Bright spots and dull spots 1/4 season mark....

[RashanGary]

Bright spots
1. Rush defense is great (tackling, muscle up front, discipline)
2. Middle of defense is stronger than what we're used to. ILBs, Ss and DTs all playing well.
3. Pass rush is great. Matthews, Daniels, Perry, Fackrell leading the charge.
4. Lacy is running well
5. The OL is the best we've seen in many years, both run and pass.
6. Nelson and Cobb are better than injured Cobb and Adams last year
7. Dick Rod looks faster
8. Arod is elite at moving in the pocket. Makes blocking easier because he moves to set up the blocks. Still runs well.

Dull spots
1. Aaron still not at the top of his game throwing. Missing throws.
2. Dropped passes
3. Nobody behind Lacy
4. Adams mental errors and seems like he's thinking instead of just playing.
5. Our punter fucking sucks


All in all a good start. I don't think the corners are playing poorly enough to be a real glaring weakness, but not a strength either. Get m shields back and have Aaron get in a rhythm and I think we might be a contender. Keep sputtering with the passing game and the corners getting exposed more and we're not good enough. I have no real guess at how it's going to go, but we're in it. We have a chance.

[Pugger]

Besides that one play where Adams pulled his hands back and didn't catch that pass that could have been picked I thought he had a nice game. Otherwise I agree with your assessment of the game.

[ThunderDan]

Besides that one play where Adams pulled his hands back and didn't catch that pass that could have been picked I thought he had a nice game. Otherwise I agree with your assessment of the game.

This is the quarter poll evaluations not just the Giants game.

Funny story, my son was playing a football game Saturday morning and had a similar play to the Adams play. The QB just rifled it at him from about 8 yards away. My son ducked and let the pass go over his head. The coach yelled, "Why did you duck?" I thought my son would say something like I thought someone was behind me but instead said, "It was coming right for my head."

[Fritz]

Funny stuff, Dan. Maybe Adams thought he'd jam a finger if he tried to catch that bullet.

I agree with JH's assessment generally, but I am more concerned with Rodgers's (Aaron) play than JH appears to be. There were, as my students would write, defiantly lots of dropped passes last night, but on the whole this year the receivers seem to be hanging on to the ball okay. Rodgers, however, is scattershot again on many passes. He's just off, somehow. Maybe he spoiled us for a long time, and this is how normal QB's play. But if so, then we're going to have to back off all the "boy he's special" talk at some point.

I am hoping Rodgers will pull it together and be that incredible, breathtaking QB we were used to seeing. Because incredible players making breathtaking plays (like Cobb on that first down run toward the end of the game) is how you win a Super Bowl.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

I am a pessimist, so here are some more dull spots:

6. Randall is getting raped and slaughtered - not literally.

7. Cook is the only TE on the roster worthy of being on the roster. He's now hurt and eating rooster heads for dinner.

8. The Packers DBs as a whole suck. Pretty uninspiring. Pack were lucky Elisha's receivers were dropping balls when he wasn't overthrowing 'em the other night. They were wide open for most of the night, kinda like Greg Jennings was in the clutch in that Wildcard game against 'Zona.

9. Rodgers is still missing mojo. Brady missed 4 games and he didn't miss a beat.

10. Every Sunday's getting more bleak - A fresh poison each week. Take me to church...Good God, let me give you my life.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Disagree on Adams. I think he's having a much better season this year than last. Granted, couldn't have done much worse, but a marked improvement nonetheless.

[gbgary]

d is looking real good. at first it was bend-don't-break but it just keeps getting better. o is getting better but not close to what it was.

these next few games will be a real measuring stick.

[King Friday]

Besides that one play where Adams pulled his hands back and didn't catch that pass that could have been picked I thought he had a nice game. Otherwise I agree with your assessment of the game.

I'm not sure how you blame Adams for that...it was an easy pass that should've been on his numbers. The ball was 3 feet over his head...receivers will often let those go thinking it may be to another receiver behind them. Besides, if he tries to get his hands up to make the catch, the same thing that happened to Jordy (which DID result in an INT) could happen by tipping the ball into the air and gifting up an INT.

That play was 100% on Rodgers...not Adams. Rodgers needs to work on his accuracy, because he was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY off on a number of throws last night. He may be able to hit a net from 50 yards, but he can't seem to throw an accurate pass to a guy 10 yards from him anymore.

[King Friday]

The primary dull spot is the guy who is the head coach.

The first drive last night was fabulous...different packages...got a lot of guys on the field. Went down the field and got a TD. I was shocked to see that McCarthy was actually coaching.

Then, the variation completely stopped...and Stubby went back to the boring, vanilla playbook that everyone in the NFL already has memorized. He has TWO FUCKING WEEKS to prepare for this game, and only came up with ONE FUCKING DRIVE worth of innovation...then decided, hell with it, let's go back to what hasn't worked for the last year because that one drive should confuse the defense, right? What a moron.

[deake]

I'm not sure how you blame Adams for that...it was an easy pass that should've been on his numbers. The ball was 3 feet over his head...receivers will often let those go thinking it may be to another receiver behind them. Besides, if he tries to get his hands up to make the catch, the same thing that happened to Jordy (which DID result in an INT) could happen by tipping the ball into the air and gifting up an INT.

