Now the Learning Process Really Begins for the Young Packers Offense

The Green Bay Packers opened OTAs this week and as expected, the learning process has truly started for a young Packers offense.

While the running backs and offensive line have experienced players, the Packers enter the 2023 campaign with very limited experience at the other “skill positions.”

The Packers feature a quarterback who has just one NFL start under his belt, two rookie tight ends who are expected to play large roles in the offense in their first NFL seasons and no wide receiver on the roster with more than one year of NFL experience.

 The results thus far have been predictable. At times, the talent these young players have has been clearly on display while at other times, the offense has struggled to get on the same page as the young players learn their assignments and work to create chemistry with one another.

Much of the focus is predictably on quarterback Jordan Love who is now taking over as the starter for the recently traded Aaron Rodgers.

On Tuesday of this week, practice was open to members of the media and Love struggled early before finishing with some better throws. Love finished by completing 6-of-16 passes for the scrimmage although he had three touchdown passes late in the session.

The poor statistics weren’t all Love’s fault. Three of his passes were tipped by defenders, and one was dropped by a receiver.

Head coach Matt LaFleur stressed that this was going to be a learning process for this young offense.

“We’ve got to see what everybody else around him can do as well,” LaFleur said. “And we’ve got some youth, so it’s going to be a work in progress, no doubt about it, throughout the course of OTAs and training camp and, quite frankly, throughout the course of the season.”

To try to speed up the process, LaFleur has been utilizing “call-it” plays where the coach doesn’t send a play to the quarterback and has Love read the defense and make a play call.

Love acknowledged this was a learning process for him and many of his teammates. “This is our first week practicing, starting live practicing against the defense. It’s not perfect right now. We know it’s not going to be perfect. I think the meter for us is continue building, make sure we’re doing the right things -- in the right place on routes and route depth, timing, things like that -- building that trust to take in the meeting room to the field and make sure everything’s dialed in from that aspect.”

The learning process is to be expected. It was the same for Brett Favre in 1992 when he took over for Don Majkowski and it was the same for Rodgers in 2008 when he took over for Favre after sitting behind him for three seasons.

The 2008 Packers had the league’s fifth best scoring offense and the eighth best offense in total yards gained under Rodgers, but they still needed to learn how to win. The team finished 6-10 and six of their losses were by four points or fewer.

As head coach Mike McCarthy said after a tough, overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans in November when the Packers offense managed only one touchdown in four trips inside the red zone, “Disappointed offensively with the red-zone production. We had a number of minus decisions down there. We need to do a better job of taking what the defense gives us, staying within the offense. Our decision-making was poor as a whole in the red zone, and it factored in the outcome in a number of those series.”

Obviously, Rodgers eventually figured out how to score in the red zone and how to win close games. But it was a process that realistically took a full season to learn.

Keep in mind that Rodgers also had a veteran receiving corps that featured Greg Jennings and Donald Driver while Love will not have any experienced targets to throw to. The result is that this offense will go through growing pains, but they also have a chance to grow together.

This season presents a series of different challenges for Love, his young receivers and tight ends and for LaFleur who will have to take a different approach coaching a young and inexperienced offense than he did coaching a veteran group will Super Bowl expectations.

How quickly LaFleur can get his young offensive players up to speed will be one major factor in determining whether the 2023 Packers can truly compete for a playoff spot or will be rebuilding this season despite all statements to the contrary. The journey has just begun.  

 

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You can follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers

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8 points
 

Comments (73)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
T7Steve's picture

May 25, 2023 at 12:22 pm

A veteran O-line and backfield will be very friendly for a young "skill" position offense.

Love calling plays at the line leads me to believe the offense will get plays off faster and even if he calls the wrong play the D will have less time to react to an executed play

Thanks Gill. I felt abandoned by you guys this morning.

