Spot on article, congrats on your anniversary, the beer looks good, and I agree with your take about the nostalgia and enjoyment of a good OG supper club experience.

So I looked at the data and was shocked. By my count 11 of the 20 biggest comebacks (by points) in Packers history have occurred during the Aaron Rodgers' era, but only 1 of the 11 was with MFL as head coach. Maybe if I dug in I would find that some of the games were not started by #12, but my assumption was wrong. My assumption was that this is a #12 problem as well as a MLF problem, and I was wrong. So I don't know if something has changed with #12, or if this is purely an indication of MLFs coaching ability, but something is definitely wrong in Titletown. We talk a lot about how MLF doesn't lose two games in a row. He needs to figure out how to right the ship in-game as well as he does between games. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/comebacks.htm

Zach Tom. I said it before the draft: He is the most Packers lineman in the draft. The Packers need answers right now. Newhouse is not an answer at RT. Hanson is not an answer anywhere. Zach Tom needs to be in the equation, and the Packers need to try other options at whichever spot he doesn't take.

I honestly don't know what to think of this team but I'm NOT going to completely freak out...YET. The WAY a MLF team loses does concern me. Get them down by 10 points and they curl up into a ball and cry for mama. That includes the guy they paid $50 million to play QB. The team just doesn't seem to have the heart to REALLY FIGHT when adversity hits.

Rodgers on Rodgers...What a DICK! Do your teammates or coaches call you out when you IGNORE the open man, don't even look their way again because they dropped a pass earlier in the game? I'm REALLY starting to dislike this guy. Yes, he gives the Packers the best chance to win. But he's a shitty leader who's an arrogant control freak. He's a whiner and his body language consistently gives a negative message.

The O-Line... If Hanson is the starter this week I'll be shocked. Zack Tom belongs in the starting lineup even after Bahktiari and Jenkins return.

8 touches for Aaron Jones... When I saw that stat I couldn't believe it. Jones and Dillon need AT LEAST 40 touches or more a game. Week one they had like 25 IIRC. Didn't MLF say these two would be MORE involved in the game plan to make up for the loss of Adams? LaFleur NEEDS to get a grip on his QB. Hey, I'm glad they get along and like one another but LaFleur is the HC and I'm actually starting to doubt this guy a bit.

I am not as sold on Tom (for this season) as the author is. PFF graded Tom quite poorly in run blocking (even worse than Hanson). I think Tom has really good feet and athleticism and is good in pass pro already, but he needs a year in the weight room before he is going to be an effective run blocker in the NFL. Given an aging QB1 and that Tom is a better pass blocker than Hanson, perhaps Tom is the better choice at RG, but he isn't a great answer at least this season. I think I would rather see Newman at RG and Walker or Jones get the shot at RT.

The author talks about player resilience, but I wonder how much of the Packer's inability to respond has to do with the coaching staff's inability to make in-game adjustments? Is it attitude or is it coaching incompetence? If the players don't believe the game plan is working and the coaches can't change it, do the players give up? It is a bit of a "chicken or egg" question, but I am leaning more toward in-game adjustment issues than player motivation.

Refball. I never heard that one before. That's great.

Amari Rodgers has been an odd story this year. He looked better in the preseason than he did last year, but the fact that they were playing him in the fourth quarter of preseason games suggested that he was fighting for a roster spot rather than being slated to become an important part of the offense. They finally seemed to settle on him as a returner and a gadget player, but then they failed to put him on the field on offense in a game where a gadget play or two might have helped. So maybe he made the team by default because they could not find another competent kick returner. I still think it was a huge blow to his career right out of the gate when Randall Cobb was brought back, but then, if Cobb hadn't taken his place as slot receiver maybe we would have just found out sooner that Amari wasn't going to succeed as a WR.

The lack of resilience really seems to be a problem, and I have a nagging feeling that it has something to do with Aaron Rodgers, who is looking more and more like a hired gun as years go by. Even when he praises teammates it seems calculated and insincere to me. He's still one of the best QBs in the league, but maybe he's really not the heart and soul of this team. Maybe nobody is.

A silver lining that was not mentioned in the article was the special teams, which were downright competent. I think they will be fine this year, but I'm withholding judgment because last year I seem to recall the special teams having several games in which they were not a liability, including some games down the stretch. So one game is not enough to judge the new special teams.

Yes, the Jake Hanson thing is weird. Thanks for a fun article full of good takes.

