Wednesday Walkthroughs: Who are the Packers’ unsung heroes so far in 2018? The usual suspects have grabbed most of the headlines in the
Packers’ 2-1-1 start. Aaron Rodgers did Aaron Rodgers things to beat the Bears.
Aaron Jones is a star in the making. Even Clay Matthews has garnered plenty of
attention
Dean Lowry Jersey White , though not for the reasons anybody hoped.But plenty of other players have pitched in as well, and this week we want to recognize
their contributions. Here are our unsung heroes from the first month of the
season.Shawn Wagner: David BakhtiariThere were gasps and groans during the
Packers’ Family Night scrimmage early in training camp when Bakhtiari gingerly
walked off the field with a lower leg injury. Fortunately for the Packers, their
left tackle was back to action quickly and has not missed a beat.On an offensive
line that has really struggled on the right side through four games, Bakhtiari
has continually given the team a big lift on Aaron Rodgers’ blind side. He’s
currently graded as the second-best tackle in the league by Pro Football Focus
and has been a critical piece of the puzzle during Rodgers’ recovery and
scrambling limitations. Not only do Packers fans never have to worry about
Bakhtiari being beaten badly off the edge, they don’t have to question his
toughness and ability to stay on the field. As an offensive lineman, you don’t
want your name heard with regularity. That in itself makes Bakhtiari a literal
unsung hero. Green Bay would be in dire straits if left tackle wasn’t secure,
making Bakhtiari among its most valuable pieces. As long as health is not a
factor, there is no way Bakhtiari is a Pro Bowl snub for a second consecutive
year.Evan “Tex” Western: Corey LinsleyWhile David Bakhtiari is a deserving
choice, he has been gradually drawing more and more attention over the past few
years and I see his name popping up in the media from time to time. Linsley,
however, seems to fly entirely under the radar despite doing yeoman’s work in
the middle of the line against a glut of excellent defensive tackles all year
long. He hasn’t missed a regular season snap since 2016, and he’s out there
doing his part to keep the maple syrup industry afloat with pancakes like
this:Check out this bonkers switch by Linsley and running back Jamaal Williams
on a blitz as well:Bob Fitch: Geronimo AllisonThe obvious answer is #69 in your
programs but #1 in your hearts, David Bakhtiari.Offensive linemen, thanks to the
nature of their position, never receive enough praise and often take too much
flak, but Bakh has been an absolute shut-down tackle this season.Packer fans and
some astute national observers have known this for a while, but someone who has
emerged as a viable threat on offense has caught many - including me - by
pleasant surprise.That man is Geronimo Allison
http://www.packerslockerroom.com/authentic-jake-ryan-jersey , and he has been a tremendous safety valve for Aaron Rodgers.Allison and Rodgers
have had good chemistry going back to Allison’s first year as a receiver and has
the full trust of the star QB.There are some obvious hiccups - namely, drops on
passes that typically would be caught - but regardless, Allison has repeatedly
bailed out the offense by making tough catches and acting as Rodgers’ outlet on
third down.Without his contributions, the offense might have looked even worse
than it already has.Paul Noonan: Blake MartinezYour humble inside linebacker may
not be the most important player on the defense, but Martinez has shown last
year’s incredibly productive season to be no fluke. He leads the team in
tackles, has has recorded a sack and a pass defended, provided some of the best
tackling on the team, and he’s been at least adequate in coverage. While he will
probably (and correctly) always be overshadowed by Daniels, Clark, and the
rookie corners, he’s easily the best linebacker on the team, and at a position
that has been a weakness for as long as I can remember, his well-rounded, steady
play is a breath of fresh air. Jon Meerdink: Ty MontgomeryPackers internet has
called loudly and repeatedly (and rightly) for Aaron Jones to receive more
carries. Ty Montgomery deserves similar treatment. Playing behind Jamaal
Williams, Montgomery has been productive when he’s gotten the ball. He’s
averaging a solid 4.5 yards per carry as a runner and a very good 12.3 yards per
catch on 11 receptions. What’s more, he presents matchup issues for the defense
that Williams simply can’t duplicate.His fumble on Sunday was certainly
regrettable, but if we’re dividing up touches in the backfield Montgomery
deserves to increase his share
Womens Oren Burks Jersey , too.Mike Vieth: JK ScottI like seeing the linemen get a little love from the writers above. Those guys never get much attention
and, being a former college lineman, that is the route I would usually choose
for an unsung hero. I’m going to go a little out of the box with my choice
though and go with punter JK Scott. Scott has been nothing but excellent through
his first four weeks as a pro. Just taking a look at his stat line, he’s had 18
punts and seven have landed inside the twenty. That’s a 38.8% rate. That’s
fantastic compared to what we’ve been accustomed to over the past several years.
