Bucs 38 Packers 10: Game Balls and Lame Calls
Tampa Bay linebackers lead dismantling of Green Bay game plan.
By KenLass
Several years ago I was covering a game where the favored team was beaten badly. Afterward, I approached the losing coach and inquired as to why his team didn't make more adjustments during the game. The wise, old coach looked at me and smiled and said "Son, there are no adjustments you can make when the other team is just knocking you down and running over you."
And so it was for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Tampa Bay Bucs beat them the old fashioned way. They just knocked them down and ran over them. And no fancy pre-snap movement, misdirection or formation was going to matter. On this day the Bucs looked quicker, more physical, more aggressive, more motivated, and yes, more talented. By the middle of the third quarter the Packers had been battered into submission, no longer able to put up a fight. The Packers offensive line was stampeded by a Bucs front seven that resembled a herd of cattle answering a dinner bell. Aaron Rodgers was, literally, beaten up and looked woozy, as though he had just lost a street fight. The result was bad decisions, inaccuracy, holding the ball, and taking brutal sacks. His passer rating was a shocking 35.4, which was about the number of times he was hit.
It is one game, and one game only. It is not the end of the world. But it certainly exposed the Packers as being vulnerable to a tough, aggressive, physical style of play. A style they are now likely to see many times again.
GAME BALLS
Krys Barnes
The undrafted rookie linebacker was a bright spot on a dark day for the defense. He was all over the field making hard hits and solid stops. He led the team with ten tackles, four more than the nearest teammate.
Montravious Adams
Okay, so the bar is pretty low for game balls this week. But Montravious did make a few really good defenisve plays in a row, blowing up a couple of runs in the backfield in the 4th quarter. It was a rare show of fire on a unit that played soft and lackadaisical.
LAME CALLS
Mike Pettine's Defensive Preparation
The Packers' consistent lack of execution on defense, sooner or later, has to come down on Pettine. The difference between what a good defense looks like, and the one Green Bay puts on the field was never more clear. The Bucs play angry, punishing defense. They dictate and intimidate. Green Bay plays soft and loose and sometimes just seems lost. On one series in the third quarter, the defense was not ready to line up. Tampa Bay snapped the ball and Ronald Jones shot around the edge for 25 yards. A few plays later, Josh Jackson let what should have been an interception bounce off his head and then was called for pass interference. The defense was then penalized for 12 men on the field. Considering the free agent money and draft capital the team has spent on that side of the ball, the Packers deserve better.
Three man rush on third down
It was an all too familiar sight in the second quarter. The Bucs had third and goal on the seven yard line. Holding them to a field goal try would keep it a one score deficit. Pettine chooses a three man pass rush which is non-competitive and Brady has all day. Of course, the result is a touchdown pass to Tyler Johnson. It's 21 to 10 and the rout is on.
No roughing calls on Rodgers hits
For a league that is supposed to be protecting its quarterbacks, the officials seemed to let Aaron Rodgers take a terrible beating. Two especially egregious omissions involved Arod taking a blow to the helmet in the first quarter, and later being taken down dangerously at the legs. I'm just glad he survived.
SHORT YARDAGE
• I could only sigh in admiration as I watched how a pair of top notch linebackers can take over and dominate a game. The way Lavonte David and Devin White toss linemen aside and blow up running backs and quarterbacks is a beautiful thing, in a brutal sort of way. I can only dream of what the Packers could do with that kind of talent.
• This game was a microcosm of why I think Tom Brady has always been a bit overrated. He has always played on teams with superior defenses that enable him to play safely and comfortably and just concentrate on not making big mistakes. Of course, he's very good. But the GOAT? Not in my book.
• Scary thought. The Packers were just dominated by a team that was beaten by the Bears. The NFL's oldest rivalry just got a lot more interesting this year.
• How about this for a scenario? The Vikings go on to have a horrendous year. Mike Zimmer gets fired, and the Packers hire him as defensive coordinator?
• Snapshot of the game: A glossy-eyed Rodgers shaking his head in stunned submission after a 4th quarter sack by Devin White.
THEY SAID IT
Matt LaFleur (on Pack not having a good week of practice coming in): "We just have to make sure we stick together We've got to bounce back. We've got to have a good week of practice because I think that if you really look critically throughout the course of the week, I don't think it was our best, and it showed today."