5 points
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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 25, 2023 at 12:41 pm

I'd love to see some hurry up offense mixed in this season! Catch the opposing defense out of position, TD. 12 men on the field, penalty and first down. JL10 can make opportunities to really shine like that, preparing for it can only help :)

7 points
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TKWorldWide's picture

May 25, 2023 at 01:58 pm

The single set of footprints in the sand was from the time Gil carried you, Steve.

7 points
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packerbackerjim's picture

May 25, 2023 at 05:01 pm

I would expect heavy 8-in-the-box early in the season until the offense can make the opposing defense respect the pass.

2 points
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T7Steve's picture

May 26, 2023 at 07:23 am

Run through an 8 man box anyway. Keep shoving it. Account for those 8 men and just trot down the field. Then see what the D has to do. Don't let them dictate what we have to do.

As JB27 said yesterday, "execute". I want our O-line to be our "Executioners".

1 points
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jannes bjornson's picture

May 26, 2023 at 11:11 am

If they go 4 wide, there will be no 8 in the box.

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Leatherhead's picture

May 26, 2023 at 11:31 am

Exactly. And then we can throw it 40 times a game, which is a certain path to victory.

IMO, you play 3 wide, 1 TE, and 1 RB. This forces the opponent to play nickel, leaving only 6 run defenders on the field to go against our offensive line + TE. Six on six. With Jones or Dillon carrying the rock.

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jannes bjornson's picture

May 26, 2023 at 11:47 am

With Kraft and Musgrave, 12 packages, two WRs outside and Jones/Dillion single back creates a lot of mis-matches. My deal with LaFleur is he should design an inside trap/draw scheme when the defense is spread out. This should be a multi-faceted offensive attack.

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Grandfathered's picture

May 26, 2023 at 10:42 pm

You have a deal with LaFleur?

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Leatherhead's picture

May 27, 2023 at 07:34 am

I don't think lining up two rookie TEs is going to force teams into the nickel package. And I don't think either Kraft or Musgrave is going to be the receiving threat that a WR would be.

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Coldworld's picture

May 27, 2023 at 08:09 am

I agree with you to an extent. However, it’s all about the context of usage and the coverages that result. These aren’t the TEs of yore, they are bigger catchers with speed and agility as well as a size advantage. My suspicion is that this is an evolution of the big slot or at least a blurring of the line between WR/TE.

That said, I think we will see a return to 3 or 4 receiver sets this year as much as 12 personnel, and some of the 12 personnel will really be 1TE and a true H Back role. If we succeed, it will be matching weapons to the weakness of the D and adapting to what they give us. Something we’ve just not done in quite a while on O. If we can’t do that, then this talent is wasted on LaFleur.

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Leatherhead's picture

May 27, 2023 at 08:11 pm

As far as I've seen in the 4 years under LaFleur, our TE is a sixth offensive lineman, on most plays. We target the TE about 10% of our offensive plays and I don't think that's going to change a lot.

IMO, we're better off throwing it to our RBs, and our WRs, than we are throwing to the TEs. Make sure that Dillon and Jones get the ball plenty, throw it at Watson, and then pick your shots.

If either TE shows some juice, maybe we can throw him a bone and see if he can catch it in a game, but the more we keep the ball in the hands of Love, Jones, Dillon, and Watson, the happier I think we're going to be.

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mnbadger's picture

May 25, 2023 at 12:28 pm

This year will be the first chance we get to see how good of a teacher and coach mlf is.
If there's slight improvement from week 1 to week 18, thumbs down.
If the lights go from dim to bright to even high beam, across all position groups, two joyjul thumbs up.
Looking for continued improvement all season long and almost as important, a team first attitude.
No finger pointing when down or self promoting when good things happen.
Team first. All position groups (not just qb1) on both sides of the ball plus the special teams.
GPG!

4 points
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5.5
SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 25, 2023 at 12:43 pm

Right now, developing all 90 + PS is a huge chance for MLF to shine. Hopefully the whole coaching staff excels. Week 1 presents different challenges.

6 points
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greengold's picture

May 25, 2023 at 01:15 pm

mnbadger,

Sign me up for the high beams.

