In the run towards immortality the 2011 Green Bay Packers have not been free from doubters and critics along the way. They are led, of course, by the magnificent Aaron Rodgers who is putting together not just a career year but is also challenging the greatest year ever produced by a quarterback in the NFL. That the Packers offense is having praise heaped at its’ doorstep is neither surprising nor undeserved. This edition can now be considered the best offensive team in Packer history and is among the greatest ever seen in NFL history, right up with the Rams greatest Show on Turf and Tom Brady’s New England squad that shattered the regular season scoring record.
But the Doubting Thomases of the world are all too quick to point out the Packers defense is the ugly red headed step child of the lot. They give up too many yards are the whispers. They’re ranked 31st against the pass say the harshest critics. They give up points by the bucket load. None of this is championship caliber defense.
It’s time to dispel some notions about what is wrong with the Packers and more specifically their defense. The truth is this is essentially the same group that brought the Lombardi trophy home last year. There are subtle differences in the composition but the core of the group is intact. It’s time to take a closer look at the Packers defense of 2011.
One big absence is the loss of DE Cullen Jenkins to free agency to the wild spending Eagles. Jenkins role in the Packers D was always underappreciated and he has had a fine year in Philly. While Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson were hoping the 2nd year DE Mike Neal would step up and fill Jenkins’ shoes Neal’s early season injury has set the Pack back. Neal is now healthy but has yet to make a significant contribution.
To lay the blame at Neal’s doorstep is unfair and unwarranted at this point. While Neal has a history of injuries with the Packers that make many go “Uh oh… it’s Justin Harrell all over again…” it is categorically unfair to compare Neal to the first round bust the oft inured Harrell was. Harrell did not see the field in his 5 years with exception of a handful of plays. Neal showed great promise last year until a torn biceps sidelined him and he was also playing well in the preseason when his knee gave out.
Yes, the analogies are in place. But Neal looks to be healthy and MM, not wanting to take any chances, is keeping a short leash on Neal along with Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers in limiting Neal’s snaps in a game as he works his way back. It is far too early in Neal’s career to slap the “Bust” tag on him; how he factors into the overall defensive scheme is this year’s ‘X’ factor.
But clearly the Packers pass rush has fallen off. Clay Matthews literally exploded into the NFL and was unstoppable. His relentless, dogged pursuit of rival QB’s was a breath of fresh air in Green Bay and sent opposing Offensive Coordinators to the blackboard to find ways to limit Matthews’ rushes. This year teams have double and triple covered Matthews and used a variety of packages designed to have the backs and TE’s chip block him in an effort to slow him down, and tactic that has largely worked. While Matthews’ overall sack numbers are down along with the rest of the defense it has not stopped him and Matthews still finds ways to disrupt an offense.
It is important to note that the front 3 in Capers’ 3 – 4 defense – the DT and 2 DE’s – are not meant to post high sack counts. Under Capers system the front 3, or in some cases the front 2 or even 1 when Capers rolls out his ‘Psycho’ package, are designed to occupy space and blockers. B.J. Raji is bullishly strong and routinely sees 2 men on him. In this permutation of the 3 – 4 the plan is to free up the linebackers to shoot in to make plays.
All this theory is fine and well and good on paper and in the meeting rooms and on the practice fields. The harsh reality of the NFL is it is not a balanced, level playing field and as hard as Capers plans to stop offenses in this pass happy era other teams are looking for ways to exploit the 3 – 4.
There are some large fundamental changes the NFL has undergone that have changed the very fabric of the game. The old school dictum of “Offense wins games but defense wins championships” is now as fashionable as a leisure suit. The rules in the past 20 years have bent over backwards to aid and assist the offense and severely limit the defense. The defenses in the NFL are constantly playing catch up to the rules that curtail the bump and run, late hits, or even the big hits for the NFL was once noted. ESPN, the double sided sabre in this created an atmosphere of selling the highlights that today’s players were weaned upon, has helped to cultivate a new breed of player. They see the big hit with the famous “Da da duh, da da duh” theme on the SportCenter and a new generation of player comes in. It wasn’t too long ago that Chris Berman and Tom Jackson had a weekly segment titled “Jacked Up”, which is now deemed barbaric in its’ celebration of the big hit in light of the NFL’s new mandate of player safety. Now those players are being regulated into a style of play they have never seen nor played.
What’s wrong with the Packers D? Truthfully, not that much. The Packers D is a victim of not just the rules but the very success of its own offense.
In a point/ counterpoint we offer the following:
POINT - The Packers give up too many yards passing.
COUNTERPOINT – True. At 31 the only team worse in pass defense is New England. However, the combined record of the two worst defenses are 23 – 3. The amount of yards yielded by the pass defenses are misleading. In the case of both Green Bay and New England their respective offenses score so frequently and so easily that other teams are forced into a shootout style game in trying to match them point for point. Even a lousy QB in the NFL is a great player. Shutdown defenses still have holes. Witness the Ravens or Steelers. These are two predominant defenses that have been torched already this year. The offenses have the advantage and sustaining defensive supremacy is an almost impossible task over 16 games.
