Packernet's View I’m not too worried about it «

I’m not too worried about it

With a day passed since the Packers’ season presumably came to end in a 31-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, I have decided to give the team one more week. I knew the Bengals were to going to be tough, I just didn’t think they would be that tough. Cincy is now my team of destiny – the Arizona Cardinals or Miami Dolphins of 2009. As for the Packers, their big turnaround has taken a slight detour, if they fall to the Rams next Sunday you can say they are officially lost.

The Packers glaring weaknesses are offensive line and running back, and both areas of concern are areas where the Packers’ brass has continually overrated the Packers talent. I think the problem is head coach Mike McCarthy’s goofy blocking scheme that requires smaller more nimble offensive lineman who are drafted to block the zone-blocking scheme but are getting killed in pass blocking. At least so far this year they are. I still think the Packers should have left Wells at center and Spitz at right guard instead of putting two unproven players on one side. Now with Clifton out the Packers are in deep doo.

Of course some of this wouldn’t be so apparent if the Packers had a running back. Ryan Grant hasn’t been the same since the Seattle playoff game two years ago and injury or not he no longer has his explosiveness and his penchant for fumbling reared its ugly head again yesterday. Grant shouldn’t be catching the ball out of the backfield anyway and the Packers idiotic decision to cut Tyrell Sutton even though Brandon Jackson was hurt is coming back to haunt them big time. Jackson has basically stolen money from the Packers since he joined the team and I know if the Packers cut him tomorrow he would never play another down in the NFL. At the very least Jackson should have been put on IR.

I was much more shocked at how bad the Packers defense played Sunday. They can shut down Jay Cutler and Matt Forte but let Cedric Benson and Carson Palmer pick them apart? Go figure? I’m going to give the defense the benefit of the doubt on this one because it was only their second game in the new scheme, however, this isn’t baseball, you don’t get 162 games, this is the only pass they will get from me. To be honest, at this point I might have more confidence in Dom Capers than I do in McCarthy. You guys have mentioned that McCarthy might have hired his replacement and that certainly could be the case if the offense doesn’t pull its head out.

The Packers have some major problems but they can only correct them from within. At this stage of the season rosters are set and only a trade could bring help and who do the Packers have to trade? A.J. Hawk maybe? Johnny Jolly? Pickings are slim and who would even have an offensive lineman they can afford to get rid of? Finding someone who could help right away would probably require too much in return. The Packers better stoke the fire under Mark Tauscher, they need him badly as it appears he was the heart and soul of the o-line.

The Bengals are twice the team the Rams are and if the Packers struggle under the Arch they are in big trouble. The fact that they have the Vikings the following week doesn’t help matters which makes this a perfect trap game. Had the Packers won yesterday I would have been more worried about the Rams than I am now, I expect a bounce-back victory setting up the showdown for the NFC North lead a week from next Monday.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 9:35 pm and is filed under Al Davis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Reid

The same people that are bitching about not replacing Clifton and Tauscher would have bitched if we drafted a rookie and replaced Clifton and/or Tauscher with an unproven rookie. You can’t afford to have a ready-made starter as the back-up for every one of our 22 starters. Get real. The coaching is the problem on all levels. O-linemen aren’t doing their jobs and they should be coached to do it right, Rodgers may not be putting us in a good play and he should be coached to call the right play at the line of scrimmage based on the defense, missed assignments and blockers should be coached to know their assignments and execute, play-calling totally sucks, etc. It all comes down to the coaching and it’s not getting done.
Reid

And, by the way, I was ready to put a message out here about how we will cut someone this week to make an example out of someone. The same happened to Jason Hunter (I think it was him) last year. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now. You can talk about technique, pad-level, and all of that crap until you are blue in the face but if you can’t coach your players to execute it consistently then you are not a very good coach. Rouse was cut so I told you so, just didn’t get it out here before it happened.
Lew

Cut Rouse and signed Giordano? Replacing shit with poop. Whatever. Anthony Smith would look pretty sweet right now. At least Collins might play.

