More Banjo: Week 2 @ Minnesota

[pbmax]

Game 2 Lessons:

1. Watch game muted.
2. Offense really let D down again, even as D suffered a stem leak in the vicinity of Damarious Randall.
3. Two TE offense looks like it might be a thing.
4. Rodgers started making contested throws in second half and Adams nearly let two get picked off (one did). I don't know if it was the route or the accuracy, but for all of the targets given to Adams, their trust level doesn't seem earned.
5. McCarthy did some nice things and had some nice calls, including better red zone plays even though they still struggled.
6. But he scouted himself into a corner by staying with Nelson, Adams and Cobb exclusively to attack what he certainly judged to be bad corners. He was rewarded with penalties early and yardage late. But it didn't make for a cohesive offense.
7. What the hell is happening to Matthews late in games?

[pbmax]

Football Perspective ‏@fbgchase 7m7 minutes ago
Week 2 passing data, prior to MNF. #weeklyanya Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck, Jameis Winston the bottom 4


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CssAqjNWIAAeXDg.jpg:large


Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt

[pbmax]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Csr_IxGVYAE78U3.jpg:large

[pbmax]

Alex Gellar @AlexGelhar
Aaron Rodgers career YPA: 8.0
2016 YPA: 5.89

Scott Kacsmar ‏@FO_ScottKacsmar
To put that in perspective
Joey Harrington's career: 5.8

@AlexGelhar Games below 7 YPA
2011-2014: 10 in 56
2015-2016: 10 in 18

[red]

i've heard tails from ancient times that we once ran 5 wr sets all the time, and we killed teams with it

[pbmax]

Rob Demovsky ‏@RobDemovsky 5m5 minutes ago
Packers DT Letroy Guion said he sprained his MCL. Initial tests showed no damage to his ACL. More tests... http://es.pn/2cJ7vaR

[pbmax]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CssCGz2WcAAC9sd.jpg:large

[red]

Rob Demovsky ‏@RobDemovsky 5m5 minutes ago
Packers DT Letroy Guion said he sprained his MCL. Initial tests showed no damage to his ACL. More tests... http://es.pn/2cJ7vaR

so, we might want to pick up some d-linemen

[pbmax]

Rob Demovsky ‏@RobDemovsky 15m15 minutes ago
Aaron Rodgers' streak of games without a 100-pass rating has reached 14, including playoffs. He finished at 70.7... http://es.pn/2cISesm

Todd McMahon ‏@ToddMcMahon23 5m5 minutes ago
#Packers' McCarthy on @620wtmj postgame: "We weren't nearly as clean as we needed to be to win the game."

Green Bay Packers ‏@packers 2m2 minutes ago
McCarthy: "It was a tough, physical battle."

Green Bay Packers ‏@packers 54s55 seconds ago
McCarthy: This is early NFL season football. We weren't very clean tonight. Lot of sloppy football. We know we can perform better. #GBvsMIN

Green Bay Packers ‏@packers 58s58 seconds ago
McCarthy on upcoming stretch of home games: It's huge in a number of ways. We've been on the road for 4 weeks. That's part of the challenge.

[pbmax]

so, we might want to pick up some d-linemen

"We gotta get some new FBI guys."

In good news, Clark did not look overpowered, though that is not an overpowering O line in Minneapolis.

[superfan]

6. But he scouted himself into a corner by staying with Nelso, Adams and Cobb exclusively to attach what he certainly judged to be bad corners. He was rewarded with penalties early and yardage late. But it didn't make for a cohesive offense.

Totally agree with this. And it seems to be happening more and more in today's NFL. I wonder if that mentality was a partial contributor to the surprisingly low scoring 16-13 Giants vs Saints game (didn't watch the game, just guessing based on the final score). Offensive coaches target the "weakness", defensive coaches compensate for the weakness, so the offenses should then target whatever weakness has been created by the defense masking the weakness. It's the Princess Bride bit:


But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy's? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

[pbmax]

Totally agree with this. And it seems to be happening more and more in today's NFL. I wonder if that mentality was a partial contributor to the surprisingly low scoring 16-13 Giants vs Saints game (didn't watch the game, just guessing based on the final score). Offensive coaches target the "weakness", defensive coaches compensate for the weakness, so the offenses should then target whatever weakness has been created by the defense masking the weakness. It's the Princess Bride bit:

Yeah. We need an immunity to iocane powder.

