Blue, red & cow chips: Lions edition

After every Green Bay Packers game, Railbird Central will provide you with a look back while we hand out our blue chip, red chips and cow chips for yesterday's performance.

The blue chip, amazing performances:

  • Running and passing balance -- Is there any doubt the skill position players are not the problem in Green Bay? The running game and the passing game are clicking for the Packers. It goes to show that the Packers need to focus their offseason attention on either the offensive line or on the defensive front seven. Aaron Rodgers had maybe his finest performance as a pro. He had a 132.2 passer rating on 21 of 31 passing for 308 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. It only came against the Lions, but all quarterbacks need to have good games against the cupcakes too. The Packers had two 100-yard rushers for the first time in what seems like decades. Ryan Grant was a powerful runner like he has been all season. And the pleasant surprise was DeShawn Wynn. Based upon his performance the past two games, he should be a candidate to receive heavier playing time next season.

The red chip, solid performances:

  • The wide receiving corps -- The only thing that kept this from being a blue chip performance was a couple of miscues. Greg Jennings had three drops in the first quarter of the game alone. If he wants people to point out why he's not heading to the Pro Bowl, that's it. And Donald Driver was too busy waving DeShawn Wynn into the endzone to block for him. He ended up on his back when getting bulldozed over by a Lions defender. Aside from those mistakes, both Jennings and Driver had 100-yard receiving games and both ended up with over 1,000 yards on the season. For Driver, it marked the sixth 1,000 yard receiving season of his career, a Packers record.
  • Daryn Colledge -- Colledge had one poor series, but he deserves credit for playing a position he's never played before. He had a hand in paving the way for a 211 yard rushing day. And he also deserves credit for protecting Rodgers while the Packers threw for over 300 yards as well. Packers Radio Network analyst and former Pro Bowl offensive lineman Larry McCarren called Colledge one of the Packers' most consistent linemen this season. He was also Johnny On-the-spot with two fumble recoveries. Colledge wasn't dominant, but he acquitted himself well this season.

The cow chip, crappy performances --

  • Al Harris -- The cornerback deserves all the credit in the world for the way he's played since coming back from his ruptured spleen. But Sunday was reminiscent of last year's NFC Championship game when Harris struggled against Plaxico Burress. Harris had a couple of nice tackles and a pass defensed, but he lagged in coverage against Calvin Johnson. Harris was also flagged for three penalties on the day including a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call.
  • No pass rush -- Doesn't it frustrate you to see Jason Hunter get all pumped up and chest bumping other players after his second half sack? He got absolutely dominated on the play and got credit for the Packers' only sack on the day when Orlovsky had to scramble out of the pocket when the Packers' defenders had the Lions' receivers locked down. It was a coverage sack.
Filed under:
Link this   E-mail This Link

Comments

No Comments

Leave a Comment

(required )  
(optional )
(required )  
Add

About This Blog

This is the place for those of you who can't get enough Green Bay Packers news! Updates will be provided frequently from the view of a "railbird." We go to the practices and scan the local media so you don't have to.

Milwaukee Magazine says, "Insightful and newsy, Brian Carriveau’s work could be mistaken for beat reporting instead of blogging. His coverage of the team’s practices is virtually unprecedented."

For comments, questions and media inquiries, please e-mail carriveau@uwalumni.com

Recent Posts

Advertisement

Packers Daily Links

Syndication