"A reminder, don't sell your tickets to Vikings fans!"

There should be a 'HOMER" web site set up for ticket holders who want to sell their tickets. I'm sure there are lots of Packer fans that will snag them up. Maybe the visitors will pay more, but if you bought season tickets to make a profit there might be other business ventures to look into. Be a Packer fan first and foremost.

I like the quick pace offense too, but it has to get some 1st downs, or it works against the D. I think I've heard MLF use this explanation/excuse before. I'm sure that more teams will use this against the Packers to start out with as that's the first TD they've allowed in the 1st quarter this season.

Well done Al. Way to keep your eyes downfield. My biggest takeaway from this game was the clutch performance of Jordan Love. For once I would like to see a game where our WRs are wide open with SOME separation. Love is almost always forced to thread balls into tight windows. The Watson TD is a prime example. Are our receivers B grade or are they not coached in the finer points of route running? I am hoping that a health Reed and activated Golden change this for Love.

On offense, we all like to see plays that gain good yardage. I don’t care if it’s boring and predictable if it’s successful. But I think the association is made that boring and predictable equals unsuccessful. Was the famed Packer sweep boring and predictable?

The pass to run up tempo mode takes Confidence.
And it is harder to do with poor center play.
Love behind the center helps.
Because he can avoid botched snaps.
And not tip pass.
But Deceiving the defense, with
Complicated play action became a problem.

The pass break-down more than likely
was the 3rd and 2 bombs.
IMO- it’s on Love and not MLF.
Either Love's confidence is breaking down or
He’s having trouble with the tactics of the defense.

Thank you Al for condemning that godawful long pass on third and short. I don't get the all-22 film, but from the TV coverage it did not look like there was a short route run on the play so I assume that was a LaFleur play call rather than a Love decision. Has our HC never heard of situational football or complementary football? If I were Hafley, after the game I would have had a serious conversation with LaFleur about that call as it compromised a tired defense.

I thought LaFleur called a better game last Sunday, but that third down play was a complete bonehead mistake. Shot plays have their purpose and a few should be called every game to keep the safeties back, but not when a first down is desperately needed to rest your defense. Complementary football!

"Christian Watson needed this to prove to himself he was truly back to his old self after coming back so soon from the ACL injury."

The Packers desperately need someone out there that opposing DC's respect as a downfield threat to give teams pause in how they scheme the Packers. They really haven't worked to establish Golden that way, so the fact that the Packers really didn't put 9 on a pitch count and that they're interested in getting him the ball downfield will help significantly.

Throwing the ball on early downs helps back off the safeties and keep the LBs from crashing the LOS, too!

"Love seems to best run the offense when it's pass to set up the run and in uptempo mode."

<<AHEM....points to self>>

"When Luke Musgrave was playing terribly, they didn't stick with him.too long; he hardly played the second half. "

I can't say it any more plainly than he's getting his chance to show he's a player and he's blowing it. As you say, the snap counts show that his play isn't being lost on the coaching staff so many out there say is ignorant of game flow. Josh Whyle, who was regarded as a decent pass-catching TE prospect when he came out, is up!

Other teams are leaning into multi-TE sets (instead of throwing extra OL on the field)--Pittsburgh and the Rams come to mind--to bait teams into playing more base and then throwing at or over lead-footed LBs. I read (yes, READ Nags) a piece just yesterday that the Packers are particularly guilty of putting base personnel out against 12 and 13 packages and surrendering passing yards against it. What's more, the Packers are now woefully underequipped to use this strategy themselves.

"A reminder, don't sell your tickets to Vikings fans!"

Minnesota fans in all sports (except maybe college hockey) are a fickle bunch, and a 4-6 team that's lost 4 of its last 5 and is fading rather than improving will have those Vikings fans who scrounged tickets early selling them back to Packers fans.

I think it was Evan Williams (he of the last INT RECEPTION) said in an after-game interview (paraphrasing), "Looks like we'll be on the Jugs machine a lot this week." :)

Your point about making every effort to spell the D is acute. With a light preferred IOL and an opponent clearly attempting to over power them and succeeding, that should have been an instinctive priority. That IOL is not designed to withstand what the Giants were able to subject it to.

That is a concern that is unlikely to change this year, unfortunately, so it’s one that should factor into our strategy. For opponents it not only allows them to get yards and dominate possession, it also gradually musters the interior rush. It’s a win-win I fear we will see tried increasingly by future opponents.

Love was good, Watson was great to see. Williams raised questions about how he’s been (not) used. And what was the focus issue among the other receivers? One would think after the week before that they’d be as ready and sharp as can be.

The TE position minus Kraft is a total cluster. We don’t run move routes instead we pretend that Musgrave and Fitzgerald can block and run the kind of plays Kraft could. For goodness sake adapt to what you have. The 6th OL is a better option at this point, but its appearance was brief. It’s not like we were meaningfully targeting the TEs in the passing game, gaining blocking would yield a much better return surely,

I fear the near lateral type horizontal plays only vanished because Golden was beaten up and so was Williams. Brooks got one early and Melton did run one successfully on a nicely designed deception play from the backfield. I hope I’m wrong that this was mostly driven by availability.

