Confessions of a Polluted Mindset - Vamo Embora!
The Weekly Packers Brain Drain from Jersey Al.
By JerseyAl
Let's Go! That's the English translation of Vamo Ebora!(sometimes shortened to Bora!). The 2024 NFL season is upon us and the Packers (and the Eagles) are being showcased in the first ever international game played in Brazil. Newly-minted multi-millionaire Jordan Love leads the team into Sao Paulo against an Eagles team that finished last season in the opposite direction that the Packers did. But that doesn't mean the Packers should feel comfortable about this game. The Eagles will be motivated to put the NFL on notice that last season's swoon was a fluke and the real Eagles team was the one that started off 10-1. Conversely, the Packers will be wanting to show that their run deep into the playoffs was NOT a fluke. That they really are that good. The odds are that both of these things are true, so expect a close, hard-fought game under the bright lights of Corinthians Stadium.
The Packers team that travels to Brazil is the youngest roster in the NFL. It's also been said the starters are the youngest group in the league, although I'm not sure how "starters" were determined at certain positions. One might think this preponderance of youth is something to be worried about, but how this youthful team dealt with some early adversity, found themselves and charged into the playoffs should allay some of your fears, Then add in how they destroyed the Cowboys in their home and came very close to beating the 49ers, and you might be able to convince yourself that this youthfulness is actually an advantage. I'm not quite there, but I'm also not worried about the youth factor either.
Now think about the fact that five players that did not make the team were picked up by other NFL teams. Anthony Johnson Jr. Grant Dubose and Royce Newman were all waiver claims, meaning they are on the 53-man roster for their new teams. Samari Toure and Michael Pratt were not claimed but were signed to practice squads. Before last week, the Packers haven't had a waived player claimed since 2017, when Taysom Hill and Brian Price were claimed by the Saints and Cowboys. respectively. So what does this all mean? It means that after a slow start to his GM career, Brian Gutekunst has found his groove. Starting with 2021, when three current starters were added (Stokes, Myers and McDuffie), Gutey has been stocking the roster with starters and significant contributors via his draft picks. 2022 brought Q. Walker, Wyatt, Watson, Rhyan, Doubs, Tom, Enagbare and R. Walker. 2023 brought Van Ness, Musgrave, Reed, Kraft, Wooden, Clifford, Wicks, Brooks and Valentine, 2024 has brought Morgan, Bullard, Cooper, Hopper, Williams and Lloyd, who have shown starting potential. That's some impressive roster building, and yet, there are still naysayers who prefer to focus on his misses, as if that doesn't happen on every other team - and in most cases to a greater extent. And I didn't even get into the most critical decisions of all that were made at the QB position. Call me a Gutey fan.
Another thing about this roster - they're healthy! All 53 players on the roster practiced this week - has that ever happened over the last decade or more for the Green bay Packers? My guess would be no. It could just be a fluke, so It's too early to give all credit to the new strength and conditioning staff, but they are definitely doing things differently than past staffs:
The days of doing a few hamstring, quad and calf stretches before practice are over.
The Packers routine under new strength & conditioning coordinator Aaron Hill has different groups doing different things at different times.
And yes, those are hurdles along the back wall. pic.twitter.com/LQ0Yz6kJUh
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 2, 2024
A couple of things on Josh Jacobs. In an interview last week, Jacobs revealed that not only were there other teams interested in signing him, the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs wanted him badly. But Jacobs turned them down. I'm paraphrasing here, but Jacobs expressed he wasn't the type of guy who goes to the dominant team. He'd rather go to a team looking to get to that level and be part of the reason why it happens. You gotta love that. In addition, it seems Jacobs takes football and the rivalries that are formed quite seriously. As a Raider for five years, Jacob could not see himself ever putting on a Chiefs jersey. That's bad news for the Vikings Bears and Lions when the Packers eventually let Jacobs walk. Take him off your list guys, he's not coming.
The other thing about Jacobs is this. All preseason, I feel like LaFleur has said some things that if you read between the lines, gave you a hint of his plans for Jacobs this season, The other day, Jason Wilde asked LaFleur if once he knew Jacobs was a Packer, he spent time thinking about the different ways he can use him. Lafleur said that from a run standpoint, you're just going to stick with your run schemes and just find out over time what they like to do and what they're good at. From a pass standpoint, his answer was more definite, "Definitely... how you can use them in the passing game, whether some guys are checkdown guys, some guys are creative route runners... it will be an interesting year to see what he can do." Wilde followed up by asking is it was too close to a game plan question to ask if Jacobs has turned out to be both of those things. With a sly smile, LaFleur replied with an emphatic, "Yes."
