Re: General Packers News 2020
Posted: 09 Feb 2021 08:31
by Pckfn23
McGinn: Superior overall grade doesn’t hide miscues in Packers’ team report card
Here are my team grades for the 2020-21 Packers in eight categories. Individual grades by position will follow soon.
Passing offense (A)
This wasn’t an aerial circus; the Packers ranked ninth in passing yards with an average of 256.6. Then again, it was a balanced offense that had precious few opportunities to pile up yardage because of fourth-quarter comebacks or garbage time. What the Packers were was deadly efficient. Of their 73 touchdowns, 53 came through the air and just 18 on the ground (two were returns). Nine of the passing TDs came from the 1-yard line. Their 80 percent success rate in the red zone was a record since the NFL began recording the statistic about 20 years ago. Aaron Rodgers, who earned MVP honors on Saturday night and took every meaningful snap at quarterback, led the NFL with a passer rating of 121.5 before compiling a 104.3 mark in two playoff games. His five interceptions were one more than his club-record of four from 2018 and ’19. In 18 games the Packers yielded 26 sacks, their fewest since 2007 when Brett Favre was their quarterback for a 16th and final season. Green Bay ranked fifth in sack percentage, also its best finish since ’07. Corey Linsley allowed the fewest pressures (7 ½) of the offensive linemen. Not only did Rodgers get the ball out of his hand in a timely fashion, but the play-action game also was sublime. Davante Adams tied for second in receptions with 115, 12 behind Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs, and tied for fifth in receiving yards with 1,374. Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s average of 20.9 was the best in the league among receivers with more than 525 yards. Robert Tonyan caught 11 TDs, sharing the league lead among tight ends with Kansas City’s Travis Kelce. Of the Packers’ 67 receptions of 20 yards or more, Adams led with 19, two short of his career-high total from 2016. On receptions of more than 35 yards, MVS edged Adams, 8-7. Adams surpassed 100 yards seven times in his 16 games, including a 196-yard outburst at Houston. Equanimous St. Brown led the club in average gain after the catch at 7.1. The Packers had two off days: their net passing total was 107 against Tampa Bay on Oct. 18 and 96 against Carolina on Dec. 19.
Rushing offense (A-minus)
The commitment of both Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers to the running game made for an offense that, at times, was next to impossible to defend. In 18 games the Packers rushed on 43.8 percent of their plays, their highest ratio since the Ahman Green-led offense of 2003 rushed 50.8 percent while averaging 159.9 yards. In 2019, LaFleur’s first season as coach, the commitment of coach and quarterback to rushing wasn’t there to the same degree (40.2 percent). The Packers ranked eighth with an average of 132.4, their best mark since 2013 when they averaged 133.5 behind Eddie Lacy. Having ranked seventh in yards per carry (4.78) in the regular season, the Packers posted 127.5 and 4.90 in the playoffs. The three-pronged backfield of Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams and AJ Dillon gained 2,109 yards while averaging 5.09 in 18 games. Fourth in the NFL with 1,104 yards, Jones averaged 5.5 in the regular season and 6.3 in the playoffs. His regular-season average ranked fourth among backs with more than 500 yards. He never carried more than 20 times. The team had 11 rushes for 20 yards or more. Four of Jones’ carries surpassed 50 yards, all in games at Lambeau Field: 77 against the Eagles, 75 against the Lions, 60 against the Rams and 59 against the Titans. Williams converted 11 of 12 on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 plays. For the first time since 2010, none of the team’s running backs lost a fumble on a running play. A heavy outside-inside zone team in which the linemen moved laterally in unison, LaFleur pulled a lineman on just 25 running plays. Those plays gained 117 yards (4.68). The running backs were penalized twice; under position coach Ben Sirmans, the unit has only six penalties in five seasons. In 495 rushes, the Packers had 105 “bad” runs (gains of 1 yard or less in non-short yardage situations) for 21.2 percent, their lowest mark in at least six years. David Bakhtiari allowed just three “bad” runs in his 12 games.
