What is the Formula From Here On Out?

Chicocheese

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Obviously the answer is WIN all the remaining games and take our division. The question that lies in that answer is: How do we get there?

Besides all of our injured players returning to the active roster, what should the team focus on?

I think a major component to us getting to where we need to be is Mike McCarthy. He needs to stop playing "mustache buddies" and return to the hard-***, nose to the grinding wheel, burning the midnight oil coach that we fell in love with. He was no nonsense for a long time, but it seems like for a while now he is being more..."friendly" for lack of a better term.

I thought that after last seasons' playoff loss the the Giants we would be keyed in to what needs to be done. Then we lost to the 49ers. No major gripes there, they are a good, really good team. Then Seattle happened. I am not blaming Seattle on the coach, but after that game I thought he showed a lot of determination and it looked like he was getting back to his old ways. 2 weeks later? Indianapolis. This was to be the kick in the pants that we needed. After that "no excuses" loss, we went on a 5 game winning streak. Detroit was a tough one, but it was on the road and against a division rival.

Flash forward to tonight. We are facing the team that made us look silly after a 15-1 regular season campaign. It looked like the entire team didn't even get off the bus. Rodgers is keying in on Cobb a LOT, Cobb is missing a lot of balls thrown his way. The defensive secondary is more porous than ever!

I understand that we are battling MAJOR injuries on this team. We are without arguably our best receiver, our primary running back, the two biggest names and forces on defense, and our two rookies that we drafted primarily for pass rush. I understand that our O-line has been a revolving door for the past 3 seasons more or less. Coaching can really fix a lot of what is ailing us.

1st:

Remind Rodgers of what makes him great: His ability to read defenses and find the open man. He was known to "not have a favorite" and that is what makes him so dangerous.

2:

Instill some purpose in our O-line. They know that they have to protect Rodgers, and make holes for the runner. However, it seems like lately the O-line just isn't getting it done. They have to know that with out them, there is no big plays of ANY kind. The game is literally on their shoulders.

3:

Pull Dom Capers and the entire defensive squad aside. They need to play every down, every play like it is 0-0 in the 4th quarter and this is the opponent's final drive. Clay and Woodson should be back soon, but even if they are not the squad needs to have that "next man up" type of attitude. Dezman Moses embodies this, I think. He has shown GREAT ability. Make him an example of what to do?

I know this is easier said, than done. As I have mentioned plenty of times before I am not an NFL coach, or anywhere close. However, after this game and how the team as a whole looked, maybe they need a little bit of junior league coaching?

I am a Packers fan through and through. That will never change. No matter how angry or disappointed I get I will always bleed green and gold. I try to stay positive no matter how bad it gets. I am already looking forward to next week and us beating the snot out of the Vikings. Before we can do that though, we need to get the fundamentals down.

This Giants loss is still fresh for me, but I tried to be as "middle of the road" as I could. I tried to keep it with out any specific attacks. I pride myself on being a fan and looking at the bright side. I hope it came off that way.
 

Kitten

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Take it one game at a time. Focusing on winning out and winning the division might not be realistic. I think we can win out but winning the division is going to come down to the last game and there's so much that isn't in our control. Let the Bears win it, they won it in 2010 and look who won the SB. The division is the battle not the war. Hunker down. Worry about the thinks we can control as opposed to what we cannot. Focus on improving what needs improving the most. In order for Aaron Rodgers to function as a super elite QB he needs some semblance of a working O-Line. I have to say in regards to the O-Line I think we are stuck with what we have. So what do we do? Move people around, make adjustments while we still have the time. Find ways to compensate. Adapt or there is no point in setting our sights on the division. If we cannot do that winning the division is going to be meaningless. 2011.

For the defense. Our problem there has been mainly injuries and I'm going to take the opportunity to praise our backups for the wonderful job they have been doing. This defense mirrors 2010 in many ways and with them is our greatest strength regardless of what should or should not be. We will be getting a lot of these injured players back as we move forward. We know there is strength in our backups. Of the defense I actually have little complaint or not as much as one would think.

What we do now is move forward. The Giants beat us last night because they were the stronger team AT THAT TIME. Being the best team is temporal, it's about who is best at that moment while the future is one of uncertainty. We have a team of tremendous talent, passion and resiliency. Their destiny is their own.
 

