Have faith in MLF's O

[milani]

That is weird. My eye test, memory seems to think Lazard is the favored 3rd down target. Or maybe he is just my favorite 3rd down target. Hoping Captain has time after therapy and comes up with some of those annoying stats on targets per WR on 3rd down and 3rd down conversions per WR.

Have to include last year. Cobb is clutch in the slot. But Lazard has the size and strength to catch balls everywhere.

 

[milani]

I haven't heard this. Can you post a link?

Start with Mike Spofford and Wes. Also review the Packer Blog of Sunday games on packers.com

 

[milani]

While I haven't heard anybody in the media mentioning something like that it should serve as evidence that you shouldn't believe everything said.

Rodgers has targeted Cobb on only seven of 43 attempts on third down. That ranks second on the team behind Lazard with 10 and just ahead of Doubs and Jones with six.

In addition there's nothing wrong about Rodgers looking for Cobb on third down as he has a passer rating of 148.9 in those situations since the start of last season (highest in the NFL).



It's easy to pick some random plays and conclude that Rodgers isn't going through his progressions. I took a look at all of his incompletions when targeting Cobb against the Giants and was able to come up with a single play on which it would have been smarter to throw the ball to someone else. That happens to every other quarterback in the league as well though.

Nobody is suggesting Rodgers is perfect by any means. There's no doubt in my mind that he needs to play better this season for the offense to work.

I'm getting tired of Packers' fans acting as if he's a terrible player, being the only reason the unit is struggling when in reality he's an elite player surrounded by a below average supporting cast.

As a side note, when taking a look at Rodgers' incompletions to Cobb I took a look at the fourth down play on the Packers last drive which was tipped by a Giants defender. Somehow the Packers managed to leave not one but two defenders rushing the passer unblocked coming from the side Rodgers was targeting Lazard at.

Cobb has a history although he cannot make all the catches that other receivers can. And he is near the end. But that history is clutch. 2013, 4th down, knocked the Bears out of the playoffs. 2014, catches the 3rd down dagger that beats BB and the Pats. 2016, catches the halftime Hail Mary that turns the playoff game against the Giants.

 

[XPack]

Him being unreliable to the run is just inexplicable! Been a trend in losing games.

Rodgers performs best in 2-3 second throws. We should just game for that and balance it with the run.

 

[milani]

Him being unreliable to the run is just inexplicable! Been a trend in losing games.

Rodgers performs best in 2-3 second throws. We should just game for that and balance it with the run.

I like it.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Have to include last year. Cobb is clutch in the slot. But Lazard has the size and strength to catch balls everywhere.

Last season, Cobb was targeted 17 times on third down. That ranked fifth on the team behind Adams (49), Jones (22), Lazard (20) and MVS (18).

Rodgers performs best in 2-3 second throws. We should just game for that and balance it with the run.

The Packers are already doing that. According to PFF it takes Rodgers an average of 2.30 seconds to throw the ball this season. This ranks second fastest in the NFL and is by far the lowest number of his career.

 

[milani]

Last season, Cobb was targeted 17 times on third down. That ranked fifth on the team behind Adams (49), Jones (22), Lazard (20) and MVS (18).



The Packers are already doing that. According to PFF it takes Rodgers an average of 2.30 seconds to throw the ball this season. This ranks second fastest in the NFL and is by far the lowest number of his career.

Have to look at the success rate. There was a reason why Rodgers wanted Cobb on the roster. He knew Cobb would not be the premier target or the go to guy. Kind of like an old pinch hitter that comes through when you need it.

 

[gopkrs]

Last season, Cobb was targeted 17 times on third down. That ranked fifth on the team behind Adams (49), Jones (22), Lazard (20) and MVS (18).

It seems like Cobb gets targeted more on really important plays. Not all 3rd downs are equally important. And sometimes he forces it.

 

[Mondio]

It seems like Cobb gets targeted more on really important plays. Not all 3rd downs are equally important. And sometimes he forces it.

Do not watch the Packers game today. Watch KC, the Bills, Tampa, etc. see who they're throwing too and when. Report back. ALL QB's go to their best guys all the time on important downs. the only thing unique about Rodgers right now is the quality of guy we have to throw to. I watched Josh Allen light it up last week and every pass I'm thinking, man we don't have a single guy that can do that and his guys are doing it on almost every catch.

