The Green Bay Packers were in the playoffs and favored by many to win the Super Bowl. What stood in their was was another epic failure. I think a book could be written about epic Packer failures in playoff games (I think of games against Arizona, Seattle, New York Giants). The Packer organization, the only "community" owned team in the NFL, has squandered championship opportunities, even though having had, over the last thirty years, two multi-year MVP quarterbacks in Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. While the quarterback is not the whole team, and clearly the 49ers beat the Packers with a fairly decent but not great QB, many teams build around their QB. This post will be my thoughts on the Packer organization squandering opportunity.
 |
| Aaron Rodgers leaving the playing field after yet another playoff loss. Paid $38 million a year, he has been to just one Super Bowl |
Over the course of that thirty years the Packers have won just two super bowls. They have failed to develop a consistent championship team. It appears that the Packer business model is to build a team good enough to win the NFC North, but not a championship team. Every year it is the same story, a loss in the playoffs with the fan mantra being--"wait till next year!" Well, next year never comes, and the Packer organization seems very fine with this level of advanced mediocrity. After all, why care: the seats are full and the merchandise sells. When Tom Brady left the Patriots and joined the Buccaneers, the Tampa Bay organization went all in--in all phases of the game--defense, offense, and special teams, to build around an aged QB. Last year of course, in Brady's first year with the Tampa Bay organization they won the Super Bowl. As we all know, the Packer defense failed as Tampa beat the Packers in the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field to earn the NFC spot in the Super Bowl. In that game the Packer offense had issues in the red zone. Two years ago the GM of the Packers, Brian Gutekunst decided to pick a QB of the future in Jordan Love rather than adding a good receiver, or tight end, or some other position of need. I think, after Love's disaster in the second half at Detroit, it is safe to say Mr. Gutekunst wasted two Packer draft picks (he traded a pick to move up in the first round), and likely three or four since they will need to now pick, or perhaps trade for, another QB of the future in some upcoming draft. Gutekunst and Murphy have tied themselves to Love, much as Ryan Pace tied himself to Mitch Trubisky.
 |
| Brian Gutekunst, the mastermind behind spending two draft picks to get Jordan Love |
Many will look to the failed special teams as the cause of last Saturdays disaster. Yes, they failed, but so did the offense. Other than the first drive, the offense failed. After the first drive, which gave them their only TD, the offense had nine other possessions in the game, and only came away with three points. THREE points, on NINE possessions!!! WOW, what an offensive power house!!! I think it is safe to say Nathaniel Hackett is not going to be at the top of any head coaching search. It was clear the 49er defense, the third ranked NFL defense stymied the Packers after the initial drive. The Packers had no answer for the pass rush (Rodgers was sacked five times) or for the coverage of their receivers. If Matt LaFleur made adjustments at half time, it was to regress. Of the Packer wide receivers, only one not named Adams, I believe, caught just one pass. The Packer offense is not sufficiently talented, determined and/or appropriately schemed for work against a top defense in the league. They are also doomed by mistakes--like Kelly's wiggling his butt and getting a five yard penalty while in the red zone. Sometimes they are their own worst enemy with inconsistent play, arrogant attitude, and lack of discipline. My goodness, the Packer first team offense could not even make yardage, they actually lost yards due to a sack, when gifted a ball at the Detroit 35 a couple weeks ago--and that was against the 28th ranked defense in the league. The offense is under the play calling of Matt LaFleur.
 |
| Matt LaFleur, whose middle name must be "Unprepared" |
Would a talented wide receiver or a good tight end drafted in lieu of Jordan Love had made the difference? I think so. With Adams as the only decent wide receiver, and no good tight end to find openings in the middle, like the 49er tight end did to the Packers, the Packers were out manned. Or look what Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs can do. The Packers have asked their two MVP quarterbacks over thirty years to make up for a slew of lesser quality players. Some teams load with high-end talent in other positions and ask them to support, a better than average, but not really great quarterback. For example, take the LA Rams with Matthew Stafford, and the Jimmy Garapollo led 49ers who will meet in the NFC Championship game next weekend. If one were to ask, I doubt either would be one of the top five, or even 10 quarterbacks in the league, but they are surrounded by good talent on both sides of the ball which can make up for what they may fully not have developed. Kansas City has been to consecutive Super Bowls and will play for a third consecutive appearance this coming weekend. Their opponent, the Bengals, are led by Joe Burrow a second year quarterback who was in the draft class as Jordan Love.
