Tony, on this day, Rodgers couldn't make the Offense go either.

Drop the "No Rodgers" and just go with "No Offense".

sorry guys- wilde was wrong. that 4th and 1 play was all on mccarthy. i just saw his presser on the packers website.

You guys are tripping, that's really all I can say.

1) If you get passblocking of the quality that Rodgers received today you aren't going to get any sort of game going, not even a 3- or 1-step drop game. You can't throw a pass instantly.

2) There are outlet guys available all the time; ignoring them is one of Rodgers' biggest problems. I'm not some Rodgers hater but I can't count how many times I've been reading the JSOnline live blog and seen Bedard (or now Silverstein) point out that Rodgers decided to go deep when there was an open receiver over the middle, etc. There was a press conference earlier in the year where McCarthy even criticized Rodgers for this, saying there were plays open underneath that needed to be taken or etc. Not exactly a righteous chewing-out, but probably the closest I can recall from MM.

Blaming MM's playcalling and system -- rather than perhaps his coaching -- when his QB holds the ball too long and ignores the checkdown? Come on now.

Rodgers breaks off and runs because that's his game. He's kind've like a mini Big Ben, with all the ups and downs that a QB with a tendency to hold the ball brings. Analyzing this all down to the scheme level... that just isn't accurate. This is on the QB too, moreso him than the coach in fact.

Oh and just to add: just because the outlet guy isn't visible on the broadcast angle doesn't mean he isn't there. Often when I'd be reading that JSOnline blog I'd be looking at the play going, "Where's the outlet guy?!" only to have the writer who actually had a view of the game point out that the checkdown was present.

to stinkdaddy,

I overlook the lack of PR from TT; his vision of how to operate an NFL team in GB is fine w/me.

You bring up valuable points about the Oline, but it has sucked for years. Now maybe that's on TT; but tell me why the D can have so many injuries and still play lights-out, but not the O? I think its MM.

Stinkdaddy: I understand what you are saying. The TV broadcast doesn't show the whole picture.....BUT...in fact, our receivers are running vertical stems at an alarming rate. The route may end up coming across the field (to the middle) but it has everything to do with the stem off the line of scrimmage. Our receivers do not stem inside much, if at all, from the LOS. McCarthy does not use his receivers to stretch the field vertically. (Think 5 -10-15 yd spacing generically). A perfect example of stretching a team vertically is the classic WCO play Flanker Drive. You have the Z running a drive route at 5 and climbing to 8 yards as he runs under or over LB depth depending on the LBer drops. You have the TE running the 10-12 yard skinny post vs. 2 high (MOFO)or a seam route vs. 1 high safety (MOFC). You have another receiver (HB in a near set (to the the TE) running a take-off route to the flag (it's called a 7 route in the NFL). The X receiver is running a go route to clear for the Z that is running the drive route from right to left (we'll say TE is aligned to the right in 21 personnel (2 backs, 1 TE, 3 receivers). The remaining back (FB) helps in a 6 man protection, which in this case is 2 or 3 Jet which is a slide protection. It is possible to free release the back by calling "scat" leaving you with a true 5 man protection in which the QB is responsible for the unblocked defender in a blitz. That's how you space a defense and attack cover 2 or 2 man. In fact, most WCO pass plays attack any coverage and receivers adjust their routes accordingly to what they see coverage wise but some concepts work better against certain coverages. McCarthy hardly (I won't say never because he's done it in the past...think 2007) does this. That's because he's not a true WCO guy. It looks like he's trying to fit the mold of the Patriots offense only he doesn't use his receivers like the Patriots by spacing the defense vertically.
As it relates to the "checkdown".....well, all I can say is, yes, SOMETIMES they are there....BUT....they are an after thought. I thought McCarthy did a great job in emphasizing the checkdowns in the game at Minnesota. He used Kuhn and Jackson effectively by releasing them right away, calling "scat" or getting them out quickly from their check release responsibilities. It showed in that 2 minute drive especially. However, that was the only time I saw him do this. Every other time I see our backs getting caught up in the wash of pass protection and not really releasing vigoriously in to a checkdown position. And that progression has to be repped in practice. 5 step with a hitch checkdown. It's a repetitive process. If that's being repped on a consistent basis it would show up in the game. It's not showing up consistently. Is some of that on Rodgers? Perhaps. But from what I've seen McCarthy is more intent on pushing the ball vertically without stretching the defense vertically first and when teams sit in 2 Man all day, it makes it tough to raise the roof of the coverage when you run in to their territory. Guys like Silverstein are a dime a dozen. What is the definition of deep and short? It's all relative to the depth of each route. Deep could be a receiver sprinting to 20 yds making the 10 and 15 yard in breaking routes short by comparison. It has a lot more to do with just saying "going deep" or "hitting the short man" if you don't take in to account the different levels. The intermediate middle zone is deeper than the bottom of the seam but the bottom of the seam is deeper than the 5 yard no cover zone most teams employ when playing zone coverage. It's all relative. Sorry for the wonkish talk.