Preseason Week 4 : Green Bay vs LA Rams Thread

[Mark87]

This is the Rams’ first visit to Lambeau Field during the preseason. The only other time that the Packers hosted the Rams in the preseason came in 1994 when the teams faced off in Madison, Wis.
It is the third preseason meeting between the teams in the last five seasons.
The most recent meeting between the two teams in the preseason came in 2014, a 21-7 victory by the Packers in St. Louis.
The last overall matchup came in the 2015 regular season when the Rams traveled to Green Bay and the Packers won, 24-10.
The Packers hold a 3-2 advantage over the Rams in the preseason, while the regular-season series is tied at 45-45-2.
If Green Bay wins, it will finish the preseason with a 3-1 record for the third time in the last four years.

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF)

MIDWEST SHRINE GAME
One of the NFL’s longest team traditions, the Upper Midwest Shrine Game kicks off its 68th installment Thursday night. It will be first time the Packers have faced the Rams in the game.
Each season, the Packers donate a percentage of the gate to the Shriners' Hospitals for Children. The Shriners' facilities provide specialized medical services, helping children with birth defects and other injuries, at absolutely no cost. To date, the series has raised more than $3.5 million for the Midwest Shrine's burn centers and hospitals for crippled children.
The series has called three separate stadiums home: Milwaukee’s State Fair Park (1950-51), Milwaukee County Stadium (1952-82, 1984-94) and Lambeau Field (1983, 1995-present).
In his first season leading the Packers, Vince Lombardi made an agreement with George Halas to play in the Shrine game annually. Green Bay and Chicago played each preseason at County Stadium from 1959-73.
The Packers annually designate the Shrine game as the first ‘Gold package’ game for season-ticket holders primarily from the Milwaukee area. The team created the three-game package after moving all of its home games to Green Bay in 1995. Also in the ‘Gold package’ this season are the contests against the Cincinnati Bengals (Sept. 24) and the Detroit Lions (Nov. 6).

WITH THE CALL
Preseason games are televised over the 16-station Packers TV Network throughout the state of Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, northeastern Minnesota, the Quad Cities, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Waterloo in Iowa, Omaha in Nebraska, Fargo in North Dakota, Sioux Falls in South Dakota and Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau in Alaska.
The top-notch broadcast team includes CBS’s Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) alongside fellow CBS broadcaster Rich Gannon (analyst), with Lance Allan of WTMJ-TV serving as the sideline reporter. Allan will also host an informative half-hour pregame show featuring former Packers tackle Mark Tauscher.
In addition to flagship stations WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee and WGBA-TV in Green Bay the game will be televised over WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau/Rhinelander, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire, Wis.; WLUC/NBC, Escanaba/Marquette, Mich.; KQDS-TV/FOX, Duluth/Superior, Minn.; WHBF-TV/CBS, Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities); KCWI-TV/CW, Des Moines, Iowa; KWWL-TV/NBC, Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa; KMTV-TV/CBS, Omaha, Neb.; KVRR/ IND, Fargo, North Dakota; KDLT/NBC, Sioux Falls, South Dakota; KYUR/ABC, Anchorage, Alaska; KATN/ABC, Fairbanks, Alaska amd KJUD/ABC, Juneau, Alaska.
Milwaukee’s WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since November 1929, heads up the Packers Radio Network that is made up of 50 stations in five states. Wayne Larrivee(play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst) call the action. McCarren first joined the team’s broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 23rd season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 19th season of broadcasts together.

BREAKING DOWN THE ROSTER
The Packers currently have an 90-man roster that is composed of 44 offensive players, 42 defensive players and four specialists.
Of the 90 players on Green Bay’s roster, 41 of them (45.6 percent) were draft picks of the Packers. Dating back to 2007, Green Bay has at least one member of each draft class still on the roster.
Green Bay has 44 players on the roster that began their careers as undrafted free agents, with 36 of those originally signed by Green Bay.
60 percent of the players (54 of 90 percent) on Green Bay’s roster entered the league as a sixth-round or seventh-round pick or as an undrafted player.
The Packers have five players on the roster that played in the NFL prior to the 2009 season. Four of those five players were draft picks of the Packers (QB Aaron Rodgers , K Mason Crosby , WR Jordy Nelson and LB Clay Matthews ) and three have made at least one Pro Bowl.
Of the 90 players on the roster, 77 began their pro careers with the Packers (85.6 percent).
Only 21 of the 90 players on the roster (23.3 percent) were selected in the first three rounds of the draft, with 19 being drafted by the Packers.

