Man in the yellow hat
Footballguy
Interesting read:
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/79587142.html
A different route
Focus on Finley puzzles receivers
The way the Green Bay Packers lined up against the Chicago Bears last Sunday poses some interesting questions for a receiver-centric offense that is inching closer to a playoff berth.
Since Jermichael Finley returned from a knee injury against San Francisco Nov. 22, coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Joe Philbin have been finding more ways to get the talented tight end the ball.
Over the course of the last four games - all victories - Finley has been the target of more Aaron Rodgers passes than anybody else, including the top four receivers. Finley has been targeted 31 times compared with Greg Jennings' 28, Donald Driver's 26, James Jones' 12 and Jordy Nelson's four.
The game against the Bears showed to what degree McCarthy and Philbin are willing to pin their hopes on Finley, a third-round pick from 2008. Since returning from his knee injury, he leads the team with 22 receptions - for 228 yards and two touchdowns with a lost fumble - and they made him the centerpiece of their offense Sunday.
It was not the December weather that motivated McCarthy to pull back on his use of three-receiver sets; it was the desire to take advantage of Finley's size and speed against Chicago's defensive backs.
"I didn't really classify Chicago as a cold game," McCarthy said Thursday after practice. "If we don't feel that we can do certain things based on the weather, then that will change what we do schematically. But personnel-wise, you're always looking for the matchups, and weather doesn't really dictate that as much as the concepts, scheme."
The gradual shift to a Finley-centric offense clearly has puzzled the team's wide receivers, who are used to being Rodgers' favorite targets.
It was telling that after having just three passes targeted to him and catching two for 11 yards against Chicago, Driver was silent.
He almost always addresses the media after games, but he had no comment Sunday and wasn't talking Thursday.
Two of his receiver mates, Jennings and Jones, were careful with their words this week but far from judicious in defining their role as crucial to the offense's success.
They said their point is that they don't want McCarthy to forget how effective the three-receiver sets have been.
"To piggyback off what Mike is saying, you go at matchup situations where you feel like you have the best matchup," Jennings said. "Of course, 'J-Mike' is going to present a huge matchup every time. That's no question. I don't know a safety in the league other than Nick Collins or someone like that who's going to match up.
"He presents a huge matchup situation, but we feel we do as well. What it boils down to, whatever it takes to win, that's what we'll do."
The question the coaches have to ask is are they better off highlighting Finley, who is heading toward becoming an elite-type, pass-catching tight end, or do they go back to stressing multiple-receiver sets?
The Packers got the victory Sunday, but the offense was not at its best and scored just a touchdown and two field goals on five trips inside the Chicago 30-yard line.
The Packers have hovered around the 50% mark all season in touchdowns inside the 20-yard line and are tied with Detroit and Oakland for 16th place in red-zone efficiency.
The advantage of using three-receiver sets has been big plays. Through the Dallas game, the offense had 14 pass plays of 20 or more yards - including gains of 74, 50, 42 and 37 - out of that formation. There were also seven run plays of 10 or more yards.
"We always feel like we have the best matchup when we're all on the field," Jones said. "But you have to roll with the punches. Coaches call the plays; all we can do is run them. Do we want to be in more-receiver sets? Yeah.
"The ultimate goal is winning, and we're winning, so we can't do too much complaining."
Jennings said the feeling among the receivers is that they can shoulder the load in the red zone if given a chance. McCarthy's response might be, 'Where were you when I needed you 10 games ago?'
Since Finley has come back, the percentage of three-receiver sets used has declined. Against Dallas, it was 51.4%, against San Francisco, 46.8%, against Detroit, 35.2%, against Baltimore, 47% and against Chicago, 35%.
Both McCarthy and Philbin said they'll run whatever they think gives them the best chance to win, and with two cold-weather games ahead, starting with Pittsburgh at Heinz Field on Sunday, they very well could remain tight end- or running back-based.
Philbin said that while mixing Finley into the offense might seem like an ongoing process, he and McCarthy have thought it through and have come up with specific ways to attack opponents. They liked the way the Bears defended Finley and they wanted to exploit it.
He lined up all over the field, including in the slot or out wide with three receivers, and continually got favorably matchups on smaller, slower defensive backs.
"Part of our thing is if it's first and 10 or second and 5 and we get these guys in the game, be it two tight ends and two wideouts or Jermichael and three wideouts, what's the (defense's) tendency and how can we best take advantage of that?" Philbin said. "Is it the run game, is it the pass game, is it the vertical?
"That's kind of a chess match you're looking to find out in a ball game, how you're going to best take advantage of that situation. We have some specific plans how we want to use him."
How that plays out will be determined over the course of the last three games. It may be that McCarthy is just exploring the limits of how far he can go with Finley. When or if the Packers are in the playoffs, he'll have all kinds of options.
In the meantime, the receivers will have to be patient.
"I mean, we have a lot of talented people on this offense and we all want the ball," Jones said. "It's kind of selfish that we all want the ball, but at the same time that's the reality. There aren't enough balls to go around. At the end of the day, somebody's going to be unhappy."
Unless, of course, they keep winning.
