Orlovsky on Packers’ Offense: ‘10 Guys Right, One Guy Wrong’

The ESPN analyst and longtime NFL quarterback backs up Aaron Rodgers’ contention that there are “too many plays” when one player isn’t doing his job.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ offense is a mess. It’s not a big mess, though. It’s just a bunch of little messes.

“It’s similar to maybe what I expected,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said on Wednesday. “There’s been growing pains. There’s been some mental errors at times, which you expect with a younger group. But there’s too many plays where it’s just one guy maybe doing the wrong thing or not executing their responsibilities. We clean that up, we’ll be fine. There’s enough leadership on the offense to get those things cleaned up. I’m confident we’ll get some of those things fixed.”

The Packers enter Sunday’s game at the Washington Commanders ranked 24th in the NFL in points. Contrast that to ranking ninth in 2021 and first in 2020. With Rodgers winning MVP honors, the Packers ranked fifth in yards per pass attempt in 2021 and second in 2020 but are 23rd this year.

In the following clip, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, who was an NFL quarterback from 2005 through 2015, pointed to three plays from Sunday’s loss to the Jets that support Rodgers’ contention.

I would agree with @aaronrodgers and what he said on this @packers offense#nfllive@robdemovsky pic.twitter.com/lVmCcEyFm7

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 19, 2022

“Aaron’s words are perfect; 10 guys right, one guy wrong,” he said.

The first came on the second drive of the game. On second down from the 16, Rodgers had Randall Cobb wide open for a big gain. Instead, Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams threw left guard Jon Runyan into Rodgers’ lap. Rodgers lost the ball as he was about to throw, resulting in a fumble and loss of 8 yards.

“Not only is that a completion, that might be a 30- or 40-yard gain,” Orlovsky said.

The next example was the first play of the following series. Rodgers completed a screen to Aaron Jones but right guard Royce Newman failed to get the initial block. Jones avoided that defender but was slowed enough that linebacker C.J. Mosley limited the gain to 6.

“I’m not saying that this is going to be a 20-yard gain. I’m telling you this might be a touchdown,” Orlovsky said.

The third example came late in the first half. On first down from the 47, so a couple first downs from scoring range, the call was a shotgun draw to Jones. Newman pulled left and tight end Josiah Deguara led the play through the hole. Their blocks, along with a play-side double-team block by left tackle David Bakhtiari and Runyan, created a lane.

“Aaron Jones is going to hit his head on the goal post” after a 53-yard touchdown, Orlovsky predicted.

But Marcedes Lewis, one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL, didn’t seal Mosley and the gain was just 1.

The Packers need to clean up their act – and quickly. They can simplify plays or change personnel on the offensive line until the cows come home. Ultimately, every player needs to execute on every play, whether it’s picking up stunts in the passing game, blocking with the proper leverage in the run game, executing a simple quarterback-running back exchange on a handoff or throwing a better pass.

“We try and hold guys accountable, hold ourselves accountable,” Rodgers said. “Self-criticism is very important in this business. We’ve got to look long and hard at how we’re playing and what we’ve got to do to get better. A lot of plays is 10 guys knowing the right thing and one guy missing the assignment and we have issues. So, if we can just clean up that one guy – and it’s not one particular guy, it’s different guys on every play, including myself. So, if we clean that up, we'll be fine.”

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After practice today, #Packers WR Sammy Watkins discussed the comeback from a hamstring injury and his hope that he can play this week.

"This is the fastest I ever recovered from a hamstring injury, three weeks, so that’s a great feeling."https://t.co/YCqnnjTWTs

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 20, 2022

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