You’re on to something with the idea of the Packers accepting their fate. One of their major problems the past few years has been their inability to accept reality (e.g., Amari Rodgers’ lack of ability, self-evaluation of units/players/coaches, Aaron Rodgers’ age & current health & skill set…)

I thought there would be no math.

They didn't let Dillon be Dillon. Now we find out he wasn't letting him be him? When he was running out of the shotgun, it was designed to make him hesitate.

Too early for any Watson comparisons to anyone except his self and his own development.

The Love Shack is a little old place that we can get together. (Must be bad or someone would have used it before.)

Another good article Al,
The trash can thing I could have lived without, why kick a guy when he's down?
As for Watson, not sure I like the weight room/Megatron idea, the extra weight and muscle can sometimes slow even the best athletes down. This kid is a great athlete and a true burner, gotta' keep that speed. If he stays healthy the sky's the limit.
I too have been on the Douglas to safety bandwagon this year, but it will take coaching to make that switch successful, and Barry and his staff might not be capable of doing that. It sure as hell doesn't look like they are.
After seeing Love against Philly I too would like to see more. I've never had any faith in this kid, but that game turned my thinking. There's not much 'IF' left for this season, so give him a full game and let's see what we've got.
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I'd like nothing better than to see Dillon being Dillon and bulldozing people, but I still cringe at the thought of losing Jones. Seeing Jones and that sombrero in any other color(s) would be heartbreaking.

Hopefully with AJ Dillon thinking less it will result in more games like his last two outings. I'd also like to see him get more carries with Rodgers or Love under center opposed to shotgun. Maybe I'm imagining it but doesn't Dillon seem much, much slower hitting the hole when Rodgers is in shotgun? Yes, I know Rodgers prefers being shotgun...Hmmm, I'll bet Love doesn't care.

Comparisons are all fun and good and if Watson was turn out like ANY of these comparisons the Packers probably got the best WR in the 2022 draft with the 34th pick. I'm curious to see if the Rams shadow Watson with Ramsey on Monday. If so, this would be EXACTLY where I'd like to see Rodgers run the MLF offense opposed to the Rodgers/McCarthy/ MLF offense. Give the kid some help and SCHEME him open.

I think Douglas would make an excellent Safety. He's more than big enough and has enough speed to play but as Al alluded to he has excellent anticipation. Put him back there with Rudy Ford and maybe try and find a decent safety in the draft. OR, you could trade your 3rd round pick since the Packers can't pick a winner in the 3rd if they're life depended on it.

As exciting as Watson has been. As excited as I am to see Doubs and Watson on the field together, healthy AND more experienced in the offense, this team in the playoffs WITH Joe Barry as DC feels like nothing but a big tease. If they managed to "Run the Table' and the Giants, Seahawks, Redskins, and Lions all lost enough to move the Packers up to the final wildcard spot, Joe Barry leading this defense against say that 49ers running game just seems like a cruel thing to put the fans through. We already know Barry doesn't have a fucking clue. I just don't think I can stomach another Packers playoff beatdown while Rodgers blames EVERYBODY else around him.

Jordan Love...I've been ready for Jordan Love since the end of last season. Ever since that HORRIBLE throw into triple coverage to Adams as Allen Lazard was streaking wide open right in FRONT of Rodgers I became more than ready.

Can’t put Watson in the same sentence as Moss, Rice, and Megatron. The comparisons at this point are Jeff Janis, Bill Schroeder, and MVS.

I still blame Dillion's problems on the OL. Ending the Revolving door experiments had to happen.
Trash can. The DL still needs help. The odds don't matter. Just win.
Watson doesn't need to be compared to anyone. He's the #1 WR on this club.
Douglass might be Micheal Hyde. But I'll bet we draft some safety help.
Love - I still say trade him. Don't care if he plays another down for the packers.

Thanks Al. Nice as always. Nothing to add or to comment on your article.

Dillon's head -
We could definitely see that he hasn't been as decisive and that he just wasn't the same. The last few games he has started to come on more.

Trash Can Removal -
I really liked Heflin. I would have liked to have seen him getting more playing time. But like you stated that 3 guys ahead of him barely can get any. We have yet to see Ford play.

Run the table -
I don't really care about odds to be honest. Unless I'm betting. And I'm not betting anything on this GB team.
I'm going to sit and watch and hope they do run the table.

Watson Comparison -
I really have a hard time comparing Watson to anyone, because he is just different. He has traits of all of them. I am too young to really remember Lofton, so I like to compare to players that I got to see live. I can see Moss with his speed and size. Megatron is still a different player to me. The only person right now that I can compare his speed to is Tyreek Hill. Someone that as soon as he is free, no one is catching them. (I'm not comparing him to Hill, just his speed).

Playing it Safe with Rasul -
Maybe it makes sense. But I like Douglas as a CB. Sure he will get burned some. But I love his physicality. I love how he can play the run from the outside. What needs to happen is the DC needs to be smarter then us and figure out the best way to use him.

See the Love -
Love looked night and day better against the Eagles then has in any of his previous performances. I'm sure a few things have helped. He has gotten a lot more reps with Rodgers being hurt. He has Tom Clements helping teaching him how to be QB. Things are slowing down for him.
For the first time against the Eagles, Love looked like he could be our future QB. I haven't gotten that feeling anytime before this.

Dillon may have been thinking too much, but taking handoffs from QB1 in shotgun wasn't helping him. Almost by definition taking a handoff in shotgun makes the running back hesitate versus getting two steps toward the line of scrimmage before taking the ball. As Al pointed out, physical momentum is just science and a big back needs that momentum to be most effective. Too bad the Packer coaching staff can't figure that out (or QB1 doesn't like it).

