Five Packers Overreactions From Preseason Win at Colts

Speaking of Anthony Belton, this year’s second-round pick, his performance against the Colts was as bad as bad can get.

He was guilty of five penalties in the first half alone, which led to a public tongue-lashing from coach Matt LaFleur as the team walked to the locker room at halftime.

“That first half was pretty bad,” offensive line coach Luke Butkus said. “He’ll be the first one to admit it. Guys were all over him and it wasn’t just (me), it wasn’t Steno [offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich], it wasn’t Matt [LaFleur]. It was our guys on the sideline, too.”

Belton was better in the second half, “which I was excited about,” Butkus said. To be sure, it’s reasonable to expect some growing pains for a rookie. However, Belton also gave up five pressures against the Colts. He has been flagged an NFL-worst seven times in two preseason games – as many as the next two linemen combined – and only seven offensive tackles have given up more pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Adding pressures and penalties, Belton has given up 12 bad blocks, for lack of a better term. No other tackle has more than nine.

On the bright side, Part 1: At least he responded. At halftime, “It was basically, ‘You have to do better,’” Stenavich said. “Like, ‘This team’s counting on you to go out there and perform.’ Our offense can’t get going if we’re just keeping shooting ourselves in the foot. So, we had that conversation and the best part about it is he responded, which is good.”

On the bright side, Part 2: Aggression is good. “What’s the old adage? Better to tell them, ‘Whoa’ than to ‘giddy up,’” Butkus said. “We want guys [who are aggressive]. That’s what we’re supposed to be. In that room, we’re enforcers. We play with physicality, we play with violence. It is a violent game. So, yes, I’d love to have all 16 guys tell them to back off a little bit than, ‘Hey, we need to play harder. We need to finish better. We need to pick up the ball-carrier. We need to protect our quarterback.’ But that’s always a work in progress and we are taking steps. But you’ve got to use your brain.”

Maybe Saturday’s game will be a lightbulb moment. Chances are, the Packers are going to need Belton to play important snaps at some point this season. The Packers will be doomed if there’s a repeat of Saturday, when he piled up 45 penalty yards and eliminated 42 yards of offense and a touchdown.

“As far as his demeanor, his play style, the mentality that he’s going out there, I love what he’s all about,” LaFleur said. “There’s some things that we got to clean up from a technique standpoint to get him to play to the level I know he’s capable of playing. I think he’s a really talented guy, and there’s, we’ve got to refine some of the mechanics of how he plays the game, because he’s got a ton of potential.”

Speaking of Potential, There’s Isaiah Neyor

The Packers have a bunch of quality receivers, which is probably true for most teams. Julian Hicks and Cornelius Johnson are quality players and NFL-caliber receivers. However, of the young receivers fighting for at least a spot on the practice squad, the real intriguing player is Isaiah Neyor.

Neyor signed on Aug. 6 but has quickly made his presence felt. Neyor was targeted three times against the Colts and didn’t catch any. However, he had clean wins on a pair of deep routes during the fourth quarter but was underthrown by quarterbacks Taylor Elgersma and Sean Clifford.

He might not have the polish of Hicks or Johnson but, at 6-foot-4 1/4 with 4.40 speed, he’s got truly elite physical tools. Receivers coach Ryan Mahaffey and passing-game coordinator Jason Vrable have been impressed by how quickly he’s learned the playbook without having the benefit of going through installs.

“First thing I really like is his attitude,” Mahaffey said. “He’s very professional with his approach. He’s really diligent in the meeting room, asking the appropriate questions, going out there and making sure that he’s doing the extra things on his own outside of here to put himself in a position where he can be comfortable enough to be able to go out there and practice.

“You see his length and you see his speed. I think you’ve seen at times he’s maybe a little bit quicker than I anticipated, just being able to separate at the second level. But he’s a big, long body who has been able to stretch the field vertically. Looking forward to see how he continues to develop.”

The Incredible Bo Melton

Bo Melton’s transformation from bottom-of-the-depth-chart receiver to legitimate cornerback has been nothing short of remarkable.

When Melton played well at the start of training camp, it was fair to wonder if he was getting by with all the intel he knew about Green Bay’s offense and its receivers. Two preseason games into his new career, Melton has been just as good in the games as on the practice field.

Against the Colts, according to PFF’s judgment, Melton was targeted four times and gave up two completions for 17 yards. He gave up just 1 yard after the catch and had an impressive breakup.

Melton’s tackling hasn’t been good enough but it’s not for lack of physicality or mentality.

At receiver, Melton might have been the odd man out at receiver. At cornerback, he’s practically a lock to make the roster.

“He’s just a little Energizer Bunny,” Melton’s former position coach, Jason Vrable, said on Monday. “No matter where he’s at, special teams, offense or defense, he brings energy to every room he’s in. I think every coach and every player admires the way he goes about things. I still try to grab him pre-practice or post-practice and give him a big hug.

“He’s done a great job. It’s obviously not an easy transition. Very few players actually do it and right away get a chance to go out there and play. I think yesterday he competed and made some plays. I saw the PBU and we were all fired up in our room for him and excited. He’s done an awesome job. He brings our team to another level wherever he’s at.”

The Not Incredible Isaiah Simmons

The Packers had high hopes for linebacker Isaiah Simmons. Probably still do. The eighth pick of the 2020 draft is an elite athlete who has posted some excellent numbers in his career.

However, time is running out. There’s one week left in training camp, and the final chance to make a statement will be Saturday’s preseason finale against the Seahawks. After spending so much of the early part of his career playing in the slot, Simmons too often looks like a fish out of water as a full-time linebacker. Given enough time, yes, there’s a chance he could become an impact player.

Time, however, is not on his side. Neither is the roster.

“We all see he’s an unbelievable athlete,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think it’s just getting more used to playing behind the ball and, really, as with most players, it’s the level of consistency that you can go out there and play each play, because I think he’s done a lot of good things. And then there’s some things that we absolutely need to clean up.”

PFF charged Simmons with 5-of-6 passing for 64 yards with one missed tackle vs. the Colts. Take PFF’s grades with a grain of salt but, of 160 linebackers to play at least 20 snaps in the preseason, Simmons ranks 159th.

There’s no doubt Edgerrin Cooper, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie and Ty’Ron Hopper will fill four spots on the depth chart. Assuming the Packers keep five, it presumably would come down to Simmons vs. Kristian Welch. The fifth linebacker probably is not going to play linebacker. He’s going to play special teams. Simmons could be an impact player on special teams but that’s Welch’s professional calling card.

At this point, Welch might rank as the favorite to be the final linebacker on the 53.