Hobbled Rodgers = Better Rodgers?

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

We probably should file this away as just a once in a lifetime performance by a injured hall of famer, but anyone one think a limited Rodgers actually plays better than when he's at full strength?

When Rodgers is at full strength, he likes holding the ball and throwing at least 10+ yards, game changing plays. These plays are huge and game changing when they work but can stall drives when it doesn't.

Last night, he was 17 of 22 with two of the incompletions in a tight end zone to start the game. After that, he was automatic on the short routes and screens. It kept the drives moving and ate a ton of clock. This gives our defense a longer rest than either quick score or a 3 and out due to missing the home run. The injury forced him to add in more screens and slants, which avoided less sacks.


Am I crazy to think the injury forced him to play better?

[LUKE23]

We probably should file this away as just a once in a lifetime performance by a injured hall of famer, but anyone one think a limited Rodgers actually plays better than when he's at full strength?

When Rodgers is at full strength, he likes holding the ball and throwing at least 10+ yards, game changing plays. These plays are huge and game changing when they work but can stall drives when it doesn't.

Last night, he was 17 of 22 with two of the incompletions in a tight end zone to start the game. After that, he was automatic on the short routes and screens. It kept the drives moving and ate a ton of clock. This gives our defense a longer rest than either quick score or a 3 and out due to missing the home run. The injury forced him to add in more screens and slants, which avoided less sacks.


Am I crazy to think the injury forced him to play better?

This doesn't make any sense. One of Rodgers' greatest abilities is throwing on the run outside the pocket, and avoiding the initial rush. That is greatly inhibited with this type of injury. The quick throw stuff would have likely happened yesterday with or without the injury given that Detroit could get pressure rushing 4 in most cases.

But no, he's definitely not better when he's hurt. Remember New Orleans?

[Kerb Hohl]

No. Against a team that can and does play double high safeties and 6 in the box maybe forcing him to check down a bit more often is about the only point I'd agree with.

[trwi7]

No. Just no.

[Newz]

I do like that he was getting rid of the ball quicker as opposed to trying to extend plays at times. But you have to realize a lot of his greatness also comes from those extended plays as well. It would have looked a lot worse if they were able to consistently pressure him. Our offensive line was great yesterday.

I have always said I'd take guys like Rodgers, Young and Favre over guys like Brady and Manning if I was personally starting a team. I like guys that can get out, that can move, that can throw on the run and that can create with their legs.

[El Duderino]

I was very surprised that the Lions didn't compress their defense given it seemed very obvious that McCarthy was trying to protect Rodgers by calling almost strictly short passes with the ball coming out really quick.

[Flames24Rulz]

I know what was meant to be said on the original post. Because Rodgers was hobbled, the playcalling was changed and there were many more slants and quick passes from the gun or pistol over what typically happens when Rodgers is 100%. I actually loved the playcalling when Rodgers came back into the game. So from that vantage point, that did seem to work.

But is a hobbled Rodgers ultimately better than a 100% Rodgers? No. Not even close. But a hobbled Rodgers is still better than probably 2/3's of the league at QB.

[MickeyDavis]

You can still run slants and quick passes if he's healthy. But then you can also have him roll out and scramble if necessary. You lose those options when he's gimpy.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

You can still run slants and quick passes if he's healthy. But then you can also have him roll out and scramble if necessary. You lose those options when he's gimpy.

Of course a healthy Rodgers making the right plays is the best combination. I'm not literally saying Rodgers is better with the injury but his mindset is much better for the team. I just think when he is mobile, he can get too confident that something will develop since he is so good at avoiding pressure. I also have a feeling he audibles out of a ton of running plays thinking he can create something. IMO, he gets impatient and it can kill a drive quickly. I would prefer he dinks and donks the crap out of team throwing at a 80% clip while driving the field and keeping the d off the field.

I'm not the best at reading defenses but I guess if it only worked because the Lions allowed it, then that throws out my theory. I would've thought this would be the time a d would crunch up considering Rodgers was immobile and couldn't create time to throw downfield.

[th87]

I entertained that thought too, but wasn't sure if it was due to the Lions allowing those kinds of passes as well. But yeah, there did seem to be a shift in play execution - more dinking and dunking.

[Balls2TheWalls]

You can still run slants and quick passes if he's healthy. But then you can also have him roll out and scramble if necessary. You lose those options when he's gimpy.

This. The playcalling is what holds him back. The route trees we decide to run, and the forced runs on first and second down forcing us into obvious passing downs instead of using play action are why Rodger's doesn't have awesome huge pass plays like it seemed after he got hurt.

For a west coast guru, McCarthy seems to give up on one of the basic mechanics of the offense which is that a short pass is effectively the same thing as a run. The problem I have with our playcalling is we don't use our run to set up our playaction, we use it to try to get short 3rd downs. I hate it.

[crkone]

A big problem with the timing routes is that if the DBs are allowed rough up the WRs, it messes everything up. It was fairly obvious of this in the Buffalo game. MM and Rodgers have to notice this earlier and try to adjust with slants and check downs in the middle of the field. I would also like to see more chip blocks by TEs who then release into a route. This really can catch a defense, especially in the redzone.

[Godgers]

I think Rodgers has not played good since he injured his leg.