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Losses like the one inflicted Sunday night are hard to swallow. I want to remind all the folks here(many of whom were very young when it happened) that during the 1997 Packers Super Bowl run(the year they lost to the Broncos after they won the Super Bowl the year before), former Packers coach Lindy Infante defeated the world champs 41-38. It was one of only three wins for Indy that year and only one of three regular season losses for the Packers.
Some teams have other teams number in the NFL. The Giants know how to beat the Packers and have the personnel to do it. They have a four-man rush that can create a lot of pressure, enabling more help in the secondary.
But major help needs to come to the Packers this offseason in the offensive line. They need, and I put this as a need, a young, mobile, tough starting center. They also need the best running back available. They need a credible running threat.
That said, the Packers need to find players that are less finesse and more physical, especially the linebackers. The defense is set up so the linebackers make the plays. Without Matthews, the rest of the linebacking corps came up really short. Hawk just hasn't done the job this year. The loss of Desmond Bishop really hurt when you play a team as fundamentally sound as the Giants.

There's no reason to panic, but it's fairly clear the Packers are bets to make the playoffs, but not far into them if they have to beat either the Giants, 49'ers, or Falcons.
With some big contracts coming up, some big changes could be in store in Green Bay.
 
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I don't know if any of you had the chance to listen to any Packer radio (Pack Attack) last night, but they had a few guests on, one of which was in the locker room with the team before and after the game. He indicated they had no sense of urgency in last nights game even before it started. Players like Jennings and Matthews were ready to play but held out since a win wasn't in their grand scheme of priorities.

If you look at this loss, it really doesn't affect us. We have a higher % chance to win the next 5 games and put us in a better position in the playoffs then we did last night. We'll even have a higher chance being healthier. Last night would've been a great win if we could have done it, but not the expense of further injury and I think MM knew that. So lets just lose and move on. I know some of you will call ******** but think about that for a minute. The man was dodging questions about injuries all week. He knew the team was banged up and last night was a low % win if any.

Putting Jennings back on the field will give us a better chance to open the pass up and if any team chooses to blitz all day we'll go 4 wide and throw short passes on them all day. I'm still worried about the strength of the O line though, but not as much against the remaining teams.

The key to getting to the NFC championship game is beating the 9ers or the Giants, not both. If we're healthier I like our chances.

And something tells me Matthews will be sitting out this week as well.
 

JBlood

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Oh and shave the stupid mustaches. They look like a bunch of idiots.

The 'staches are in support of "Movember", an organization promoting awareness of men's cancers--esp. testicular and prostate. So, they may look dumb, but they're for a good cause.
 
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I know what movember is. But I personally believe it's more important to be focused. It's bad luck. Wearing pink is enough dont you think? What will the cause be in December? We're not a bunch of poster childs.
 

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Wearing pink or 'staches isn't the problem; neither are the commercials involving players. But you're right about being focused on the field.
 

BearDroppings

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The fact that we lost to that team, and that stupid Salsa Dancing little ********* named Cruz rattles my bones. I want another shot at these ****heads, and I want to see us destroy them this time.
 
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Chicocheese

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The 'staches are in support of "Movember", an organization promoting awareness of men's cancers--esp. testicular and prostate. So, they may look dumb, but they're for a good cause.

McCarthy didn't have a mustache last week, or all month in fact. November is almost over. Personally I think he saw Rodgers had a mustache goin' and wanted to play "Magnum P.I." too.

Also, yes I believe the keys to victory of the remaining weeks are going to be fundamentals. Nothing trumps fundamentals. This is simple things, like blocking and wrapping up your tackles instead of trying to shoulder-charge every one to the ground.

Maybe a win wasn't in the Packers' grand scheme of things...but you are playing on NATIONAL TV. Being embarrassed couldn't have been their gameplan either.

I really hope we get some injured folks back next week. Primarily Clay and Jennings. Hopefully Woodson isn't far behind.
 

longtimefan

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McCarthy didn't have a mustache last week, or all month in fact. November is almost over. Personally I think he saw Rodgers had a mustache goin' and wanted to play "Magnum P.I." too.

Also, yes I believe the keys to victory of the remaining weeks are going to be fundamentals. Nothing trumps fundamentals. This is simple things, like blocking and wrapping up your tackles instead of trying to shoulder-charge every one to the ground.

Maybe a win wasn't in the Packers' grand scheme of things...but you are playing on NATIONAL TV. Being embarrassed couldn't have been their gameplan either.

I really hope we get some injured folks back next week. Primarily Clay and Jennings. Hopefully Woodson isn't far behind.

You really think MM saw Rodgers and said I want one too?

