Rodgers playoffs since the Super Bowl

[mor4les]

I think the fact that Philbin was calling the offense on the superbowl run, and now MM is has somenthing to do with this. Rodgers is playing worst but the play calling by MM is not even close to Philbin's, MM is very predictable and the playmakers on offense, AR, Cobb or Nelson make is job look decent. MM needs to stick to being the HC and bring someone to call the offense

 

[Forget Favre]

11 guys play on offense and have no control over the other 11 guys on defense. Arod can only play with what he has. So, a patchy O-line, patchy D line, Patchy OLB,ILB and a sketchy DB corp......and we are blamming Rodgers? I don't think so. Not to mention missing our big target TE who is a mis-match for most teams to defend.... this falls on injury and defense more than any other one thing. Capers for being vanilla and not adapting to changing times, and defensive players for not executing properly. We scored enough points, for the most part considering key offensive weapon injuries, when Arod was in to win most games.....just our swiss cheese defense couldn't stop the bad guys from scoring at will. And 4th qtr comebacks is a crappy stat over all..... what does it really say? It says you were not good enough through the first 3 qtrs to get the job done and got lucky enough to make a couple throws in the 4th.

^ This. Is. Spot. On.

I blame the Packers lack of D-Fence on the loss to the 9ers.
They let them score too early and let CraperKnickers run too far.

I don't get you Frank.
In another thread you point out the Packers D-Fence flaws and here you're blaming Rodgers.
Which is it?

 

[mor4les]

my bad, delete this

 

[Forget Favre]

One thing I was thinking about is this was Rodgers 2nd game back some chemistry was loss while he was out and its not like its immediately regained. I did think the Packers should of attempted more passes at the start of the 1st quarter yet it didn't happen. If the collar bone injury didn't happen then maybe he would of played a little more reckless and we'd had a game winning touchdown in the 4th quarter and praying the defense doesn't surrender a TD. There is a lot of if's. For a QB in the postseason I'd want Rodgers, we've seen Manning and Favre throw that critical interception, I haven't seen Rodgers do that, just a strip sack and we'd all agree its the oline's fault for that.

I think Rodgers looked more rusty in the 1st quarter against the 9ers than he did against Duh Bears.
I wonder why it took him and the offense so long to get into their rhythm and groove against the 9ers.

 

[I asked LT to delete my acct]

One thing I was thinking about is this was Rodgers 2nd game back some chemistry was loss while he was out and its not like its immediately regained. I did think the Packers should of attempted more passes at the start of the 1st quarter yet it didn't happen. If the collar bone injury didn't happen then maybe he would of played a little more reckless and we'd had a game winning touchdown in the 4th quarter and praying the defense doesn't surrender a TD. There is a lot of if's. For a QB in the postseason I'd want Rodgers, we've seen Manning and Favre throw that critical interception, I haven't seen Rodgers do that, just a strip sack and we'd all agree its the oline's fault for that.

Is it possible that the shoulder was giving him some problems in the cold ?? I know when it gets really cold, my arthritis flares up more than usual. Once something is broken or injured, it never FULLY recovers. Just wondering ?

 

[NOMOFO]

LOL ...ok...sorry about the exclamation marks, point taken, and just to be clear, it's not "anger" exclamation marks but "totally amazed" exclamation marks. OK!!!???? lol If we were at a bar I'd buy you one and we'd laugh and drink over this one. It's all good.

You think the fact that pointing out they've been very good at passes of 20 yards and over proves that Rodgers looks too much down field? Can I give you at least ONE exclamation mark on that? You accurately point out that the Pack is consistently near the top in YAC with this group. The only stats that "prove" you are wrong about Rodgers are...well...basically every single career stat on Aaron Rodgers! (Just one?)

Giving that stat about 20 plus pass plays proves nothing. Look how many quick hitters he's had the past 2 weeks that went for 10 or more YAC! In fact, it's the fact that Rodgers is so damn good at hitting the correct receiver that's part of the reason for the fantastic YAC.

You could not be more wrong about this one if you tried.

 

[rodell330]

Why is it when the def needed to make a play they didnt..

We dont hear when the offense needed a Td they didnt get it---

Why is it so hard to put the same amount of blame on the offense?

