wow. lots of talk about the running games

[Brandon494]

Who cares.

When GB tries to stop the run, they stuff it. Dom plays nickel even against run personnel. They aren't actually trying to run, they are trying to "keep the defense honest" to set up PA. Dom is dishonest. GB played more nickel in '10 than any other team, by a huge margin. And GB was the best team against PA passing. By a huge margin. Runs don't gash GB for explosive plays that set up scores. They make 2nd/3rd down manageable, that about it. Dom runs the ultimate white elephant D. GB is one of the best in the league at stuffing short yardage runs (#2), one of the best in the league at not allowing TD's, and well above average at not allowing first downs via the run. Odd for a team that is one of the league's worst at YPA. LOL.

Those are some good stats but that still doesnt change the fact that Matt Forte had a great game against us in week 17. We must contain him on Sunday and force Cutler to beat us.

[mraynrand]

Those are some good stats but that still doesnt change the fact that Matt Forte had a great game against us in week 17. We must contain him on Sunday and force Cutler to beat us.

I'll be OK if Forte is their top receiver again, but I'd like to see less than 80 yards

[Packers4Glory]

We just played against Brent Celek and Tony Gonzalez and your worried about Greg Olsen beating us?

Olsen is better than Celek and maybe a better pass catcher now than Gozalez is.

[Lurker64]

Those are some good stats but that still doesnt change the fact that Matt Forte had a great game against us in week 17. We must contain him on Sunday and force Cutler to beat us.

I think really, compared to the week 17 game, what we need to beat the Bears this time is a better showing by the offense. Considering how well they've played in the last couple weeks (2nd half against Philly notwithstanding) I'm reasonably confident that they can do that.

[pbmax]

Discounting the D's run game numbers is a dangerous game. Now I am all for limiting big pass plays even if it means giving something up in the run D. The improvement in scoring D this year is evidence that this has been worth it. But there is a danger in the tradeoff. Some dope at JSO today subtracted the QB rushing statistics from the Packers Run D and proclaimed them second best in the league. I couldn't find a clear headed individual that mentioned the comparison no longer was meaningful since he was comparing two completely different run categories.

Running QBs get first downs too. And Cutler is not afraid to take off. He is almost as athletic as Rodgers when running and he does not seem to run scared. He is no Vick, so he isn't scoring from 35 yards out, but he can easily keep drives alive. That keeps a defense on the field and alters the field position game. This mattered in both Bear games, the Dolphins and versus the Eagles. It matters more versus the Bears given the ST advantage.

It did not matter versus the Falcons because the offense was going through the Falcon secondary like a knife through butter. Rodgers is not likely to have that kind of success versus the Bears D.

They need to keep the Bears run game in check so that not every Packer drive starts inside their own 20. If it does, the game will look like Week 17.

[Fritz]

I'd agree with PB here, and add that in my limited football knowledge I have been trying to watch Woodson more, and it appeared to me as if he was often playing like an extra linebacker.