schoolthing of beauty.
The Packer defense also had their way with theMatt Cassell-led Cowboys. While Darren McFadden was able to rip off a few longruns behind what is still an excellent offensive line, ultimately the defensedid what they do best in shutting down the passing game and getting constantpressure on the quarterback. Dez Bryant’s continued testing of the NFL catchrule is comical at this point, and even the venerable Jason Witten could manageonly 40 yards. I don’t really think Mike McCarthy’s return as play caller hadthat much impact as he is as pass-heavy a coach as their is. This game plan wasmade during the week, not on Sunday, and McCarthy has had final say from Mondayto Saturday all year. Ultimately, the Packers may still have their flaws butthey showed that they can play several different styles as needed, and theirdefense remains a force to be reckoned with on most nights.
Mike Daniels
Ted Thompson had a busy week, locking updefensive end Mike Daniels to a 4-years, $42 million extension. Few playersdeserve a raise more than the former fourth rounder who has quietly been one ofthe best defensive linemen in the NFL since he joined the league, and it’s anopen question as to whether Daniels, or Clay Matthews is the best defensiveplayer on the team. Not enough people, especially nationally, recognize what aforce he has been. He is just 26, plays a position that ages well anyway, andthe Packers are now assured to have him employed throughout his prime.
The Raiders
Oakland is coming off of a big upset of theBroncos in one of the uglier games of the year, and they have now won two of theirlast three games. They remind me a bit of the Bears a bit in that they haveconstructed a good offense behind Derek Carr, Latavius Murray, and AmariCooper, but are going through an almost total rebuild on defense. They havebeen in a defensive slump lately, but most of that can be blamed on someinjuries, and a run of quality defenses. The Packers should not have troublewith the Raiders, but as with the Bears, if they they turn the ball over ormake too many mistakes, the Raiders are good enough to make them pay. TheBroncos just learned this the hard way as they fumbled four times against theRaiders in a 15-12 loss. The Raiders recovered two and one of them resulted ina safety.
Also worth noting is that one of those fumbles,in the 3rd quarter, was recovered by none other than Charles Woodson. I’mlooking forward to next week just to see Charles one more time.
