Packers Vs. Colts - 3 Plays That Make You Go Hmmm
Jersey Al picks out three thought-provoking plays from the Packers' last game.
By JerseyAl
After re-watching the Packers game, here are three plays that made me go hmmm, for various reasons. In general, I try to focus on a theme, the less obvious, or things I didn't notice watching live.
NOTE: For some reason, my NFL+ subscription seems to have mysteriously disappeared, so I instead had to find three plays that other people put out on Twitter (X) that made me go Hmmm.
Fully Tucked In:
Has any recent Packers draft pick progressed faster in only one year than Tucker Kraft? If his development was a stock chart, it would probably look like Nvidia's chart over the last year - a steep upward trajectory. Looking at these highlights, picture Josiah DeGuara in Kraft's place. Oh the whiffs and face plants we would have seen!
Tucker Kraft is quickly becoming one of the best (and most versatile!) blocking tight ends in the NFL. #Packers pic.twitter.com/S6tGnaSQJQ
— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) September 16, 2024
Leaving and Heaving - As these clips show, there's little doubt where Josh Myers does his best work. He is extremely comfortable leaving the safety of the LOS scrum to seek out downfield targets. Perhaps two comfortable at times, as his two ineligible man downfield penalties might suggest. But it's likely all that running on an unseasonably warm 85 degree September Wisconsin afternoon (the second warmest home game temperature in modern franchise history) could be why Myers lost his pre-game food/drink on the field.
Josh Myers was chasing around 2nd level LBs all day with this perimeter action vs IND...
NextGen numbers on his distance/running interesting to look at vs last week pic.twitter.com/xmDnhAHTL5
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) September 16, 2024
Blinders - In this clip, Quay is face to face in the hole with the running back, and instead of going right at the runner, he engages with an offensive lineman for no good reason. He's worried about getting blocked by a player that isn't blocking his path to the ball carrier. You saw the same thing last week with Quay and Saquon Barkley. Face-to-face in the hole with Barkley but Quay is bracing for a block that never comes and gives Barkley an open lane to the End Zone. Quay Walker is kind of like a thoroughbred racehorse that gets spooked by things it sees close to him in his peripheral vision (like other horses). What trainers will do with such horses is put blinders on them so they only see what's in front of them (the race track). While the Packers can't do that physically with Quay, they can implore him to mentally put the blinders on in these situations and just attack the freakin' ball carrier.
Have got to find a way to get Quay playing attacking downhill football. pic.twitter.com/HQofDOIrh0
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) September 16, 2024
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"Jersey Al" Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of various hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He's a lifetime Packers fan living in the land of the Giants (and Jets). Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP.
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Comments (25)
crayzpackfan
September 17, 2024 at 03:16 pm
One has to wonder, at least I do, if number 7 is going to reach his 5th year option let alone have it picked up. Collectively, there have been many excuses made on his behalf. Bad coaching and him being played out of position are among people's favorites. Let him play and not think, needs to play down hill are others. Well, in that clip you played, he was in the right position, didn't have anything to think about, he was looking right down the hill and yet he looked like he wanted nothing to do with making contact. In other words, he had happy feet and looked scared. The only tackling he seems to enjoy is chasing people down from behind.
I can't lie, I liked him being drafted. I was team Walker. But if I'm gonna be honest with myself, now I'm team let him Walk.
Thegreatreynoldo
September 17, 2024 at 05:58 pm
Hell, no. It isn't even a thought. His option based on playing time (which he has already achieved) is $16M for one year. There is no way anyone is touching that.
TXCHEESE
September 17, 2024 at 03:53 pm
Walker is on pace for 140+ tackles. He'll be just fine. Taylor is a good runner and he just set the block up very well. Happens to the best of them. Watching the Kraft clip, I couldn't help but smile. One of those plays, it looked like he was going to block the defender in to the bench.
crayzpackfan
September 17, 2024 at 04:07 pm
He had 4 tackles last game. with a PFF of 40.1. That's not on pace for anything good.
LambeauPlain
September 17, 2024 at 05:28 pm
I agree. I have seen JT do it so many times. Jacobs did on Sunday too...two quick jukes on one play in fact where he got both would be tacklers to flinch into his blockers. Quay is just one of many, many defenders to look silly trying to get JT on the ground.
The dropped INT was a terrible whiff. Walker has had a few of those dropped bunnies in his Packer career.
I wonder if Walker would be better at WILL backer and use his size and speed on more blitzing and less coverage.
Kraft has completely eclipsed Musgrave as #1 now.
Maybe it is just me...but Musgrave, who was mostly invisible in camp practices, seems like he has lost some speed or some "will do". There is no doubt he has "can do" skills, but he's regressed since his kidney injury.
Coldworld
September 17, 2024 at 06:39 pm
There are maybe a handful of exceptions on all the time I’ve watched football, but if you trust a linebacker to regularly catch interceptions then you are probably fooling yourself. Just be happy when they break something up. Anything else is gravy.
egbertsouse
September 17, 2024 at 05:29 pm
He won't be fine. He won't get 140+ tackles and, if he does, they will be Blake Martinez tackles. Blake used to get a crapload of tackles, all seven yards downfield. The guy is a stiff.
Thegreatreynoldo
September 17, 2024 at 06:13 pm
Quay Walker is not going to be average, even. He is a liability. The biggest liability last year was the entire safety room. Thankfully, Gute got McKinney and seems to have hit on a rookie safety in Bullard (and perhaps another with Evan Williams).
