WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF DOM CAPERS

[wist43]

It's pretty clear that Dom's approach revolves around this, from the Quality Stats link in Woody's thread... He's said as much before.


Defenses obviously don't operate in a vacuum. Having (by far) the most efficient QB in history tends to make his defensive approach more conservative.

I would say that is a bunch of crap - however, it is obvious the Packers put stock in the fact that their offense is so good, that they sew that fact into how they approach defense. The only time it works is when the team has a lead; the opponent isn't very proficient at running the ball, or isn't running the ball due to the lead; the opponent is offensively challenged and inferior; or we're getting a lot of turnovers.

Too much of that formula is dependent upon things that are outside the control of the defense itself. When we run into teams that can contain our offense - our defense is usually in big, big trouble - b/c we don't have an identity (or at least prior to getting back to some 3 man lines we didn't) to play tough and get stops... at least enough stops to overcome the opponents ability to stifle our offense.

Even given that our defense is now being used in a more traditional way, i.e. more 3 man fronts, and more shrift being given to contesting the LOS, we are still constructed to deal with the pass over the run; hence, a heavy running team like Seattle, SF, or Dallas can usually control the game by controlling the ball on the ground and turning that running game and those yds into points.

Yes, it is true that the league is largely a passing league, but that doesn't mean you can just abandon run defense - like Capers has done for the pass 3 years. We're 0-4 against SF, and 0-2 against Seattle in the past few years - that is not an accident; and almost all of the games went by the same formula. Only the 23-20 loss to SF in the playoffs was a competitive game where Capers played a lot of 3-4 (with the players they cut loose this offseason). The fail mary game Seattle was just coming on the scene, but they held us to 12 pts in that game, and sacked Rodgers 8 times in the first half.

I don't like the approach at all. Defense should be a stand alone proposition apart from whatever the offense is doing. The goal of defense should be to get stops, force punts, and prevent points - it should not be a hope and prayer that we force a turnover, or be minutes off the clock before the offense gets back out there and scores us a TD. I would much rather force 5-7 punts/game, 3 FG attempts, and get 3-4 sacks/game, than to get 1 turnover, and give up 450+ yds and 35+ pts/game.

[vince]

There's not a fan out there who wouldn't want the best defense in the league to go along with the best offense in the league.

- Most experts put the Packers at the very top of the league in terms of Super Bowl odds this year as they fight down the stretch for the #1 seed in the NFC.

- The Packers are alone with the Pats (who they just beat) in terms of enjoying sustained success over the last 8 years or so, including a Super Bowl win.

- You could go on and on with all the great things about this team.

Yet your outlook is just loaded with nothing but doom, gloom and a fixation on the negative.

- You called the 2013 Packer draft class - which looks like one of Ted's best in his tenure, perhaps outdone by the 2014 class - an "unmitigated disaster" when it was happening and shortly after...

- You characterized the team as years away from being competitive when they were on the precipice of huge success.

- You can probably count on one hand the number of posts you've made without the word dunderdummy in the past year... Maybe that's an exaggeration but not by much.

- The defense is average in most respects. Could be a hell of a lot better no doubt. They're 21st in Rushing YpA. 12th in Passing YpA. 25th in Yards Allowed. 18th in Points Allowed. Not good but not as horrible as you regularly characterize it.

The team gets the lead and Dom goes into bend/take time off the clock mode. Statistics show that they are much better when the game is competitive and they let up when they have big leads.

Sure they have struggled with really good defensive teams. Those have been the teams that have either won the Super Bowl or were right there at the end every year. Most teams have struggled with the Packers.

- Above you say, "The only time it works is when the team has a lead." Do you recognize that the team hasn't been behind in any second of any game in about seven weeks?

- Anything remotely positive you grudgingly acknowledge is almost always immediately followed by something negative.

My question is this: Why so fixated on doom and gloom when there's so much to celebrate and enjoy as a Packer fan?

[vince]

Here's the win probability graph for the Falcons game from Pro Football Reference. The game was never in doubt but reading some posts you'd think they got killed.

http://www.pro-football-reference.co...1412080gnb.htm

[Bretsky]

WHERE do we rate in turnovers this year is Dom's Defense ????

[Joemailman]

WHERE do we rate in turnovers this year is Dom's Defense ????

5th In INT's with 16. 15th in fumble recoveries with 8. Tied for 1st with 4 defensive TD's scored.

[Joemailman]

My question is this: Why so fixated on doom and gloom when there's so much to celebrate and enjoy as a Packer fan?

That's just Wist being Wist. Whether he's talking Packers or America, he sees little hope.

[mraynrand]

That's just Wist being Wist. Whether he's talking Packers or America, he sees little hope.

[wist43]

That's just Wist being Wist. Whether he's talking Packers or America, he sees little hope.

It isn't that I see little hope for the Packers - on the contrary, I think we have enough pieces in place to win a title. We just have one huge, glaring weakness - dunderdummy. As for Amerika - ya got me there, lol... absolutely no hope for Amerika. On that score, we are in fact doomed.

What sets me apart from the rest of you guys is that I only focus on that which is wrong and needs to be fixed - you guys like to drink kool-aid and prattle on about how great our offense is, as if that is all that is required.

If the last few years have taught us anything, it is that, defensively, we are a severely flawed team; and when we run into bullies, i.e. teams that take running the ball and playing lights out defense very seriously - we usually get our asses handed to us. It is our flaw. It is our Achilles Heel. It is what is holding us back from winning titles.

We went 15-1 a few years ago, but had the worst defense in the league - come playoff time we were 1 and done. Then there are the embarrassing playoff losses, getting shoved around by SF and Seattle, etc.

If we had even a marginally better or more consistent defense, I think everyone would be saying we're the favorite and I'd agree; but as it is, after last weeks debacle, all I hear on the radio is '... can the Packers overcome that putrid defense'??... and I agree. That is the #1 question concerning our chances - of course I'm going to focus on that.

[denverYooper]

On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everything drops to zero.

Now excuse me, I've got to go season someone's lobster bisque.

[mraynrand]

What sets me apart from the rest of you guys is that I only focus on that which is wrong and needs to be fixed - you guys like to drink kool-aid and prattle on about how great our offense is, as if that is all that is required.

[George Cumby]

You are not special. You're not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else. We're all part of the same compost heap. We're all singing, all dancing crap of the world.

[wist43]

You are not special. You're not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else. We're all part of the same compost heap. We're all singing, all dancing crap of the world.

I live in Amerika - I agree, Amerikans are a bunch of "singing, all dancing crap of the world"

[Fritz]

So how 'bout that Dom Capers guy? Wonder if his defense can win a game in Buffalo today?

[Cheesehead Craig]

Buffalo loss isn't on the defense. Gave up 12 pts. Offense just shat the bed

[pbmax]

Genius. No TDs surrendered today even with exciting tackling methods.

[wist43]

Good grief, it was against Buffalo... Kyle Orton, a 41 year old RB, and a bunch of nobodys.

It was exactly the kind of game I thought it would be... although, I did think we would win a close one. Jordy catches that bomb, it's a different game.