Brian Gutekunst, Making No Sense

[bobblehead]

I love posts like this. MM will never give Janis a shot because he hates him or some other reason. Coach and GMs and the whole staff gets judged on wins and loses. The staff is going to use every option at their disposal to win. If a player isn’t getting playing time it isn’t because the team won’t give him a chance.

In general I agree with you, but that doesn't preclude the possibility that a coach simply has a bias that causes him to miss things. Jerrah likes him some really dumb physical freaks. Al Davis loved him some fast guys with no hands or route running ability. MM hates guys who make occasional mental mistakes even if they flash big plays. MM refused to use Desmond Bishop until he was forced to. Desmond was a difference maker on that D.

I can't say that janis or davis will be worth a shit, but I can say that MM is biased towards boring assignment sure guys who don't have the physical ability to change games.

[pbmax]

In general I agree with you, but that doesn't preclude the possibility that a coach simply has a bias that causes him to miss things. Jerrah likes him some really dumb physical freaks. Al Davis loved him some fast guys with no hands or route running ability. MM hates guys who make occasional mental mistakes even if they flash big plays. MM refused to use Desmond Bishop until he was forced to. Desmond was a difference maker on that D.

I can't say that janis or davis will be worth a shit, but I can say that MM is biased towards boring assignment sure guys who don't have the physical ability to change games.

That is the Marty training in him.

But you can carry the above preferences too far in analyzing any of those coaches on GMs. Davis loved speed, but he would always take speed with hands if he could get it. As he got older he lost his fastball and took some possibly unwarranted risks.

I don't know much about Jerry's adventures, except that his son seems to have had a solid influence.

McCarthy might have hesitated to play Bishop, but Bishop wasn't a cure all either. M3 has a preference but he's not into harming himself.

[Joemailman]

That is the Marty training in him.

In the case of Janis and Davis, how much of that is on Rodgers? It's no secret Rodgers is pretty demanding about routes being run right. Does MM not want them in the lineup, or does he figure there's no point in putting guys in who Rodgers won't throw to?

[Fritz]

Like I said ....... dumbasses never missing an opportunity to piss on Janis.

If Janis is one of those people who likes getting peed on, then I guess it's okay. To each his own.

[mraynrand]

If Janis is one of those people who likes getting peed on, then I guess it's okay. To each his own.

lol

[pbmax]

In the case of Janis and Davis, how much of that is on Rodgers? It's no secret Rodgers is pretty demanding about routes being run right. Does MM not want them in the lineup, or does he figure there's no point in putting guys in who Rodgers won't throw to?

Could be. But if 4 other receivers can figure out the balance between the offense and Rodgers, then Janis should be able to.

[Joemailman]

Could be. But if 4 other receivers can figure out the balance between the offense and Rodgers, then Janis should be able to.

No doubt Janis is more prone to mental errors than the others. Yet, a few years ago when MM had no choice but to play him in the playoff game at Arizona, he had 7 catches for 145 yards and 2 TD's. He does have some unique skills. I wonder if Philbin might have some ideas about how to get him involved in the offense.

[Teamcheez1]

Janis is an Unrestricted Free Agent . Who's to say they even bring him back at the minimum, or otherwise? I guess we'll find out.

[Bossman641]

Janis is good at "500" ball. That kinda style doesn't work within s structured offense.

[Joemailman]

Janis is good at "500" ball. That kinda style doesn't work within s structured offense.

Is the Packers offense that structured? A lot of times their plays seem to be Rodgers buying time until somebody breaks open. I realize Janis is limited. Still, it seems strange that a guy who had the biggest day for a Packers WR in a playoff game in recent years has had a total of 12 catches since then.

[pbmax]

No doubt Janis is more prone to mental errors than the others. Yet, a few years ago when MM had no choice but to play him in the playoff game at Arizona, he had 7 catches for 145 yards and 2 TD's. He does have some unique skills. I wonder if Philbin might have some ideas about how to get him involved in the offense.

You have to almost run the offense through him, which they had to do that game due to injury. Because he is not going to be at his assigned spot at the right time, you have to watch what he does and wait for him to break open.