Last year vs the Niners I said the same thing..Rodgers had a bad game but people to afraid to admit it

I called out the offense. I said they had some horrible drives didn't i? so im calling out Rodgers, the o-line, MM, and even the waterboy because i'm sure he had to take gatorade to those guy's at one point. However, Hyde drops and easy int and Bush does 95% of his job in a tied ball game and we lose so yea..that's guys not making plays.. or in Bush's case not being smart.

 

[HardRightEdge]

I would like to remind everyone that Rodgers led a 5 minute, 10 play, 61 yard drive that resulted in the game-tying field goal with 5 minutes left on the clock. This drive featured the "how did he do it" big play to Cobb (even if the "how" was clearly the uncalled hold by EDS). So what's being said here? He did not burn enough clock? He must score a TD in that situation else all is for naught?

That says less about Rodgers and more about one's confidence in the defense ever making a key late stop against playoff caliber offenses.

I don't know about anybody else, but it was my spoken opinion at the time that SF would score and the game would boil down to how much time Rodgers would have to answer. The defense has proven itself in recent years to be of "last team with the ball wins" caliber when playing decent teams in close games.

 

[BorderRivals.com]

Give Aaron Rodgers a defense like Seattle, Carolina, or even the Jets and the Packers go deep into the playoffs every single year i guarantee it. The offense had some horrible drives Sunday but when the defense needed to make plays they didn't. If Bush keeps contain and doesn't try to be a hero Kap doesn't escape the pocket and pick up that first down. If Hyde catches an easy int that he will prolly catch 8 out of 10 times we are going to Carolina.

If you had been told the defense would hold SF to 23 points, wouldn't you have taken that? I know I would and then expected the offense to put more than 20. We were invincible in the 1Q. That goes on the offense as a whole. Rodgers still holds it too long, resulting in the sacks being his fault as much as the lines. He had a fair game on Sunday, but far from his standards. A lot of short drives and obviously not finishing the one in the red zone at the end of the game. That falls on the offense and Rodgers in particular. Some also falls on the WRs though too. It's not like I saw guys streaking open that he just missed. What's most disappointing is that the 49ers were down CBs, yet still bottled up our WRs. Finally, JJ had 3 drops and Jordy didn't come up with a deep ball that he often grabs. Just two of those plays would have made the difference most likely.

So, in sum, blame goes to everyone, including Rodgers, for the way the offense performed. Blaming the defense only is looking to find the popular scapegoat.

 

[rodell330]

If you had been told the defense would hold SF to 23 points, wouldn't you have taken that? I know I would and then expected the offense to put more than 20. We were invincible in the 1Q. That goes on the offense as a whole. Rodgers still holds it too long, resulting in the sacks being his fault as much as the lines. He had a fair game on Sunday, but far from his standards. A lot of short drives and obviously not finishing the one in the red zone at the end of the game. That falls on the offense and Rodgers in particular. Some also falls on the WRs though too. It's not like I saw guys streaking open that he just missed. What's most disappointing is that the 49ers were down CBs, yet still bottled up our WRs. Finally, JJ had 3 drops and Jordy didn't come up with a deep ball that he often grabs. Just two of those plays would have made the difference most likely.

So, in sum, blame goes to everyone, including Rodgers, for the way the offense performed. Blaming the defense only is looking to find the popular scapegoat.

Defense played well enough to win and Offense didn't do enough to win.

 

[TJV]

!!!????

Show us where Packers fans have complained that Rodgers doesn't take shots enough up the field. And were you watching the 2011 season? The Packers had a dynamic down the field passing game that caused defenses in 2012 to adjust to playing more two deep safeties. Why do you suppose McCarthy introduced a 2.5 second passing clock in the 2012 TC? Why do you suppose there have been discussions on this board about how much responsibility Rodgers bears for sacks because he does at times hold the ball waiting for someone to get open downfield.

Again, show us evidence of Packers complaining that Rodgers doesn’t throw enough deep balls over the past four seasons. Just saying something doesn’t make it true. In attempting to call out another poster you’ve called out yourself.

 

[I asked LT to delete my acct]

Did anybody see Aikman explaining how the ball handles different in cold weather, and gets like a thin film or layer like ice on it ? or something like that. I keep reading that James Jones dropped three easy balls, and Hyde dropped an easy interception, but I`m sorry its easy to sit here and critisise. We weren`t out on that field, and that wasn`t normal weather conditions either. I`m not going to think I could do any better.

