Pre-snap motion & attacking the middle of the field are two huge takeaways with LaFleur this season. I LOVE it!

Nice scoop by Demo on the changes we’re seeing in the secondary. This is the first I’d heard of it, and it makes a ton of sense. Rasul & Jaire are locking down like a vice.

As for OL, I think this will remain fluid through TC based upon merit earned in the next 3 weeks of preseason games & practices. I want the best OL we can put out there to start the season. On that, found this in my notes on Tom:
—
OT Zach Tom - Arguably the best combine numbers of any tackle in the class.

Earned highest pass blocking grade of all the OTs in college football 2021 92.1 Mirroring ability keeps him at OT.
—
We may not have a choice, if it means Tom at C gives us our best OL to protect Love and clear holes in the running game. Then again, Myers may respond to this recent challenge.

Schneider played 1 game in his college career as a Center. He’s a work in progress as a backup, but a nice brawler at OG. From everything I've read on OG/C Cole Schneider, he's 100% search & destroy.

We’ll see. It will all sort itself out soon enough. The Packers could have a lot of movement in terms of turnover at OL, or none-little at all. Could easily see Bakhtiari/Jenkins/Runyan/Tom, as I could Bakhtiari/Jenkins/Myers/Runyan/Nijman, or Nijman/Jenkins/Tom/Rhyan/Jones. A lot of moving or unmoving parts... What I like seeing are players from the 2s or bottom of the depth chart challenging starters for positions.

***Saving $$$ at OL might prove feasible if the younger players really perform well - and, they WILL get lots of opportunities in these next 3 weeks.
--
Possible Cap Savings not named Bakhtiari at OL 2023:

Jake Hanson $940,000
Jon Runyan Jr. $2,786,670
Royce Newman $1,064,836 (Also another $1,179,836 in 2024)

I could see these 3 players , all of whom are fighting some of the fiercest battles in TC, being business decisions for 2023/24 with the emergence of Sean Rhyan.
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Gary is amazing to me, returning off PUP less than 9 months after ACL surgery. Wow! Quick healer extraordinaire.

Hard Knocks? Hard NO.

Thanks, Al!!!

Love this by Al each week...

Pressure... FINALLY, I can't wait to watch this defense IF Barry actually lets them be aggressive and challenge opposing offenses.

If I EVER see a rookie QB dice them up like that Zappe kid from New England last year while Barry has his defense playing off like last season, then Barry HAS to go... Like right after the game.

Times up Joe...Either get it done or your done.

It was the most important from this week article:
"Barry had one extra group meeting where he basically asked the players how THEY wanted to play. The response was loud and clear. Rasul Douglas said, "We basically told him we want to be aggressive. We want to be up close in guys’ faces and we want to challenge and make throws tight.” “So far,” Rasul added, “that’s what he’s doing.”"

Finally!

Only great men have no problems to admit their mistakes. I notice that there is many fans and people connected with football take very serously what "draft experts" thinks about any and every player. From my experience they are right in about 30% cases. This data is very debatable, as I have no hard data to support my opinion, just my impression. I tend to believe to Packers scouts. They show they can find excellent players, even in the late day 3 drafts and from other teams PS candidates.

I thought we would not talk here about FPQB, but it might be also just my impression.

Play action isn’t new.
Remember- "keep it simple”.
Bet the center screws it up, hiking the ball.

Play Josh trade Bahk.
How can you not be nervous about his knee?
Just a part-Timer; making thousands per snap.

Pressure points- it shows King was the weakest link.

Workhorse?- Thats a term that should be used for RB.

Is your curiosity for the traded pick? Or Rodgers?
You must feel the Jets will be in the play-offs.
Like most people that enjoyed #12 greatness.

Depth chart- With all the hype. Is Gute over-paying?

“Personally, I would think that pre-snap motion can force the defense to tip their hand as to what scheme the are running that play, but then again, I'm not a future Hall of Fame quarterback, so who am I to argue?“

And yet, Al, you have brought home to Green Bay exactly the same number of Lombardi trophies since LaFleur arrived as said future HoF quarterback. Soooo…?

MLF finally has full accountability for the offense, Barry has full accountability for the defense. Clarity is a good thing.

Get that 65% number and we finally end the AR scam era. Damn. Can't wait to finally distance ourselves from that self-serving, hero ball crap, mvp chasing clown.
I hope Barry listens to the defense. Turn them loose let them kick ass & take names. Reimaging is the word for this team. MLF will have his offense, his way. Finally. Tough to stand there & watch that fucking sel- serving SOB do whatever he wanted too. The rest of the team saw this! Not good. MLF's offense & aggressive defense plus RB's ST. Lookout. GPG!!!