 

[gopkrs]

Do not watch the Packers game today. Watch KC, the Bills, Tampa, etc. see who they're throwing too and when. Report back. ALL QB's go to their best guys all the time on important downs. the only thing unique about Rodgers right now is the quality of guy we have to throw to. I watched Josh Allen light it up last week and every pass I'm thinking, man we don't have a single guy that can do that and his guys are doing it on almost every catch.

I'm going to watch Rodgers and see if he has enough time to survey the field and then if he does survey the field. I'm hoping they move Jenkins inside. Then big day for Jones.

 

[PackAttack12]

My prediction:

Starting this week (Jets) through the end of the regular season, the Packers will average over 25 points per game.

They're at 19 right now.

Gonna have to average 27 over the last 11 to get what you are looking for at this point.

 

[Patriotplayer90]

There needs to be a better #2 RB than Dillon. I understand the rationale behind drafting him, but he's not Derrick Henry. He's a plodding oversized RB who really offers nothing other than pickup up the yardage blocked for him. Either give those snaps to Jones, or put a more dynamic guy behind him

 

[Sunshinepacker]

There needs to be a better #2 RB than Dillon. I understand the rationale behind drafting him, but he's not Derrick Henry. He's a plodding oversized RB who really offers nothing other than pickup up the yardage blocked for him. Either give those snaps to Jones, or put a more dynamic guy behind him

Drafting a RB in the second round was ridiculous when he was drafted (as many pointed out). Yes, he’s really big, but his value to the offense is,uhm, not great?

 

[gonzozab]

This is still a hard pass for me.

 

[gopkrs]

There needs to be a better #2 RB than Dillon. I understand the rationale behind drafting him, but he's not Derrick Henry. He's a plodding oversized RB who really offers nothing other than pickup up the yardage blocked for him. Either give those snaps to Jones, or put a more dynamic guy behind him

They don't use Dillon right. They (and fans) think he is better than he is imho. I don't mind keeping Jones fresh for later in the season but to think (as the coaching staff appears to think) that he and Jones are interchangeable is ridiculous.

 

[milani]

I'm going to watch Rodgers and see if he has enough time to survey the field and then if he does survey the field. I'm hoping they move Jenkins inside. Then big day for Jones.

I was there today. And I can say this is the worst I have seen a Packer team play at HOME with the exception of the Hundley and Scott Tolzien games since 2006. The team appeared to have quit in the first half. There was no energy on the sideline. It was like they walked off the plane from London an hour ago. No zeal. 3 of our first downs came from penalties. Rodgers looks very slow mentally and physically. I cannot see this team making the playoffs. I cannot see them getting to .500. In fact I am not sure if they can beat another team the rest of the year. And there are no real explanations.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Have to look at the success rate. There was a reason why Rodgers wanted Cobb on the roster. He knew Cobb would not be the premier target or the go to guy. Kind of like an old pinch hitter that comes through when you need it.

As I have mentioned before the combo of Rodgers and Cobb lead the league in passer rating on third down since the start of last season.

The discussion was about Rodgers primarily throwing his way on third down, which isn't accurate.

I don't mind keeping Jones fresh for later in the season but to think (as the coaching staff appears to think) that he and Jones are interchangeable is ridiculous.

If the Packers continue to play like they did against the Jets there's no reason to keep anyone fresh for later in the season.

I was there today. And I can say this is the worst I have seen a Packer team play at HOME with the exception of the Hundley and Scott Tolzien games since 2006. The team appeared to have quit in the first half. There was no energy on the sideline. It was like they walked off the plane from London an hour ago. No zeal. 3 of our first downs came from penalties. Rodgers looks very slow mentally and physically. I cannot see this team making the playoffs. I cannot see them getting to .500. In fact I am not sure if they can beat another team the rest of the year. And there are no real explanations.

There are explanations for this team struggling. Actually I pointed out before the start of the season that Rodgers might struggle like he did in 2015 without enough talent among the pass catchers.

While most others on the forum shrugged at the suggestion it seems he's not able to overcome being surrounded by an inferior supporting cast.

Unfortunately the defense doesn't seem to be good enough to pick up the slack either.

 

[MadCat]

…There are explanations for this team struggling. Actually I pointed out before the start of the season that Rodgers might struggle like he did in 2015 without enough talent among the pass catchers.

While most others on the forum shrugged at the suggestion it seems he's not able to overcome being surrounded by an inferior supporting cast.

Unfortunately the defense doesn't seem to be good enough to pick up the slack either.

Yes, that is basically what it boils down to. And it looks like a very inferior supporting cast so far.

