Green Bay Packers: (Nearly) Mid-Season Thoughts

With the Green Bay Packers having already played this week, this is normally where you'd find Game Balls & Lame Calls so I get to ad lib this one.  We find ourselves near the mid-season mark with seven weeks of play and six games in for the Packers.  4-2 isn't the worst spot to be in and with the Minnesota Vikings finally dropping a game this week, the race for the NFC North just got a bit tighter.

As the Packers get set to prepare for a tough road game against the Atlanta Falcons, here are some of the bigger bullet points that stick out to me about this Packers team so far.

Aaron Rodgers

Low-hanging fruit here.  Obviously the talk about Rodgers and how his play has dropped over the last year is rampant.  And it's also true.  He set some pretty gaudy standards for himself in being the career leader in quarterback rating and taking great care of the football.  So far this season, he's only eclipsed a rating of 100 one time and has turned the ball over way too many times.  Whether it's his mental state, a personal issue or bad mechanics, Rodgers isn't the same guy he's been.  And the Packers have to figure out how to enable him to move the offense and score points.  Fortunately his ability to throw a football and move around is still intact and so, with that, there's always a chance for the Packers.  

Maybe we just need to accept the new normal from Rodgers.  Maybe he's going through a slump that lasts a few seasons like we've seen from Brett Favre and other great quarterbacks of the past.  We're starved to see enough consistency to say that Rodgers is healed, but as long as he can minimize the turnovers and improve on his accuracy, the Packers are going to be OK.  Exactly what "OK" turns out to be, I am not sure, but it should mean they win more games than not and have a chance to be playing past the regular season.  After all, that's what many Packers fans tell their friends "with Rodgers, we're good for around 10 wins and a playoff game".  At present pace, that trend looks to continue.

And if there is truly any type of rift between Rodgers and McCarthy, then boys, get in a room and figure it out!  Remember that you both helped each other achieve the ultimate success and owe each other some of the credit for doing so.  Things could be worse and the grass ain't always greener on the other side.

Run Game

This has been a hot topic lately and many fans are frustrated that the Packers are resorting to using a wide receiver (or two) as a primary running back instead of an actual back who plays the position full time.  I get the reasoning but the Packers never planned on losing both Eddie Lacy and James Starks at one time.  Lacy is on injured reserve and he won't even be eligible to bring back until mid-December.  Packers fans may want to wrap their head around the fact that Lacy may have played his last down with the team.  His contract is up after the season and there's no guarantee the Packers will bring him back.

Starks was largely ineffective this season and then hurt his knee and needed surgery last week.  He'll be out a while and the Packers were forced to trade for Knile Davis from the Chiefs and promote Don Jackson from the practice squad.  as fate would have it, Jackson was promptly hurt early in last Thursday's game against the Chicago Bears.  As much as running backs aren't as critical as they used to be, teams still need to be able to run the ball to keep their offense whole and working.  Jackson's status is uncertain and Davis didn't see a carry until late in the Chicago game.  He looked very much like a back who just joined the team a few days prior.

I mentioned receivers at running back earlier and I was referring, of course, to Randall Cobb and Ty Montgomery.  Montgomery ripped off a 30-yard run against the Bears and was also able to haul in 10 catches, most from the running back spot.  I've never been a huge fan of the cobra package that features Montgomery and Cobb as a runner but head coach Mike McCarthy may have found some other ways that they can be effective from the backfield.  Surely it will be scouted quickly and Green Bay can't hang their hats on this concept all season, but this should buy them some time until either Starks returns or Davis/Jackson become more comfortable in the offense.

Progression of Youth

The Packers young players are going to be called on to grow up fast.  This is the hallmark of the Packers under general manager Ted Thompson.  Young players with high potential where it's the job of the coaching staff to maximize it.  Assuming Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins return and reassume their starting jobs soon, they as well as LaDarius Gunter and the other young defensive backs are going to have to step in and play meaningful snaps.  

