Continuing my "It's only..." theme from last week, some polluted thoughts on preseason game 1:
It's only preseason but... You can't ignore just the sheer ugliness of how poorly the Packers played. In all aspects of the game of football, they had numerous failures of both the physical and mental variety. Preseason or not, looking that bad put a dent in this guy's "preseason doesn't matter" armor.
It's only preseason but... To see Packers receivers come out and immediately drop passes makes you think the attention given to the whole drops conundrum might have said receivers in their own heads a bit.
It's only preseason but... I was thrilled to hear Lafleur planned to again play starters a couple of series in the third preseason game. If for no other reason than for the benefit of their psyche, but now with Love out, that opportunity is lost. Probably the worst part is him missing the joint practices.
It's only preseason but... Colby Wooden looked like a different player out there. And he is! He's now up to a "solid 300 lbs" (his words) and it showed in his ability to eat up blocks and hold his ground. He and Stackhouse combined to force that fourth down stop by moving the center and guards back. Cancel those "Wooden is getting cut" conversations for now...
It's only preseason but... Barryn Sorrell has been the Packers' most impactful pass rusher in terms of being a problem for tackles and pressuring the quarterback.
It's only preseason but... We have another call for a "sense of urgency," this one coming from Head Coach Matt Lafleur, piggybacking on GM Brian Gutekunst's off-season plea. The obvious question is, why are we finding it necessary to "create" a sense of urgency with the players? If you're a professional athlete, shouldn't that always be there within yourself? Or in the year 2025, do we need to bring back some old school coaching methods to lite a fire under a few asses?
It's only preseason but... Jacob Monk lived up (or down) to my expectations. The drafting of Monk was a major head-scratcher for me as I just didn't see NFL-level abilities watching his college tape. In what was the first major NFL action I saw Monk play in, he struggled mightily. It's only one preseason game so I'm not going to fully write him off, but, I just don't see it.
It's only preseason but... Jordan Morgan did a complete about face from his Family Night performance, playing a steady left tackle without giving up a single pressure in 23 pass blocking snaps. With news today that Van Ness was giving Morgan tons of trouble in practice, maybe, just maybe, Van Ness is "getting it" more so than Morgan is "not good enough." I do still think Morgan gives up too much ground to power rushers, but if he can improve in that department, he can be a very good left tackle in this league (I fully admit to overreacting last week to his family night performance).
It's only preseason but... I feel like Bo Melton is a roster lock after you hear about how every coach talks about him. He may even end up being CB4 as the season progresses.
It's only preseason but... I thought we signed a Pro Bowl punt returner?