So what am I getting at here? All offseason I've been picking up what I considered little clues that Jacobs is gong to get more opportunities in the passing game than you might probably expect, especially with the preponderance of passing game weapons the Packers have at the wide receiver and tight end positions. And it could be that opposing defenses focusing on those weapons opens up opportunities for Jacobs. One thing I'd love to see is something opposing offenses have used quite effectively against the Packers - choice routes in the red zone. Pull the opposing secondary into the back of the end zone with your receivers and tight ends and get your running back isolated underneath on a linebacker. Based on several factors such as the positioning of the linebacker, where the open space is, etc., the running back decides where to take his route. It's been very effective against the Packers, I hope they make it a weapon in their own red zone offense.
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"Jersey Al" Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of various hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He's a lifetime Packers fan living in the land of the Giants (and Jets). Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP.
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Comments (84)
Lphill
September 04, 2024 at 06:43 am
awful way to start the season, game in a foreign country, and on a channel you have to pay for.
Cheezehead72
September 04, 2024 at 07:30 am
I agree but the one good thing is for us that live outside the viewing area we can watch the game. And at least for me this is not an early morning Sunday game as I go to church and miss those games.
I do not like the NFL moving towards games only being streamed.
mrtundra
September 04, 2024 at 08:23 am
There are about 4-5 Packer games that I won't be able to watch, this season, in western Wisconsin, because the vikings play at the same time. I like the Peacock and Prime broadcasts, because those games are usually not blacked out. I hate the idea of paying extra to watch the Packers play and with the NFL seemingly moving towards a pay per view format, I may be left with only the Packers Radio Network, until the NFL finds a way to make us pay for that, too.
Hats off to Gutekunst for making this team and "finding his groove."
mnbadger
September 04, 2024 at 12:31 pm
Many times in early fall I take the radio outside and enjoy the woods, the field or a fishing hole while listening to the game on the radio.
Laravee has grown on me over the years while the Rock McCarren has always carried the G in my eyes.
Empacotadores 34 - Águias 26
GPG!
GregC
September 04, 2024 at 07:35 am
Packers haven't begun their season with a home game since 2018.
Cheezehead72
September 04, 2024 at 08:19 am
One other thing is Peacock TV has a military discount can be used by retirees, veterans, and dependents. It is only $3 per month. Do a search on Peacock military discount. It is not that easy if you go straight to their site or you order while installing the app.
Irish_Cheesehead
September 05, 2024 at 09:27 am
And if you are not military, anyone who is not currently a subscriber can use coupon code "TGIF" to pay $4.99 for Premium. That's what I did.
Bitternotsour
September 05, 2024 at 09:39 am
3+ hours of entertainment for $5. Not too bad. How long does that deal last? Do you get that rate for a year?
Condoriano
September 04, 2024 at 08:37 am
I wasn't able to attend a packers game until now man... Give a break for the hardcore packers fans in Brazil!
GregC
September 04, 2024 at 08:47 am
Good to know you are out there and will be cheering for the Packers on Friday!
SicSemperTyrannis
September 04, 2024 at 09:15 am
Welcome!
And with a GPG (Go Pack Go)
LambeauPlain
September 04, 2024 at 11:06 am
Bora Pack Bora!
PeteK
September 04, 2024 at 09:38 am
Agree, I live in NJ, have the football package , but will have to watch the replay on the football network the day after, which means I will have to isolate myself so to not get the final score. However, the Chiefs Ravens game will be on NBC and Peacock. I hope nobody subscribes to Peacock so that this greedy BS stops. Name speaks for itself.
JerseyAl
September 04, 2024 at 02:35 pm
you're such a cheapo.
Bitternotsour
September 04, 2024 at 04:01 pm
he must be north Jersey Al. Makes no sense. Also, he can't steal Peacock from his neighbor, wtf.
Tundraboy
September 04, 2024 at 06:12 pm
That's what I thought. Could be worse, only what $5 think, maybe more with no commercials but I don't think that would be a bad thing this week. Bora
PeteK
September 05, 2024 at 09:05 am
I reuse my coffee grounds, tea bags, and turn my undies inside out, what about it. ha ha ha
GregC
September 04, 2024 at 07:27 am
Thanks for writing about Josh Jacobs. Some people may be overlooking him a little. He's not going to do all of the things that Aaron Jones could do as a receiver, but he could be just as effective in his own way. The Packers had some success throwing to A.J. Dillon out on the perimeter and letting him run through defensive backs. Jacobs will be able to do that better than Dillon could. Jacobs seems like a really high character guy. I appreciate players who are aware of rivalries.
