Wisconsin Badgers Football Fall Camp Position Battles to Watch

By Mike Jodar

 

1.       Mabrey Mettauer vs Cole LaCrue – #3 Quarterback spot

    Although Cole LaCrue has been battling injuries his whole time as a Badger, it is gut check time for Cole. If Mabrey Mettauer performs well in fall camp, LaCrue may get left behind not only Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Lock but Mettauer as well for the foreseeable future.

 

2.      #3 Running Back – Jackson Acker vs. Cade Yacamelli vs. 3 highly touted incoming 2024 RBs. (4-star Dilin Jones - ESPN’s No. 6 running back in the 2024 class, 4-star Darrion Dupree, 3-star Gideon Ituka)

             Clearly, the running back position was a big point of emphasis in Luke Fickell's 2024 recruiting class. However, both Chez Mellusi and Tawee Walker are seniors and are projected to be the 1-2 punch this fall.

        Who takes the reins at the running spot behind them and maybe makes their case to be the 2025 starter in the process? Both Jackson Acker (Senior) and Cade Yacamelli (Junior) are players we know what to expect from and have some experience. That said, this incoming running back class with Jones, Dupree and Ituka is about as hyped up as any class we’ve had coming into Wisconsin, which is saying something for RBU.

 

3.       Starting #3 Wide Receiver opposite Bryson Green

            Will Pauling & Bryson Green were the Badgers two most productive wide receivers last season, combining for 1,317 yards and eight touchdowns, their spots are secure, barring any injury. We can also pencil in Trech Kekahuna as the backup slot wide receiver to Pauling, (although I think we’re going to see both Kekahuna and Pauling on the field at the same time this season.) Here are the list of guys that have a legitimate shot at wide receiver three:

        Boston College Transfer Joseph Griffin Jr.: Griffin Jr. had 18 catches for 234 yds and five touchdowns in the 2022 season. Michigan State transfer Tyrell Henry: Henry had 24 catches for 195 yards and three touchdowns last season. Last year's USC transfer C.J. Williams: 15 catches for 148 yards last season. Vinny Anthony: 10 catches for 99 yards last season. Quincy Burroughs: 4 catches for 30 yards last season. Christopher Brooks: Had a promising fall camp in 2023, but unfortunately ended up missing the whole season.

 

4.       Nose Tackle

             The Badgers brought in not one, but two defensive tackles in the transfer portal, in addition to highly touted 4-star nose tackle Dillan Johnson. The five names battling for that position are: Curt Neal (currently projected to start),  Jamel Howard, Elijah Hills, Brandon Lane and Dillan Johnson.

 

5.        Filling out the two deep at middle linebacker

 The most intriguing out of these five position battles is middle linebacker. The Badgers went all out in the transfer portal at this position, grabbing three transfers with the intent on looking for downhill, physical linebackers that are athletic and can tackle in space. They return one starter being Jake Chaney who had 80 total tackles last year and is currently projected as one of the starters. They also return Christian Alliegro, who played in all 13 games last season (and is getting some buzz among his teammates as a player to watch). The three transfers previously mentioned are:

-          Jaheim Thomas (currently projected as the other started at MLB) - Started all 12 games, leading Arkansas and ranking sixth in the SEC with 90 total tackles.

-          Tackett Curtis - Played in 12 games, making 8 starts, as a freshman at USC, he recorded 40 total tackles.

-          Sebastian Cheeks – North Carolina transfer, 4 star recruit who was highly pursued by the Paul Chryst staff prior to committing to North Carolina.

        Be sure to keep an eye out for news and updates about these Badgers players through the month of August. Also be sure to tune in to the Wisco Fanatics show on August 21st and 28th for all of our 2024 season notes before the first game on August 30th.

        Also, subscribe to Wisco Fanatics on Patreon to join us for two watch parties per month for Wisconsin sports teams, one of the selections for August is the Badgers opener. That show will be live with a pre-game show, we will watch the whole game with our patrons and then stick around for a brief post-game show to discuss some of our immediate takeaways.

 Potential Bounce Back Candidates for the Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are heading into the new season with high hopes and aspirations. After a disappointing end to their previous campaign, the team is looking for certain players to bounce back and make a significant impact on the field. In this article that ties into our recent episode with Dusty Evely, we discussed some potential bounce back candidates for the Packers and analyze why they have the potential to turn things around.

1. Darnell Savage - Safety:

Darnell Savage has shown flashes of brilliance during his time with the Packers. However, he has also had his fair share of struggles. With two good years and two not-so-good years under his belt, Savage is entering a contract year, which could serve as a motivating factor. If he can bounce back and improve his completion percentage allowed, it would greatly benefit the Packers' defense.

Dusty made a great point that the Packers may be able to extract some good performance from Savage by making his role simpler and more defined.

2. Jon Runyan Jr. - Offensive Lineman:

Jon Runyan Jr. had a solid season last year, but he has the potential to be even better. With improved tackle play next to him, Runyan could elevate his game and become a key contributor on the offensive line. If he can avoid getting too comfortable in his position and maintain a high level of performance, the Packers' offensive line will greatly benefit. Runyan is much better in the pass game but has some room to grow in the run game.

3. Kenny Clark - Defensive Tackle:

Kenny Clark is a talented defensive tackle who has the potential to dominate games. However, injuries and inconsistent play have hindered his progress in recent seasons. With a revamped defensive line and improved health, Clark has the opportunity to bounce back and become a force to be reckoned with. If he can regain his Pro Bowl form, the Packers' defense will be significantly strengthened.

4. Joe Barry - Defensive Coordinator:

While not a player, Joe Barry deserves a mention as a bounce back candidate. After a disappointing stint as the defensive coordinator for the Washington Football Team, Barry has a chance to redeem himself with the Packers. Moving from the sideline to the booth, Barry will have a better view of the entire field, which could lead to improved defensive strategies. If he can bring out the best in the Packers' defense and eliminate the sagging coverage on third downs, it would be a significant bounce back for him.

5. De'Vondre Campbell - Linebacker:

De'Vondre Campbell is definitely a player to keep an eye on as a bounce back candidate for the Green Bay Packers. Despite some struggles last season, there is reason to believe that Campbell can regain his form and make a significant impact on the field.

One of the key factors in Campbell's potential bounce back is his experience and versatility. He has proven himself as a reliable linebacker in the past, and his ability to play both inside and outside linebacker positions adds value to the Packers' defense. With his athleticism and football IQ, Campbell has the potential to make a significant impact in both pass coverage and run defense.

Furthermore, Campbell's motivation to prove himself after a challenging season should not be underestimated. Players often use setbacks as fuel to push themselves to new heights, and Campbell has the drive to bounce back stronger than ever. His determination and work ethic will be crucial in his quest for redemption.

It's important to remember that every player goes through ups and downs in their career, and Campbell is no exception. While last season may not have been his best, it doesn't define his abilities as a linebacker. 

De'Vondre Campbell has the tools and the opportunity to bounce back and make a significant impact for the Green Bay Packers. With his experience, versatility, and motivation, he could become a key contributor in the Packers' defense. Keep an eye on Campbell this season, as he aims to prove that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the NFL.

As the Green Bay Packers gear up for the upcoming season, they have several players and a coordinator who have the potential to bounce back and make a significant impact. Whether it's Darnell Savage improving his coverage skills, John Runyan elevating his game on the offensive line, Kenny Clark dominating the trenches, or Joe Barry revitalizing the defense, these bounce back candidates could play a crucial role in the team's success. With their talent and determination, the Packers have reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season.

 5 Ways to Embrace Challenges and Cultivate Mental Strength with Vinny Rottino

In this special episode of  Wisco Fanatics, former athlete Vinny Rottino shares valuable insights on embracing challenges and developing mental strength. Drawing inspiration from his experiences in baseball and life, we've compiled a list of five practical ways to overcome obstacles and foster resilience. Let's dive in!

