It turns out, the Green Bay Packers suck at forcing fumbles. So coach Mike McCarthy has made forcing and recovering fumbles an emphasis for the defense so far in OTAs.
“We’re trying to work more drills, we’re trying to put more emphasis on it,” defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. “You see us going to the ball with a little more intensity out there. You see everybody poking at the football, trying to get the ball out. We’re just trying to get them all conditioned mentally. Every time the ball’s on the ground, you see somebody scoop it. …Just to condition everybody to get to that ball, scoop the ball and try to get the mentality of taking the ball away.”
Obviously, this means the Packers will miss a ton of tackles this year because they’ll be too busy going for the ball.
However, they’ve clearly sucked in forcing and recovering fumbles. The Packers recovered just 12 fumbles last season, which ranked 30th in the NFL.
In fact, since McCarthy took over in 2006, the Packers have recovered just 55 fumbles, which is tied for last in the NFL over that period. Does it get worse?
You bet your ass it does!
Charles Woodson, who the team unceremoniously dismissed this offseason, was responsible for forcing 15 of those fumbles over that period. He’ll be forcing fumbles for the Raiders this season.
Maybe if the Packers would draft or sign some playmakers, they wouldn’t need to tell guys how to tackle and that they should try to take the ball away from the opposition. That’s obviously wishful thinking, though.