I would note that Runyan's pff grade fell quite a bit after the Chicago game. With young players and young linemen, once they put tape out there, DL will make adjustments. I am guessing that Chicago's DL had a chance to take a good look at Runyan's tendencies. I would have liked to have seen how Runyan responded to whatever Chicago's DL did, but he didn't play. Actually, I think Wagner is better than Turner at RT anyway, so the issue for me was Turner/Patrick vs. Runyan. Runyan's 156 snaps is a little early to state that Runyan would be fine as our starting LG next year. So far he's is promising.

Ditto for Greene after playing just 43 snaps year one and 70 year two, but he's played 324 snaps this year: it looks like the guy can play. The problem is simply finding a Hercules hybrid: a guy who can cover like a safety and handle the run like a linebacker. At 205 pounds or so, it may be that Greene's body simply can't play hybrid and stay healthy. That's probably why GB is interested in undersized ILBs (see Burks) and even some really undersized OLBs (see maybe Tipa Gileai, Ramsey).

Good point about ST. We seem to draft guys with high RAS scores which should indicate + speed for there position but gunners typically are WR and CB and we don't have much speed at either spot after our starters.

"And please everyone stop bellyaching about giving up late scores when the game is out of reach. It happens all around the NFL every weekend."

Thank you. We have some people who would rather see an "aggressive" defense that risks giving up big plays rather than a defense that facilitates running out the clock. What we have are people who care more about staying "aggressive" than winning the game.

"Packers' defense got a huge stop with a few minutes left and the Eagles within seven points, and then the big Savage interception to ice it."

Yes it's true and you can only play who they put in front of you so I'm not going to bitch about the defense this week. But, I'm also not going to feel better about the defense until they close against a playoff caliber team. I like what Pettine has done the past few weeks. Let's see if they sustain it against the Titans before anointing anybody.

Al - I have the same hesitancy in endorsing a coin drop for this defense. Yes they played better, particularly up front. The Eagles O-line is leading the league in sacks and QB pressures so buyer beware. Still, something to build upon.

Say what you will about this defense, special teams or even running the ball - this team is Aaron Rodgers. When he plays well, we outrun our opponent. The fourth quarter sputters let the Eagles back into the game, a team that had no business staying with us. Not running the ball at the goal line defines this team. We will go as far as Rodger's arm and head take us. Thankfully, our O-line is playing well enough to let this formula work. The big question is whether Rodgers can carry this team to the top.

Like many, I am still not convinced we have a championship defense, however the improved play of Gary, Savage and Keke as well as the surprising contributions of Martin and Barnes have me hopeful that the defense is improving. Unfortunately the loss of Greene will hurt. I liked Winn, but Pettine didn't play him much so the loss is not great. Maybe Anthony Rush can pick up his snaps and help with the rush defense.

If the defense can get better, the Packers certainly have the offense to have a shot at the SB. Go Pack Go.

Good points Al, the key to the up front pressure is a 4 man front , Pettine needs to keep it that way, Stafford is no slouch can't let him get comfortable Sunday , have to keep the pressure up . as far as punting , early on in the season Burks seemed to be making some plays ,even Summers , I don't know if its just th gunner but they need to figure it out fast.

Punt Coverage:
JK may have outkicked his coverage, but you are exactly right. Coverage of these units have not been good. Its not just the gunners either. The first return they allowed, they had 4 guys taking up one lane.

Pocket Collapse:
With outside rushes from the Smiths and Gary, to go along with inside rushes from Clark and Keke, the front was really good. The interior rush getting push up the middle really was impressive.

OL Shuffle:
I was surprised they went the way they did on the OL. To me it made more sense just putting Runyan in at LG. They keep the entire right side of the OL intact. Instead they moved Patrick from RG to LG, Turner from RT to RG and put Wagner in at RT. That is a lot of shuffling. Obviously it worked, but still surprised me thats what they did.

Goal Line Offense:
I was really hoping Dillon would help in these situations. Line up a guy who is just going to bowl through people. Maybe over the final games he can contribute, but have to question how good he will be coming back.

The Defense:
One of the problems with our defense has been how soft it has been playing. On 3rd and 5 we have DB's playing 12 yards off the ball. When its 1st and 20 (after a penalty) they typically give up 10-12 yards on first down mostly becasue DB's are playing at least 10 yards off and they give up easy completions. These are the things that make things difficult to watch. This week the DB's played a lot more tight coverage. Which didn't allow the Eagles to have easy quick throws. What that did then was allowed the pass rush to get to and affect Wentz. The defense needs to stay aggressive! Stay in the WR's faces and make them earn their yards.

