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2016 Offense could be interesting...

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 CheezWizHed 2016 Offense could be interesting...
#1

Posted: March 29, 2016, 11:48 AM Post
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There were a lot of issues that derailed the offense last year, injuries, injuries and a few more injuries... poorer performance than expected from a few individuals, and lack of playmakers.

But there were some interesting items that came out of last season and this offseason that make the offense interesting this year.

O-Line
    2015 Issues: Injuries and lack of depth. Every single OL suffered an injury serious enough to miss time or degrade their performance while playing through it. Tretter replaced Linsley early in the season and there didn't seem to be an appreciable drop off. However, the same couldn't be said when Bakhtiari, Bulaga, and Lang missed time. Barclay and Walker were close to horrific... Sitton at LT wasn't much better. Finally, Tretter solidified the LT position late in the season, but many struggles prior to that.

    2016 Hope: Well, no one suffered any serious injury. All players are still in their prime, so there shouldn't be any significant drop off in capability. Tretter showed that we have at least one good backup at C and T. Lane at G is passable also. If Barclay comes back, he will at least be another year removed from his ACL injury that should help him. I'm still expecting a high draft pick for a backup OL, preferably a #1 for an LT backup or replacement for Bak (probably moving him inside next year to replace Sitton or Lang at G if we lose one to FA).

WR/TE
    2015 Issues: The injury to Jordy Nelson was the biggest blow of last year. Our #1 WR and a top 5 WR in the NFL otherwise. That was one main domino that triggered a bunch of defensive shifts against the Packers. His ability to get deep kept the defense honest. Losing him allowed teams to play closer to the LOS and take away a lot of WRs. Montgomery was also playing well when he was injured. Davante Adams actually took a step backwards when most people expected him to take most of Jordy's catches. The offense actually got better late in the year when they stopped throwing to him so often. Quarless' injury/suspension hurt our run game as he was our best blocker. Also it caused Rodgers to play far too many snaps at TE. Rodgers had a good year, but looked gassed at times. Cobb had a good year overall, but given the extra double teams and tighter coverage in general hurt his production. Just couldn't carry the team. He also had a few injuries with the most damaging one in the playoffs where he missed 3/4s of the game after falling on his mic.

    2016 Hope: Nelson should be fully recovered for training camp. There might be some concern because of his knee and his age (30), but getting him back will help even at 90% of his old self. Montgomery is an interesting guy to watch in his second year. He was really coming on when he was hurt. Has the versatility of Cobb, but a touch faster. Davante Adams... well he can't be much worse. Its possible a nagging injury set him back last year. But if not, the expectations are lower this year. Both Abbrederis and Janis became contributors last year. Janis could very well be on his way to something special. Maybe not quite as good as Nelson at his peak, but another deep threat if nothing else. Signing Cook at TE is also a great addition to our TE depth. He might not catch a lot of balls, but defenses will need to respect him at least. And Rodgers should get a bit more rest next year and be fresher.
RB/FB
    2015 Issues: Lacy came in overweight and clearly not ready for football. Lack of deep threat at WR/TE brought safeties and CBs closer to the line because they didn't fear being burnt deep. Starks suddenly couldn't hold onto the football late in the season. Kuhn was used heavily as the 3rd down back last year. A good blocker, but nothing dangerous in catching the ball.

    2016 Hope: There is lots of press about Lacy losing weight this offseason. Hopefully he will be 75% of the man he used to be. [smile] It took 10 games into the season, but Lacy did start to look like his own self in terms of hitting holes. He still looked like he was dragging a plow, but that was better than the first 10 games where he missed the hole and ran into his lineman. Starks has a mild history of fumbles, but not as bad as last year. I would expect him to regress to the norm and thus improve. Possibly a lighter load (with Lacy coming back on) should help too. Unless there is a draft pick, doesn't look like any other reinforcements will come. Really need to have a good 3rd down back to help Rodgers out in tight situations.
QB
    2015 Issues: Lack of time in pocket, lack of weapons to throw it to, lack of accuracy. A few times (even when Rodgers had time and someone open), his accuracy was wildly off. For someone that is known for highly accurate passing, at times he was 3-4 feet off the target. Leading to more 3 down punts, more interceptions, and more stalled drives last year.

    2016 Hope: Most likely, the first two items will be resolved with the other three sections above. It was the lack of accuracy that was a bit troubling last year. Its possible that Rodgers developed the "yips" in the midst of the year. Getting hit too often, trying to get the ball out too quickly (to squeeze into a smaller window) or just succumbing to the problems around him might all have contributed to his struggles. Rodgers is still young for QBs, so I would anticipate that with more options this year and a bit more time in the pocket, his accuracy will return with it also.

