Packers Question of the Day: Expectations for Monday

Point-Packer

November 03, 2017 at 01:42 pm

Accept Vegas's and pretty much anyone who covers the NFL.

TXCHEESE

November 03, 2017 at 10:23 am

With a somewhat healthy squad, I expect the Packers to show much better this week. If the running game can get going, that will help Hundley and the defense tremendously. I think this game is going to come down to turnovers and ST play. I give the Packers the edge, simply because they are playing at home. 24-20 home team wins!

FAN24583

November 03, 2017 at 11:50 am

No Way this Defense holds Lions to 20. Bank it.

Finwiz

November 03, 2017 at 12:31 pm

I'd take the OVER on that bet ALL-DAY.

Gianich

November 03, 2017 at 10:23 am

27-17 Lions. Marvin Jones goes off as secondary continues to run around trying to get lined up worse than a class of kindergarteners hopped up on a Halloween candy binge. Hudley throws a big pick late. Lions stack box vs Jones and defense is on the field way too much due to lack of sustained offense and lack of getting off the field on 3rd and any distance. Never have I wanted to be wrong more so than now....

November 03, 2017 at 10:36 am

I agree with a lot of this. Hopefully Burnett can stop the rampant miscommunications in the secondary--Capers sure can't.

SpudRapids

November 03, 2017 at 01:22 pm

I think we see McCarthy play to the strength of the running game and devise some great misdirection and short passing game based off of Detroit loading the box. Offense puts up 27 points.... Defense holds lions to 20 points with Burnett getting them aligned. Daniels causes havoc in the middle and the entire defense improves. 27-20 Pack

Point-Packer

November 03, 2017 at 01:43 pm

Marvin Jones Jr is one of those guys who only plays well against the Packers. Sadly, there's lots of those guys.

RobinsonDavis

November 03, 2017 at 08:27 pm

Yes! The Health of Daniels and Burnett and the return of their explosiveness, will be key! Lions also have a banged-up Oline. If there is a time to see pressure on the opposing QB, now is it. Our pass rush better step it up, and remember Perry had a quite a game against them last year.

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November 03, 2017 at 10:33 am

On paper, this should be a "W."

Outside of Rodgers, the Packers are extremely healthy and well-rested. Biegel will debut, the O-line is 100%, the secondary is extremely healthy except for Brice--there are too many positives to list. Even Martellus Bennett will be super-motivated, and Detroit will no doubt load up against the run, leaving easy holes to exploit with intermediate passes.

But until McCapers shows ANY inclination toward using assets effectively, I just can't be optimistic.

This should be a 14-point Packers win--minimum--but I'll predict McCapers coaches his own team right out of the game.

Detroit wins, 31-24.

Hope I'm wrong.

Finwiz

November 03, 2017 at 10:41 am

There are no easy holes in opposing secondaries with our receivers and offensive scheme.

I do agree with you on the outcome. Capers won't be able to stop Stafford and I expect him to have big numbers.

November 03, 2017 at 10:50 am

You have a point there. This receiving group is hardly explosive.

Still, Detroit will pack their defense up tight, pressing coverage and clogging lanes. Even for our targets, that should produce easy intermediate throws.

Instead, McCapers will put Hundley in 3rd and long with dogged runs into walls and wasted passes to blanketed receivers.

justjoe

November 03, 2017 at 12:57 pm

Mr. Peth,

Please describe to all of us lay people, in detail, your visionary plan for the Packers to win the game against the Lions. Since you know so much more then McCarthy about the strengths of the offense, I hoped you might shine a little of your brilliance upon us. Please, in detail, including formations and plays.

Thanks,
Joe

November 04, 2017 at 11:21 am

Dear Joe,

You've already made it clear on another thread that, in your opinion, only NFL GM's, coaches, and their groupies should be allowed to post comments.

That's no exaggeration. Your statements were plain.

As for the gameplan against Detroit, McCapers should:

1. Attack with intermediate passes right away, backing off a stacked defensive front.

2. Bench Williams and activate Mays, providing a Mays-Ripkowski backfield in short yardage situations.

3. Press coverage on defense, taking away underneath passes and forcing Detroit to win with deep strikes. Anything is better than guaranteeing an exhausted defense with long, easy drives.

4. DON'T ease Biegel in. Give him 15+ snaps, bringing burst off the edge to pressure Stafford. If Biegel can't improve upon our anemic pass rush, then we would lose anyway.

5. Blitz Josh Jones on 5+ downs. He's a missile, so send him.

6. Employ more 3-man fronts on defense, scrapping the 2-man fronts that constantly wear down.

There's more, but here's the point: EVERYONE should be allowed to post their views, not just GM's, coaches, and groupies like you.

dobber

November 04, 2017 at 02:52 pm

I couldn't agree more with your views of the defense. There needs to be an aggressive mindset that hasn't been seen in GB since...well, I lose track. But they need to press the outside guys and play downhill on defense. Biegel takes Fackrell's defensive snaps, and with Brooks still a DNP, he (Fackrell) will get 20+ snaps. Are they going to give up some big plays this way? Probably. But if they're going to lose, I'd rather it was by attacking than lose by getting nickeled and dimed to death. Just what do they have to lose?

I also agree: we're here to post our views and opinions, and to speculate. But we need to do so with the recognition that we're all laymen and they are the professionals. Does that mean that there's no one here with insights into how to do that job? No. But we need to post with the understanding that very few of us really know how to proactively build and maintain a professional roster or how to build a game plan on a weekly basis. We're mostly posting restrospectively...they're constantly working prospectively and--with regard to roster building--often 2-3 years in advance. If it were easy, the whole league would be made up of 8-8 teams...

