Things I don't understand following the Buffalo game

[pbmax]

I don't care so much about the run to pass ratio normally, but the Bills had almost no offensive threat all day. On the other hand, Jordy was 10 yards open deep three different times and only got the ball once, for a drop.

That is the problem with this offense currently. If deep throws aren't happening, they struggle to put long drives together. Sometimes you need to be patient.

But M3 and Rodgers are going to take their shots every game. Its a high risk strategy for a West Coast offense.

[Carolina_Packer]

Requires iron will discipline from a head coach. Stubby is just too in love with the 'big play' passing offense to give it up. But if the Packers had stuck to a grind it out running game, they probably win (exception being made for Lacy's bad shoulder).

I don't have Sunday Ticket, so unless I go out to see the Packers, or they are on a national game, most of the time I follow the game day thread, while watching Red Zone and watching the game cast on Packers.com

It seemed like during the game cast there were a lot of incomplete passes where Rodgers was throwing a deeper ball than needed for the down/distance. I'd be looking at the down and distance and saying just pick up the first down and then there would be a note saying incomplete deep left sideline and Green Bay would have to punt. I understand trying to take some shot plays and putting pressure on the defense, but sometimes the play calling seemed a tad aggressive seeing as how we were able to run the ball.

Look at the play-by-play chart. It shows how the starting field position was never that great on kick-offs, to Patler's point about Harris being mediocre at returning kicks. I agree, give the return game a boost and activate Janis. I know MM's probably combining Harris's contribution as back-up RB with kick returner, but man, the Packers need a lift in that dept. He's so shifty out of back field on run plays, but so pedestrian in his KR reads.

Play-by-play chart vs. Buffalo: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametra...0141214_GB@BUF

[sharpe1027]

That is the problem with this offense currently. If deep throws aren't happening, they struggle to put long drives together. Sometimes you need to be patient.

But M3 and Rodgers are going to take their shots every game. Its a high risk strategy for a West Coast offense.

Did they take many shots though? It seemed like a lot of mid range misses and they didn't see Jordy running free.

[pbmax]

Did they take many shots though? It seemed like a lot of mid range misses and they didn't see Jordy running free.

They did seem to take fewer than usual. And those they did take weren't as successful as normal.

But, in my mind, this makes it worse. Even armed with a game plan to pass shorter than typical, they couldn't sustain offense. Buffalo did all they could to disrupt the short game, but the Packers never solved it.

Their performance was worse than typical, but it was familiar.

EDIT: contraction fail

[SkinBasket]

The fumble/safety is one for the rules committee, whereby they will probably apply a special subset of rules to the subset of rules which allowed for such an unbalanced situation to occur, instead of just scrapping the special rule.

And yeah, the broadcast was fucked up. The announcers were obviously only familiar with the AFC team, to the point that they seemed like local guys doing a preseason game. The assessment of the cheap shot on "Balooga" as "pay-back" for play along the line was sub-amateur. Replays of important moments were ignored in almost every situation in lieu of shots of players standing on the sidelines or Mike McCarthy screaming "bullshit! fuck! Fucking bullshit!"

[pbmax]

The fumble/safety is one for the rules committee, whereby they will probably apply a special subset of rules to the subset of rules which allowed for such an unbalanced situation to occur, instead of just scrapping the special rule.

And yeah, the broadcast was fucked up. The announcers were obviously only familiar with the AFC team, to the point that they seemed like local guys doing a preseason game. The assessment of the cheap shot on "Balooga" as "pay-back" for play along the line was sub-amateur. Replays of important moments were ignored in almost every situation in lieu of shots of players standing on the sidelines or Mike McCarthy screaming "bullshit! fuck! Fucking bullshit!"

I wondered how that could be possible given that its a FOX/NFC crew, but since they substituted Vasgersian with Justin Kutcher, I wonder if he was formerly AFC or local.

Apparently neither, as both he and Diehl are in their rookie year. Poor matchmaking. Did Vasgersian quit?

Awful Announcing said despite what our ears were telling us, the Browns/Bengals game switched networks, not the Packers/Bills. Forgot about this new feature of the TV schedule where if a Network loses a game to flux scheduling, the NFL can poach a game from the other network to balance out the number of games and start times.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2014/nfl-crossflexes-week-15-bengals-browns-fox.html

[sharpe1027]

They did seem to take fewer than usual. And those they did take weren't as successful as normal.

But, in my mind, this makes it worse. Even armed with a game plan to pass shorter than typical, they couldn't sustain offense. Buffalo did all they could to disrupt the short game, but the Packers never solved it.

Their performance was worse than typical, but it was familiar.

EDIT: contraction fail

From the best I can figure out Rodgers and the wrs were confused. I would hazard a guess that the Bills had a good idea of what Rodgers was keying on for play calls and used that to their advantage. There seemed to be several times that they were dropping off or coming up in coverages from one WR right into a route of another receiver as if they knew where the Packers were expecting to go.

[woodbuck27]

From the best I can figure out Rodgers and the wrs were confused. I would hazard a guess that the Bills had a good idea of what Rodgers was keying on for play calls and used that to their advantage. There seemed to be several times that they were dropping off or coming up in coverages from one WR right into a route of another receiver as if they knew where the Packers were expecting to go.

I wonder if the Packers change their play calls any time during a game; as in when something like what transpired on Sunday takes place?

There can easily be a system of observation after a certain call at the LOS.

He called this >>> they did that. Could it be that easy?

[Striker]

Did they take many shots though? It seemed like a lot of mid range misses and they didn't see Jordy running free.

Yes, yes they did.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Rodgers attempted a season-high 14 passes that flew at least 15 yards downfield but completed just two of them. Before Sunday, Rodgers had the fifth best completion percentage (51.3) in the league on such passes. He was averaging 17.7 yards per attempt and had 11 touchdowns without an interception on such throws.

Against the Bills, he completed just 14.3 percent of his passes that went at least 15 yards for an average of just 2.3 yards per attempt and also had one of his two interceptions on such throws.

[Freak Out]

It was the Schwartz.

[sharpe1027]

Yes, yes they did.

Interesting. Is 15 yards the right measure? My recollection was a lot in the 10-20 yard range, in front of the safties. I do not think they took many shots behind the safties.

[Rutnstrut]

From the best I can figure out Rodgers and the wrs were confused. I would hazard a guess that the Bills had a good idea of what Rodgers was keying on for play calls and used that to their advantage. There seemed to be several times that they were dropping off or coming up in coverages from one WR right into a route of another receiver as if they knew where the Packers were expecting to go.

Plus the defense pretty much only had to worry about the pass, because the egomaniac stubby don't need no stinking running game. The Broncos showed the perfect plan for beating the Bills the week before. But that's not how stubby wanted to do it.

[mraynrand]

egomaniac stubby

He can't be both. He's either an egomaniac, or he's a bullheaded, stubborn, kinda tubby guy. I think the latter. He just doesn't have that metaphorically swelled head like a Holmgren.

[pbmax]

Yes, yes they did.

Yeah, someone posted that elsewhere. I am not sure the 15 yard measure captures my impression of the Packers passing game. That is not the kind of downfield shot I am talking about. And at 42 throws, they had 27 shorter than 15 yards. That's almost a Lovie Smith offense.