Rodgers might have a chance to overcome the inferior supportng cast to an extent if he were younger and more mobile, or if he had more time in the pocket. The bottom line is that unless something changes with the o-line, the offense won’t improve and Rodgers will be lucky to survive the season without injury.

The organization’s decision to go with the rookie picks and a couple of injury-prone vets was a huge roll of the dice that looks like it just may not pan out for us this year. We pretty much had to hit the jackpot with at least one rookie and get consistent production from Watkins to have a decent chance.

The good news is it sounds like Watkins may be coming back soon and the rookies should continue to improve. The question is will it be enough to win games. But we can only get better at this point, right?

 

[Mavster]

The explanations for this team struggling are actually quite simple. The org has invested an absolute truckload of picks into the defense, and so far the ROI has been completely underwhelming. Whether you want to lay blame at the feet of the coordinator or the players, that fact is the defense has not been what we hoped. Maybe that's our fault, perhaps our expectations were too high.

But on offense I don't know what folks were expecting. We lost an all world WR, and a solid deep threat. We had no one behind those two players to step in as a new go to receiver. How many playmakers has Gute added in his time here in GB (that are currently with the team) you may ask? Well the answer would be - Lazard, Dillon, Love, & Deguara (please correct me if I'm missing anyone). With the loss of Adams and MVS the Packers had no other choice than to finally draft a few receivers. But going into a season with Super Bowl aspirations and banking on rookies to have a large impact was naïve at best, & a dereliction of duty as GM at worst.

It appeared Gute had a plan of action in place to move on from Rodgers this past offseason and let Love take over at the helm. Instead, the org chickens out and gives Rodgers a horrendous contract that could potentially hamstring the franchise for years to come.

 

[OldSchool101]

Do not watch the Packers game today. Watch KC, the Bills, Tampa, etc. see who they're throwing too and when. Report back. ALL QB's go to their best guys all the time on important downs. the only thing unique about Rodgers right now is the quality of guy we have to throw to. I watched Josh Allen light it up last week and every pass I'm thinking, man we don't have a single guy that can do that and his guys are doing it on almost every catch.

Yep and To add to that, when you have 1 true, seasoned veteran WR on the field, all a DC has to do is double cover him with Safety help and largely take him out of the equation.
There’s a reason Robert Tonyan was targeted all Day. He was the only Receiving target open regularly.

 

[milani]

AND our O Line got manhandled yesterday. Plus 2 holding calls on #74. Don't we have 2 Pro Bowlers on that line?[

 

[milani]

As I have mentioned before the combo of Rodgers and Cobb lead the league in passer rating on third down since the start of last season.

The discussion was about Rodgers primarily throwing his way on third down, which isn't accurate.



If the Packers continue to play like they did against the Jets there's no reason to keep anyone fresh for later in the season.



There are explanations for this team struggling. Actually I pointed out before the start of the season that Rodgers might struggle like he did in 2015 without enough talent among the pass catchers.

While most others on the forum shrugged at the suggestion it seems he's not able to overcome being surrounded by an inferior supporting cast.

Unfortunately the defense doesn't seem to be good enough to pick up the slack either.

Lot of teams struggle with supporting casts. There appears to be something else wrong with the team. Yesterday, even our improved special teams failed us with a blocked punt, a blocked FG, and penalties on returns. Maybe Rodgers philosophy of R-E-L-A-X has engulfed both the players and the coaches. They are relaxing too much. I do not believe these losses are happening just on Sunday. There are 6 days of preparation ( except in short weeks ) between games. And I believe that is where we are losing. The best coached teams maximize those 6 days. Even the play that won the Ice Bowl did not just pop into the QB's head.

 

[Dantés]

Gonna have to average 27 over the last 11 to get what you are looking for at this point.

If anyone needs to get it out of their system, just quote that original post of mine and blast me. Get it all out. We all need a good, hard cry.

 

[OldSchool101]

If anyone needs to get it out of their system, just quote that original post of mine and blast me. Get it all out. We all need a good, hard cry.

Pretty Funny! Hey It’s pretty bad when the best you can hope for on Sunday is other teams to lose badly so you can have some good, misery company.

 

[Dantés]

Pretty Funny! Hey It’s pretty bad when the best you can hope for on Sunday is other teams to lose badly so you can have some good, misery company.

Too true.

I'll just add this.

I was obviously and laughably wrong that the Packers' offense would figure things out this week.

I still think I'm right that the biggest problem on the offense is the offensive line.