That play was 100% on Rodgers...not Adams. Rodgers needs to work on his accuracy, because he was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY off on a number of throws last night. He may be able to hit a net from 50 yards, but he can't seem to throw an accurate pass to a guy 10 yards from him anymore.

Or as we saw last night, he can't throw an accurate pass 2 or 3 yards.

[pbmax]

I'm not sure how you blame Adams for that...it was an easy pass that should've been on his numbers. The ball was 3 feet over his head...receivers will often let those go thinking it may be to another receiver behind them. Besides, if he tries to get his hands up to make the catch, the same thing that happened to Jordy (which DID result in an INT) could happen by tipping the ball into the air and gifting up an INT.

That play was 100% on Rodgers...not Adams. Rodgers needs to work on his accuracy, because he was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY off on a number of throws last night. He may be able to hit a net from 50 yards, but he can't seem to throw an accurate pass to a guy 10 yards from him anymore.

He jumped, not an olympic record distance, and didn't even extend his arms the entire way. Then, having interfered with the vision and anticipation of the person he thought was behind him, he decided not to touch it.

Catch the ball you could have easily caught.

[pbmax]

That first screen pass was a huge disappointment. It was setup so well. And he biffed the throw.

Th second one was more Starks. It wasn't square in his chest, but catchable.

[King Friday]

He jumped, not an olympic record distance, and didn't even extend his arms the entire way. Then, having interfered with the vision and anticipation of the person he thought was behind him, he decided not to touch it.

Catch the ball you could have easily caught.

No ball 3 feet above your head is "easily caught" as you suggest. NFL receivers often make catching those kind of passes LOOK easy...doesn't mean they are. For every highlight film, there are about twice as many tipped balls for INTs.

Rodgers looked like Anthony Dilweg out there last night. Good to know that you fully approve of that performance, and just want the receivers to catch all the easily caught balls that are within 10 feet of them.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Lacy is good but can only be expected to be healthy 50% of the time. The lack of a backup is a puzzling miss by TT.

[Pugger]

I'm not sure how you blame Adams for that...it was an easy pass that should've been on his numbers. The ball was 3 feet over his head...receivers will often let those go thinking it may be to another receiver behind them. Besides, if he tries to get his hands up to make the catch, the same thing that happened to Jordy (which DID result in an INT) could happen by tipping the ball into the air and gifting up an INT.

That play was 100% on Rodgers...not Adams. Rodgers needs to work on his accuracy, because he was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY off on a number of throws last night. He may be able to hit a net from 50 yards, but he can't seem to throw an accurate pass to a guy 10 yards from him anymore.

Huh? You say it was Rodgers' fault that Adams pulled his hands down from that pass? smh

[Joemailman]

Huh? You say it was Rodgers' fault that Adams pulled his hands down from that pass? smh

That was a bad pass. If you're going to throw it that hard from such a short distance, it has to be between the numbers. Many times in the past, Rodgers has carried this team. Right now, this team is carrying Rodgers.

[SMBASS]

Rodgers is at the very bottom of the list of starting QB's in the league right now with a completion percentage of 56.1%. There is definitely something wrong with this guy and it's been going on for quite a while now. I don't buy into this crap about chemistry and timing either. They're pros for goodness sakes and he's a seasoned veteran who's been with most of these receivers for multiple years now.

Sam Bradford is 2nd in the league with a completion percentage of 70.4% and he's only been with the team and his receivers for a few weeks now. Hell, he also had to learn an entirely new offense in that time. Rookies like Dak Prescott are at 69%, Carson Wentz is at 67.4%. etc... Good grief, Trevor Siemian is at 67.3%. I wouldn't necessarily say that these guys have all world receiving corps either so I'm not going to blame it all on our receivers. At some point you have to start looking at Rodgers and Stubby for the majority of the offensive problems.

In addition, I think the OL has been adequate to good and given him plenty of time to throw for the most part so I don't think the problem lies with them either. We've seen Rodgers play better in the past when he spent half of his time running for his life because the line was so porous.

[pbmax]

That was a bad pass. If you're going to throw it that hard from such a short distance, it has to be between the numbers. Many times in the past, Rodgers has carried this team. Right now, this team is carrying Rodgers.

It wasn't a good pass. But it was eminently catchable. He had to pull his arms away to avoid it.

[pbmax]

There is definitely something wrong with Rodgers. But be careful comparing him to the dregs of the League. His completion percentage is terrible, but the Packers Offense is 12th in scoring. Just barely over League average.

I have seen terrible QB play. This is only a simulacrum.

As to the cause I still say its the no huddle, with its completely predictable routes, spacing and run plays. Problem is, when Lacy got hurt, its all they ran with Starks. Brutal.

[Rutnstrut]

I would say that a lot of the problem with Rodgers is stubby.

[King Friday]

As to the cause I still say its the no huddle, with its completely predictable routes, spacing and run plays. Problem is, when Lacy got hurt, its all they ran with Starks. Brutal.

