Packers 2024 Season Thread

[OldSchoolSnapper]

12 minutes ago, CheezWizHed said:

Surefire loss seems a bit overstated for Detroit.  Clearly underdogs, but still a winnable game.  Detroit showed themselves to be more disciplined, but not more talented. 

Careful. It was extremely controversial to suggest the first game wasn't over the moment the opening kickoff was in the air.

[bjkrautk]

A major variable on winnability of games in the second half is the health of Jaire Alexander.  2 of the 3 Packers losses came with him unavailable due to his injuries (...and the 3rd game was a Rams team without its top 2 WRs).  Hoping the bye week worked wonders, because the pass defense is better when he is on the field.

[Recovering Chicagoan]

One of the Wisconsin sports talk radio personalities believes the Packers are the second best team in the NFC. Seems a bit premature to say that. At present I'd say they're number three -- maybe. Eagles and Lions are the top two. The next few games will be telling. 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Depends what version of the Packers shows up. They are capable of looking like the best and also about 11th best on any given day.

[Fear The Chorizo]

1 hour ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

Depends what version of the Packers shows up. They are capable of looking like the best and also about 11th best on any given day.

It's honestly about how Love plays, and if he avoids making any Favre-like foolish decisions with the football.  Even the games they've won with him behind center, his ill-timed INTs have kept opponents in the game.  If he can find the rhythm that he had the last couple months of last season, the Packers can beat anyone, anywhere.  

I just don't know if he's at the point in development where we can expect that type of sustained performance and consistent decision-making.  Prime Rodgers spoiled all of us expecting that eventually clicks for all toolsy QBs with arm talent.

[homer]

I think Love will be back to what he was last year as soon as he can get his legs healthy 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

16 minutes ago, homer said:

I think Love will be back to what he was last year as soon as he can get his legs healthy 

Yeah, I am not really worried about Love. There is too much talent and 'wow' moments to not see the obvious, he's extremely good. Long term anyway. Whether he is hurt, the offense is out of sorts, or whatever is wrong this year, I am not really worried about him down the road. I just hope they can make a run this season.

[HarveysWBs]

Long post alert--skip this if you like your unvarnished opinions witty and concise. Bye weeks are nice for the players and coaches to sit and think about their problems for two weeks, and on the flip side, for me to take two weeks and not think about those players and coaches. This is a healthy development for all concerned, IMHO. But as we exit the break, here are my thoughts about looking back and looking ahead at the stretch run:

On Love, I am more optimistic than I was in the aftermath of the Lions game. At the time, I thought what Love needed to do was regain his form from the second half last year. And while this is still true, it is true for a different reason than I expected: his issue last year was an unwillingness to cut it loose, resulting in sacks and an anemic offense. Now, he has all the aggression he needs to be special (and, not coincidentally, the Packers are generating explosive plays at a rate not seen since peak Rodgers/McCarthy 2011-2014), he just has to remember the time and place. Both problems are issues of playing "within the offense," but I think I'd rather have the problem of knowing a guy can make all the throws and needing some work on situational decision-making than the opposite problem.

Many commentators and analysts have argued that the bulk of Love's interceptions are problems of good process but bad result: receiver could have flattened out a route here, or made a sharper cut there, or made a better effort or read on the ball, or a throw was slightly off-target. Love's occasionally horrendous decisions sometimes leading to pick-6, which has happened twice, have been very concerning, and game-altering in the Lions case, but still correctible. You can maybe break a stallion, but you can't make a donkey into a racehorse.

So, on offense, the three problems, as we all know, are: Love's decisions, pre-snap penalties, and drops. The good news is all of those are within the Packers' control and they can be better. Fix one and they're good, two and they're great, all three--and they might be the best offense in football. For example, Wicks is getting open something like the 5th-most per route run among all receivers this year, but he's easily lower tenth percentile in catch rate. Receivers can fix concentration drops (see James Jones, and to a lesser extent, Adams, Cobb, and Nelson, who all had similar issues in their early years, if not quite to the same severity). If he does, he's a star. Add to that Reed and Kraft (who have their share of drops, too, but are already playmakers), plus Doubs as reliable possession receiver and a still-untapped Watson occupying the deep secondary, plus Jacobs leading a stable of backs as one of the best rushing attacks in the game? The offense is poised for a dominant stretch run.

