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The Green Bay Packers’ defense has been a disappointment this season, but calls for coordinator Dom Capers’ head are irrational.

 

Sacking Capers in midseason, which has been suggested by a portion of the fan base in recent weeks, will not generate better tackling, improved coverage or a more vigorous pass rush.

 

A coach’s job is to put his team in position to succeed, but then it’s up to the players to produce on the field.

 

Is it Capers’ fault that Packers defensive backs can’t make plays on the ball, and then turn sure interceptions into opponent touchdowns?

Is it Capers’ fault that would-be tacklers get juked out of their socks by opposing running backs and turn short gains into long runs?

Is it Capers’ fault that he is forced to use below-average talent at one of the safety positions?

Is it Capers’ fault that the injury-ravaged linebacker corps has been rendered null and void at times with rookies trying to fill major roles?

 

When something goes wrong on defense, as it frequently has this season, the easy way out is to blame everything on the coordinator.

 

Of course, Capers should be held accountable for his role in the operation, and his coaching performance will be evaluated at season’s end like it is every year.

 

But the Packers’ defensive woes go well beyond Capers. It starts with personnel, and the buck stops at the desk of general manager Ted Thompson.

 

Let’s go back to the much-ballyhooed 2012 draft, when Thompson used his first six selections on defensive players as a way to upgrade a unit that was ranked last in the NFL the previous season.

 

Five of those six draft picks have done diddly-squat for the Packers this season, so is it any wonder the defense can’t seem to perform in crucial situations?

First-round linebacker Nick Perry has missed more games during his career than he has played because of injuries, second-round defensive lineman Jerel Worthy blew out his knee last December and second-round cornerback Casey Hayward has been grounded all season with a bad hamstring.

 

Fourth-round safety Jerron McMillian hasn’t progressed as expected, and fifth-round linebacker Terrell Manning didn’t survive the final cutdown this year.

The only defensive player paying dividends from last year’s draft class is lineman Mike Daniels, who leads the team in sacks.

 

Whether the fault lies with injuries or ineffective play, Thompson’s 1-for-6 batting average (.167) in the 2012 draft is a prime reason the Packers’ defense is falling short this season

 

Thompson hit the jackpot in 2009 with Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji. But in the four drafts since, he has uncovered precious few impact players on defense.

Safety Morgan Burnett has been a solid everyday starting safety, but beyond that, it’s been a case of on-again, off-again contributions from Thompson’s defensive picks.

 

Mike Neal has been injury prone and cornerback Davon House has flashed potential but has yet to claim a full-time starting gig.

Maybe this year’s first-round pick, defensive lineman Datone Jones, will emerge, but he got off to a slow start. Cornerback Micah Hyde has shown promise, but the other 2013 rookie draft picks are still in the developmental stage.

 

Thompson’s decision not to draft a safety this year remains a mystery as the Packers struggle to find a reliable starter opposite Burnett.

Based on the first nine games, not a single defensive player is on pace to earn a Pro Bowl berth.

 

So it should come as no surprise the Packers are ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in total defense (No. 18), passing yards allowed (No. 21), points allowed (No. 17), yards per play (No. 23) and interceptions (No. 32).

 

More....

 

http://www.packersnews.com/art...-woes?nclick_check=1

 

Agree?

 

Original Post

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Nothing like throwing the anti-Tedites a few meat scraps to kick start your twittereah counter. Pathetic.

 

Can't wait to peruse the comment section for the daily dose of dumb. Could be some real gems.

 

Put me down in the "disagree" column please.

I somewhat disagree. Capers has a good amount of accountability as well; however, evaluate at the end of the season and make the move that is best for the team.  Ted is human and will make mistakes here and there, but he's been pretty darn good.  And then, there is the injury bug hitting our key personnel.

If Ted drafted a bunch of injury-prone players, I'd be more inclined to place the blame on his picks.

 

But fact is Hayward was just fine health-wise until he injured a hamstring on his own doing personal training. It's bothered him ever since. And thus, not the same player.

