End of an Era?

[chewy-bacca]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=505990

If everyone from the oline to the FB to the RB is having issues with the run game, maybe they need to CHANGE THE DAM RUN GAME!!!


I know that wont happen, but wtf man!?

[SkinBasket]

Miree

Just in case you like putting a face with the name...

and a little background info:

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=4134

[chewy-bacca]

thanks, but no thanks.

Ill be laughing when Hendu puts this punk in his place.

[mraynrand]

Re: End of an Era?

"He's got a feel for the fullback position in this system. We think he has a chance to be a good player. He can contribute on (special) teams and we think he can function well in the offense."


If I recall, Hunter took Henderson's place on 'teams last week - but I could be wrong about that. Also, both Henderson and Corey Schlesinger looked like they were moving in wet cement. Henderson had 1 rec. for 13 yards, made the first guy miss as usual, but he's at the end of the line. He's only on the roster because he's a huge lockerroom leader.

[chewy-bacca]

didnt he have surgury not to long ago on a knee? I bet hes back before he should be, b\c hes a leader and wants to help the team. He also prob. thinks if he takes time to heal all the way they will replace him anyway. Not so much at the end of the line, but in a lose, lose situation I think. With the run game in the shape its in they are trying anything to help it. I am starting to wonder if they can coach it.

[MJZiggy]

thanks, but no thanks.

Ill be laughing when Hendu puts this punk in his place.

I think this punk is in his place, but the thing to remember is that Hendu, although highly valued, needs a break every now and again so he doesn't retweak that hammy. Besides, Coach said he was brought up as a ST player.

[HarveyWallbangers]

This move might be more of a reflection on David Martin as a FB then Hendu. This is a reporter's conjecture more than anything else.

[MJZiggy]

After having just read this article after watching Coach's press conference, this is just irresponsible journalism. Nothing more. M3 NEVER even came CLOSE to saying ANYTHING about Miree starting at fullback. Coach specifically said he was brought up from the practice squad because he has the body type they want for special teams. He spoke specifically about him playing ST and being "in the mix and expanding your options" in the rushing attack. This guy, unless he spoke with M3 apart from everyone else, seems to be making stuff up.

[Cheesehead Craig]

If he is the new FB and he can do a better job blocking than Hendu, what is the problem here? I love Hendu, but the Packers need to find his replacement someday, if it's now, then great.

[MJZiggy]

My only problem with it is that we're talking about it as if Coach Mac had actually said he's thinking of starting Miree at FB when that's not what he said at all.

[woodbuck27]

" With the run game in the shape its in they are trying anything to help it. I am starting to wonder if they can coach it. " chewy-bacca

I read this Article by DR,Z yesterday and was going to post it, but held off. I'm grateful, just for the relief of the way the OL played last Sunday. We are well aware that OUR Running game is in serious bad shape.

Is it due to poor RB's or decent RB's that can't gain success running the ball behinfd an OL that can't seem to open holes or block properly/successfully?

We need balance on offense, and we saw the result of a solid game by Ahman Green Vs. "da Bears" result in failure as " the Game Plan/ results on the field " handcuffed Brett Favre.

When has he been restricted to opening the first half of a game with a game plan/conditions based on team performance, that limited him to only 5 pass's?

The next game Vs. "the Saints"... it's Favre and ALL Guns a Blazin' and he made 55 pass's. WOW ! That is not the plan... Stan

unless your plan is disaster.

We need to experience clear and proper balance on Offense.

Before a HC can Game plan on "O", he needs to have realistic expectations and we have been promised that patience with OUR young OL and " the ZBS ", will reward OUR future with success.

Promise's of consistency... winning football games... to the playoff's... and success there... leading to the ONLY objective that matters in the NFL.

The Ultimate GOAL = Super Bowl.

What I have been seeing to date. Is an OL, across the board, that has not dealt well with " the ZBS ", with the exception of ' C ' Scott Wells, who by all reports has been playing v. well. Jason Spitz has been meeting OUR expectations, as well ,and he'll be back for week 4's HUGE game Vs. the Eagles .. a Team that quite frankly dominates us.

