Roster rehab, creative coaching lead to Packers' turnaround

[woodbuck27]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Atyq2Y1LgbSC2wFvN2kar5GG2bYF?slug=ap-packersprogress&prov=ap&type=lgns

Roster rehab, creative coaching lead to Packers' turnaround

By CHRIS JENKINS, AP Sports Writer
December 13, 2007

woodbuck27:

So there you go.

A really honest analysis and statement on the 2007 Green Bay Packers.

I'm with Favre.

It's to me simply a huge surprize that it's gone so well this season for OUR team . . .but hey !!

Isn't LIFE as a Packer fan grrrreeeeaaaat this season compared to the last two and especially the pain of 2005.


I'm reminded now of a member here.

4and12to12and4.

I hope I got that right Packer fan.


Now today, I have to concentrate on that 2007 Pick'em Championship.

Number two may as well be number ten!??

Uhhh well . . .not really once you get past the ego push . . .

IT'S GOT A LOT TO DO WITH HOW YOU PLAY AND ENJOY PLAYING THE GAME.

I'm a tad like ' the MAN ' Brett Favre and I really like to win it all. Then reality sets in AND THEN THERE'S JUST THIS!!

All the time:

It's NOT ALL. . . in how YOU finish BUT THAT YOU GET THERE.

TOO MANY PEOPLE JUST GIVE UP WAY TOO SOON AND MISS OUT ON THE EXPERIENCE.

PACKERS FOREVER !

[HarveyWallbangers]

Re: Roster rehab, creative coaching lead to Packers' turnaro

Linebacker Robert Thomas, who played for the Packers during the dismal 2005 season that cost coach Mike Sherman his job, returned to Lambeau Field with Oakland last Sunday and barely recognized his old team in a 38-7 Packers victory.

"There isn't a single position where they aren't significantly better," Thomas said. "We knew they were good, but that's the best team we've faced this season. I know we've lost a lot of games, but no team has taken it to us like that."

Nice.

[privatepacker]

Re: Roster rehab, creative coaching lead to Packers' turnaro

Linebacker Robert Thomas, who played for the Packers during the dismal 2005 season that cost coach Mike Sherman his job, returned to Lambeau Field with Oakland last Sunday and barely recognized his old team in a 38-7 Packers victory.

"There isn't a single position where they aren't significantly better," Thomas said. "We knew they were good, but that's the best team we've faced this season. I know we've lost a lot of games, but no team has taken it to us like that."

Nice.

That may be the best compliment that I have seen about the Packers this year.

[swede]

Great Post Woody.

Mike McCarthy really deserves a lot of credit for the things that have happened. I often feel that I'm watching a game plan unfold, on both offense and defense, when the Packers play well. A coach really builds the confidence of the players when he puts them in position to win at every position on every play. And confident players play harder and quicker and smarter than their opponents.

I wonder if McCarthy has been doing similar things with his coaching staff. Is he finding a way to support some of the coaches that we suspect to be weaker, less talented, or less experienced? I wonder if Schottenheimer and Campen are being helped by some structure/support that MM has put into place.

Anyway, coaching deserves a real shout out.

(I suspect that NFC coach of the year either goes to McCarthy or Wade Phillips, and I think that people may remember that GB wasn't expected to do much this year--advantage McCarthy.)

[woodbuck27]

Great Post Woody.

Mike McCarthy really deserves a lot of credit for the things that have happened. I often feel that I'm watching a game plan unfold, on both offense and defense, when the Packers play well. A coach really builds the confidence of the players when he puts them in position to win at every position on every play. And confident players play harder and quicker and smarter than their opponents.

I wonder if McCarthy has been doing similar things with his coaching staff. Is he finding a way to support some of the coaches that we suspect to be weaker, less talented, or less experienced? I wonder if Schottenheimer and Campen are being helped by some structure/support that MM has put into place.

Anyway, coaching deserves a real shout out.

(I suspect that NFC coach of the year either goes to McCarthy or Wade Phillips, and I think that people may remember that GB wasn't expected to do much this year--advantage McCarthy.)

Yup.

I give a lot of credit to Mike McCarthy. Especially his nose to the grindstone attitude; and this YOU gotta believe thing that he's built into the team through a lot of repetition.

At the same time not overburdening his players with too much drilling.

Mike McCarthy seem very down to earth in his coaching style to me.

He may well be our MVP?

But Brett Favre = SWEET !! He's a killing machine once he believes in his tools.

PACKERS FOREVER.

[Tarlam!]

Re: Roster rehab, creative coaching lead to Packers' turnaro

Favre was grumbling about the team's inactivity in free agency as recently as May.