1. Shift Your Perspective: From Problems to Opportunities

We have said this on our show many times, shifting your focus from having problems in your life and shifting your mindset to seeing them as opportunities for growth is a game changer, and Vinny echoes that sentiment.

Vinny emphasizes the importance of adopting a growth mindset by reframing challenges as opportunities. Explore how you can change your perspective and view obstacles as chances for personal and professional growth. Learn to embrace adversity and use it as a catalyst for positive change.

2. Stay Present and Focus on the Next Step

One key practice that helped Vinny stay mentally strong during his career was the ability to stay present and focus on the task at hand. Discover techniques to cultivate mindfulness and develop a laser-like focus on the present moment. By concentrating on the next step rather than dwelling on past failures, you can maintain a resilient mindset.

This is something that helps us at Wisco Fanatics, we are always excited about what the future holds for us but remaining present allows us to focus on what we need to do today to help us create that future that we're excited for.

3. Work on Yourself Continuously

Vinny highlights the importance of never stopping the journey of self-improvement. Explore strategies to consistently work on yourself, both physically and mentally. Whether it's honing your skills, developing new habits, or seeking personal growth opportunities, committing to continuous self-improvement will help you navigate challenges with confidence.

We love Vinny for this answer, and we take it to heart. At Wisco Fanatics we strive to be optimistic and realistic at the same time. We also want to be accurate with our presentation of statistics and we strive to continually improve our knowledge so our analysis of the teams we talk about stays at a high level so people can learn from us and feel they get value by watching or listening to our show.

4. Find Support and Seek Growth Opportunities

Just like Vinny, everyone faces struggles in life. Surrounding yourself with a supportive network can make a significant difference. Discover ways to build a strong support system and seek growth opportunities through mentorship, networking, or joining communities that align with your goals. Together, you can overcome challenges and thrive.

For Jake and Tyler, being accountable to each other and lifting each other up on the days where the fire isn't burning as strong, has kept our show growing. Jake and Tyler are constantly pushing each other to continue getting better with their sports knowledge and presentation on the show to continue improving Wisco Fanatics for our followers.

5. Embrace Failure as a Stepping Stone to Success

Failure is an inevitable part of life, but it doesn't define you. Learn how to embrace failure as a valuable learning experience and a stepping stone to success. Explore strategies to bounce back from setbacks, develop resilience, and use failure as fuel for future achievements.

This is a massive point. If you don't think so, look at Giannis Antetokounmpo's comments after the Milwaukee Bucks got eliminated by the Miami Heat in the 2023 playoffs and watch the responses to his post game interview. Giannis echoes this sentiment. 

Fail forward.

Embracing challenges and cultivating mental strength are essential for personal and professional growth. By shifting your perspective, staying present, continuously working on yourself, seeking support, and embracing failure, you can navigate obstacles with resilience and emerge stronger than ever. Remember, challenges are opportunities in disguise. So, let's face them head-on and unlock our full potential.

Watch our full interview with Vinny Rottino on our YouTube channel.

Keep listening to Wisco Fanatics for more inspiring conversations and insights from remarkable individuals like Vinny Rottino, as well as weekly recaps from your favorite Wisconsin Sports teams.

Amari Rodgers' release offers example of recency bias

 

Amari Rodgers' release offers example of recency bias

Scribbr defines recency bias as the tendency to overemphasize the importance of recent experiences or the latest information we possess when estimating future events. Recency bias often misleads us to believe that recent events can give us an indication of how the future will unfold.

Last fall the Green Bay Packers released Amari Rodgers due to fumbling issues on kick and punt returns and Rodgers' inability to crack the team's rotation at wide receiver. Following his release from Green Bay, Amari Rodgers found a new home in Houston with the Texans. In his first game with the Texans Amari Rodgers scored a touchdown and recency bias flooded the internet with fans suggesting that the Packers misused Rodgers or that the other Rodgers, Aaron, drove Amari out or suggesting somehow that coaching failed to use Amari correctly. 

What is recency bias and how is it relevant to Amari Rodgers? Recency bias according to Wikipedia sources as a cognitive bias that favors recent events over historical ones and "gives a greater importance to the most recent event".

Amari Rodgers was released from the Green Bay Packers and we at Wisco Fanatics wished him the best while acknowledging that he needed a change of scenery. In his second active game with the Houston Texans Amari Rodgers recorded four receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown, his first career touchdown. After this touchdown people FREAKED OUT that the Green Bay Packers had made this huge mistake. What people failed to recognize was context, the Texans were missing several of their top receivers. It didn't matter, some people had things to say:

this may be one of the worst Packers takes in recent memory:

It took one touchdown for people to create a narrative that Amari Rodgers had somehow ascended to this amazing player based on four catches. Others believed that Aaron Rodgers was the problem for Amari Rodgers:

The recent release of Amari Rodgers showed us that clearly, Amari Rodgers had a single good game, and more power to him, we're happy for him. However, people need to be rational when it comes to a one game sample size in a game where a player was thrust into a prominent role on a bad team.

Scribbr also calls recency bias a type of cognitive bias that causes us to assume future events will resemble recent experiences. Amari Rodgers the rest of the season in 2022 only had eight more receptions and now early in training camp finds him looking for a third team in three years.

Recency bias can rear its head when we're talking about sports but also in life. The important thing to remember is that small samples of recent events do not hold the same amount of weight as the rest of their future or the rest of your future in your life.

Don't let recent events skew your perceptions when it comes to sports and don't let recency bias control your perception of your future!

Tune into Wisco Fanatics on Friday nights at 8pm CT on Facebook and YouTube during Green Bay Packers season for recaps and previews of every game!

Wisco Fanatics Show: What are fundamental failures?

 

If you watch the Wisco Fanatics show on Wednesdays you may have heard me talk about a group of statistics that I combine into one when talking about basketball. This is a metric I came up with by myself that involves looking at three statistics and can be applied to any basketball team. I use it when talking about the Milwaukee Bucks and Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team.

The three statistics that comprise the fundamental failures are missed free throws, opponent second chance points and opponent points off turnovers. I began tracking these three areas because I believe they stem from three main fundamental aspects of basketball that need to be executed in order to win. The three aspects being one, making your free throws, two, boxing out your opponent and three, taking care of the ball.

I started keeping track of this after last year's All-Star break, the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Brooklyn Nets by just three points, but the addition of these three areas came to a total of 59 points! I kept track for the rest of the season and recently went back to look at these three areas for the entire 2021-22 season. My hope was by determining the average fundamental failure points every night that I could determine by the actions of the team executing on the things they're supposed to do, the fundamentals, that I could determine which games the Bucks should win and which they should lose.

Furthermore, if the Bucks performed to a certain degree above or below their fundamental failures and had an outcome that went contrary to whether or not they executed on the fundamentals, that I could find whether the Bucks did something else that hurt their chances to win, like shooting poorly themselves, allowing their opponent too many open looks or whether credit simply needed to be given to the opponent for having a great night themselves.

On the other hand, if the Milwaukee Bucks won a game where they had a high number of fundamental failures and managed to win, that either the Bucks opponent had a bad shooting night, brought on by good defense or missing open looks or if the Bucks just performed well enough outside of the fundamentals to overcome sloppy play.

Without further explanation, here is what I determined from the Milwaukee Bucks 2021-22 season on fundamental failures. The Milwaukee Bucks averaged a total of 33.6 fundamental failure points per game. The Bucks averaged 5.1 missed free throws per game, opponents averaged 15.6 points off turnovers per game against the Bucks and opponents scored 12.9 second chance points against the Bucks per game.

From there I had to look at wins and losses, in games they had more or less than 33.6 fundamental failures, and then look at the margin of victory to determine if their fundamental failure or success was the reason the team earned the win or loss.

