Damn, that was a big gut punch right when the team was hitting on all cylinders.
He's a great player, a very important player, but if you had told me we had to have one of our Pro Bowl players miss the rest of the year I would probably pick Bahk. Not because he's the least talented of the 7 but because we have some damn good options behind him. Gonna have a good test of the playoff OL setup with the Bears front 7 this Sunday. Get it done!
In 3 games Bak missed AR had 11 TDs / 0 Ints with passer rating of 130 ... however, all it takes is one strip sack fumble to turn a playoff game around.
Those 3 games were also Houston, Minnesota and the Niners who were down some studs in the front seven. Not exactly a murderers row of defense there.
We will learn a lot Sunday!
I get the homerism but LT, particularly the caliber of Bak, is the second most important position on the team. There will be a definite impact and will take some options away from the gameplan.
Losing Bak also means guys like Lucas Patrick are in the lineup. I hope to see Runyan out there if necessary.
Yeah.....you don't lose a player of D-Bak's caliber & not feel it somewhat.
When I'm mildly concerned about Mack....I'm more concerned with Akiem Hicks. Middle of the line needs to be stout on Sunday.
That's why I want
Jenkins / Linsley / Runyan at G-C-G.
I think that's the best interior.
Not sure where Wagner is but if he's out it's probably Turner/Patrick/Linsley/Runyan/Jenkins.
Practiced 2 straight days. Guess he's doing. Ok?
Rick Wagner (71) practiced for the second straight day, which gives the Packers options on the line to replace LT David Bakhtiari. When Bakhtiari missed 3 games earlier, Billy Turner moved to LT and Wagner played RT. Wagner is... https://t.co/RNrsspBeop pic.twitter.com/S3u5CWBCrg
â Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 1, 2021
I want to see Jenkins smashing open holes for Jones and Dillon.
I'd also like to see Dillon truck Roquan Smith.
My guess is Turner gets the go at LT
Turner / Jenkins / Linsley / Runyan / Wagner
That might be it. At least for Sunday anyway.
.@AaronNagler & I talked about this during the week before Bakhtiariâs injury. MLF isnât afraid to alter his offensive line based on matchups. His mantra is best five but itâs best five for that specific week. With all the versatility along the line it makes a lot of sense. https://t.co/IaAdIfN42T
â Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) January 1, 2021
@FLPACKER posted:In 3 games Bak missed AR had 11 TDs / 0 Ints with passer rating of 130 ... however, all it takes is one strip sack fumble to turn a playoff game around.
As Henry says, it's more about the options it takes away from the game plan. It's probably more likely it will take away from calls that require double moves and deep routes by the WRs than cause a strip-sack (at least that's the hope).
It may also force them to go more run-heavy. Bakhtiari may be one of the top 10 LTs all-time in terms of pass protection. He's still a really good run blocker, but they lose less there than they do in pass protection.
@PackerHawk posted:Those 3 games were also Houston, Minnesota and the Niners who were down some studs in the front seven. Not exactly a murderers row of defense there.
We will learn a lot Sunday!
Exactly. The Tampa game was a much better illustration of what facing playoff defenses can be like without Bahk if we donât have a solid plan in place.
While the line/team did not play well in quarters 2, 3 and 4 against the Bucs, they also lost Bak in their first series of the second half. So LaFleur would've most likely had to again adjust any halftime adjustments made offensively. At least going into the Bears game, MLF knows Bak won't be in the lineup and he can game plan accordingly.
Not much, but it's something.
@Henry posted:I get the homerism but LT, particularly the caliber of Bak, is the second most important position on the team. There will be a definite impact and will take some options away from the gameplan.
Losing Bak also means guys like Lucas Patrick are in the lineup. I hope to see Runyan out there if necessary.
With Rodgers consistently getting the ball out on time this season, itâs not as important as it has been to us in the past.
Its gonna impact the run game some and itâs gonna limit our play calls on 3rd n long.
Run game is going to be critical. Teams are going to blitz Rodgers pretty heavily over the next few weeks to take advantage of the LT not just being on an island like DB normally is. To me this is really going to test MLF as a playcaller and Rodgers willingness to get the ball out quick. Theyâre going to have to move the pocket, mix up the run looks with some counters and misdirection, get all the receivers (especially Austin) involved in the run game and use all that motion to shift the defense into favorable numbers.
@pkr_north posted:Veldheer went to volts ps today if we need him we can sign him maybe? Although itâs a huge loss - we can manage to some level. But make no bones about it - this is a huge loss- heâs a rock there
They signed him because they just lost Costanzo for the year.
@Henry posted:I get the homerism but LT, particularly the caliber of Bak, is the second most important position on the team. There will be a definite impact and will take some options away from the gameplan.
Losing Bak also means guys like Lucas Patrick are in the lineup. I hope to see Runyan out there if necessary.
I think we might end up seeing Runyan over Patrick come playoff time. The impact may end up visibly the worst on Sunday, but the plus is that they've played musical chairs most of the season. The shifting of guys isn't a new thing. The bigger downside in the postseason will be the lack of depth. They really can't afford another injury on that line. I think Bakh is almost a luxury for AR to have. Not necessarily a game ender.
They seem to really prefer Patrick, heâs consistently gotten reps over Runyan. With Turner ostensibly going to LT thereâs a very good chance we get a long look at Stepaniak against Chicago. Wont start, but likely will rotate in to give Jenkins or Patrick a break. Be nice to see what we have with him.
I agree on Stepaniak, who I think would've been at least a second round pick if he was healthy. Lucky gamble when we took him.
@Grave Digger posted:They seem to really prefer Patrick, heâs consistently gotten reps over Runyan. With Turner ostensibly going to LT thereâs a very good chance we get a long look at Stepaniak against Chicago. Wont start, but likely will rotate in to give Jenkins or Patrick a break. Be nice to see what we have with him.
True, but that could be nothing more than number of reps. Runyan is going to be a vg late round pick, but Patrick at this point has experience over him.
I think this is a much bigger loss than we want to think it is. Yes, our Oline has been excellent. But, you could always count on Bak taking on his guy one-on-one, and that meant a lot of flexibility to attack in the run game and support pass blocking elsewhere. When Bak was out earlier, it wasn't a murderer's row the Oline went against so it appeared better than it was. This week, we'll get an idea of how teams will plan to attack the left side, and while we definitely want home-field advantage throughout, at least a spot in the dance isn't riding on the outcome. We'll also get an early glimpse as to how MLF will counter. And, ultimately, win or lose, it gives MLF and the other coaches a chance to learn from mistakes and successes.