The no huddle causes inaccurate passes? There were several times that receivers were open...thanks to the blocking of the OL giving plays extended time...but Rodgers completely misfired on passes that an MVP caliber QB should be making 90%+ of the time. I don't follow the logic that says the inaccuracy is due to the no huddle offense.

Now, the receivers not getting separation...ok, I can buy into that. However, that doesn't explain hot garbage throwing from Rodgers.

[Maxie the Taxi]

I don't know what the problem is, but I agree there is a problem...somewhere. My eyes saw Arod have plenty of time and space to throw. They also saw WR's covered like a blanket a good deal of the time. When Arod was on the mark with a pass in those instances, the receiver had to contest for the ball with the defender. As I think back, this has been pretty much the story for quite some time.

Maybe Arod has lost something, but I don't think he's the entire problem or even mostly responsible. My guess is that we didn't really appreciate the talent we had at WR when we were hip deep in it. At their prime, Jennings, Nelson and Cobb were the best in the league. Now Cobb may have lost a step. Nelson is not his old self yet. And we know Adams is no Greg Jennings.

[King Friday]

It wasn't a good pass. But it was eminently catchable. He had to pull his arms away to avoid it.

So you do not think Adams did that because he believed it might be targeting someone else behind him since it was so far off the mark?

[SMBASS]

There is definitely something wrong with Rodgers. But be careful comparing him to the dregs of the League. His completion percentage is terrible, but the Packers Offense is 12th in scoring. Just barely over League average.

I have seen terrible QB play. This is only a simulacrum.

As to the cause I still say its the no huddle, with its completely predictable routes, spacing and run plays. Problem is, when Lacy got hurt, its all they ran with Starks. Brutal.

Agree pb. I'm not at all trying to say that these other QB's are better than Rodgers. Just making a point of how, "Un-Rodgers like" he's been playing. I'm also tired of hearing all the other excuses that shift the blame to everyone else but him. I understand that even a great player is going to have a bad game here and there and not live up to the extremely high standard he's set with his past play but how many games or what time frame starts to constitute a pattern instead of an anomaly? He's jumping in the air when he throws, getting happy feet when it's not warranted, not pulling the trigger and holding the ball too long, throwing a lot of terribly inaccurate passes, and sometimes just refusing to take what the D is giving him and going for the big play instead.

I'm of the opinion that a lot of it has to do with Stubby more than Rodgers but something is not right with the way he's been playing for awhile now.

[King Friday]

I don't know what the problem is, but I agree there is a problem...somewhere. My eyes saw Arod have plenty of time and space to throw. They also saw WR's covered like a blanket a good deal of the time. When Arod was on the mark with a pass in those instances, the receiver had to contest for the ball with the defender. As I think back, this has been pretty much the story for quite some time.

Maybe Arod has lost something, but I don't think he's the entire problem or even mostly responsible. My guess is that we didn't really appreciate the talent we had at WR when we were hip deep in it. At their prime, Jennings, Nelson and Cobb were the best in the league. Now Cobb may have lost a step. Nelson is not his old self yet. And we know Adams is no Greg Jennings.

I don't buy the WR talent argument. Tom Brady has performed at an elite level for years throwing to a bunch of castoffs, by and large...with a less effective OL in front of him to boot.

Rodgers has the knowledge and talent to work with to be significantly better than he's shown so far this year. Making excuses on receiving talent doesn't cut it for me.

[pbmax]

It explains a lot. When they mixed personnel and formations, guys came free immediately.

The no huddle, with no personnel switches and no motion, is entirely predictable and easy for the defense to read and adapt. They can game plan to do whatever they want to that offense because its so vanilla.

If you believe reports, the design is then for Rodgers to improvise and buy time to find an open receiver. Easiest to do when someone can threaten deep, which doesn't happen often anymore.

But that's not an offense, that is a playground game. When the Packers had overwhelming WR talent, they could make it work. But it also worked because it was the backup option. They had a functioning, patterned offense to play off of. So it was something the defense could not prepare for solely.

We have seen this before. In Rodger's breakout season, he was having a terrible time with the passing offense, holding the ball too long and sliding into pressure inside the pocket. McCarthy, after weeks of denying it was necessary, adjusted the offense with diversity and some (not a lot, but some) shorter throws. Boom, offense takes off and beats the Cowboys.

The wait around and scramble offense hasn't worked versus anyone since the first half of Week 6. Its been dead against good teams for 2 years. Rodgers knows no one is getting open early, he sometimes moves himself into trouble in the pocket, bails early and misses receivers when they do (rarely) come open. He is pressing and it shows, just like in 2009.

The terrible design of the offense has broken the QB as it did in 2009. At some point McCarthy might decide its important to do what works for the talent he has.

And I think there is a chance. We saw some of it easy versus Detroit and the Giants. He has also adjusted the 4-8 minute offense to include passing for first downs. The season isn't too old for adjustments yet.

[King Friday]

The wait around and scramble offense hasn't worked versus anyone since the first half of Week 6. Its been dead against good teams for 2 years. Rodgers knows no one is getting open early, he sometimes moves himself into trouble in the pocket, bails early and misses receivers when they do (rarely) come open.

