2024 Green Bay Packers: What Went Right, What Went Wrong
Taking a look back at the good and bad of the 2024 season.
By Kevin Gibson
Green Bay Packers fans hummed into the 2024 season with plenty of reasons for hope: A maturing, hungry young team, a quarterback looking set to turn the corner, a new, more aggressive defensive style, and more.
But injuries and self-inflicted wounds pushed those hopes out another year. The offense stagnated at the end of the season, injuries piled up, and it all added up to a dud one-and-done playoff appearance.
There’s not much we can do now but look back and take stock of what went right versus what went wrong.
What Went Right
Free agents: General Manager Brian Gutekunst outdid himself on the free agent market, bringing in All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney and running back Josh Jacobs. McKinney led the way on defense with eight interceptions – including a stretch with one in each of five consecutive games – and played a team-high 1,067 defensive snaps. Jacobs, meanwhile, bullied his way for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Throw in Brad McManus correcting the Packers’ kicking game woes and Malik Willis winning two (arguably three) games with Love sidelined, and it was a banner year for Packers free agency. Well done, Gute.
Edgerrin Cooper: The rookie linebacker, per Stathead, was one of just three linebackers since 1999 to amass at least 80 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 13 TFLs and four passes defensed (along with DeMeco Ryans and Brian Urlacher), en route to making the PFWA All-Rookie Team. The scary part is, Cooper is still developing.
Tucker Kraft: Toughness, attitude and good hands led him to a breakout season with 50 catches, 707 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. He even ran for a handful of first downs in short yardage situations. Need I say more? Can’t wait to watch his career unfold.
Jeff Hafley: Speaking of defense, what a turnaround. Hafley, hired last off-season, had his squad aggressive and opportunistic, putting up 31 takeaways, good for fourth in the league. The defense also allowed just 20 points per game to opponents, which was sixth league wide. Nice.
Youth in the Defensive Backfield: Along with Cooper, Gute also picked up Javon Bullard and Evan Williams (who also made the PFWA All-Rookie Team) for the back end of the D. Throw an emerging Carrington Valentine, and there looks to be a solid foundation there. (Probably need cornerback help, though, to be fair.)
A Maybe: Did the light finally click on for Quay Walker? I wouldn’t pick up his fifth-year option, but he offered glimpses of hope operating in Hafley’s defense later in the season. Fingers crossed he proves worth an extension.
What Went Wrong
Not Finishing: Let’s face it, the 2024 Packers petered out when it counted. The offense looked disjointed down the stretch and especially did so in the ugly playoff loss in Philadelphia. Two narrow NFC North losses to end the regular season particularly stung.
Where’s the Pass Rush?: There were a few games when the Packers pass rush looked dominant. All too often, however, there was no getting pressure with just four rushers. That won’t sustain. The expected next step for edge rusher Lukas Van Ness (three sacks) must still be on the horizon – and he’s just 23, so there’s still hope. Meanwhile, Rashan Gary fell far short of earning his contract, which pays him an average of $24 million annually. Brenton Cox Jr. showed promise, but the Packers need at least one more edge rusher in that position room.
Injuries: Yes, this is true for all teams. Still, we all know the defense is (was?) better with Jaire Alexander on the field, and losing Christian Watson hurt the offense’s production badly – this was particularly evident in that playoff loss. And in spite of a mid-season surge, it sure looked to my eyes like Jordan Love wasn’t quite right all season, thanks in part to his injuries.
Where’s the Play-Action?: When you’ve got a running back like Jacobs and a quarterback with an arm like Love has, play-action should be a no-brainer, right? And yet so many of the offensive snaps came in shotgun formation. Perhaps this goes back to Love’s health, but it felt way too often that the offense abandoned LaFleur’s schemes.
In summary, it sure feels like there’s a solid core, even though there are needs on both sides of the ball. For his part, Gutekunst sure feels that way.
"We're pretty process-driven over here, being in this thing every single year," Gutekunst told the media last week. "You try not to look too far down the road more than two, three years out. But I'm not a big believer in windows."
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Kevin Gibson is a professional writer and author based in Louisville, Ky. He's also a former sports writer who covered high school, college and professional sports, a Packers shareholder and a fan since 1975. Even John Hadl couldn't break him. Follow him on Twitter: @kgramone
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Comments (60)
stockholder
January 24, 2025 at 06:33 am
I only have to look at Jordan Love.
