mesaSteeler
02-05-2011, 11:37 PM
Analysis: Pack attack heightened indoors
By Tom Oates
WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL
Sunday, February 6, 2011
DALLAS — The Steelers don't toss around compliments lightly.
But after linebacker James Farrior watched film of the Green Bay Packers' blowout of Atlanta at the Georgia Dome during the NFC divisional playoffs, he couldn't help but gush.
"They looked like the best team I've ever seen," Farrior said. "Aaron Rodgers was almost perfect."
In domed stadiums, the Packers quarterback usually is. Same for the rest of the offense.
This is anything but standard procedure for the Packers, who play their home games on a hybrid field in the volatile Wisconsin weather. Historically, they've built a physical, run-first team that can win whether the wind is blowing, the temperature is dropping or the footing is deteriorating.
But these are not Vince Lombardi's Packers. They're not even Mike Holmgren's.
Unlike the Super Bowl-winning teams coached by those legends, the Packers built by coach Mike McCarthy rely on a timing-based passing attack that requires precision. With a controlled climate and guaranteed footing, Green Bay's cadre of fast receivers can operate at top speed, giving the Packers a potentially significant edge over the Steelers' top-ranked defense in Super Bowl XLV tonight on the artificial turf — and under the closed roof — of Cowboys Stadium.
It is a touchy subject with the Packers, who are loathe to admit they've become a finesse team, but eventually their newfound preference for playing in domes surfaces. The truth is, the NFL game has changed, and the Packers might be ahead of the curve with a pass-first attack.
Asked this past week if the team is built for domes, Rodgers flashed a read-between-the-lines smile. "I don't think I can say yes to that," he said. "We're a team that has played well in domes. I think we're built for Lambeau (Field) and for domes.
"We have a lot of speed on the outside. We have athletic linemen to do our zone-blocking schemes, and they pass protect very well. But I think there's a comfort level that we have playing in domes."
No one is more comfortable in the great indoors than Rodgers. In 12 dome games since becoming a starter in 2008, he has thrown 26 touchdown passes and five interceptions.
The Packers are 6-6 in domes during that time, but they scored 31.8 points per game, almost 6 more than they averaged in all games. Moreover, the Packers were all but unstoppable in their two indoor playoff games, scoring 45 in a loss at Arizona last year and 48 at Atlanta this year.
Former coach Steve Mariucci, an analyst for the NFL Network, said the reason for Green Bay's indoor success goes back to the way they're built.
"In bad weather, it's hard to throw the ball, and it's hard to run good, precise routes," Mariucci said. "The teams that play in that kind of weather and outdoor stadiums have a little bit of slowdown. Old Man Winter plays defense, OK? If you put a good passing team in a dome, where you have consistent environments, that's an advantage. Aaron Rodgers played in Atlanta — 31 out of 36 for 366 yards — and it looked like (a) 7-on-7 (drill) because the receivers are running great routes, he's got good footing, there's no wind, there's no sun. Everything is clean."
Clean for the quarterback and especially for the receivers. The Packers don't have any true burners among their five receivers, but they do have guys who explode in and out of their cuts. The sure footing and warm temperatures allow their quickness and athleticism to shine, especially for Greg Jennings, who has surpassed 100 receiving yards in seven of the 12 dome games.
"We like the dome simply because it's a controlled environment," he said. "When the ball is in the air, we're not worried if it is getting worked on by the wind or moved around by the wind. It allows us to have a free mind. And the footing is something we look at because we are a good team when it comes to getting the ball in our hands and making plays after we make the catch. ... When we're able to get on a field that has this type of surface, we are pretty much a good team."
Asked if it was a myth that the Packers have become a dome team, Jennings flashed the same smile Rodgers did.
"We do like playing inside," he said.
It might be their best hope today.
Read more: Analysis: Pack attack heightened indoors - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_721610.html#ixzz1D9cut98F
By Tom Oates
WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL
Sunday, February 6, 2011
DALLAS — The Steelers don't toss around compliments lightly.
But after linebacker James Farrior watched film of the Green Bay Packers' blowout of Atlanta at the Georgia Dome during the NFC divisional playoffs, he couldn't help but gush.
"They looked like the best team I've ever seen," Farrior said. "Aaron Rodgers was almost perfect."
In domed stadiums, the Packers quarterback usually is. Same for the rest of the offense.
This is anything but standard procedure for the Packers, who play their home games on a hybrid field in the volatile Wisconsin weather. Historically, they've built a physical, run-first team that can win whether the wind is blowing, the temperature is dropping or the footing is deteriorating.
But these are not Vince Lombardi's Packers. They're not even Mike Holmgren's.
Unlike the Super Bowl-winning teams coached by those legends, the Packers built by coach Mike McCarthy rely on a timing-based passing attack that requires precision. With a controlled climate and guaranteed footing, Green Bay's cadre of fast receivers can operate at top speed, giving the Packers a potentially significant edge over the Steelers' top-ranked defense in Super Bowl XLV tonight on the artificial turf — and under the closed roof — of Cowboys Stadium.
It is a touchy subject with the Packers, who are loathe to admit they've become a finesse team, but eventually their newfound preference for playing in domes surfaces. The truth is, the NFL game has changed, and the Packers might be ahead of the curve with a pass-first attack.
Asked this past week if the team is built for domes, Rodgers flashed a read-between-the-lines smile. "I don't think I can say yes to that," he said. "We're a team that has played well in domes. I think we're built for Lambeau (Field) and for domes.
"We have a lot of speed on the outside. We have athletic linemen to do our zone-blocking schemes, and they pass protect very well. But I think there's a comfort level that we have playing in domes."
No one is more comfortable in the great indoors than Rodgers. In 12 dome games since becoming a starter in 2008, he has thrown 26 touchdown passes and five interceptions.
The Packers are 6-6 in domes during that time, but they scored 31.8 points per game, almost 6 more than they averaged in all games. Moreover, the Packers were all but unstoppable in their two indoor playoff games, scoring 45 in a loss at Arizona last year and 48 at Atlanta this year.
Former coach Steve Mariucci, an analyst for the NFL Network, said the reason for Green Bay's indoor success goes back to the way they're built.
"In bad weather, it's hard to throw the ball, and it's hard to run good, precise routes," Mariucci said. "The teams that play in that kind of weather and outdoor stadiums have a little bit of slowdown. Old Man Winter plays defense, OK? If you put a good passing team in a dome, where you have consistent environments, that's an advantage. Aaron Rodgers played in Atlanta — 31 out of 36 for 366 yards — and it looked like (a) 7-on-7 (drill) because the receivers are running great routes, he's got good footing, there's no wind, there's no sun. Everything is clean."
Clean for the quarterback and especially for the receivers. The Packers don't have any true burners among their five receivers, but they do have guys who explode in and out of their cuts. The sure footing and warm temperatures allow their quickness and athleticism to shine, especially for Greg Jennings, who has surpassed 100 receiving yards in seven of the 12 dome games.
"We like the dome simply because it's a controlled environment," he said. "When the ball is in the air, we're not worried if it is getting worked on by the wind or moved around by the wind. It allows us to have a free mind. And the footing is something we look at because we are a good team when it comes to getting the ball in our hands and making plays after we make the catch. ... When we're able to get on a field that has this type of surface, we are pretty much a good team."
Asked if it was a myth that the Packers have become a dome team, Jennings flashed the same smile Rodgers did.
"We do like playing inside," he said.
It might be their best hope today.
Read more: Analysis: Pack attack heightened indoors - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_721610.html#ixzz1D9cut98F