ESPN La Crosse 105.5

Malik Willis’ ability to take care of ball instrumental to Packers’ success

Paul Bretl | 9/24/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — One of the more impressive–and important–feats that Malik Willis has accomplished while starting at quarterback for the Packers has been his ability to take care of the football in these two games.

“He’s done a really nice job in that regard,” said Matt LaFleur about Willis’ command of the offense. “I think it’s a credit to the other 10 guys in the huddle, as well, just knowing the offense because sometimes things can get crazy on gameday.”

On 33 pass attempts against Indianapolis and Tennessee, Willis has been extremely efficient, completing 73 percent of those passes at 9.7 yards per attempt, with of course, no interceptions.

But beyond not throwing any picks, by PFF’s metrics, Willis hasn’t even had a throw that’s been deemed turnover-worthy. For some perspective, of the 35 quarterbacks through three games who have had at least 29 dropbacks, Willis is one of three, including Justin Fields and Aaron Rodgers, without a turnover-worthy throw.

Willis’ ability to take care of the football has, in return, given Matt LaFleur the confidence to open up the passing game, knowing that the ball won’t be put in danger. A key contributor to the Packers’ offensive success against the Titans was the offense’s ability to generate several explosive pass plays, along with Willis converting some key third-and-long situations.

“I mean that’s, that is the number one job of the quarterback, take care of the football and he’s done a great job of not putting it in harm’s way,” said LaFleur after the win in Tennessee. “And quite frankly that’s allowed us, and given us confidence to open some of the things up.

“To come out and throw a pass on the first play of the game, anticipating they’d be geared up for a run, and to get that big explosion play to J-Reed I thought really set us off.”

We learned post-game from Willis that the Packers have weekly meetings where the sole focus is on taking care of the ball and stressing the need to win the turnover battle.

However, we all know that the ball is life in the NFL and taking care of it is important. It’s certainly one thing to say that, to discuss it, and to stress the importance of it, but going out on the field and executing that is a completely different story.

Given the nature of the NFL, along with the circumstances Willis found himself in, having just arrived in Green Bay several weeks ago, one could assume that the ball might end up in the hands of a defender or at least there be an opportunity for the opponent to make a play on the football–whether that be from an errant throw or a poor decision.

But, as highlighted above, that hasn’t been the case whatsoever. That’s a credit to LaFleur and the coaching staff for putting together a game-plan that Willis has been able to execute, and of course, it’s a huge credit to Willis for not putting the ball in harm’s way.

Willis’ success with protecting the ball shows a quarterback who knows the ins-and-outs of the game-plan, specifically knowing when is the right time to push the ball based on the coverage look he’s getting and when to tuck it and run. Or, to put it another way, taking what the defense is giving him. The zero turnover-worthy throws is also a nod to Willis’ ability as a passer, putting the ball where he needs to.

“More than anything, it’s a testament to Coach LaFleur and all the other coaches,” said Willis about taking care of the ball. “We have a ball meeting, and we talk about what’s a key component to winning ballgames, and more than anything, it’s the turnover differential. And I think that he does a great job of just showing us the importance of the ball and keeping it and being plus on the turnover margin. I think we just try and focus on that, and that’s throughout the team.”

If you can win the turnover battle, you have a good chance of winning the game, and the Packers’ ability to do that the last two weeks has been instrumental in winning these games. Defensively, it takes points off the board and can often result in good field position, while for the offense, it leads to additional possessions and opportunities to put up points.

Packers show they can win multiple ways, a skill that will benefit them down the road

Paul Bretl | 9/23/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers haven’t just won the last two games without Jordan Love, they’ve also shown that they have the ability to do so in a variety of ways depending on what each specific game calls for. This is a skill that could pay dividends down the road.

“It’s huge,” said Christian Watson about the last two weeks. “Honestly, I think in Week 1 and even leading up, execution was a big emphasis for us. We know we got the guys to accomplish what we need to accomplish. We just have to go out there and execute. Obviously, we didn’t have it like that Week 1 and I think these past two weeks we’ve been executing really well. We just gotta keep on doing that. If we keep on doing what we’re doing, we’re gonna be in a good spot.”

Against the Colts, with Malik Willis at quarterback having just arrived in Green Bay three weeks earlier, and facing a porous Indianapolis run defense, the Packers ran their way to victory, rushing the ball 53 times. Then this past Sunday against Tennessee, who had one of the more stingy run defenses in football through two games, the passing game had to shoulder a heavier workload, generating four explosive plays of at least 30 yards.

But beyond the number of running plays versus passing plays, schematically, Matt LaFleur has thrown a lot at opposing defenses, and the players have executed it nearly flawlessly. This includes both outside zone runs and gap scheme, a hefty amount of pre-snap motion, receivers utilized in the running game, designed quarterback runs, deep shots, and short area throws with YAC potential.

“Man, ain’t nothing changed,” said Dontayvion Wicks after the Colts’ game. “Everybody wants to win. It’s just circumstances where we had to step up and we did. But yeah, ain’t nothing changed. We all have a winning mindset. We want to win, do whatever we can to help the team out.”

The Packers’ defense hasn’t had to adjust to the extent that the offense has, but we’ve seen a group under Jeff Hafley that doesn’t necessarily have a set game-plan either. They have their core defensive principles but ultimately it is the game flow that dictates how they approach each series.

A prime example of this was the pass rush on Sunday that, as the game went on, took a more aggressive approach with the Titans trailing and becoming more pass-heavy, whereas early on, the front was more controlled, being mindful of the Tennessee run game and Will Levis’ ability to extend plays.