Aaron Rodgers: "We just did not get in and out of the huddle very energetically. We had a lot of up-against-the-clock play calls and snaps, so we've got to do a better job with the urgency getting in and out of the huddle."
Adrian Amos: "It's always a couple key plays on every drive where we could have played better, and it wasn't really one thing they were doing that we couldn't stop. It was just a mess-up here and a mess-up there. It was one of those games where we just need to reflect and play better."
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
Ken Lass is a former Green Bay television sports anchor and 43 year media veteran, a lifelong Packers fan, and a shareholder.
__________________________
Comments (61)
Bure9620
October 19, 2020 at 06:45 am
Game Balls: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense and Todd Boles, this is the only game ball, they whipped us and put on a clinic of how to play football, give them props
Lame Calls: The Packers coaching staff and Aaron Rodgers
I realize Rodgers is frustrated but the comment "we had very little energy out of the huddle"
Ummm you are part of the huddle and you run the huddle......so this should be an indictment on you, Aaron needs to take ownership here....he comes off as aloof
Coldworld
October 19, 2020 at 09:58 am
I agree, in the cold light of day, this wasn’t on the D (effectively the offense and Hackson effectively gave them 21 of their 38 points.
Not sure about the aloof statement, but mistakes by Rodgers opened the floodgates on a dam of poor planning and strategy. We had no answer. We came into the game with no one in the Ervin role after a bye when his injury was known. We failed to use Dillon, who actually made yards up the middle, to put any hesitation in the linebacker’s minds ... we had no plan for being attacked by a team like Tampa.
LaFleur is good when we are on the front foot, but this, taken with the 49ers last year suggests he needs to grow if we are to overcome adversity. Other teams may not be as good on their D fronts, but some are. All will now try to attack us as Tampa did once we established they couldn’t contain.
NickPerry
October 19, 2020 at 07:10 am
Games Balls... JK Scott...Nice game dude.
Lame Calls... Not enough AJ Dillon...I WANT to see more of Dillon in games, especially when the Packers are facing 6 foot nothing, 220 pound ILB who are fast as hell. You're NOT going to run wide on that defense yet the Packers tried that dame pitch play over, and over, and over with Jones getting his ass smashed...SMH!!! Lets SMASH Dillon into the 6 foot nothing ILB!
Sorry guys but I'm officially on the FIRE Mike Pettine train... NO Sacks...NO Turnovers...NO Pressure...SAME OLE RESULTS. Remember at the end of last season it took a LONG time for MLF to say he was bringing back Pettine. I believe LaFluer had Pettine shoved down his throat when he was hired and told to keep him another year by Gute and Murphy. The Packers hired a new up and coming HC after McCarthy. They need to do the same for the DC position. I'm TIRED of these dinosaurs who continue to use the same defenses over and over when they just aren't working!
Okay boys...Lets shake that game off. I hope you had a few glasses of good Scotch on the flight back and rinsed that out! Most DIDN"T have us at 4-1 after 5 weeks. GO PACK GO!!!!!!!!!!!
END of rant!
Bure9620
October 19, 2020 at 07:20 am
I credit the defense for giving up 24 points, 14 of their points were on Rodgers.....But as you say no sack or turnovers, little pressure...if the lack of production continues I would not be opposed to Jerry Grey becoming interim DC
packerbackerjim
October 19, 2020 at 07:54 am
I had high hopes the DBs would make a quantum leap under Grey. Hasn’t happened yet. During the game I texted Gute was in the midst of search for a DC. The heretofore offense disguised a mediocre defense. May the juggernaut offense reappear.
Coldworld
October 19, 2020 at 10:10 am
Offense plus Jackson really account for 21 of 38 points. Look at what our offense did over 3 quarters. The D was effectively out there 99 percent of that time.
Yes, our D is not great, but it was not the cause of this outcome and thus nor was Pettine. Chasing that falsehood obscures the truth that, once Tampa realized that they couldn’t contain and went after Rodgers when Rodgers made a mistake as a primary strategy, we had no answers and our game and contingency planning was shown to be threadbare.