 

Worthy, Perry, Hayward, Daniels, etc IIRC were also pretty healthy in college.

 

What this article doesn't point out is that when these guys were all healthy and playing, it's not like Capers defense suddenly became world beaters.

 

Short of Hayward, everyone in the secondary has been pretty healthy this season. Same at DE/NT. In fact, DE/NT has been so healthy CJ Wilson can't even get on the field. Nor can Banjo at safety.

 

Then you have a healthy Lattimore who IMO is a better option then Brad Jones sitting there. That's a guy at Capers disposal who if he was bent on playing, I hardly think MM is going to sat "FU!! no way!!" And you could easily dump Jennings and either slide Hyde to S OR put Banjo in. Could they do any worse then MD? Again, that's Capers and MM's decision to make. Not Ted's.

 

I guess you could argue Ted could have drafted a S high in 2013, but then do that and you have no Datone who now seems to be coming on. And there was no way in hell TT could have known in April not only would Jolly be able to make the roster, but play at a high level. Going into that draft, DL looked pretty weak.

 

 

 

 

Sorry, how do you go from it's Thompson's fault to maybe it's injuries? Foolish premise to me.

Unfortunately, much of it has to do with the one thing GM, player, coach have no control over- luck. Blaming Thompson for injuries is like blaming Rodgers for his broken collar bone. Sure, if he would have zigged instead of zagged, maybe he doesn't get hurt. Blame? Horsesh*t.

It's football. Injuries happen. Week to week, you face a new challenge. This week will be different from last. Stop trying to blame people when things happen. Thompson, McCarthy, Capers... They all have earned the benefit of the doubt...

I agree with the story scrambling QB  do increase injurry risk for themselfs and other players. I think that is a problem with teams that feature scrambling QB into thier plays they get thier own  offensive players beat up. I do not think the Packers run many plays that involved Rodgers scrambling even if they did how would that cause injurry problems for the Packer defence?

The Packers are a draft and develop team, it works well for the offence, not so well for the defence. If defensive players are not making plays the first one to look at is Don. If the Packers chooce to try to correct there defensive problems by firing MM the new head HC would most likely fire Don and bring in his own man. If the Packers chooce to fire Ted the new GM would most likely start by getting rid of MM and bringing in his own coaching staff. The other options is to get a bunch of  new defensive players, a messy and long process.

The simplest and least distrutive action if a the team brass thinkings there is a defensive problem would be to replace Don. It may not be the right move, but wit would be the least distrutive change the Packers could do.

 

nobody got hurt as often as Lynn Dickey did and that guy rarely if ever left the pocket so don;t necessarily agree the scrambling QBs get hurt more. I would say most QBs go out with injury while in the pocket due to getting all twisted up in the muck.  while the hit on Rodgers was not dirty, it sure looked like Shea Hildeturd put his whole weight on Rodgers while driving him in the turf. That causes a lot more injuries than a glancing blow off the helmet they typically throw the flag for.

 

And I would put more blame on Capers. Even when the team is healthy his defense leaves a lot to be desired. Won't hurt my feelings if he is gone next year. The talent the Packers have looks to be more conducive to a 4-3 anyway.

Capers should shoulder most of the blame, with TT taking a bit as well. Why? Because I hate it when other players say they knew exactly what defense we'd be in. Remember Ponder last year saying that on a big third-down play? "We knew exactly what they were going to call and we had a play to counteract it," is what he said (paraphrase). And if I remember correctly, he hasn't been the only one to say that. 

 

Also, TT isn't telling Capers not to put Lattimore or Hyde or Banjo on the field; that's on Capers. Capers has to put the best guys out there and put them in a position to succeed. Another example: CMIII is rarely moved around to get an advantage in matchups. When I watch other teams it's pointed out that really good linebackers or linemen are moved all over to get better matchups by DCs. Where's our creativity?

 

That's why Capers has to shoulder most of the blame, and TT does need to find another stud on D.

