What is the Pack's biggest issue?

[Zool]

Denver(#29) runs the same system.
Dolphins(#7) just switched this season.

Might be time to scrap the Sanders experiment. Injuries dont help, but with the ends lined up so wide, off tackle runs have more space if the LB's arent filling and the tackles arent occupying 2 guys.

[Bretsky]

VANILLA BOB

[Badgerinmaine]

DL.

[KYPack]

MM - but not because of play calling, team discipline, etc. I think he may have to re-evaluate his training camp approach. The team has not been ready to play in most aspects.

If there was one major area, it could be fixed quickly and the team would not have lost three in a row. The defense is playing poorly, terrible against the run, no pressure from the D-line, the linebackers have not made game-significant plays, and there has been admitted miscommunication in the backfield leading to big plays. The O-line has not pass blocked well, both tackles have started poorly in both run and pass blocking, the RBs, FBs and line share the blame in the running game, the TEs and WRs have missed blocks that would have made big differences on specific plays. While the passing game (qb and receivers) has been fairly good, there has been a higher than expected number of dropped passes. Even special teams, which should be a strength, have shown poor play (preparation?) on coverage.

Throw in all the penalties, and you have a team that was not ready to start the season. Inadequate training camp buildup to the season, perhaps.

Add the uncontrollable factor of some key injuries and you have a 3 game skid.

Injuries happen. The rest can be fixed, but it may take a few weeks.

Dern Patler. You are right & all, but shit, how do we fix a mess like that?

That is one depressing laundry list

[steve823]

MM - but not because of play calling, team discipline, etc. I think he may have to re-evaluate his training camp approach. The team has not been ready to play in most aspects.

If there was one major area, it could be fixed quickly and the team would not have lost three in a row. The defense is playing poorly, terrible against the run, no pressure from the D-line, the linebackers have not made game-significant plays, and there has been admitted miscommunication in the backfield leading to big plays. The O-line has not pass blocked well, both tackles have started poorly in both run and pass blocking, the RBs, FBs and line share the blame in the running game, the TEs and WRs have missed blocks that would have made big differences on specific plays. While the passing game (qb and receivers) has been fairly good, there has been a higher than expected number of dropped passes. Even special teams, which should be a strength, have shown poor play (preparation?) on coverage.

Throw in all the penalties, and you have a team that was not ready to start the season. Inadequate training camp buildup to the season, perhaps.

Add the uncontrollable factor of some key injuries and you have a 3 game skid.

Injuries happen. The rest can be fixed, but it may take a few weeks.

Dern Patler. You are right & all, but shit, how do we fix a mess like that?

That is one depressing laundry list

Well we can start with looking for a new defensive coordinator. Out with Bob Sanders.

I like nd believe in TT and MM but Sanders has to go. He doesnt even adjust his "gameplan" if you can even call it that from week to week. Yes there are injuries but if your not getting pressure blitz or try something new.

[Patler]

MM - but not because of play calling, team discipline, etc. I think he may have to re-evaluate his training camp approach. The team has not been ready to play in most aspects.

If there was one major area, it could be fixed quickly and the team would not have lost three in a row. The defense is playing poorly, terrible against the run, no pressure from the D-line, the linebackers have not made game-significant plays, and there has been admitted miscommunication in the backfield leading to big plays. The O-line has not pass blocked well, both tackles have started poorly in both run and pass blocking, the RBs, FBs and line share the blame in the running game, the TEs and WRs have missed blocks that would have made big differences on specific plays. While the passing game (qb and receivers) has been fairly good, there has been a higher than expected number of dropped passes. Even special teams, which should be a strength, have shown poor play (preparation?) on coverage.

Throw in all the penalties, and you have a team that was not ready to start the season. Inadequate training camp buildup to the season, perhaps.

Add the uncontrollable factor of some key injuries and you have a 3 game skid.

Injuries happen. The rest can be fixed, but it may take a few weeks.

Dern Patler. You are right & all, but shit, how do we fix a mess like that?

That is one depressing laundry list

I really think he has to up the intensity and physicalness of practices for a few weeks. That in itself will be difficult to do now because of all the injuries.

The leaders of the team have to appeal to their teammates pride.

That, .... and hope.

[wist43]

TT... it's his job to put it all together.

Regardless of philosophy (wimp ball, or power ball), TT is charged with acquriing the players needed to implement those philosophies.

Favre walks, Williams walks, he bottom feeds for OL... the one he did invest in, Colledge, is a head case.

