Everyone knows the Green Bay Packers’ passing attack, after years of reliability, fell apart last year. But after nearly eight months of offseason and preseason focus, the result on Sunday – 199 passing yards against a seemingly average defense – was disappointing.
From 2010 through 2014, the Packers never averaged below 253 yards per game in a season. Even in 2015, the team did better than on Sunday, with a 219 yard passing average. Only in three games last year did the Packers fail to gain at least 200 yards. Consider the 200-yard mark equivalent to the Mendoza Line – a major league baseball batting average of under .200. It’s a threshold of incompetence.
After Monday night’s games, only 10 of 28 NFL teams failed to pass for 200 yards or more in week 1. In 2015, only the Vikings and the Rams were unable to average 200 passing yards per game. Even most of the rookie and fill-in QBs managed 200+ yards in week 1: Carson Wentz (278 yards), Jimmy Garoppolo (264), Shaun Hill (236), and Dak Prescott (227). Hell, Jay Cutler had 216.
Right now, the Packers passing attack bears no resemblance to the Packers of 2010-14. It’s very reminiscent, though, of 2015. The field is rarely being stretched, receivers are not getting separation, loads of unproductive short throws, and Aaron Rodgers not attempting to execute the play as called.
All three of Green Bay’s touchdowns in week 1 resulted from broken plays, and due only to the scrambling ability of the quarterback – that at least hasn’t slipped.
Nor did Rodgers spread the ball around. Twenty-four of his 33 passes were to Nelson, Cobb, or Adams. The tight ends were all but forgotten (two catches on five throws), as were the running backs (two of three).
Few expected the passing game to instantly return to pre-2015 levels – it’s not a switch that can be turned on or off. It’s pretty clear, though, that the falloff has more causes than the absence of Jordy Nelson.
Who can dispute Monty’s observation that Jerad Abbrederis earned more snaps this preseason? Call it an experiment if you want, but if the team keeps doing the same things it did a year ago, why should we expect different results now?
It’s the first game of the season you moron!!
R-E-L-A-X
Bakhtiari…51 million?…seriously?
Dude, R-E-L-A-X. Fish will ride on Bicycles before the Packers can’t effectively move the ball. It’s the first game, there’s a lot of rust. The Jaguars, regardless of how good or bad they are, are an unknown because their entire team especially their defense is completely new. You don’t take chances with a team that is a complete unknown. Guarantee you had this game been in week six, Packers likely trump the Jags by the first quarter. This should have been completely expected by everyone. The 2014 season started out slow too.
RELAX….its the 1st game……rust my friend, just rust. Wait till week 2 when Rodgers has all the time in the world, the receivers get separation, when Lacy runs for 120 and we gain over 450 yards and put up a 50 burger on the Vikings.
Game 1 with basically no game reps. I wouldn’t be too concerned just yet. Although they didn’t attempt to stretch the field as much as I would have liked and were terrible once again in the red zone. I would like to see a few weeks of game action before making a harsh judgement. I agree though that the receivers aren’t getting the greatest separation and Rodgers is hesitant to sling balls in there. Hated the play calling the last red zone drive that resulted in a field goal. Need to be more aggressive and put teams away in my opinion. But what do I know I’m a guy on a massage board. Regardless of that. I’ll wait a couple more games to form my true opinion of this offense. For now I will give them the benefit of the doubt
Message board ***
I was intrigued by the idea of blogging while on a massage board….
Yes I think you may be onto something here…. Or am I onto something? Either way…
Well I hope we can put up numbers like we did last year on the Vikings I do however see the same problems as last year,awful play calling,not utilizing talent (Abby,cook)and bad time management(delay of game,really with a veteran quarterback). Go Pack Go!
Im with you guys, too early to tell.
To MMs defense Scripting Game plan against Jags was a challenge given no tapes available for totally revamped crew.
Be grateful they didn’t shit the bed like the NEW LA Ramettes and Caseless Keenscum
Cost me my fantasy win….
I can tell common sense is lacking in this comments section. Too early to tell? Its just the first game?? Rust??? Blake Bortles passed for 320 yards so apparently he figured out the magic formula to knock off the rust that the Packers couldn’t.
Listen up…..There is no room for reasonable thinking in here Mister. Watch your step.
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Agree with pretty much everyone here. Too early to tell. However if game two rolls around and the tight ends have 5 targets again. Gonna get a big What the fuck from me
It’s hard to relax seeing the same old shit from circus Buffoon.
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Its rust, but I also think the Packers were looking to the Vikings game and not giving them any tape from which to game plan. So what we saw was basically the same miserable offensive scheme from 2015. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nelson and Cook streaking down the field Sunday night and a whole lot more play from Abbrederis.
So what youre saying D…
It was All planned……
They didnt wanna show cards to ‘queens…
I could go with that theory, though it’d be pushing it on MM being able to use stategery
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It’s this, it’s that….blah blah, blah……
Want to know what it is, it is the same shit as last year, different season. All we heard about is Rodgers and the boys don’t need preseason reps. Well….did they or didn’t they?
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Out of all the Packer sites I have visited, posted and quit or got kicked off of (because I do not just blindly follow) this site has the most posters with independent thought. It is a breath of fresh air to see that there is a place that I can visit that actually has people with cognitive skills and an understanding of the NFL and it’s different factions of the game and it’s most important (and much less talked about aspect) the “body politic” whether micro (just the Pack) or macro (The NFL). Everyday I am thankful that there is a site that gets it and is irreverent at the same time with humor and discourse. Oh, do not get me wrong, there are a handful of “homers” on here as well! But most of them are FINALLY seeing what many of us have seen for years! Sometimes good things take time . . . I can finally read and say what I have been seeing for years about the Packers without getting as much vitriol as I do from other sites. Thanks peeps! Go Pack Go!