the VG board football thread

I totally disagree. Rogers and Franklin have both been very good when they are used. Franklin eats space and Rogers gets doubled a lot while pass rushing. If not, he bulldozes his man deep into the backfield.

The problem is the layer behind them, especially against the run and screens, particularly WR screens. All the LBs stink. Vilma included, though he occasionally flashes and makes a play in pass coverage because his brain figured something out.

The offense has looked very efficient at times. But I have to think that in order to win a championship, we're going to have to be able run the ball when people know we are running the ball at some point. Even pass happy Green Bay used their running game to make their playoff run last year (remember Starks emerging and shocking people).

Even the games this year where our offense has looked good, we haven't been able to impose our will running the ball. This has to change in order to have the type of success we want.

It's the type of thing that can be fixed. It might be Kruetz; I'm not sure. I seriously think we have a tell. Somehow we're tipping off the run.

I don't think the running problem is a tell, it's just bad blocking. Part of that is Charles Brown and Olin Kreutz and part of that is that Nicks and Evans just aren't getting any push and they aren't getting to the second level to finish off plays. That can change when Streif gets back, a change at center and if we find a way to light fire under Evans and Nicks.

As far as Rodgers and Franklin, I haven't seen what you see in Rodgers. He occasionally does that, but more often than not, he seems to get stoned at the line. As far as Franklin, he is doing his job as run stuff and it is the LBs giving up the runs, but what I'm saying is that he doesn't really seem to fit what we do best in terms of needing a penetrator in the middle. I just haven't seen any push from Rodgers and Franklin.