I'm not a blind optimist though. Capers is still our DC. Until this defense develops the ability to make critical stands, we will not win the Super Bowl. 0-7 in OT, losing critical games at the finish is largely on the defense. (Sorry if you disagree, but that's my opinion.) It's a mindset/bad habit right now that needs to be broken for this team to go all the way. I suppose a very bold prediction is that the defense makes a critical stand holding the Patriots in OT to allow Rodgers to come out and lead the Packers to a SB LI victory! But I'm not making that bold prediction...
They are actually 0-7 with Rodgers, 0-0-1 with Flynn and 0-5-1 under Capers. Before you blame it on Rodgers not being clutch, however - in four of the seven OT losses Rodgers never even touches the ball! In two losses Rodgers does turn over the ball (one F, one INT) in OT. (In one of those the Rodgers-led offense scored 51 points but unfortunately the Capers D gave up 51 points in regular time, and in the other the Capers D gives up 10 unanswered points in the 4th quarter and Crosby misses a game winning FG.) And the third OT loss to Miami where Rodgers touched the ball in OT was due to a bad Masthay punt after the Rodgers-led offense failed to score. Bad defense was instrumental in every OT game but Miami during Rodgers tenure.
MM's mistake is going conservative too early and trusting that the Capers D will make a critical stand, which goes back to my earlier point. Yeah, you would think he'd learn. Frankly, I'm surprised they've kept Capers around as long as they have.
