McCarthy's peculiar game plans

[Dblbogey]

Aaron Jones is now averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He is averaging 10.3 carries per game. What is wrong with this picture?

 

[PackAttack12]

Who is this McCartney that you speak of?

In all seriousness, it’s inexusable how under utilized Aaron Jones has been throughout the season thus far.

 

[Dblbogey]

Who is this McCartney that you speak of?

In all seriousness, it’s inexusable how under utilized Aaron Jones has been throughout the season thus far.

Well crap, can't believe I misspelled his name.

 

[gatorpack]

Aaron Jones is now averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He is averaging 10.3 carries per game. What is wrong with this picture?

Thread of the year. I would love to hear mm answer this question.

 

[BrokenArrow]

Aaron Jones is now averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He is averaging 10.3 carries per game. What is wrong with this picture?

Actually over the last 3 games he has had 13.6 carries per game and today he had 15 carries. I think the trend is going the right direction.

 

[Mike McCarthy]

Comes down to the variables involved, mainly pad level and Jones’ rush volume. We like to keep the rush volume minimal until it is time to maximize that variable, will need to watch some film to determine when we will learn from that constant and utilize Jones’ integrity more. Next question?

 

[XPack]

I think MM does not believe in Jones sturdiness and feels the need to ptortect him. He is not a bruising runner and has a eye for the hole and bounces off tackles than than power through them. I don't think Jones can sustain the team as the lead back over the course of a season. He's exceptional and needs to be used wisely in conjunction with Jamaal Williams. He needs a bit more carry, but not to extent I think some people want in here.

I'd use him alternatiing as runner and as a pass catcher to keep defenses guessing and Jamaal should be the main 'running' back, imo. Perhaps some 2 back formation can be explored more.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I think MM does not believe in Jones sturdiness and feels the need to ptortect him. He is not a bruising runner and has a eye for the hole and bounces off tackles than than power through them. I don't think Jones can sustain the team as the lead back over the course of a season. He's exceptional and needs to be used wisely in conjunction with Jamaal Williams. He needs a bit more carry, but not to extent I think some people want in here.

I'd use him alternatiing as runner and as a pass catcher to keep defenses guessing and Jamaal should be the main 'running' back, imo. Perhaps some 2 back formation can be explored more.

I agree that Jones shouldn't receive 20+ carries a game but he definitely deserves to be the main running back on the team. He has to improve catching the ball though.

 

[El Guapo]

I don't understand the unwillingness of people to try different strategies....such as giving him the ball 20 times a game and seeing what happens. I certainly don't buy into the theory that you have the $134M Man throw the ball repeatedly just because he has been one of the best QBs and it worked in the past. I agree that there should be a good mix of Williams and Jones but they should be getting more opportunities to weaken defenses and draw the safeties in closer.

I think that teams are willing to concede rushing yards to the Packers to keep Rodgers from beating them. That doesn't mean that we should continue to play into their trap. We don't need Le'Veon Bell in order to justify running the ball more. We've got the RBs and the line, just not the willpower.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I don't watch a lot of other NFL games, but I watch enough that it seems fewer teams are using a "feature back" for all or most of the carries. As many have pointed out here, it is nice to have a 1-2 punch with each back providing different things for the offense, as well as keeping the Defense guessing a bit. Not to mention that I just don't think there are many RB's that can play 100% of the snaps, they need a breather.

In yesterdays game, out of the 18 running plays (I don't include Rodgers or Green's), AJ had 15 and Williams had 3. I don't mind that balance. I think depending on the opponent you stick with that mix and if the ground game is working well, you increase the number of rushing attempts.

If we didn't have #12 as our QB, I would be fine with going all in with the rushing attack, but the ultimate goal of this offense has to be to get AR on track with his WR's and the passing game. Something they probably will need if they make the playoffs.

 

[gbgary]

Jones should be getting 3/4 of the carries. wr screen pass should be eliminated the rest of the season. the slant should be reinstated in the plans. failing on 3rd and 2 two drives in a row is inexcusable.

If we didn't have #12 as our QB, I would be fine with going all in with the rushing attack, but the ultimate goal of this offense has to be to get AR on track with his WR's and the passing game. Something they probably will need if they make the playoffs.

if we had 2010/14 Rodgers i'd agree but we don't. the O needs to concentrate on what's working at the time. if it's him fine...if it's Jones go with it.

 

[Mondio]

Jones should be getting 3/4 of the carries. wr screen pass should be eliminated the rest of the season. the slant should be reinstated in the plans. failing on 3rd and 2 two drives in a row is inexcusable.

WR screens force the coverage to come up and play tight. Devante feasts on that with his quick feet and MVS is getting better. That opens up the big play when you beat them off the start. WR screens serve a purpose in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes the "win" on a play doesn't come until later in the game when you've set something up. Jones got more 3/4's of the carries and 3rd and 2 should be a down we win more often than not.

 

[gbgary]

you know how many times the Packers have run on 3rd down all season...10 times...and 3 of those were on 3rd and long. pass plays on 3rd down...105 times. there's your Packers are predictable narrative. ridiculous.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Thread of the year. I would love to hear mm answer this question.

Well, according to some posters, the reason is because Aaron Jones is not as good in pass protection on two plays each game.

