2015 Preseason Game 3: Packers Lose To Eagles 39-26, Down 25-0 After 1st Quarter

The 1st quarter against the Eagles was as bad as it gets for the Green Bay Packers. It was a complete team meltdown, but mostly it was the defense just not defending:

#Packers starting defense has allowed 242 yards, 17 first downs, 19-22 completions, 25 points (not counting INT TD)

— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) August 30, 2015

The special teams started off the game by allowing a 67 yard kickoff return. P Tim Masthay looked terrible early (but better later) and the Eagles had fantastic field position on almost every possession. QB Brett Hundley looked great overall but his first pass attempt led to a shoulder injury for WR Randall Cobb (it might be minor) and his second one turned into a pick-six when TE Richard Rodgers slipped and fell while running his route. And all the penalties, penalties, and more penalties.

And unfortunately this just happens sometimes. Especially early in the season. Last season, the Packers were bad in Week 1 at Seattle, then at home in Week 2 against the Jets, and lastly in Week 3 in Detroit, before Aaron Rodgers told everyone to R-E-L-A-X and they won 13 of their last 16 games.

There was a lot of bad on defense. LB Sam Barrington was abused in coverage, and while he's not my favorite player, he was about average against the pass last season. There was little pass rush and QB Sam Bradford was barely touched in the pocket. The running lanes for the Eagles' running backs were enormous. But the Packers weren't doing anything special in their scheme either; they seemed to be in their standard nickel package the entire time. The Packers' D isn't the best in the NFL and once in a while they're going to have a bad quarter or two. And it was very nice to see LB Clay Matthews, healthy and back on the field.

Injuries, injuries, injuries. Cobb was the worst news, and it didn't look good for CB Micah Hyde either, who was taken off on a cart. RT Bryan Bulaga twisted his ankle, but later in the game, after getting some ice on it, he was sitting on the bench and putting his shoe back on. He didn't look seriously injured. I'm expecting the entire starting offensive line will be ready to play by Week 1, and that'll be a big help.

Hundley played with the first team offense but he only had RB Eddie Lacy for 4 carries, and he only played with two starting offensive lineman. So his performance with much less than the 1st string offense against the Eagles 1st string defense looks even better. I hope he's never needed in 2015 but after the 2013 collarbone debacle, the Packers need a reliable backup, when necessary.

WRs Jeff Janis, Ty Montgomery, and Myles White. They bring different talents to the field, though Montgomery and Janis are similar type deep threats, down the sidelines and in the middle of the field, while White is more of a short yardage menace. I could see the coaches mixing and matching during the season, depending on the match-up and maybe just seeing who has the hot hand.

TE Kennard Backman. He's playing at a thin position, and he finally showed something as a pass receiver. He made a difficult catch behind his body while getting hit, and then turned a short pass into a lunging touchdown reception. He also drew a holding flag, so he's still a rookie and not going to take any serious playing time away from either Quarless or Rodgers, but he's also looking like he'll make the 53-man roster.

RB Rajion Neal. He's had a great camp and starred against the Eagles with a long TD reception, and some hard running behind an offensive line that wasn't giving him much help. I'm not sure they'll keep a fourth running back but he could be back on the practice squad.

So I wouldn't worry too much about the defense but the special teams need a lot of work. Some of that will work itself out after the 53-man roster is set, but some of their problems might not be so easy, such as what to do with Tim Masthay. And the most important thing will be to get everyone healthy.

Packers Family Saturday Night Practice

It's just another practice, but it takes place in front of 67,000 and is live streamed, so it's not just another day of training camp for the Green Bay Packers.

Check out our gallery from #Packers Family Night http://t.co/T4aYxNbxNG pic.twitter.com/kDccJQUbeK

— Packers News (@PGPackersNews) August 9, 2015

A few things I took away from the practice:

The backup quarterbacks struggled. QB Aaron Rodgers also threw a pick but I'm not worried about him. All three backups have NFL potential but none of them, so far, has shown that they can put it all together in a game setting. QB Scott Tolzien would seem to be the leader in that category since he's been with them since 2013, but he didn't get into the end zone on the two-minute drill to end practice, and he had a long discussion with Mike McCarthy afterwards, appearing to discuss what went wrong. McCarthy looked a bit frustrated during the conversation.

The backup wide outs dropped passes. WR Davante Adams put on a show during practice, and you know Nelson and Cobb are one and two on the depth chart. Rookie 3rd round WR Ty Montgomery has gotten off to a great start (and he was a great college player), and even practice squad WR Myles White has received praised. They look like the top five receivers and everyone else (Abbrederis and Janis being the most notable) appear to be on the wrong side of the roster bubble because they aren't healthy (Abbrederis has been recovering from a concussion) or been dropping passes.

