Packers Have More Than Enough Talent to Win It All

Some may not believe it, but the Green Bay Packers have more than enough talent to win the Super Bowl in 2017. 

Winning a Super Bowl takes a lot things, but talent is one of them. And while the Packers will need a lot of other things to go their way, in terms of talent, they have enough to win the Super Bowl.

Green Bay has flaws yes, but so does every other team in the NFL. The Patriots and Falcons were both exceptional in 2016, but neither was head and shoulders above the Packers. A few less injuries and a few more plays, could have made all the difference.

There are questions about the Packers defense and rightly so. The group woefully under performed in 2016. By the end of the season, after being ravaged by injuries, it was a shell of itself and couldn't stand up to the high-powered offenses you see late in the playoffs. 

Despite those struggles, the defense is filled with talent. Clay Matthews and Nick Perry are both outstanding pass rushers and Mike Daniels is one of the better interior rushers in the game. Kenny Clark also looks ready to take a leap, which would give Green Bay four fierce players in the front seven.

Inside linebacker might still have some question marks, but not if Morgan Burnett is playing. Joe Thomas is also a serviceable player and Blake Martinez looks ready to make more of a contribution.

In the back end, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is an emerging star. His breakout campaign in 2016 should be a sign of things to come and with promising rookies Kevin King and Josh Jones looking ready to make an immediate impact, the secondary should be better. Davon House, Kentrell Brice, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins will all have something to say about that too. 

The defense isn’t going to be perfect and at times, it will inevitably struggle. But there is more than enough talent there to get to the Super Bowl, particularly with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

Think back to 2010, the last time Green Bay won the Lombardi Trophy. Erik Walden and Frank Zombo were the second and third pass rushers. Charlie Peprah was the starting safety and Howard Green played a bunch of snaps up front. Jarrett Bush and Pat Lee basically took turns being the dime back.

Andrew Quarless was the starting tight end and James Starks, a sixth-round rookie was the top running back throughout the playoffs. For most of the year, the Packers couldn’t run the ball and even overcame a dud from Rodgers in the NFC Championship game.

However, the Packers were still able to win it all, despite all their flaws and the biggest reason why was Rodgers, who for most of the run, played as well as he ever has.

Last season, Rodgers was playing just as well, the defense just let him down. But with an offense that could be as good as any in Rodgers era, there should be even more room for error.

With Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams and Randall Cobb, plus Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks, Green Bay is loaded with pass catchers. Ty Montgomery and Jamaal Williams offer some attractive options at running back and the offensive line, at least in terms of pass blocking, should excel.

Whether it’s at quarterback, offensive line, wide receiver, tight end, the defensive line, linebacker or the secondary, the Packers have Pro-Bowl caliber players across the board, on just about all levels of the offense and defense. They even have a capable backup quarterback in Brett Hundley and an elite kicker in Mason Crosby.

Winning the Super Bowl always takes a few good breaks and a little bit of luck, not to mention health. But in terms of talent, there is no doubt, the Packers have more than enough to win it all.

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Chris is a sports journalist from Montana and has been blogging about the Packers since 2011. Chris has been a staff writer for CheeseheadTV since 2017 and looks forward to the day when Aaron Rodgers wins his second Super Bowl. Follow him @thepackersguru

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Comments (61)

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cheesehead1's picture

August 17, 2017 at 12:08 pm

This D still concerns me a lot. They "should" be better but that's a big if. Only time will tell. Even in game 1 last season against JAX our D got lit up by Bortles and we were fairly healthy. Hoping coach Capers and the D can come together quickly and give us a solid D and hopefully we get a look at Biegel soon.

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Razer's picture

August 17, 2017 at 12:55 pm

Totally agree about the 'D'. We were marginal with our pass rush last year and this year we are thinner than last. We are relying on Clay Matthews and Nick Perry to generate enough pressure and be difference makers. History shows that neither of these two will likely play more games than not. Without a pass rush we will rely on coverage and that is an error filled endeavor at best. IMO we are light in the trenches and thin on depth. I like Kenny Clark and Daniels and the rest are all question marks. Beyond these concerns, Dom Capers has shown very little despite the draft emphasis. Will a Caper led defense finally gel or are we more likely to see more assignment unsure performances that teams love to pick apart. Sorry, not confident in Dom's approach or leadership.