 

[El Guapo]

The solution to a dude who is not great at pass protection, is to have him slip out of the pocket and let Rodgers dump instead of getting clobbered. When was the last time Rodgers utilized the outlet pass? Yes, I keep hearing people say that Jones needs better hands but solution should not be to take one of your top playmakers out of the game. Find a different way to let him contribute.

 

[Do7]

Guys a quick thought to why McCarthy has split the runs with him and Williams. I believe that 4 game suspension played a role into everything. McCarthy i'm sure originally had Jones as the number 1 RB but because he made a bone headed decision and got suspended. We know McCarthy rewards loyalty and good behavior so perhaps that's why he wants to give William chances? It's just a theory. Plus isn't Williams the better blocker?

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Guys a quick thought to why McCarthy has split the runs with him and Williams. I believe that 4 game suspension played a role into everything. McCarthy i'm sure originally had Jones as the number 1 RB but because he made a bone headed decision and got suspended. We know McCarthy rewards loyalty and good behavior so perhaps that's why he wants to give William chances? It's just a theory. Plus isn't Williams the better blocker?

I'm not going to look it up, but if you look at snap counts, as well as number of carries, Jones is being given more of both with each game this season. I don't have a real problem with how this has transpired and I don't think it was all just due to Jones suspension. Williams has worked hard and proven himself to be a capable RB in all phases (running, receiving and blocking). MM wasn't just going to kick him to the curb right away. However, as Jones has proved his abilities he is now seeing a bulk of the work load at RB. But we are still going to continue to see Williams spell him at times, which in my mind is a good problem to have.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I agree that there should be a good mix of Williams and Jones but they should be getting more opportunities to weaken defenses and draw the safeties in closer.

Opponents don't draw safeties closer to the line even with the Packers having success running the ball though. Jones has faced eight or more defenders in the box on only 8.22% of his runs this season. That number has even declinef in the past few weeks.

you know how many times the Packers have run on 3rd down all season...10 times...and 3 of those were on 3rd and long. pass plays on 3rd down...105 times. there's your Packers are predictable narrative. ridiculous.

The Packers have actually thrown the ball 97 times on third down while running it on 18 plays.

 

[Mondio]

Guys a quick thought to why McCarthy has split the runs with him and Williams. I believe that 4 game suspension played a role into everything. McCarthy i'm sure originally had Jones as the number 1 RB but because he made a bone headed decision and got suspended. We know McCarthy rewards loyalty and good behavior so perhaps that's why he wants to give William chances? It's just a theory. Plus isn't Williams the better blocker?

I'm not going to look it up, but if you look at snap counts, as well as number of carries, Jones is being given more of both with each game this season. I don't have a real problem with how this has transpired and I don't think it was all just due to Jones suspension. Williams has worked hard and proven himself to be a capable RB in all phases (running, receiving and blocking). MM wasn't just going to kick him to the curb right away. However, as Jones has proved his abilities he is now seeing a bulk of the work load at RB. But we are still going to continue to see Williams spell him at times, which in my mind is a good problem to have.

You guys are both right and there's still more. Williams is a very capable back with a decent running ability, good pass catching ability, exceptional blitz pick up ability and he's very disciplined. He's going to get snaps for the simple fact he earns them too.

and then you have Jones, and I really really like Jones. Always have. But he has a small injury history, he started the year suspended. Those early games we were down early and big. Is it really such a surprise we passed so much? Come one now. as many of us said since the start, we expected Jone's carries to go up, and they have weekly. He's also not a 215-225lb running back. He doesn't give guys great shots on his body, but I also don't think he's built for 25 carries a game for 19 games either. I think it's prudent to be selective with his skill set and not careless with his body for the sake of some fantasy numbers. He's also not perfect. He's explosive, but he still doesn't catch well which limits the offense. he did make up for it last game after a bad drop so he can work on it. He had at least 1 maybe 2 crucial pre snap penalties on 3rd down in the last game? Those are significant. He has work to do to be a more complete player and still at the end of the day, 15-20 touches a game might be all his body is good for and keep him going by years end.

 

[weeds]

In Green Bay, with #12, the run is considered an inconvenient diversion. Aaron doesn't want to run...Mike doesn't want to run....Joe doesn't want to run...most of the young fans don't want to run.

Yeah, Aaron Jones is messing with people's fantasy results.

 

[PackAttack12]

Guys a quick thought to why McCarthy has split the runs with him and Williams. I believe that 4 game suspension played a role into everything. McCarthy i'm sure originally had Jones as the number 1 RB but because he made a bone headed decision and got suspended. We know McCarthy rewards loyalty and good behavior so perhaps that's why he wants to give William chances? It's just a theory. Plus isn't Williams the better blocker?

Small correction: Jones was only suspended 2 games.

For me, the biggest crime were the carries that Montgomery was given. In no circumstance should he have been taking snaps from Jones and Williams.

Hopefully the dynamic we saw against Miami will be more of what we see moving forward.

 

[Packer96]

Plan?

 

[rodell330]

People are underestimating Jones hands. The guy was a WR in High School In El Paso before he switched positions at UTEP. His hands are plenty good.

 

[Firethorn1001]

I'd be curious of how many times Rodgers checks out of a run.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I'd be curious of how many times Rodgers checks out of a run.

Might need to double check that!

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