With the last couple weeks having kicks blocked, have there been different lineups with that unit? Are injuries really affecting it? Or is practice time not available for it?
Yes, they swapped personnel around after the block. Specifically, Green Bay inserted Elgton Jenkins. He’s only played a handful of snaps in recent years. It’s also pretty rare to see a center on field goal protection in Green Bay. Corey Linsley never played it and Josh Myers was rarely utilized in that capacity last year.
If the key to Dak’s success was getting the ball out quickly, then the obvious counter is playing very tight coverage. What caused that failure? If that’s not fixed, certainly will be exploited the remainder of the season.
Did you watch how the Packers played George Pickens?
Eric from Fuquay Varina, NC
I thought in your reply that for the pass that Dak threw to the middle of nowhere, the refs must have assumed he meant to throw it to a receiver downfield. I got the same inference from the commentators when watching the game. I am flummoxed. Say it ain’t so. I thought we were trying to take subjectivity out of the hands of the refs. Surely every quarterback being chased MEANT to throw it away beyond the line of scrimmage or out of bounds.
I’m guessing that’s what the officials were guessing.
Not much talk about it, but the first words out of my mouth when we scored after the two-minute warning was “we scored too early,” which prophetically proved to be true. Why not run the ball once or twice, force Dallas to use up their timeouts and still have time for the touchdown? Eliminating time on the clock and helping the defense. It’s a “what if,” but I have seen too many games lost due to scoring too early.
I get what you’re saying, but I think you have to score touchdowns when the opportunity is presented and trust your defense. Look at what happened in overtime. Green Bay wanted to score a touchdown to win the game, but it didn’t happen, and it had to settle for a field goal to tie it.
Matt from Bloomington, IN
I’ve been reluctant to ask this question, and I hope it doesn’t come off as disrespectful: Rich Bisaccia is held in high regard, and having a young team isn’t a good excuse for repeated execution errors. I guess what I’m having a tough time identifying is how much of our special teams’ struggles fall on the shoulders of the staff? Also, how confident should we be that the struggles get corrected before late-season and postseason football? Thank you for your thoughts.
I appreciate the tone of your question, Matt. At the end of the day, it falls on everyone. Many fans are on an endless search for scapegoats, but you can’t extract a pound of flesh every time your team loses. That’s not how you consistently win in this league. LaFleur chose his staff last winter because he felt it gave the Packers the best chance to win in the here and now. Good teams learn from bad outcomes and get better together. If you succumb to setbacks, then your destiny is already fulfilled. The goal has always been to be champions of the world, not September.
When you don’t answer my question, I leave the subject alone because I figure you’re not interested. But I really want your take on this. I think ML is too distracted by calling the play, he doesn’t have the concentration to manage game situations that are the head coach’s decision. I seem to remember a coach (maybe McCarthy) giving up play-calling specifically for that reason.
And that worked out great, didn’t it? Relinquishing play-calling duties is like playing your backup quarterback. It always sounds better in theory than implementation.
Steve from Dodgeville, WI
Hi Wes, Mike and II. Watched “Packers Unscripted” late Tuesday night and noticed your frustration with us fans. Please know that that it is not aimed at you. Collectively we appreciate the crazy schedule you endure and all the great content you provide. We understand that Matt LaFleur-led teams win two games for each loss and seem oh so “frustratingly” close to being special. GPG.
Last week was disappointing, but that wasn’t adversity, folks. Watch what the Tennessee Titans are going through right now or New Orleans. That’s adversity. Your extremely talented team lost a game you thought they should win and tied another. That’s tough. I sympathize. The Packers could be 4-0 right now, but the reality is win or lose, they still must improve…in Week 6, in Week 17, Week 18, etc., to be the team you think they can be. Process over result.
Corey from Greensboro, NC
Wes, as a high school teacher and soccer coach, I just wanted you to know I caught your reference to what has arguably become the two most obnoxious numbers ever. It’s in class, on the field (I even had players change their numbers so that each one could have one of the two numbers in question!) It’s madness! That being said, what’s your over/under on Romeo Doubs catching another 6-7 touchdowns?
I’d say that’s highly probable based on his start. Let me add this – I’ve allowed many of you to make references to 8-8 for the past six, seven years. Well, now it’s my turn.