It would be the Rodgers extra inning offense from the snap. Hard to get others involved too.

He's the perfect receiver for Tebow though.

[Carolina_Packer]

With A-Rod getting injured for a good chunk of two separate seasons, and being 34, I have to wonder if they will try and alter the approach to the scramble drill. They have to try to keep him out of harms way. I know comparisons are often worthless, but Brady often seems like he could make and eat a sandwich in the pocket before having to throw the ball. The rest of the time, he gets the ball out of his hand quickly before the rush can even factor into the play.

Back in 2015 when the offense was struggling without Jordy, I read an article that pointed out the Packers route tree was based on isolation routes with not a lot in the area of rubs or picks from other receivers to create space. Perhaps with Philbin coming back, there will be some new wrinkles to help the offense be less dependent on the scramble drill. I know sometimes his scrambles are by design, but it would be nice to gain chunks of yardage without A-Rod having to put on his cape so often during a game. The continued development of the running game and MM's willingness to actually use it effectively would help.

[mraynrand]

No doubt Janis is more prone to mental errors than the others. Yet, a few years ago when MM had no choice but to play him in the playoff game at Arizona, he had 7 catches for 145 yards and 2 TD's. He does have some unique skills. I wonder if Philbin might have some ideas about how to get him involved in the offense.

Seriously? 100 of those yards came on contested toss ups. Good for Janis catching them, but that's desperation. In 2005, half the Packer offense at the end of the season went through Tony Fisher and Antonio Chatman because that's all they had other than Driver.

I'd be happy to be wrong about Janis, but he's had a lot of chances - most of it out of our sight in practice - to impress coaches. There's no way Stubby et. al. are holding him back for no good reason.

[pbmax]

With A-Rod getting injured for a good chunk of two separate seasons, and being 34, I have to wonder if they will try and alter the approach to the scramble drill. They have to try to keep him out of harms way. I know comparisons are often worthless, but Brady often seems like he could make and eat a sandwich in the pocket before having to throw the ball. The rest of the time, he gets the ball out of his hand quickly before the rush can even factor into the play.

Back in 2015 when the offense was struggling without Jordy, I read an article that pointed out the Packers route tree was based on isolation routes with not a lot in the area of rubs or picks from other receivers to create space. Perhaps with Philbin coming back, there will be some new wrinkles to help the offense be less dependent on the scramble drill. I know sometimes his scrambles are by design, but it would be nice to gain chunks of yardage without A-Rod having to put on his cape so often during a game. The continued development of the running game and MM's willingness to actually use it effectively would help.

CP, I kinda hope they bring back the M3/Philbin offense from before too, and not just because of 15-1 in 2011.

Much of what has happened since they tried to adjust tempo (no huddle and hurry up) has not been as reliable. The offense also can no longer rely on WR getting open deep due to multiple factors like age, no more Jones, no TE threat, lack of functional speed, etc.

I want an offense that isn't all WR screens that can beat man coverage and complete 8 passes in a row for a TD drive.

I'm not asking for much, am I?

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Seriously? 100 of those yards came on contested toss ups. Good for Janis catching them, but that's desperation. In 2005, half the Packer offense at the end of the season went through Tony Fisher and Antonio Chatman because that's all they had other than Driver.

I'd be happy to be wrong about Janis, but he's had a lot of chances - most of it out of our sight in practice - to impress coaches. There's no way Stubby et. al. are holding him back for no good reason.

In the immortal words of the great Allen Iverson, "Practice? We're talkin' bout practice, man. Not a game!"

In my playing days, I used to fake injuries all the time just to sit out practices. That never prevented me from being a shutdown corner. Never stopped me from shutting down Darren Charles in a game.

None of us know how Janis fared in practice, but in games, good things usually happen when Janis is in the game.

McCarthy should've played Janis over that sloth Allison. Barr's monstrous hit didn't end the Packers' season. Allison's fumble did. Odds are, Janis would've caught the rock in that instance and then, via his awesome speed, dashed into the endzone.