I have little concerns on offense other than the depth of the O-line. Rodgers and company, including the RBs should be the top of the league. We have all the tools and we have the 'Man'. Should be fun to watch.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 17, 2017 at 08:37 pm

I think Daniels, Lowry and Clark should form an above average DL, with a capable reserve in RJF and perhaps Price. It doesn't sound like we will have three DL on the field all that often though. The only question I have regarding the DL is how much pass rush they can provide.

I just wanted to add Lowry into the equation, really.

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Johnblood27's picture

August 17, 2017 at 12:35 pm

Hundley is a big ???

If Rodgers goes down, so do the Packers. period.

No pro Bowl talent at RB, it just isnt so.

Interior OL is also not Pro Bowl calibre.

ILB is also not Pro Bowl calibre.

CB is nowhere near Pro Bowl calibre in anyones wildest dreams.

I will give you QB, WR, TE, OT, DL, OLB, S, K

There are legitimate ??? in a lot of spots.

I hope for the best, but I watched every game in the 70's and 80's too.

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Turophile's picture

August 18, 2017 at 03:34 am

It's pointless listing what ISN'T pro bowl calibre. Even assuming the pro bowl is fair (and it isn't).

Three Packers made the pro bowl in 2016 (Rodgers, Lang and Clinton-Dix). You could add Bakhtiari, Daniels and Nelson to them, as being good enough players to be close. Let's add Bulaga as well, as he had his best season in 2016. Lang is gone, which leaves 6.

That's close to what the good teams have, especially since Rodgers counts double, due to the importance of his position. Six 'close to or at pro-bowl level' guys, five different position groups. According to how Johnblood27 set it up, I'd count 14 different position groups (discounting FB and ST), as I'd split FS and SS/ILB types.

5 units with (at least one) pro bowler out of 14, meaning 9 units without one. It doesn't mean very much, really it doesn't. Far more meaningful (than units with one or more pro bowler), are the very bad units. They are what kills a playoff run, just as the young and injury riddled secondary did for the Packers, against the Falcons in the playoffs last year.

CB has been addressed in the offseason with House and King (we'll have to wait to see how that develops). OLB (another unit I think is rather weak now), has been given a small boost with Biegel (who hasn't played yet, so no idea about him). How well Perry and Matthews hold up through the season will be key. The other weak unit (RB) has plenty of promising guys but very little experience, however, RB is one of the few positions you regularly see rookies doing well - again no way of knowing how that will turn out..

So, in conclusion, the worst/thinnest positions have had talent added, some (like TE) look significantly stronger Now we all have to hope the Packers have done enough to move those units out of the 'awful' range and at least into the 'somewhat average' range. You cannot have great players everywhere, but if you have enough, along with serviceable players to help them, you can win it all.

Health of the players this year will, as usual, play a huge role in the strength of each unit.

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Tundraboy's picture

August 17, 2017 at 07:33 pm

One of the best posts ever. About as accurate an assessment of where this team is at this point in time. Can't wait to see how this Season plays out. Hope for health and see what we have.

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GBPDAN1's picture

August 17, 2017 at 12:46 pm

I'm still very worried about the depth at OLB and OL. An injury to a starter in those groups could be problematic. Hundley also needs to show more , which I'm hoping he will in these next 3 PS games. If AR misses a few games this year, we will need a few game winning performances from our BU QB. Secondary should be better, but they still need to prove it on the field. If injuries are few this year, and the secondary steps up, the Packers have a good shot of playing in Minneapolis ( SB) this February

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chugwater's picture

August 17, 2017 at 02:47 pm

Completely agree on OLB and OL depth as the two areas to worry about most assuming the injury bug doesn't deplete another position group.

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TKWorldWide's picture

August 17, 2017 at 08:13 pm

Did you say "worried"??

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dobber's picture

August 17, 2017 at 08:31 pm

BEEP! BEEP!

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TKWorldWide's picture

August 18, 2017 at 12:17 pm

Ha! Another seat filled.

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RCPackerFan's picture

August 17, 2017 at 12:49 pm

'Winning the Super Bowl always takes a few good breaks and a little bit of luck, not to mention health. But in terms of talent, there is no doubt, the Packers have more than enough to win it all.'

Couldn't have said it any better.

I really like this team. Just needs to stay healthy.

