FanPost

What Really Matters


So all I see in the news are talk of Favre/Chilly, the tail wagging the dog, big egos and stream of consciousness. However what really matters are these things: The running game, the pass D, the run D and the O-line in general.

Lets start with the easy one, the run-D. Clearly E.J. Henderson is hurt and he's such a good player that we will be worse without him. That said there were some terrible breakdowns. Ben Leber can't hold contain, and Jasper Brinkley doesn't know how to tackle. Sure, he hits people hard but he doesn't wrap up, and that means if you don't knock the guy over, he will get extra yards. It won't make sportscenter highlights, but for the love of God, please learn how to wrap up a running back. Chad Greenway, was the only linebacker I was impressed with. On the D-line, I was moderately impressed that they didn't run underneath Allen all the time so that's an improvement, K. Williams played well most of the time, but I saw big Pat Williams getting pushed around. That simply can't happen if we want to stop the run. I didn't notice Ray Edwards.

The pass-D. Frankly the TV focuses so much on the pocket that it's hard to say anything much about our zone other than that it gives up short catches that keep turning into long plays. We seem especially susceptible to screen passes. A. Winfield falling down while playing good coverage was also disheartening.

The O-line clearly stunk in protecting Favre, but it was also terrible in rushing situations. I don't care who you have in that backfield, AP was constantly met by defenders behind the line of scrimmage and that's a recipe for failure. The other thing I've noticed recently is that A.P. has been a "patient" runner waiting for holes, but the holes don't appear. To me, he is a Jim Brown type runner, at his best when angry and running hard. Patient running isn't his style and he should just get back to punishing defenders. This also helps ensure that he gets back to the line of scrimmage when the D-line breaks down.

All in all, I drank 6 Fat Tires Sunday night and it would have been more if my fridge had been stocked. You're an NFL defense, learn to tackle.

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.