I'm having troulbe understanding how an inexperienced coach

[bbbffl66]

Actually, I liked the game plan. Did you all prefer Shermy's plan, which was to have Favre throw the ball fifty plus times? MM needed to try to keep the game close, and running the ball was the only way. He actually got this team into several third and short situations early in the game. It was the lack of execution on those plays that hurt, not the calls.

The team also seemed slightly more disciplined than Shermy's teams. Slightly.

Keep the game close? Shermy's team kept them close last year. Twice. It looked as if the Packers were scared and playing not to lose. I would have preferred some agressiveness other than a fake punt.

[retailguy]

Mike Sherman was equally inexperienced. So was his staff.

The majority of the players were not inexperienced. not a fair comparison to either coach

[Ballboy]

I'm just as mad as the rest of you from yesterdays showing.

But a few things I thought were good, one of which was the game plan. I felt we needed to be able to run the ball vs. a good Bears run defense....we did that. M3 kept the TE in on most plays to protect Brett...I wish a few times he would've sent him out to keep the D honest.....the fake punt took guts. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we were on our own end of the field and not converting would've been big trouble.

The big problem was the defensive game-plan. Same as last year, we got no pressure on the QB, Woodson looked terrible, and Manuel maybe able to stop the run, but someone please tell him he has to stop the pass as well!!!

The only way we will win games is running the ball, then complete the run play on third down to convert. The Brett sneak was the only questionable call.

[bbbffl66]

The only way we will win games is running the ball, then complete the run play on third down to convert.

Are you related to Barry Alvarez?

[Fritz]

Actually, I liked the game plan. Did you all prefer Shermy's plan, which was to have Favre throw the ball fifty plus times? MM needed to try to keep the game close, and running the ball was the only way. He actually got this team into several third and short situations early in the game. It was the lack of execution on those plays that hurt, not the calls.

The team also seemed slightly more disciplined than Shermy's teams. Slightly.

What is you metric for gauging discipline?
He got the team into several third and short situations? And what did he do - he ran the weakest part of his team (the interior O-line) against the Bears' strength (D-line). On both short plays he failed to use the flanker option with his best players (Favre and Driver) playing catch. Favre's first two tosses were compltions for 42 yards. He completed all 5 passes in the first half. You didn't like Sherman's passing last year? At least they were able to move the ball and stay in games. The Packers were never in the game yesterday. That has to be one of the worst offensive performances I've witnessed since we played the '85 Bears. And a lot of it was due to putting a governor on the best players, Favre and Driver.

Somehow, Sherman was able to protect Favre somewhat with crappy linemen and gain a lot of yards with Noah Herron as his top RB and Chatman, Thurman, and Donald Lee as his WRs behind Driver. The offensive scheme yesterday, and the disconnect with what was happening on the field was absurd

I understand your point but don't agree. When MM ran on third down, he was doing just what he'd said in the pre-season - trying to establish the run as the basis for the offense. I don't agree that, yesterday, the interior of the line was the weakest part of that line. None of it was much good, but he did in fact try to run Green behind Clifton on one of those third downs, and Green got stuffed.

You also make the assumption that if Favre had been flinging the ball around the game would have been closer. You use last year's games as evidence - does this suggest that Favre's interceptions didn't play into those losses?

We're just not going to agree, I think. I liked the conservative game plan. I thought it was the right approach. It didn't work, but I do not believe flinging the ball around would have worked either. Favre did, in fact, get sacked on three of the eight pass calls in the first half.