When was the last time we defeated thie team? Ican't recall that result.I don't believe it has been since we acquired Reggie White.Their still pissed at us over that I assime.

To experience poor play on behalf of tackles Clifton and Tauscher (who played v.well in 2005) and considering their prior success...
begs to question " the Packers OL Strategy " and whether the pursuit of the Current PLAN for OUR OL is sound?

It's simple to me. I love to cook.

It's one thing to want to try a new and exciting recipe. Yet, before I jump in and promise this amazing dish to anyone.

I must consider the ingredients as to what I have and need. It's deemed - being realistic. That new dish comes at a cost of time and money unless I'm fortunate to have the ingredients already at home.

If I don't want to invest my time or money to secure the ingredients for the new recipe. I have to be satsfied with " the tuna fish casserole ". Now that may not exactly be the winner I need to please those I cook for, but they will be fed.

Is it applicable to consider this same logical approach in consideration of the objective of consistency and Victory in football games?


If I answer these ?'s based on LIFE, and apply them to OUR OL.

a) Is he /she a good fit for that job?

The PLAN?

b) Is he/she living up to my expectations? Are my expectations realistic based on:

the PLAN?

c) How are my employee's attitude's? Are they being rewarded with satisfaction for their hard work, on a results oriented basis?

Was my preparation (training) and strategy based in that sound?

The PLAN?

d) Person 'A' was good at that but not good at this. Realistically? Will person 'A' ever fit?

the PLAN

Again, is " the PLAN " sound...

and what is a realistic time frame, to matchup " the PLAN " and the people, to experience success?

Is the PLAN a proper /realistic plan based on the ingredients availablle to me at this time? If the answer is NO !!

I MUST secure those ingredients, to enable successto fit with:

the PLAN.

How long do I spend in an assessment phase, before I make changes to enable:

the PLAN.

Here's the Article.

What he says may add or take away from my thoughts.

How to build a running game

Does this apply to... " the Green Bay Packers " ?

By: Dr. Z, SI.com

When do you put in a running game? Before the draft. Before the free-agency period. When you're planning the personnel makeup of your squad. Pass-blocking linemen are swell, but you'd better have some grunts in there, some no-necked drive blockers.

I hear a coach say in the offseason, "We've got to establish our running game," and I'm suspicious right away. You don't establish it. You build it and it establishes itself. You bring in the personnel to make it work. It's a serious commitment.

I hear that quote and then I look at the players his team has drafted. Hmmm, don't see any guards there. And the only tackles drafted are nifty-footed pass blockers. Who, exactly, are they planning to run behind?

The Jets paid lip service to their running game right up through training camp. Hopefully, Curtis Martin somehow would get himself in shape to play, but if not, well, a runner would emerge from somewhere. Then they went and drafted a pass blocker to play left tackle.

They can't run. D'Brickashaw Ferguson, the fourth player taken in the entire draft, is very agile, very quick, a tap dancer who can keep step with the outside rushers. The problem is that he can't knock anyone off the line. Add to that a marginal player at right tackle ... 30-year old Anthony Clement, who'd been cut from three teams ... and you've got a running game that is tied for 26th in the league.

This is meant as no knock on the Jets. Their main concern on offense this season has been the health of their quarterback, Chad Pennington. Their primary job was to provide protection for him, and Ferguson was the most logical guy to fill that role. And Pennington is off to a fine start.

But do you remember the old days, when Martin and the Jets' running game gave people real problems? Who was the left tackle? Jason Fabini, who everyone said was a natural right tackle ... too slow and not athletic enough to keep up with the blind side speed rushers. And yes, he'd give up the occasional sack, but he'd also knock defensive linemen off the ball.

Last year the Seahawks' Shaun Alexander led the league in rushing and averaged 118 yards per game. This season it's down to 70 yards. Left guard Steve Hutchinson is gone. As a pass blocker he's OK, not great, just OK. Stumbles a bit sometimes. But blocking for the run he's pure hell, one of those annoying, gila monster types who will latch onto a defender and never let go.

