After 10 games, What Is Our Strength?

Our offense isn't as potent as last season. Our kicking game is worse. What do the downers on this forum want to point at as the reason we are 7-3, besides dumb luck? Certainly our punt game is top notch. As for others, I would say that our running game has improved slightly and our defense has gotten better to offset the offense. Others?

2nd string or even 3rd string players stepping up in place of injured starters

Team communication seems to have improved greatly

Using what weapons we have available, wisely. (Cobb)

Roughly in this order:

Rodgers
Rodgers
Rodgers
Matthews
Cobb
Rodgers
Burnett (at SS)
Shields (when healthy)
Rodgers
Starks (if he stays healthy)
energy from the young defenders
Heyward
Rodgers
Rodgers

I think our running game improved SIGNIFICANTLY but our primary strength will always be the Passing Game with Rodgers as the general.

Our special teams play is really something to be excited out too. Randall Cobb has almost single handily made us feared on punts and kicks.

Tim Masthay is, probably, the best Punter in the game. Granted I am a little bit biased, but honestly who has been better this year?

Clay Matthews. He has at least 2 people accounting for him on every single play. If that isn't a major strength I don't know what is.

As far as the improvement on the D side of the ball goes I think this is one of the biggest reasons why they are getting better. The new group of fresh young talent is buying into the system 100% and when you are 100% into something and have the talent to do what the coaches are asking it is easier to not let communication get in the way. I still see some bad communication when we start shuffling around the defensive backfield with McMillan and Jennings coming in and out but as far as letting guys blow right by our safeties because no one has a clue who is supposed to be on him, those days seem to be in the past.

Cohesiveness, communication, and toughness are greatly on the rise this season.

I'd like to see Benson back in there. I still think he's better than Starks. Other than that agree with previous posters on AR, Cobb, Clay and our young secondary.

Tackling is much improved from last season.

And, has just been said above, the confusion and late adjustments we often saw last season seem to be history, thank goodness.

Tackling Tackling Tackling. Couldn't say that enough either. Hayward tackles, House tackles, Woodson tackles, Shields out of freaking nowhere tackles. Aj Hawk is having a strong season and is making a lot of good stops. Whatever warm body they have been able to fill the injury prone ILB position has even seemed to make some good tackles.

Sacks. We are getting them. In today's passing league, a sacking team is usually the winning team, at least in the big games anyway.

#2 this year! #27 last year. And #2 in 2010. This is why I think our chances are actually better this year.

Rodgers
Cobb
Rodgers
Cobb
Jones
Jones
Cobb
Rodgers
Cobb

No doubt Cobb is a HUGE factor. I think we can credit him for saving us in 2 or 3 games? For sure the last one. Jones has stepped up too. Jones is replacing some spectacular play we saw from Jordy and Jennings last year but in the case of Cobb, no player has done it all like him.

The depth is impressive. As MM says, good teams find ways to win. If we get a little more healthy by playoff time, we'll be tough to beat.

Regarding the depth, here's a quote from the jsonline story (linked in the Packers' D prepares for Giants thread) about the D vs. the Lions:

The story also says at one point there were six rookies on the field - I believe Sean Richardson got some PT too.

Field goals....

Everybody has touched on what i would consider our strengths but i think we owe our record mostly to the backups filling in for the injured players.

Team strengths?

Don't know if I could narrow it down to one main strength.

From my perspective it'd be:

Punter has had a very solid year. Special teams coverage units. Flexibility especially the development of the young backups on defense to withstand some big injuries enough to sustain a current 5 game winning streak. Randall Cobb making a huge leap from last season though I'd take him off of full time returner.

"12" hit it pretty good. I've been brutally vocal over the years about Slocum...my opinion is that the guy couldn't sell sh*t to a manure hauler much less field a capable ST's unit - and by that, I'm referring specifically to "coverage" units. Based on the results so far this year, I have "own" that and give the ST's coverage units props. The "return" units hadn't really jumped out at me because prior to Cobb, the Pack didn't have a bonafide returner - you put a returner back there and that resolves a lot of your ills.

Then, "slaughter25's" statement regarding 'Tackling, tackling, tackling..." was spot on in my opinion.

I'm not sure that these areas would qualify as strengths...but, compared to last year, where they were glaring deficiencies ... any improvement has to be considered a strength.

I was of the opinion that if we had a top 15 "D" last year, the Pack would have been able to run the table (maybe...maybe not given the offense's 4-turnover performance against the Giants) all the way to the Super Bowl...just when we get that defensive performance on a reocurring basis, the offense sputters...I'm confident that'll be cleaned up, but my god, I'd like to see at least ONE complete game where everything clicks (don't give me Houston...there were moments in that game...).

Go Pack!! I hope they are feeling that they have a score to settle with the Giants. Make no mistake, the Giants beat the Pack ... but the Pack gift wrapped it for them - it wasn't even a game. Do I sound bitter?

@weeds I too pretty vocal critic of Slocum. Most complete game of year so far... Houston. The Packers are looking pretty good going forward except O-line.

I agree with both of you. The Texans game was the most complete game thus far. I think weeds hits the nail on the head as well saying there were times in that game that were not "complete" to say the least. That's one of the reasons I'm optimistic going forward. Getting healthy at the right time of year with enough time for everyone to gel again before the post season. We have the deepest secondary I have ever seen the packers put on the field when Woodson and Shields are back. Jennings is within 2 weeks to returning from what I hear. What I am getting at here is our best football is yet to be played and the most important part of the season is yet to come.

Our Run Defense....

Where we spend high picks and money: skill positions...receivers, DBs and All World.

Aaron Rodgers. This is pretty much a 3&out team without him.

...................the fans?

Certainly not the O-line:
http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/ol