Snap Counts for the Packers-Bengals Preseason Game
Here are the snap counts for one of the most entertaining preseason games I have ever watched.
It is always interesting to see to whom the Packers gave opportunities and who got snubbed, and how made the most of those opportunities and who did the least with them. The Packers played 66 offensive snaps.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| R. Walker | 54 | 81 | 6-19% |
| Rhyan | 48 | 73 | 4-12% |
| Newman | 45 | 68 | 6-19% |
| Tom | 28 | 42 | None |
| Runyan | 26 | 39 | 2-6% |
| Empey | 24 | 36 | None |
| Telfort | 23 | 35 | 3-9% |
| C. Jones | 21 | 32 | None |
| Jenkins | 14 | 21 | None |
| Myers | 12 | 18 | 1-3% |
| Nijman | 12 | 18 | 1-3% |
| Tenuta | 10 | 15 | 3-9% |
| Schneider | 7 | 11 | 4-12% |
| DeLance | 6 | 9 | 5-16% |
The injuries to Caleb Jones and Luke Tenuta likely increased Rasheed Walker's workload while limiting the snaps that the injured players received. It seems likely that the Packers did not want to re-insert Nijman, for example, after he had cooled down on the bench for a considerable time. Since Jordan Love played 12 snaps, it seems safe to assume that Nijman, Jenkins, Myers, Runyan and Tom were the #1 offensive line for those 12 snaps. Nijman and Myers were done for the night at that point. Jenkins apparently played two more snaps. Runyan probably played some additi23onal snaps at right guard but he did get some snaps at center, and I thought Tom played most of a quarter at center, probably between 14 and 16 snaps there. The pure centers, Myers and Empey, combined for 36 of the 66 offensive snaps, leaving 30 for Tom, Runyan, and possibly Schneider, though I thought Schneider played mostly guard. Tenuta was injured with 13 minutes left in the third quarter. Rhyan and Newman got long looks at guard, with neither inspiring confidence based on this outing. Newman had two holding penalties. Rhyan had some whiffs, including on the pick six Clifford threw. Still, there is a lot of training camp and two preseason games to go, so they have time to work on their technique.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Love | 12 | 18 | None |
| Clifford | 47 | 71 | None |
| McGough | 7 | 11 | None |
Both Love and Clifford seemed to know the offense and where everyone would be. McGough got mop up dutiesm including three kneel downs. Love looked like he could start an NFL game and be competent or better. Clifford displayed resilience and made a number of throws for completions into tight windows. I suspect we will see Coach LaFleur give McGough a longer look in one of the next two preseason games.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Taylor | 23 | 35 | 10-31% |
| Wilson | 15 | 23 | None |
| Goodson | 11 | 17 | 4-12% |
| Dillon | 11 | 17 | None |
| McGrary | 5 | 8 | None |
| A Jones | 1 | 2 | None |
Wilson was the star of the show due to his nice 80-yard run. At 5'10" and 226 pounds he is a bigger back. He demonstrated the wiggle and elusiveness in this game that he had been showing regularly in practices, but he added unexpected long speed. He was consistent as well. Excluding his 80-yard run, he otherwise gained 31 yards on 5 carries, , a 6.2-yard average. The Packers gained 183 yards on 26 rushes, good for a 7.0-yard average. They had a pretty good day running the ball. Excluding Wilson's long run and three knee downs, they gained 106 yards on 22 carries, a 4.82-yard average.