The INTs were the problem.
Giving Love to much rope
will only hang this team.
MLF must control Love.
mrtundra
January 24, 2025 at 07:18 am
IMO, A bigger problem were all the dropped passes, by his receivers.
Johann
January 25, 2025 at 12:12 pm
Agree that Love/play calls are the problem. We rely too much on throwing deep balls into coverage, hoping for dpi or for one of our receivers making a play. The offense rarely moved the ball down the field utilizing short to medium passes except late in games when we were down three scores and the defense was playing back. Several rookies have passed up Love who is a two year starter but a five year veteran.
Cheezehead72
January 24, 2025 at 06:40 am
I have said this before and I believe this is a good time to ay it again. After so many years where the offense carried the defense this year the defense carried the offense. This is interesting being that in the NFL the offense has the advantage. I would say the offense has more playmakers than the defense. So why was the defense carrying the offense?
There are many reasons but the most glaring reason I see is that MLF is the play caller and the actual OC. As I have said before to be the HC, OC, and play caller, he has too much on his plate and does not have the time to be able to do what each of those positions require. As the HC he needs to blend the offensive and defensive game plans into a game plan. He needs to control the game. He needs to work with the players to develop them. He needs to provide his insight to the OC and DC. He needs to hire an OC that can make an offensive game plan and call plays. He needs to have the DC and the OC in the booth away from all of the activity of the sideline. With the OC and DC in the booth the two can help each other during the game providing insights to the game. That will free up MLF to manage the game and control the game on the sidelines.
Yes I know that will not happen because MLF has proven that he is stubborn and set in his ways. The leader of the team needs to sit down take a hard look at the situation and make the hard choices even if it is a choice that he does not want to make.
dobber
January 24, 2025 at 08:54 am
"With the OC and DC in the booth the two can help each other during the game providing insights to the game. "
You're already stating that LaF doesn't have time in-game to manage different aspects of the team because he calls plays, so why would the OC or DC who call plays be able to provide much--if any--input to the other coordinator in game?
jvole
January 25, 2025 at 07:04 am
Bill Belichick, Vince Lombardi, and Chuck Noll did not call plays. Bill Walsh scripted his first 10-25 plays. Jimmie Johnson called his own plays as did Mike Holmgren. I don't think there is a great pattern here.
I think the coach needs to be honest with himself about what he can do well, or the GM needs to talk to him. Because I agree, Lafleur seems to get caught up in the moment during big games and loses perspective both for the game overall and play calling. I do think he is a good OC but something went haywire the 2nd half of this year where they just stopped throwing mid- to short-range.
T7Steve
January 24, 2025 at 06:42 am
According to LH we were 5th in running and according to this article we were 6th in scoring D. There are only 4 teams left playing this weekend. Just think if we could have given Josh a little more blocking. How much would that have helped the D?
We can't be satisfied. We have to look to improve and know that we have to improve most on the depth throughout the team. If you don't want to be saying "yah but" at the end of the season while watching other teams in the playoffs.
I think that Love will be great next season. Every QB has some down seasons and especially it's common in their second season as a starter. It also seemed (and maybe this is just me) that MLF/HC/OC was calling very vanilla game plans towards the end of the season and in the playoffs. Is that a sign that Love wasn't 100% health-wise? I was hoping that MLF was saving stuff for the playoffs to lull opposing Ds to sleep. It just never clicked in.
Cheezehead72
January 24, 2025 at 07:03 am
I totally agree. If you are playing to be satisfied the best you will do is make the playoffs. The mindset right now is what do we need to do to win the SB. Everything should be on the table. The tough decisions must be made.
One big concern I have is how much control MM is giving up to Ed Policy. I would like MM allow Ed to control everything as the next President and MM handles the Draft coming to GB. But I am afraid that it is the opposite. MM needs to step aside after all how can we expect MLF to step aside and give up some of his control if the outgoing president does not do the same.
T7Steve
January 24, 2025 at 07:11 am
I think all MLF needs to do to improve is hold his position coaches accountable. He needs to take the time to be in those rooms so that if there's an injury, there isn't the fiasco that happened when Jenkins got hurt. Those drive killing penalties could have been avoided and maybe made the difference in the game.
