The 2009 Laundry List - Clean and Dirty
Last Updated on Sunday, 07 February 2010 14:18 Written by GreenBay Packer Nation Saturday, 06 February 2010 12:58
The Packers 2009 season, though it started rough, ended up being a success though many fans thought the team should have gone farther. Here is a “laundry list” of what the team accomplished and where they need improvement:
OFFENSE
- Aaron Rodgers - we spent a whole QuickSlant on him already
- Sixth best overall offense
- Seventh best passing offense
- 14th best rushing offense
This was a high powered offense and with A-Rod at the helm, it will be for many years to come. The O-line needs improvement and we have to “tackle” the problem at tackle, those guys aren’t getting any younger. But if you think about the fact that this team ranked sixth in overall yards per game when they were ranked seventh in passing and fourteenth in rushing offense, the term “high powered” becomes an understatement. With a minor step up in the O-line and about 50 less penalties and 20 less sacks (which is attainable in one offseason perhaps) this offense will be in the top five in every category.
DEFENSE
- Charles Woodson - nuf said
- Second best overall defense
- Fifth best pass defense
- First overall run defense (Relegating the Minnesota Vikings to 2nd - they had held the number one spot for three straight years)
Our switch to the 3-4 defense went as smoothly as could be expected. Just think what this D would be if Al Harris had not gotten hurt? We were number one in pass defense just a few years ago. We need to improve our nickel package by getting another good cornerback but we have the luxury of the two ageless wonders (Woodson and Harris) who presumably will both be back next season. We need to find a replacement for Atari Bigby or at least someone to push him. He started to come on at the end of the season a bit but there is definitely some room for improvement there.
Now the dirty laundry:
SPECIAL TEAMS
- Measured in 22 special teams categories, the Packers ranked 26th in the league
- Kickoff returns - last with an ave. of 20.1 yards per return
- Penalties - last with 24 penalties on special teams alone
It wouldn’t be fair to mention that Jordy Nelson’s kick returns were good enough to rank him eleventh as a player and also that Spencer Havner, who became quite handy on offense this season, also had 20 tackles on special teams. Also, the punting wasn’t as atrocious this season as it was last season but that is not saying much. One of the major concerns for this team that is rarely mentioned is that TT needs to bring in competition for Mason Crosby (who has all the talent in the world) and look at getting a punter in free agency. While there aren’t any Shane Lechlers out there this year, we have to get that position solved. Imagine what our defense could do if we were consistently pinning opponents inside the 20!
Well, a very exciting season past and another exciting offseason to come. We had a lot of good things on our laundry list and seem to be in position to clean up some of the dirty laundry as well.