He did adjust in the second half. Went two TE to good effect. Rodgers looked better for the most part in the second half. Liked some of his run calls. While I usually hate that pitch/toss play, they actually got some yardage out of it eventually (though I don't know why they don't put Lacy through the middle more). I hope someone adds up yardage on toss plays because while not my favorite, this might have been one of that plays better games.

But even better than the pitch was some action they ran off of it. Starks best run was essentially off a pitch but went off tackle with trap or pull blocks. Was quite nice.

Cook blows a first down on the first drive in the second half that stated out well. That plus penalties an 3 lost turnovers make for a tough night.

And Randall was too leaky to keep the Vikes under 17 points.

[pbmax]

Green Bay Packers ‏@packers 17m17 minutes ago
Rodgers: Good environment. Good opponent. We didn't play very well but we had chances to win the game. #GBvsMIN

Green Bay Packers ‏@packers 16m16 minutes ago
Rodgers on #Packers offense: We're not going to overreact. We believe we'll get this thing figured out. #GBvsMIN

Green Bay Packers ‏@packers 15m15 minutes ago
Rodgers on 4th & 2: I like the call. It was an aggressive call. We were moving the ball well. We've got to convert that. #GBvsMIN

Green Bay Packers ‏@packers 13m13 minutes ago
Rodgers: We've got to go back & be harsh with our critiques of ourselves, myself included. And we will. #GBvsMIN

[Joemailman]

Game 2 Lessons:


4. Rodgers started making contested throws in second half and Adams nearly let two get picked off (one did). I don't know if it was the route or the accuracy, but for all of the targets given to Adams, their trust level doesn't seem earned.


That INT was a bad throw. It was thrown behind Adams. He had to reach back for it. If it's thrown correctly, I don't think Waynes can get to it without another PI penalty. http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Packers-QB-Rodgers-is-picked-off-by-CB-Waynes/a02a6ded-290b-4c13-948b-a90f0e7b381a

[pbmax]

Michael Cohen ‏@Michael_Cohen13 6m6 minutes ago
#Packers DB Micah Hyde on Sam Bradford: "He had a good game, but it wasn’t like they were doing exotic formations and doing all that stuff."

Michael Cohen ‏@Michael_Cohen13 9m9 minutes ago
Randall on covering Diggs: "They was throwing on time, and when quarterbacks and receivers throw on time they’re very tough to stop."

Michael Cohen ‏@Michael_Cohen13 11m11 minutes ago
#Packers CB Damarious Randall: "I was coming into the game ready. I guess I just didn’t have it tonight."

[pbmax]

That INT was a bad throw. It was thrown behind Adams. He had to reach back for it. If it's thrown correctly, I don't think Waynes can get to it without another PI penalty. http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Packers-QB-Rodgers-is-picked-off-by-CB-Waynes/a02a6ded-290b-4c13-948b-a90f0e7b381a

Its Adams, you sure he was where he was supposed to be? At this point I don't know who to trust.

[pbmax]

Duplicated from another thread.

Scott Kacsmar ‏@FO_ScottKacsmar 43m43 minutes ago
Maybe the best comparison I can offer for Rodgers is Brett Favre in 1999-2000. The high level of play did return after that.

The Good Tweet Guy @SportsTalkJoe
@FO_ScottKacsmar ironically 99-00 were favres 8-9 years as a starter just like 15-16 are years 8-9 as a starter for Rodgers

[HarveyWallbangers]

That INT was a bad throw. It was thrown behind Adams.

I agree. That is on Rodgers. Good play by Waynes. He had been burned by the slant all night, so it's surprising that he didn't sit on that route. If Rodgers gets it over the top more, Adams has a chance for a big play.

[pbmax]

If I had to bet, Peterson hurt his knee when his right leg planted hard into the turf while extended. Not when Holy Fackrell rolled over his ankle.


https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--7hok-KGY--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/elhqnyhq5npr7oubviqo.gif

[Pugger]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CssCGz2WcAAC9sd.jpg:large

The last stat and not kicking the FG were the difference in the game.