At the second and third levels, we’ve seen the linebackers blitz and we’ve seen them drop in coverage. We’ve seen single high looks from the defensive backs and cover-2. There’s been man coverage and there’s been zone. If I were to use one word to describe the Packers’ defensive game plans through three games, I would choose ‘flexible.’

In addition to all of that, you have a Packers team with a lot of talent, resulting in a number of players seeing regular playing time. This includes the rotation at right guard between Sean Rhyan and Jordan Morgan prior to his injury, six wide receivers who all see snaps, Emanuel Wilson having nearly a 50-50 snap count split with Josh Jacobs on Sunday, four linebackers who see snaps, a rotation at cornerback between Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine, along with Evan Williams being worked in with Javon Bullard at safety.

“I think you’ve got to have the people that you trust in order to put in there and I think we have probably a deeper roster than we’ve had,” said LaFleur last week. “And so, most of these guys aren’t first year players, so they’ve gotten more experience and they’ve earned those opportunities. So I think the more you can do that, you talk about player development. That’s the best way to develop players is to get them out there and play.”

Having a variety of players that can be relied upon brings a variety of skill sets for the coaches to implement into the game plan. This then opens up the playbook for both LaFleur and Hafley and, from the opposition’s standpoint, makes it really difficult to get a beat on how the Packers might attack them because they have so many different directions they can go.

The Colts knew the Packers would want to run the ball with Willis, but the first quarter production in that game shows a defense that was stunned by how Green Bay went about doing so.

“It says a lot,” said Emanuel Wilson about the offense’s production. “We can hurt you in many different ways. We just go out there and prepare for the week.”

Particularly during the playoffs, when the intensity is kicked up several notches, the margin between winning and losing becomes even smaller. At that stage, the successful teams have a counter for whatever the opposition throws at them and tries to take away. Through three games, the Packers have shown that they don’t have just one or two things they can hang their hat on, but multiple ways they can find success.

Adversity is going to hit every team throughout the course of a long NFL season, for the Packers, with the injury to Love, they’re being tested right away. These current circumstances forced the Packers to have to adapt and adjust on the fly–a task that they’ve aced and a lesson that will benefit down the road, and could make them more dangerous when you add Love back into the mix.

“I think that can galvanize our team,” said LaFleur after the Packers’ win in Tennessee. “We needed everybody. I’m a firm believer that you don’t rise to the level of the competition; you sink to the level of your preparation. These guys prepare the right way, they come to work the right way each and every day with a great attitude.”

Packers pass rush cut it loose in second half vs. Titans

Paul Bretl | 9/23/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Last week I asked the question, would this be the game where we see the Packers pass rush let it rip? Well, it certainly was, particularly in the second half.

“It’s free, freedom,” said JJ Enagbare post-game. “We knew what we’re capable of. Last two weeks, we was just following the game plan and pretty much this just showed how dominant we could be.”

All throughout training camp and the preseason, we had heard about this attack front play-style under Jeff Hafley, where in short, the job is to get off the ball as quickly as possible and into the backfield. However, through the first two games, the governor was on as the Packers prioritize keeping Jalen Hurts and Anthony Richardson in the pocket with more controlled power rushes.

As both Hafley and Matt LaFleur made clear leading up to this game, Titans’ quarterback Will Levis certainly has the ability to hurt defenses with his legs. But from the outside looking in, it also appeared that there was going to be a much more grand opportunity to get after Levis against a Titans’ offensive line unit that has struggled mightily in pass protection.

The Packers finished the game with eight sacks, the most that the team has had in a single game since 2005 when they recorded nine against the Bears that season. ESPN also credited the Green Bay defense with 12 quarterback hits as well.

“I just think we stayed with the plan,” said Preston Smith. “We knew the opportunities were going to come. We maximized on the opportunities. We left some out there and we didn’t capitalize on every opportunity, obviously with the eight. Guys played really hard. A lot of people were getting sacks. I was almost like, ‘Oh man, when my turn coming?’ Everybody was rushing hard, playing hard. Our defense played really well.”

Through the first two quarters of the game, the Packers had only one sack. However, playing with a two score lead for much of the second half, the Packers were able to turn up the pressure–literally–as the Titans became more pass heavy.

On the Titans’ opening possession of the third quarter, Devonte Wyatt recorded a first down that put Tennessee behind the sticks. A few players later, Quay Walker came up with the fourth-down sack, with Isaiah McDuffie and Jaire Alexander taking away the throw to the running back in the flat.

Two possessions later, JJ Enagbare won his pass rush rep about as quickly as one can, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Lukas Van Ness. From that point on, the Packers pass rush was like snowball rolling down a mountain, gaining momentum and size with each passing play.

“Pretty much tackle just over-set it,” said Enagbare of his strip-sack. “I was able to grab his hand and pretty much get a clear lane for the sack. Then my dog Lukas scooped it up.”

The next time Tennessee had the ball, Preston Smith came up with a third-down sack. On the possession after that, the Packers recorded back-to-back sacks on second and third down. Then, on the Titans’ final full possession of the game, Smith recorded another first down sack, putting Tennessee behind the sticks. Two plays later, Xavier McKinney came up with his third interception.

