Packer weaknesses

[pbmax]

Well, its nice to know I haven't lost my mind. Packers did use a Bear front versus Eagles. That's 4 linebackers (Peppers, Hawk, Perry and Matthews) and 2 lineman (Daniels and Guion).

[Cheesehead Craig]

But pb, the NFL logo is all by itself guarding the middle of the field, we may as well just abandon it if we're going to do that.

[wist43]

I was curious about linebackers who were drafted after Rodgers in the third round. Here are a few of them:

4 119 Dallas Cowboys Anthony Hitchens LB Iowa
4 126New Orleans Saints Khairi Fortt LB California
4 132 Seattle Seahawks Kevin Pierre-Louis LB Boston College
4* 139 Atlanta Falcons Prince Shembo LB Notre Dame
5 144 Jacksonville Jaguars Telvin Smith LB Florida State
5 151 Tennessee Titans Avery Williamson LB Kentucky
5 154 New York Jets Jeremiah George LB Iowa State
5 156 Denver Broncos Lamin Barrow LB LSU

These are some of the linebackers drafted after Richard Rodgers, excluding the Packers' Carl Bradford. I don't know which are inside linebackers, nor do I know which of those inside linebackers are starting or are playing well and a lot.

Anybody know enough football to know the answers to any of these questions?

Smith is a guy I wanted. He's starting in Jax and is very highly regarded. He's leading them in tackles. He's undersized to be sure, but the kid can flat out play... couple more years to put some muscle on him, and he'll be a very good player in the league. I'd take Smith over Rodgers and Bradford every time.

Ted stepped in it when he took Rodgers so early, then turned around and stepped in it again by taking Bradford. Then, inexplicably, they take Bradford and proclaim that they're going to play in at DE??!! One look at the guy, 5 minutes of watching some of his college tape and you could tell the guy had no chance to succeed at DE on the pro level. He should only have ever been considered an ILB prospect - and it's looking like he can't play there either.

[mraynrand]

Well, its nice to know I haven't lost my mind. Packers did use a Bear front versus Eagles. That's 4 linebackers (Peppers, Hawk, Perry and Matthews) and 2 lineman (Daniels and Guion).

Perry has hand in dirt = Lineman. Peppers too is perhaps playing like a lineman on that play. You cannot confine Capers in your neat little box!

[wist43]

Well, its nice to know I haven't lost my mind. Packers did use a Bear front versus Eagles. That's 4 linebackers (Peppers, Hawk, Perry and Matthews) and 2 lineman (Daniels and Guion).

There ya go with that senile BS again - Perry?? does it look like he's "backing the line" in that presnap look?? No, of course not - he's got his hand on the ground as a DOWN LINEMAN...

That is a 3-3 look exactly as I've calling for, with the 3 down linemen inside the Tackles... Hawk is the weakest link there, but hopefully he'll be gone next year and we can get a solid player in there. For now we're stuck with him.

The 3 down linemen inside the Tackles is necessary to deal with the run - for the past few years, Capers has refused to use this alignment at all. Now that he is, we're getting much better results.

That said, dunderdummy did revert to his 2-4 nature, and on those snaps the Eagles would have lit us up for big gainers and long TD's if Sanchez had been able to hit the broadside of a barn. If dunderdummy does that against Tom Brady?? The Pats are going to hang 50+ pts on us... not to mention the fact that they'll simply run Jonas Gray down our throats.

How quickly you guys forget how absolutely abhorrent our defense has been for 3 years running... 2 halfway decent games and all is forgotten - well, I'm here to tell ya, Dom Capers cannot be trusted, and we are next weeks gameplan away from looking like the Keystone Cops again. I hope dunderdummy keeps it going, but have exactly zero faith in the guy.

[red]

I would hope that the mathews experiment at ILB has shown the club just what having talent at ILB can do for this defense.

I think because of this, they will either move CMIII there fulltime, or realise that they have to find someone else to play there. Either draft someone, find a free agent, or trade for one

hopefully, the days of weak ass insid play are behind us

[King Friday]

I wouldn't be so sure. I have a feeling that the NFC North winner will have a very good shot at HFA.

