What a great post!

What is really unforgivable is that they didn't learn this from the Denver game. When you play good teams you can't wait to adjust until you are down 20.

This is a coaching issue. The Packers have the players to win as long as Rodgers is healthy. The players on this team have carried the coaches for many years. Now that a few are injured, it shows.

EVERYONE was yelling last year that the special teams play would come back to bite them and it did. So they fired the coach but it was too late.

Players aren't perfect but Packers weaknesses over the last few years has been more coaching than players. How many times are we going to let Capers rush 3 on 3rd an long before it bites us again.

Thanks again Al. I watched the game this week and a saw what your were saying last week the bunched up receivers were almost non existant. Just straight patterns, like these guys can run away from anyone.
In the one view of your a moron can see they are bringing the house. And yet our receivers run the exact 25 yard down the field route and not curl in over the middle for the shorter reception.
This is flat out horrid coaching. I beleive these guys are doing exactly what they were taught and its pathetic football.
Will not be surprised at all if Stafford and Calvin resurrect their careers on Sunday and the Lions pass rush shows up. This is no cakewalk week.
Have a good one Al

The question I've been asking myself the last three games is, why can the opponent successfully run these type of plays against us, yet we can't against them?

I would think Cobb and and a healthy Montgomery would eat-up defenses over the middle. Same for Adams.

So who's fault is this? I'd have to go with MM since he's the boss. The better question though, is why won't they set up more plays with at least one receiver doing digs, slants or crosses? What do you lose by giving ARod the opportunity for quick hitters. Maybe it will save ARod from taking a beating.

Who's designing these plays and if there are more than what's presented, is A Rod audibling out? Are receivers not breaking off routes and finding the open space, especially on blitzes? And if it's an execution issue - why? Don't the receivers and QB's sit in on some meetings together now? If NE runs a lot of short-crossing routes and are successful at it, then why not emulate them. All they do is win.

I think a couple of things D coordinators tell their troops before the game is one - Rodgers has a tendency to hold the ball longer than most QB's, and two - they don't run as many shorter routes as most teams. Therefore tee-off on the O-line cus there's a good chance for a sack.

Keeping the chains moving and your opponents O on the sidelines gives you a great chance at success. We need to do more of what other teams do to us.

And WTF Linsley with the those low snaps?

I hope MM reads this post well done Al.

great article.

Bottom line to me is the coaches need to do a better job in their game plan, game management, and play calling.

They need to do a better job of putting their players into position to succeed.
I don't get their reluctance to do different things to get players open. In the bunch formation, run crossing patterns off of that like you pointed out. It makes no sense.

They seem to do a lot of head scratching stuff, such as trying to have WR's running long distance routes, with not many check down options or options underneath. Did they forget that sometimes a 2 yard passing play can turn into 10?
And this still bothers me, is in their play designs. I saw a few times they line up Perillo out wide. Ok, they may trust him to do the right thing, but what kind of threat is he out there? And then they put Janis into motion and have him line up just behind the RT and have him blocking d-linemen, and that was on a passing play. I would like to know how many teams bring in a 4th WR to block d-linemen? I don't care who the WR is, that play should be scrapped.

Hopefully they figured some stuff out in the 4th quarter this week.

Between this great article and the one by Doug Farrar in SI.com, I'm becoming convinced that MM is running a very simplistic, almost stone-age, passing offense that completely relies on deep throws with WRs winning one-on-one battles and AR being Superman on every play. Time to bring in a new offensive mind.

This is excellent Al! you could another complete post on 1st down stupidity as well. There is almost no plan to get into 2nd and short from 1st and 10 in the passing game. 2nd and short is when you can do real damage, especially with play action and bootlegs since teams have to honor the run. It's almost like they don't know how to use their own concepts.

According to a recent ESPN article:

"The combined average 40 time of receivers Randall Cobb (4.55), Davante Adams (4.56), James Jones (4.6) plus tight end Richard Rodgers (4.87) ranks as a league-worst 4.65 seconds. And at age 31, Jones probably couldn’t match his original time."

Coaches are busted, evidence submitted and jury hereby renders its verdict. No witnesses presented the contrary. Coaches are red-ass chumps.

Al - excellent job on this article! Thank you. I was thinking the exact same thing when I watched the game the second time. Jones and even Adams now, have enough experience to break off those routes and get into the middle of the field. It is very frustrating and I can't figure out why this is happening. Also, I don't know what Rodgers is seeing that is preventing him from hitting open receivers. Something is off, way off. Execution is obviously poor, but poor execution is usually the result of poor preparation, especially with level of talent this team allegedly has on offense. As I have said in an earlier post, I hope that the Packers finally return from their bye for the game against the Lions. Thanks, Since '61

Impressed you watched game a second time. I could not bring myself to do that!

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. And man does it taste sour.

Thanks for turning this issue from speculation into fact, however tough it is to swallow.

(How am I doing on the analogies, Taryn?)

God help us if Coaches don't see the writing on the wall. Hope they read this post.

This is tiring. Do I have to take on all of you now? Lol.

"With no linebackers dropping into passing lanes, the middle underside of the field is wide open. yet there is no "hot" receiver whose job it is to see this and run a slant, for example."

If we had 3 Jeff Janis (experienced) type players out there you all would be KILLING them about not knowing the playbook and this and that. We aren't connecting on back-shoulder passes and WRs aren't adjusting their routes (according to coverage/blitz), but somehow this is a coaching problem. HOW? {insert Kanye West meme}

On that last clip, whoever that inside receiver was, why didn't he bend that route inside? He was free at the release and there was NOBODY in the middle? That's probably what Rodgers waited for.

**Drops mic**

2nd to last clip:

Better snap, better blocking and ...

Who is that running free up top???

But let's point the finger at Coach MM...

I wish we had played these last two games before our bye week. Packers players got a whole week off, even though they didn't play that well against the Rams and Chargers. It seems that they could have used a few more practices during the bye week considering what was coming up.

Mr. Al, I will put aside our personal animosity long enough to say excellent research. However, stop or curl routes from the trips side should be effective against a D expecting the "usual" longer routes. Also, the Packers practice the "scramble" for when the protection breaks down. Either AR, MM, or TC must have wanted everyone to stay long on that play. The reason is unknown.

To the bigger picture (and the SI article): It's simply ludicrous, as some have suggested, to say MM has no plan week to week for the offense. GB values consistentcy, they are not going to abandon their core concepts because of a couple of down games. However, when we see Cobb in the backfield on the second possession I think we're seeing variety.

Now you can tell me how wrong I am.

Great job Al. Rodgers really just seems off. This still really points it out along with the final 4th and goal. I've never really questioned Rodgers holding the ball too long if nothing is there, but lately it seems as if he's missing stuff that is there.

https://twitter.com/Cianaf/status/664552089176133632