It is always sad to see a dream wither and Jack Heflin deserves better than "a trash can full of dirt" jokes. He was a try hard guy who likely just wasn't athletic enough to play in the NFL. I wish him well going forward.

Al, you suffered from too short of a comparison window. For us elders in the know, the guy Watson should be compared to is Lance "Bambi" Alworth.

Makes considerable sense too, as the guy tossing him the ball now is the equivalent of a late career John Hadl...

Heflin - I didn't know that he was still on the team so his departure is a non-issue. I don't think he ever actually played a snap in an NFL game. No loss there.

Dillon isn't the only player on the Packers this season who has not been himself. Alexander, Stokes before his injury, Campbell before his injury, Clark, Amos, Savage, P. Smith, Myers, Jenkins, Tonyan, and Rodgers. Rodgers is due to playing through his injuries but the rest of the players mentioned and probably a few others have all been off their best this season. Coaching??? No doubled it's a factor. Misuse of players? For sure.

Run the Table. Doesn't matter? Play to win yes. Play smart first. Play Love, move Rasul to Safety with Ford. Give Wyatt and Slayton more snaps on the DL. Move Clark to DE. Use this time to see what the younger players can contribute going forward. If run the table happens it happens. If we reach the playoffs Great! But do it with the young guys. Turn the page already!

Watson - Forget the comparisons. Just let Watson be Watson. He needs to make his own way in the league. He doesn't need expectations heaped on him as to who or what he should be at this point. Let him play, get the ball to him and see what happens. Thanks, Since '61

Kudos to Gabrielle Dillon for her insight into her hubby. The Packers should bring her in as a consultant to determine reasoning and problem solving ability within the organization from the top down. Could be some interesting pie charts and bar graphs. I'd suspect a "not thinking enough" cluster or two.

Lofton was the first great Packer receiver that I remember as my Packer memories only go back to 1971. That said, I forgot how fast Lofton was. I do see shades of Lofton's game in Watson so it will be interesting to see how Watson progresses in the next year or two. Here is a video of Lofton highlights! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EapvtHLxB0 Enjoy!

my apologies... duplicate

I met James Lofton when I was working in Santa Rosa, CA. He came into our office by mistake. I directed him to the right location (next door) and a person in our office said it was James Lofton.
45 minutes later I was going to lunch and he was getting into his Porsche and I asked if he was JL. He laughed and said yes. I told him I was a big Packer fan and really enjoyed watching him play there. He said something about loving the team but not the area and went on his way.
The one thing about Lofton...he wasn't that tall. I would say 6-1.

Quick Comments:

Douglas to safety? Seems to make good sense, but until you do so...

Run the Table? I'm not a betting man, but maybe 30 0r 50:1? Still, I'd like to see it. If/when eliminated, start Love.

Watson comparison? Who knows, but if I saw a comparison to those mentioned, it would be to Lofton. I don't see the extreme athleticism and ball skills of Moss, or those traits along with the physicality of Megatron. But of course, I am liking what I've been seeing.

Give Watson a year or two in the Packers' weight room

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Perfect timing for the Diva's departure.

--The lines on both sides of the ball were a big disappointment for me this season, and I hope Wyatt isn't the next can of dirt moved out.

-- Watson has a good chance to score 10 TDs, which is amazing considering the time he missed. He needs to learn how to protect his body after receptions. Too early for a comparison.

-- I think Douglas and Ford are keepers for the safety position, but we still need that center field ball hawk type of FS that we thought Savage would be. Unfortunately, we are stuck with Amos/Savage for another year because they both have about an 8 mill dead cap.

-- I want wins for the rest of the season especially against Lions and Vikes. Wether we pick 10 or 15 doesn't matter to me, but wins setup confidence for next season.

I much prefer to have Lowry removed from the premises - than Heflin.

Wonder what the odds are of the Board of Directors running Mark Murphy out of town?

Watson's emergence as a r.o.y. candidate has overcome several obstacles - including Rodgers ignoring him for long stretches of the season.

Changes only happen from Packers management strictly if they have to - not want to. Of course Love (and others) should now be playing more at this stage of the season. However, best not to hold our breaths.

Interesting thought experiment. Let's say we do see the Pack lose on Monday and they do play Love out the rest of the season. (I personally think he will perform much better in this offense than AR). Let's say he wins out and by some remote quirk of fate, they make the playoffs. Who goes in at QB?

When our opponents are running for plus 200 yds, I think Heflin was worth a glimpse.
I don’t buy the Megatron/Watson comparison. I first believed Javon Walker was the best comparison, but after watching some Lofton videos, I see why others see the resemblance.
Since Douglas was signed, many of us have suggested Douglas should be at safety and/or nickel. As you pointed out he is instinctive—.
Every sport requires being strong in the middle and I believe we’re moving in that direction.

Once Upon A Time, we had a draft that featured Love, Dillon, and Deguara as our first three picks. The day is coming when we're going to see them on the field together, along with Watson and Doubs and Toure. We might add some guys before next year, but this is going to be the core group of skill position guys next year.

Watson seems like he might be superduper, if he can just stay on the field.

Dillon is a good piece. He runs, blocks, catches passes. He's assignment sure. He's been durable. If Jones is traded, I'd look to get a supplementary guy to pair with Dillon. I like the two back attack and I think it keeps them fresher and healthier during the game and season.

Next year, Lowry and Heflin will both be with other teams. One of them will get paid a lot, and the other one will get the minimum. And there's a reason for that.