And if what you say is correct, then neither Aaron Rodgers or Mike McCarthy...the 2 guys running this offensive show...really don't know how to fix the issues.

By this point, a competent coach and QB combo would've figured out how to fix this. So, that would suggest that we don't have a competent coach and QB combo.

[SMBASS]

I would say that a lot of the problem with Rodgers is stubby.

I blame it on Olivia Munn! Lol!

[beveaux1]

It explains a lot. When they mixed personnel and formations, guys came free immediately.

The no huddle, with no personnel switches and no motion, is entirely predictable and easy for the defense to read and adapt. They can game plan to do whatever they want to that offense because its so vanilla.

If you believe reports, the design is then for Rodgers to improvise and buy time to find an open receiver. Easiest to do when someone can threaten deep, which doesn't happen often anymore.

But that's not an offense, that is a playground game. When the Packers had overwhelming WR talent, they could make it work. But it also worked because it was the backup option. They had a functioning, patterned offense to play off of. So it was something the defense could not prepare for solely.

We have seen this before. In Rodger's breakout season, he was having a terrible time with the passing offense, holding the ball too long and sliding into pressure inside the pocket. McCarthy, after weeks of denying it was necessary, adjusted the offense with diversity and some (not a lot, but some) shorter throws. Boom, offense takes off and beats the Cowboys.

The wait around and scramble offense hasn't worked versus anyone since the first half of Week 6. Its been dead against good teams for 2 years. Rodgers knows no one is getting open early, he sometimes moves himself into trouble in the pocket, bails early and misses receivers when they do (rarely) come open. He is pressing and it shows, just like in 2009.

The terrible design of the offense has broken the QB as it did in 2009. At some point McCarthy might decide its important to do what works for the talent he has.

And I think there is a chance. We saw some of it easy versus Detroit and the Giants. He has also adjusted the 4-8 minute offense to include passing for first downs. The season isn't too old for adjustments yet.

I would add that the no- huddle requires a RB to check blitz pick up then move out as a safety valve. Rodgers either doesn't take the check off, doesn't trust the RB, or misses the throw, which contributes to is low percentage. That RB is usually open.

[SMBASS]

I would add that the no- huddle requires a RB to check blitz pick up then move out as a safety valve. Rodgers either doesn't take the check off, doesn't trust the RB, or misses the throw, which contributes to is low percentage. That RB is usually open.

No kidding. I can't even remember the last time we ever completed a pass to a running back that wasn't a planned screen. Opposing linebackers don't even have to worry about the responsibility of covering a back out of the backfield so they can just drop back into coverage and help clog up the middle of the field to take away underneath crossing patterns and slants. I've never understood why we don't utilize the running backs in our passing game the way NE and some other teams do. Unfortunately Rodgers has never been very good at those swing passes to a back or even lateral wide receiver screen plays. For some reason he gets the yips and goes all Steve Sax/Chuck Knoblauch on those type of throws.

[Tony Oday]

I think AR will work it out but how about Peppers? Seems to be a non-factor this year.

[Patler]

So you do not think Adams did that because he believed it might be targeting someone else behind him since it was so far off the mark?

Of course he did. But, Adams is the current whipping boy on here, so when ever possible, he will be blamed.

I'm not even convinced he could have gotten it if he hadn't backed off. That pass was as bad as a few of Mannings were last night.

[texaspackerbacker]

There's still a lot of guys in here talking like the sky is falling or something. We're 3-1 with the only loss a close game to an unbeaten team playing inspired football in the opener of their new stadium. A helluva lot of good teams are a lot worse off.

Yeah, Rodgers was a bit off target - it happens. Yeah, the receivers didn't get open especially against the Giants - that was partly good D; Things like Jordy dropping catchable balls ain't likely to continue. As for the low completion percentage, I see a lot of throwaways - avoidance of interceptions - would we want it any other way when nobody is open? I see improvement in Adams - another of my least favorite players. I don't think he lacks heart, just judgment sometimes. I still want to see more of Janis and Abbrederis. Somebody needs to step up and get open (and get the opportunity to play).

On the good side, our O Line even impressed me, possibly their biggest critic, in the Giants game. Hopefully that will continue. And Lacy has been running like a beast - hopefully the ankle won't mess that up. I don't see Starks as nearly as bad as lot of people seem to. It's more like comparison to the improved Lacy. Starks was close to some big plays, and I think he will do at least as well as recent seasons.

I agree, McCarthy's play calling leaves something to be desired. I like the no-huddle though, and I like the fact that he moved slightly toward a pass-first attack last week. I think that had a lot to do with Lacy having holes to run, although he did most of it himself after being hit.

On defense, what more do you guys want? Yeah, the young ILBs got outsmarted a couple times - they will learn and improve. Yeah, Peppers looks way over the hill, but there are a helluva lot of others at his spot who have really stepped up - Perry, D. Jones, Fackerell, Elliot. Yeah, Randall has sucked and Shields may or may not come back, but I really like the way Rollins and Gunter have played; Hyde seems to do a lot better at slot corner than safety; And these UDFAs, Hawkins and Brice seem decent too.