Originally Posted by Music City:
 Blaming Thompson for injuries is like blaming Rodgers for his broken collar bone. 

It's football. Injuries happen.

If that had anything to do with my post, I guess I should have used the "sarcasm" sign.  Sigh.

 

As for "even when healthy, the D isn't shutdown"...when has the D not had significant injuries?  Has everyone forgot how good the D was looking while we still had Matthews, Perry and Neal on the field and healthy?  And that was before Burnett came back.  The point is, the D doesn't NEED to be a #1 shutdown D for the team to be a contender with AR and at least a few starting WR's on the other side of the ball.  We were finally starting to see what the two units could do until the end of that first drive vs. CHI.  In this salary cap era, some people need to realize you can't have a top 5 Offense AND a top 5 Defense.  If you do, you are extremely lucky, not just good.  We are extremely luck to have AR and Co. and a half-healthy D would be enough to take them where they want to go.

Last edited by DH13

I really haven't heard all the calls for the immediate firing of Capers that Mike apparently has. I agree with him about TT's failure to properly address safety but that's about it. He appears to be blaming TT for the injuries and that's doesn't make any sense at all.

 

The defense was bad the year the team went 15-1 and other than the SB year it's been mediocre during Caper's entire tenure. I see much more of what I've seen the previous two weeks and his seat better be getting at least warm.

Pretty stupid take on the defense.  Looking at last years class, yes, McMIllian and Manning look like busts.  But they were 4th and 5th rounders.  You don't count on every 4th and 5th round pick to develop after 24 games into their career.  

 

And yes, Worthy is hurt.  Damn you TT for not knowing that Worthy has weak ACL's!!!  Same for Hayward, TT should know that even though Hayward was healthy throughout college and his rookie year, that he was going to have hamstring issues in his second year!!  Perry too, it's TT's fault that he didn't know that Perry has weak bones in his wrist and feet.  Poor scouting.  Sucks that we don't have Nostradamus as our GM.  

 

IMO, Daniels, Hayward, and Perry look like mainstays on this defense for a long time.  3 for 6 in the draft is pretty damn good.  The talent is there, we've seen flashes.  It's up to the coaching staff and players themselves to get them playing consistently at a high level.  

Regarding QB scrambles, ARod often doesn't have a choice. We've had a turnstile at LT since Cliffy's retirement, uneven play by Bulaga when he's been on the field, and a complete joke with Saturday at C last year. The point is, his only choice when pass pro breaks down is to scramble or take a sack. And I don't know that there's a lot of difference between taking a hit in either situation.

 

Regarding defense, the common denominator is Capers. We've had enough different players at different positions during his tenure here to place 100% of the blame on the players themselves.

Injuries have had a definite affect, but excuses are just that....excuses.

Some fans gotta' blame someone over the inconvenience of not making it to Super Bowls on a regular basis. And that's really what all this bull**** comes down to. Fans general inconvenience with the Packers failing to fill their lives with the happiness that they feel entitled to on a week to week basis because sports teams are supposed to make up for the crap we deal with every week. That's not how things work. This isn't fantasy football. 

 

Green Bay is in great shape. Great GM. Great Coach. Great QB. Can't win them all but they're saccrificing a hell of a lot more than any of us trying to win another. 

Sacrifice more than us?   Sht, they get paid to win games.  Who the heck pays for our suffering when they lose?  You took away our Kool-Aid and now you want to take our scapegoats away from us?  That's just not right!

 

writing off the 2012 draft class as one of TT's failures a year after they've entered the NFL is dumb. Argument is dumb. Article is dumb. 

 

everyone expects every draft to turn out like 2009 or 2010. Everyone expects every season to be like 2010 or 2011.

Last edited by bubbleboy789

I dig GB has a GM that spent time in NFL locker rooms as a player watching the dynamics of what 53 teammates should look like who also has the business sense to not make irrational decisions. **** the armchair GM won't ever understand or comprehend.

