Bye Week Assessment Thread

[Leader]

Okay.

Where are we?
What do we know, think we know and need still to find out?

Records-wise we're fine. Right in there. Panic buttons need not apply.

CHI 3-2
GB 3-2-1
MN 3-2-1
DET 2-3

Personnel-wise what are our strong suits (?) - our weaknesses (?) - and whats a realistic projection about things improving?

Strengths:
QB - we've got the best in the business (thats opinion, not statistical fact at this point). He's not been smooth and consistent - but he can be. If he can stay healthy, we can win with him.
WR - we've got depth and a talent mix we've not had (or utilized) in recent past. We can win with this group.
RB - same as above. No truly *dominant* RB. No bell cow - but on a team built for AR, its a diverse mix of talents.
CB - a good group - when healthy and on the field.

Weaknesses:
OL - thin. Just feels thin - on a precipice - and a danger to AR's well being at this stage.
S - an under performing group.

What else? What are your thoughts?
What (if anything....) can we realistically do - or expect will be done to improve the team going forward?

If the playoffs were to start today, where would we stand?
1. Los Angeles Rams 6-0
2. New Orleans Saings 4-1
3. Washington Redskins 3-2
4. Chicago Bears 3-2
5. Carolina Panthers 3-2
6. Green Bay Packers 3-2
7. Minnesota Vikings 3-2
8. Philadelphia Eagles 3-3

 

[AlexGreen#20]

OL has been great up to this point. Arguably our best unit on the year.

 

Weaknesses are:

ILB: Just seriously lacks talent outside of Martinez, and Martinez isn't having success as the lone backer in the 5-1 looks. Burks has been lousy. I don't know what's going on with Morrison and why he's not carrying defensive reps with any regularity.

S: Just middling talent here. You're always going to have problems when you match Safeties up against WRs and TEs in isolation, but we can't do it for one second. There's value to having Brice in this system but he's a guy that should be platooned with another player for back end play. HHCD has been pretty good. It's just scary when we're playing 3 safety looks and you see Brice and Whitehead out there. Asking for problems. 

Edge: I think everybody's expecting production like we're still playing Capers' D. That's not fair. With the way these guys are asked to play run defense on standard downs, they can't fill to the QB anymore. That very much limits your production on non pressure package reps. The pressure packages have featured a lot more blitzing of DBs rather than attempting to isolate the OLBs on the outside. That also will limit production. With all that said, you need something out of this unit. I really haven't seen any difference from a production standpoint between Perry/Gilbert and Clay/Fackrell. That's scary with the dollars involved. 

QB: Rodgers needs to get his head on straight. We've seen it for the first time in a while last night. He needs to embrace his inner Alex Smith. Deep shots are of no more observatory importance than any route being run. You check it, if it isn't there, you come off it and find somebody else. The thing where we wait for 2.5 seconds for the deep receiver to break open that may or may not ever happen, needs to stop. Drive sustainability and staying on schedule need to be at a premium.

CB: Let's get everybody healthy and reexamine this one. We've got four decent players, three of them will get better as the season goes along. Hopefully Jackson starts feeling it on the boundary and can at least set himself up in a platoon with Tramon,  and Alexander can come back to the slot.

Coaching: We seriously feel unprepared, and look like we're coming out flat. Our opening scripts have been horrifically unproductive. Even when we're in games, we're moving away from the running game more than we probably should, which is hurting drive sustainability. We can not figure out how to stop these off tackle runs, and this one may just be we don't have the horses to run what we want due to ILB talent, but you can't keep getting beat over and over again on Off-Tackle runs. You have to be able to contain the outside if you want to play good defense.  The most frustrating one for me though has been the redzone defense. I don't know if it's Safeties or CBs or just bad schemes, but that needs to get fixed. We have to start holding teams to FGs instead of TDs in the redzone. You have to do that to beat good teams. 

[Leader]

Our OL is our best performing unit? Okay. Works for me. I'm not an OL guy, so I'll rely on the thoughts of others.
Agree with your observation about the OLBs - but question - whats the prospects moving forward? Can we keep moving them inside like this?

Btw - has it ever been made public exactly what happened to Spriggs? If so I must've missed it. Is he gone for a game or two - or longer?

[TheBitzMan]

I think Rodgers has bought into every talking head out there saying that McCarthy's scheme doesn't work. He doesn't expect the receivers to be open so he holds on to the ball and waits for something he can see clearly. That is not McCarthy's fault but if Rodgers can't begin to trust the scheme (outside of comebacks), McCarthy has to go. 

[Siman08/OH]

I can’t help but feel optimistic that we are at least competitive with Allison/Cobb/Alexander/Breeland on the field against the Rams. If we can have the whole unit healthy I think we have a chance here guys. 

He trusts Cobb so much in the check down game, it truly makes our team better. Allison is better than MVS even though MVS has had 2 really good games.

Jimmy Graham has been lost of a lot of plays but when it works hes been huge. We need him in the red zone more. Adams and Graham should run iso fades and Cobb should zig zag the middle every time we’re inside the 10.

Adams. The only word for him is BAMF.

We need to find a pass rush and work on our blocking and we will be fine.

[Siman08/OH]

I also believe we’re a roughing the passer flag and a few missed FGs by Crosby from 5-1.

