Packers: Midseason Report Card

Jclombardi awards midseason Packers grades.

OFFENSE:

QB: Rodgers: Rodgers has solid statistical numbers with some bad spotty performances. He must improve in critical game situations and learn pocket presence. GRADE: B. Flynn: He has had little playing time, but appears to be a future good backup. GRADE: Inc.   GBPG GRADE: B-.

RB: Grant: He is a decent back with up and down games. GRADE: C+. Jackson: He has done very little except be an adequate blocker. GRADE: D. Green: He passed Taylor to become Packers’ leading rusher.  GRADE: B-. GBPG GRADE: C-.

WR: Jennings: So far, he has had a disappointing year. GRADE: B-. Driver: He is a solid veteran gamer. GRADE: A. Jones: He has returned to his rookie greatness. GRADE: B. Nelson: Until now, a knee injury has limited his solid play. GRADE: C+.   GBPG GRADE: C+.

FB: Kuhn: He has had a solid year. GRADE: B+. Hall: He has had a limited decent year. GRADE: C+.  Johnson: The rookie bruiser is progressing and should be a good one. GRADE: C.  

OL: Clifton: He cannot stay healthy & looked pedestrian. GRADE: C-. Colledge: He has looked soft with up & down games. GRADE: C-. Wells: Replacing injured Spitz, he is good enough. GRADE: B.  Sitton: He a future good player. GRADE: B. Barbre: He started badly, improved, and regressed. GRADE: C-. Spitz: On IR, he is missed. GRADE: B. Tauscher: In his first return game, he looked rusty. GRADE: C. Lang: The rookie has struggled, but he is another future good player. GRADE: C.   GBPG GRADE: F.

SCOUT’S VIEW:  His assessment of the blocking, both in pass protection and the run game, was especially harsh:  “The guard play, not a shot in the butt, and the tackle play is horrendous. If you had big guards next to Wells who could help him push, he’s athletic enough to get to the second level and make blocks.  I don’t really like any of those guys. Ted’s going to have to do some work on his offensive line.  It’s [an old] mess.”

TE: Finley: Recovering from  a sprain, he has a bright solid future as a go-to-player. GRADE: B. Lee: He is a decent blocker and receiver, but fading. GRADE: B-. Havner: He has developed to be a good receiver and special teams player. GRADE: B.  GBPG GRADE: C.

DEFENSE:

DL: Jenkins: He started fast, but faded lately. GRADE: B-. Jolly: He is a solid player. GRADE: B+. Pickett: He is the best lineman. GRADE: A-. Wynn: The rookie has played decent looking to be a solid back up player. GRADE: C. Montgomery: He is simply an average player with no impact GRADE: D. Raji: With a slow start, the rookie is progressing and showing potential. GRADE: C-.   GBPG GRADE: C+.

SCOUT’S VIEW: The pass rush as an equally severe problem. Pickett is a run stopper and Jenkins is an all-around player.  Yet, the combination of Jenkins and Jolly as inside rushers in the nickel defense aren’t getting adequate push.

LB: Matthews III: The rookie looks like a future star. GRADE: B. Barnett: After a slow start, he is having a solid year coming back from knee injury. GRADE: C+ Hawk: After a slow start, he has come on strong. GRADE: C+. Kampman: His transition to the 3-4 defense has not gone as well as expected. GRADE: B. Chillar: Although injured, he is the best of the group. GRADE: B+. Bishop: He is solid backup, but he needs to avoid costly mistakes. GRADE: C+. Jones: The rookie is an unknown potential player and good special teams player. GRADE: Inc. Thompson: He is just an average backup player. GRADE: D. Poppinga: He has faded to proper backup status. GRADE: D.   GBPG GRADE: C.

DB: Woodson: The all-star great player on a shaky red zone defense. GRADE: A. Harris: The slowing veteran is having a decent year. GRADE: B. Williams: He is a good future starter. GRADE: B+. Underwood: The rookie is probably good enough to be a future dime back. GRADE: Inc. Bush: He is an awful backup player. GRADE: D-. Bigby: His hype is better than his inconsistent play. GRADE: C. Collins: The all-star has been solid this year.  GRADE: B. Martin: He has struggled to fit in. GRADE: D. Giordano: He is a backup and special teams player for now. GRADE: Inc.  GBPG GRADE: B-.

SPECIAL TEAMS–GRADE: D-.   GBPG GRADE: D-.

COACHING–D-.   GBPG GRADE: D.

PERSONNEL MOVE: D-.   GBPB GRADE: D+.