“Oh my goodness, they went crazy,” said Malik Willis of the pass rush. “That was amazing. Eight sacks, right? Oh my goodness. That was super. They won the game for us, if you want to say that. Them guys did great. Everybody deserves a game ball. I’ll pay however much money out of my pocket to everybody if they keep doing that. I’ll add to their salaries. Oh my goodness. That was amazing. It was good to see. Those guys work hard all week. You just love to see it come to fruition out on the field.”

Going beyond the impressive numbers that the Packers put together, you see a defense under Hafley that is willing to adjust its play-style based upon the game-flow. In the early going, there again was a more controlled pass rush approach with an emphasis on lane integrity because Willis does have the ability to extend plays, along with wanting to limit rushing lanes for the Titans’ running backs. Tennessee was also using the quick passing game often in the early portion of Sunday’s contest.

But as the game went on and the Packers established their two or three-score leads, the Titans’ became more pass-heavy, with longer developing routes, at which point there became a greater opportunity to truly get after the quarterback–which the Green Bay pass rush took full advantage of.

There isn’t a player on the defensive side of the ball who doesn’t benefit from a stout pass rush. Obviously, sacks create long down-and-distance situations for the offense, but pressures will also disrupt the timing and rhythm of the play, can lead to mistakes, and mean less time in coverage for the defensive backs.

“It’s amazing,” said Jaire Alexander of the pass rush. “Like, it’s just so good. It’s complementary. When I’m covering down the field and I hear a big roar or something, I’m like, ‘Well, I guess we got another sack.’ This is amazing.”

We often talk about complementary football in terms of the three phases of the game–offense, defense, and special teams–working together. But defensively on Sunday, we saw complementary football with the defensive front and the back end of the defense working together in unison. The end result was a dominant performance with eight sacks, three takeaways, and the Titans’ averaging just 4.5 yards per play.

“I think it ties in, coverage and the rush,” said Xavier McKinney after the game. “But when they rushing like that, man, those guys up front, we got a special group and I just know that every time, every play, they gonna make something happen and they gonna be able to cause chaos and that’s gonna speed up the quarterback’s process and it’s gonna make it a hell of a lot easier for us as DBs to go out there and cover because we know that pressure gonna get there, so we get more opportunities to go make plays on the ball, so it’s been special.”

Another calm and cool performance from Packers QB Malik Willis

Paul Bretl | 9/22/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers quarterback Malik Willis was insistent earlier in the week that this game against the Tennessee Titans was not about revenge for him. However, I imagine the performance from him and the offense on Sunday had to feel pretty good.

“It’s a different opportunity,” said Malik Willis post-game about his play with the Packers compared to when he was with the Titans. “I only got three starts here as a rookie, and like I said before, I just wasn’t ready at that point in time.

“And I’ve had a lot of time to just work hard and just grind every day in order to make use of my next opportunity, which I’ve been just trying to do this last two weeks. I think more than anything you just try to continue to work hard and understand that you don’t know when the opportunity will come, but you have to be ready for it when you get it.”

This was always going to have to be a game where the Packers relied more on Willis and the passing game. Running the ball 53 times against a stout Titans’ front wasn’t going to be in the cards this week. But as Willis has showcased since arriving in Green Bay, he was calm, cool, and took it all in stride.

Willis finished the game completing 13-of-19 passes for 202 yards with a touchdown. He was able to move the chains on a few key third downs, extended plays with his legs, totaling 73 rush yards, and very importantly, Willis protected the football with no turnovers, and not even a throw that would be deemed turnover-worthy. Knowing that Willis won’t be reckless with the ball, gives Matt LaFleur confidence to open up the passing game a bit.

“I mean that’s, that is the number one job of the quarterback, take care of the football and he’s done a great job of not putting it in harm’s way,” said Matt LaFleur after the game. “And quite frankly that’s allowed us, and given us confidence to open some of the things up.”

It was another efficient performance, similar to last week for Willis, and on the surface, may not appear all that different from last week. However, going beyond the stat sheet, it was.

Willis was throwing to all parts of the field resulting in several explosive pass plays with the help of the Matt LaFleur play-designs on a few of those throws. Willis and the passing offense had four plays of at least 25 yards, as evidenced by his impressive 10.6 yards per pass attempt.

“I can’t say enough about him,” said LaFleur, “the job that he’s done to be able to lead our offense and be productive. And he made some big-time plays throughout the course of the game. I think, obviously, some plays with his legs were huge. And also plays in the passing game, some of those third down and longs to make some of those completions down the field.”

But in addition to making those throws, you saw a quarterback who would go off-schedule if his initial reads weren’t there, someone who could sense when the pressure was closing in, and he was incredibly comfortable with what was being asked of him. And if it wasn’t clear last week, the Packers are throwing a lot at opposing defenses, which, therefore, puts a lot on Willis’ plate.

Yet, throughout all of this, Willis has been calm and cool, which, perhaps to those on the outside, takes away from just how impressive he’s been, given the circumstances that he found himself in. But Matt LaFleur made it clear post-game that what Willis is doing and what we are seeing from him isn’t normal. These were two special performances under the circumstances he had been dealt.

Willis joining a new team less than a month ago, learning the playbook–a playbook that by LaFleur’s own admission isn’t easy–the long play-calls, and going out and executing it all at a high level, has left even LaFleur a bit speechless.

“I just cannot articulate the job that he’s done in this short period of time. People can’t fathom it. I promise you, you guys don’t get it. I know you think you got it, but you don’t get it. What he’s been able to do, I’ve never seen something like this. Hats off to him, hats off to everybody around him, guys rallying, having his back.”