I've always marveled at how the Packers take forever to get going. Early season games are an Achilles heal for this team and it seems, about the only way the vikings can beat the Packers, is if they play us early on. I agree that the score should have been much closer, as well. Watson dropping a sure TD pass was bad. Dillon's getting stuffed at the goal line and being tackled from behind by an unblocked Zadarious, was 7 less points on the board. Rodgers throwing to a double covered Tonyan, on 4th down, at the goal line, instead of looking for a receiver underneath the coverage, to move the chains and give us 4 more downs and chances to score. If those muffs were points we'd be down 23-21. Who knows if the vikings would have scored all their points, if we had scored on any of those plays? Defense had it's moments, too. The whole Jaire not covering Jefferson, until late in the game, was not good planning. Zone defense allowing Jefferson to be wide open, was a huge mistake. Not having Tom on the OL, as a starter, was a mistake. Sounds like he will be our LG, this week. The Hanson/ Newman debacle on the right side of the line was really bad. Rasheed Walker or Caleb Jones at RT cannot be that bad. Onto the Bears and hopefully our lethargic play we saw vs minnesota, was a fluke. GO PACK, GO!!! AND RUN THE DAMN BALL!!!

As a fan, I really hate to say this, but throughout the game # 12’s facial expressions and his body language were frighteningly reminiscent of Jay Cutler. YUCK.

Good article Tim. I keep reading about the Packers folding when down, the wrong people starting on our O-line, RBs not getting used, no in-game adjustments and other fixable issues. These assessments keep repeating. Seems like we have a coaching problem. Strong coaching moves this team in the direction that suits the personnel on the roster.

We are still an Aaron Rodgers lead team that goes as he goes. When Rodgers gets punched he pouts and stops leading. So far, Matt LaFleur is not enough coach for this quarterback, this squad or for the coaches that work under him. I doubt that this will change with Aaron Rodgers managing the team.

"It is an unfortunate trend: the LaFleur-era Packers have little in the way of resilience, and when they lose it tends to be in embarrassing fashion. "

I don't know if that's a measure of resilience. I think it's more a measure of when the game plan isn't on, or an opponent's is, the Packers don't fare well. That comes back more to in-game adjustments. I would point to the fact that an MLF team has never lost back-to-back regular season games...that's more a measure of resilience, or perhaps a better indication of it. When they take a gut shot one week, it doesn't lead to extended slumps,

Jake Hanson--this guy has taken more shots in the last couple weeks than a cheating husband on Doctor Phil. He is what he is, which is nothing special, and perhaps really playing out of position. Maybe the greater concern at this point is the fact that the coaches felt strongly enough that he was their best option on the right side (and moving Newman), indicates either a real lack of faith in the OL depth or a general lack of depth altogether. As LH points out, the Packers were already starting the season playing OL #3-7. JRJ's injury presumably means that the Newman/Hanson combo may resurface on Sunday night. The Packers brought up CJones, which could be read as a need to bolster OT depth, but is likely more an indication of him drawing outside attention on the PS.

Jaire-Jefferson--a lot has been made of the Packers not following Jefferson with Jaire on Sunday. I read a nice piece the other day that indicated that when you move a CB around like that to trail an opponent's best WR, it puts a tremendous strain on the secondary to move and adjust. When that WR goes in motion, all the DBs are impacted instead of that guy being passed off...so it requires great communication and awareness, which is why teams just don't follow WR with their best CBs very much. That said, Jefferson feasted on the Packers in zone coverage on Sunday, which seemed to be more a function of poor pass rush, lousy drops and depth by the ILB and S, and--in general--iffy spatial awareness. If you look at Jefferson's catches, they were 20+ yd or nothing. I would expect to see a different mode of attack by the defense when they see the Vikes later this season.

This week's games...
1. Packers boatrace the Bears. They should hang 35 on this team, even with an offense we see as "challenged". I think Lazard plays, and the Packers can't flirt with an 0-2 start in the division. If one of Bakh/Jenkins is close to ready, regardless of what was reported last week, I think they play.
2. Lions will beat Washington IF Swift plays. I think Jared Goff is among the bottom 6-8 starting QBs in the league, but he's got a really good OL in front of him, and has a real rapport with the sun god. Deandre Swift is the key to that offense, though (true to form, he's already dinged up), and we shouldn't mistake a close final score against Philly for a close game. Still, I think the Lions pull this out--Carson Wentz can't be effective two games in a row, can he?
3. Vikings beat Philly. I hate to say that. Philly is all about Jalen Hurts, and if they can bottle him up in the pocket and force him to win on his arm, he'll be underwhelming in most games. I think the Philly defense is more beatable than people give them credit for, and if the MN OL is finally figured out--after years of sloughing along at or below mediocrity--the offense will score. Still, the Vikings historically have been kind of a roller-coaster team, and that secondary is utterly beatable...maybe O'Connell has things leveled out. I think MN is the better team, here.