I think the healthy roster to start the season is a fluke. There have been plenty of injuries, including four of the top five draft picks. Luckily no major injuries yet.
Coldworld
September 04, 2024 at 07:41 am
It’s not like we haven’t had hamstring injuries in camp. Lloyd is still working through getting over one. I think the health is mostly luck assisted by the starters (2/3 of the actual roster) essentially doing nothing for 3 weeks other than practices.
Jacobs and Wilson appear to offer more flexibility in the passing game than Dillon, who had decent hands but not agility. Neither are likely to be able to do what Jones could, but that’s not necessarily a problem if we can strike a happy medium between Dillon being schemed open in space and Jones almost playing as a receiver at times.
The point is not to take the ball from our WRs and TEs, but rather to find a way to stress the D further and exploit weaknesses. We have enough weapons now that no RB should need to carry the passing game, simply capitalize on defenses covering other threats. A big part of the success of that will be establishing that we can block enough ground yards that the D has to take the run seriously.
LambeauPlain
September 04, 2024 at 10:18 am
Stress the D early and often...especially with new DC Fangio installing a new D system.
Matt's IOC is further along than the Eagles D, I'd expect. Love is running it smoothly.
Expect to see more 12 personnel to run or pass out of. I would like to see some 21 personnel too, especially if Lloyd can go. Short passes to Lloyd and/or Jacobs with their ability to get yards after the catch will stress the Eagles LBs.
Then hello to the Four Horsemen: Romeo, Christian, Jayden or Dontayvion!
jannesbjornson
September 04, 2024 at 04:02 pm
A guy with All-PRO honors is no slouch. He's a bell cow back. He will run the wagon routes just as effectively.
This offense should score in the mid-30s/game all season.
Leatherhead
September 04, 2024 at 07:20 pm
Jesus!! You're predicting we'll average around 35ppg??
I'm not that optimistic, and I'd settle for us scoring 24 or more most games. That's only 3.5 successful drives out of 11 possessions.
Tundraboy
September 04, 2024 at 06:15 pm
As much as I love AJ teams were teeing off on hm in the playoffs and I think Jacobs can maybe handle that this year. Because teams will be trying to tee off on us for sure.
Cheezehead72
September 04, 2024 at 07:31 am
Like I said earlier in the week and I will say it again for people that might have missed it.
I hope they play "Love Hurts" before the game.
mnbadger
September 04, 2024 at 12:35 pm
. . . during the game would be better after a gang tackle sack!
Empacotadores 34 - Águias 26
GPG!
jurp
September 04, 2024 at 01:50 pm
"Love Hurts" after JL throws a long TD to Watson would be epic, honestly.
TKWorldWide
September 04, 2024 at 07:36 am
I already thought I was ready for some football.
Now I’m even more ready.
I’ll try not to peak (peek? Peacock?) too early.
LeotisHarris
September 04, 2024 at 08:45 am
This is the best, isn't it? Like being next in line, or that sweet period between accepting a new job and having to show up an go to work.
As far as the location of the game, like it or not the NFL is going to offer more of this. And, if I'm a 20-something NFL player, my answer is "hell yes" to the question of playing in a foreign country. What an experience!
I'm not going to cough up the cash for Peacock. F*ck 'em. Larry and Wayne will do.
murf7777
September 04, 2024 at 08:04 am
Reading the comments over the past years, I thought Gutey & Murphy sucked.
RCPackerFan
September 04, 2024 at 08:40 am
"That doesn't mean the Packers should feel comfortable about this game. The Eagles will be motivated to put the NFL on notice that last season's swoon was a fluke and the real Eagles team was the one that started off 10-1."
-While this is true that they will most likely be motivated I can't help but get the feel of a team that is more focused on things outside of the game. I have seen a lot of Eagles talking about the dos an don'ts while down there. It reminds me of when the Packers went to London for the first time and the team did not perform well. And all we heard prior to that game was a gruntled Head Coach. I am seeing a lot of Eagles players sounding disgruntled leading to this game. Could mean something, might not mean anything.