I’m looking to see what this O is without Rodgers. I’m looking to see signs that LaFleur is an innovative mind that can take the system he came from and produce a form of it that is effective 5 seasons later, during which defenses have adapted.

I’m also looking to see if LaFleur can demonstrate tactical acumen to win the coaching battle both going into and during games. That was something he consistently failed to do before the evaporation of the “illusion of complexity” approach we saw after 2021.

Then there’s the issue of the coaching staff as a whole and personnel management. How well do the likes of Barry, Stenovich, Butkus and co perform in the roles they now hold? How do they use players and adapt to performance. Will we see widespread growth from players?

As to Nijman. I’d rather wait to see what we have in guys like Caleb Jones. Yes, that’s in part emblematic of a fear that these coaches are reluctant to blood new talent, just as they were this time last year with Tom.

I currently feel the 4 best OL players are Bakh, Jenkins, Tom and Nijman. I want them all playing. If Bakh can’t consistently, then I think we have to be honest with ourselves and face that and maybe get some value for him and ho with a settled line. If we believe that’s an outside risk then Nijman should be playing. If, as many think, the run game is now more critical, the fact that he’s proved himself a plus run blocker shouldn’t get lost either.

C is both the position Tom was generally thought best suited for by “experts” and the one Gute cited as in his mind when drafting him. The center of our line was our weakest link after the crazy start to last year when Tom was not tried or Nijman trained at RT in favor of Newman and Hanson … yes, I still struggle to get over that thinking/fear of trying young talent when no older talent existed even when proved totally flawed.

No, I don’t want Tom at RT absent a complete revelation from Myers. I want Tom protecting the quickest route to Love and any between the tackles run. If Runyon remains at RG, I do not want two weak players in the run and in goal line together. Not only do I want Love upright and healthy but I want us able to run between the tackles. That’s a huge boost to the O and to the chances of a clean throwing pocket.

Push the weakest incumbents. Competition helps. Let them prove it or lose it. Do not shirk from challenging players to get better or from having to make changes if they are surpassed. Winning requires leaving no stone unturned to get the best out there on the field. LaFleur and his staff seem to struggle with that and too often avoid the contest out of fear of the answer. That’s a way to guarantee we will be worse than we should be. Now is the single best time to do this.

We need to grow as a team this year. That starts with facing our weaknesses and being willing to try to get better not to just accept experienced band aids. That, for me, starts with seeing if Tom is our best C and either moving Nijman and trusting Bakh or giving Jones a genuine shot now. To me that’s one window into the chances of LaFleur proving to be a coach for the future.

Don’t play afraid, particularly this year, and be prepared to try youth. It’s all around you anyway: embrace potential, run with it. Don’t settle for familiarity that’s not been good enough. This is a year to get better, to develop around a new QB. The roster is young and inexperienced. There no point in being afraid just because Gute hasn’t forced it. Especially when, as currently, every team knows that the Packers OL is most vulnerable at C/RG.

That’s the thinking that led us to Newman and Hanson being paired and to the idiocy of the OL changes for the last Championship game. It’s the thinking that kept putting Amari out there till the GM released him and forced a change. To keeping rolling out Watkins till the GM prevented that too. Not playing Wyatt till Lowry was hurt … there is a track record of these failings, a long list. LaFleur has growing to do. Here’s a good place to start.

Two things here evident, Rodgers the asshole screwed for whatever he wanted and now seeing the changes Rodgers refused to do and showed the prick he was. This motion is going to be great addition to the offensive scheme intitiated!

That it took so long for Barry to have a meeting like this is probably the most damning indictment of his performance. Why wasn't a meeting like that step #1?

The CHTV watch party sounds like a good time. Three colonoscopies ago, the physician guiding the scope up my rear end was Dr Ramage. I shit you not. Talk about being called to a vocation!

On the move -
I absolutely love that we will be seeing more motion and utilizing the players we have all over the field. What I like more is that they have the players that can do it naturally. Watson can do it and be effective. But a guy like Reed can absolutely be a weapon when put into motion. Another guy that I think would be great in it is Goodson. He has the speed and could be a big time weapon in this role.

Keep Yosh on the Bench -
I prefer Tom at RT. I think he is our best RT and I think Myers is fine at OC. I like Yosh, but I like having a proven backup at OT. I think Yosh is better at LT then RT also. We need someone ready to go in at LT at any point right now.

Pressure Points -
I just don't want to be seeing players playing 10 yards off when its a 3rd and 3. They want to play aggressive then be aggressive.

