If you’re on Twitter today, you’ve probably seen this, touting how great Aaron Rodgers has been of late.
The Packers are 1-4 over the past five weeks.
Even though Aaron Rodgers has been absolutely on 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ewtMmz6Evj
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) November 27, 2016
Well, that’s swell and naturally, some fans are passing this around because look at how great Aaron Rodgers is!
The key there, of course, is that the Green Bay Packers are 1-4 in those games. And here’s the real the story. The reason these numbers look so great isn’t necessarily because Rodgers is so great. They look so great because the Packers have almost completely abandoned the running game.
The Packers have run the football just 93 times in those five games. Only 72 of those runs were planned, meaning 21 were passing plays where the quarterback scrambled.
Meanwhile, Rodgers has thrown the ball 229 times in that span. So the Packers are passing around 78 percent of the time over that span.
Plus, the Packers have also been down double digits in three of those five games. They had to throw the football out of necessity.
Sure, Rodgers isn’t the problem like he was early in the season. However, he’s attained these numbers because the Packers have been bad, they’ve had try to make up large deficits and they’ve questionably abandoned the running game almost entirely.
Put Blake Bortles on the Packers and he’d probably lead the league in these categories over the last five games as well.
What it should tell you is that the defense might as well not walk on the field.
Not walk on the field? Screw that. Leave ’em in Green Bay and save the coin on the airfare.
I agree, Rodgers is nothing special. Put anyone back there, they’d do just as well.
I’m blessed, not only is this site free. I learn so much from the brilliance of the content.
Thank you.
We’re so hall of fame quarterback rich, we have grown tired of it all. Let’s trade Rodgers and pick up Christian Ponder! You guys should recruit Florio to write for your gossip blog.
I was thinking Tebow. Maybe even Vince Young and Seneca Wallace, they looked pretty good when they were here. But yea, we get Ponder and i have no doubt we’d be going to multiple Super Bowls. Because……Samantha Ponder is a good woman who wouldn’t ruin our team..
I would take Rodgers over anyone.
Passing the ball a lot, is not as easy as it sounds. Receivers obviously get winded. But the real job is pass blocking. that’s hard duty pass blocking on almost 80% of the plays. Especially when Rodgers is the QB and all these guys have to hold their blocks, all while doing this with their back to Rodgers not knowing exactly where he is. They have to wait for a whistle, or for the play to get in front of them before they can relax.
I’ve been fairly critical of the O line. But blocking for Rodgers and waiting on these receivers isn’t easy.
It can’t be worse than run blocking, where you are not absorbing the DL’s momentum, but actually you have to push them back or to the side.
The fact that Rodgers moves unpredictably makes it tough for the OL to know where he is, I give you that.
I think the offensive line has actually played well for the most part. Besides Barclay. Like you said, it isnt the easiest thing to pass block for a qb that extends plays and is scrambling out of the pocket fairly often, all while receivers are rarely open in under three seconds. All while the defense knows they are throwing the ball and is going balls out to pressure Rodgers.
There it goes again… “we should run the ball”. Fuck no! We run more, we punt more. We have many runs stuffed at the line. Unless maybe those by Montgomery, but in that case it is aided by the defense not knowing where is he emerging from, and yes, the guy’s elusiveness. Our line is outright bad at run blocking. But the short passing game can work like a running game. Heck, I guess if we run, it is to keep the defense honest, not because we expect to win games by doing that.
McCarthy’s fav recipe for a three and out is run up the middle (stuffed) run up the middle (2yds), attempt to make a long pass (dropped, missed, very seldomly caught this season), punt. Besides our line being suspect at run blocking, the defense knowing what’s coming surely doesn’t help.
Dude, thanks for broadcasting The Stategy……
There goes the playoff run….
lol
“Put Blake Bortles on the Packers and he’d probably lead the league in these categories over the last five games as well.”
Wow… this just might be the single stupidest thing I have ever read on this site.
https://www.change.org/p/mark-h-murphy-at-the-end-of-the-2016-nfl-season-replace-mike-mccarthy-ted-thompson-and-dom-capers?utmSource=share_petition&utmCampaign=mobile_petition_view
Please sign this Chad Lundberg.
Gruden on ESPN Insider. “Rodgers Best QB in NFL, regardless of sinking ship he’s playing on. TRANSLATION: I would consider being the HC of Americas Team, and will win Super Bowls with this QB. Its what we need Packer Nation.
Someones gotta “drain the swamp” that Lambeau field has become….
He’d get it done….
https://www.change.org/p/mark-h-murphy-at-the-end-of-the-2016-nfl-season-replace-mike-mccarthy-ted-thompson-and-dom-capers?utmSource=share_petition&utmCampaign=mobile_petition_view
Let’s get 40 supporters after today and throughout the week.
Lol. Yeah, let’s just throw the ball 95% of the time! That is winning football. Yeah, the packers haven’t really been effective running the ball, but YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME SEMBLANCE OF BALANCE. Otherwise Rodgers gets decapitated. Also, running the ball increases your time of possession, and keeps the defense off the field. Short passing game doesn’t work well when the DBs are playing press coverage because they aren’t scared of being beat deep.
What good is to have three runs stuffed at the line? Yeah, it’s ok to run it from time to time ( unless you are SEA and it’s 2913, then you can afford to run to your heart’s content). They only keep the defense from completely knowing a pass is on the way, but the run cannot be our bread and butter. Not with this line, not with Starks.
If you take the QB position out of the equation then the Bears — yes, THE BEARS — are a better team than the Packers.
Think about it:
*Bears have better guards (thanks to MM) with Sitton and Long.
*Bears have better WRs with Alshon Jeffrey.
*Bears have better RBs.
*Bears have a better defense with Floyd and McPhee and Willie Young, etc.
The Packers have a better QB. But only when measured by play on the field. When measured in asshole points Rodgers is subhuman.
Killer have you even watched the bears this year? They are actually averaging more rushing yards per game without Sitton or Long. Sitton actually hasn’t played well and has been injured.