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We are now effectively a playoff lock. The only way we miss the post season is losing out and the Hawks/Rams win out and then Tie Week 18 or lose out and the Falcons don't lose and Bucs don't lose more than once.
So with the remaining 3 games, what are the goals we should be looking at doing?
1. Clinch the 6 seed. I see merit to wanting to avoid the 7 seed which means we likely need to win one more game.
2. Get rookies and younger players playing time. Edgerin Cooper. LVN. Carrington Vallentine. Karl Brooks. Devonte Wyatt. We need to get certain players into a groove heading into the post season.
3. Ease back on snaps for our veterans. Kenny Clark. Josh Jacobs. (we only have like two veterans )
I'm particularly interested in Josh Jacobs. He had 30 touches vs the Seahawks and I think especially vs the Saints, we want to get his body some recovery and look at more of a 10 to 15 touches with Wilson and Brooks getting a lot more looks.
Now is the time to start playing with combinations of players who are up and comers and getting your veterans some rest before the final January push.
Really hoping Bullard gets healthy soon because I am very interested to see if Hafley can get the right combination of Williams, Bullard, Nixon, and Alexander for the safety and slot roles.
Very, very much want Hafley to be okay with putting Alexander in the slot on 3rd downs in the postseason vs the twitchier WRs.
Need to experiment with how to cover the middle. It may be that getting Alexander back will help immensely from both a talent and schematic stand point.
Palmy - "Very few have the ability to truly excel regardless of system. For many the system is the difference between being just a guy or an NFL starter. Fact is, everyone is talented at this level."
So...I know our offense is different this year since Jacobs is a beast, but I feel like for us to be a true Super Bowl contender, there's going to be a game where Love and our WR group has to take the ball by the horns and go win the game. Right now, my confidence in them doing that isn't as high as I was hoping it would be.
I'm particularly interested in Josh Jacobs. He had 30 touches vs the Seahawks and I think especially vs the Saints, we want to get his body some recovery and look at more of a 10 to 15 touches with Wilson and Brooks getting a lot more looks.
Now is the time to start playing with combinations of players who are up and comers and getting your veterans some rest before the final January push.
I love this plan, especially because our reserve RBs are pretty solid and RB is such a rhythm position and both guys would benefit from the experience while Jacobs will benefit from the rest. What a good idea.
Also agree that we need to get Wyatt and LVN some more reps up front. And obviously we need to have a plan to increase Cooper's play time and impact.
I'd also add 4. Try to ease in some of the changes as Jaire and Musgrave get healthy again. Having Musgrave and Watson on the field at the same time really opened things up last year as both are stretchers. Buit Kraft is killing it as the every-down guy. And MLF has even admitted that finding ways to get all the potential weapons involved will be a challenge. I want MLF to have some time to do some trial and error on offense in terms of how to reincorporate guys from the return of Doubs to the impending return of Musgrave.
Saints game is #1 priority. Win that and 6 seed is mostly locked up. It is, on paper, the easiest game left on the schedule. I think you play that one to win, with the possible exception of reducing Jacobs' touches.
After that, it is all about getting healthy and getting some of the young guys reps. I don't think there is much difference between 5 or 6 seed, and 5 would take winning out and MN losing to Detroit (based on the playoff predictor, if both Packers and Queens are 13-4, Packers get the tiebreaker and 5th seed). I think the Bucs and Rams will take the 3rd and 4th seeds, and there isn't a strong preference for playing one over the other. In either case the chances are good of going to Det in the divisional.
Saints game is #1 priority. Win that and 6 seed is mostly locked up. It is, on paper, the easiest game left on the schedule. I think you play that one to win, with the possible exception of reducing Jacobs' touches.
After that, it is all about getting healthy and getting some of the young guys reps. I don't think there is much difference between 5 or 6 seed, and 5 would take winning out and MN losing to Detroit (based on the playoff predictor, if both Packers and Queens are 13-4, Packers get the tiebreaker and 5th seed). I think the Bucs and Rams will take the 3rd and 4th seeds, and there isn't a strong preference for playing one over the other. In either case the chances are good of going to Det in the divisional.
I think the Saints is exactly the game you start experimenting. I would much rather experiment and give rest to our guys vs the Saints than the vs Bears.
