Gryphon
08-09-2011, 04:43 PM
Packers-Eagles A 'Dream' Matchup in NFC
August 07, 2011 3:40 pm
Sorry Dallas Cowboys fans, but I think Green Bay is the new “America’s Team.”
Titletown USA has a Mayberry-like feel to it, and I believe every NFL team wishes they had a little bit of what Green Bay has. That said, for the last week, it seems like I have heard about nothing other than “The Dream Team” the Eagles are building in Philadelphia. They might be putting together an amazing free agent class, but Dream Team?
Super Bowl or Bust
If there was ever a “Super Bowl or Bust” season, this is it for Philadelphia. It seems like they are running their very own "shock-and-awe" campaign. Adding Jason Babin and Antonio Rodgers-Cromartie was like knocking out the enemy’s ground defense before coming in with the Stealth Bomber. And that bomber was Nnamdi Asomugha. If Philadelphia was in Boston, I can just hear them saying, “How do you like them apples?”
As the Eagles appear to be planning their Super Bowl parade, there is a very quiet confidence going on in Green Bay. The last thing the other 31 teams needed was to have Green Bay enter the 2011 season with an underdog mentality. Is Philly truly a Dream Team? I weigh the facts, and compare them against America's Team.
Quarterbacks
You know you made a colossal miss when the Arizona defense was picked ahead of Michael Vick in your fantasy league (He went undrafted in ours last year).
In return, Vick put up Playstation-like numbers each week that made fantasy owners want to beat their heads in -- unless you owned him, of course. Anyone remember the Washington game last year? With numbers like 233 for 372 (62.6%), 3.018 yds, 21 TDs, 6 int, 100.2 passer rating, he was an easy nod for the Pro Bowl. He also added 676 yds and 9 TDs rushing despite missing four games due to a rib injury.
After 47 career starts, Aaron Rodgers has more yards and touchdowns and less interceptions than Favre, Manning, Brady, Brees, Rivers and Roethlisberger at the same point in their careers. How many saw that coming? In 2011, the Brett Favre gorilla came off Rodgers' back, as he backed up his magnificent regular season with a near perfect playoff performance, topping it off with a Super Bowl win.
For the season, Rodgers was 312 for 475 (65.7%), 3,922 yds, 28 TDs, 11 picks and a 101.2 passer rating. He was also second on the team in rushing yards (356) and crossed the goal line four times. He also missed 2 games due to a concussion, so the 4,000 yd plateau and 30 TDs would have been easily attained.
Analysis: SI's Peter King has Aaron Rodgers ranked as the second-ranked player in the league behind Tom Brady. At just 27, and a Super Bowl trophy in hand, he might be(should I say it) better than Favre when it's all said and done. The advantage goes to Green Bay.
Running Backs
After Green Bay lost Ryan Grant for the season in the first game against Philadelphia, many assumed that was it for the Packers. After narrowly escaping the Eagles, they modified their scheme and employed a running back by committee approach. As a result, my preconceived notion was that Green Bay’s pass/run ratio would look closer to 70/30. In reality, the facts show they were much more balanced than I thought, passing 56.3 percent and running 43.7 percent of the time, which surprisingly fell below the league average of 59/41 in 2010.
Despite their efforts, they finished 24th in the league in rushing last year. In 2011, Ryan Grant returns as does new found weapon James Starks, who played so well in the playoffs that he could unseat Grant and win the starting job. Before suffering his season-ending injury, Grant had been Mr.Consistency, averaging 1,137 yds and 7.6 TDs each of the previous three seasons. Starks might have more upside, being younger and showcasing a nice balance of speed and power.
Behind the legs of LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick, the Eagles were very successful running the ball last year, finishing fifth in the league. In his second year, McCoy rushed for 1,080 yds and 7 TDs. He was also crucial to their passing game, hauling in 78 receptions and 592 yds. This year, the same duo return as does rookie Dion Lewis, a fifth round draft choice from Pittsburgh.