The defense, though? I'm skeptical. Not that I don't think the progress is real (they're better off as a whole in this system than Barry's, hands down) but their weaknesses are personnel-based and I suspect will undo them in the playoffs. If healthy, the secondary is about as good as you can hope for. But they will be picked apart by someone because the pass rush will fail against an accurate and sound QB when it counts. And, while the defense has surprisingly respectable statistics against the run, I think a determined rushing attack would also abuse our front, especially Walker. A front-seven overhaul along the lines of the safety room is needed, but not possible until the offseason.

In all, I expect a floor of eleven wins, with an outside shot at twelve or even thirteen, and an all-too-familiar playoff letdown that we should see coming a mile away. Cue Bill Murray, because it's Groundhog Day...again.

[CheezWizHed]

15 hours ago, Recovering Chicagoan said:

One of the Wisconsin sports talk radio personalities believes the Packers are the second best team in the NFC. Seems a bit premature to say that. At present I'd say they're number three -- maybe. Eagles and Lions are the top two. The next few games will be telling. 

I agree in terms of talent... but they've been lacking in execution.  They played right with the Lions and Eagles...aside from their own mistakes (and not the type of mistakes the come from someone outplaying you).  They need to play clean and they will be hard to stop.

[adambr2]

Maybe this is a hot take, maybe not, but Quay is a bust. It’s actually kind of shocking that they continue to trot him out there week after week. He’s one of the worst defensive regulars in the NFL and at the center of nearly every defensive miscue.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

57 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

Maybe this is a hot take, maybe not, but Quay is a bust. It’s actually kind of shocking that they continue to trot him out there week after week. He’s one of the worst defensive regulars in the NFL and at the center of nearly every defensive miscue.

Not sure that's hot. He was bad his first two seasons, arguably showed some promise and just raw athleticism his first year, but not bad enough to write off. He's substantially worse this year pretending to be a linebacker in the new scheme. 

I think there's a place for him in the league has a pass-rush specialist. He's not the all-around linebacker they're pretending he is or that you draft in the 1st round.

[OldHeidelberg]

46 minutes ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

I think there's a place for him in the league has a pass-rush specialist. He's not the all-around linebacker they're pretending he is or that you draft in the 1st round.

I have been thinking they may try him at DE next year, not sure if he can add much weight to that lanky frame though. 

[yfinn6]

This team desperately needs a true middle linebacker. Quay is out of his element there and probably being misused. 

[homer]

Honestly thought the D was playing much better when Quay out with injury.

Speaking of injury, is about time to cut bait with Alexander? 

 

 

[OldHeidelberg]

5 hours ago, homer said:

Honestly thought the D was playing much better when Quay out with injury.

Speaking of injury, is about time to cut bait with Alexander? 

 

 

I thought he was gone late last year but he came back and made huge play in playoffs, just need to get him healthy if we make it again. Purdy and Bosa out this week doesn’t hurt our chances.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Without the Malik Willis trade it's possible the Packers are sitting 7-5 or even 6-6 right now facing tomorrow night. They could be really sitting on the fringes in the NFC. Pretty crazy.

[CheezWizHed]

I wonder (hope?) if Walker's poor play was a result of not understanding his role in the defense?  Not that the role changed much, but perhaps just thinking too much and not reacting?  Hopefully this last couple games is a sign of him reacting more and thinking less.

 

[OldHeidelberg]

22 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

I wonder (hope?) if Walker's poor play was a result of not understanding his role in the defense?  Not that the role changed much, but perhaps just thinking too much and not reacting?  Hopefully this last couple games is a sign of him reacting more and thinking less.

 

Both Walker and LVN have stepped up the last couple of weeks which is great to see. It wasn't too long ago that I questioned whether either should even be on the field. Maybe we need to be more patient with these raw athlete picks.  

[adambr2]

Post-game Lions’ take:

 

I am so sick of Matt Lafleur worrying about everything except his damn job. 

Terrible look for him to be involved in a pre-game altercation with a fan where he tells the fan to “shut the F up”.

In no way is it your job to de-escalate situations with fans or interact with them in any way. What a bizarre explanation that he was “trying to de-escalate”. It’s an opposing, rowdy, probably intoxicated fan. Do you think they’re just going to listen to reason from the visiting head coach?

Do not engage in any way. If security won’t address it properly, then address that with the NFL, after the fact. But as long as they are in the stands and not in your bubble, it is neither your responsibility nor your place to respond to any of it.

It’s no wonder that our players are so easily baited by theirs when their own fans live rent free in the head of our HC.