This one is on the O and LaFleur. Other teams will try to do the same. Some won’t be good enough, but unless LaFleur comes up with answers, others will beat us the same way no matter who is DC with personnel we have, designed to slow scoring not win games (which takes a heck of a lot of high draft picks or cap we don’t have).
Tundraboy
October 20, 2020 at 08:28 am
I would not be opposed to any interim DC.
rob44rml
October 19, 2020 at 10:54 am
Yeah, the Pettine DC job should go to someone else; reminds me a lot of Capers...ineffective and predictable(didn't they say on TV yesterday that they rank 29th !!)...is it possible in the NFL to replace a DC in mid-season?
SwedeBayPacker
October 19, 2020 at 11:16 am
I liked Pettine, but... Yeah, no. This was the most embarrassing thing I've witnessed in recent memory. This was a humiliation fit for the Browns 2018.
Packerpasty
October 19, 2020 at 05:42 pm
why do you like him?? for his soft defenses or his use of 3 man rush so often??
SwedeBayPacker
October 19, 2020 at 10:39 pm
Did you even read the article?
"In 2019, the Packers allowed a red zone touchdown 53.7 percent of the time; this was the NFL's 11th best rate.
As far as getting after the quarterback goes, Green Bay was top-5 in pressure rate last season.
When it comes to takeaways, the Packers forced 25 turnovers a year ago, which was the seventh most in football."
stanthemanwiththeplan
October 19, 2020 at 12:19 pm
The Dillon point is worth particular scrutiny. Green Bay seems to operate internally off of very strict historical hierarchy. IDK how it is calculated. It's clearly not game production. Probably some intangible positive attitude score card.
We saw it with McCarthy's resistance to play Aaron Jones, despite the production he had when on the field. We saw it with Graham over Tonyan/Lewis. Now we're seeing it with Dillon.
The daftest of coaches could see Jones around the edge was not working. The daftest of coaches could see that Dillon up the middle exposed a potentially fatal weakness in that line. Yet we willingly let Jones get stuffed in the backfield all game.
Given last year we saw this resistance to adapt to who was producing under McCarthy, and this year it's the EXACT SAME THING but with a completely different head coach makes me think this is some sort of "system" that is deeply entrenched in the mindset of active roster/game planning in Green Bay and it needs to stop.
Play he who produces. Simple.
Tundraboy
October 20, 2020 at 08:21 am
Keep going NP you're on a roll. And your right!.
Razer
October 19, 2020 at 07:21 am
Lot of blame to go around and a lot of people didn't play well but the game was determined in those trenches and AGAIN we are just not tough enough where it counts. The Packers are finesse and the Bucs are power. Our O-line cannot stand up to strong 4 man fronts. The same scenario played out three times last year (SF, LAC, SF) and that isn't changing.
Aaron Rodgers did not play well and that matched the team performance but it was his attitude that bothered me. Yes, Suh is a dirty player but spending your time jawing with him and not focusing on your game is rookie stuff. Rodgers ego got in front of his arm. His game stopped at those first 10 points. He was not in the game after that.
The good - this game told us where we stand and what needs to be addressed. The bad - I don't know if you can elevate this personnel to championship tough.
RCPackerFan
October 19, 2020 at 07:27 am
Game Balls:
Lame Calls:
Pretty much everything after the Packers went up 10-0.
Notes:
Interesting note, last year the Packers lost to the 49ers coming out of the bye 37-8. They lost yesterday 38-10. Almost identical scores. Something that LaFleur will have to figure out moving forward to why the team has struggled last year and this year coming out of the bye.
They went on to win the next 5 games before the playoffs. Hopefully we have a similar result this year.
The Pick 6 didn't seem to phase Rodgers. He put the next ball right into Adams hands where he didn't bring in and turned into another interception. That play seemed to affect Rodgers. The entire game changed on those 2 plays. Tampa's defense played faster where the Packers had them on their heals prior to that. There were a lot of dropped passes. The timing of everything was off. The entire team seemed shell shocked after those 2 plays. The defense might as well say gave up 24 points. Which isn't bad if the offense keeps going the way they were.
I know we can't play the what if game because that's not what happened, but had those 2 interceptions not have happened, I feel the game would have turned out a lot different. That is why I'm not concerned about moving forward.
