This comes as no surprise. Veteran receiver James Jones suggested the Green Bay Packers don’t believe in each other after Sunday’s loss to the Vikings.
“We’ve got to get back to work,” Jones said. “We have everything we need in the locker room. We just need people to believe in each other and once we get it rolling, it’s going to be hard to stop us.”
We love Jones’ optimism there, but the underlying statement is that the Packers have the talent (debatable), but they just aren’t on the same page (of course).
Frankly, this is one of the most disjointed football teams we’ve seen. It’s not quite Cleveland Browns-like dysfunction, but it’s moving in that direction.
You’ve got a head coach and a star player who seem to be working against each other and that’s where it starts. The rest of the guys are essentially left to pick a side and no one wins when that happens.
The Packers have gotten by with having more talent than other teams for a while. This season, they don’t have that luxury and so you either come together as a team through strong leadership or your flounder around until you die.
The Packers don’t have the leadership to overcome their lack of talent, not on the coaching staff or in the locker room.
22 Comments
We, as fans, no longer believe in them either.
I always had my doubts about this team because of McCarthy’s total buffoonisms, but still had hope they could overcome that and get it done like 2010. After last January ALL confidence went down the drain..
oh well, no Super Bowl this year again….
Maybe next week they will finally get their shit together. I think they are a better team than most are giving them credit for, especially the defense.
Ok. Who gets fired and how’s Coughlin look.
Like shit. Next question.
I hear they want a second rounder for Sean Payton ~ Given TT’s drafting record it’d be better if we gave up the draft pick – even if we don’t get Payton….
It’ll be nice watching you bandwagon jumping nits go away for awhile. We’ll have that going for us, which is nice.
A bandwagon jumping nit is someone who decides to root for another team. Packers fans don’t do that. Not after making the playoffs.
Bravo Harry ….
Or only root for your team when they have a first round bye and are 16-0……
When you hear statements like “in the 4th quarter we threw caution to the wind” —- that tells you all you need to know about the passing game and where the trust lies in this offense.
I contend there’s plenty of talent on this team, at least on the Defense ….
It’s the play-calling – inability to adjust to opponents having figured them out as well as obvious dissention in and around the locker room….
I give JJ credit for stepping up and trying to motivate these guys into playing over the bad coaching…..
I do like the JJs attempt at motivation. I just fear it is too little and too late, but the lack of talent part that Monty mentioned is the root cause. If there were better depth, a small number of injuries would not doom an entire season. Superior leadership only conceals lack of talent for a little while. The Chargers game just before the bye week probably should have been a loss. The Broncos studied that game tape, built a blueprint and game plan, and executed that plan very well. Everyone else has used that same blueprint ever since. The real solution is choosing better talent.
Thanks gort – I’ve been posting that regularly for since the SD game ….. Good to see you’ve picked up on it !
They should have lost to the Chargers, and they should have lost that fluke hail mary game against detroit. Technically this is an 8-8 team that should have been swept by the Lions.
There are 4 other games they “should have won”, so there ya go.
The defense has improved, through fits and starts, throughout the season. Dom clearly puts in a lot of effort each week, trying new things, compensating for injuries, and actually having a plan. Doesn’t always work out, but compared to the offensive coaching style of trying the same losing formula week in and week out, it’s nice to see someone in management is at least earning his paycheck.