Workhorse -
Gary could be the key to our defense. Before he got hurt the defense was one of the top pass rush units. After he got hurt, one of the worst. They got some new players but if Gary returns to form, this could be a dynamic front.

Knock It Off -
Only way I will watch the show is if it is including GB. I just don't have any interest in it.

On the move...
With the amount of motion the Packers ran the last few years and a likely vanilla preseason, these are going to mostly be unscouted looks for Packers opponents without having to sweep out big chunks of the playbook. It creates some real opportunities for Love to be ahead of opposing defenses.

"I would think that pre-snap motion can force the defense to tip their hand as to what scheme the are running that play,"

Every time you make a defense process what their seeing, shift, hand off a motioning receiver, or communicate adjustments in coverage you create a greater chance for significant breakdowns that result in chunk plays. 12 seemed to want to play chess from the backfield while the rest of the league has been playing air hockey.

"Keep Yosh on the Bench"

I understand this reasoning, and it's logical. Sometimes minimal disruptions result in the best outcomes, but that presumes injury. Do the Packers see Nijman as the heir-apparent at LT? If so, hiding him on the bench likely makes him a cheaper re-sign as opposed to playing full time at RT. They need to figure out who is backing up those IOL positions on game day. Newman can play G. Rhyan? My understanding was that they were cross-training Rhyan at C, but I've heard little of it during this camp.

I'm really curious what this line is going to end up looking like in 2024 after Bakh is (likely) gone and they've been forced to make decisions on JRJ and Nijman. We keep pointing to Myers as the weak link, but he's good in pass protection and struggles in the run game--as does JRJ. Putting those two guys together compounds issues in the run game. I'm hoping someone pushes JRJ so the Packers know exactly what they have when they have to decide on a new contract for him.

"Pressure Points"

Barry needs to win that position group over after 2022 (and 2021), but I think having Jerry Gray out of the room will help. The bottom line, though, is that Barry can't put together extended stretches of good play with his defenses. There are multi-game stretches in each season where they look pretty good, and stretches where they look pretty lousy. He's coaching for his job. He's got players with pedigrees...they need to turn that into production.

I can't wait for the first snap with at least 5 seconds left on the play clock - the Packers shove a startled defense 5 feet off the line of scrimmage and Jones is off to the races or Watson and Doubs are 5 yards past the defenders before they realize the ball was snapped.

I like some motion but it can be over done and the timing is critical and may cause motion penalties that set you back. Second, teams watch films and it doesnt take long to get the gist of the motion and what to defend. Your not fooling anyone at this level. To me and the KC chiefs prove it over and over again, its speed that kills.
If you cant put speed on the field on both sides of the ball your at a disadvantage on offense and defense. Motion doesnt make up for it IMO of course

If I may be so bold, I'd like to offer one reason for optimism this upcoming season. Matt LaFleur supposedly runs the same style offense that Kyle Shanahan does in San Fransisco. Jimmy Garoppolo, Trey Lance and Brock Purdy all fared well under this system. These three aren't bad quarterbacks, but I haven't heard anyone extolling their incredible talents or Hall of Fame futures either. I think Jordan Love entered the league with a better talent dossier than any of those guys and he's had three years to refine his skills and learn the system. So, shouldn't one expect that Jordan Love would be successful as well? Granted, there will be a fair amount of differentiation from the Shanahan system, but I'm keeping my outlook higher than a failed QB or season.

Regardless of how the offensive line plays out, I think they'll be good if they can stay healthy. Still have hope for big improvements from Walker and Jones. I'm curious how they'd perform in a regular season game. But, not pushing for it! :-)

Somethings gotta change in Barry's defense and this was the first piece of evidence I've heard that maybe something will. I'd love to see DBs close to the line on third and short instead of ten yards away.

Still freaking out that Gary is off the PUP list so soon! I still don't expect to see him week 1 (or 3). I'm just glad he's making great strides.

Could care less about Hard Knocks!

Would love to attend the watch party. The only thing keeping me from it is the 23-hour drive to and from.

"Rasul Douglas said, "We basically told him we want to be aggressive. We want to be up close in guys’ faces and we want to challenge and make throws tight.” “So far,” Rasul added, “that’s what he’s doing.”"

Best news on Joe Berry I have heard in years.

Reed is behind Toure in the early depth chart, so we'll see how quickly that evolves. I really do hope he does become that chess piece, and that includes some shots downfield. Most of his snaps in college came on the outside, so he has plenty of experience there. This is going to be a fast offense, and once they start putting it together collectively they're going to be a lot of fun to watch.