[Green19]

They look like they have most years... they have the ability to go on a run here if Aaron heats up but honestly this team has the vibe of a team that needs a reset.

The same issues keep popping up and granted every game is a struggle at times but this team made the 9ers alittle too much of a struggle.

[packfanfb]

Not sure what we are going to do with our front 4-5 going forward, especially at EDGE. Absent a bold trade where we give up a top draft pick for a player, we are what we are, and we'll likely struggle to get consistent pressure all year. 

As to the back-end, I'm ready for inserting Breeland into the lineup at CB and moving Tramon to FS on a more consistent basis. That could help our safety play despite Tramon's limited athletic ability. At least the guy has some instincts back there. 

[cannondale]

Maybe I'm wrong, but Tramon isn't built to play any type of safety. Desperate thinking

[Arthur Penske]

1 hour ago, Leader said:

Our OL is our best performing unit? Okay. Works for me. I'm not an OL guy, so I'll rely on the thoughts of others.

I don't think your assessment of being "thin" on the O-line is wrong, but relative to the rest of the NFL, we're not that thin there. GB has a good Oline. There is just a shortage of good Olineman in the league so its hard to be Thicc for the O line.

[Packerraymond]

Gute needs to get on the horn with teams that are struggling/rebuilding. Oakland, Arizona, Buffalo, NYG and see if they are willing to move pass rushers for cap relief and picks. This team doesn't have the rush to win anything. My only hope is either A, we get something at the deadline, or B, we get Alexander and Breeland back, move Tramon around and can blitz routinely and not be burned on the back end.

Offensively we're dominant for stretches and then stretches where we screw up a protection, get a penalty or drop a ball and ruin consecutive drives. I haven't seen a defense stop this unit yet, this is a top 3 offense in the NFL but it's firing like an engine down a cylinder.

ST is the same as every other unit. Crosby has had some big time kicks, the blocked punt vs Minny, Scott has had some huge kicks. Then there's an equal number of gaffes and penalties to counteract all of these.

Long story short, week in and week out the Packers beat themselves. Mac needs to fix that or he and the whole staff should be gone. The only truly untalented position I see on the team is LB, both inside and out and a coverage safety.

[Kepler]

1 hour ago, Green19 said:

They look like they have most years... they have the ability to go on a run here if Aaron heats up but honestly this team has the vibe of a team that needs a reset.

The same issues keep popping up and granted every game is a struggle at times but this team made the 9ers alittle too much of a struggle.

This. A hard reset is necessary. Everywhere.

[Leader]

15 minutes ago, Arthur Penske said:

I don't think your assessment of being "thin" on the O-line is wrong, but relative to the rest of the NFL, we're not that thin there. GB has a good Oline. There is just a shortage of good Olineman in the league so its hard to be Thicc for the O line.

This is true generally - and just for the helluvit, I'm posting Spotrac positional spending data.

Sorry....forgot to post the link: https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/positional/

Teams do try to scrimp on the OL - but we've gotta be careful here not to turn AR into the next Eli.
I never thought Eli "elite" - but his recent years have been nothing more than well paid/compensated torture.
Andrew Lucks entire career was jeopardized because the Indy rumbling/bumbling FO refused to get him any protection up front.

Just a personal take here - but I think AR is starting to take too many hits - which - IMO at least would mandate the quicker/faster pitch and catch offense.
One of the reasons Brady's still upright is he gets rid of the ball.

[vegas492]

I'll give this a quick overview...  This Green Bay Packer team isn't as talented as the ones we've had for the past 10 years or so.  Compared to other teams in the league, this is a middle of the pack team, no pun intended.

Two blue chip players.  Rodgers and Adams.  And Rodgers can be very good....or very bad.  

We have a few other very good pieces.  Clark.  Bakhtiari.  Martinez.

Then we have another tier of good guys.  Graham.  Bulaga.  Jackson.  Alexander.  King.  Daniels.

Then we have a whole lot of average guys.  I'm probably forgetting some, but you win with your best players.  You win more when younger guys elevate their play to very good and blue chip.  We just don't have those ascending younger guys.

 

 

[JBURGE]

1 hour ago, Packerraymond said:

Gute needs to get on the horn with teams that are struggling/rebuilding. Oakland, Arizona, Buffalo, NYG and see if they are willing to move pass rushers for cap relief and picks. This team doesn't have the rush to win anything. My only hope is either A, we get something at the deadline, or B, we get Alexander and Breeland back, move Tramon around and can blitz routinely and not be burned on the back end.

Offensively we're dominant for stretches and then stretches where we screw up a protection, get a penalty or drop a ball and ruin consecutive drives. I haven't seen a defense stop this unit yet, this is a top 3 offense in the NFL but it's firing like an engine down a cylinder.

ST is the same as every other unit. Crosby has had some big time kicks, the blocked punt vs Minny, Scott has had some huge kicks. Then there's an equal number of gaffes and penalties to counteract all of these.

Long story short, week in and week out the Packers beat themselves. Mac needs to fix that or he and the whole staff should be gone. The only truly untalented position I see on the team is LB, both inside and out and a coverage safety.

Maybe we can trade for Micah Hyde lmao.