Goodson was injured, so his night was cut short. Taylor had a couple of nice runs, including a long one that was called back for a holding penalty on Newman. It is worth noting Taylors snaps on special teams, which is a highly desired ability if not an absolute requirement to be the #3 running back. That versatility just became more important due to the injury to Tyler Davis. Goodson needs to recover from his injury. It will be interesting to see if Goodson and/or Wilson can forge a role on special teams. It looks like Wilson has the size to do that.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Kraft | 20 | 30 | 10-31% |
| Allen | 20 | 30 | 10-31% |
| Musgrave | 19 | 29 | None |
| T. Davis | 15 | 23 | 14-44% |
| Pearson | 13 | 20 | 15-47% |
| Deguara | DNP | - - | - - - - - |
Tyler Davis sustained an ACL and is likely out for the season. He will be missed. Kraft caught one of three targets for four yards, and had a defensive back rip the ball away from him for an interception. Allen watched Clifford throw the ball into the dirt when he was wide open, a lost opportunity for him to showcase how well he moves for a 6'8" tight end. He had no receptions on a lone target. It looks like Musgrave is going to be an integral part of the offense. He caught one pass on three targets for eight yards. Pearson likely should be listed as a fullback. He had no touches at all.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Toure | 32 | 48 | 2-6% |
| Wicks | 30 | 45 | None |
| Heath | 28 | 42 | 1-3% |
| Melton | 22 | 33 | 12-38% |
| Reed | 13 | 20 | 4-12% |
| Doubs | 12 | 18 | None |
| Watson | 11 | 17 | None |
| Watts | 10 | 15 | 3-9% |
| Chrest | 9 | 14 | 1-3% |
| Bonds | 9 | 14 | None |
| Miller | 1 | 3 | 6-19% |
Toure and Wicks were both productive. Each had 3 receptions on 4 targets, with Toure gaining 56 yards and Wicks 68 yards. Heath caught 3 passes on 4 targets for 36 yards. Heath also drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a Bengal player who took exception to the ferocity of Heath's blocking. Coaches will notice that; however, Heath played just one special teams snap. That has time to change. Melton caught one pass for three yards, but did play 12 big special teams snaps. He played some gunner, at least, and he recorded a solo tackle on one of the coverage teams. Chrest, Bonds, and Miller were not targeted. Chrest fielded a very short punt in traffic with considerable aplomb, gaining 3 yards. Reed and Doubs looked good. Watson was pretty quiet with just 2 receptions for 6 yards.
The Packers played 64 defensive snaps.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Wooden | 33 | 52 | 5-16% |
| Brooks | 28 | 44 | 4-12% |
| J. Ford | 26 | 41 | 4-12% |
| Slayton | 23 | 36 | None |
| Moultrie | 17 | 27 | None |
| Odumegwu | 12 | 19 | 2-6% |
| Wyatt | 9 | 14 | 1-3% |
| Lewan | 9 | 14 | None |
| Slaton | 8 | 12 | 3-9% |
Wooden had 1 assisted tackle and a pass defensed. Brooks had 1 solo tackle and 2 QB hits. Jonathan Ford got a longer look than I had expected. He had 1 solo tackle. He also lined up much wider than I expected on multiple snaps, perhaps as far out as a DE would play. Chris Slayton, Wyatt, Lewan, and Odumegwu had no statistics. Moultrie had 1 solo tackle. TJ Slaton had 1 solo tackle and 1 QB hit. The Bengals gained 66 yards on 17 carries for a 3.9 yard average, but 33 of those yards came on one carry. Other than that play, holes were few and far between for the Bengals.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| J. Phillips | 35 | 55 | 12-38% |
| B. Cox | 28 | 44 | 3-9% |
| Carpenter | 27 | 42 | 14-44% |
| McDuffie | 25 | 39 | 7-22% |
| K. Banks | 22 | 34 | 10-31% |
| Enagbare | 22 | 34 | 9-28% |
| Van Ness | 20 | 31 | 5-16% |
| Wilson | 15 | 23 | 8-25% |
| Mosby | 14 | 22 | 10-31% |
| Walker | 10 | 16 | 1-3% |
| Hollins | 7 | 11 | 1-3% |
| P. Smith | 3 | 5 | None |
| Campbell | 3 | 5 | None |
Enagbare had 3 tackles (2 solo) and 2 more solo tackles on special teams. Jimmy Phillips had 2 tackles (1 solo), 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit. Carpenter and Wilson had 2 solo tackles. McDuffie had a solo tackle and 2 QB hits. Banks had 2 solo tackles with one being a tackle for loss. Brenton Cox (28 snaps) had a pass defensed and a solo tackle on special teams. Arron Mosby had one solo tackle on special teams. Quay Walker had 1 solo tackle. Hollins had 2 QB hits in 7 snaps. Van Ness (in 20 snaps), Campbell and Preston Smith (3 snaps each) each had no statistics.