Being thrust into this type of situation and seeing the results that Willis and the offense have had takes the right kind of person–and that goes beyond his ability as a football player. For most, having to run a complicated offense in such a short amount of time could have been overwhelming. Or the thirst for revenge against an old team could have impacted play or rearranged priorities. But not for Willis.

For Willis, he could give Jordan Love a run for his money in an even-keeled competition. The first impression of Willis as we were all gathered around his locker in late August was that he was a steady presence and seemingly unfazed by being traded just one day earlier. He’s since shown to be nearly unflappable.

He’s not worried about what happened in Tennessee and he’s also not worried about what might happen over the rest of the season in Green Bay, or even care that he’s starting a game that everyone outside of the building has dubbed an opportunity for revenge. Leading up to this game, throughout it and afterward, you wouldn’t have even known Willis played for the Titans at one point.

Instead, Willis is only focused on the present. What he can do in this exact moment or on the next play to give him and the offense the best chance at success. There are no high-highs and there are no low-lows. There isn’t any worrying about the past or what might happen in the future.

If you’re not worried about what was or what could be, it becomes a lot more difficult to get overwhelmed, even in pressure-packed situations. Willis is focused on the day-to-day. He understands that in the NFL, your tape is your resume, and it’s his intention to change those perceptions. However, accomplishing that isn’t done by worrying about what’s happened in the past or what could happen in the future, rather it’s about focusing on the process.

“I’m not sure I could say that,” said Willis when asked if he could have played like this elsewhere. “I just don’t have the external viewpoint of my life to say that. I just try to continue to just work. Like you say, three starts, that’s what I was judged off and that’s what it is.

“You don’t really have a say-so in that. It’s a results-based league. It’s a business, so I can’t really be mad about that. I got my opportunity, whether it was, you know, one of the better opportunities or not, it was an opportunity. I’m grateful for that. I learned from it. I’ll try to continue to work hard until my next one comes.”

Packers run game faces a big test against Titans defensive front

Paul Bretl | 9/22/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Based on reports, Malik Willis will get the start against Tennessee at quarterback for the Packers. This puts an added emphasis on the need for a strong run game that the offense can lean on, however, accomplishing that this week will prove to be a bigger challenge–literally.

Through two games, the Titans’ defense is surrendering just 4.0 yards per rush, which is the 10th-lowest rate in football at this point. The 92.5 rushing yards per game Tennessee is giving up also ranks 10th.

In the middle of what has shown to be a salty, as Matt LaFleur put it, defensive front are Jeffery Simmons, rookie T’Vondre Sweat, who measures in at 6-4 – 362 pounds, and Sebastian Joseph-Day.

“Well they’re giants,” said LaFleur about the Titans defensive front. “And they do a good job. They’re both athletic, but I think it’s just the totality of the defense. I think you look across-the-board the majority of their players are veteran players that have played a lot of ball and they have a good scheme. So it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

Individually, Joseph-Day ranks sixth and Simmons 15th in PFF’s run-stop rate metric out of 118 eligible defensive tackles. With Sweat, his impact isn’t always going to be felt on the stat sheet, but his ability to take on double-teams and eat up space frees up other defenders to make plays.

“They’re big inside,” said offensive line coach Luke Butkus. “They’re strong, they’re physical. We’ve got to match that physicality, and we’ve got to win up front. We’ve got to own the line of scrimmage in the run game and protect our quarterback. That’s football.”

Along with the Titans being a much more stout opponent this week against the run, the big question for the Packers is can they replicate last week’s success with Willis at quarterback, and how do they go about doing so?

The element of unpredictability that the Packers had a week ago is decreased this week with the Titans having at least a week’s worth of game tape to study. There also isn’t another team out there that knows what Willis can and can’t do more than Tennessee.

In addition to that, even with a game under his belt, Willis is still quite inexperienced when it comes to operating this offense–it’s only been just over three weeks, after all–and because of that, there’s only so many options LaFleur and Co. have when it comes to play designs.

With that said, there will certainly be elements from last week’s game-plan that can be useful this week as well, specifically getting the receivers involved in the run game. This will give Green Bay rushing opportunities on the perimeter and away from the interior defensive line, not to mention the pre-snap eye-candy will help get the defense flowing one direction before actually running the ball the other.

This could be a game where we see a real concerted effort by the Packers to get out-wide in the run game in an effort to avoid Simmons, Sweat, and Joseph-Day. Even with the overall success that Titans defense has had, they’ve surrendered explosive runs to D’Andre Swift and Breece Hall out by the offensive tackles.

“Simmons is really good,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “I think it’s harder in the pass game to double. When you have a guy like Simmons or Aaron Donald, when they play an interior position, a three-technique, you can slide at him but there’s certain instances where they give you five across, they force you to go one-on-one pass protection, stuff like that, and that’s where those elite players, they make their money.

“He is definitely an elite player. He plays with a great motor. He’s got excellent talent, all the physical tools. Yeah, he’s going to be a problem that we have to understand where he’s at.”

Success on the ground will be a must for the Packers. That will allow the Packers to control the game flow, and set up short down-and-distance situations where the playbook opens for LaFleur and passing opportunities for the offense.

On the flip side, struggles in the run game will put Willis and the offense in predictable passing situations against a physical secondary and a defensive coordinator in Dennard Wilson, who is very willing to blitz.

“I think they got a lot of veteran players and they’re a well-built defense,” said LaFleur. “I think schematically it’s a challenge. Dennard Wilson coming from Baltimore and just he’s an experienced guy in this league. And then when you couple that with really good players, you have a chance to be a really good defense. And they do all the little things the right way, in terms of the effort and physicality that they play with. So we’ve got our work cut out for us this week.”