Ok a lot of talk about getting the ball in the hands of Jones and Dillon. I agree. And Dillon is a good RB and has great feet and good hands to go along with his impressive thighs. AND Aaron Jones is a much better RB! Get Jones the ball 65% of the time to Dillons 35%!
Jones is electric and tilts the field to the Packers when he is getting the Rock. Jones despite his size is better near the goal line as he finds the creases and slides in!! There is no comparison to the two running backs and Dillon having more touches is insane!! Aaron Jones is elite! Jones = Touchdowns!

One of the negative things about football from a fans standpoint is there's generally only one game per week. That leaves ample time to micro-analyze every gesture, etc.

But I have to agree that something is lacking from Matt LF's approach. To be fair he lost a good deal of coaching and player talent over the last season. They also retained a lot of talent.

I talk too much about Lombardi, but there was no question the 60's Packers were motivated. I think back on Mike Holmgren. Not once did I question the motivation of the players.
Mike McCarthy's teams sometimes looked in a funk. Matt LF's teams look like they want to get the game over with so they can find something else to do. I look at Dan Campbell's Lions. If they had a little more talent they would be scary. They play hard the whole game, something the Packers really lack. That, my friends, is laid at the feet of the coaching staff, namely the head coach. When Rodgers made fun of LaFleur at the NFL awards night it was telling. Here is a guy they like but don't respect. The proverbial 'players coach'.

I wonder if MLF has the guts to go out there and motivate some of these folks to give it their all or be gone, either now or as soon as possible.

Hillsboro Brewing Company -
If you haven't ever made it to Hillsboro Brewing Company, I would recommend it. The atmosphere there is really cool. Very good pizza. The southwestern part of the state imo is the most beautiful part of the state.

Offensive line decisions make no sense -
What I don't get is how this team continues to overthink their OL. Last year in the playoff game rather then go with the OL that got them there they decided to mash it up and it did not work.
This first game they decided to take Newman at put him at RT and start Hanson at RG. That clearly was not the right answer. I get not starting Walker at RT since he missed a lot of camp. What I don't get why they wouldn't have started Tom at either RG or RT. He clearly is one of the top 5 OL on the team. I don't get the hesitancy in starting him especially over Hanson. It reminds me of a few years ago when they had started Lane Taylor over Jenkins. Now that move at least made sense in the fact that Taylor had experience. Hanson has no experience playing. I don't get this move at all.

Silver Linings -
First we did not have our starting OT's. That really changed our OL. We also didn't have our top WR for this game. Once we do get those guys back it will help a ton.

There were a lot of missed opportunities. From the opening play to goal line, to Rodgers over throwing Jones on a 3rd down that would have been a first down. There were a lot of plays that could have changed the way this game went.

Rookies. Walker, Wyatt, Watson, Doubs, Toms, Enagbare all got good playing time. They all showed good things. This perhaps is the best rookie class we have had in a long time. Walker looks legit. If he stays healthy, he could be in the running for DROY. Wyatt didn't flash a ton that I saw live, but he has some really good traits and he will be used a lot. Watson, while he dropped the first pass that would have been a 75 yard TD, watching his speed is crazy. He was open a lot. Doubs also showed some of his speed. Both Rookie WR's are going to have a big impact on this offense. Toms deserves a starting spot on the OL. Enagbare was used in the rotation. He didn't make any big splash plays, but those will come as it slows down for him.

We've covered the questionable/poor coaching decisions and lack of preparedness during the MLF era on numerous occasions. It does make me wonder is anyone managing LaFleur or is management satisfied with making the playoffs each season rather than winning an SB. However in spite of everything the Packers are 39-11 during the regular season since MLF was hired.

Again, the first week of the NFL is always the most over reacted week in sports. It's one game and the Packers beat themselves with lack of execution which is correctable. Watson's dropped pass hopefully corrected with more practice and more coaching. Failure to score on 4th and goal from the Vikings one. Should be correctable with better OL play and better red zone performance overall. As for the defense a better game plan and a better pass rush goes a long way to slowing down Jefferson. It's only one game and one loss. We'll see how the Packers respond this week. If they lay another egg at home against the Bears then the coaching begins to come into question.

Moving on to the Bears game it is a good sign that Lazard, Bak and EJ all practiced yesterday. If they are ready to go that gives a huge boost to our offense and hopefully the entire team.

