Trading for Malik Willis

[LambeauLombardi]

The times I've seen him play, especially his Sunday Night Game against Chiefs I want to say back in 2022, I can't unsee the bad I saw with him. Wouldn't surprise me if Clifford took over in 3rd quarter. See a lot of similarities to Deshon Kizer. With that said, hoping to see some RPOs with him and Jacobs. Fake to Jacobs up the middle, have Willis run to the outside.

 

[El Guapo]

I'm still surprised that LaFleur stated that Willis is starting if Love can't play. That really says everything that we need to know about Clifford. His skills and decision making are so bad that even over a year of experience and knowledge of the playbook is not enough for him to beat out a guy who has been on the roster for only a few weeks and likely knows only a sliver of the playbook.

 

[Magooch]

What's also surprising to me (and maybe it is just gamesmanship or something) is LaFleur as of yet (AFAIK) refusing to 100% rule out Love in the first place, saying things like *IF* Love can't play it will be Willis.

"If he gets cleared, we'll give him every opportunity like we always will. I know he's doing everything in his power. I know he's spending a lot of time trying to get back as soon as possible. But certainly we're not going to put him in a position where if he can't protect himself that he'd go out there."

"We will never put him in a position to mortgage the short term for the future. You know what I'm saying? If he can't protect himself, we would never do that to him or our football team."

I very much doubt Love plays, still, but hopefully that's a good sign if nothing else.

 

[gopkrs]

What's also surprising to me (and maybe it is just gamesmanship or something) is LaFleur as of yet (AFAIK) refusing to 100% rule out Love in the first place, saying things like *IF* Love can't play it will be Willis.

"If he gets cleared, we'll give him every opportunity like we always will. I know he's doing everything in his power. I know he's spending a lot of time trying to get back as soon as possible. But certainly we're not going to put him in a position where if he can't protect himself that he'd go out there."

"We will never put him in a position to mortgage the short term for the future. You know what I'm saying? If he can't protect himself, we would never do that to him or our football team."

I very much doubt Love plays, still, but hopefully that's a good sign if nothing else.

Yes it is. It could mean the severity of the injury is not really bad. But like LaFleur said, you have to wait until he is cleared.

 

[Schultz]

I'm still surprised that LaFleur stated that Willis is starting if Love can't play. That really says everything that we need to know about Clifford. His skills and decision making are so bad that even over a year of experience and knowledge of the playbook is not enough for him to beat out a guy who has been on the roster for only a few weeks and likely knows only a sliver of the playbook.

I remember getting roasted for my opinion that both Carlson and Clifford should have been UDFA's. I guess there is still time for me to be proven wrong. I admitted last year that I was wrong about the Love pick. (I stick to my guns that those 1st 3 rounds in totality were not good) I just hope time doesn't prove me to be correct. GPG. Have to find a way to stop Taylor and make Richardson throw.

 

[Pkrjones]

Yes it is. It could mean the severity of the injury is not really bad. But like LaFleur said, you have to wait until he is cleared.

More than likely a "game time decision" to force the Colts to prepare their D to "maybe" face Love.

 

[OldSchool101]

This about this. Will Levis looked pretty bad yesterday. They kept Mason Rudolph over Willis. Willis was 3rd string on a bad Titans team. We are in big trouble.

I don’t agree with that. Mason Rudolph might not be a higher end QB, but he’s absolutely a competitor.
8-4-1 record
19 TD 11 INT
63.6% career reception rate
86.9% QB rating

He’s more experienced with a more proven track record. Probably one of the better groups of “non starting” QB options out there. So I don’t think Tennessee is that bad in their QB room. They had much better quality of depth at QB than us. They snatched a 7th rounder for someone going to PS. For all we know we owe Tennessee a favor if he works out. Word of mouth stuff. Malik has a year more maturity and he’s far more athletic than our other option in board. Maybe not a huge upgrade this minute, but he will be in 3-4 weeks. They’ll have to dumb down the play calling some but we won’t go into a fetal position here either.

