POSTSEASON DEFENSIVE COACHING ADJUSTMENTS/NEEDS/REVIEW

[Rastak]

Re: POSTSEASON REVIEW: DEFENSIVE COACHING

Mike McCarthy publicly supported Sanders and secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer all season long, and truth be told, it would be difficult for any first-year head coach to make changes to his staff. That would be admitting a mistake, and nobody likes to do that.

Well, the Vikings sacked their WR coach after a poor rookie showing, so it does happen. I read an article today where a Viking WR said Wyatt (the fired guy) was in over his head basically. I like the fact they recognized it and made a change.

Why didn't they fire Childress it was obvious to me he is in way over his head can't handle complaints,players, or reporters.

The thought did occur to me. But realistically, they have too much invested to make such a quick move. Do the Packers have that much invested in Shotty or Sanders? Do you really think that's an apples to apples comparison?

[TopHat]

INTERESTING DEFENSIVE COACHING HISTORICAL SIDENOTE: 4-26

As a fan said from another forum, "Blame Ed Donatell for the famous 4th and 26 when Bob Slowik was in charge of the defensive backs. Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell apparently had called for a blitz on fourth-and-26, but coach Mike Sherman called it off in part because he realized the Eagles were in a max-protect situation on offense. So fire Sherman? No we fire Ed Donatell and he goes off to Atlanta where he has one of the better defenses in football. Then we promote one of the guys responsible for the blunder while the other remains head coach. Shouldn't the [all] person[s] that made the mistake carry the blame?"

[Joemailman]

Didn't he start attending the defensive meetings and things like that toward the end of the season? Right about the time they started pulling themselves together?

I don't think I ever heard or read that.

Our defense shaped for two reasons. Cullen Jenkins solidified the DE positions and we played crap offenses.

Had nothing to do with our coaches instantly becoming more competent.

Ziggy is right. I believe it was right after the Jets debacle that McCarthy sat in on the defense meetings. I believe that is when Jenkins was inserted into the starting lineup.

[TopHat]

Pro Football Weekly: NFL News

...[C]hanges on Packers’ staff of assistants: Green Bay

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy made a few notable changes to his coaching staff this past week, filling his vacant offensive coordinator position with former OL coach Joe Philbin and giving LB coach Winston Moss the added title of assistant head coach. According to our sources, there is little surprise or drama to either move. We’re told that Philbin is a bright, impressive guy who will allow the Packers to stick with the zone-blocking scheme they implemented in the first year of McCarthy’s tenure. And while QB coach Tom Clements has previous coordinator experience and may have been considered, a ground-game specialist makes more sense because McCarthy calls the plays and directs the passing game. On the other side of the ball, some viewed the Moss promotion as an indictment of defensive coordinator Bob Sanders, but we hear Moss’ new role is more of a macro-level sounding board for McCarthy and will have little to do with the defense specifically.

TOP HAT'S FOOTNOTE: SEE SCOUT.COM ETC.

[TopHat]

REVIEW/REMEMBER MCGINN'S 2006 COACHING GRADES

PASSING DEFENSE (B-minus)
Ranked last at mid-season (244.5) and 30th after 12 games (235.3), the Packers did an about-face down the stretch to finish 17th (206.8) after allowing just 121.5 in the last four weeks. The No. 17 rank would appear to be a collapse from No. 1 (167.5) but the ranking was skewed in 2005 based on an exceedingly low number of pass attempts. More telling was the No. 14 rank in pass average both seasons. Opponents' passer rating of 75.4 ranked eighth, far better than tied for 25th in '05 and 32nd in '04. Not only that but the Packers ranked third in interceptions (23) after picking off a whopping 15 in the last six games. Team had merely 18 in last two years. Fourteen of the 23 were the result of sensational plays, including many of Charles Woodson's eight picks. Coordinator Bob Sanders did little blitzing (24.9%) because four-man rush spearheaded by Aaron Kampman, Cullen Jenkins, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Corey Williams was so effective (46 sacks, fourth in NFL). From Week 3 on, Al Harris largely was responsible for limiting No. 1 receivers to an average game of two catches for 33 yards. On the other hand, linebackers allowed 20 1/2 plays of 20 yards or more, most in the period from 1994-'06. Plus, safeties Marquand Manuel and Nick Collins gave up 9 1/2 TD passes, most by a pair of safeties from 1994-'06. Manuel's 5 1/2 were most by any safety in that span. An excessive number of blown assignments plus faulty technique in Sanders' match-coverage scheme led to 53 passes of 20 yards or more, up from 36 in '05.