November 04, 2017 at 05:42 pm

"we're all laymen and they are the professionals"

Just about every professional in the NFL that you admire will be fired for basic ineptness at one time or another.

You are either giving them too much credit or just listing another excuse for management's failings.

dobber

November 04, 2017 at 08:36 pm

"Just about every professional in the NFL that you admire will be fired for basic ineptness at one time or another."

True enough...and if they can't do it when they--the majority of them--have spent their adult lives immersed in player evaluation, assessment, and negotiation, and virtually all are eventually doomed to fail, why do we think we can do any better from our armchairs spending our time looking backward rather than forward? Throwing out "I told you so's" for the one time a prediction we make is right, while so many others have been wrong?

November 04, 2017 at 05:35 pm

ALP - Very good analysis and some great strategies. --- You need to email your ideas to MM. -- He needs the help.

SpudRapids

November 03, 2017 at 01:25 pm

How do you know what the Packers offensive scheme will be? You don't think McCarthy changed it up during the bye?

November 04, 2017 at 11:22 am

Dear Lord, Spud, I hope so.

But this column requested predictions, so I gave one.

Tundraboy

November 03, 2017 at 06:13 pm

On paper all those positives have me wanting to hope that it will all come to a head this week and we win going away. But I can't let myself be optimistic until I see it. Too many debacles have left me with lingering fears of MM and DC pulling the rug out from me. I believe in the players but unfortunately not the coaches anymore. Go team.

November 04, 2017 at 11:23 am

My thoughts exactly, Tundra.

November 04, 2017 at 11:27 am

Your analysis is correct. MM will shrink the playboy with no creativity. He'll call it lack of execution. Capers schemes won't stop Spamford, pass rush won't get there, and our DB's will again be lost and play soft. My prediction is that this game is huge and will show what coaches and players we should keep moving on. If it doesn't get done I'm afraid our season is over. Pessimistic? You bet I am, based on what I've been seeing so far.

Since'61

November 03, 2017 at 07:50 pm

I expect a victory as always. However, I'm not very sure how it will happen. As opposed to my expectations what I want to see is a Packers team that comes to play with some heart and some fire. If this comes out flat or gets blown away in the second half again like the Saints game it will be unacceptable.

Win or lose I'd like to see the defense tackle, an actual pass rush and get off the field on third down. On offense if I was MM I'd have Rodgers make the play calls to Hundley. It keeps Rodgers involved with the offense and he can relate to what Hundley is going through on the field. He has a better chance of getting and keeping the offense in rhythm since he calls most plays at the LOS during the games.

I was going to post that I would like the Packers to treat this as an elimination game but since our defense usually collapses during the playoffs I've decided that I'll take improved play from Hundley and the defense.

Thanks, Since '61

RobinsonDavis

November 03, 2017 at 08:39 pm

Love this, 61! Oh and if nobody has recognized it yet, Biegel and Hart are back! We lost Brice and Pepper to the IR, and Brown was added from the Practice Squad. I knew they had several changes coming, just wasn't anticipating some of these moves. Wonder if we will see prolonged play from M. Adams?

November 04, 2017 at 11:29 am

Agree. Eye test will tell a great deal. Fan since '58.

LASVEGAS-TOM

November 04, 2017 at 03:22 pm

I'm sure I'll get a Ton of Dislikes for this. Go ahead post them. Many of you are talking about all the Talent on this team & the Poor Coaching. I agree with the Poor Defensive Coaching, but I don't see the same Talent Level that many of you do. Where is it? & Who is it??

AR was handed the Best Wide Receiving Core I've see in my lifetime. It seems to have been all Down Hill since then. A few good picks, but Nothing to right home about. Who am I missing. Charles Wilson a FA, & Jordy Nelson. Ok Daniels. The other Talent you are talking about in my opinion are a bunch of Over Rated & Over Paid players, including Hawk, Shields, Williams, Cobb, Mathews, & yes Bulaga. Neither Randell or Rollings are any good. Myca Hyide was ok, but nothing to write home about. What is so Great about House. Another few CB's that we had, didn't deserve a uniform. I like Burnette, but the story is rapidly fading on Dix. What was a Pretty Good OL, has been let go, or injured, & not replaced. Where is all this talent that I'm missing. We agree on Capers. I disagree on MM, & I think the "Head Guy" lucked out on AR. Other than bringing in Charles Wilson, what has he done except over-pay a number of Useless players. Unless AR was threatening to leave GB, the year he let Favre go, we gave up a SB, & probably the following year as well. Tell me what this " Head Guy" has done, that has been so Great!! I must have missed it.
LVT

November 04, 2017 at 05:26 pm

Actually you're correct. -- This 53 man roster lacks talent. -- There aren't enough impact players. --- Many will play well and then disappear for many games at a time. -- The only player a fan can (could) count on week after week was AR. -- I'm not saying the Pack are devoid of talent. -- I'm saying that without AR they will struggle until the coaching staff adjusts. -- I'm not sure the coaching staff can adjust to salvage this season.

Charles Wilson?? --- You mean Woodson, right?

LASVEGAS-TOM

November 04, 2017 at 08:42 pm

Sorry, Must have done that 25 times. (Woodson) Hell of a player!!
LVT