From: heim@vms.macc.wisc.edu (JOHN HEIM	)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro
Subject: Re: Packer Update
Date: 17 Aug 92 12:55:17 GMT
Organization: University of Wisconsin Academic Computing Center

In article <1992Aug17.003044.28429@cis.ohio-state.edu>, martens@laurel.cis.ohio-state.edu (Jeff Martens) writes...

>In article <1992Aug14.190304.20977@macc.wisc.edu> heim@vms.macc.wisc.edu (JOHN HEIM	) writes:
>>In article <55702@olivea.atc.olivetti.com>, rsmith@strobe.ATC.Olivetti.Com (Russ Smith) writes...
> 
>>>In article <1992Aug14.141647.29475@macc.wisc.edu> heim@vms.macc.wisc.edu (JOHN HEIM	) writes:
>>>>Mandarich is in the hospital today being examined for some mysterious 
>>>>ailment (Waiver-itis maybe?).  To be fair, if he is sick it could 
>>>>account his even worse than usual showing.
> 
>A couple days ago the "Columbus Dispatch" reported that Mandarich had
>been admitted to the hospital for a thyroid condition.  I assume he
>didn't play in today's 24-7 loss to the Jets.

I believe you are correct.  I didn't see every substitution but I 
watched the OL a lot and didn't see him.

If Mandarich does have a thyroid problem it's going to start the 
steroid rumors up again.  But people do get thyroid problems without 
taking steroids and a thyroid condition would account for his weakness 
problem.  Unless Mandarich confesses someday we'll never know for 
sure.  I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt because if he hasn't 
taken steriod it'd be really crummy for him to be haunted by this his 
entire career.

>How bad did the Pack look?

Pretty bad.  2 big problems - no pass rush and poor pass protection.  
The Jets QB, Browning Nagle, was 3-9 for 44 yds at the end of the 1st 
quarter (according to the stadium scoreboard).  At the end of the half 
he was 9-15/204 yds.  So he went 6-6/160 in the 2nd quarter.

I'll have to watch my tape of the game to get a feel for how Majik 
did.  There were a *lot* of dropped passes.  On one play, Sanjay Beach 
had a step on his man on a fly pattern.  Majik's throw looked on 
target but Beach slowed up for some reason (probably didn't know where 
the ball was).  It ended up being about a yard beyond his reach.
On the next possession by the Jets, Nagle hit his man for a 71 yd TD 
on a similar play.

Nobody looked good but players who looked okay were Pookie Workman, 
Dexter McNabb, Brett Favre, and Jerry Evans.  Favre's passes were 
sharp and very accurate.  But he did not look comfortable in the 
pocket.  I said earlier that at the free scrimmage in GB 2 weeks ago 
he was running around like crazy.  He couldn't find his 2nd reciever 
and he'd take off running not even following his blocking.  He didn't 
do that much last week against the Chiefs but he did it a lot again 
this week against the Jets.

Jerry Evans probably has the 3rd TE position sewn up.  Darrell Ingram 
looked okay but Evans was probably the only real bright spot of the 
game for the Packers.

Lewis Billups was responsible for the only Packer score.  He 
intercepted a Nagle pass and returned it for a TD.  But it was Billups 
that was beat on the Jets long TD pass I mentioned and he also was 
called for pass interference.

I'm not entirely sure who was responsible for the crummy pass 
protection but I know Louis Cheeks - who's starting for Tony Mandarich 
who was starting for Kenny Ruettgers - got beat several times.

The Packers did hold the ball for 12.5 minutes at the beginning of the 
2nd half and came back from some deep holes.  I think they had a 
couple of 1st or 2nd and 20 situations caused by penalties.  But they 
failed to score when Favre bobbled the snap on a FG attempt.

John G. Heim                                 Email:  heim@macc.wisc.edu

"If there's something wrong with the computer, it's sophisticated diagnostics 
will notify you of the situation by assuming an appearance that, for the most
part, is dark and lifeless." - The Adventures of Lone Wolf Scientific