Forget for a minute the Detroit Lions abusing the Green Bay Packers’ front four for 190 yards rushing on 41 carries, if you can. Forget the four sacks, the dominance over the running game, and the utter havoc wreaked on the offensive line by the Lions’ front four.
Forget the 73-yard-oh-wait-how-is-that-not-a-touchdown perpetuated by Greg Jennings, the failed fourth-and-one pass, and everything else but Andrew Quarless’s fumble.
How in the hell have the Packers been fumbling so often this season? And I don’t mean quarterbacks or running backs, either. Our vaunted corps of WRs has been coughing up the football at an astonishing rate this season.
Let’s take a look at the numbers:
Eagles: None.
Bills: James Jones, John Kuhn. Both are recovered by Packers.
Bears: Jones’ infamous fumble on the final drive leads to a Bears victory.
Lions: Jordy Nelson loses two fumbles, both on kickoff returns.
Redskin: Donald Lee coughs it up on the second play from scrimmage.
Dolphins: None.
Vikings: None by receivers, but Brandon Jackson does recover his own fumble.
Jets: None. Hey, we’re on a roll!
Cowboys: Jones fumbles for the third time, but it was a rout, right? Who cares.
Vikings: None. Wait, is this all just smoke and mirrors?
Falcons: Holy sheet, I guess not. Jennings fumbles twice and Rodgers fumbles twice, losing one.
49ers: None.
Lions: Quarless.
How in the devil does a receiving group fumble that often? Counting Jordy Nelson’s malfeasance against the Lions in Week 4, the receivers have collectively tossed the ball away nine times. Five of those times, the other side fell on it.
Running backs and quarterbacks account for another four fumbles, with one (Rodgers against Atlanta) lost. Maybe we need Edgar Bennett to jump over into Jimmy Robinson’s turf and start cracking heads, because I for one think that there is no excuse for that level of fumblitis.
There’s no excuse for any of the problems listed up top, but this one stands out to me as particularly awful. Only six of 13 games in which someone did not cough up the ball?! Gentlemen (and ladies), this is messed up.
Quarless’s fumble, and the attendant trend, may not get too much attention this week in the film room in the wake of a total manhandling of the Packers by the Lions. It shouldn’t. McCarthy has much to fix, but fumbles by the receivers are certainly helping to kill the Packers. He has to put a stop to it, or very possibly start looking for a new head coaching gig.*
*Please take this particular nugget not as an “I hate MM and TT and A-Rod and all their attendent demons and genies, fire their lazy carcasses and bring in Jonmiketony Grudungyolmgren!” sort of poison weed that regularly sprouts up after a bad loss, but more like a “McCarthy was talking to the players about the Super Bowl on the first day of minicamps. We may not even make the playoffs. Regardless of the injuries, that falls on him. It’s his fifth year with the same system and the GM getting the kind of players he wants. Why are we still this goddamn dysfunctional?!” kinda plant.
Yep. I think the answer to your question is poor coaching. That same affliction is seen on the O-line as well.
The 5 year experiment should be over. When are we going to get a real coach.
If he can’t get it turned around in the last three games, I agree.
The Oline was totally abused Sunday. Coaching the problem? I don’t think it can all be attributed to the coaches. Desire and talent has something to do with it.
I was one who felt that Tauscher and Clifton were not likely to finish the season. I was comforted that GB had TJ and Bulaga to back them up. Well, Bulaga is a rookie and is getting his butt beat big time. He’ll learn and has a good future. Can someone tell me why TJ had been relegated to fill-in for the Dline? Cripes, they put that lard ass Spitz in before him. What the hell is going on with the Oline coaching and schemes?
It is now apparent that the Oline cannot handles a power rush Dline. What is the common denominator for the remainiing three opponents? POWER RUSH Dlines!
As far as Jones goes, look at his history he has always had a fumble problem, especially in crucial situations.
Ron, I think TJ’s issue was the injury that kept him from doing anything until training camp and then it lingered on. It only recently started feeling good, according to him.
If we look this bad against New England, I wouldn’t even consider putting Rodgers in against the Giants’ front four, were I McCarthy.
They think they are “Who We Praise Them To Be” and aren’t.
Then every week”one or two” may play to the hype and all the dysfunction of the others is cast aside.
While Player of the Week Awards(Offensive,Defensive) get unheralded attention,the acceptance of mediocrity flourishes more easily among the players,coaches and fans are given ammo for their chat room stat fights.
Sitting back and watching all the games,I don’t believe the problem lies in the over-all ability of the team,but the inability to maintain an energy,stamina and mental level as a WHOLE TEAM conducive to winning.
The Green Bay Packers are the poster boys’of “Mediocrity at it’s BEST”.
