Packer 2021 Team Discussion 2.0

[Fear The Chorizo]

That play towards the end of the game where Rodgers heaved to a double-covered Adams is a very good illustration of a predetermined throw, even if the play was likely designed for Lazard cutting wide open across the field towards the void Adams creates by streaking deep. It's either that or Rodgers didn't anticipate the 49ers blitzing from so far off the line of scrimmage and just assumed Lazard's route would be covered up and had no faith in the play developing as designed. If he wanted to go deep, he had ESB in 1-on-1 on the other side of the field on that play, too.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

It wasn't a good play any way you slice it. But at that point, I think 3rd and 11, he decided he was giving the best player a chance to end game, and on the other end, that a throw that deep that's picked off was better than another punt...after what just happened on a punt. But he did a poor job all night of finding another guy to be a difference maker. They really had to do that and just did not try hard enough.

 

Just overall, another horrid final few minutes of a playoff game that will go down in Packer lore. I've still been waking up unable to figure out how they lost after that 4th down stop with about 5 minutes to go. That was the first moment of the game where I thought, OK, they're gonna gut this out. Awful.

[FVBrewerFan]

Important to note, Adams could have caught that ball. It was never deflected by either DB, Adams didn't adjust very well to the ball or he could have caught it or drawn a PI.

[SeaBass]

I realize everyone is still hashing out the loss this weekend but I've been thinking about Rodgers' future a lot. A thought has occurred to me that Rodgers, if he wants to go nuclear on the Packers, could retire, prevent them from exacting immediate draft capital from the team they'd trade him to, then once the Packers set their roster he could unretire. If the Packers are blindsided by this they probably wouldn't be able to fit his contract under the cap and would be force to trade him for peanuts or just outright release him. Alternatively, if the Packers do see this as a possibility they'd need to keep their cap low in case he does that so they could fit him in.

 

Am I crazy to think this? This feels like it could be a potential nightmare.

 

I'm really hoping that the positive things he's been saying about the improved relationship with the Packers front office means he gives them an honest chance to get good value for him in a trade without making things difficult. And of course that's if things go the trade route with him in the first place.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I highly doubt he is going to do that. I anticipate that both parties know what's going down within 1-2 weeks and they wait a while to make it official.

 

 

I think it is time to move on, though I have zero animosity toward Rodgers. It is time to find out what, if anything, you have in Jordan Love, and the only way to do that is to hand him a job and give him a summer, then a year to grow. They'll have to add a veteran QB but until he's afforded that chance, nobody knows yet what he can be. And if he's middling, maybe that is OK. There are ways to win that don't involve superstar QBs.

 

In my ideal scenario, they trade Rodgers for what they can, release a bunch of guys, start getting the financials in order, and put together an 8-win season while Rodgers wins a Super Bowl for somebody else. Maybe Love is an adequate starter and you can make a run at this thing within a few seasons, with a defensive-minded roster and ball-control offense.

 

I'm not too hung up on the return or what the roster is next year though. It is just time for everybody to move on.

[tmwiese55]

What a huge embarrassing failure all over to blow that game. Had control the whole game and just let them hang around. And mostly that's on the O and Rodgers.

 

IDK, with all the positivity to finish the year and then losing this game when he basically played like trash it would be logical to think he might shut up and work behind the scenes to stay and give it another try next year rather than leaving. If they'd lost again in a shootout with the D blowing it like they did for 10 years it a bit different narrative than him playing like trash. But, even what should be a humbling loss like that won't be enough to humble him. GB is still his best shot at title contention imo.

 

If they do run it back again next year maybe we should actually prefer to not be homefield so they can play in normal weather. But man that bye week should be so valuable (granted it wasn't for either team this year).

 

If Brady actually does retire, how easy would it be for Rodgers to slide into his spot there as long as he takes the lower salary like Brady? I know they're in cap hell too.

[SeaBass]

I highly doubt he is going to do that. I anticipate that both parties know what's going down within 1-2 weeks and they wait a while to make it official.

 

 

I think it is time to move on, though I have zero animosity toward Rodgers. It is time to find out what, if anything, you have in Jordan Love, and the only way to do that is to hand him a job and give him a summer, then a year to grow. They'll have to add a veteran QB but until he's afforded that chance, nobody knows yet what he can be. And if he's middling, maybe that is OK. There are ways to win that don't involve superstar QBs.