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Branden Burke's picture

August 17, 2017 at 01:01 pm

I like this team too. And I think injuries derailed the defense. The first half of the year they weren't doing too bad. One of the top run defenses. But the last half and the playoffs they were done.

Maybe with some good health on D, a year of building and experience, and some new young energy over there, we can have something special like in 2010.

Somebody in the secondary near the middle of the field has to have a big time breakout year to make this an exotic scary defense. If it's Josh Jones, one of our other pro bowl safeties, Randall in the "star" position, or somebody else. Someone has to break out. I think that would have the biggest impact. Think Charles woodson or how clay did when he first went MLB. We need that type of guy again. Is he in coverage? Is he blitzing? Run support? QB spy? Somebody the O has to gameplan for.

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RCPackerFan's picture

August 17, 2017 at 04:27 pm

The CB position really hurt them last year with injuries. No question.

It would be nice to have a year of good health.

I agree that we need someone to break out! Josh Jones, Kentrell Brice, someone to stand out.
We also really could use one of the DL to step up. Like 2010 when Raji stepped up and became a force up the middle to go along with Cullen Jenkins, that formed a really good DL. That was an underrated part of that team. Hopefully Clark, and Lowry can step up huge to be with Daniels.

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Branden Burke's picture

August 17, 2017 at 01:01 pm

I like this team too. And I think injuries derailed the defense. The first half of the year they weren't doing too bad. One of the top run defenses. But the last half and the playoffs they were done.

Maybe with some good health on D, a year of building and experience, and some new young energy over there, we can have something special like in 2010.

Somebody in the secondary near the middle of the field has to have a big time breakout year to make this an exotic scary defense. If it's Josh Jones, one of our other pro bowl safeties, Randall in the "star" position, or somebody else. Someone has to break out. I think that would have the biggest impact. Think Charles woodson or how clay did when he first went MLB. We need that type of guy again. Is he in coverage? Is he blitzing? Run support? QB spy? Somebody the O has to gameplan for.

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Branden Burke's picture

August 17, 2017 at 12:50 pm

I'm just hoping for a real defense to show up at some point. It sure would be nice getting to hang our hat on a top defense for once instead of hoping the offense can outscore everybody every week while waiting for the defense to completely collapse and ruin everything.

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Packer_Fan's picture

August 17, 2017 at 01:12 pm

I think that most of the team has the talent and some good depth. OLB have OK starters and hopefully one or two of the backups will develop. I question the cornerbacks. With the loss of Waters and now Randall and House are already hurt, there just isn't enough quality depth. Article today about moving Gunter to the slot position. Wow, worst place for a slow CB. Go back to the long TD to Julius Jones. That came from the slot. Right now I see the top two defensive backs for backups is Jones and Brice. Safeties. For CB starters I see House, KIng and Rollins. If any of them get hurt, Jones and Brice will be first in. Something is not right with Randall.

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TKWorldWide's picture

August 17, 2017 at 06:40 pm

I think the TD to Julio Jones had more to do with Julio Jones than the "slot" aspect.

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dobber's picture

August 17, 2017 at 01:19 pm

I just want this to be a talented enough team to win week 1.

...then we can look at week 2.

...and then week 3...

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croatpackfan's picture

August 18, 2017 at 04:41 am

The way how all of us should see the next season...

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egbertsouse's picture

August 17, 2017 at 01:21 pm

This article should be re-titled, "This Team Might Have Enough Talent to Win it All." The writer seems to be saying that if a whole bunch of good things happen and a whole bunch of guys step up on D, then they have a shot. The problem is, you can say that about almost any team.

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billybobton's picture

August 17, 2017 at 01:26 pm

The article also says ATL was not head and shoulders better than GB....hard to imagine what game he watched in the playoffs last year where PRIOR to the OL injuries and PRIOR to ATL calling off the dogs were on the way to losing by 72+ points

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chugwater's picture

August 17, 2017 at 02:51 pm

Some times it's just not your day.

Remember, we played them closely the regular season.

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Bearmeat's picture

August 17, 2017 at 03:24 pm

Yeah. We got boat raced in that game. But I really think if we played them 10x last year, we'd have won 4 or 5. Maybe 6.

I also think we'd have lost 6 or so to Dallas. NFL is a high variance sport. 1 game. Winner take all.

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chugwater's picture

August 17, 2017 at 05:45 pm

Indeed. Same goes for 2010. ATL squeaked by us in the regular season, but got throttled in the division round.