[Pugger]

Yeah. We need an immunity to iocane powder.

He did adjust in the second half. Went two TE to good effect. Rodgers looked better for the most part in the second half. Liked some of his run calls. While I usually hate that pitch/toss play, they actually got some yardage out of it eventually (though I don't know why they don't put Lacy through the middle more). I hope someone adds up yardage on toss plays because while not my favorite, this might have been one of that plays better games.

But even better than the pitch was some action they ran off of it. Starks best run was essentially off a pitch but went off tackle with trap or pull blocks. Was quite nice.

Cook blows a first down on the first drive in the second half that stated out well. That plus penalties an 3 lost turnovers make for a tough night.

And Randall was too leaky to keep the Vikes under 17 points.

I can think of one instance where Cook fell on a lose ball after AR got stripped in the backfield.

[vince]

Tough game.

A-Rod wasn't sharp at all. Overthrows, underthrows, fumbles, not being on the same page with Jordy yet.
Jordy doesn't have his burst back yet, and it might be awhile.
I'm not sure what kind of WR rotation we should see because Jordy and Adams need to be in there to gain consistency, but the inconsistency is problematic. It's early but that was frustrating to watch. Somehow Abby and Monty need to work into it and Davis needs to provide some deep threat. The pieces aren't working yet.

Defense looked good across the board with the glaring exception of Randall. Bradford put some balls on the money but he got put in his place last night. I thought the PI call that sealed the game was ticky-tack though.

If you'd have said the Packers would shut down Peterson like they did I'd have said the Vikes had no chance. Bradford and Diggs were the difference. I already don't like Diggs and unfortunately that's good on him. Fifth round pick? That sucks because without him the Vikes are inept on O.

I thought McCarthy should have kicked the field goal to get the tie but they still had their chances down the stretch so that wasn't the game there.

[pbmax]

Too many errors, too much inconsistency on offense. Poor strategy for containing Diggs once it was clear Randall could not handle him in single coverage.

[call_me_ishmael]

Why keep 7 receivers if you're only going to play three consistently? Monty and Abby have shown they can get open!

[vince]

Too many errors, too much inconsistency on offense. Poor strategy for containing Diggs once it was clear Randall could not handle him in single coverage.
Yeah. Though in my opinion there's a tendency for us fans to blame coaching more than is warranted when players don't execute. Randall got beat like a drum. He needs to do his job better. It's awfully tough to scheme your way out of your best cover corner getting beat on the perimeter.

[pbmax]

I do think there is some coaching blame, but its not the entire picture. Capers had a safety back and they didn't have multiple threats downfield but Ha-Ha wasn't close enough to help Randall.

McCarthy has made some adjustments. But the offense is still not running smoothly. This quote form Doug Farrar still applies to the offense we have seen in the last two weeks:


The more you look at them, the more you see how unhelpful Green Bay’s route concepts are for Rodgers. Aside from the occasional rub or stack formation, you don’t see a lot of stuff designed to present Rodgers with an easy open read, or his receivers with schemed formation advantages. Green Bay’s passing game seems designed to succeed three ways this year: Rodgers throwing deep off of free plays after he’s fooled the defense into jumping offside, extending plays outside of structure and exploiting one-on-one iso matchups.

http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/11/10/all-22-aaron-rodgers-packers-mike-mccarthy

Now, McCarthy has changed on the first point. He ran new personnel groups out there (two TEs, though perhaps not enough) and ran receivers out of a bunch a number of times. But only two throws to Cook and one to Rodgers threatened the middle of the field. So a lot of the offense was off broken containment, penalties and going after one on one matchups they aren't winning.

[hoosier]

Tough game.

A-Rod wasn't sharp at all.....

How many times have we said that over the past 12 months? Since the 2015 bye week the Packers are, what, 5-7? The out of sync, unsharp, inefficient offense has become the new normal. We need to stop saying they look out of sync. They are in sync, or as in sync as they are going to get. For some reason they just aren't very good any more.