Gunter has started and played most of the last two games.  He struggled against the Dallas Cowboys but fared much better against the Bears when he drew the assignment of covering Alshon Jeffrey.  Gunter isn't fast but he always seems to be around the ball.  He's not an ideal starter but the Packers were thrust into this position due to the injuries to Sam Shields, Randall and Rollins.  He will have the toughest test of his young career next week when he's looking after Falcons receiver Julio Jones.  

Beyond Gunter are Josh Hawkins and Marwin Evans at cornerback and safety Kentrell Brice.  All three are undrafted free agents.  They're great for depth but now that the Packers are counting on them to help win games, it's worth debating whether Green Bay has gambled and lost with the situation that they're in.  The last three playoff losses have all featured missed plays by rookies.  Cornerback is one area where it seems to pay to have a solid veteran in there come the later season.  Guys like Josh Norman, Aqib Talib, Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman come to mind.  Those were starting corners on Super Bowl teams the last two years.  Time will tell but putting these young guys in a prime spot is something the Packers have done and been doing for years.

Offensive Line

Speaking of Packers gambles, the move to let veteran Josh Sitton go and stick with Lane Taylor seems to have paid off.  Taylor hasn't really struggled much and he's a much less volatile personality.  The Packers offensive line has been exceptional and it will continue keep opportunities alive in both the running and passing game.  Aaron Rodgers hasn't seen the type of pressure he's seen in recent years and here's hoping that this really pays off when teams to into winter football mode with the weather changing.  If there's an award for the best unit on the team, the line gets it so far.

Health

Duh!  Health is important to all 32 teams in the league.  But the Packers are going to have to get and stay healthy for the balance of the season if they're going to accomplish some of their bigger goals at season's end.  They will be without Shields or Lacy for the rest of the season depending on who and if they can bring one back from injury.  Randall and Rollins have groin injuries, which are easily re aggravated and they'll need to be monitored closely.  Jared Cook and Starks are also banged up and would be helpful depth if they could return.  In Cook's case, his injury during the preseason kept him from building any early chemistry with Rodgers and the offense.  Actually, not playing Rodgers and the offensive starters really kept them all from developing any chemistry, but Cook has made a mere cameo so far.  He can still become a key contributor in the offense, but at the rate that Rodgers develops the trust he needs to throw to a receiver often enough for them to matter, Cook may find himself an after thought for much of this season.

Jake Schum

We're nearly into November and the weather is going to start factoring into the kicking game.  Schum had a nice punt in his only try against the Bears.  But he's struggled and hasn't had the elements to blame.  Field position is so key and with the Packers offense sometimes stalling and struggling, to be punting from inside their own 20 and not pinning the opponent much past mid field isn't the best proposition for the defense to hold without giving up points.  It would be ideal if the Packers could keep Schum from punting every week, but they only play the Bears so many times.  They're going to need some serious professional action from Schum the rest of the way.

Jake & Blake

I couldn't end on that note so I chose this one to close it out.  These two inside linebackers are playing some pretty good football.  More importantly, they're playing well together.  Martinez had his first interception last week and both have been atop the team's leading tackler list each week.  Both fourth rounders, the Packers appear to have hit well on both of these players.  They're not incredibly quick but they're both smart.  Martinez flies around and always seems to be around the ball.  I would even go as far as saying Martinez looks like what we expected A.J. Hawk to be.  The arrow is pointing up at an area of the defense that has desperately needed a play maker for the past several seasons.

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Jason is a freelance writer on staff since 2012 and also co-hosts Cheesehead TV Live, Pulse of the Pack and Pack A Day podcasts.  You can follow him on Twitter here

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Comments (35)

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croatpackfan's picture

October 24, 2016 at 06:39 am

So, nothing about WRs and TEs, ST, DL? Pitty. There is a lot of area for improvement on Packers team. Improvement that will come if not for other reasons, but from gained experience...
But, very good overview. Thank you!

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RCPackerFan's picture

October 24, 2016 at 06:50 am

One Correction to Rodgers.. He has had 2- 100+ passing ratings this year.
He had 129.3 against the Lions, and 102.2 against the Bears.
He also had a 95.1 and a 90.8 which aren't bad either.