Walter Jones, playing next to him last year, generally is conceded to be the league's best pass-blocking tackle, but he isn't a tough guy as a run-blocker. He's a position player who does it with finesse. The arrangement worked just fine when the two of them were side by side, but now that Hutchinson is gone, the production has fallen off.

I've often asked myself what a team really wants from its running game. Could it be the focal part of an offense that lacks a great passing attack? Hard to see that. It's too easy for a defense to cram the box and stop it with numbers. Is it merely an adjunct to the aerial game, an annoyance, a device to control the pass rush and give the QB a sense of security and make his play fakes more effective? Well, yeah, that sounds more like it.

Or is it like a battering ram, knocking down a wall? Hammer and hammer away. Two yards a crack in the first quarter, then a bit more, and still more, until the exhausted defense is surrendering six and seven yards per shot? That seems to be the Vikings' game, with Chester Taylor and Hutchinson now at left guard. You'd better have a superior defense if you want to implement that scheme, or you'll be establishing your running game while the enemy opens up a two touchdown lead. And then, regretfully, you'll have to say good-bye to the pound-it-out game, just as it was starting to open up some holes, and put it on the train with an apple and good wishes.

And who's to say that a defense that alternates its front four, and is just as sturdy and resolute as the guys who are trying to crack it, won't be just as tough at the end? Just look at what the Jaguars did to Pittsburgh. The Steelers had only one run longer than four yards all night, but they had to stay with it as long as they could, to protect a fragile quarterback.

I think it's fascinating the way the Patriots have changed their style, from Charlie Weis' short pass attack to a running game, to adjust to a shift in personnel. Can it be that this was something they planned before the draft, because they knew Deion Branch would be a contract problem and maybe they'd lose him and Tom Brady would need time to adjust to his new receivers?

It's scary to believe that they saw everything coming so far ahead of time, but I'll never know because they don't talk about such things. I mean you can ask them if they breathe air when they step outside and they'll respond, "If it helps our team."

But I saw what they did to the Jets last Sunday, and even with Brady having an off day, they controlled things with their ground game. Corey Dillon is running mad now. He's become a mean runner, probably because they drafted another back, Laurence Maroney, in the first round. At Minnesota Maroney was a guy who read the defense and reacted, as if he were on cruise control, a guy with good outside speed, but hardly much toughness. Now he's a slasher, inside or out, a quick thrust guy who can break tackles.

"Surprised me, too, that they took him," said a scout who's friendly with the Patriots' personnel people. "He really didn't seem like their type. But they told me after the draft, 'Just watch. He'll fit in. He just ran in college the way they wanted him to. He can do it our way.'"

I saw two things with that Patriot ground game, which looks like the best since Martin was on their team. Their left tackle Matt Light, smaller and less gifted athletically than some of the ballet masters who play the position, is one of the best drive blockers in the game at that position. Pass blocking? Well, I've seen him give up sacks, and they'll occasionally protect him with a tight end chipping on the rusher. But he gets a lot more thrust on that side than almost everyone else in the league at the position. And he's a guy who probably will never make a Pro Bowl squad.

The second thing I noticed was the quickness of New England's center, Dan Koppen.

"You can't have a decent running game in the NFL with a slow center," says a Patriots scout who actually did talk to me. "There are too many adjustments, too many quick things he has to do. Actually, most of the good running teams in the league have light lines. We're not that big up front. Neither are the Falcons or Broncos, two of the best running clubs.

"How do you tire out a defensive line? By getting 'em moving and chasing, and that's what these light lines are geared for. You can hog 'em with those big guys, and all the defensive lineman will do will be to drop to a knee and take the double-team. But make him run and he'll get tired."

You don't find the precision running games anymore, probably because in the free-agency era, offensive lines aren't together year after year like they used to be. I loved the intricate timing of the Giants' great power toss that carried them to their first Super Bowl victory in the 1985 season.

Joe Morris carrying behind the vicious down-blocks of Mark Bavaro, with Chris Godfrey pulling and Maurice Carthon leading. Man, it was beautiful. Then one day it was gone. I asked Bill Parcells about it.