| Player | Snaps | % | STs |
| Ballentine | 36 | 56 | 12-38% |
| Thomas | 35 | 55 | 14-44% |
| Valentine | 29 | 45 | 9-28% |
| Jean-Charles | 29 | 45 | 9-28% |
| R. Ford | 26 | 41 | 4-12% |
| Hooper | 25 | 39 | 8-25% |
| A. Johnson | 23 | 36 | 10-31% |
| T. Moore | 23 | 36 | 9-28% |
| Leavitt | 19 | 30 | 5-16% |
| Sapp | 19 | 30 | 9-28% |
| Tyrell Ford | 16 | 25 | 2-6% |
| Owen | 15 | 23 | 5-16% |
| Nixon | 7 | 11 | None |
| Douglas | 3 | 5 | None |
| Savage | 3 | 5 | None |
Balentine had 3 solo tackles including a tackle for loss and another solo tackle on special teams. Valentine had 4 tackles, all solo, while Tarvarus Moore had 3 solo tackles and one assisted tackle in just 23 snaps. Jean-Charles had 3 solo tackles, including one for loss, and had a pass defensed. William Hooper had 1 solo tackles and 3 passes defensed. The Bengals tried to test him but had little success. Anthony Johnson had 3 tackles (2 solo), 1 pass defensed, and two additional tackles on special teams. Leavitt had 3 solo tackles, 1 interception on a tipped ball, and an additional solo tackle on special teams. Benny Sapp had 1 solo tackle and 1 pass defensed. Rudy Ford and Tyrell Ford had 2 solo tackles. Kiondre Thomas (35 snaps) and Jonathan Owen each had one solo tackle. Nixon had 1 sack (which counts as a tackle, a TFL, and a QB hit).
WR: 2.68/play
TE: 1.32/play
RB: 1.00/play
DL: 2.58/play
LB: 3.61/play
DB: 4.81/play
Photo courtesy of Kareem Elgazzar, The Enquirer/USA Today Network
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
Comments (35)
greengold
August 12, 2023 at 06:10 pm
This is like GEEK CHRISTMAS!
DYN-O-MIIIITE!!!! Thanks for this stellar work! I can see the work. LOL. Props!!!
TOURE looks night & day 2022-2023! Highly productive.
WALKER, RHYAN, NEWMAN - all 3 got a nice chunk of important reps. I’m not as hell bent on running Newman out. He needs improvement.
RUNYAN - His C reps a surprise. Probably try him more there v. Pats.
CARPENTER - Can see him making big steps these next 2 weeks at OG. Betting his snaps jump high.
HOLLINS - Wow! 2 QB hits in 7 snaps! Wow! He looks great.
SJC surprised the H outta me. Good for him!
COX JR. & FORD - affected a TON of plays the kind that don’t necessarily fill up stat sheet.
BANKS & MOSBY - they might surprise…!!!!! Don’t sleep on these guys.
SAPP III, BONDS, MELTON & WILSON along w Banks & Mosby should get some bigger looks v. NE.
WHELAN - Have a sense Carlson likes him better as a holder and that he’ll probably make all of his FGs & PATs next week.
NIXON - Impressed immensely in slot.
VALENTINE.
SicSemperTyrannis
August 12, 2023 at 06:17 pm
Wow, what a useful breakdown for us, thanks!
greengold
August 12, 2023 at 06:23 pm
YES!!! ANOTHER LEVEL!!! This is fantastic.
Thegreatreynoldo
August 12, 2023 at 06:41 pm
I am hoping someone will chart the game. Justis notes that TJ Slaton moved out to DE, which I didn't notice. I am sure that Jonathan Ford lined up quite wide a few times. Slaton moved to allow Ford to play NT (reminds me of Pickett/Raji), but I don't know why Ford moved outside so far. Kicking myself for not looking for the reason while I could.
greengold
August 12, 2023 at 06:49 pm
“I’m not insured for that.” - Iggy Pop
LOL
Thegreatreynoldo
August 12, 2023 at 06:26 pm
So, who helped themselves and who hurt themselves?
Not that Jordan Love needed any help, but I think he had a positive performance. Clifford as well, though he was obviously up and down. Emanuel Wilson clearly helped himself. It is now very difficult to think he won't make the PS at least, though he has some work to do to make the 53. That probably entails showing he can pick up the blitz, and catch passes. He probably has to turn that None under STs into some contribution. Goodson looked fine but he got hurt. Hard to make the 53 from the rehab room.