[Maxie the Taxi]

How many times have we said that over the past 12 months? Since the 2015 bye week the Packers are, what, 5-7? The out of sync, unsharp, inefficient offense has become the new normal. We need to stop saying they look out of sync. They are in sync, or as in sync as they are going to get. For some reason they just aren't very good any more.+1

If being "in sync" is so important, why fritter away the opportunity to get "in sync" by sitting Arod the entire preseason? It sure is getting hard to tell the difference between a team out of sync and one that just ain't very good anymore?

[red]

+1

If being "in sync" is so important, why fritter away the opportunity to get "in sync" by sitting Arod the entire preseason? It sure is getting hard to tell the difference between a team out of sync and one that just ain't very good anymore?

exactly

[pbmax]

If in sync was the problem, the problem would disappear with more Games and it did not last year.

It also does not explain starting out very hot at the beginning of 2015 on offense.

[pbmax]

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 12m12 minutes ago
#Packers DT Leroy Guion suffered an MCL sprain last night, based on initial tests, source said. With the bye in Week 4, might miss just 1 gm

[Patler]

If in sync was the problem, the problem would disappear with more Games and it did not last year.

It also does not explain starting out very hot at the beginning of 2015 on offense.

I think it has a lot to do with the QB being willing to be in sync. Being in sync as we saw for most of 2014 requires throwing on time into small openings, with the WR knowing when the ball is coming and being able to react to it even when the DB has good, even great coverage. At times that can require extraordinary accuracy by the QB. For whatever reasons, AR seem unwilling to make those throws on a routine basis anymore, and doesn't seem to have the extraordinary accuracy on them that he did have. His greatest accuracy now seems to be on extended plays, when he throws on the move; not the plays thrown on timing in a routine drop back.

Interesting comment by the broadcast crew last night, that AR said he doesn't want to practice the routine throws, he wants to practice the unusual, off balance throws because they can make the difference. Perhaps it is time to practice more of the routine throws again.

[Fritz]

Hear, hear.

Go back to QB school. Go back to the basics.

[Harlan Huckleby]

It may not be the problem, but they certainly aren't part of the solution


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo-KmOd3i7s

[pbmax]

I think it has a lot to do with the QB being willing to be in sync. Being in sync as we saw for most of 2014 requires throwing on time into small openings, with the WR knowing when the ball is coming and being able to react to it even when the DB has good, even great coverage. At times that can require extraordinary accuracy by the QB. For whatever reasons, AR seem unwilling to make those throws on a routine basis anymore, and doesn't seem to have the extraordinary accuracy on them that he did have. His greatest accuracy now seems to be on extended plays, when he throws on the move; not the plays thrown on timing in a routine drop back.

Interesting comment by the broadcast crew last night, that AR said he doesn't want to practice the routine throws, he wants to practice the unusual, off balance throws because they can make the difference. Perhaps it is time to practice more of the routine throws again.

The slant to Cook that was nearly intercepted by Kendricks was an example of not in sync. Given the route, play call, coverage reaction (looked a LOT like Urlachers move except for not hiding) Rodgers should have waited for Cook to clear the first window to hit him in second window. That throw shouldn't have been held with that LB drop and Cook should continue (as he almost did) into another opening. I suspect Rodgers doesn't know if Cook will read it the same way.

I agree about practice and I think there is too much Rodgers offense and it should be abandoned until everyone can run the play as called on sideline.

[Maxie the Taxi]

I agree about practice and I think there is too much Rodgers offense and it should be abandoned until everyone can run the play as called on sideline.+1

[pbmax]

Packers have done this before, played on the road, thought they could roast the corners deep and couldn't make the offense functional for a half. They did it on the road versus Seattle, remember? That was long before anyone thought the Packer offense or Rodgers had gone past their expiration date.

Michael Cohen ‏@Michael_Cohen13 17m17 minutes ago
Some interesting snap count numbers for the #Packers:

Jared Abbrederis - 6
Trevor Davis - 5
Ty Montgomery - 0

[beveaux1]

I think it has a lot to do with the QB being willing to be in sync. Being in sync as we saw for most of 2014 requires throwing on time into small openings, with the WR knowing when the ball is coming and being able to react to it even when the DB has good, even great coverage. At times that can require extraordinary accuracy by the QB. For whatever reasons, AR seem unwilling to make those throws on a routine basis anymore, and doesn't seem to have the extraordinary accuracy on them that he did have. His greatest accuracy now seems to be on extended plays, when he throws on the move; not the plays thrown on timing in a routine drop back.