"Yeah, I hated to lose it, too," he said. "But you can't coach it anymore. It takes up too much of your practice time."

An interesting thing, the running game. But if you're showing me a team that has a good one, I'll bet it'll have guards that aren't just failed tackles but guys who were drafted for their drive blocking, as Hutchinson and the Steelers' Alan Faneca were. And I'll bet that it will have, rarest of all, a left tackle who will actually go after people.

Updated on Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 12:19 pm EDT


GO PACKERS ! PACKER FAN FAITH in 2006 !!

[jack's smirking revenge]

Jags noted in this article that Hendu "needs to be more consistent". To prove Hendu's class, he did not give a soundbyte--unlike Harris, who was mildly criticized by MM that he "needed to be more consistent" and Harris went on a rant about trading him if he's not doing his job.

Hendu's a classy guy and a great player. And I don't fault the organization for trying to fix the problematic running game. If teaming Hendu and Miree leads to more production, then who can fault the team for giving Miree a shot? No one is taking away from what Hendu has done, but if he's lost a step, he needs to step back.

tyler

[Sparkey]

My only problem with it is that we're talking about it as if Coach Mac had actually said he's thinking of starting Miree at FB when that's not what he said at all.

You need to read the article again....

"On Wednesday, the Packers promoted practice squad fullback Brandon Miree to the 53-man roster and appear ready to get him on the field right away, possibly in the starting position William Henderson has held for the last 10 seasons."

"Miree's promotion to the active roster could signify a change. The 6-foot, 236-pound Miree shared the fullback snaps with Henderson Wednesday and said it was his understanding he might be in the lineup against the Philadelphia Eagles Monday night if he shows enough this week."

"Will and myself are going to get out there and practice as well as we can. Then they'll go ahead and make a decision who will start."


I do not understand where the BAD reporting is ? He speculated on what MIGHT happen based upon comments from Jag's, Miree and taking into account the fact the Hendu is 35. Actually, it is good reporting on his part.

[chewy-bacca]

I agree, the more the marrier. But it seems that for abour 4 years, they have tried and tried to replace Hendu with nothing but failure. If he needs to take snaps off b\c hes getting older, thats fine. However, to take a stating roll form him seems just plan stupid. They have used 2 FBs for a few years now, I have no problem with that, but lets remember what side the bread is buttered. He is a leader and a playmaker when given the chance.

the thing that pissed me off was that this practice squad scrub thinks he is going to do what others have not been able to do, usurp Hendu.

Ill hand it to him, he has a pair, if nothing else.

[MJZiggy]

My only problem with it is that we're talking about it as if Coach Mac had actually said he's thinking of starting Miree at FB when that's not what he said at all.

You need to read the article again....

"On Wednesday, the Packers promoted practice squad fullback Brandon Miree to the 53-man roster and appear ready to get him on the field right away, possibly in the starting position William Henderson has held for the last 10 seasons."

"Miree's promotion to the active roster could signify a change. The 6-foot, 236-pound Miree shared the fullback snaps with Henderson Wednesday and said it was his understanding he might be in the lineup against the Philadelphia Eagles Monday night if he shows enough this week."

"Will and myself are going to get out there and practice as well as we can. Then they'll go ahead and make a decision who will start."


I do not understand where the BAD reporting is ? He speculated on what MIGHT happen based upon comments from Jag's, Miree and taking into account the fact the Hendu is 35. Actually, it is good reporting on his part.

The "bad" reporting comes in the fact that Coach Mac was very specific in regard to why Miree got promoted to the 53. Coach said very specifically that he was brought up because he has the body type that they are looking for on special teams. He also specifically said that he would be put 'in the mix' at fullback--not that we're considering starting him at fullback. They're considering giving him a few reps. What the coach specifically says trumps speculation based on what the player himself says or what the OC says about the consistency of another player. Jags did not say, if he doesn't improve we need to make a change there. All he said was he wants Hendu to be more consistent. They are not the same thing.