The only thing that really seems hopeless is the damn punter. Who in the hell made the decision to cut Mortell and Masthay and pick up this piece of crap? What do they see in him? There probably are a couple dozen better punters out there on the street right now - including Mortell and Masthay.

As I've said several times, there's winning, and there's maximizing things. McCarthy doesn't seem to care to maximize, just to slide by and win. That's frustrating and occasionally risky for actually getting beat, but things could be a helluva lot worse off - like for about 8 or 10 top teams that have messed up and another dozen or so lesser teams who don't even have the horses to come close.

[Rutnstrut]

I think AR will work it out but how about Peppers? Seems to be a non-factor this year.

He was barely a factor last year. AsI've said for awhile, he takesmoreplays off than any other player I have seen. They should have cut his old,worthless ass.

[Cheesehead Craig]

He was barely a factor last year. AsI've said for awhile, he takesmoreplays off than any other player I have seen. They should have cut his old,worthless ass.

He's obviously done after this season. At this point he's just a guy who can play some downs and keep guys fresh. He's been a great vet leader and teacher in the locker room though. With a perpetually young roster, he's been worth it. Take him for what he is at this point.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

He was barely a factor last year. AsI've said for awhile, he takesmoreplays off than any other player I have seen. They should have cut his old,worthless ass.

Barely a factor? J-Pepp led the Pack in sacks last season, for fuck's sake! Was the only consistent pass rusher with the Claymaker stuck at ILB.

Taking plays off? Apparently, you've never seen the Claymaker play OLB. Claymaker played, what, 25 snaps against the Giants? What the fuck! Claymaker the OLB is prone to taking himself out of the game, which is pretty much taking plays off. Watt and Sherman's V-Mill never take themselves out of the game!

For one reason or another, Peppers is only making token appearances nowadays. Hard to inflate stats when you ain't getting a whole lotta reps.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

There's still a lot of guys in here talking like the sky is falling or something. We're 3-1 with the only loss a close game to an unbeaten team playing inspired football in the opener of their new stadium. A helluva lot of good teams are a lot worse off.

Yeah, Rodgers was a bit off target - it happens. Yeah, the receivers didn't get open especially against the Giants - that was partly good D; Things like Jordy dropping catchable balls ain't likely to continue. As for the low completion percentage, I see a lot of throwaways - avoidance of interceptions - would we want it any other way when nobody is open? I see improvement in Adams - another of my least favorite players. I don't think he lacks heart, just judgment sometimes. I still want to see more of Janis and Abbrederis. Somebody needs to step up and get open (and get the opportunity to play).

On the good side, our O Line even impressed me, possibly their biggest critic, in the Giants game. Hopefully that will continue. And Lacy has been running like a beast - hopefully the ankle won't mess that up. I don't see Starks as nearly as bad as lot of people seem to. It's more like comparison to the improved Lacy. Starks was close to some big plays, and I think he will do at least as well as recent seasons.

I agree, McCarthy's play calling leaves something to be desired. I like the no-huddle though, and I like the fact that he moved slightly toward a pass-first attack last week. I think that had a lot to do with Lacy having holes to run, although he did most of it himself after being hit.

On defense, what more do you guys want? Yeah, the young ILBs got outsmarted a couple times - they will learn and improve. Yeah, Peppers looks way over the hill, but there are a helluva lot of others at his spot who have really stepped up - Perry, D. Jones, Fackerell, Elliot. Yeah, Randall has sucked and Shields may or may not come back, but I really like the way Rollins and Gunter have played; Hyde seems to do a lot better at slot corner than safety; And these UDFAs, Hawkins and Brice seem decent too.

The only thing that really seems hopeless is the damn punter. Who in the hell made the decision to cut Mortell and Masthay and pick up this piece of crap? What do they see in him? There probably are a couple dozen better punters out there on the street right now - including Mortell and Masthay.

As I've said several times, there's winning, and there's maximizing things. McCarthy doesn't seem to care to maximize, just to slide by and win. That's frustrating and occasionally risky for actually getting beat, but things could be a helluva lot worse off - like for about 8 or 10 top teams that have messed up and another dozen or so lesser teams who don't even have the horses to come close.

Agree that the O needs to be pass-first and pass-happy. Maybe if Rodgers starts passing for 500 yards a game, his mojo will return.

Totally disagree with you assessment of Mr. Hyde. The guy is a fucking abomination at corner and at saftey. He hasn't done shit returning punts and kicks nowadays, too. Against the G-Men, Mr. Hyde's "men" were always open. Luckily Elisha overthrew them or they dropped the rock. There should be a law outlawing Hyde from covering receivers, cos he's to Hadesdamn slow and too Goddamn white (name one other white corner in the NFL).

Btw, to answer your question regarding the punter, Ted "Polar Bear" Thompson. The same incompetent Polar Bear who cut Jon Ryan for "Scott" Frost.

[beveaux1]

Agree that the O needs to be pass-first and pass-happy. Maybe if Rodgers starts passing for 500 yards a game, his mojo will return.

