Green Bay Packers: 3 Key Improvements to Make in 2nd Half of Season
By Paul Bretl
Play more aggressively on defense
This one falls squarely on the shoulders of Mike Pettine. Pettine’s M.O. on defense is to limit the big play and force the offense to string together 10 to 12 and even 15 play drives if they are going to score. The hope is that Green Bay will come up with a stop or that the offense simply sputters trying to string that many plays together.
As I’ve already mentioned, the issue is that the Packers aren’t coming up with those red zone stops or forcing turnovers, in part because they aren’t generating consistent pressure and that players simply aren’t making the same splash plays that they did a year ago. In fact, this is a defense that does not dictate anything, opposing offenses do, and that needs to change.
The good news is that Pettine has been blitzing more as of late. Prior to Green Bay’s matchup with Houston, the Packers blitzed just 16 percent of the time. That figure is now at almost 23 percent after Week 9. But Pettine still has to pump those numbers up.
As discussed on the previous slide, the Packers aren’t creating consistent pressure, and that is because they simply aren’t winning their one-on-one matchups with any regularity. So it’s time for Pettine to send more blitzes and stunts in an effort to drum up some pressure on his own. And oh yeah, no more three-man rushes, please.
It’s also time for Pettine to stop playing his cornerbacks 10 yards off the line of scrimmage. I know he doesn’t want to give up the big play, but this allows for an easy pitch and catch between the opposing quarterback and his receiving target. The Packers have Jaire Alexander, and when healthy, Kevin King can hold his own as well. Pettine needs to trust his corners and play more press-man coverage.
Through eight games, this defense doesn’t do really anything well, so it’s time to kick things up a notch and start dictating the flow of the game, rather than the other way around like it has been.