Larry, the D-Line looked wonderful against Chi but horrible against Cinci. This does not make much sense but thats how it was. I think they will be ok and Raji should make a big difference. He better because out LB’s can’t shed a block. Must be their “technique”.

Ok, I don’t actually think the Rams will win…but it might be close. Washington is horrible, but STL played them tough in DC.

For the record, if things go south this year I hope Dom Capers is not the next coach. He is just another re-tread with limited head coaching success. Like him as our D-Coordinator, but not anything else. Hopefully this won’t matter and this team will start to have some rhythm and win some games convincingly.
roy jamison

But Giordano was a team mate of A-Rod in California so his poop don’t stink.
packer_bob

Lew said this earlier in the thread: “There are only 2 options: 1) These players suck or 2) They haven’t learnt the proper fundamentals because of SHITTY coaching.”

I’m not sure which at this point, but when the coaches are talking about “it’s about fundamentals, it’s correctable” then I think it is reasonable to lay the blame at the feet of the coaches. We do have to remember, except for McCarthy virtually the rest of the staff is in it’s first year with these players.

Not making excuses for them, there aren’t any in my book, but maybe not EVERYBODY needed to be fired after last season.
packer_bob

Not having Anthony Smith on this roster looks like a big mistake now.

And I think many of you are putting WAY too much faith in BJ Raji right about now. I expect him to contribute, but he is just a rookie. To look at him as some kind of savior is a mistake, imo. I hope you all are right and he is a world beater right out of the box, but how often does that really happen?
http://Orlando Mark

P-b, Raji can’t be a savior but he has to contribute. Even as a raw DT he can be hard to move and if he can penetrate or take on a double team that’s got to help. Also just having him in there is the fresh body we haven’t had for two years.
http://jlworden1suddenlink.net Larry

Aren’t you guys overlooking the fact that the reason given for the Smith cut is that even tho he knew the system he was too slow to execute it? Seems to me Brady exposed that pretty well. Raji – hell yes we’re excited that he’s going to play because he’s as good a pick as Mathews, Harrell, and Hawk, right?
http://jlworden1suddenlink.net Larry

Talk about errors, mistakes, stupidity, lack of coaching, mismanagement; just what did we see in the Pre? This team cannot possibly be as bad as it seems. We are 1-1, Grant has had over 1k yds the last two years and had a worse (ie, smaller) line in front of him. The 3-4 is a run killer, we are adequately staffed at LB and we have corners that can blitz. We have good cover guys on special teams with all those LBs and FBs. The Fab5(6) is now the Fab5, but we are better at TE. I’ve decided to forget the last two games and start from scratch and concentrate on what I saw in the Pre and the good things from last year. And, oh yeah, we’ve solved the punting problem too.

Every positive element mentioned above has broken down in the last two games, but the same guys are here and are capable of so much more, because they’ve already demonstrated it. Sure, it was only the first qtr and first half during the Pre but the potential is there. Any given Sunday, guys!
packer_bob

Larry,

I thought they cut Anthony Smith because he wasn’t much of an impact player on special teams. Whatever the reason, you can be damn sure I wish he was around to start as opposed to Jarrett Bush!

Mark,

Yes, if we’re just looking for Raji to be in the rotation as a big body and make the occasional play, then I agree that’s not too much to ask for. But I would always be a little skeptical of expecting too much from a rookie. Maybe I’m misinterpreting what others are saying, but some of the expectation levels I think I’m hearing are a little too high.
packer_bob

Well good news/bad news: Collins should play this week, and Clifton is out this week and next week at Minnesota. Let’s pray we don’t have any more O-line injuries heading before the Vikes game!
http://Packernet Bob Davis

OK, this will be short. You can bet the farm on this. We will not win many games at all this year with MM as head coach. Only when he is fired after this season can we look forward to next year. TT is not far behind…Laugh at me, tell me I am a pessimist, nevertheless just watch and you will see that I am right….
Pete H

