Finally it’s football.
The curtain rises tonight as the Green Bay Packers open the Pre-Season against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Three weeks of training camp are in the books and after installing his systems, Head Coach Matt LaFleur will get his first peak at how his young players have picked it up and how they’ll carry out their assignments. General Manager Brian Gutekunst will also be evaluating the roster he’s assembled in the first of three August tune-ups. As is customary, the prominent and probable starters on both sides of the ball will be spectating but it’s a big night for the veteran backups, draft picks and rookie free agents vying for employment. So what can fans expect and what should they be looking for?
When the Packers have the ball.
First on the list is Jordan Love. Entering his third NFL season, the former number pick has made strides this summer. He has command of the playbook and the huddle, of that there’s little doubt. Love must now erase any remaining doubts that he can become a capable and productive NFL quarterback. Better fundamentals and passing accuracy has been displayed in camp but now he must display the ability to move the offense and produce some points against another NFL club. Every snap will be scrutinized.
A good chunk of his success or struggles will be the result of the offensive line in front of him. Any team missing an All-Pro left tackle and young Pro Bowl guard would have difficulty finding consistency and that’s certainly been the case with the Packers this month with David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins working their way back from knee surgeries. The Pack’s front five has had a devil of a time protecting the quarterback against their own defensive front. Breakdowns with free rushers will only increase the anxiety of a shuffled deck of linemen. Yosh Nijman, Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, Jake Hanson and Royce Newman will get plenty of snaps together tonight. If Love has to make plays with his legs rather than his arm, Gutekunst might have to think about finding experienced help. The backup linemen I’m most interested in watching are local product Cole Van Lanen who has worked at both tackle and guard in camp, and 6-9. 370 pound giant Caleb Jones.
The run game has show some life in camp and it’ll be a big night for Patrick Taylor, B.J. Baylor, Tyler Goodson and recently re-signed Packer Dexter Williams. Look for yards after contact and pass protection, two keys to claiming the number three spot behind Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon.
An entire off-season of concern about the wide receiving group has been eased somewhat watching the likes of Romeo Doubs, Samori Toure and second year slot receiver Amari Rodgers make plays on the practice field. I’ll be watching to see how these youngsters deal with press coverage and if entering zone defenses, are they finding the open holes and at the proper depth.
When the 49ers have the ball.
In San Francisco, their quarterback of the future is now the QB of the present as Trey Lance is taking the reigns from Jimmy Garoppolo. His movement skills will test Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry’s unit.
Up front, Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed are almost certain to get the night off so we’ll see a lot of T.J. Slaton and the two draft picks, Devonte Wyatt and Jonathan Ford. Shedding blocks and collapsing the pocket are two things to watch in the trenches. The competition for backup jobs at outside linebacker and in the secondary have really heated up in the past week at camp. Jonathan Garvin, La’Darius Hamilton and Tipa Galeai have all flashed some burst. Vernon Scott and Shawn Davis at safety combined for three interceptions this past week at practice. Keisean Nixon, Shemar Jean-Charles and Rico Gafford have all gotten extensive looks at corner and in the slot. Assignment errors happen every week but take note of how the back end is communicating to limit busted covers or free running receivers.
The We-Fense debut.
New Special Teams Coordinator Rich Bisaccia has a lot of athletes at his disposal. Pay attention to the punt and kickoff coverage units. Gunners who effectively beat blocks or those who are first downfield to tackle a kickoff return will climb the pecking order quickly. Doubs and Rodgers may be at the front of the line in the return game. Free agent Gabe Brkic will handle the kicking with Mason Crosby still on the mend. He’s hoping to put together solid tape that might get noticed by other NFL teams who might be in the market for a leg. Veteran Pat O’Donnell has shown his leg is still sound after punting for the Bears the last nine years. The biggest question mark is at long snapper. The release of last year’s incumbent Steven Wirtel has given the job, for now, to rookie free agent Jack Coco of Georgia Tech. It’ll be easy to see is Coco is delivering the ball with snap and accuracy. If he isn’t, the Packers worked out a pair of long snappers last week and they might keep searching to ease the headaches from the specialist position the last couple of seasons.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur’s message to the players who will dress tonight is simple, don’t make it bigger than it is, trust the practice fundamentals and just play.
Pre-season or not, it will interesting to see them play a game for the first time in nearly 8 months.