Razer
January 24, 2025 at 08:46 am
To build on T7Steve's comments about positional coaches, you gotta wonder how the O-line gotta to season end without anybody who could sub for an injury?! For a group that will have injury, you would expect some prep. LaFleur needed to be on this early because Butkus surely wasn't.
dobber
January 24, 2025 at 08:50 am
...and we need to think about how fortunate the Packers were to only deal with that for a single game.
It signals how the Packers were riding the razor's edge on OL depth after they lost Morgan.
...and the Packers will likely need to replace Myers. And they need to be looking ahead to which of Rhyan, Walker, and Tom they keep post 2025...and who they need to replace.
Bitternotsour
January 24, 2025 at 11:25 am
despite all the bad mouthing the line got, they were really effective, though short in numbers.
nothing in the packers modern history suggests that they won't continue to replenish the line, find good players in the middle rounds, and field a pretty high quality offense. the finer point for me is points. they need to score more points and MLF has to be the one to make that happen. early leads will lead to better defense.
Coldworld
January 24, 2025 at 09:10 am
This was the same offense as last year with the exception of Jacobs. This was largely the same group of Defensive players with the exception of McKinney, Cooper and Williams. The changes player changes were positive. Hafley too seems like a significant upgrade. Certainly the defense improved. However, almost to a man bar Jacobs and the RB room and Kraft, the offense declined.
In other words on offense we did less with the same and arguably more so if you count the volume and consistency of the run game as a whole. The offensive scripted plays largely failed and dismally. Tactically we were out thought pregame and usually couldn’t react. Despite a run game that broke an unsustainable number of tackles (both Jacobs and Wilson were in the top 10 in the league in yards after contact). The O wax clunky and relied on big plays—low percentage plays—that are difficult to sustain and we didn’t.
LaFleur/Stenavich are the problem. The offensive design is a problem as are the tactics, and inflexibility in game. This O has been figured out by the division and beyond. With that running production that’s doubly troubling that we can’t keep drives rolling and have to rely on long plays. When your slot and TE have an average depth of target of over 10 yards then there is something very wrong or it’s an O headed for historical production. Ours was not.
All that on top of a OL that, while good outside, collapsed backwards regularly for reasons long identified. That’s an OL that needs a short game. Instead, as in 2022, we pile the pressure on it and make the QB and receivers play high difficulty and low percentage ball and allow teams to pack the box daring us to succeed (and betting we couldn’t consistently), making the run game more difficult.
Add in indiscipline, recurring errors, and the problem isn’t a player or a few players. The problem is coaching ability and vision on offense. When an individual regresses, that’s likely on him, when whole rooms do it’s almost certainly a reflection of coaching, and not just positionally. This season showed the same conceptual issues as 2022, but without Rodgers. We got less from our offensive players than last year. They are all young and supposedly ascending.
The problem isn’t the players on O. The problem is LaFleur and his culture, design and usage. There’s enough evidence. Enough people pointing to deficiencies of individuals and groups and a consistent pattern of outcomes over this season and stretching back to echo prior years and different personnel.
The problem is LaFleur. Yet no one seems willing to say it. It’s as if his competence is an article of faith. The reality is, that faith hasn’t and isn’t justified by what’s actually happened or anything in his track record previously. Open your eyes, the myth has been punctured. No one fears playing us. No one fears our O any more than they feared Barry’s D. LaFleur is the problem and anchor. He’s not a good leader and his offensive design is a bust too and it’s been proven and proven again.
stockholder
January 24, 2025 at 10:03 am
No the problem is and was Gute.
Any GM can bring in changes from bad to good.
The point is; after 5 years, nothing should have been bad.
Coldworld
January 24, 2025 at 10:28 am
Gute doesn’t control LaFleur. I know you find that hard to accept. If Gute appointed LaFleur and LaFleur reported to him, I’d agree with you after 6 years. However he doesn’t.
Unfortunately, if something isn’t changed soon, I think the distinction will mean less as both will end up being swept out. That does not mean I believe Gute should be, but in the end, there’s a price to be paid for accepting what you don’t believe in, if indeed the reality is that he did agree and is part of the problem.