Rhyan and Newman did themselves no favors. Rhyan is safe as he has looked better in practice and is still a 2nd year guy. LH is probably correct when he noted that the Packers probably can't find a better guard, or one with 1535 NFL snaps, on the waiver wire and probably not at cutdowns. Zach Tom is going to be a starter somewhere. Myers looked okay as best I remember. Always a concern when the team uses a guy like Tom at your position for an extended period of time, probably 2 or 3 series. Ditto for Runyan, though he probably got them as an emergency backup, given the issues at guard. I don't think Schneider, Empey, DeLance, or Telford are vying for anything more than a PS spot. Rasheed Walker did himself no harm. Jones and Tenuta need to get healthy.
Austin Allen did not do much offensively, but he played a lot of ST snaps. Wonder what Bisaccia thought with Davis going down. Pearson probably is playing for the PS. It is going to be a difficult decision on Malik Heath. Once again he was productive, and he really blocks. He needs to amp up that 1 snap on STs. Melton caught 1 pass for 3 yards in 22 snaps. Need more than that, but he got a ton of ST snaps. Wonder what Bisaccia thought? The other WRs are fighting for a PS spot.
The defensive line is set in stone except as to whether Jonathan Ford can force GB to keep 6 DL. I thought J. Ford helped himself. I saw Moultrie, and didn't realize Chris Slayton played. I could have missed good things. Brenton Cox didn't do enough with 28 snaps and only played 3 ST snaps. Jimmy Phillips has been interesting, but he's a PS candidate. Justin Hollins reminds everyone that he can get to the QB. Nice night for Enagbare and Banks looked active.
Trevor Siemen and Jake Browning finished with identical 49.9 passer ratings. A combined 25/48 for a measly 205 yards, or 4.8 yards per attempt. The DBs all probably helped themselves. Valentine stacked the success he's had in TC. Hooper and Sapp showed they could play. Jean-Charles made some plays after being very quiet in TC.
Still, no Burrow, and their top 3 WRs (JaMar Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd) did not play a single snap. The Bengals also did not play their #1 or #2 TE or any first string offensive linemen.
greengold
August 12, 2023 at 06:43 pm
FORD is a lock. We should never keep less than 6 DL ever again, especially in a 17 game schedule. Trenches.
RUNYAN helped himself immensely taking C snaps.
MYERS showed out really well IMO.
SJC & Wilson may have helped themselves immensely.
MOORE no flash plays, other than good tackles & covering missed assignments on opposite side of field to insure they didn’t become breakaways. He’s ALL SAFETY in how he’s wired.
SAPP III - he keeps making plays that make you want to see him play more.
I think GOODSON & NEWMAN underperformed. Maybe Taylor, McDuffie and Pearson hurt their standings a bit.
SicSemperTyrannis
August 12, 2023 at 07:24 pm
The solution is obvious and simple: we need a 70 man roster, + 16 on the PS. We can cut four.
Lol
Coldworld
August 13, 2023 at 10:01 am
I don’t think Goodson underperformed. I think he performed well. I didn’t see him tested in protection, which is the big question outstanding with him. He did of course leave with an injury.
LeotisHarris
August 12, 2023 at 08:17 pm
" Jones and Tenuta need to get healthy."
Looked like more than a sprain with Tenuta, the way his ankle bent. Gah! The kid has giant feakin' feet - about a size 18 shoe from my angle in the living room. Could have been carting off Bob Lanier.
Appreciate the snap count info, TGR.
greengold
August 13, 2023 at 05:37 am
Ha! I remember seeing the Dobber’s shoes back in the day, Size 18. He lived in the same building as my Aunt & Uncle on Prospect. City Terrace.
Lanier and those Bucks teams deserved to win a Championship. Those 18s were like skis.
Saw the bend too. Yeeeesh.
Thegreatreynoldo
August 13, 2023 at 02:19 am
I see that a number of sites think Brenton Cox had some pressures and played better than I gave him credit for.
greengold
August 13, 2023 at 05:51 am
Yeah, me to but pressures stats in preseason games.
