The Packers should be fine the way they are this year

[Forget Favre]

I'm getting kinda tired of these homer posts of "Well, why doesn't the Packers have so and so to help them."
Or
"We should get so and so to make the team better." :sinking:

No team that I can think of or know of is made up of 100% perfect players in EVERY position.
No matter what, it is just impossible for a team to be made up of all superstars.
And that is what makes games interesting or exciting.
I think or believe that the Packers have enough good players to make up for the slack in the positions that are lacking or that the players will work hard enough.

So let's stop worrying about who the Packers don't have and have faith in our team the way it is.
'K?
Thanx.
:neo:

 

[SpartaChris]

Well said. The "We should go after <insert name of super star here>" posts get friggin old. People need to remember the real NFL doesn't resemble Madden or Fantasy Football. Just because a guy is good in one system doesn't mean he's going to be good in ours.

We have a VERY GOOD team. Could there be improvement? Sure there could. As was stated before, there could be improvements with every single team in the league. The bottom line is we'll either be good or we won't.

 

[Croak]

I understand what you are saying. But do you think it is ok to bring in free agent or trade help to bolster areas of the team depleted by injury? Or do we just trust our "depth"?

 

[SpartaChris]

Of course I'm ok with picking up a free agent to provide depth at an area of need. I mean, that's how we got Woodson, so how could anyone not be OK with it? I'm just not ok with going over board to get other players or free agents. This whole "Lets trade this guy and the next two first rounders for this other guy" crap is over the top.

Sometimes it feels like Packer fans want the team to do something for the sake of doing something, regardless of whether it makes sense or not. While I understand the sentiment, it's often best to take a step back before getting pissed off.

And honestly, I want a team that can contend for YEARS down the road, not just one or two. You look at the Vikings, and they were built for a very small window of success, which, barring something miraculous, I believe closes this year.

Contrast that to us, whom I believe have the talent to be a force for years to come. We're able to do that because we don't go after overpriced free agents or make ridiculously expensive trades. We make good, smart decisions when drafting and do a pretty good job of developing talent.

Yes, we need help. If we can get it at a reasonable price, or even at a discount, great. Otherwise let someone else spend themselves into obscurity. I mean, it works for the Vikings, right?

 

[chucknorris101]

I agree completely, i think i said earlier, how many teams can say that their only major question heading into the season is who is playing the nickel back?

 

[SpartaChris]

So long as we have a decent pass rush, I think we'll be able to make up for our lack of depth at the secondary, at least until we get some people healthy again. Blackmon's knee is still sore, Harris is out for at least the first 6 weeks, and Underwood hurt his shoulder. That leaves Pat Lee, the raw Sam Shields and possibly even Jarret Bush, who looked surprisingly decent last night. Plus I'm more than sure Capers has come up with several schemes to help make up for our weakness at CB. Honestly, we didn't see a damn thing in the pre-season.

Of course we'll find out who gets cut tomorrow, but I gotta think we'll be fine. If all else fails, maybe we'll scour the wires for someone else out there.

 

[Mr. StyleZ]

Shame on you people (& me) for thinking hypothetical ways to improve the team!!! Come on... really?

 

[FrankRizzo]

I love our team.

But the pass rush and pass coverage HAS TO IMPROVE a lot, one way or another. I don't know or care how, but it has to.
If it doesn't, we're not going to the Super Bowl.

Now maybe the current same guys as last year can improve, as is TT's plan always. But I don't see it. Of course, we haven't seen much of Brad Jones. And maybe Sam Shields can really develop. But we need DBs who play good consistent coverage.

 

[NYPacker]

Of course I'm ok with picking up a free agent to provide depth at an area of need. I mean, that's how we got Woodson, so how could anyone not be OK with it? I'm just not ok with going over board to get other players or free agents. This whole "Lets trade this guy and the next two first rounders for this other guy" crap is over the top.

Sometimes it feels like Packer fans want the team to do something for the sake of doing something, regardless of whether it makes sense or not. While I understand the sentiment, it's often best to take a step back before getting pissed off.

And honestly, I want a team that can contend for YEARS down the road, not just one or two. You look at the Vikings, and they were built for a very small window of success, which, barring something miraculous, I believe closes this year.

