McCarthy: Our passing game is not where it needs to be

[Crease Creature]

Right now GB isn't liking the media because they are asking tough questions rather then acting like sheep.

Well, when we look like hot garbage for 6 weeks in a row even the beat writers stop buying what the coach is selling.

The worst of it is, given the closed nature of an NFL team, we will never get a 100% clear explanation of what the hell is going on out here short of some member of the coaching staff or #12 leaking something anonymously.

 

[ChampionshipBelt]

If that comment is true, then MM definitely has lost this team. And I don't believe Collinsworth would say that on National TV if he was not sure of a good source.

On another note, has anyone been watching the games today?

Kansas City- Loses their best player and best running back. They have an average QB at best and average WR's but they are on a 5 game winning streak and scoring over 30 points per game over that streak.

Minnesota- Today runs for 188 yards on the ground and Bridgewater passes for 170 yards (similar to the Packers stats on Thursday) but they score 20 points and make enough plays to win the game. Very average WR's and an average QB but offense plays with passion.

If these two teams do not say to all of us that we lack leadership and coaching, I don't know what does. These teams are getting it done with less talent then the Packers but are still winning and making adjustments. I can handle being bad as a football team when you are trying everything possible as players and coaches; however, when the team has the talent and ability to be a contender and you put this product on the field and have no passion or leadership, I have a huge issue with it.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

 

[Mark87]

HERE > [BCOLOR=#ffff00]That players-only meeting mentioned during thanksgiving game? Never happened Rodgers said.[/BCOLOR]

 

[R MaN]

If that comment is true, then MM definitely has lost this team. And I don't believe Collinsworth would say that on National TV if he was not sure of a good source.

On another note, has anyone been watching the games today?

Kansas City- Loses their best player and best running back. They have an average QB at best and average WR's but they are on a 5 game winning streak and scoring over 30 points per game over that streak.

Minnesota- Today runs for 188 yards on the ground and Bridgewater passes for 170 yards (similar to the Packers stats on Thursday) but they score 20 points and make enough plays to win the game. Very average WR's and an average QB but offense plays with passion.

If these two teams do not say to all of us that we lack leadership and coaching, I don't know what does. These teams are getting it done with less talent then the Packers but are still winning and making adjustments. I can handle being bad as a football team when you are trying everything possible as players and coaches; however, when the team has the talent and ability to be a contender and you put this product on the field and have no passion or leadership, I have a huge issue with it.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

I totally agree with everything you said.

 

[Cheesedog]

Aaron Rodgers: We’ve got to buckle down our preparation

“It goes back to what you’re doing in your spare time and what you’re doing with your time in the facility,” Rodgers said, via ESPN.com. “Being a pro is all about making sure you’re as ready as possible by the time the game hits. I think that’s the important thing for guys to remember here, especially young guys. We’re 15 games into the season, counting preseason. That’s a long grind for those guys, especially the rookies. This is the time where they really got to get through that wall, and the vets — the vets have had some [missed assignments] as well. So we’ve got to buckle down our preparation and make sure we’re ready to play.”

The team’s preparation was a topic of conversation on Thanksgiving with Cris Collinsworth of NBC saying during the game that the Packers had a players-only meeting recently that was centered on Rodgers’ issues with the team’s preparation. Rodgers said that there wasn’t a meeting and suggested something was conveyed incorrectly to the NBC crew before the game, but the message he’s delivering to his team is clear whatever the venue he’s using to express it.

 

[Half Empty]

As came up on another forum, I think the real impact of the video game thing is that it was believable, given what we've seen lately. That a story like that could get the legs necessary to generate the discussion that it did speaks perhaps more than whether or not it really happened.

 

[Cheesedog]

Ooh, but then there is this:

"I’m glad you asked about that because first of all, that’s false," said Rodgers on Sunday. "That didn’t happen in the way that he explained it. I saw something about guys are worried about guys playing video games. Sometimes in those production meetings obviously the message doesn’t get conveyed the right way or whoever (sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya) talked to or Cris (Collinsworth), I don’t know what he was referring to there, but I heard the comments, and it’s just not true."

Curious wording there.

Wake-up call needed whether players-only meeting happened or not

 

[rpiotr01]

They're in a funk for a lot of reasons. But if you look around the league you see many cases of teams spontaneously turning things around with little or no change to personnel. Look at Lions run D - not a soul added but the past 3 games they've been stout. Look at KC offense - lose their best player and eventually turn it around and start scoring points.

You can argue that Packers talent on O has been oversold and you may be right, but there is still talent there. We like things to be neat and for everything to have a reason (coaches fault, broken locker room etc) but they may come together for seemingly no reason at all because there are still good players there. In all of pro sports sometimes guys or teams just underachieve and snap out of it. Have to let the season play out to see what happens.

 

[Cheesedog]

They're in a funk for a lot of reasons. But if you look around the league you see many cases of teams spontaneously turning things around with little or no change to personnel. Look at Lions run D - not a soul added but the past 3 games they've been stout. Look at KC offense - lose their best player and eventually turn it around and start scoring points.

You can argue that Packers talent on O has been oversold and you may be right, but there is still talent there. We like things to be neat and for everything to have a reason (coaches fault, broken locker room etc) but they may come together for seemingly no reason at all because there are still good players there. In all of pro sports sometimes guys or teams just underachieve and snap out of it. Have to let the season play out to see what happens.

I agree with that.. Season ain't over till it's over.. but those turnarounds are usually driven by someone in a leadership position. Or a change in the organization. or someone changing up the game plan to fit what personnel they have.

5 games to go. Plenty of time to figure it out. Division win is still possible, WC is definitely possible.

 

[Crease Creature]

Interesting to hear Jason Wilde on Homer & Gabe this afternoon.

He came on right after having talked to Alex Van Pelt, and one of the things that came up was the fact that NE is working their offense plugging in guys off the street, due to their ability to adapt. AVP was asked why GB isn't doing that, and JW made it sound like the response was something along the lines of "huh, why aren't we doing that?"

It's from the 5:00 hour of the show, so you can hunt down the podcast if you want. I imagine that Jason will have a story up within a day.