As for Amari Rodgers I don't know what the coaches are seeing from him during practice or why they kept him out of the offense against the Vikings. Maybe they want him focused on returns and let get settled in that role early in the season. As for Aaron Rodgers comment maybe Aaron is not happy with the fact that Amari Rodgers is not on the field. Maybe he is saying that it's the coaches call and not up to him. It is not necessarily a knock on Amari Rodgers but maybe a comment on the decision not to utilize him in the offense. Who knows? Maybe time will tell.

As I've posted on other threads this week, hopefully our season begins in Week 2 again. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since '61

I rewatched the game, slowly, going back and forth on plays:

1) Hanson was so bad it's inexplicable that he was still in there even in the 2nd quarter. He was either shoved into Rodger's face, run past, or knocked to his knees. If Hanson starts again then the reason for 39 wins under LaFleur is because Gute gave him a lot of talent, not because he's a good coach. Am I the only one who sees him as a deer in headlights when things aren't going well?

2) Walker will be a beast. Fast and tough. Once he figures out the game he's an All-Pro.

3) Wyatt, in the little he was in there, showed energy and speed chasing down ball carriers.

4) Rodger's attitude sucked but if he can start connecting with Watson and Doubs it might change.

5) I agree that Jones and Dillion need to be utilized more, but so should Watson and Doubs. Those two rookies will be formidable offensive weapons. Soon. Cobb and Sammy should be backups, the sooner the better. Rodgers and LaFleur need to start trusting the rookies, even if they make mistakes. They'll burn CBs on a regular basis.

6) Barry's zone works when no one makes a mistake. One mistake and the whole thing collapses. That's what happened Sunday. On numerous occasions, there was at least one player who didn't get the memo. Often Stokes. We thought there were no weak links in the defense but there actually might be; Stokes, Savage, and whoever is rushing the passer when Gary or Smith is out. Garvin was useless. Barry's lack of aggressiveness is a major negative. He relies totally on the front four for the pass rush. It's too predictable and good QBs exploit that. He doesn't make them sweat.

We'll likely go on a winning streak now. The answer to whether MLF and Barry are big game coaches may have to wait til the playoffs. But the answer to whether they are good coaches can come as early as this week. If Hanson is starting and Jones gets eight touches and Jaire is just another zone piece and there is no pass rush because Barry refuses to blitz, then I will have my doubts.

Aaron Rodgers is used to having time in the pocket. He also used to be able to move outside the pocket. That may no longer be the case today. Defenses have caught up to his tendencies. His aversion to INTs have limited a number of throws that other qbs would attempt. He still is an outstanding player. But is limited by the fact that many of his teammates have limited skills.

Matt came in as a new HC and has tried to implement an offensive plan that Rodgers has not bought into fully. My take is that the offense needs a quality slot WR. Cobb is too old and AmRodgers is an inferior player. Plays that used to work for Matt don’t anymore because of the lack of talent on the line and receiver. Matt also has a stubborn streak and does not adjust well. But I like the guy.

The Packers are underperforming under LaFleur because of the usual problems. Rodgers runs the team. Period. He is untouchable because of his contract, and he knows it. The rest of the veterans seem to be taking a similar attitude- we can't be cut because the team doesn't have the ability to absorb the salary cap consequences. And when they get down, instead of someone stepping up and taking charge, exhorting the team that they can still win this game (watch how Brady acts in the Atlanta SB when the Patriots were down 28-3 in the third quarter), and you have a continuing problem. It used to be Favre, now it's Rodgers. And there also seems to be a McCarthy style stubbornness setting in among the coaches. The choice of Hanson over Tom was pure favoritism; for some reason, he was liked, and therefore got the start, while Tom was relegated to the bench. These problems all fall on LaFleur. Can he rein in Rodgers and get him to run the offense as designed? Will he have the guts to overrule his position coaches, and get the best guys on the field? And, finally, and possibly most importantly, can he motivate this team to become resilient, and get Rodgers to become more vocal and accept a bigger leadership role when things are going badly? The last two years, this team has gotten what Rodgers claimed he needed: home field advantage in the playoffs. The results? Two losses. Time to put up or shut up.

Watsons drop was brutal and game changing!
That is the worst case of Stone Hands since…MVS!
And Gutekunst gave up two 2nd round choices for this bum and traded up in the 3rd for Amari Rodgers!
J. Degura in the 3rd round?

I am starting to have serious questions about his ability to draft!

Okay, for all the Hanson bashers, I have a question.

What's YOUR starting offensive line for Sunday? I have Nijman at LT, and I'm happy with that. Then we'll have Tom at LG in place of Runyan. Myers at center, of course. Then the fun starts. Our best RT of the available choices is Newman, followed by Rhyan and then Walker. We activated Jones. So that's it. That's what is on the shelf and there's no more back in the stockroom. We traded Van Lanen. We let Turner and Patrick leave in FA. We thought Bakhtiari would be ready. So we made some choices, and we had some bad luck, and we're having to depend on guys that we didn't think we would.