NT B.J. Raji. I'm not his biggest fan, but it was good to see him back on the field. With the exception of second year DT Mike Pennel, who had a couple moments last season, they played without a nose tackle last season. Seeing Raji's large frame back on the field actually looked like a good sign for the defense.

Five Key Things To Watch In Camp: Number 5 - WR Depth

Training camp is starting next weekend and the players will start reporting for camp later this week, so I'm counting down in reverse order the five key things to watch this year in training camp. The good news is that the Packers start the season in pretty good shape having made some key changes during the offseason, but there's always some question marks that will need to be addressed.

Re-setting the #Packers' depth chart on offense: http://t.co/z48h8c0HF2
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) June 30, 2014

The top three wide receivers are set (Nelson, Cobb, and Boykin) and there are six other receivers competing for three to four roster spots (probably two of them on the practice squad). The numbers four and five receivers shouldn't expect to play a major role, but injuries have knocked out the starters for significant time in each of the last two seasons (Nelson and Jennings in 2012, Cobb in 2013) so it's possible one of them will be asked play an expanded role in the offense for a few weeks. Having depth at the receiver position is so important in Mike McCarthy's offense that it elevates this competition to a key one.

Also, one of the backups could be the next kick and/or punt returner. The top two return men are DB Micah Hyde and WR Randall Cobb, but it's possible that both of them are excluded from return duties if they are both starters.

Davante Adams should have the edge on everyone else because of his recent selection in the 2nd round, but as Rob Demovsky mentioned in the above link, Adams had some trouble holding onto the ball in OTAs. Though he has been known as a sure handed receiver in the past. The odds of him not actually making the roster are practically zero, but he's not going to be the number four receiver if he's dropping passes during preseason games. We'll have to watch how he performs in those early games.

Myles White. After the big three, White is next in seniority, having played on 125 snaps and targeted for passes 12 times. It's not much of a resume, but having that experience can be a big advantage. He looked pretty good in training camp last year (with a couple of drops, unfortunately) but it didn't prevent his release.

Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis. Having both been recent draft picks helps their case for a roster spot, but its even that they're both healthy and looked good in OTAs. I'm sure the team wouldn't mind if Janis had a strong camp, but if he's too impressive they might have trouble sneaking him onto the practice squad.

Kevin Dorsey, Alex Gillett, and Chris Harper. They all have some experience with the Packers, but they've all been released at least once in their NFL careers. Harper might be struggling with a hamstring injury which is a huge set-back for him. Since they're in camp, they have a chance, but they're currently long-shots.

Which receiver or two emerges as the key backups this season will be something to watch this preseason.

Packers Depth Chart: Wide Receiver

At this time of year, it's not surprising to see as many as ten wide receivers on the Green Bay Packers roster. What is surprising is that they selected three wide receivers in one draft. It didn't used to be uncommon for GM Ted Thompson to draft wide receivers (from 2005-2008, the Packers selected two wide receivers in each year's draft, and also used a 2nd or 3rd round pick on one). However, in the five drafts from 2009-2013, only one wide receiver was selected with a high pick (Randall Cobb) and three overall.

In recent years, the Packers have filled out their wide receiver depth with young veterans or rookie free agents. WR Jarrett Boykin has been a success story but there are at least a dozen other players who didn't work out. The Packers have lost a lot of experience at the position over the past two years (Jennings, Driver, Jones) so it makes sense that they'd want to add some quality in addition to quantity this year.

Roster locks: Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Jarrett Boykin, Davante Adams. I'd like to see one more solid season from Boykin before anyone talks about a long-term extension, but he should be a very good No. 3 wide receiver. I won't know if Adams is ready to contribute in 2014 until I see him in a preseason game.

The Packers are probably going to keep six wide receivers, one more on the active roster and another on the practice squad, so the final six players are fighting for just those two spots.

Myles White. He lined up on 125 offensive plays last season which makes him the number five WR last season in terms of snap count. He had a strong 2013 preseason, except he had trouble holding onto the ball, which is a sure fire way to get released. Luckily for him, he was signed to the practice squad at the start of the 2013 season and promoted to the active roster in October after Cobb was hurt. If he can bulk up without losing any quickness (and avoid dropping passes) he could be a roster surprise. However, he's probably not eligible for the practice squad (ESPN.com says he played in 7 games last season and players with over six career active games are ineligible). He's going to have to prove he's worthy of a spot on the 53 man roster, and he might lose his spot to another receiver who's still eligible for the practice squad.