"Now think about the fact that five players that did not make the team were picked up by other NFL teams. Anthony Johnson Jr. Grant Dubose and Royce Newman were all waiver claims, meaning they are on the 53-man roster for their new teams. Samari Toure and Michael Pratt were not claimed but were signed to practice squads."
-Don't forget that Welch was signed by the Broncos, and just yesterday Messiah Swinson got signed by the Panthers. That makes 5 that made other teams 53 before week 1.
"2022 brought Q. Walker, Wyatt, Watson, Rhyan, Doubs, Tom, Enagbare and R. Walker. 2023 brought Van Ness, Musgrave, Reed, Kraft, Wooden, Clifford, Wicks, Brooks and Valentine, 2024 has brought Morgan, Bullard, Cooper, Hopper, Williams and Lloyd, who have shown starting potential."
That 22 draft changed everything. It really changed the direction of this teams future. If Rhyan starts Friday night, that means they will have drafted 3 of their 5 starting OL in that draft. And each of the next 2 have been extremely good as well. Just look at the rooms that have been significantly changed from these 3 drafts.
RB - Lloyd, Williams (counting him as part of last year draft)
WR - Walker, Doubs, Reed, Wicks, Heath
TE - Musgrave, Kraft
OL - Rhyan, Tom, Walker, Morgan, Monk
DL/DE - Wyatt, Enagbare, Van Ness, Wooden, Brooks,
LB - Walker, Cooper, Hopper
DB - Valentine, Bullard, Williams, Oladapo, King (PS)
Condoriano
September 04, 2024 at 08:43 am
Eagles players are talking sh*t about Brazil. I fully expect that the fans will be on Packers side because of that.
We already playing in home jerseys, the crowd will be on Packers side too
Gpg
LambeauPlain
September 04, 2024 at 11:11 am
Hey Condoriano...look forward to your "on the scene" comments!
Enjoy the game! Hope we can welcome you to the Lambeau Shrine one day soon.
Condoriano
September 04, 2024 at 01:57 pm
For sure!!!
Thanks and I hope someday I can visit the Packers holy land !
Since'61
September 04, 2024 at 08:44 am
Jacobs success will depend on the OL. it would be excellent if the Packers OL can dominate the LOS and the Packers can sustain time consuming drives and keep the Eagles offense the field. Play with a lead and keep the Eagles offense one dimensional.
Given that both teams have made numerous changes since last season this should be a very interesting first game of the season. I'm looking forward to Hafley's new defense contributing to a Packers victory. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since '61
Coldworld
September 04, 2024 at 09:08 am
This game has 2 new coordinators on the Eagles, one, Hafley, for us. The secret to winning may be who can assess and adapt the fastest to what’s actually being called, both on the sidelines and at QB.
dobber
September 04, 2024 at 09:42 am
"Another thing about this roster - they're healthy!"
And that's something that needs to continue. Philly will play physically, and the Packers need to match that but also protect themselves for the 17-game marathon that is the regular season. Fully expect to see LaF rotate liberally to try to keep the wear and tear down on his starters. Hopefully they return to GB no less the worse for wear...and with a W.
"A couple of things on Josh Jacobs. "
He's not Alvin Kamara...he's not Derrick Henry. Have to fully let him grow into whatever role he can fill and into the play sets that work best when he's on the field. Let's not detract too much from his pass catching--he's got two 50+ reception seasons under his belt, just not last year. He's not a refined route-runner, but he can catch and move in the open field.
PeteK
September 04, 2024 at 09:49 am
His durability is an asset we haven't had in our rushing attack for a while. Shoot! I just jinxed us!
egbertsouse
September 04, 2024 at 10:00 am
Every season I can’t wait for the season to start because after six months of riding the crazy fan base hype train fueled by the fan site super homer bloggers, I finally get to experience reality. As my hero, Vic Ketchman, says at kickoff,”The baloney stops now.” Except I won’t say “baloney.”
Coldworld
September 04, 2024 at 10:12 am
Quite often there’s a lot of baloney in week one games across the league. It’s a minimum of 3 games these days before we start to know who looks good, bad or indifferent.
T7Steve
September 04, 2024 at 10:41 am
I'm planning on going up to the cabin for a long weekend, so I'll just have to record the game. Luckily, as long as I keep the radio off of the sports networks, I won't find out what happened till I watch.