Lolz. You did a phenomenal job with all of it, TGR. There was much I missed when we both were pounding those key’s during the game. I literally stopped and watched each play to see what made it a success/failure, rewind, slo mo, rewind again…
What? My wife was out last night, leaving me to my own devices! Lol.
Cox Jr. and Rhyan both had far better games than I realized. Moore & Taylor too. It’s really different when you can key on specific players.
murf7777
August 13, 2023 at 08:35 am
I believe Cox is the one who tipped the ball at the LOS which ended up with an interception. It was an athletic play.
HawkPacker
August 13, 2023 at 10:42 am
'Emanuel Wilson clearly helped himself.'
I thought Wilson, the running back was awesome. I thought he looked very good even before his 80 yard run. Depending on his blocking, he is definitely in the running as the 3rd rb.
I really like Justin Hollins and depending on how Cox improves, that edge position is very strong for GB and it will be interesting to see how many edge rushers they keep.
SicSemperTyrannis
August 14, 2023 at 06:28 pm
And we can have more than just OLB rushing the passer, too 😎
greengold
August 12, 2023 at 09:13 pm
Watching this again, Rhyan is getting shafted. He played great! Both he AND Newman made phenomenal blocks to open that hole Wilson ran through on his first TD!!! HUGE!
RHYAN pulling all the way over to the L side. Great work.
Next series RHYAN blocks 2 players opening hole for McCrary for 4.
Next play? RHYAN opens hole for another 4 yds by McCrary.
3rd & 2. RHYAN opens hole for Wilson’s 14 yd run and a 1D!
EMERY playing C that drive.
NEXT SERIES? That 1 play??? RHYAN comes off his double team with Walker on R side of line to fill space vacated by Emery to block blitzing LB up middle - just as Wilson gets handoff from McGough. That was what caused Wilson to bounce his run outside to R for the TD.
Had RHYAN not made that block, LB on run blitz up middle probably dumps Wilson for no gain!!!
Been able to rewind & slo mo this stuff and man! RHYAN is GOOD!!!
Coldworld
August 13, 2023 at 12:26 am
Rhyan did have a couple of really good blocks in the run game. Unfortunately he looked lost in the pass game at times too, including the pick 6. Is he a lost cause? No, but I darn well wouldn’t trust him yet.
LLCHESTY
August 13, 2023 at 07:49 am
It's getting to the point where I think they should be getting Myers some snaps at G. He should know the assignments so it's just a matter of seeing if he can get comfortable in a limited time frame. Solid size at 6'-5" and 310 lbs. He might not start but would still have some value as a swing interior lineman. We don't know his RAS but at the time he was drafted I remember reading that Ohio State likes to put their best interior athletes at C.
Lang said he does well when his guy is "on his tracks" but struggles with quicker guys that can get around him. At G he'd be facing more DTs than trying to block LBs on the move.
Coldworld
August 13, 2023 at 08:01 am
I think for that to happen, they have to let go of the hope he can be a long term C. LaFleur doesn’t seem very good at making those types of calls. It can’t hurt, but it would be a significant admission of the type they were unable to make on Amari, Watkins, even Lowry, despite other options, until Gute stepped in and effectively forced the changes.
greengold
August 13, 2023 at 08:43 am
LL, Myers wasn’t the best option at the time of drafting. I do believe 100% that Rodgers, given a measure of day in that draft after much complaining about being left out of having any input, wanted the lesser talent simply because Myers is right handed.
He didn’t grade out nearly as good as an all around C as the southpaw in KC.
However, he looks to have responded to the criticisms these last couple weeks both in practice and in Friday’s game v. CIN. I watched him closely, and was pretty vocal myself about wanting a change there, but have cooled on that. We’ll see how he performs the rest of the way.
Lost in the conversation is: MAYBE SLATON & WYATT ARE THAT GOOD?
greengold
August 13, 2023 at 08:35 am
Thanks for this. I’m going to revisit his pass pro work and will get back.
greengold
August 13, 2023 at 09:35 am
Please forgive the length:
Sean Rhyan @ CIN
3:02 Q1
Rhyan pulls R springing Taylor for 6
Rhyan pass pro great block doubling with Myers on Tufele results in 27 yd pass to Toure
Rhyan blasts through to 2nd level on run block for Taylor.