 

In my ideal scenario, they trade Rodgers for what they can, release a bunch of guys, start getting the financials in order, and put together an 8-win season while Rodgers wins a Super Bowl for somebody else. Maybe Love is an adequate starter and you can make a run at this thing within a few seasons, with a defensive-minded roster and ball-control offense.

 

I'm not too hung up on the return or what the roster is next year though. It is just time for everybody to move on.

I agree with most of what you're saying. I do care about his trade value, I don't need it to be a crazy return just a solid one. Let's just say if it's only a 2nd round pick that would be pretty disappointing. But I don't have any animosity towards him, it just seems everything is pointing to a natural parting of ways.

 

Also, as a friend I've been texting with points out, Rodgers has been taking a lot of hits to his reputation, if he pulled those kind of shenanigans he'd be a lightning rod for even more criticism. I think he still cares about his legacy and what people think of him.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Can't see a way he's in GB unless he redoes contract and does "use the money elsewhere" type deal. He's not going to do that, it's not his make-up. And I think that is perfectly fine and respectable being at the top of one's profession.

 

I was confident in GB's chance going in, right before the Lewis fumble about 99% certain it was going to be easy. However even once we stopped them after the fumble and couldn't score, my panic set in. And at some point texted my brother, 'we're playing within the catastrophe zone' - my little name for when the game that feels stable is flipped upside down on one play. You are always in trouble if you're playing within that margin for error.

 

I don't want him to come back, and it's not because I dislike him. It's just time. We had 2, sort of 3 cracks at this with vet Rodgers. We tried really hard, put together a good team. It's time for both parties to mix it up.

 

For me it's a more significant version of releasing Brandon Bostick. It's arguably unfair to release a guy due to one play, but I just think the divorce has to happen to move on from this 'close but no cigar' cloud that is hovering over this team. I don't think it is any on party's fault, but it just seems to best to end it.

[PinaMadness]

Aaron Rodgers is not a cold weather QB.

 

The game plan for AROD and Adams to play sandlot offense all day and forget everyone else was terrible.

 

The o-line configuration was questionable. Turner should've been RT with Nijman at LT. No idea why they kept trotting out Kelly. ("experience?")

 

Our ST woes are a befuddling mystery. I saw a lot of blame on the coordinator, MLF, Gute, etc... But this has been a problem for years and years...beyond all of them. Now, I'm not saying to not fire the coordinator... but I'm at a complete loss as to how this keeps happening. It isn't like MLF/Gute haven't been addressing things... just that it hasn't worked.

 

The second half offense looked like they were playing to not lose (prevent offense) and it worked as well as prevent defense normally works.

 

This is very true, but even as bad as the special teams were in the past, this year's was even worse. Not just bad, historically bad. So bad that it made you long for the days of Shawn Slocum and Ron Zook. The two blocked kicks weren't just a result of a defender getting a finger on the ball and affecting it's trajectory. These were full on thuds from players breaking through protection. Then you have the exclamation point of having only 10 men on the field for the game winning kick, and coming out of a timeout no less. Drayton should've been fired after the Bears game. MLF knew special teams were horrible and did nothing to fix it. Now look where they are. Watching the rest of the postseason at home along with Dallas, Minnesota and Chicago.

[PeaveyFury]

I hope this puts an end to the org's longstanding and bewildering practice of promoting the assistant to a bad ST coordinator to take over the job. It's literally saying 'That guy was terrible. I think the guy that worked for him might work!' Huh?

[PeaveyFury]

Edit: Here's an article from 2019

https://www.packersnews.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2019/05/09/silverstein-critics-see-cracks-green-bay-packers-new-management-structure/1142267001/

 

When it came to other assistant coaches, LaFleur wasn’t the sole decision-maker, sources said.

 

LaFleur was excited about hiring highly regarded Miami special teams coach Darren Rizzi, who was not returning to the Dolphins and had told the Packers he would come up for an interview but was not going to sign for less than three years and total of $4.5 million, a source said.

 

Rizzi was told to come. He and LaFleur hit it off in their interview, the source said. But when it came time to talk about a contract, the Packers offered Rizzi less than he was seeking and Rizzi felt he had been led astray.

 

He left town. The Packers eventually met his price a couple of days later, but by that time Rizzi had decided to pursue other opportunities. LaFleur tried to convince him to change his mind but had no success.

 

Murphy claims the Packers did not low-ball Rizzi and met his price before he left.

 

Rizzi ended up signing a three-year, $4.5 million deal with the New Orleans Saints.

 

Thanks for sharing- I hadn't seen that before!