Jacobs, like Aaron Jones will do as well as the O-line lets him. Jones was successful with some things last that Dillon couldn't do, so the bar is set high for Josh (pass protection included). The main thing will be to get him his reps and get him going. Then things will really be cooking for this team. If he can stay healthy enough to even play just three more games than Jones did last season, it will be a luxury we haven't had for a long time.
LambeauPlain
September 04, 2024 at 10:44 am
Matt's IOC vs Fangio's Defense is going to be fun. One unit is established, the other learning it under the former D guru.
Vic is on a bit of a career redemption season after struggling with the Dolphins last season and being fired as failed Broncos HC for 3 seasons.
He spent 2022 "consulting" with the Eagles before going to Miami as DC...so he had knowledge of most of his group.
His Dolphins Defense started very slow but played better in the second half of the season. Nonetheless it seems Vic did not play well with others on the coaching staff and had a falling out with the HC. He apparently had dissent in the D's locker room too. (Albert Breer/SI)
It seems his Miami departure was "mutual" which is team-speak for "Vic is not working out".
You never know what teams are to to be this early in the season. But this is a great game for Matt to predict Eagles D perceived weaknesses and attack them with "Illusions of Complexity".
Get the lead early with this advantage. I feel the Eagles will have the upper hand on O too vs Hafley's New Pack Attack D...but less so with the D's new focus on turnovers.
Leatherhead
September 04, 2024 at 11:12 am
"""All offseason I've been picking up what I considered little clues that Jacobs is gong to get more opportunities in the passing game than you might probably expect""
I just want to make sure that I understand. Jacobs is going to get more opportunities in the passing game, and the TEs are going to get more opportunities in the passing game. Who is going to get less?
T7Steve
September 04, 2024 at 11:29 am
The Packers are going to have many more offensive opportunities this season because they're going to be on the field at least 10 min more a game. There will be more plays to go around for everyone.
I have spoken. Write it in stone. HA!
I'm looking forward to this season, LH.
Leatherhead
September 04, 2024 at 11:53 am
Let's look at the Math..
Last year, the Packers had 1052 offensive playsb(divided by 17 games, is about 620.. 13 teams ran between 1092 and a league leading 1187 (Browns), Only 1 team did not have 1000 offensive snaps.(Seattle, 995). So you have a range from 995-1187. The middle third ranges from about 1052 to 1092....a spread of 40 plays, over 17 games (2.3 extra snaps per game. An extra 40 plays over the course of a season would have put us in the Top 10.
But it's not just about snaps. Cleveland had the most snaps in the league, and scored 1 more point than us. SF, Tampa Bay, and Seattle....all playoff teams, had fewer snaps than we did.
Look at the yards/play. SF, led the league at 6.6 yards/play. Detroit, Buffalo, Baltimore, Rams, Cowboys, Dolphins and at #8, 5.6 yards/play, were the Packers..
Also, we were 7th in Time of Possession last year, right behind SF and ahead of KC and the Lions. So I'm not seeing how we're going to improve on that very much.
I think we're not going to have our offense on the field a lot more. I think we're not going to have a lot more snaps. If you're going to give Player X more opportunities, you're going to give Player Y fewer.
I said the average number of plays is 62, but I usually use 64 because it's more divisible. Traditionally, our RBs get the ball, via handoff or pass, on about half the plays. That leaves 32 opportunities for everybody else. You can divide them up among the 2 TEs and 4 WRs and you'll see that's about 5 opportunities for Reed, Wicks, Doubs, Watson, Musgrave, and Kraft.
If you want to give Wicks, for example, more opportunities, then somebody else gets less. There's only one ball and a finite number of plays that are going to get run. I don't see how people square the beliefs that we're going to throw more to TEs, more to the RBs, and then not throw less to the WRs. That just doesn't add up to me.
T7Steve
September 04, 2024 at 12:02 pm
Jacobs will just play in more games than the average RB here lately and still stay fresh because he'll have easy going. We know we have to spread around the touches to make Ds have to work.
This is going to be a fun season.
Thanks for doing all the legwork, by the way. I'm just trying to be enthusiastic with my hopes/predictions before the long season gets going.
jont
September 04, 2024 at 12:29 pm
Interesting, LH. Always like the number crunchers. 👍
Some years ago, in the McCarthy days, GB would try for 70 plays a game or more. These days the O runs the play clock to zero much if not most of the time to give the QB time to read the D and adjust. Further evidence of just how complicated pro football is.
For my liking, I hope GB gets the Eagles into a defensive package we like and goes hurry up. Fun to watch. I hope they can execute this early in the season.