Interesting comment by the broadcast crew last night, that AR said he doesn't want to practice the routine throws, he wants to practice the unusual, off balance throws because they can make the difference. Perhaps it is time to practice more of the routine throws again.

I agree 100%. Said it a lot better than I could.

[beveaux1]

Packers have done this before, played on the road, thought they could roast the corners deep and couldn't make the offense functional for a half. They did it on the road versus Seattle, remember? That was long before anyone thought the Packer offense or Rodgers had gone past their expiration date. 0

This is something I was thinking about the entire first half.

[Upnorth]

One bright spot that may not have been celebrated is the first even regular season touchdown ever scored in the new Aquarium was by the Green Bay Packers. And that will never change.

[Pugger]

+1

If being "in sync" is so important, why fritter away the opportunity to get "in sync" by sitting Arod the entire preseason? It sure is getting hard to tell the difference between a team out of sync and one that just ain't very good anymore?

The problem is coaches are so damn afraid to play their starters in the preseason so they don't get hurt and then we wonder why AR and Jordy aren't in sync. :???:

[Pugger]

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 12m12 minutes ago
#Packers DT Leroy Guion suffered an MCL sprain last night, based on initial tests, source said. With the bye in Week 4, might miss just 1 gm

This is good news. Won't Pennell be back after the bye too?

[pbmax]

This is good news. Won't Pennell be back after the bye too?

Yep.

Matthews hurt his ankle on a play earlier in the game.

Tom Silverstein ‏@TomSilverstein 2m2 minutes ago
Capers on Matthews: He went off and got ankle taped. Don’t know if any lingering effect. Came back and had a sack.

[pbmax]

Packer Report ‏@PackerReport 5m5 minutes ago
Three-man rush on the first TD. Why? Wanted to take away middle of field. "You have to give up something to get something."

Tom Silverstein ‏@TomSilverstein 5m5 minutes ago
Capers on 3-man rush: Play before hit middle with 4-man rush. We were going to take that away. So we pulled guy out of the rush.

Tom Silverstein ‏@TomSilverstein 5m5 minutes ago
Capers on Rudolph TD: It was a zone coverage. Good throw.

[denverYooper]

How many times have we said that over the past 12 months? Since the 2015 bye week the Packers are, what, 5-7? The out of sync, unsharp, inefficient offense has become the new normal. We need to stop saying they look out of sync. They are in sync, or as in sync as they are going to get. For some reason they just aren't very good any more.

FWIW. 6 of their losses are against playoff teams (5 on the road) with top 5 defenses, including both superbowl teams from last year and both NFCC teams from last year. Their offense has almost always let down in those instances.

The only truly embarassing loss in that record was the Bears @Lambeau.

[red]

i am going to throw a name out there in reference to d-rand. they seem similar, both had talent, both could make plays, both got burned a lot. both were first round picks of GB at CB....

T-Buck

[Joemailman]

i am going to throw a name out there in reference to d-rand. they seem similar, both had talent, both could make plays, both got burned a lot. both were first round picks of GB at CB....

T-Buck

Buckley failed here because he was an undisciplined player. Randall had a bad game after a good game in Week 1. I don't see the comparison yet.

[vince]

+1

If being "in sync" is so important, why fritter away the opportunity to get "in sync" by sitting Arod the entire preseason? It sure is getting hard to tell the difference between a team out of sync and one that just ain't very good anymore?
In the case of Nelson, he wasn't ready. There was no option to fritter or not in his case.

They get "in sync" in meetings, film study and at practice more than in preseason games because everything they see is vanilla in the preseason. They can't really practice the whole hard-count read-and-adjust the run/pass option calls/adjust protections and routes "call it at the line" offense they run because the defense isn't disguising anything or changing things up preseason. They practice against and study film together about more disguised coverages and complex packages they expect to see throughout the week.