Rhyan pass pro on Tufele then helps Jones with a chip on DE w Heath gain of 9
Rhyan gives ground to Tufele’s bull rush in pass pro but held on to recover well w 15 yd completion to Reed.
OMG. Rhyan works a great seal to L on Bengals NT Davis, moving him backwards and over 3 steps. Owned him. Pass incomplete on bad throw to Kraft who was open.
Rhyan run block on Tufele, moving him at will on Toure Jet sweep
Rhyan gets worked backwards pass pro to 56 but holds on, standing him up provide clean pocket on failed TD throw to Reed. PI called. Rhyan just has phenomenal strength & bend here.
Rhyan gets all of Tufele at goal line as Tufele launches himself into the air and crushes Him into the turf!!! LOL. Never saw that before! Goodson scores off of Musgrave & Wicks blocks.
Next series 11:08 Q2
Rhyan and Jones double Tufele successfully on 15 yd pass to Heath (Myers nicely pushes Davis bull rush out wide)
Rhyan again seals NT Davis at will for Taylor run.
Rhyan & Tom double Davis on short pass to Melton
Rhyan loses to Davis’ club & swim in pass pro on Clifford INT/Pick 6.
There you have it. His one bad play turned into a very very very very bad play.
Next two plays Newman blows both assignments.
Rhyan gets worked backwards by Davis, Clifford escapes pocket hitting Toure for 30 yds.
Rhyan struggles again w Tufele on run.
Rhyan handles Tufele on pass to Taylor +7
I’m going to stop here. He clearly got rattled but came back nicely in pass pro on Wicks’ 46 yd reception followed by Davis’ TD.
Coldworld
August 13, 2023 at 10:11 am
Rhyan’s 1 on 1s were reflected in his ability to move players in offensive mode . He’s still not reading and handling even fairly vanilla defensive protection. Shades of Newman, who was the best rated preseason guard in his rookie year and is also very good at run blocking out in front.
The problem is that Newman has never mastered defending what opponents do that is not merely vanilla. Rhyan may, but he hasn’t yet as he clearly showed on Friday. He could have the same long term flaw until he proves otherwise. Unfortunately, you can’t play an OL who isn’t a competent protector. At this point Rhyan is a project. Newman may be one whose time has run out.
Right now, unless Empey is the hidden steal, we need to pick up a G at cut down. Maybe a couple. That’s not good at all.
T7Steve
August 14, 2023 at 10:06 am
Notice Newman was called twice for holding too. Means he was getting desperate and overextended.
dgtalmn
August 12, 2023 at 09:15 pm
Great job, nice items to think about or not LOL
keeley2
August 12, 2023 at 11:24 pm
I had to endure the Cincinnati feed for this game and I must say these clowns were as ill prepared as I have ever seen. Plenty of homer coverage with the usual pre-season BS but could you have at lease bothered to do a little show prep and talk a little bit about training camp battles in Green Bay. These guys were pathetic. Glad to know the Packer announcers at least care about football and game related match-ups that the visiting team might know nothing about. Fun game to watch though.
Spock
August 13, 2023 at 08:31 am
I disagree with your take on the Cincy announcers. I thought they were one of the better "other team" announcers I've listened to; at least they seemed even handed about discussing the Packer players and at least knew who they were. I've heard much worse.
Coldworld
August 13, 2023 at 12:14 am
People who helped themselves.
I think Valentine and Emanuel Wilson are obvious. Behind them, the guy who did himself the biggest favor might well be Tarvarius Moore. He’s fast, tackled really well and he played well on STs. He was our best S on the night.
I’d say Toure and Wicks, probably Heath, though I see Heath and Wicks as fighting for one role and Wicks is the bigger threat.
Unfortunately, no OL outside of the starters impressed me particularly. The starters weren’t tested. Runyon and Tom seemed competent at S. Does that count. Walker was probably the depth player for whom the snaps were most helpful: he held up well. He and Jones look promising to me. We have better alternatives to Tom at RT than we do at C.
Of the young D backs not named Valentine, SJC flashed but had bad plays too. To me the biggest beneficiary was Hooper. He’s a tad undersized, but his coverage was excellent. One worth developing potentially. I thought Banks made a statement play and Phillips also did himself a favor. Those 3 made a case for more snaps and possibly a PS berth.
