Packers 2022-2023 Season Review: What was The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

[Pugger]

Into the playoffs?

After 12 games, the Packers odds of making the playoffs were at about 1%. The Packers just got a bit lucky with the right things happening with other teams, as well as their own 4 wins, to be in the position that they were in against Detroit. Not to mention, I think they would have gotten knocked out in the first round. This wasn't a very good team, no matter what you want to think. I doubt many people will look at this season as a success and remember it as "we came so close to winning it all!"

I had no problem with this team not making the playoffs. There is no way we were going to do much even if we did get in and now we'll have a higher pick than the teams that played this past weekend.

 

[Pugger]

I would rather see my team overcome adversity, play thru it all and end the season where they end it vs hoping for a losing record and higher draft pick. Every single time.
There's nothing to say a higher draft pick benefits us anymore either. It's all hope, just like it was all hope they'd make the playoffs. Lions picked 1st how many times, did any of them even last 4 years in the league? Top 5 picks are also expensive, why do you want to pick there?

i don't know about the rest of you, but I enjoy watching my team win.

They know what they know about Love and i'm pretty certain he's not going anywhere. They'll pick up his 5th year option and had planned to do so already. Regardless of benching your reigning MVP with the playoffs still on the line just so you can see the young kid. That always sends good messages to players.

Whether Love played exceptional or poorly, it wouldn't have really mattered nearly as much to the coaches and FO as it might to the fans who don't get to see him. They either believe he has the tools and needs coaching thru things, or he doesn't and a few games of experience aren't going to fix that if he doesn't have it and some field success or lack of it might have an effect on some fans angst about the situation, but it's not going to influence the coaches too much.

Just think in 2010 had they adopted some of your mentality. or the 2011 Giants. Only difference between the regular seasons with those 2 teams, GB lost early and won later. Giants won early and 2nd half of the season wen 3-5 and made it as a 9 win team to the playoffs. They should have lost to the Cowboys so they would have missed them, and got a higher draft pick LOL

Concerning my above post - I wasn't hoping we would lose to Detroit but I wasn't terribly upset when we did. It's always nice to get into the playoffs but this year I didn't see us getting past the WC round anyway..

 

[Mondio]

oh, I knew this team was going to have to string some games together and play with consistency we haven't seen outside a few halves of football all year in order to go very far. I'd still rather see them try than not. There isn't a team left on the NFC side, GB couldn't beat if they'd actually play well.

I know relying on intermittent offense and a defensive coach that might have them ready to play in your face we're going to stop you defense or you need 3 yards, we'll give you a 7 yard cushion just so we don't get beat deep defense is not the smartest bet in the world, I guess I'd make that bet if I had to

 

[Magooch]

I would certainly rather see them "try" too but I think there's more than one way to skin a cat.
It's not just a matter of "Benching the MVP with playoffs on the line" but rather looking at it and saying...."This guy is the most valuable player on our team and we've committed 150m to him. Maybe with just a 1% chance to make the playoffs we should not be having him go out and play through injury every week on the slim chance we might make it" - if nothing else I think practically speaking you have to consider how responsible it is to risk your MVP for a small chance of making the playoffs vs protecting the biggest investment in team history for the future.

So I guess basically the short of it for me is that:

1. If you believe Love is your future (sooner than later) then you should be getting him minutes wherever possible so he can keep gaining experience and developing. That doesn't mean you bench a healthy Rodgers but if your current QB1 is nursing an injury then perhaps it makes more sense to give QB2 some minutes to ensure QB1 gets/stays healthy.
2. If you believe Rodgers is your future still then you should be making sure that you are protecting that investment and ensuring he can come back fully healthy for 2023. And in that case perhaps it makes sense to give Love some more reps to build up trade value.

Anyways easier to say in hindsight but with ~6 weeks to go we needed pretty much everything to go right in order to make the playoffs and I don't think it would've been "tanking" or "not trying" if we saw that and decided to give Love some more reps so as to allow Rodgers to heal up, if nothing else.

But anyways it's not about "hoping" that we lose or saying we "should have" lost more games for me. Just that when looking in retrospect.....if both outcomes lead to no playoff football then I'd wager it's more beneficial to us to have a top-5 pick and no playoffs than the #15 pick and still no playoffs. Maybe we would've magically made some noise if we'd managed to beat Detroit and snuck in to the playoffs but TBH I think that Detroit performance was more indicative of the 22/23 Packers than the winning run that preceded it, so IMO we didn't really gain that much by winning those games at the end of the day.

 

[Mondio]

If I knew the outcomes before hand I wouldn't even watch. What's the point? It's sports. I guess what makes it great for everyone is different than what makes it great for me. We weren't in an evaluative time of the season. We were in a play to win the games part of of the season. That's what they get paid to do. Play enough to win enough to get in the post season and then all bets are off. Play to over come the odds. Play to rise up. Play to prove people wrong. Play for the glory, play for pride, play for everything. How many teams win or do what they're not "supposed to"? Plenty. I'm happy to have watched.