In the end, whether failure came through lack of courage of conviction to call out the issues openly and demand change or willing complicity in them won’t matter. We are getting to the put up or shut up point for both. Personally I think we are well past it for LaFleur, which means the clock has started ticking undef Gute, fairly or not.
Gman1976
January 25, 2025 at 12:42 pm
MLF had a bad year as an OC (especially against our division. He was 1-5 against the North and the only win was due to a blocked FG against the lowly Bears.). Stale play calling, running plays over and over that failed, always running out of the shotgun, not using his time and timeouts wisely, not running a good hurry up offense when needed, not playing with urgency, not all gas when needed, not having players play with discipline to prevent needless penalties, etc.. His coaching has cost us games; and he is not correcting his mistakes. There seems to be no accountability.
jannesbjornson
January 24, 2025 at 11:37 am
Preach it! Denial is a bitch for some homers...
dobber
January 24, 2025 at 12:51 pm
Stock: The problem is Gute!
Cold: NO! It's LaFleur!
Stock: No, it's always Gute!
Cold: NO, it's obvious the problem's LaFleur!
Stock: You got chocolate in my peanut butter!
Cold: Less filling!
Coldworld
January 24, 2025 at 01:08 pm
In the end that there is a problem is undeniable. The whole cake will end up being thrown out if the problem isn’t fixed. At least Stock isn’t in denial about the problem so many lament isolated manifested of but refuse to connect.
Gute is not responsible for coaching choices, indiscipline, player usage once on the roster, widespread regression, tactics, scripted plays or game plans, so I start with LaFleur, who is.
When no one can find a positive, it may be that the answer is staring you in the face. LaFleur is defended as an offensive genius but it’s never been manifested in practice. No one really denies that in any concrete form and no one has defined another reason why he’s a head coach one might want.
barutanseijin
January 24, 2025 at 02:30 pm
Scroll, scroll my thumb gently past their posts,
Merrily, merrily they’ll repeat them endlessly.
WestCoastPackerBacker
January 24, 2025 at 12:31 pm
People were talking about coach of the year early on when MFL took Willis from TEN trash heap and had him playing dynamically enough to win 2 games and affect a third. The offense didn't hum along like it was the second half of last season. Young players have ups and downs, and this was a down year for Jordan (maybe injury related) and none of the WRs took the 2nd or 3rd year leap we'd hoped. Only Kraft did that. And Musgrave's injury didn't help either. I get the idea with the post season internal calls for accountability that some of the issues with the offense are the WRs not running tight enough routes and having a bunch of drops. They're saying Love needs to grow into being more of a verbal leader.
LaFleur is one of the top 5 current HC with win/loss percentage. And that's overseeing the injury ridden 2022 season and the transition away from a Hall of Fame QB.
I mean this team won 11 games this season. Coaches who win 11 games don't get replaced; they get time to improve. He's still a relatively young coach. And he was coaching the youngest team in the league.
I mean who are you going to get that is going to be better? Most fans would be thrilled with 11 wins and would recognize that coaches are not perfect; and they can improve, just like players can.
Coldworld
January 24, 2025 at 12:51 pm
People should be impressed by Willis, but LaFleur wasn’t responsible for his mental growth since his rookie year. LaFleur didn’t find him. Someone on Gute’s team identified his growth, as Gute related on signing him. LaFleur didn’t find come up with a game plan that worked while never really pushing Willis’s capabilities and leaning heavily on the run game. That might have been the best LaFleur managed all season, but he didn’t make Willis. He didn’t develop him. He also didn’t manage to incorporate much from those games except the overuse of the jet sweep.
As to record. It’s not so pretty post Rodgers swan song rosters and his O design is not that different from 2022 that we almost all blamed on Rodgers. Clutching at straws may make some feel better but it won’t make the Packers better.
dobber
January 24, 2025 at 09:01 am
It's rare for an outgoing leader to make radical changes on their way out the door as they hand control over to someone who was hired under an old paradigm.
I don't see things changing in the power structure unless dysfunction in the day-to-day operations become untenable or the head decides he can't oversee the function. We might not like it, but the argument right now would likely be that--organizationally--things appear to be humming right along under the current structure, so why change it?
