A look at the 2011 Packers D

[LUKE23]

Season stats:

Total D:

Points allowed: 22.4 (19th)
Yards allowed: 411.6 (32nd)
Turnovers forced: 34 (2nd)

Passing D:

Passing yards allowed: 299.8 (32nd, most in NFL history)
Passing yards per attempt: 7.8 (27th)
QB Rating allowed: 80.6 (10th)
INT: 31 (1st)
INT %: 4.9 (1st)
Sacks: 29 (27th)
Sacks %: 4.4 (32nd)

Rushing D:

Rushing yards allowed: 111.8 (14th)
Rushing yards per attempt: 4.7 (26th)

Nothing we didn't already know, but good to see the numbers. Outside of turnovers, which I hate to rely on regardless of how consistently we've forced them, we were absolutely horrendous in every facet. The most telling is the sacks percentage though. We went from 2nd in the NFL to last in one season. No heat on opposing QB's.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Our only hope is that Capers has been saving some things for the playoffs. Not exactly likely, but it's all we really have at this point.

[LUKE23]

Our only hope is that Godgers takes a dump all over everyone, which IS exactly likely.

If he has an off game in the playoffs, we will lose.

[Newz]

I think our defense can still be effective. It's just going to have to keep forcing TOs.

[LUKE23]

I think our defense can still be effective. It's just going to have to keep forcing TOs.

I by no means predict TO's though, especially in the playoffs where you face better QB's. They may still happen, but it's a horrible way to rely on stopping people.

[an_also]

I think our defense can still be effective. It's just going to have to keep forcing TOs.

I by no means predict TO's though, especially in the playoffs where you face better QB's. They may still happen, but it's a horrible way to rely on stopping people.

Especially if you're facing Brees. I don't think he's going to turn it over the way he's been playing.

[Newz]

I think our defense can still be effective. It's just going to have to keep forcing TOs.

I by no means predict TO's though, especially in the playoffs where you face better QB's. They may still happen, but it's a horrible way to rely on stopping people.

I definitely agree I'd rather be able to just force 3 and outs.

[MickeyDavis]

All teams have to do is account for Matthews and they know their QB will have plenty of time to throw. Brees, Manning, Ryan, Stafford. Not good. Smith doesn't worry me as much. There's no way Capers has some secret plan he's been holding back, I wish that was true He seems content with relying on turnovers.

[ReasonablySober]

This is a good read.

[BuckFan25226]

I think our defense can still be effective. It's just going to have to keep forcing TOs.

I by no means predict TO's though, especially in the playoffs where you face better QB's. They may still happen, but it's a horrible way to rely on stopping people.

Especially if you're facing Brees. I don't think he's going to turn it over the way he's been playing.

I disagree, that guy makes at least several awful throws per game. And I don't mean inaccurate, I mean trying to fit it into double and triple coverage. If we play the Saints, Brees will give us plenty of opportunities for INT's, we just have to take advantage.

[Kerb Hohl]

Yeah, I wouldn't necessarily expect turnovers in the playoffs, either.

Signed,
Tramon running 70 yards, Clay stripping Mendenhall, Collins diving into the endzone, etc.

I realize that Brees and Brady are on a different level than some of these guys, and I definitely wouldn't just simply bet in Vegas that we'll get huge turnovers, but I expect to get 1-2 impact turnovers/game no matter who we play.

[th87]

It just doesn't make sense that the pass rush would regress that badly. Cullen Jenkins didn't play down the stretch last season, if you recall.

[rilamann]

It just doesn't make sense that the pass rush would regress that badly. Cullen Jenkins didn't play down the stretch last season, if you recall.

That's one of the reasons I think Capers might be holding out on some things for the playoffs.

Our defense has looked really bad at times this season,particularly our pass rush.But we still have most of the players from last season and like you mentioned,Jenkins didn't even play down the stretch last season (missed 5 games) and when he did play (in the reg season) he wasn't all that spectacular.

Our pass rush has regressed to the point you'd think we lost a prime Reggie White.

I could very well be wrong but I still contend Capers hasn't really opened up the defensive play book yet and the defense really hasn't been all that physical.

And at the end of the day did we really have to use our best schemes and plays and go all out in the reg season? We damn near went undefeated and he have the HFA.

I think in the playoffs we are going to see some exotic blitzes and the secondary will play more bump & run coverage which they haven't really done all season and overall we're going to see a more physical defense.

[th87]

I hope you're right - it makes sense though.

Because it's like we're watching different players this year. CJ Wilson and Howard Green have been non-existent. Pickett is largely the same. Raji took a step back. Hawk has become obsolete, and there's a mess opposite Clay.

I find it hard to believe that all those players just got fat and happy after the SB. Or people just suddenly figured Dom out. We also have among the best D-Line and LB coaches in the business. Seems weird.

[rilamann]

I hope you're right - it makes sense though.

Because it's like we're watching different players this year. CJ Wilson and Howard Green have been non-existent. Pickett is largely the same. Raji took a step back. Hawk has become obsolete, and there's a mess opposite Clay.

I find it hard to believe that all those players just got fat and happy after the SB. Or people just suddenly figured Dom out. We also have among the best D-Line and LB coaches in the business. Seems weird.