4 points
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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 26, 2023 at 01:11 pm

Sunglasses, full tank of gas, mission from God, lol

0 points
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cdoemel's picture

May 25, 2023 at 03:33 pm

Team first is part of the Packer way, and accept for AR, I don’t remember much finger-pointing from players during the season over the years. And ML does a great job of modeling humbleness and the need for constant self-improvement.

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WestCoastPackerBacker's picture

May 26, 2023 at 10:41 am

Rodgers demanded the young skill position players become professionals in the way they practice. That's all he ever did. And it paid off. You can see that by the way the WRs grew into their roles during his time under center. The rest of the time he was constantly speaking well of his teammates on both sides of the ball. Don't buy the media line; go back and actually watch interviews with him.

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mnbadger's picture

May 26, 2023 at 12:55 pm

I agree, but the words from the podium never seemed to match what I saw on game day or offseason.
the only time he seemed to talk to HC was to bitch at him.
Otherwise, straight to the bench, his stocking cap and not talking to anybody accept maybe, just maybe, coach clements.
Never to oline, never to RB's, never to WR's.
Never to defense.
Never at OTA's or anything voluntary over the past 3+ seasons.
Purposefully negotiated language in his contract for minimal fines for missing some mandatory off-season events.
Everything on his terms, not best interest of the team.
I'll always forgive errors on the field or in business if full effort is given to every detail.
I never faulted Favre for his picks, as much as it tore me apart to watch.
He always played without fear and with great self confidence and confidence in his teammates.
To me, 12 was more arrogant than confident and there's a huge difference between the two in my dictionary.
sorry, got to get off my soapbox.
good luck to JLo and the young, fresh 2023 version of the Pack.
GPG

2 points
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greengold's picture

May 25, 2023 at 12:35 pm

This is great, Gil. I always appreciate your work here.

Gotta say, first off, I'm most impressed by Jordan Love's command & quiet, cool confidence. He's very measured in his responses to questions from reporters, and seems to really have a good handle on what he's learned from Aaron Rodgers in actually being that QB1.

Was watching the latest interview he held at his locker after Tuesday's OTA practice, and came away impressed when he mentioned that, and how he was picking those things AR did that work for him to use, discarding those things that didn't, in reference to AR's handling of practice situations.

He's grown in his maturity and ability to be that rock for the rest of his teammates in these practices, telling reporters he's always got an open door for any of his teammates who might have questions, or who might just wish to talk some things through.

Pretty cool to see. Love doesn't appear out of place at all in his new leadership role. Quite comfortable, as a matter of fact.

Listened to Andy Herman this morning talking about Tuesday's practice. He's always got great perspectives. Mentioned how well Dontayvius Wicks was doing, scoring a big TD, then getting a couple 1Ds.

Apparently there was some fighting for the ball between Wicks and another defender at one point later in practice. Whistle blew. Ball came out. LaFleur addressed it immediately, pulling Wicks out for not hanging onto it all the way through.

That's some encouraging stuff to hear as well. Accountability.

I have to laugh, because Wicks did say it was after the whistle... LOL.

Nixon balling out over the slot is music to my ears. He seems incredibly motivated to add to this Packers D.

WesHod making mention of Zach Tom coming in looking a lot thicker was good news as well. He needed work on his base. Could prove to be a very important part of our OL success this season.

Wes also mentioned "Christian Watson looked like a grown man on the practice field Tuesday." Also that he "looked like he was an active participant in the weight room this offseason," with the stated goal of "tempering his body for the rigors of a full NFL season."

Not a lot of quality info out there right now on the OTAs themselves, but shared what I could glean from reports/interviews.

Watched MLF's presser too. He seems lighter, maybe easier, but more focused. Very confident in what he's expecting of his players and communicating to them. It's early, early, early... but, it's something positive. I'm sure we'll hear more about today's OTA, which LaFleur said would be a review of the 2 installs they put in on both O and D.