Totally disagree with you assessment of Mr. Hyde. The guy is a fucking abomination at corner and at saftey. He hasn't done shit returning punts and kicks nowadays, too. Against the G-Men, Mr. Hyde's "men" were always open. Luckily Elisha overthrew them or they dropped the rock. There should be a law outlawing Hyde from covering receivers, cos he's to Hadesdamn slow and too Goddamn white (name one other white corner in the NFL).

Btw, to answer your question regarding the punter, Ted "Polar Bear" Thompson. The same incompetent Polar Bear who cut Jon Ryan for "Scott" Frost.

Hyde is not a white corner.

[Airin' Rodgers]

]No kidding. I can't even remember the last time we ever completed a pass to a running back that wasn't a planned screen[/B]. Opposing linebackers don't even have to worry about the responsibility of covering a back out of the backfield so they can just drop back into coverage and help clog up the middle of the field to take away underneath crossing patterns and slants. I've never understood why we don't utilize the running backs in our passing game the way NE and some other teams do. Unfortunately Rodgers has never been very good at those swing passes to a back or even lateral wide receiver screen plays. For some reason he gets the yips and goes all Steve Sax/Chuck Knoblauch on those type of throws.

We completed a pass to a RB that wasn't a planned screen literally like 1 play before we went victory formation. Starks caught it and then tried to hand the ball to the Giants linebacker.

[Carolina_Packer]

I'm not sure how you blame Adams for that...it was an easy pass that should've been on his numbers. The ball was 3 feet over his head...receivers will often let those go thinking it may be to another receiver behind them. Besides, if he tries to get his hands up to make the catch, the same thing that happened to Jordy (which DID result in an INT) could happen by tipping the ball into the air and gifting up an INT.

That play was 100% on Rodgers...not Adams. Rodgers needs to work on his accuracy, because he was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY off on a number of throws last night. He may be able to hit a net from 50 yards, but he can't seem to throw an accurate pass to a guy 10 yards from him anymore.

I think teams have caught up to his play-action, roll-out. It used to be a killer way for him to create extra time to survey the field, and sometimes get a shot play from it. Seems like now defenses have a guy who rolls with Aaron and gives immediate chase. I don't think they should stop doing this, I think they should use it to setup up some kind of a screen, so he has a hot read on the play instead of it becoming a scramble drill when the defensive guy is bearing down on him, forcing him to reset his feet.

Also, I think since the Denver game last year when he was sacked a bunch, the rush may be in his head. Sometimes it's very real and he needs to move. Sometimes he moves when there is no imminent danger. I would think every time you move your feet and can't immediately get your footwork right, that makes the timing off just enough on the isolation routes.

[Tony Oday]

Oh and can we get an NFL punter?

[King Friday]

We completed a pass to a RB that wasn't a planned screen literally like 1 play before we went victory formation. Starks caught it and then tried to hand the ball to the Giants linebacker.

Yeah...we don't have the RBs to run that kind of stuff. That has been a serious pet peeve of mine in regard to Thompson for quite awhile. He is averse to obtaining RBs who are actually dynamic receivers out of the backfield.

[King Friday]

Oh and can we get an NFL punter?

It's more fun to play a drinking game around which side of the field the shank will wind up.

[denverYooper]

I don't buy the WR talent argument. Tom Brady has performed at an elite level for years throwing to a bunch of castoffs, by and large...with a less effective OL in front of him to boot.

Rodgers has the knowledge and talent to work with to be significantly better than he's shown so far this year. Making excuses on receiving talent doesn't cut it for me.

Yeah, Gronk is a "castoff".

Tom Brady has gone through several "up" and "down" seasons through his career. Like Rodgers, he has gone through seasons where his numbers are record-setting and he has also gone through seasons that would be considered good for the Cutlers of the world but not comparable to top performances. We mostly remember him by highlights, as most fans of other teams remember Rodgers by highlights. He didn't top 100 QB rating until his 7th season and then didn't go over that again until his 10th.

In 2013, a down year for Tom Brady, he had an 87.7 rating, 60.5% completion rating, 25 TDs and 11 INTs.

Rodgers in a down year last year playing without much help at receiver had a 92.7 rating, 60.7% completion, 31 TD, 8 INT. He looks to be struggling in some games this year, but let's see the entire season play out first.

[MadtownPacker]

The problem is practically every fucking play takes forever to develop. Don't these mfers have some quick shit that will give the WRs and even the RBs a chance to RAC up yards. I am sick of it getting chucked deep when a simple dump off for 4 yards would have kept the drive alive. I guess at the end of the day that comes down to M3 but it just seems like lack of discipline overall.

[pbmax]

Welker only became a castoff when his brainpan developed a permanent leak.

[Freak Out]

The problem is practically every fucking play takes forever to develop. Don't these mfers have some quick shit that will give the WRs and even the RBs a chance to RAC up yards. I am sick of it getting chucked deep when a simple dump off for 4 yards would have kept the drive alive. I guess at the end of the day that comes down to M3 but it just seems like lack of discipline overall.

It's been hard to watch.

[yetisnowman]

Yeah, Gronk is a "castoff".

Tom Brady has gone through several "up" and "down" seasons through his career. Like Rodgers, he has gone through seasons where his numbers are record-setting and he has also gone through seasons that would be considered good for the Cutlers of the world but not comparable to top performances. We mostly remember him by highlights, as most fans of other teams remember Rodgers by highlights. He didn't top 100 QB rating until his 7th season and then didn't go over that again until his 10th.

