OFFICIAL DEFENSIVE ISSUES THREAD

THIS.

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I've been pouring over stats all day today and to be honest, I'm kinda worried about the Packers.
Last year they had the 5th rated defense and the 9th rated offense, 10th in points scored.
In the post-season they were 4th in offense and 3rd in defense. They were a balanced team.

This year they have the 30th rated D, 16th in points allowed and the O is 4th in total yardage and 2nd in points scored.

The offense has been overwhelmingly dominant. Aaron is elite beyond compare. They've simply outscored their opponents every step of the way. And so far they're undefeated. But their schedule hasn't been that tough. And it doesn't look like it's going to get much tougher. They're a lock to make the playoffs and probably a 1st round bye w/homefield advantage throughout.

But there's a serious problem in the Packers D. And it could haunt them in the playoffs when they go up against teams with much better defenses and balanced offenses. And God forbid that anyone in the offense gets injured. The Pack is going to have to rely on their offense to get the job done for them. Their defense is just not there.

I think those who are reacting so negatively towards the Pack are not only not used to being unbalanced but also scared.
A lot of these reactions are based on fear and worry.
I'm one of those who refuses to go down that path. I believe, I really do, that the Packers can win it all with the way they are.
I know that's not conventional wisdom but hey, stuff happens. I have faith that this team is just that good.

And let's not forget that one of the key D players had to be taken out of the Super Bowl and they still managed to win.
Let's get behind our team 100% unconditionally and have faith instead of constantly worrying about them.

We're the new Cardiac kids.........just instead of coming back, we allow others to come back and then stop them on last drive. Rate of heart attacks for Packers fans this season will increase quite a bit.

With all the cheese we consume and likely high levels of cholesterol, some might fans might even keel over.

There is a lot to improve on. Luckily the playoffs are not next weekend.
The best thing the defense has done is getting turnovers and often they get several of them in a game. They have stepped up when needed in that regard and also made the goal line stand against the Saints. They stepped it up in Atlanta too.
The stats don't look great overall (but stats are for losers some say) but they pass the eye test in crunch time.They also are okay against the run.

Just see where it goes from here. See if they make adjustments against the Vikings from the previous game against them and how they do against good passing teams like the Giants/Lions.

So far this D is reminding me a bit of the 09 Saints with the ability to get turnovers in key times and I was not sold on that Saints D that year at all. There is no reason they won't improve in numbers if that means that much to everyone. There is also way more talent on this D then there is in Indy or NE I think who are ranked at the bottom.

The Packers passing D is ranked lower then the Colts. I can tell you right now that there is no way on Gods green Earth the Packers defense is not better then the Colts against the pass. BS. Thats why sometimes stats don't go with the eye test to me or make sense. Teams can gash the Colts with the run OR pass too. They can pretty much against the Colts put their QB if they want on a table with wheels and he could probably slowly dink and dunk his way down the field for an easy TD lying on his back with his o lineman pulling the table after every first down.

I'd imagine the reason we're ranked lower than the Colts on D is because they're going by yards. Teams are frequently playing us from behind and/or trying to keep up. This means having to drive down the field on every offensive possession and do it fast. Playing the Colts means you're playing with a lead, and their isn't the same amount of urgency in trying to score on every possession. Also, we score a lot, so we kick off a lot. That means most opponents' possession start around the 20. Colts don't score, so they punt, often giving the opponents much shorter fields to work with.

I know but it's ridiculous. The Colts should by default just be ranked dead last in everything. They are terrible. I think the 2008 Lions might beat them.

And the Packers also have more talent on D then some of that slop they waltz out in NE at times. Sure Eli got a game winning drive against them but it was against a few scrubs too.

Same here.

I was going to post this. You beat me to it!

I can deal with the yards allowed if they continue to make those game changing turnovers. The Packers secondary leads the league in interceptions and that's a very telling stat. The team that wins the turnover battle usually wins

This D has shown that it has all the pieces now it just needs to put the puzzle together. and I have faith that they will.

go here and click Defense
http://www.nfl.com/teams/statistics?team=GB

ranked 30th for yards against us this season and 31st in passing yards against us.
is this caused by injury's this year or is it time to rebuild after this season?

Let's not get carried away. They will improve IMO. Believe me.

They also can stop the run pretty well overall and lead the league in takeaways.

Not all hope is lost. There is talent there and Capers. And the D has played a hand in some wins in the end this year.

For the offseason yeah, spend some picks on defensive players.

I don't think we need to rebuild. I just think the Defense hasn't solidified. Maybe its the lack of OTAs, mini camps whatever. They just have gelled that well yet and I think in time they will pull things together and start playing how they should.

No need to over react. Defense hasn't hit their stride yet. It's just a matter of time. I wouldn't mind drafting some studs on the d-line and a premier pass rusher opposite Matthews and maybe another ballhawk at safety in case Collins' football career is done.

That stat is skewed by the number of interceptions. The Packers are doing very poorly on thing likes "yards per attempt", 24th, "first downs by pass", 119, 31st, "yards per game" 299.2 31st, "20 yard + plays", 38, 29th and finally TD's given up 16, 30th. The only two places they are excelling in is completion percentage and interceptions. Eventually those will come back to bite them.

FF- Some fans, myself included, simply don't think the way you do. Pessimists vs. Optimists perhaps? I don't know, but if I think there is a significant area of improvement on anything that I am involved with, it bugs the hell out of me until I get it improved. And my beloved Packers are no exception-- I demand perfection! And this concept goes beyond whether there is a win or loss.

I guess part of the frustration and the reason OPs are driving LT crazy by starting so many defense threads is that we all know that this defense is under-performing. The talent is there. So, it is interesting to talk about it and ponder the potential reasons. And, hope-- no, demand-- improvement.

I do believe that I am 100% unconditionally behind this team. I would say that everyone on this board is as well (except for our esteemed rival visitors). Venting on the poor defensive play and discussing the situation does not betray this belief.

I am not going to ask you to start worrying about things. It's obviously not your style, nor Packpackpackers. But, it is for others and asking us to change is likely wasting your breathe.

And I have to agree with you on the "win it all". Even with the Pack playing exactly as they are, I believe they will win it all. I just want the margin of error to be larger than it currently is.

yeah, clutch plays seem to be the essence of the Packers defense these days. However, it wouldn't hurt if they could establish themselves just a little bit better, say maybe as well as the offense putting up 30+ points every game ...

I couldn't help but want to disembowel myself seeing how easily Philip Rivers dissected the secondary in the final 10 minutes.

Just turned on the Chargers-Raiders game from San Diego, and it's halftime. I expected the game to be about 20-13 Chargers at the half. I was wondering if Rivers & that Charger offense A) finally got on track last week, or B) it was just an aberation because they were facing our porous pass defense that has made a lot of QBs look good.

Score?
Raiders 17, Chargers 3...... wow.

Rivers 5-14 for 40 yards.
Vincent Jackson 0 catches.

What does that say about our defense even further?

I love the over-reaction. I've seen people calling for a complete defensive overhaul, and others calling for Capers to be fired. Seriously, this reminds me of the running back debate last season, and some of you are really getting beyond ridiculous with this. The season's far from over- We still have a second half to play, and I firmly believe we'll get it turned around.

In the meantime, how about you chill the -eff out about the defense, enjoy being 8-0 and stop complaining so much?