official studs and duds week 2 @ minnesota

[Arthur Squires]

Abdullah might not be able to play on Sunday because of an injury though.

Just got through reading that. Theo Rid**** is a very dangerous versatile back that still makes me worry. It seems we might not have to worry about containing Abdullah but Rid**** can hurt us all the same. Hopefully Martinez can follow Rid**** like he did Peterson. Very impressive performance by Martinez imo.

 

[Arthur Squires]

I remember seeing Bulaga, Tretter, and Bak giving up a sack. Was wondering if anyone caught who was to blame for other 2 sacks.

 

[NelsonsLongCatch]

I truly don't care about McCarthy not icing the kicker. The Packers could have used their final timeout if Adams wouldn't have been flagged for pass interference on the long throw shortly before halftime.

The pass wouldn't have been completed if Adams didn't commit pass interference because Rodgers got destroyed on the throw.

 

[Daryl Muellenberg]

I was disappointed (but not surprised) to hear that the Vikings chose to continue the tradition of blowing that annoying horn in the new stadium. You could hear it numerous times during NBC's opening last night and my wife asked me what it was. I told her the Vikings have always blown the horn when the team does something well and that I hoped we wouldn't be hearing it much. At least they got rid of the mascot on the motorcycle...didn't they?

Not that it makes any difference, but they hardly ever actually blow the horn. About the only time they really blow the horn is at the beginning of the game where they have a celebrity have the honor of blowing it. All the other times you hear it, it is just a recording they play over the speakers.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

It's extremely tough to understand why Randall was still covering Diggs one-on-one after it became clear he wasn't able to cover him.

Because the game plan going in probably felt that the guy who did a good job against Allen Robinson would be able to cover Diggs. To be fair, the safeties weren't exactly stellar in that game either so are we really sure that they weren't supposed to provide help but just bit on play action or crossing routes or were staring at the peanut vendor or whatever it was they were doing rather than play defense?

Just seems like blaming the defense is like blaming the fire department for a fire rather than the arsonist. The offense was the issue. Despite Diggs' great night, the Vikings only had 284 yards of offense and were worse on third down than the Packers...oh, and the Packers offense turned the ball over three times.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I remember seeing Bulaga, Tretter, and Bak giving up a sack. Was wondering if anyone caught who was to blame for other 2 sacks.

Barclay gave up a sack on the only snap he played.

The pass wouldn't have been completed if Adams didn't commit pass interference because Rodgers got destroyed on the throw.

True, that doesn't mean that using the final timeout to ice the kicker would have been a smart move.

Because the game plan going in probably felt that the guy who did a good job against Allen Robinson would be able to cover Diggs.

Just seems like blaming the defense is like blaming the fire department for a fire rather than the arsonist. The offense was the issue. Despite Diggs' great night, the Vikings only had 284 yards of offense and were worse on third down than the Packers...oh, and the Packers offense turned the ball over three times.

I was absolutely fine with entering the game planning on Randall covering Diggs. The coaching staff shoukd have made an adjustment during the game when it was pretty obvious he wasn't able to cover the Vikings receiver one-on-one though.

Don't get me wrong, there's no denying the offense is to blame for losing this game. The Packers most likely would have won if Randall had performed on the same level as in Jacksonville though.

 

[Packerlifer]

http://www.packersnews.com/story/sp...20/mcginn-rating-packers-vs-vikings/90701150/

 

[Packerlifer]

Here are Rodgers numbers from his last 15 regular season games:

Comp: 58.1%
Yards/game: 230.1
Yards/attempt: 6.28
Rating: 84.4

Compare those to Blaine Gabbert’s numbers over that same time:

Comp: 61.5%
Yards/game: 244.4
Yards/attempt: 6.92
Rating: 83.8

http://www.espn.com/blog/nfcnorth/p...ron-rodgers-packers-offense-still-out-of-sync

 

[Carl]

A key positive from the game was the offense moving the ball very well in the second half. Rodgers was hitting plenty of open guys, but the team kept making drive ending errors.

http://www.packersavenue.com/single...tive-from-Sunday-Night-That-is-Getting-Missed

 

[Mondio]

A key positive from the game was the offense moving the ball very well in the second half. Rodgers was hitting plenty of open guys, but the team kept making drive ending errors.

http://www.packersavenue.com/single...tive-from-Sunday-Night-That-is-Getting-Missed

They sure don't make things easy on themselves do they. It seems lately they always want to take the toughest road possible and they'll do their darndest to make it that way.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

A key positive from the game was the offense moving the ball very well in the second half. Rodgers was hitting plenty of open guys, but the team kept making drive ending errors.

http://www.packersavenue.com/single...tive-from-Sunday-Night-That-is-Getting-Missed

Well, Rodgers was responsible for two of the drive ending mistakes. The bottom line is that the Packers MVP quarterback has to perform on a higher level.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Bottom line is that Aaron Rodgers, prior to last season, was the best QB I've ever seen play the position. He was accurate, mobile, didn't turn the ball over and could make every throw. He was basically the best of Favre, Brady and Manning all rolled into one and yet he's only ever appeared in one Super Bowl (though there is still a lot of time left). His talent has unfortunately managed to hurt his career by making everyone on the offensive coaching staff safe because of what he can do. For some reason, McCarthy is regarded as a very good offensive coach and now we are getting to see how little imagination he actually has on offense. The Chargers, minus Woodhead and Keenan Allen and THEY'RE THE CHARGERS(!) just absolutely destroyed the Jaguars, a team that made the Packer's offense look like the Cleveland Browns.

