When Will Aaron Rodgers Become a Bear and Other Rivalry Questions
Packer Central's Bill Huber answers four big questions regarding the team he covers and the matchup with the Bears, including the big one all Bears fans would love to know: How long before we'll see Aaron Rodgers in a Bears uniform
Q: Why does the Green Bay run defense keep getting blamed for being an Achilles and why does it happen every year when defensive lineman Kenny Clark is a force to be reckoned with inside?
Bill Huber: Clark’s a really good player. He got a big contract extension and missed some early games due to injury, and that took some of the starch out of his season. He hasn’t made much of an impact this year as a pass rusher, and that’s really hurt the defense. You know how it is. If you’re not making splash plays, then you’re not having a good season. At least that’s the perception.
But this is a run defense question. Clark’s good but he’s flying solo on the line. Former Northwestern players Dean Lowry and Tyler Lancaster are quality role players but nothing more. Montravius Adams is solid when he’s healthy but he was out last week with an injured toe. Outside linebackers Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith would much rather rush the passer than be bothered with run defense. It's been a revolving door at inside linebacker. In time, perhaps rookie Kamal Martin will be an impact starter but that time is not now.
Finally, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s primary focus is preventing big plays. The Packers probably play more dime defense than any team in the league. While a lot of teams might play base defense on first-and-10, Pettine will run out six defensive backs. To an extent, it’s worked. The Packers haven’t allowed many big pass plays. But they are consistently poor against the run. It’s hard to play dominant defense when it’s second-and-5 all the time.
Q: It seemed for several years the Packers had offensive line health problems. Is all that a thing of the past now, and how have they fixed right tackle?
Bill Huber: The offensive line has been a mix-and-match thing all year. Left tackle David Bakhtiari missed a few games with broken ribs but is back. Center Corey Linsley dropped out of last week’s game with an injured back. Right guard Lane Taylor suffered a season-ending injury in the opener. They’ve been extremely fortunate that left guard Elgton Jenkins and right tackle Billy Turner can line up here, there and everywhere. Jenkins has played four of the five spots, including left tackle a couple weeks ago and center last week. Turner did a fantastic job in replacing Bakhtiari for two-and-a-half games.
Turner is the surprise of the roster. The Packers gave him a four-year, $28 million contract in 2019. It was mind-boggling money. In his first five seasons in the NFL, he never actually won a starting job. But the Packers paid him a truckload of money and handed him the starting job at right guard. He wasn’t very good. When the Packers let standout right tackle Bryan Bulaga sign with the Chargers in free agency, they added veteran Rick Wagner to compete for the job. Ultimately, Turner beat out Wagner and he’s really been quite good. Right tackle, as you know, is a vastly underrated position because he’s got the block the likes of Khalil Mack. Not to be Captain Obvious, but Turner vs. Mack will be a huge matchup.
As a group, the line has given Aaron Rodgers plenty of time to survey the field. The running game has cooled off after a hot start. Third-and-short is a major problem, and that starts with the guys up front.
Q: What was the problem Green Bay had with Jimmy Graham; was it simply a case of expecting too much from a guy in his 30s because he is definitely slower and lacks athleticism now at age 34 but he seems to function much better than what the Bears had at tight end in 2019? Were the Packers just expecting more or used to a higher standard?
Bill Huber: I think that's very well said. Graham was called overrated for so long that he became underrated. If his name was Graham James and he provided 95 receptions for 1,083 yards and five touchdowns over two seasons, Joe Fan might be thrilled. But Graham arrived as a Hall of Fame-caliber guy and was paid as such.
Graham didn’t block well, really couldn’t stretch the field and offered nothing after the catch. But he was tall. His lack of red-zone production with Rodgers slinging the ball remains a mystery to me. He's got as many touchdowns (5) in 10 games with Chicago as he had in 32 games with Green Bay. However, I don’t think any Packers fan would be surprised to see he’s averaging 8.6 yards per reception and hasn’t broken a single tackle on his 35 receptions.
The Packers dumped him in a cost-cutting move this offseason. I’d guess the transaction has been a win-win. Green Bay has been rewarded with strong play by Robert Tonyan.
Q: What's the consensus, or is there even one at this point, on Jordan Love and how long do we have to wait until we get to see Aaron Rodgers in a Bears uniform?
Bill Huber: That’s funny. A few of us beat writers have a group text and the Rodgers-to-Chicago thing came up a couple weeks ago.
The timing, I'd think, will be 2022. That’s when the Packers would realize some real cap savings by moving on from Rodgers. It also would be Year 3 for Love, a key time in determining whether the team should pick up the fifth-year option.
Honestly, I couldn’t tell you how Love is doing. In a normal year with an open locker room, you'd ask some of the players you trust to open up with the audio recorder turned off. But, that's not 2020 and, goodness knows, the coaches aren't going to say anything negative.
I will say he had a poor training camp, which is why he never mounted a challenge to Tim Boyle for the No. 2 gig. Love is a project, which is what everyone said he'd be, so that's not an indictment of his future. He's running the scout team at practice, which means a lot of reps vs. the No. 1 defense to help his development.
With Rodgers playing exceptionally well, I'd assume he'll be back in 2021. And that means another season of running the scout team for Love. I'd think by this point next season, the coaching staff will know whether Love is a starting-caliber quarterback. And if he’s not, who knows, Rodgers might be here in 2022 and beyond.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
