The bright side to the start of our season

1) The defense looks great so far. The pass rush is back. Secondary's coverage is tight and it looks like we are hungry. We are going to have some inconsistencies throughout the year because we have so many rookies but it's a great improvement over last year

2) The offense is sputtering right now. Complement the tough defenses we vsed but we will get back on track soon. I'm felling this sunday

3) These were a majority of all the tough games we had to play. These 4 weeks were our toughest stretch. We have to win this week but I think this is going to be our easiest game.

Easiest game? Saints are 0-3, but easy, no....we have no o-line. We have a long tough bumpy road ahead of us and a short amount of time to get the offense up to par with the defense. We still have to play the Bears one more time in Chicago, Lions twice, Texans, Giants....that is 5 more grueling games at minimum.

@Houston
Arizona
@NYGiants

Those are 3 very tough games ahead. Not to mention our division rivals. The Vikings are not the laughing-stock bottom-dwellers anymore. And our OL is bad, just plain bad right now I mean dead-last bad, and our offensive game-plan has not been much better.

No game is easy but hope the o-line will be on track,take what defenses are giving,I think a little more run game will help.

there is semblence of a running game now, look at the second half of monday's scrimage (not calling it a game). THAT is crucial to opening the play-action again. i like the pressure from the defense so much better this year...its just a matter of getting back into rythem on the offensive side of the ball...and now that there are not any replacement refs to dictate the speed (or lack thereof) of the game, that should help.

look for a loud and rocking lambeau this weekend!

People keep talking about our "run game" vs the seahawks.....what run game? The stats don't lie....Ced Benson only ran for like 46 yards and 2.8 per carry, longest being 9 yds. If not for cobb's 20 yds run the rush stats would be worse.

You know why that is? When we came out running to start the 2nd half, Benson was averaging nearly 5 per carry. That forced the Seahawks to adjust and in turn, that's why Rodgers was almost untouched in the second half and we were able to get an offensive rhythm going. We don't need our running game to pile up yards. We need it to keep the defense honest and that's exactly what happened. They adjusted to stuff our run game, and the offense opened up. That's success.

Why all the complaints about the O-line?
Maybe it's not they were that bad. Maybe it's just that the Sea Chickens were good.
And it was just one game.
Now if A-Rod had been sacked a gazillion times in all three games, then I would blame the O-Line.
Yes, they should adjust, (And they did for the 2nd half) but sometimes opposing defenses are just simply better and I think that was the case here.

^ Ummm...nope. It's the O-line. The defenses are getting pressure from all the gaps and off the edge. That tells me, it's the line. If the pressure just came from the left side, then you could blame the LT or the TE or RB that is supposed to be helping pick up the defender. Jeff saturday has been getting put on his A$$ and the RT and LT have been getting OWNED.

I disagree with Newhouse getting owned. I'd call him our third best right now and he's done a reasonable job. I believe he gave up one sack against Seattle and I'm not completely convinced it was 100% his fault. The play I recall, the right end put a hard inside move on Newhouse. Lang was busy trying to help double team Saturday's guy, Who was already doubled by Sitton. Lang blocks no one, Rodgers get sacked.

What was the line call? In hindsight, if Lang pops the right end with just one hand, Newhouse has time to recover and he doesn't give up the sack. If Lang doesn't slide towards Saturday, the sack doesn't happen because he runs right into Lang. I really need to subscribe to the All-22 camera so I can be more sure of my thoughts...

Saturday is less than I though he'd be, though a little less. A crafty vet at the end of his career. I don't see how he sticks next year. I figured if Lang, Sitton, and Bulaga stay about the same as 2011 and Newhouse improves, we can survive with Saturday in the middle.

Lang actually improved. Newhouse did as well. Sitton is about the same, maybe down slightly. I'd waiting for 2010 Sitton to come back. Bulaga has regressed this year, hard. Last year, he was easily our best lineman and possibly the best RT in football. This year thus far? He's played terrible. If he gets is head screwed back right, we should be okay.

And that's the key. We can survive one weak link on the line. Not two, which is what we're currently getting from Saturday and Bulaga.

^ I'm going to (painfully) watch the replay of the entire game on NFL network. I did watch the original, but I do beleive that Newhouse was culprit on more than one sack, think it was more like 3. He lacks foot speed to keep up w/ a hard charging defender and he is not that strong.

Am not at all knowledgeable on how o-lines get their jobs done, but from a casual observer pespective, I noticed on MNF that our o-line was never able to "hold a line" against the rush. It seemed that Rodgers was quickly dancing in and out of gaps in a pocket that wasn't really a pocket.

