Too much doom and gloom around here! Come on u fuckers and fuckees, we are heading into the stretch run. Time to kick some ass.
Lions on deck, in their house, but who da fuck cares! We got this.
Who's with me!
(Poor animal house copy)
Too much doom and gloom around here! Come on u fuckers and fuckees, we are heading into the stretch run. Time to kick some ass.
Lions on deck, in their house, but who da fuck cares! We got this.
Who's with me!
(Poor animal house copy)
I'll come around.
I still hate Thursday games though. Yuck.
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro ~Hunter S.
As much of a trainwreck as the last 5 weeks have been, our goals are still attainable. Romo getting re-injured and Oakland coming back to earth a little bit, those looked potential losses two weeks ago. Now very winnable. I'm worried about Thursday quite a bit. The Lions are much better than their record, and their defense and offense are playing as well as they have all year especially at home. And even with 7 losses they can't consider themselves out of it in the NFC. Not a great matchup. 10-6 gets us in the playoffs I believe and might be enough for the division. That seems realistic.Originally Posted by oldbutnotdeadyet
This is what sports are all about. For any who have been involved in sports for a while, I'm sure you can look back at teams you were with that were talented, but under performed. Sometimes that is the death knell for the season, sometimes it is only a point of interest for a season that rights itself before the end.
I don't care that they lost to the Lions. I don't care that they lost to the Bears. I don't care that they have lost two in a row at Lambeau in which they were strong favorites.
I do care that they are 7-4 and could still finish the season at 12-4. Will they? Probably not, but 11-5 or 10-6 are certainly attainable.
At this point they have two goals, figure out/fix what is wrong with their passing game and make the playoffs. If they accomplish both, they will be playing well in December. Successful playoff teams are not always the ones who cruise through a season without a rough spot. They often are the teams who are playing their best football in December. The Packers very well can be a team that plays its best football in December because ST and Defense are improved from last year, and the defense can be decent enough at times. The running game seems to be finding its way. The one aspect of the team that I think this staff, both players and coaches, can fix on the fly is the passing game; and that is the area needing repair.
They may or may not do it. I make no predictions. However, this is shaping up like a very interesting end to the season.
I think the key right now is whether Adams can pick himself off the mat, or whether his season will continue to be a bust. Lacy is back to being Lacy, but they still need someone to take some pressure off Cobb. If Adams can be some semblance of the player we expected, this could still be a very interesting season.
No Packer fan should ever write, utter, or even think this. This is the worst thing you've ever written. It hurt me to quote it.
"Never, never ever support a punk like mraynrand. Rather be as I am and feel real sympathy for his sickness." - Woodbuck
I thought bevaux had a great take in another thread, that they just needed to accelerate Adams's responsibilities in the offense out of need. I thought M3's comments about some players needing to stop worrying about how they run their routes, etc and just play ball were most specifically pointed to Adams. I have the narrative in my head at this point that most of his issues stem from being force fed Jordy's role and responsibilities and that's why the Packers keep throwing him the ball.
Adams will probably improve but I have to wonder if they will scale that back or change up the offense soon to mitigate his issues. I don't know yet but the time has got to be drawing close on a decision.
Of course Monty and Abbredaris coming back could make everything moot. If they can get a #3/4 on the field to present some new matchup problems, then it might not matter.
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro ~Hunter S.
Should they pull together for a playoff run, I think the DL could be a factor in the playoffs. Both Raji and Daniels are going to want to make a statement to get paid, Peppers might only have 1 or 2 shots left, and Datone Jones has been coming on.
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro ~Hunter S.
Well, that's a start, BUT I CAN'T HEAR YOU.......
Ok, here goes....This season is down the toilet, they are dead in the water and just circling the drain. But that is not the worst of it. If you're not in ascension then you are by definition in decline, and that is what the Packers are today. They may be the youngest team in the league but they are already dead. Nelson will be 30 and coming off a major knee injury, so they need to draft his replacement and groom him for a couple of years. Peppers is all but finished, and past history suggests it will take TT about four years to find his replacement. The offensive line is incapable of staying healthy for an entire season. The writing is on the wall with Lacy, whose body and running style will cause him to break down early. Adams would rather play video games than work on improving his questionable hands and route running.
Perhaps you are correct. Let me put this a different way:No Packer fan should ever write, utter, or even think this. This is the worst thing you've ever written. It hurt me to quote it.
I don't care that the Bears kicked their ass in Lambeau.
(Now, at least my previous statement won't be the worst thing I have ever written!)
That is certainly a possibility. I wrote in another thread that what we are seeing could be the start of a directional change, a precursor to a significant roster upheaval the next several years. I have long feared that Lacy could be John Brockington II, a guy who will have a 3-5 year career, then disappear.
