Gainey should really look into this option

Penner makes 1 million more than Andrei as Sergei and Cogliano have similar salaries.Cogliano and Penner could add a new dimension to the Canadiens offence. Especially after losing Brian Gionta to a foot injury.Gainey should really look into this option. In any case, he will have to make a move soon if he wants to see his team pick up a playoff spot.. Every course has a midterm grade, and we have reached that point in the season.

(Technically, the Packers reached that before the Dallas game. In this article, I will focus on the offense and aspects of coaching; my next installment will focus on defense and special teams.Like any good teacher, I have also re-examined some of the grades to see if they are fair.For instance, as was pointed out by my most frequently-commenting Vikings fan, Mark, even considering the strength of competition and special teams failures that enabled the Vikings to score 38 points, I clearly graded the defense for that week too high (A-/D-/B).Likewise, even with the sorry competition of the Lions and Rams, I graded the units too low considering both games were over early in the second half.Hence, below are my revised midseason grades by unit. (For the original grades, you can look back at my articles following each game with key words in the titles like game recaps, analysis, and report cards.)Note: To enable a B to rate higher than a B-, I am using the following values for each grade to determine average: A12, A11, A-10, B9…D2, D-1, F0. Quarterback: B(B-, B, B, A-, B, A, A-, D, B)This averages to a value of 8.6 nearly a B, but I will only give Rodgers a B thus far. His passer rating of 101.8 is good for fourth in the league, and despite the poor blocking, he has led this team to the 11th most passing yards in the league, and the third most per play.However, 20 to 25 percent of the sacks Rodgers takes are the result of him holding the ball too long.

He will not reach an A grade until he can correct this tendency. The team is 12th in rushing and tied for 11th in yards per carry.Ryan Grant is ninth in the league in rushing with 168 carries for 700 yards. The resulting 4.2 yard average is 17th in the league among backs with 100-plus carries. Unfortunately, the rest of the backfield has accumulated just 131 yards on 38 carries (3.4) and 19 catches for 131 yards (6.9), with a total of three touchdowns. Greg Jennings is right behind him with 38 catches for 543 yards (14.3 average) and two scores.Beyond them, the Packers have three players with over 200 receiving yards: James Jones (14 catches for 280 yards, a 20.0 average, and three scores), Jermichael Finley (17-260, 15.3, 1), and Donald Lee (26-202, 7.8, 0), despite Finley missing a couple games. They also “lead” the NFL in quarterback hits allowed.The team is 14th in yards per carry, but that includes how well a back exploits a secondary when he can reach it.