More Banjo: Week 9 vs Colts

[hoosier]

I haven't done it in about 10 years. Maybe I'll head down South and climb it in lieu of watching the game next week .

If you can run the entire thing in under 8 min miles I will guarantee the Packers run the table this season.

[beveaux1]

This is the second year of poor performance. Making the playoffs last year was more of a fluke than deserved. MM performed poor as HC in the playoff loss to Seattle, and mostly ever since.

I'm disappointed that he hasn't adjusted his offense to try to beat what every defense does against us. Tight man with safety's over the top can be beaten at least two ways. One is to establish the running game and move one or both safeties up to try and stop the run. That's the approach he took during the off-season. It still means your receivers have to beat man coverage, but they would not have as much safety help, allowing Rodgers to find the man without safety help.

It doesn't appear that he worked very hard on Plan B. This would be needed if the run game couldn't bring the defense out of its 2 deep shell. Like maybe when one or both of your RBs get hurt and you have to play journeymen at RB, or if you can't run on the team you're playing. Plan B might involve playing stacked receivers on one side and running pick plays to get them open, or spreading 5 fast WRs and making the defense counter by removing their LBs and either putting safeties or back-up CBs on the receivers, or by having a TE that can work the middle between the 2 safeties. Our lack of decent TE talent makes the third option moot, but we very sporadically use either of the first two options. We are usually content with banging our head against 2 deep with 3 WRs, a TE, and a RB, running ISO routes getting smothered by the safeties and praying that someone breaks loose after 6 seconds of holding the ball.

We won't improve our running attack with our RB situation, so that means we need a complete change in our offensive philosophy that I don't think our coach is willing to make because it means the end of the 2014 quick strike attack. My feeling is that AR doesn't really want to change either. We've seen spurts of the dink and dunk, but it's never lasted much more than a half, and they usually revert right back to their preferred offense. In my opinion, this is why we struggle so much to have a complete offensive game. If our coach doesn't recognize what most of the team's fans see, it will be tough for him to go on the win streak he needs to keep from putting his job in jeopardy.

[pbmax]

I'm curious to see what happens if this team ever hits on a deep ball route. They are certainly getting closer to connecting on one. Will it be like a baseball team where the floodgates open?

They did versus Atlanta and it heralded their best half in a long while. But the zone coverage had a lot to do with overall success as well.

[denverYooper]

This is the second year of poor performance. Making the playoffs last year was more of a fluke than deserved. MM performed poor as HC in the playoff loss to Seattle, and mostly ever since.

It is rather hard to argue that a 10-6 record, a win in the WC round, and an OT game in the divisional on the road is 1 year of poor performance. Nor was it a fluke. They won 10 games and earned the wildcard spot by virtue of their record.

And this year is not over yet. So while the current malaise has covered a span lasting the latter half of last year and most of the 1st half of this year, there are 8 games left to play. We've seen M3-coached teams sag at times before. If they improve to 10-6 with a good finish this year and make the playoffs again, will it be a fluke or just an effect of sampling? At a lifetime win pct of 0.646, M3's yearly win expectation is 10 games.

[beveaux1]

It is rather hard to argue that a 10-6 record, a win in the WC round, and an OT game in the divisional on the road is 1 year of poor performance. Nor was it a fluke. They won 10 games and earned the wildcard spot by virtue of their record.

And this year is not over yet. So while the current malaise has covered a span lasting the latter half of last year and most of the 1st half of this year, there are 8 games left to play. We've seen M3-coached teams sag at times before. If they improve to 10-6 with a good finish this year and make the playoffs again, will it be a fluke or just an effect of sampling? At a lifetime win pct of 0.646, M3's yearly win expectation is 10 games.

I truly hope you're right. I just get a different vibe about this team. They really can't stop the pass on defense because of injury with little reason to believe this will change. On offense, they've banged their head against man 2 deep for more than a year and don't seem to understand why they can't beat it. At this point, they're pretty average on offense and maybe a little less so on defense. A weak schedule helps but it's hard to get excited about their chances.

[pbmax]

Its telling that we are discussing the Packers of the last two seasons as less than mediocre, when their record hasn't fallen below 500.

[Pugger]

I'm disappointed that he hasn't adjusted his offense to try to beat what every defense does against us. Tight man with safety's over the top can be beaten at least two ways. One is to establish the running game and move one or both safeties up to try and stop the run. That's the approach he took during the off-season. It still means your receivers have to beat man coverage, but they would not have as much safety help, allowing Rodgers to find the man without safety help.

It doesn't appear that he worked very hard on Plan B. This would be needed if the run game couldn't bring the defense out of its 2 deep shell. Like maybe when one or both of your RBs get hurt and you have to play journeymen at RB, or if you can't run on the team you're playing. Plan B might involve playing stacked receivers on one side and running pick plays to get them open, or spreading 5 fast WRs and making the defense counter by removing their LBs and either putting safeties or back-up CBs on the receivers, or by having a TE that can work the middle between the 2 safeties. Our lack of decent TE talent makes the third option moot, but we very sporadically use either of the first two options. We are usually content with banging our head against 2 deep with 3 WRs, a TE, and a RB, running ISO routes getting smothered by the safeties and praying that someone breaks loose after 6 seconds of holding the ball.

We won't improve our running attack with our RB situation, so that means we need a complete change in our offensive philosophy that I don't think our coach is willing to make because it means the end of the 2014 quick strike attack. My feeling is that AR doesn't really want to change either. We've seen spurts of the dink and dunk, but it's never lasted much more than a half, and they usually revert right back to their preferred offense. In my opinion, this is why we struggle so much to have a complete offensive game. If our coach doesn't recognize what most of the team's fans see, it will be tough for him to go on the win streak he needs to keep from putting his job in jeopardy.