RUSH DEFENSE (C-plus)
Joined the '94 squad as Green Bay's only defenses since the 16-game schedule was adopted in '78 not to allow an individual 100-yard rusher in the first 10 games. That streak came to a screeching halt in Week 10 when Nick Barnett suffered a broken hand, sat out Week 11 as Seattle's Shaun Alexander became just the fifth back ever to surpass 200 yards against Green Bay (40-201), and then played in a cast for the last month. After allowing three more 100-yard rushers later (Cedric Houston, Frank Gore and Cedric Benson), the Packers finished 13th in yards (114.1) and 17th in yards per carry (4.14). New starters A.J. Hawk and Brady Poppinga were major upgrades against the run, Ryan Pickett probably was the equal of Grady Jackson and never-say-die Aaron Kampman set the club record for tackles by a D-lineman with 113. Nevertheless, the promotion of Jenkins ahead of "KGB" at right end two plays into the 13th game was the key. Before the move, the Packers allowed 123.9 yards and 4.22 yards per carry. After the move, they allowed 84.5 and 3.80. The unit missed 100 tackles (Marquand Manuel led with 15), the fewest since the statistic first was recorded in '99. Improved tackling helped keep the number of runs for 20 yards or more yards to seven, fewest since '99. Sanders played the same 4-3 "over" scheme as predecessor Jim Bates but had 50% fewer tackles for loss (32 compared to 48). According to STATS, Green Bay ranked only 24th in opponents' negative runs.

SPECIAL TEAMS (D)
McCarthy's decision not to retain John Bonamego and hire Mike Stock in this area paid no obvious dividends. In a statistical breakdown of 10 special-teams categories, the Packers ranked 31st in 2005 and 31st in 2006. The Saints were 14th under Bonamego. Special-teams inadequacies seldom were an issue because they weren't catastrophic. The unit didn't force any turnovers but other than Noah Herron's fumbled kickoff return in Week 1 there weren't any giveaways. In the department of trick plays, the Packers won one of three. Green Bay didn't block any kicks and had two field goals blocked, but those were the fault of Dave Rayner. The other first-year specialist, Jon Ryan, surprised as a competent holder and punted better than B.J. Sander, but his net (35.7) was tied for 26th. Rayner made 74.3% of field goals to rank 26th, same as Ryan Longwell did in '05, and his deeper, higher kickoffs helped the Packers tie for 11th in opponents' average drive start. The return units tied for 29th in the NFL. The daring Woodson led the NFL in fair-catch ratio (two of 43) and had his only fumble wiped out by penalty (the Packers' opponents muffed five punt returns). Morency gave it his all to finish in a tie for 30th on kickoffs (21.6), but the Packers are long overdue for a return ace along the lines of Devin Hester, Pacman Jones and B.J. Sams. Only 11 teams had worse overall coverage. LB Tracy White was the No. 1 core player followed by LB Ben Taylor and CB Jarrett Bush. Kickoff coverage was better early than late.


COACHING (B-minus)
Inheriting a situation that appeared bleak 12 months ago, McCarthy refused to tolerate excuses from himself or others and brought the Packers back to respectability. His team, the youngest in the league, looked dead in the water after a 1-4 start. But the Packers regained their equilibrium near mid-season, faltered in November and caught fire for a classic Green Bay finish in cold weather before supportive crowds. The best thing that McCarthy did was get the turnover situation under control. The Packers finished even in turnover differential, vast improvement over a hideous minus-24 in '05. Furthermore, the team tied for 10th in fewest penalties (90) and was eighth in fewest penalty yards (689), improvements from 19th and 16th a year ago. Supremely confident in his offensive approach, McCarthy was good for Favre and made sharp adjustments in protection to hide a youthful O-line. However, his team ranked 22nd in points, equaling the team's worst finish since '91 and no better than what Sherman and Tom Rossley did in '05. McCarthy must have been appalled in the first two months by the performance of the defense coordinated by Bob Sanders and the secondary coached by Kurt Schottenheimer. Still, McCarthy made no rash decisions, an indication that he can keep his volcanic temper under wraps. Getting Jenkins on the field full-time for "KGB" was much better late than never.

