GREEN BAY, Wis. — Burned for 377 yards, 186 of them on the ground. Giving up 5.8 yards per rush. Forcing not a single interception or lost fumble.
You’re thinking it’s as ineffective as the 2011 Green Bay Packers defense.
Charles Woodson is not.
“I felt good about today. I really felt good,” said Woodson, the veteran defensive back. “Yeah, they made some plays on us, they put up 30 points, but I thought overall, as a defense we made strides from last year. We flew around. We got sacks today, so we got to the quarterback. There were a couple of plays here or there where we missed some assignments, or communication, but I come away from this game feeling really good about our team. ”
Green Bay did sack Alex Smith four times for minus-20 yards. But Woodson, D.J. Smith and Morgan Burnett all whiffed on tackling Frank Gore on a 23-yard touchdown.
Green Bay did keep Smith from embarrassing them, not allowing him a completion that was greater than 29 yards. But then again, that is Smith’s game — short and accurate. And he broke Steve Young’s franchise record of 184 consecutive pass attempts without an interception by rolling along in this game.
Heading in to this, his 15th year, Woodson earns the benefit of seeing what maybe most of us can’t. Or he’s trying to keep the confidence of his group from tanking before the leaves are off the trees.
“I feel good about us. This was a tough test for us, opening up against the 49ers, which is a tough team,” Woodson said. “We’re a better team, trust me. Trust me.
“It’s a loss. That’s really all it is. We’re 0-1, but I’m going to continue to say it — I’m encouraged about what we went out there and did today, some of the situations, we had some adversity out there. Defensively, I feel good about the defense. I really do.”
One area that wasn’t there for the defense was the take-away.
“We didn’t get no turnovers. I think that’s what hurt us,” said nose tackle Ryan Pickett. “We’ve got to get turnovers. This kind of style of defensive play, we’ve got to get turnovers. And we didn’t get ’em.”
Going with the running game and the power sweep, San Francisco also had the balance in the air and didn’t force any throws, just as Tramon Williams predicted. The steady approach worked and kept Green Bay from using its best weapon — creating a turnover.
“They’ve got to come. I mean, that’s what we’re known for,” said Woodson. “You know, we’re just getting started here. It’s been a long training camp and we’re trying to figure out pieces and how we’re going to run this defense going forward. I’m going to keep saying it — we’re going to be a good defense, trust me.”
On the mend
On crutches after a hamstring injury that required surgery, Desmond Bishop said it was disappointing to sit out all of 2012 on injured reserve.
“It sucks, man,” he said. “You all know my story. Nothing I can do about it, just try and take the positive out of it.
“I’m a fast healer, so I could really see myself, three months from now, really getting after it.
Depth chart
He moved all around, but for the first time, Woodson officially was listed as a safety on the depth chart, not a cornerback. “It’s football, man, that’s what I do,” Woodson said. “If you look in the dictionary, and you look up the word football, it will say, see also Charles Woodson.”
Same place, mid-January? This opener definitely had a playoff intensity. Many people predict these two teams will fight for the NFC championship.
“They got their win today. We’ll see them again,” said Tramon Williams.
Surprise look
The Packers knew that 217-pound Frank Gore was a danger between the tackles. What they didn’t know was that San Francisco would spring him outside on sweeps.
In rushing for 112 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown, Gore beat the Packers’ defense to the edge. Defensive tackle B.J. Raji admitted they weren’t expecting this element to Gore’s game.
“Coming into the game, they were a downhill team,” Raji said. “They did all right with that, but they really beat us by out-flanking us on toss plays and plays that we really didn’t — quite frankly — prepare for. You have to credit them on doing some unscouted looks.”
With a head of steam, Gore was a load to bring down. He broke through three missed tackles on his 23-yard touchdown run that gave San Francisco a 30-15 lead in the fourth quarter.
The “unscouted” looks coaches speak of before games can create problems. San Francisco, like all teams, kept things vanilla on offense during the preseason. In using Gore on some outside runs, it sounds as if they took Green Bay by surprise.
“Frank Gore is a great back,” Raji said. “He had some 3- or 4-yard gains up the middle, but he really made his money outside of the defense. When you have a guy with that type of talent outside the defense, there aren’t too many guys in the league you can tackle one on one after 7, 8 yards.”
Back again
Randy Moss was back at Lambeau Field. And while he didn’t burn cornerbacks deep as he did a decade ago, Moss still made a difference Sunday.
The 35-year-old receiver had four receptions for 47 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown. After the play — back turned to the Packers fans he tormented for years — Moss pointed to his nameplate.
“We got what we were looking for, and he blew open,” Alex Smith said. “I think his eyes lighted up bigger than mine, and he made a great catch. I’m happy for him to get that touchdown out of the way now so he doesn’t have to deal with that.”
