Thanx for the response.
Which leads to another question:
How do you think the Packers ST could be better?
(Love your Kurt Warner quote BTW, Incubes. So true.)
I am in no place to say that I could possibly make the ST better, but I do believe it can be better. Since I stepped up and said it, I'll try to defend my point anyways:
1. We haven't had a solid kick/punt returner in years. I think that would be step one. I don't think it comes down to blocking either, I've seen holes open up, but the returner's always seem to make the wrong decisions. If he does find a hole, we don't have anyone fast or explosive enough back there to take it to the house. It's not sufficient to have a returner who excels somewhere else (CB, Safety, what have you) and just plug him in at the position because he might be okay at it. We need someone who is primarily a good returner. At a position that can turn the tide of a game quickly and put up 6 points instantaneously, I think we should have a top notch guy.
2. Sort of related to #1, we should not have our primary CB returning punts!!!! This won't necessarily improve our ST, but it's a poor decision to put personnel in at such a dangerous ST position who are so valuable elsewhere!
3. Better decision making. NOT always punting to good returners like DeSean Jackson and Devin Hester. It's okay to risk it if it's early or we have a good lead, but don't tell me you weren't holding your breath on that last punt of the game on Sunday. This is ESPECIALLY important in a situation like ours, when our team is riddled with injuries to the point that we can't even fill defensive positions or ST positions with guys originally on our roster. Of course our coverage is going to be suspect in these cases.
4. Pick a guy and stick with him, if we aren't going to look for someone either in the draft, or eventually in FA, to return kicks. I saw Woodson, Starks, and Shields all return kicks on Sunday. How is one guy going to fill the role and get good at it (if that's the plan) if we're constantly rotating our guys?
5. Tackling. After the Pats game, need I say more? Sometimes it's best to just bring the guy down instead of trying to take the ball away. It's one thing if you're going after a guy who fumbles a lot because he holds the ball out, it's another if you're going after a 300 lb lineman who cradles that thing like a baby.
6. This is where I get a little vague, because I don't know what goes on in practice, and I'm not versed enough in football to say that I know what SHOULD go on in practice. There HAS to be some extra time devoted to ST play in practice, whether it's more drills, more rehearsal, more scenarios, I really don't know what, but something is missing, especially when we're covering a punt or kick.
I don't think blocking on returns has been particularly bad, it's our inability to give the ball to a team and prevent them from getting good field position. Late in the game, when time is winding down, it's ALL about field position, a battle we're constantly losing. You want to know the reason our ST has done well lately? TIM MASTHAY (and to some degree Jarrett Bush). The fact that he's been punting so well means opposing returners don't even get a chance to get a big gain, either opting for a fair catch, or not touching the ball. Big kudos to that guy and I hope he remains consistent and has a great career with us.
Slocum? It's time for him to go. Too many games that have (arguably) been lost on ST play.
