NOT CAPERS FAULT!

By the way, what an awesome statement to inspire your team. 

 

So Holmgren told his team that night, "I want to see how tough we are. Show me. We've been asking for this game for a long time. Go knock their butts off."

He may be 0-4 vs the 49ers recently, but since he's been the coordinator we are 55-24-1 overall, 5-4 in the playoffs, and we have a SB win. I don't care if Rodgers is the best player in the league and is the #1 reason, you don't have that kind of sustained success, make the playoffs much less win in the playoffs without some level of competency at DC. If we're looking at a body of work, that needs to factor in.

Very true.  The question isn't whether Capers is capable.  To me, it's whether the organization can now do better.

 Can't live in the past.  Yah need to evolve or become extinct.  

How much better would the defense be if the players tackled better?

 

If we cut our missed tackles by 30%-40% how many less points would be given up and how many more games would be won?

 

It was a stark contrast yesterday with how fast the 49ers flowed to the ball and how well they tackled.

@zachkruse2

I don't know if it is Capers. I don't know if it's the players or if it is MM. Maybe all three are responsible for failing. I do know that the defense let Kaperdick run for 97 yards. Running is his strong point, and the Packers' defense failed in containing him

 

And…the Packers' defense gave up the big running plays at critical points in the game. FAIL!

 

LS

 

I accidentally looked at the stats from '09 instead of '10.  While '09 was exceptional, 2010 was a very good defensive effort too. Ninth in total D, 5th in passing, 18th in rushing and 2nd in points.  And they created a ton of TOs.  And won the Super Bowl.  After the 2010 season, they lost the same players I mentioned earlier (except Barnett who was already gone) and replaced them with crap.  That was the initial intent of my first post.

People are pissed and they want a singular thing to point to and blame.  They want to think they know how to fix the situation and they want to think it can be fixed the way they think it can.  It's not Capers OR players OR TT OR MM.  It's all of them to varying degrees.  I think most of us know that but others don't. 

that is some serious coattailing 

Rodgers makes the D better.  So would Clay, Jolly and first and second rounders like Perry, Worthy and Jones playing in year 1 & 2 up to expectations (and add in Hayward, 3rd, for good measure).  For several reasons, I can't believe anyone thinks any of those three is even close to what the Packers expected at this point in their careers.

I agree, but the buck stops at Thompson's desk. He hasn't been able to hit enough times with his picks to provide the talent needed on defense. Every year the team is one or two difference-makers away from fielding an elite squad. And with key play-makers lost to retirement, free agency, injury, etc., it's not enough to rely on draft picks, which everyone agrees is a crap shoot, to replace them. Slowly the team is getting worse. 

Or Mike Tomlin.

The defense

In the trenches, the Packers played toe-to-toe with the 49ers. The defensive line played maybe its best game since October. Mike Daniels forced the 49ers to double-team him. Wily old vet that he is, Ryan Pickett dialed it up for a big game.

 

Andy Mulumba and Nick Perry did a good job of contain on the edges.

But the Packers lack speed on defense and didn’t have an answer for

Kaepernick’s scrambles.

 

The question has been raised: Why not spy him?

 

The answer: Kaepernick runs a 4.5 40. The Packers don’t have anybody on defense who runs that fast other than Sam Shields.

 

The two positions that really separate the two defenses are safety and inside linebacker. The 49ers’ safeties, Donte Whitner and Eric Reid, play like two bloodthirsty jackals. Bowman and Willis combined for 18 solo tackles, more than twice as many as A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones.

McGinn is out with another article, talks about the final drive:

 

....So with the freezing fans at full throat, Kaepernick set out to win the game for the defending NFC champions. On the third play, he threw left for Anquan Boldin.  5^th round rookie Micah Hyde fell underneath the route at the 34 but dropped the pass.

 

Capers rushed four on the next play, a third-and-10 against zone coverage with the Packers' in their 4-1 defense. Michael Crabtree found space near special teams Ace and emergency dime back Jarrett Bush and speared the football for 17.

 

Frank Gore slipped away from Brad Jones on a check-down for 11 and a first down at the Green Bay 40. Two minutes remained.

 

"That last drive, I just knew we were going to get off and give our offense the ball with time left," B.J. Raji said. "We believe we're going to win. That's why we've had so much success here."

Finally, it reached third and 8. This time, Capers decided to take matters into his own hands, sending a six-man blitz with A.J. Hawk attacking the middle and Bush firing hard off the slot to Kaepernick's blind side against Gore.

Bush's job is two-fold: harass if not sack Kaepernick, and not permit him to scramble around his end.

 

The 49ers targeted the weak spots( in bold), same as every team in the league. We all want a better defense and it starts with better players.  Find a way to keep AJ Hawk, Jarrett Bush and Brad Jones off the field on the final drives and GB will at least make it tougher on the opponent. Hyde will likely be better going forward, the others will not and need to be upgraded irregardless of who the defensive coach is next season

Daryl Smith, ILB, was signed by the Ravens last year to a one-year deal for $2.125 million. This year he recorded 123 combined tackles, 5 sacks, 19 passes defensed, 3 INTs and 2 forced fumbles. He played all 16 games. 

 

Brad Jones, ILB, was signed for three years, making about $4 million per year. He recorded 84 combined tackles, 3 sacks, 0 passes defensed, 0 interceptions and 1 forced fumble. He missed four games. 

 

The only advantage Jones has over Smith is that he's 27 years old to Smith's 31. But Jones costs twice as much and didn't produce nearly as well.  

 

Just a good example of where signing a veteran free agent can actually fill the gaps between "draft and develop" while also saving money and increasing production. 

 

http://www.nfl.com/player/darylsmith/2506029/profile

http://www.nfl.com/player/bradjones/2507768/profile

 

Guess who is a FA in March?

