The optimism thread - all may not be lost yet

[Half Empty]

So you have already forseen that Hundley has no chance of getting us to the playoffs? That remains to be seen. Getting to the playoffs is the crux of the matter. Until there is official word that Rodgers cannot be ready by playoff time, we absolutely have a legitimate shot at getting there.

FWIW, and not sure how this happens, that quote was from the Capt (post #83) and not me.

 

[gbgary]

Once again, you will be disappointed if you think the Packers have a legitimate shot at making it to the Super Bowl this season.

you're out of line sir. this is the optimize thread. take your realism elsewhere!

 

[Ted Thompson's Mind]

Don't worry, guys. Your Uncle T-Sizzle is here for you. I've got a humdinger of a plan.

 

[Packer Fan in SD]

Having watched the Pack from the 60's to now, I have, like several others here, seen the worst period of Packer football we have had in the last 50 some years. The optimist in me hopes for a Bledsoe/Brady type situation. The realist in me fears a Lynn ****ey/Randy Wright type of situation. Either way, I will be hoping for us to pull off some wins and stay in playoff contention and watch every game. If we get healthy and Brett II shows some improvement, we can, as others have said, trade him for a pick or two and try again for some defensive help next year.

Either way it goes, it will not be as bad as the nearly 2 decades we spent trying to achieve mediocrity.

And thank you for the chuckle T-Shizzle! Edit:Sorry, T-Sizzle!

 

[Packerlover]

I cried when I heard Rodgers broke his collar bone and will be out for the season. I don't know much about Hundley but there's a reason the Packers have invested 3 years in him. He must have sufficient skills to lead an NFL team. So I am optimistic that he will fill in nicely this year and lead us to the playoffs. I doubt that we'll get to the Super Bowl but if we make the playoffs and win at least 1 game, I will call this season a success.

Time for the defense to step up. what else you got Capers?

 

[adambr2]

Having watched the Pack from the 60's to now, I have, like several others here, seen the worst period of Packer football we have had in the last 50 some years. The optimist in me hopes for a Bledsoe/Brady type situation. The realist in me fears a Lynn ****ey/Randy Wright type of situation. Either way, I will be hoping for us to pull off some wins and stay in playoff contention and watch every game. If we get healthy and Brett II shows some improvement, we can, as others have said, trade him for a pick or two and try again for some defensive help next year.

Either way it goes, it will not be as bad as the nearly 2 decades we spent trying to achieve mediocrity.

And thank you for the chuckle T-Shizzle! Edit:Sorry, T-Sizzle!

Bledsoe/Brady is obviously an extreme, best possible case, 1 in 1,000 example but does go to show you that surprises can happen.

In less extreme examples, Matt Cassell led the Patriots to an 11-5 season in 2008 after Brady tore his ACL on opening day. More recently, Cowboy fans feared the worst when Romo was injured and out indefinitely to start 2016. All their 4th round rookie QB did was lead them to the top of the NFC and brink of the NFC title game. And our guy isn't a rookie, this is his 3rd year in the system.

So while there are certainly no guarantees of similar success, can we at least let this play out and see what happens before we just declare this a lost season? Enjoy the journey. NFL season only comes around once a year and is too short to mentally check out of it in October.

 

[Mondio]

some of the best times in my life were when I had an expectation of nothing and nothing in the bank. Kind of feel the same way now. I have no idea what's coming next from this team, but I'm going to watch and find out. maybe it will be pretty cool. or maybe not.

I'm not terribly optimistic, but the seasons not over either. A big difference between this and the Cowboys. We have like 2 starting rotations of of offensive linemen injured and have our backup's back ups playing and PS squad players Dallas had 1st round draft picks in front of their QB. and for as much as I think Zeke Elliot is a big pile of **** as a human being, he's a very talented runner. 2 things that would go a long long ways in helping Hundley be successful that we do not have right now, and is not on the horizon.

 

[adambr2]

some of the best times in my life were when I had an expectation of nothing and nothing in the bank. Kind of feel the same way now. I have no idea what's coming next from this team, but I'm going to watch and find out. maybe it will be pretty cool. or maybe not.

I'm not terribly optimistic, but the seasons not over either. A big difference between this and the Cowboys. We have like 2 starting rotations of of offensive linemen injured and have our backup's back ups playing and PS squad players Dallas had 1st round draft picks in front of their QB.

Well, maybe after the bye we are fully healthy on the O line again and basically healthy everywhere else again besides Rodgers.

That's the hope, although it's been the hope for awhile and guys continue to drop like flies faster than they are returning.

 

[kevans74]

MM's daughter is pretty hot(the older one obv)... is that some optimism?

 

[longtimefan]

Here's my fantasy scenario for the Packers moving forward:

1) Hundley takes over for the whole season, as AR is shut down. Regular and post-season. Rodgers' injury dictates a take-the-slow approach, and Packers brass want to showcase the young Nupe. He goes 6-4, with an overall completion % near 65 and leads us into the tourney as division champs with a 10-6 record.