Overall, if they can avoid being bitten by the health bug, they could have a VERY diverse and challenging offense this year. Having the flexibility to find a defense's weak spot (3rd CB, coverage LB, run defense, etc...) and use that weakness to their advantage. While having enough weapons to work against tight man (that plagued this last year) or zone (that they normally eat up).
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 LouisEly Re: 2016 Offense could be interesting...
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Posted: April 03, 2016, 10:12 AM Post
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There is lots of press about Lacy losing weight this offseason. Hopefully he will be 75% of the man he used to be. [smile]

Well, if he's 75% of the man he used to be he'll weigh 185 lbs. Let's go with 90% of the man he used to be (225, a loss of 25 lbs). [smile]
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 CheezWizHed Re: 2016 Offense could be interesting...
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Posted: April 06, 2016, 3:31 PM Post
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But how big was he? 75% of 300lbs is 225. [smile]
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 DocBrewPack Re: 2016 Offense could be interesting...
#4

Posted: May 06, 2016, 6:07 PM Post
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Great write up on the offense.

Oline- Your prediction of the high draft pick was %100 correct and much needed. I think Barclay has a lot to prove in training camp to even get a roster spot after how bad he was last year. Its sad when they will try the backup center at LT over you. Considering we will have the same 5 starters with (hopefully) better depth, barring a major injury, i think they will be much improved this year. (as they were in 2014)

RB/FB- I think your line that Starks will regress to the norm will be pretty accurate for both guys. Hopefully a lighter Lacy will be closer to a pro bowl back and Starks wont fumble as much but still provide some production. (both back to there 2013-2014 norms) I also think the fact we didnt draft a RB was a vote of confidence from TT for John Crocket. It also appears they are not going to resign Kuhn.

QB- In Rodgers i trust. I would be shocked if he still has accuracy problems this year. As you mention, stability in Oline+WRs will help a lot.

WR/TE- This is the interesting one to me. With drafting Trevor Davis we now have 7 WRs that would project to make the roster. obviously there will be a long training camp to work this out but its hard to imagine having 7 WRs make the roster. Maybe the most probable move will be to try and stash Trevor Davis on the practice squad but that would not be like TT to put his 5th round pick out there for other teams to steal. I would put Davante Adams on the needs to prove something in training camp to keep his spot list but i hope and think he will bounce back. He showed too much potential as a rookie not to. Abbrederis and Janis i think both are locks because they both showed great potential and both contribute in STs. Now 7 Wrs is possible. We will only carry 2 Qbs this year (rather than 3 LY) and if we dont resign Kuhn there's your 2 roster spots. Also if 4 WRs (adding Montgomery+the rookie) contribute on STs it makes it much more possible.

and to add one spot to your write up, Punter- Unless Masthay has an amazing training camp and truly earns his spot, I hope Peter Mortell the undrafted rookie from Minnesota (originally from GB) gets the job. Hopefully we use the punter a lot less this year but Masthay was just plain terrible. Frustrating to watch at times. (not really offense but O well)
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 CheezWizHed Re: 2016 Offense could be interesting...
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Posted: May 09, 2016, 10:05 AM Post
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Originally it was reported that Brandon Burks was signed as an UDFA and I was delighted. More of a scat-back with a quick first step and a lot of receptions at Troy. Very different skill set than our current RBs. But unfortunately, it seems that he didn't sign for some reason or another. Don Jackson is similar to Burks, but with fewer receptions and a tad slower.

I was a big fan of Crockett last year (and still am). But he is a very similar RB to Lacy and Starks. But TT/MM never seem to want a 3rd down back on the offense. So it will be interesting to see where they take it. With Kuhn not coming back, they could keep Jackson if he proves worthy. But if I were a betting man, I would say they won't keep him and stick with heavier RBs.
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 LouisEly Re: 2016 Offense could be interesting...
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Posted: May 09, 2016, 9:31 PM Post
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They haven't announced the Brandon Burks signing because he was attending his graduation and hasn't taken his physical yet. They won't announce the signing until after he passes his physical.
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 CheezWizHed Re: 2016 Offense could be interesting...
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Posted: May 10, 2016, 11:01 AM Post
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And he just signed yesterday. So good news. He is one of my favorite UDFAs this year.
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