It’s not over, but it sure feels like it.
If we’re facing the harsh truth, this is the worst team the Green Bay Packers have fielded since Brett Hundley was at the helm. This squad is lifeless and devoid of identity. Last year’s successes feel buried beneath the papier mache double-wide that Matt LaFleur and Joe Barry have chosen to raise this 53-man family in.
There’s no clear solution for of the issues, either. Everything seems to be wrong on every side of the ball. Last week’s loss to the New York Jets confirmed everybody’s worst fears about the team. Green Bay is lucky to be 3-3, and comparisons to the 2010 title-winning squad seem dubious at best. Things are real bad.
It’s difficult not to think that the issues that plague the Packers trickle down from the prominent figures that run the franchise. Much has been made about Barry’s ineffectiveness in organizing the defense this year. The special teams took a significant step back last week after showing relative improvement this season under new coordinator Rich Bisaccia. More eyes have looked towards LaFleur putting together terrible game plans. And, in a related bit of news, Aaron Rodgers’ failed to either run the game plan or audible out to effective plays.
Green Bay’s culture entirely stems from Rodgers. He’s the unquestioned leader of this team, a role he’s undoubtedly earned, but his newfound penchant for “manifesting” the good vibes around the team isn’t producing any results. The Jets burned the Packers last week, proving that Jaire Alexander’s warning should have been taken more seriously and not passed off as “bad vibes we don’t need, man.”
Look at it this way: If multiple problems are coming from Rodgers (i.e., the offensive disappearance and poor team culture), is there a realistic argument that a change needs to be made at quarterback?
As the losses pile up, this looks like a more pertinent question. Players are buying less into this worn-out Rodgers hippie-mindset trope because his play doesn’t cover up his broken philosophies. This team is stuck in limbo with no clear path toward contention or building toward the future. The Packers owe Rodgers over $50 million for the next two seasons. However, he is playing like a stopgap quarterback clinging to the electric highlights of a promising Heisman campaign. It’s a problem; again, certainly not the only problem, but it is as glaring an issue as the size of Rodgers’ check.
It’s not even necessarily about Jordan Love earning the playing time as much as Rodgers needs a break. Love may well end up being the future of the QB position for Green Bay. Who knows if Rodgers would retire after a subpar season? Therefore, he would at least give the team a malleable prospect who will run the offense given to him.
Love doesn’t have the arm talent that Rodgers does. Love doesn’t have Rodgers’ football IQ, either. However, he lacks the wherewithal and hubris to audible out of running plays that feature a running back averaging over six yards per carry, only to underthrow deep bombs to receivers who shouldn’t be running go routes in the first place.
It’s important to remember that the Packers brought LaFleur in because of his prowess at running an offense that requires setting up the run. Establishing the run opens up the play action to clear the passing lanes for the receivers. In the last two years under LaFleur, Rodgers has adhered to this strategy, and it has paid dividends. Green Bay has invested heavily in its RBs because of this, giving Jones an extension and taking A.J. Dillion early in the 2020 draft. Coupled with the continued investment in the offensive line, this belies a GM and head coach that are in sync with the offense’s direction.
Starting Love would give the Packers a chance to establish an offensive identity for the first time all season. It would also be a clear wake-up call for an egomaniacal QB who desperately needs it. Green Bay is going nowhere fast as fingers are pointed to and from every direction. This team has to find a spark before it falls further behind in the divisional race against the Minnesota Vikings. Comparisons to the 2010 team that won the Super Bowl as a wild-card contender are wildly overlooking the hollowness of this Green Bay team.
If the losses keep piling up, LaFleur and Gutekunst would be wise to look toward the future. Getting Love in some regular-season games would let them know what they have in him before it’s too late. At some point, this team’s future must be considered as the present decays. Love fits the timeline of the young receivers, so it makes sense to give him some run now if things with Rodgers turn sour.