At what point do people start to realize that the coaching staff isn't really doing much to HELP Rodgers and that it's really been Rodgers that's helped the coaching staff? McCarthy is supposed to be great at developing quarterbacks and yet the Packers haven't been able to develop a decent QB outside of Matt Flynn. I just worry that the NFL has caught up to McCarthy and he can't adapt. I know people are going to jump all over this and talk about how great McCarthy's offenses have been in the past, to which I will remind you, I'm not saying those past offenses weren't great, they were. I happen to think Rodgers made them great. I also happen to think that just because an offense was great 2-3 years ago doesn't mean that it's still great today. NFL teams catch up and defenses have obviously figured out the Packer's offense. How long do fans give McCarthy to prove he can adapt his offense before we waste more of Rodger's best years? This is by no means me calling for McCarthy to get fired right now. I don't think firing a coach during the season accomplishes anything. But if the Packers manage to go 10-6 this year and make the playoffs, that shouldn't be good enough. A coach shouldn't just be safe because he makes the playoffs. A coach should be evaluated based on what the talent on the team should be capable of and if the Packers are worse than 12-4 by the end of the year (without catastrophic injuries) then serious thought needs to be put into what McCarthy actually brings to this team.

 

[Carl]

They sure don't make things easy on themselves do they. It seers ms lately they always want to take the toughest road possible and they'll do their darndest to make it that way.

Well, Rodgers was responsible for two of the drive ending mistakes. The bottom line is that the Packers MVP quarterback has to perform on a higher level.

I agree. Rodgers does need to play better and they do make it harder for themselves. The point was I don't see them having to make any drastic changes. The game would have been much different had they not turned it over, which is not like them to do.

 

[Carl]

Bottom line is that Aaron Rodgers, prior to last season, was the best QB I've ever seen play the position. He was accurate, mobile, didn't turn the ball over and could make every throw. He was basically the best of Favre, Brady and Manning all rolled into one and yet he's only ever appeared in one Super Bowl (though there is still a lot of time left). His talent has unfortunately managed to hurt his career by making everyone on the offensive coaching staff safe because of what he can do. For some reason, McCarthy is regarded as a very good offensive coach and now we are getting to see how little imagination he actually has on offense. The Chargers, minus Woodhead and Keenan Allen and THEY'RE THE CHARGERS(!) just absolutely destroyed the Jaguars, a team that made the Packer's offense look like the Cleveland Browns.

At what point do people start to realize that the coaching staff isn't really doing much to HELP Rodgers and that it's really been Rodgers that's helped the coaching staff? McCarthy is supposed to be great at developing quarterbacks and yet the Packers haven't been able to develop a decent QB outside of Matt Flynn. I just worry that the NFL has caught up to McCarthy and he can't adapt. I know people are going to jump all over this and talk about how great McCarthy's offenses have been in the past, to which I will remind you, I'm not saying those past offenses weren't great, they were. I happen to think Rodgers made them great. I also happen to think that just because an offense was great 2-3 years ago doesn't mean that it's still great today. NFL teams catch up and defenses have obviously figured out the Packer's offense. How long do fans give McCarthy to prove he can adapt his offense before we waste more of Rodger's best years? This is by no means me calling for McCarthy to get fired right now. I don't think firing a coach during the season accomplishes anything. But if the Packers manage to go 10-6 this year and make the playoffs, that shouldn't be good enough. A coach shouldn't just be safe because he makes the playoffs. A coach should be evaluated based on what the talent on the team should be capable of and if the Packers are worse than 12-4 by the end of the year (without catastrophic injuries) then serious thought needs to be put into what McCarthy actually brings to this team.

Are we really that spoiled as a fan base from watching Rodgers and Favre that the performance vs. the Jaguars was that bad? As bad at the Browns? We put up 27 and were like 10 yards away from putting 35 instead of kicking two field goals.

I understand being frustrated, but let's me realistic.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I agree. Rodgers does need to play better and they do make it harder for themselves. The point was I don't see them having to make any drastic changes. The game would have been much different had they not turned it over, which is not like them to do.

True, but as long as Rodgers continues to hold on to the ball to long and ignore checkdowns and underneath routes there's increased risk of turning the ball over.

 

[thisisnate]

Not calling for anyone's head either, but I would be very interested to see what this team could do under different coaches/coordinators. Call it scientific curiosity? If we happen to be an early playoff exit this year, then it might be a bit more than scientific curiosity.

 

[Vince Lombardi]

I think the Packers offense has been stagnant for quite a while now. They seem to be running the same boring plays week after week. No imagination. I watched the Eagles last night and I loved some of the "new" plays that Pederson has installed in their offense. I would love to see the Pack add some new wrinkles into their offense. But I think MM is just to stubborn to make the changes. All I ever here is we just need to execute or we need to clean a few things up.

