The Green Bay Packers offense has become too predictable, if you ask guard Josh Sitton.
That’s what he offered up for the team’s offensive struggles on Monday.
“I think that our offense has become too predictable. Teams know exactly what we’re going to do every week. We need to show them some different things,” Sitton said. “We’re not intimidating the defense right now. We’re not making them think, so they can just play really fast. And obviously, we’ve just got to execute better. We’re way too talented to not be playing at a high level right now. We need to execute what we do, and then do it better.”
We don’t completely agree with that. The Packers have mixed things up in terms of play calling over the past couple weeks.
They still aren’t bothering to run the football, though. So that’s become predictable.
Sitton also said the team’s energy level was subpar, something Aaron Rodgers mentioned after the game.
“I could feel the energy, and it felt real low — even through warmups. … The energy did feel low, and it has for the past couple of weeks. And I’m not sure why. We’ve got to correct it, though,” Sitton said.
Got to correct a few things, from what we can see.
Hopefully, this is rock bottom and we’ll see a new team next week, although we certainly have our doubts.
Gotta give the man credit for speaking up.
Question remains can they fix it…
I think this goes back to Clement’s play calling. How can it not?
You have McCarthy as an offensive minded coach who probably has a tremendous say in the offense, Clement’s as play caller and probably creates game plans, and Edgar Bennett as offensive coordinator. All three have to be on the same page for this to work. If one of these guys has any doubts about the other or if the message isn’t exactly the same from all three of them, that doubt spreads to the players.
wow, a big man with a humble heart. I am so glad to here something like this from a real NFL “Mensch” because the common view of professional sports in america is that it is strictly a business it is a meat market, and the pro’s are only loyal to their financial profit, they only do and say things to affect their bottom line.
and loyalty to the localities they represent and their fans who reside therein? it is supposed to come second after loyalty to “no. 1”, if it exists at all!
Mr. Sitton, we who are about to return to the colosseo to cheer at the next game, salute you, and we are grateful to have our support, of body and soul, [wallet too, LOL], VINDICATED.
Here is part of the problem, hard hitting journalism. Geez Josh whats the problem. Probably hard to run block and not get blown up the middle when you have all these reports hang off your nuts. How bout why are you guys getting blown up the middle? Is Linsley hiting the sophomore wall? Why are you predictable last year every knew Jordy was going to get the ball deep first play and that didn’t seem to stop you guys. Maybe the line is reading to much of their press.
Not that I think I would make a better general manager I remember the days of mike Sherman and even tim harris and Don majokski. So I’m not bashing the gm but I will say I would give up goodsen palmer and Janis for a Vernon davis right now all 6 and 7 picks. I understand the youth movement in the cap but Andre rison helped jump start us in 96. That’s this management though no panic no big moves stay the corse like the cowboys used to be with landry and the steelers for ever
good point, but in GB they have a time honored tradition of never changing horses if the horses have won a SB. that is why “choking Mike #1 [Sherman]” is no longer the HC.
If Sherman had been more Lombardi-like during his “Icebowl Moment” vs. Philly, with 4th and one foot to go to run out the game clock, he would have called a time out, got a play called that everybody was on the same page, and the SB would have been in sight as the last stop would have been Carolina, a team that they owned. and what was the downside risk? Philly gets the ball 20 yards closer to FG range to tie the game for OT.
If Sherman could have taken the time to think about what Lombardi would have calculated as the right play in that situation. and if Sherman had cared about the GB tradition of bold moves under tough pressure, a la said Icebowl, the rest would be a very different history for Sherman’s career as well as Favre’s, and the continued fearsome reputation of Titletown, to ring down the centuries of sports lore…
if and when they, at some future point, interview for a HC in GB, i would hope that one of the questions asked in the job interview would be something like:
what do you think about the legacy of great coaches that have come and gone here, and how do you view expectations in titletown of your filling such big shoes?
or at least ask the prospect what they think about following in the steps of the great Lombardi, as the next coach of the winningest pro football franchise in history?
Gentlemen, this is a football. He also said, “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.” Do we know right now what we have… That’s the question!