Now the Packers will take an 11-2 record into Sunday's game in St. Louis, with the NFC North title already in hand. They can talk about the Super Bowl without anybody snickering

Yeah, good post 'buck. Is this, like, your "mea culpa" post, or are you still the lone TT antagonist in the world?

I hope you will take Favre's lead here and become sensible towars the great Packers GM.

[4and12to12and4]

Great Post Woody.

Mike McCarthy really deserves a lot of credit for the things that have happened. I often feel that I'm watching a game plan unfold, on both offense and defense, when the Packers play well. A coach really builds the confidence of the players when he puts them in position to win at every position on every play. And confident players play harder and quicker and smarter than their opponents.

I wonder if McCarthy has been doing similar things with his coaching staff. Is he finding a way to support some of the coaches that we suspect to be weaker, less talented, or less experienced? I wonder if Schottenheimer and Campen are being helped by some structure/support that MM has put into place.

Anyway, coaching deserves a real shout out.

(I suspect that NFC coach of the year either goes to McCarthy or Wade Phillips, and I think that people may remember that GB wasn't expected to do much this year--advantage McCarthy.)

Agreed, Swede. What I love about this offense he has in place is that I almost never can quess what we are going to do from play to play. I always could with Sherman, he was so predictable, and still is with Houston, lucky they have a GREAT receiver and very good defense. But, M3 suprises me consistently. Just when I think he's gonna run a draw, he throws a slant, and when I think an obvious slant or quick out is coming, he runs a screen pass. He puts in these four and five receiver sets that are so refreshing to see, and we have to give the line a lot of credit, because last year, everyone had to stay in to block except Favre, so that shows you how far they've come, they still have a lot of improving to do, but that's what I love about M3, he runs plays that only require a couple of seconds of protection, for the most part, unless it's 2nd and 3 or less, and he knows he's got one or two extra protectors and will have time to throw it deep. He just gets it, and has done a wonderful job of creating an offensive scheme around the talent he has. That is why he deserves coach of the year, he has, in one year's time completely changed how our offense operates due to it's personnel and his excellent knowledge of it. M3 is a great head coach, and he also has that "it" factor about him, he just has that "football guy, tough guy mentality" and I think that swagger trickles down to his players including Favre, and that is why Favre is better now than he ever has been. M3 -Coach of the year. He's got my vote.

[RashanGary]

Re: Roster rehab, creative coaching lead to Packers' turnaro

Nice.

[sarcasm]These guys don't know what they are talking about. Ask bulldog, the Packers don't stand a chance against great teams like the Cowboys[/sarcasm]

[Merlin]

Thompson hired McCarthy so he gets ALL the credit right?

[Jimx29]

This year, Thompson spent a third-round pick on Jones, another receiver from a non-BCS school, San Jose State. Jones didn't wow scouts with his speed or size, but he catches nearly everything thrown his way and is the Packers' No. 3 receiver.

Almost......as in if he hadn't dropped two easy passes in the red zone against the bears.......

[Merlin]

This year, Thompson spent a third-round pick on Jones, another receiver from a non-BCS school, San Jose State. Jones didn't wow scouts with his speed or size, but he catches nearly everything thrown his way and is the Packers' No. 3 receiver.

Almost......as in if he hadn't dropped two easy passes in the red zone against the bears.......

Weren't those fumbles? No one said he secures the ball after the catch!

[MJZiggy]

This year, Thompson spent a third-round pick on Jones, another receiver from a non-BCS school, San Jose State. Jones didn't wow scouts with his speed or size, but he catches nearly everything thrown his way and is the Packers' No. 3 receiver.

Almost......as in if he hadn't dropped two easy passes in the red zone against the bears.......

Weren't those fumbles? No one said he secures the ball after the catch!

No, the fumbles were how Grant got benched...

[Merlin]

Grant had one, against the Vikings in a key situation. Jones fumbled away two drives. Although short of the red zone, definitely within scoring position.

[MJZiggy]

Grant had one, against the Vikings in a key situation. Jones fumbled away two drives. Although short of the red zone, definitely within scoring position.

My bad. You're right on that one.

[Joemailman]

Thompson hired McCarthy so he gets ALL the credit right?

Well he obviously gets a good deal of credit. It's not like hiring McCarthy was a no-brainer. McCarthy was hardly at the top of a lot of people's list of coaching candidates. Thompson stuck his neck out when he hired McCarthy and it has paid off.

Actually, arguing about which one should get the most credit is a bit foolish. McCarthy was hired, I believe, at least in part because he and Thompson share the same vision of how to put together a championship team. They are in essence a two-headed monster. You can't really separate the two. It's Thompson/McCarthy, not Thompson and McCarthy.