| Nicole Haase. 26th November, 2008 - 12:12 pm
 What an embarrassment.
It’s difficult to even analyze the Packers’ poor performance Monday night in New Orleans because there doesn’t seem to be an explanation.
Coming off their most convincing, complete performance against the Bears, the Packers looked like they had ironed out wrinkles, had found their footing, and were ready to roll for the rest of the season.
On paper, everything seemed set up for this to be an interesting game. So how did the Packers fail so completely?
Instead, they showed up in the Superdome looking listless and unprepared. It was as though coach Mike McCarthy wasn’t even aware his team had a game to play this week.
With an extra day to prepare and one of the top secondaries in the league, Green Bay should have been more than prepared to handle New Orleans potent air attack. Reggie Bush was out, and Deuce McCallister isn’t what he used to be. Drew Brees leads the league in passing. Everyone tuning into the game knew that the Saints would throw early and often.
Everyone, that is, except the Packers.
The Saints burned Green Bay for not just one, but two 70-yard touchdowns – one to Marques Colston and one to Lance Moore. The catch was pretty much the only noise heard from Colston all evening.
A major factor in this loss, and in the other marquee matchup losses this season, is Aaron Rodgers. Simply put, he doesn’t seem to be able to handle himself when the pressure’s on. He’s still young and impatient, and that leads to poor decisions and bad throws.
Clearly, the calm in the pocket will come with time and experience, but in the meantime, McCarthy has to find a way to help Rodgers stay relaxed behind center. Certainly, there were times he was flushed due to the poor play of the offensive line, but there were just as many times where he scrambled long before it was necessary and took short-yardage rush yards and the possibility of a rough hit when if he’d waited two or three more seconds, receivers were open downfield.
Twice Monday night, replays showed receivers open in the end zone with their arms up, asking for the ball, but Rodgers had already broken from behind his line and scrambled for minimal rushing yardage.
It’s likely that Rodgers knows how tenuous a hold the O-line has at any time and the constant pressure he’s received all season has led to him having an itchy trigger finger, so to speak, on leaving the pocket. So whether it’s fortifying the line or settling Rodgers, the onus is on the Packers coaching staff to make a change.
But the scrambling isn’t the only problem. The Packers’ yards-after-catch numbers are down this year and they’re suffering even more during these big games. It’s not the receivers, but Rodgers that’s the problem there.
Whether it's nerves or too many years behind Brett Favre, in these high-pressure games, Rodgers loses the accuracy and finesse this throws normally possess. Suddenly he’s winging balls down the field and receivers have to make acrobatic catches just to reel the ball in. Often balls are behind the player and their route. Rodgers seems to struggle with leading his receivers or anticipating their route on anything other than the over-the-middle slant.
It’s not fair to blame the entire loss on Rodgers and at least two of his interceptions were the result of a receiver falling down or blowing a route. But he also can’t live in a bubble. While Rodgers has performed far above expectations, he shouldn’t be off-limits for criticism and improvement.
In the first game of the season, a Monday nighter against Minnesota, against Dallas and now again Monday night, Rodgers wasn’t the steady, sure-armed team leader that the Packers desperately need their quarterback to be. Whether it’s the implications in the standings, the opponent, or the Monday night national stage, Rodgers does not seem to handle the pressure situations well.
Until he becomes comfortable, the Packers' fans are going to see more games like Monday night than they’d like.
- Nicole Haase is a RealGM contributor, and her work can also be found on CuteSports.blogspot.com |