Bitternotsour
September 04, 2024 at 11:51 am
Gawdawmighty. Here you go, they'll do that by running the ball less, or passing out of run/pass options. In the past, I believe you advocated for passing more as it was more likely to produce points and larger gains. I can't really remember because you're all over the place trying to justify your take on the tight ends being blockers.
Leatherhead
September 04, 2024 at 12:04 pm
BNS. I think I just explained all that. IF you want to run the ball less,that's a choice. If you want to throw to the TEs on those plays, that's a choice.
64 offensive plays, half the time the ball goes to the RB. The TE is definitely a blocker on those plays. And on a number of pass plays, we go max protection and put 3 guys in the pattern, and the TE is a blocker. So on the majority of plays, our TE is a blocker. The success of the play depends more on his ability to block than to catch a pass.
The TE gets targets about 6 times a game, and on the other 90% he blocks...or maybe runs a decoy pattern.
If you really think that we should throw more to them, then who should we give the ball to less?
This is how the Packers have rolled over the last 30 years. Even during the Super Bowl year of 1996, when we had the immortal Keith Jackson and Mark Chmura.....they only got targeted 111 times in 16 games (a little over 6 times a game).
I strongly, strongly, believe that's the way it'll be this year, too. We're not going to throw to the TE 10 times a game. We aren't. We're going to throw it to our WRs, because they're faster and more likely to get it into the endzone. I'd bet a Pabst on that. Our Top 4 WRs scored 25 TDs on 301 targets. Our TEs scored 4 on about 100 targets. At that rate, even if you threw it to them 300 times you'd only have 12 TDs.
This is our offense. Use the RBs, throw it to the WRs. Throw it to them about 6 times a game , when you've set the table for them, so to speak., and you think you can catch the defense not being honest.
Bitternotsour
September 04, 2024 at 12:11 pm
I'm neither advocating for or against throwing more passes to the tight ends. I'm acknowledging that the tight ends are effectively wide receievers. I only advocate for acknowledging that truth. I assume that the open guy will be targeted. You're mistaking 1st options for the only option. And you're digging in on it. OK. We disagree. The tight ends are not decoys. They're receivers. I hope to god they don't have to pass protect because that means the line is failing in their job. If the tight ends are held in to pass protect it's going to be a really long season.
Leatherhead
September 04, 2024 at 12:56 pm
No, they are not effectively WRs. They aren't as fast as WRs, they aren't involved in running routes. They don't average as many yards/catch. They don't get into the endzone as often.
So I disagree on that point. TEs block first, catch passes second. And the "open guy will get targeted" theory , IMO, isn't as valid as "let's design plays to get the ball to our weapons". The QB, before the ball is even snapped, knows who he is going to try to get the ball to, and where..
If the defense covers with 5, and rushes with 6, then who helps pick up the pass rush? Or is the line just failing in their job.? The TE IS held in on pass protection. That hasn't changed for decades. We're not the only team that does it. It's called "max protect" where you use the TE and RB to help protect and only put 3 in the pattern. The TE or RB sometimes leaks out as a "safety valve".
I'm telling you BNS, this is how the Packers have rolled for a very long time, and it's not going to change this year. The Order Of Battle for the Packers offense is:
1) RB (about 50% of the plays pass and run)
2) WRs (about 40% of the plays)
3) TEs with the remaining 10%
This is how they practice. This is how they draft. This is how they design the offense. This is how they roll. Now, if Kraft/Musgrave stay healthy and are awesome, that might give us some latitude when we have to start re-signing our WRs, but it's not going to change this year.
dobber
September 04, 2024 at 12:43 pm
The Packers have between 563 and 593 pass attempts over the last 3 seasons, and 94, 116, and 117 targets to the RBs over that span. The lowest number coming from Love last season. At this stage, Jacobs is looking like he's aligned to get the bulk of the RB snaps at least until the RB room gets more healthy. He could get 4-5 targets per game...that wouldn't be out of line with what A. Jones was getting as an aggregate average over each of the last three seasons. Jacobs averaged about 3.5 targets per game in Vegas over his career.
Leatherhead
September 04, 2024 at 07:30 pm
Ahman Green got 99 targets one season, but that was a different offense by a different coach. Green was an exceptional talent who averaged over 5 yards per touch and had around 2000 yards of total offense twice.
I think a lot of the offense is going to be powered by Jones in the early part of the season, he's going to get fed. The defense will have to focus on him to some extent, and that'll help with play action.