Contrast that to us, whom I believe have the talent to be a force for years to come. We're able to do that because we don't go after overpriced free agents or make ridiculously expensive trades. We make good, smart decisions when drafting and do a pretty good job of developing talent.

Yes, we need help. If we can get it at a reasonable price, or even at a discount, great. Otherwise let someone else spend themselves into obscurity. I mean, it works for the Vikings, right?

THIS. It's fun to speculate sometimes or even do some wishful thinking. But as I always say in my posts, what seems "realistic"? As in what do you think the COAHES and FO would do or at least consider. Instead of breaching the hypothetical why don't we look at the ideal scenarios?

 

[The_Ohioan_Cheesehead]

I hope the Speical Teams are better than they were in preseason.

 

[SpartaChris]

THIS. It's fun to speculate sometimes or even do some wishful thinking. But as I always say in my posts, what seems "realistic"? As in what do you think the COAHES and FO would do or at least consider. Instead of breaching the hypothetical why don't we look at the ideal scenarios?

I would take it one step further and say, instead of breaching the utterly ridiculous, how about looking at more realistic scenarios?

I want our team to be the best it can be like everyone else, but come on.. Trading one of our core guys and what would wind up being higher round draft picks to get another teams talented malcontent? That doesn't sound ridiculous to you?

If we can find a way to improve and not have it kill us in the future, I'm all for it. But it takes time and patience for teams to become truly great. I don't want us to be like the Vikings, who are mere one or maybe two hit wonders. I want to be more like the Colts or the Patriots, who are threats to compete every single year. You don't emulate the Colts or the Patriots by shooting your load on one guy. You do it by building a solid team and then complementing, if needed, with free agency.

 

[DergaSmash]

Right, but there isn't a whole lot out there right now. In terms of secondary the only "malcontent" out there is Revis and he is FAR too expensive. Sure a gem or two might get cut today but I am not holding my breath. I just don't understand why people are worried. We went 11-5 last year and went to the playoffs. The biggest reasons in my mind for this was because AROD was playing demolition derby for the first half of the year and we were terrible on special teams. Our O-Line is beefed up/healthy and special teams is looking better. So we upgraded two areas and the rest of the team is largely unchanged. This is a good thing. Breathe, I have an inkling that the Pack will be fine.

 

[Croak]

Right, but there isn't a whole lot out there right now. In terms of secondary the only "malcontent" out there is Revis and he is FAR too expensive. Sure a gem or two might get cut today but I am not holding my breath. I just don't understand why people are worried. We went 11-5 last year and went to the playoffs. The biggest reasons in my mind for this was because AROD was playing demolition derby for the first half of the year and we were terrible on special teams. Our O-Line is beefed up/healthy and special teams is looking better. So we upgraded two areas and the rest of the team is largely unchanged. This is a good thing. Breathe, I have an inkling that the Pack will be fine.

I'm worried because our Defense got shredded by most of the good Quarterbacks they faced and our secondary especially got shredded in the playoffs. I haven't seen any real improvement there in the off season or the pre-season. This year we face some pretty good offenses.

 

[SpartaChris]

I'm worried because our Defense got shredded by most of the good Quarterbacks they faced and our secondary especially got shredded in the playoffs. I haven't seen any real improvement there in the off season or the pre-season. This year we face some pretty good offenses.

The main reason we got shredded was because we were plagued by injury at one position, losing three people at CB, and then Bigby at Safety for a bit. This season we'll have Harris, Blackmon and Lee back healthy, along with Underwood and rookie Sam Shields, who has shown he's got a great eye for the ball. We also have rookie safety Morgan Burnett, who has also demonstrated some ability.

One thing to keep in mind is a "shut down corner" is *much* easier to game plan for than a solid pass rush. If you have a corner like Nnamdi Asomougha, who only plays for half the field, your gameplan is to have your best receiver play on the opposite side. If you have a guy like Woodson, your route running schemes can usually find holes to get your receivers open.

With a pass rush, it's all or nothing. You have no idea where it's going to come from on any given play. You can practice having the pocket collapse on you, but you can't really game plan for it. And I think we're going to have a pretty good pass rush this season, something we lacked last year. I explain why in this post: http://www.packerforum.com/f8/should-they-pull-trigger-22273-3.html#post290027

 

[Murgen]

I hope the Speical Teams are better than they were in preseason.