But one of my issues with the Packers is they never dump the ball off. It's always a big gain or nothing. But the MM's offense. I like screens and dumping it off to your check downs, taking what the defense gives you.

[Kerb Hohl]

When are you starting this clock of "since he injured his leg?" In the Buffalo game? Saints?

[trwi7]

When are you starting this clock of "since he injured his leg?" In the Buffalo game? Saints?

Well he did hurt his leg against the Saints. Then again against the Bucs. So I would probably use those games. Buffalo was just an all around horrendous game for Rodgers and our receivers.

[Kerb Hohl]

Sure, I knew he was hurt at TB early but thought maybe there was some suggestion that Buffalo was included and he tweaked it in that game since I was out of town not watching that one as closely. I dunno, Tampa Bay game seemed like one that we've seen a lot where the team leaves the safeties high and the run was there.

Rodgers still went 31/40 for 305 yards, so, yeah. Not sure what the **** Godgers is talking about as usual.

[El Duderino]

You can still run slants and quick passes if he's healthy. But then you can also have him roll out and scramble if necessary. You lose those options when he's gimpy.

Of course a healthy Rodgers making the right plays is the best combination. I'm not literally saying Rodgers is better with the injury but his mindset is much better for the team. I just think when he is mobile, he can get too confident that something will develop since he is so good at avoiding pressure. I also have a feeling he audibles out of a ton of running plays thinking he can create something. IMO, he gets impatient and it can kill a drive quickly. I would prefer he dinks and donks the crap out of team throwing at a 80% clip while driving the field and keeping the d off the field.

I'm not the best at reading defenses but I guess if it only worked because the Lions allowed it, then that throws out my theory. I would've thought this would be the time a d would crunch up considering Rodgers was immobile and couldn't create time to throw downfield.

I was surprised that Detroit kept both safeties back most of the game, even after Rodgers got hurt. It seemed really obvious to me that McCarthy told Aaron to not leave the pocket and move around on under any circumstances, so as to not take a chance of hurting the calf more than it already was. So he called a bunch of short passes with the ball coming out really quick before pass rushers could get to Rodgers. For some reason though Detroit seemed to not adjust to this and do everything they could to take away those quick slant routes, thus trying to force Rodgers to hold the ball longer where pass rushers might get to him, even if doing so might expose their secondary on deeper routes downfield.

Typically defenses are to terrified of compressing the secondary to take away mainly just the sort routes because for many years now the Packers are one of the highest scoring teams in the league via being among the leaders in pass plays over 20 to 50 yards. So that's why many teams play zone with both safeties back. Sunday though after Rodgers got hurt, that over the top threat sure seemed gone to me given McCarthy not only didn't want Aaron running around, he didn't want him getting hit either. Why Detroit stayed in the same soft defense was a mystery to me because i'd have pinched hard on all short patterns.

[El Duderino]

Sure, I knew he was hurt at TB early but thought maybe there was some suggestion that Buffalo was included and he tweaked it in that game since I was out of town not watching that one as closely. I dunno, Tampa Bay game seemed like one that we've seen a lot where the team leaves the safeties high and the run was there.

Rodgers still went 31/40 for 305 yards, so, yeah. Not sure what the **** Godgers is talking about as usual.

No kidding. If we score from 2nd and goal at the one and Cosby makes his FG, they score 30 points instead of 20 vs Tampa Bay. As for supposedly rarely ever using check downs, Rodgers and the offense have been doing that more this year than ever before. Between Lacy and Starks combined, they have 60 catches this season for 567 yards. In fact, after Jordy and Cobb, the running backs are easily the next highest in both receptions and yards. Hell, Lacey alone has more catches than Adams does. He also has more than each of the tight ends.

[raysbookclub]

Not about his calf but about his sense of humor... here's an amusing article about Rodgers and his jokes.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/aaron-rodge ... 1420482041

Then there is Rodgers’s habit of quoting “The Princess Bride.” While the 1987 romantic comedy is widely considered a classic, the allusions are lost on Rodgers’s 20-something teammates. (At 31, Rodgers is older than all but three guys on the team.) His favorite line to blurt out, he said, is from the character Vizzini: “Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates? Morons.”

“They probably don’t get the reference, no,” Rodgers said.

“He does make jokes that fall on deaf ears,” said fullback John Kuhn. “But that’s what happens when you make a lot of jokes.”

Teammates say that Rodgers, during pregame walk-throughs, will stare at players with an angry look until the player expresses concern. Then Rodgers will laugh.

“It takes a really long time to figure it out,” Linsley said of Rodgers’s humor.

Rodgers’s jokes, teammates say, are almost entirely for his own entertainment.

[pack15412]

I think Rodgers has not played good since he injured his leg.

But one of my issues with the Packers is they never dump the ball off. It's always a big gain or nothing. But the MM's offense. I like screens and dumping it off to your check downs, taking what the defense gives you.

Check downs? So...they should trade Rodgers, then try to coax Kyle Orton out of retirement. I'm confused by this statement. Rodgers had 5 interceptions during the entire season, 1 less than Favre threw in a single game in St. Louis.

Rodgers makes me cringe when he holds the ball so long, but he is unreal at finding guys downfield on broken plays. He exchanges a few sacks and hits for those plays and doesn't give the ball away.

Screens are another animal. I'd love to see them get Lacy involved with more screens.