Packers will win the Super Bowl

[Brandon494]

Never made that contention. Perry helps but defending option requires everyone playing their assignments correctly and winning some physical battles.

My only contention is remove A-rod and this team fails to make the playoffs.

You can say that pretty much about any team. Obviously Rodgers is the reason we even have a shot at the SB every single year and I'm fine with that.

[RashanGary]

Thanks guys,

Do go watch again, and ask yourself, after 300, 400, 500 yards why we're still turning our backs on the edge of the defense with two safeties deep.

I have the SB DVD. I've probably watched it a dozen times, maybe half of them during the 2011 season. I noticed how great the defense was playing and one thing about the defense in 2010 stood out as being really different from what I was watching in 2011. It was how they played, almost exclusive one safety deep defense. If you guys remember in 2011, even when Collins was here, they were trying to play Collins in the box more, maybe expand on the defense. Not all visions play out exactly as you hope. After the season, Joe Whitt Jr. talked about asking SS to do things that he was not ready for (zone responsibilities.) 2011, we started out getting destroyed when we played one safety deep. Eventually, we just stopped doing it. By the end, it wasn't the safety getting beat over the top, but the corners sitting back in soft coverage, getting destroyed over and over and over by short passes. We always talked about our team being better in points than we were in yards. We got dinked and dunked all the way down, then held strong in the redzone. This year, it evolved. Capers went with more man (2 safety deep) and mixed in zone. Eventually, the zone defense never got better like we hoped (although toward the end of the season there were a couple games against bad QB's where I had hope.) Eventually, by playoff time, Capers had abandoned it. He put the pressure on our front 7 stop the run alone and gave the back 7 a break by allowing our corners to play man with 2 safeties deep. It was the defense we played best and the Packers say, come play off time, you are who you are and just go with it. They did what they did best, but ran into a nightmare matchup (something that's bound to happen in the post season when you have a glaring gap in your defense)

We'll probably never be like that 2010 defense. I've long been trying to picture a different style. Mostly, I've been thinking we need to play better zone defense. But, really, TT is investing so much in the front 7, you've got to think they're planning on doing it up front rather than needing 8 in the box.

We'll see I guess. The running game helps the defense, and the big guys developing/coming in should too. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat. No defense is the same. The Giants won, primarily on the strength of their big-3 pass rushers. The Packers won a little differently, being great at their favorite coverage and having enough star-power up front (Matthews, Raji, Wood) to wreak havoc. Perry, Jones, Neal (and I think Daniels, who showed promise as a pass rusher) could all be improvements over last year. Run the ball better and stay fresher up front. . That could be enough to do it.

[Pugger]

Last years opener against the niners clearly showed the packers lack of physicality. Guess what happened?

We went 11-5?

I truly believe getting our injured back and having a legit running game is gonna cure a lot of what ailed this team. If we haven't fixed our issues then you have a point. Why don't we wait and see how this team performs this year. The 2013 squad is not going to be the same as the one we had in 2012.

[Brandon494]

Collins was IMO the 2nd best FS in the league behind Ed Reed. I'm kinda surprised TT didn't use a pick on a safety in the draft but we do have some young guys who could be better this season.

[Brandon494]

IMO we are one of four teams who will win the SB next season along with Broncos, 49ers, and Pats BUT its the NFL so who the hell knows.

[Joemailman]

IMO we are one of four teams who will win the SB next season along with Broncos, 49ers, and Pats BUT its the NFL so who the hell knows.

One thing I know is that only 1 team can win the Super Bowl.

[pbmax]

Ok, I got your attention. Anyone who is doom and gloom over the SF game, go back and watch the first half again. The pack lost that game because Walden (and others, but mainly walden) could not contain the edge....didn't defend the read option. Moses actually handled it well twice early on.

Lets remember that our D started that game out great getting a pick 6 and 2 fast stops out of the first 4 drives. (read 3 stops in 4 drives w/pick 6)

It fell apart primarily due to Walden repeatedly blowing the edge. Clay also tried to get the edge and got ridden wide a few times allowing Kapernick to sprint through the G/T gap (how many times do we have to learn collapsing the pocket against mobile QB's??

