2014 Offense- Run > Pass?

[armand34]

I personally would love to see the Packers run way more then they ever have in the past. I understand match-ups dictate what Rodgers will do before the snap, but I can't stand those moments when Rodgers is holding on to the ball and trying to make something out of nothing. IMO, you just can't do that when we have 3 legitimate RB's that have proven their ability to produce. I'm seriously hoping that we become a run first team because I feel that would make our offense so much harder to stop. This year may be the Packers best combo of O-Linemen & RB's since MM took over. I WANT TO SEE THEM PUT TO USE!

 

[I_am_smoked_cheddar]

Each weeks opponent will dictate each weeks game plan. I believe the Offence may be so good that it can dominate defences using either the run, or the pass, or both. However it is to early predict team success until well into training camp.
The wildcard is the Defence. As many have heard before, "Offence wins games, but Defence wins championships". I firmly believe this axiom to be true.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I personally would love to see the Packers run way more then they ever have in the past. I understand match-ups dictate what Rodgers will do before the snap, but I can't stand those moments when Rodgers is holding on to the ball and trying to make something out of nothing. IMO, you just can't do that when we have 3 legitimate RB's that have proven their ability to produce. I'm seriously hoping that we become a run first team because I feel that would make our offense so much harder to stop. This year may be the Packers best combo of O-Linemen & RB's since MM took over. I WANT TO SEE THEM PUT TO USE!

As long as Rodgers is the Packers QB the team will always be a pass-first offense. The improved running game won´t allow defenses to sit in two-deep safety formations for most of the game though as Lacy and Starks will punish them for doing it, opening up the passing game in the process.

 

[Oshkoshpackfan]

I think it will be a fair balance given that Lacy is such a beast. I as a fan, am hoping for more passing.....nothing beats an Arod air assault. I would really like to see Lacy and starks wear down the D line and LB's with a solid run game to start off, mixing in some quick shots to cobb..... that will all set up the long range missle to Nelson. As long as Arod is healthy and so is our WR corp, this will be passing offense, with a decent dose of pound the rock. I would say it is a 60/40 split this season.

 

[Pkrjones]

Nothing wrong with being a pass-first offense as long as there's a running game to compliment it. '11 & '12 running attack didn't keep too many D's honest, so many times GB was basically a pass-only team.

Keep the D guessing, mix in 12-15 Lacy runs per game and his backup another 8-10 and let AR kill the D with scoring strikes. 55%-60% pass is OK with me as long as AR stays upright and the run game is used effectively. Definitely don't want to burn-out Lacy by pounding him 20+ times per game, every game.

 

[scotscheese]

with our pass options I would still expect us to use the pass more than the run, but as we have a very good running game also now, i would hope to put less pressure on Rodgers to win us games with his arm, and also see the clock geting run down in the latter stages of games to stop last minute sscores

 

[TJV]

For the past four regular seasons (according to my math and nfl.com) here are the Packers’ percentages of passing plays: 56.2%, 58.3%, 56.3%, 55.4%. (The percentage of intended passing plays is higher - if the pocket breaks down and Rodgers runs with the ball, it's categorized as a running play.) In the four games of the 2010 playoffs it was 55.0%. So my guess is the percentage of passing to running plays this season will be about 55/45, 56/44 and that’s fine with me. What is most exciting is the running game should be much more than just a tool to keep defenses honest, and not just because of Lacy. Rodgers’ ability to take advantage of defenses at the LOS should be more effective than ever.

 

[Oshkoshpackfan]

For the past four regular seasons (according to my math and nfl.com) here are the Packers’ percentages of passing plays: 56.2%, 58.3%, 56.3%, 55.4%. In the four games of the 2010 playoffs it was 55.0%. So my guess is the percentage of passing to running plays this season will be about 55/45, 56/44 and that’s fine with me. What is most exciting is the running game should be much more than just a tool to keep defenses honest, and not just because of Lacy. Rodgers’ ability to take advantage of defenses at the LOS should be more effective than ever.

wow, good research and numbers. I guess to the eye ball test, it just appears that we pass alot more than run. I didn't even realize that it was that close. Well, either way, we now have the best run game we have had in a long time so I don't mind wearing the other team down with that bull dozer lacy.

 

[Carl]

I'm hoping to see more deep play action touchdowns like Jordy's TD vs. the Ravens. That was gorgeous.

