GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers have a 6-3 record as we’ve reached the halfway point of the season.
While there’s plenty of improvement, compared to when the team was 3-6 at this time last year, there’s still more this group wants to fix if they want to contend for Super Bowls.
We asked readers to grade the Packers at the midway point. We had 519 total responses.
Here are their answers:
Offense
When it comes to the offense, the average grade is a C. Of the 519 total responses, just 7 give an A. The large majority of fans felt it’s a B or C.
A: 7 (1.3%)
B: 206 (39.7%)
C: 281 (54.1%)
D: 20 (3.9%)
F: 2 (0.4%)
N/A: 3 (0.6%)
Defense
Overall, Packers fans are pleased with new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, his new scheme and how the defense has played.
The majority of people gave a B, with about a quarter giving it a C. There were more fans that gave the defense an A compared to the offense.
A: 22 (4.2%)
B: 326 (62.8%)
C: 143 (27.6%)
D: 23 (4.4%)
F: 1 (0.2%)
N/A: 4 (0.8%)
Coaching
Packers coach Matt LaFleur has worked with a new defensive coordinator and new players this season, but arguably his biggest assignment was getting backup quarterback Malik Willis up to speed as a starter for two games, plus the second half of the Jaguars game.
Fans appear to be overall pleased with how the sixth-year coach has done. He has a B average, with about an eighth giving him an A and a quarter C.
A: 65 (12.5%)
B: 263 (50.7%)
C: 142 (27.4%)
D: 29 (5.6%)
F: 6 (1.2%)
N/A: 14 (2.7%)
Personnel
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst put together the youngest team in the NFL this season. He added veteran pieces with Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney, but it’s clear he’s building the team for the future.
Overall, fans appear to like what’s in place, as the highest grade is a B and the second highest is an A.
A: 133 (25.6%)
B: 222 (42.8%)
C: 109 (21%)
D: 43 (8.3%)
F: 7 (1.3%)
N/A: 5 (1.0%)
Here are comments from readers on what they’ve seen so far:
Austin Kraft: “All things considered. New Coordinator. Banged up Love. Run game looks great. Kick issues potentially solved? Quite happy to be 6-3. Kudos to Malik!”
R.J. Donovan: “Too many mental mistakes, even for such a young team. Hafley has the secondary playing aggressively. Really good front-office work in free agency and trades. Please, more play like Starr and much less like Favre. Overall, much improved from last season.”
Gilbert Goetz: “Packers have the youngest roster in the NFL. The Packers have enough cash and cash equivalents on their balance sheet to fund operations without revenue for over a year. Since Bob Harlan, the Packers have delivered a 324-197-4 record, exceeded only by the Patriots and Steelers. There is no problem with the Packers. Any problem is with fan expectations.”
Peter Simonson: “This season should put to rest any doubts about Gutekunst’s skill as a GM. McKinney and Jacobs were master moves and this draft class could turn out to be one of the most successful in recent memory. No GM has a perfect record of personnel moves, just as no football fan can accurately predict the outcomes of every game. You only have to look at Carolina and the two New York franchises to know what an alternate reality might look like for the Packers in a non-Gutekunst universe.”
Julian Rogers: “Clear improvement from last year. Disappointing uneven performance by Love, but not bad enough to lose faith. Packers team can still go on a deep playoff run. Just won’t be seeded very high. Really enjoy the young developing talent.”
DP Niederkorn: “This team Is a work in progress. Love’s injuries and interceptions have slowed offensive progress. Jacobs has been a positive addition to the running game that will be crucial in cold weather games. But they have to slay the penalty monster to really improve. The defense shows promise. It takes time for that to jell. The new faces on the defensive side of the ball are cause for optimism. Injuries have slowed the development of the secondary. The second half of the season will tell us a lot about Hafley’s system. Special teams have not been particularly special so far and improvement is needed. Kudos to Gutey for his drafting and player acquisition − no GM bats 1.000 but he’s one of the better talent evaluators in the game.”
Jeff Delvaux: “Aside from Detroit, we’re 10 total points from being undefeated and the defense has given up very few total points in the combined second half. Have to assume Hafley makes great halftime adjustments.”
John Falenski: “LaFleur is too nice. No one is held accountable. The undisciplined penalties are a sign of weakness. Someone needs to pull the reins in on Jordan Love. The only person in the organization doing a great job is the GM Gutekunst. Everyone else needs their butt chewed out. How these boneheaded mistakes keep happening week after week after week is mystifying.”
