
It was refreshing to hear a member of the Green Bay Packers address the elephant in the room, yesterday.
“Nobody’s happy where we’re at right now. Nobody. We’re 2-2, man. That’s not good. We have too much talent to be 2-2. Too many people care to be 2-2,” nose tackle Ryan Pickett said.
This came as part of a rambling piece in the Green Bay Press Gazette that once again reiterated the Packers shortcomings. We know what the Packers shortcomings are – sacks, penalties, dropped passes, can’t pressure the quarterback, etc.
The question I have is, does anyone have the sense of urgency that now is the time to overcome these problems? Pickett is right, the Packers have more talent than a 2-2 team. Packers GM Ted Thompson had similar sentiments on Saturday.
The Packers should be at least 3-1, but they help their opponents beat them, whether it’s by making stupid plays or by not doing things they get paid to do.
The Packers have a very favorable schedule coming up, but now is the time to pull it together – something the team hasn’t always been able to do in the Mike McCarthy era.
We saw the same thing last year on a regular basis, and it contributed largely to the Packers 6-10 finish. Say what you will about the defense (and it was bad), but three things the Packers lacked last season was discipline, fire and a lack of urgency.
A killer instinct.
Unfortunately, McCarthy hasn’t proven himself capable of instilling these things in his team. Penalties have been a problem year in and year out. I can’t remember a McCarthy team that’s had the fortitude to put their boot on an opponent’s neck when they’ve got them down.
These intangible qualities come from the coaching staff. Whether supposed asskickers like Dom Capers, Kevin Greene and Mike Trgovac – three guys who were brought in to help turn around the defense – can bring that to the Packers remains to be seen.
The way the team has limped to 2-2 it seems like McCarthy is imposing his ho-hum style on the new coaches and it’s seeping into the team, rather than the new guys bringing some much-needed attitude to the Packers.
If the Packers are going to have any real success this season, it’s apparent that veterans like Pickett, Charles Woodson and Donald Driver are going to have to be more vocal.
The fire is going to have to come from within, and now is the time to light it.
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Last updated on April 30th, 2011 at 09:07 am
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