Packers Huddle

Let's get this thread going.

Aaron Rodgers is on pace, and I mean an unbelievable pace, to be sacked the least amount of times by far in his career.

As a Packers fan, we have Rodgers get sacked a LOT. Only including seasons where Rodgers did not miss significant time, Rodgers's sack totals are the following:

2008 - 34
2009 - 50
2010 - 31
2011 - 36
2012 - 51
2014 - 28
2015 - 46
2016 - 35
2018 - 49
2019 - 36

Right now after 11 games, Rodgers has been sacked 11 times which is on pace for one per game for you math nerds. Before this season, Rodgers has averaged less than 2 sacks per game only once (2014) and has had 3 seasons of 49 sacks or more which is more than 3 sacks per game.

What is interesting with all of this is the talent and people who are doing the blocking.

David B. - Acquired from Thompson. Was always a mainstay and All Pro
Elgton Jenkins - 2nd Round Pick. Best to 2nd best pick of Gutey so far
Core Linsley - 5th round pick by Thompson. Has most definitely improved in the MLF era
Lucas Patrick - UDFA backup. Didn't think he would make the team in 2019
Lane Taylor - UDFA. Fans thought he should be cut and not a fit for this scheme
Billy Turner - Fans complained he was over paid. Playing the best football of his career
Rick Wagner - Was outright cut by the Lions. Has been serviceable here.
John Runyan - 6th Round pick rookie who is not playing like a rookie.
Simon Stephaniak - Not active yet, but at this point there is no real reason to not think he can't come in and succeed.

We have basically 8 to 9 players who have been playing the offensive line this season. Every position on this line has seen at least two players fill that role.

LT - 2 players
LG - at least 3 players
C - 3 Players
RG - 4 Players
RT - 3 Players

How is this happening? How is this possible and why can't this same standard and expectation be placed in other facets of the team when we always like to blame lack of talent? We are witnessing something I never dreamed we would witness. It literally doesn't matter what players Gute has brought in. The system is making it work.

go pak go wrote: ↑

01 Dec 2020 12:42

The system is making it work.

that's part of the answer. The ball is coming out fast and all of the motion/shifts cause hesitation for the DL and LBs
Its also interesting to note it happened under Stenavich who replaced well-regarded Campen. That's great news for this regime
The other thing I saw on internet was that GB has been calling more Power runs than in the past.

Some thoughts, without fully having flushed them out.


First of all, this was always supposed to be a feature of a primarily zone-blocking team. It's one of th reasons it was so successful, because it took a different type of OLman, who was more available and therefore easier to fill out a roster, and made them a successful unit.

Second, we obviously have to praise the OL coach. He's clearly good at this (was one of the question marks for me when MLF assembled his staff)

Third, I'm trying to figure out what sort of brings this group together. Contrary to popular belief about the ZBS, we've actually moved slightly AWAY from the more athletic guys in terms of timed testing and measurables, with the exception of Runyan. Jenkins, Turner, Wagner, Patrick--all these guys we're bringing in fall below our normal/former athletic testing thresholds for their respective positions. That makes me wonder if there is something specifically being scouted for now that is less obvious. Before, we KNEW the Packers would draft an OT from a small school and make him an OG. Maybe now there's something like on-field awareness or tape of them pulling or something.

It, of course, could just be that they're looking for good players and the scouts are identifying them. But it's always fun to sort of assemble a vague idea of the criteria through pattern recognition, and admittedly, my ability to spot patterns in this group is challenged a bit.

The player thing to me is so interesting because there is absolutely no pattern here.

Jenkins and Runyan are the two players drafted but as you stated, they don't fit the Packers old mold.

Lucas Patrick and Lane Taylor are UDFA's from the old regime who by all purposes do not fit the zone blocking player that we should be seeking.

Billy Turner and Rick Wagner are failed tackle experiments at other places.

Corey Linsley and David B. are starters from the old regime and are our two best players on the line this year.

I don't see any pattern or system of any of our Olinemen on this roster and yet it is working.

A lot of that is Rodgers trying to extend plays. A lot of it is a lack of a running game. A lot is MMs schemes.

Their offensive line wasn’t ever really the problem outside of maybe the first two seasons of Rodgers career.

Play calling and QB talent has a massive impact on oline performance.

I think they are both the most important aspects given the results we have had with multiple backups on the oline this year.

First Q of his career AR would take a sack rather than take a chance or throw it away. He'd even take the sack on 4th down when there is almost no downside to taking a shot.

I tip my hat to an old hs rival adam stenavich. This unit and him are kicking ass. Its also nice to have jenkins who can play any position with top 10 performance. That dude is a god.

Keep it rolling up front

I don't know where to find the stats to back this up ........... but what about just getting ball out quicker? Seems Rodgers' old style dancing in the backfield doesn't happen very often anymore. It's more like 'fire and forget' on the short passes. And his long passes don't seem to be preceded by the dancing as much.

Nice sack stat by the way. Wonder what the all-time per game record for a season is?