Games with fewer than 33.6 fundamental failure points

Starting in the games the Milwaukee Bucks executed their fundamentals at a rate better than the average of their season, I had to examine whether the Bucks won or lost. If the Bucks won and had a total of fewer than 33.6 fundamental failure points, the next thing I look at is margin of victory.

For example, say the Bucks won a game by 10 points and had 25 fundamental failure points, the margin of victory being 10, the fundamental success could be credited for eight of those 10, meaning the Bucks playing fundamental basketball was part of why they won the game, but not the sole reason. The Bucks may have had a strong shooting game for example or their opponent could have had a poor shooting game.

Let's say the Bucks blow out an opponent by 25 and commit 30 fundamental failure points, games like that would suggest that the Bucks shot the ball at a very high field goal percentage and played potentially very good defense to hold their opponent to a low field goal percentage while still either missing a lot of free throws, allowing second chance points or allowing their opponent to score off turnovers. These are the best games to have.

Losing while still performing well in the areas of fundamentals is where you can point to things you can improve. If you lose a game by six points and were at 27 for fundamental failures, that means that had you been average on fundamentals, you may have lost that game by 12. So the fundamentals weren't the thing that can be improved upon. It may be getting higher quality shots, it may be playing better defense or it simply may be that it just wasn't your night and shots weren't falling.

The other thing that losing while playing fundamentally sound basketball should do for Bucks fans, and I understand this can be tough, is give you permission to give credit to your opponent for playing a good game of basketball and being better than your team for the night. These are the tough close games where you leave saying "that was a good basketball game." It's okay, they're all professionals.

When you have more than 33.6 points of fundamental failure

On the flip side, if you commit higher than 33.6 fundamental failures, there may be clearer things to fix. For example, the Brooklyn Nets game on February 26th that caused me to start keeping track of these things. The Milwaukee Bucks lost this game by three points, just three, despite missing 13 free throws, allowing the Nets 19 second chance points and 27 points off turnovers, an astounding 59 total fundamental failure points. This game is a very easy one to explain, had the Bucks been a more fundamental basketball team, in any of three areas, it is extremely feasible that they leave this game victorious.

Now there may be a game where the Milwaukee Bucks commit more than 33.6 fundamental failures, only by say six or seven points, and lose by 15. Those types of games are the ones where even if you had played to an average level of fundamentals, your opponent still would have won. If you can figure out why, you know what you need to improve.

There will undoubtedly be games where the Bucks commit more than 33.6 fundamental failure points and still win, those are games you look at and can say "the Bucks could have easily lost that game." However not all wins will fall in that category.

If the Bucks commit say 40 fundamental failure points, seven above their season average, and win by 30, there has to be credit given to the Bucks for doing something else right despite playing a sloppy fundamental game. Whether it be high field goal percentage, low field goal percentage by the opponent or even the opponent committing even more fundamental failures than the Bucks. Those are the games where you say "the Bucks could have won by even more had they been more fundamental."

Now if the Bucks are seven points above their average fundamental failure points and win by say four points, those are the wins where the Bucks snuck away with one, or could have lost by playing sloppy, some might even say they got lucky.

EXAMPLES

Here are examples of each possible outcome

Bucks won, higher than 33.6 FF, margin of victory larger than FF over average: 

October 23, 2021, Milwaukee Bucks beat San Antonio Spurs 121-111, margin of victory 10, FF 42

The Bucks missed four free throws, allowed San Antonio to score 24 points off turnovers (the Bucks committed 22) and allowed 14 second chance points.

The Bucks did enough to overcome their lack of fundamental play in this specific game by shooting 53 percent on field goals. For this the Milwaukee Bucks deserve credit for winning by a bigger margin than they failed on their fundamentals.

Bucks won, higher than 33.6 FF, margin of victory smaller than FF over average:

December 10th, 2021, Milwaukee Bucks beat Houston Rockets 123-114, margin of victory 9, FF 51

The Bucks in this game missed eight free throws (24-32, respectable 75 percent), allowed 21 points off 15 turnovers and let the Rockets collect 12 offensive rebounds and turn them into 22 more points. This was a sloppy game that the Bucks should have collected a blowout win in. This is one of those games that causes takeaways like "playing down to your competition."

Bucks lost, higher than 33.6 FF, margin of defeat larger than FF over average:

October 21st, 2021, Miami Heat beat Milwaukee Bucks 137-95, margin of defeat 42, FF 46

This was the second game of last year, the Milwaukee Bucks missed 10 free throws, allowed 21 points off turnovers and 15 second chance points. Had the Bucks been around their average for fundamental failures, they may still have lost this game by 30 points. For that, credit to Miami and their defense for holding the Bucks to just 38.1 percent on field goals and 28.6 behind the 3-point line.

Bucks lost, higher than 33.6 FF, margin of defeat smaller than FF over average:

February 26th, 2022 Brooklyn Nets beat Milwaukee Bucks 126-123, margin of defeat 3, FF 59

This is the example I used above and is the game that inspired me to keep track of fundamentals. The Bucks missed 13 free throws in this game, allowed 27 points off turnovers and 19 second chance points. 59 fundamental failure points is a massive 26 points above the season average. A terribly sloppy game and ultimately, one the Bucks certainly could have and should have won. When you lose by fewer points than you were over the average fundamental failures, those are the games that you lost, not the other team won.

Bucks won, lower than 33.6 FF, margin of victory smaller than FF below average:

March 29, 2022, Milwaukee Bucks beat Philadelphia 76ers 118-116, margin of victory 2, FF 27

The Milwaukee Bucks won this game despite by two points despite being six points below their fundamental failure average, meaning they played fundamental basketball. Had they not played well fundamentally and played average, they could have lost this game. Bearing that in mind, the Milwaukee Bucks can certainly thank their fundamental play for winning this game.

Bucks won, lower than 33.6 FF, margin of victory larger than FF below average:

December 22, 2021, Milwaukee Bucks defeat Houston Rockets 126-106, margin of victory 20, FF 19

This is the example of the perfect game. Execute your fundamentals, this was one of the lowest fundamental failure totals of the entire season, and on top of it, even if the Bucks had played an average game of fundamentals, conceding the 14 points below their average, they still could have won this game by six points. Meaning the Bucks played well fundamentally and played good basketball on top of it. These are the type of games the Bucks should aspire to daily.

Bucks lost, lower than 33.6 FF, margin of defeat smaller than FF below average:

April 3, 2022, Dallas Mavericks beat Milwaukee Bucks 118-112, margin of defeat 6, FF 20

The Bucks played a fantastic game from a fundamentals standpoint, doing all the little things right, only missing five free throws, only allowing nine points off turnovers and only six second chance points. The Bucks could expect to win tons of games playing that fundamentally sound, but not this one.

Losing a game like this is tough, it feels like the Bucks did the fundamentals right and still came up short, either it means something else can be done better, or simply that you tip your cap to your opponent for a good basketball game.

Bucks lost, lower than 33.6 FF, margin of defeat larger than FF below average:

March 12, 2022, Golden State beats Milwaukee 122-109, margin of defeat 13, FF 32

This was a game where while the Bucks did play fundamentally sound, they could not stop Klay Thompson, in the end the 13 point loss looked closer on paper than it felt in person. Klay Thompson scored 38 points. This is the type of game that the Bucks sit down, watch film and figure out what they can improve on. The Bucks shot a respectable 38.6 percent on 3s, but just 41.3 percent overall. The biggest disparity however, is rebounding, the Warriors outrebounded the Bucks 55-39, 20 of the 32 fundamental failure points came from Golden State second chance opportunities. 

For the Bucks their takeaway from this game should have been: okay job at the free throw line, fantastic job only committing five turnovers and letting them converted into five points, but you have to control the glass.

This is just my way of looking at how the fundamentals of basketball can affect the game. It can also help me with how to feel about a game, whether the Bucks did a great job playing basketball and were world beaters, maybe they got away lucky from a sloppy game. Or the Bucks opponent took the game despite solid fundamentals from the Bucks and we need to give the opponent credit or the Bucks could have won the game by being more fundamentally sound.