7 points
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T7Steve's picture

May 25, 2023 at 12:49 pm

Yes! We want the D dominating the offense, with no let up. They better have a snotty /prove-it attitudes this season. Best way for this offense to progress this preseason.

They learned last season (or better have) that beating the O in camp doesn't mean they'll beat other NFL offenses.

6 points
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T7Steve's picture

May 25, 2023 at 12:49 pm

X3

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greengold's picture

May 25, 2023 at 01:02 pm

Yeah, Steve, I like that emphasis on D bringing it. Guess they had to temper down some of the stuff being it is just an OTA practice, and LaFluer mentioned they were teaching their players how to practice in a way that hopefully avoids injury to any of their guys.

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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 25, 2023 at 12:54 pm

Thanks! I only see little bits about a few individuals. I'm hoping they're working the entire 90 man roster hard, preparing everybody. Evaluation can come later, right now get everybody familiar with scheme and system, not just individual plays.

After that, player evaluation should fall into place, right? My only question is if Zach Tom is prepared to be #6 O lineman at every position, won't that make him less effective than if he focused on 1 position to excel at? Is there nobody else that could be even as good at one position if they specialized at it? Aren't they going to keep 10 O linemen on the roster anyway? Why not have 5 specialize as second string?

We'll see how this goes ...

7 points
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greengold's picture

May 25, 2023 at 01:11 pm

SicSemperTyrannis, I'm with you, but can't help but feel there's a lot more up in the air right now on our OL. I think that's good, as it does sound like they've opened some positions up for competition. I love seeing that. Nothing needs to be firmly established, yet. Not at this point anyway. And, those battles will rage well into the Summer.

A reporter asked LaFleur about Sean Rhyan taking C reps. LaFleur said he wants to have a number of guys comfortable with snapping the ball at C, and now's the time to get some of those reps in for these other players.

Yeah, I wish we had more real info. I've been scouring podcasts/articles/interviews as best I can just to learn some more about what's really going on. The meat of it all.

It's too early. Seems like there's way less on the spot reporting like we've come to know in years past. Used to be reports were flying in from Twitter in an almost live stream fashion. Is any of that still happening?

I might drive up there myself on Sunday, May 28th to check it out. I believe that is our first practice open to the public. There's two more, Friday, June 2nd and Saturday, June 10th. All three begin at 11:30 am. (Thanks, Nags!)

-4 points
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T7Steve's picture

May 25, 2023 at 01:32 pm

Have you heard who's in attendance? If guys like Bakh and Jenkins aren't there yet, that changes perceptions about who's playing where and why. I hope they're all there, even if they're just working-out on the sidelines and observing, to let the young guys fight it out.

I want them to be a team that you have to tear them off the field because they want to practice and work together.

2 points
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greengold's picture

May 25, 2023 at 02:11 pm

Yeah Steve.

I heard, saw pictures, or video of Gary and Stokes there, working rehab with the rest of the guys. Caught a glimpse of Deguara doing some rehab training, and looks well recovered from last year.

Idk. Just been trying to dig deeper to see what I can glean from everything posted.

I don't think Jenkins nor Bakhtiari are in attendance at all from what I've heard. It is optional. I get that part of it, especially for vets of their stature.

Fun looking through the shots of the DL. Damn, Jonathan Ford looks like a monstrous beast out there. 6-6 338, and, CUT. Good to see Brooks/Wooden. Wyatt looks to be in good shape. Slaton too.

Did see some shots of the rest of the offense piling onto Bo Melton and congratulating him on a play of some kind. Just little bits here & there. Caught a couple shots of Tarvarius Moore. He was yucking it up with Dillon.

They appear to be working hard and having fun. Man, that fun factor cannot be understated. A lot of winning happens with that, and sound coaching/play.

0 points
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T7Steve's picture

May 25, 2023 at 02:22 pm

Make that sound coaching "TRUST".

2 points
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Coldworld's picture

May 25, 2023 at 05:17 pm

Bakh and Jenkins have been participating per the team, but weren’t on Tuesday. Deguara was listed as a full participant.

