Some More Things We Now Know

After last season when the basically season-ending injury to Aaron Rodgers showed some stark realities to the local kiss ass media and the lovers of Ted Thompson or the “Tedders” as I call them that except for Rodgers the Packers 52 + 10 rest of the roster was not championship quality. So a meeting of the minds in 1265 Lombardi Avenue resulted in the “big spring of change” during the offseason and the Packers were now new and improved and totally energized to make a serious run for the Super Bowl.

However after seven weeks of games the Packers sitting in second place in the North Division behind da Bears of all teams at 1-1-1. In this short time we have learned that the “big spring of change” was just smoke blown up our collective skirts by the local kiss ass media and the brain trust of the Packers.

1. The biggest change was the firing of Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers and not the firing of General Manager Ted Thompson (more on that later). Mike Pettine was hired to bring an aggressiveness to the defense and better schemes to stop every quarterback they face from completing passes on 3rd down and downfield either in the middle or on the outside on every other down. After 3 weeks the Packers can’t get off the field on 3rd down and the middle and the outside are still wide open. Starting with Pettine sitting up in the press box like Dom Capers and ending with the play of the defense having to be bailed out week in and week out (Rodgers won the Bears game and not the defense, a rookie field goal kicker saved the Vikings game and not the defense and the defense lost the Redskins game). I see NO difference between the Capers defense and the Pettine defense, despite the local kiss ass media telling us how much improved the defense was heading into the season.

One more thing about the local kiss ass media and their bend over backwards way of explaining things. On PackersWire in an article by Anthony Nash he stated and I want anyone who actually saw the game because Nash evidently didn't to read this, “Defensive adjustments: The Packers defense has been a pretty weird unit to start the season. Throughout three games, the team has been about as on/off as you can get, playing extremely well one half, and then abysmally the next. This was on display once again, as the defense was absolutely torched in the first half, giving up 28 points to Washington and looking every bit as lost as they have been for the last couple of years. From the third quarter on, however, the team looked like an unstoppable force, holding Alex Smith to just six passing yards and Washington to just three points. The Packers defense may not have put together a complete game just yet, but they’re showing flashes of just how it might look, and it’s a pretty good sight.” I will talk about just the Redskins second half. Remember what I said about statistics, (There are lies, damn lies and statistics), and the fact that Smith was held to just six yards and three points was more that the Redskins went into the “McCarthy Shell” letting Adrian Pederson protect the lead and not anything the Packers did on defense. In fact if the Packers defense was showing flashes just look at the Redskins drive that started on the two with 7:40 remaining in the second quarter after McCarthy’s offense had blown a great chance down 14-0 after Ha Ha Clinton-Dix had an interception setting up the Packers at the Green Bay 45. (I made a comment at the time that that drive would end being a touchdown). The Redskins drove the length of the field on 8 plays to score. Here’s how it started Pederson for 4 yards, incomplete pass and then a 34-yard pass down the f*c*ing middle followed by a 41-yard run by Pederson. FLASHES my ASS. Pettine is the illegitimate son of Dom Capers.

2. Joe Philbin was hired to replace Edgar Bennett as Offensive Coordinator to revive the magic of the early years of Aaron Rodgers. But what the others have to be realizing is that neither Bennett or now Philbin runs the offense. Mike McCarthy calls the plays and he runs the offense like he has since Philbin left after the 2011 season. The offense is still stale and doesn’t take advantage of the Rodgers’ skills and for some odd reason the second half of the Bears game meant nothing. Running the two-minute no-huddle offense is what makes this team work for many reasons. However, since that game it has been largely ignored. This is McCarthy’s offense and he needs to be held accountable for its mistakes and lack of production. Just think about this going into the game the Redskins defense was ranked LAST in the league and yet the high-power Rodgers led offense put up only 17 points.

One more thing about the offensive scheme. One of the big free agents signed was tight end Jimmy Graham. Through three games the offense hasn’t been designed to make use of his skill set, especially in the red zone, which was why he was signed we were told by the local kiss ass media. McCarthy doesn’t have a clue how to use a tight end. Something has to change.

3. Clay Matthews is going to HAVE to realize he can’t hit the quarterback. Whether he or me or others think the penalties are bogus the NFL does not. In fact they use Matthews as the poster child of roughing of the passers and his plays are shown in training sessions with the refs. Only a stubborn stupid person continues to insist he’s right when three games in a row he was flagged at the absolute most wrong time in the game. I’m a sports writer and I’ve said too many times to count that, “the refs may be right or they may be wrong, but (in the end) they are always right”. Until the NFL admits they are wrong having Matthews blowing crucial defensive plays is killing the Packers. Either he gets it through his thick skull that he has to change or it’s time to bench him. Then to have McCarthy say this is how they teach those plays is more stubborn stupidity. Get with the program that play is KILLING us.