3 Potential Paul Chryst replacements not named Lance Leipold

 

On the Wisco Fanatics show Wednesday we discussed potential Paul Chryst replacements. While myself, my co-host Jake and our frequent Wisconsin Badgers guest Mike did want to acknowledge that there is a very possible scenario where Jim Leonhard maintains the position of head coach beyond 2022, we did all give several candidates to potentially fill the position.

Mike and Jake both had Leipold on their lists given his ties to Wisconsin and to UW-Whitewater, for this reason I purposely left him off my list to give some other potential candidates that Badger fans and writers may not currently be considering. My three candidates are offensive minded coaches, my thought process with hiring an offensive minded coach is predicated on Jim Leonhard wanting to retain his post as defensive coordinator.

Potential Paul Chryst Replacements: Todd Monken

Todd Monken is currently the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs. While the Bulldogs are a team known for having one of the best, if not the best defense in the country, it shouldn't be lost on college football fans that Georgia's offense has improved tremendously on offense in the last three and a half years.

Monken took the Georgia OC job in 2020, the covid shortened season, in 2019 Georgia's offense ranked 49th in scoring and 36th in offensive yards per play, just two years later Georgia in 2021 ranked 9th in scoring and 4th in offensive yards per play. That sounds exactly like the type of leap the Wisconsin Badgers team could use offensively.

The offensive style wouldn't be a crazy radical change for Wisconsin either, by going to an offense that does rely on passing the ball, it doesn't mean Wisconsin would abandon their identity as a rushing team. In 2019, before Monken took over, Georgia threw the ball on 49 percent of plays, in 2021 the number raised just barely to 52 percent.

The last two quarterbacks at Georgia in 2020 and 2021 finished with the highest passer ratings in Georgia Bulldogs' history.

It's not like Georgia had a perfect storm of luck in 2021 either, Georgia lost their starting quarterback, two wide receivers and their starting left tackle, and still won the National Championship.

Todd Monken's offense is a run-pass-option style offense that uses a hefty dose of play action, something we've been begging for Wisconsin to do on the Wisco Fanatics show since we started talking about the Badgers football team. Monken's style relies on the quarterback making pre-snap reads of the defense and then taking what the defense gives you, throw when the defense stacks the box, run the ball when the defensive alignment shows that it's advantageous. 

Potential Paul Chryst replacements: Bill O'Brien

Bill O'Brien has been around the block in his coaching career, going from an offensive assistant for the New England Patriots, to head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, then back to the NFL to be head coach and eventual GM of the Houston Texans and then to his current post as the offensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Going back to his days in New England, his offensive philosophy was simple, use the middle of the field and short routes and slants. The Patriots did this extremely effectively and it resulted in a season of massive production from Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Using tight ends effectively does fit with the identity of Wisconsin football in the past. Also while in this system Wes Welker, a slot receiver, managed to put up a 1,500 yard receiving season.

Being at Penn State was for sure a great experience in building strong character for Bill O'Brien. O'Brien took over the program after the scandal at Penn State while the school was sanctioned from playing any postseason games. O'Brien in his first season as Penn State head coach in 2012 won the Big Ten Coach of the Year award.in 2012 eventual NFL draft pick Matt McGloin put up 24 touchdowns and just five interceptions and the Nittany Lions averaged 417 yards per game. In 2013, with Christian Hackenberg at quarterback, who threw 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, Penn State averaged 433 yards. In his two years at Penn State, Bill O'Brien went 15-9 despite being in a troubled program.

Following the 2013 season, Bill O'Brien returned to the NFL as a head coach with the Houston Texans. Some of the franchise's best and worst years were under Bill O'Brien. With talented players like Deshaun Watson, Carlos Hyde, Deandre Hopkins and Will Fuller, the Texans put a formidable offense on the field. However, the Texans began losing some of those pieces and after a 0-4 start in 2020, O'Brien was fired.

Bill O'Brien then signed a deal to become the offensive coordinator at Alabama, joining Nick Saban at arguably the best football school in the country. The contract he signed with Alabama expires after the 2022 season, meaning O'Brien could potentially be available if the Badgers were to be interested.

Bill O'Brien's philosophy may be appealing to old school Badger fans as it doesn't involve a complete overhaul to a pro style spread or RPO offense. Instead, the offense would revolve around using the middle of the field and short routes. Wide receivers would be used on screens, handoffs and sweeps. The offense would use a lot of fakes and misdirection and when ready to take a deep shot down the field, would keep extra blockers in to make sure his quarterback had adequate time to get the throw off.

Potential Paul Chryst replacements: Dave Clawson

I saved the best for last, of the three candidates I'm bringing up, Clawson is my favorite. Clawson is currently the head coach of Wake Forest, a team that has been brought back to relevance the last two seasons. Wake Forest got themselves ranked as high as #9 last season and currently sits at #15 in the country. Clawson was ACC Coach of the Year in 2021, however the ACC is quickly losing relevance in the college football world as the SEC and Big Ten continue to grow. 

Dave Clawson has a record of 51-48 from 2013-2021, a record just above the .500 mark, however, since 2016 Wake Forest has a record of 45-30 and is 15-2 in home games since 2019. That last mark should be especially interesting to Badger fans upset that Wisconsin just lost to Illinois at home for the first time since 2002.

In 2021, Wake Forest scored over 35 points in 12 of their 14 games. Last season Wake Forest averaged 468 yards per game, 307 passing yards per game and their defense created 29 turnovers, a rate of over two per game!

This season so far Wake Forest is averaging 40.4 points per game, nearly 11 more than the Badgers, good for 24th in the NCAA. While Wake Forest doesn't have a great rushing game they are 31st in the country in passing yards per game at 298. With Wisconsin having a strong identity as a successful rushing team and Clawson coaching a team to a strong passing game and high scoring, it could be a marriage of what the other needs.

Wisconsin and Clawson met in the 202o Duke's Mayo Bowl, Wisconsin won 42-28, Graham Mertz had three touchdowns, one passing and two rushing. That said, Dave Clawson is my favorite candidate should Wisconsin be looking for a new head coach for 2023.

Mike and Jake both joined the show and each had Lance Leipold on their lists. Other than that Mike also brought up Todd Monken, his other two candidates were Dave Aranda, former defensive coordinator at Wisconsin and current head coach at Baylor and then Chris Peterson, former head coach at Washington and Boise State and current college football analyst for Fox Sports.

Jake's other candidates were Sherrone Moore, current offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator at Michigan, Alex Golesh, the tight ends coach and offensive coordinator at Tennessee and finally Garrett Riley, offensive coordinator at TCU and younger brother of USC head coach Lincoln Riley.

5 Key Takeaways from the Packers Final Preseason Game Against Kansas City

1. Acceptable performance by Jordan Love to finish preseason

For the third game in a row, Jordan Love had a pretty solid night where the box score won’t tell the whole story. Love threw an interception towards the end of the first half trying to make something happen that will make the night look worse, but trying to make a play in that situation isn’t all bad. The Chiefs after the interception had the ball at their own 15 yard line and seven seconds left in the first half, really nothing to lose in that situation. We would have liked to see him at least get the ball into field goal range, sure, but he gave his wide receiver a chance to make a play. Additionally, Love played most of the first half against defensive starters, and if it wasn’t for some bad penalties, would have led them two touchdown drives. Lastly, the offense was playing backed up or behind the sticks most of the game due to terrible special teams and low production on first down runs.