 

[NOMOFO]

Show us where Packers fans have complained that Rodgers doesn't take shots enough up the field. And were you watching the 2011 season? The Packers had a dynamic down the field passing game that caused defenses in 2012 to adjust to playing more two deep safeties. Why do you suppose McCarthy introduced a 2.5 second passing clock in the 2012 TC? Why do you suppose there have been discussions on this board about how much responsibility Rodgers bears for sacks because he does at times hold the ball waiting for someone to get open downfield.

Again, show us evidence of Packers complaining that Rodgers doesn’t throw enough deep balls over the past four seasons. Just saying something doesn’t make it true. In attempting to call out another poster you’ve called out yourself.

There are two things we're talking about here. Right?

1. Does Aaron Rodgers have a problem holding on to the ball too long and ignoring the open receiver? I'm saying you could not be more off base on anything related Packers if you tried. All of your ramblings and stats prove absolutely nothing. This is not something a stat line can prove or disprove. When is the last time you heard any former or current player or coach say anything CLOSE to that? In fact, you will hear nothing but the 100% opposite! For God's sake man... I love Aaron Rodgers and even I at times over the past few years have screamed at the set "Can we just take a shot down field!" He is going to take what teams give him. Period.

2. Evidence of fans complaining about Rodgers not throwing down field. Listen, for about 3 mf'ing years I argued with Brent Ferv apologists regarding the Brent verse Aaron debate. PA -LEASE. That was "THE" number one thing I heard from that crowd and even from some Rodgers supporters! "Well, Aaron just never even looks for the big play like Brent did". "Rodgers needs to just take a shot down field once in a while". "All he ever does is **** and dunk of course his stats are going to be good". ....and on and on and on. It's all I ever heard!

 

[rodell330]

Matt Flynn takes shots down the field. The ball just doesn't go as far haha.

 

[NOMOFO]

Matt Flynn takes shots down the field. The ball just doesn't go as far haha.

lol At least nobody is calling him matty ice.

 

[TJV]

1.
2.

The Packers had 70 passing plays of 20+ yards and 16 of 40+ yards in the 2011 regular season. Only a fool believes that’s all YAC. Here’s a link to the play I was talking about. This was against Baltimore this season and TE Taylor was Rodgers’ protector. If you were watching - particularly during the 2011 season - you saw this play quite a bit.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-...ers-to-Nelson-for-a-64-yard-TD-pass-and-catch

One of the problems with Flynn this season was teams could bring safeties up in the box and dare the Packers to complete a long pass. They would have been burned doing that with Rodgers behind center. Look at all the ballet-like catches Nelson makes along the sideline. Look at Jones' TDs from 2012 and the pass (IMO) he should have caught vs. the 49ers Sunday. Most of those were long passes. Incredible this has to be explained to a Packers fan.

I consider Favre apologists to be Favre fans, not Packers fans. Of those I’ve encountered I have found their bias makes it impossible for them to view the Packers objectively. Why anyone would spend three years arguing with them is beyond me. Of course Rodgers is much, much better protecting the ball than Favre ever was - his INT/ATTs ratio is about one-half of Favre's, but that does not mean Rodgers doesn’t throw the ball down the field. He does. His accuracy throwing the long ball is one of his strengths.

 

[Forget Favre]

I'd rather have Aaron Rodgers than Brett Favre lose this game for us.
Remember that Favre would throw game losing INTs in playoff games breaking our (And then Vikings fans) hearts. And didn't he do that for us more than once?
Rodgers didn't do that in our recent loss.
I will take Rodgers over Favre. And I base that not on what Favre did to us by switching teams and flip flopping.
I base that on who loses the games in worse ways.
Would we have beat the 9ers with Favre?
Hard to say. Easier to think of him throwing a game losing INT to the 9ers.

(Yeah, yeah. I know that I have that screen name and am bringing up Favre anyway. I needed to, to make a point of which QB I'd rather have at this point and to show that this loss could have been way worse.)

 

[Powarun]

(Yeah, yeah. I know that I have that screen name and am bringing up Favre anyway. I needed to, to make a point of which QB I'd rather have at this point and to show that this loss could have been way worse.)