Matter of fact, I think the Patriots just adopted a similar structure where HC and GM are independent reports.
profootballrumors.com/2025/01/mike-vrabel-eliot-wolf-will-both-report-to-patriots-ownership
Coldworld
January 24, 2025 at 09:17 am
Things are always “humming” in business until they aren’t and it’s visibly undeniable. By that point the real pain is coming and fast and it’s too late to avoid it and the drastic and painful change required. This franchise isn’t humming, it’s lost its divisional predominance and, if anything, regressing despite a seemingly good draft and excellent FA acquisitions.
The structure in NE seems to be more about a lack of complete faith in anyone on the part of Kraft after the last few years. I would not take that as an endorsement of dual authority, but as a warning of owner hubris and some panic after recent failures.
dobber
January 24, 2025 at 09:41 am
Perhaps.
I think many of us were flummoxed by the shift in management structure under Murphy. Not only did it not seem logical, it didn't seem like something that had a precedent for success in the league.
" I would not take that as an endorsement of dual authority, but as a warning of owner hubris and some panic after recent failures."
Maybe not owner hubris, but Murphy's hubris when the change was made in GB?
Coldworld
January 24, 2025 at 10:10 am
The Murphy restructure is not sustainable organizationally (from an accountability structure independent of industry sector) because the President controls the Board, membership and as chair, executive committee and is the apex of the day-to-day football management, not apart from it except as an evaluator of performance. That’s an absence of checks and balances that only a 100% owner can justify, most often unwisely.
On top of that, Murphy justified it in part through his being an ex player and long term athletic administrator. One can argue how valid that is as a qualification, but the fact is Policy is not a former player or athletic director. He’s a lawyer and business side leader in the sports industry. He’s been good at that, but he has no claim to any football side expertise or experience of the sort Murphy had.
If Policy retains the power structure as is then he’s ignoring not only good governance principles generally but also the fact that he lacks a key attribute that Murphy used to justify overriding those. That would be completely unjustifiable and improper.
LambeauPlain
January 24, 2025 at 10:35 am
I agree and believe Policy will follow the Bob Harlan model and let Gutey become Wolf-Ted.
There is no way Ron Wolf or TT would have ever agreed to the current structure.
When Murphy created his Football Committee with him as Chrm. and Acting GM, it was in 2017. MM grumbled to Murphy about personnel and Ball getting too involved as TT was clearly not in control due to mental decline. McCarthy even threatened to resign if the new GM was Ball. So Murphy claimed he was knocking the silos down and he would form his mgmt by committee. At the time he called it a temporary structure. 3 co equals with Murphy making the important calls.
Murphy really enjoyed it....for 7 years now. It won't end until Policy takes over in July so another offseason of delaying the inevitable. More slow decision making until then.
dobber
January 24, 2025 at 12:56 pm
"On top of that, Murphy justified it in part through his being an ex player and long term athletic administrator. "
As an academic, I can tell you that what Murphy did was install an academic structure over a different kind of non-profit enterprise: the Packers. Who knows if he's the only one capable of administering it. But this structure reeks of academia, save that the college president usually isn't also the board chair.
Coldworld
January 24, 2025 at 01:16 pm
That makes some sense, with the big caveat you note, but Murphy has explicitly referred to his football experience, which is not as a personnel guy but is undeniable. Policy lacks that. One would hope he’s much better versed in long term good governance as a lawyer and businessman. Those rules work because individuals are fallible and don’t last for ever. Structures protect for longer than promises.
dobber
January 24, 2025 at 01:24 pm
"but Murphy has explicitly referred to his football experience, which is not as a personnel guy but is undeniable. "
Murphy was a player, yes, but was an athletic director at two different DI institutions...although admittedly Colgate barely counts. Very few lead administrators in pro sports have that kind of background.
Coldworld
January 24, 2025 at 04:42 pm
Exactly. Policy does not. That’s not relevant to him taking over as President, but it is critically so to the structure he is inheriting.
LuvPack
January 24, 2025 at 01:56 pm
The season will always be a mystery to me with the way MLF ran the offense after the Love injury! His brilliance in games with Willis at QB and then throughout the season, watching his cautionary play-calling with Love back in after his 'healing' was un-LeFleur-like! Whatever it took to get through the games - in only one of the six losses did the team lose by more than one score; and only scored 20 (win) and 14 (loss) points in just two games - somehow Matt's offense got them to the playoffs with welcomed help from a rewound D! The beginning looked so good - the ending, not so much! Strange how football works sometimes!