2 points
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greengold's picture

May 25, 2023 at 05:42 pm

Yo! Didn’t mean to insinuate Deguara wasn’t participating fully. Just saw video on him working with a trainer holding elastic band from his waste as Deguara was jumping forward against that force.

It was a drill he was doing back when he was rehabbing. Just testing his strength was my guess.

-2 points
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cdoemel's picture

May 25, 2023 at 03:44 pm

Getting the OLine depth as versatile as possible seems to be working and a benefit. Even after the cut to 52+practice squad, I hope they keep the OLine depth flexible and versatile. It can only help their careers as they move forward.

0 points
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dblbogey's picture

May 25, 2023 at 05:17 pm

I think Zach Tom is our 3rd best OL with a high ceiling. He needs to be starting.

1 points
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Tundraboy's picture

May 25, 2023 at 08:16 pm

Yes . Where is it written they all have to be jack of all trades?

3 points
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TKWorldWide's picture

May 25, 2023 at 02:02 pm

That description of Tom is music to my ears! It appeared that bulk/strength/anchor left room to improve and it sounds like he has!

6 points
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greengold's picture

May 25, 2023 at 02:12 pm

Sounds like it, man! Yeah. Beautiful! Good ol' WesHod with that observation.

-1 points
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Ferrari-Driver's picture

May 25, 2023 at 12:56 pm

Love has all the physical talent to be an all pro quarterback. When the gun goes off and the regular season begins and defensive coordinators game plan with their complex defenses is the time I am looking for growth from Jordan Love. Being able to quickly and accurately read a man, zone, or mixed scheme is so important and what will often be the differentiating factor between success and failure for an NFL quarterback. I have confidence that Love will be able to process the complex aspects of the defense quickly as he gains experience just as Rodgers did over time. I also hope to see Jordan buy time in the pocket when needed for a slower developing passing plays. He has already demonstrated that he has the physical quickness and speed to get outside if needed. Bottom line: I'm excited and have confidence that we have a top notch quarterback who is going to develop into one of the best in the league.

9 points
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greengold's picture

May 25, 2023 at 01:30 pm

I hear you, Ferrari-Driver!

That will be something to see, for sure. What I'm hoping for is LaFleur to scheme Love more to real success. Work the shizzle out of that running attack we have. Open up all the play action stuff, jet stuff... Kind of take some of that pressure off Love with his own added work to catch our opponents off guard. Essentially beat them down before the ball is even snapped, with a game plan that is that sound.

I'd like to see Matt LaFleur bring us that kind of preparation, from himself and his team.

Jordan Love will do fine. I'm 100% convinced of that. He's been immersed in LaFleur's system for more than 3 years now. He's ready. And, MAN!!! Does he have the players around him!!! Everywhere. OL, RB, TE, WR... pretty exciting stuff.

Preseason Game 1 v. CIN is August 11th at 6pm. We can cheer Danny Etling on then...! LOL.

-2 points
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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 26, 2023 at 01:19 pm

I'm hoping for a new approach to pre-season games starting this year. You don't have to give all your starters every snap, and sure rest guys like Bakh. But all the yutes should be out there, JL10 especially. Give ALL the backups some time too, but let the new offense gel during exhibition.

0 points
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KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

May 26, 2023 at 09:49 pm

Ferrari,
Pull your car in as I have an extra parking space in my garage next to my Mercedes.

0 points
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WestCoastPackerBacker's picture

May 25, 2023 at 01:48 pm

Well I am starting without high expectations for the offense, thinking it will be some time before most of them feel comfortable in their new roles and can play without constantly thinking about what they are doing. It's been hard to say goodbye to some of my favorite offensive players that I loved not only on the field, but also in interviews, with their veteran perspective, and analysis. I still miss interviews with James Jones and Tramon Williams and others. But I guess in time, we'll get to know these guys too, and see them develop into mature me, hopefully with great results on the field. It's been a very long time since we've watched a young QB lead the GB Packers. A long, long time. And he was a great one. We'll see what we've got with this young one.