The worst part to Rodgers right now is having 6 fumbles and 3 lost fumbles on the year. He has to be more secure with the ball.

The biggest question on offense right now is the run game. They won't be able to play the whole season without a run game. But if they continue what they started against Chicago, I think they can be very effective. Against Chicago, as the game wore on they seemed to find themselves more.

I actually love Montgomery as a RB. And I love them spreading teams out right now. The only thing I don't want to see them do is wear out Montgomery. They need to find another option at RB, so they can take off some of the pressure off of Montgomery. Hopefully Jackson or Davis will be able to play more against Atlanta.

The one area in which they need to figure out is short yardage and goal line situations. I would think that Ripkowski could be the best option at RB in those situations. He is a bruiser and is hard to bring down.

The other thing that will help the offense out is when they get Cook back. Since he has been out their TE's just are not fast enough or good enough to help much. Cook will also help out in the redzone, both as a blocker and receiver.

Hopefully this mini bye will allow players to reset and get fully ready for this long stretch.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

October 24, 2016 at 07:33 am

"He had 129.3 against the Lions, and 102.2 against the Bears."

I don't think it's a coincidence that these games included them attacking the whole field in the passing game and not just throwing down the sidelines.

I'm also sort of interested in Montgomery at RB. I just watched David Johnson last night and though there where a lot of similarities.

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RCPackerFan's picture

October 24, 2016 at 08:30 am

I don't think its a coincidence either...

I love Montgomery as a RB. It gives the offense its most flexibility. They can run with him (though they won't likely run with him like they would with Lacy). But what Montgomery gives them is a guy who has speed, can make people miss, but can be a receiver out of the backfield. Can actually run routes. They can spread teams out with Montgomery and still have the ability to run the ball.

What I like about spreading teams out with Montgomery in the backfield is that most teams aren't equipped to play against 5 WR's on the field at the same time.
As the game wore on it felt like they were starting to gain confidence in what they were doing. How much of that was playing the Bears and how much of it was the Packers, we will find out. But it was a good step in the right direction.

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Tundraboy's picture

October 24, 2016 at 07:44 am

Thanks RC for the fair overall perspective on Rodgers. I would add his passing is sporadic at best. Never know what type of throw he'll make anymore. That disturbs me most since with the exception of short passes that he has always been strangely off,now you wonder each time. Man were we spoiled.

As for the running game they are playing with fire once again. Can not put whole burden on Montgomery. Need to use Rip more as lead back and play the new guys. I trust they're also looking at finding another for likley insurance since Stark is not coming back anytime soon, let alone Lacy

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RCPackerFan's picture

October 24, 2016 at 09:50 am

For me with Rodgers, he has missed some passes, but also how many dropped catchable passes have the receivers had? Yeah some throws were harder to make and whatnot, but if the ball hits them in the hands they have to catch those.
Look at the Bears game for example. He has 2 TD passes to Cobb, but he dropped 1 and the other Cobb didn't drag his foot on. In other games Richard Rodgers had a TD go off of his hands, and Nelson had a ball hit him in the hands and deflects it to the defense, and Starks drops a screen pass where he likely walks into the endzone.
There have been way to much of that this year which does make Rodgers look worse then what he has.
I'm not taking blame away from Rodgers, because he hasn't been playing up to his level. Just saying that maybe he hasn't been AS bad as most think. Or at the very least he would have looked much better then he has...

The biggest thing that I have seen from Rodgers is he has been hesitant in throwing some passes. I'm assuming a lot of it is that he isn't sure if the WR's are actually going to get open. Then when he sees they are, he is late.
In the 2nd half of the Bears game though he was getting the ball out faster and seemed to be much better.

I agree about playing with fire... My fear is they are going to over use Montgomery. I love what they are doing with him. But I hope they don't over use him. They need to find some other players they can mix in with him.
I would like to see Ripkowski be used as our short yardage RB more. He is a bull. I hope we start seeing more of Jackson (if healthy) and Davis. And hopefully Starks comes back rejuvenated.