Qoojo
September 04, 2024 at 11:19 am
Considering how much trouble packers had with RB passing routes especially releasing late, I always hoped for packers doing more of it. I think AR simply did not like those. Excited to see more of it.
Problem with 1st games is that offense is generally behind, unless you are playing the bears or similar bottom feeder. Now add 10 hour flight today, young team in foreign country. At least it's the first game, and friday so that they will have extra travel day to get back to normal cadence of season.
Packers0808
September 04, 2024 at 11:45 am
We are leaving UP to go tour sons home to watch the game on Channel 26 at his house. Glad have somewhere to watch, refuse pay for streaming BS the NFL is going to.
Bitternotsour
September 04, 2024 at 12:02 pm
so, just for the record, you'd rather pay the Saudi's for the gas to drive however long to watch a game that would cost <$7 from the comfort of your own home. I mean, great, you see your kid, more power to you, but you could also sidle on down to the local tavern and watch there, right?
I don't understand the mindset of not paying. You pay for free TV by being subjected to endless commercials. You all do you, but the intransigence is not going to serve you well going forward. More games are going to be on streaming services. It's going to happen. Peacock is pretty cheap for the amount of content provided.
13TimeChamps
September 04, 2024 at 12:21 pm
I have to agree. While free is good, it's also unrealistic in many cases. Football is entertainment. Rock concerts are entertainment. If the Rolling Stones are coming to town do we get to watch for free? A Broadway show? I've never understood why some fans think that football is any different. I'm actually surprised that it hasn't gone MORE to streaming at this point. But it's coming. Enjoy the cheaper options while they're still out there and stop quibbling over a few bucks because it "didn't used to be that way".
jont
September 04, 2024 at 12:37 pm
It seems to me that a major objection to the NFL's broadcast model is that a fan cannot get all the games without more than one purchase of a streaming service. Is there a complete-- every game, live and reply-- offer somewhere?
I mean a licensed one, of course. There are, I've heard, other options on this internet thing the kids use.
LeotisHarris
September 04, 2024 at 02:38 pm
Bingo. That's the issue for me, jont. I'm sure my sticking it to the Peacock Man will have no impact on the NFLs future broadcast decisions. It's just an extra expense I'm not willing to incur for this particular game.
Bitternotsour
September 04, 2024 at 04:16 pm
That's a feature not a bug, so to speak. The NFL doesn't want you to be able to go to one spot. Their product is worth more if they parcel it out. ABC owns ESPN, NBC owns Peacock/USA and CBS owns Paramount+, and Fox - FS1&2, Apple will be getting in the game, the same way Amazon had
You can always head down to the tavern, or seek out a pirate stream I suppose. I caution you on the pirate streams because they often are malware delivery devices - if you're going to use one make sure you have confirmation on legitimacy. That said, you can often find pirate stream suggestions on live chat boards for the Packers. I have a friend who watches the Premier league USA network broadcasts in Arabic from some middle east location, but I pay for one of the Sling packages ($40) so I get NFL Net and USA etc.
LeotisHarris
September 04, 2024 at 06:42 pm
Yeah, I understand. Next season will be even more slippery to navigate.
I don't have cable, pull in PBS, ABC, CBS and NBC via antenna. My TV habit has been reduced to sports, and music (I pay for Nugs.net for concerts). I read a lot, and spend as much time as I can outdoors.
Thanks for the heads-up on the Athletic article on JL. Very well done.
Packers0808
September 04, 2024 at 02:18 pm
Free TV. Where sign me up. I pay 196.40 a month for Spectrum to have tv in the house. How he hell is that free?
Bitternotsour
September 04, 2024 at 04:04 pm
get an antenna. free tv. i get 65 digital channels for free.
Packers0808
September 04, 2024 at 06:33 pm
Can't we live too far away!
Packers0808
September 04, 2024 at 02:12 pm
You are really quite ignorant, enough said.
Leatherhead
September 04, 2024 at 12:29 pm
Going to watch the game with your son is a good thing.
If you are a veteran, or active duty, you can get Peacock for an entire year for the monster price of......$2.99 a month for 12 months. $36 bucks. Or, you can just pay the $7 and cancel after the game if you wish.
It looks to me like Peacock is going to have the Sunday Night games. Some of those will be the Packers. I'm paying the $36 bucks.