Packers offense suffering from the red zone blues early in season

Paul Bretl | 9/21/20224

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Whether it’s Jordan Love at quarterback for the Packers against the Tennessee Titans or Malik Willis, the offense has to perform better in the redzone.

Although two games is a small sample size in the grand scheme of an NFL season, the Packers are off to a rough start once making it to the opponent’s red area.

In Week 1, against Philadelphia, the Packers were just 1-for-4 on converting their red zone trips to a touchdown. In a game where they lost by just five points, those empty possessions proved to loom large. Then in Week 2 against Indianapolis, the Packers converted 1-of-3 red zone visits to a touchdown.

Overall, that’s a red zone success rate of just 28.5 percent, which ranks 27th in the NFL. With seven red zone visits in two games, average of 3.5 trips per contest which is tied for ninth, the Packers are giving themselves opportunities to find the end zone, but not taking advantage.

“Oh yeah,” said Matt LaFleur when asked about the Packers’ red zone struggles, “we had a long discussion about that last night in terms of, you always go back and evaluate and when I look at it we’ve had a lot of opportunities that we have not capitalized on.”

Moving the ball in the red zone can already be an innately more difficult task given that it is a condensed part of the field and there is less space to operate in. In some instances, you tip your cap to the defense for dialing up the right play.

However, in several instances, the Packers’ red zone woes are from self-inflicted mistakes. On two of their red zone trips against the Eagles, the Packers were penalized and unable to overcome that lost yardage. Then, this past Sunday, Josh Jacobs fumbled near the goal line, a ball that the Colts were able to recover, and then on another red zone visit later in the game, the Packers were again penalized.

“Some of it was self-inflicted and some of it the defense made a play the right way,” added LaFleur. “But in order to get better in the red area we have to stop getting penalties in the red area. We’ve had way too many mistakes and missed opps when we’ve been down there. So we’re going to continue to work hard on that and grind out the details. But we have to go out there and execute much better.”

Turning things around and finding success this week against the Titans doesn’t get any easier against a salty, as LaFleur put it, and stingy defense. This is a veteran defensive unit for the Titans who are willing to blitz under defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson and one that plays extremely physical. The 206.5 yards per game allowed in two weeks is the fewest in football, and the defense has surrendered just 16.5 points per game.

With Jeffery Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat in the middle, the Titans are allowing 4.0 yards per rush–the 10th-lowest average in the NFL. While through the air, an experienced secondary is giving up only 3.9 yards per pass attempt, which is the second-lowest mark in football, and the 114 passing yards per game given up is the fewest.

Add all that together, and this has been a unit that’s been quite successful when in the red zone. For one, Tennessee has only given up three red zone trips in total these first two weeks, with only one of those visits by the opponent turning into a touchdown.

In a game where the margin between winning and losing is often razor thin, as we saw in Week 1 against the Eagles, not capitalizing on these scoring opportunities can leave a lasting impact on the game. And right now, the Packers’ biggest adversary in the red zone is themselves.

If Malik Willis starts, can Packers replicate last week’s performance vs. stingy Titans defense?

Paul Bretl | 9/20/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — What’s the bigger challenge: accomplishing what Malik Willis and the Packers offense did last Sunday on short notice or duplicating that performance a second time?

If Jordan Love, who is listed as questionable, is unable to play this week against the Tennessee Titans, we may find out the answer to that above question with Willis under center again.

From the play designs and game-plan to the execution from Willis and the rest of the offense, it was a masterful display of football by the Packers offense against the Colts. It was a run-heavy performance, with Green Bay rushing the ball 53 times, but one filled with a variety of personnel, motion, and schematic mixtures to keep the defense guessing.

“The big concern for me going into that game plan was could Malik handle all the moving parts of the game plan,” said Adam Stenavich. “Not necessarily him actually throwing the ball just making sure the motions were good, were timed up and all that. It’s a testament to him, just like his focus and his work throughout that week, that was pretty impressive because there was a lot of things that could’ve–you know, you snap the ball early or you mess up an exchange, you go the wrong way or something like that.

“For a new guy to come in here and do that, that’s what I was most impressed with was just the operation of the game and how he just executed the game plan, so that was pretty cool.”

A new week, however, presents a new opponent and a new set of challenges. For one, an advantage that the Packers had last week was the complete element of surprise. Prior to that game, Willis had just 233 offensive snaps over his first two-plus NFL seasons–that’s not exactly a lot to go off of. In addition to that, none of those snaps came with Green Bay, so how exactly he would mesh with the Matt LaFleur offense was an unknown as well.

The Colts were left to look at the few snaps that they had of Willis in Tennessee, his college tape and the core principles of LaFleur’s system in an effort to mold an idea of how he could be utilized.

But this week, that same layer of unpredictability is gone. Although one game isn’t a large sample size by any means, the Titans do have last week’s game tape to go off of. Not to mention that, even with Willis’ success last week, he’s still quite inexperienced when it comes to operating this offense–it’s only been just over three weeks, after all–and because of that, there’s only so many options LaFleur and Co. have when it comes to play designs.

There is also the added wrinkle of the Titans’ defense knowing well what Willis does well and where he struggles after facing him all summer throughout training camp.