On defense, I liked Alexander's quote as well: "Joe Barry can call whatever he wants to, but at the end of the day, we have to execute that call." I just liked the acknowledgment of responsibility here that sometimes you have to be able to adapt in order to get the job done. So it goes both ways.

Al...you always get the comments going! Always look forward to your column.

I like it that Nixon is looking to man the slot. He has been quite a find, thanks to Coach Rich. And the fact Rich probably has a solid relationship with Nixon should help in taking the pulse of the Defense if the Assist. HC is involved with the D this season. I see Barry is moving to he coaches box this season, leaving Bicassia on the field...hopefully helping to manage in game adjustments to the D as well as coaching STs.

Regarding Yosh, he is one of the best run blocking OL in the NFL, not just on the Packers. For a team that appears to want to focus more on the ground, not starting him if he is one of the best 5 is a big negative for team's success.

Just not seeing it from Myers yet. We're hearing about errors in the snaps, but not any big positives that offset that. Glad they are keeping the competition open, and having Yosh at RT seems solid. What I'm wondering is if Rhyan will give Runyon a push for RG...

Grab some popcorn and your favorite refreshment as football is finally back!

I'm just going to zone in on your comments re offense Al.

This will be a unique opportunity for Packers fans. With (essentially) the transplantation of the offensive brains trust and actors of the last 3 years to an opposing team we will actually get to see who is right.

Don't bother with the cryptic jaw-boning men, SHOW us what you've got!

Was MLF the repressed tactical genius?
Was Rodgers and Hackett's take on offense considerably different?
How do they respond when the defenses counter?

With Salah's limited Offensive experience, we are definitely going to see the pure, unadulterated Hackett\Rodgers offense, with the added bonus of a number of the main players to boot!

Agree or not, how the Jets go this year will ABSOLUTELY influence MLF's performance rating - and I think that we'll have key information in answering the (toxic) question of if "Rodgers' talent was wasted in GB".

As an aside, the Jets are building a SOLID D. If they make a run, it will be on the back of that D rather than exclusively Rodgers' arm,

Al states: "Based on accounts from people who have been at the practices, it appears one thing that our former QB disliked greatly has been re-implemented as a core principle of this offense - pre-snap motion. This fits perfectly into the narrative (and one I fully subscribe to) that Matt LaFleur will be free to do things HIS way and give us his pure vision of what the offense should look like."

Here's more read-between-the-lines, circumstantial evidence, from this SI article about 'the moment' the Packers knew Jordan Love was ready to be the guy:

https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/08/07/why-the-packers-are-comfortable-with-j...

The money passage from the article:

"And while the Eagles were driving the field, it stuck with LaFleur that he had a call that’d perfectly exploit a loose quarters coverage Philly had been running. The problem? Where it ranked on Love’s list of calls was in, as LaFleur recalls it, Do Not Call This If I Go In territory. “But I kept seeing the look for it,” LaFleur says. So after Love started the next series with a 15-yard throw to Watson and a first-down incompletion, the coach spit into the headset, Hey, do you trust me? Can I call this?

Yeah, Love responded, Let’s let it eat."

It's this in a nutshell.

All it took was Love showing he was willing to work with his HC, and LaFleur was sold. That kind of insinuates maybe LaFleur wasn't getting much of a chance to apply his offense prior.

Here's to a successful 2023. I absolutely agree it will be the first time we get to see MLF's offense for any length of time. It will probably be the first time we see the entire offense on the same page as the head coach.

It cracks me up that Packer fans are so excited that Joe Barry is working with his players to run a scheme that plays to their strengths instead of just doing whatever Barry says....And then turn around and say the MLF doing the same thing with Arod was a problem for the offense. How effective is the motion part of the playbook when the main (I know other players motion too) motion guy is Amari Rodgers??? If the defense doesnt respect the guy running the motion (probably praying that Amari is getting the ball lets be real) then doesnt that defeat the purpose of stressing the defense trying to cover the motion? Which makes the whole thing a waste of time when you dont have time to waste?

Yes, Barry tweaking his scheme to mesh with his players should be a good thing. Having the D consistently play up to expectations would be a nice change.

No, Arod wanting less motion and not running MLF's 'pure' scheme was not a bad thing. MLF (and now Barry, finally) tweaked their scheme to fit their players strengths.

Yes, JLove is gonna run a more pure MLF offense because MLF has more pro experience than JLove. As JLove gets more experience over the years you might see less motion than this first year as he learns NFL D's better.

Yes, JLove and MLF can have success using more motion. It keeps things simple for a young QB. Also, teams might get stressed more defending J.Reed in motion than say Amari "I have a gift for the defense" Rodgers

Y'know, Jersey Al is kind of the GOAT.