Comedy of Errors

The heads are turning, tongues are waging, and the chatter about who has to go has gotten even stronger due to yet another listless performance by the Green Bay Packers. I don't think a comedy writer could have written a script for a movie about how funny the Packers play. They have gone from exasperating to watch, to now being comedic due to their accumulation of errors. The Packers are now tied in their division with the Chicago Bears at 3-4 through a season that is now about 40% completed. 

Brian "Gaff" Gutekunst

After their performance against the NY Jets, I suspect most fans felt the team could not go any lower. Well, it did. It got to the point you just had to laugh at how bad they are. It did not take long to get over my exasperation with the team, about the same amount of time it took for the defense to collapse. Amari Rodgers muffed a punt that was recovered by Washington, on which they scored a field goal. If it had been a quarter later, the Green Bay defense would have given up a TD, but overall the defense plays fairly well in the first quarter. Usually, they drop off in the second half, but this past Sunday, it started in the second quarter. 

A defense composed of high draft picks is not doing its job. It may be the coordinator, the GM who selects, or a combination. Does Brian, Gaff Gutekunst try to outdo his poor draft selections every year? It is also on a team president who has failed in management of the overall football operations. Mismanagement Murphy is more interested in the Titletown District, than in the football core business of the team. 

Mis-management Murphy

The one player people on social media like to blame is the punt returner, Amari Rodgers. He muffed yet another punt reception, leading to a Washington recovery, off which the Commanders eventually scored three points. Many point to that play as the turning point of momentum in the game. The QB play could be better, there have been missed long throws, but there are no good receivers. One GB receiver had a pass interference call picked up because the ball was so overthrown it was uncatchable. In the fourth quarter Aaron Jones, a RB, had a great grab to score a TD. Lucky it was Jones, because the Packers did not have a wide receiver at that point of the game who could have made that catch. Mr. Doubs, a fourth round selection of the GM this year, did not have a reception, seemingly desirous of dropping what came his way. One really has to question who picks up this lack of talent? Last week I pointed out some inconsistencies between the Packer players and schemes, here is another one that points to Mismanagement Murphy: they selected a pass heavy coach in Matt LaFailure, but then they do not provide playmakers at the wide receiver position. The mismanagement of the team over the past several years has now manifested itself in a move to be below mediocrity.

Yet, it is interesting to note that the LA Rams, last year's Super Bowl Champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and San Francisco 49ers all have losing records. All three head coaches worked together. Perhaps defenses, other than Joe Barry's, have figured out how to attack this offense. It is even worse when you have a coach and assistants, as do the Packers, that really don't know how to make in-game adjustments. Although, the Jets have LaFleur's brother as offensive coordinator, and they did quite well against the Packers. As Steven A on ESPN iterated on Monday, October 24, Matt LaFleur keeps making the same mistakes, game after game after game. Meaning, LaFleur fails to grasp what is wrong and when you cannot figure out what is wrong with your coaching, you have no way to correct it.  

Matt LaFailure

What we now see is a team that has gone below mediocrity. As one NFL coach indicated last week, name was withheld, they are just terrible team--in all three phases. For thirty years we Packer fans have seen a team that was generally pretty good. A few good players made the difference, but now we see one or two good players cannot make less than mediocre team a good team. For those young fans, they now know what it was like watching the Packers in the 1970's and 1980's. As for me, the Packers have gone from exasperating to watch, to being a comedy of errors. Although, when the face the Bills this Sunday part of me hopes the NFL had a mercy rule, as in high school.