GREEN BAY’S ROSTER ...
BY AGE (as of August 10)
21-24: 56 players
25-28: 25 players
29-32: 7 players
33-plus: 2 players

BY EXPERIENCE
R-1: 42 players
2-3: 22 players
4-5: 10 players
6-9: 10 players
10-plus: 6 players

BY DRAFT ROUND
1st: 7 players
2nd/3rd: 14 players
4th/5th: 15 players
6th/7th: 10 players
Undrafted: 44 players

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Rams
All-time, Preseason: 3-2-0
All-time, Regular season: 45-45-2
All-time, Postseason: 1-1
Streaks: The Packers have won five in a row and 11 of the past 14 regular-season meetings.
Last meeting, regular season: Oct. 11, 2015; Packers won, 24-10, Lambeau Field

COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 124-69-1, .642 (incl. 10-8 postseason); 12th NFL season
Sean McVay: 0-0, .000; 1st NFL season
Head to Head: 0-0
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 5-1 vs. Rams; McVay 0-0 vs. Packers

MIKE McCARTHY…Is in his 12th year as the Packers’ 14th head coach.
Led the Packers to their eighth consecutive playoff appearance last season, tied for the third-longest streak in NFL history. Has also led the team to nine playoff appearances in the last 10 years (2007, 2009-16).
Ranks second in franchise history in total victories, trailing only Curly Lambeau.
Guided the Packers to top-10 finishes in scoring in eight straight seasons (2007-14), joining the Patriots as the only other team to accomplish the feat over that time; Packers finished first overall in scoring in 2014.
Reached the 100-win plateau faster than any active NFL head coach, needing just 155 games.
Joined Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the only coaches to guide the Packers to a Super Bowl title with a win over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.

SEAN McVAY…Is in his first year as the Rams’ 23rd head coach.
At 30 years old at the time of his hiring, became the youngest head coach in modern NFL history.
As Washington’s offensive coordinator in 2016, helped the club set numerous franchise records, including becoming the first team in franchise history to average more than 400 yards per game.
Spent three seasons directing Washington’s offense, helping to develop numerous players, most notably QB Kirk Cousins, who set single-season franchise records for completions and passing yards in 2016.
His grandfather, John McVay, was an executive with the San Francisco 49ers from 16 years, including the last 11 as vice president/director of football operations and helped the team win five Super Bowl titles.