On the night, Love went 16/26, 148 yards, and 1 INT. He also took a sack that he should not have as he had Tyler Davis open for a short throw but tried to scramble instead. Love did have completions of 23, 16, 15, and 13 twice, so he was pushing the ball down the field with some nice throws and hitting some tight throws; Love had some really nice completions on play action plays. However, where last week it was a few big drops by the wide receivers, this week it was Love just barely overthrowing Juwann Winfree on a few occasions. If Love and Winfree are able to connect on one or more of those deep shots, the night looks a lot better. Jordan Love did connect with Samari Toure and Amari Rodgers both several times.

Overall, Love had a successful preseason. The numbers won’t look all that great, but there is a lot more to his performance than what the box score says. Love was much more in rhythm and looked far more comfortable in the offense, also some improved footwork; it looked like the game slowed down some for him. It’s easy to forget that Love had only played two preseason games and one regular season game coming into this year. With the three preseason games this year, he essentially doubled his live NFL game experience. Although Love needs to continue to improve, I believe he has shown he is at least a capable back up at this point and is still working towards his ceiling. Hopefully we don’t see Love start another game until the 2023 preseason, but if he does have to start again like last year, he’s in a much better spot. Lastly, the “incapable of Love” crowd will tell you that Danny Etling should be the back-up, you can safely ignore those people.  

2. Amari Rodgers makes case for RB3 role

The third running back competition continued to evolve, and a new possibility emerged Thursday night. Tyler Goodson got the start and showed his homerun ability with a 24-yard touchdown run, but on his 6 other carries, he only had 4 total yards; he also added 5 receptions for 26 yards. Patrick Taylor had a pretty solid night with 7 carries for 34 yards; he had 2 carries inside of the 5-yard line that he couldn’t punch in and his TD run on 3^rd down called back due to penalty. Taylor also added 2 catches for 10 yards. Overall, I think Goodson probably outplayed Taylor this preseason, but both have shown to be capable running backs with different skill sets.

However, Amari Rodgers suddenly working as a running back has made this competition, and what the Packers do, very interesting. Rodgers showed that he can run the ball out of the back field with a really nice run of 11 yards; he also had another carry of 4 lined up as a traditional running back. Aside from working as a running back, Rodgers has shown strides as a wide receiver and seems to be the lead return man heading into the year. Might Rodgers be the next Tyler Ervin?  

With the Packers trying to figure out things at the wide receiver position, the fact that Rodgers showed tonight that he can play in the backfield may give the Packers the option of only carrying two running backs on the 53-man roster, carrying an extra wide receiver, and calling up a running back from the practice squad on a weekly basis. It’s possible either Goodson or Taylor would be claimed if they don’t make the initial roster, but I believe there is a really good chance neither of them gets claimed and the Packers can get one or both of them on the practice squad.

3. Bounce back night for the young wide receivers

Amari Rodgers and Samori Toure had really good nights, and Romeo Doubs and Juwann Winfree were solid. They all had a really clean night with no notable drops, which will garner some confidence heading into the season after the first two preseason games. Toure had the biggest night, catching 6 passes for 83 yards and a long of 23. Alongside his work as a running back (three carries for 17 yards), Rodgers added 4 receptions for 39 yards. Doubs only had one reception of note for 13 yards, but it was in really tight coverage where he showed good concentration and worked back towards the ball. As for Winfree, he only had one reception for 7 yards, however, he got open on several occasions and unfortunately Jordan Love and Winfree just couldn’t connect. Additionally, Winfree had a tremendous block on a quick out pass to the running back that went for a nice gain.

With the proven trio of Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, and Randall Cobb ahead of all of these young players, and Christian Watson waiting to show what he’s made of, the Packers have some tough choices to make heading into the final roster cuts. With Rodgers showing tonight that he can play in the backfield, Aaron Rodgers commending Winfree’s performance early in training camp, and Toure having a solid camp and final game, I think there’s an argument to be made that the roster carries eight wide receivers and two running backs on the initial 53-man roster.

4. Special Teams has gotten worse each game, just in time for them to start counting

Special Teams were absolutely horrific, and the “wefense” as Special Teams coach Rich Bisaccia likes to call them, still needs a lot of work. The returners had four kick returns for a total of 56 yards, averaging just 14 yards. Tyler Goodson had a rookie mistake play where he should have just taken a knee after muffing the catch, but instead he returned it to the 5-yard line. For the one punt return, Ishmael Hyman caught the ball inside the 10-yard line, was immediately stuffed, and a holding penalty backed the Packers up to the 4-yard line. If the Packers don’t figure out how to protect and return more efficiently, or just take a knee, teams will start kicking higher kickoffs just short of the goal line and the offense will be continually backed up like they were Thursday night.

The return defense was just as bad if not worse. The Packers allowed eight kick and punt returns for a total of 180 yards. Kansas City had two kickoff returns for an average of 31 yards and a long of 45 yards. Punt returns averaged a strong 19.6 yards with a long of 35; there were also punt returns of 20, 17, and 16.

The one bright spot of the game was punter Pat O’Donnell who had a couple booming punts that went for over 50 net yards. It’s possible that O’Donnell was outkicking his punt coverage, but the gunners need to beat their man and make a play to capitalize on these punts.

There are no more preseason games for the Packers to show they can field a competent Special Teams unit. The only hope is that more starters will contribute and help shore up this glaring weakness. If not, opponents will exploit this weakness, and it could very well cost the team another game this season.

5. Relatively quiet night for the rest of the team during low-scoring affair

There were some nice plays here and there by other players, but overall, it was a pretty low-scoring, penalty-filled sloppy game by both teams.

The inside linebacker position showed depth again, and Quay Walker had his best game so far with 5 tackles. Walker allowed a few catches, but he was there immediately after the catch to make a play on the receiver; he also had a really nice play where he was waiting for the running back in the hole and made the stop. Isaiah McDuffie started alongside Walker and had 4 tackles during his short playing time for the night. Krys Barnes had a few nice tackles and batted down a pass on third down.

               The defensive line had an okay night with Jack Heflin making a couple big splash plays, one being a 4^th and 1 run stuff. The defensive didn’t end up with any sacks, but they only gave up an average of 3.8 yards a carry, and besides one big blown coverage, the secondary had a solid night. Micah Abernathy added another 6 tackles tonight, nearly made a ridiculous interception on the goal line, and has made a strong case for the practice squad at minimum during his two preseason games.

               The starting offensive line had some trouble creating holes and giving up pressure to start the game, but they settled down after the first few drives. The one sack that the starters gave up was more on Jordan Love as he had Tyler Davis open on the check down but he tried to pull it down and run instead. Josh Myers absolutely stole a Chiefs linebacker's soul on the long Tyler Goodson touchdown run, and the Packers as a team averaged 4.5 yards per carry on the night. Hopefully Elgton Jenkins and David Bahktiari are back week 1 against the Vikings, but if not, the current offensive line has shown this preseason that they can at least be serviceable until they return.

All stats in this post were source from ESPN.

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7 Key Takeaways from the Packer Preseason Game Against the New Orleans Saints

7 Key Takeaways from the Green Bay Packer preseason game against the New Orleans Saints

1. Jordan Love’s hot start slowed down by drops

Jordan Love had a pretty solid game overall. He showed good mobility and some really nice throws. However, once again, drops capped Love's production. On his very first throw of the game, Romeo Doubs got turned around and couldn’t make the catch on a really good throw. However, the next few drives, Love showed some really nice poise and accuracy, completing passes of 15, 17, 11, and 21 yards before throwing eventually throwing a really nice high-point ball to Doubs for the touchdown. He also had a throw to Patrick Taylor in the endzone that wasn’t complete, but was in the perfect spot after a long scramble.  

After the touchdown, things really cooled off for Jordan Love and the Packers offense, large in part due to drops and a fumble by Tyler Davis. Aside from the Davis fumble, Romeo Doubs had his second drop of the game on a short crossing route, Samori Toure dropped a deep pass that was close to the sidelines but looked like it would have been inbounds and Amari Rodgers couldn’t maintain possession through contact with the ground on a really good throw up the seam for what would have been a big gain on 3^rd down. It had just finished raining, so the weather could be a factor, but it’s a play you would like to see Rodgers make. Furthermore, it seemed like once the offensive line starters started to shuffle out, Love was under a lot more pressure. Love did have one bad stretch of three bad throws in a row, two of which were into the ground, but aside from that, he played fairly consistent. After the game Head Coach Matt LaFleur did give credit to Love for playing well under pressure.