I agree. The Cardinals have a hell of a schedule remaining against some teams that will be fighting tooth and nail to get into the playoffs...and the Rams might not be fighting for the playoffs, but they can't be overlooked either.

home and away w/Seahawks
@ Niners
@Rams
Chiefs
Falcons

It would not surprise me at all if Arizona goes 2-4 in their final 6...and I think the most likely scenario is 3-3. If I had to wager, I'd say 12 wins will be the top of the conference. Green Bay has to win 5 of 6 to get there...and the only game they can really afford to lose in the New England game since it is out of conference.

[Pugger]

I just don't agree. And it doesn't come down to just sacks. Defensive pressure is about changing what the offense can do. That's how the Packers have been defeated.

I think Philly has three sacks against the niners, but they lost because even without Aldon Smith, 49ers got consistent pressure, and dropped Foles below 50% completion and two INTs.

Same thing at Arizona - reduced completion percent, 2 INTs. And Philly didn't get a whiff of Carson Palmer. Could be a road/home thing - I really hope so, except that Packers will probably have to play at Arizona...

Philly's pass rush is better than you suggest.

http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?archive=false&conference=null&role=OPP&offensiveStatisticCategory=null&defensiveStatisticCategory=SACKS&season=2014&seasonType=REG&tabSeq=2&qualified=false&Submit=Go

[Maxie the Taxi]

Smith is a guy I wanted. He's starting in Jax and is very highly regarded. He's leading them in tackles. He's undersized to be sure, but the kid can flat out play... couple more years to put some muscle on him, and he'll be a very good player in the league. I'd take Smith over Rodgers and Bradford every time.

Ted stepped in it when he took Rodgers so early, then turned around and stepped in it again by taking Bradford. Then, inexplicably, they take Bradford and proclaim that they're going to play in at DE??!! One look at the guy, 5 minutes of watching some of his college tape and you could tell the guy had no chance to succeed at DE on the pro level. He should only have ever been considered an ILB prospect - and it's looking like he can't play there either.

I too wanted TT to draft Telvin Smith. I watched him play at Florida State many times. The guy IS small for a LB (6'3", 218 lbs), but he is FAST and QUICK. He has the best nose for the football I've ever seen. Great hands and the knack for the big play. Although he's smallish, he makes a lot of tackles, many behind the LOS, because he anticipates so well, moves so quickly and tackles well.

By the way, he's listed on the Jaguars' depth chart as an OLB. I think he could play inside. He plays part time for Jacksonville, has 40 tackles (28 solo), two sacks and an interception. I'd play him instead of Hawk in a heartbeat.

By the way Paul Posluszny leads the Jags in tackles with 69. He's one reason Smith is playing outside (although I've seen him play inside as well).

Posluszny would also look fantastic in Green and Gold.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I would hope that the mathews experiment at ILB has shown the club just what having talent at ILB can do for this defense.

Yes, and I hope the club finally realizes that having a talent like Clay Matthews at every position would be a good idea.

[pbmax]

Robert Olson @RobertOlson92 4h4 hours ago
I love this "Bear" front look by the #Packers in the Nickel. I hope Dom uses this more: http://pic.twitter.com/yXyylLW790

Chris B. Brown @smartfootball 4h4 hours ago
.@RobertOlson92 @cheeseheadtv a lot of teams have used Bear looks against Eagles to shut down the inside run game https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2wGuQtCUAE5mMu.png:large …

Ross Fulton @RossRFulton 4h4 hours ago
@smartfootball @RobertOlson92 @cheeseheadtv He and Urban need another get together. OSU has responded w power & dart to get angles vs. Bear.

Robert Olson @RobertOlson92 4h4 hours ago
@RossRFulton @smartfootball And if I'm not mistaken, in the 2012 Stanford-Oregon matchup, Stanford used the Bear front a lot vs. Chip.

