MILWAUKEE - If Julius Peppers is going to get more plays as a receiver, he may want to work on pass-catching skills during the Green Bay Packers bye week.Fortunately for the Packers, catching touchdown throws from Aaron Rodgers wasnt what Peppers was signed to do in Titletown.The veteran pass rusher has been productive on defence in his first season in Green Bay. Hes not going to dwell on the pass in the end zone he juggled for an incompletion, or the defences embarrassing second-half showing in a 44-23 loss last week to the New Orleans Saints.When you get kind of off-balanced, it sets you back, Peppers said. Were going to get it corrected.According to the Packers, Peppers and Texans defensive end J.J. Watt are the only players this season who have at least one sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and a defensive touchdown.Coach Mike McCarthy has marveled about how Peppers veteran influence has rubbed off on teammates. While Peppers gets fiery on game days, he is relatively calm off the field.Me personally, Im just going to get away. Its not going to eat at me, Peppers said about his plans for the bye week. This doesnt need to sit with anybody. Its an opportunity to learn. We got beat, you accept that and you move forward from it.Green Bay (5-3) is in relatively good shape at the break, a game behind Detroit in the NFC North. Five of the Packers last eight games are at home, in the cold comfort of Lambeau Field.The bye comes at an especially opportune time for Rodgers, who tweaked his left hamstring against New Orleans. Rodgers, who has had a good first half, has said he wont miss the next game, Nov. 9 against Chicago.So far, so good, I would say is how were looking at it, coach Mike McCarthy said Monday at Lambeau Field about Rodgers status.For the most part, the up-tempo offence is playing well with Rodgers playing pitch-and-catch with Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. The running game with Eddie Lacy has been inconsistent; McCarthy has said in some games that is in part due to a lack of attempts.The Packers seem to be at their best when theyre playing at a quick tempo, with Rodgers able to dissect mismatches, and Nelson and Cobb breaking free for big plays.Lacys receiving skills have improved, while rookie receiver Davante Adams is emerging as a third option. Green Bay, though, would benefit from getting more production out of the tight end position.What hasnt been so good is the rush defence, which gave up 172 yards on 24 carries to New Orleans Mark Ingram, allowing a whopping 7.2 yards per carry.The leagues worst defence against the run (153.5 yards per game) got dented again.Our issues on run defence are fundamental. We need to do a better job of staying square, getting (to) gaps and we need to tackle the ball carrier and put him on the ground, McCarthy said.Part of the problem this year may stem from the loss of veteran tackle B.J. Raji in August to a season-ending biceps injury. Raji had been having a good camp after moving back inside from end in the Packers tweaked scheme.Read-option plays have also been somewhat troublesome, having the effect of neutralizing pass rushers Clay Matthews and Peppers.Still, the Packers had shown some improvement against the run until the Saints game. They held Carolina to 108 yards on 25 carries the previous week and contained dual-threat quarterback Cam Newton.The defensive positives start with a renewed ability to create turnovers. Green Bay has 10 interceptions and five fumble recoveries. It is third in the league in turnover margin at plus-8 in large part because of Rodgers, who had a six-game stretch without an interception.We need to be more than a football team that has to rely on winning the turnover ratio, McCarthy said. To get where we want to, weve got to overcome when we dont just play to our identity or our format.What McCarthy will take, though, is a repeat of the first half from Peppers, the 34-year-old veteran who signed with Green Bay in the off-season after being a salary cap casualty of the Bears.The next time Peppers takes the field will be against his former team.I mean, things look like they are happening real fast and the other team is scoring a lot and we cant control that, Peppers said after the loss to the Saints. Whats important right now is how we respond, and I am sure we will do that after the bye week.___AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Genaro Armas at http://twitter.com/GArmasAPAir Jordan 1 Retro Australia . 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Winger Travis Moen will also miss some time after suffering a concussion in Mondays contest.Shreveport, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Back in a bowl game for the second straight season, the Miami Hurricanes will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in the 2014 Independence Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 27. Al Goldens fourth season at the helm of Miami didnt result in a conference title or even a run at the ACC crown down the stretch, but the Hurricanes were able to secure their second straight postseason berth in early November. With a 47-20 blowout win over North Carolina on Nov. 1, Miami recorded its requisite sixth win of the season, making it bowl eligible. