Not only here, but around the internet and on talk radio I've seen and heard Packers fans blame the current state of the defense on one or two factors that if corrected, all would be fine. The absence of Cullen Jenkins and the injured Mike Neal has been prominently mentioned. The career threatening injury to Pro Bowler Nick Collins is an obvious target and I've even read posters who blame every coverage screw-up as being Morgan Burnett's fault. The lack of pass rush from Eric Walden and the lack of pressure from the overused BJ Raji have also been mentioned; as well as the injury and resulting "poor" play of Williams (for him) and the lack of impact plays from Hawk. Even Dom Capers' schemes have come under fire. I don't think there's an easy fix and remind my fellow Packers fanatics that the problems were apparent from the beginning of the season, even before Collins' and Williams' injuries, albeit the first game was against a very potent Saints offense. IMO only Packers fans whose green and gold goggles are so dark no light can penetrate them are completely unconcerned about the play of the defense so far, even though we are at the half-way mark in this undefeated season. So please don't misunderstand what follows.
The most important stat in football is points scored and surrendered. The degree to which other stats correlate to points reveals their importance IMO. While the Packers have been horrible in surrendering passing yards, they are 17th in the league in points surrendered giving up 22.4 points per game. So while their prolific offense is first in points scored, their defense is in the middle of the league in points surrendered. They are first in INTs and I believe they're tied for second in turnovers created.
During the ups and downs of last season the Packers never trailed by more than 7 points at any point in any game. That's a truly remarkable statistic: Even though they finished the regular season 10-6, they were never out of any game. As ColdHardFootballFacts reports the streak of not trailing in the fourth quarter breaks a record set in 1943. So while the Packers have a lot of work to do on the defensive side of the ball, particularly against the pass, we should keep this in perspective. The Packers are bad vs. the pass but in the middle of the league regarding the most important defensive stat. And although the offense plays a huge part in this, the defense on occasion has been clutch. Like the last Steelers drive of the Super Bowl and the last Chargers drive Sunday. (Also regarding the Chargers game, the defense was not responsible for the onsides kick…)
thats our team.