I absolutely agree. The frustration as a fan is even amplified when they do, once in a great while, look like a complete team. We clearly suffer in overall game management because MM does the offensive play calling. Unfortunately that also seems to be a weak spot for the team. I wonder if TT has the balls to do something about that. The players seem to support him but Ii wonder if they really respect him as a coach. We seemed to have a trace of that pre-firing Dallas/Minnesota lethargy against the Lions. That it happened against a Division rival with clear playoff implications in December is completely mind boggling. I can’t believe the Board will settle for mediocrity for long.
Unfortunately, I think the packers would have to lose out for MM’s job to be in jeopardy. And even then, he could survive, especially if he were to hire an OC.
watch the HBO Doc on Lombardi. What do you think He would do to offensive line?????
Nothing personal Packer Pilot,but unless Lombardi walks into the locker room and takes over…
Trade them?
James Campen has been consistently awful for the packers. We have developed one young talent in five years and that is Sitton. And I just think he is a strong guy that would be hard to screw up. Campen shifts guys all over the place, he has had the same core players for 4 years and every year it is musical chairs for the first 4 games of the season. If you cannot find the right spots for the players on your team after 4 years that is a coaching problem. The zone scheme is losing traction in the NFL. We need to scrap MM, but if we do not do that atleast get me a new OL coach. Trgovac has improved the play of Jolly, Jenkins, Neal was looking good, CJ wilson a seventh round pick looks serviceable and Wynn looks like he can play. Coaching on the front lines is HUGE. We have 1 good on the defense and it shows. Campen is the worst coach on our staff. And that is tough when we have Slocum, Winston Moss and MM.
I totaslly agree that Trgovac and also Whitt are great examples of position coaches bringing their guys up a few levels. The OL guys are always at the same level, not improving.
Sitton has improved, that much I’ll say. Wells has played very well this year and last, too.
I really disagree on Wells. I know that’s what everyone says, but when I re-watch the games and focus on the OL, I don’t see it. His best is always a standstill. Will never be able to clear anyone out. Still hasn’t blocked anybody on a screen play.
I think he’s usually asked more to tie up the big men then to move them outright. That’s Sitton’s job, and he and Wells are a good double-team. Agree on screens though, nobody but Sitton is really good in space.
Wells is weak. More teams are running the 3-4 with NT and A gap blitzes. You have to have a center that can handle them one on one occasionally. Wells cannot do it. He is just not big and strong enough. We need upgrades at center and entire left side. Colledge is also weak. Weak compared to other interior lineman in the NFL that is.
I mean, Wells will never be a dominating center, but I wouldn’t call him weak… besides, there are bigger problems to fix on the line, namely Colledge and finding a right tackle after this season, when Bulaga will presumably slide over left side. Wells is serviceable.
I’ve been wondering for a couple of years why James Campen still has a job here.
Also, Joe Philbin is a former O-line coach. One wonders why the line isn’t performing better under him.
Actually, I think the problem is the opposite of what you’re saying. The Clifton-Colledge-Wells-Sitton-Bulaga group had been together for most of the season, they’re supposed to have built some chemistry, and they still got manhandled. Tough to explain that and not point the finger at the coaches.
Bring in Cowher. Make him the highest paid coach in the league. Sign him to a six year deal. Do not give him personnel power. I do not care if we keep TT. He pisses me off sometimes but has done well this year. Maybe Cowher could convince him to open his pocket book in the free agent market. Woodley anyone? Cowher would keep DC and Greene on defense and probable Joe Whitt and Trgovac. Please TT get some cajones and get Cowher.
Why I think coaching is the problem is that the Packers can be so dominating one week, and so pathetic the next. The team often starts and finishes games on their back foot, yet plays inspired football in the middle. That tells me, the uninformed yet enthusiastic fan that I am, that the talent is there. So, if the talent is there, it needs to be coached to its full potential. O-line and Special Teams coaches aren’t getting it done week in/out. Receivers have had the dropsies / fumbles all season long. Time to look at their coaching, too. When the whole team plays uninspired football in a must-win game, it’s time to look at the Head Coach.
I’m not enamored with Cowher or Gruden or what ever big name is out there. I’ll bet that there’s other lesser known options out there that could do the job quite nicely.
I agree. No matter the opponent, it always seems like the offense spends at least one quarter, sometimes more, being totally ineffective. I mean, you can go back to 2007 and find plenty of examples-Denver, K.C., Seattle-of this. It doesn’t go away. It speaks to Thompson’s roster that the talent remains there to be coached, but aside from the passing game, I can’t think of anything really good that McCarthy brings to this team.
Hi pressers, Andy…his pressers. 😀
Pad level!