We still haven’t figured out how to get Golden involved even without Reed. With Kraft out, the 3 WR limit is proving to be a straight jacket. It would be so nice to see 2 WRs going deep from Watson, Golden and Williams. I dream of seeing Watson bend into a cross over the deep middle and Golden go straight or Williams. Heck, bunch them and have Watson cross, Williams cut to the sideline and Golden just go. Then do it again and have a RB wheel the other way.

That would challenge the shell D safeties and RBs. Mix it up and have Watson or Williams stop. Heck, you could even incorporate Musgrave in that up the seam. Get creative!

Sadly LaFleur’s schematic universe seems artificially limiting and our route trees relatively easy both to predict and cover with limited resources removed from the first ten yards. We make things more difficult for our WRs and for our OL and RBs.

Eleven games in, and Matthew Golden is barely an afterthought for this offense. Why? Is he unable to get open? Why don't they script plays for him? There's spreading the ball around, and then there's ignoring your #1 pick. It all seems strange.

"For the love of Lombardi, why not come out and start the game in tempo one time?"

A very good question. It needs to asked at LaFleur's pressers. He did tell the ABC team before the game he planned "to muck it up", shorten the game by draining the game clock with slow tempo and limit total plays...it can work but when your Offense is not making plays and scoring points...adjust!

Between the two bookend games against the Ugly Purple, the other 5 games in between will be against 5 teams all fighting for a Division title. (Ravens have won four in a row and are 1 game behind 6-4 Steelers)

Bares will have 6 of their remaining 7 games vs teams in the Division hunts.

The rest of the season will determine MLF’s future in Green Bay, it’s as simple as that. All the dropped passes , by the O and D prevented this game from being a blowout.

Musgrave brings back the old "Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" reference. For someone who is getting basically a second shot, he seems not to be jumping in with both feet. Maybe he's pressing too hard, but to get pulled for two other less experienced players says a lot about his performance.

Not happy that Jacobs was hurt, but hopefully, this will give the coaches confidence to utilize Wilson and Brooks more often, and keep Jacobs fresh...still have 7 games to go before the tournament begins.

Hopefully Willis' play will get MLF and Stenavich off high center and develop a few packages for him to use from time to time. Those things will give other teams another thing to have to prepare for.

Just go out and kick the Queens' a$$es and go on a run. GPG!

There was a comment made by Mike Wahle yesterday that stuck with me and I don't know if it's 'fixable'.
"Without Kraft, the receivers (WR/TE's) lack physicality, sustained blocking ability and are not able to secure the ball on a consistent basis-" Route-running isn't where it should be either. My guess is coaching isn't providing enough discipline and attention to detail. Davante stopped the drops after his second year.
The current TE's are not NFL caliber.

"One Giant Step and Some Small Ones".

One Giant Step over a Lilliputian.

The salient point(s) made by Al and y’all concerning situational awareness is imo the most critical element of all.
I believe we have lost three NFC championships because of a coaches/players lack of awareness.
I recall the Seattle championship when they lined up for FG when the only thing that mattered was if they gained a first down. Of course, the edge (Jones) crashes inside allowing an easy catch for a first down…and you know the rest of the story.
…and LaFluer chooses a FG with a couple minutes left vs Brady & the Bucs when the only logical choice was attempting a TD.
…Allowing a blkd punt vs the 9’rs.
I could go on, but you’re already yawning.
Anyway, good article Al.
Go Packers!!!

"It wasn't pretty, but I'm encouraged for several reasons. Sure there were negatives - the drops, injuries and the ever-present penalties, but there were things I wanted to see and some important positives. First of all, the Packers NEEDED a win to feel good about themselves again."

I was very encouraged. Some of the things that I was encouraged about.

- They found their WR#1. They can say all they want that they go with who is open and whatnot. No Watson is the number 1. He has the best hands on the team (except for maybe Golden). He is the deep threat and biggest playmaker. As Doubs was dropping balls Watson was making big time plays. Watson needs more targets!

- They found something after Jacobs went out. They put the ball in Love's hands and let him cook. He was a chef. It was not on him that they ended up with 7 or whatever drops. They did more under center and I think this part of the game suites Love and LaFleur more. Hopefully they continue to do so.

- While the TE's weren't great, I think they are finding ways to use them. Whyle looks like a player they can use. maybe as an HB some. I do think they will find ways to use Musgrave too. They won't be Kraft, but they can be productive.

- Savion Willams had 2 plays on offense. But he had probably the biggest play of the game coming down with that contested 33 yard catch. I hope after that play they start giving him more opportunities down the field. They could use another big weapon down the field.

Whyle looks like he has good hands but apparently is a poor blocker.

I don't know how useful LaFleur's days as a Division II and Indoor Football League QB has been in his professional coaching career. Although it seems that often he is more "playing" the game than coaching it - through the talents of Jordan Love and cast.

Also I attribute his recent offensive game plan as more of a fortunate accident than any sort of epiphany. Having only taken form after the injuries to Love and Jacobs. Still I'm hoping that MLF has finally learned something from the Giants game.

In the meantime - I would recommend LaFleur check-out the Zen Master "Phil Jackson" - whose principles for leadership included giving up control and trusting in the moment. It could lead to a longer (coaching) life.

I enjoyed watching Phil sitting on the bench - watching the game - not getting his feathers fluffed up. Certainly never over-coached. Should be a lesson to many coaches.

Intrigued but not excited to hear Policy's manifesto. What part status quo - what part change? Also thinking more status quo than change.