He has aging corners but didn't see the need to address that situation - maybe Pat Lee turns into a player down the road, but right now, they're hurting badly... and TT has enough of a resume now that we can assume that TT will surely allow another area of the roster to rot, while he merrily invests in his own personal BPA - Harrell, Nelson, whoever. Certainly no impact can be expected from those guys.

Injuries are a factor of course, but TT assembles the roster, and the roster is clearly underpowered.

[pbmax]

MM - but not because of play calling, team discipline, etc. I think he may have to re-evaluate his training camp approach. The team has not been ready to play in most aspects.

If there was one major area, it could be fixed quickly and the team would not have lost three in a row. The defense is playing poorly, terrible against the run, no pressure from the D-line, the linebackers have not made game-significant plays, and there has been admitted miscommunication in the backfield leading to big plays. The O-line has not pass blocked well, both tackles have started poorly in both run and pass blocking, the RBs, FBs and line share the blame in the running game, the TEs and WRs have missed blocks that would have made big differences on specific plays. While the passing game (qb and receivers) has been fairly good, there has been a higher than expected number of dropped passes. Even special teams, which should be a strength, have shown poor play (preparation?) on coverage.

Throw in all the penalties, and you have a team that was not ready to start the season. Inadequate training camp buildup to the season, perhaps.

Add the uncontrollable factor of some key injuries and you have a 3 game skid.

Injuries happen. The rest can be fixed, but it may take a few weeks.

Dern Patler. You are right & all, but shit, how do we fix a mess like that?

That is one depressing laundry list

Even if you just shore up two, penalties and pass/run blocking, then many things immediately look up. I think Patler has the right answer about penalties and I hope the same approach works for the O Line's blocking.

I believe I have seen signs of life for the running game. If we can stop needing to max protect, our drives will start to get a lot longer, which will save the defense some energy. If we stop holding and facing 3rd and 14, that would be helpful as well.

And I refuse to say what might help our run defense because if I name it, there's a good chance it won't happen. Sometime after week 6. A guy's gotta have hope.

And one other thing; timing in the passing game. The more the WRs work with Rodgers in games, the fewer drops I expect to see. Jennings and Jones have had a history with drops, although not as bad as the preseason and first few games indicated. To some degree, I think that is the WR getting used to the timing of the throw and knowing when they can cheat and get an early look at the defense. With experience, they will learn when they can and cannot do this while Rodgers is throwing. Eventually, familiarity will cause less drops.

[Fritz]

I cannot believe you Rats got through two whole pages of "what's the biggest problem" or "who's to blame" without mentioning the one name responsible for all things bad in Packerland:

Kurt Shottenheimer.

Oh ye of little faith, how quickly we forget! Two years ago he was being kicked to the curb every other thread, and now no one can even dredge up a single vote for the guy?

He's dropped off the "favorite whipping boy" list faster than Dubya got on it.

Fire Shottenheimer, and all will be fixed. The secondary. The d-line. The o-line. The financial crisis.

[Jimx29]

**No doubt in my mind it's TT and his huge ego. He's upset the apple cart (13-3 and one interception from the super bowl to a current 2-3 and falling fast) and it's not going to right itself for quite some time.





**also known as "karmas' a bitch"

[HarveyWallbangers]

Inadequate training camp buildup to the season, perhaps.

I keep thinking about the difference between this year and last year. It's not necessarily how the training camp is structured. It's two things: 1) we had considerably more nagging injuries than usual in the preseason, 2) the media circus surrounding the Favre situation. I wonder if those two things, more than anything, affected training camp preparation, both mentally and physically.

[Patler]

Inadequate training camp buildup to the season, perhaps.

I keep thinking about the difference between this year and last year. It's not necessarily how the training camp is structured. It's two things: 1) we had considerably more nagging injuries than usual in the preseason, 2) the media circus surrounding the Favre situation. I wonder if those two things, more than anything, affected training camp preparation, both mentally and physically.

Those two factors didn't help matters, I'm sure, but I don't think the team started well last year either. They had too many penalties early, a very poor running attack, had given up 9 sacks and weren't all that great on defense after 5 games. They were lucky to have been given the game by Philadelphia and to catch San Diego and the Giants with their heads in the clouds. Peterson ran all over the Packers, then inexplicably wasn't given the ball in the second half (thank-you coach Childress!) The Packers were lucky to be 4-1, I thought. It was a few weeks after that when they seemed to become a good team, not just a fortunate one.

[SnakeLH2006]

I'd take a waterboy salary to play DT right now...Yes by NFL standards I'm undersized, at 6'6" 230, but won games in high school and college as a QB and love to smoke a fool. Our DT is shameless.