This team is every bit as good as SF. We are not small, short, untalented or anything else. Jeremy Ross fumbling on his own 5 had nothing to do with being soft. My best guess is we win 12-13 games this year. We will be in the hunt. We (STILL) need an OLB to emerge opposite clay. TT tried to address it and Perry got hurt. If he plays well this year and Bishop is back we WIN THE BIG ONE!!

The Clay play you mentioned (CK breaking contain) was what McCarthy and Capers mentioned they adjusted at halftime. The first half Niners offense gashed them far worse with scrambles than read option.

If Justin is correct, then that adjustment PLUS man coverage outside helped the Read Option alot.

[pbmax]

We got away with it in 2010 for one reason (Nick Collins.) It was different, very different from today. We were able to play 8-in the box defense, match coverage outside with Nick Collins alone over the top. It was the only "hang your hat on" defense we've had since we won the SB in 1996. We dominated, and not surprisingly so. It was a perfect fit. We have two corners who ran 4.3's and a FS who ran in the 4.3's. Nobody got by our CBs, and if they did, our FS made the window really small (small enough that nobody really beat us in what should have been the soft spot of our defense.) That free'd Woodson up to make lightning quick run/pass reads. He was able to cover an extra run gap while also being able to make the pass D unpredictable.

Your description here raises a key point. There is no one way to successfully play defense. Matchups, scheme and execution matter a lot as does the match of player to scheme.

If Charlie Peprah had to support the run D versus Kapernick (or heaven forfend cover Vernon Davis) then I think the Niners could have burned that D as well.

But it was a perfect blend of talent and scheme.

[bobblehead]

Packer denial at its finest.

Last time you and I jousted the pack finished strong (as I predicted and you said couldn't happen), they won the superbowl the next season (which you said they couldn't do) and they went 15-1 the next season (at which point you disappeared and there was much rejoicing).

Forgive me if it makes me MORE confident when you disagree with me.

[bobblehead]

This is an interesting point of view that Crusty has not read before. That might have been because I lost my glasses (how do you find your lost glasses if you can't see?) or it might be an original idea of yours. If true, Clefty wonders what type of adjustments are in the works in the off-season. Will zone d be an emphasis? Is it possible to teach relatively young dogs - Shields and Williams - new tricks, or will Capers rely more heavily on the other younger d-backs to play zone against teams like the Niners? Packers secondary had plenty of trouble playing zone last year, and they aren't going to be any smarter with the loss of Woodson.

Shields had the pick 6 and several good break ups against the niners. The D was great except for defending the read option. Shields is WAY better than advertised. If he stays motivated for a whole season he is a cinch pro bowler.

[bobblehead]

The Clay play you mentioned (CK breaking contain) was what McCarthy and Capers mentioned they adjusted at halftime. The first half Niners offense gashed them far worse with scrambles than read option.

If Justin is correct, then that adjustment PLUS man coverage outside helped the Read Option alot.

Correct, they gashed them a few times with broken plays. The clay push upfield only happened twice. BUT, it was the read option that lost this game. The game was tied midway through the 3rd quarter (am I the only one that remembers that???) and that is despite us HANDING them a TD by fumbling a punt on our own 5 yard line. We fell apart at that point by allowing kapernick the edge on every read option they ran at walden.

[rbaloha1]

Last time you and I jousted the pack finished strong (as I predicted and you said couldn't happen), they won the superbowl the next season (which you said they couldn't do) and they went 15-1 the next season (at which point you disappeared and there was much rejoicing).

Forgive me if it makes me MORE confident when you disagree with me.

Whatever motivates you.

Hugs and Kisses.

[rbaloha1]

Shields had the pick 6 and several good break ups against the niners. The D was great except for defending the read option. Shields is WAY better than advertised. If he stays motivated for a whole season he is a cinch pro bowler.

579

[rbaloha1]

JH, interesting analysis, +1 to you sir. I do remember thinking early in that game we were going to own them and then CK kept breaking big gains and I wondered what the hell happened. I am going to rewatch that game and look at it from the perspective you put forward.

Also rbaloha 1 I agree that Perry's play will have a huge impact on our team, but a team that goes 15-1 and 12-4 is not as weak and horrible as you contend.

We know nothing yet about Perry against the niners CK attack.

[rbaloha1]

You can say that pretty much about any team. Obviously Rodgers is the reason we even have a shot at the SB every single year and I'm fine with that.

The Patriots reached the playoffs without Tom Brady.

Other teams reach the playoffs with rookie qbs.