Raven Greene:
I'm also a big fan of Greene. He is our xfactor on defense imo. He is the best pure tackler on the defense imo. Our defense is a lot better with Greene on it then without.
In his absence I hope we see more of Martin and/or Barnes. They would provide better run stopping ability. Redmond is not the answer. In fact I would use others over Redmond. I would use Scott and/or Black over Redmond. I would also consider using Jackson more. I hope Pettine changes his defense more for the players he has. Greene is very good in his role. Redmond is not Greene. I hope they use others!

Just One More Thing...
Jones is very good! I hope they can find a way to keep him! He makes a difference in the offense.

Goal line offense: the key to short yardage is push up front from the OL. Go back and watch short yardage plays and see how many times the defense wins at the LOS and gets penetration on the Packers...defensive penetration is a short-yardage killer.

Lets consider who we played. Teams with lousy QBs. No; this Defense isn't getting better. Their taking advantage of poor OLs and a bad QB. This team is a big deck of cards. Shuffle them; and hope the Luck of Rodgers gives you a winning hand. Special Teams are terrible. In fact, their just plain bad. What Hang Time? Shepard was cut. And the guys we want, always get hurt. Coaches are suppose to have the answers. Yet, why are the players making the changes? Fire Pettine! He'll only fail us in a big game. Jones was worth the money when everybody wanted him to play more. BG keeps signing guys to late. Costing this club more. And signing the want to bees. The problem with the Packers has been they create holes before they fill them. Using Back-up plans, more then fixing it right the first time.

I couldn't agree more with this weeks viewpoints and it's almost uncanny how they mirrored my own thoughts during this game

We must be related somehow, but I guess that's because perhaps we go back farther.

For example ,your comment about yearning for the day when we know we are going to score at a goaline.. That used to be the norm in any situation, and it has eaten at me for years, and even with Rodgers, you still never know.. The same goes for a crushing LB in the middle that is the face of the D. Still waiting.

Anyway thanks for another great article this week. Pay Aaron Jones. He's a keeper.

Recipe for success: keep the pressure on the QB, play more man coverage and don't take the foot off the pedal until up by 25 (3 - 8 pt td's).

Hi Al
I agree with what you wrote.
I think if we can clean up games like 4th and 18th and continue to improve the stop to run, with the right match, we can go far.
One observation: I think we have a good attack, but individually our WRs don't have good hands
Hello everybody
GpG

It seems the problem with Mike Pettine is that he does the same thing over and over and over again.
NFL offenses are going to figure out predictability and take advantage of it with devastating success, demoralizing and undermining our defense, wasting talent.
It's not so much about being aggressive versus playing it safe, as it is mixing things up to keep the offenses guessing.
Also, it's not about a formulaic planning of plays ahead of time, but calling the right plays for the defense at the right times.
I've advocated firing Pettine yesterday (and hope the change is good for him as well as us). I'm glad to be wrong, though, with Pettine succeeding in bringing along the defense in splendid fashion by the end of the regular season.
However, after our debacles in the playoffs last season against the Seahawks and 49ers, how is it that Pettine seems to be only making changes in just the last couple of games?
He seems even more clueless about making adjustments during games -- plus his players seem disoriented and disorganized on the field, leaving gaping openings for opposing offenses again and again and again.
I'm concerned that finishing the season with several games against mediocre offenses will give us a false sense of security about our defense that will come crashing down in the playoffs.
Are there other fans out there who can assure me with some specificity and certainty that things will be different this time around?
I 'm not seeing it, and I don't want to go through the agony all over again.

Facts.

After 12 weeks, the defense is 15th in scoring, 11th in yards. Six of 12 opponents have scored 21 or less. Only the Saints, Bucs, Vikings and Colts......all on the road....hit 30 on us. At home....which is where we’re gonna be..we’re averaging 22 and nobody has gone over 28

Of the four 30+ games, two of them involved multiple turnovers. One involved the Packers using a bunch of guys who hadn’t had any preseason in a soft prevent. And the other was when we held the Saints to 30.....below their home average.

So, if our offense can manage 31 points and not commit multiple turnovers, I’m happy with our chances, home or away, against anybody.

In goal line offense there is no need to run down the clock, just line up at the LOS and snap the ball. It would also help to have a lead blocker for Jones or Williams in the short yardage and goal line situations.
These are man on man situations. Go with a jumbo package, maybe use Nijman as the lead blocker. Not being able to run it in from the one or two yard line would have driven Lombardi nuts!

As for the defense, stay aggressive. Rush 4 at least and play with reckless abandon. Take no prisoners. This soft play and poor tackling is very frustrating to watch.

Hope to see the Packers play for the division title this week and not come out flat. Thanks, Since ‘61