[Sixtolezcano]

Until the defensive coaching staff can cover up the holes that have existed in the middle of their defense this team will be underdogs beyond the first round of the playoffs. In Detroit’s last 4 drives of the second half Goff was 18-20. He completed 9 of 10 passes in the middle of the field on these drives and on the second (turned over on downs) and third drives (TD) he was 5-6  on consecutive passes to the middle of the field. This has been a problem through the entire coaching tenure of MLF in GB.

 

 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

47 minutes ago, Sixtolezcano said:

Until the defensive coaching staff can cover up the holes that have existed in the middle of their defense this team will be underdogs beyond the first round of the playoffs. In Detroit’s last 4 drives of the second half Goff was 18-20. He completed 9 of 10 passes in the middle of the field on these drives and on the second (turned over on downs) and third drives (TD) he was 5-6  on consecutive passes to the middle of the field. This has been a problem through the entire coaching tenure of MLF in GB.

 

 

He's been VERY accurate all year though. There was a game earlier I remember watching where he was like 23/24 late in the game. It's a lot of quick passes and dump offs and let the athletes pick up YAC. 

It's not hard to figure out though, I don't think it has a lot to do with MLF. They've haven't had a MLB in like 20 years. Desmond Bishop looked like he was going to be the guy but he never came back from that hamstring injury.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

18 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Post-game Lions’ take:

 

I am so sick of Matt Lafleur worrying about everything except his damn job. 

Terrible look for him to be involved in a pre-game altercation with a fan where he tells the fan to “shut the F up”.

In no way is it your job to de-escalate situations with fans or interact with them in any way. What a bizarre explanation that he was “trying to de-escalate”. It’s an opposing, rowdy, probably intoxicated fan. Do you think they’re just going to listen to reason from the visiting head coach?

Do not engage in any way. If security won’t address it properly, then address that with the NFL, after the fact. But as long as they are in the stands and not in your bubble, it is neither your responsibility nor your place to respond to any of it.

It’s no wonder that our players are so easily baited by theirs when their own fans live rent free in the head of our HC.

You've got to stop listening to stuff coaches say in press conferences. It's all fake. 

I actually thought he was trying to rile his own players up. He knows he wasn't de-escalating. Telling a guy to shut the F up isn't de-escalating, lol. 

I don't think he was "worried" about this guy and I don't think it really affected his job. It's fine. It's fodder for sports talk. It's just not a significant thing at all. I couldn't care less.

[adambr2]

1 hour ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

You've got to stop listening to stuff coaches say in press conferences. It's all fake. 

I actually thought he was trying to rile his own players up. He knows he wasn't de-escalating. Telling a guy to shut the F up isn't de-escalating, lol. 

I don't think he was "worried" about this guy and I don't think it really affected his job. It's fine. It's fodder for sports talk. It's just not a significant thing at all. I couldn't care less.

It has nothing to do with his press conference. He clearly let a Lions’ fan get under his skin. You’re the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, ignore it and be better. It had nothing to do with trying to fire his team up. He was bothered.

Engaging with hecklers reflects poorly on the coach and the team.

There’s no reason to react to a heckler at all and there’s a reason most coaches don’t.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

8 hours ago, adambr2 said:

It has nothing to do with his press conference. He clearly let a Lions’ fan get under his skin. You’re the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, ignore it and be better. It had nothing to do with trying to fire his team up. He was bothered.

Engaging with hecklers reflects poorly on the coach and the team.

There’s no reason to react to a heckler at all and there’s a reason most coaches don’t.

It's a big "don't care" from me. Frankly wish more morons were put in their place like that. Got kicked off the field and likely faced serious discipline as a season ticket holder, most clubs do not take well to that crap, when you are on the field to hold the flag for the anthem. I don't know who decided that athletes and coaches are just supposed to stand there and let people mouth off to them. There is a line and this idiot crossed it, this isn't the same as yelling from your seat. I like MLF's passion on the sidelines and yes, I do think he was being a bit theatrical to get the team going. If it bothered him, fine. It would bother me too. 

[HarryDoyle]

26 minutes ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

It's a big "don't care" from me. Frankly wish more morons were put in their place like that. Got kicked off the field and likely faced serious discipline as a season ticket holder, most clubs do not take well to that crap, when you are on the field to hold the flag for the anthem. I don't know who decided that athletes and coaches are just supposed to stand there and let people mouth off to them. There is a line and this idiot crossed it, this isn't the same as yelling from your seat. I like MLF's passion on the sidelines and yes, I do think he was being a bit theatrical to get the team going. If it bothered him, fine. It would bother me too. 

Someone on the team needed to go Ron Artest on that fan.