The Green Bay Packers' Offense is Struggling, but Fixable

Is the Packers' offense beyond repair? No. With a few changes, they can be off and running.

After watching the Denver Broncos completely dismantle the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, it's obvious that several things are currently struggling.

The offense especially.

How can the reigning MVP, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, only manage to throw for 77 yards the entire game? He's had single completions longer than that in his career.

So, what gives? 

Is it time to throw in the towel? Clean house, go on a losing streak, and get a better draft pick?

Of course not. The Packers are 6-1 and would make the playoffs if the season ended today.

Things need to improve, but that doesn't mean things are completely broken. 

The Packers can fix things. They can get back on track. 

Let's discuss the reality of the situation, some popular misconceptions, and what can or can't be done about it.

 

Getting back to their "west coast roots."

This seems to be a popular sentiment making its way through the Packers Twitterverse. Packers fans got really used to the Mike Holmgren and Mike Sherman offense being executed by Brett Favre, which was known for its shorter passing game including an array of slants, curls, and stick routes.

Those routes are known to help receivers break open quite quickly, and back in the day, it seemed like Packers's receivers were always open.

Now, it seems like no Packers receiver can get open.

Why haven't we seen many of those routes from the Packers lately?

The answer lies because the Packers haven't been a west coast team since Aaron Rodgers inherited the controls. If anything, the Packers are Air Coryell these days, spreading the field horizontally and then chucking the ball vertically.

Superior talent is required to run Air Coryell, which is something the Packers have had in recent years. In contrast, the west coast system is utilized to overcome talent limitations, which is why it was invented in the first place and was so successful in rebuilding both the 49ers in the 1980s under Bill Walsh and the Packers under Holmgren in the 1990s. Once the Holmgren Packers had better talent, they became a much more vertical team compared to their shorter passing game during the rebuilding process.

However, with recent injuries to the Packers, they no longer have that superior talent to just plug and chug Air Coryell. Jordy Nelson is lost for the season, Randall Cobb has been a shadow of himself, Davante Adams is slowly recovering from his ankle injury, Ty Montgomery is also battling a bad ankle, Jeff Janis isn't ready for primetime, and Jared Abbrederis hasn't seen very much action.

There's not a lot of firepower in the receiving corps right now.

Does that mean the Packers should go back to the west coast system? Totally abandon Air Coryell?

No.

That would be very difficult at this point. The west coast system requires precision timing that takes a lot of repetition to master. It's not like the Packers can draw up a west coast game plan on Tuesday and then install it on Wednesday. Those transitions take time. It took Brett Favre several years to master the timing.

Sure, Aaron Rodgers is an immense talent and knows how to hit receivers in stride, but you can't totally scrap an offense and have a successful replacement overnight. One of the biggest obstacles to successfully running the west coast system is quarterback footwork. Over the years, Rodgers as developed "happy feet," which will undermine the precision machine of the west coast approach. Redoing footwork is an offseason project, not a one-week install.

Also, the west coast system requires solid tight end play, which the Packers don't have with Richard Rodgers.

Changing offensive schemes aren't quick fixes. It doesn't work that way. That's why new coaches aren't hired during the middle of the season but instead interim coaches are named from within.

 

Offensive line woes

Last year, it seemed like the offensive line was a position of strength. I distinctly remember discussions debating if the Packers had the best offensive line in the league.

This season, it's a very different story.

What's the difference?

In a nutshell, it boils down to age and injuries.

Guards Josh Sitton and TJ Lang are a year older with another season of wear on the tires. They are still very good players, but they may be beginning to show their age. Sitton gave up his first sack in 37 games and Lang has been battling some injuries this season.

Tackles David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga have been battling their own injuries, and Bulaga's was especially bad and required meniscus repair. Both of these players have improved in recent weeks as they continue to recover and play themselves into shape.

Even center Corey Linsley has shown some periods of sophomore slump.

The offensive line has taken some lumps this season, and it's starting to show. Aaron Rodgers has been hit a lot, and that is starting to get into his head a little bit, disrupting his timing, confidence, and pocket poise. Pass rushes are affecting his play.

 

Solutions

Watching the games makes it obvious that receivers are having difficulties getting open and Rodgers is under constant duress from pass rushes.

What can be done? 

The Packers can't install a whole new playbook, sign all new receivers and offensive linemen, and get a whole new coaching staff. They have to make a collection of subtle changes.

Here are some that immediately come to mind:

1) The ball has to come out sooner. Rodgers has to step and chuck the ball. Rather than waiting for receivers to come open, he's going to have to throw some of them open by dropping the ball in a soft spot and letting the receiver go get it. Once upon a time, Rodgers was the best at this. He can do this again.

2) Receivers need to win their one-on-one matchups. Getting jammed at the line of scrimmage? Put in bunch formations and set receivers in motion. Can't shake a defender in stride? Run a better stem and improve technique and body fakes to make the defender hesitate.