And we all mourn the 2014 NFCCG fiasco we should have won, but if you remember we got our butts kicked by Seattle in the season opener.

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croatpackfan's picture

August 18, 2017 at 04:42 am

Try to re-watch game in Atlanta during season. Atlanta won on 1 point...

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ChrisPeterson's picture

August 17, 2017 at 07:57 pm

That wasn't my point at all. On defense, I think Matthews, Perry, Daniels, Clark, Haha and Burnett are all really good players. That's six guys on def. That's enough to be pretty good right there. Then the offense has oodles of players. I think they have done a good job covering up weaknesses. Sure, you need young players to step up, but they have the core talent to win it all now.

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NickPerry's picture

August 18, 2017 at 05:36 am

I agree with you here Chris, and I'm starting to think Lowry might be just as good as Clark. Matthews IS still a good player, it's injuries that have really zapped the production from him.
The whole D-Line is something to be excited about this season with Clark and Lowry. All three of those guys offer something in the pass rush but it will be against the run where the Packers are much better. They finally have 3 pretty damn good D-Linemen to keep LB clean and make plays at the LOS. I also think RJF will be light years better than Guion was last season when he just wasn't very good.

The Safety group as a whole is a top 5 unit for sure, maybe better. There's not a lot of other safety tandems better than Burnett and HHCD. Throw in Brice, and Jones and the Packers have both depth and diversity.

In 2015 House played almost all man coverage and had 23 pass breakups and 4 interceptions. Compared to what GB had last season and you have something close to a "Shutdown CB". Now I'm not saying house will shut down the Jones and Bryant's of the NFL. But I believe he can limit them somewhat and when compared to Randall, his 2015 stats ARE shutdown like stats.

I'm more concerned about the O-Line than any other position group on the Packers. If the Packers preferred 5 starters are able to play every game this year they'll be just fine. But if ANY of the Packers back-ups need to step in for any amount of time, that could ruin the Packers season faster than anything other than an injury to Rodgers.

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Tundraboy's picture

August 17, 2017 at 01:33 pm

Potentially have the talent on D. Potentially. Too few proven commodities to make any statement with confidence. That combined with continued softness in the middle and awful tackling, along with Capers bend philosophy, and reliance on secondary coverage leaves me skeptical until proven otherwise. I want so bad to see this team play with a chip on their shoulders and hope the players are sick of being embarrassed.

I'm hoping as we all are, but we won't know until the playoffs.

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Handsback's picture

August 17, 2017 at 03:15 pm

Chris is right in what he's saying, it's just that many of us who went through the 70/80s and the last few years of heartbreak have a hard time believing in this team taking it all the way.
Well, I for one feel that this is potentially the best Packer team since 2011. i think the defense will be better than that team and the offense can be unstoppable. You don't need pro bowl players at every position, just back-ups that can play tough aggressive football. I think the Packers have that this year.
In fact here are my thoughts….the offense has enough playmakers along with potential playmakers on the bench that even with injuries they will continue to be strong. The defense has enough strength in the trenches, OLB/ILB, along with the safeties that I could see Green Bay win the SB this year and make great runs for the next three years. So there you go that shows you that I’m either certifiable (no fair talking to my wife) or see something in this team that they haven’t had before.

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Bearmeat's picture

August 17, 2017 at 03:29 pm

CM3 and Perry are not outstanding rushers. They're just not. CM3 isn't even above average at this point. And I don't care what anyone says: Fackrell and Elliot have done absolutely NOTHING to show they can even be JAGs at this point. If/when CM3 and/or Perry get hurt, our defense is screwed. There is no way around that, guys.

We've got promise at CB, but no sure bets.

DL: shows promise again, but the only sure bet is Daniels.

I'm not worried about ILB and safety.

OL is thin inside, but front line looks good.

RB is below average for the league, but it's RB. With ARod, it doesn't matter as long as the position isn't a dumpster fire.

WR is good. Really deep. Still looking for a deep outside threat.

TE is good.

This is a very GOOD team. It is not a great team. It will only become a great team if it avoids injuries at key spots that aren't deep (OLB and Interior OL), AND if a young guy or two steps up on D.