Those complexities are a big part of the problem at this point - both for Rodgers - who isn't confident in what's going on - and the rest of the guys getting "in sync."

When Rodgers throws back shoulder based on what he sees and Nelson doesn't even consider the possibility of the ball coming his way on a back shoulder throw, that's out of sync. Nothing to do with not being very good from a skills standpoint. It's communication and coordination. That's something you'd expect from Janis but not Jordy.

Although the question of how "good" Jordy is - and how good he will become again (and how quickly) at his age is anybody's guess. The mental aspects of getting past his injury is still affecting his ability to run and cut - and the overall crispness of his game I'd say.

My money's on Jordy continuing to progress but he's not close to the Jordy of old yet and they need that guy to soften up defenses so they can impose their will more with how they want to play. The problem is the only way to get that guy back is to work through the process of him progressing from semi-reliable, stiff-legged Jordy back to explosive, sneaky-fast Jordy who can separate from defenders and snatch the ball way from them with the slightest of mis-steps or head-turns.

Hopefully the upcoming slate of home games against some suspect defenses (although the Giants seem to be playing well defensively) and continuing to correct what's correctable, will be the elixir they need. My bet is they stay aggressive with forcing the dynamic read-and-adjust on-the-fly learning curve together more than regressing/simplifying the offense as many of us are calling for.

In the end it appears that there no adjustments that work well against teams that can get away with pressuring the line of scrimmage, get after the QB and press-man receivers with eight-in-the-box and a single-high safety. We'll see how it goes. Until they can soften defenses up by getting over the top, it's pretty clear it's not going to go well.

[run pMc]

I honestly don't know how much we can or should bank on Jordy being the Jordy of 2014 ever again. He's on the wrong side of 30 coming off a torn ACL. Plus, having him back hasn't solved the offense's problems from what I can see.
It's tough to win on the road, especially when you go -2 on turnovers and your QB does his best Joey Harrington impression. I'm not seeing the accuracy Rodgers used to have, it's like he's afraid to pull the trigger on throws that he used to whiz past defender's helmets.

I'm also puzzled by the WR rotation...if the route running isn't clean, put in Abbrederis. If you want to expose the CB depth, put in 5 WR. What else are the 7 WRs for? You could go no huddle and gadget-run plays with Cobb and Monty out of the backfield. Not sold on the QB or play calling right now, but it is week 2. They have a lot of things to "clean up" with their "fundamentals".

[Maxie the Taxi]

Vince, thanks for the explanation. A lot there I didn't know and still don't understand, but I trust you know what you're talking about. I just heard Steve Young compare the complexity of today's pro game as 50 on a difficulty scale of 1 to 10. He said high school game is 2 on that scale. College, 4. A lot more going on Sundays than what the ordinary fan sees on TV. :bow:

[vince]

Vince, thanks for the explanation. A lot there I didn't know and still don't understand, but I trust you know what you're talking about. I just heard Steve Young compare the complexity of today's pro game as 50 on a difficulty scale of 1 to 10. He said high school game is 2 on that scale. College, 4. A lot more going on Sundays than what the ordinary fan sees on TV. :bow:
When there's no one like Diggs (or hopefully Jordy soon) who can go out and beat his guy downfield and/or with the ball in his hands in space from the flat to turn a 5 yard pass into a 20 yard gain, there's not much room on the field for passing or running lanes regardless of scheme. Quick hitters to big bodies like Cook and Rodgers might help. At least that's my theory.

[Maxie the Taxi]

When there's no one like Diggs (or hopefully Jordy soon) who can go out and beat his guy downfield and/or with the ball in his hands in space from the flat to turn a 5 yard pass into a 20 yard gain, there's not much room on the field for passing or running lanes regardless of scheme. Quick hitters to big bodies like Cook and Rodgers might help. At least that's my theory.I'd love to have Darrin Sproles or a guy like him (David Johnson, say) who can slide across the line and catch a pass for significant yardage. He keeps the LB's honest.

[vince]

Yeah someone who can make a guy miss. Guys might bounce off Lacy every now and again but they usually don't miss him unless he has a head of steam and defenders don't want any part of that.

