Packers VS Eagles Playoffs

[weeds]

PERFECT!!!

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Carissa really is. No sleeves today? Big day for us.

 

[Voyageur]

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.

 

[lambeaulambo]

Umm yeah..no. Bad vibe comin in. Now Devontae wants to come back. No turnovers and keep Jacobs rolling. Realist Phi 24 GB 13

 

[PackerDNA]

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]

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]

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.

 

[tynimiller]

Double down on these 7 having freaking stud days…and if they do it’s a W ya’ll!!!

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[milani]

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.

 

[Voyageur]

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.

This is something that has frustrated me for years with coaches at the highest levels. So many of them have become inflexible in their concepts. They aren't willing to budge an inch from what they see as "the right way to play." Reality is, when you have plow horses you don't enter them into the Kentucky Derby, but you can do some heavy-duty farm work. Reversing that would be having thoroughbreds capable of winning the Kentucky Derby and trying to use them as plow horses. That was the problem our two previous defensive coordinators had.

The thing that's kept Andy Reid at the top of his game. He believes in being innovative, and wants coordinators who are willing to think outside the box.

 

[milani]

This is something that has frustrated me for years with coaches at the highest levels. So many of them have become inflexible in their concepts. They aren't willing to budge an inch from what they see as "the right way to play." Reality is, when you have plow horses you don't enter them into the Kentucky Derby, but you can do some heavy-duty farm work. Reversing that would be having thoroughbreds capable of winning the Kentucky Derby and trying to use them as plow horses. That was the problem our two previous defensive coordinators had.

The thing that's kept Andy Reid at the top of his game. He believes in being innovative, and wants coordinators who are willing to think outside the box.

Andy is a great one, indeed!

 

[Voyageur]

Today's game is about what I expected. It got out of hand due to injuries. The Eagles were a better team going in, and losing 3 important cogs in the offense destroyed the team's ability to move the ball effectively. Kraft & Jacobs played well. Jury is out on Love. I just don't see that "star power" some people believe is there. Maybe next year. I see an average QB at best. A QB who has problems making his reads, and misses seeing way too many receivers who are open.

The defense played very well. Nixon had control of that kickoff while lying on his back. The video from the sky cam proved it. Apparently, the officials don't use that camera. If they did, they blew it. When the Eagles scored that early TD it took the wind out of the Packers on both sides of the ball.

The Packers should be a better team next year. That's what matters.

 

[rmontro]

Not to make it worse since 4 is bad enough, but Brett had 6 vs the Rams

I remember that game, I thought it was absolutely humiliating. Just one of a number of devastating playoff losses in the past 30 years. I guess when you're a regular playoff team over that long of a span, there are going to be some tough losses though. And there were a couple of Super Bowls in there that make it all worth it.

 

[adambr2]

Dang, what could have been.

 

[Dieseljunkie12]

Also, after the Packer victory on Sunday, Matt will also be able to point to just how crappy the Eagles played, because they rested their starters in week 18.

These were the players the Eagles rested:

• RB Saquon Barkley
• QB Jalen Hurts (in concussion protocol)
• LB Zack Baun
• WR A.J. Brown
• DT Jalen Carter
• LG Landon ****erson
• RT Lane Johnson
• LT Jordan Mailata
• CB Darius Slay
• WR DeVonta Smith

Proceed pokerbrat2000
Feel free to tell me how MLF came up with a top notch game plan with what he had?

Yep minus Watson to start.

Turnover off the bat killed us, there is no contingency plan for that completely understood.

To put up 10?
75/25 at best. As the coach you put your players in a position not only to win the war but as many battles as possible. He did not

 

[milani]

Today's game is about what I expected. It got out of hand due to injuries. The Eagles were a better team going in, and losing 3 important cogs in the offense destroyed the team's ability to move the ball effectively. Kraft & Jacobs played well. Jury is out on Love. I just don't see that "star power" some people believe is there. Maybe next year. I see an average QB at best. A QB who has problems making his reads, and misses seeing way too many receivers who are open.

The defense played very well. Nixon had control of that kickoff while lying on his back. The video from the sky cam proved it. Apparently, the officials don't use that camera. If they did, they blew it. When the Eagles scored that early TD it took the wind out of the Packers on both sides of the ball.

The Packers should be a better team next year. That's what matters.

I thought the Eagles would put up a couple more TDs. We are in that 2nd tier. Not at their level yet.

 

[pacmaniac]

I thought the Eagles would put up a couple more TDs. We are in that 2nd tier. Not at their level yet.

They probably would have had one more TD if Barkley hadn't given himself up at the end.

 

[rmontro]

They probably would have had one more TD if Barkley hadn't given himself up at the end.

True. Although the game was over at that point.

 

[Voyageur]

Lots of reasons to be thankful for the season we had. The nucleus of a really good team is there, and they're young. With some thoughtful cap work, the Packers could add the pieces they need during this off season to make them a member of the upper tier. We have to remember that the teams ahead of us are going to be facing cap issues the same as anyone else and as always happens, players from top contenders always draw more interest in the free agent market because everyone believes they're that good.