“Every game’s a little bit different,” LaFleur said early in the week. “Just in my initial glimpses of Tennessee’s defense, this is a pretty salty group. It’s got a lot of good veterans on it, and there’s some premier players over there, so it’s going to be a tough task regardless. But we’ll put together a game plan, one we feel like can give us an opportunity to win the game.”

Further complicating things for the Packers is that this is a much more stout Tennessee Titans defense overall, and one that is willing to blitz and plays extremely physical. The 206.5 yards per game allowed in two weeks is the fewest in football, and the defense has given up just 16.5 points per game.

In the middle of the Tennessee defensive front is Jeffrey Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat. Against what would likely be another run-centric game plan from the Packers with Willis, the Titans are surrendering only 4.0 yards per carry–the 10th-lowest rate in football.

“Simmons is really good,” said Stenavich. “I think it’s harder in the pass game to double. When you have a guy like Simmons or Aaron Donald, when they play an interior position, a three-technique, you can slide at him but there’s certain instances where they give you five across, they force you to go one-on-one pass protection, stuff like that, and that’s where those elite players, they make their money.

Realistically, this won’t be another game where the Packers are able to rush the ball 53 times. For starters, doing so once is already a pretty rare feat nowadays. But given the opponent and 93 degree heat, chances are the Packers will have to rely more heavily on Willis’ arm in this one.

Just like in the run game, the Titans’ defense won’t make this easy. It’s a group under defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson that will blitz the quarterback, which can complicate things, and one that has been incredibly stingy. The 3.9 yards per pass attempt surrendered is the second-lowest mark in football, and the 114 passing yards per game give up is the fewest.

“He (Wilson) gets the guys to compete, first and foremost,” said passing game coordinator Jason Vrable. “They are a competitive group. They’re experienced on the back end. They went and signed some vets who know how to play. But he challenges.

“I think some teams will play off and soft or this and that, he–the last game versus the Jets, they got their hands on. They play with good technique, they play with good leverage, and they compete every single play. Every single play. So when you watch the tape, they didn’t give up a lot of easy ones against them. They made the Jets earn it.”

At this time, we don’t know if it will be Willis or Love at quarterback for the Packers. Even if it’s Love, everything that’s been said is still true and this Titans’ defense will pose a challenge for the Packers offense–they’ll just have more ways to combat it with Love.

LaFleur, the coaching staff, and the players were excellent last week. But if they have to, can Willis do it again?

Packers RB room looks quite different but confidence in the depth remains high

Paul Bretl | 9/20/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Entering Week 3 of the regular season, the Packers’ running back room looks quite different than what was expected just six weeks ago.

While Josh Jacobs continues to lead the way and shoulder a heavy workload after carrying the ball 32 times in the team’s win over Indianapolis, the committee behind him has drastically changed. Over the summer, expected to see snaps either in relief of Jacobs or with him on the field were rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd and AJ Dillon.

As several Packers coaches have described, Lloyd brings a different element to the backfield, and you can see that when he has the ball in his hands with his ability to make a quick cut and then accelerate. Dillon, meanwhile, had carved out a versatile role in the Packers offense as a blocker, ball carrier, and pass catcher, which included some split-back looks with Jacobs.

“We had a pretty clear vision for what he could do,” said Matt LaFleur about Dillon after he was placed on IR, “and it wasn’t just going to be as a runner. The versatility is what I was most excited about, just being able to do a lot of different things in regards to some of the stuff we did a year ago with him when we had some of our two halfback sets.”

However, unfortunately, Dillon was placed on season-ending injured reserve during roster cuts and Lloyd was put on injured reserve earlier this week with an ankle injury–forcing him to miss at least the next four games.

In the place of Dillon and Lloyd are now Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks, who was signed to the practice squad just over a week ago and then to the 53-man roster once Lloyd went on IR.

Since arriving in Green Bay last summer, it seems like every time Wilson touches the ball good things happen, and that has continued two games into the regular season. On nine carries against Philadelphia and Indianapolis, Wilson is averaging 6.1 yards per attempt.

The burst he brings with the ball has always been evident, but when it comes to earning steady playing time, Wilson’s ability in the passing game, both as a pass-catching option and a blocker, are where improvement has been needed. However, slowly but surely, Wilson has been taking advantage of his opportunities and earning the trust of the coaches.

“A lot more comfortable,” said LaFleur when asked how he feels about relying on Wilson. “I think he’s done a good job and he continues to get better and when given opportunities I think he’s maximized those. So for him it’s just about being consistent down in and down out and making sure you’re doing all the little things on a day to day, but I’ve got a lot of confidence in E.”

Although Brooks has barely been in Green Bay, he’s made a quick impact and a good first impression. A 2023 undrafted rookie out of BYU, In 19 carries over four games with Miami as a rookie, Brooks showcased his big play ability, averaging 5.9 yards per rush with nine missed tackles forced, two rushes of 15-plus yards, including a 52-yard run.

However, while how Brooks performs with the ball in his hands is important, his ability to help on special teams along with how quickly he’s picked up and adjusted to the Packers’ offense has caught the attention of LaFleur.

“Very, very impressed,” said LaFleur about Brooks on Wednesday. “He was a guy that we were looking at toward the end as a potential guy that we would be interested in. Had the situation come up, and I’ve been super-impressed with him.

“He’s a very serious guy about ball and I love his running style. He runs with a good forward lean, he’s got great body control, he can stick his foot in the ground and he’s one of those one-cut runners. I think he’s really intelligent so he’s picked up our protections no problem. I’m excited about him. And he brings value in the third phase of ball, as well, on we-fense.”

