Studs And Duds - Packers vs. 49ers

[pbmax]

When does Rollins get some snaps in the slot? If he is solid, I don't think Hayward is back. They can't pay everyone and it's clear Raji and Daniels are going to get big contracts - hopefully here.

Never would have guessed that a few years ago. Hayward was a stud but he seems to have regressed a bit.

Well, Guion did save them some money this offseason.

[3irty1]

Wist is the classic Foul Weather Fan. He shows up to vent and criticize:











nag, nag, nag!!

I think there might be a nugget of truth to wists hyperbolic criticisms of Capers. MM handing off the play calling duties to focus on other stuff might be responsible for some of the defensive improvement. The Mad scientist Capers might be the big picture bean-counter type of general you want coordinating logistics and moving the chess pieces but MM is more the general you want on the field the day of your offensive to make sure its executed. Despite having the same old excuses of injuries forcing us to play a young cast of unprovens it seems like they are playing more assignment sure ball with less mental mistakes.

[mraynrand]

Good post 31. That may be true. Still capers is no Lt. Dyke.


I haven't run numbers on it but third downs still seem problematic. I bet the packers don't do so well on third and long percentages. That's a guess.

[pbmax]

I think there might be a nugget of truth to wists hyperbolic criticisms of Capers. MM handing off the play calling duties to focus on other stuff might be responsible for some of the defensive improvement. The Mad scientist Capers might be the big picture bean-counter type of general you want coordinating logistics and moving the chess pieces but MM is more the general you want on the field the day of your offensive to make sure its executed. Despite having the same old excuses of injuries forcing us to play a young cast of unprovens it seems like they are playing more assignment sure ball with less mental mistakes.

I dunno about that. The two big things to come out of last year's M3 input was the 4-3 and NASCAR. The 4-3 was kaput by Week 4 and NASCAR has had its best showings this year.

I don't think M3 makes too many game day calls about alignment or personnel. I think he is more about making that Defense smarter about offense and utilizing multiple personnel.

[3irty1]

I dunno about that. The two big things to come out of last year's M3 input was the 4-3 and NASCAR. The 4-3 was kaput by Week 4 and NASCAR has had its best showings this year.

I don't think M3 makes too many game day calls about alignment or personnel. I think he is more about making that Defense smarter about offense and utilizing multiple personnel.

I'm not talking about improvement from X's and O's. I'm talking about guys screwing up less. Less two guys going into the same gap, less overpursuit, less blown coverages, less shitting their pants at misdirection, more communication etc.

These days everyone has a fixed amount of practice time set by the CBA so its got to be a challenge to get these meatheads to achieve a higher level of preparation than their competition. Coaches like MM willing to challenge everything and reorganize the practices, meeting rooms, and gameday management seems like next level stuff to me. We've known for years he can put together a gameplan and get an offense to run with precision, my theory is that his delegating playcalling duties and preparation frees him up to leverage those organizational skills on defense as well which is why they seem more disciplined.

[Maxie the Taxi]

IMO I think giving up playcalling is working out big time. Clements is doing a great job with Arod, so Stubby ain't missed there. But I do notice that Stubby seems to be into the game more this year. I think he's able to see things happening, relay the info and I get the sense he's not married to the playcalling strategery like he was in years past. It's kind of like he's able to see the forest this year.

[pbmax]

I'm not talking about improvement from X's and O's. I'm talking about guys screwing up less. Less two guys going into the same gap, less overpursuit, less blown coverages, less shitting their pants at misdirection, more communication etc.

These days everyone has a fixed amount of practice time set by the CBA so its got to be a challenge to get these meatheads to achieve a higher level of preparation than their competition. Coaches like MM willing to challenge everything and reorganize the practices, meeting rooms, and gameday management seems like next level stuff to me. We've known for years he can put together a gameplan and get an offense to run with precision, my theory is that his delegating playcalling duties and preparation frees him up to leverage those organizational skills on defense as well which is why they seem more disciplined.

Ah, then I am with you. M3 loves a schedule and an agenda for a meeting or practice.

