The loyal cheese heads that pack into the frozen tundra were hoping for a better start to the season than 3-2. Nothing seems to be falling into place for the Green Bay Packers, well except they stink almost as bad as moldy cheese.
The Packers offensive line has given up a league high 20 sacks, which is god awful. But quarterback Aaron Rogers refuses to blame his offensive line. The offense isn’t horrible, in fact they average 26 points per game, which is tops in the NFC North division.
One main reason for the Packers stench is their defense. The Packers decided to revamp the entire defensive system from a year ago. Head coach Mike McCarthy brought in defensive coordinator Dom Capors to run the 3-4.
So far this system has failed. The team has only collected five sacks and in most major statistic they are in the lower third of the league. The 3-4 sounded like a decent system going into the offseason, but the second I heard the coaches wanting to move Aaron Kampman to weak-side linebacker, I was shocked.
Why would you want to teach a new position to your best defensive player? In the last three seasons, Kampman is third in the NFL in total sacks, and this year he has only one. He doesn’t have the speed to cover an Adrian Peterson man-to-man, but what he does have is the explosive speed to rush off of the defensive line, which is where he needs to be.
The only positive to come out of this system is the reemergence of safety Charles Woodson. He has amassed three interceptions and returned one for a touchdown. Oh, not to mention the Packers are second in the NFL in turnover ratio with plus seven. If there is a bright spot in the defense, this would have to be it. Also the stellar play of rookie Clay Matthews is another positive.
But beside the few bleak signs of improvement, every week the defense regresses. Being a fan my whole life, it is hard to watch a team with so much potential struggle. Maybe it is because the system is new? Or maybe it is because certain players aren’t play in the right positions?
Only time will tell if the Packers defense can get back on track. I just hope it is sooner rather than later. And please move Kampman back to defensive end where he belongs. If this system does not pan out this season, expect to see some major changes in the
It is still early in the season with plenty of time to work out the kinks. But if the Packers hope to win the division, they are going to have to play stellar defense especially against the Minnesota Vikings explosive offense.
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