Amen to that brothers. Ugh.. Of all the preseason games I've watch, I think our Special Teams are the worst. When two teams are equal, special teams will determine the winner. I have a feeling we are going to lose some games due to Special Team blunders.

 

[Croak]

The main reason we got shredded was because we were plagued by injury at one position, losing three people at CB, and then Bigby at Safety for a bit. This season we'll have Harris, Blackmon and Lee back healthy, along with Underwood and rookie Sam Shields, who has shown he's got a great eye for the ball. We also have rookie safety Morgan Burnett, who has also demonstrated some ability.

One thing to keep in mind is a "shut down corner" is *much* easier to game plan for than a solid pass rush. If you have a corner like Nnamdi Asomougha, who only plays for half the field, your gameplan is to have your best receiver play on the opposite side. If you have a guy like Woodson, your route running schemes can usually find holes to get your receivers open.

With a pass rush, it's all or nothing. You have no idea where it's going to come from on any given play. You can practice having the pocket collapse on you, but you can't really game plan for it. And I think we're going to have a pretty good pass rush this season, something we lacked last year. I explain why in this post: http://www.packerforum.com/f8/should-they-pull-trigger-22273-3.html#post290027

Ok, so we won't have Harris for 6 weeks at least because he's on PUP. Blackmon is injured. Now we are looking pretty thin in the secondary. Still think we'll be ok with what we have?

 

[Grave]

I wish we still had Kampman.

 

[chucknorris101]

I wish we still had Kampman.

he wasnt that good in the 3-4, and if kampman doesnt go down, who doesnt play? Matthews

 

[SpartaChris]

Ok, so we won't have Harris for 6 weeks at least because he's on PUP. Blackmon is injured. Now we are looking pretty thin in the secondary. Still think we'll be ok with what we have?

Yes. Lee, Underwood and Shields have all shown some talent at the position, with Shields predicted to be the favorite to start. Plus, I explained my pass rush scenario to you already. Blackmon will be back soon too, as he's mostly experiencing soreness in his knee. There's nothing serious there.

We start with what looks on paper like a pretty soft opening schedule: @Philly, vs Buffalo, @Chicago and vs. Detroit. This gives time for Blackmon to get healed up

Washington and Miami are weeks 5 and 6 before facing Minnescrota in Week 7. Harris will be back by then, Blackmon will be healthy and we should be good to go.

Something else to consider- We played very vanilla during the preseason. We didn't see much of anything in terms of defensive scheme or blitz packages or anything of the like. So to answer your question, yes I think we'll be OK.

 

[SpartaChris]

I wish we still had Kampman.

::eyeroll ::

Why? He was a fish out of water in the 3-4. I liked Kampman too. He was a great player for us and was a great character guy as well. However, he didn't really fit what we were doing. It was only fair to him to send him somewhere that was running a defense he could thrive in.

 

[SpartaChris]

he wasnt that good in the 3-4, and if kampman doesnt go down, who doesnt play? Matthews

Actually Brad Jones, who stepped up quite nicely when Kampman did go down.

 

[Croak]

Yes. Lee, Underwood and Shields have all shown some talent at the position, with Shields predicted to be the favorite to start. Plus, I explained my pass rush scenario to you already. Blackmon will be back soon too, as he's mostly experiencing soreness in his knee. There's nothing serious there.

We start with what looks on paper like a pretty soft opening schedule: @Philly, vs Buffalo, @Chicago and vs. Detroit. This gives time for Blackmon to get healed up

Washington and Miami are weeks 5 and 6 before facing Minnescrota in Week 7. Harris will be back by then, Blackmon will be healthy and we should be good to go.

Something else to consider- We played very vanilla during the preseason. We didn't see much of anything in terms of defensive scheme or blitz packages or anything of the like. So to answer your question, yes I think we'll be OK.

Will I be allowed an "I told you so" when they get scorched in the first game by a second rate QB?:razz:

 

[SpartaChris]

Sure, but try having a little faith, eh? =)

 

[Croak]

Sure, but try having a little faith, eh? =)

Ok, I have a little faith that they will get scorched without Harris back there. How's that?

 

[SpartaChris]

Heh, you may be right. I just read that Will Blackmon was released. So much for our punt return.