Packers Over 49ers
The Packers are one of the best teams in the league, and while Rodgers is healthy, they have a chance to win the Super Bowl. What this quarterback is doing, in terms of effectiveness, accuracy and production is unprecedented. The last time that he was intercepted was at Lambeau back in 2012, but either way from home he limits interceptions and fumbles. Sunday was no different, as when facing a team as the 49ers, it was no surprise the 17 – 3 victory came at the hands of such an elite player as:
Besides Tom Brady, Rodgers is breaking the league. Yet that was not his best game and limited him to just 224 yards and a touchdown, Rodgers remains extremely effective with every chance he gets under center to do his job exceptionally well. If you see the video, something amazing about it, he is not only a good quarterback following the script of the play: reading his first, second and even third read, which is what makes great quarterbacks like Manning or Brady. Rodgers has a sense of improvisation that few have in history, and with its legs he achieves the play and finds an open receiver always.
He is without a doubt the most complete quarterback seen and with an extra dimension that not all of the best ever had. We can see a good example of this ability when he found his tight end for a touchdown in the first quarter.
Lacy had 90 yards rushing the ball in just 18 carries, giving him an average of 5 yards per carry, which always helps to open the passing game, and if you have to Rodgers throwing the ball. Lacy’s health is vital to this team, because it is a powerful runner with good field vision and handles the ball very well. Rodgers saw clearly as James Jones and Montgomery were covered man to man, without the help of a safety or linebacker and exploited that matchup successfully.
Kaepernick can not expect to win a game with 160 yards and an interception, he also looked desperate in the pocket and again forgot his reading of receivers one by one. He succeeded with his legs, but in this league if you’re not a productive quarterback in the pocket you will not be able to succeed.
And speaking of Kaepernick, this player cannot and should not lead to an NFL team with the responsibility of being the quarterback. The problem reading the defensive continues to erode, and the accuracy of his passes. His “football IQ” or intelligence to display the game is low, and neither has been an important leader for his team. We know he has the physical talent, but has not been able to develop it to be efficient.
McDonald threw a critical pass for a first down, Boldin has threw several major passes since last year and Torrey Smith could not stretch the field enough with long routes. In addition, the offensive creativity has been very poor, not to mention the productivity of every player in that unit. Until Hyde, who had been the only productive player, had a bad game against the Packers, which speaks of nothing else that not achieving what they have planned from the start, and have to find an offensive personality.
The defense held up well to Rodgers and company, and was better than other parties, but the truth is that the team is not functioning as a whole. They are unmotivated, lacking creativity, sync and without order.
The team has no personality, and on that the coach has a lot of responsibility. We’ll see if Jed York soon regrets not to rush to Jim Harbaugh, a great coach who always has his teams with a distinct personality and a specific and targeted approach. Many players complained that Harbaugh did not treat them well, but in truth, is the answer a coach that everyone likes? This is a clear example that you must not always have to like your boss, but he needs to be a great leader and make things right. The reality is that Tomsula could not fill Harbaugh’s big shoes.