Passing defense (B)
The symbiotic relationship between rush and coverage prevented the Packers from being shredded even once all season. No opponent had a net passing day of 300 yards; Houston’s Deshaun Watson generated 286 in the Texans’ 35-20 defeat, but 171 came in the second half of a lopsided game. The Packers’ yield of 221.2 ranked seventh, their best finish since 2015, and then the Rams and Bucs averaged 211.5 in the playoffs. Green Bay’s 10th-place finish in pass average (net yards divided by attempts and sacks) was its best since 2014. The opponents’ passer rating of 91.1 ranked 13th, and then the Rams and Bucs combined for 87.7. There were five individual 100-yard games. The 49ers’ Richie James led with nine catches for 184 yards; in his 10 other games, he caught just 14 for 210. No tight end reached 100 yards. What the Packers did best was prevent the big play and rush the passer. Green Bay’s allowance of 45 passes of 20 yards or more was its fewest since 2005. In the last two seasons under coordinator Mike Pettine, the Packers ranked eighth and tied for sixth in red-zone efficiency. In nine seasons (2009-17) under Dom Capers, the Packers never ranked higher than 12th and finished in the top half of the NFL just twice. Green Bay, which somewhat surprisingly has had at least a top-13 finish in sack percentage every year since 2012, ranked eighth with a rush that didn’t require much blitzing. Pettine rushed five or more on just 22.5 percent of dropbacks and six or more on 2.6 percent. He protected his back seven, using just four rushers on 71.9 percent of dropbacks. On the 143 occasions when an inside linebacker or defensive back did blitz, their pressure rate of one every 5.2 snaps was the best in Pettine’s three seasons. Za’Darius Smith, who tied for fourth with 12 ½ sacks, led the Packers with 42 ½ pressures, 23 fewer than last season. He also had four forced fumbles, including three on sacks. No player on the team forced more than one fumble in 18 games. The Packers tied for 18th in interception percentage with 11 picks before intercepting three more in the postseason. Darnell Savage led with four. The team dropped 12. Of the 12 batted passes, Preston Smith led with four. The leaders in passes defensed were Jaire Alexander (16) and Savage (12). Opponents lost three fumbles after receptions.
Rushing defense (B-minus)
Based largely on three games from mid-October to mid-November, the run defense was regarded as the Packers’ weak link. The Bucs’ Ronald Jones (23-113), the Vikings’ Dalvin Cook (30-163) and the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor (22-90) spearheaded their three teams’ rushing attacks that averaged 157 yards. Other than those games, the run defense passed muster. The Packers tied for 13th, their best finish since 2016, with an allowance of 112.8 before surrendering just 86.0 in the playoffs. The yield of 4.55 per carry, a decrease from 4.67 in 2019, ranked 21st. Tennessee’s Derrick Henry, the NFL’s rushing champion with 2,027 yards, averaged 155.9 in seven of his last eight games. In the eighth, he was limited to 98 in 23 attempts by Green Bay. Opposing quarterbacks rushed 46 times for 268, the most against the Packers since 2015. Two of the 10 runs for 20 yards or more were long-distance affairs by running backs: 57 by the Bears’ David Montgomery, 49 by the Saints’ Alvin Kamara. The tackles per snap leaders were Montravius Adams among the defensive linemen (one every 11.8), Krys Barnes among the inside linebackers (one every 5.6), Rashan Gary among the outside linebackers (one every 13.6), Kevin King among the cornerbacks (one every 11.3) and Raven Greene among the safeties (one every 8.2). Adrian Amos and Barnes shared the tackling title with 91. Of the 138 misses by the defense, Darnell Savage had the most with 15. For the second straight season, the Packers accumulated merely 33 tackles for a loss in 18 games. The average of 1.83 per game marked the team’s lowest in 30 years. The defensive linemen contributed just 5 ½, the Packers’ lowest total in more than 12 years. Barnes led the club with 4 ½.
Special teams (D-minus)
The Packers haven’t forged a top-10 finish in the definitive ratings by Rick Gosselin since 2007 when they tied for seventh under Mike Stock. In 2019, Shawn Mennenga inherited units that ranked 32nd under Ron Zook. Mennenga’s teams finished 26th in 2020 and 29th this season, and he was fired shortly after the season and replaced by his assistant, Maurice Drayton. Apart from Mason Crosby, Mennenga’s teams didn’t make a single big play during his 36-game tenure. No long return, no blocked punts, no blocked kicks, no successful fakes, no surprise onside kicks. The futility in 2020 was topped by 53 yards in punt returns, the fewest by the Packers since the statistic was first recorded in 1941. The opponents’ runbacks included a 91-yard punt return for a TD by the Jaguars’ Keelan Cole, a 73-yard punt return for a TD by the Eagles’ Jalen Reagor and a 71-yard kickoff return by the Lions’ Jamal Agnew. In the playoffs, the Bucs’ Jaydon Mickens returned kickoffs 43 and 34 yards. Darrius Shepherd’s lost fumble on a kickoff return in the third quarter contributed to the overtime defeat in Indianapolis. In Houston, a lousy block by Dexter Williams led to a blocked punt, and later the Texans recovered an onside kick because Adrian Amos and Chandon Sullivan whiffed. The fumbles by Shepherd and Tavon Austin on punt returns left the Packers with a turnover differential of minus-2 in 18 games. Crosby was a shining light, sharing the NFL lead with Seattle’s Jason Myers in field-goal percentage by making all 16 attempts (he made four more in the playoffs). The 16 field-goal attempts were the fewest by the Packers since 1956. Crosby did miss four of 63 conversions but his regular-season percentage of .937 still ranked 14th. JK Scott, whose 47 punts marked the fewest by a Packers player in a 16-game season, ranked 28th in net punting average (37.0). Oren Burks and Ty Summers, the snap leaders in the kicking game with 374 and 366, respectively, also shared the tackling lead with 13. The missed-tackle total of 31, 10 more than last season, included a team-leading total of four by Burks. Mennenga’s forte was penalty avoidance. The Packers finished with seven, their fewest since at least 1987. There were no off-setting or declined penalties, either. In the previous 15 seasons, the Packers averaged 20 penalties on special teams. The abnormally low number of plays in the kicking game contributed to the paucity of penalties, but so did Mennenga’s organizational and technical ability.
