The Packers Are Years Away From Contending Because the Roster is So Bad
By Bobby Burack
The Green Bay Packers just lost to the woeful Arizona Cardinals by missing the game-tying field goal. Yet, the Packers problems have nothing to do with the kick. It is everything that led up to that kick, and that game. The Packers are a bad team, plain and simple.
Finally firing Mike McCarthy at least two years late will help matters some. He is a coach taking taxis while the rest are taking Uber. He is using a BlackBerry when the rest are using iPhones. But much more is needed in Green Bay than just a coaching change.
This roster lacks talent in several areas. A large part of the blame has to be put on the shoulders of former GM Ted Thompson for also failing to get with the times. In addition, he has refused to participate in free agency and has made horrible draft pick after horrible draft pick.
The Packers desperately need speed. They are a roster full of slow players on both sides of the ball. The defense has been bad for years, and even while showing some sign of life this season are still so far away. They need to add more than one pass rusher to the team. Clay Matthews’ best days are long gone, and every year he is on the team it becomes more clear. Jaire Alexander is promising, but the rest of the secondary cannot keep up or make plays.
The once mighty, now all too predictable offense also needs all sorts of work. The offensive line can never stay healthy. Other than Davante Adams, the receivers struggle to get open and have little to no chemistry with Aaron Rodgers. And speaking of Mr. Rodgers…
I have said before, he is the greatest quarterback of all-time, and I stand by that. However, he has really struggled this season for his standards. Whether that is due to injury, frustration, or age this season has shown that just surrounding him with a bunch of average players like they have done no longer is going to be good enough.
Combining all this with the fact the Bears and Vikings both look to be teams with bright futures, it is safe to say GM Brian Gutekunst finds himself in a very undesirable place.