SteelyPhil
October 19, 2020 at 08:07 am
I would be less concerned moving forward if we hadn't seen this from the MLF/Pettine Packers several times last year. If the scheme stops working early, the entire team implodes, from coaching on down. There is too much talent on both sides of the ball to get shellacked this badly. We have to find ways to adjust or we will continue to be a team that loses in the first couple of rounds of the playoffs.
Bearmeat
October 19, 2020 at 12:54 pm
Agreed, RC. Defensive pressure rates need to change. OL needs to communicate better. But these are all fixable with current personnel.
Lazard being back would help.
PackerWacky
October 19, 2020 at 07:43 am
Funny, I had the same thought about Zimmer. Also, Lovie Smith is still out there too.
Razer
October 19, 2020 at 08:12 am
Sorry but Zimmer's days and style are not part of the new NFL. Bringing in another DC and giving him our bag of hammers isn't going to build a better house.
dobber
October 19, 2020 at 10:20 am
So...Zimmer's called the plays in MN for years and his teams are perennially top 10 units, but this year--when free agency, cap casualties, and injuries have forced him to play short and with rookies--he's suddenly out of touch? I despise the Vikings, too, but Zimmer's a pretty good coach. I don't know how he would fit with the Packers' personnel and hybrid scheme.
Razer
October 19, 2020 at 10:49 am
So bringing in an authoritarian style coach into the Packer realm, giving him our D-line, linebackers and quilted secondary is going to result in a top defense? Free agency, cap casualties and injuries are the new rules of the NFL. Zimmer is answering the challenge by hiring Gary Kubiak and Dom Capers. Is this what you want?
dobber
October 19, 2020 at 12:06 pm
"Free agency, cap casualties and injuries are the new rules of the NFL."
If by "new" you mean over the last 20 years or so, then, yes: they are the new rules of the NFL.
Kubiak and Capers are straw man arguments. The point is, Zimmer's a pretty good defensive coach.
Minniman
October 19, 2020 at 01:55 pm
Todd Bowles just demonstrated that when tasked with coaching what he's renowned for, that he does a pretty good job at it!
Many factors to this little tapestry though - Buccs have picked at positions 13, 5, 12, 19, 11 & 1 for the last 6 years....... they should have a talented team!
Re Zimmer: I wouldn't be surprised if Mike Zimmer gets fired this year (and isn't too worried about it). The Vikes are going to be in Cap purgatory again next year and are also tethered to Cousins for 2 more seasons AFTER this year (with dead cap of $41M & $10M respectively). They have a hard road ahead.
dobber
October 19, 2020 at 03:05 pm
Much as I dislike the Vikes, Zimmer and Spielman are probably safe for another year. I think Zigy Wilf isn't going to let one year spin his head that way. Unless the Bears collapse, Nagy and Pace are safe, too. The Lions will probably need to win 9 games this season to save Patricia and Quinn. They're toast and probably should have been after last year.
mnbadger
October 19, 2020 at 08:00 am
Pfffffft!
Sorry "Fartsafterwins" but that's the sound of the air coming out of the Rodgers for MVP and Lafleur for Coach of the Year balloons!
Damn. GPG
BBlake
October 19, 2020 at 03:25 pm
Rodgers said that a bad day for him is a good day for other QBs. I wonder how many other QBs would like to have the day he had yesterday?
Archie
October 19, 2020 at 08:03 am
This team depends so much on ARod & Z and neither produced yesterday. Missing King made it easier for TB to run up the score. The TT legacy of ILBs don't matter much has got to end. TB demonstrated in spades what two real ILB playing behind 4 real DL does for a defense. Having said that, I like K Barnes even more than before this game. Looking forward to watching him and Martin play together.
It will be important for GB to come back this week and regain their earlier form. Otherwise, the first 4 weeks may be nothing but a mirage.
btw - the whole team looked sleepy and especially Adams in the early going and Clark throughout. Game plan was a big step backward too. Began to remind me of MM. In retrospect, they should have switched A Jones role to that of Tyler Irvin and AJ Dillon to that of A Jones.