5 points
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T7Steve's picture

May 25, 2023 at 02:13 pm

It can't be as bad an offense as a certain NY team, that had to give up major draft capitol for a 40-year-old. Sounds like they figured out how to get him out of OTAs without being slammed by the fans and media.

-1 points
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cdoemel's picture

May 25, 2023 at 03:49 pm

Hahahahaha!!! Always the conspiracy theorist

-1 points
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Packers2020's picture

May 25, 2023 at 04:49 pm

He is 39. :)

0 points
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Oppy's picture

May 25, 2023 at 06:32 pm

Tramon Williams and Jamaal Williams are probably my two top Packers personalities of the last 20 years.

As a side note , simply can't believe Jamaal WIlliams just can't find a forever home. That young man is a fantastic back and everything you're looking for in a team mate.

4 points
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Coldworld's picture

May 27, 2023 at 08:13 am

I wonder how much he contributed to the Lions attitude last year. They may regret letting him move on more than they think. On that team, he seemed to me to be a huge catalyst for belief.

0 points
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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 26, 2023 at 01:24 pm

2025 is our first chance to truly contend. 6 wins this season matches AR12's first season as a starter. I just want to see coaches developing everyone intelligently, creating honest competition, and let merit set the roster. That would be a big change! Even done right, none of that says anything about competing against this league. The regular season will be an entirely different set of challenges for the coaching staff.

1 points
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Packer_Fan's picture

May 25, 2023 at 02:12 pm

Getting bits and pieces from different sources.

Glad that Toure, Watson and Tom are all thicker. Rookies taking it to heart and becoming a veteran.

Finally getting more info on Stokes. Bet he will be on the PUP list to start the season. Makes sense that Douglas and Nixon will be in the same positions as last year.

Bet Van Ness will be starting come the season opener. Too disruptive to keep out of the lineup.

Makes sense that Reed is only playing slot now. Lots of learning before another position is introduced. Silly how the reports compare what was last year with only one or two practices. But is telling that the coaches think he could be an impact player.

Heard that Rhyan being tried at center. Looks like another third round dud to me.

-2 points
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greengold's picture

May 25, 2023 at 02:19 pm

Agree on Stokes, Packer_Fan. I can't imagine him being ready to return effectively until the 2nd half of the 2023 season. We'll see.

Those three players Toure, Watson & Tom having put the work in to add strength is indeed encouraging.

Giving an OT, a very high quality OT at that in former Bruin Sean Rhyan whom they projected to OG some reps at Center is nothing less than very smart. Expanding his capabilities is the Packer way with OL in general. They always want to have players who can play multiple positions there. I don't look on it as a negative for Rhyan.

As a matter of fact, Sean Rhyan could turn into a very important part of our starting OL for 2023. Sean taking over the OG spot opposite Jenkins could be very good.

Sitton & Lang were both OTs the Packers turned into a couple badass OGs for years of great play. I could see that same thing happening with Rhyan.

Sean Rhyan’s grades from PFF while at UCLA his Senior year:
86.1 run blocking
75.5 pass blocking
76.7 zone blocking
81.8 gap blocking

MAULER EXTRAORDINAIRE.

Rhyan can completely cave in his side of the line. Showed marked improvement year to year in his run & pass blocking so much so that you could see Sean’s improvement week to week as a Senior.

Drafted by GB to be that mauler Guard who could play tackle in a pinch, and possibly Center too. Him AND Tom coming from the same draft? I bet Rhyan wins a starter role at OG opposite side of Elgton Jenkins this year.

Who knows? Maybe Tom wins Center… Gotta love the competition. It will only make us better.

Jon Runyan needs to be challenged. His run blocking grades have been in the low-mid 50s each of his 3 years.