We can play what ifs all over the place. What if they sat Rodgers and Love tears it up and then ended up with the Unhappy Triad against the Lions and is out next year? what if, what if? It was the regular season, playoffs were still in play, you play for them. I'll never understand how someone who claims to be a fan of sports can look at some odds that are against them and say, nahhhh, we'll try harder next time...

 

[Schultz]

I would certainly rather see them "try" too but I think there's more than one way to skin a cat.
It's not just a matter of "Benching the MVP with playoffs on the line" but rather looking at it and saying...."This guy is the most valuable player on our team and we've committed 150m to him. Maybe with just a 1% chance to make the playoffs we should not be having him go out and play through injury every week on the slim chance we might make it" - if nothing else I think practically speaking you have to consider how responsible it is to risk your MVP for a small chance of making the playoffs vs protecting the biggest investment in team history for the future.

So I guess basically the short of it for me is that:

1. If you believe Love is your future (sooner than later) then you should be getting him minutes wherever possible so he can keep gaining experience and developing. That doesn't mean you bench a healthy Rodgers but if your current QB1 is nursing an injury then perhaps it makes more sense to give QB2 some minutes to ensure QB1 gets/stays healthy.
2. If you believe Rodgers is your future still then you should be making sure that you are protecting that investment and ensuring he can come back fully healthy for 2023. And in that case perhaps it makes sense to give Love some more reps to build up trade value.

Anyways easier to say in hindsight but with ~6 weeks to go we needed pretty much everything to go right in order to make the playoffs and I don't think it would've been "tanking" or "not trying" if we saw that and decided to give Love some more reps so as to allow Rodgers to heal up, if nothing else.

But anyways it's not about "hoping" that we lose or saying we "should have" lost more games for me. Just that when looking in retrospect.....if both outcomes lead to no playoff football then I'd wager it's more beneficial to us to have a top-5 pick and no playoffs than the #15 pick and still no playoffs. Maybe we would've magically made some noise if we'd managed to beat Detroit and snuck in to the playoffs but TBH I think that Detroit performance was more indicative of the 22/23 Packers than the winning run that preceded it, so IMO we didn't really gain that much by winning those games at the end of the day.

On the flip side you would have had to bench Rodgers. He wasn't going to voluntarily sit, so now you **** off your $150 million dollar investment. Quite a few guys on here felt MLF had lost the locker room and that the defensive players hated Barry' scheme. You truly want to lose the locker room? Let there be even the smallest hint that you are not all in to win each and every game. IMO it was important for that defense to play as well as they did during that winning streak going forward.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

IMO it was important for that defense to play as well as they did during that winning streak going forward.

For what purpose? If your goal was to prove Barry is a good DC and should be retained, mission accomplished. I view that as a negative outcome.

 

[Mondio]

Year after year we teams that are perennial losers. They draft high, they spend money, they still lose. Year after year. It takes a culture change to get back to winning. Some teams get it in a season or two and can right the ship. Some stick there for a long time. Lions, Houston, Browns, jets etc.

I’m Convinced some of these guys that invite a losers mindset have never played any appreciable level of competitive sports.

The road is tough guys, we’ll try harder next year lol.

I guess there is no benefit to your team playing better when your goal is to lose.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

As I have mentioned repeatedly I think it would have set a terrible precedence benching Rodgers with the Packers still having a chance at making the playoffs. While it's true the chances were slim after they dropped to 4-8 there was actually a decent chance of it happening if the team won their remaining five games. And actually that's what would have happened if they ended up beating the Lions.

I'm quite sure the locker room would have had a huge issue with waiving the white flag with five weeks to go to realize they could have made it by winning out. I don't care if any of you actually use the phrase tanking for that approach as that's exactly what it would have been. Taking it to the extreme why not suggest it would have been better to play for draft position in every season over the past 12 years as the team fell short of expectations every single time.

Don't get me wrong, if the Packers were eliminated from the playoffs I would have been in favor of playing Love the rest of the season but there wasn't any reason to start him with that not happening. Even with Rodgers not being fully healthy there's no doubt at all that he gave the Packers a better chance of winning than Love this season. Regarding picking up Love's fifth year option, I don't think that's gonna happen if Rodgers returns for next season.

While I fully understand the third overall pick is more valuable than the 15th it doesn't mean the pick will automatically end up working out better though. Therefore I don't agree that ending up with a worse record but better draft position is a better outcome, especially if the team tanked to get there.

As a side note, the Packers went 3-3 in the regular season against NFC opponents that ended up making the playoffs, losing two of those games by a single score. While they weren't an especially good team this year they could have ended up making some noise in the postseason by playing up to their potential.

