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Reply to "Rodgers not Elite?"

He isn't the 2011 version of Rodgers, but he's easily a top 10 QB in the league and I wouldn't trade him for anyone but Mahomes or Lamar Jackson (and I'm not sold on him yet in the playoffs). 

What they lack to make a deep playoff run is playmakers. They have two on offense (Adams and Jones) surrounded by a bunch of average to below average guys at the skill positions. Lazard is a decent possession guy but he's not a game breaker, J. Williams is a solid backup at RB, but then most of the other guys need to significantly improve or be replaced next year (all the TEs, MVS, Allison, Kumerow).  Adams hasn't had a lot of home run plays, but he's a threat and Jones was the reason they've won a couple of games. When you don't have enough playmakers on offense, every drive seems like a slog. Getting 2-3 big plays a game turns a 20-15 victory into a rout. Rodgers overthrew Graham and Jones for long plays by a step or two yesterday, but there's a reason teams are leaving Graham one on one - he's not a playmaker any more and they'll take their chances with him. Those same overthrows aren't overthrows with Jordy Nelson or Greg Jennings because they had more chemistry with Rodgers and were talented enough to adjust to the ball. Rodgers made them look good, but they also made him look good at times. Other than Adams, they don't have those types of guys. 

The reason they are a 10-3 instead of a .500 team this year is that they added two playmakers on defense. Z. Smith is probably their MVP this year and P. Smith has also been a difference maker. They have solid guys elsewhere, but no playmakers (yet) in the secondary in the mold of LeRoy Butler, Charles Woodson, Sam Shields, or Nick Collins. In the last 61 regular season games (since the start of 2016), they've had one pick six which was Breeland last year. 

Impact players make plays that separate good teams from championship teams. We don't have enough of them in part because a string of drafts in the mid 2010s were lousy. 

Another way to put this is how many Pro Bowlers will the Packers have this year. They are 10-3 and maybe only have one guy that will be a selection (Z. Smith). It says something about MLF and Pettine that they are 10-3 on a team with one Pro Bowler (Crosby, Rodgers, and Jones have a chance, too) and have gotten no defensive or special teams TDs. 

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