POINT – The Packers give up a lot of points.
COUNTERPOINT – Well, duuuuuuuuhhhhhh… the Packers also post a lot of points. When NFL teams hook up to see who can score the most the Packers have a decided advantage and have proven it over the course of 19 straight games. If other teams try to run and gun and outscore the Pack the Pack simply has too many weapons at their disposal. The world never wants to hear about the labor pains; it only wants to see the baby. In this light during this streak the Pack D has not let its offense be outscored.
POINT - The Packers aren’t getting the sacks they used to.
COUNTERPOINT – Good teams adjust to what other teams do. Even the bad teams adjust. Matthews is no longer a surprise. His game now is well documented. Teams are trying to keep Matthews from getting to the QB. But Matthews still dominates games and has had his share of sacks, tackles, and interceptions as he has faked the line and dropped off into coverage more than he ever has. Around him the rest of the D looks to make plays at key times.
POINT – The Packers team defense ranks near the bottom of the league.
COUNTERPOINT – In the stat driven ESPN culture of today’s NFL the single most misleading stat is team D. The Packers are a bend but don’t break defense littered with veterans and playmakers. Charles Woodson, Tramon Matthews and Morgan Burnett comprise a ball hawking group that has a flair for the dramatic. The largely overlooked and hidden stats that do not factor into Team Defense but reveal even more about a defense are as follows:
Turnovers.
Interceptions.
Forced fumbles.
Fumble recoveries.
Turnover differential.
Points scored by a defense.
Points generated from turnovers.
Here is where the Pack makes its case. The offense does not give the ball away easily. Rodgers has 7 interceptions this year, 3 of which bounced off his receivers hands. Brett Favre was capable of 7 INT’s before halftime. As far as putting the ball on the ground only rookie Randall Cobb has done it more than twice and the Packers have a scant 5 fumbles. The Packers take care of the ball and don’t give it away.
Now look closely at this maligned D. The Packer lead the entire NFL in team interceptions, points scored by a D, and are 2nd in turnover differential. AT +20 the Packers are right behind San Francisco. After GB and the 49ers the margins aren’t even close. Aaron Rodgers has shown a remarkable penchant for making opponents pay for mistakes. Against Detroit on Thanksgiving Day the Lions not only took a rash of stupid penalties after an interception Rodgers needed one play to help blow a tight 7 – 0 lead into a runaway 21 – 0 blowout in less than 3 minutes time.
Teams playing Green Bay know in advance several things will happen. The Packers will throw the ball. The Packers will score points. The mere knowledge of that changes the mindset of teams. Most abandon any semblance of a consistent ground attack for fear of being stuffed and giving the ball back to Rodgers. Trading field goals for TD’s against the Packer is another backbreaker. The Giants put together a long, sustained drive that ended with a field goal. The sense was foreboding however as the Giants held their breath as the defense held Rodgers to a 3 and out on the next series.
But the Packers opportunistic defense does not let that good feeling last long. Matthews jumped an out route, snagged an Eli Manning lob and put the Packers ahead. The Giants look shell-shocked and the Packers assume command.
Some teams have been able to hang with the Packers this year. But none has lasted until the final gun. There have been close games, but in each one the Packers have prevailed. The specious argument that Packers D isn’t that good because they depend so much on big plays is as ridiculous as saying the Packer offense is only good because they throw the ball so well. Face it – this is how the Packers play and it is a format that suits them well.
The Packers true test will be seeing how well they respond when pushed in the playoffs. They treated the Raiders game like a playoff game and blew them out of the water. The defense has shown they can also win games. The truest measure of a defense is in its own bottom line. Did they give up fewer points than the offense scored? If the answer is yes, the defense has done its job.
This week will be no test at all as the woeful Kansas City Chiefs have to regroup in the face of the firing of the coach Todd Haley. Whatever ‘trap game’ or other angle is being trumpeted the Chiefs are mere fodder as the Packers attempt the near impossible. The Chiefs have a decent enough secondary, but their key players are out with injuries. Gone are QB Matt Cassell, RB Jamal Charles, TE Tony Moeaki and S Eric Berry, all done for the year with injuries. Under the auspices of the esteemed Tyler Palko at QB, the Chiefs have been a monumental disappointment and were no longer responding to Haley’s whip and a chair style after winning the AFC West last year. Haley’s fate was all but sealed when he decided to play his team to prevent injuries as opposed to preparing for the season after the lockout. For the record this is the same KC squad that Haley played an entire game in the preseason against Green Bay and got walloped… with his first string playing the entire game, and that game meant nothing to the Packers.
It won’t be any easier now that we’re playing for keeps.
Expect the defense to show up. And the offense. The picture becomes clearer and the Packers take another step towards immortality.
In this era in the NFL, one adage rings true. The best defense is a good offense. And when the offense is great, the defense has that much more going for it.
GREEN BAY 34
Kansas City 10
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