Analysis: If you factor in Vick, the slight advantage has to go to Philadelphia. However, Green Bay should be much improved in this category this year, with the return of Ryan Grant.
Wide Receivers
There was not a better tandem at WR last year than DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. If you were a DeSean Jackson owner, it was a little difficult watching Maclin score most of the touchdowns, as he caught 10 vs Jackson's 6. Jackson was the homerun threat, with 21 receptions going for 20 + yards. His 1,056 yds came on only 47 receptions. Maclin was the most consistent and the primary target of Vick (116 targets vs Jackson's 97), as his 70 receptions were good for 964 yards. There is not much depth behind them however, as their running back LeSean McCoy was their third leading receiver at 592 yds.
Some say Green Bay has the best group of receivers in the league, and the numbers do not lie. When TE Jermichael Finley was lost for the season with his knee injury, Greg Jennings and many fantasy owners' seasons took off. Jennings finished the year with 76 receptions, 1,265 yds and 12 TDS. He also had 21 receptions over 20 + yds. The Packers are hard to defend because they go four deep, and all are very talented.
Free agent James Jones signed a three-year contract and looks to be the heir apparent to Donald Driver, who at 36 returns for his 13th season. Jones was their second leading receiver, with 50 rec, 679 yards and 5 TDs. Driver's streak of six consecutive 1,000 yard seasons was snapped last year, as he finished fourth on the team at 565 yards and 4 TDs.
Technically Jordy Nelson is the team's fourth receiver, yet could have been the Super Bowl MVP with 9 receptions, 140 yards and a touchdown. How many teams would love to have that kind of production? Yet he is fourth on their depth chart. Add in the return of future superstar Finley, and this group looks awful formidable once again in 2011.
Analysis: Even though Philadelphia's top two WR's are really good, you look at what Green Bay has and their depth is unbelievable. Advantage goes to Green Bay.
Defense
While it's unfair to clump the whole defense into one section, let's take a quick look at how these two teams performed last year, and then look at what 2011 might bring.
the rest of the crap is linked here: http://www.footballnation.com/content/packers-eagles-dream-matchup-nfc/4485
August 07, 2011 3:40 pm
Sorry Dallas Cowboys fans, but I think Green Bay is the new “America’s Team.”
Titletown USA has a Mayberry-like feel to it, and I believe every NFL team wishes they had a little bit of what Green Bay has. That said, for the last week, it seems like I have heard about nothing other than “The Dream Team” the Eagles are building in Philadelphia. They might be putting together an amazing free agent class, but Dream Team?
Super Bowl or Bust
If there was ever a “Super Bowl or Bust” season, this is it for Philadelphia. It seems like they are running their very own "shock-and-awe" campaign. Adding Jason Babin and Antonio Rodgers-Cromartie was like knocking out the enemy’s ground defense before coming in with the Stealth Bomber. And that bomber was Nnamdi Asomugha. If Philadelphia was in Boston, I can just hear them saying, “How do you like them apples?”
As the Eagles appear to be planning their Super Bowl parade, there is a very quiet confidence going on in Green Bay. The last thing the other 31 teams needed was to have Green Bay enter the 2011 season with an underdog mentality. Is Philly truly a Dream Team? I weigh the facts, and compare them against America's Team.
Quarterbacks
You know you made a colossal miss when the Arizona defense was picked ahead of Michael Vick in your fantasy league (He went undrafted in ours last year).
In return, Vick put up Playstation-like numbers each week that made fantasy owners want to beat their heads in -- unless you owned him, of course. Anyone remember the Washington game last year? With numbers like 233 for 372 (62.6%), 3.018 yds, 21 TDs, 6 int, 100.2 passer rating, he was an easy nod for the Pro Bowl. He also added 676 yds and 9 TDs rushing despite missing four games due to a rib injury.
After 47 career starts, Aaron Rodgers has more yards and touchdowns and less interceptions than Favre, Manning, Brady, Brees, Rivers and Roethlisberger at the same point in their careers. How many saw that coming? In 2011, the Brett Favre gorilla came off Rodgers' back, as he backed up his magnificent regular season with a near perfect playoff performance, topping it off with a Super Bowl win.