 

This week in 2010 GB was 6-3 in a bye week on top of the world. A month later everything came crashing down in Detroit.

 

Lots of football left. Keep the faith.

 

 

Is that an article or just someone's perspective on TT?

 

Either way, it's a pretty weak take.  Like it's Thompson's fault that Worthy blew out his ACL or that Hayward has struggled with hamstring injuries or Perry has simply had bad luck.   When those guys are/were healthy they are all pretty decent players.

 

Let's also not forget that CMIII has been hurt and he's a turnover creating machine with the strip sack plays and he's missed a lot of time also.

 

McMillan does look like a bust at this point but guess what?  It happens.  I'll still take Thompson and his "misses" over other GMs because he'll get it right much more often than most others.

 

 

One thing that I've always wondered is how much influence the coaching staff has in the draft? I know that TT is the point man, but do we know just how much coaches "push" for certain guys they like? 

Originally Posted by Esox:

Who the heck pays for our suffering when they lose?  You took away our Kool-Aid and now you want to take our scapegoats away from us?  That's just not right!

 

I know this is said in jest but it's an interesting point nonetheless because that's exactly how folks tend to think about this.  

 

Those who allow themselves to 'suffer' when GB loses or is losing deserve to pay for every ounce of that themselves.  You know why?  It's they who chose to allow themselves to literally 'suffer' because of the results of a football team.  Instead, since it was the fact that they are children that led them to actually endure anguish over a loss, an injury, etc. they also, like children, look for something to blame.  It's rationalized by them telling themselves they're just 'real' fans.  This dumbass article does nothing more than fan those flames.

 

Folks like this either need to dial it down a notch or four, grow the **** up or find something else to do with their time. 

For some fans, following football is suffering

 

“If you don't get what you want, you suffer;

If you get what you don't want, you suffer;

even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever.”

Unless the players had a history of injuries in college and as the lack of playing time of players from the 2012 draft is due to injury, I just cannot see blaming TT - or anyone else for that matter.

 

Justin Harrell was different.  Neal as well.

 

Chalk it up to crap luck.

Harrell had some injury history in college, but Neal?

 

Frosh - played in 9 of 14 games (turf toe - only listed college injury)

Soph - 13 of 13 games

Jr - 12 of 12 games w/11 starts

Sr - 12 of 12 games w/12 starts

 

 

Originally Posted by JJSD:
Originally Posted by Esox:

Who the heck pays for our suffering when they lose?  You took away our Kool-Aid and now you want to take our scapegoats away from us?  That's just not right!

 

I know this is said in jest but it's an interesting point nonetheless because that's exactly how folks tend to think about this.  

 

Those who allow themselves to 'suffer' when GB loses or is losing deserve to pay for every ounce of that themselves.  You know why?  It's they who chose to allow themselves to literally 'suffer' because of the results of a football team.  Instead, since it was the fact that they are children that led them to actually endure anguish over a loss, an injury, etc. they also, like children, look for something to blame.  It's rationalized by them telling themselves they're just 'real' fans.  This dumbass article does nothing more than fan those flames.

 

Folks like this either need to dial it down a notch or four, grow the **** up or find something else to do with their time. 

 

Finger, pull it.

Here are a few post-game quotes that reflect more poorly on Capers than they do on TT:

 

Brandon Jacobs:

"Fourth and 1, it's the largest hole I've ever seen as a running back," said Jacobs. "Against a goal-line. Is it supposed to be that way? Hell, no. I was happy I got it but, as a back, I never get it that easy."

 

Victor Cruz:

Cruz said the Packers gave the Giants specific coverages they were looking for on specific down and distances. The result was several big plays. "That's what we need, this offense is definitely built on the big play....We definitely need a couple big plays to get ourselves going again."

 

Can't say I enjoyed reading those quotes, that's exactly what guys were saying during most of the Bob Slowik and Bob Sanders years. I really hope that Mike and Ted find the right guy this next time around. Dom had one great season (and honestly, a very impressive first season, too), but it's been all downhill since then.

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