He’s averaging 47.4 yards per kick with a net average of 41.6. While these
numbers are top ten in the league, where Scott really excels is his
hangtime.He’s tied for the league lead in fair catches with eight and, watching
most of his kicks, the punt coverage team is at the returner well before the
ball is caught. I can’t find any stats that say what his average hangtime is but
my guess would have to be above 4.6 seconds on every kick. I know for sure, as I
timed myself, he’s had several over five seconds. Scott is proving that he was
worth a draft pick when the Packers selected him and is looking like he will be
a vital weapon for the Packers when they need to flip the field position. My
biggest concern might be what happens to him when the cold weather hits. He went
to school at Alabama but I have to have faith that it won’t bother him much as
he was born and raised in Colorado. The last time the Packers grabbed a kicker
from Colorado it was Mason Crosby and he hasn’t had too many issues kicking in
the cold. So, hopes are high that Scott finished the year as strong as he’s
started. Neither the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears weren’t playing on
Sunday. However, unlike in most recent years, when the reigning Super Bowl
champions would host the opening game of the following NFL season, it appears
that the league has different plans for 2019.This will be the league’s 100th
season, something that was the subject of a rather entertaining commercial
during Super Bowl LIII. As a result, the league has designs on featuring its
oldest rivalry instead in the opening game:In 2018, the Packers and Bears got
the first Sunday Night Football game of the year in week one. That game ended up
earning the NFL’s Moment of the Year in Saturday’s NFL Honors ceremony. Let’s
just hope that in this coming season’s opener, Aaron Rodgers’ knee doesn’t get
messed up and he can just beat the Bears normally. Of course
Brett Favre Jersey , those two teams have played each other 198 times, including two playoff games, which makes it the most-played rivalry in pro
football. It would be a fitting start to a historic season, particularly since
the Bears are coming off a division title and the Packers are hoping for a
bounce-back year under new head coach Matt LaFleur.Now here are the rest of your
curds for today, featuring some discussions about last night’s awful, awful
Super Bowl, which saw the Patriots beat the Rams 13-3.Packers running back Aaron
Jones guarantees Super Bowl berth in 2019 | Packers WireJones has seen what
other running backs have done with Matt LaFleur around, and he's excited about
it. He's so excited, in fact, that he indeed guaranteed that the Packers will be
in next year's Super Bowl in Miami.MT5: Matt LaFleur is off and running |
Packers.comPackers president/CEO Mark Murphy took some questions this week, and
as usual there's not much to report. However, he does say that he's disappointed
that the Packers haven't played a road game in London yet, and he expects the
basic financial structure of the NFL to remain the same under the next CBA.Super
Bowl 2019 results: 7 reasons that was one of the most boring ever -
SBNation.comWe hope you had some good food and company last night, because
pretty much everything relating to the game itself -- except for the drama
around how long the national anthem lasted -- was a dud.Sean McVay: 'I didn't do
enough for us' in SB LIII loss - NFL.comAll that motion and creativity before
the snap doesn't mean much if you never actually hand the football off to the
motion man. Not to mention the fact that the Rams didn't convert a third down
until after halftime. It was a brutal performance from everyone on the
normally-explosive Rams offense, and McVay rightly takes most of the
blame.Minnesotans Embrace Warm Weather In Wake Of Polar Vortex – WCCO | CBS
MinnesotaI'm sure the same headline was written about Wisconsin as well.
