THE
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Published by the Impeccables since 1975 / Rebooted in 2022 / Week 14 Edition
Week 14 News
With Thanksgiving in the rear view, and Christmas right around the corner we're excited to bring to you the Week 14 Post Pattern this week.
As always, we start with an update on our picking race, and this story might be over before the final gun sounds as Steve Simmons is running away from the pack at this point.
In our guest writer section, Coach V provides a look at Packers tight end room and the growth of that group this year.
In a very special visit to "The Vault", the 6th edition of the 1979 Post Pattern offered some insight from a very special guest writer. It also included continuing cheerleader coverage by Hoofer, a guest article from Squeege, and more insight from Mundo on the state of the (lowly) 1979 Green Bay Packers.
Finally we make our way around the state for the Buboltz Kids Sports Roundup for our first commentary on the winter season.
Steve Surging, SIX tied for 2nd!
What started out as a contested race is turning into a rout. The "original Simba", Steve Simmons has taken a commanding 7 pick lead over the group. With only 4 weeks remaining it will likely take some "against the grain" picks and a lot of luck for someone to catch him. Steve's lead is over SIX of our pickers who are tied for second, including Hoofer, Lady Hoofer, Amy Wilma, Noah Vanderhoof, Blake Vanderhoof, and Jack Wilma.
In Packer Nation, Amy Wilma and Noah Vanderhoof are tied at the top (127-66) after wrestling the lead away from Tracy Buboltz over the past few weeks. With 5 other pickers within 3 of the lead, the Packer Nation title might go down to the wire.
In the juniors division, Blake Vanderhoof and Jack Wilma are tied at 127-66. The cousins share a 6 pick league over last year's overall co-champion Jack Simmons.
Bringing up the rear is our New Impeccables division. Nick's division lead (125-68) has shrunk to one game over Collin and 3 over Bryce.
Question for the group...how many of you are influenced by how CBS Sports shows the contests? Each game lists how the public has voted as a percentage. Do our readers like seeing this information? Does this tip the scales too much? We'd love to hear your feedback!
Young Guns leading Packer Turnaround
What a difference three weeks can make! In this space just before Thanksgiving, we lamented how the then 3-6 team was struggling to show signs of improvement. With the trade of popular CB Rasul Douglas some fans thought it was a sign the team was giving up on the season. As Lee Corso would say...
Over the past three contests, the pickney Packers have knocked off a competitive Chargers team, the NFC North leading Lions, and the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Swifts Chiefs. While most of our pickers took the home team vs the Chargers, the vast majority were skeptical against the Lions on Thanksgiving. Jordan Love proved the doubters wrong and played an absolutely fantastic game on national television. Green Bay's new signal caller followed that performance by OUTPLAYING Patrick Mahomes. Read that sentence again folks. Jordan Love outplayed Patrick Mahomes (I just wanted to write that twice).
With a remaining schedule that doesn't include a team with a winning record, Green Bay's chances to make the playoffs are looking up. As a reminder to our readers, Bart Starr (7-5), Brett Favre (9-7), and Aaron Rodgers (6-10) failed to lead the teams to the playoffs in their first season as starter. Love has a chance to do what his famous forebearers could not.
Certainly Love isn't doing this by himself. The youngest team in the league has shown marked improvement in the past month. In a testament to Coach LeFluer, his team didn't quit on the season and instead has stepped up across the board. The offensive line has started to open up holes in the run game. Wide receivers and tight ends have, according to the coach, demonstrated a better understanding of the offense which gives him confidence to call more aggressive plays. Even the much maligned defense has shown up. Since Week 5, the defense is allowing only 18.4 points per game (and only 17.4 points over the last 5 games).
All this have been accomplished while the Packers have $65M in dead cap NOT including the $21M hit for David Bahktiari, or around 40% of their salary cap. With next year's improving cap situation things are looking up in Green Bay.
The Packers Offense Grows Up: TE Edition
Every parent who has raised teenagers knows how difficult that can be. We feel their struggles as they attempt to figure out where they fit in the world. Their failings often feel like our failings, and often, we just hope they can make it through whatever phase of life they are in. Eventually, however, we begin to see glimpses of maturity until finally, they actually resemble responsible adults.
In a way, the Green Bay Packer offense has looked similar. Early in the season, we watched on Sundays, wanting to pull our hair out and wondering if things would ever improve. Then, we began to see signs of improvement and we went from wondering when it would end to optimistically looking forward to what is yet to come.
Some of those signs are obvious and getting lots of attention, including the play of Jordan Love and the young receiving core. Today, however, we are going to dig a little deeper into the play of the Packers’ young tight ends.
Individually, the stats are not eye-popping. Luke Musgrave is 21st in receiving yards among TEs and as a group, they have three receiving TDs. As a group, their numbers are just slightly better than last year’s group, which averaged just a few yards less per game, a half yard per catch lower, and had four TDs on the season.
Yet, like the rest of the offense, the signs of their potential have begun to show. Those three TDs have all come in the last four games. Luke Musgrave is just two catches and 23 yards short of breaking team rookie TE records in both statistical categories. The Packers three rookie TEs have already surpassed the production of all GB rookie TEs over the past twelve seasons combined, and there are still five games remaining.
