Studs n Duds vs The Bears

[PackerDNA]

You need to decide what you're going to do and how you going to handle things before it happens. Don't be a leaf in the wind

 

[swhitset]

I've been critical of MLF most of the season when it comes to his clock management, challenges and play calling. Like I have said, brilliant offensive mind and I think a good guy to have as your HC coach, but not wearing all the hats he tries to wear. His inability to get play calls in faster is obvious, just watch the Packers offense and the play clock and compare it to other teams.

Anyway, if he doesn't realize it himself, he needs to be told by Gute, that he has to hire an OC that will take over play calling. He won't like it, so that is the hard part. The new OC can work with Matt on the offense during meetings, practice, film, etc. but he will be the guy/gal calling the shots on offense.

Im not sure Gute even has any authority over LeFleur. He might… but I was under the impression that The Packers were still using that weird hierarchy where the head coach and GM were equals only answering to the President.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Im not sure Gute even has any authority over LeFleur. He might… but I was under the impression that The Packers were still using that weird hierarchy where the head coach and GM were equals only answering to the President.

Yeah, I don't quite know how it all works up there either. That said, I am pretty sure Gute and MLF have a decent relationship and even if Gute doesn't have "authority" over MLF, he can reason with him. I doubt even if he did have authority over MLF he would say "Look Matt, unless you hand over the play calling hat, I gotta fire you."

Hopefully, when the season is over, if Matt doesn't already know it, he will realize that in order to move the team forward, he needs to hire a solid OC to take over what he has been failing at, play calling.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

To be fair, we didn’t know til the very end that the game was meaningless. Up until then it still had potential implications — 6th seed at Tampa or 7th seed at Philly. I can’t say how much that factored into the decision-making but it clearly had some factor or they would have just straight up rested starters.

Again, to me, possibly moving up 1 seed, if we won and another team lost, makes it pretty much meaningless for me. At minimum, it wasn't worth the risks of losing starters to injury. It wasn't worth not giving banged up players the week off. It wasn't worth possibly losing at home and having to deal with that.

I look at what Sean McVay did in LA as the correct move. He sat his starters, lost a game at home to a team he probably beats. They even controlled their own destiny, a win and they move up a spot in the seeding. Instead, McVay gave the following players a much needed rest and more importantly, protected them from injuries.

Offense​

• QB Matthew Stafford
• RB Kyren Williams
• WR Cooper Kupp
• WR Puka Nacua
• LT Alaric Jackson
• C Beaux Limmer
• RG Kevin Dotson
• RT Rob Havenstein

Defense​

• CB Darious Williams
• ILB Christian Rozeboom
• S Kam Curl

oh and to go even a step further, he limited the snaps of these players.

• S Quentin Lake (10 snaps)
• DL Braden Fiske (11 snaps)
• OLB Byron Young (11 snaps)
• OLB Jared Verse (11 snaps)
• NT Kobie Turner (11 snaps)
• TE Hunter Long - (7 snaps) suffered a knee injury in the game.
• DB Ahkello Witherspoon (13 snaps)
• OLB Michael Hoecht (26 snaps)

 

[rmontro]

Hopefully, when the season is over, if Matt doesn't already know it, he will realize that in order to move the team forward, he needs to hire a solid OC to take over what he has been failing at, play calling.

It didn't seem to help much when McCarthy handed over the play calling.

 

[adambr2]

The end-around call to Reed was abysmal, but sometimes what looks like bad playcalling is likely exacerbated by the fact that we just don’t really have any go-to players or plays in those 4th and 3/4th and 4 situations. I think it contributes to some struggles on those plays and in the red zone.

I’m not necessarily advocating for bringing back Adams specifically, but this offense misses having a go-to option like that.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

It didn't seem to help much when McCarthy handed over the play calling.

Different team, different coaches. Different QB.

IF my memory serves me correct, Joe Philbin was the OC for awhile under McCarthy and the offense did quite well.

As I said in another post, I think when Rodgers was QB, MLF "got away" with being the OC, because he had a smart Veteran QB. Not saying Jordan isn't smart, but I don't think MLF has done him any favors by wearing so many hats.

 

[milani]

The end-around call to Reed was abysmal, but sometimes what looks like bad playcalling is likely exacerbated by the fact that we just don’t really have any go-to players or plays in those 4th and 3/4th and 4 situations. I think it contributes to some struggles on those plays and in the red zone.

I’m not necessarily advocating for bringing back Adams specifically, but this offense misses having a go-to option like that.

MLF was thinking Willis is in the game and he limited his choice of plays. But when you have a timeout it should help. Could have used Malik on a play action rollout like KC does with Mahommes. And even though he was resting Jacobs bring him in for the play action just thinking. get the Bears eyeful.

 

[mradtke66]

IF my memory serves me correct, Joe Philbin was the OC for awhile under McCarthy and the offense did quite well.

He was, but Philbin only called plays for about 1 season. My recollection is that McCarthy tried to give up playcalling, thinking similarly to you--he needed to focus on other stuff.

He took it back pretty quickly because no one else was good at it.

 

[OldSchool101]

He was, but Philbin only called plays for about 1 season. My recollection is that McCarthy tried to give up playcalling, thinking similarly to you--he needed to focus on other stuff.

He took it back pretty quickly because no one else was good at it.

MM did, when he handed over the responsibility to someone else we nearly crashed and burned. That’s my recollection. I’m sure there were other factors also.

 

[Magooch]

The trouble for me is that I feel like playcalling and scheming is the thing that LaFleur shouldn't give up...it's just all the other aspects of being a head coach
In other words, just the same old idea that he'd make a better OC than HC... Like he does seem to have too many hats to wear, but that he'd be better suited by hanging on to playcalling and having to give up a lot more of the situational/game management type of things that you expect from a HC. but I don't think such an arrangement really exists, lol. Not aware of any head coach who strictly calls offensive plays and delegates out the rest

 

[rmontro]

How much do you suppose MLF actually has to do with the defense anyway?

 

[Magooch]

How much do you suppose MLF actually has to do with the defense anyway?

That's the big mystery. I'd like to think there's not much involvement there but as has been discussed elsewhere it seems like regardless of who our DC is (and by extension their "philosophy" or approach), we seem to revert to the same soft/risk-averse defensive looks in crunch time. Either we have somehow hired 3 consecutive DCs with the same not-to-lose late-game approach, or our DCs are being instructed to take a particular approach late in the game.

 

[OldSchool101]

The trouble for me is that I feel like playcalling and scheming is the thing that LaFleur shouldn't give up...it's just all the other aspects of being a head coach
In other words, just the same old idea that he'd make a better OC than HC... Like he does seem to have too many hats to wear, but that he'd be better suited by hanging on to playcalling and having to give up a lot more of the situational/game management type of things that you expect from a HC. but I don't think such an arrangement really exists, lol. Not aware of any head coach who strictly calls offensive plays and delegates out the rest

Well sure. I’d give that segment to Rich. After all, he is the Assistant Head Coach. At minimum under 2-minutes Rich should be standing with Matt and have initial say. If Matt wants to veto Rich? that’s his final decision but thats on his shoulders. Plus, many last minute decisions naturally involve ST. They should be dual coordinating imo. If there wasn’t an issue we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Fix it.