Five Things The Green Bay Packers Must Improve Going Forward
The Green Bay Packers started the season as a trendy Super Bowl pick and it appeared to be with some good reason. They have a superstar Quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, a multitude of weapons for him to play with, and a defense that played well last year and should continue to improve in year two under Dom Capers.
However the Packers have put together a rather unimpressive 3-1 start and should consider themselves lucky to be there. They were able to just barely hold off a Michael Vick comeback in their first game and played a lackluster first half before a halftime thrashing from head coach Mike McCarthy spurred them to a blowout victory against a weak Buffalo Bills team.
The next week the Packers absolutely gave away a victory to the Chicago Bears by committing 18 penalties and turning the ball over on a potential game winning drive. Finally this week the Packers were able to eek out a 28-26 victory over the winless Lions after blowing a big lead from early in the game.
The results have been fine but a closer look reveals that the Packers clearly have much to improve on before they can start thinking about making a Super Bowl run.
5. The Offensive Line
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The Packers offensive line took much of the heat last year as it seemed Aaron Rodgers was spending more time on his back then on his feet. Improvements have been seen as some players have regained health after being banged up last year in addition to 1st round draft pick Bryan Bulaga's presence on this year's team.
Despite these improvement the Line has still been a sore spot and is simply not caught up to the rest of the offense. Rodgers has proven that if he has time there is no defense he can't pick apart. Although Rodgers has the ability to run that is not what Mike McCarthy wants to see.
A team with these weapons would be able to fly up and down the field, as long as the quarterback is given ample time. This deficiency has been hidden against some of the weaker teams but was in full effect during the Monday night game in Chicago.
Julius Peppers and the rest of the Bears D-line was able to get to Rodgers consistently and flush him out of the pocket, eventually forcing him to try difficult throws. There were also many holding calls as tackles were consistently beat and ended up out of position.
If the line improves this Packers offense has some limitless potential.
4. Finishing Teams When Given The Chance
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I will admit off the bat that this is a very abstract idea but I will try to explain what I mean as best I can. There seems to be some lack of killer instinct in this team that allows them to let teams stay in games despite drastically outplaying them.
In the first game the Packers jumped out to a huge lead and had a legit laugher on their hands before Michael Vick began picking apart the Packers D as the offense seemed to go three and out without putting up any fight. This week the Packers had a two touchdown lead at multiple points in the game and were unable to tack on or make stops.
It could also easily be said that the Packers let the Bears slip away from a game the Packers probably dominated. A combination of a late turnover and many dropped interceptions kept the Bears in the game and eventually led to their victory.
At the end of the day, if the Packers want to be a Super Bowl contender they are going to have to learn when to go for the kill and put away an inferior team.
3. The Secondary
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Despite featuring two Pro Bowlers in Charles Woodson and Nick Collins, the secondary lacks any depth and has not made the necessary improvements after last years playoff debacle. The big plays are still there on occasion but too often teams are moving the ball easily through the air.
It is often an inability to cover tight ends or second and third receivers that does this team in. In today's game Shaun Hill was able to throw for well over three hundred and seemed to move the ball down the field with little resistance. Hill is certainly an NFL quality quarterback but not the kind of guy who should be shredding up a championship defense.
In Chicago the inability to cover a tight end was apparent as Greg Olsen had a huge game and really turned out to be the difference in the red zone.
This is an area of the field however where improvement could be possible. Rookie safety Morgan Burnett should continue to improve and help bolster the secondary. In addition the eventual returns of cornerback Al Harris and safety Atari Bigby will add much needed depth to this unit.
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2. Penalties
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This problem was incredibly serious last year and I will admit that in most weeks it has not yet reared its ugly head. However, the amount of penalties in the game against Chicago was so egregious that it brought up serious concern looking forward.
A total of 18 penalties were committed that game and they really ran the gambit in type. There were procedure penalties, offensive holds, defensive pass interference, and even an unnecessary roughness on Nick Collins for throwing a player well after a whistle had been blown.
The fact that the Packers lost all of their discipline on a big Monday night road game makes me fearful for how we will show up in future big games. It is necessary for us to be able to balance aggression with composure moving forward.
I continue to think that Mike McCarthy is an outstanding football coach but the emphasis is on him for improvements in this area.
1. The Running Game
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The news of Ryan Grant being out for the year was crushing when it was first announced and has only become sadder as the season has gone on. Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn are both nice bit players but lack the tools to replace a player of Grant's caliber.
Jackson does not have the same aggressive running style as Grant and can be seen tip-toeing to the line of scrimmage more often than not. Kuhn is a pure power running, really more of a fullback, and lacks the speed to break the big play.
This lack of a running game has made us more one dimensional than coach McCarthy ever wanted and has hurt our play action game, one of the staples of McCarthy's offense. It has also hindered out ability to hold on to leads as once we take a lead we don't have the running game to control the clock and hold onto the ball.
The emphasis for this season will be on General Manager Ted Thompson to break out of his usual cocoon and get aggressive and make a trade. He needs to pony up one of his highly protected draft picks and acquire someone who can give this team an honest shot at a running game. Names like Brandon Jacobs and Marshawn Lynch come to mind, but the onus is on Thompson to get a deal done.
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