Chris B. Brown @smartfootball 4h4 hours ago
@RobertOlson92 @RossRFulton kinda sorta, they pinched their front a bit (UO also more explosive on edges than PHI (relatively speaking)

Chris B. Brown @smartfootball 4h4 hours ago
@RobertOlson92 @RossRFulton PHI doesn't really run much true power, they just run a single back power pull that is more of an ISO scheme

Ross Fulton @RossRFulton 3h3 hours ago
@smartfootball @RobertOlson92 Yea OSU pulled dart out of mothballs (hadn't seen them run it in 2 yrs) b/c they needed a C gap run v. Bear

[Tyrion Lannister]

1. He did not get the ILB position upgraded. But consider the addition of Peppers and the case of Dix versus Prior.

For Peppers, Ted got him AND had to give up ZERO compensatory picks.

Prior and Dix are perfect examples of why giving up picks is not a good idea. The Jets just benched Prior. Draft picks are 50% shots to make it, much less be a difference maker. To trade up, or give up a pick to get FA du Jour is how teams leave their core hollow. Thompson solved two different problems, got two potential difference makers and spent ONE draft pick.

2. Bake your noodle with this one: is Clay Matthews a better ILB than OLB? Forget the money, does he make more sense inside than outside?

I still think Thompson should've traded up to get Shazier. Draft Dezman Southward or Terrence Brooks in the 2nd or 3rd round. As much as I hate to see Hyde on defense, he coulda hold the fort at saftey til a young un is ready.

[pbmax]

The 3 down linemen inside the Tackles is necessary to deal with the run - for the past few years, Capers has refused to use this alignment at all. Now that he is, we're getting much better results.

Unfortunately, this is the first game they rolled this out, though I haven't verified that against film study. So earlier improvements in run defense versus the Lions, Vikings, Dolphins, Panthers and Bears II came about though some other magic.

According to the Twitter coaching commentariat, its a common front to deal with Chip Kelly's inside zone read play calls.

But maybe he will see it your way.

[pbmax]

The 3 down linemen inside the Tackles is necessary to deal with the run - for the past few years, Capers has refused to use this alignment at all. Now that he is, we're getting much better results.
.

You did get your 3 down lineman. But I thought it was 4 in the box that was the problem with the 2-4?

The 2-4 is supposed to tilted toward dealing with the pass, but Capers runs it as his base much of the time. All an opposing OC need do is put 3 wides on the field, and he knows he's going to get a 2-4 with 4 men in the box - easy to run on.

http://packerrats.com/showthread.php?27020-After-1-preseason-game-Pack-it-in-the-season-is-already-over&p=793056&viewfull=1#post793056

Isn't the true upgrade here (and what worked in Chicago) the substitution of Perry for Jones/Lattimore/Barrington?

[wist43]

You did get your 3 down lineman. But I thought it was 4 in the box that was the problem with the 2-4?

http://packerrats.com/showthread.php?27020-After-1-preseason-game-Pack-it-in-the-season-is-already-over&p=793056&viewfull=1#post793056

Isn't the true upgrade here (and what worked in Chicago) the substitution of Perry for Jones/Lattimore/Barrington?

4 in the box is okay if 3 of them are down linemen - and of course they maintain gap discipline and don't get blown off the ball.

This year, Capers has run 3 down linemen more often in 10 games than he did in the previous 3 seasons combined. His idiotic 2-4, and especially the "Jumbo 2-4" is what was getting us gashed in the running game - and add to that all the breakdowns in the secondary and you had a hot mess.

They've managed to clean up the secondary quite a bit, and Capers isn't abandoning the middle of the field the way has the previous few years. 2 down linemen, backed up by terrible ILB's, who were then backed up by terrible Safeties?? Need I say that was a recipe for disaster??

Now we're getting many more looks with 3 down linemen, and Capers isn't abandoning the middle of the field nearly as much - I'm sure he wants to, lol... but so far in 2014 he's been minding his manners. The question is, will he revert back to his default tendancies at any given moment and torpedo our season??

It all comes down to Capers - we have enough talent to get to Arizona, it's just a matter of whether Capers can keep his shit together for another few months.