IMO the rest of the league has caught up to his offense. Time to make some changes. If the offense continues to sputter and they don't make the playoffs maybe its time to move on from MM & staff.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Are we really that spoiled as a fan base from watching Rodgers and Favre that the performance vs. the Jaguars was that bad? As bad at the Browns? We put up 27 and were like 10 yards away from putting 35 instead of kicking two field goals.

I understand being frustrated, but let's me realistic.

Yes, if one bad performance was ALL that happened. However, the offense was bad all last year as well as bad against the Vikings. And yes, as of right now, the packers offense is about as good as the Browns. The packers have much better players but the actual play on the field, the part that matters, is no better than the Browns.

 

[HardRightEdge]

http://www.packersnews.com/story/sp...20/mcginn-rating-packers-vs-vikings/90701150/

I often disagree with McGinn, but in this case his Peppers, Daniels, Ryan list of top performers is hard to argue with.

 

[ls1bob]

I believe Aaron is looking to roll out of the pocket almost every time. He has that deer in the headlights look under center and I think the reason he is taking the play clock down so low is because he is hoping that he can figure out where then pressure is coming from so he can get away from it. I believe if he would do some quick passes on slants and such it would slow down the rush of the defense and may open some down the field stuff. I know it has been going on for almost a year now,BUT I think we are closer to getting "it" together than the beginning of 2014. Go Pack Go!

 

[NelsonsLongCatch]

True, that doesn't mean that using the final timeout to ice the kicker would have been a smart move.

What was gained by going into halftime with an unused time-out?

 

[bigbubbatd]

A key positive from the game was the offense moving the ball very well in the second half. Rodgers was hitting plenty of open guys, but the team kept making drive ending errors.

http://www.packersavenue.com/single...tive-from-Sunday-Night-That-is-Getting-Missed

I have posted this before but they had 4 of 5 drives that were 8 plays or more. The problem was not being able to finish and two of the three times it was on Rodgers. The interception was brutal. Just an awful pass. The fumble should have just been a sack. That was not a play he held the ball too long. He just held it poorly. Bulaga just got owned on that play. You can definitely credit the Vikings defense for the forced fumble. The int though was just a terrible ball and the going for it on 4th and 2 was a terrible call.

The passing offense accounted for over 200 yards in the second half when you factor in pass interference calls and Rodgers scrambling. The problem in the second half was not Rodgers holding the ball too long, or trying to force the ball deep. That was the first half. The problem the second half was Rodgers making an awful throw, McCarthy making a poor decision, and Rodgers not protecting the ball in the pocket. Against a good defense they moved the ball very well before self-destructing. Now if people might think the second half was a fluke and that is ok but the offense was productive when comes to moving the chains, time of possession and yards. They just were awful at executing in Viking territory.

 

[RRyder]

What was gained by going into halftime with an unused time-out?

Well considering the FG kick wasn't the end of the half and the Packers attempted to move the ball into FG range having that timeout in their back pocket allows them to use the middle of the field. It's not like there isn't a realistic scenerio were that timeout would've been pivotal for us

 

[NelsonsLongCatch]

Well considering the FG kick wasn't the end of the half and the
Packers attempted to move the ball into FG range having that timeout in their back pocket allows them to use the middle of the field. It's not like there isn't a realistic scenerio were that timeout would've been pivotal for us

So the "realistic scenario" is this: After not moving the ball the entire first half (56 total yards prior to the drive), McCarthy decided to save his final timeout under the assumption that the Packers would be able to drive roughly 45 yards in 21 seconds, stop the clock and kick a field goal? All that unused timeout did was get Rodgers, the most important person of the franchise, creamed by a defensive lineman.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

I have posted this before but they had 4 of 5 drives that were 8 plays or more. The problem was not being able to finish and two of the three times it was on Rodgers. The interception was brutal. Just an awful pass. The fumble should have just been a sack. That was not a play he held the ball too long. He just held it poorly. Bulaga just got owned on that play. You can definitely credit the Vikings defense for the forced fumble. The int though was just a terrible ball and the going for it on 4th and 2 was a terrible call.

The passing offense accounted for over 200 yards in the second half when you factor in pass interference calls and Rodgers scrambling. The problem in the second half was not Rodgers holding the ball too long, or trying to force the ball deep. That was the first half. The problem the second half was Rodgers making an awful throw, McCarthy making a poor decision, and Rodgers not protecting the ball in the pocket. Against a good defense they moved the ball very well before self-destructing. Now if people might think the second half was a fluke and that is ok but the offense was productive when comes to moving the chains, time of possession and yards. They just were awful at executing in Viking territory.

If this was the only game in which the Packers' offense looked inept, then it would be easier to overlook the issues. However, the Vikings game was simply a continuation of the same issues that have plagued this team for over a year. You might say the second half was good offense but I could also point out that there were a few drives that were helped by Waynes pulling and grabbing receivers that he was actually covering pretty well; had he just looked for the ball then some of those drives might have ended a little more quickly. Hard to count on the other team having a corner self-destruct (to be fair though, it worked for the Vikings last week).