The way to Defense the Packers

Rodgers completed every single pass thrown to receivers being covered by Adam Jones. 

Keep pressin' dip****.

Leon Hall is the only impressive player in the secondary. 

Best thing a defense can do is go to the head of one of the Packers main offensive weapons early. Get them out of the game. One less weapon to worry about.

I'm surprised it took 24 hours for "Blueprint" to make an appearance.

I'm surprised the Packers didn't dial up more screen plays to Franklin based on the DB's running with the WR's in press coverage and high safety help.

But whatever. Plenty of things went haywire yesterday that led to this loss. Rodgers play being one of them.

Bad Bob strikes again.  His columns are always a hoot to read a few weeks after they are published, when games have been played and facts established.  For example, he wrote a couple of weeks ago that he had no idea why Franklin was on the roster, wrote before the training camp how the Pickett was out of shape, and as recently as 2011 wrote this:

"the Green Bay Packers are going to make the Super Bowl seem like old hat by the time Aaron Rodgers and the stacked lineup around him are finished."

Bob is like a weather vane, his column merely reflects which way the current weeks prevailing thought about the Packers is blowing.

Correct. As if the Bengals "suddenly" figured out how to beat GB. The blueprint's been out for years just like it has when N.O's offense was hot, when Brady and Co were the latest and greatest, and just like read option QB's are being exposed by defenses who have now studied them long enough (see KaperDick) to now know how to defend them.

If Rodgers has even an average game by his standards then Bobby is writing how GB just had too many weapons for the Bengals to handle and how teams will take ugly wins over pretty losses any day, blah blah.

Wake me up when McGinn writes an insightful piece again. I get more of that here then I do by reading what "journalists" are coughing up on JSO.

A lot of the reason why AR was off yesterday had to do with tight coverage on the WR's and pressure from the CIN DL, no?  Not many teams are capable of executing this "blueprint" (ugh, flashbacks to 2011) but AR didn't just have a bad game because of some random uncontrollable variable.  There may be some of that but CIN executed their game plan vs. him.

“Our game plan was to cover and let the defensive line make sacks,”

wow, that is one bizarre defensive strategy. so crazy it might just work.

theyre on to us now, were done!

The blueprint for beating the Packers:

1) Injure their 1st round RT

2) injure their 1st round LT

3) Injure their starting free safety

4) injure their slot CB

5) injure their number 1,2,3,4 running backs

6) injure their playmaking TE

7) force their KR to fumble the kickoff

8) allow the Packers to score 30 points in a row

9) commit 4 turnovers

10) Force them to bench Clay Matthews

So easy a caveman could do it

And if the Packers faced the Bengals again this year, the point spread would be GB -7.5... @ Cincinnati.

On a neutral field (in New jersey for example.. ...), it would be GB -10.5

Right as usual, Satan.

They sure did it to FINLEY didn't they. arsewipes

Chili I saw you yelling for the screen in the game thread. Franklin had the rep in college of good hands.

Since the first game of the season I've been screaming for screens. You know the LBs are preoccupied with Finley. Great way to neutralize the rush and gas their DL too. 

Some might argue that attacking the Packers OL is the key. There were receivers open if Rodgers wasn't getting hit (once by EDS being pushed) or having the ball batted back in his face.

With a banged up secondary Zimmer was able to hold AR to his 5th lowest QBR....of course it had a lot to do with his scheme! Not all DC's are as stupid as Washington's & just let us do whatever we want. The DB's were extremely well prepared. An example was AR's second INT. The Packer's appeared to believe that they had the DB set up for a big play. Cobb ran an out pattern, trying to lure the defender into undercutting him & then turned it up the sideline. AR released the ball when Cobb made his turn, but the DB never bit on the fake, Cobb got no separation and the DB was in perfect position for the INT. Of course defending the way they did contributed to our big running day. However when you don't hit big pass plays you can't turn the ball over & must score TD's in the Red Zone. Would have liked to see some bunch formations to get WR's into patterns cleaner.  

Nah, AR just had a "bad day".

I was suprised at how well they had the short routes covered yesterday- especially considering they were banged up.  They were in the WR's hip pocket early and often underneath.

Knocked that out of the park, Satan. 

Normally, I'd be a little worried about a 1-2 start. I still strongly believe that this is one of the top 5 teams in the league. I have no doubt this team will be in the playoffs and be in prime position to make serious noise in the postseason. Does anyone honestly believe the Bears are the best team in this division right now? Maybe I'm hitting the kool-aid a bit too much, but I just don't see it.

I agree - if the youngins keep developing and we cut our mistakes down.  At the moment I don't think we are playing like a top 5 team.  I think the talent is there from the top down, they just need to bring all together.  And stay healthy.

Indeed- The bengals CBs could squat on the short stuff because they knew they always had safety help.

Once Finley went out, the safeties widened their landmarks and took away the deep perimeter, the very place where GB likes to attack

That's also part of why GB was able to rush for 180 yards- the safeties were busy helping the DBs out.

GB game plan was to exploit the slow LBs and press the safeties with Finley- losing him early put a big dent in the game plan. Quarless got deep up the seam on one play, but Rodgers was occupied dodging DL

And without his personal protector in Kuhn,  MM kept extra guys in to assist in pass pro

Some plays, they only had 2 WRs vs 5 DBs

Its all interconnected and without Kuhn to block and Finley to bust the seam, GB passing game was off. They'll learn from it

Paranoia alert. Do you think the blow to the head on Finley was a deliberate attempt to get him off the field, or just a typical, low-blow from this classless team.

