When stretching ended inside The Don Hutson Center on Monday morning, Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy did something unusual.
Instead of proceeding directly to practice, McCarthy called his entire team to midfield, told players to take a knee and spoke for several minutes about the importance of getting their post-bye week preparations off to the right start.
It says a lot, receiver Greg Jennings said. He definitely needs us to pull it together, period.
This is what the Packers are through four games: an average football team thats done just about as much wrong as theyve done right.
They rank 14th in total offense, 18th in defense. Theyre second in turnover margin (plus-seven) but 30th in sacks (five) and dead last in sacks allowed (20).
Theyve dropped too many passes (14) and missed too many tackles. Theyve taken too many penalties (30).
Most important, theyre 2-2 after last weeks 30-23 loss at Minnesota.
We had a pretty bad taste in our mouth still from that loss, nose tackle Ryan Pickett said. Nobodys happy where were at right now. Nobody. Were 2-2, man. Thats not good. We have too much talent to be 2-2. Too many people care to be 2-2.
But thats what the Packers are 2-2, average entering a three-game stretch in which theyll wrap their home NFC North Division slate, with games Sunday against Detroit and Nov. 1 against Minnesota sandwiched around a visit to Cleveland.
Mondays roughly 90-minute practice was the Packers only on-field work in an eight-day span, as McCarthy decided to forgo a Wednesday practice last week to maximize rest following the night game and today is another scheduled off day.
McCarthy said his message to players was twofold: Clean up the mistakes and get ready for a battle with the Lions, who are 1-4 but have been competitive in their past four games.
I definitely think were ready to take it to the next level, Jennings said. The biggest thing is, we havent come nearly close to playing to our potential. In four games, each game, we havent come near it. Thats something that we can set up there and reach for.
But at the same time, we realize there are some things we have to get corrected or were going to continue this trend. Win one, lose one, win one, lose one, win when youre supposed to win, and when you should win who knows that cant happen.
That both defeats came against current division leaders 5-0 Minnesota and surprising 4-1 Cincinnati, which also has upset Pittsburgh and Baltimore during its four-game winning streak is of little consolation, given the volume of errors the Packers made in each game.
Theres no shortage of challenging games left on the schedule either, with matchups against Dallas (3-2), San Francisco (3-2), Baltimore (3-2), Chicago (3-1) and Pittsburgh (3-2) looming in the second half.
Cincinnatis playing great, but we still feel like it shouldnt even come down to that, running back Ryan Grant said. The loss to Minnesota, we beat ourselves. Had two opportunities, basically in the red zone, two turnovers, and then to get stuffed on fourth down three opportunities for points, and we (got none). Hats off to (the Vikings), because they did what they need to do to win the game. But we feel like were not far from taking that game.
We feel like we are closer. Weve just got to do it.