LambeauPlain
January 24, 2025 at 08:04 am
44% of the of the HC's in the NFL call their own plays. 14 out of 32.
During the Divisional Round this year, 2 HC's called the plays (Reid and McVay), 6 were OC's. (25%)
And on Sunday, only Reid will call the plays during the Conference Championship round. (25%)
I note many of the HC play callers stem from the Shanahan/McVay coaching tree today. Most of the top teams this year had OC's as play callers.
I do believe LaFleur would grow as a coach if he focused on management on the entire team, players AND coaches. Discipline, game week preparation, and play calling were issues this season and having a HC on top of the on field performance pyramid would help IMO.
Of course, LaFleur would also point to 4 of the last 5 SB winners were teams with the HC making the play calls (3 by Reid, 1 by McVay). And LaFleur is very slow to change. Especially when it comes to personnel. Reminds me of his predecessor in many ways.
Razer
January 24, 2025 at 08:23 am
...I do believe LaFleur would grow as a coach if he focused on management on the entire team, players AND coaches. Discipline, game week preparation, and play calling were issues this season...
I totally agree. With experience comes the capacity to juggle more facets of the game. Andy Reid is a great example of this. The Packers were rarely firing on all cylinders and it got worse as the season wore on. A head coach needs to work his staff to get the best out of a team. Fumbling through game planning, play calling and game management told me that LaFleur was over his head this season.
Coldworld
January 24, 2025 at 10:16 am
The only claim LaFleur has to justify being a head coach is his supposed offensive brilliance as a designer and play caller. Almost no one cites (or has cited) him as a motivator or personnel guru in terms of staff or player development. Take the play calling away and you take away any justification for keeping him. The play calling removal idea makes no sense to me at all in his case.
Razer
January 24, 2025 at 08:11 am
Thanks Kevin for pointing out all the GOOD with this past year and with this team. There are some very bright spots. Yes we have some gaps that I hope Gutekunst fills asap. This off season should separate the players who will move forward and those that have hit their ceiling. I wouldn't extend anybody who hasn't shown it on tape. Gutey often discounts the college tape in favour of RAS scores and we end up with slow football thinkers. You can't excell at this game if you are slow to analyze the play.
More than anything, I think the coaching staff needs to work better, especially on offense. Watching what Hafley did on defense with average talent in one season shows you what good, coordinated coaching can achieve. Matt LaFleur needs to do better.
Love Kevin's bio - a Packers fan since 75...not even John Hadley could break him. Too funny
Razer
January 24, 2025 at 08:31 am
I will add that moving Jaire Alexander would be high on my list. Availability, consistency and attitude are all issues with this guy. Given his contract, you expect leadership and contribution - we got childish and actions determental to the team.
If we could get a 2nd rounder and get rid of his contract it would be win-win.
dobber
January 24, 2025 at 09:15 am
I tend to be on the optimistic side of most things and try to be more even keeled in my sports ramblings. I feel way more positively about this team than it seems many of the regular posters do, but I'm trying not to focus on the minutiae and look at the broader strokes.
YES! I've been saying all along that we should be looking toward 2025 as being the real "arrival" year, but you never look the gift of relatively good health--and overall, this team wasn't decimated by injury--in the mouth. I think that's part of why many of us are hitting on the negatives. Maybe this team didn't pull it out in January against a veteran team full of playmakers, but there was plenty of development in younger players, and it feels like the needs are pretty clear. In that sense, BG's draft in volume tactic to fill glaring holes should help, and his penchant for filling most roster holes prior to the draft with affordable FAs (so he's not forced to overdraft a particular position early) will likely be on the table again. I actually expect a trade-back for more day-1-2 picks this year.
The growth in the division over the last 4 years makes this very challenging, and while most years features a team that goes on a run late that generates a springboard for the next season, the Packers "peaked early" and faltered in the final weeks. That's my greatest cause for concern at this point...if it signals a serious regression in 2025, there will be major changes.