It’s not a good scenario losing a starting QB. This is where you prove your worth. Are you going to let opponents blow you out? Or are you made up of competitive fiber and rise to the challenge. I know you might not want to hear this, but a properly motivated group of men can Win games even without their star QB. It’s all about attitude and using this game to get Malik up to speed. Let him make mistakes this week we have nothing to lose. Maybe God has plans for Malik that’s what I’m seeing. #10 will be here for likely the next 10 years

Wouldn’t it be interesting if Malik grows up some while here and turns into a good QB2. Maybe even proves his worth and becomes a Starter somewhere. It’s the only good thing about injuries. Sometimes injuries force our hand on elevating other players who just needed a chance.

Malik is our QB now. Nothing is a coincidence. I’m asking you to support him @Krabs. He needs our support we’re die hard Packer fans here

 

[milani]

More than likely a "game time decision" to force the Colts to prepare their D to "maybe" face Love.

The injury is severe. It is not realistic. And probably could make things worse. If Willis was playing horrific or if HE got hurt you need Clifford on the bench. Will they suit up 2 back ups?

 

[milani]

I remember getting roasted for my opinion that both Carlson and Clifford should have been UDFA's. I guess there is still time for me to be proven wrong. I admitted last year that I was wrong about the Love pick. (I stick to my guns that those 1st 3 rounds in totality were not good) I just hope time doesn't prove me to be correct. GPG. Have to find a way to stop Taylor and make Richardson throw.

And the Colts will need to stop our backs and force Willis to throw. They failed to stop Mixon.

 

[milani]

The times I've seen him play, especially his Sunday Night Game against Chiefs I want to say back in 2022, I can't unsee the bad I saw with him. Wouldn't surprise me if Clifford took over in 3rd quarter. See a lot of similarities to Deshon Kizer. With that said, hoping to see some RPOs with him and Jacobs. Fake to Jacobs up the middle, have Willis run to the outside.

Our defense and ST needs a Bears performance to win this game. And I hate saying that.

 

[OldSchool101]

Our defense and ST needs a Bears performance to win this game. And I hate saying that.

What’s I find interesting about the Eagles game is really until well into 4th Quarter we went toe to toe with Philly. We put up more yards rushing and more total yards than last years #8 Philly Offense. They are a very veteran group that should conceivably be more primed than us Week 1. Yet we went toe to toe. The difference was a missed field goal that hit the upright and maybe a few missed plays across 4 Quarters. The Eagles made the plays when it mattered including an INT deep in Packer territory, so I’m not taking anything away they played better. However it was decided by 1 possession. I call that very close and very respectable for Week 1.

The point I’m trying to make is we put up 29 points (nearly 32) with what I’d call substandard QB play overall. I don’t think Malik is that far from that type performance.

17/34 (50%)
260 Passing
2 TD 1 INT( near Redzone 24 yd line)
83.0 QB rating

 

[OldSchool101]

I guess the way I look at it is the Eagles finished 11-6 last season. They are not slouches, especially on Offense. Their Defense is bottom half of the league though. But we literally slop through a game with 10 penalties, a Turnover, missed FG, several drops, several more uncatchable passes leading to 50% completions… and still put up a respectable 29 points?

I think Malik could come close to that. Maybe 22 points, 25 points something like that. 163 were on the ground and with a guy like Malik that number could tilt 175-200 rushing last week. So if we play ball control and use up the clock and focus on a game of keep away, move the chains. We have a Run game that can wear a team down in Qtr 4.

This game will come down to our Defense getting stops regular and maybe a takeaway or two. I think we should unleash our Pass rush this week and not play the contain game. Let our faster LB’s do their job. Get Williams or Hopper in there more they are really aggressive and good against the Run

 

[El Guapo]

According to NFL Radio on XM, Malik has been sacked on 1 of every 5 passing plays. That's not good for a "mobile/athletic" quarterback. That's in addition to his 3 INTs and 0 TDs.

 

[OldSchool101]

According to NFL Radio on XM, Malik has been sacked on 1 of every 5 passing plays. That's not good for a "mobile/athletic" quarterback. That's in addition to his 3 INTs and 0 TDs.

See I don’t like that stuff because it’s mop up duty. Those aren’t large sample sizes of normal play.

Talking points to get everyone all worried. Malik also rushed for 9.0 per carry this Preseason on 11 Runs

Here’s one that’s a larger and very recent sample. The Colts just gave up 203 yards rushing THIS week. We can top that imo. The Colts are on the Road and I expect our D is going to play elevated this week. The Texans beat the H out of Indi on the ground and that’s our recipe. Total ball control just slow bleed them at 4.5-5.5 per carry

Jacobs > Mixon

PS. I’m not sure why we pulled Emmanuel last week? he looked really good.