I'm just saying I was tip toeing that line with my post, yet also trying to use another QB (Manning) as an example of a QB known for throwing a pick at the wrong time in the post season. We can all agree this was not Rodgers best game, and he was a reason why we lost but not a major contributor to our loss this game. He fumbled; it wasn't a turnover, he was sacked; he held the ball too long, he didn't commit to a rushing TD like we'd all want him to; he is coming off of a big injury. Rodgers is a reason why we made it to the playoffs, why we scored in the playoffs, and why we can expect a shoot out in most games.

Jones and Hyde not catching what were deemed catchable balls, Bush's rush to get the sack instead of containing the QB. Are all mistakes I deemed a greater factor that determined the outcome than Rodger's mistakes. We needed to be near perfect this game and we weren't, injuries, coaching, and the sum of all mistakes defined this loss.

 

[Oshkoshpackfan]

Not having ALL his usual weapons at his disposal and the lack of good playcalling (cobb run in side the 5 yd line) is what is hurting the offense. Given the guys that we faced on defense vs the 9ers, I think the O line did a serviceable job.....that and Arods ability to escape a few time helped as well. As much of a finley critic as I WAS, damn if we don't miss his big tall *** in the redzone.

 

[NOMOFO]

ThxJackVainisi - again...keep posting all the stats you want. They prove nothing other than Rodgers is an unreal QB and the stats you show just prove it. And since when is a 20 yard pass considered a shot down field?! lol Yes Jack, I can promise you (and your little stats would show it), there are many MANY of those 20 yard passes that were 10-15 yard thrown balls. A 10-15 yard pass is not a big play down field. Only a fool would not understand that.

I've tried to be nice but your "fool" reference and so on ? .....

You my friend do NOT have a clue. People can question Rodgers on a number of things. HOWEVER, anyone that would suggest Aaron Rodgers has a problem taking what defenses give him:

A. Knows ZERO about football. As in - NOTHING

B. Doesn't watch much NFL football and listen to coach and player and professional input on players. If you did, you would know that one of the main things you'll hear is that Rodgers is one of, if not "the" smartest QB in the game and he'll take what teams give him. That's what makes him hard to beat and it's exactly what the pros say about him. It's exactly what we've been hearing for years!

C. You are just about as non-analytical as they come. Aaron Rodgers is shattering passing records with every year he plays. If he, as you say, has a problem with holding onto the ball for the sake of looking for the big play rather than taking what teams give him, he wouldn't be breaking those records.

Again...maybe you aren't even reading my posts in full so you're not hearing. There's a giant difference between the debate over "Does Aaron Rodgers hold the ball too long" verses "Does Aaron Rodgers have a problem holding the ball too long because (as you say) he always wants to make the big play and he needs to take what the defense gives him."

 

[Oshkoshpackfan]

OH SNAP !!! Where's the popcorn, this is gunna get good.

 

[TJV]

OH SNAP !!! Where's the popcorn, this is gunna get good.

No it’s not. I challenged this poster to back up this statement: “For the past 4 years all we've heard from Packer fans is that Rodgers DOESN'T take shots enough up the field!!!!!!!” and provided evidence that Rodgers does throw the long ball. After ignoring the challenge and then being challenged again he tells us he’s been hanging out with Favre fans for THREE years arguing with them. WTF? If true, the best thing I can say is that’s certainly not smart. I never made the argument Rodgers is reckless with the ball, he’s obviously not. I only argued something even the casual Packers fan should know: Rodgers is incredibly accurate throwing the long ball and he is not bashful about doing it. This guy isn’t bright enough to recognize that. I started out trying to be nice. Turns out easyk83 had the right idea about this poster:

Get lost...

 

[TA63]

Defense played well enough to win and Offense didn't do enough to win.

This is very true. Strangely, it's usually the opposite. Outside of a few blown plays, D played a solid game. For the life of me I can't figure out why we can't seem to contain kaep. He doesn't run rampant over other teams like this.

 

[easyk83]

ThxJackVainisi - again...keep posting all the stats you want. They prove nothing other than Rodgers is an unreal QB and the stats you show just prove it. And since when is a 20 yard pass considered a shot down field?! lol Yes Jack, I can promise you (and your little stats would show it), there are many MANY of those 20 yard passes that were 10-15 yard thrown balls. A 10-15 yard pass is not a big play down field. Only a fool would not understand that.

I've tried to be nice but your "fool" reference and so on ? .....