Maybe it was the pressure from their front 6 but somehow we made TB secondary look good.
dobber
October 19, 2020 at 10:24 am
"It will be important for GB to come back this week and regain their earlier form. Otherwise, the first 4 weeks may be nothing but a mirage."
One thing that defined last year's team was that it was pretty resilient. It bounced back from a couple bad losses--and games where they eked out tight wins--and played well. That's usually a sign of a healthy locker room and good coaching. Hopefully that's part of this team's makeup, but what was particularly disturbing was that this team didn't seem to have it against a playoff-caliber opponent coming off a bye...which reflects poorly on the coaching. We'll see how they do against a Houston team that is undermanned but still stays in games.
egbertsouse
October 19, 2020 at 08:08 am
Game balls: Todd Bowles
Lame calls: A writer with such a man-crush on Rodgers that he refuses to criticize him after after a putrid performance and instead disses Brady.
HighPlainsDrifter
October 19, 2020 at 09:32 am
Perhaps you should try your hand at writing articles. I doubt that you can string three coherent words together.
By the way, "disses" is not a word and "man-crush" should not be hyphenated. Typical examples of your rude, uneducated comments.
frankthefork
October 19, 2020 at 08:29 am
I had to copy and paste from APC because of relevance. Pettine is in over his head.
Glad the dust has settled and dropped to earth like the Packers.
1. GBP's are Too slow. 2. Did not address the defensive needs in drafts. 3. The Buc's O line is much better than ours. 4. AR struggles in big games continues. 5. Pettine was never a D coach for a winning team until GB. 6. Game lacked PA and deception. 7. WR's get little separation. 8. No halftime adjustments again. 9. JJ is not an NFL starting player.10. IMO GBP will not beat the Bears 2x, 49ers, hawks, panthers nor titans with this team play.
Big time improvements are required. Time for more Lorazepam or Valium. Ouch. TG it's just one game and not the end of the season. GPG...there's always hope as an option!
Lphill
October 19, 2020 at 08:56 am
I thought you don't need good inside linebackers ? Fire Pettine now and bring in Dan Quinn !
Leatherhead
October 19, 2020 at 09:25 am
We score 10 points, get sacked 5 times, give up 14 points on turnovers and our reaction is to slam the defense.
Since'61
October 19, 2020 at 10:12 am
LH - we were trailing 14-10 with over 10 minutes to play in the 2nd quarter. Is it too much to ask the defense to make a stop or hopefully get a turn over to swing momentum back to the Packers? Instead they allowed the game to become out of reach by halftime.
Yes, the offense had two bad plays. Does that mean the defense stops playing? Against a physical opponent this defense never picks up the offense. Going all the way back to 2011. There is a difference between falling behind by 4 points early in the game and fighting it out than completely collapsing for the next 40 minutes. Terrible effort on both sides of the ball. No excuses.
In a game like this the defense needs to get the ball back for the offense, preferably before they allow touchdowns.
So Rodgers throws a pick 6 early in the 2Q and the game is lost! That’s ridiculous. See how far that argument would play out with Lombardi or Holmgren.
Yes it was a bad throw. Is Rodgers playing alone? Is there no one else on the team who can pick up him or the offense. If our team is based entirely on Rodgers playing absolutely perfectly we are in big trouble. If our fan base thinks that the game is lost because of one play early in 2Q they are watching the wrong sport.
The defense in particular needs to fight physical play with their own physical play. No sacks, no turnovers, nothing. Just run over and pushed around. I realize this is an offensive era for the NFL but I still believe that allowing 24 or more PPG is poor defense.
Plenty of blame to go around. No excuses for the offense, the defense or the coaching staff. Thanks, Since ‘61
Bure9620
October 19, 2020 at 01:26 pm
Maybe since '61 but the defense really only allowed 24 points,not great, also not terrible but certainly enough to be competitive with a functional offense..... if you told me pregame Brady throws for 160 yards and the D held Tampa to 324 yards overall, I would have guessed we probably had a chance to win....
Leatherhead
October 19, 2020 at 02:28 pm
After we got to 10 points the offense was done for the day. Turnover, turnover, 3 and out 3 and out and we go from 10-0 to 10-28.