Kevin Dorsey and Alex Gillett. If Cobb hadn't been injured, and Jeremy Ross hadn't earned his release, neither player might have stuck around/returned after the last preseason game. I'm not expecting either of them to stick next season.

Chris Harper. He was a 4th round pick by the Seahawks in 2013, but he's been released twice since then. He only played on two offensive snaps for the Packers last season, but he played a lot on special teams, which makes me believe he's a great athlete but not much of a receiver. I don't think the Packers would have drafted either of the following two players if they really liked Harper.

Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis. I really want Abbrederis to succeed, so I hope he wins the No. 5 spot, but he'll be battling a similar player (White) who already has a year of NFL experience under his belt. Janis seems like an obvious choice for the practice squad; an amazing athlete with speed and size who could play offensive and defensive roles on the scout team.

Former #Badger Jared Abbrederis is wearing No. 84 for the 13-time World Champion Green Bay Packers. pic.twitter.com/bRGsohIDzp
— On Wisconsin Badgers (@wiscybadgers) May 17, 2014

Packer Wide Receivers: Without Cobb But Jones Back Soon?

Mike McCarthy addressed the Green Bay Packers' injuries at wide receiver and linebacker, but I'll leave the linebackers out of this post (LB Nick Perry won't play next week) and just look at the receivers:

Blog update: #Packers WR Randall Cobb will be sidelined for "multiple weeks" with knee injury: http://t.co/vRmvfs7H8Q
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 14, 2013

When I saw the injury, I thought Cobb's season was over, so any possible return this season is great news. However he's still going to be out for a while.

It's still early in the week, so this is subject to change, but WR James Jones might be back next week. I wasn't expecting any good news from him either. His injury happened on one of those plays where his knee gave out although it wasn't hit, and often those turn out to be season ending.

They need to add another wide receiver anyway because Jones only gets them back to three. The guy I wish they could sign was former 7th round WR Charles Johnson, but in a case of terrible timing, he was just signed off the practice squad by the Browns. Now it looks like the Packers will raid someone else's practice squad to find a replacement:

Ijust asked Tavarres King if he was going to Green Bay. "How do you know that?" Then he ducked into the bathroom. So, we'll see.
— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) October 14, 2013

King was the Broncos' 5th round draft choice and one of their final cuts before the season. He was a big playmaker in his final college season at Georgia (42 catches, 950 yards, 22.6 average, 9 TDs). His work out results were solid (4.40 40 time) but he's not a big guy (6-0, 189 lbs.) so I can see why he didn't make the 53-man roster. His hands are inconsistent and he's going to have to improve on that if he wants to have an NFL future.

His only known competition is WR Myles White, who's currently on the practice squad. I like him, but he dropped a few too many passes last preseason.

Position Review: Wide Receivers

This week, the Green Bay Packers signed another wide receiver to bring the total number of wide receivers in camp up to 11. While the top three are locked in, the bottom six are all rookies who probably have to shine during the preseason to stick with the team.

Previously:
Position Review: Offensive Line Guards and Tackles
Position Review: Offensive Line-Center

Starters: Randall Cobb, James Jones, Jordy Nelson. No doubt about it.

The Packers will probably keep three other receivers, two on the 53-man roster and one on the practice squad, and here are the other eight candidates.

Jarrett Boykin. A late season ankle injury ended his rookie campaign early, but before that he looked like a reliable player who ran good routes without dropping passes. He's the early favorite to become the No. 4 wide receiver.

Jeremy Ross. The Packers didn't sign him to the practice squad until October 17, 2012 but he ended up playing in five games (plus playoffs). While he didn't have a single pass thrown to him, he looked like a dynamic return man after big games against the Titans and Vikings. Until this happened against the 49ers. He'll get another chance, but if he drops a punt or two during the preseason, I wouldn't be surprised if he's released.

Charles Johnson and Kevin Dorsey. The two receivers the Packers drafted in the 7th round. Johnson was a small school guy who impressed Mel Kiper Jr. (and obviously the Packers' scouts) while Dorsey was a No. 1 college wide receiver during an epic quarterback injury situation. They might find themselves on the practice squad at the start of the season.

Sederrik Cunningham, Alex Gillett, Tyrone Walker, Myles White. Gillett was just signed this week as he makes the switch from college QB to NFL WR. All four players are going to have a very hard time making even the practice squad.

In the end, while the players will have to learn the offense and train hard, what's going to separate them is whether they drop passes or fumble the ball during the preseason games. It wouldn't be a surprise to see them all stay in camp until the very last preseason game so the Packers can find out who they can trust with the ball.