New here but I figured I'd try to contribute to the conversation right away! Was listening to this podcast the other day and the guy was talking about how the Packers could find an identity on offense, for now anyways, by kind of riding their RBs. I gotta say it made sense. I've posted a link to the podcast, too, that part about the RBs starts at about the 12 minute mark. What say you guys?

https://pbg43758bh.podbean.com/e/episode-4-offense-bad-defense-good-huh/ 

Most in this forum are in the pass the football herd and consider a running attack last on their playlist. They do however run and jump on the bandwagon when the Packers have a hot RB like when Eddie Lacey was a Packer on fire.

I have nearly stood alone on being in favor of a more balanced offensive attack. The key to a great offense, beyond the QB, is the offensive line. The great teams that throw and run the football the best always have great O-lines. GB has an above average O-line, but the just average RBs. Perhaps more practice time on running plays/blocking would help.

We need to understand that this is the new GM's first year and no one can fix a team in just one year. A good start fixing has been made the Defensive Secondary, a TE has been added, and the addition of Wilkerson shows that this GM is looking to do more than maintain the status quo.

I see the Packers future getting better as the Ted Thompson era becomes a memory. [boxing]

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welcome to the group.

Like Smokey (you are not alone buddy... I know you said nearly 😁 ) I have always been an advocate of a strong running game. Ever since I saw my first favorite football player (Larry Csonka) I have felt a strong running game could only help the passing game. As Smokey says however, most fans want the ball in Rodgers hand the vast majority of the time. With one of the greatest QBs to ever play the game I can understand the feeling.

I'm not saying we switch to a run first team but I do feel the offense clicks much better when you have a back that is a threat to break a long one every time he touches the ball and then you use him. As much as I liked Lacy I don't feel as if we have had that threat since Ahman Green's first tour in Green Bay.

Of course with two consecutive HOF QBs I certainly understand the lack of attention paid to the position. Maybe with Allison and Cobb banged up and Jones healthy we will see a bit more of a balanced attack. Even then I'm not saying you have to run the same back 25 times a game. I'm fine with Williams getting his share of touches in the right circumstances but if its first and 10 and you are going to run the ball Jones should be the one carrying it the majority of the time.

Getting the RBs more involved in the passing game would be nice too although I haven't seen much of the games this year so maybe they are.

1: Throw to the open guy.

2: Catch the ball.

3: Run the ball, preferably with Aaron Jones.

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Welcome Home PFO. It's always good to have more ideas/suggestions/comments.
I have no problem running the ball. The Packers organization does, slightly.

First if you have a potential hall of fame QB it does somewhat make sense to ride his arm instead of a RB who might be the 30,40 or 50th best player in the league. I don't think anyone here suggests that 80 or 90% of the plays should be passes. It should be more than 50% of the plays. Naturally it also depends on who is available to catch the ball. I think Aaron has proven many times he can take an average receiver and make him one of the top receivers in the league. Take that comment with a grain of salt. Nothing is absolute.

Next consider the OL. From the top brass down to the HC, OC and OL coach they have preferred to draft pass orientated linemen. They play differently than a run based line. Most of the time a pass protect line will drop back and set up once the ball is snapped and wait for the defender to come to him. They want to DL/LB to initiate contact then they counter. A running team OL will move forward and initiate contact with the DL in order to create holes for the back. Some linemen can do both proficiently. In this age of specialization we are seeing more and more who are better at one type of protection than the other. GB drafts the men who can pass block and then works on honing those skills. I don't mean to imply that GB's linemen can't run block. They can but they are better at pass protection. Over 60 plays a game and 16 games a year they are giving GB a better chance to win by using their talents in the area they have more skill. Passing.

Every team is going to have a hole or two somewhere. With Aaron as QB, GB has not felt the need to acquire the big stud RB. Injuries occur and more times than not the RB position is a little weak. It's almost impossible to expect a RB to get 25 carries and 100 yards a game. Even if you do get that kind of production, there is no guarantee that is enough to give GB the win.

I did a quick check to see who the best running teams have been for the past few years.

2018 Cleveland 1-2-1 Denver 2-2 Dallas 2-2
2017 Jacksonville 10-6 Dallas 9-7 Philly 13-3
2016 Buffalo 7-9 Dallas 13-3 Tenn 9-7
2015 Buffalo 8-8 Carolina 15-1 Seattle 10-6

I think some of the success for teams is that they ran the ball more because they were winning. It's not always true they won because they ran the ball. I am not going into break down Yards per carry and their passing yards and how they scored their td or what their defenses were like. My point is running running the ball well doesn't mean you will have a better chance of winning.

Lastly their is the "Aaron Factor". In days of old the coach would call a play, maybe send the halfback off tackle or the ol Green Bay Sweep. And that's the play that was run. On rare occasion the QB saw something he didn't like (Or something he liked better) he would audible. Today most plays are run/pass options with multiple variations. The QB lines up and spends most of the clock setting up the play he feels has the best chance of succeeding. With someone as skilled and intelligent as Aaron it works and it works well. They still have to execute it 11 times. Or at the very least 10 times and leave Aaron a way to escape so he can make the play on the fly. I am sure Aaron feels the best chance to succeed is with him and his talent. I am sure he calls a pass more often than the run. Mike has two choices. He can yell at Aaron (in private or in public) and tell him to run the ball more or he can trust his potential hall of fame QB to do what needs to be done in order to win the game. Mike tends to chose the latter.

Would I like to see more runs? Sure. With the team on the field right now do I want to see them run the ball 50% or more of the time? Not normally. Get up by 3 scores and run the ball the whole second half would be fantastic but we have seen how little success they have when they try and run the clock out. They can't run block on a consistent basis. Especially if the defense knows they are going to run the ball. And that is not just the last few minutes of the game. If GB switched to a run heavy team, the opponent would know they play to run the ball even in the 1st quarter and would stack the deck. GB doesn't have the OL that can run block on a consistent basis.

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In fairness to the game planning gurus, in the past, especially on short yardage situations, we seem to of had problems converting third and fourth and short.

Part of that has to do with the offensive line, part of that has to do with the running back, and part of that has to do with schemes.

I too would prefer a more balanced robust running game....especially with the gimpy quarterback

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Aaron Jones has been part of his team's passing attack in the past. Wouldn't mind seeing an old school Roger Craig style screen game.

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You guys remember our screen game with Ahman Green?

I remember!
Is Ajman Green coming back???😝

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I remember fumbling with Ahman Green (shudder). Actually I loved the guy as our RB. So many LBs and DBs got injured just trying to tackle him.

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