I’d rather have me start than Bush….FALL ON THE BALL!
roadking

we have the same personal as we did on last years 6-10 ream why do we think things are going to be better this year, this is the pros they exploit every teams weakness and we have many.
paul

Time to cut TT and MM. This is getting ridiculous. Our coach that got us to 13-3 two years ago now plays somewhere else. Now get mad, but I don’t care. The truth hurts. The magic is gone…the train has left the station. TOOOT TOOOOT!
Reid

I wanted the Raji pick so I’m not going to rip him a new one until he’s at least played a few games to prove he wasn’t worth the pick, or been hurt enough to prove he wasn’t worth it. I think about 99% of us wanted him to be picked too so everyone give up on the Raji bashing.

Now just if someone can poop out an offensive line that can block effectively we’ll be good to go.
Reid

paul – Iccypuss and I are really sure that “TOOT TOOT, the train has left the station, I want your caboose” is the last thing you say as you jerk off all over Brent Farve’s picture every night and retire to a warm towel and a chicken burrito.
http://Orlando Mark

Paul, I understand your not happy but when #4′s O-line got screwed up he didn’t do any better than #12. And #12 is the better QB right now. The personnel decisions aren’t MM’s fault and are starting to get a little strange. Three FB’s and Havner makes no sense to me, etc., etc.
Reid, I love the Raji pick. Missing the training camp didn’t help and big men are notorious for taking time to develop. I believe he’ll progress throughout the year. Also we have to be thankful we didn’t take Crabtree.
packer_bob

Who’s bashing Raji? I haven’t seen that. I was in full support of that pick myself, and was afraid TT would pass him up to take Crabtree on that “best player available” philosophy he always uses. We needed help on the D-line and Raji could be a difference maker.

All I said was he is just a rookie, I wouldn’t hold my breath for him to come back and make a major impact on the DL this season. I hope he does, it’s just that it would be very rare for something like that to happen.

Mark,

I agree that some of these personnel decisions seem wierd, but don’t you agree that MM has to shoulder much of the blame for the lackluster performance of the team up till this point? I mean when I hear things like the offense hasn’t practiced well in two weeks, the cause of our failures is fundamentals and the like, doesn’t that fall right into the lap of the coach?
Matt Hayton

Reid -
clearly you are speaking from experience doing the same to pics of McDuffy with a pencil in his hat and Hooter the Albino Barn Owl. We were right they are frauds and you know it!
Matt Hayton

Ok TT is officially an idiot! I have been stewing over this fro the last 2 and a half years and today was the last straw.

Thompson F****d up when he didn’t move up to get AP. I thought it was a colossal mistake then and he confirmed it today, by cutting Rouse.

Well know that the Chiefs at #5, were willing to trade down to the mid-teens to get Levi Brown who they could have gotten then. That pick was worth 1700pts. It would have cost the Packers #16 – 1000 pts (Justin Harrell); #47 – 430pts (traded to Jets for 63 and 89) – These picks became Brandon Jackson and Aaron Rouse. And our #1 Pick in 2008 – Jordy Nelson. Harrell is a bust, Jackson hasn’t played a down this year and Rouse was just cut. So really we have Jordy Nelson on our roster instead of Adrian Peterson.

TT’s MO has been to trade down acquire picks, play-it-safe, acquire as much “talent” as possible through the draft. What today taught us is that it is just as big of a risk to do nothing, as it is to take a calculated risk. He didn’t risk anything by refusing to move up in the 2007 draft and now he has nothing to show for it. Meanwhile we have to face AP 2x a year for the next 5-7 years.

Colossal mistake.