Surviving massive numbers of injuries in today's game is what matters. Take a look at the Lions roster, and the names of players they have on injured reserve. It's unbelievable. They have enough talent on that list to make any team better. They are where they're at because they built a "next man up" roster from top to bottom, and they could go to level 3 at individual positions and still have reasonably good talent to fill the hole on the field.

When Josh Jacobs stated that he's going to actively recruit free agents to the Packers, it reminded me of something that happened a long time ago, and it brought us to where we are today. It reminds me of when Reggie White began recruiting players in the same way, selling them on the Packers and the culture, and it turned into the winning team we have now, decades later. If this doesn't give you hope nothing will.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm looking forward to this off season with a lot of anticipation for an amazing 2025/26 season.

 

[rmontro]

When Josh Jacobs stated that he's going to actively recruit free agents to the Packers, it reminded me of something that happened a long time ago, and it brought us to where we are today. It reminds me of when Reggie White began recruiting players in the same way, selling them on the Packers and the culture, and it turned into the winning team we have now, decades later. If this doesn't give you hope nothing will.

I love Jacobs' attitude.
Still, I felt more optimistic at the end of last season than this one.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Proceed pokerbrat2000
Feel free to tell me how MLF came up with a top notch game plan with what he had?

Hard to read this question/statement, since I am the one that has been critical of Matt's play calling this season. As far as the Philly game goes, Matt was his usual non-creative, not in the moment guy.

How many times do you run Jacobs up the middle and only getting 0-2 yards out of it? You finally call an outside run, its successful and then you just forget about it and run up the middle again.

You have a decent 2nd TE (Musgrave) and he is in for only 15 plays and no targets?

You're down 2 scores and the offense has been stagnant all day, 6 minutes left and you are huddling up and running Emanuel Wilson up the middle on 3rd and 4?

Again, I do like MLF as a HC, but despite his "brilliant offensive mind", he isn't a good play caller AND HC. One hat has to go.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

PERFECT!!!

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Colleen Wolfe? She is perfect isn't she.

 

[GBkrzygrl]

Hard to read this question/statement, since I am the one that has been critical of Matt's play calling this season. As far as the Philly game goes, Matt was his usual non-creative, not in the moment guy.

How many times do you run Jacobs up the middle and only getting 0-2 yards out of it? You finally call an outside run, its successful and then you just forget about it and run up the middle again.

You have a decent 2nd TE (Musgrave) and he is in for only 15 plays and no targets?

You're down 2 scores and the offense has been stagnant all day, 6 minutes left and you are huddling up and running Emanuel Wilson up the middle on 3rd and 4?

Again, I do like MLF as a HC, but despite his "brilliant offensive mind", he isn't a good play caller AND HC. One hat has to go.

Pretty much the same thing I said on another thread.

 

[Sanguine camper]

The roster has a lot of holes. D line is mediocre and so are the edge rushers. CB is a big need and so is WR and O line depth. Gute will double down trying to fix the biggest hole leaving the others to fester. To be competitive you need at least 6 guys who are going to bring their A game nearly every week. I see 2 maybe 3 guys on the roster in Jacobs. Tom and maybe McKinney although he tailed off as the season went on. I think Kraft and maybe Reed will be there next year but if Love doesn't improve, you're looking at another early round patsy that wins 9-11 games if they stay healthy next season

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Pretty much the same thing I said on another thread.

Great minds think alike!

Guessing that most Packer fans are feeling a bit let down by MLF. Some will want to blame all the injuries that the Packers suffered yesterday, but let's face it, even before the injuries, including Watson's last week, Matt and the offense were rarely firing on all cylinders this season.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

The roster has a lot of holes. D line is mediocre and so are the edge rushers. CB is a big need and so is WR and O line depth. Gute will double down trying to fix the biggest hole leaving the others to fester. To be competitive you need at least 6 guys who are going to bring their A game nearly every week. I see 2 maybe 3 guys on the roster in Jacobs. Tom and maybe McKinney although he tailed off as the season went on. I think Kraft and maybe Reed will be there next year but if Love doesn't improve, you're looking at another early round patsy that wins 9-11 games if they stay healthy next season

I agree with you on those holes. I would put the Packer needs in this order: CB, DL, WR, OL, EDGE.

I will say that before Sunday, our starting OL had a pretty solid season. However, as you point out, the depth wasn't there. It does sound like Myers escaped having avoided a significant ligament or bone injury. Will the Packers resign him? Not sure, but if they can get him on a $5M/season or less, I would. I think the OL need is one that you can address mid to late round and/or free agency.

I see the Packers using their first few picks in the draft on defense again. Hopefully, there will be a solid CB or DL player at #23 or #24.

Gute needs to be on the lookout for upgrading all those positions in Free Agency and I expect him to.