Morning Buzz: Packers at a crossroads
Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com. So forward all your calls to voicemail for a few minutes, grab a strong cup of coffee and get caught up on everything you need to know about the Packers.
Probably the best place to start this morning is Pete Dougherty’s column on where the Packers stand halfway through their 2016 campaign.
I’ve covered this league long enough (since 1993) to have seen that teams’ fortunes can turn several times from September through January. The Packers’ 4-4 has been ugly, but 22 of the NFL’s 32 teams have three, four or five wins. Only two clubs in the NFC (7-1 Dallas and 6-3 Atlanta) have won at least six games. And the Packers are only one game out of first place in the NFC North, behind a 5-3 Minnesota Vikings team that was undefeated three long weeks ago.
While all those three- to five-win teams got there by different routes, all that matters is that’s where they stand. This is the NFL, where not much separates the mediocre from the good. They’re all in the hunt. The Packers’ 4-4 feels weak because they’ve lost two straight games and would not be in the playoffs if the season ended today.
However, I have to caution against one of the great perils when assessing an NFL team: becoming a prisoner of what’s happened most recently. The playoffs still are two long months off.
Tom Silverstein takes a deep dive on the continuing efforts of Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson to find the connection they had prior to Nelson’s injury.
Tom also has a notebook that features the newest Packer, fullback Joe Kerridge.
Be sure to take a listen to Bob McGinn and Michael Cohen’s most recent podcast. Always full of tons of great Packers information, as well as some occasional musical musings.
Meeting with reporters Wednesday, Aaron Rodgers addressed the Packers' struggles to score points in the third quarter of games.
Rodgers: It starts with this week
The Packers' defense has failed to get crucial stops at the end of games the last few weeks. What hasn’t been talked about is the fact they are continually giving up scores at the end of halves. Michael Cohen takes a look.
Elsewhere, Rob Demovsky says Jordy Nelson isn’t all the way back from his ACL injury.
Aaron Rodgers doesn’t think Sunday’s game against the Titans is a must-win.
The Packers brought back the guy they cut after his terrible special teams play against the Colts, albeit on the practice squad.
Tom Oates writes that the Packers have to start playing with more urgency.
Bret Michaels shouldn’t plan on doing any more Lambeau Leaps.
Bret Michaels' 'epic fail' at a Lambeau Leap
The election has come and gone and Packers fans have voted.