I think the shot to Finley's head was a reflection of how they're taught to play. I think the shot to Rodgers head on the 1 yard line on his roll out looking for Ross was more of the same. I thought the DL diving at AR's knee on his TD pass to Jones was way over the line. I actually would have been fine with Barclay beating the living f**k out of that guy for that stunt. And yeah I'm going with Barclay because if he's ejected he's the guy most easily replaced.

That no flags were thrown on any of them but Jennings being flagged 15 yards for spinning a guy to the ground 1 yard out of bounds was interesting.

No excuses. But officiating overall in the NFL after 3 weeks has been pretty bad. And I think that's nothing more than an extension of officials having no idea what the NFL front office believes is a penalty. I can't remember more fines being handed out when no flag was thrown. I expect a few more this week.

I didn't thing the low hit on the TD was dirty.  He had a QB getting away from him and he dove.  With all the running QB's do now, I am sure that is the last ditch of the slow dl to get tackle.  They have to be given some shot to bring the guy down.  I also though the one flag for the guy slapping AR's helmet was ticky tacky, but I get why the flag was thrown. 

Really glad AR wasn't hurt though. 

Paranoia alert 2: Anyone see some pattern developing here in guys aiming for the G on our helmets? Is it just us, or does it seem like more and more guys are aiming at heads? Maybe in the hopes of getting certain guys out of the game, e.g., Starks when he's tearing up a team, Lacy when he's expected to be tough, and now Finley who could have exposed Cincy's slow LBs? Just sayin'... 

On another note, if Cincy's LBs were ripe to be exposed, why did MM go away from the plan so fast? Couldn't he have tried Quarless or Bostick in that role before just ditching it? So far this year, it seems like MM has called one so-so/pretty good game, one excellent game, and now one stinker. A little consistency would be nice.

He couldn't use Quarless because he's been doing his best Ed West impersonation on routes.

As noted by DH, Quarless isn't fast enough to run away from the LBs like Finley is and Bostick is still under development. These differences help us understand why Finley is such a weapon.

His speed is too much for LBs and his size is too much for DBs. Most other TEs don't have both of those attributes and that's why Jermichael cashed an $8 million check this year. Its also why Jimmy Graham is holding out for max cash in N.O.

The difference between a very good TE and an elite TE is not huge, but it is really really valuable in attacking a defense

When Finley is at his peak (late 2009 and so far this year), he looks like he's playing against the JV.

Granted, no other tight end on the roster has the ability of Finley, but why totally drop those plays without at least trying some and/or sending out the TE as a decoy to open things up? Not saying it would have changed the outcome of the game, but I think MM can be very quick to ditch things at times.

Lack of reps in practice. Not being mentally prepared to go. Coaches at all levels preach it incessantly "you are one injury away from being the starter. Prepare as if you are." but not everyone listens.

Or, after Finley went out it was easier for the CIN D to take that option away from the Packers.

Quarless did himself no favors with AR or the coaches either when he dropped an easy 1st down pass.

Aren't slow LBs made to order, dreams are made off, gone to heaven, mis-matches galore, coaching 101 for screens to a quick back like Franklin?!?!

Or at least isolation in the flat? chit, it should have worked the whole game against slow LBs

I don't know if it's a "blueprint" but the way you beat the Packers is a strong DL and strong OL and both the Niners and Bengals have that.

Neither team has what I would call a good secondary but if the horses up front are controlling tempo and the line of scrimmage that's a problem for Green Bay

Cincy's strategy of having their DL jump up at the end was smart.  Too bad MM didn't adjust accordingly.

Seems the way you beat QB's like Manning, Brady, Rodgers is to jam the WR's at the line, screw up routes and timing, and have 4 pass rushers that can break down the pocket.

I think the blueprint started in 2003 when Belichick jammed the Harrison, Wayne and Clark all day. That game changed the rules for contact (Manning rule) but the whole jam receivers at the line to mess with the offenses timing stuck. Giants did a good job of that as well. So did Cincy last Sunday. Looked like GB had the running game to beat Cincy's plan until the RB's started dropping. Hope the RB's can stay healthy.

The encouraging thing to take out of this game is that the run game seems to be a factor this year.  Cincy is a better defense with a solid front 7, and we put up more rushing yards than we have in years in this game.  It did feel a little herky-jerky, because I don't think the coaching staff was sure what it had with Franklin back there and so it wasn't as integrated into drives as it could be in the future.

However, the assertion has always been that with a good run game we would be unstoppable.  With a healthy Finley attacking the middle, and a good run game, teams are going to have a hard time playing man to man on us.  If they do, we can have our WR just run them off on deeper routes, Finley run off a middle LB, and let the running backs go to work on 6 or 5 man fronts.

Fandame, I agree with you.

The game plan shouldn't be about one player. Using Finley to leave lead-footed LBs in the dust is sound, of course, but they have to be prepared  if he goes out of the game. It's not like it hasn't happened before.

And I don't think you can abandon a game plan if the team has to use a TE that happens to be slower than another one. That makes no sense to me.

Part that was overlooked about Franklin on Sunday was he had no issue putting his pads into a DL or LB. The guy can block. He may need to work on recognition but he knows what to do when he's face to face with a defender.

He's a keeper.

Thanks, Timmy. I agree about a guy going down. You gotta have a Plan B or a package of plays for Player B if you want to focus on one guy like they wanted to use Finley and he goes down. Why not try Quarless more than once or Taylor? No wonder it seemed like the game was a mish-mash of playcalling.

Agree, that is why I was surprised that we didn't use some bunch formations to try and stymie the press coverage. It isn't a case of Franklin not being willing to block, it's a case of him getting physically overwhelmed by bigger LBer's who have a three-step head of steam (that was what was giving him problems in camp). 

I thought Franklin looked fine in pass protection.  You don't need to pancake people... you just need to be willing to stick your hat on a guy to slow them down.  Franklin did that.