Capers can manufacture pressure, but he can't do it without exposing the defense somewhere. That's why very good QBs have lit us up on D. We NEED to be able to rush 4 and cover with 7, and we haven't been able to do that under Capers, really, ever (at least not consistently). Which is why the D is a constant frustration.

As it stands right now, this is not a super bowl team. It might be though in February, and that's all that matters. Need some luck. Need health.

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RCPackerFan's picture

August 17, 2017 at 04:16 pm

I feel like I try to walk you off the ledge a lot. I will try one more time. ;)

When Mathews is healthy, he is still a good to very good rusher. Most people want to go with what they did last. Well Last year for the 2nd half of the season Mathews was playing with one arm. He was playing really good in the first however many games until he got hurt.
Perry is a good pass rusher. Is he a 20 sacks a year guy? no. He is a guy that can get around 10 sacks a year though.
Elliott always makes plays when he is on the field. Problem is he had more expensive players ahead of him so he didn't get on the field much. This year he will show why they thought it was ok to let Peppers and Jones go.

CB's I think will be fine. But like you said no sure bets. But i'm not worried about them.

DL Daniels is a beast. Clark the way he was playing late last year and how he looked in the preseason game, he looks to be a great person to pair with Daniels. Lowry also looks like a beast and Francois is a really good player to have.

OL has a lot of youth behind the front line. I'm not sure about Spriggs. Lets see if he regains himself during the preseason. Patrick, McCray and Gray have looked good inside so far.

RB is one position that a rookie can come in and be one of the league leaders in rushing. Last year Elliott and Howard were the top 2 rushers in the league last year. Plus they have one of the best mismatch weapons in the league.

The problem with last years defense simply was the injuries to the CB's namely Shields. Also then they lost their top pass rusher. Doing the math, you lose your top CB and top pass rusher, its really hard to do well in the pass defense.

Truthfully right now, there is no super bowl team. There are teams that could be considered contenders, but no one is a super bowl team yet. This time last year, wouldn't have most people said that Carolina was one?
Also you don't want to be a super bowl team now. You want to be one in December - February.

I'm very excited about this team!

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chugwater's picture

August 17, 2017 at 06:02 pm

I'll echo what RCPF said although I too am highly suspect of our edge rushers from either a durability or ability standpoint. (I can already envision opposing QBs sitting in the pocket clean as can be waiting endlessly for someone to get open. I hope I'm wrong.)

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 17, 2017 at 09:19 pm

"he [Elliott] had more expensive players ahead of him so he didn't get on the field much." RC, if you believe that, you should be advocating for a defensive coach to be fired. Plus, I had a post showing that Fackrell got snaps over Elliott as well. Sounds like you think more expensive and/or higher draft picks get to play over merit in GB. I just don't think that is true. I think the coaches play the guys they think will do the best. We had no trouble playing Shields, Brice, Banjo, and others over drafted players.

Otherwise, I think your post is excellent. CM3 is still a talented player. He has good aggression, good speed, good closing speed, and can cover. Perry is like the baseball player who can hit the good pitchers, rather than a mistake hitter who can't. He is solid, can beat good OTs, and provide consistent pressure and defend the run. Can't cover, but he isn't and shouldn't be asked to. Need a 3rd rotational OLB out of Fackrell, Elliott or Biegel, and that is even with good health for CM3 and Perry. I don't think GB let Jones go: he didn't want to play in GB anymore, so short of grossly overpaying, he was gone.

Daniels is really good. Clark was playing at the end at something above an NFL average level. I loved the Lowry pick and he's looking promising. RJF is just fine in a 20 snap/game role, but he might not even see that much time if Daniels/Clark/Lowry are as good as I think.

The ILBs are serviceable, and Burnett/Jones playing there not on the fly but as a TC planned and trained exercise can help, it might be good. I like Ryan as well. CBs are a question but I think we can put two #2 types outside in House and Rollins, with King helping later or late in the season. Safeties could be outstanding and should be at least very good.

I think we will be better in 2018, but we have enough for 2017 to be SB contenders. [King and Jones won't be rookies, Montravius Adams is really talented, Daniels/Clark/Lowry look potent. We'll know better what we have in House and King. ILBs and OLBs (other than Elliott maybe) all return. We have the cap to bring everyone back, but maybe can afford to let Burnett walk. If we find a WR, we can decide on Cobb. Bennett and Kendricks will be fully integrated into the O, RBs and WRs are intact if we want. Might need a OG. It just looks like things are aligning well, overall.