3) Throw more 50/50 balls. Rodgers' best, and worst, trait is his unwillingness to take risks. He won't squeeze the ball into tight coverage, like his predecessor Brett Favre may have done too often. Rodgers needs to let it rip and let his receivers go make a play. The best QB/WR combos in the league play jump ball occasionally because they have the confidence and trust in each other to get it down.

4) More back shoulder fades. This was once the hallmark of the Packers' offense, but now they seem to be more of the exception than the rule. Receiver can't shake the coverage? There's no defense for a perfectly thrown back shoulder fade.

5) Bring back the screen game. The best way to slow down a vicious pass rush is throw screens to the running backs. I haven't seen many of these lately.

6) Establish the running game to set up play action passing. The Packers seem to abandon the running game at times, but doing so makes the defense not respect the play action game. Get Eddie Lacy and James Starts on a roll, and then hit an open receiver on a dig route. That was once textbook Packers. We need to see that again.

7) Move the pocket. Far too often, we've seen Rodgers drop back and have pressure in his face immediately. Other times, he drops back and waits too long for receivers to come open. The Packers had success in the past with Rodgers by moving the pocket and hitting receivers on the half of the field. 

These adjustments aren't radical and don't call for an entire rebuild. I suspect we'll see some of these next Sunday in Carolina.

The offensive machine is struggling, but it's not broken. 

It needs tweaking, not rebuilding.

Have faith, it'll get there.

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Comments (38)

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pacman's picture

November 04, 2015 at 01:19 pm

Which is why I said to wait for 1 more week before firing all the coaches ;)

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4thand1's picture

November 06, 2015 at 12:17 pm

It's really rare to see a team firing coaches when they are in the playoffs every year.

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RCPackerFan's picture

November 04, 2015 at 01:34 pm

Yes it is struggling and yes it can and I believe will be fixed.

I believe the biggest reason why it has been struggling is because the WR's have been hurt. Lets not forget that Cobb has been playing with a bad shoulder all year, Adams has missed more games then he has played in and the other WR's have been hurt as well.

Now that the WR's are getting healthier I believe we will see more production.

That being said, I still do believe they have to start being more creative with their play calling and formations. This current group of WR's have not been able to get open as easily as they have in the past.

The simplest fix in my opinion is for them to start using more bunch formations and stacked WR's to get guys open more based on confusion.

Also I would like to see them move Cobb around more. Try to get him in space more.

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D Ernesto's picture

November 04, 2015 at 05:41 pm

No more excuses. Its week 9 everyone is bruised a little. Our guys just seem to take forever to get over ankle this, sore this,. Cobb hurt himself when? How long ago? Ty Montgomery, ankle, hurt himself when, how long?Lacy ankle when? How long.
Are these injuries or coaches excuses.

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baldski's picture

November 06, 2015 at 12:08 am

Last year it was hammies, everybody had a hammie at one time or another. It was ridiculous.

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dschwalm's picture

November 06, 2015 at 11:09 am

Citing injuries as the reason for the Packers' demise this year is a cheap over simplification. Some of these guys just aren't as good as they / we think they are. How's that for a simple analysis, but we have to stop whining about the injuries and the recovery time.

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Dan Stodola's picture

November 04, 2015 at 09:54 pm

Randall Cobb on adjustment that can be made when they are struggling to get open.

"That's on us as players. That's on us not doing our jobs as well as we need to. We have to get better with getting separation and giving Aaron (Rodgers) somewhere to go with the ball."

Sounds like even Cobb thinks its the WR job to get open and create separation.

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RCPackerFan's picture

November 05, 2015 at 06:27 am

Dan. Lets agree on some stuff here.

Yes it is the WR's job to get open. Just like its the OL's job to block, and the RB's job to run the ball, and the QB's job to distribute the ball to the best place they can.

But it is also the coaches job to put players in the best position to succeed.
Correct?

Yes, I do put blame on the WR's for not getting open. But I also put blame on the coaches for not seeing that the WR's weren't getting open and really didn't do a lot about it.

I think we will see improvements made in both areas moving forward. Perhaps their ass kicking in Denver will refocus everyone. We will find out Sunday.

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4thand1's picture

November 05, 2015 at 07:00 am

This what a loss does RC. We will find out Sunday what this team is made of form the coaches down to the players. They may dink and dunk but the banged up receivers will take a lot of hits too. Can they run, who knows? The new recipe to beat the Packers is tight coverage at the line and keep AR in the pocket.

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RCPackerFan's picture

November 05, 2015 at 07:32 am

Well to be fair its not just about this loss. The Packers offense hasn't looked very good basically since the Chiefs game. Its just this loss highlights the things that have been wrong.