 

[SoonerPack]

I am hoping for a near 50/50 split. I love seeing 12 carve as much as the next guy does but I also know that nothing is more demoralizing than those long, 10-13 play drives with multiple 3rd and short conversions. Maybe my biggest desire for a near split is the more we run the fewer chances defenses have to hit AR with that dreaded "kill shot." Also, there is running just for the sake of running and running because you are just damn good at it. I think this team falls into the latter and will be utilized as such. The simple fact that we have 2 horses and a water bug (w/power mind you) pretty much demands that we utilize the run game more this year than the past. Lacy is a beast, end of story. Starks has all pro talent, IMO, but as we all know has major durability issues. Harris showed flashes of brilliance in his limited PT and serves as a wonderful change-of-pace option. When you are loaded up with RB talent like that combined with a hungry, growing O-Line I simply can't understand why you wouldn't lean on them. To me it's a win/win. There is nothing better than being able to keep the D on their heels and a proper mix and utilization of both run and pass and this current group sets up to be a flat out nightmare for D-coordinators all season long. If you cram the box Rodgers will absolutely shred you. Keep the safeties back and you will receive the old "death by a thousand cuts" treatment. The wild card to me is the TE play and I for one am actually expecting some good things out of that group this year. Whether it be Quarless, Rodgers, Bostick or Lyerla if one of these guys can step up and prove to be a middle of the field threat I just can't see how this offense can be consistently stopped for long stretches of time. I mean, where the hell do you concentrate your defensive attack? As a former debater I always try and look at every situation from multiple angles and no matter how I try I can't come up with a logical explanation as to how a defense can put the clamps on this unit for 60 minutes. I am not naive and understand that each game is different and there will be some games where be it suffocating defense or mental lapses the offense will be stymied. However, when you look at the season as a whole I see us having the upperhand many more times than not. It's going to be a great year and whether it ends up 50/50, 60/40 or 70/30 all I care about is the final number being FIVE! Let's get it and GPG!

 

[gatorpack]

I am hoping for a near 50/50 split. I love seeing 12 carve as much as the next guy does but I also know that nothing is more demoralizing than those long, 10-13 play drives with multiple 3rd and short conversions. Maybe my biggest desire for a near split is the more we run the fewer chances defenses have to hit AR with that dreaded "kill shot." Also, there is running just for the sake of running and running because you are just damn good at it. I think this team falls into the latter and will be utilized as such. The simple fact that we have 2 horses and a water bug (w/power mind you) pretty much demands that we utilize the run game more this year than the past. Lacy is a beast, end of story. Starks has all pro talent, IMO, but as we all know has major durability issues. Harris showed flashes of brilliance in his limited PT and serves as a wonderful change-of-pace option. When you are loaded up with RB talent like that combined with a hungry, growing O-Line I simply can't understand why you wouldn't lean on them. To me it's a win/win. There is nothing better than being able to keep the D on their heels and a proper mix and utilization of both run and pass and this current group sets up to be a flat out nightmare for D-coordinators all season long. If you cram the box Rodgers will absolutely shred you. Keep the safeties back and you will receive the old "death by a thousand cuts" treatment. The wild card to me is the TE play and I for one am actually expecting some good things out of that group this year. Whether it be Quarless, Rodgers, Bostick or Lyerla if one of these guys can step up and prove to be a middle of the field threat I just can't see how this offense can be consistently stopped for long stretches of time. I mean, where the hell do you concentrate your defensive attack? As a former debater I always try and look at every situation from multiple angles and no matter how I try I can't come up with a logical explanation as to how a defense can put the clamps on this unit for 60 minutes. I am not naive and understand that each game is different and there will be some games where be it suffocating defense or mental lapses the offense will be stymied. However, when you look at the season as a whole I see us having the upperhand many more times than not. It's going to be a great year and whether it ends up 50/50, 60/40 or 70/30 all I care about is the final number being FIVE! Let's get it and GPG!

All while keeping the Packer D on the sidelines!!!

 

[TJV]

I am hoping for a near 50/50 split.

I’ll be surprised if it’s 50/50. It made sense to run the ball more last season with Rodgers out and Lacy’s great rookie season and they still “only” ran the ball about 45% of the time. What I really would like to see is for Rodgers to get even more flexibility calling plays on the field (ala Peyton) – he’s that good. Even if he doesn’t, I’d like to see him punish defenses by taking advantage of what their showing pre-snap whether it’s a run or pass. IOW, the weakness of the D will dictate the percentage of pass vs. run. However, IMO the Packers still have to be a pass first team - their OL was built with that in mind and most likely won't be a dominating run-blocking OL.

BTW, Mike Vandermause said UDFA RB Rajion Neal looked “fast and smooth” and I think I read another positive report on how he looked. Of course the pads weren’t on, but the Packers’ RB stable may be even deeper than it appears.

I am hoping for a near 50/50 split. . It's going to be a great year and whether it ends up 50/50, 60/40 or 70/30 all I care about is the final number being FIVE!

I agree it's going to be a great year but what does the final number being FIVE mean?

