Before I even dive into the film, I think a quick side-by-side photo comparison of Aaron Rodgers and Brett Hundley, the Packers' new best hope for 2017, is telling. Take a look at how they're equipped:
Same helmet, same facemask, same chinstrap and one white sweatband. This makes Hundley the only other QB in the league to employ the old school, Brett Favre-style chinstrap besides Rodgers and this is no coincidence. It is pretty clear that, like the Patriots' Jimmy Garoppolo and Tom Brady, Brett Hundley has closely studied and adopted much of Aaron Rodgers' style, mannerisms and posture during multiple seasons as his backup. This was immediately clear when viewing the tape and I find it to be a very promising sign.
Take, for example, his posture in the pre-snap cadence on this touchdown throw to Davante Adams. The play was also a good example of Hundley's athleticism and ability to improvise and extend plays:
If you turned on the game at the start of this play and watched Hundley take this snap, you probably thought it was Aaron Rodgers. Everything about his pre-snap posture is the spitting image of the Green Bay legend.
Later in the second quarter, Hundley flashed his arm strength, timing and accuracy in connecting on Rodgers' trademark back shoulder throw. It was perhaps not as accurate as the typical Rodgers toss of this variety, but it was still effective and a good demonstration of the young quarterback's physical tools and understanding of the timing of the offense.
Finally, there was this play from the end of the game. Hundley rolls out to his left and throws back across his body employing exactly the patented toe-dragging jump throw that Aaron Rodgers would have used in this same scenario. The pass was again not quite as accurate as one Rodgers would typically deliver here, but is that really surprising to anyone? It's an extremely difficult throw and the point here is that Hundley got it completed and looked smooth and confident in doing so.
Of course, Hundley had his rough moments in this game. He made some errant throws that resulted in turnovers, took a couple of ill-advised sacks and generally looked like the game was moving a little faster than he could process. But once again, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Hundley was unexpectedly thrust into service on the road against a good defense and frankly didn't get much help from his supporting cast. A touchdown was dropped, a long third down conversion was dropped and the Packers' running game was abysmal on the afternoon.
Many NFL analysts have dismissed the Packers in the wake of Aaron Rodgers injury, with some even suggesting Colin Kaepernick or Tony Romo as preferable courses of action to continuing with Hundley. And this leads to my main point here: Hundley is the right guy for Green Bay. He's been in the system, studied at the feet of Aaron Rodgers and has clearly absorbed quite a bit from the Hall of Famer. His comments in the media this week suggest that he is focused and determined to lead the team effectively moving forward and this is something that I definitely think he is capable of. In fact, I think he is primed to impress, much like Jimmy Garoppolo did filling in for Tom Brady in the early part of 2016. If his processing speed can improve, I think Hundley has many big plays and potentially big games in him over the remainder of the season.
checking in on trubisky
There has been a tremendous amount of excitement around Bears rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky since he took over for Mike Glennon. Almost every positive play he's made has been met with enthusiastic acclaim from much of the NFL world and his lone touchdown pass against the Ravens was no exception. Only I see the play as a good example of why Trubisky has slightly underwhelmed me so far.
This play was a schematic win for the Bears, with tight end Dion Sims completely uncovered off the top of this bunch right formation. This play must be completed and for a big gain. The proper read on this play was probably a quick throw up the seam as Sims broke free between the 25 and 15 yard lines. However Trubisky winds up rolling to his right and turning the easy big play into a very difficult throw and catch. The throw becomes a back-footed heave to the front corner of the end zone that barely cleared the coverage and required a terrific catch from Sims.
Of course, the touchdown counts and the play gets marked as a plus contribution for the rookie passer. But the play is slightly concerning in the bigger context of what Trubisky has been asked to do since he took over Chicago's offense. And that is mainly hand the ball off and (almost exclusively) roll out to pass. Trubisky completed just 8 passes in this overtime win over the Ravens and the amount of time he has spent passing from the pocket in his two starts this year has been astonishingly little. I understand that the Bears have likely game planned this to 1. protect their young quarterback and 2. emphasize their offensive strength, the run game. But this also runs the risk of creating bad habits in their QB and hindering his comfort and development in the pocket, where he will need to excel to ultimately succeed at the position.
It is far too soon for any sweeping generalizations about Trubisky's fate after just two NFL starts. But I hope for the sake of his development to see his role expand significantly and his responsibilities as a pocket passer increase over the rest of the season.
more unexpected greatness from alex smith
I made a case in the podcast this week for Alex Smith as the league MVP so far, and while consecutive losses have diminished that argument, this fresh tape from the Thursday night loss in Oakland shows why he's even in the conversation in the first place. And why he is no longer the simple game manager that so many make him out to be.
Early in the second quarter on Thursday, Smith marched Kansas City 99 yards on just three plays to take the lead. He threw two passes on the drive and they were both sensational. The first one demonstrates Andy Reid's confidence in Smith, calling a shotgun pass in a 1st and 10 from the 1 scenario that is almost always a run play in the NFL. Smith paid back this trust with a bullet to Demarcus Robinson down the sideline.
Two plays later, Smith delivered this absolute dime down the same sideline to Tyreek Hill and the Chiefs were back in front. While this was an astonishing athletic effort from Hill (check out the massive cushion cornerback David Amerson gave him off the line of scrimmage), the pass was absolutely perfect. The lightning-fast sequence serves as a fantastic example of how far Alex Smith has come as a downfield attacking quarterback in the last two seasons.