2) We lose in the wildcard round to Arizona, who are the #4 seed to our #5. (Adrian Peterson wins Comeback Player OTY) But, we rejoice in another roller-coaster ride of a season that keeps us atop the NFC North.

3) TT steps down immediately following the playoff loss. Eliot Wolf takes over as GM and delegates Capers to a front office consultant role. He then hires Todd Bowles as DC and Mike Nolan as Asst. Linebackers Coach. We keep Whitt, Trgovac, and Moss in their respective positions.

4a) In the off-season, we trade Brett to JAX for a 1st and 3rd rd'er in the upcoming draft. Then, we trade Nick Perry and Kyler Fackrell to the Pats for Malcolm Butler and a 7th. We sign Butler to the big deal he's wanted-he plays like a #1 CB for us since he's finally paid/appreciated by a franchise. We also restructure/extend Aaron, Jordy, Randall, and Clay to make room for Corey, Davante, Richard Rodgers as an "elite #3 TE", Morgan, and HHCD. We bring back Ahmad Brooks and Dial, but medically settle with Rollins/don't bring back House. With all the comp picks we receive, in total we amass 12 picks in the upcoming draft to reload with! We trade up to get Bradley Chubb in the top part of the 1st round to be our Baby Julius Peppers (a 3-4 elephant end/OLB hybrid who rushes from the inside in dime subpackages along with Chris Odom) then use our other 1st rd pick to pluck Marquis Haynes, a speedy EDGE that eventually replaces Clay.

4b) In the 2nd rd we grab Jaire Alexander to be our new slot corner. We finally solve the secondary issues with King and Butler on the outside, Jaire as the nickel back and Randall as #4/dime back/"The Micah Hyde" role. In the 3rd rd we nab two quality offensive tackles to compete for roster spots, and in the 4th round we scoop up a sleeper wideout. 5th round on is BPA.

5) 2018 is a storybook season. Reloaded with talent and defensive philosophies, we CRUSH THE NFL. 16-0. AR12 wins Comeback POTY + MVP. We beat Brady and BB in SB 53, 30-10. Atlanta is filled with cheese and green glory. Aaron dethrones TB12 as the GOAT QB.

Optimistic enough for ya?

Wolf can't delegate Dom... Only mm can

 

[BrokenArrow]

FWIW, and not sure how this happens, that quote was from the Capt (post #83) and not me.

That's weird. I'm not sure either

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Think we need to see what happens Sunday with Hundley given a full week penciled as starter. Saints don't have a great front 7. It's at Lambeau. I expect MM to have em ready.

Beyond that you got Bears, Buc's, Browns, Lions, Ravens. All very winnable games.

I believe the Packers have a chance to win against the Bears, Browns, Ravens and Buccaneers and might surprise another team along the way, possibly finishing 9-7. It's possible the team loses half of those games as well though. There's no chance the Packers continue to be a Super Bowl contender without Rodgers though.

I was asking myself, what did they see in Hundley, even if I compare him to the AR in Dallas, when Favre was injured, there is no way the same potential .. so what did the coaching staff see in him ... Supposed, AR plays 3 more years, if he wants to ... he will be 34 next year ... a draft pick should be spent latest 2019 ...

In my opinion it was an odd move by Thompson to trade up in the 2015 draft to select Hundley as it was pretty obvious at that point that it was too early to think about Rodgers' successor. We'll figure out pretty fast if he's a viable starter at the pro level and might yield a decent draft pick in a trade over the next few weeks though.

I wonder how much the fact that it is his throwing shoulder will affect his ability to return this year.

Rodgers suffering the broken collarbone on his throwing arm definitely extends the time he will miss with the injury this time around.

So you have already forseen that Hundley has no chance of getting us to the playoffs? That remains to be seen.

Unfortunately I believe the Packers chances of making the playoffs are extremely thin with Hundley starting.

Ok, I'm trying to reconcile these two statements, that one, you don't believe there is a dominant team in the NFC (I agree with that part), and that we don't have a legitimate shot anymore.

1 - Go 5-5 with Hundley at QB (comparatively, Flynn went 2-2-1 in this situation, and he was pulled off the street.)

I'm not saying any of this will be easy. I'm not saying any of this will happen. What I am saying is there's no scenario I've outlined here that is really unrealistic in any way and so I'd certainly prefer to see how things unfold the next few weeks with Hundley and how much healthier we can get coming out of the bye before I write off our chances this year.

The Packers had a dominant running back in Lacy during the 2013 season, taking a lot of pressure of Flynn over those five games. I don't expect the rushing attack to excel over the course of this season especially with opponents most likely stacking the box to force Hundley to beat them. In addition there's no reason to believe the defense is capable of stealing a game or two.

While it might be possible for the Packers to finish 9-7 I don't believe it to be the most likely outcome.

Bledsoe/Brady is obviously an extreme, best possible case, 1 in 1,000 example but does go to show you that surprises can happen.

In less extreme examples, Matt Cassell led the Patriots to an 11-5 season in 2008 after Brady tore his ACL on opening day. More recently, Cowboy fans feared the worst when Romo was injured and out indefinitely to start 2016. All their 4th round rookie QB did was lead them to the top of the NFC and brink of the NFC title game. And our guy isn't a rookie, this is his 3rd year in the system.

