Packers Insist They Are Not Tanking
We don’t believe the Green Bay Packers have decided to tank for the rest of this season. They are still in the NFC North race, a division that suddenly looks totally mediocre.
The playoff picture is another story. The Packers will likely have to win the North to get a slot in the tournament. Obviously that’s not out of the question. The frickin’ Bears currently lead the division at 4-3.
Still, the Packers moved two key contributors at the trade deadline. One — safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix — was a starter who played every snap this season.
Just like Jon Gruden got the questions when it was clear he was driving the Raiders into the ground this year, so did Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst. And just like Gruden, Gutekunst insisted the Packers are not tanking.
“I don’t necessarily think there’s a message it sends to the locker room,” Gutekunst said. “I think the decisions that we make are always in the best interest of our team, not only in the short term, but the long term, as well. But I think our locker room knows where we’re headed and, like I said, I think we’re humming at the right time and I think there’s a lot of positive things going forward.”
Personally, I believe the guy. Both of the players Gutekunst traded were distractions in the locker room. Neither was going to be with the Packers next season. So to a degree, it was addition by subtraction.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, asked about the moves and the state of the locker room, chimed in with his best “trust the process” quote.
“We’ve got to trust what Brian is doing and he’s making moves that are in the best interest of the team,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “In this situation, we need guys to step up in those spots. Obviously Aaron and Jamaal [Williams] have been playing really well, so more opportunities for those guys, and the defense will take care of what they need to with the safety spot…
“I think we’ve got good leadership. I think nobody has been hanging their head. We’re obviously disappointed about the result on Sunday. I wouldn’t say anybody is discouraged, though. I think we’re a tight-knit group. … We hang out together, we enjoy each other’s company and you’ve got to stick together. You’ve got to stick together through losses, through decisions that are made that are out of our control and keep moving forward with the same vision.”
It seems like the Packers have cleaned up whatever locker room mess they might have had. That should keep them from imploding for the rest of the season.
They still need to win some games, however. And they are currently in the toughest part of their schedule. The Packers are at New England this week. Then they get Miami at home, followed by road games at Seattle and at Minnesota.
It could get uglier before it gets better.
On the bright side, if the Packers have two losing seasons in a row, maybe we can finally be rid of Fat Mike.
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Seriously? If anything, they got better by dumping this shit player.
With all the praise being bestowed upon BG, the fact remains he did nothing about the known safety problem during the off season. That is on him. At least 2 losses might have been wins had he done his job. He had no plan B for Dix not improving from last season. Brice was just poor player evaluation skills. Hope he learns from his mistakes.
You’re not wrong at all, but there’s also only so much you can really do in one off-season to erase and fix years of bad acquisitions (aka, Bad T.T.). You’re not going to be able to fix everything in one-season.
I think Safety, at the time, was one of those gray areas. We lost Morgan, but had some potential talent to back-fill in Brice and Whitehead. Again, at the time, I think that’s what the understanding was. Unfortunately it’s played out much differently throughout the season and now we know that’s a glaring weakness.
I’d venture to say that O-Line and Edge Rushing were the more immediate concerns, over safety during the off-season. But then again we also had nothing at Cornerback, and our WR depth was practically non-existent. I think he did well in the draft to shore up those two weaknesses into what looks like areas of strength for years to come.
Overall, I think has done well to earn his paycheck so far in his tenure. But while the early signs are promising, he still has plenty of work to do.
What difference does it make to make the play-off? Does anyone really think they’ll win anything with No Stones McCarthy at the helm?
I Brian Gutenkust would like to call a press conference to tell Packer fans that we are yes indeed tanking and that this is just the start of some big changes coming as we look forward to 2019 and beyond. Thanks for all your patience and as always Go Pack Go!!
Trading HHCD is not a sign of tanking lmao
McCarthy has to be going to Alfred E’s office everyday to say….(with a mouthful of food) Hey Alfred…He can’t fire me right buddy? I report to you…right Alfred? I’m a highly successful coach…just ask me. Has he been in here lately to see if he can fire me? He can’t right? Alfred? Alfred?…Looking up from the balance sheet making a ton of money…Alfred yells…. “Shut up you fat fuck! and stop coming here every day your farts really smell”