As was going to be the plan regardless of who the second and third running backs on the roster are, Jacobs will be the focal point at the position. However, at a position where depth has become increasingly important around the league to limit wear and tear, the Packers do feel good about the options they have behind Jacobs in Wilson and Brooks.

“Well one thing with Emanuel, whatever we’ve asked him to do so far, he’s done a really good job,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “He had some good pass protection plays in the last game. Any time we hand him the ball, he runs hard, he protects the ball. So I’m happy with what Emanuel’s done and I’m excited to see him as the season progresses how good he can be.

“Chris has done a good job in practice the last two weeks, so yeah, he’s a guy that’s played in some games, so it’s not like it’s not like it’s his first time that he’s gonna be out there doing stuff. So yeah, I’m excited about those guys.”

This week on the schedule is a matchup with a big and physical Titans defensive front that is surrendering just 4.0 yards per rush–the 10-lowest average in football through two games. Success on the ground is always important, but the need for it gets magnified if Malik Willis is again under center.

When it comes to how many carries Jacobs sees compared to Wilson and potentially Brooks, that will remain fluid depending on how Jacobs feels and what the game flow is dictating. If the game dictates Jacobs getting 25-plus touches, the Packers will go down that path. If not, then there is confidence in Wilson and Brooks to handle what is asked of them.

“I don’t want to necessarily say that because every situation’s a little bit different,” said LaFleur when asked if 30 carries is generally too many. “If you’re feeding a guy and he’s doing well and he’s feeling great, why wouldn’t you keep doing that? I think you’ve got to adjust. If he’s being effective and he can handle the wear and tear, then we’ll certainly continue to do that.”

New week, new approach for Packers pass rush vs. Titans?

Paul Bretl | 9/19/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Is this the week we see the Packers’ pass rush take the governor off and really get after the quarterback?

Throughout training camp, we heard from both coaches and players about this new attacking defensive front we were going to see under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. And it wasn’t just talk, in the practices I watched daily, you could see the disruptive ability that this group has.

However, through the first two games, that element has been a bit under wraps, given the Packers’ opponents in Week 1 and 2, that’s what the game-plans called for. While there were still instances where the Packers took their chances and tried to drum up some quick pressures, overall, it was a different approach from the summer.

“We were trying to get pressure,” said Hafley, “it just wasn’t your–maybe you guys saw in camp where just going 100 miles an hour, getting up field and ripping and running because that guy is going to step up and make you pay. So there were times we took shots and there were times we were calculated. When you are playing a guy who is capable of doing that stuff you’ve got to stick and move a little bit there.”

Facing Jalen Hurts and Anthony Richardson, two quarterbacks who can hurt defenses with their legs, the Packers took a more controlled pass rush approach, where the emphasis was on keeping both players in the pocket and limiting their opportunities to extend plays.

For the most part, the Packers were able to accomplish this. Between Hurts and Richardson, the two combined for 17 carries–13 of which Hurts had–but totaled just 50 rushing yards.

“That’s two weeks in a row where we’re playing a really athletic quarterback and I know our guys up front, they wanna get those sacks,” said Matt LaFleur after the win on Sunday, “but I can’t tell you how proud I am of just being disciplined up front with our rush. I know there was a couple plays he got out late, but I thought for the most part, they did a really good job of just being disciplined, trying to collapse the pocket, get in front of him and force him to make some bad decisions.”

The trickle-down effect of that approach, however, is that there were fewer opportunities to really get after the quarterback. We saw a lot more power rushes than speed and fewer stunts and twists in an effort to maintain lane integrity and not open up rush lanes for the quarterbacks.

As a result, Hurts ended up with an average time to throw of 3.96-seconds–the 10th longest of any quarterback in Week 1, according to PFF. Richardson, meanwhile, was under pressure on fewer than 30 percent of his 37 dropbacks.

Admittedly, at times it wasn’t easy to be this patient. After all, players like Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and Kenny Clark are expected to generate sacks and pressures. Those outside of the organization don’t pay attention to how well Gary set the edge on a run or how Clark took on a double team which helped keep a linebacker clean to make a play. However, in these first two games, this selfless approach is what the game-plan called for, so that’s what the players executed on.

“It’s kind of tempting,” said Gary about wanting to rush the quarterback, “especially when you get into the rhythm of rushing an offensive lineman, him understanding, OK, outside move, outside move, yeah, it gets tempting but that’s the main thing of keeping the main thing, and that’s staying to part of the game plan. So, it don’t matter if it gets frustrating. You execute the game plan and do it the right way, we come out with the win, and that’s what we did today.”

This week, the Packers will face Tennessee’s Will Levis, and the opportunity for the defensive front to pin its ears back is likely more prevalent. In large part, the matchup dictates a more aggressive approach. While Philadelphia and Indianapolis each boast two of the better offensive line units in football in the early going, the Tennessee offensive line has been one of the worst pass-blocking units through two games.

Pick a pass-blocking metric, and the Titans are near the bottom. In pass-blocking efficiency from PFF, the Titans’ collective offensive line unit ranks 32nd. In pass-block win rate from ESPN, the Titans ranks 29th.

To take this a step further, out of 71 eligible tackles, Nicholas Petit-Frere’s 11 pressures are the most through two games. Rookie JC Latham has given up six pressures, which is tied for the 14th-most. Among guards, Peter Skoronski has surrendered the sixth-most pressures and Dillon Radunz the ninth-most.