What I don't want to see is go hard Week 16 and Week 17 and then take the Week 18 rest. Instead, try things, give semi-rest to players early and then start worrying about slowly getting the star players in a groove again week 17 and week 18 into the post season.
But overall, I don't think a guy like Jacobs should see over 20 touches until the playoffs. Ideally I would lean towards:
I also think the Vikings is a must win. Not for Playoff seeding but for psychology. You just can't go into the playoffs 0-5 against Philly, Detroit, and Minn.
Gonna be honest - I hate the whole premise of this thread.
After a game in which multiple posters bypassed the celebration phase of victory and went straight into poor play dissection, we're talking about sitting critical pieces and experimenting with different concepts and players. Is that the gist?
Can I assume you who are advocating for this pull-back strategy believe the respective units are operating at peak efficiency (ceiling) and there is little to no improvements still to be gained? In other words, rather than continuing to dial in the preferred units, the Packers should expand the playbook and incorporate lesser roster pieces? That's what it sounds like.
If it's me, I keep tweaking the play-to-play rhythm and maintaining the competitive conditioning while playing the big boys until games are well in hand. Only then, and when appropriate, do I start subbing in backups and rookies to get them their playing time. Yeah, sure, Jacobs doesn't need 30+ touches a game but I'm not allowing him to lose whatever flow he's realized just when he's hit his stride.
Same with KC. This forum has bemoaned his lackluster play all season and now, just when he's hitting his stride, you want to sit him?
Nuh-uh. Not me.
The message this strategy sends reeks of softness. The mindset it fosters is fear of injury and weakness. And to be clear, we're not talking injured players.
Come playoff time, I want to be the bullying team pouring it on in the fourth quarter with players accustomed and conditioned for a 60 minute battle. Not the one with players waving to the sideline for a substitution, sapped of energy because they've become accustomed to sit half the games over the previous month.
I don't see this as a "pull back" as much as a preparation phase. I think people are saying that we need to work a lot of younger guys into the rotation before we get to prime time. That's not pulling back. Using Edge Cooper more isn't pulling back, but figuring out how to use him best is experimental. Getting Chris Brooks and E. Wilson more involved at RB is the only thing that could be seen as "pulling back" because the gap between Jacobs and them is the biggest, but RB overuse is also a big deal.
I also don't think this week is the week, given that we still need one more win to fully clinch and to secure non-7th seed. You go take care of business against the Saints.
The final two games against the Bears and Vikings are division rivalry games. The players should be up for it. And it is a good time against the Bears to put some things on tape and try things out and against the Vikings to put some things back in the bag and not show a potential playoff opponent everything.
I just think that experimentation is useful. I think resting Jacobs more than he has been (he is being used a LOT) is useful. I think figuring out how to re-incorporate Jaire and Musgrave will take trial and error.
I think you're hearing "pulled back" and I'm hearing "freed up" and "personnel variation"
I don't see this as a "pull back" as much as a preparation phase. I think people are saying that we need to work a lot of younger guys into the rotation before we get to prime time. That's not pulling back. Using Edge Cooper more isn't pulling back, but figuring out how to use him best is experimental. Getting Chris Brooks and E. Wilson more involved at RB is the only thing that could be seen as "pulling back" because the gap between Jacobs and them is the biggest, but RB overuse is also a big deal.
I also don't think this week is the week, given that we still need one more win to fully clinch and to secure non-7th seed. You go take care of business against the Saints.
The final two games against the Bears and Vikings are division rivalry games. The players should be up for it. And it is a good time against the Bears to put some things on tape and try things out and against the Vikings to put some things back in the bag and not show a potential playoff opponent everything.
I just think that experimentation is useful. I think resting Jacobs more than he has been (he is being used a LOT) is useful. I think figuring out how to re-incorporate Jaire and Musgrave will take trial and error.
I think you're hearing "pulled back" and I'm hearing "freed up" and "personnel variation"
From an earlier post:
What I don't want to see is go hard Week 16 and Week 17 and then take the Week 18 rest. Instead, try things, give semi-rest to players early and then start worrying about slowly getting the star players in a groove again week 17 and week 18 into the post season.
This sounds to me like pulling back. It sounds like turning the proverbial switch off and then attempting to restart the engine for the playoffs.
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