[Joemailman]

Good post 31. That may be true. Still capers is no Lt. Dyke.


I haven't run numbers on it but third downs still seem problematic. I bet the packers don't do so well on third and long percentages. That's a guess.

Packers defense 3rd down pct is 41%, which is 18th. St. Louis is the same. They started out poorly against the Bears, but have done well since then. Opponents 3rd down conversions have been 11-17, 3-9, 2-10, 4-13.

[pbmax]

Here is what Capers spent part of his offseason doing. Streamlining his D calls. I could easily see this as work that M3 encouraged. Its been broached before about having to adapt young players to this defense because of Ted's approach to player personnel versus the Steelers approach and Dick LeBeau's preference for vets.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/dom-capers-using-brand-new-play-calls-to-simplify-the-defense-b99591848z1-331183831.html

"Nah," Thomas said, drawing out the word for emphasis. "Dom really simplified everything for us this year. It's really easy for me to come back and pick up where I left off."

The result, according to Hayward, was a significant reduction in the number of missed assignments and mental errors by the defense during training camp. "An all-time low," he said.

The second item on Capers' revision list was always going to be more difficult as it involved the creation and installation of a brand-new defensive language. Gone were the lengthy play calls whose titles featured as many as six or seven words each — plus contingencies, which we will get to later — and in their place would be a system featuring one or two words per play and an accompanying hand signal.

"It takes time to say, 'Eagle Wide Open Me Special Seven,'" Capers said with a smile. "To where now you have a one-word term. Those guys all know the one-word code terms."

Man, I hope they keep the new guy at JSO.

[Maxie the Taxi]

It's funny...almost. A lot of us around here have been calling for the KISS principle for a year or two, ever since defensive breakdowns were blamed on communication problems. Now it's done. Good.

I tend to think this was another fruit of Stubby's decision to give up playcalling and concentrate on the overall big picture? Which, by the way, a lot of us were adamant about for a long time too.

[George Cumby]

This begs the question, which of us is actually Ted, Stubby or SPH incognito?

[Fritz]

It's funny...almost. A lot of us around here have been calling for the KISS principle for a year or two, ever since defensive breakdowns were blamed on communication problems. Now it's done. Good.

I tend to think this was another fruit of Stubby's decision to give up playcalling and concentrate on the overall big picture? Which, by the way, a lot of us were adamant about for a long time too.

From the JSO article:

"It takes time to say, 'Eagle Wide Open Me Special Seven,'" Capers said with a smile. "To where now you have a one-word term. Those guys all know the one-word code terms."

You know, in my dreams when Drew Barrymore looks up at me from the bed and says "Eagle Wide Open Me, Special Seven," I know exactly what she means. No need to dumb that down.

[pbmax]

It's funny...almost. A lot of us around here have been calling for the KISS principle for a year or two, ever since defensive breakdowns were blamed on communication problems. Now it's done. Good.

I tend to think this was another fruit of Stubby's decision to give up playcalling and concentrate on the overall big picture? Which, by the way, a lot of us were adamant about for a long time too.

My guess is that they have simplified before, if only for young starters.

However, rebuilt the communication is probably linked to M3 pushing Capers to consider the new workings of offense.

[Bossman641]

Good post 31. That may be true. Still capers is no Lt. Dyke.


I haven't run numbers on it but third downs still seem problematic. I bet the packers don't do so well on third and long percentages. That's a guess.

Correct, with a bit of a caveat

http://espn.go.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/13834172/defense-put-packers-top-nfl

Those scrambles are connected to the biggest weakness of Green Bay's defense so far: getting off the field on third downs. According to DVOA, the Packers have been the best defense in the NFL on first downs and rank ninth overall on second downs. But they fall to 30th on third downs, mostly because of their inability to get off the field on third and long.

The average offensive play on third-and-7-or-more gains 6.5 yards. Green Bay has allowed a 9.1-yard average -- and 10 conversions on 28 tries -- on such plays.

But that might be an outlier. All of those conversions have come with the Packers in the lead, and all but one came in the second half.

Hopefully the defense tightening the screws against SF was a sign of things to come