Packers only average at corralling 'go-to' receivers

[CloakNNNdagger]

This is a piece I came across from The Greenbay Press Gazette

Since last year's Thanksgiving game, the Packers have had sort of Jeckyll and Hyde performances against the "go to" opposing receivers. This has spilled over into this year. Which Packers D shows up this game is a matter of relative unpredictability. This articles goes into some stats, some driving forces playing into their unpredictability, and thoughts presented by Capers on their top cover corner Tramon Williams and what to expect.

On Thanksgiving Day last year, when the Green Bay Packers nearly shut out the NFL’s most dangerous receiver, Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions, it looked like perhaps their days of giving up massive amounts of yardage to a single player were over.

As it turned out, that day - when Johnson was held to just four catches for 49 yards - was only an aberration.

Six times in the 10 games before Thanksgiving, the Packers allowed a 100-yard receiver or tight end. Four of those six - Carolina’s Steve Smith (six catches, 156 yards), Denver’s Brandon Lloyd (eight catches, 136 yards), San Diego’s Vincent Jackson (seven catches, 141 yards) and Tampa Bay’s Kellen Winslow Jr. (nine catches, 132 yards) - gashed the Packers for well more than 100 yards.

In the 11 games since the Thanksgiving game, including playoffs, five more receivers have had 100-yard games against the Packers, including Johnson’s 11-catch 244-yard revenge in the 2011 regular-season finale and last Sunday’s 13-catch, 212-yard showing by Reggie Wayne of the Indianapolis Colts - which rank as the top two most productive days by an opposing receiver in Packers’ history.

“Those go-to guys,” Packers cornerback Sam Shields said, “you can’t let them get the big plays.”

It’s one thing to watch a receiver go for 100 yards, but opposing receivers have been blowing that mark away. Including Johnson and Wayne, an opposing player has eclipsed the 130-yard receiving mark eight times in the past 22 games. In addition to Wayne, Marques Colston of the New Orleans Saints also did so this season with nine catches for 153 yards in Week 4 against the Packers.

“We’ve had two games where we’ve had good pass defense, two games where we’ve had poor and one game where it was average,” Packers cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said. “That’s why we’re sitting at 16th if you look at yards, and that’s all anybody cares about is yards.

“We’re average right now, and we have to play better.”

Here's to Andre showing his stuff!

[You can click the link above to read the entire article.]