Statistically, you lose 80% of the games where you give up a defensive TD. If the offense had punted on first down every time it got the ball, the game would have been closer.
Coldworld
October 19, 2020 at 10:21 am
Because we saw the D on the field for 90 percent of the time we were losing. That obscured the fact that this came from the O when it should in fact be a massive red flag pointing to it.
21 of 38 points were essentially gimmes from the O or Jackson. That means that our D gave up 17 from normal play, including a 50 plus yard field goal. Yes, they were content to run, but it’s also true that Tampa didn’t get much in the passing game either. 2 TDS from drives starting outside of our 10 yard line would be taken as a success typically.
jlc1
October 19, 2020 at 01:56 pm
They did not try much either, dink and dunk mostly and GB couldn't stop it.
Packerpasty
October 19, 2020 at 05:49 pm
why??? Because if we could have put ANY pressure on Brady the statue sitting tight in the pocket the outcome could have been different...that was embarrassing display on both sides but its frightening that the defense got exposed like that...but they do my fav defensive play...."the three man rush"...hahaha...
Since'61
October 19, 2020 at 09:41 am
Game Balls: Krys Barnes, he hung in there despite the disaster all around him.
Lame Calls: OL was manhandled even before BAk was injured. ARs pick 6. D. Adams causing second pick off his hands. J. Jackson for allowing an interception to bounce off his head and getting called for DPI on the same play. Defense for playing without any physicality. Mike Pettine WTF? MLF, second season in a row with a terrible performance after the bye week. WTF?
Officiating??? So much for protecting the QB.
Burn tape, get ready for next week. Heal up Bak.
Thanks, Since ‘61
Razer
October 19, 2020 at 09:51 am
Good stuff Since 61 and right on.
Never embraced the phrase "burn the tape". Seems both coaches and players need to look in the mirror (tape) to see what they can do better. Josh Jackson would be the perfect example. Nothing wrong with his read or coverage on the DPI if he turns his head and looks for the ball. Maybe some of these guys need to spend more time reviewing the tape to figure it out.
jeremyjjbrown
October 19, 2020 at 09:59 am
Yep, he was in perfect position and then just didn't turn his head.
Coldworld
October 19, 2020 at 10:32 am
Repeat of his last outing. Starting to look like Ahmad Carroll. Playing corner takes a mindset that goes beyond athleticism alone.
splitpea1
October 19, 2020 at 11:28 am
LOL : He's not quite there, yet; remember all the illegal hands/contact penalties, especially on third down? Funny you mentioned Carroll, because if they cut Jackson now, their Packer careers would be almost identical as far as length of time.
Coldworld
October 19, 2020 at 11:36 am
That’s why Carroll came to mind: there is a time when it becomes clear it’s not technique but reactions to pressure. That is something that may never change.
There is also the fact of contract length. At this point, I wouldn’t bet on Jackson. As such I’d move Hollman up and look to the future. Not saying you cut Jackson, just move others forward.
dobber
October 19, 2020 at 12:03 pm
"As such I’d move Hollman up and look to the future."
To the future, as in a different player. In terms of age, remember that Hollman had a very atypical college path. Hollman is 26 years old...two full years older than Jackson.
Coldworld
October 19, 2020 at 10:30 am
I agree with you that the main concern should be the inability to protect Rodgers once under concerted attack. We can assume that that will be the new normal so LaFleur has better come up with something.
2 players stood out in awfulness. Jackson simply can’t be left alone under pressure. As such he can’t play corner. I think the window for him should now have closed and Hollman should replace him and we should move on.
The other is EQ. His head simply wasn’t on: given 2 if the simplest routes he blew both and didn’t look focused. He gets another chance, but the questions about him that caused him to drop were alarmingly similar in nature. Really he needs to show he wants it and can focus before he gets out there again. He too may not work out.
jeremyjjbrown
October 19, 2020 at 09:58 am
Everybody knows I am over Mike Pettine.
That said The defense did well enough until the offense handed the Bucs 14 points in a few minutes and then the Defense fell apart because they can't play without a lead.
A few takeaways for me.
1. LaFleur better not leave Rodgers back to get killed like that again. He will revert to bad Rodgers and force the ball to Davante.