That is REALLY far fetched...In fact I can say with probably a 99% chance it had to do with Movemeber

Or if he didnt have one last week, your saying that in 7 days he grew a FULL one? I think it was started last week and now it came out


Jordy said the team lacked energy? and focus ( maybe not exactly those words, heard it on radio about hour ago)
 

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Find a way to get into the playoffs and then hope to somehow draw matchups with some combination of the seahawks/tampa for the wildcard, the bears/falcons over the next 2 weeks. No chance in hell this team does anything with the Giants or 49ers.
 

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Far be it for me to play the optimist here and I was so disgusted last night I went to bed at half time (4 AM wake up call). On reflecting, I came to realize the last time I felt this hopeless about this team was after they lost to Detroit in late 2010. That year didn't turn out too bad. Not saying that's where we are heading this year, but it is entirely possible. Wouldn't get too down about last night, lots of football left.
 

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Take it one game at a time. Focusing on winning out and winning the division might not be realistic. I think we can win out but winning the division is going to come down to the last game and there's so much that isn't in our control. Let the Bears win it, they won it in 2010 and look who won the SB. The division is the battle not the war. Hunker down. Worry about the thinks we can control as opposed to what we cannot. Focus on improving what needs improving the most. In order for Aaron Rodgers to function as a super elite QB he needs some semblance of a working O-Line. I have to say in regards to the O-Line I think we are stuck with what we have. So what do we do? Move people around, make adjustments while we still have the time. Find ways to compensate. Adapt or there is no point in setting our sights on the division. If we cannot do that winning the division is going to be meaningless. 2011.

Nice response as usual :)

For the defense. Our problem there has been mainly injuries and I'm going to take the opportunity to praise our backups for the wonderful job they have been doing. This defense mirrors 2010 in many ways and with them is our greatest strength regardless of what should or should not be. We will be getting a lot of these injured players back as we move forward. We know there is strength in our backups. Of the defense I actually have little complaint or not as much as one would think.

What we do now is move forward. The Giants beat us last night because they were the stronger team AT THAT TIME. Being the best team is temporal, it's about who is best at that moment while the future is one of uncertainty. We have a team of tremendous talent, passion and resiliency. Their destiny is their own.
 
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Don't panic.... just throw it under the "It's a weird season" rug....
Bengals blow out the Giants/Giants blow out the 49ers & packers/vikings blow out the 49ers/Packers blow out the Texans/Texans blow out the Ravens/Jaguars almost beat the Texans/etc....
just a weird season, hope the team gets healthy - get some guys back - get on a roll - kick butt entering the playoffs and hope for the best.
 

CHIpackFAN

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Line up and knock the snot outta the man across from you. Tackle better, stop peeking into the backfield looking for an interception. Get the ball out of your hands on time. Stop locking in on one reciever. Stop with the B.S playcalling. Make field goals. Have some pride, YOU ARE THE GREEN BAY PACKERS!! DOMINATE!!
 

JBlood

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Line up and knock the snot outta the man across from you. Tackle better, stop peeking into the backfield looking for an interception. Get the ball out of your hands on time. Stop locking in on one reciever. Stop with the B.S playcalling. Make field goals. Have some pride, YOU ARE THE GREEN BAY PACKERS!! DOMINATE!!
I agree with all of this, but it's difficult to look for receivers when the defensive line hits you about the time the snap hits your hands. Rogers would need to treat the football like a hot potato to get it out of his hands on time. So he's scrambling, trying to make something happen, and then blamed for hanging on to the ball too long. The other team has 7 or 8 guys covering 4 or 5 receivers because the line can't handle 3 or 4 rushers. He will get hurt if this continues.
 

LZ13

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Obviously the answer is WIN all the remaining games and take our division. The question that lies in that answer is: How do we get there?

Besides all of our injured players returning to the active roster, what should the team focus on?

I think a major component to us getting to where we need to be is Mike McCarthy. He needs to stop playing "mustache buddies" and return to the hard-***, nose to the grinding wheel, burning the midnight oil coach that we fell in love with. He was no nonsense for a long time, but it seems like for a while now he is being more..."friendly" for lack of a better term.

Yep. Lombardi, I think, is at this moment clawing his way to the topsoil. Only the sudden late freeze has stopped him from kicking MM's butt every which way on this one.

It is an OK thing for the players. And in this case even a good thing. (Like the pink shoes I guess) But not the coach! If MM was wearing pink shoes, what would y'all think?