Viking fan here. Yes, I am here to bask in the schadenfreude. Ugly but true. You guys feed me a steady diet. But… I am full now. So, what can I do to help? Yes, opposing teams have, to some degree, figured out the Packers offense. Most now know just man to man coverage with lots of defenders filling the short middle areas is the key to defeating the Packer offense. The Packer offense lived off of uncovered receivers (D playing zones) and short dumps to running receivers completed 90% of the time over the middle. These kept drives alive and padded the Hell out of Rodgers numbers. Without those “freebies”… pfffffffft. It is sort of like how the Cover-2 used to be great but eventually people really figured it out and now no one runs it constantly or even often. So, the coaches will need to change and so will Aaron or your future W-L record will be worse next year and even worse the year after that. Will they and can they change? We’ll see. Your GM, Ted Thompson, has some positives. The rare times he signs a free agent it works so he has good judgement — when he makes a move. He is also pretty much brilliant at drafting WRs after round one (and, for all we know, in rd 1 but he has not needed to do that because of later round success, especially round 2. Davante Adams is his one blemish but Nelson, Cobb, Jennings… you get the picture.). So, those are the good. Now, the bad. He often has plenty of money to sign free agents that could be a huge help to the team. Everyone, anyone, can see it. But, he does not. Why? Fear is the reason. Fear of a failed free agent signing and also fear his overall poor drafting will be revealed. TT is actually a poor talent finder. Rodgers fell to him due to sheer chance and luck. imagine this team with another QB. 6-10? Worse? Because outside the QB and Nelson the rest of the team is absolutely substandard. Outside of QB I would take the Browns team over this one if I were building a team. Truly, I think I would take any team other than the 49ers. Look at the Rams. The Rams! Outside of QB their roster is ten times more talented than the Packers. TT, by not signing free agents, automatically creates tons of openings for rookies to make the team and start early. So he can say, “Hey, look at all my draft picks who were not cut. Hey, look at how my 4th rounder got 8 starts this year. I am so smart. I am so brilliant. I am so good at my job.” Every team has the same number of roster spots and the same number of starters and games started. It is the QUALITY of play that is important. Who makes the team, how many starts, is all meaningless. If you look at the quality of play of TT drafted players, especially considering they have much less competition with almost no free agent competition, then you will see — you really must see — TT is very poor. A.J. Hawk in the Top 10… B.J. Raji in the Top 10… DT Justin Harrell in rd 1… Datone Jones… Perry… that OT in rd 1, what’s-his-face…
So, to sum up: Rodgers is overrated due to the system he was in. The system has been figured out. Coaches and Rodgers may not be willing or able to change or even able to understand they need to change and why. The roster has poor talent. And, aggravating that, TT is the one who made the roster so it is highly unlikely he can suddenly turn it around. Also, at least three of your players, including two of your three best defensive players, have been taking illegal drugs and HGH. Their supplier is caught, they are under increased media and NFL scrutiny, and there will soon be new testing procedures. Matthews, Peppers, and Neal will no longer be able to get away with their cheating and their level of play will drop significantly. The Lions and Bears each actually have more talent. It would not surprise me at all if the Packers place fourth in the division next year.
Wow^^ All that said, and absolutely no direct mention of the utter ridiculous lack of a running game this entire season. Rodgers simply can’t do anything about the complete lack of a running game, and now other teams’ defenses don’t even have to plan for it, as they no there is nothing at all to worry about. Even a decent running game equals a ton of pressure alleviated from the pass game. But, the best is Rodgers being overrated. So, the numbers over the course of his career, and the throws we as football fans have seen him make, which often times most qbs could only dream about, are examples of how he’s an overrated player?? Really, guy? Really?
Teams played cover two because Jordy Nelson and Cobb could take the top off your defense. Now it is easy to double Cobb, James Jones isn’t taking the top off of nothing and Adams hasn’t panned out. Richard Rodgers is not explosive enough to stretch the middle. Jeff Janis is the only other player with the size and speed to do it, but he must be slow between the ears or doesn’t catch well enough. The Pack needs a few deep threats to open the field for slants and middle routes. That and some back up linemen that can block a little and they are back in good shape.
Still think Rodgers himself is 1/4 of the problem and I think the team has gotten sick of the eye rolls and the receivers are tired of the passive aggressive attitude towards them when a play goes wrong. They don’t care to baby him anymore cuz he is equally responsible for the mishaps but never seems to acknowledge it on the field.