That said, Minnesota is up and down from year to year and will have to do major roster maintenance this off-season....who knows what they'll be? The Lions' players will still run through walls for Campbell and they'll still have an elite OL, but his coordinators will change. I don't think Glenn was great, but Johnson's proclivities worked with their personnel (no guarantees in Chicago). If the Bears find some stability in their IOL and a little bit of good fortune and health at OT, they'll score points. The schedule looks markedly tougher on paper (in January). All that said, the Packers might be more consistent and play better in 2025, but might not win 11 games.
"Throw in Brad McManus correcting the Packers’ kicking game woes and Malik Willis winning two (arguably three) games with Love sidelined, and it was a banner year for Packers free agency. "
You meant "and in trade" WRT Willis, right? ;)
NFLfan
January 24, 2025 at 09:40 am
What went right:
Hafley and his coaching staff.
Free agents: McKinney and Jacobs-both guys have heart and talent
Kraft is another high talent, high character leader
Edgerrin Cooper
Evan Williams
McManus
Whelan
Now, let's focus on those who drain and thwart the good guys: (the list is long, unfortunately)
-MLF refusal to manage and take responsibility for the entire team. Ignores ST's like he did w/Barry
-His insistence on game-calling and making same mistakes repeatedly
-His refusal to address the harm these under-performing coaches are causing.
-Bisaccia
-Stenavich
-Butkus
-Vrable
Gute: Though he did well in recent FA and w/Cooper and Williams, still drafting questionable players in early rounds-Ty'Ronn Hopper & Jordan Morgan are the latest examples. There were definite warnings about Hopper.
Talking about extending 5th year options to mediocre players to make his decisions look better
Players:
Gary, Clark, Alexander, Myers=over paid, underperformers.
-LVN & Walker 'not improving'
Leatherhead
January 24, 2025 at 10:49 am
Yeah, this is nuts.
Dragon5
January 24, 2025 at 09:52 am
NFC North or AFC West; which division will reign superior👑 in '25?
AFC West head coaches:
🏈Chiefs: Andy Reid
🏈Broncos: Sean Payton
🏈Chargers: Jim Harbaugh
🏈Raiders: Pete Carroll
Makes you think, don't it? 🤔
LambeauPlain
January 24, 2025 at 09:56 am
What went right? A (nearly) wholesale coaching change on Defense out of a desire to get better.
The only coaching changes that happen on Offense are when coaches leave (Hackett, Getsy). My belief is LaFleur is too invested in his Offense and spends most of his coaching time with those players and coaches. He has blinders on ignoring needed coaching changes (D and STs) ...but most especially for his sandbox...the offense.
NFLfan
January 24, 2025 at 10:33 am
I have always liked Matt La Fleur. He seems to be a good dad/husband/citizen.
But I am now seeing something darker; he has illustrated to me that he is actually not putting the team first.
What I see is a focus on doing his favorite thing, which is game-design, play-calling and running the entire offensive show w/o acknowledging his weaknesses. This practice has entailed 'promoting' an unqualified person on whom to off-load his admin duties and giving him the title of 'OC.'
He has not shown the leadership that indicates he is prioritizing the entire team. He would have to let go of his over-focus on offense, likely hire an authentic OC, free up time to wholistically and objectively appraise the entire team; coaches, players, himself, have difficult conversations, make tough decisions and enforce accountability.
One of my concerns is that Hafley may tire of this arrangement and wish to coach on a team with a stronger Offense or take a HC job.
Bitternotsour
January 24, 2025 at 11:10 am
In what ways has he demonstrated his goodness as a dad, husband and citizen. You're so massively out of your league. The darkness you observe is likely from your view out of your own ass. None of your observations are grounded in reality.
Go back to the bear boards.
13TimeChamps
January 24, 2025 at 11:25 am
At least she's entertaining.
dobber
January 24, 2025 at 12:59 pm
I've stopped reading his stuff, along with a couple other regulars around here.
13TimeChamps
January 24, 2025 at 03:29 pm
She's actually a female, which she herself has acknowledged several times. I just want to be clear I wasn't insinuating anything negative when I said "her". It's just her comments I was responding to, specifically her constant negativity towards Packers management and players, even towards the city of Green Bay itself.
13TimeChamps
January 24, 2025 at 11:24 am
"But I am now seeing something darker"
Geezus
Leatherhead
January 24, 2025 at 11:54 am
Things do look darker when your head is up your ass, that's a fact.
