Packers defense, post season edition

[RashanGary]

The unit is peaking at the right time. They went from playing well early in games to fucking the pooch at the end with leads. Josh Jackson and Kadar Hollman didn't help much, but additional evidence suggests the Packers were ironing out the details of their zone defenses as they played so much, so poorly, at the end of games when they had leads.

Zone defense has gone from the ugly stepchild of Pettines playbook, only exposed at the end of games when they couldn't possibly f it up to a viable coverage early in the game, littered with zone blitzes and the whole zone package.

Pettine can now mix and match zone blitzes with match blitzes with zone match with basic zone with basic man. The playbook is wide open. They're starting and finishing games strong.

It's slightly annoying how much they bend but nice that they don't break.


A fresh front coming off the bye swings a freshly sharpened secondary axe blade to hack down post season obsticals. Championship!

[RashanGary]

Not really post season topic, but Gary is one good offseason away from borderline probowl too. If that pick really pans out, maybe 12 finishes with 2 more Owls!

[Joemailman]

P and Z are the oldest starters on the Packers defense at 28. They should be good for a while.

The play of the safeties, and the emergence of Barnes as the every down linebacker has made all the difference. Packers tacking has also been much better. Giving up as many completions as they did to the Bears yesterday would have been a major problem earlier in the year. Some of those short completions would have turned into big plays. Not yesterday.

[QBME]

P and Z are the oldest starters on the Packers defense at 28. They should be good for a while.

The play of the safeties, and the emergence of Barnes as the every down linebacker has made all the difference. Packers tacking has also been much better. Giving up as many completions as they did to the Bears yesterday would have been a major problem earlier in the year. Some of those short completions would have turned into big plays. Not yesterday.

I get it and agree to a point.

The thing that chafes me is when a safety/cornerback comes up and tries to "tackle" without using his arms. Just takes a shot with his shoulder to knock the ball carrier off balance and to the ground.

Also, still see too much defensive standing around the tackle assuming its going to happen. Need to start swarming to the ball.

Mike Pettine, if you are online with the Rats (and I think you are) just PM me and we can get this cleaned up toot sweet.

You're welcome.

[RashanGary]

195 pound guys do what they have to do to get a guy down. Form tackles wouldn’t work anyway

[RashanGary]

Offensive coaches get paid too. They like to get corners one on one with running backs because it’s a mismatch in size. Perfection isn’t a thing in the NFL and corners who tackle like linebackers don’t exist.

[run pMc]

195 pound guys do what they have to do to get a guy down. Form tackles wouldn’t work anyway

Why not?

A 195 pound CB should be able to take down a 205 pound WR or at least hinder a 210 pound RB enough for the troops to rally and arrive. I can't tell you how many times I've seen the secondary play off, have a QB throw short/under that coverage, and then they fail to square up and tackle correctly. Raven Greene, Kevin King, Redmond... they'd fly up and the opposing player would just sidestep them and keep going. Bad angles, bad fundamentals. There are instances where players are throwing a shoulder and not using arms to wrap up -- basically going for a hit but not a tackle. That mostly works on a direct hit, but a direct hit on a moving player is low percentage. Using your arms to wrap up exposes you to shoulder/arm/hand injuries, but it also brings the player down more often and more successfully.

Apparently tackling is a business decision.

I've seen King make some very good open field tackles, and come up and be physical in run support, so I know he can do it. Not to pick specifically on him; there are others who do it as well. I think that's just a discipline thing -- bringing the guy down vs. wanted to blow someone up.

[RashanGary]

God, fans bitch about literally everything. Expect perfection. Other guys are paid too

[texaspackerbacker]

Whether to put your body on the line and go for a tackle against a bigger RB with a head of steam may be a business decision, but throwing a shoulder instead of wrapping up like every kid football player is taught is just plain bad form/poor fundamentals.

What impressed me was Jaire Alexander - with no game on the line, just pride, preventing a TD on the last play by leveraging a TE to the ground ....... but then again, it was Jimmy Graham hahahaha.

[Bossman641]

Agreed Tex... Shows the type of competitor Jaire is.

[RashanGary]

Every year 1 or 2 rookies make the pro bowl. 3 or 4 second year guys, 5 or 6 third year guys and a bunch of 4th-10th year guys. Outside of those rare stars, coaches (including pettine) are charged with getting the none pro bowlers to play at a high enough level to win a championship. Not assuming they're attempting to improve players weaknesses seems far greater a stretch than attempting. I don't know how this is a conversation and the bumbling monkey theme so popular?

[RashanGary]

Montravious Adams flashed
Injured
Billy Winn flashed
Injured

And we’re still better off on the DL in week 18 than we were in week 1. Thanks Brian “respect the fatties” Gutekunst.

[Jaire]

Don't underestimate the addition of Snacks. The DL was thin and a bit light. Snacks is gold and the missing piece. I'm as stoked as the coaches by that pick up. And a vet too!! This D is so young -- 25 year old Clarke was our vet on the DL!!!

This very much reminds me of both the 2014 and 2010 teams, which also peaked at the end of their seasons. The difference is we don't have HaHa to just watch the game tying extra point fly past his nose. Of the 16 ridiculous plays of that worst 2 minute melt down in sports, that bugs me second most (after the fake field goal TD, which actually wasn't part of the melt down, just the ominous prelude).

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Don't underestimate the addition of Snacks. The DL was thin and a bit light. Snacks is gold and the missing piece. I'm as stoked as the coaches by that pick up. And a vet too!! This D is so young -- 25 year old Clarke was our vet on the DL!!!

Lowry Army is 26, which, if my math ain’t erroneous, makes Lowry older than Cletidus. As my cracka, Tony O’Day, likes to say, Cletidus is an overpaid underachiever.

Btw: I ain’t know what’s it’s like in ole England, but here in humble America, we ain’t spell shit like “Clarke.” It’s Clark, yo!

[Jaire]

Lowry Army is 26, which, if my math ain’t erroneous, makes Lowry older than Cletidus. As my cracka, Tony O’Day, likes to say, Cletidus is an overpaid underachiever.

Btw: I ain’t know what’s it’s like in ole England, but here in humble America, we ain’t spell shit like “Clarke.” It’s Clark, yo!

But Clark did start more games. I forgot they were the same class. Lancaster BTW is 26 also. The Northwestern duo have had to make up for lack of veterans with sheer brain power. To compare, Jenkins is only 2 months younger than Clark, and the youngest starter on the OL.

Anyways, the real point is they need an upgrade on that line, which Snacks gives them. 20 or 30 snaps from Snacks and no team besides Baltimore will be running on GB.