Reminiscent of the previous "players coach" we had that tended to let up after a string of successes in almost a predictable manner, only to see the team get hit off-guard.
 

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I know a lot of you are saying don't panic, and I agree with that sentiment. However, there are some significant realities that this team will HAVE to compensate for going forward. Number one is the o-line situation. They struggle to run and pass block, and top tier pass rushers just dominate our tackles (most notably Newhouse). Number two is the complete lack of quality second string linebackers and defensive backs. They are young, inexperienced, just not good, or a combination of those.
 
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Chicocheese

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You really think MM saw Rodgers and said I want one too?

That is REALLY far fetched...In fact I can say with probably a 99% chance it had to do with Movemeber

Or if he didnt have one last week, your saying that in 7 days he grew a FULL one? I think it was started last week and now it came out


Jordy said the team lacked energy? and focus ( maybe not exactly those words, heard it on radio about hour ago)

My whole point is that McCarthy isn't coaching the way he used to coach. He isn't running as tight of a ship as he used to. It is evident in how we are handling things on the field.
 

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The O-line appears to be poorly coached. I ran into a former Pack lineman and told him he needs to get up to GB to bail out James Campen. He looked at me very seriously saying, "I know what you mean."

The thing that really gets me is this attitude that the run game gets done by throwing a switch. In Green Bay especially everyone should know that the run game requires discipline and devotion and practice until you puke. Lombardi knew O-line play and drilled it and drilled it and drilled it until they got it right. They moved on to plays as they mastered each one. They didn't need 400 plays of whatever the f they have now. They needed to run several plays well.

It's simple but it takes dedication and guts.
 

rodell330

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Sombody mentioned San Fran and New york...at this point we are not even close to being physical enough on either side of the ball to match up with either team if we do meet in the playoffs. The way we got handled sunday revealed or just confirmed alot of worries i have about this current squad.

1. Not physical enough, especially on the offensive line. These guy's are soft as i don't know what smh.

2. MM's play calling leaves alot to be desired..this has always been in question hasn't just started.

3. Capers going 75% nickle package which put's extra corners on the field..this only works when you have a physical guy in the slot. Which is why Woodson is so important to the nickle package. Heyward can cover but he's not nearly as effective versus the run as Woodson who can play a hybrid lb/db spot.

4. Secondary not tackling. They like to gamble and try to get int's which is fine...however Burnett isn't a thumper at safety and neither is Jennings. Besides Woodson, House is the most physical db we have.

MM and staff have to put together packages that involve Cobb more in the run game. I havn't seen a time he carried the ball where it was for a negative gain. If he's a weapon take advantage of his open field ability. Also i'd like to see more two tight end/full back sets. As much as i like to air it out we simply can't protect the qb right now... we have to use more Kuhn and two tight end sets for extra help. I honestly think that these are fixable problems but MM cannot be stubborn which drives me nuts.
 

milani

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Sombody mentioned San Fran and New york...at this point we are not even close to being physical enough on either side of the ball to match up with either team if we do meet in the playoffs. The way we got handled sunday revealed or just confirmed alot of worries i have about this current squad.

1. Not physical enough, especially on the offensive line. These guy's are soft as i don't know what smh.

2. MM's play calling leaves alot to be desired..this has always been in question hasn't just started.

3. Capers going 75% nickle package which put's extra corners on the field..this only works when you have a physical guy in the slot. Which is why Woodson is so important to the nickle package. Heyward can cover but he's not nearly as effective versus the run as Woodson who can play a hybrid lb/db spot.

4. Secondary not tackling. They like to gamble and try to get int's which is fine...however Burnett isn't a thumper at safety and neither is Jennings. Besides Woodson, House is the most physical db we have.

MM and staff have to put together packages that involve Cobb more in the run game. I havn't seen a time he carried the ball where it was for a negative gain. If he's a weapon take advantage of his open field ability. Also i'd like to see more two tight end/full back sets. As much as i like to air it out we simply can't protect the qb right now... we have to use more Kuhn and two tight end sets for extra help. I honestly think that these are fixable problems but MM cannot be stubborn which drives me nuts.
Exactly. Teams are going to play cover 2 and bank on our weak offensive line. Throw to Kuhn, Starks, and Green over the middle or on dump offs. Use Cobb in the back field to go wide or out in the flat. If Finley gets his *##* in playing mode we should use him to run the same route Bubba Franks used to run when Favre would find him in the hole of the cover 2.
If a team finally starts moving into the box then we can go play action and hope ARod can get rid of it and go vertical down the sideline.
 

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