4. The Packers rebuilt offensive line is the Achilles heel of the offense and the bane of Rodgers existence. Since the Packers went to zone blocking (another McCarthy mistake) the Packers can’t gain a yard up the middle when they need one. There is no push and in fact there is push, but it is backward. The starting line of David Bakhtiari, Lane Taylor, Corey Linsley, Justin McCray, Bryan Bulaga is adequate, but not All-Pro by any measure, despite the crap coming out of 1265 Lombardi Avenue and parroted by the local kiss ass media. However, the reserves aren’t even adequate. Against the Redskins the right side went down. Bulaga went down with a back injury and McCray went down with a shoulder. Jason Spriggs replaced Bulaga and finished the game only because the only other backups are tackle/guards 8-year veteran Byron Bell (who barely made the team) and undrafted rookie free agent Alex Light. Lucas Patrick replaced McCray and he either got hurt (I haven’s seen his name mentioned on the injury list) or he was benched and Bell finished the game at right guard. Leaving the Packers with inadequate replacements for an inadequate line is another example of no matter how much things change they remain the same, but more on that later.

5. Speaking of déjà vu all over again Nick Perry got hurt. When is this man ever healthy? He suffered a concussion. NUFF SAID. Why bother beating this dead horse, but I will. A little history on Mr. No. 1 Draft Pick Perry. During his 4-year rookie contract he never played 16 games suffering from a wrist injury that put on injured reserve his rookie season after 6 games. The next year he missed 5 games with a broken foot and ankle injuries. He missed 1 game his third year, but only started 4 games. His 4th he missed 2 games with a shoulder injury, but had only 1 start. To sum up his 1st two seasons he started 11 of 17 games with 6 sacks. His next 2 seasons he started 5 of 29 games with 6.5 sacks. He was then given just a 1-year, $5,000,000 contract for the 2016 season as a one last chance. He missed 2 games with a left hand injury, but he started 12 of the other 14 games and led the team with 11 sacks. Ted Thompson wanting to prove he didn’t make another No. 1 draft pick mistake re-signed him to a whopping 5-year, $59,000,000 contract before last season. Look back I said at the time he should have been let go, because I thought it was a blip and not the start of resurgence. And, of course, I was right. Last season Perry started the first 11 games with 7 sacks, but was placed on injured reserve for the final 4 games with shoulder and ankle injuries. He began this season on the PUP list with ankle and hand injuries and in the first 3 games he has 10 total tackles, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble. He hasn’t even been close to being called for roughing the passer (so much for our $59 million dollar man).

6. Aaron Rodgers is one hit away of being out for the season. DeShone Kizer is NOT the answer if he has to play. All the bullshit McCarthy told us how great Brett Hundley was and now how great Kizer is is just that BULLSHIT. In fact, if you can believe this yesterday at the bar the talk was Hundley is better than Kizer. How much confidence does anyone have with Kizer? NONE.

7. Finally the big deal in the spring was the firing (NOT) of Ted Thompson. He was elevated and his hand-picked underlings were bumped up. Brian Gutekunst is officially the new General Manager, but what we actually have is Gutekunst running his every decision past Thompson. He signed a few more free agents, but that was something Thompson started to do his final two seasons when it became obvious, even to him with his egotistical thick skull, that the roster was not Super Bowl quality. (2016: TE Jared Cook, OLB Lerentee McCray, S Jermaine Whitehead, LB Derrick Mathews, FB Joe Kerridge, WR Max McCaffrey, CB Bené Benwikere. 2017: TE Martellus Bennett, G Jahri Evans, LS Taybor Pepper, TE Lance Kendricks, CB Davon House, DE Ricky Jean Francois, G Justin McCray, TE Emanuel Byrd, LB Ahmad Brooks, DT Quinton Dial, TE Robert Tonyan, WR Jake Kumerow, LS Zach Triner).

Last year Thompson thought Hundley was an adequate backup quarterback, so he didn’t sign a veteran to be No.2. He and McCarthy was wrong. This year second-year man Kizer is the No. 2 and he hasn’t shown anything (in fact he was so bad in the second quarter of the Bears game Rodgers had to return on one leg). Gutekunst, being a good protégée, has left the most important position on the Packers in the same condition it was last year and Rodgers has already been hurt. In addition, just like TT Gute has short-sheeted the offensive line. Two peas in one pod.

So what it ended up being is Gutekunst and Thompson are running the organization and because of that Mike McCarthy was not fired. McCarthy should be fired sooner than later. Until Thompson, McCarthy and CEO Mark Murphy are actually fired and leave the building instead of allowing to hang around the Packers will continue to a middle of the road team as long as Aaron Rodgers is quarterback. Without him the Packers will again miss the playoffs. And that’s what we know NOW.