It does not hurt to have Jones in the backfield. He can turn an outlet pass into 15 yards and the D knows it. For that reason D's may be blitzing less. You can't send 5 or 6 and then have Jones turn a 5 yard outlet pass into 15 yards and a first down.

I also think that Tonyan is open so often and catches everything near him that Rodgers has a reliable 2nd option and does not have to look for the 3rd receiver.

Hope that the Packers find a way to renew Jones.

Gotta be feeling pretty good right now about letting Linsley walk, and cutting Wagner.


Bak, Runyan, Jenkins, Patrick, Turner


Bring back Lane Taylor for cheap. Got Stepaniak and Hansen competing.

I’d definitely add some kind of swing guard/tackle type in the Turner, Jenkins mold. Two if you don’t really have a ton of faith in the three rookies from this year.

BF004 wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020 07:51

Gotta be feeling pretty good right now about letting Linsley walk, and cutting Wagner.


Bak, Runyan, Jenkins, Patrick, Turner


Bring back Lane Taylor for cheap. Got Stepaniak and Hansen competing.

I’d definitely add some kind of swing guard/tackle type in the Turner, Jenkins mold. Two if you don’t really have a ton of faith in the three rookies from this year.

I honestly fully expect Stepaniak to be our starting RG next season. Patrick has been solid, but far from good. For a $1.5M cap hit next year, I am fine moving him back to the bench and likely the first reserve at all 3 interior positions.

Anyone else worried about a 6-6 center/guard in Stepaniak? Do interior linemen that tall succeed?

Pckfn23 wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020 08:56

Anyone else worried about a 6-6 center/guard in Stepaniak? Do interior linemen that tall succeed?

Measured at 6-foot-4 and 1/8 inch and 313 pounds at the combine, the Hoosiers’ 31-game starter concluded his four-year college career as a third-team All-Big Ten selection by media.

https://www.si.com/college/indiana/foot ... fl-combine

Plus he can bend and put up 37 reps at the combine. No issues, physically, assuming he fully recovers from the ACL injury, which is almost a given nowadays.

Pckfn23 wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020 08:56

Anyone else worried about a 6-6 center/guard in Stepaniak? Do interior linemen that tall succeed?

Besides pad level AR is going to have to throw around or over him.

NCF wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020 08:29

BF004 wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020 07:51

Gotta be feeling pretty good right now about letting Linsley walk, and cutting Wagner.


Bak, Runyan, Jenkins, Patrick, Turner


Bring back Lane Taylor for cheap. Got Stepaniak and Hansen competing.

I’d definitely add some kind of swing guard/tackle type in the Turner, Jenkins mold. Two if you don’t really have a ton of faith in the three rookies from this year.

I honestly fully expect Stepaniak to be our starting RG next season. Patrick has been solid, but far from good. For a $1.5M cap hit next year, I am fine moving him back to the bench and likely the first reserve at all 3 interior positions.

Patrick has been able to keep Wagner and Runyan on the bench all year. I don’t really see both Runyan and Stepaniak on the bench keeping Patrick on the bench next year.


And I think I’d frankly rather have Patrick at center and Jenkins at guard. But who knows.

NCF wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020 08:59

Pckfn23 wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020 08:56

Anyone else worried about a 6-6 center/guard in Stepaniak? Do interior linemen that tall succeed?

Measured at 6-foot-4 and 1/8 inch and 313 pounds at the combine, the Hoosiers’ 31-game starter concluded his four-year college career as a third-team All-Big Ten selection by media.

https://www.si.com/college/indiana/foot ... fl-combine

Why did I think he was 6-6?

BF004 wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020 09:16

And I think I’d frankly rather have Patrick at center and Jenkins at guard. But who knows.

I'd rather get C settled for the future. Patrick won't be back after next season, so that is also part of reasoning in thinking if the young guys are the future, they will give them the jobs if they are able to get on even footing with Patrick. Another thing with Stepaniak is he is not a project at OG... he is one of the rare OG prospects that GB has drafted that played OG in school. I think he would have been picked much higher if not for the injury. This is a pretty high pedigree kid, I think.

NCF wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020 09:22

BF004 wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020 09:16

And I think I’d frankly rather have Patrick at center and Jenkins at guard. But who knows.

I'd rather get C settled for the future. Patrick won't be back after next season, so that is also part of reasoning in thinking if the young guys are the future, they will give them the jobs if they are able to get on even footing with Patrick. Another thing with Stepaniak is he is not a project at OG... he is one of the rare OG prospects that GB has drafted that played OG in school. I think he would have been picked much higher if not for the injury. This is a pretty high pedigree kid, I think.

Agreed, I absolutely want a C/G in this draft--not someone who needs to start right away, but a guy who can man those roles. I want the team to have options as to where they think it's best to play Jenkins, not be shoe-horned into putting him where they need him. And I want an OT--again, not that has to start next year, but who can be the heir apparent to Turner on the right side

Bakh - - Runyan - Jenkins - Patrick - - - Turner
Njimen - Taylor - ROOKIE - Stepaniak - ROOKIE

Looks pretty danged good to me.

I know we have Hansen and maybe he wins that spot, but I wouldn't feel comfortable without giving him competition there.