THE PACKERS-RAMS SERIES
These clubs first met in 1937, when the NFL launched its long relationship with the city of Cleveland. The franchises met every year from 1937-71 except 1943, when the Rams didn’t field a team. Green Bay went 12-1-1 in the first 14 matchups between the clubs from 1937-1944.
The teams have met twice in the postseason, with the Packers topping the Rams, 28-7, in the 1967 Western Conference Championship. The Rams beat the Packers, 45-17, in a 2001 Divisional playoff contest.
The Packers have won five consecutive games against the Rams, dating back to 2007.
Thurday’s game will be Green Bay’s first game against the Los Angeles Rams since 1994.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Green Bay TE Lance Kendricks was a second-round draft pick of the Rams in 2011 and played six seasons in St. Louis and Los Angeles… Packers RBs coach Ben Sirmans spent the 2011-15 seasons in the same capacity with the Rams…Green Bay defensive quality control coach Tim McGarigle was a seventh-round draft pick of the Rams in 2006 and played in St. Louis through 2007...Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was the position coach of Packers executive vice president, general manager and director of football operations Ted Thompson while the two were with the Houston Oilers in 1976...Packers west regional scout Sam Seale played DB for the Rams in 1993...Los Angeles safeties coach Ejiro Evero was the Green Bay defensive quality control coach in 2016… Rams LB Andy Mulumba played in 22 games for the Packers from 2013-15…Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant and T Rob Havenstein played at Wisconsin...The Packers have a number of Southern California natives, including DT Kenny Clark (Rialto), LB Clay Matthews (Agoura Hills), T Kyle Murphy (San Clemente), TE Aaron Peck (Riverside) and RB Jamaal Williams (Fontana)…Packers who attended college in California include: WR Trevor Davis , QB Aaron Rodgers and TE Richard Rodgers (California), QB Brett Hundley and DT Kenny Clark (UCLA), LB Josh Letuligasenoa (Cal Poly), LB Blake Martinez , RB Ty Montgomery and T Kyle Murphy (Stanford) and LBs Nick Perry and Matthews (Southern California)…Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers coached defensive backs at San Jose State and California…Phillips was the defensive coordinator and later head coach of the Buffalo Bills from 1995-2000 when Green Bay QBs coach Alex Van Pelt was the Bills quarterback… Phillips was also Packers TE Martellus Bennett ’s first NFL head coach with the Dallas Cowboys…Rams RBs coach Skip Peete was on the Cowboys’ offensive coaching staff during that time…Peete and Bennett would go on to spend two more years together with the Bears from 2013-14…Rams head coach Sean McVay was the TEs coach of the UFL’s Florida Tuskers in 2009 while McGarigle played linebacker…Rams offensive line coach Aaron Kromer was Packers G Jahri Evans ’ position coach for five seasons in New Orleans…Additionally, Rams DL coach Bill Johnson held the same position with the Saints while Evans was in New Orleans…Kromer would then go on to become offensive coordinator of the Bears while Bennett was a Pro Bowl tight end in Chicago… Peete began his coaching career on the same offensive coaching staff at Pitt with Packers head coach Mike McCarthy for four seasons...Additionally, Van Pelt was a player at Pitt while the two were on the Panthers’ coaching staff...Packers DT Ricky Jean Francois played in Washington while a number of Rams coaches were on the staff, including McVay, cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant, TEs coach Shane Waldron and assistant head coach/linebackers Joe Barry, who was Jean Francois’ defensive coordinator, in addition to playing with Rams C John Sullivan...In 2008, Packers secondary-safeties coach Darren Perry and Rams special teams coordinator John Fassel were on the same staff for the Raiders...Packers secondary-cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr. was the assistant DBs coach in 2007 for the Falcons while Rams GM Les Snead worked in Atlanta’s personnel department…Van Pelt held the same position with Tampa Bay from 2010-11, where he worked with Los Angeles QBs coach Greg Olson while Olson was the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator…Green Bay LB Jake Ryan played at Michigan while Pleasant was a defensive assistant for the Wolverines…Rams WRs coach Eric Yarber coached at UCLA while Brett Hundley played for the Bruins…College teammates include Packers S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Rams LB Mark Barron (Alabama), Packers T/G Don Barclay , G/T Adam Pankey and Rams WR Tavon Austin (West Virginia), Packers C Corey Linsley and Rams LS Jake McQuaide (Ohio State), Packers CB Demetri Goodson and Rams LB Bryce Hager (Baylor), Green Bay WR Trevor Davis, TE Richard Rodgers and Los Angeles QB Jared Goff (California), Rams WR Nelson Spruce and Packers T David Bakhtiari (Colorado), Green Bay WR Davante Adams , TE Aaron Peck and Los Angeles G Cody Wichmann (Fresno State), Packers LB Jordan Tripp and Rams CB Trumaine Johnson (Montana), Rams CB Kevin Peterson and Packers G Lane Taylor (Oklahoma State), Rams TE Temarrick Hemingway and Packers LB Joe Thomas (South Carolina State), Green Bay G Kofi Amichia and Los Angeles T Darrell Williams (South Florida), Packers LB Nick Perry, Rams CB Nickell Robey-Coleman and WR Robert Woods (Southern California), Rams S Maurice Alexander, Packers S Marwin Evans and LB Kyler Fackrell (Utah State), Packers CB Kevin King and Rams OLB Cory Littleton (Washington), Packers DT Mike Daniels and Rams C Austin Blythe, T Andrew Donnal and DT Louis Trinca-Passat (Iowa)…Additionally, offensive perimeter coach David Raih was a graduate assistant at Iowa from 2010-12…Raih also worked with Rams TE Cory Harkey at UCLA.

 

[rpiotr01]

I look for Hill to lock down the #3QB spot, and Vogel to lock down the punting job. Honestly I don't know what other spots are really up in the air. I think they have an idea already of what they want to do at WR and DL and CB. Backup OL is such a mess, one game isn't going to win anyone jobs (I think they'll be looking for help elsewhere after cuts).

 

[57packer]

I don't know if jobs are necessarily up in the air at WR, but I do think that is going to be a tough position to decide on the last guy or two, or even to decide how many to keep. I won't rehash it all, but I think there is still a final roster spot to be won from among Janis, Dupre, Clark, Allison, Yancey and McCaffrey. Sounds like Clark had a couple more nice catches in practice yesterday. Maybe a solid game tomorrow moves him in a possible #7 slot on the 53. Maybe McCaffrey just continues to catch everything coming his way and he's that 7th guy. Maybe everyone looks mediocre, they keep Janis and Allison as 5 and 6 and cut the rest and take their chances on a couple of them clearing waivers and making the PS.

 

[rpiotr01]

Janis is in. Jordy Nelson ain't playing the jersey switch game with you if you're about to get cut

you are right 57 in that they may well surprise us by going lighter than expected at WR and keeping an extra DL maybe.

 

[TW]

Just a guess here, but I see the Packers hoping they can stash two of three - DuPre, Clark, and Yancey on the practice squad. Janis is going to stay, and I have a hunch McCaffery has earned a spot on this team, and could move up the ladder as a receiver, and be one of the two return men, with Janis.