The 49ers made the plays when they counted, and Packers squandered opportunities. The problem with the blocked punt was that there was an offense that lost yards during that three and out series. An offense that could not gain at least 30 or 35 yards on the possession so as to not punt from near the end zone. In other words, a well tuned offense would not have stuck the special teams in a position being by their end zone. Earlier in the game they had to settle for a field goal attempt as the long play which set it up, a pass to Aaron Jones, was under thrown and he had to stop which likely caused him to not score a touchdown. On their last play of the Saturday night game, Rodgers missed an open Allen Lazard across the middle and an open Equanimeous St Brown who had beaten his man on the left side of the field. Instead he threw to Davante Adams who was doubled covered. Sometimes, I believe, Rodgers, particularly when the chips are down, focuses too much on Adams, which was certainly evident in this case. St Brown, if a properly thrown ball and catch made, likely would have scored a touchdown.
 |
| Allan Lazard open across the middle St Brown was open on the left side |
After the loss this past weekend Matt LaFleur said: "Obviously I didn't do enough for our team to win a football game." LaFleur also claimed responsibility for when, on the final play, the Packer special teams unit had only ten men on the field. It is tough to block an extra point, but even more difficult with only ten men on the field. After almost every game he He makes this type of comment after almost every loss. Quite frankly, this shtick is old. First,why was he not prepared for this or, for that matter, any other game? Second, if he was not prepared with two weeks for this game, what does he need to properly prepare? (Given the week one loss to New Orleans clearly months of work is not sufficient for him to be prepared.) Will he ever be properly prepared? Third, putting it all on himself excuses the mediocre performance of the players--Aaron Rodgers included. And, some of the mediocre coaching, although he is in that league of mediocre himself. If LaFleur is not properly prepared to win a football game, it is time for the Packers to reconsider him as the coach. In fact, he should resign. And, that goes for the two men who hired him. Matt LaFleur (2-2 in playoffs), is closer to Mike Sherman (who was released from coaching a Canadian Football team), and is certainly no Vince Lombardi (9-1 in playoffs). David Maraniss, in his 1999 biography of Vince Lombardi When Pride Still Mattered has this quote by a sideline photo of Lombardi (photo insert by #'s 44 and 45): "Before a game, at halftime and after a game, his players thought of Lombardi as a genius. But once the game started, the joke on the team was that he was the most useless guy on the sideline." In other words, Lombardi prepared his team to properly execute at game time, and as a good manager he let them do the work. By his own admission, LaFleur lacks appropriate preparation skills.
The Packers may simply be not as talented or determined to win as many have made them out to be. A few players make up for overall deficiencies in the roster which leadership (GM and President) has allowed to perpetuate. It appears to me the Packers have an organization with a president more willing to live off long-past glory of the Vince Lombardi years with its Titletown District, and not caring about putting together a championship winning team, much less creating another dynasty. (When the Packers lost to Denver years ago, after having won the Super Bowl the prior year, then Packer GM Ron Wolf said "they were like a fart in the wind.") In fact, can Green Bay still make a claim to being Titletown? The Packers have put together a team just good enough to be above mediocre. Lets face it, they face the Chicago Bears twice a year which helps pad their statistics, and wins. They have so far been unable to take the steps to be a championship team, much less one that is a consistent championship team. Their claim to glory is to settle for being the best of four teams in the NFC North. The Titletown District needs to be renamed Squandered Opportunity District, as that is really what Mark Murphy has done.
 |
| Mark Murphy, the man who has taken the word Title out of Titletown |
What is the solution? First, not practice in the Don Hutson center when preparing for a game at Lambeau Field, or another cold weather stadium. The constant narrative of a southern or western team not being able to win in the cold of Lambeau can now be put to bed. (Even in the Ice Bowl, it took a last second touchdown for the Lombardi Packers to win, so Dallas was competitive through much of the game.) The cold did not keep the 49ers from winning the game, although it may have kept them from blowing the Packers out. Second, clean house from management--Murphy and Gutekunst to Matt LaFleur, and bring in a leadership team that is willing to build a champion and winning culture, over the current mediocre culture that is too apparent. Third, rebuild the roster, and with their salary cap issues, they may well have to do that. Fourth, if Matt LaFleur stays, he needs to put more emphasis on preparation for a game and less on his haircut.
A winning culture and dynasty was done before in Green Bay, why not again? (Not with this leadership.) Does this business model go straight to the Board of Directors? If so, shame on us fans for continuing to be duped, and believing the organization really wants to win another Super Bowl. The problem is the Board of Directors will not require drastic action until there is a downturn in revenue--regardless of how mediocre the team is. With the NFL business model of shared receipts of TV revenue, that is not likely. There is no better NFL team at squandering opportunity than the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are a team where dreams of a Super Bowl go to die. That is why I would not fault good players for moving on. The squandering of opportunity goes to the top, and it is time for a change.
No comments:
Post a Comment