Last week, I raised a few eyebrows and drew a few questions in the DMs when I posted my season predictions and right next to the NFC North, I typed out ‘Green Bay Packers.’ Forgive me for just dangling that carrot out there and not explaining why. Honestly, I’m not always in the dark corners of social media, so I didn’t realize that folks were so down on the Packers (and high on the Bears, for that matter) heading into the 2023 campaign! But, I like the foundation they have in Green Bay, and I’ve loved some of the pieces they’ve added in the last two drafts.
Plus, and to be clear, this is before the season started – I thought the Lions had too far to go on defense to really be a contender this season despite being the preseason darlings (if they keep playing defense the way they did against the Chiefs, I’ll have to adjust my expectations accordingly). The Vikings have a wealth of talent, but were unusually lucky in 2022, and that sort of thing doesn’t typically hold up well season over season. And, I never quite understood the Bears hype. I look at the Packers and see a complete team that is built to win on the road, in hostile environments, and when the weather cools down.
Conventional wisdom might say this conversation starts with Jordan Love, but I don’t think so. That’s not the case for me. It’s about Matt LaFleur. In his 5th season as Packers head coach, he has installed an offensive system that is creative in how it yields production in the run game. The Packers are creative and multiple in how they get the offensive linemen moving around in space. We saw that yesterday when the Packers demolished the Bears – the center was pulling and clearing the way for Aaron Jones, guys were moving, climbing to the second level. All of that stuff that was happening with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, but he still had that gunslinger mentality at times to take games over. Good systems usually yield positive results.
Manipulating linebackers since 2023. pic.twitter.com/0zxcV7ttcv
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) September 11, 2023
Then, I move on to Love, who has taken a more old school approach to becoming the Packers starter. Gone are the days when a quarterback would sit for five years before playing. Ever since Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco came out in 2008 and immediately impacted their teams, quarterbacks have been playing right off the bat. That hasn’t been the case with Love, and I think most people probably thought it was an indictment on his ability. I don’t think it was. I think the Packers simply had a Hall of Fame quarterback in front of him that wasn’t ready to ride off into the sunset.
The differences between the Packers and Rodgers are well-documented, and I won’t pretend to have been around the team or in the locker room. But, I felt that if Love could develop a mastery of this system, and the game would slow down for him a little bit, his skill set was tailor made to run what LaFleur wants to run. Reports all summer were that there was some real confidence in Love from the Packers. After throwing three touchdowns and making some clutch plays, it’s “so far, so good” for Love. If this is the norm and not the outlier, there was good reason for the Packers to be optimistic about the quarterback position.
I like what they added at wide receiver in each of the last two drafts, and while I wasn’t the biggest Luke Musgrave fan, I did acknowledge that if someone can mold the traits into production, they’ll have a hell of a tight end. They have some talent along the offensive line. And, there’s so much young talent on the defensive side of the ball that with another year of maturation, some of those investments are bound to start paying off. I’m not trying to take a victory lap after one win over a not-that-good football team like the Bears. I’m just answering the questions you guys had for me! This team is getting behind its young quarterback. The draft capital invested in surrounding him with talent is starting to yield dividends, and that defense is in a position to put it all together. That’s why I went with the Packers as my surprise team for 2023.
My favorite sequence from yesterday. Jordan Love runs through a defender to create 4th and short. Go for it, touchdown. pic.twitter.com/6DdGVZPtSz
— PackersUpdate (@UpdatePackers) September 11, 2023
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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