That ability to create steady pressure will not only lead to sack opportunities, putting the Titans’ offense in long down-and-distance situations, but it will disrupt the timing and rhythm of their passing game, and potentially creating some turnover chances with Levis already having thrown three interceptions and two fumbles in two games.

In this attacking Hafley defense, a one-gap scheme, there should be a much more proactive play-style instead of reactive, with the front asked to get off the ball and north or south as quickly as possible, penetrating their way into the backfield rather than reacting to what the offense is doing.

However, having said that, don’t mistake aggressive for reckless either. Levis has the ability to hurt defenses with his legs, totaling 74 rushing yards in two games on just eight carries. There still has to be order and a coordinated effort to how the front rushes, even if there may be more opportunities to let it rip. Game flow and the in-game situations will still dictate how the Packers want to attack.

“If you look at him,” said Hafley of Levis, “he’s a guy who can run. He’s had a bunch of yards and a bunchg of carries and a bunch of big scrambles. Regardless of who you play, you gotta be aware of who’s back there. Do we want to cut it loose more? Absolutely.

“I want to cut it loose every play if we can. I’d love to do that. It’s just you can’t be reckless either. You gotta play sound defense. You gotta have a plan. You gotta have rush lanes. You gotta have rules where he does keep the ball you have an answer for it. So all of a sudden, he doesn’t pull one and pop it for 60 yards because you’re just go-go-go. But yeah, we have to be aggressive and there’s time where we need to be more aggressive.”

Still feeling the effects, Packers prepare for another physical matchup in the Tennessee heat

Paul Bretl | 9/19/2023

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers are coming off a Week 2 win against the Indianapolis Colts that took quite a bit out of them. On the horizon is a matchup with the Titans, another game played in the heat and against a physical defense.

The temperature at kickoff this past Sunday was 85 degrees–tied for the second-warmest home game in Packers’ history. Coupled with the unusual heat, it was a particularly exhausting game for the Packers offensive linemen and the run game, with Green Bay running the ball on 53 of their 67 plays.

When it comes to the exertion on a given play, a lot more goes into a running play than a passing play. The heat and heavy dose of the run game resulted in both Josh Myers and Elgton Jenkins puking during the game.

The fatigue that many on this Packers team on Sunday has extended into the current week. The initial injury report was long and even many of those practicing were still feeling the effects of this past Sunday, which led to Matt LaFleur adjusting the practice schedule.

“I definitely feel like there was some wear and tear,” said Matt LaFleur on Wednesday. “I mean, obviously when you look at the injury list that represents that as well, but those guys are not on the injury list are also fatigued and so, we made some adjustments for our practice schedule.

Temperature-wise, things aren’t going to get any better for the Packers, with Sunday’s weather forecast showing that it is going to be 93 degrees in Nashville. The Titans defense is also going to turn the heat up as well.

Through two games, the Titans find themselves at 0-2, losing two close games to Chicago and the New York Jets, but this has been a very stingy defense who has made things difficult for the opposing offenses. Tennessee has invested heavily into this side of the football, bringing a number of veterans during the offseason and into training camp, including Sebastian Joseph-Day, L’Jarius Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie, Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams, and Ernest Jones. The Titans also spent several early-round draft picks on that side of the ball and still had Jeffery Simmons returning as well.

The early returns on this investment have been promising. The 4.0 yards per rush the Titans are surrendering ranks 10th in the NFL through two games. The Tennessee secondary is allowing an average depth of target through the air of just 5.8 yards–limiting the big play–which has resulted in just 3.9 yards per pass attempt surrendered–the second-lowest mark in football. The Titans also rank top-10 in red zone defense as well.

On the flip side, where this Titans’ defense hasn’t had much success is in generating consistent quarterback pressures, currently ranking 21st in pressure rate, and they have no takeaways on defense.

New Titans’ defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson comes from Baltimore and cut his teeth in the NFL working under Greg Williams. The Williams’ defenses are known for their willingness to blitz the quarterback, and in the early going of Wilson’s tenure as the defensive play-caller for the Titans, he’s done much of the same in that regard. Williams’ defenses will also throw a lot of different looks at opposing offenses, both schematically and personnel-wise, and do so along the defensive front and in the secondary.

Further complicating things for the Packers is that there are only two games worth of film of Wilson working with this Titans’ defense and personnel.

“They’re very multiple and there’s I would say relatively limited tape on them,” LaFleur said about Wilson’s defense, “so there’s going to be some wrinkles that we haven’t seen, which is typical early in the year. You’ve got to trust your rules.”

With Jordan Love returning to practice on Wednesday, the Titans are forced to prepare for both him and Malik Willis. However, a potential early hurdle this week for Green Bay is dividing those practice reps between Love and Willis, not exactly knowing at this time who is going to start. And, of course, another added wrinkle to the splitting of reps is that the game plan will look quite different as well, depending on who is under center.

LaFleur put together a masterful game-plan last week that Willis executed to near-perfection. However, if it is Willis who has to start again, duplicating that success will come with its challenges. There is now at least some film for the Titans to study of Willis in the LaFleur system. This is also a much more stout run defense compared to the Colts, not to mention that Tennessee’s willingness to send pressure and throw a variety of looks at the quarterback can complicate things for a still-inexperienced Willis.

But game-plan aside, any potential success begins with being physically and mentally prepared for another physical matchup in the heat.

“We know it’s going to be another physical game this weekend. It’s going to be hot,” added LaFleur. “They’re a very physical football team. So we got to make sure recovery is at the forefront of what we need to do.”