The Premature Assessment of LeFluer's First Season

[Pugger]

I like the idea of 50-50 play calling between QB and HC one see’s it on the field at that moment than on the sidelines, and a plan can be made right there I like it better than communicating from the booth..

OK. I couldn't remember...

 

[HardRightEdge]

Did MM give his veteran players rest days during the week like MLF does? This might be a reason why we are healthier this year than we've been in the past?

That's probably more about differing habits of how things get reported. To take one example, Woodson hardly practiced for a couple of years with a chronic turf toe and maybe some other nicks and dings factoring in. I don't remember him reported as questionable every week, and I don't remember seeing "veteren rest" or whatever the exact term is next to his name. It's pretty common practice around the league to give these 10 year vets light work as the season wears on. There's not a lot they need to walk through that they haven't seen before.

It's worth recalling that in many past years the Packers had one of the youngest teams in the league without many, if any, of thse 10+ year vets who would justify "veteran rest". We've got three now who are popping up o that list every week--Lewis, Graham and Williams.

There are a couple of other factors that may be in play in having one of the healthiest teams in the league this season:

1) Blind luck.We

2) There's a couple of old cliches that may be relevant in this case. Nobody is 100% healthy as the season wears on. Players need to differentiate between pain and injury. Players need to play through pain if worsening an injury is highly unlikely. Some players want to play bad enough they will play through injury. In a lot of cases that's a fine line. Maybe McCarthy was more inclined to err on the side of caution. Maybe he and the staff didn't press guys that could have been given a push our of the trainer's room and onto the field, kept dormant on the roster for a few weeks instead onto IR. It's worth considering. We'd need some insider tell-all to know if this was an aspect of the "accountability" issues in play.

 

[melvin dangerr]

OK. I couldn't remember...

Happy new year

 

[rmontro]

What seems a little odd to me is how everyone is saying how bad the Patriots are now, especially offensively - Brady being washed up and all. And yet NE ranks higher than GB offensively, both in yards and in points. Not to mention their defense is statistically much better than ours. So what does that say about us?

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I like the idea of 50-50 play calling between QB and HC one see’s it on the field at that moment than on the sidelines, and a plan can be made right there I like it better than communicating from the booth..

While I would prefer Rodgers to call the plays sometimes in a no huddle offense 50% of the time is too much to make it successful consistently.

What seems a little odd to me is how everyone is saying how bad the Patriots are now, especially offensively - Brady being washed up and all. And yet NE ranks higher than GB offensively, both in yards and in points. Not to mention their defense is statistically much better than ours. So what does that say about us?

The Packers and Patriots aren't all that different this season aside of New England having lost some games at the end of the regular season resulting in them having to play this week.

 

[Zad Fnark]

What seems a little odd to me is how everyone is saying how bad the Patriots are now, especially offensively - Brady being washed up and all. And yet NE ranks higher than GB offensively, both in yards and in points. Not to mention their defense is statistically much better than ours. So what does that say about us?

The thing is, is that New England is pretty much played every bottom feeding team in the league. If only the Packers could have had that schedule...

 

[Deleted member 6794]

The thing is, is that New England is pretty much played every bottom feeding team in the league. If only the Packers could have had that schedule...

The Patriots (.411) have a similar strength of victory as the Packers (.428).

 

[Guacamole]

MLF,,,Coach of the Year?

 

[Deleted member 6794]

MLF,,,Coach of the Year?

In my opinion MLF deserves some consideration although Harbaugh will most likely win it.

 

[OldSchool101]

MLF,,,Coach of the Year?

The one thing MLF has to prove to me is winning when it matters most. We don’t need to win a SB necessarily, but beating a quality team like NO or 49ers would put him in an entirely different light. Nobody is giving GB a shot right now. Nobody.

While I completely understand GB is 100% an underdog, if they put together both an O + D solid performance? They have the ability and heart to beat NO in GB and I’ll stand by that statement.

The primary job of a HC is to inspire his team to a win. That means personally, one on one challenging those players who are not living up to the standard of excellence. Goal setting and reviewing and adjusting. MLF needs to continue holding each player accountable and that includes Aaron Rodgers if need be on national TV. No exceptions. You don’t help your players unless you push them to another level. Feelings get hurt, but that’s part of growing. Push them to Win? and ALL the little problems and scrutiny along the way disappears.

 

[Poppa San]

The thing is, is that New England is pretty much played every bottom feeding team in the league. If only the Packers could have had that schedule...

AFCE has almost as many wins/losses as the NFCN. The Detroit tie makes it 1/2 game favorite towards NFCN. Both divisions played the NFCE. I think these numbers hold up for most of the past decade also.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

The one thing MLF has to prove to me is winning when it matters most. We don’t need to win a SB necessarily, but beating a quality team like NO or 49ers would put him in an entirely different light. Nobody is giving GB a shot right now. Nobody.

You have to understand that those awards are voted on before the start of the playoffs though.

AFCE has almost as many wins/losses as the NFCN. The Detroit tie makes it 1/2 game favorite towards NFCN. Both divisions played the NFCE. I think these numbers hold up for most of the past decade also.

Since 2010, NFC North teams other than the Packerd have a combined record of 230-249-1 (.480) while the Bills, Dolphins and Jets have gone 209-271 (.435) over that period.

 

[gbgary]

I like the idea of 50-50 play calling between QB and HC one see’s it on the field at that moment than on the sidelines, and a plan can be made right there I like it better than communicating from the booth..

i do too if the two have the same philosophy. this pair doesn't.

 

[Sky King]

i do too if the two have the same philosophy. this pair doesn't.

You have a point.


But at least it does seem as though both may be collaborating in order to find mutually agreeable common ground. Perhaps, that is why defining a so-called identity for this offense has been a challenge all season long for both the pundits and fans. The team, too. The ride has been uneven and the execution has been spotty.

The last game may have been a microcosm of that season-long philosophical give-and-take. A series that marches down the field for a 95 yard TD drive was mostly a **** and dunk show culminating in a longish pass for the TD. This is supposed to be characteristic of the MLF offense. Short stuff sets up longer stuff. Keep the opposition guessing and off-balance. Make every play start out looking about the same. Make the D pick their poison and then live off what they give you and also off of their mistakes and confusion.

A subsequent series was then in total contrast to the one described above. Three longish pass routes had zero set-ups from runs or shorter passes. The result was a three-and-out thanks to three straight incompletions. There have been other series and also entire games where the contrast may have had a certain resemblance. It is worth noting that some of the long pass completions and TDs that have occurred during the season actually began as short-yardage completions, including the screen that set up Crosby's game-winner.

An effective merge of offensive preferences may be possible, although an entire regular season of fine-tuning would seem to be enough time for them to develop a more consistent hybrid offense than we've been seeing. But if LaFleur and Rodgers are still working to discover that philosophical compromise it is also worth acknowledging that 13-3 is one heckuva result for a work still in progress.

If there is a philosophical sweet spot for this offense yet to settle upon I can't wait to see it.

 

[rmontro]

i do too if the two have the same philosophy. this pair doesn't.

I wonder how Rodgers would function as player-manager?
Seriously though, I wonder how that would shake out? Too much of a work load for one person, I suppose.
Just thinking back to the old days.

 

[Sky King]

I wonder how Rodgers would function as player-manager?
Seriously though, I wonder how that would shake out? Too much of a work load for one person, I suppose.
Just thinking back to the old days.

It’s hard to imagine how modern coaches are able to work up to 96 hrs. per week for much of the year.