Off topic, if I was a Texans fan I wouldn't mind them having won the last game as it's probable the Bears won't be in the market for a quarterback anyway.

 

[Krabs]

Just curious, if you were a Texans fan, how would you feel about the Texans winning their final game?

I understand from a fans perspective, you love to see your team win. Short term...woo-hoo!!!...lots of fun. Long term, didn't do the Texans organization any good and it might have lost them a shot at the best QB in the draft. I know you have stated stuff about "loser mentality" and not wanting that to cross into the players heads. When was the last time you thought that the Packer organization had a problem with loser mentality? Probably 1/3 of the 2022 roster won't even be on the team in 2023 and I doubt those that are, would feel that much different about a 4-13 season, as they did about an 8-9 season.

Run a simulated Mock draft or 2 with the Packers picking in the Cardinals #3 spot, make sure to use a few trade backs, you will see the value of picking #3 vs #15 in each round.

I think that Houston has a ton of problems. Clearly, they stink from the head down. They already have a losing tradition, so I would actually be upset that they won that game. It's totally opposite of the Packers. They have a winning tradition. With that said, if the Packers needed to lose one more game to get the #1 pick my brain would want them to lose. Even in the few years they have had losing records and a better draft pick was on the line, my heart still roots for the win.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Off topic, if I was a Texans fan I wouldn't mind them having won the last game as it's probable the Bears won't be in the market for a quarterback anyway.

No, but the team they trade the #1 pick to for a lot of picks, probably uses it for a QB.

 

[Schultz]

For what purpose? If your goal was to prove Barry is a good DC and should be retained, mission accomplished. I view that as a negative outcome.

Jaire was having a down year, Campbell and Douglas were looking like 1 hit wonders, Savage was terrible, they could have just phoned it in and then I guarantee the full monty rebuild would have been on for next year. Call me silly but I don't like losing now, or in the future. The late season play of the defense whether it saves (I hope not) Barry or not shines a ray of hope for next year.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

No, but the team they trade the #1 pick to for a lot of picks, probably uses it for a QB.

While that's possible I wouldn't mind either. There's no guarantee the first quarterback selected will end up being the best one (see Josh Allen in 2018, Patrick Mahomes in '17 etc.).

 

[Pugger]

Year after year we teams that are perennial losers. They draft high, they spend money, they still lose. Year after year. It takes a culture change to get back to winning. Some teams get it in a season or two and can right the ship. Some stick there for a long time. Lions, Houston, Browns, jets etc.

I’m Convinced some of these guys that invite a losers mindset have never played any appreciable level of competitive sports.

The road is tough guys, we’ll try harder next year lol.

I guess there is no benefit to your team playing better when your goal is to lose.

Yup. Look at whats happening in Jax after they hired Pederson. He is turning that franchise around pretty darn quick.

 

[McKnowledge]

Yup. Look at whats happening in Jax after they hired Pederson. He is turning that franchise around pretty darn quick.

Pederson is the right coach for Jacksonville and specifically Trevor Lawrence.

Proven, innovative, and humble enough to adjust to the strengths of the team.

This is something lacking with MLF.

The wins are lacking calories.

I do think that MLF is capable of becoming a great coach or at least I hope so.

Entering his 5th season as HC, MLF needs to do find a balance between loyalty (players and coaches) and productive results.

 

[ctfxcwatcher]

Terrible season. But I think I always knew they would take a step back after last year. I predicted 10 wins and an early exit in the wildcard. I don't know where they go from here exactly.

 

[Mavster]

Rodgers regressed sure. But we lost Adams, 69 was MIA for some time and Jenkins was returning from an ALC injury. We were destined for mediocrity on offense.

 

[Team Ronny]

Tonyan was just getting back as well. Who knew the young guys on the oline would regress.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Rodgers regressed sure. But we lost Adams, 69 was MIA for some time and Jenkins was returning from an ALC injury. We were destined for mediocrity on offense.

Agreed. I also think letting the receiving group dwindle to Tonyan being your best TE and Lazard your #1 WR, had a lot to do with how unproductive the offense was. All one had to do to confirm this was to watch a hobbled Patrick Mahomes today, dispersing the ball to multiple weapons.

 

[Mavster]

Agreed. I also think letting the receiving group dwindle to Tonyan being your best TE and Lazard your #1 WR, had a lot to do with how unproductive the offense was. All one had to do to confirm this was to watch a hobbled Patrick Mahomes today, dispersing the ball to multiple weapons.

It was GM malpractice to allow the cupboard on offense to become so bare. I can't imagine many sensible Packer fans truly believed the team was a competitor coming into this season.

Look at what SF is accomplishing with a 3rd string QB.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

It was GM malpractice to allow the cupboard on offense to become so bare. I can't imagine many sensible Packer fans truly believed the team was a competitor coming into this season.