The answer to your question?
what we DO have: a young talented team with great potential.
what we don’t have: leadership, at least leadership that knows the secret of getting the team to get to the next level of competitiveness. the coaches have got to find a way to motivate AR and co. to WANT to win, to WANT to prep and do whatever it takes to go into MN and crush the purple sleaze in front of their horrified fans. and convince each player he will ENJOY the taste of “Yiking Blut”
after all, FB is just a slightly milder form of gladiatorial war.
the tragic choke-fest of last year’s finale has got them in a funk because now they are taking themselves and their careers too seriously. just ask Brian Bostick and the fired ST coach Slocum. it is so important to hire the right coaches in the FIRST place. it is like a battleshp that is going down the delaware river out to sea… when the USS New Jersey got just a little off course and out of the deep channel, it was all over. the great ship had run aground [c. 1950].
to put it another way: a stitch in time saves nine…
Energy was low and they could feel it? At home after losing 2 games in a row? Is everyone missing that quote? That is a SERIOUS FUCKING PROBLEM!!
Thats coaching and a lack of leadership from your veteran players.
So what will stop them from having “low energy” against the Vikings? The fear of losing 4 in a row? I mean the thought of losing 3 in a row didnt bother them.
Vikings are going to beat the Packers this weekend. Never thought in the last 20 years id say that, but its going to happen.
Then shit is REALLY going to hit the fan.
This may be the Mike Holmgren issue all over again. Coaches like MH and MM tend to lose teams after a certain number of years. Their “its my way or the highway” and overall rigidness, lack of willingness to adapt their schemes to the players they have; all tend to over time lose players, who tune them out.
I could be wrong and this team is just hitting a lull and will come back strong and get hot at the end of the season. I hope I am.
But one has to wonder….
i agree with your post. Now that they found out that they are not god’s gift to the SB, they must realize that they have become too full of themselves. they just need to forget all that “pro football is a serious business” crap and get back to the culture that Lombardi had: “We are all madmen to be crazy about a damn game played around an irregular bouncing object, but i admit i am the biggest madman of them all”
the point is: as much as Vince L. was crazy about the game he loved so much, and was driven to be the best, every year, regardless how many ch. he had won previously, HE STILL CONSIDERED IT JUST A GAME AND THAT A HEAD COACH OF THE GAME IS WAY LESS IMPORTANT TO SOCIETY THAN A PRIEST, THE U.S. PRESIDENT, OR EVEN AN “EXECUTIVE” OF THE FRANCHISE!
And that explains, my friends, the inexplicable: that the greatest HC of all time considered the next step towards the pinnacle of success was to be promoted from HC to General Mgr. because a successful, prominent business executive, was after all, to Vince’s blue collar upbringing, the pinnacle of success in a society founded on “free enterprise” [my how perceptions of our society have changed since Vince’s day].
another indication of Lombardi’s perception of how important being HC of the Packers was: before each home gameday sunday PM, Vince would faithfully attend his Catholic church Sun. AM services for duty as an altar boy.
i forgot to add my conclusion: that playing for Lombardi was fun because it was exciting: there was fear, of course, but not of losing, it was fear of displeasing the coach who had become almost a father figure to these young gladiators. and that’s why anyone who read the book “Instant Replay” will see in Jerry Kramer’s eyes that the real joy came from pleasing their great coach. It is not the joy of personal glory, personal career enhancement, personal FA contract bargaining power, etc. etc.
That also explains why guys like fuzzy Thurston, who were considered marginal players as NY Giants, were easily obtained by Lombardi who knew their true potential under a good coach, and of course Vince was right. He “stole” another player from lesser lights in NY who did not have the coaching talent to tap the great potential, or even recognize it, and released Thurston to GB for a song.
If MM is burned out and can’t regain the kind of dynamic communications style that is required of a violent contact sport, then it is time to concentrate on talent acquisition and development, but let the practice field and gameday decisions rest with those coaches that fit the bill, and fire the rest, regardless if they are his pals. the coaches and trainers must be top notch, like the GB of old, when many of the NFL’s best coaches had graduated from the Packers staff [e.g., Holmgren, Mariuchi, Gruden, Reid, et. al.].