 

[SoonerPack]

I’ll be surprised if it’s 50/50. It made sense to run the ball more last season with Rodgers out and Lacy’s great rookie season and they still “only” ran the ball about 45% of the time. What I really would like to see is for Rodgers to get even more flexibility calling plays on the field (ala Peyton) – he’s that good. Even if he doesn’t, I’d like to see him punish defenses by taking advantage of what their showing pre-snap whether it’s a run or pass. IOW, the weakness of the D will dictate the percentage of pass vs. run. However, IMO the Packers still have to be a pass first team - their OL was built with that in mind and most likely won't be a dominating run-blocking OL.

BTW, Mike Vandermause said UDFA RB Rajion Neal looked “fast and smooth” and I think I read another positive report on how he looked. Of course the pads weren’t on, but the Packers’ RB stable may be even deeper than it appears. I agree it's going to be a great year but what does the final number being FIVE mean?

I agree with your statement and was going to go into the play calling ability of Rodgers as well but figured I had written enough of a novel to call it good there! Naturally, defensive scheme will dictate the way the game is called and as long as we are in diversified sets and AR has carte blanche to make changes as he sees fit we should damn near impossible to stop. Rodgers is very much under appreciated for the student of the game that he is and I was very excited to hear McCarthy's plan to give 12 more freedom to operate as he sees fit. Now I do agree that we will always be a pass first offense because of the HOF talent we have leading the way and the type of guys we have cultivated to keep 12 upright. With that said it is well known that all offensive linemen LOOOOOVE run blocking and if given the choice would do so much more often than pass pro. With run blocking you simply (easy for me to say) fire off the ball, engage and maul your man into submission. With pass pro you have to worry about an array of moves (bull rush, swim move etc.) as well as stunts and the like. There is so much communication involved and you have to be more sound with respect to assignments. This is why I think that even though our boys may be better suited for pass pro the chance for them to destroy people and put their own stamp on the game will put a fire in their **** and they will take the challenge and run with it (no pun intended...)

I like your point on Neal and while you are correct in saying this was all done w/o pads the fact that he looked "fast and smooth" can't be ignored. If nothing else it is great to have another guy pushing the starters and we also need someone to carry the rock during all the meaningless PS games. Also, there is no such thing as too much depth especially at the RB position where these guys get punished play in play out.

The number 5 represents the 5th Super Bowl win for our boys... GPG!!

 

[Pack-12]

I don't care how they do it as long as they get points on the board.

 

[Vrill]

55% pass / 45% run
Thats about what I expect.

 

[Packerlover]

I think it will depend on who we are playing. If we are facing a team with a strong run defense, I see MM choosing the pass more and vice verse, with the talent we have we can use a bunch of different "Packages" to meet our offensive needs.

 

[mhnessie]

Like said by others before, it will depend on the opponent and the game plan. Until last season we hadnt a relieable running game so it feels like a luxury problem nowadays. Because we still have two of the best receivers in the league (Nelson, Cobb) I still see us a little more passing than running the ball.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I agree with most of you that the defense will have some influence on the game plan. I hope McCarthy will allow Rodgers even more to change the play at the LOS further exploiting what the defense offers on a specific play. It´s great to finally have to good running game to complement the passing offense and defenses will have a hard time stopping the Packers from scoring.

 

[brandon2348]

with our pass options I would still expect us to use the pass more than the run, but as we have a very good running game also now, i would hope to put less pressure on Rodgers to win us games with his arm, and also see the clock geting run down in the latter stages of games to stop last minute sscores

All that and a legitimate running game keeps defense's more honest. They cant sit back in cover 2 nickel coverage's all day long. It makes other teams have to bring a safety up and keep more people in or around the box.

 

[Darth Garfunkel]

I dont care. All I know is I'm pretty hyped about this offense.
Defense too. Special teams...eh...

 

[I_am_smoked_cheddar]

I dont care. All I know is I'm pretty hyped about this offense.
Defense too. Special teams...eh...

When were special teams special. They should be called the "Leftovers". A collection of 2nd and 3rd team players that are not primarily hired to play special teams (25% or more of the game most of the time). The NFL should allow each team 5 new positions just for special teams players. They may not be used for anything but special teams. They could be also chosen in the Draft or traded or hired as walk ons. Let's make them special .

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I dont care. All I know is I'm pretty hyped about this offense.
Defense too. Special teams...eh...

Injuries have affected the Packers special teams over the last few seasons as well. Nevertheless the performance on kick returns and the coverage units have to improve significantly.

 

[Poppa San]

When were special teams special. They should be called the "Leftovers". A collection of 2nd and 3rd team players that are not primarily hired to play special teams (25% or more of the game most of the time). The NFL should allow each team 5 new positions just for special teams players. They may not be used for anything but special teams. They could be also chosen in the Draft or traded or hired as walk ons. Let's make them special .

Most teams already have 3 specialists that don't play other positions. Punter, kicker, long snapper. Packers injuries required them to position play their other two - gunner Jarret Bush and the return guy of the week. The latter may be Abbredaris' best chance to make the team this season.