No excuses, 9-7 and the playoffs or they are gone. You ahve made your beds MM&TT, now you get to sleep in it…
Jeff

Hey Lew.
Shove your racist comments ! I am so sick and tired of weak minded people playing the race card ! I could say I am mad because there are no white harlem globe trotters ! I am sick of it ! Remember this boy , we do not have a black president if the white people did not support him , take your racist comments somewhere else!!
http://Orlando Mark

P-b, hard to say about MM. He was really helped by #4′s ability to run a 4 wide set and beat the rush. But he was smart enough to use it. #12 can’t do that yet. He hasn’t developed a solid run game which would really help. And not having a veteran tackle to backup Clifton or replace Taucher makes him look bad. He isn’t responsible for bringing in the players so who knows. I just hope the team has a chance to get on track.
Jeff

Packer Bob,

I truly believe what I said about the Packers maybe sandbagging for the Vikings. You got to remember that there is no way Thompson and McCarthy want to lose to Favre and yes I believe they would sacrifice a game to make sure they win in Minnesota , it was a bitter divorce and I really believe that there is nothing more important to them 2 men right now than to beat Favre.
http://Orlando Mark

Jeff, you may be right about the “race card” observation Lew made, but take it down a notch, please. It wasn’t important enough on this board for anyone else to give a second thought. I had to go back and try and figure out what you were talking about.
RayL

we should have cut JH or Bush instead of Rouse. I think Jared Allen is licking his chops about now. The natives are hetting restless I see. TT, MM I hear the train coming Around the bend….next stop LA then Metrodome. I sure hope you figure out the fundamentals and correct pad level for the next 2 games…
packer_bob

Jeff,

Maybe we should lose to the Rams on purpose this weekend as well. That way we’ll REALLY catch the Vikings by surprise when we show them how good we actually are on October 5th.
Won’t they be surprised when we reveal our true awesomeness and open up that can of Whup-Ass? Then maybe McCarthy can run up to Favre after we beat them down and yell “Psyche!” right in his face.

Seriously, man, this is ridiculous.
packer_bob

This is quote from Aaron Rodger’s about last week’s debacle: ““I feel like some portion of the team felt that we could just show up on Sunday against a Bengals team that we felt like we were better than, and they were going to fold. Well, they didn’t. They played with more effort and more intensity.”

He goes on to say some other things as well.

First, kudos to AR for calling the team out after that pathetic performance. As much as a Favre fan as I was during his tenure in GB, sometimes I felt he wasn’t a vocal enough leader.

Secondly, Mark, this is why I ask if MM doesn’t shoulder some of the blame. To me if your QB is saying things like this and the comments AR made about poor practices, that goes back to HC. Don’t get me wrong, clearly we’re missing personnel at spots and maybe the talent level isn’t as high as we all were hoping for during pre, and that falls on TT. But I think MM has some responsibility as well.
http://jlworden1suddenlink.net Larry

You know, p_b you might just have hit on a workable strategy. Something else he said (hell, I cant even keep a straight face saying it) “we had too much protection”. See, you guys, you play your “ifs” I’ll play mine. IF we had drafted Jenkins, Woodson could have shifted to safety and all this Smith-Giordano-Rouse-Martin-Bush talk would be mute. I still say that the Raji insertion is not as critical as the DB situation because the DL, to me, has looked damned good.
packer_bob

Not following that post even a little bit, Larry. By workable strategy, are you referring to losing so as to lull the Vikings into a false sense of complacency?

The problem is if it works on Oct. 5th, we don’t play them again for several weeks after that. So we’ll have to go on another prolonged losing streak to see if we can get them to fall for it all over again. And they just might, the poor dumb bastards!

Of course, by then our season will be shot. But at least MM and TT will be able to light their victory cigars in celebration of humiliating Favre! “We really showed him!” they’ll say to each other during cell calls in the post season as they watch the playoffs from home.
roadking

when you move down in the draft which tt loves to do,all you get is a bunch of special team players which we have plenty of. how about moving up and get a real stud.
packer_bob

Who care’s what’s wrong with any of those teams? If they all finish 4-12 and we do to, are you going to find some consolation in that?

