Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals: Know Thy Enemy

Rodgers is the perfect example of why it is important to sit a young QB even one as gifted as Rodgers. Rodgers ability to sit behind Benedict Arnold ( Favre) for all those years has greatly benifited both the Packers and Rodgers. Rodgers has played lights out football this season and is richly deserving of his Pro Bowl nod. He’s a terricfic plant and throw QB with text book form and mechanics coupled with the ability to drive the football down field with great velocity, accurracy, touch, timing and anticipation.

Rodgers makes all the throws including stick throws into small windows with the game on the line. He possesses the quiet in charge athletic arrogance required to play the position at a high level. What I like most about Rodgers is his willingness to look down the “gun barrel” when under duress in the pocket and deliver the football. This is often an overlooked profile in courage and is the difference between being good and being great at the pro level.

Rodgers struggles have come when the protection has broken down (earlier in the season) and he held the ball to long waiting for his playmakers to “uncover”. Teams that employ man to man coverage concepts and are able to generate pressure on Rodgers can find some success.

Great poise for such a young player and his mobiity is a huge assest when he’s forced off his launch point. Rodgers should contiune to play at a high level for years to come if protected and he remains healthy.

I think Charles Woodson is the NFL Defensive MVP. Woodson is at an age (12th season) when most players that play his position have been subjected to one of three moves, (1) moved inside to Safety , (2) reduced to back-up duty or (3) retired.

DC Dom Campers Zone Blitz scheme would not be as effective without the former Heisman Trophy winner as the center piece of the defense. And what a piece he is. This guy is an impact player extraordinaire. Woodson’s high football IQ allows the defense to be multi-dimenisional with Campers employing his various pressure packages of zone blitz and zone exchange concepts. The Packers are very diverse with their defensive fronts and alignments and the the key cog is Woodson. Campers has done a masterful job appealing to Woodson’s ability to intellectualize (be a thinking player) the game as Woodson has mastered multiple postions and scheme assignments. This has kept Woodson “fresh” mentally week to week——- a huge asset to a player of Woodson’s calibre.

Woodson has lined-up at safety, dime-back, nickle and his normal position of CB with amazing success allowing others to make plays when the action is away from him. He’s a hybrid player and will come off the corner on the blitz and get to the QB. He is such a nightmare match-up for OC’s and QB’s and he must be accounted for at the line of scrimmage on every play all day. Woodson has no weaknesses to his game as his stats will attest.

74 Tackles
4 Forced Fumbles
2 Sacks
8 Int’s
2TD’s
16 Passes Defensed

I don’t have a clue as to who will win the leagues Defensive MVP award but for me it’s as easy as one, two and three. Charles Woodson is the man.