Overall, Jordan Love had a stat line of 12/24/113 yards/1 TD, however, once again, it could have been much stronger with some help from the young receivers. He also did a much better job of protecting the ball and leading his wide receivers. The “incapable of Love” haters will look at the box score once again, see 50 percent completion on pass attempts, and tell you that Love is trash. You can comfortably ignore those people knowing that his completion percentage should have been over 60 percent and his yardage should have likely been closer to 200 yards. Love has shown consistent improvement and that he is comfortable in this offense.

2. RB3 competition continues to heat up

Patrick Taylor got the start, but Tyler Goodson shined. Taylor showed tonight that he can get the short yardage when needed with two 1^st down runs on short yardage situations, but his long run of the night was only 5 yards, finishing the night with 8 carries for only 27 yards.

Tyler Goodson showed again tonight that he is a very shifty and quick. Goodson had runs of 9, 9, and 15, all on the same drive. He finished the night with 10 carries for 42 yards. He also showed his ability in the passing game with a nice catch and run of 10 yards. The one knock on Goodson is that he likely won’t break many tackles, but if you can get him in space, he is hard to catch. If I had to guess now, Tyler Goodson makes this team and there will be a few plays drawn up for him to show his speed.

Aside from Tyler Goodson and Patrick Taylor, Dexter Williams showed that he needs to be in the conversation too. With the Packers backed up against their own 2-yard line, Williams carried the ball for four, four, and six to get the Packers some room to operate; he also had a carry of nine yards. Williams finished the night with 5 carries for 24 yards playing mostly behind the 3^rd-string offensive line.  

3. First round rookies see more play time

               Devonte Wyatt seen his first game action of the preseason, and Quay Walker played more snaps than last week. Wyatt had a few nice snaps where he showed good pursuit of the quarterback, forcing them to scramble. Walker also showed a couple nice plays, one in particular where he shadowed Ian Book perfectly and shut down his scramble quickly. We’re still waiting for their first “splash” play of the preseason, but each of the player finished the night with two tackles.

            4. Young wide receivers continue to ride the roller coaster

Romeo Doubs once again made his presence felt, but in a good way and a bad way. On the first pass attempt of the game, Jordan Love made a beautiful throw to Doubs, but it seemed like Doubs looked over the wrong shoulder, got turned around a little bit, and couldn’t make the catch. On the second drive of the game that resulted in a field goal, Doubs made a really nice catch in tight coverage for 17 yards. On the third drive, Doubs had another drop on a short crossing route and it almost seemed like Doubs wasn’t ready for the ball. However, he later made up for it on the same drive with a really nice high-point catch resulting in the first touchdown of the game. Doubs also had another 17 yard catch in the game, but it was called back because of a penalty on Tyler Davis.

Amari Rodgers had an up and down night, with essentially all of his production coming in the running game; he had two carries for 15 yards and showed his speed on end arounds. He did have 2 catches, but they only amounted for 5 yards; he had a drop on what would have been a big completion and extended another drive.

Lastly, Juwann Winfree had a really solid night with 3 catches for 41 yards. There was one throw where either he ran the wrong route or Jordan Love made the wrong read, but overall, he is making a good case to make this team through the first two games and it may put the Packers in a tough spot on who to keep.

5. Like the defensive line last week, the inside line backer position showed good depth

Both Isaiah McDuffie and Krys Barnes showed that they can play as well. McDuffie had a strong game last week, and followed it up with another strong performance against the Saints. He was all over the field and near the ball. There was one play where McDuffie seemed to miss his coverage, but aside from that, he had another strong performance with 6 tackles. Barnes also made a really nice break on the ball for a pass break-up and added two tackles. With the emergence of McDuffie and the experience of Barnes, the Packers may have four players that they feel really good about at the position.

6. Special Teams déjà vu

               Once again Special Teams continued to struggle. Aside from the three big returns that they gave up (two kick returns and one punt return), there was a play where they had 10 players on the field (flash back to the playoff game), and another where they had 12 players on the field that resulted in a penalty; luckily it was 4^th and 15 and the penalty didn’t result in a 1^st down. 

One punt Amari Rodgers caught at the 3-yard line was a bad decision, and with another penalty, pinned the Packers at the 2-yard line. It’s possible Rodgers was told to return the punt no matter what, but the Packers had a couple decent punt returns, but the single kick return went for only 18 yards. Lastly, the one bright spot would be newly signed kicker Ramiz Ahmed made all of his kicks, including a 45 yarder that went straight down the middle with room to spare.

7. One potentially costly injury opens the door for young players to step up, and they did

Vernon Scott, how was vying for and likely leading the competition for the third safety, went down with a shoulder injury, and it didn’t look good. Scott left the field in clear pain with his arm hanging down at his side.

You never want to see an injury, but two of the safeties behind Scott stepped up once the injury happened. Shawn Davis had a really strong night highlighted by a fumble recovery and a long return that set up a field goal. He also added 5 tackles, one of which went for a loss. Newly signed Micah Abernathy also responded in a big way. Abernathy, who was playing in the USFL about a month ago, made a gorgeous interception along the sidelines. He also read a screen perfectly and blew up the play for a loss of 5-yards. He finished the night with an interception and four tackles.

All stats in this post were sourced from ESPN. 

6 Key Takeaways from the Packers Preseason Game Against San Francisco

1. Ignore the stat sheet when judging Jordan Love's performance

If you solely look at the box score, it will not look good, however, it definitely doesn’t tell the whole story. Jordan Love’s stats will show that he threw three interceptions, but two of those interceptions were not his fault. The first was a strike right off of Tyler Davis’s hands; the second was a bobble by Romeo Doubs that the defender ripped away. The third interception, which was Love’s fault, was a ball slightly behind Amari Rodgers and the CB made a really good undercut on the ball to make the play.

Aside from the interceptions, Love had a relatively nice night. He was more in rhythm, got the ball out quickly, and made a couple good throws on the move. He laid the ball out perfectly for the first touchdown pass of the game to Doubs. Love hit former Wisconsin wideout Danny Davis for his second touchdown of the game; Love said after the game that he changed the play at the line before the snap and was aiming for a back-shoulder throw to Davis, however, the ball was a little more up field then Love wanted but Davis made a nice adjustment and took it in for the score. Love did have a few balls that were either thrown behind or a little high (one that could have easily been an interception that turned into a Winfree reception); he also overthrew Doubs for what likely would have been a touchdown early in the game.  

You could argue that there was a total of five drops, but the Juwann Winfree catch should have been an incompletion, so if you take away the four drops, two of which led to interceptions, Love finished the night 13/20, 176 Yards, 2 TDS, and 1 INT for a passer rating of 105.4; he also added 4 runs for 24 yards. Coach Matt LaFleur commented after the game that two of the interceptions weren’t on Love and that he was pleased with the performance. Overall, there are definitely things for Love to improve on, but there was a lot of things to like as well, and compared to last year, Love seems to have taken some strides in the right direction and will look to build on this performance.

2. Solid night from the offensive line

It’s hard to judge the offensive line while watching the television broadcast, but they held up pretty nicely. Love had a pretty clean pocket for the first half and didn’t get sacked; the line only had one sack charged against them all night on a Danny Etling scramble. There was also a couple nice runs and a really well executed screen. The push upfront definitely needs to improve because they were stuffed on a couple third and short runs and Jake Hanson had the only penalty of the night for the offensive line. Overall, the Packers ended the night with 34 rushes for 141 yards and a respectable 4.1 yards per carry average and the offensive line held up nicely.

