Inbox: There was something about that scene

Cheesehead

Well-known member
Mar 19, 2019
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Dan from Portland, OR


I love the Aaron Jones / Jamaal Williams tandem at RB. My question is, who do you think is the better power runner? From what I've seen, if I'm the coach and I absolutely need to get one yard, I'm going with Williams. He seems to be the better bulldozer in tough situations. Thoughts?


Williams is definitely the better power runner, but the threat Jones presents to bounce any run outside actually makes him pretty effective at running between the tackles in short-yardage situations, too.


Tucker from Temple, TX


I think there's some confusion on what "RPOs" are. A run-pass option is not a rollout where the QB has the option to run the ball or throw it, but rather a play call where the QB looks at the defensive front and decides to either hand the ball to the running back or throw quickly behind a linebacker too far into the box to be able to get to the flat in time (or some other similar situation).


That’s a post-snap RPO. There’s also the pre-snap RPO when the QB decides just before the snap whether he’s handing the ball off or whipping it to an outside receiver. These are now more often called “run solutions” so as not to be confused with the RPO you described, but they were called RPOs before the post-snap variety made its way into the NFL. You can tell when a “run solution” throw occurs because the entire offensive line is run blocking and doesn’t even know where the ball is. If the QB does hand it off, there’s usually an outside receiver standing still at the line of scrimmage because he had to be ready for a possible throw.


Charlie from Cameron, NC


What does this noise “pipe” look like? This time of year I can’t help but picture Eddie emptying his chemical toilet.


Too early. That’s next week’s movie, Charlie.


Paul from Ellensburg, WA


Hey fellas, I made my first ever pilgrimage to Lambeau this year to see the Packers beat the Lions on Monday night. I didn’t see Aaron Jones dash and slash his way into the end zone like I expected. I saw Jamaal Williams bruise his way out of the backfield to keep the offense going. Maybe/probably Jones would’ve recovered if we kept feeding him, but isn’t the great and amazing point to this whole debate that we didn’t need him to?


Exactly. Jones has scored half his league-leading 14 touchdowns in two games. Finding other ways is one reason this team is 6-2 in the other eight games.


Dean from Leavenworth, IN


Mike, in the chat Wednesday you were asked if Robert Tonyan or Jace Sternberger would have the biggest impact over the final six weeks. I agree on Tonyan but find Sternberger’s skillset very intriguing. I'd like to ask the same question between Ibraheim Campbelland Oren Burks. Who has the biggest impact over the next six games?


I’m going to say Campbell. When I heard LaFleur talk about Campbell’s presence in the hybrid position stabilizing roles and responsibilities for a lot of guys on defense, I took that to mean, among other things, he’s going to be on the field quite a bit.


Dave from Coloma, MI


I know much has been said about SF creating turnovers, but the teams they have played have problems holding on to the ball. The league average is 14.3 TOs per team. Of the nine teams they've played only Arizona (8) and Seattle (13) are below that average with Tampa Bay leading the way with 25. On the other end of the scale, the Packers (7) trail only the Saints (6). The 49ers have turned it over 17 times. I like our chances of winning the turnover battle.


I don’t think winning the turnover battle is a requirement for the Packers to win the game, but I don’t think they can lose it and expect to win.


Scott from De Pere, WI


Eric Weddle, who is now with the Rams, stated that he won't tell his current team about any of the secrets he knows about the Ravens. You guys always say that when a former player is facing the Packers or vice versa there isn't anything that would make a difference. Does this alter your thought process on this topic?


No. The biggest things teams can’t pick up from their own extensive film study are verbal signals, and those can always be changed.


Evan from Middleton, WI


If adding games is the top thing on the NFL owners’ wish list for the next CBA, what do you think is the top thing on the NFLPA list?


Well, if the owners are going to insist on adding a regular-season game, the players are going to push for a bump in their revenue share. I think some of the disciplinary policies also will be up for discussion.


Ron from Kimberly, WI


It seems as though over the last few years, every time the opponent pops a big play, lack of communication is cited quite often as the reason. Can you elaborate? Is it lack of communication from coaches to players, amongst the players themselves, a combination, or just too much thinking on the players’ part? Seems it has become an easy cop-out!


It’s a catch-all because it really does encompass all those things. Sometimes the personnel and call aren’t relayed quickly enough. Other times, adjustments aren’t picked up by everyone, or pre-snap changes take too long. It’s exactly what the Packers were doing on the final play vs. Carolina and got lucky. When you aren’t so lucky, bad things happen. Reading between the lines of some of LaFleur’s and Pettine’s comments, I think they’d rather see everyone ready to play the same call, even if it’s not the “perfect” one, than see an improvement/adjustment not get communicated effectively or on time and create potentially greater vulnerabilities. It’s a fine line.


Paul from Hewitt, WI


Mike/Wes, without knowing the official snap count it appears the playing time for Rashan Gary has decreased the past two games. If this is the case, is it a matter of him hitting the rookie wall, game plan, or his play has not warranted more opportunities?


His defensive snap totals have been pretty consistent the last four games – 18, 14, 18 and 16. It’s definitely not a rookie wall. I do think Kyler Fackrell has been playing pretty well of late, so that’s a factor. We’ll see if the self-scout over the bye week leads to any different patterns of utilization in the defensive front.


Max from Urbandale, IA


Blake Martinez was listed as a full participant on the injury report but has been playing with a clubbed hand and recently related it to playing with one hand. Any expectation on seeing Blake playing with both hands Sunday night?


It’s something to watch for, definitely.
 
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