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, that would be the last win the team would record in the regular season, dropping three straight games to close out the year at a disappointing 6-6. We are thrilled for the opportunity to compete against a program with the tradition and talent of South Carolina, Golden said. The 2014 Independence Bowl not only provides our program with a great matchup, but it also gives us a tremendous opportunity to improve, gain valuable practice time and postseason experience. Miami has an all-time bowl record of 19-18 after getting routed by Louisville in last seasons Russell Athletic Bowl, 36-9. Steve Spurriers Gamecocks had a ton of expectations coming into 2014 as one of the real contenders for the SEC crown. However, September losses to Texas A&M and Missouri left the team in a deep SEC hole, one it could not get out of. The Gamecocks also dropped league bouts to Kentucky, Auburn and Tennessee, finishing a dismal 3-5 in the SEC East. Still, the team did just enough with six wins to earn postseason consideration. This game marks the first December bowl game for South Carolina since 2010. The team has won three straight bowls with two Capital One Bowl victories over Nebraska (2012) and Wisconsin (2014) and one Outback Bowl victory over Michigan (2013). In all, South Carolina is 7-12 in 19 previous bowl games and has been bowl eligible in each of the last 11 seasons. These two teams have met 15 times in history, although this is the first matchup since 1987. Miami holds an 8-5-2 advantage all-time. The Hurricanes have won six straight meetings with the Gamecocks, who havent beaten Miami since 1947. Miami had plenty of offensive success in 2014 thanks in large part to one of the nations most explosive tailbacks and a surprising freshman under center. Brad Kaaya got the nod at quarterback to start the season and never disappointed, as he earned some Freshman All-America accolades. The youngster led an offense that generated over 430 yards per game. He was responsible for a good portion of that, completing 58.6 percent of his passes, for 2,962 yards and 25 TDs. It certainly helped to have a player of Duke Johnsons caliber in the backfield, taking the pressure off. Johnson has a bright future ahead of him in the NFL and certainly showed his talents this season, rumblinng for 1,520 yards and 10 TDs, on a hefty 7.dddddddddddd yards per carry. Johnson was a complete back, catching 33 balls out of the backfield with an additional three TDs through the air. More conventional pass catchers of note for Miami include tight end Clive Walford (team-high 44 receptions, 676 yards, 7 TDs) and wideout Phillip Dorsett (31 receptions, 826 yards, 9 TDs). The Miami defense had its ups and downs this season. The team did allow a rather generous 24.3 ppg, but held foes to just 327.6 yards of total offense (14th nationally). The team was particularly stingy against the pass, allowing just 184.1 yards per game (ninth nationally). Senior linebacker Denzel Perryman showed his pro potential as the Miami leader on the defensive side of the ball. The veteran playmaker topped the team in tackles (102), with 8.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 INT and 3 forced fumbles. Sophomore LB Jermaine Grace was a distant second in the tackles department with 57 stops. Senior LB Thurston Armbrister (53 tackles), paced the team with five sacks. Miamis defense has a tough task ahead of it. Although South Carolina didnt finish with a great overall mark, the offense wasnt the main culprit. The Gamecocks averaged 33.3 ppg this year and did so on an impressive 450.8 yards of total offense. The ground game generated a decent 169.4 ypg, while the passing attack, under Dylan Thompsons charge, accounted for 281.4 ypg. The 6-2 senior Thompson has played extremely well in 2014 and led the SEC in passing (273.3 ypg). Thompson completed nearly 60 percent of his passes, for 3,280 yards and 24 TDs. Sophomore wide receiver Pharoh Cooper was far and away the top threat downfield in 2014, leading the team in receptions (60), receiving yards (966) and TD catches (8), en route to All-ACC honors. Junior tailback Mike Davis is a capable ball carrier and the catalyst in the backfield for South Carolina. He finished the regular season just under 1,000 yards with 927 yards and nine TDs on a healthy 5.0 yards per carry. Fellow junior Brandon Wilds (567 yards, 4 TDs) shouldered some of the rushing burden as well. While the offense put up a lot of points and tons of yards, the South Carolina defense relinquished the same to the opposition. USC really struggled on defense this season, allowing 31.2 ppg and 433.6 yards of total offense. The team really had a tough time against the run, yielding a horrific 214.4 yards per game, on 5.4 yards per carry. Big play werent exactly the norm in Columbia either, with only 12 sacks and 17 takeaways over 12 games. Sophomore linebacker Skai Moore proved to be the top playmaker on the roster, finishing with a team-high 82 tackles, to go along with three interceptions and one fumble recovery. Junior safety T.J. Gurley was a close second in tackles with 80 stops. Senior safety Brison Williams (33 tackles) topped the team with four picks. China NFL JerseysCheap Nike NFL JerseysNFL Jerseys CheapWholesale NFL JerseysCheap Basketball Jerseys OnlineStitched Hockey JerseysWholesale Baseball JerseysFootball Jerseys OutletCollege Jerseys For SaleCheap MLB JerseysWholesale Soccer JerseysWholesale Jerseys For SaleWholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '