What is Wrong With Our Beloved Packers?

The 2022 NFL season has been a nightmare for the Green Bay Packers and has left a majority of the fans wondering, “What the h*ll is going on out there?@!? Every fan, casual or diehard, has their own opinion on what has led the Green Bay Packers to start the season 3-5. We ‘new Impeccables’ can hardly remember a time when the Packers offense has looked this anemic. From “run the ball more” to “just give the ball to Aaron Jones” to “Rodgers needs to throw to the open guy” to “fire everyone”, throw a stone somewhere in WI and you will hit someone with the answer to fix what ails our beloved Pack.

I may have an admittedly overly simplified answer to that question. There is an old adage among football coaches at all levels that says, “It’s not the X’s and the O’s, it’s the Jimmys and the Joes.” No one knows where it originated, but it is often attributed to legendary college coach, Darrell Royal, who racked up a record of 167-47-5 and three national championships as a coach at Mississippi State, the University of Washington, and the University of Texas. In this writer’s humble opinion, this is exactly the issue with the Packers.

Certainly, it is the goal of the coach to run a scheme and play that puts his players in the best possible position, but in the end, it is up to the players to make it work. A play call always looks great if it works, and terrible if it doesn’t. Here are few specific examples to highlight this issue for Green Bay.

First, on the Packers 2nd drive against the Jets, the Packers line up in the I formation, with the TE left and Lazard lined up as a wing on the right. The initial look should be favorable because the Jets defender lined up as an OLB over the TE is actually their CB since there is no WR lined up outside.

Rodgers turns and hands the ball to Jones running left, while the offensive linemen all zone block left to stretch the play and attempt to seal the edge. One of the most basic aspects of a zone blocking scheme is to not allow any DT to “cross your face”. This basically means that regardless of blocking assignment, a lineman cannot allow any backfield penetration by the defense. Unfortunately, Newman, Runyan, and Bahktiari all break this rule. Jenkins, Myers, and Lewis all get to a LB and Deguara leads around the end, but because the others miss their blocks, the play is blown up in the backfield.

On first down of the Packers next drive, they run a screen to Aaron Jones, which while it gains 6 yards, is nearly blown up because Marcedes Lewis doesn’t block anyone. The OLB lines up just to his outside, and Lewis inexplicably doesn’t even try to get a hand on him which forces Rodgers to scramble and throw the screen before it can fully develop. Later, a false start by Elgton Jenkins stalls the drive after one first down.

The video shows that with just a little more time, the linemen could have gotten out in front of Jones and there could have been a lot of room to run.

The Packers finally get something going on their 4th drive of the game but a dropped pass on 2nd and 5 and then a run that goes nowhere results in a blocked FG (which was because Crosby kicked it too low). 

Let’s take a look at that run. The ball is on the 30 yard line in a still scoreless game. Dillon takes a handoff to Rodgers right and looks run off tackle behind Jenkins and Tonyan. Newman and Meyers get a good double-team on the nose tackle and Jenkins and Tonyan perform a good double combo which blocks the end and allows Jenkins to get to the LB. The backside LB tries to “run a door” to make the tackle from behind. If blocked correctly, he would not have been able to get to Dillon in time. Unfortunately, Runyan Jr. allows the DT to again “cross his face”, which leads to him making the tackle for only a one yard gain. While a first down was not guaranteed, the play was doomed as soon as Runyan allowed the DT inside.

A blocked punt gave GB great field position and a great run by Jones put the ball inside the 10, but a questionable holding call brought it back, and then a dropped pass and a sack led to another punt.

The rest of the Jets game was much the same; turnovers, penalties, dropped passes, and poor offensive line play resulted in the final outcome we are all aware of.

Fast forward to the game against Washington. While the offensive line play was improved, we see many of the same issues arise. On the Packers opening drive, Lazard drops an easy slant that would have resulted in a first down. Instead, the Packers go 3 and out.

Two key offensive plays stand out and they both involve Romeo Doubs. The first of these two was a third down near midfield in the 2nd half. Rodgers went through his progression and couldn’t find anyone open so came back to Doubs on short route past the first down marker. Doubs was unable to corral a low throw and the ball fell incomplete. Rodgers was visibly upset after the play and yelled towards the sidelines. Fans on social media were quick to point out that he should be yelling at himself for the poor throw, but I don’t think Doubs was where Rodgers expected him to be on the route. Three things can be true at once; Doubs ran the wrong route, Rodgers threw a bad pass, and Doubs dropped a catchable ball. All of those things are the result of the players, not the play call.

The second key play was on a 4th and one when the Packers desperately needed a score. We can argue and debate whether or not they should have run the ball. As a player caller myself, I have had multiple sleepless nights as a result of a call I made. In the end, any play looks great when it works and when it doesn’t, we will question wheter or not it was the right one. While it appears to not be the right call, this was another self-inflicted negative play for the Packers.

Sammy Watkins is lined up on the outside of the three WR set, and Doubs runs the quick WR screen that has become a staple of the Matt Lafluer offense and one that Rodgers and Adams successfully ran countless times. The problem, though, is that Watkins runs a slip, in which he fakes like he is going to block for the screen but then releases up the field. While it is possible it is meant to be run this way and Rodgers read the play wrong, it is more likely that Watkins was supposed to block for Doubs. If he does, it certainly appears it would be an easy first down. Since he doesn’t, however, Doubs is hit and cannot make the catch.

The defense is not immune from all of this, either. For weeks fans called for Joe Barry to use Jaire Alexander in man coverage against the opposing team’s best WR. Washington took the lead on a go route down the right sideline where Alexander was beat by McLaurin for the 37 yard TD. Then, as the Commanders were trying to run out the clock, Heinicke again found McLaurin for a key first down with Alexander in coverage. The play cost the Packers precious time and it was too late when they finally got the ball back.

In the end, while scheme and play calling are certainly important, too many players are not playing up to their past performance or potential. The margin for error in the NFL is so slim that when your star players are not playing like stars, it is very difficult to win. But, as they say, hope springs eternal. The Packers get to play the Detroit Lions on Sunday with a chance to right the ship. The last time the Packers lost four games in a row? 2016. And how did that season end you ask? Rodgers famously said the Packers could run the table, which they did. The Packers won the remaining six games of the season and made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game.

Justin Vanderhoof