It might be, but that depends on the medical report, and I have no idea what the medical report said. If Lacy was 75 or 80% healthy, then we've seen plenty of football players take the field at less than that. If he was down around 50% or less, then yes, you could argue the front office should have protected him better. Either way, it was a risk only having Lacy on the roster for that game. But we can't "blame" anyone without knowing the details of the medical report.
I wouldn't call it a junk offense; after all, they put up 336 yards through the air and three passing touchdowns. But I would call it a bit gimmicky. Part of the reason why McCarthy went to that system was out of necessity: They could not run the ball very often in a traditional sense with Don Jackson, Knile Davis and Ty Montgomery/Randall Cobb, so the short passes became an extension of the running game, as Aaron Rodgers said last night. The second reason for using that type of offense was to combat the defensive strategy the Packers have faced the last three games. Beginning in the win over the Giants, opposing defenses have blitzed infrequently — rushing three or four — and packed the secondary with extra bodies to force the receivers, and Rodgers, to beat them. The Giants nearly made it work. The Cowboys did make it work. The Bears were too depleted to make it work. Short, quick passes neutralize the idea of packing the secondary. If Rodgers throws before his players get to the packed secondary, then the defensive game plan is nullified.
I think it's possible that Lacy played his last game as a member of the Packers. We don't know the severity of the injury, which means we don't know the type of surgery Lacy needs. In turn, we don't know if it's reasonable for him to return this season. The Packers would love to use their designated-to-return tag on Lacy and bring him back around Week 16 or 17, but only the medical staff knows if that's feasible. Lacy is an unrestricted free agent after this season. I'm not sure Ted will want to pay an overweight running back coming off ankle surgery. If he does pay him, it might be a "show-me" deal like the ones given to Jared Cook and Nick Perry.
I don't have a definitive answer to this question. I can posit some theories, though: 1) It takes rookies a long time to settle in with Aaron Rodgers. I remember Jermichael Finley telling me he didn't feel truly comfortable in the offense for about 2.5 years. We've seen how much Jeff Janis has struggled to get on the same page as Rodgers. So it's certainly possible Davis needs more time to develop. It's also possible that his thin frame — he's super, super skinny — can't hold up for more than a handful of snaps each game. He's not the type to run over the middle of the field, so his route tree could be limited at this point in time. Just some ideas.
If both players are healthy in 8 weeks, the Packers will absolutely choose Lacy over Shields. There's no doubt about it. Lacy is the only player on offense — aside from maybe Rodgers — who the Packers cannot replace. They don't have another 250 or 260-pound bruiser with quick feet and toughness. Very few teams do. So unfortunately for Shields, his season is over if Lacy is healthy later this year.
Different teams, different systems, different play callers.
Janis is one of their best special teams players, so he won't be cut. Abbrederis, in my opinion, does not have a role on this team right now. He doesn't contribute on offense; he isn't needed on special teams because they have better returners. I'm honestly not sure what he provides other than a 7th body for depth purposes. I don't get that one.
I don't know who comes up with the routes the receivers run. It's a good question, though.
There's no doubt McCarthy would have loved to run the ball more...if he had Lacy or Starks. The game plan they used last night was pretty solid considering their options. They got enough out of Montgomery and Cobb to make the Bears respect them out of the backfield. That facilitated the passing game.
Well, he took around 40 snaps out of the backfield. I don't think he's a full-time running back. If Lacy and Starks are healthy, Montgomery probably doesn't get more than 4-5 carries in a game. So to me, that's not a running back. He certainly plays pretty well in that role, though.
He just got out of his walking book earlier this week. I think he still has a little ways to go. A couple more games, in my opinion.
Sometime next week before the trip to Atlanta. Couldn't do one on a short week. No time.
This is a great question and one that I've pondered myself. Unless his concussion is really, really bad, I don't see how Shields could need another 7 weeks to recover. If they put him on IR immediately, which they should have done, he might have been ready in Week 10-13 instead of Week 15 or 16.
T.J. Lang got hurt and dropped out of the game for a brief period of time. He came into the game with a hip problem and the hip flared up.
I'm not qualified to analyze complexity of scheme or route concepts. That's way over my head. Sorry, Steve. Can't help you on that one.
Because he's the backup center with Linsley on PUP. And he played some pretty darn good football at center during training camp.
Kentrell Brice could be the best rookie in this class five years from now, and he wasn't even a draft pick. He's a special talent, in my opinion. Bob and I talk about that quite often. That's why the Packers get him on the field in the dime defense as often as possible.