0 points
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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 26, 2023 at 01:27 pm

SO much talent in these O linemen! Should be 10 greats by week 1 :)

0 points
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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 26, 2023 at 01:29 pm

If Watson trains like Jerry Rice that could be HUGE, for a decade :)

Availability is his most important ability now. Toughness can be developed ...

1 points
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Packer_Fan's picture

May 25, 2023 at 02:12 pm

Getting bits and pieces from different sources.

Glad that Toure, Watson and Tom are all thicker. Rookies taking it to heart and becoming a veteran.

Finally getting more info on Stokes. Bet he will be on the PUP list to start the season. Makes sense that Douglas and Nixon will be in the same positions as last year.

Bet Van Ness will be starting come the season opener. Too disruptive to keep out of the lineup.

Makes sense that Reed is only playing slot now. Lots of learning before another position is introduced. Silly how the reports compare what was last year with only one or two practices. But is telling that the coaches think he could be an impact player.

Heard that Rhyan being tried at center. Looks like another third round dud to me.

0 points
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Coldworld's picture

May 25, 2023 at 05:23 pm

LaFleur said they wanted more people at C. Rhyan sounds like he’s seen as a pure G at this point and they wanted to take the chance to broaden that. It did not seem like they plan on Rhyan playing C regularly, just that they took an early OTA to test out the option. It’s all sub normal speed, not really opposed stuff at this point, so good time to experiment. Not a good time to judge anything but mobility/technique though.

1 points
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LambeauPlain's picture

May 25, 2023 at 03:42 pm

Rodgers first year was a winner for the Offense...a big fail for the Bob Sanders' 4th quarter bend and break Defense that was the primary reason for the 6-10 record. Bob was fired after Rodgers first starting season.

We will see, but I would not be shocked if Love produces similar winning results on the field in his first starting season but the Barry Defense losses winnable games.

I hope I am wrong and the Defense is what shocks me for its outstanding play.

5 points
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cdoemel's picture

May 25, 2023 at 03:56 pm

I don’t think I would call 28 td’s against 13 INT and a 93 QB rating in ‘08 a win for the offense.

-2 points
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LambeauPlain's picture

May 25, 2023 at 04:14 pm

I remember that season. There were several games...4, I think where the Packers held a lead late and the opponent scored last on the Defense. 10 win season was very doable with the Offense's production.

3 points
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Coldworld's picture

May 25, 2023 at 05:26 pm

Overall, it was very encouraging, but Rodgers had struggles at times. He was, and has admitted, much better at processing, reading and making decisions in 2009. That O underperformed based in its potential around Rodgers. It didn’t in 2009. The D may have been the big weakness, but I think it’s unhelpful to create the narrative that Rodgers was the player we remember in year one.

2 points
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Packers2020's picture

May 25, 2023 at 04:51 pm

It was his first year starting at QB. Yes, it absolutely was.

If Jordan Love has 28 TDs and 13 picks this year, I would be ecstatic.

5 points
5
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GregC's picture

May 25, 2023 at 07:29 pm

You wouldn't call that a win? Rodgers was sixth in passer rating and fourth in passing yards, and the offense was fifth in points scored. That's pretty darn good.

2 points
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WestCoastPackerBacker's picture

May 26, 2023 at 10:49 am

Maybe look a little deeper? Rodgers was 4th in total passing yards in the league, 4th in passing TDs, well above guys named Brady, Ryan, Manning, Flacco, Favre in QB rating. And he was better than Favre, Brees, Big Ben, Kurt Warner, Tony Romo in terms of picks. He had one more TD than Peyton and one more pick. I think he did very well for a first-year starter.

1 points
1
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Coldworld's picture

May 26, 2023 at 11:00 am

At the time it was the second most yards ever by a first year starter and statistically the best full season by a first year starting QB. So yes, in one sense it was great. However, he had a pretty good, veteran O around him, which was a significant factor. More importantly, he was not nearly as good in 2008 as he was in 2009, visually, in terms of consistency, or, by his own admission, at reading the
game and decision making.