And in the mock drafts, very few people had us taking offensive linemen early. They were 5th round guys. We used two second round draft picks on a WR and a third on Rhyan, but we could have used two seconds on offensive linemen and taken a WR with our 3rd round pick. But we didn't, water under the bridge.

When Jenkins and Runyan are ready....and I think/hope that'll be soon...then we have a better situation, with Nijman-Runyan-Myers-Newman-Jenkins, as long as nobody else gets hurt.(yeah, right). Tom and Hanson and Rhyan were all supposed to be backups.

"Why is Hanson out there?" Because it was our best arrangement after Runyan got hurt. Prior to that, it was the best considered opinion of the Packers organization that Hanson would be the guy to get first shot at RG.

We had quite a few guys not do very much on offense. It's wrong to put so much of this on a backup interior linemen. I'd expect a little more resilience from the leaders of that offense.

XXXXXXXXXXX

As I've said before, and I'll say again, the question for Sunday is not "What do we want to do on offense?" It's "What can we do, considering?" Like many of you, we need to use Dillon/Jones more, but it's boring and frustrating to keep running into a line that has no holes.

Chicago's defense looked decent against the rookie, Lance, at home last week. But now they're on the road, and they aren't facing a rookie. They don't look like a real strong offensive team and I think we'll do a good job on them. We don't need to put 30 points on the board, but we have to score more than 7 and we have to protect our QB.

I think MLF is a good HC, not elite, and I'm not sure that he will ever be. His record, has now become a fallback excuse to cover up the issues he cannot overcome. Rodgers is his bodyguard, and more often than not, as proven by the record of MLF, succeeds in preventing the proverbial 'punch in the mouth' that Tyson says upends the plan of the man when he needs to get in the ring, and this ring for MLF is in-game adjustments more than the pregame planning because everyone has a plan.

MLF will be the product of his QB, and that QB will need to be a legit Top 5 QB, otherwise, MLF will be closer to a .500, or less, HC, because he simply doesn't want to or cannot figure out how to take the punch and hit back. I don't dismiss the possibility that Rodgers, being his bodyguard, enjoys letting MLF take one on the chin now and then for his own smugness sake, but the limit for Rodgers is one, as two gets a finger pointed at him more pointedly than MLF, and why MLF hasn't loss two in a row, yet.

Either they fix the OL, or #12 has a bitch. He's Never been a "Whiney Little Bitch" Before. And I don't think he's one now.
This OL stunk. They lost Offensive coaches, that would have "TOLD IT LIKE IT IS". And The voice of the fan has never been loud enough.
(For Fixes to sink in.) The more Rodgers get hits. The more he has the right to bitch about everything! (Mistakes or Not!)
Amari Rodgers is a Bust. We all see it. So why shouldn't he stay away from commenting? He knows it takes time for Rookies to develop. And as long as he's going to get beat up. Friendship is more important to him now than ever. Especially if he goes against a new staff.
Toure deserves his chance! Rodgers did praise him. But No Rookie can tell a coach when they're WRONG!
My bet is, that is why Winfree was promoted. Rodgers isn't going to be told to shut the hell up again. He's got to run the show!
And until this team starts winning. Rodgers is going to screw any Rookie, or coach, that splits up Friendship. He's got LeFluer' Ear!

I’d like to see the D and Joe Barry live up to their offseason hype. I think most of us figured our O would struggle and they did. Game 1 was a great opportunity for the D to show us that they are legit but failed badly. Only one game, but I expect big improvement against the Bears and that includes 12. GPG.

Stop reading here if you don't want to read a very tough post.

Maybe (finally) there will be pressure on MLF. I've been complaining about him for 1+ years but everyone keeps going back to his 39-11 record. Reminds me of another coach who used to say "I'm a winning NFL coach". At least that guy one a SB. MLF has continued to not be able to get back to the SB. I assume that was the main goal when he was hired. If he doesn't do that with AR, who needs him. As far as I'm concerned, he's a failed coach. You would have to be a bad coach to not win most of your games with the players he's had. So he's a mediocre failed coach. How many years do we have to see the same type of mistakes and not realize that he won't or can't change? Wasn't that our problem with the last guy? Unless he can start adjusting mid-game, the season is over (ie. no SB). I'm not going to be suddenly euphoric even if we crush the mediocre Bears.

I'll always be rooting for the Packers but that doesn't mean I have accept and like poor performance.

I'm a little jelly over that steak! The dog is probably wondering why I just drooled a little.

LaFleur is not the guy.