I thought Cox was effective if not spectacular. Whether we keep enough at the position for him to make it is questionable, but I think he’d justify his spot. I like Sapp more than Johnson thus far. The kid is a hitter, but that was a great play in the ball and catch, albeit just out of bounds.
I’m looking forward to Allen getting a proper look. I think Davis’ familiarity was possibly blocking a potentially more physically talented player. I think the answer at STs may be Pearson, a similar body type to Davis and a ST staple in college.
Other than the injuries, who hurt themselves? Kraft in my opinion looked physically not ready for the pro level. I see potential but I don’t see much from him coming early. Rhyan had some nice blocks, but he doesn’t look ready to protect. Perhaps just a lot of rust still being cleaned off. Empey is getting a lot of snaps with the twos. Is he a stealth candidate as a G/C? I confess I didn’t follow his performance closely enough to comment.
Generally, that was a game where I saw a surprising amount of pluses (behind the starters) and very few negative moves other than by injury. I will say I thought Clifford showed he can be a NFL backup. I didn’t like the pick, he clearly needs more experience, but he’s got adequate raw materials physically and between the ears.
More fun than any preseason game I remember. Surprisingly little awfulness too. I’m hoping playing time reflects some of the above this week and on Saturday. I want to see guys like Moore and Wilson fully tested early and often. Valentine for me has already done enough. Treat him as a starter. I want to see Wicks, Toure, Melton and Heath with Love and the ones too. Let’s see what happens.
greengold
August 13, 2023 at 06:01 am
Awesome call outs on Wicks, Hooper & Empey. Agree on Kraft too.
LB Jimmy Phillips made a pile of good plays too, now that I think about. Also LB Eric Wilson with some splashes.
LLCHESTY
August 13, 2023 at 08:12 am
Starting Tom at C is probably not the best thing for his development if they eventually see him at T but it's probably the best thing for the team this year. Like I said above I'd be getting Myers some snaps at G and maybe he could be the 1st backup at the interior spots. Then, depending on the situation with Bakhtiari do a reset next year in the draft. Myers and Newman will be in their 4th years in 2024 so you might be looking at grabbing 3 OL again. Either a T or C high and a G at some point.
murf7777
August 13, 2023 at 08:42 am
Haven’t see enough on Kraft, but from watching his college tape I felt he could end up being the better of the two TE rookies. Time will tell, but Kraft was had very good YAC in college, whereas Musgrave just went down. That said, obviously in TC Musgrave’s playing speed seems to be better than I thought, from his college tape.
Thegreatreynoldo
August 13, 2023 at 10:41 am
I think Wicks is a lock. I suspect Heath and Melton are fighting for #6 WR. Heath really is a ferocious blocker (a bit of a goon, as LaFleur said) and he has been productive in practice and in this game (3 recs/36 yds plus he drew the PI in the end zone). But he isn't on special teams. Just one snap. Melton has had some good practices and was quiet in some others, but played 12 ST snaps.
All the DBs looked good. Hooper got noticed, Again, Cincy didn't play a single starter, and the DBs did not face Burrow, Ja'Mar Chase, Tee Higgins or Tyler Boyd, or either of their TEs, Irv Smith and the #2 TE didn't play either. So they faced the equivalent of Toure, Wicks, Heath, with Davis and Allen as the TEs. Allen did nothing as a receiver, though I wish he could have showcased his movement skills had Clifford completed his pass to him instead of appearing to be drilling for oil.
I don't think Cincy's backup OL are very good. The OLBs looked good. Banks, Cox, Phillips, Hollins (2 QB hits in 7 snaps) and blitzes got home early. Brooks added 2 and Phillips 1 more QB hit. Their QBs both finished with 49.9 passer ratings, with 0 TD, 2 INTs, and averaged just 4.8 yards/attempt. Real bad.
That said, I do think GB's backups were better than Cincy's backup.
croatpackfan
August 13, 2023 at 03:30 am
Everything is said. For me just to thank you TGR on your wonderful reports!
Spock
August 13, 2023 at 08:40 am
TGR, "...one of the most entertaining preseason games I have ever watched." ^^^THIS^^^ I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was to watch a PRESEASON game! Always appreciate your timely breakdowns of what we were watching. Thanks!