You my friend do NOT have a clue. People can question Rodgers on a number of things. HOWEVER, anyone that would suggest Aaron Rodgers has a problem taking what defenses give him:

A. Knows ZERO about football. As in - NOTHING

B. Doesn't watch much NFL football and listen to coach and player and professional input on players. If you did, you would know that one of the main things you'll hear is that Rodgers is one of, if not "the" smartest QB in the game and he'll take what teams give him. That's what makes him hard to beat and it's exactly what the pros say about him. It's exactly what we've been hearing for years!

C. You are just about as non-analytical as they come. Aaron Rodgers is shattering passing records with every year he plays. If he, as you say, has a problem with holding onto the ball for the sake of looking for the big play rather than taking what teams give him, he wouldn't be breaking those records.

Again...maybe you aren't even reading my posts in full so you're not hearing. There's a giant difference between the debate over "Does Aaron Rodgers hold the ball too long" verses "Does Aaron Rodgers have a problem holding the ball too long because (as you say) he always wants to make the big play and he needs to take what the defense gives him."

The Derp is strong in this one.

See Bob McGinn's take on Rodgers play:

Mike McCarthy's game plan lacked punch. He decided to run against Fangio's two-shell secondary from spread formations, throw short with check-downs and screens and try to get Rodgers out on extended plays. Another part of the problem was the quickness and speed of the inside linebackers in their matchup coverage underneath. In the first half, Rodgers was indecisive. He held the ball 4.3 seconds on the first sack, then fumbled in 3.8 seconds after being scrunched by Brooks and Aldon Smith. For Rodgers, who fumbled just 17 times in 53 games from 2010-'12, it was his fifth fumble in 10 games this season. Rodgers was at least partially responsible for three of the four sacks. At times, he had receivers open but thought better of it and decided not to take the chance downfield. Fangio forced Rodgers to be patient, and it's not a game that he prefers to play. In the second half, he ignited the team with two impromptu plays. Trapped by McDonald after his bull rush through Dietrich-Smith, Rodgers managed to get out and with eyes up spotted Cobb behind Cox for 26. On the next series, James Starks and Newhouse didn't react well to a rare slot blitz. Rodgers ducked inside of the onrushing Cox and hit Cobb again for 25. Other than that, his longest completion was 19 yards.

Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/mainheadlines/sports/rating-the-packers-vs-49ers-b99178387z1-238999221.html#ixzz2pkDLM1Rc

That Aaron Rodgers has a habit of holding the ball too long has been a frequent topic of conversation since the mid point of 2012. If you think this criticism is unique then quite frankly you must be living under a rock.

Is Rodgers one of the best quarterbacks in the league, certainly. Is he one of the great quarterbacks to play the game, absolutely. But does his game have holes, yes. Right now Rodgers has developed the same sort of maddening habit that Brett Favre developed following his ascension to super star status. Where Favre would kill drives by trying to force big plays which too frequently resulted in picks, Rodgers kills drives by trying to force big plays and gets sacked.

Now is Aaron Rodgers a deity or an infallible Godhead, no he is not. Does his play occasionally warrant criticism, yes it does.

 

[Chicocheese]

Lets look at Rodgers:

PROS

He doesn't turn the ball over
He is EXTREMELY accurate with his passes (@ Minn this season? Those 2 TD passes to Nelson. How accurate were those throws?!)
He can use his legs if he needs to (As opposed to Kraep who uses his legs because thats all he can do.)
He has been, for the most part, very dependable and healthy

CONS

He tends to hold on to the ball too long (or SEEMINGLY too long due to O-line collapse.)
He, as of this season, has made some goofy decisions with the ball leading to bone-head INTs (Cincinnati... did he over-trust his arm? Cocky? I don't know...)
He grows a dumb looking mustache every preseason and November.

As I mentioned earlier it does appear that he is less precise and deadly lately. You look at 2008-2011 he just hung back in the pocket and slung precision passes and when/if he had to get out of the pocket he was even more deadly due to his accuracy and game-smarts. The last couple years the O-line has been extra terrible and I believe that was what leads to Aaron looking less precise and deadly although his arm, legs, and mind make up for a collapsing O-line MOST of the time.

All in all I think Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the league and the most complete package in the NFL at QB. He has a Brett Favre arm, a Peyton Manning mind, Steve Young legs, and Dead Shot quality accuracy. He has been cursed in the playoffs and the regular season with a junk O-line, a porous defense, or both.