2. MLF needs to change something up when the Defense is in Bully mode. Massive misdirection, screens, use Dillon and pound the ball right at Suh and have 2 Linemen and a TE kick his fucking ass into the turf. I can't believe the OL just let's him get away with that stuff.
3. We got to see how a team with great ILBs can play. IDK how the Packers devalue ILB, I think it's a massive mistake.
dobber
October 19, 2020 at 10:30 am
Great DL can make average ILB look really good. I'm not trying to take anything away from David and White in that regard, but when they aren't having to fight off OGs very much and are making mostly free runs at ball-carriers and QBs, they're going to look awfully good. My point is that the Packers haven't invested heavily or repeatedly in talent at either position and it shows. Notice that TB didn't sit still during the game yesterday: they acquired an established NT run-stuffer from the Jets for a song.
splitpea1
October 19, 2020 at 12:17 pm
Unbelievable; "a song"--that's about right. That's as cheap as they come. Maybe Gute would like to work the phones at some point....
TheBigCheeze
October 19, 2020 at 10:44 am
Lefleur has not prepared this team for prime-time away games his entire career.....
cheesehead1
October 19, 2020 at 10:49 am
Tampa’s D shows us what championship caliber looks like. Our D continues to be weak, either from a lack of talent or our D coordinator or both. I think Pettine needs to figure something out in a hurry, but I’m not too confident, as this seems to be the same old. Couldn’t believe our lack of pressure on an immobile QB. Josh Jackson just can’t figure it out. Think it’s time to move on. Let’s have a great week of practice and rebound just like SF did. GPG.
SwedeBayPacker
October 19, 2020 at 11:11 am
God damn it.... Just... God damn it.
But how good did the Bucs defense look? WHY CAN'T OUR DEFENSE LOOK LIKE THAT?!
Point-Packer
October 19, 2020 at 11:20 am
Because GB hasn't prioritized ILB since they drafted AJ Hawk in the first round in 2006 and has been playing a mixture of underachievers, safeties and UDFAs at the position ever since.
And then GB has one defensive lineman (Clark) that's not a borderline NFL player. Lancaster, Lowry, Adams, Keke - all guys who they get released by GB, may not be in the NFL.
mnbadger
October 19, 2020 at 02:00 pm
Lowery and Adams both made a few plays yesterday. Unfortunately, no pressure from the interior and soft coverage in the back end. This allowed a veteran qb to expose the defense.
Coldworld
October 19, 2020 at 11:41 am
One reason is an absence of high draft picks (compare Tampa). That is true in terms of both position where we picked and number. The other is cap devoted to our QB (compare Chicago).
That said, our D wasn’t the problem here, it was the O.
stanthemanwiththeplan
October 19, 2020 at 12:23 pm
Why are the Packers so soft? Even games we win it's with finesse and never by brute force of will over the opposition. Have we just valued speed/agility too much over strength/power in drafting? Is it a mindset? A fear?
As others have highlighted, all the scheme change in the world, while potentially lessening the severity of the loss, can't negate an opponent who is just 2x more physical than your team. This is a physical sport and I'm tired of Green Bay looking soft, weak, and lethargic season after season.
Fuck the hard counts, let's see some hard hits.
*Kris Barnes best be seeing more game time through the end of the season.. one of the very few who clearly was in the correct mental state for his position.
mnbadger
October 19, 2020 at 02:04 pm
A-× × × ×ing MEN! I love the Packers, but can't stand our passive approach to tackling, coverage and defense in general.
HIT SOMEBODY HARD ONCE!
Maybe you'll like it!
jlc1
October 19, 2020 at 01:53 pm
Lame Call:
1) Leadership - none of the leaders on either side stepped up and made a play to get them back in. Closest I think was the ARod overthrow to Lewis.
2) Speed kills - it sure looks like fast teams on either side of the ball eat the Pack up. Certainly LA and SF fall into that category and the penetration of the TB D into the backfield would seem to confirm that.
Starrbrite
October 19, 2020 at 04:09 pm
Very perceptive article in my view and following comments as well.
mnbadger
October 21, 2020 at 11:08 am
I know it's taboo to disrespect our only NFL caliber defensive lineman, but did Kenny Clark play on Sunday? GPG