The Glacier Known as the Packers Hasn’t Moved Yet

The Packers made no moves last night after the worst loss at Lambeau Field in many, many, many years, but the other disappointing teams not run by Ted Thompson have made their moves and if I was Mark Murphy I would jump on two coaches immediately to fill the coordinator jobs. I still hope a hot shot young assistant coach at the pro level (not Josh McDaniels) or a hot shot college head coach would be the best hire for the head coach position.

First, I would hire Adam Gase as Offensive Coordinator. Anybody who could make Jay Cutler look good is a miracle worker and certainly could solve whatever ills or bad habits Aaron Rodgers has or has gotten into.

Second, I would hire Gregg Williams as Defensive Coordinator. Putting Bounty Gate aside Williams is a defensive genius in the mold of Phil Bengston, Hawg Hanner and Fritz Shumur. Also he spells his first name with 2 g’s like Forrest Gregg and that is a good sign he belongs in Green Bay.

It’s been too long since the Packers have had a championship defense. I watched the same games as the local kiss ass media and from the very beginning what I saw from Mike Pettine was the same I saw from Dom Capers (I actually think Mike McCarthy was forced to fire Capers and if it was left up to him Capers would still be Defensive Coordinator, so he searched far and wide to find another defensive coach that would play the same way Capers did).

Dom Capers used a 2-man front and Pettine used a 2-man front. Capers used Matthews, Perry, Frackrell, etc as defensive ends and Pettine used the outside linebackers as defensive ends. Capers used 5 and 6-man secondaries and Pettine used 5 and 6-man secondaries.

As far as performance is concerned Capers always played coverage and that was the one thing the Packers secondary couldn’t do with the middle ALWAYS wide open and the outside ALWAYS getting beat. Pettine stressed coverage and the middle is ALWAYS wide open and the outside ALWAYS gets beat. Capers secondary was plagued with bad tackling especially taking bad angles and tackling high which resulted in missed tackles or knock-down tackling and just bouncing off or literally just missing the runner altogether. Pettine’s secondary was even worse at tackling (angles or taking down a runner) than Capers and I didn’t think that was possible.

Capers defenses couldn’t get off the field on 3rd down and the longer the 3rd down was, especially 20 yards or more, the more certain the 1st down would be made. Pettine’s defense continued that tradition. Capers defense was famous for given up 90 yard or more long drives. Pettine’s defense continued that tradition too.

And yet with all the similarities the local kiss ass media kept telling us that Pettine was head and shoulders better than Capers. Like I said I saw every game and I guess actually watched the play on the field instead of being a cheerleader for the team and telling the uninformed Packer Backers (actually I have found Packer Backers are the most informed and intelligent fan base except for the “Tedders” who can’t tell the difference between their ass hole and a hole in the ground). Ted Thompson can no longer threaten you with lack of access and I hope Brian Gutekunst is different, but the way the local kiss ass media continued to report this season makes me think Gutekunst is really a chip off the old wrinkled Thompson block.

I would point out to the local kiss ass media that giving up 31 points to the Redskins, 31 points to the Lions, 30 points to the 49ers and to end the season with 38 points to the Jets and again 31 points to the Lions is not a sign the Packers defense was better. In fact the Packers defense got worse as the season progressed.

The local kiss ass media will tell you Pettine has an excuse. The defense that opened the season was not the defense that finished the season. Nose tackle Kenny Clark, defensive end Mike Daniels, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, outside linebacker Nick Perry and cornerback Kevin King were injured and didn't finish the season. Inside linebacker Jake Ryan was injured before the season and missed the entire season. Rookie No. 1 pick Jaire Alexander, who had been starting, sat out the Lions with, you guessed it, an injury.

Starting cornerback Damarious Randall was traded before the season and with the obvious change from cornerback, where he never played in college, to safety, where he did, he succeeded in Cleveland. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was traded during the season and was replaced by 35-year old Tramon Willaims, who moved from cornerback to replace Clinton-Dix at free safety. Before the season Morgan Burnett was let go and he started at strong safety for the Steelers until he was hurt and was initially replaced by a 2016 undrafted free agent Kentrell Brice, but he was injured.

The starting secondary at the end of the season was rookie No. 2 draft pick Josh Jackson and Panthers and Redskins castoff who didn't play last year sixth-year Bashaud Breeland at outside cornerback, Chargers castoff rookie undrafted free agent Tony Brown at slot cornerback, 35-year old Cardinals castoff cornerback Tramon Williams at free safety and 2017 No. 2 draft pick Josh Jones at strong safety. Playing significant minutes were 8-year Patriots and Cardinals castoff Eddie Pleasant at strong safety with Brice also at strong safety, who was coming off injured reserve last season.

Past his prime Clay Matthews and up-and-coming 2016 No. 3 draft pick Kyler Fackrell in for Nick Perry were the starting outside linebackers; 2016 No. 4 draft pick Blake Martinez and rookie No. 3 draft pick Oren Burks for Jake Ryan were at inside linebacker, although Antonio Morrison, who was picked up from the Colts in a trade, played better. The line was last year's starting left defensive end Dean Lowry, who was a 2016 No. 4 draft pick and was supposed to be replaced by Wilkerson, and rookie undrafted free agent Tyler Lancaster at nose tackle with 2017 No. 3 draft pick Montravius Adams playing a lot at right defensive end, sort of.

Even when the starters were starting Pettine's defense was a carbon copy of Dom Capers disappointing and collapsing in the clutch defense, so Pettine has to go.

I would have hoped the entire staff was fired last night after the debacle at Lambeau Field where the Packer Backers began booing the team in the first half. I was booing them by text and by mouth at the bar myself. But like I said the Packers don’t move with any deliberate speed (except for the brain fart Mark Murphy had when he fired Mike McCarthy, which I agreed with but I would have done it after last season and after the bye and every week after this season) and I really didn’t expect (well maybe I did since the McCarthy firing and the embarrassment of being shutout at Lambeau Field by the less than stellar Lions defense), but they didn’t.

Gase has been fired and Williams is about to be fired with the Browns interviewing Mike McCarthy. Hopefully McCarthy signs Pettine and takes that responsibility away from Murphy. Get those two excellent coordinators under contract as soon as possible. Then Murphy can take 4 months to find a new head coach. That’s what I would do if I was General Manager.