I don't see a player who would be better than Walker. Maybe Cooper or Hopper given time to develop. TBD. To get some improvement, they might try moving Bullard to slot with Evan Williams paired with McKinney. Or they could try Stokes and Valentine at perimeter CB to move Jaire into the slot, but only in critical spots since I don't want to expose Jaire's shoulder to too much pounding. Nixon is again a fair amount below average even if the coaches talk Nixon up.
Coldworld
September 17, 2024 at 06:58 pm
I don’t know if Hafley agrees with you. He seems thrilled with Nixon and to judge differently than the norm for slots. I await enlightenment as to why exactly, so I can shed no light on that myself.
Leatherhead
September 18, 2024 at 08:57 am
That's a pretty harsh assessment of Walker. He reminds me of a Springer Spaniel I had a long time ago, just full of energy but kind of clueless. He eventually matured into a pretty good dog. How old is he? 24, 25?
stockholder
September 17, 2024 at 03:57 pm
Walker looks like he's trying to push the OL
so the runner can't get behind him.
The problem is he's gotten run over too many times.
He's then out of position.
He hasn't played on the attack since he hit that trainer.
His attacks are too high now.
Savage had that same problem.
Fear of hitting?
Or he can't play different sides.
lou
September 17, 2024 at 07:19 pm
Loved the comment on the trainer penalty. The Savage comparison my be valid, picked high, great RAS numbers, always starts, minimal production at the end of the game but continued positive comments by the coaching staff and commentators (something we heard year after year about Datone Jones - remember him ?)
BadfishRadio
September 17, 2024 at 04:09 pm
Maybe time to lose the Aaron Jones photo used for this column?
crayzpackfan
September 17, 2024 at 04:17 pm
It really doesn't seem to make sense does it?
Coldworld
September 17, 2024 at 05:15 pm
So Lloyd to IR. They elevated Chris Brooks as his replacement. He’s a straight line power type without a lot of wiggle, but he does protect and catch well. If they want to run outside the tackles, then maybe Wilson or Reed or Melton or even Willis might be an option occasionally.
barutanseijin
September 17, 2024 at 05:20 pm
What do they have against Wilson?
GregC
September 17, 2024 at 06:00 pm
Enough of the Aaron Jones picture. I can't tell you how much that sucks. I'm going on strike and not reading the article.
LeotisHarris
September 17, 2024 at 06:02 pm
The Out of the Darkness book review posted here last week mentioned the story of when Aaron Rodgers' elementary school Gifted and Talented Programs teacher told Aaron's parents about how Aaron had spatial relations skills to see things as if he were above them, and to know where everything/everyone was in relation to him. Quay Walker doesn't have those skills. Quay seems to be a guy in a hurry to get to where he doesn't need to be and when he gets there, he's not sure what to do. I'm pulling for the kid. Had he handled the INT, it would have been a nice play; it definitely wasn't a bunny.
I noticed on the video of Kraft's blocking that the Colts defenders often stopped Jacobs by wrapping their arms around his lower legs and ankles. I've seen that technique in other American football games as well. Is that something the Packers D could do?
Player suggestions for new 3 Plays photo header:
Jim Grabowski (Senior nominee)
Barty Smith
Jessie Clark
Keith Woodside
Doug Evans
William Henderson (my vote)
Thegreatreynoldo
September 17, 2024 at 06:21 pm
"seems to be a guy in a hurry to get to where he doesn't need to be and when he gets there, he's not sure what to do."
Sounds like how I deal with women.
[I do not, however, wrap my arms around their lower legs/ankles and tackle them. I've heard that's inappropriate.]
JerseyAl
September 17, 2024 at 06:16 pm
ok, I changed the photo for all you complainers.
Bitternotsour
September 17, 2024 at 07:10 pm
We're just glad you haven't turned 3 things into a podcast
GregC
September 17, 2024 at 08:44 pm
Thank you!
pantz_bURp
September 17, 2024 at 09:33 pm
You are missing the bestest of options J-Al,
The one where Lizard (Lazard) blocks three defenders on one play and is seen counting to three on his fingers afterwards...what's wrong with this stellar idea?
Duh!, 😁
Big Sexy,
Pantz
splitpea1
September 17, 2024 at 10:22 pm
Play 3: Quay is an odd player, that's for sure. He has a lot of energy, but as evidenced by the clip and other adventures in the past, that energy is sometimes misdirected in the strangest of ways. Also another possible INT that he couldn't come up with.
Can anyone tell me why our two lowest graded LBs, Walker and McDuffie, played by far the most snaps (106 between them), and our highest graded, Wilson and Cooper, only got 15? Seems like the coaching staff should consider a little shuffle or at least a mild reversal here.
Cabeza del queso
September 18, 2024 at 08:03 am
I don't think Q.W. is as bad as a lot of people are saying. Be a little understanding that with a new defense his keys and angles may be drastically different.
If you look closely at the play posted, if JT runs behind the guard he has a lane, he runs to his right in gap QW is in. He keeps his left arm free, but this is a big league running back making this play. Also notice that there is absolutely no help on either side of him. He is asked to make a tackle with an OL in his face and 8-10 yards lateral space to cover. I don't think there are too many NFL inside LB's that make that play.
Give him and the rest of the D a little time to understand where everyone is supposed to be, the gaps to be covered , and the proper way to cover said gap. ( my only criticism of QW on above play is that he turned his shoulders too much. If he is square to the line he might have had a better chance-might have.)