Green Bay Packers Mid-Season Awards and Review

Oct 19, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers running back

(27) during the game against the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 38-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Green Bay Packers: 3 Keys to 2nd Half Success

1.  Stop the run.  Stop a run.  Any run.

Just one team in NFL history has made the playoffs while allowing 2,500 yards rushing, a number Green Bay is on pace to flirt with.  Improving the run defense is the most important issue that the Packers need to address in the 2nd half.

The loss of B.J. Raji has been crushing, but his absence is no excuse for the 1st half performance.  While the D-Line has lacked penetration and failed to plug up running lanes, much of the blame should fall on the linebacking corps.

Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews must do a better job of containing outside runs, while A.J. Hawk and the revolving ILB door next to him need to drastically improve their play.

Brad Jones, Jamari Lattimore and Sam Barrington have all struggled next to Hawk, who has been unspectacular himself.  Tackling will be the name of the game for the Packers LB’s, and Head Coach Mike McCarthy has stated time and again that tackling the ballcarrier is the one area that his defense needs to improve on most.

They will be tested immediately following this bye week break, with Matt Forte and LeSean McCoy coming to town.  Unless Dom Capers and the Packers defensive unit can find an answer soon, their 2014 playoff run could turn into an uphill climb.  Quick.

2.  Feed Eddie Lacy.

Halloween is over, and it’s time for Eddie Lacy to take off his Trent Richardson costume.

Lacy has topped out at 17 carries this season, and spent most games in the 12-14 carry region.  This hasn’t been enough to get Eddie Lacy rolling, but Mike McCarthy could begin to lean more heavily on the fresh legs of his young back.

With a yards-per-carry of 4.1 so far (he’s looked worse than that number on film), Lacy has strayed from the running style that made him one of the most exciting young players in football last season.  He has danced side to side behind the line, which negates any explosiveness he has and prevents him from punishing LB’s on north-south runs.

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With the talented veteran James Starks sure to see his share of carries too, McCarthy could look to slowly build Lacy’s workload towards the playoffs while keeping pressure off Aaron Rodgers.  If Lacy is able to get his confidence back to the level it was at late last season, it could push the offense to a new level.

3.  Would the real Green Bay Packers starting TE please stand up?

Andrew Quarless, Richard Rodgers and Brandon Bostick haven’t amounted to much out of the TE position through the 1st half of 2014.

I expected the rookie Rodgers to surprise early in the season, but he has totalled just 7 receptions for 111 yards, while the 2010 draft pick Quarless has 15 catches for 135.  Despite possessing the greatest raw physical talents in the group, Brandon Bostick has just 2 yards on the season, and seems to be a long shot to contribute down the stretch.

With Nelson and Cobb excelling on the outside, and rookie Davante Adams surprising as a strong third option, the door is wide open for one of these TE’s to contribute up the seam and over the middle.  Once one of these players steps up, Rodgers will not be afraid to lean on them in the passing game, as he did for several seasons with Jermichael Finley.

Richard Rodgers is the best bet for a long-term starter out of this group, but keep an eye on Andrew Quarless for the remainder of 2014.  He has a longer track record with Rodgers, and holds playoff experience from the Packers’ 2010 Super Bowl Championship.  Quarless does not need to be an All Pro, but adding 3-4 catches per game could take some coverage off of the Packers’ top weapons, and help Green Bay greatly in the red zone.