That’s the key point here for me. Good, historically so, though he was, it was a growth year and not the full realization of his talent by some margin. It seems statistically highly unlikely that Love will be that good in year one. It’s certainly unlikely that the rest of this O are ready to help him as much as the one Rodgers has around him. If we see a similar scale of improvement between now and next year from Love, then that’s a win even if this year doesn’t reach the heights of Rodgers’ 2008 in terms of stats.

1 points
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WestCoastPackerBacker's picture

May 26, 2023 at 01:26 pm

Agree, I was just responding to "I don’t think I would call 28 td’s against 13 INT and a 93 QB rating in ‘08 a win for the offense." I think that poster dissed Rodgers' pretty amazing first year as a starter. I don't think 2008 is a preview of Love's potential as a first-year starter. Different players, different offense, different coaching, and different experience level at the skill positions.

I just hate seeing fans that are burned out on Rodgers try to re-write history and fail to recognize his talent b/c they don't like his personality or his failures in some post-season losses.

-1 points
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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 26, 2023 at 01:33 pm

I'm hoping Rich Bisaccia's promotion to assistant HC means JB won't be allowed to ruin another season. I'm trying not to be out for his head on a Pike, but that does require restraint. Can he develop as well as the first player cut from the 90 man roster?

0 points
1
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vin0770's picture

May 25, 2023 at 03:51 pm

The audibles from run plays to pass plays should be down this year. We’ll see what kind of offensive guru and play caller MLF truly is this year.

1 points
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Packers2020's picture

May 25, 2023 at 04:55 pm

Go look at the numbers since ML was HC. The percentage of running plays vs passing plays has been very consistent.

I think you will find at the end of the year it was not as much AR as you think.

And you can save this post and rip on me after the season if I am wrong. :)

3 points
3
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vin0770's picture

May 25, 2023 at 09:05 pm

What if it’s not a numbers and percentages thing as much as when in the game the play is changed? Point being is with this qb not as likely to change runs to passes we get to see what MLF offense taste is like. AR gets lots of praise for being so game smart so was he protecting MLF from bad plays? Do you know what MLF is? Shanahan and McVay get all kinds of praise because people think they know. But those same people also say the success here was because AR and not MLF. We will see now.

3 points
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Packers2020's picture

May 26, 2023 at 09:44 am

Great points, Vin.

We will definitely see how this shapes up and turns out.

0 points
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10ve 💚's picture

May 26, 2023 at 09:57 am

Lots of people used to say that Davante's success was due to AR. Now they have stopped saying that.

Let's wait and see if MLF is able to do what Davante has done.

0 points
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jannes bjornson's picture

May 26, 2023 at 11:35 am

They don't draft QBs in round one to hand off the ball. Love did most of his damage in the Philly game out of the shotgun. The O line is designed as a pass pro group.

0 points
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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 26, 2023 at 01:39 pm

SO many have claimed to know who called bad plays! We don't know and we don't know what will change. I'm hoping for a dominant running game behind a dominant O line. I'm hoping #33 isn't used as a bell cow, and all 4 RBs prove effective. I think putting pressure on Quadzilla for 1,000 yards is entirely the wrong approach, even though that might prove to be how it goes.

If that's the style this year, then running multiple targets on truly complex plays will be much more effective. MLF can scheme that up like a little kid on Christmas morning with all the targets he's got at his disposal :)

0 points
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Fubared's picture

May 25, 2023 at 09:18 pm

Hopefully a learning year and a bright outlook for the future.
Pack fans just need to hope this guy can read a d and not be an interception machine.

1 points
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jannes bjornson's picture

May 26, 2023 at 11:42 am

LaFleur supposedly runs a risk averse scheme.

1 points
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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 26, 2023 at 01:42 pm

That's why I say JL10 could have a very good season just with Jimmy G levels of competence.

0 points
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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 26, 2023 at 01:41 pm

2025 is our first chance to be a true contender. There's time for the yutes to gel. No pressure from expectations can be a force!

2 points
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