3. Competition for third running back wide open

Tyler Goodson started and seen a majority of the work. He showed that he is very quick and shifty, but his size makes it hard for him to break any tackles and he got smacked pretty good a couple of times. Goodson finished the night with 12 carries for 37 yards (3.1 yards per carry average) and added 2 catches for 24 yards. Goodson may turn out to be more of a gadget player rather than someone the Packers would lean on to handle a heavy workload.

Aside from Goodson, BJ Baylor showed some explosion on a long catch and run from a gorgeous pass by Etling, and Dexter Williams broke off a nice 25-yard run. Patrick Taylor had a pretty quiet night and got his hands on two balls that he couldn’t reel in. Overall, it looks like Goodson is likely leading the competition for the third running back role, but no one showed enough to pass up Kylin Hill once he’s healthy.

4. Young wide receivers make an impact

Romeo Doubs showed that he can definitely get behind the defense, but he also showed that he is a rookie as he had a roller coaster of a night. On his first target of the game, he beat his defender, but Love over threw him. On his second target, he once again beat his defender and this time Love hit him for a 33-yard touchdown on 4^th down. He also got behind his defender again later in the game and should have drawn a pass interference call, but the official called illegal contact instead. For the not so good, Love made a great throw on the run to a wide-open Doubs, but Doubs dropped it. Later in the game Doubs attempted to make what would have been a tough catch, but one he would expect to make, and bobbled it allowing the defender to take it away for an interception. Overall, he finished with 3 receptions for 45 yards and the touchdown. It may have been first game jitters that led to the drops, but Doubs certainly showed he is worth the hype and can get open.

Danny Davis, the undrafted free agent wide receiver out of Wisconsin, was the recipient of Love’s second touchdown. Love attempted to make a back-shoulder throw, but missed his spot and the pass pulled Davis inside of the defender. Davis was able to make a good adjustment, cut back in to make the catch, and finished it with a nice run after the catch into the end zone for the second 33-yard touchdown of the night. Davis finished with 2 receptions, 45 yards, and the touchdown.

Amari Rodgers had a fairly good night as well. He took a short Etling pass and turned it up field and showed off his athleticism by tip-toeing along the sidelines and diving for the endzone. Rodgers also broke off a 50-yard kick return and took an end around for 4 yards. However, on his one punt return opportunity, he made the fair catch much harder than it should have been by going to his knees to catch it.

Lastly, both Juwann Winfree (3 receptions for 27 yards) and seventh-round draft pick Samori Toure (3 receptions for 42 yards) chipped in nicely.

5. Special teams still a work in progress

The special teams started out rough with a penalty on a nice kickoff return to start the game, but somewhat settled down aside from a terrible kick by a kicker that will likely be off the roster very soon. Amari Rodgers had the one 50-yard return, but the other 3 returns averaged less than 20 yards each, granted some of those returns would have been kneel downs in a regular season game. The new punter Pat O’Donnell averaged 44 yards on his two punts and there weren’t any obvious bad long snaps. Overall, special teams performed fine, however, if Mason Crosby isn’t healthy soon, it may be time to panic because there is no way Green Bay can roll into the season with Gabe Brkic as their kicker.

6. Defensive line shows it's depth

Like the offensive line, it is hard to really judge the defensive line without the game tape, but T.J. Slaton looked really good. Slaton ran right through his blocker on the second play of the game and assisted on a tackle for loss a few plays later. Shortly after those two plays, Slaton started to see double teams. Jack Heflin made a tackle for loss and had a couple nice stops at the line as well. Additionally, rookie Kingsley Enagbare and Tipa Galeai had sacks. Overall, the defensive line finished with 4 tackles for loss and 2 sacks while allowing a 4.1 yard per carry average (if you remove the kneel downs to end the game). With Kenny Clark, Jarran Reed, Dean Lowry, and Devonte Wyatt all sitting out this game, the Packers have some exciting depth up front.

All stats in this post were sourced from ESPN.  

Can Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers offense succeed without a WR1?

 

The Green Bay Packers traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders this past offseason and added several players to fill the void, namely Sammy Watkins, Christian Watson and training camp standout Romeo Doubs. The Packers have retained Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb as well in the receiver room. 

The Green Bay Packers did also let Marquez Valdes-Scantling leave in free agency, however his role will likely be filled on day 1 by Christian Watson who has the size and speed to grow into a formidable deep threat. That still leaves the production of Davante Adams to replace and based on the offseason moves and quotes from Head Coach Matt LaFleur the Packers seemed committed to filling that production by committee. 

Matt LaFleur has described the wide receiver room as "fluid" several times and has also said the Packers will go with "the guy who gives us the best chance to win." To me that suggests that the Packers may go with a hot hand approach at the position and while the Packers may not have a wide receiver who finishes with a WR1 looking season, there may be weeks where any given receiver could have a WR1 game. That said Packers fans should begin adopting the mindset that the Packers will not have one single wide receiver that sees double digit targets and receptions week in and week out. More to that, the Packers and Aaron Rodgers have had success in seasons like that.

You have to go back a while to find a season that Aaron Rodgers didn't have a true number one receiver, back before Davante Adams and before Jordy Nelson was a household name. Going all the way back to 2012 was the last time Rodgers and the Packers didn't have a 1,000 yard wide receiver. Randall Cobb was the leading receiver with 954 yards on 80 receptions. During that 2012 season the Packers leading rusher, Alex Green, with 464 yards, not exactly demanding the kind of attention that Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon will this season, meaning the Packers' current stable of wide receivers should have more opportunity to face one on one coverage while teams are concerned about stopping or slowing the Packers' run game. The second leading rusher on the 2012 Packers? Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers was second on the 2012 Green Bay Packers with 259 rushing yards on the season.

You might hear those stats and think it must have been a rough season for the Packers in 2012, but the Packers went 11-5 that season. The next thing someone might say is they only played bad teams, also not true, the Packers had the fifth ranked strength of schedule in 2012. The next argument someone may pivot to is that the Packers must have just squeaked by winning close games, also not the case, the Packers were fifth in scoring in 2012 at 27.1 points per game.

So what kind of production could the Packers get from the wide receivers? Looking at Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins, the veterans, first, I took their careers and found what their per season averages were, and assuming these players have just the average of what they have done in their careers, these seasons would still be helpful for the Packers. Allen Lazard's average season calculates to 44 receptions for 597 yards and five touchdowns. While it is certainly conceivable that Allen Lazard takes a step forward and exceeds all of these numbers in his fourth season, I'm showing the averages just to show what these numbers could add up to for Aaron Rodgers before factoring in tight ends, running backs and anyone else who catches passes from Rodgers.

Randall Cobb has played 11 seasons in the NFL and his career averages calculate to 71 receptions, 859 yards and 6.8 touchdowns. These numbers may be a little high for what Randall Cobb may be expecting in 2022 but are certainly within the realm of possibility provided Cobb can remain healthy. 

The last of the veterans I looked at is Sammy Watkins, over eight seasons in the NFL Sammy Watkins averages per season over his career are 60 receptions, 869 yards and five touchdowns. Like Cobb, if Watkins can stay healthy these numbers are certainly within the realm of possibility.

Switching to the rookies, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, I looked over the last five seasons for some notable players drafted in the second and fourth rounds and looked at their rookie seasons and averaged them out. For second round picks I looked at Elijah Moore and Rondale Moore, both drafted last season, Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman and Laviska Shenault drafted in 2020. Deebo Samuel and AJ Brown who were drafted in 2019, Cortland Sutton and Christian Kirk who were drafted in 2018 and JuJu Smith-Schuster who was drafted in 2017. Now I know non-Packer fans will say things like "Christian Watson isn't as good as those guys", well they were all second round talents based on the fact that they were all drafted in the second round, and I'm looking strictly at the averages of their rookie seasons. I am also aware that it is possible that Watson doesn't play as well as these guys did their rookie seasons, but I am looking at what a potential rookie season could look like based on the averages of these 10 players rookie seasons. The average of these 10 players rookie seasons is 61 receptions, 838 yards and five touchdowns, I think I speak for all Packers fans when I say we would be thrilled with those type of numbers.