Look at what SF is accomplishing with a 3rd string QB.

It all started with TT and continued with Gute. Some poor draft picks on Defense and not so great DC's just compounded the problem. I also think that #12 was able to make up for a lot of the short comings of the offense and that gave both GM's the feeling that it was the defense that needed the most assets thrown at it and they could leave the offense to just a few additions of more minor assets.

This philosophy worked for awhile, but we saw just how bad the offense actually was without Rodgers, the few times he went down with injuries. Granted neither Hundley or Kizer were all that great, but neither of them had much success with an offense that Rodgers excelled with. We also occasionally got a peak at the offenses issues, when they seemed to struggle against superior defenses, even with Rodgers behind center. I mainly blame Gute for the TE and WR issues. TT at least brought in some really good WR's and it wasn't until they started leaving the team, one by one, that the offense slowly bogged down. Rodgers and Adams ended up serving as great smoke screens to an otherwise pretty poor receiving group for a few years. Adams leaves and the curtain was pulled back this season on the whole illusion that even Aaron Rodgers couldn't make up for lack of receiving weapons. I laugh when I think back to September, Sammy Watkins and Lazard were being taughted as the #1 and #2 WR's. Watkins didn't even finish the year.

Watching teams like the Chiefs play yesterday makes me wonder, just how good this team would have been, had Rodgers been consistently supplied with a solid group of receivers. I am pretty certain, we wouldn't be talking about Rodgers and the Packers only winning 1 Super Bowl in the last 25+ years.

 

[txj]

It all started with TT and continued with Gute. Some poor draft picks on Defense and not so great DC's just compounded the problem. I also think that #12 was able to make up for a lot of the short comings of the offense and that gave both GM's the feeling that it was the defense that needed the most assets thrown at it and they could leave the offense to just a few additions of more minor assets.

This philosophy worked for awhile, but we saw just how bad the offense actually was without Rodgers, the few times he went down with injuries. Granted neither Hundley or Kizer were all that great, but neither of them had much success with an offense that Rodgers excelled with. We also occasionally got a peak at the offenses issues, when they seemed to struggle against superior defenses, even with Rodgers behind center. I mainly blame Gute for the TE and WR issues. TT at least brought in some really good WR's and it wasn't until they started leaving the team, one by one, that the offense slowly bogged down. Rodgers and Adams ended up serving as great smoke screens to an otherwise pretty poor receiving group for a few years. Adams leaves and the curtain was pulled back this season on the whole illusion that even Aaron Rodgers couldn't make up for lack of receiving weapons. I laugh when I think back to September, Sammy Watkins and Lazard were being taughted as the #1 and #2 WR's. Watkins didn't even finish the year.

Watching teams like the Chiefs play yesterday makes me wonder, just how good this team would have been, had Rodgers been consistently supplied with a solid group of receivers. I am pretty certain, we wouldn't be talking about Rodgers and the Packers only winning 1 Super Bowl in the last 25+ years.

Too many people are far too comfy in their positions and the pressure to perform consistently at the high level is lacking. You mentioned the Chiefs. Add San Fran, Eagles, Bengals...all adding weapons all over the place.

Watch Gute in next draft and it will be no different from the last...

There is no hard pressure to perform...

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Good - Watson, Wyatt, and Doubbs development
Nixon being amazing

Bad - Rodgers’ broken thumb

Ugly - Barry doing what Barry does every single time he’s been DC.

 

[MadCat]

Bad: Watching the playoffs, the difference between playoff teams’ offensive weapons versus ours is pretty glaring, especially watching the teams with a solid TE that is an integral part of their offense. Honestly, I’m kind of surprised we won as many games as we did.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Bad: Watching the playoffs, the difference between playoff teams’ offensive weapons versus ours is pretty glaring, especially watching the teams with a solid TE that is an integral part of their offense. Honestly, I’m kind of surprised we won as many games as we did.

I do think Rodgers thumb had something to do with the down year. However, a healthy thumb might have meant 2-3 more wins at best. Enough to get in the playoffs, but I think an early exit would have occurred.

If Rodgers does come back, can stay healthy and the Packers hit on a few early draft picks and maybe 1-2 nice Free Agent pickups, they could compete in 2023. As several of us, including you have pointed out, the weapons that some of these playoff teams have on offense is night and day to what the Packers have. So in my opinion, they need a TE like Mayer in the draft to have a big rookie year, as well as Watson and 2 other WR's to play consistently like starters.

Throw that all in with a defense that finally plays up to its potential and maybe you have a team playing for a Lombardi.

A lot of "if this happens" to do that, as well as probably shoving a lot of cap out into the future. Reloading and "going all in" is a process that eventually will put the Packers in Cap Hell Bankruptcy.