 

[milani]

What’s I find interesting about the Eagles game is really until well into 4th Quarter we went toe to toe with Philly. We put up more yards rushing and more total yards than last years #8 Philly Offense. They are a very veteran group that should conceivably be more primed than us Week 1. Yet we went toe to toe. The difference was a missed field goal that hit the upright and maybe a few missed plays across 4 Quarters. The Eagles made the plays when it mattered including an INT deep in Packer territory, so I’m not taking anything away they played better. However it was decided by 1 possession. I call that very close and very respectable for Week 1.

The point I’m trying to make is we put up 29 points (nearly 32) with what I’d call substandard QB play overall. I don’t think Malik is that far from that type performance.

17/34 (50%)
260 Passing
2 TD 1 INT( near Redzone 24 yd line)
83.0 QB rating

If Malik was in our system like he had been in Tennessee who could be adequate in executing the basic game plan. But unlike the Lombardi days the offense is 100 times more complicated. Malik will do all he can to prepare but he will feel like someone who just moved in that misplaced his cell phone and cannot find the landline.

 

[OldSchool101]

If Malik was in our system like he had been in Tennessee who could be adequate in executing the basic game plan. But unlike the Lombardi days the offense is 100 times more complicated. Malik will do all he can to prepare but he will feel like someone who just moved in that misplaced his cell phone and cannot find the landline.

I suppose to a degree that’s right. He’s moved into someone else’s house alright. The good news for Malik is I don’t feel like this game coming up is do or die. Nobody expects him to do well and exactly to your point. That in itself takes some pressure off him. If he has any success whatsoever, such as a big play or long drive for 7, I think the team will rally around him. I think we did ok for Week 1 hanging with a playoff caliber team and the Colts are not better than the Eagles. This is a home game and against a team we would otherwise beat.

Maybe the Colts are a favorite now, but by no means is this game non winnable. We still have our entire Defense and Teams plus a good Running game. We lit up Philly with 163 rushing last week and that will need to continue.
Yes. Our other phases will need to play elevated. If we can keep the Colts under 20-22 points range? I think we still have a legitimate chance at an upset. Our D will take time to gel, but we have talent all over the place. Someone on that DL needs to step up this week. Plus we need a little good fortune such as a FF or INT or big PR etc. I’d like to see Narveson redeem himself and hit a couple 50 yarders or see another phase carry us a little. Our Coaches need to challenge our D to play like it’s Postseason and harrass Richardson.

 

[milani]

I suppose to a degree that’s right. He’s moved into someone else’s house alright. The good news for Malik is I don’t feel like this game coming up is do or die. Nobody expects him to do well and exactly to your point. That in itself takes some pressure off him. If he has any success whatsoever, such as a big play or long drive for 7, I think the team will rally around him. I think we did ok for Week 1 hanging with a playoff caliber team and the Colts are not better than the Eagles. This is a home game and against a team we would otherwise beat.

Maybe the Colts are a favorite now, but by no means is this game non winnable. We still have our entire Defense and Teams plus a good Running game. We lit up Philly with 163 rushing last week and that will need to continue.
Yes. Our other phases will need to play elevated. If we can keep the Colts under 20-22 points range? I think we still have a legitimate chance at an upset. Our D will take time to gel, but we have talent all over the place. Someone on that DL needs to step up this week. Plus we need a little good fortune such as a FF or INT or big PR etc. I’d like to see Narveson redeem himself and hit a couple 50 yarders or see another phase carry us a little. Our Coaches need to challenge our D to play like it’s Postseason and harrass Richardson.

I hope he can. I just still have nightmares watching Brett Hundley especially since I saw the Ravens shut him down completely in 2017. It was so embarrassing. And that year the Ravens were not good.

 

[Krabs]

JJ was the plan unless he proved he couldn’t do it, Darnold was the security blanket if he couldn’t. JJ’s injury made the decision for them.

This is incorrect. Darnold was always the starter unless JJ could beat him out. They signed Darnold with the idea of sitting JJ for the season to grow and learn.