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Gman1976's picture

October 24, 2016 at 09:46 am

I never thought a WR would be our #1 RB; and who would have thought we'd lose our top 3 corners!? This football season is way too interesting.

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William Dickson's picture

October 24, 2016 at 07:13 am

me thinks aaron has a drinking problem. talks about scotch an awful lot.. just asking if anyone else has caught on.never did before......just saying

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Lphill's picture

October 24, 2016 at 07:24 am

I think Davis will be able to carry the load at RB he has time now to learn the offense , I don't think the offense has hit its stride , the defense is ranked 10 th right now and improving, I was never sold on the Vikings who are 32 nd in offense ,yes the defense is a top 5 but can only carry the team for so long.

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RCPackerFan's picture

October 24, 2016 at 08:18 am

Rodgers really seemed to find himself in the 2nd half against the Bears. After the fumble he just got on a roll.
I don't think we have seen the best of this offense yet. I think with Montgomery, Davis and Jackson they can create enough of a rushing game to keep teams honest.
To go with that, if teams are just going to keep dropping people deep, and they take advantage of the underneath stuff, eventually teams will move players up to defend the under neath stuff which will open up stuff deep.

The defense will be better once we get Randall and Rollins back. Being without our top 3 CB's is really tough to overcome, and they actually have done a decent job considering. Though it helps in the last game they took out the other teams QB.

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Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

October 24, 2016 at 10:59 pm

"I don't think we have seen the best of this offense yet."

Boy I hope not.

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GVPacker's picture

October 24, 2016 at 07:40 am

If the O-Line keeps playing well and stays healthy the Run Game can be Respectable and the Offense should be OK! If the if the Front Seven can get a Consistent Pass Rush that can make a Suspect Secondary Look OK!

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Handsback's picture

October 24, 2016 at 07:41 am

Well the Packers have to find SOME run balance to win against the better teams. Monty is a change-of-pace guy that they need. The question is who's the guy that's going to take 10-15 carries a game? I don't know if Davis or Starks, when he gets back, can do it. I think if we see the stats after games and the main RB combo has 10-15 attempts, then the Packers can win enough games to get into the playoffs.

Passing will have to be more WCO like against the Bears vs. the Pack's offense for the past 5 years. Why? Glad you asked. The WRs are going to have to attack the short field and move the chains like it's they are running the ball. Can't be proud, get that quick 4 yard gain and test the long routes to keep them honest, which I think (may be wrong) is the exact opposite of what has been happening over the past few years.

Randall and Rollins both have groin issues. Those last around 6 weeks if not a year if they are serious. So Gunter, Hawkins, and Goodson will be the primary cover guys. Much like the RB by committee, it will be coverage by committee with Burnett helping out. HHCD will have to step up his game. He needs to patrol those open spaces and make plays on the ball more than he has done this year. So far, he has been OK. The Pack needs him to be much better.

The other parts of the defense are in pretty good shape. Clark has proven to be very active and when teamed with Daniels...they take care of business. Pennel is coming on and I see a very hard defense to run against when he gets more playing time. The LBs and Oline are both in pretty good shape for now.

The special teams need to better than average for the Pack to go far in the playoffs. Punting seems OK, could be better, but the blocked kicks and KOR teams need a sharp warning to get follow through on their assignments.

That's my opinion and it doesn't mean a lot, but I don't see the sky falling. Only very cloudy with a chance of rain.

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dobber's picture

October 24, 2016 at 07:49 am

" They're great for depth but now that the Packers are counting on them to help win games, it's worth debating whether Green Bay has gambled and lost with the situation that they're in....Cornerback is one area where it seems to pay to have a solid veteran in there come the later season."

I'm not exactly sure where you're going here, Jason. At one point you seem to be praising the younger players at CB for being game and showing well at times, but you're beating on the organization for gambling...but on what? Are you saying they should have signed or traded for veteran depth? Are you saying that they should have signed Hayward...which is one way to interpret the veteran comment?