OVERALL (B-minus)
Picked for oblivion in most quarters, the Packers became a force in December before eventually losing the second wild-card playoff berth to the New York Giants on the strength-of-victory tiebreaker. They leaped from fourth to second place in the NFC North, finishing with a four-game winning streak. Their 8-8 record represented a four-game improvement from a year ago, a leap exceeded only by New Orleans, Baltimore, the New York Jets and San Diego. It was the best jump from one season to the next in Green Bay since Mike Holmgren turned the 4-12 mess that he inherited from Lindy Infante into a 9-7 contender in 1992. McCarthy's club went 5-3 on the road, a record that Holmgren's seven teams in Green Bay matched but never surpassed. It took two late wins over tail-enders Minnesota and Detroit to salvage face and a 3-5 record at Lambeau Field. The Packers opened the season with 14 rookies and three first-year players only to end it with 16 rookies and four first-year men. In Week 16, 29 of the 53 players, or 54.7%, spent no time on the Packers' active or reserve lists just a year ago. And it was a team that went 7-8-1 against the spread, winning all five road games as an underdog of between 3 and 7 points. Lady Luck smiled on the Packers, with a total of seven starters missing merely 13 games due to injury. But in a bottom-line business, the Packers failed to make the playoffs despite another horrendous season (24-40 interconference record) in the NFC.

[TopHat]

BEARING MORAL OF STORYEFENSES WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS

http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=61&p=2&c=614254

On the defensive By Steve Lawrence Scout.com

PackerReport.com's Steve Lawrence acknowledges the fact the Packers need weapons on offense, but defenses win championships, and that's the direction Ted Thompson should head with his first-round pick.
This just in: The Green Bay Packers need some weapons to add some pop to a popgun offense. That doesn't mean the Packers will, or even should, add a big-play threat at wide receiver or a talented running back to the mix with their first-round pick in April. The Chicago Bears will play in the Super Bowl on Sunday with one of the most pedestrian offenses in memory. The Bears actually finished third in the league in scoring with 26.7 points per game, but when you eliminate Devin Hester's six return touchdowns and three more TDs by the defense, their per-game output drops to 22.8. Then take into account the easy points set up by the defense, and, well, you get the point. It's the oldest cliche in sports: Defenses win championships. There's a reason why the Bears beat the Saints for the NFC title, and it's because Chicago's powerful defense was better than New Orleans' powerful offense. There's a reason why the Bears have a puncher's chance to beat the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl, even though the Peyton Manning vs. Rex Grossman matchup is one of the most-lopsided quarterback battles in the history of the game. The last team with an offensive personality to win the Super Bowl was the St. Louis Rams following the 1999 season. Baltimore (2000 season) and Tampa Bay (2002 season) won almost strictly with their defenses. New England, winners of the Super Bowls following the 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons, were led by defensive-minded coach Bill Belichick. Those are all reasons why, when the Packers are on the clock in the first round of April's draft, Ted Thompson will think about adding another brick to the defensive foundation rather than giving Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers another threat on offense. Green Bay's defense wasn't as good as it played during the final four games of the season, when it allowed a total of 40 points. But the defense wasn't as bad as it often played during the first 12 games of the season, when it allowed more than 30 points five times. Assuming linebacker Brady Poppinga continues to progress and safety Nick Collins shows his Week 17 performance against the Bears was the rule rather than the exception, the defense should be better next season. Sixteen weeks of not having Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila being pushed around as a starting defensive end will help, too. Now, add another headhunter or ballhawk on defense. Someone who can sack the quarterback or intercept a pass. The Bears have the finest defense in the NFC, but the Packers have the talent to get to that level. Chicago's linebackers are brilliant, but the trio of A.J. Hawk, Nick Barnett and Poppinga isn't outclassed by any means. The Packers' corners are better than the Bears'. Aaron Kampman is better than anyone the Bears have at defensive end. The difference is the Bears' defense has more marquee players. The Packers don't have anyone who can compare to Brian Urlacher or Tommie Harris. Maybe that player will be available at No. 16. Yes, the Packers' offense needs some help. But those rookie linemen and rookie receiver Greg Jennings will be second-year players. That alone should make that unit stronger. Would a big-play threat at receiver or tight end help the offense? Yes, but not as much as getting a consistently short field and a touchdown every other week from the defense.


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