Look, I don’t think any one’s ready to quit on the season, I know I’m not. Yes it’s only two games, and we did win one of them. But anyone not borderline stunned by the way we’ve played our first two games, at home, has their head buried in the sand.

We’ve got a winnable game this week (I was going to say easy win, but last week made it apparent to me that their aren’t any of those) so by all means, all is not lost. If we beat Minnesota the game after that, most of this will all be forgotten. But when Al is reversing himself and saying we should have kept Brett Favre during last week’s game, you know the team has problems. (I know you didn’t really mean it Al, it was the heat of the moment.)
packer_bob

Ok, just so everyone knows I’m not crazy, the above post ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
was a response to a post by Brutus wondering why we’re not questioning what’s wrong with the Cowboys, Titans, Patriots and Eagles.

It kinda disappeared, not sure why.
Jeff

Mark.
I just have had enough with the race card , this country elected a black president and I got to fired up when the race card is still used.
Jeff

Pacvker Bob.

It is not ridiculous at all . In fact I am going to say the Packers will not give the Vikings anything to look at in this game on tape. Packers will win , but I am going to say 20-10. I am telling you that the only thing on Thompson and McCarthy’s mind is beating Favre and it is for selfish reasons. I believe the Packers will beat the Rams but it will be another sloppy game and like magic you will see the Packers energy level raise in Minnesota and they will put forth their best effort of the year.
Remember, football is full of mind games as well as physical ability
packer_bob

Purposely not playing your best game, even if it means losing, in order to maybe set up a win down the road for personal reasons isn’t a mind game, it’s insanity. It would also be a betrayal of the the players on the team and the fan base.

You can have whatever opinion you want, obviously, but to me it’s way overboard.
http://jlworden1suddenlink.net Larry

Its also insanity because when you let up you get knocked down; Hmmm! How many times has a coach, in any sport, (well, maybe not swimming) told you that when you don’t play as hard as you can, thats when the injuries occur, Hmmm! When you let up phisically, you’re letting up mentally as well, Hmmm!
roy jamison

I GOT THE ST LOOEY BLUES!
Jeff (the other one)

Jeff

It makes sense to always bring something fresh to each game – you don’t want to be too predictable for anybody, but I can’t imagine MM needs to handcuff himself in order to have some fresh looks to show the Vikes. I can’t imagine them failing to game plan for their divisional opponent. Besides, to do what you’re suggesting would require sandbagging for three games, not one. Regardless of what we show in St Louis, they already have tape from the first two games, and as our divisional opponents, they know as much about our playes as anybody in the NFL.

The main defensive players are still Woodson, Harris, Kampman, Jenkins, Barnett and hopefully Collins. None of those guys are shockers. The Vikes are very familiar with them and know what they can do. The offense is not significantly different from what it was last year except that without our long-serving tackles, the O-line is weaker. I could hold out hope that Jones and Nelson might be a bit improved.

The Vi-Queens already know just about everything they need to know. Playing anything less than our best game at St Louis would be a very, very bad idea. The talent level in the NFL is too tight and every game too important to bring anything less than your best effort at least until you have the game well in hand. Screw the Vikings and next week – win Sunday. Anything less is bullshit.
packer_bob

I see that Rouse was passed on by 27 teams on the waiver wire before being picked up by the Giants, who just lost one of their safeties for the season. Yet Anthony Smith, who we cut instead, got picked up by St. Louis at the number 2 position.

Am I missing something, or does that mean we cut a guy coveted by other teams to keep a guy that almost cleared waivers? That doesn’t sound like a good personnel decision to me.

I did read some good news: Jarrett Bush got injured in practice. Maybe we’ll get lucky and he won’t be able to play.
packer_bob

Oh, and well said, the Other Jeff.
Rocky70

I thought I’d stop by for a minute & read all the doom & gloom coming from the ‘select’ few……. Pretty much as I anticipated.