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RCPackerFan's picture

August 18, 2017 at 07:25 am

I think Elliott was a bit undisciplined last year. But having Peppers ahead of him, there was no question who was going to get more playing time.

I think with Jones he wanted to get back to a 4-3 defense. But to be honest I don't think Green Bay was overly upset that he left. While I liked him, he simply wasn't a great fit in our defense. My fear with him is he will be much better with the Vikings then he was with the Packers.

I am really excited about Clark and Lowry in their 2nd years. Clark I think could have a Raji like 2nd season. Lowry I think is going to give us a lot too.

I like our ILB's but that includes everyone. Martinez, Ryan & Thomas, as well as Burnett/Jones and Mathews.
During the first preseason game they played formation that I loved and think they will play it a lot more. They had 3 DL and 3 LB's. They had Clark, Daniels, Lowry on the DL, with Perry at ROLB, and Thomas and Mathews as ILB's. I like that formation because it allows Mathews to be an extra rush guy, and gives us a faster ILB to cover a lot of ground.

I agree that we will likely be better in 2018 but I'm very excited about our 2017 team. With our offense having as much if not more talent then ever, and our defense being as versatile as it is.

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Bearmeat's picture

August 18, 2017 at 04:30 pm

You are right that right now it doesn't matter if this is a super bowl team. There is no such thing in August. Remember the 07 Pats? Probably the best team ever - through October. How'd that work out?

Regarding the team we DO have, the main difference between you and I, RC, is that I don't think CM3 is an above average player anymore. Even when healthy (which is never). The last truly good campaign he had was 2013. I think the last 8 games of 2014 was the surprise of Capers moving him around so much that garnered the sacks/QB hits. Before then, it was 2012. And we all know that that was right before CM3's big 2nd contract. I'm just saying - it's highly suspect. I'm not judging at all.

Beyond that, I also don't trust Perry to be healthy. He's never stayed anywhere near 100% for a full season ever. Like ever in his NFL career.

When you throw in Elliot, whom I think is a H/W/S guy who won't ever get it. (Poppinga anyone?) And Fackrell (Zombo part deux) and Biegel (who is a rookie who has a health history and who missed the ENTIRE training camp), I really don't see where the pass rush is going to come from without 5 guys running at the QB. The better QB's will tear that up - period. Which means we'll probably get boat raced in the playoffs again. Which means we'll have to score 40 on a playoff defense to win.

Not good odds to win title 14. Just saying.

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Tundraboy's picture

August 17, 2017 at 07:40 pm

"This is a very GOOD team. It is not a great team. It will only become a great team if it avoids injuries at key spots that aren't deep (OLB and Interior OL), AND if a young guy or two steps up on D."

That's it in a nutshell. Well said.

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lou's picture

August 18, 2017 at 05:13 pm

Dead on Tundraboy, that is who we are and what has to happen to get back in the Super Bowl. If the defense does not improve this has to be Capers last rodeo no matter how many contributing factors there may be (injuries-draft choices that did not pan out - veterans who underachieved), he is responsible for the "D". Since the Super Bowl win Capers "D" has made Kapernick more wealthy than he would have ever dreamed and made Matt Barkley look like Johnny Unitas reincarnated.

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Since'61's picture

August 17, 2017 at 08:46 pm

The Packers have talent on offense and a few talented players on defense. Here is how I rate the Packers by position group as of today on a scale A+ - F. A+ being best and F being the worst.

QB - A+
RB - B
WR - A-
TE - A
OL - B+
DL - B
OLB - B-
ILB - C
CB - C-
S - B+
ST - B

These rankings can change between now and week 1 based on who makes the final 53 and who is cut and injuries. They are based upon the most likely starters and most likely final 53. For example, DL assumes Daniels, Clark and Lowry are starters. OLB assumes CM3 and Perry, ILB assumes Ryan and Martinez, CB assumes House, King and Rollins, Safety assumes Dix and Burnett. In most cases its the depth behind the starters that brings the rankings down one or two grades. Thanks, Since '61

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RCPackerFan's picture

August 17, 2017 at 04:20 pm

I feel like this has an element of Chris Farley involved.

Scale of 1-5 and you give letter grades. lol.

For the most part I agree with you on your grades.

Though a few changes.
DL - B+
OLB - C+
S - A

Those are the biggest ones that I would change.