Yeah it's crazy,last season the consensus during and after our Super Bowl run was.......

''Green Bay has built a rock solid defense,they have (young) potential stars (Raji,Clay,Tramon,Burnett,Shields) all over the field to go with rock solid vets (Woodson,Pickett,Collins) led by one of the greatest defensive minds in football in Dom Capers''.


Something has to be going on here you'd think.I understand we lost Collins in week 2 and that was a blow to the D but not enough to make the D completely fall apart.


With that said though I also contend that our defense while deff not great hasn't been as bad as some think.I don't care how good your offense is,you don't go 15-1 with a ''terrible'' defense.

I think having a quick strike offense and playing a lot of prevent when we had leads makes our stats misleading on the defensive end.


I record the games so maybe between now and the 15th I'll skim over the entire season and see if I come to a different conclusion.

Thinking back it just seemed like this year our offense would jump all over teams early and the defense would then coast and play vanilla giving up yards and making the final score seem a lot closer than the game really was.

For example.

The Saints game,we had a 15pt lead with about 3 or 4 minutes to go and the defense coasted and made the final score and yard total look closer than it really was.

The Panthers game,we spotted them a 13-0 lead but then out scored them 30-3 before giving up a meaningless TD drive in the final 2 minutes to make the score look ''close'' at 30-23.

The Charger game,we had a 17pt lead late in the 4th and then went into prevent mode.

And that's just 3 games off the top of my head,we did that sort of thing in a lot of games this season.

Obviously we didn't show our best hand defensively and didn't play as physical as we could have in those games and obviously we didn't need to.If we had maybe our defensive stats would look better and we wound have had more ''blow outs'' ,but what would the point of that be? We'd still probably be 15-1 and we'd probably have more injuries and teams like the Giants & Saints would know our best defensive hand going into the playoffs.


Not saying I think it's a concrete fact that Capers and the D was holding out and the D overall was kind of coasting in the reg season,just a theory but it makes a lot of sense.I hope I'm right.

[BUCKnation]

Our only hope is that Capers has been saving some things for the playoffs. Not exactly likely, but it's all we really have at this point.

yep, its really the only thing to be hopeful for with this defense

[jimmybones]

I hope you're right - it makes sense though.

Because it's like we're watching different players this year. CJ Wilson and Howard Green have been non-existent. Pickett is largely the same. Raji took a step back. Hawk has become obsolete, and there's a mess opposite Clay.

I find it hard to believe that all those players just got fat and happy after the SB. Or people just suddenly figured Dom out. We also have among the best D-Line and LB coaches in the business. Seems weird.

Yeah it's crazy,last season the consensus during and after our Super Bowl run was.......

''Green Bay has built a rock solid defense,they have (young) potential stars (Raji,Clay,Tramon,Burnett,Shields) all over the field to go with rock solid vets (Woodson,Pickett,Collins) led by one of the greatest defensive minds in football in Dom Capers''.


Something has to be going on here you'd think.I understand we lost Collins in week 2 and that was a blow to the D but not enough to make the D completely fall apart.


With that said though I also contend that our defense while deff not great hasn't been as bad as some think.I don't care how good your offense is,you don't go 15-1 with a ''terrible'' defense.

I think having a quick strike offense and playing a lot of prevent when we had leads makes our stats misleading on the defensive end.


I record the games so maybe between now and the 15th I'll skim over the entire season and see if I come to a different conclusion.

Thinking back it just seemed like this year our offense would jump all over teams early and the defense would then coast and play vanilla giving up yards and making the final score seem a lot closer than the game really was.

For example.

The Saints game,we had a 15pt lead with about 3 or 4 minutes to go and the defense coasted and made the final score and yard total look closer than it really was.

The Panthers game,we spotted them a 13-0 lead but then out scored them 30-3 before giving up a meaningless TD drive in the final 2 minutes to make the score look ''close'' at 30-23.

The Charger game,we had a 17pt lead late in the 4th and then went into prevent mode.

And that's just 3 games off the top of my head,we did that sort of thing in a lot of games this season.

Obviously we didn't show our best hand defensively and didn't play as physical as we could have in those games and obviously we didn't need to.If we had maybe our defensive stats would look better and we wound have had more ''blow outs'' ,but what would the point of that be? We'd still probably be 15-1 and we'd probably have more injuries and teams like the Giants & Saints would know our best defensive hand going into the playoffs.


Not saying I think it's a concrete fact that Capers and the D was holding out and the D overall was kind of coasting in the reg season,just a theory but it makes a lot of sense.I hope I'm right.

You perfectly summed up what I've been thinking/saying to my friends for a while now. I really believe the defense will show up in the playoffs and will look a lot closer to last years playoffs defense than this years regular season.

[BUCKnation]

I dont think our D is as bad as it looks as far as (32nd in ypg). So many times this year, the pack had a blowout going and the other team got a bunch of garbage yards. I guess the same could be said for the ppg, but to a lesser extent. That said, the defensive is not good at all and is not close to the team had last year

[UWM_Brew_Buck]

I think our D all of a sudden getting unleashed in the playoffs is just wishful thinking, I hope I am wrong though.

[UWM_Brew_Buck]

I think our D all of a sudden getting unleashed in the playoffs is just wishful thinking, I hope I am wrong though.