For the season, Rodgers was 312 for 475 (65.7%), 3,922 yds, 28 TDs, 11 picks and a 101.2 passer rating. He was also second on the team in rushing yards (356) and crossed the goal line four times. He also missed 2 games due to a concussion, so the 4,000 yd plateau and 30 TDs would have been easily attained.
Analysis: SI's Peter King has Aaron Rodgers ranked as the second-ranked player in the league behind Tom Brady. At just 27, and a Super Bowl trophy in hand, he might be(should I say it) better than Favre when it's all said and done. The advantage goes to Green Bay.
Running Backs
After Green Bay lost Ryan Grant for the season in the first game against Philadelphia, many assumed that was it for the Packers. After narrowly escaping the Eagles, they modified their scheme and employed a running back by committee approach. As a result, my preconceived notion was that Green Bay’s pass/run ratio would look closer to 70/30. In reality, the facts show they were much more balanced than I thought, passing 56.3 percent and running 43.7 percent of the time, which surprisingly fell below the league average of 59/41 in 2010.
Despite their efforts, they finished 24th in the league in rushing last year. In 2011, Ryan Grant returns as does new found weapon James Starks, who played so well in the playoffs that he could unseat Grant and win the starting job. Before suffering his season-ending injury, Grant had been Mr.Consistency, averaging 1,137 yds and 7.6 TDs each of the previous three seasons. Starks might have more upside, being younger and showcasing a nice balance of speed and power.
Behind the legs of LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick, the Eagles were very successful running the ball last year, finishing fifth in the league. In his second year, McCoy rushed for 1,080 yds and 7 TDs. He was also crucial to their passing game, hauling in 78 receptions and 592 yds. This year, the same duo return as does rookie Dion Lewis, a fifth round draft choice from Pittsburgh.
Analysis: If you factor in Vick, the slight advantage has to go to Philadelphia. However, Green Bay should be much improved in this category this year, with the return of Ryan Grant.
Wide Receivers
There was not a better tandem at WR last year than DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. If you were a DeSean Jackson owner, it was a little difficult watching Maclin score most of the touchdowns, as he caught 10 vs Jackson's 6. Jackson was the homerun threat, with 21 receptions going for 20 + yards. His 1,056 yds came on only 47 receptions. Maclin was the most consistent and the primary target of Vick (116 targets vs Jackson's 97), as his 70 receptions were good for 964 yards. There is not much depth behind them however, as their running back LeSean McCoy was their third leading receiver at 592 yds.
Some say Green Bay has the best group of receivers in the league, and the numbers do not lie. When TE Jermichael Finley was lost for the season with his knee injury, Greg Jennings and many fantasy owners' seasons took off. Jennings finished the year with 76 receptions, 1,265 yds and 12 TDS. He also had 21 receptions over 20 + yds. The Packers are hard to defend because they go four deep, and all are very talented.
Free agent James Jones signed a three-year contract and looks to be the heir apparent to Donald Driver, who at 36 returns for his 13th season. Jones was their second leading receiver, with 50 rec, 679 yards and 5 TDs. Driver's streak of six consecutive 1,000 yard seasons was snapped last year, as he finished fourth on the team at 565 yards and 4 TDs.
Technically Jordy Nelson is the team's fourth receiver, yet could have been the Super Bowl MVP with 9 receptions, 140 yards and a touchdown. How many teams would love to have that kind of production? Yet he is fourth on their depth chart. Add in the return of future superstar Finley, and this group looks awful formidable once again in 2011.
Analysis: Even though Philadelphia's top two WR's are really good, you look at what Green Bay has and their depth is unbelievable. Advantage goes to Green Bay.
Defense
While it's unfair to clump the whole defense into one section, let's take a quick look at how these two teams performed last year, and then look at what 2011 might bring.
the rest of the crap is linked here: http://www.footballnation.com/content/packers-eagles-dream-matchup-nfc/4485