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/79587142.html
A different route
Focus on Finley puzzles receivers
The way the Green Bay Packers lined up against the Chicago Bears last Sunday poses some interesting questions for a receiver-centric offense that is inching closer to a playoff berth.
Since Jermichael Finley returned from a knee injury against San Francisco Nov. 22, coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Joe Philbin have been finding more ways to get the talented tight end the ball.
Over the course of the last four games - all victories - Finley has been the target of more Aaron Rodgers passes than anybody else, including the top four receivers. Finley has been targeted 31 times compared with Greg Jennings' 28, Donald Driver's 26, James Jones' 12 and Jordy Nelson's four.
The game against the Bears showed to what degree McCarthy and Philbin are willing to pin their hopes on Finley, a third-round pick from 2008. Since returning from his knee injury, he leads the team with 22 receptions - for 228 yards and two touchdowns with a lost fumble - and they made him the centerpiece of their offense Sunday.
It was not the December weather that motivated McCarthy to pull back on his use of three-receiver sets; it was the desire to take advantage of Finley's size and speed against Chicago's defensive backs.
"I didn't really classify Chicago as a cold game," McCarthy said Thursday after practice. "If we don't feel that we can do certain things based on the weather, then that will change what we do schematically. But personnel-wise, you're always looking for the matchups, and weather doesn't really dictate that as much as the concepts, scheme."
The gradual shift to a Finley-centric offense clearly has puzzled the team's wide receivers, who are used to being Rodgers' favorite targets.
It was telling that after having just three passes targeted to him and catching two for 11 yards against Chicago, Driver was silent.
He almost always addresses the media after games, but he had no comment Sunday and wasn't talking Thursday.
Two of his receiver mates, Jennings and Jones, were careful with their words this week but far from judicious in defining their role as crucial to the offense's success.
They said their point is that they don't want McCarthy to forget how effective the three-receiver sets have been.
"To piggyback off what Mike is saying, you go at matchup situations where you feel like you have the best matchup," Jennings said. "Of course, 'J-Mike' is going to present a huge matchup every time. That's no question. I don't know a safety in the league other than Nick Collins or someone like that who's going to match up.
"He presents a huge matchup situation, but we feel we do as well. What it boils down to, whatever it takes to win, that's what we'll do."
The question the coaches have to ask is are they better off highlighting Finley, who is heading toward becoming an elite-type, pass-catching tight end, or do they go back to stressing multiple-receiver sets?
The Packers got the victory Sunday, but the offense was not at its best and scored just a touchdown and two field goals on five trips inside the Chicago 30-yard line.
The Packers have hovered around the 50% mark all season in touchdowns inside the 20-yard line and are tied with Detroit and Oakland for 16th place in red-zone efficiency.
The advantage of using three-receiver sets has been big plays. Through the Dallas game, the offense had 14 pass plays of 20 or more yards - including gains of 74, 50, 42 and 37 - out of that formation. There were also seven run plays of 10 or more yards.
"We always feel like we have the best matchup when we're all on the field," Jones said. "But you have to roll with the punches. Coaches call the plays; all we can do is run them. Do we want to be in more-receiver sets? Yeah.
"The ultimate goal is winning, and we're winning, so we can't do too much complaining."
Jennings said the feeling among the receivers is that they can shoulder the load in the red zone if given a chance. McCarthy's response might be, 'Where were you when I needed you 10 games ago?'
Since Finley has come back, the percentage of three-receiver sets used has declined. Against Dallas, it was 51.4%, against San Francisco, 46.8%, against Detroit, 35.2%, against Baltimore, 47% and against Chicago, 35%.
Both McCarthy and Philbin said they'll run whatever they think gives them the best chance to win, and with two cold-weather games ahead, starting with Pittsburgh at Heinz Field on Sunday, they very well could remain tight end- or running back-based.
Philbin said that while mixing Finley into the offense might seem like an ongoing process, he and McCarthy have thought it through and have come up with specific ways to attack opponents. They liked the way the Bears defended Finley and they wanted to exploit it.
He lined up all over the field, including in the slot or out wide with three receivers, and continually got favorably matchups on smaller, slower defensive backs.
"Part of our thing is if it's first and 10 or second and 5 and we get these guys in the game, be it two tight ends and two wideouts or Jermichael and three wideouts, what's the (defense's) tendency and how can we best take advantage of that?" Philbin said. "Is it the run game, is it the pass game, is it the vertical?
"That's kind of a chess match you're looking to find out in a ball game, how you're going to best take advantage of that situation. We have some specific plans how we want to use him."
How that plays out will be determined over the course of the last three games. It may be that McCarthy is just exploring the limits of how far he can go with Finley. When or if the Packers are in the playoffs, he'll have all kinds of options.
In the meantime, the receivers will have to be patient.
"I mean, we have a lot of talented people on this offense and we all want the ball," Jones said. "It's kind of selfish that we all want the ball, but at the same time that's the reality. There aren't enough balls to go around. At the end of the day, somebody's going to be unhappy."
Unless, of course, they keep winning.
seems they're taking it pretty well.
seems they're taking it pretty well.
ETA: Detroit at home is an almost irresistable matchup for VD so it's a harder call this week. But at least I know that either way I won't be facing Finley!