Personnel moves (D)
The target for GM Brian Gutekunst in 2020 was catching the 49ers, who strafed the Packers twice the season before. An avalanche of injuries eliminated the 49ers as a contender but up popped the Buccaneers, who bombed the Packers once before taking their measure in the NFC Championship Game and then winning the Super Bowl. In the last 12 months, Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht added QB Tom Brady, RB Leonard Fournette, WR Antonio Brown and K Ryan Succop in free agency, RT Tristan Wirfs and FS Antoine Winfield in the draft and TE Rob Gronkowski and NT Steve McLendon in trades. Those moves explained the Bucs’ ability to leap from the 10th best record (7-9) in the NFC to 11-5 and the Super Bowl. Gutekunst’s best additions were Rick Wagner and Krys Barnes. Although the record remained the same the Packers did manage to improve their overall level of play, but the result was another defeat in the NFC Championship Game. On draft day, the Packers tried to trade up from No. 30 with the Vikings for the No. 25 pick and possibly select Brandon Aiyuk, but Minnesota instead dealt with the 49ers and the Arizona State wide receiver ended up in San Francisco. Perhaps fearing that the Colts would trade up to select Utah State quarterback Jordan Love, Gutekunst sent a fourth-round pick to Miami, moving up four slots and choosing Love at No. 26. The Colts didn’t have Love rated higher than the middle of the second round. Unlike Aaron Rodgers, who was No. 2 ahead of Craig Nall as a rookie in 2005, Love failed to beat out Tim Boyle and languished as No. 3. Once Gutekunst squandered his fourth-round selection, he lacked the ammunition to move up sufficiently high in the second round to select a wide receiver. Gutekunst said the class of wide receivers ran about 12 deep. By the time the Packers used the No. 62 choice late in the second round on AJ Dillon, 13 wide receivers were off the board. Dillon, and FB Josiah Deguara in the third round, were reaches at positions that have become increasingly devalued. Of the Packers’ final six choices, LB Kamal Martin and G Jon Runyan showed some promise. G Scott Stepaniak, drafted as damaged goods four months after blowing out his knee, practiced late in the season before ending up on injured reserve with knee issues. From their nine draft choices, the Packers got 288 snaps on offense, 364 on defense and 465 on special teams. Of the Packers’ 15 undrafted rookies, only Barnes made the opening-day roster and had a strong season. FB-TE Dominique Dafney, a free-agent rookie signed initially by the Colts, contributed down the stretch. In March, the Packers cut Jimmy Graham and let Bryan Bulaga, Blake Martinez, Kyler Fackrell, B.J. Goodson and four others walk as unrestricted free agents. WR Devin Funchess, their only unrestricted free agent signee, opted out because of COVID-19. On March 16, Gutekunst signed Wagner and Christian Kirksey to modest two-year deals after they had been cut by the Lions and Browns. Wagner played better than he did in Detroit the year before, becoming a major contributor when injuries struck. Kirksey lost his starting job to Barnes. Shortly before the trade deadline, the Packers reportedly offered a fourth-round pick to the Texans for WR Will Fuller but ultimately were turned down. WR Travis Fulgham, who was claimed on waivers from Detroit Aug. 10 before being cut nine days later, went on to catch 38 passes for a 14.2 average and four TDs in 49 percent playing time for the Eagles.