All of the teams you mentioned featured a defense that finished within the top eight in points allowed not solely relying on the offense to win games though. In addition the 2008 Patriots and the '16 Cowboys had one of the best rushing offenses in the league. Unfortunately the Packers currently lack talent in both of these areas.

 

[HD3924]

There's no reason to miss Lacy as he hasn't been an impact running back for most of the past two plus seasons.


He was Rookie of the year and ran later on better than Ty Montgomery for sure behind an O-Line which is not built to run block. Found his run style was spectacular, but this is personal taste, and aside from that look back, there should be hope, Jones can do better than that Montgomery-Experiment which never seemed to be a serious idea. Lacy would have raised more attention of opposing D's than anyone we have now.

 

[Cvikes80]

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Don't worry, guys. Your Uncle T-Sizzle is here for you. I've got a humdinger of a plan.

 

[Ted Thompson's Mind]

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GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!

 

[gonzozab]

The question is will Kaepernick be able to throw an accurate enough ball for Bennett to drop?

 

[Deleted member 6794]

He was Rookie of the year and ran later on better than Ty Montgomery for sure behind an O-Line which is not built to run block. Found his run style was spectacular, but this is personal taste, and aside from that look back, there should be hope, Jones can do better than that Montgomery-Experiment which never seemed to be a serious idea. Lacy would have raised more attention of opposing D's than anyone we have now.

Lacy was definitely an elite running back early during his tenure with the Packers but unfortunately after two seasons decided not to put in the work necessary to stay in shape anymore. He hasn't performed anywhere close to that level ever since.

 

[Sanguine camper]

MM is a good qb coach which should mean Hundley will get better as the season goes on. If Hundley looks ok, the Packers can get a decent draft pick for him. That's the best scenario coming out of the current situation. Since there is no way a newby qb like Hundley can realistically lead a team with a bad defense and the worst o line in football to a deep playoff run, the Packers need to focus in the 2018 draft like a laser beam.

 

[Ted Thompson's Mind]

MM is a good qb coach which should mean Hundley will get better as the season goes on. If Hundley looks ok, the Packers can get a decent draft pick for him. That's the best scenario coming out of the current situation. Since there is no way a newby qb like Hundley can realistically lead a team with a bad defense and the worst o line in football to a deep playoff run, the Packers need to focus in the 2018 draft like a laser beam.

I've been focusing on the 2018 draft since my parents bought me my first draft board for Christmas when I was six.

 

[Packer Fan in SD]

I've been focusing on the 2018 draft since my parents bought me my first draft board for Christmas when I was six.

Stop! This is the worst I have felt about the Pack in decades and you have me laughing me you know what off with your posts.

Actually thanks for making me feel better. Good stuff T-Sizzle.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Since there is no way a newby qb like Hundley can realistically lead a team with a bad defense and the worst o line in football to a deep playoff run, the Packers need to focus in the 2018 draft like a laser beam.

The Packers definitely don't feature the worst offensive line in football when most of their starters are healthy.

 

[Firethorn1001]

Well, absolute worst case scenario is that Hundley comes in, looks absolutely awful, they go to Callahan for a few weeks to try to break into the win column and that doesn't work out so they go back to Hundley in hopes of building up some type of trade value for him. In the meantime, the media is going nuts and using the Packers as the poster child of why isn't Kaepernick back in the NFL. The season spins out of control and they end up 4-12. The entire staff is ok and injuries will be pointed to as the main culprit and we go into the offseason discussing second year improvement, getting healthy and all the usual BS.

Best case. Hundley is solid. The Packers manage to get to the playoffs with him. Rodgers returns and leads to the Packers to a Superbowl victory. TT and Dom ride off into the sunset. The Browns, not wanting to screw up decide to dump several draft picks at the Packers to trade for Hundley and away we go to 2018.

More than likely, I'm thinking the Packers manage a record somewhere between 7-9 or 9-7, TT and Dom are back next year. We get the usual second year jumps and getting healthy pep talk and someone decides to float a 6th rounder at Hundley and we look somewhere else next year.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Well, absolute worst case scenario is that Hundley comes in, looks absolutely awful, they go to Callahan for a few weeks to try to break into the win column and that doesn't work out so they go back to Hundley in hopes of building up some type of trade value for him.

I highly doubt Callahan will get any meaningful snaps even if Hundley struggles for the rest of the season.

 

[rmontro]

MM is a good qb coach which should mean Hundley will get better as the season goes on.

I agree with that, although since practice times have been so curtailed, McCarthy can't run the quarterback school he used to, so I'm sure that has curtailed his effectiveness somewhat. But I agree Hundley should improve as the season goes on, he just needs more game experience, to catch up on the learning curve.

 

[HD3924]

I agree with that, although since practice times have been so curtailed, McCarthy can't run the quarterback school he used to, so I'm sure that has curtailed his effectiveness somewhat. But I agree Hundley should improve as the season goes on, he just needs more game experience, to catch up on the learning curve.

I hope so too. To me, the key is how can the OL protect him and give him time ...