McCarthy has been called out for a predictable Offensive attack a LOT in the last three years by X and O writers. He succeeds because he has the best QB in the game executing it, and because Nelson and Cobb excel at making the extended offense work.
You have seen this in many ways. The preponderance the 11 personnel group* for the Packers (3 wides, 1 RB, 1 TE) that invites the Defense to throw out its nickel and then let the Packer offense choose whether to run or pass based on how many are in the box.
Part of this is McCarthy's change to his offseason installation of offense during camp. This happened when the CBA altered the camp practice schedule. He wanted to install less volume. One immediate difference was that he sent out different personnel groups out less frequently. In 2009, 10 and 11, he sent waves of people out there almost every play. Each formation causing the defense to react and substitute, giving M3 the matchup he wanted. It helped he had 4 starting caliber WRs plus Michael Finley.
The loss of Finley also helps explain some of the change, though in a any 11 personnel, you need an effective TE. But without a monster at TE, its much easier to deal with both running and receiving threats in the middle of the field. This was also the era where several good D teams found that you could slow down the Packer O with solid 2 Man defense. That is, man coverage at the LOS, and 2 deep safeties. Packers weren't designed to beat that coverage quickly.
The great Packer Offensive Drought of 2015 and 16 was also driven by more than changes to the offseason schedule or film. Receivers were hurt and the depth at WR was sparse. There was no TE and no middle of the field game. Patler will be along shortly to remind us that M3 once said Favre loved throwing into the middle of the field, Rodgers loved going outside. Without a personnel advantage in the middle, most of Rodgers looks go outside, giving the defense an advantage.
However, the Great O Drought made something else glaringly obvious: McCarthy's simplified offense did little to help over matched skill position talent. In previous years, he has added plays to help the TE or slot WR get open against isolated coverage. Or he sent out personnel groups to force substitutions on Defense then call a counter intuitive play (pass out of heavy formation, usually a roll out).
But he dramatically announced before 2015 (maybe that was 2016) that they had done too much of this and needed to win matchups one on one and not rely on scheming or new plays. So there was little in the new O to help out-matched receivers against good man coverage and M3 was stubbornly not going to add it.
McCarthy has also never been fond of going off script, he prefers to stick with the play calls they have practiced off the game plan even when its late and the team is behind. It takes a true calamity before they reopen the back of the playbook. Holmgren's Favre teams did this more routinely, pulled a play back from earlier in the season and the team loved to talk about their ability to do this. But only once do I remember M3 talking about a call back like that. He talked about it like it was one of the stranger things to have happened to him on the sideline. Also, because in that case I think the play worked.
By the end of the Drought, McCarthy had given up sticking with the skinny playbook and Cook gave him a player he could matchup with Cobb to make the middle of the defense miserable. Cook also was very good, read: fast, at running crossing routes. Somewhere in a more banjo thread is a video of Jordy Nelson running a crossing route I think prior to Cook's return to functioning. Its there not because it was successful, it was, but because no one could remember anyone running a crossing route versus man coverage since Finley.
However, lest you think this is an indictment, McCarthy has basically reneged on the no scheming stance in 2017. This season has featured a LOT of stacks (2 receivers in a line) or bunch formations (3 receivers) to get a receiver a clean release off the LOS. The only thing he has not added is motion. The Packers do motion, but its for the pre snap read or to influence the defense, not to get the WR a free release.
* that's shorthand means # of running backs/# of TEs. Their are almost always 5 skill positions on the field, so the difference equals the number of WRs. 11 personnel is 1 RB/1 TE, 3 WR. 0/1 is empty backfield and a TE. 1/0 is RB with no TE and 4 wides.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by mraynrand