Many of us were saying prior to the start of the season that rolling with the current set of DBs--even though they flashed ability--was risky due to Shields's past track record of missing time with injury. While there were positive markers, it was still a very green group. Many were happy with CBs 2-4, and felt they could weather that storm. When Rollins and Randall come back, I think they'll be fine. But odds say you're not likely to be down your top 3 CBs at one time so nobody plans to have to rely on their 4th-- CBs as starters for any length of time. It's OK to lament the current situation, but I'm just not sure what your message is here...

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jasonperone's picture

October 24, 2016 at 10:40 am

The young DB's have performed well, given that none of them were drafted: Gunter, Hawkins, Evans, Brice. Randall and Rollins were high picks last year and have been OK when healthy . . but they have a ways to go before they're deemed "solid". Hyde is a hybrid so call Shields the only true vet corner. Going into this season and counting on a leap from Randall & Rollins and, frankly, Shields not to miss time, was a gamble by the Packers, to me. Shields is on the shelf, again. . Randall has been up/down. Rollins is still unproven. They didn't need to splash sign or make a crazy trade, but some more experience out there on the edge would help, even if a mid level type guy or. . yes, bring Hayward back. QB and CB are 2 spots where I have long maintained it's better to have some experience even at the cost of some talent.

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dobber's picture

October 24, 2016 at 11:50 am

Thanks, Jason.

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Savage57's picture

October 24, 2016 at 07:53 am

It's apparent six games into the season, with the injuries the Packers already have and are likely to incur going forward, there are going to be plenty of Next Man Up situations for the Packers for the balance of the season.

The outcome of the season will be dependent on whether or not they actually step up. Guys like Gunter, Davis, Perillo, Randall/Rollins, Janis, Davis are going to have their chance starting Sunday in Atlanta.

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carusotrap's picture

October 24, 2016 at 07:54 am

"All three are undrafted free agents."

You may have just hit on the problem. We do spend a great deal of time building a house of cards with guys no one else wants. Ted may very well be the best in the business at finding those "unknowns," but it sometimes seems he is more interested in the puzzle/game of assembling a team than using all the tools a GM has at his disposal.

This week is interesting. Has this team found an identity -- pass first and take what they are given -- or do we go right back to the inaccurate 40 yard back shoulder pass to WR who are not open because they are running stale routes the entire league has scouted from a playbook that the entire league knows better than some of our rookies do?

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GVPacker's picture

October 24, 2016 at 08:09 am

Jason I have to concur with your thoughts on the Packers punting issue. Frigid Weather is just around the corner and Mr Schum will have to do a better job of giving Dom Capers crew a fighting chance!

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Rossonero's picture

October 24, 2016 at 08:35 am

The Packers rank 29th in yards per pass attempt at 6.1. They are noticeably worse on the road, averaging a meager 5.4, which ranks 30th. This has got to change. McCarthy always talks about big play production, but where is it?

Gunter does better when it comes to size vs. speed. As long as he's matched up properly with a big guy, he'll be effective. I see him being a better version of Davon House.

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Razer's picture

October 24, 2016 at 08:53 am

Injuries and general offensive under-performance have defined the first half of the season so far. While I no longer think that this team is Super Bowl caliber, some good may come out of the struggles to date.

Maybe, just maybe, we will rethink our offense and open the game planning. With no real RBs, we will need to get more creative and we did against the Bears. Okay, we looked like a college team at times but at least we tried something different. Kudos to MM and AR

Aaron Rodgers needs to eat some humble pie and start playing again. His attitude, body language, ball security, poor mechanics, poor decision making, yada yada are a big part of the problem. Quit whining and start working.

Regardless of who is available to run the ball, we need to get a really good RB in next year's draft. After watching LeVeon Bell, Ezekiel Elliott and David Johnson it is apparent that we are not in the same league. If you want a running game then get a stud.

Depending on injuries and recovery, I am thinking 10-6 or 11-5 with good fortune.

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dobber's picture

October 24, 2016 at 09:02 am

"After watching LeVeon Bell, Ezekiel Elliott and David Johnson it is apparent that we are not in the same league."