This is a great post and illustrates exactly what is wrong with this offense. I find it incredible that Mac is so hell bent on utilizing his preferred offense even when everyone outside of the team can see it isn't working with the personnel presently on this team. His stubbornness might be his undoing in GB.

[Patler]

Its telling that we are discussing the Packers of the last two seasons as less than mediocre, when their record hasn't fallen below 500.

It's quite obvious when things changed last year, and they are 8-10 since then.

[Patler]

It is rather hard to argue that a 10-6 record, a win in the WC round, and an OT game in the divisional on the road is 1 year of poor performance. Nor was it a fluke. They won 10 games and earned the wildcard spot by virtue of their record.

And this year is not over yet. So while the current malaise has covered a span lasting the latter half of last year and most of the 1st half of this year, there are 8 games left to play. We've seen M3-coached teams sag at times before. If they improve to 10-6 with a good finish this year and make the playoffs again, will it be a fluke or just an effect of sampling? At a lifetime win pct of 0.646, M3's yearly win expectation is 10 games.

On the other hand, going 4-6 in their last 10 games of the season, including getting beat at home by every team in the division, going 0-2 in your final two games of the season with the division title on the line, and losing at home to the Vikings when given one last chance to tie for the division doesn't look like they really earned much either. It looks more like a team that backed into the playoffs without being one of the better teams after their bye.

[texaspackerbacker]

They did versus Atlanta and it heralded their best half in a long while. But the zone coverage had a lot to do with overall success as well.

You nailed it there. Aaron Rodgers still hits open receivers better than any other QB in the game, and there are open receivers in a zone. Sometime last season, though, and continuing into this season, D Coordinators figured out that the Packer receivers didn't have the ability to beat man coverage - even against not too great corners. It took Atlanta several series to figure that out and to get away from their bread and butter zone D. When they did, things got tougher even with their lame ass corners.

I think I may have been the first one in this thread anyway to use the word "mediocre". I did NOT describe the Packers team in general as mediocre. What I said was THE SUPPORTING CAST that God damned Ted Thompson has put together for Aaron Rodgers is mediocre at best. Aaron Rodgers + the rest of the team being mediocre still = damn good. Because of injuries mainly, that mediocre rest of the team has slipped to an even lower level at just about every position you can name. Just the same, as somebody mentioned, getting back Matthews, getting Nelson up to speed (hopefully that happens), maybe getting Randall back (although I don't recall him being all that great before being injured), maybe getting some use out of Cook, etc. should bring the rest of the team back to a high enough level of mediocrity that Aaron Rodgers can win out the regular season and go far in the playoffs.

I say again, it's disgusting to read all the negativism posted in here. NONE of the remaining teams on the schedule, not even Seattle, should be a favorite to beat the Packers.

[Rutnstrut]

How many other teams with a mvp caliber QB would continually try and do the same things that DON'T work???? Most coaches would make adjustments to use that talented QB and whatever talent you have. Not stubby, if he keeps throwing the same shit at the wall, it WILL stick.

[Maxie the Taxi]

I say again, it's disgusting to read all the negativism posted in here. NONE of the remaining teams on the schedule, not even Seattle, should be a favorite to beat the Packers.

GB probably won't even get by the Titans next week. The two teams are almost identical in stats. Titans run game is their only real advantage. That plus home field. We'll see who wants it most.

[Sparkey]

This is the week we see what the Packers have become. I expect an ass kicking.

On another note ? Do we draft terrible receivers or is the coaching staff that poor ?

It seems guys three years removed from college still can't run a clean route or get off a jam.

[Pugger]

You nailed it there. Aaron Rodgers still hits open receivers better than any other QB in the game, and there are open receivers in a zone. Sometime last season, though, and continuing into this season, D Coordinators figured out that the Packer receivers didn't have the ability to beat man coverage - even against not too great corners. It took Atlanta several series to figure that out and to get away from their bread and butter zone D. When they did, things got tougher even with their lame ass corners.

I think I may have been the first one in this thread anyway to use the word "mediocre". I did NOT describe the Packers team in general as mediocre. What I said was THE SUPPORTING CAST that God damned Ted Thompson has put together for Aaron Rodgers is mediocre at best. Aaron Rodgers + the rest of the team being mediocre still = damn good. Because of injuries mainly, that mediocre rest of the team has slipped to an even lower level at just about every position you can name. Just the same, as somebody mentioned, getting back Matthews, getting Nelson up to speed (hopefully that happens), maybe getting Randall back (although I don't recall him being all that great before being injured), maybe getting some use out of Cook, etc. should bring the rest of the team back to a high enough level of mediocrity that Aaron Rodgers can win out the regular season and go far in the playoffs.

I say again, it's disgusting to read all the negativism posted in here. NONE of the remaining teams on the schedule, not even Seattle, should be a favorite to beat the Packers.

If this team keeps playing like they did against Indy they will have a hell of time beating any of the remaining teams on the schedule. And as long as McCarthy and AR are hell bent on chucking the short passing game in favor of the long ball this offense is going to continue to underperform.

[Pugger]

This is the week we see what the Packers have become. I expect an ass kicking.

On another note ? Do we draft terrible receivers or is the coaching staff that poor ?

It seems guys three years removed from college still can't run a clean route or get off a jam.

Seattle showed the league a couple of years ago our guys can't beat tight man coverage and our staff doesn't seem to know how to instruct our WRs on how to over come this. One would think after all this time somebody over at 1265 would have fixed this issue. Until someone does our offense is gonna look anemic at best even against lousy defenses.