I'll just bet you were one of those that said GB need not draft a RB a few seasons ago , but now you would go ballistic if they traded Eddie Lacy !

A balanced offensive attack keeps deference's honest . They can't just pin their ears back and assault your QB . They must RESPECT the run ! One without the other opens up your offense to a defense that knows what you are going to do before you do it .

If anything, the Packers will need an elite Defense going into the playoffs .

[cheers]

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I was a Johnathan Franklin guy.

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If you don't have the best defense in the league, then you need a running game to give your defense rest, so they can be at maximum efficiency. You also need a balanced offense to keep your QB healthy for an entire season.

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That's what I just said. There is simply some strategies (that change based upon the rules) that offer a greater chance. As for the Packers running game, I said effective. You run the ball three times getting 3.7 yards, guess what, that's a first down and moving the chains. That's effective.

Too bad the NFL wasn't as easy as Madden where you just find a few plays that always work! bahahahah

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In summary, I think we can say:
Championship teams rarely have any glaring weaknesses, i.e. they're rarely BAD at anything. Every aspect of the game (run/pass defense, offense, run/pass special teams, playcalling, depth) only helps your team's chances of success, and excelling in any one given field only helps the rest of your team. Having a glaring weakness in any one given field only hurts the rest of your team.

No, you don't NEED an elite defense or running game to win the super bowl. But it sure as hell helps, and if you're only okay you'd sure as hell excel elsewhere.

Fellows , this is preseason and no Offensive Philosophy's have been on display . We have simply seen the most basic plays in order to evaluate blocking , pass route running , and team communication . Yes , more complex plays will be run as we approach the Regular Season, but expect to see straight Vanilla with perhaps a few sprinkles thrown in .

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Great defense and a decent run game is a need today.
Bad weather can kill a pass only team. And the winter in GB can be REAL bad weather.

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You need to be able to run the ball, if you look at last year and see that Rodgers had around 150 passes of 2 yards or less. The defenses clamped down on the short passes and then the receivers couldn't get past the jams. All in all a great defense wins you Championships. Look at the Broncos last year, The Pats and Seahawks. These teams weren't high scoring teams they were average offenses with stellar defenses and a running game.

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Broncos and Pats had running games? Broncos running game was not good last year. Hillman and Anderson weren't much. Seattle had the star in Lynch. I will go to my grave arguing D doesn't win championships. Carolina had a fine defense. It didn't win for them when all it had to do is shut down a poor running game and noodle armed Manning.

We won our last SB with James Freaking Starks at RB and a D that was not world beating especially by the time the 2nd half rolled around. We won that game because of Aaron Rodgers. Your TEAM better be strong... if one part is weak then the other better be very strong to make up for it. It's a yin yang thing. Our O has not been great enough to carry us to win it all. We had that aberration after Philbin's son died. Bad matchup. We should've won it that year and gone back to back. Our D was TERRIBLE that year. Historically terrible vs. the pass and yet we blazed to 15-1 and should've won it all. Same with Minnesota the year they went 15-1...they lost in some of the most bizarre circumstances but they had the O while having a not very good defense to pair with it. D doesn't win championships. Teams win them.

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You always hear how this or that running back gets better as the game goes on, and 99% of the time that is BS. The running back doesn't get better, the Oline just wears out the dline so it easier for the RB. Why are the Packers typically a better pass blocking team and the Vikings are better run blocking? Because the Packers have been more of a passing team and Vikings have been a running team so that is what gets more consideration and more reps.

These guys know how to run block, and if we give them more reps and opportunity I think they will surprise.

What I hope even more is that we spend less time in shotgun or pistol, run fewer stretch plays, let the Oline get physical and push the defense back while letting Lacy and Starks run forward more. Hell with our running game of the past few years, with all the stretch runs, Lacy and Starks have been running 10-14 yards to gain two, the oline has been running lateral 10 yards to get a 2 yard gain. Let them block downhill, conserve energy and punish defensive fronts. The passing game will only get more efficient in doing so.

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