I am looking forward to this game to see if they do make the adjustments needed to improve.

As far as 'the new recipe to beat the Packers'. I disagree. They got beat by the best Defense in the NFL. Not every team can do what the Broncos can do.

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Dan Stodola's picture

November 05, 2015 at 08:12 am

Yet you haven't once until now, that I've seen, blamed the WR for not doing their job. It always been Rodgers, the playcalling, McCarthy... Not once the receivers, who's job it is to actually create separation and get open.

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RCPackerFan's picture

November 05, 2015 at 08:40 am

I never disagreed with the fact that the WR's weren't doing their jobs.

I just have put the majority of the blame on the coaches for their game planning and not making the in game adjustments that have been needed. Because once they could see that the WR's weren't getting open, then my opinion is that its the coaches job to figure out a way to try and scheme them get open.

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dschwalm's picture

November 06, 2015 at 11:13 am

I totally agree with everything you said, but we seem to be in the minority. Because of Vic's worshipping of MM, I think the fans are tentative about offering even moderate and constructive criticisms of coach McCarthy. Capers is another story.

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TarynsEyes's picture

November 04, 2015 at 01:42 pm

In other words.....let's not skip the 'check list' of items of concern that are assumed to work but lets actually perform the 'check list' and make the items work.

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Evan's picture

November 04, 2015 at 02:04 pm

"He won't squeeze the ball into tight coverage, ..."

That's pure nonsense.

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dschwalm's picture

November 06, 2015 at 11:15 am

What's nonsense - the fact that he seems to avoid squeeze the ball into tight coverage, or the comment?

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zoellner25's picture

November 04, 2015 at 02:13 pm

Two words. Rub routes. works for Tom Brady and is pretty much unstoppable.

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Cwoodson21's picture

November 04, 2015 at 03:50 pm

Exactly. The Patriots eat opponents up with them.

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Evan's picture

November 04, 2015 at 04:33 pm

What's odd is that for the first month of the season, the media was all over rub routs and how the Packers and Patriots ran them so often.

There was even that Bleacher Report (I think) article about how the Packers run them and how they might be illegal.

EDIT: It was from CBS Sports: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/pete-prisco/25315187/those-packers-p...

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dschwalm's picture

November 06, 2015 at 11:16 am

Yes, but I think that has a lot to do with Brady and Belicheck. Can Rodgers and MM realize the same results with that strategy. I doubt it very much.

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Rossonero's picture

November 04, 2015 at 02:54 pm

It's Cory Linsley, not Chad. Love your suggestions though. Let's hope the Packers implement some, if not all of them!

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Jay Hodgson's picture

November 04, 2015 at 03:08 pm

Damn it. Why did I do that? It's fixed. Thanks.

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Mojo's picture

November 04, 2015 at 03:16 pm

I have a solution for ARods hesitation to pull the trigger at times.

What the team needs to do is have the receivers form a circle with Rodgers in the middle. Have him close his eyes and then lean backwards. The receivers will be instructed to catch Rodgers and return him to upright. Repeat this until all the receivers are involved.

I call this the "trust fall". This is the first step in building up confidence between ARod and the receiving corp.

Another test would be to invite the receivers to a party at ARods home. Have Olivia Munn showering with the door cracked open, while Qb1 steps-out to pick up some ice. Hopefully everyone behaves themselves.

These are just a couple of the things to they could do to get over these nagging trust issues.

They need to do something to get the ball moving forward.

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TarynsEyes's picture

November 04, 2015 at 03:35 pm

I would have no doubt that every WR would catch Rodgers in the 'trust fall' you mention but I would have serious doubts if Rodgers would catch all the WR's in same and that is the issue...Rodgers needs to get past his 'their not worthy of me passing to them' and hence 'they should not trust him to catch all of them'.

In other words...Rodgers would appear content to drive on a flat tire than the spare while the tire is being repaired.

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FITZCORE1252's picture

November 04, 2015 at 04:49 pm

Olivia would get pregnant. No doubt in my mind.

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D Ernesto's picture

November 04, 2015 at 05:45 pm

My take Rogers is paranoid about interceptions, they haunt him at night. Once he tossed two, he went into his shell, hold the ball wait for perfect pass.
You've got Cobb covered by two, you've got a slow over weight Richard R who takes forever to get down field, Ty Mongomery has a permanent ankle situation or is just in the dog house, Janis can't play Rogers doesn't like him, the other tight end looks like a small blimb, our running backs are not adept to catch screen passes, and James Jones is open long but Rogers is on his arse by then.

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dschwalm's picture

November 06, 2015 at 11:20 am

Hear, Hear. One of the most accurate and entertaining posts today!!!

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701Packer's picture

November 04, 2015 at 06:03 pm

"Rodgers would appear content to drive on a flat tire than the spare while the tire is being repaired."