Leatherhead
January 24, 2025 at 10:48 am
Here's the thing: You can build a team that can make the playoffs, but you cannot build a team that will likely advance,because there are just too many variables.
For example.....let's say the refs don't blow the call on the opening kickoff. Let's say Jenkins doesn't get injured. Let's say Doubs and Reed don't get injured. Let's say the Eagles get a bad call that leads us to a TD. Let's say that there two starting WRs, and their best OL, gets injured. Do we get a different result?
We had a good team this year. The defense improved to the point is was among the top defenses. The running game improved to the point we were one of the top run offenses. Not surprisingly, the team spent the offseason improving those two areas, acquiring McKinney and Bullard and Williams and Cooper and Jacobs and Lloyd and Morgan. They'll all be back next year, along with the guys we add. I'm expecting a makeover at CB and some added depth the OL. And we'll need to add a receiver.
And we'll be right back in the mix next year, and maybe next year it'll be our turn to be lucky with injuries and get some favorable officiating.
Bitternotsour
January 24, 2025 at 11:19 am
it wasn't our night, they had the short money on the eagles
we coulda been a contendah...
https ://www .youtube. com/watch?v=uBiewQrpBBA&t=99s
NFLfan
January 24, 2025 at 12:16 pm
BN, Leatherhead and 13TC-It is clear to me that all 3 of you wish to undermine any and all of my comments. All three of you are homers which has unfortunately clouded your objectivity & vision.
I scroll past anything any of you say because it is usually some kind of attack on me someone else.
Bitternotsour
January 24, 2025 at 12:23 pm
stupid posts deserve special prizes. you make so many that your rewards are numerous.
Leatherhead
January 24, 2025 at 03:06 pm
If you only knew how funny that is.
Leonard
January 24, 2025 at 11:55 am
A lot must have gone right for this team to win as much as it did. Why? The game is won in the trenches. According to PFF the Packers have a total of ONE player considered top 20 at their position in the league when looking at the offensive and defensive lines. That is Zach. One. The Eagles have 5 on their offensive line alone. The Lions have 3 on the offensive line. KC has a total of 4. And Mahomes does not play line. Buffalo has a total of 3.
We need Blue chip players. You either draft them (we got Myers as center, rated 34th best center while one draft pick later in the same draft KC got the #1 center in the league) or you buy them if they become available.
X was a great buy last year. Imagine how good Jacobs could be with one more top 20 offensive lineman.
We over performed this year and should be happy with our coaching.
wayne iNWi
Bitternotsour
January 24, 2025 at 12:16 pm
How exactly with only one quality linemen were they able to be a top ten offense and top running team. PFF is what people use when they refuse to use their eyes.
Here's something I think is indisputable - the center is as good as the guards he lines up beside.
Coldworld
January 24, 2025 at 01:25 pm
Myers is not as good as Jenkins. Rhyan is only hopefully recently ascending, so it’s hard to call, but I’d say he played better in the last two months than Myers has at any point. Certainly others seem to think so. I think you might be a bit out in a limb with your statement. Definitely if you include Jenkins. Certainly I’ve not heard any professional analyst argue that and know of no metrics organization that suggests it either.
Leatherhead
January 24, 2025 at 03:09 pm
It's not possible,BNS, and anybody with any sense of fairness can easily see that.
Coldworld isn't a guy who is persuaded by results. He's a fan of Data Driven Decision Making. You make decisions based on the data, not the results.
Coldworld
January 24, 2025 at 04:48 pm
I make decisions on watching. That first, data second. I also listen to others. If they don’t match I listen to others and let it percolate till I’m sure. I don’t just accept that a player is good because that’s what I’m told when play says otherwise. Even then I’m open to a turn around. In this case one hadn’t come. Myers being the weakest link isn’t particularly controversial, anywhere the year before last, last year or this. The results are pretty conclusive. I wanted Frazier in the last draft. That would have been an upgrade.
Bitternotsour
January 24, 2025 at 05:04 pm
because it's a second contract for a position we typically don't go second contracts on it's doubtful that Myers returns. Part of me would experience absolute delight if Myers re-signed just to see the incredulity of most of these wannabe GM posters. You may call me a dreamer...