Packers VS Eagles Playoffs

Voyageur

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Fully agree. Where this defense is at the momet is where I was hoping we would reach sometime in 2025 - but not January; more like October/November of 25.

When we hired Hafley, I deep-dived into the man's history, and what was his defensive philosophy. And what we have seen this year is exactly what I knew he would be trying to accomplish, and what I hoped he could. But I thought it would take 2 drafts to do it. He did it with one draft and one UFA.

I know there are a lot of games where we all swing down from the trees by our tails, flinging bananas and screeching "soft D, same old Packers, 15 yards off the line of scrimmage, not the time to play prevent," etc. But...

At the end of the day, the numbers are there. #5 yardage defense, #6 scoring D, and the 3rd toughest schedule according to ESPN's metrics. I don't wanna hear any more of this "fire Hafley, it's the same old thing" ****.

I had extremely high hopes for Hafley, possibly unrelaistically high. But he has exceeded most of them. If not for Detroit and Minnesota vastly exceeding their normal level of success this season, we're 13-4 or even 14-3, and a solid bet to go all the way. 1 year ago, who could possibly have foreseen that Minnesota and the Detroits were going to be freaking 14-3 and 15-2 overall????

If Sunday goes poorly, yeah - I'll be here criticizing the mistakes and shortcomings. But that doesn't mean I'm giving up on our team. Just means we're not quite there yet, and here are the things we need to clean up this summer to take the next step - and reestablish our rightful position at the top of the NFC and (especially) the NFC North.

Which I do believe is quite acheivable in the 2025 season. I think this D is in very good hands.
Exactly! I figured two years as well. What makes this year even more amazing is how he's taken pedestrian players and turned them into serviceable pieces who have more than capably filled in for injured players.
 

PackerDNA

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Fully agree. Where this defense is at the momet is where I was hoping we would reach sometime in 2025 - but not January; more like October/November of 25.

When we hired Hafley, I deep-dived into the man's history, and what was his defensive philosophy. And what we have seen this year is exactly what I knew he would be trying to accomplish, and what I hoped he could. But I thought it would take 2 drafts to do it. He did it with one draft and one UFA.

I know there are a lot of games where we all swing down from the trees by our tails, flinging bananas and screeching "soft D, same old Packers, 15 yards off the line of scrimmage, not the time to play prevent," etc. But...

At the end of the day, the numbers are there. #5 yardage defense, #6 scoring D, and the 3rd toughest schedule according to ESPN's metrics. I don't wanna hear any more of this "fire Hafley, it's the same old thing" ****.

I had extremely high hopes for Hafley, possibly unrelaistically high. But he has exceeded most of them. If not for Detroit and Minnesota vastly exceeding their normal level of success this season, we're 13-4 or even 14-3, and a solid bet to go all the way. 1 year ago, who could possibly have foreseen that Minnesota and the Detroits were going to be freaking 14-3 and 15-2 overall????

If Sunday goes poorly, yeah - I'll be here criticizing the mistakes and shortcomings. But that doesn't mean I'm giving up on our team. Just means we're not quite there yet, and here are the things we need to clean up this summer to take the next step - and reestablish our rightful position at the top of the NFC and (especially) the NFC North.

Which I do believe is quite acheivable in the 2025 season. I think this D is in very good hands.
Great points. I had thought hiring a new DC and a new system it would be at least mid season before we showed any progress. But this defense has been Rock solid outside of some lapses with getting too safe, and despite some key injuries especially in the secondary. No safety dances today guys. Stay aggressive and let the chips fall where they may
 

PackerDNA

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Offense. Mix things up execute, heavy dose of Jacobs, lots of motion and play action
Defense. Disguise things well, create confusion and stay aggressive
 

Thirteen Below

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Exactly! I figured two years as well. What makes this year even more amazing is how he's taken pedestrian players and turned them into serviceable pieces who have more than capably filled in for injured players.
When researching him earlier this year, one of the thinghs that stuck out the most for me (kept coming up over and over again) was his principle of "figuring out what each player is best suited for, and putting him in a position to succeed". None of this "well, my scheme requires players who fit into round holes, so we're just gonna have to find a way to hammer you into one of them somehow."

What I've seen him say, going back several years (interviews, coaching seminars on Youtube, etc) goes back to this theme a lot. He seems to believe that by the time a player gets to this level, the guy has demonstrated that he is extremely good at something - and that Hafley's job at that stage is to figure out what it is and use him for that. And teach him how to be as good at that as he can possibly be.
 

milani

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Exactly! I figured two years as well. What makes this year even more amazing is how he's taken pedestrian players and turned them into serviceable pieces who have more than capably filled in for injured players.
Certainly a better season defensively than what we have seen in what? 15 years? If we had the 2011 offense we win the SB.
 
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