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Finwiz's picture

August 17, 2017 at 04:24 pm

Love this type of analysis: Here's mine....
QB: A+
RB: B
WR: A-
TE: A
OL: B
DL: C
OLB: C+
ILB: C
CB: D+
S: B+
ST: B

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chugwater's picture

August 17, 2017 at 06:10 pm

Nicely done.

I'd swap the CBs and OLB grades. House is a solid add and I'm assuming a healthly and more mature group of 3rd year players. King would be a bonus. Can't be much worse.

The loss of Peppers and Jones will have an impact on the pass rush. Elliott, Fackrell, and Beigel are in the 'show me' phase.

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flackcatcher's picture

August 17, 2017 at 09:01 pm

Pretty much agree, can't really make a judgement till I see the final 53.(with this team and injuries, is there really a final 53?) Starters are no problem, but with the constant churn on the roster its pretty hard to determine who are the backups. Only changes I make are WR to a B+ The backup situation is too unsettled with the possible lost of a slot to another group, depth is promising, but beyond that we know we little. OL to a B, backups are unsettled at the moment with a problem at center if the starter goes down. No JC this year. Only Ted knows, and as usual he ain't talking.

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flackcatcher's picture

August 17, 2017 at 08:37 pm

No Capers ran a nitro lite back in 2012 with that big safety from WVU(blanking on this name, had spine injury came back, play one season force to retire). He brought it back last year in first game, then Shields got injured, lost both CBs and slot players that first game. Burnett went into the slot the entire game. Wiped out what Capers wanted to do all season, play a heavy safety package with Shields and Rollins on the outside and Hyde Clinton-Dix at safety with Burnett in the slot. That was the package they used when Randle and Rollins was healthy enough to play during their run last year. Capers wanted to run nitro last year, injuries ruined that out of the gate. (sorry for the misspellings on players name.)

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NickPerry's picture

August 18, 2017 at 05:44 am

I think the Safety was Richardson.

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flackcatcher's picture

August 18, 2017 at 06:19 am

That's right. Prototypical big box inline safety. Saw him at training camp, big, built like wall. Listed at 6'3 205. Looked a lot bigger up close, as big as some of the packer OLBs. Could see why Perry was in love with him. Thanks Nick.

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JohnnyLogan's picture

August 17, 2017 at 06:42 pm

CB is a train wreck in my opinion. There is no #1 corner currently on this team. House sat on the bench last year. King is a rookie, with talent supposedly, but who looks lost a lot of the time in coverage (Capers needs to simplify as we've been saying for years.) Rollins too slow for the outside, Gunter too slow for anywhere and needs to be cut, Randall is tiny and hasn't looked good last year or the early part of practice... the rest are undrafted free agents from this year and last. So who covers against the speed of Odel and Antonio Brown, or the power and speed of Julio and Dez. This is the worst secondary I can remember and I'm not sure there's much we can do to improve it. Hoping for surprises is what every team does, but I don't see where the talent is that great in this group.

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chugwater's picture

August 17, 2017 at 09:31 pm

Seriously?

House is all washed up? It couldn't posssibly be JAX didn't utilize him properly? It's not like they're a defensive juggernaut. "King is a rookie, with talent supposedly...". He's played one exhibition game. Chill out. We have three CBs coming out of sophomore slumps/injuries.

Have a little bit of faith.

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Finwiz's picture

August 18, 2017 at 08:22 am

One of two or 3 guys with a REALISTIC and accurate assessment of the talent on this team. Listen up people and face the facts. Put down the green and gold kool-aid and sober up for a few days. They aren't going to be holding many teams to under 25 ppg. I totally agree the cornerbacks are a complete mess, and the biggest weakness on this team, with a close 2nd the defensive line.

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TKWorldWide's picture

August 18, 2017 at 10:19 am

Randall is 5-11, 196. Since when is that "tiny" for a CB?

"This is the worst secondary I can remember and I'm not sure there's much we can do to improve it." We? We are not TT nor are we the coaches. All "we" have to do is watch. Feel free to gnash your teeth but it won't affect anything that happens on the field.

In a larger sense, from what I've seen on this site, there is a continuum with "kool-aid drinking fanboy" on one end and "fire everybody, cut everybody, everybody sucks, I'm a bovine" on the other. Everybody falls somewhere in between, but the biggest disagreements seem to arise when the two polar opposite ends collide. Not at all surprising.

