The Green Bay Packers’ season has been full of perplexing schematics and even more bizarre personnel decisions. There appears to be no rhyme or reason to the way the plays are being called, and, at 3-4, this team with championship aspirations appears to be free-falling to a top pick in next year’s draft. Entering Week 8, it’s not too much of an overreaction to have concerns about them even making the playoffs.
Aaron Jones‘ lack of usage is one of the most confounding problems. At this point, it is a cyclical tale: Green Bay starts by establishing the run, something goes wrong, Matt LaFleur/Aaron Rodgers stray away from calling running plays, and Jones warms the bench. His carries have actually decreased over the last four weeks, despite LaFleur publicly admitting that he needs to get the ball in Jones’ hands more often.
The murky answer to the question of why is what’s most concerning, though. Why on earth are the Packers not using Jones more often? He signed that massive extension a couple of years ago when many thought that he was as good as gone from Green Bay.
Well, he’s here, and he’s averaging 5.5 yards a carry on a questionable 11 carries per game. Refusing to give the ball to a player as talented as Jones is reckless and obstinate. Coupling this information with the fact that A.J. Dillon has taken a major step back this year creates extreme frustration for spectators who, at this point, may know how to manage this team better than those currently in charge.
The first answer to this question of why is hubris. It is hubris from the quarterback, head coach, and downwards. Hubris from Aaron Rodgers because he thinks he’s still playing at an MVP level despite clear evidence that he’s taken a big step back this season. To audible out of as many run plays as he does regularly only to throw incompletions barely beyond the line of scrimmage is dismissive of LaFleur’s entire philosophy.
It is also hubris from LaFleur to place this much trust in Rodgers at this point in the season. The head coach needs to reclaim this offense and this team by enforcing the system he was brought here to instill. His offense works from the establishment of the run game, so it opens up play-action passing. Failure to require that establishment of the run falls on the head coach, who should have control of the team regardless of who is playing quarterback.
What this says about the rest of the team is murky as well. On the one hand, Green Bay is complacent in letting the two enigmatic personalities in Rodgers and LaFleur fight it out over who has true command of the team. There is no greater force at play telling LaFleur to lock it in over Rodgers or vice versa. The result of this has been a team that can’t seem to establish any sort of identity on offense.
Conversely, on a lighter note, it could all be part of a team-wide conspiracy to get the young crew of wide receivers as many reps and targets as possible. In theory, this would get them acclimated to the offense faster. It’s a fine and dandy tinfoil-hat theory if the end resulted in the team winning games, but the continued lack of offensive chemistry tells you everything you need to know.
What we are left with is a Packers team devoid of direction or optimism heading into a pivotal clash with the Buffalo Bills. In years past, this would be a shootout between two great quarterbacks, but Rodgers does not appear poised to hold up his end of the bargain in this matchup. If Green Bay wants any chance at sustainable success, they need to give Aaron Jones the ball without hesitation. If LaFleur can’t live up to the expectations he sets himself up for each week, it could mean more doom and gloom.
