Things other playoff teams do the Packers do not.

Brady gets rid of the ball a hell of a lot quicker and is tall enough that the shorter passes are easier for him to both see and complete.   

Speed at LB is glaringly evident.  Gang tackling, too.

Colts run d looked familiar though. 

Tom Brady is 6'4". Aaron Rodgers is 6'2". Two inches makes it that much more difficult for Rodgers to see down field?

 

Funny, I've heard that Aaron Rodgers has one of the quickest releases in the NFL, from guys on TV that would know, like Ron Jaworski, Steve Young, etc. 

 

As for the speed at linebacker, not meaning to argue, tim, as I agree that we need a lot more speed there. My main question is why the corner backs aren't at all physical with receivers at the line. They're allowed to bump for the first, what, five yards? I don't see us doing that, and I'm curious as to why. 

The packers were know in the past  as a bump and run coverage team. The teams terrible safety play I think is the answer to your question why the Packers  currently don't do it well.

I honestly  don't think Rodgers is 6'2"  Favre is 6'2" and always seemed a tad bit taller than Rodgers. I think Rodgers is closer to 6'1".  I also always thought Brady was closer to 6'5" 

 

 

Rodgers and Brees 6'0

 

 

Rodgers and Frankenstein 6'5" (notice the 4 inches of forehead)

 

 

Frankenstein and Brady

  

Things Packers have done more recently than other playoff teams

 

 

 

Do you want to have a team that points to the past, Jon? I don't. I was as happy as anybody when we won it all in 2010/11. But I know, too, that a team that won the Super Bowl as recently as three years ago shouldn't be going one and out in the playoffs in subsequent years.

 

We have the best quarterback in the football. If my life depended on winning a game, I'd take Aaron Rodgers over Brady, Brees, or the Big Giant Head any day of the week. 

 

We have an absolute beast rookie running back in Lacy, a kick ass backup halfback in Starks, and another in Franklin that, if he can get healthy, gives us the exact same rotational talent, if not better, than the Patriots have right now.

 

We have one of the truly elite wide receivers in the NFL in Nelson. I think he's one of the top five in the NFL at his position. We have another rising star in Cobb, who can do anything-go deep, line up in the slot, or in the wild cat. And we have a guy in Boykin who catches seemingly everything that's thrown at him. And despite the sentiment expressed from some after this last game, I still think that James Jones is a very good receiver. 

 

Bakhtiari showed me something this season as a rookie. Provided he stays healthy, I think he's going to be a real good one. We have an elite guard in Josh Sitton, and he's not going anywhere soon. 

 

Our offense doesn't need a lot. It really doesn't. We need a few of our offensive linemen to step up, and stay healthy. I could see us using another second round pick looking for another guard, or a center. Protect Aaron Rodgers more, open up more holes for our outstanding running game...and suddenly we have an offense that is as good as any Green Bay has had since 1992 when Brett Favre came to Green Bay.

 

The defense is where we need to step up. We really need help at inside linebacker and safety. If we can fix those holes, we're not having to point back to 2010. We're looking at the future again with great optimism. 

"But I know, too, that a team that won the Super Bowl as recently as three years ago shouldn't be going one and out in the playoffs in subsequent years"

You mean like the Giants and Ravens??? Did the Giants even make the playoffs last year???

I'm ok looking to the past because I'm optimistic about the near future. TT and MM are smart competitive guys. They're not doing this to kill time. GB will be fine.

Seriously with this thread?

 

Hey, it didn't work out this year. It sucks. I really thought we were going to beat the Niners this year. It didn't happen & now we get to hear Harbaugh talk about how "clutch" his boy is

 

Look in the archive during the 2010 season. Lots of excellent nuggets in there. That's all I'll say.

Asking why we aren't more physical with opposing receivers off the snap is a perfectly legitimate question. If you don't think we need to do it, tell me why, Boris. I respect your football knowledge. 

 

Jon, I'm optimistic, too, but if it weren't for Joe Webb and his awful 11 for 30 start for the Vikings last year in the playoffs, we'd very likely be looking at one and done in each of the last three years. With the talent we have, I, like many Packer fans, are wondering what we could be doing better, or differently. That's what a forum is for, isn't it?

 

I know that even being in the playoffs the last three years is a feat in and of itself. A lot of the teams in the NFL, in fact most, can't even say that. And I know winning the Super Bowl is hard (and staying on top is even more difficult), and ever year there are 31 other teams that fall short. It just seems that with the lack of playoff success over the last three seasons, the Packers might consider doing some things differently. Nothing we say here is going to be earth-shattering. Ted Thompson's not going to log on to Times Four, and find some incredible revelation here. We're just talking, and I'm wondering out loud why some of the things I see other playoff teams doing aren't being done by our team.

 

Maybe Uncle Ted surprises us all. He's certainly smart enough to see if some things need to be changed, and he's savvy enough to do it. 

