Badger Observations.
Going into their 5th game of the season they are 4 - 0. Their next game is at the new stadium in Minnesota. The two teams play each other for Paul Bunyan's Axe. The Badgers have won the last five meetings.
First the offense. The Badgers have found consistent play from the QB position. This is the biggest surprise for me. Tolzien has been able to deliver the ball to his tightends and receivers on time and in places where only they will catch the ball. John Clay seems to be coming around and rebounded nicely after the terrible game from two weeks ago. The O-line has been getting better every week but still has a lot of room for improvement.
On defense I think they have more depth at every position except safety than they did a year ago. The d-line is getting healthy and got good pressure against M. State. The linbackers are fast and seem to be making plays. The Badgers are currently rotating four guys at corner. I think eventually the staff will need to stick with the two best.
Special teams is where I think the Badgers have improved the most since last season. Already they have blocked a punt, scored a touchdown, and caused a fumble. There has only been a few break downs on coverage but nothing major. The return game still needs work but kickoff return has been better.
Now for the Packers
I think if Aaron Rodgers stays healthy all season he is one of the toughest guys in the league. As of now the O-Line has not been able to block on pass downs. Rodgers has been hit and hit hard. He has been forced to scramble. This has caused a disruption in timing and making the offense sputter. Still the packers are 2 - 1 and heading for a Monday night match up with the Minnesota Vikings.
On defense the Packers have been turning the ball over a lot. That is good. They are still soft against the run though. they have been able to generate pocket pressure and forced other qb's into bad throws. With B.J. Raji getting healthier he should help the depth at the D-Line.
I still think the Packers can be a 10 -6 team if they can tighten up on the offensive and defensive lines. If I was Ted Thompson I would be sending someone to Sun Prairie to work out Mark Tauscher. If he his knee is healthy he could add leadership and ability to the o-line.