Sane and rational people don't.  

McGinn:

Finally, it reached third and 8. This time, Capers decided to take matters into his own hands, sending a six-man blitz with A.J. Hawk attacking the middle and Bush firing hard off the slot to Kaepernick's blind side against Gore.

 

Bush's job is two-fold: harass if not sack Kaepernick, and not permit him to scramble around his end.

*&^%#)(#&^$(*^%$&*_(^#&&

 

What a moron.

Discipline. Bush left his feet and that left him helpless when K took off. That was like taking candy from a rookie.

quite a few Safeties are due for FA. Whitner, Byrd, TJ Ward

 

Would love GB to get one of them and then draft some DL/LB help

I just hope TT realizes the chances of having 3 All Pro QBs in a row are exceedingly slim and at some point loads up a run for Rodgers. 

 

Draft and develop is nice, but it's also nice not to let a franchise QBs career slip away without making a push.  I'm not saying this is the season to do it but there is a window in the next 4 years while Rodgers is still at his peak.  I hope he adjusts his strategy accordingly.    

Rodgers mentioned that this game was another opportunity missed and the years are slipping by. TT needs to do a better job of taking advantage of the brilliant QB on his team.

This is what I have been thinking.

 

Will Rodgers win one more?

Any bets on when we draft Rodgers replacement? I'm guessing the 2015 or 2016 draft. 2019 is the last year on his contract, but I don't know if he sees that as he will be 36 at that point. It will depend on his level of player obviously and his health, but I think we will see his replacement drafted well in advance of his retirement as they did with Rodgers and Favre. 

Give Compers a contract extension.

I certainly have my doubts about AR winning another just based on how this team has looked the last 3 years.  There is also a stat out there about the odds of winning a SB taking a dive after a QB turns 30.

Prozac approves the last 5-6 posts. 

When Rodgers signed his his new deal he talked about that contract being the end... the other day he said I've played 9 years now, I'd like to play 9 more, or something like that.

When Dom was extended after the 2010 season, his contract along with Trgo, Greene, Perry etc were all synced up to end at the same time. I don't remember if it was after this season or next.

 

Sure would be fun to be a fly on the wall for some of those end- of- the- year meetings

Wilde or Imig talked about this last week and said contracts of assistant coaches are usually very well kept secrets, but the thought was Caper's ran through the 2013 season.

 

Christ. 

 

 

Back to the point at hand that DH13 stated, which I agree with.  What I see is TT bringing in players that need to be molded but we don't have enough coaches on staff that can get it done.  I truly believe Capers failure is he is stuck in strategy and not the kind of coach who is on the field putting a boot to asses.  If that's the case, then you better have solid position coaches who can and that goes back to MM not having a fully developed system particularly on the defensive side of the ball.  

 

I think MM gave Capers a fair amount of control over the defense and quite frankly Capers isn't that guy that consistently molds players.  It's the same thing I've been harping on with Campen.  First, TT drafted a bunch of guys that were hybrids but needed development, which didn't happen.  Two of those clowns go to other systems and what looked to be horrible players are serviceable linemen.  TT shifts up his draft tactic for oline, going after true olinemen and things pick up.  MM turns his attention to the run game as a whole this year and with the addition of Lacy and look what you got!  Lacy and a average line make some waves.

 

There is a disconnect between the talent being brought in and the coaches who shape that talent.  You have a scatter shot of assistants that are hit and miss and coordinators who seem to take their hand off the wheel on fundamentals because they are too busy playing mad scientist.  

 

It's these kind of situations that are prime for some new blood on coaching and pulling out some pretty impressive results in a hurry.

Yup, Henry, I agree. Capers is not a coach/teacher and with the young guys we have, we need a teacher as well as a strategist. I'm not sure what that tells us about our assistants, if they are not teachers or if their teaching is being pushed aside by Capers in favor of his X's and O's. After reading the comments about Greene and Trog when they first got to GB and how everyone raved about them as teachers, I think they may be suffering from Capers' mad scientist tendencies.

 

MM has adjusted to what he's been given, but I don't see Capers doing that. I think MM has left the defense up to Capers and props to him for giving him automony, but now MM needs to step in and figure out what's gone wrong defensively and then fix it. If anything else, he should be PO'd at having to figure out a way to score 30 every week to have a chance to win.

I agree with Vic's perspective on this........

 

Question by Anthony from Vero Beach, FL

Why are people constantly stating if Green Bay’s offense had the ball last they would have won? I saw it as a chance for our defense to step up on the biggest stage of all. Considering Capers and his knowledge and amount of draft picks he has had in two years, would it not be OK to expect more out of this Green Bay defense? And should Capers not be on the hot seat? If not, why?

 

Answer by Vic Ketchman

That defense was in no position to step up at crunch time on Sunday. It was depleted by injury and undermanned. Ask yourself this: How many players on the Packers defense Sunday night would start on the 49ers defense? That’s why Dom Capers shouldn’t be on the hot seat.

 

http://www.packers.com/news-an...68-91bf-16c5308b646a

 

The more I think about it, the less convinced I think Capers gets fired.  I think he'll be back.  McCarthy seems very loyal and I believe he thinks the Packers played well throughout the season despite the many setbacks/injuries.

 

Blown coverage, the inability to keep contain on the outside, and poor tackling/missed tackles have all been consistent themes with the Packers defense since 2011 no matter who has been on the field.  These are things that should have been corrected but have not been for 3 seasons now - that is on the defensive coordinator and his staff.

 

Capers job is to teach his players his defense and to put them in position to execute his game plan.  Based on what we have seen since 2011, he has failed.  I have a feeling if the Packers defenders played a more fundamentally sound brand of football we would be ranked higher than #25 in total yards allowed and #24 in total points allowed.