 

[Krabs]

I don’t agree with that. Mason Rudolph might not be a higher end QB, but he’s absolutely a competitor.
8-4-1 record
19 TD 11 INT
63.6% career reception rate
86.9% QB rating

He’s more experienced with a more proven track record. Probably one of the better groups of “non starting” QB options out there. So I don’t think Tennessee is that bad in their QB room. They had much better quality of depth at QB than us. They snatched a 7th rounder for someone going to PS. For all we know we owe Tennessee a favor if he works out. Word of mouth stuff. Malik has a year more maturity and he’s far more athletic than our other option in board. Maybe not a huge upgrade this minute, but he will be in 3-4 weeks. They’ll have to dumb down the play calling some but we won’t go into a fetal position here either.

I don't disagree. They will play to win the games. Rudolph might be a solid backup, but I wouldn't be comfortable going into a game with him as a starter either. Now add that Willis was the third string.

It’s not a good scenario losing a starting QB. This is where you prove your worth. Are you going to let opponents blow you out? Or are you made up of competitive fiber and rise to the challenge. I know you might not want to hear this, but a properly motivated group of men can Win games even without their star QB. It’s all about attitude and using this game to get Malik up to speed. Let him make mistakes this week we have nothing to lose. Maybe God has plans for Malik that’s what I’m seeing. #10 will be here for likely the next 10 years

Why would I not want to hear that. I will be cheering hard for the Packers and Willis's success. Reality is, they are backups for a reason. Starting NFL QBs are really hard to find and it is difficult to win without them.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if Malik grows up some while here and turns into a good QB2. Maybe even proves his worth and becomes a Starter somewhere. It’s the only good thing about injuries. Sometimes injuries force our hand on elevating other players who just needed a chance.

Malik is our QB now. Nothing is a coincidence. I’m asking you to support him @Krabs. He needs our support we’re die hard Packer fans here

I'm not giving up on the Packers. I just don't think we have a chance this weekend with Willis as the QB. With that said, I'm thinking of heading over for the game. Ticket prices are going down. I wouldn't say plummeting, but they are probably about as cheap as they are going to get. I will then be cheering my **** off. GPG!

 

[Krabs]

I'm still surprised that LaFleur stated that Willis is starting if Love can't play. That really says everything that we need to know about Clifford. His skills and decision making are so bad that even over a year of experience and knowledge of the playbook is not enough for him to beat out a guy who has been on the roster for only a few weeks and likely knows only a sliver of the playbook.

There must be a clear talent gap between the two. They might be telling Willis that if his first read isn't there let his legs make the play. Clifford can't move like that. Sliver of a playbook is right.

 

[tynimiller]

This is incorrect. Darnold was always the starter unless JJ could beat him out. They signed Darnold with the idea of sitting JJ for the season to grow and learn.

Simply not what I was informed - not saying the information is gospel but going off what I was informed of.

 

[Krabs]

For those talking about bringing in a veteran QB, it's not happening. They traded for Willis for a reason. This is how they addressed the backup position. Good, bad, or indifferent, that's the move they made. Now, the other reason I do not think it is happening is because I believe that Love's injury isn't that bad. I've read and heard that it is closer to the two week mark and they are targeting MN for his return. I don't think they want to bring in a veteran guy to play only two weeks. I think their thought is to ride it out and try to win one of these two games. I know I have been negative, but these are great teams the Pack is playing. I'm nervous about Richardson running all over us. I'm not confident in our run defense. I do think the Titans are more beatable. Levis did not look good nor did their defense. A couple turnovers could win that one. I'm hoping they go 1-1 with a Love return for MN.

 

[Krabs]

Simply not what I was informed - not saying the information is gospel but going off what I was informed of.

Fair enough, I have 5 bro in laws that are unfortunately all MN fans. Specifically, one is very informed and we talk football all the time. His sources are pretty solid. Also, it's not that big of a deal. JJ is out and Darnold is the starter. They are and were all excited when they signed him. They are optimistic that Darnold just never had a team around him. Personally, I think MN's roster stinks and the Giants are a 3 win team. We will see how it all plays out.

 

[OldSchool101]

In response to the Sacks # on Willis. It’s a legitimate concern because it really is a high number per touch or attempt or drop back etc. I’m going off El Guapo 1 in 5 # which looked close on stats.