In 2013, a down year for Tom Brady, he had an 87.7 rating, 60.5% completion rating, 25 TDs and 11 INTs.

Rodgers in a down year last year playing without much help at receiver had a 92.7 rating, 60.7% completion, 31 TD, 8 INT. He looks to be struggling in some games this year, but let's see the entire season play out first.

He was referring to WR talent. Gronks a TE.
And Brady's "ups" include 10 AFC title game appearances 6 superbowl appearances and 4 championship rings (3 without a pro bowler at a skill position). That's the key difference. The stats that really matter.

[yetisnowman]

Brady has absolutely done more with less.

[pbmax]

He was referring to WR talent. Gronks a TE.
And Brady's "ups" include 10 AFC title game appearances 6 superbowl appearances and 4 championship rings (3 without a pro bowler at a skill position). That's the key difference. The stats that really matter.

Welker? Moss?

Even Edelman.

But more importantly, the AFC East stinks out loud as does most of the AFC outside. They don't get a challenge until the Championship game. Maybe the Divisional Round of its the Broncos or Ravens.

The Bears were better than any AFC East team for 3 years while Rodgers/McCarthy were together. The stinking Bears with no QB. Caleb Hanie.

[King Friday]

Welker? Moss?

Even Edelman.

Welker is NOT an elite WR talent. Welker is a very good WR...probably comparable to Cobb IMO. New England simply knows how to utilize that kind of receiver far better than the Packers do, and since their depth at the position has been rather poor...Welker was thrown to a lot in his career. His numbers are more a result of the system and Tom Brady than the fact that Welker is a guy who could catch 120 balls a year for any NFL team.

Moss...yep, elite talent. He wasn't in NE for long though...but while he was there, Brady rewrote the record books of the league. Just imagine how great Brady would look if he had a talent like Moss to work with for even a considerable portion of his career?

Edelman? The guy has 21 career TD receptions...playing with probably the greatest QB to ever play in the league. You are just proving my point if he's the 3rd guy you are mentioning as an example of tremendous receiving talent in New England.

[yetisnowman]

Welker? Moss?

Even Edelman.

But more importantly, the AFC East stinks out loud as does most of the AFC outside. They don't get a challenge until the Championship game. Maybe the Divisional Round of its the Broncos or Ravens.

The Bears were better than any AFC East team for 3 years while Rodgers/McCarthy were together. The stinking Bears with no QB. Caleb Hanie.

The original post said that Brady has succeeded and been highly productive with , BY AND LARGE, castoffs. Which is 100% true. Yes if course Randy Moss is an all timer, and Welker and Edelman have been solid players. But Brady won superbowls with Troy Brown and Deion Branch. And Moss and Welker had their best years with Brady throwing them the ball. Its not a coincidence. You can poo poo his division all you want, but going to the superbowl half of every season as a starting NFL qb is no fluke.

[pbmax]

How much did those New England Super Bowl offenses score with Troy Brown and Deion Branch? And how much was dependent on the D in those Super Bowls?

You are confusing a middling NE offense with 3 Super Bowl wins its subsequent superstar Tom Brady offense with one.

[yetisnowman]

How much did those New England Super Bowl offenses score with Troy Brown and Deion Branch? And how much was dependent on the D in those Super Bowls?

You are confusing a middling NE offense with 3 Super Bowl wins its subsequent superstar Tom Brady offense with one.

Your homerism and A-Rod apologism is funny. It's gotten better, mainly because it's harder to deny a 20 game trend, than it is to dismiss a handful of playoff losses.

Brady's resume stands alone. You think even an above average quarterback can get to 10 AFC title games in 12 years? No, that's all time greatness. His only superbowl win with a "middling" offense was the first one. Which by the way was his first season as a starter. And also by the way, still featured him leading his team on a game winning fg drive. Every super bowl win includes signature clutch play from Brady, and signature drives to set up the wins.

[Rutnstrut]

IMO, AR's mechanics are breaking down at times and he makes bad throws. To correct that you need a decent coach. I think Rodgers may be a bit of a diva and think he's above coaching. Why else would they not have corrected his shitty play?? Think about this before you come back with a homer answer.

[pbmax]

Your homerism and A-Rod apologism is funny. It's gotten better, mainly because it's harder to deny a 20 game trend, than it is to dismiss a handful of playoff losses.

Brady's resume stands alone. You think even an above average quarterback can get to 10 AFC title games in 12 years? No, that's all time greatness. His only superbowl win with a "middling" offense was the first one. Which by the way was his first season as a starter. And also by the way, still featured him leading his team on a game winning fg drive. Every super bowl win includes signature clutch play from Brady, and signature drives to set up the wins.

Your mind reading skills need work. I am not apologizing at all for A-Rod. He has been playing terribly since Game 6 last year. But I think his coach broke him by changing a successful offense too much in order to defeat two defenses that had stymied his best efforts (San Fran and Seattle). His mechanics indeed have suffered, but that happens when the design of the offense is to wait 5 seconds for a receiver to break open. His O line is just shaky enough (and was much worse last year) to keep him on skates.