 

 

 

While I can't stand Carroll, I will say, he benched his starting OL for a non-starter because he 'practiced great' all week - that takes balls, and look, it panned out.  Can't see our coaching using that approach.  Going with your gut - that works out when you have a good football mind...

re post...just because.

 

We had a rough year with injuries and got beat by the ers on a last second FG.   Not a team in the playoffs we could not beat.   NFL is made for this ****.   Salary cap NFL parity.   Everyone every year has a shot.   Why most popular sporting event in this country.   When ers and hags have to pay 20mil for their QBs and some of other star young players things will be way different for them.

Tit, you better not let AR see your pictures.  He'll have a fit.

LS, the Seahawks have big physical corners and speed/quickness at LB to cover underneath. Not to mention having safties that give you even more diversity in your coverages. The Packers have smaller framed speed CB's in Tramon and Shields and marginal talent at ILB And safety.  Not going to be pressing much. 

Seattle is reliant on refs that allow them to carry press beyond 5 yards, which they do a lot. Same with SF. They get into trouble with refs that call things closely. Which is what makes watching Harbaugh /Carroll bitch out refs for things they encourage so enjoyable when they face each other. 

 

No disagreement though that the talent gap in the middle of the field on D between GB and SF/Seattle is one Ted has to close. 

Million dollar offense and a .10 cent defense in GB.  Gotta fix that this off season if the expectation is winning the SB.  

I didn't get the sense he played anywhere close to that level in the latest playoff game.  It's tough coming off a long layoff and against one of the best defenses, but you'd like a little more than what he gave.   

Having the best quarterback in football is fantastic.  But that alone doesn't get you where you need to go.  It's a helluva piece to build a team around though...  but even Rodgers can't cover up for ****ty defensive play game in and game out. 

Of the teams left in the NFC the Panthers and Niners might have the best front 7s in all of football.  The Seahawks probably have the best starting secondary in all of football and their DL and LBs are very underrated.

Now take a look at the teams that are sitting at home in the NFC.  Green Bay and New Orleans and Philly are mediocre at best on D.  Schemes have little to do with it.  Get better talent that's the answer

The thing that struck me watching the Colts last night was how much they looked/played like the Packers. Weak O-line play, and defensive front 7 couldn't stop anything/anybody. Although ARod didn't play anywhere near as bad as Luck did, the rest of the team was amazingly similar.

 

I'll ditto the comments about our short passing game. I'll agree if Rodgers sees a matchup that is favorable for a longer route, he has to go for it, but when our guys are whiffing or getting pushed back into the pocket, a quick, short pattern is in order.

I firmly believe short passes will set up the longer routes eventually. At the worst, it should require opposing defenses to make adjustments which may open up other favorable plays.

I noticed this as soon as I turned on the game, Jon. And, of course, as soon as one of the Saints receivers pushed off because they got sick of the BS bumping, the refs called them for it. 

QB driven league. So, pass protect and stop the pass. Need to do both better.

Panthers and Niners D looked like mirror images of each other in that first half.  Always physical to the ball carrier, always in their faces.

 

The short passes only work with certain looks.  Opposing D's have often locked those short passes out when they blitz because well, if anyone posting on this board can figure it out, I'm pretty sure an NFL DC can too.  Even Dom. 

 

We have all the talent needed on offense to dominate but it is a problem that we keep having difficulties scoring 7 in the red zone.  I remember not too long ago we were top 5 in that category.

Good article from last week on Seattle's key to success - mauling WRs on every play. The gist is that they hold or interfere all game long knowing that the stripes aren't going to flag every infraction. Even leading the league in PI calls only added up to 13 on the year. Any team would gladly take that tradeoff.

 

That said, there is still significantly more talent on that defense.

It seemed to me that the remaining teams all had defensive players who like to hit hard.

AJ Hawk likes to hit hard; it's just 10 yards downfield.

half of that statement is correct

Where the heck was that officiating when Woodson and Harris were getting called left and right against the Giants.

Simple. Have a pass rush. Put pressure on the qb.  Look back to seasons  GB was in the running ,we had that.  

I think MM has got to turnover the offensive play-calling to someone else.  All 4 coaches remaining in the playoffs do not have play-calling duties on game day.

@PFF 

This past weekend P. Manning held the ball for 2.5 secs or less on 26 of 36 dropbacks. No other QB had more than 14 similar dropbacks.

@ESPNStatsInfo <small class="time">5h</small>

P Manning: 2-8, 0 yds, 2 Int when holding ball for 3+ seconds in Wk 12 vs NE (17-28, 150 yds, 2 TD when releasing ball before 3 seconds)

 

Manning is like the exact opposite of Rodgers.  Interesting how one gets better with more time and one gets worse. 

You're missing the obvious.  AR may be 6'2", in cleats, but he's 6'6" in heals.  So he 

can always ask the equipment manager for those if he needs a little extra elevation.

Come on, you guys, am I the only one thinking here?