Coaching (A-minus)
It’s one thing to surprise people as a rookie coach. It’s another to do it in the second season when every opponent is primed for the encounter and still can’t stop you. That has been the story of Matt LaFleur, who found ways to improve on both offense and defense even after a terrific first season as Mike McCarthy’s successor. On offense, the play-calling LaFleur became even more deceptive and diversified, amassing 567 points in 18 games (31.5). Counting playoffs, only the 2011 team, with 580, scored more in Packers annals. Largely because of LaFleur’s patience, the Packers posted their highest ratio of run to pass in 17 years, although he was remiss not running more in the two games against Tampa Bay. LaFleur’s passing game stretched the field horizontally with Aaron Jones and vertically with Marquez Valdes-Scantling, creating openings in the middle primarily for Davante Adams and Robert Tonyan. By NFL standards, receivers were running wide open much of the season largely because of the scheme. By making runs start out looking like passes and passes looking like runs, LaFleur’s attack created serious recognition issues for defenses. LaFleur’s ability to empower Aaron Rodgers while at the same time bringing him along so he wouldn’t publicly exhibit divisive behavior was critically important and professionally handled. His opening drives were things of beauty. They produced 78 points and 59 first downs compared to 56 and 29 in 2019. Nine of the opening 18 drives covered at least 10 plays. So many endured the demoralizing experience of not being able to get off the field against the Packers’ opening charge. When the Packers’ defense capitulated at home against the Vikings, LaFleur called out the unit as a whole for what might be called loafing. Mike Pettine, his veteran defensive coordinator, operated a sound system with minimal blitzing. His defense minimized explosive gains but also struggled to make big plays. That defense also was penalized 50 times, the team’s most since 2007, and five were for having 12 men on the field, an indictment of coaching. Overall, the Packers finished 10th in penalty yards (684) and tied for 11th in penalties (84). LaFleur’s decision to fire Pettine was surprising to some in the league after consecutive appearances in the conference title game. LaFleur’s ouster of Shawn Mennenga after two seasons directing the special teams only made LaFleur look bad. He hired Mennenga, whose thin resume should have been a red flag to anyone with expertise in the kicking game. Both LaFleur and Mennenga were over their skies in this too-often-overlooked phase of football. LaFleur’s final decision – calling for the field-goal team rather than giving the offense a shot on fourth down from the 8 against the Bucs with a Super Bowl berth on the line – won’t be forgotten any time soon. LaFleur’s bottom line: a 28-8 record and back-to-back appearances in the NFC Championship Game. In the two seasons before his arrival, the Packers were 13-18-1.
Overall (A-minus)
Although the Packers posted the same record the past two seasons the team in 2020-21 exhibited dominance that its predecessor didn’t. The point differential in 2020 was plus-140, third-best in the NFL behind Baltimore and New Orleans. The point differential of plus-63 last season ranked ninth. In total yards over 18 games, the 2019 Packers were outgained (minus-140) whereas the 2020 edition finished plus-1,150. Matt LaFleur’s first team was outgained in 10 of 18 games; his second team outgained the opponent 14 times in 18 games. Thirteen of the 14 victories this year ended with kneel-downs, and there were 25 in all; the only game that didn’t was at Chicago with the Bears failing to add a consolation touchdown as time expired. Favored 15 times (they were 11-7 against the spread), the Packers almost always took care of business long before end-of-game heroics were necessary. They were 0 for 3 with a chance to win on the final possession; the four-minute offense designed to run out the clock was spotty. The Packers’ major injury issues strangely were confined between Games 3-9. After that, all but one of their last nine opponents entered with more missing starters. In all, the Packers had 13 starters miss a total of 55 games (5-10 in 2019) compared to 80 missing starters for their opponents. Their opponents missed No. 1 wide receivers in seven games, No. 1 pass rushers in five games, RB Christian McCaffrey and TE George Kittle. DT Aaron Donald and WR Julio Jones tried playing hurt but were nonfactors. The Packers also benefited by playing the NFL’s weakest schedule (109-146-1, .428) due in large part to the NFC North being matched against two of the NFL’s weakest divisions, the NFC South and the AFC South. Next season, the competition stiffens (133-122-1, .522), largely because the division is matched against the two strongest divisions, the NFC West and the AFC North. Much like Mike McCarthy, his predecessor, LaFleur has dominated his division rivals (11-1). The Packers’ five-game cushion was the largest in the NFC North since 2011. Green Bay became the division’s first repeat champion since its four-title streak from 2011-14. Only four times in the six decades of divisional play in the NFC Central and NFC North has a coach led his team to successive regular seasons with a winning percentage above .800. Only Bud Grant, Mike Ditka and Mike Holmgren accomplished that feat before LaFleur. The difference was Grant, Ditka and Holmgren all reached at least one Super Bowl (Ditka and Holmgren both won) whereas LaFleur did not. The Packers were denied a berth in the Super Bowl even though they were playing their second playoff game at home and Tampa Bay was playing its third playoff game on the road. The history books show that some losing teams in successive conference title games never recovered under those same administrations: the “Luv Ya Blue” Oilers of 1978-79, the “Air Coryell” Chargers of 1980-81, Marty Schottenheimer’s Browns of 1986-87 and Rex Ryan’s Jets of 2009-10. Others, such as the high-flying Rams of the early 1950s and Andy Reid’s Eagles of the early 2000s, finally broke through after some crushing defeats in title games. The foundation has been set. The Super Bowl has to be next.
