Go Pack Go!

dirtywater wrote:

Joe Barry is out. There is a Santa Claus!

That defense turned it around when it mattered at the end of the season, but the pattern of playing down to their opponents with a soft scheme throughout the year was too obvious to ignore in my opinion. Should be interesting to see how things shake out here. They have some young talent, some veteran talent, and some holes. Hope they can put it all together next year!

His defenses were always near the bottom no matter where he coached . I thought he was a poor hire when they got him.

The Pack missed yet another golden opportunity to make it to the Super Bowl. They were on fire going into SF, but they cracked under pressure.

i don’t know if i see the Packers cracking under pressure as much as just getting beat in a close game by a very good team. and it’s not like the missed field goal was a surprise as he’s not a guy who’d gone 67-67 on extra points and 39-39 on field goals during the season and then suddenly missed one in the big moment…

As a life-long Vikings fan -I’m now ALL-IN on the Lions and I hope Packer fans are, too!

definitely! the Lions are the lost step-child of the NFC North. they’re inoffensive with no real rivalries, they’ve consistently found ways to lose, and have simply not mattered. i think the worst indictment of a team is when you don’t care about them, either for or against. nice to see that change.

As much as we Vikings fans like to complain, we’ve at least been competitive most years since the mid-80s.

my contention is that simply making the playoffs is pretty easy and we should all expect better than that from a “competitive” team.

since the start of free agency in 1993:
Packers have lost 6 NFC Championships, won 3 NFC Championships, lost 1 Super Bowl, and won 2 Super Bowls
Vikings have lost 4 NFC Championships
Bears lost 1 NFC Championship, won 1 NFC Championship, lost 1 Super Bowl
Lions have made it to 1 NFC Championship (TBD)

we’ll all put the line for what’s acceptable at a different point, but it’s pretty clear that the Lions have not been competitive in 30 years. with free agency and the salary cap the playing field is very level in football. there’s 15 teams in the Conference, so any team that’s run decently “should” win a Conference Championship every 15 years, and win a Super Bowl every 30 years. anything short of that is an organizational failure; more than that is excellence. at this standard the Packers are just slightly above average, and the rest of the NFC North is below.

Just wondering what Packers’ fans are feeling about the new D coordinator. I’m not sure I have an opinion other then it’s not Berry. Anyone know anything about him?

He came in as a surprise, and can’t say I heard anything good or bad about him. Said his college team BC played good, despite their record since they are a lower team in the ACC which has Clemson and others. Much like Minnesota in the Big 10. Heard both he was and wasn’t already a friend of MLF, so I’m hoping he got the job on qualifications not because he was a buddy of MLF. Everyone saw how hiring your buddy for DC worked out before. Guess he worked under Saleh in San Francisco and MLF and Saleh are friends, so hopefully he got high recommendation from Saleh saying he was qualified. Been out of the league for 4 years, so a little concerned with that. Was hoping they would have hired an assistant coach that has been coaching in the NFL. Once thought if MLF got this hire wrong they would both be shipped out, but after what MLF proved this past year I doubt they would fire him anytime soon.

22-26 as HC at Boston College. During Hafley’s four seasons, Boston College ranked 68th (out of 128), 31st (out of 130), 100th (out of 131) and 86th (out of 133) in Division I FBS in fewest points allowed per game. I LOVE the signing!!!

BC’s numbers are probably influenced by the fact that they’re Boston College moreso than by who their coaches are…you can’t make your players better and it’s a decidedly uphill climb for a school like that one. and aside from 4 years as BC’s head coach, his full resume shouldn’t be overlooked as it is filled with defensive coaching experience on pro teams.

this is an interesting article – Gutekunst and LaFleur are asking him to run the defense based on what works best for the personnel they have, rather than trying to get those players to run some particular defense. refreshing.

https://www.packersnews.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2024/02/01/jeff-hafley-defensive-scheme-will-aim-to-maximize-green-bay-packers-players-abilities/72413296007/

I don’t hate it. I didn’t love the veteran options. It could go poorly, or he could turn out to be next great young defensive coach that catches the league by surprise. The odds of that happening are slim, yes— but I think this fits the vibe of the team. Young and hungry and doing things their own way. Better than a crusty veteran who is in love with his own system. And I didn’t see a lot of defensive position coaches in the NFL that looked all that promising. At one time I thought maybe Al Harris, and then came the Dallas playoff game.

Michael C. Winther wrote:

you can’t make your players better

That is a weird thing to say about a coach, that recruits and then coaches said players. And BC is a mid-upper tier ACC school. His resume beyond BC is very VERY thin (co-DC for Ohio St., DB coach, assistant DB coach etc.), but you never know.

Well you guys are getting Sean Mannion so there are hopes for you.

BigWerm wrote:

That is a weird thing to say about a coach, that recruits and then coaches said players. And BC is a mid-upper tier ACC school. His resume beyond BC is very VERY thin (co-DC for Ohio St., DB coach, assistant DB coach etc.), but you never know.

regardless of who the coach/recruiter is, Boston College is simply never going to recruit the same kinds of athletes that FSU, or Clemson, or Louisville gets. can’t make them “better” in the physical gift sense. let alone if they’re compared to teams in the actual power conferences such as the B1G or SEC or PAC-RIP.

his resume is thin if he’s compared to current / former NFL defensive coordinators. when he’s compared to other 1st-time defensive coordinators his resume is typical.

he’ll do a good job, or he won’t, we’ll wait and see. what i know is that they’ll be more aggressive as a defense under him and that’s what LaFleur was seeking.

I see Packers announced the search for a new CEO for when Mr. Murphy retires in 2025.
I wonder if AR will pipe in his recommendations?
I’m not sure his opinion carries much weight. His preliminary shot at being a GM with the Packers and Jets hasn’t worked out very well.

Cutting fat and signing Josh Jacobs, so far I’m liking free agency, hope we get a safety, and call it good until the draft.

Steven Krapfl wrote:

Cutting fat and signing Josh Jacobs, so far I’m liking free agency, hope we get a safety, and call it good until the draft.

Going to be interesting to see what Jacobs signed for, he’s got a lot of wear and tear, and is a slight step down from Jones imo.

Aaron Jones had a lot of miles on him too, sure gonna miss #33. Seen Cousins went to Atlanta, moving and a shaking in the North. I thought Jacobs was good, maybe he’s not though. Don’t watch many Raiders’ games. He did have 1600 yards or something a couple years ago I thought I remembered.

Steven Krapfl wrote:

I thought Jacobs was good, maybe he’s not though. Don’t watch many Raiders’ games. He did have 1600 yards or something a couple years ago I thought I remembered.

Jacobs is good, and you are correct led the league in rushing a couple years ago. Jacobs has 1502 carries/receptions in 5 years. Jones has 1449 touches in 7 years.

BigWerm wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Steven Krapfl wrote:</div>
I thought Jacobs was good, maybe he’s not though. Don’t watch many Raiders’ games. He did have 1600 yards or something a couple years ago I thought I remembered.

Jacobs is good, and you are correct led the league in rushing a couple years ago. Jacobs has 1502 carries/receptions in 5 years. Jones has 1449 touches in 7 years.

Hard to get touches when your in street clothes injured. Jones would not of been here next year anyway. Now you have a guy for 3+ years.

Terrible decision. Jacobs is a malcontent, and oft-injured as well. Jones has been nothing but a team player, and is a far more complete back. Whatever, I guess, at least the local squad is bound for the cellar, for half a decade at least…

Xavier McKinney isn’t a bad signing either.