I do see it going down to the wire, Callahan vs Hill, to see who gets an invite to the practice squad, and a pay check that could be quite a bit higher than the minimum.

 

[packerbacker78]

Keys to the game: No Injuries, that is all.

 

[57packer]

Didn't watch the game real closely last night, was at a family function.

OL looked pretty bad early on . . . the middle was lacking, but Murphy seemed OK and I didn't see a glaring Spriggs error except a penalty but I might have missed something. They cannot afford any injuries to the OL this year, especially not in the middle. They could maybe survive at RT with Murphy and maybe even LT for a game or two by moving Bulaga to LT and putting Murphy in at RT. That's it though. They've got nothing else.

RBs ran hard and well in the second half. I think they might keep all 3 rookies along with Monty. Hard to gauge because they were doing their best work against 2nd and 3rd stringers.

Hill has locked down the #3 spot, if they keep 3 on the roster.

I missed a lot but it didn't seem like any of the WRs stood out. Those last few cuts are going to be tough.

 

[rpiotr01]

I think EB did the OL an early disservice by having Hundley throw so often. Should have started out pounding the ball, let those shaky OL play with some confidence and forward lean. Instead he immediately had them all back on their heels. I assume to showcase Hundley but fat lot of good it did because 1. the OL got whipped and he had no time and 2. he looked like crap, skipping balls in the ground like a regular Vince Young.

Anyway I said above I looked for Vogel to lock up the punting job and I think he did, and for Hill to lock down #3 QB - only question there is they seem unlikely to carry 3 QBs. He should find his way to the PS though, and Callahan out the door.

 

[TW]

Excellent evaluation 57! I did see a couple of good moments from receivers. I thought McCaffery should be kept. He's a guy who will catch the ball, if you get it where he can. He's also a great #2 option on returns.

Callahan was through before it started. Hill looked really good. It didn't have to do with the opposition, but because of his poise, and ability to make plays, and move the team. I believe - had he been given the chance - he would have done a better job with the same talent on the field, as Hundley, whom I believe was being showcased for a trade, if possible.

Would I risk going with Hill at #2, and someone else at #3? I think I would. I don't see Hundley reacting fast enough on plays to make a difference. I see Hill being a good fit in this offense, so he would be quite valuable.

The problem is, Hundley wouldn't be a practice squad candidate, and Hill would be grabbed by someone in a heartbeat, who needed a guy who was a fast learner.

Last night, if you watched closely, the entire middle of the field was open on most of our defensive sets. Even when they showed blitz, and pulled off, they weren't more than 2 yards off the line, and playing run defense support, not pass defense over the middle. We were fortunate that the Rams didn't explore this weakness, because our pass rush wasn't stopping these guys from being open. It was Orlovsky, who couldn't see them that helped.

We open against Seattle at home, then travel down to Atlanta. I seriously doubt we can win both those games, and believe we're going to be lucky getting a split. If we do better than that, I'm going to be amazed, because I believe our #1 offense is going to be rusty, and ineffective because of it. If I'm wrong, we can win.

Now it starts. The real game. A 10-6 season may be the best we can do. It could be better, but it depends on how well Brooks handles himself, and how well a couple of offensive linemen work out down the road. I definitely don't see us going 16 games with a set offensive line. There will be injuries.

 

[Dubz41]

Funny how we watch the same game and see different details.
-Agree that Vogel locked up the punter job (no last minute shenanigans like last year). Hope he becomes more consistent.
-Hundley looks good overall. Took some time to warm up, 1 for 5 to start and suddenly he was 5 for 9. He has pocket poise and slides to his right well. He is a sneaky good runner and seems to stay under control. Hill should make it to the PS. He's an older rookie (27) with injury history. Don't see anyone else trying to develop a 27 year old rookie.
-Kerridge is probably gone through no fault of his own. Mays and Jones both seem to have decent upside and I get a feeling we're going to go with 4 RBs and one FB.
-Does TT have the balls to keep a FA (McCaffery) over two draft picks? Hope so, then we keep the WRs who clear waivers (2 out of 3?) on the PS.
-Gunter showed fine, but he is still slow. I don't think last night was enough to save him. Packers probably had their roster picked before the game. It wasn't like he made a great interception, he just grabbed a badly thrown tipped ball.
-Fackrell and Spriggs survive another year. Both still have a great chance to be future contributors and both have the same problem- too much thinking! They both need to turn it loose, trust your athleticism and make plays. If someone can sneak some 'nasty' into their cereal in the morning things could work out.

Don't put too much faith in the preseason! We have a good team and with some luck and if we can stay healthy??? Nothing could make me happier than the Packers going to the Super Bowl in Duckland, it seems like destiny.