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4zone's picture

August 18, 2017 at 05:01 am

We are better, they are better. It all comes down to game day. It only takes one play to lose AR for the year. I get that we junkies need our fix year round, but nothing matters until opening day and the ball starts flying. Until then, it's all a tease!

Regardless, thanks for the article. And keep um coming. In about 3 weeks it will finally be for real. Until then, we still need our fix.

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ChrisPeterson's picture

August 18, 2017 at 08:29 am

Yea I think we can all agree the season can't get here fast enough. Remember too everyone when Randall was healthy he made the all rookie team at CB. He and Rollins were both thought to have bright futures. If they can just play as well as they did as rookies that would help a ton. I think House will be fine and by seasons end, I think King will be starting.

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4zone's picture

August 18, 2017 at 10:21 am

I think the ideal for TT is for none of his draft picks to have to start coming out of the gate. Give them time to mature before getting tossed I the fire. Then bring them on full time as they replace aging or retiring starters. Two problems with that though is free agency and injuries. With those two factors, the ideal will never be realized.

Will see how this plays out at CB this year. If King doesn't have to start immediately, he and the Packers may turn out better for it in the long haul.

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PatrickGB's picture

August 18, 2017 at 10:26 am

I think this is a good article. However, I wish there was an article asking if we have a SB caliber defense. Because I am convinced that we have a SB caliber offense. Defense not so much. That begs the question of can the offense overcome the faults of the defense. The first game against Atlanta imply that maybe we can if the defense can improve to a C+ this year. If the injury bug leaves us alone and the rookies get up to speed, I think we can. I also believe that if our special teams are better than last year that might give us the +,- edge.

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

August 18, 2017 at 10:36 am

I don't see Clay Matthews being elite at all. Injuries appear to have worn him down. I also don't see quality behind him. OLB, IMHO, is a mess after Perry.

CB isn't much better, and our O-Line must show dramatic improvement in run-blocking.

No team has everything, but these are some pretty stark weaknesses.

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

August 18, 2017 at 12:45 pm

So you believe the run-blocking we saw in the first preseason game was good enough?

Remember, our run game sputtered outside of the Chicago game last season, and Lang was our best run-blocker.

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dneipp's picture

August 18, 2017 at 10:44 am

This year will be like most every other year. They will come up a little bit short. I believe they lack the talent in the front office. Aaron Rogers has made TT look good. Rogers fell in TT's lap and he has reaped the benefits ever since. He will continue to over value his draft picks and under value free agents. I believe Casey Hayward was a perfect example of that. Until they clean up the front office nothing will change, other than Aaron Rogers is one year older and one year closer to being out of the league. Rogers and the Packers deserve better than the Packers front office.

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Finwiz's picture

August 18, 2017 at 12:19 pm

WRONG! Rodgers did NOT "fall in TT's lap'. At that point number FOUR was still in the prime of his career and a human, physical freak that played for 10 more years. It took a HUGE risk and more importantly, huge amount of thinking outside the box, to draft a QB that was falling like a rock in that draft, vs. the many other needs they had at that point. That risk alone, and stellar judge of talent, would be enough for MOST GM's to rest their laurels on for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately he's employed by the GB Packers, the franchise with the highest expectation of success in the NFL.

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porupack's picture

August 18, 2017 at 12:39 pm

Chris. your 2 paragraphs stuck the sword in the stone; and all the critic posters above clearly overlooked it in their posts.

.....the last time Green Bay won the Lombardi Trophy. Erik Walden and Frank Zombo were the second and third pass rushers. Charlie Peprah was the starting safety and Howard Green played a bunch of snaps up front. Jarrett Bush and Pat Lee basically took turns being the dime back.
Andrew Quarless was the starting tight end and James Starks, a sixth-round rookie was the top running back throughout the playoffs. For most of the year, the Packers couldn’t run the ball and even overcame a dud from Rodgers in the NFC Championship game.

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Andrew Lloyd Peth's picture

August 18, 2017 at 12:48 pm

We also had far better corners and run-blocking. Lots of differences. New England and Atlanta, by the end of last season, were worlds better than this team.

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TKWorldWide's picture

August 19, 2017 at 11:16 am

Way too early to judge this year's corners or run-blocking.

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