I AM saying that Brady playing with lesser talent has not been true since his breakout 2007 performance. Prior to that, his defense was the dominant unit. He performed very well in that early stage, but was not dominant himself.

I AM saying that Brady is not Manning, Elway or Rodgers. He does not have the same physical skills. He is in an offense specifically tailored to his strengths and the opponents weaknesses. McCarthy is reinventing the wheel by emphasizing second order metrics, like tempo and number of plays, over play design success.

We all wanted Stubby to be less stubborn, but in one critical area, he has harmed the team by changing too much.

[yetisnowman]

Your mind reading skills need work. I am not apologizing at all for A-Rod. He has been playing terribly since Game 6 last year. But I think his coach broke him by changing a successful offense too much in order to defeat two defenses that had stymied his best efforts (San Fran and Seattle). His mechanics indeed have suffered, but that happens when the design of the offense is to wait 5 seconds for a receiver to break open. His O line is just shaky enough (and was much worse last year) to keep him on skates.

I AM saying that Brady playing with lesser talent has not been true since his breakout 2007 performance. Prior to that, his defense was the dominant unit. He performed very well in that early stage, but was not dominant himself.

I AM saying that Brady is not Manning, Elway or Rodgers. He does not have the same physical skills. He is in an offense specifically tailored to his strengths and the opponents weaknesses. McCarthy is reinventing the wheel by emphasizing second order metrics, like tempo and number of plays, over play design success.

We all wanted Stubby to be less stubborn, but in one critical area, he has harmed the team by changing too much.

You have been shifting blame for Arod for years. When people criticized his playoff play since the superbowl run, and even last year and and this year you have dismissed his poor play at times. On innaccurate throws and interceptions. Any way not the point.

I obviously hold postseason dominance in a higher regard than you do. It's not about skillsets. The only long term that has been more efficient is Arod. Brady's 4 rings mean something.
You also were poo pooing Belichek few weeks back when people were praising his ability to compete with a backup and a third string qb.....Someone in this equation has to be all time great right? You don't go to 6 superbowls in 12 years being pretty good. If I'm exaggerating or misrepresenting your positions I apologize.

[pbmax]

You have been shifting blame for Arod for years. When people criticized his playoff play since the superbowl run, and even last year and and this year you have dismissed his poor play at times. On innaccurate throws and interceptions. Any way not the point.

I obviously hold postseason dominance in a higher regard than you do. It's not about skillsets. The only long term that has been more efficient is Arod. Brady's 4 rings mean something.
You also were poo pooing Belichek few weeks back when people were praising his ability to compete with a backup and a third string qb.....Someone in this equation has to be all time great right? You don't go to 6 superbowls in 12 years being pretty good. If I'm exaggerating or misrepresenting your positions I apologize.

I hold postseason dominance in very high regard, just not for individual players. While I think the Patriots regular season has been immensely easier than the Packers, getting to the Super Bowl the number of times they have is impressive, even if their Division Round opponent is frequently laughable.

Only the Packers and Colts come close the NE dominance over the last 10-15 years. Belichick should get the most credit for being on top of that list. And he might be the best ever. But starting 3-1 with a backup QB isn't as impressive as his other accomplishments, especially now that the Cardinals seem to be in a free fall. But we will get a small scale version of that Belichick test this week against a good opponent.

Starks has been going nowhere fast in that no-huddle offense and we saw a team dominating the Giants become extremely ineffective when he entered the game after Lacy was injured. In retrospect, Starks coming in the game presaged a return of the no-huddle and its lack of effectiveness.

But with a week to prepare, like BB had months to prepare for no Brady, we'll get to see if M3 can concoct a better plan for Starks.

My larger concern is that this event showcased how specialized Packers preparation has gotten during the week. That perhaps McCarthy was worried that Starks did not know Lacy's gameplan.

As for Rodgers and post-season, one major component of this rut has been McCarthy's changes to his offense after a few post-season struggles offensively. He moved to take advantage of his QB more, not less, which is telling. This offense probably should have given the Packers another Super Bowl in 2014 (despite Rodgers being hurt) though the debacle in Seattle stopped that cold.

But its been a regular season failure since. So yes, I do still hold that the postseason failures have as much to do with coaching as with Rodgers.

And no, that does not change my mind that McCarthy is close to Belichick's level. Even if he is a beat behind in tailoring a scheme.

[pbmax]

Jason Wilde ‏@jasonjwilde 1h1 hour ago
#NFL announces that #Packers' Oct. 30 game at Atlanta #Falcons has been moved to a 3:25 CT start. Had been a noon kickoff.

[yetisnowman]

Jason Wilde ‏@jasonjwilde 1h1 hour ago
#NFL announces that #Packers' Oct. 30 game at Atlanta #Falcons has been moved to a 3:25 CT start. Had been a noon kickoff.
I'll be there!!!!

[pbmax]

Wes Hodkiewicz ‏@WesHod 22m22 minutes ago
James Starks missed practice today with a knee injury. Cobb (neck), Lacy (ankle) and Randall (groin) were limited #Packers