Cobb can do that some and I think that's the idea behind him lining up in the backfield but I can't recall them throwing him the ball from out of the backfield much at all. Plus teams just match the safety in the box rather than with a linebacker like true RB's often get.

And you're a glutton for punishment wishing for David Johnson. I wish the Packers had Johnson and Diggs. They'd solve a ton of problems.

[pbmax]

When there's no one like Diggs (or hopefully Jordy soon) who can go out and beat his guy downfield and/or with the ball in his hands in space from the flat to turn a 5 yard pass into a 20 yard gain, there's not much room on the field for passing or running lanes regardless of scheme. Quick hitters to big bodies like Cook and Rodgers might help. At least that's my theory.

Monty can do this, but they chose to ride the big guys deep. At some point, he needs to get in.

[pbmax]

In defense of Randall:

Jersey Al - GBP ‏@JerseyAlGBP 2h2 hours ago
I saw a few plays last night where I thought Randall was expecting safety help and didn't get it. Good to hear Capers say that in his PC.

Capers said in his PC today that Randall should had help from other zones on a couple of his plays. I don't think Ha Ha had a good game reading action away from the intended target.

[pbmax]

McCarthy's personnel versus Jacksonville. Remember when he was all about personnel grouping?

This tempo no huddle thing has been the death of his offense.


Justis Mosqueda ‏@JuMosq 8h8 hours ago
By my count, here's what GB's personnel looked like vs Jacksonville (first digit RB/FB, second digit TE):
01-12 (empty backfield, 1 TE)
11-48 (1 RB, 1 TE)
20-7 (RB+FB, 0 TE)
22-1 (RB+FB, 2 TE)

Justis Mosqueda ‏@JuMosq 8h8 hours ago
GB's lone 2 TE set was a kneel to end it. Had more no back sets than two back sets. Every true offensive play had three WRs on the field.

Justis Mosqueda @JuMosq
At one point, GB ran 31 straight plays out of 11 personnel, almost four full drives (4-7)

[Pugger]

Buckley failed here because he was an undisciplined player. Randall had a bad game after a good game in Week 1. I don't see the comparison yet.

Me neither.

[vince]

McCarthy's personnel versus Jacksonville. Remember when he was all about personnel grouping?

This tempo no huddle thing has been the death of his offense.


Justis Mosqueda ‏@JuMosq 8h8 hours ago
By my count, here's what GB's personnel looked like vs Jacksonville (first digit RB/FB, second digit TE):
01-12 (empty backfield, 1 TE)
11-48 (1 RB, 1 TE)
20-7 (RB+FB, 0 TE)
22-1 (RB+FB, 2 TE)

Justis Mosqueda ‏@JuMosq 8h8 hours ago
GB's lone 2 TE set was a kneel to end it. Had more no back sets than two back sets. Every true offensive play had three WRs on the field.

Justis Mosqueda @JuMosq
At one point, GB ran 31 straight plays out of 11 personnel, almost four full drives (4-7)
Tempo is important. They don't have it yet. They go no huddle but run the play clock down to nothing almost every time. They need to play faster. The problem in my opinion is they can't force teams to back off and respect the big play threat. That's why Rodgers is slowing everythign down with hard counts so he can figure out who's coming and from where, then adjust the protection and/or playcall. When he's right they can block it up reasonably well usually but guys still can't get open vs. man coverage and everybody packed up to fill running and passing lanes.

[hoosier]

FWIW. 6 of their losses are against playoff teams (5 on the road) with top 5 defenses, including both superbowl teams from last year and both NFCC teams from last year. Their offense has almost always let down in those instances.

The only truly embarassing loss in that record was the Bears @Lambeau.

Don't forget Detroit at home, when they let one of the worst defenses in the league shut them down.

[Pugger]

Don't forget Detroit at home, when they let one of the worst defenses in the league shut them down.

And unless things are fixed it's gonna be a long afternoon this Sunday. :-(

[Harlan Huckleby]

Buckley failed here because he was an undisciplined player. Randall had a bad game after a good game in Week 1. I don't see the comparison yet.

T-Buck was also a shrimp.