Nobody is tuning in to this year’s Winter Olympics, and it’s really not a surprise. Aside from hockey, skiing, figure skating, and maybe speed skating, there’s not much to watch. Ice dancing? Biathlon? Curling? Luge? Sure, snowboarding and freestyle skiing are kinda cool, but is that demographic sitting in front of the television at 8 every night? Anyway, here are a few Packers-related thoughts that ran through my mind in recent days:
1) Even after a “down” season, Aaron Jones remains one of only nine running backs in NFL history with a career average of over five yards a carry. The others are Hall of Famers Marion Motley, Joe Perry, Jim Brown, Gayle Sayers, and Barry Sanders, along with Mercury Morris, Jamaal Charles, and Nick Chubb. That’s pretty good company for an undersized fifth-round draft pick from UTEP. Jones’ average dipped to 4.7 yards per carry in 2021 due to a lack of explosive runs. He had only eight gains of 15+ yards after totaling 25 the previous two seasons. Some of that was due to being a bit less explosive at age 27, but most of it was due to working behind backup offensive linemen who struggled to block on the second level.
2) In the past two seasons, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has faced eight top-10 defenses. The Packers went 4-4 in those games, including 1-2 in the playoffs, and averaged just over 22 points. The 4-time MVP completed 63.7 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. In the 28 games against defenses out of the top 10, the Packers went 23-5 and averaged just under 30 points. Rodgers completed 71.3 percent of his passes with 77 touchdowns and four interceptions. While it’s no surprise he fared better against weaker defenses, the discrepancy is eye-opening. And since winning a Super Bowl could mean getting past four top-10 defenses, the Packers need to find a way to be more efficient on offense against better competition. A healthy line would be a good start, but until general manager Brian Gutekunst adds more top-flight talent at wide receiver and/or tight end, putting points on the scoreboard will continue to be a struggle.
3) Team president and CEO Mark Murphy should yank the phone away if Gutekunst even thinks about trading up in April’s draft. The fifth-year GM has done that four times in his career, and the results haven’t been pretty. He’s given up five fourth-round picks in order to move up and select inside linebacker Oren Burks (2018), safety Darnell Savage (2019), quarterback Jordan Love (2020), and wide receiver Amari Rodgers (2021). In the upset loss to the 49ers last month, those four players were on the field for a total of 62 snaps on offense and defense – all but 28 from Savage. There’s nothing wrong with being aggressive on draft day, but Gutekunst has wasted too many picks in the past four years.
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