Early Returns on Jimmy Graham are Favorable

First of Many Jimmy Graham TDs? Photo by Adam Wesley, USA Today

By the time four minutes were gone in Thursday night's game against the Steelers, the score was 14-0 Packers.  Tramon Williams made the ultimate in triumphant returns, snatching an interception and a pick-six on the first play from scrimmage.  And a few plays later, Aaron Rodgers hit Jimmy Graham for a red-zone touchdown to make it 14-0.  Lambeau Leaps for Williams and Graham.

Rodgers was now done for the night, but in Rodgers' few plays we saw lots: a perfectly timed slant pass to Davante Adams, a successful 12 men on the field penalty, a scramble and slide, and the TD to Graham.  No running plays at all, but hey, Rodgers probably wanted to maximize the few plays he was going to get. Graham played a few extra plays, as compared to other starters like Rodgers, Adams and Cobb, but not enough to get more than that tantalizing first look at what he might mean to the Packers' offense. Let's hope that touchdown catch is the first of many.  If things work out, he could be the Packers' first truly elite tight end in a long time; the kind of tight end we thought Jermichael Finley might become.

While first round draft choice Jaire Alexander also made his Packers debut, he had no stats of any kind, and he played sparingly (only 9 snaps).  So it will be at least another week before we see what he can do. But if Alexander is not yet making an impression in the preseason, a young receiver struggling to make the roster certainly is.  Jake Kumerow is not a rookie, and has kicked around practice squads for several years.  He scored on a 52 yard TD in week 1, but I just figured that was a fluke.  That plus his 82 yard TD against the Steelers suggests that there is no fluke involved, and it makes him impossible to ignore.  I have to believe he is playing his way up the depth chart, and with all the drops by J'Mon ("Come on, Mon") Moore, Kumerow certainly must have at least passed him up.  Kumerow has repeatedly been praised by Rodgers in training camp (contrast Rodgers' criticism over the years of Jeff Janis), so he must be doing something right.  At the moment, I don't see how Kumerow won't get a roster spot (as I understand it, he is not eligible for the practice squad).  But we will see, and if his injured shoulder turns out to be serious, I suppose he could end up on injured reserve. 

All told, the game was an impressive offensive showing for the Packers.  After all, they scored 51 points (37 on offense) in the 51-34 win.  Giving up 34 points is never a plus for the defense, but if the Packers can get back to their ball-hawking ways of the 2010 season, generating points on turnovers, I suppose they can afford to give up some points along the way.  Plus, the defense will be seeing more change than the offense under the new defensive coordinator, and with new starters like Muhammad Wilkerson and Oren Burks, and old/new starter Tramon Williams, there is more settling in to be done on defense than on offense.  I am not too worried yet. 

The Packers are on their way to Oakland this week, to play the Raiders on Friday night.  I won't be able to make it to the game, but I look forward to seeing more of the young players and how they do.  I hope they televise the reunion of Jordy Nelson with his old teammates.  It should be fun.