Finally I looked at fourth round rookie seasons from the last five years at wide receiver. The players I have drawn averages for are Amon-Ra St. Brown, drafted last season, Gabriel Davis drafted in 2020, Keke Coutee who was drafted in 2018 and Dede Westbrook who was drafted in 2017. There weren't a ton of fourth round rookies to compare to but looking at these players per game averages from their rookie seasons. Keke Coutee's rookie season he had Deshaun Watson at quarterback but also had DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller on his team, Dede Westbrook had Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler as his quarterbacks and led Jacksonville in receiving. Gabriel Davis had a capable Josh Allen as his quarterback but had to compete with Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley and John Brown for targets. Amon-Ra was forced into a WR1 with Detroit last season so there is a variance of roles and production among these four receivers, their averages come out to 68 receptions, 799 yards and four touchdowns. While the hype coming from Romeo Doubs in camp makes these numbers seem possible, we will have to wait and see what he can do, but like the possible numbers for Watson, these numbers would be fantastic for Doubs to put up in his rookie season.

So what do all these averages add up to to help Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers offense? Adding Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins, Christian Watson's rookie potential averages and Romeo Doubs' rookie potential averages add up to 304 receptions, 3,962 yards and 26 touchdowns. Again, that is before you factor in tight ends, running backs and whoever else gets some opportunity at wide receiver outside those five discussed. Aaron Rodgers may be in for another season very similar to his 2012 campaign and the Packers in for another run at a Super Bowl.

Key Packer Players Missing Practice - Panic Meter:

By: Bryant Barstad

David Bakhtiari - Medium-High: First, I believe this injury needs to be put in perspective as there are fans calling for him to be cut or traded. Fans and media get hung up on the fact that Bakhtiari has been out for 570+ days, but in reality, he missed essentially a season with a torn ACL. He originally tore his ACL on December 31st 2020, and attempted a comeback less than a year later on December 15th 2021, which is a relatively normal time-frame for players his size. Unfortunately, the knee didn’t respond as Bakhtiari and the medical staff had hoped and he had to be shut down for the playoffs; the time missed seems longer because he has missed two playoff runs.

The reason I have listed Bakhtiari as Medium-High is because he had to have a third procedure on the knee, and now his timetable for return is up in the air once again. (Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur declined to put a set date on his return). Each week he misses, this meter will move higher and higher. However, there has been some encouraging news this week as the organization is “cautiously optimistic” and Bakhtiari himself said, “What I can say is I do feel really good. I really like – I feel normal. My knee feels normal, and that's the biggest plus. Now it's just getting that normal feeling again when I play football. So, that's what it is: the load, stress, strength, but we're not really in an ACL issue. That's actually been a long time ago that we put that chapter to bed. It's just there's other issues.” It’s possible at this point the Packers are holding him out to allow him to weight train and rehab his knee behind the scenes, and although it would be nice for him to see some action in preseason after missing so much time, it isn’t necessary as David has plenty of experience. Ultimately, if David was to return week even late in the season, say between weeks 8-10 and be 90-95% for the playoff push, the Packers would take that in a heartbeat as he is an all-pro player that can significantly improve Green Bay’s chances to reach the Superbowl. Not to mention newly promoted Offensive Coordinator Adam Stenavich has done a fantastic job developing depth on the Green Bay Packers offensive line.

Mason Crosby - Medium: The panic meter for Crosby is a medium simply because of the atrocious special teams performance last year. Crosby had a knee scope on his kicking leg, which isn’t ideal for a soon to be 38-year-old kicker, but isn’t the main concern for panic as Crosby said that he will be ready by the start of the season at the very latest. The panic lies in the fact that the entire kicking operation was heavily blamed last year for the kicking issues, not just Crosby (outside of the weird Bengals game), and now Crosby will likely miss the opportunity to fully get comfortable with the new long-snapper and holder before the start of the season. With two of the first three games being at Minnesota and at Tampa Bay, points will come at a premium and it’s possible those games will come down to a field goal; hopefully all three members of the operation are fully comfortable and ready to execute if called upon.

Elgton Jenkins - Medium: It sounds like Jenkins recovery from his knee injury is going extremely well. In fact, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst gave a positive update when he said, “Elgton is doing great. We’re excited. We’d like to get him back out there. Hopefully that will be soon. He’s certainly ahead of schedule.” It’s great that Jenkins is ahead of schedule, but with his injury occurring in November of 2021, it’s likely he will miss at least the first four to six games of the season. With Bakhtiari also being out, and the uncertainty of his return, it's possible Green Bay will be without their top two lineman for the start of the season against some really good pass-rushing defenses. However, the long-term outlook for Jenkins is very positive. Also imagine say week 8 both Bakhtiari and Jenkins return and a formidable Packers team adds two All-Pro offensive linemen to their team.

Sammy Watkins - Medium-Low: The initial injury concern for Watkins is low as it sounds like he will return relatively quickly, but I listed Sammy as medium-low on the panic meter due to his injury history. Watkins hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year, so the fact that he started the season injured is somewhat worrisome. Although Watkins may not be expected to come in and put up 1,000 yards, it sounds like the coaching staff believes he will be an important part of the offense, so the sooner he returns to practice and can get comfortable with Aaron and learn the offense, the better.

UPDATE: The day of writing this, Watkins is coming off the non-football injury list and practicing. His long-term health will remain something to keep an eye on, but this is a perfect example of why panicking too early in training camp isn’t worth the energy.

Christian Watson - Low: The main concern for Watson isn’t his injury, as it sounds like he could have played through it, but more so the fact that he is missing valuable time as a rookie and adds a dynamic to the Packers offense that no one else can. With the loss of Adams and MVS, the Packers group of wide receivers lack a true explosive option. Watkins had that ability, but is older now and Allen Lazard is more of a possession receiver (still very valuable, just not a big Yards After Catch threat). With Watson’s size and speed (6’4'' and 4.36/40-yard dash), he has the most ability among the group to take the top off the defense, or take a drag route or jet sweep to the house, so getting him on the field as soon possible will open up the offense and give the Packers a true home run threat. During his media availability on Thursday Matt LaFleur did praise Watson, saying he was impressed with how quickly he got up to speed on his offensive responsibilities.

Robert Tonyan - Low:  There has been confidence that Tonyan will return from his injury by the start of the season since early March when the Packers re-signed Tonyan, with Brian Gutekunst saying Tonyan is ahead of schedule on his recovery. Additionally, in late June, Tonyan attended “Tight End U'' and ran on the sidelines during drills. Tonyan’s role seemed to diminish for the first half of last year before his injury compared to his breakout 2020 campaign, but if Tonyan can return by the start of the season, it will give Rodgers another trusted pass catcher and big target to turn to in pivotal situations like third down and in the red zone.

Overall Panic Meter - Medium-Low: A few days into training camp, the panic level should be medium-low. Around the league, teams like Tampa Bay have already lost key players along the offensive line while Green Bay is just waiting for them to return. There is some panic along the offensive line because it’s possible Green Bay will be looking to use the run game more this year, and when you are missing two all-pro level players, there is bound to be a drop off in production. Fortunately, Green Bay has a great front office and they have continued to pump draft picks into the offensive line, so the team should be able to stay afloat waiting for Jenkins and Bakhtiari’s return. As for the pass catchers on this list, it sounds as though all of them will return relatively quickly. It’s never great for a rookie to start behind the curve, but Watson had some time with Rodgers during OTAs and Head Coach Matt LaFleur will undoubtedly have a plan to get him involved upon his return.