I went back and watched his Malik’s first 4 Preseason games I fell asleep before #5 PS game so while I didn’t watch every snap, I did get a good feel for what I personally considered factors for high Sacks.

The one most glaring piece of that pie was his Pocket either totally collapsed or partially broke down. The bulk of those he couldn’t really step up into the pocket. He even had one near sideline pick 6 because his Center fell at his ankles -4 yards into the backfield. The OL blocking in comparison to our PS was an atrocious at times and speculative on many other plays. I watched every consecutive play twice (thank you NFL+ for that it’s pretty easy to do for games going back to 2009) not to prove anyone wrong, but just because I have an interest in seeing him with my own eyes because stats do sometimes lie

Malik wasnt just getting Sacked he was running for his life. On the ones they didn’t catch him he scored a 22 yard TD, a burst in his first game as a Rookie for like 60 yards and was fighting for a TD 2 yards from the Paint or extending drives single handed.

I don’t consider the vast bulk of those Sacks his fault. (His inexperience caused maybe 1/3) Could he have thrown 50% of his drop backs away to avoid Sacks? Yes. For a 38% resulting completion rate.. yes. But he was trying to extend broken plays the only way he knew how. I don’t blame him for that. With good blocking he’s probably a high 59% passer would be my guess. He throws ******* every play which needs to tone down. He had 2 plays that were catchable fast balls that went through a FB or TE’s hands in wide open field. Probably should’ve been caught if they weren’t 70 MPH!

Malik did ok picking to throw even when he could run when rolling out, so he trusts his own arm..
Malik also repeatedly smooth ran around and by guys that were probably 4.6 ish speed like they were standing still. He’s a legit 4.40 flat in pads, with great lateral ability also. I was blessed to watch Vick live at Va Tech and he’s a shade behind him. In the short term few weeks? I wouldn’t intentionally negate him scrambling he seems durable and he can 100% win games with a good mix of pass run. I’m talking 2-3 weeks here not long term though

 

[tynimiller]

In response to the Sacks # on Willis. It’s a legitimate concern because it really is a high number per touch or attempt or drop back etc. I’m going off El Guapo 1 in 5 # which looked close on stats.

I went back and watched his Malik’s first 4 Preseason games I fell asleep before #5 PS game so while I didn’t watch every snap, I did get a good feel for what I personally considered factors for high Sacks.

The one most glaring piece of that pie was his Pocket either totally collapsed or partially broke down. The bulk of those he couldn’t really step up into the pocket. He even had one near sideline pick 6 because his Center fell at his ankles -4 yards into the backfield. The OL blocking in comparison to our PS was an atrocious at times and speculative on many other plays. I watched every consecutive play twice (thank you NFL+ for that it’s pretty easy to do for games going back to 2009) not to prove anyone wrong, but just because I have an interest in seeing him with my own eyes because stats do sometimes lie

Malik wasnt just getting Sacked he was running for his life. On the ones they didn’t catch him he scored a 22 yard TD, a burst in his first game as a Rookie for like 60 yards and was fighting for a TD 2 yards from the Paint or extending drives single handed.

I don’t consider the vast bulk of those Sacks his fault. (His inexperience caused maybe 1/3) Could he have thrown 50% of his drop backs away to avoid Sacks? Yes. For a 38% resulting completion rate.. yes. But he was trying to extend broken plays the only way he knew how. I don’t blame him for that. With good blocking he’s probably a high 59% passer would be my guess. He throws ******* every play which needs to tone down. He had 2 plays that were catchable fast balls that went through a FB or TE’s hands in wide open field. Probably should’ve been caught if they weren’t 70 MPH!

Malik did ok picking to throw even when he could run when rolling out, so he trusts his own arm..
Malik also repeatedly smooth ran around and by guys that were probably 4.6 ish speed like they were standing still. He’s a legit 4.40 flat in pads, with great lateral ability also. I was blessed to watch Vick live at Va Tech and he’s a shade behind him. In the short term few weeks? I wouldn’t intentionally negate him scrambling he seems durable and he can 100% win games with a good mix of pass run. I’m talking 2-3 weeks here not long term though

Vick for what it is worth was a name often which came up in prospect discussions of Willis as the ceiling comp for him...and Tyler Huntley was kinda the average ceiling comp for him.