Just a reminder to those who are reveling in a 1-1 start for the Pack… the season lasts 16 games with highs & lows….. Parity is still the key word in the NFL.

I’ll be back…………. with ample ‘crow recipes’ for the “select’ few.
Matt Hayton

Rocky here is some crow for you-

#1- Harrel, Jackson and Rouse are all busts resulting in no AP on this roster duE to TT’s lack of balls.
#2-Cut Anthony Smith, clear mistake 2 weeks later.

#3-Run game sucks, should’ve kept Sutton over Wynn.

#4-OL is in shambles, squarely due to TT’s piss poor job of drafting on the line.

#5-By putting Meredith on the practice squad, we lost him to Buffalo and he clearly has more upside than Dietrich-Smith.

#6-Jon Runyan, nuff said.

Sorry, Rocky this guy sucks…how’s the crow, dude?
paul

@ Reid,

You speaking for Iccypuss leads me to believe that you have the homoerotic conflict, not me. I am a Packer fan and bleed green and gold, but that does not mean I have to like an incompetent GM and his below average IQ of a coach. And NO, I could not do a better job, but it is easy to see that TT is not able to do it. I see teams going from worst to first in 1-2 years…not 5. Then there are teams like the Steelers that always seem to be in the running, along with the Pats, Eagles, etc. So if your pecker is not too small, go blow yourself or maybe Iccy will do that for you. Your post was vulgar, just returning the sentiment.
Rocky70

MH

I could easily match your list many times over with what is correct about the Pack. You’re taking a huge gamble in trashing the Pack & everyone connected including TT & MM…. You’ll look awfully silly when GB goes on a run of 4 or 5 V’s in a row. … This is the NFL, boy, everything can turn on a dime.

By the way, all the names in your post are non-starters. — It’s called turnover. A little more football knowledge on your part would temper your enthusiasm for the Pack to fail……….. You’re a PackFan ? …….. Ya, sure….
Mel e Mel

Aaron Rodgers stated there were some people on the team who thought they could win by showing up. If that statement is even remotely accurate MM should be shown the door. This business of being the youngest team in football is a two way street. We are getting all the mistakes of a young team and very little of the promised future. This is what a “coach” is for.
Sandbagging for the Vikes: Right up there with the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny.
You have to get all the coaches on board for such a thing. I just dont see that.
Havner and the 3rd fullback obviously took the place of an O-lineman, thats simply a defective mental process at work.
On the bright side Giordano was cut from a team that has real talent at the safety position.
http://jlworden1suddenlink.net Larry

`Matt Hayton, why are you here? Brett Favre, the Williams’, Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, and Ryan Longwell are all over in Minneapolis, get the hell off this site you jerk!!!
http://www.packernet.com admin

Larry – Hayton is a hater. Just another pseudo fan. Don’t take those bums seriously.
http://jlworden1suddenlink.net Larry

Al, I agree with you, but the guy has not said one single positive thing about OUR Packers since he’s been here and I just blew my stack with his last idiotic post….!

Every one of his last post items have been refuted over and over again over the last few months and still – after all this time he opens his rant with Harrell and Peterson. How droll.
Matt Hayton

It’s always easier to call someone names, then to refute them with intelligent arguments when they are right.

And then attack my fanhood, because I hold the brass accountable for mistakes that clearly should cost them their jobs. To me, that is being a true fan. My world is sales, if I miss my number. I get fired, no questions asked, no excuses, period. Because in the real world hitting your number(however that is measured) is all that matters. As stated before, in my fanhood, I expect the same out of the guys with the greatest jobs on the planet! But clearly all of your worlds are rose-colored and everything is peachy all the time. Forgive me for speaking the truth. My expectations are the playoffs and if that happens, I’ll be positive about these guys…especially given the O-Line, Safety issues, running back and run defense issues. It will be quite an accomplishment, nothing will make me happier, because unlike the rest of you, my #1 desire is watching the Pack play January football.

Be A Fan:

I’m not too worried about it