Let's take a look at a few plays to highlight that potential
Here we see Musgrave score his first TD of his career. It is a brilliantly designed play executed perfectly. As a playcaller, watching this play is like an artist viewing a Monet in the Louvre. Musgrave does an excellent job of selling the screen to Dillon and then has the speed and athleticism to beat the secondary to the end zone. It would be easy to attribute this more to the play design than to Musgrave, but I doubt any of the TEs on last year’s roster get into the end zone here.
The young TEs have been getting it done in the running game as well. Many rookie TEs struggle as in-line blockers in their first year. Musgrave, Kraft, and Sims are all 20+ pounds lighter than Mercedes Lewis and have not been through a full NFL strength program yet. Despite this, they have held their own and shown the ability to handle being inline blocking TEs.
In a recent interview, Kraft had this to say, ““I'm comfortable with violence at the LOS. I want to punish defenders as a blocker. I see the emotions in their face change once I put them on their heels. I can feel their breath leaving. They exhale as I fall on top of them.”
This clip shows Tucker Kraft playing with that attitude as he comes off the backside to cut off the safety who is playing up in the box. He doesn’t just make the block, though. He buries him into the turf. The play itself isn’t spectacular, but Kraft does his job, and does it well.
Our next play shows Musgrave getting out in space to lead Jayden Reed to the end zone on a jet sweep. My favorite part of the play is not actually Musgrave’s block on the sidelines, but rather how quickly he recognizes he doesn’t need to make his initial block. The DE lined up outside Zach Tom at RT is most likely who Musgrave is supposed to block. But, since the end crashes so hard on the play fake, Luke doesn’t need to block him. Instead, Musgrave gives a small jab to freeze the DE and the defender has no chance of catching the speedy receiver. Musgrave then continues up the sideline. Because the CB is in man coverage, he follows Heath all the way to the safety, essentially taking himself out of the play. This, combined with all of the LBs biting on the fake, leaves the backside CB as the only one with a chance to make the tackle. Musgrave seals him inside, springing Reed for the touchdown.
Our final clip shows Ben Sims collecting the first TD catch of his young career. This play actually highlights two of the three rookie TEs. Kraft comes free on the backside, running right past the safety, and could have had his 2nd TD of the season if Sims wasn’t so open. But, like Musgrave in the first clip, Sims does a great job selling the run fake, then releases into the flat allowing for an easy pitch and catch from Love. While once again you could attribute the success of this play to the design, both players executed it well. Having three young TEs capable of making plays like this has been a real boon to the offense, especially with Musgrave out for the foreseeable future.
Many will argue that it is still too early to fully jump on the Love/LaFluer offense bandwagon. But like our teenagers, we can see the signs that our young Packers are growing up.
Coach V
Heard in the Crowd
One of the topics at Thanksviging was "Did you pick GB?" Our pickers took Detroit by about a 2:1 margin. (the rest forgot to do their picks)
Dolly Parton > Jack Harlow in terms of halftime entertainment. (also, who is Jack Harlow?)
Taylor Swift mania hit Green Bay last week. It still was not enough to convince my daughter to watch more than 5 minutes of the game.
Simone Biles > Taylor Swift
Getting a text from your grandmother at 10:29 PM after a Packers is ALWAYS awesome.
The combined record of the Packer's opponents for the final 5 games is 20-40.
Coach V is definitely related to Gramps. On November 19th he was already speculating how GB could make the playoffs.
Letters to the Editor
Subject: In Search of the "Lambeaulegends" – An Inquiry from a Puzzled Packer Fan
Dear Editor,
Hope this letter finds you in good spirits, preferably with a foam cheesehead on your desk! I've been a faithful reader of The Post Pattern (it's practically my homepage now), and I must say, your publication is as comforting as hot cocoa on a chilly Lambeau Field night. Now, I've been pondering some profound Packers-related questions that have been buzzing in my head louder than the crowd at a crucial fourth-quarter play. I thought, who better to ask than the brains behind www.thepostpattern.com? So, here goes:
Cheesehead Fashionista: What's the trendiest cheesehead style this season? Are we leaning more towards classic cheddar chic or experimenting with the avant-garde gouda look? I need to make a statement at the next family tailgate, you know!
Jordan Love's Cookbook: Any chance you've got an exclusive sneak peek into Jordan Love's secret cookbook? I'm convinced his pre-game meals hold the key to his MVP-level performances. Is "Touchdown Tacos" a thing? If not, it should be.
Post-Touchdown Victory Dance Tutorial: The Packers have been scoring like crazy lately, and I feel like it's high time I upgrade my end zone celebration game. Any chance you could arrange a step-by-step tutorial from Christian Watson or Jayden Reed? I've got two left feet, but I'm willing to learn.
I know these are pressing questions, and I trust the devoted team at The Post Pattern to tackle them with the seriousness they deserve. Keep up the fantastic work, and may the Lambeau Leap of success be with you!
Yours in cheese and victories,
A Curious Cheesehead (and most certainly not ChatGPT)