However, Wilson often had a nearly straight line of protection in front of him for several seconds. I think on that TD pass, the protection was excellent. There was no pocket to even speak of. Just space ahead of him and to both sides all the way to the sidelines. I don't recall Rodgers ever having that kind of protection.

thank you. Exactly what i've been saying. I wish we had a stud LT because Newhouse is not a LT....well not a very good one.

Here you go: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...r-every-sack-green-bay-packers-allowed-on-mnf

Newhouse gave up one sack, the very play I remember, though their analysis puts the blame clearly on Newhouse as opposed to mine (potentially) putting some blame on Lang.

You are 100% correct. They didn't hold the line of attack and win their one on one battles. They were also double teaming certain guys, leaving other guys free to rush untouched because the blocking back or TE was already tied up because either the LT or RT didn't do their job(s). Pass blocking requires you to hold the point of attack a lot longer, thus it is tough to do. Run blocking is also tough because you have to dictate or make your guy go where YOU want him to go to get holes to open up. Run blocking is more od a coordinated line effort. Pass blocking is more of winning a 1 on 1 battle. Big reason why clay matthews steam rolled the bears LT, Webb, because webb is fat/slow/weak, whereas mathews has quick feet/fast bust off the edge/ good fast hands/strong as a mule and can and will pursue you like a demon

Link wont open, but I beleive you. It's not always that HE gave up the sack. His man may have gotten loose and caused the pressure to make Arod scramble into the waiting arms of another defender. Newhouse IS NOT a "good" LT. He is below average.

While you watch count how long Arod holds the ball. It's painful

This is true, no doubt....BUT....they did cover the 1,2 and 3 WR's well.....there were times I was screaming about an open check down guy that he just didn't see.

I don't buy that. I think too many people are grading his last year with this year. He was certainly below average last year. I'd say average to good this year. Remember, he's gone up against some killer rushers this year and held up.

As to your specific nits, he does have the feet to play tackle and I think he's strong enough. Where he messes up, and it's been consistent, is counter-moves. I don't know if he's guessing and over-setting to a side or something else, but it looks more like a balance problem.

Then you throw it out of bounds. Sitting in the pocket is just waiting to be steam rolled.
I would probably blame 1/2 the sacks Monday on Arod. Bulaga gets a fair share of blame as well. Whoever kidnapped him needs to return him and get that imposter off the field.

^^ He lets his man get him "stood up", in turn he gets out of balance. He does not stay low enough and hold his man at the point of attack. Yes, he has gone up against 2 good pass rushers, but if you can't hold off a good one even half the time.....he is, in my opinon a below average LT. Wheather you call him "good" and I call him below average is all just opinion. FACT is, he has gotten beat off the line A LOT. That is where I am forming my opinion. He also gets pushed around and pushed back easily, thus I am saying he is not that strong. I am going off my obsevations.

LOL....true about Bulaga. Notice in my above posts I do mention RT and LT.

You misinterpret my comment on balance. I speak to him shifting left and then getting beat across his face. That's the kind of balance I see.

I don't see him getting stood up alot nor beaten a lot off the line. As to your "FACT"s, cite your sources.

Yours and mine are both eye tests and humans suck at those. We see what we want to see and ignore what we don't if it doesn't fit our narrative. To that end, I went ahead and paid for PFF's advanced stats to get something a bit more impartial.

He's ranked (tied) 19th among ALL offensive tackles for his pass rushing grade. There were 5 right tackles that had a higher grade, so, if we exclude those, he'd be the 15th best pass-blocking left tackle this season so far. 32 teams, 16th would be average.

Pass Blocking Ratings: Newhouse is 15th (19), Lang is 27th (44), and Saturday is 22nd, Sitton is 2nd (4), Bulaga is 62nd.

Number in () is for All Tackles and All Guards (ie, Lang is the 27th best pass blocking left guard, 44th best guard period.) I didn't do Saturday because, well, duh. I didn't do Bulaga, because I don't want to have to count that much.

Sombody asked me to describe Green Bays offensive line in three words so heres what i said:

1. Slow
2. Soft
3. Inconsistent

McGinn’s review of the game is instructive. For example, “here were the times of Aaron Rodgers' eight sacks: 3.0 seconds, 2.9, 3.7, 4.5, 4.3, 5.4, 2.6 and 4.9 seconds.” And before you blame that completely on Rodgers, consider that on four of those sacks, the WRs had over 4 seconds (or nearly so) to get open and they didn’t. Certainly Rodgers bares some responsibility for not throwing the ball away though.

Bulaga had by far the worst game of the OL (despite the preconceptions of some) and I believe the worst of his career. According to McGinn “Whereas Bulaga had one of the worst days of his career with three sacks, one knockdown and two hurries for a total of six pressures, Newhouse allowed 2½.” However he has Newhouse responsible for one-half of the bad runs. McGinn says the OGs and Saturday were much better.