⚡ LATEST UPDATE: Green Bay’s familiar crisis mirrors Minnesota’s, and it might just hand the Vikings a game-changing advantage.QQ
It’s amazing how similar each team is right now.
Despite having great head coaches, both the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers have seen their leading men receive a lot of criticism this season. The biggest reason for the criticism? Play-calling.
It’s not abnormal for head coaches to also be play callers. After Dan Campbell picked up play-calling duties a couple of weeks ago, all four head coaches in the NFC North were calling the plays for their respective teams. Kevin O’Connell and Matt LaFleur, despite the criticism they have received, have been widely praised for their play-calling across the league
It’s not a KOC problem, it’s a growing pain…It’s not a KOC problem, it’s a growing pain…
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Matt LaFleur’s criticism stems from play-calling
While there has been play-calling criticism, it’s not because of play design. LaFleur is one of the best run game designers in the NFL and consistently has the Packers’ offense gaining chunks of yards via explosive plays.
So, what is the real deal with LaFleur’s play-calling? I spoke to our Packers beat writer at A to Z Sports, Wendell Ferreira, to get the lowdown, and it’s a similar issue to what the Vikings used to have.
“I don’t see the play-calling per se as a big issue, and Matt LaFleur is still one of the top offensive minds in football. However, there are fair things to point out, especially in terms of strategy. You’ll frequently see the Packers running the football on 2nd-and-long — presumably, to create more manageable third downs, but that plan hasn’t been successful. That’s why second down tends to be the worst for the Packers. On the other hand, he’s super aggressive on third down, trying some deep shots on third-and-short, for example. There are also questions about player usage, like what has happened to former first-rounder Jordan Morgan since training camp. He competed for the left tackle spot with Rasheed Walker and probably deserved to win the battle, but the team needed him playing at guard early in the regular season due to injuries, and he hasn’t gone back outside since.
“In general, LaFleur brings that philosophy of balance and wanting to establish the run to open up the pass, which is outdated to a certain extent, and that limits Jordan Love’s production. Let’s see how it changes if Josh Jacobs misses the game on Sunday.” – Ferreira
We’ve seen this script before. Under head coach Mike Zimmer, the Vikings used to always run the football on second and long, which often ended up in third and long, a position where the Vikings struggled. The Packers live in that world, but the amount of explosive plays that Love can generate ends up separating them from what we saw with the Vikings. That’s a big deal, but it’s not a great way to live.
If the Vikings can force them into third and long, that is where defensive coordinator Brian Flores can thrive with unique blitzes and simulated pressures to confuse the offensive line and attack Love in the pocket. That will make it much harder for LaFleur and the offense to get things going.
It’s going to be quite the battle on Sunday afternoon.