But, I think it is just as likely that the train got derailed for some reason, and it can be back on track next year if not yet this year.
Time will tell.
For what it's worth, a glaring shortcoming of this team is and has been at TE and I think the Packers know it. The draft this year was weak in TE talent. I heard rumors of TT looking at the FA market (Gonzalez? Graham?) but, of course, nothing happened.
Patler, do you remember earlier this year when the Packers tried out several basketball players who seemed in the Gronk mold (at least physically) but none of the tryouts panned out? That right there was a signal to me that the Packers knew a significant weakness existed at TE. I can't remember if Nelson was healthy at the time of the tryouts.
One time Lombardi was disgusted with the team in practice and told them they were going to have to start with the basics. He held up a ball and said: "This is a football." McGee immediately called out, "Stop, coach, you're going too fast," and that gave everyone a laugh.
John Maxymuk, Packers By The Numbers
I agree about the TEs, and I do recall the basketball player tryouts. The guy on their practice squad didn't play in college, but was very good in HS as a basketball player. Needs weight and strength, but was good enough for the Broncos to claim him from GB at the final cutdown, when the Packers had told him they would offer a PS contract. When Denver ran into roster problems and released him a month later, the Packers brought him right back.
http://www.packersnews.com/story/spo...away/71901976/
The Packers know what they need. They've drafted a TE each of the last two years, and have brought in a bunch of prospects. Sooner or later they will find one.
I'm in the camp that this team has severely underperformed this year based on their level of talent. As Patler pointed out, the defense and special teams are better than last year, the running game is beginning to round into shape. I think they have treated at least 2 of their losses as a kind of training camp to improve their passing game. My feeling is that if they decide to use their superior personnel to run the ball, use their defense and special teams to win the field position battle, they will win at least 10 games and go into the playoffs with some momentum. If they have success running the ball against nickel defenses and decide to force their undermanned passing game, we'll have trouble winning more than 9. I expect every game to be close, but I have confidence in this coaching staff. I hope it isn't misplaced.
I really don't have a lot of confidence that they'll find one in the draft. It doesn't seem to be a high enough priority to go in 1st or 2nd round or to trade up. And despite his drafting of TE's, TT has a poor record picking a difference-maker at that position, with possible exception of Finley. FA or trade is what we need to do IMO.
One time Lombardi was disgusted with the team in practice and told them they were going to have to start with the basics. He held up a ball and said: "This is a football." McGee immediately called out, "Stop, coach, you're going too fast," and that gave everyone a laugh.
John Maxymuk, Packers By The Numbers
In other news, the Packers initial 6 game surge might get them in to the playoffs. The NFC outside of Carolina and Arizona is a crapshoot right now. They probably only need 2 more wins to get in.
Not that I recommend or endorse that path.
I think they finish at least 10-6. 2 of their losses they could have won on the last play (coin flip games) and 1 loss they made a serious run at coming back. Only the Denver game was a total disaster.
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro ~Hunter S.
The O line has picked up the pass pro. Barclay somehow has gone back to being servicable after being a welcome mat, so they are protected from Bulaga's Packer ankle.
Lacy seems to have recovered and he is not worn out as he got a lot of rest in the second half last week.
The defense has held together despite injuries, and has gained some valuable reps (Randall, Rollins, Palmer, Ryan) for the youngsters. Jones is on fire and Raji and Daniels have sustained. Guion doesn't seem to be an end, but holy cow Pennel does. Peppers will deliver in a big moment. In the most underreported story of the last two years, Matthews seems willing and able to be an ILB. He should win a Wilkerson for that alone. Seriously, he is wealthy and famous, he could have thrown a diva. But he instead just glared for awhile so everyone knew he wasn't happy, and played lights out.
Despite some setbacks, there is less of a Slocum feel on ST. Crosby is money. Masthay has stopped bleeding even if will need a leg transplant in February. Coverage is mostly solid with a couple of gaffes that will serve as in season reminders that even this version can still suck under new coaching.
Someone will remember how to throw and catch a ball. Even the 49ers got Bono to work. M3 got Aaron Brooks. So anything is possible.
Bud Adams told me the franchise he admired the most was the Kansas City Chiefs. Then he asked for more hookers and blow.
Per WalterFootball.com, Hunter Henry from Arkansas is the only TE that grades out as a round 1. I'm always a BAP guy, so while drafting is always somewhat about need, the value has to match where the player is drafted. If that happens to grade out as a player of true need, like TE, even better.
"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." -Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Who would have thought back in August we'd be saying the Packers would be in good shape in December if they could just get the passing game going?
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