Bitternotsour
September 04, 2024 at 12:36 pm
The true added benefit is the Premier League. 90 minutes of action uninterrupted by commercials. Man, if I could pay for American football that didn't have a single commercial interrupting play I'd pay whatever it cost. I have trouble imagining what football would look like without incessant commercials breaking up momentum and ruining continuity.
barutanseijin
September 04, 2024 at 02:22 pm
The incessant commercials on football broadcasts suck, but soccer? They’d have to pay me to watch that. It’s not a bonus, but just another example of wrapping something i want with something i do not. Great for the corporate bottom line, not great for me.
Bitternotsour
September 04, 2024 at 03:58 pm
The beautiful game is fast and sophisticated. ignore the MLS, it's like watching a high school game in comparison to the Premier League. Maybe you're hung up on the soccer equivalent of a touchdown being 1 point, you could think of it as six points if it makes you feel better. But again, to each their own.
honestly, with as great as the US women's team is, hating soccer is the equivalent of hating America.
barutanseijin
September 04, 2024 at 07:51 pm
What a ridiculous comment.
What makes American soccer people so insistent that everyone else watch soccer? I don’t give a shit about hockey, either, and no one ever bugs me about not caring about it, even if i am surrounded by Ranger fans.
JerseyAl
September 04, 2024 at 07:55 pm
You don't like hockey? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU????
Signed,
A Rangers fan
LOL
Bitternotsour
September 04, 2024 at 08:08 pm
He clearly hates America.
Coldworld
September 05, 2024 at 07:55 am
You mean Canada, surely.
13TimeChamps
September 04, 2024 at 03:41 pm
Spending 90+ minutes on a sporting event that ends up in 0-0 ties would be like watching paint dry for me. I would actually welcome a few commercial breaks from the "action".
I know that soccer is the world's most popular sport, and I know it's my American bias, but I've just never understood why.
Packers0808
September 04, 2024 at 02:14 pm
Not here, streaming should not have to be paid for when already paying 200$ a month to watch tv from your own home. If needed will stay away from tv and watch Packer game replays on NFL.
Bitternotsour
September 04, 2024 at 03:51 pm
the cable cord was cut long ago in my house, i pay for internet and two select streams and it is less than $100 per month, i get all network channels, the nfl network, amazon streams and peacock.
Packers0808
September 04, 2024 at 08:51 pm
And waste more time looking at some stupid on air tv guide to find something, where on cable click once and find what you want. Watching tV should not be a chore. I talked to one of these "providers" just last week and hell they wouldn't even set it up unless I would pay $50.00 extra for them to come out set it up and explain it. No thanks.
Irish_Cheesehead
September 05, 2024 at 09:43 am
You can also use the code "TGIF" and get it for $4.99. Or you can sign up for a free trial of Instacart+ which includes Peacock Premium and get it for free. Just cancel Instacart+ after the game. I just wish I could go to one source and stream all the games for a season at a reasonable price.
Bitternotsour
September 04, 2024 at 11:47 am
There's a pretty great Athletic piece on Jordan Love by Schneiderman that gives actual currency to Gutekunst having prepped to trade Rodgers the year before the Jet's deal, only to be thwarted by 1265 Lombardi. Thank goodness for the Jets being idiots and saving the day.
https ://www.nytimes. com/athletic/5736154/2024/09/04/jordan-love-packers-franchise-qb/ - the link is broken so that it can be posted here but if you cut and paste it I think it works. I subscribe to the Times, so no idea if it's behind a paywall.
barutanseijin
September 04, 2024 at 02:29 pm
I have an NYT subscription through work, but every time i click on an Athletic article it asks me to sign up for a paid subscription.
JerseyAl
September 04, 2024 at 02:33 pm
It's a separate subscription
Bitternotsour
September 04, 2024 at 03:40 pm
not on mine Al. I just signed up for the service as a part of my subscription, I think by signing up for the newsletter
JerseyAl
September 04, 2024 at 06:22 pm
well that's good!
Tundraboy
September 04, 2024 at 04:46 pm
Well I needed to get away from work,home and family drama, and had let the game skip out of mind. So I decided a trip over to CHTV would do the trick! Thanks Al, Im kind of a Gutey guy too! GPG
Starrbrite
September 04, 2024 at 07:01 pm
While others were mourning the loss of Jones, I was beating the drums about the upside of Jacobs. He’s gonna be great.
And don’t get me wrong, I lived Jones; I now love Jacobs.
Moreover, I too like Gutey. I originally believed he was slow to the trigger with FA’s, but he’s a savant.
Go Packers!!!