And what you point to in those three (well, at least in Bell and Johnson) are two excellent, dual threat backs. Elliott can threaten a defense in the passing game, too. Remember that with the devaluation of the RB position that Bell was drafted in the middle of the second round and Johnson went in the middle of the third, so it's as much a matter of projecting the right back as it is jumping early on a guy (Elliott).

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Bugeater's picture

October 24, 2016 at 09:06 am

I think the unsung hero of this half of the season is Joe Whitt. The way he gets the secondary ready to play is amazing. He seems to have an uncanny ability to develop young players.

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Razer's picture

October 24, 2016 at 09:23 am

I agree that Joe Whitt is a very good coach. This is especially true given that TT gives him UDFA, basketball players and WRs to make into starting CBs.

I will guard against getting too high on this secondary, given that we played against a 3rd string QB. Let's hope that Joe sprinkles a bit of stickum coverage dust on the boys before playing Matt Ryan and Julio Jones.

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Bearmeat's picture

October 24, 2016 at 10:03 am

It seems clear that the way going forward offensively is going to be the 4-5 WR sets with short YPA and (hopefully) high YAC. Cook coming back will really help this, as will Davis getting up to speed, and eventually (hopefully) Eddie coming back.

If the offense can keep up the production it found in the 2nd half of the Bears game and the CBs can get healthy, this will be a very good team come playoff time.

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dobber's picture

October 24, 2016 at 11:53 am

I think we might see MM using a two-back set with Davis and Rip to try to get Davis going. I don't remember KC using a FB very much, and it might be that will help to jump-start Davis in this offense.

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Tundraboy's picture

October 24, 2016 at 03:33 pm

Excellent point . Hope that we see that.

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Since'61's picture

October 24, 2016 at 10:11 am

With all of the issues that the Packers have had this season they are 4-2 and only one play away from being 5-1. IMO, this is because of the solid play of their OL and their defensive front 7. The OL has been consistently the best performing group on the team and our front 7, especially, Perry, Martinez, and Clark are performing better than expected. Our safety play has been very good as well. We have yet to see Aaron Rodgers play like Aaron Rodgers and we're going to need him to pick up his game now that the running game is a virtual part of the offense. We need to get the ball into Monty's hands in space as often as possible and we need Cook to return. I believe that this will help.to open up the passing game and help our WRs gain some separation as defenses will need to adjust to the threats provided by Cook and Monty. Only time will tell if Kniles Davis or Jackson can be effective RBs. Until then Rip should be more involved. Our pass defense will improve once Randall and Rollins return. Not much to do until then. Coaching was not mentioned in the article but I need to question why Monty was not used earlier in the season. He could have made the difference in the Viking game. Like Rodgers MM needs to pick up his game on the offensive side. Capers seems to be doing as well as can be expected given the injuries at CB. CM3 has been inconsistent so far this season. Fortunately Daniels has been stellar. On the STs Crosby was excellent until the end of the Bears game. Schum is bad and our coverage team needs to improve. Our return game could use some improvement as well. With the Vikings loss to the Eagles there is plenty of time and life left in this season to win the division and maybe earn a playoff bye. Need to start with a win in Atlanta. The Chargers exposed some weaknesses there. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since '61

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Tundraboy's picture

October 24, 2016 at 03:35 pm

Go Pack Go. Should be a defining game.

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marpag1's picture

October 24, 2016 at 12:19 pm

So about that "health" issue.... Randall just had groin surgery and is out until at least December.

What's that? On the road against Julio Jones? Shit, we're screwed.......

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Razer's picture

October 24, 2016 at 12:31 pm

Just had groin surgery? Really!

He won't be returning this year.

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Tundraboy's picture

October 24, 2016 at 03:36 pm

Thats for sure. Damn

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marpag1's picture

October 24, 2016 at 03:51 pm

Actually, the reports are all saying that he likely WILL return this year.

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guzzi2000's picture

October 24, 2016 at 01:50 pm

I read per Bleacher Report that Randall will be out less than 6 weeks.

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guzzi2000's picture

October 24, 2016 at 01:54 pm

It may be time to be shopping for any experienced cb that is available. Not sure there are any, but they should be at least looking.

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