Packers/Lions - Postgame

[th87]

That team gets its personality from its douche coach.

Yup. And the fact that Raiola was made captain by said douche coach tells me all I need to know about that organization. Dysfunctional from top to bottom.

Not that I wouldn't be too scared to do this, but couldn't a band member goad Raiola into punching him or something? He'd never have to work again (assuming he lived).

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

The best part is that Raiola's bro went to Wisconsin.

[chuckleslove]

This idea that we are young and rebuilding is one of the dumber ideas floating around here in recent years. Pretty sure we are older than when we won the Super Bowl. For Ted's first 4 or 5 seasons we were always one of the 3 youngest teams in the league, now that he has a lot of his guys in place we have actually increased in average age the last few seasons. Haven't looked at the rankings this year but yeah, that argument is just flat out bad.

[eagle13]

On the subject of our running game and the RB position...

Did Franklin have any experience playing in the slot in college? It'd be interesting to get him some reps at receiver considering how explosive he was in that Bengals game. With Lacy being the clear cut guy at RB right now, it would seem beneficial to us if we found more creative ways to get Franklin on the field and get the ball in his hands.

That's a great idea especially since we're a little thin at WR. But MM doesn't often add or change positions to rookies during the season.

[El Duderino]

And it's not like it was just one time. They had 3rd and 1 at least three times and I believe they passed every single time. I can recall a 3rd and three where we did run and picked up the 1st down.

Going for the big play on 3rd short is MM's M.O.

I've brought this up before that on any given play, what actually ends up happening doesn't have to mean that's what McCarthy called because he's given Rodgers so much freedom to change almost any play call or throw to any receiver in the play, regardless if that receiver was the first or last option built into the play. Two prime examples which came out from the game Sunday.

1. On one of the 3rd and one plays, Aaron audibled out of a run call into a pass after looking at the defensive alignment. I believe it was the pass to Cobb.

2. On the 80 yard TD to Jones, Rodgers switched the routes that Cobb and Jones were to run after seeing where the Lions safety was aligned on that side of the field.

Rodgers does a weekly radio show on 540 and Wilde has asked Aaron about passing on 3rd and short. His response was that many play calls from McCarthy have both a pass and run option built into the play. It's then up to him to decide whether to check out of the initial run or pass call depending on what he sees the defense declare. He can also change a pass call to a different pass play, resulting in him throwing short or downfield.

So on any number of plays during a game a Packers fan can be thinking that was a really good or bad play call by McCarthy, yet they really have no clue at all as to whether Rodgers instead dictated what happened by either changing from a run to a pass or changing say a slant call to a fade downfield. That's why sometimes i get annoyed in game threads by a number of posters here who will regularly rip on McCarthy for certain play calls which don't work out when those posters have zero clue at the time as to whether Rodgers changed anything about the play MM called.

[Kerb Hohl]

Going for a big play on 3rd and 1 never works.

Ask Jordy Nelson after the first touchdown in Super Bowl 45.

[trwi7]

Going for a big play on 3rd and 1 never works.

Ask Jordy Nelson after the first touchdown in Super Bowl 45.

Ask him on the first drive as well when we had a 3rd and 1 and it didn't work. Nobody is saying never go for 3rd and 1, like I don't really care if you're at like the 38 yard line and plan to go for it on 4th down or you get a favorable matchup on the outside but we can actually run the ball now and sometimes it's better to just keep the chains moving instead of going for the home run.

[Kerb Hohl]

I don't necessarily think going deep on most 3rd and 1s is a great idea at all, I'm just saying I trust Rodgers or MM to take a shot sometimes.


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[A Diddy2231]

I like the idea of throwing deep on 3rd and 1, just don't do it so much that teams come to expect it. Or do a play-action pass

[El Duderino]

Going for a big play on 3rd and 1 never works.

Ask Jordy Nelson after the first touchdown in Super Bowl 45.

Ask him on the first drive as well when we had a 3rd and 1 and it didn't work. Nobody is saying never go for 3rd and 1, like I don't really care if you're at like the 38 yard line and plan to go for it on 4th down or you get a favorable matchup on the outside but we can actually run the ball now and sometimes it's better to just keep the chains moving instead of going for the home run.

When we throw on 3rd and short, it's often not a deep throw, but those stick out more when it's incomplete.

Look at Sunday. On that one third and short incomplete pass to Cobb, it was tipped by Levy. It came out that the play was a run call, but Rodgers saw something in the defensive alignment which made him change the play to a quick WR screen.

On Rodgers radio show i've heard him say more than once that on some of these deep throws over the years on third and 1 that he's changed a run call to say a deep fade to Jordy or Jones if he saw no safety over the top and the corner in man press coverage. Also that McCarthy is perfectly fine with Aaron using his discretion in doing this.

So would you rather have McCarthy take away Rodgers authority to change say a run call on 3rd and 1 to a pass play if Aaron sees something which he feels leaves the defense vulnerable in the secondary? I wouldn't want that to happen even if sometimes i also share the frustration when a 3rd and 1 play ends up being incomplete 15-20-30 yards downfield. I'd assume that other elite QB's like Manning/Brady/Brees are also given that discretion.