^That is the best analogy that I have heard.. and it is true. Im sick of hearing the trust b.s. Might as well play 10 vs 11 if the ball won't be thrown due to "trust" issues.

Montgomery is not in the "dog house," he is injured. He will be back..

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zoellner25's picture

November 04, 2015 at 03:30 pm

Flea flicker? Statue of Liberty? Half back pass to A-Rod after a reverse? Possibilities endless.....

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MarkinMadison's picture

November 04, 2015 at 03:53 pm

I find it a little hard to believe that the current playbook does not include a wide variety of routes that were staples in the 1990s - including screen plays (mentioned above), crossing routes, slants, etc. Moving CM3 to the ILB position last year was a major adjustment (he had to learn new assignments, and others had to fill in the slack) that happened during the bye week. Self-scouting seems to have failed this year.

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croatpackfan's picture

November 04, 2015 at 04:07 pm

Jay, I'm signing all your discussion. It is what it is. Adjustments, not changing playbook!

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RCPackerFan's picture

November 04, 2015 at 05:23 pm

Quinten Rollins didn't practice because of neck injury.
I hope it's not serious, but another player with a neck injury.

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Since'61's picture

November 04, 2015 at 08:43 pm

I agree with items 1,2, 5. 6, and 7 as credible adjustments that can be implemented, especially getting the run game going. Forcing the defense to respect the run will contribute significantly to helping the passing game. However, items 3 & 4 are more difficult to implement with less experienced receivers. Throwing a 50/50 pass or a back shoulder pass to Jordy who has made dozens of those plays over the past few seasons is one thing, throwing them to Adams or Montgomery who have not yet played much is another. Bad timing or misplay due to inexperience WRs can result in unnecessary turnovers and/or missed opportunities for completion. Denver played man to man and jammed the Packers receivers at the LOS but Carolina has played a lot of zone so far this season. This could be a game for the quick release passing and some crossing routes with stacked receivers. Assuming that our OL plays effectively this week I am expecting a return to a successful passing attack for the Packers. Go Pack! Thanks, Since '61

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PaulRosik's picture

November 04, 2015 at 09:58 pm

Enough with this trust issue crap. What a load of total BS. Rodgers expects his receivers to be in their right spot when they are supposed to be there - every time. You know, like every good quarterback expects. "Gaining Rodgers trust" doesn't mean they all sang Kumbuyah together, it means that they are in the right place at the time they are supposed to be there.

And of course Rodgers has 15 td's in the first 6 games, most teams would love to struggle that bad.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

November 05, 2015 at 01:59 am

I tend to treat your words like Gospel, Jay, so with fear of damnation I admit I have little faith in your solutions. The offense will improve when they play less-talented defenses or when all of their preferred guys get healthy and 2 of the young WRs develop. Cobb will get better with full health, but Jones & R. Rodgers are what they are.

Solutions 1-4 are variations on a theme. Throw the ball quicker to a soft spot, or to a 50/50 spot. Toss it to the back shoulder or to a spot only our WR can get to (like Jordy and Jones were so good at once upon a time). Getting guys to run better routes & using bunch formations are coaching issues, plus Aaron Rodgers has been quoted as saying he dislikes using motion. Abby is the only WR who is reported to run great routes, but for reasons that have not been given to us he can't get on the field. Scheme and formation changes should help, but our coaches are very stubborn. Screens would help. A healthy Lacy can run screens, Starks too if he can catch it. Monty in the backfield helps; he'll have to rush sometimes.

The run game will improve when the OL (also to a lesser extent Lacy) get healthier. R. Rodgers has taken some baby steps in run blocking: now he is inching towards being inconsistent. Against Denver, at least 2 failed runs (of 16 runs - 12.5%) were pretty much on him. Bulaga couldn't cut off backside pursuit so if the designed hole was filled there was no where to go. Giving up on the run is a coaching issue, and a longstanding issue. Did we use Rip at FB more because we needed a FB who can move a defender out of the hole, not just screen him off?

I'd buy moving the pocket. Yet, I think the OL's pass pro was decent (so did Nathan Jahnke in the pod cast). There was more push & containment than normal, and Rodgers got a case of happy feet.

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Jay Hodgson's picture

November 05, 2015 at 06:50 am

No damnation here. My opinions are no more right nor wrong than the next guy's, and I like it when a healthy discussion breaks out. I took a stab at making adjustments if I was the coach. Some may work, some may not, and as you noted, some may not even be a possibility or appropriate.

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4thand1's picture

November 05, 2015 at 10:12 am

What I don't like about the Packers is, it usually takes so long to fix glaring problems. ST's, running game, defense. There's a different elephant in the room every year.

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dschwalm's picture

November 06, 2015 at 11:22 am

So, according to your belief/opinion, getting healthy, however long it takes, is the solution?? Yowza!

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