Coach's View: Packers-Patriots features a number of intriguing matchups

Aaron Rodgers vs. Tom Brady. The battle to find the true GOAT. Is this the LeBron-MJ argument for football? I'm not quite sure it's that, but in my opinion, Brady is clearly on a different level than Rodgers.

However, if we could find a way to get Vince Lombardi back on the sidelines for the Packers, the Bill Belichick-Lombardi matchup would certainly be an interesting one. (I'm a Fordham alum -- like Lombardi -- but I'd still have to pledge my allegiance to the Pats there.)

On this Packers team, there's really only one person I have a connection to -- Maurice Drayton, an assistant special teams coach. I coached against Maurice when he was the Defensive Coordinator at The Citadel. Maurice also coached at Coastal Carolina prior to my stint there. He was personally responsible for recruiting De'Angelo Henderson. I was fortunate to witness De'Angelo's career at Coastal Carolina. He was drafted by the Broncos and is currently with the Jets. De'Angelo is the all-time Division I record holder for touchdowns scored in consecutive games at 35.

Over the past week, I've spent quite a bit of time watching the Packers. I've had this game circled on my calendar since July. I'm really excited to have this organization come to town and get the opportunity to watch Rodgers in person. I must say, I haven't been overly impressed with what the Packers have done this season. There are certainly flashes of greatness, but by and large, the Packers season has been marked by inconsistency and -- most likely -- underachievement.



Offensively, Green Bay has talent, there's no doubt about that. However, as I watch this team from a big-picture standpoint, the word that best comes to mind is "blah." I think they're very boring in terms of scheme and creativity. Unlike the Patriots, the Packers seem to slightly tweak what they do week in and week out as opposed to being a true game-plan offense.

There has been an undercurrent of rumors about Rodgers not being very happy in Green Bay, although his contract extension probably at least put a smile on his face. Some in the local media like to imagine what Rodgers' career would be like if he had played for Belichick. After watching the Packers' offense, I can see where these rumblings might have some validity.

There is even film evidence of Rodgers not going through his progressions in the pass game, passing up on sure completions and forcing throws downfield. The crazy part is that he has the ability to pull it off. I'm not sure if any other quarterback in this system would have similar success.

The Packers have a few different personnel groupings they like to utilize. Their No. 1 (and favorite) grouping is 12 personnel. They will also get into 13 personnel and use one of their tight ends as a fullback/H-back. When they want to throw the ball or spread it out, they'll get into 11 personnel, their second favorite grouping.

Green Bay is relatively vanilla in their offensive scheme. Their run game consists of variations of the zone, some toss, and draw. In the pass game, they run a lot of three-man routes when they want to get to their intermediate to deep concepts. They prefer to protect with seven. In conjunction with this, they have the typical west coast quick-passing concepts. Look for the Packers to call at least a couple double moves throughout the game. They have shown stop-and-go, stutter-and-go, and slant-and-go. They are not an RPO based offense.

Rodgers is the real deal at quarterback. He simply has the IT factor. He has great arm strength, a quick release, can move very well and create with his feet. He is still recovering from a knee injury which has limited his mobility some. I thought he looked to be at close to 80 percent healthy against the Rams this past weekend. His strength in mobility and creativity may also be his weakness. At times, Rodgers does get himself in trouble trying to do too much.

At running back, we will see Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams. Both backs are solid players that can hurt you but are not game changers. They do not get involved in the pass game a lot.

The Packers tight end group is a good one. Jimmy Graham is still very effective in the pass game and is someone that you need to account for. He often splits out and plays the X position. I think he will be the difference in this game for the Patriots. They need to be able to handle him. The Packers also have Marcedes Lewis who was a top tight end in the league not to long ago. He's a red-zone target and is often used to block in 12 personnel sets. The third tight end that is utilized is Lance Kendricks. He listed as a tight end but is used more as a fullback. He does a nice job in the run game and play action protection.

The wide receiver group is talented as well. Randall Cobb has been the top guy for the Packers historically. However, he's been limited this season with hamstring issues. He is expected to play on Sunday but will be limited. I personally like Devante Adams and rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Both are longer receivers that can run. Due to their size, they create some match-up challenges. I believe this game will be a shootout, so expect Adams and Valdes-Scantling to be very involved in the pass game.

The offensive line for the Packers is probably the most underrated group on this team. I love watching these guys play. They are chippy and play hard. They are an experienced group and have played together for a while. They do a nice job in pass protection and are a good fit with the run scheme that they employ. I think this is the best offensive line the Patriots have faced yet. Watch David Bakhtiari at left tackle -- he's the scrappiest of the group.

Defensively, the Packers have been inconsistent. Much like the offense, there is talent on the defensive side of the ball and they have shown flashes of being very good. They've also struggled at times.

From a scheme standpoint, the Packers are based out of an even front and play mostly with nickel personnel. They predominantly like to be in some version of man coverage with a combination of man free, robber, and 2-man. When they get into their zone coverages, they'll play some 3 and match 3. They like to blitz on third down, and have gotten the majority of their pressures and sacks off their blitz package. The focus of the blitz package is to get immediate in-between-the-tackles pressure.

In my opinion the best part of the Packers defensive line is their defensive tackles. Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels are good, active players. They are twitchy off the ball, and can be very disruptive. Clay Matthews has the most accolades out of this group, but I think he is overrated. He will show up in pass-rush situations but struggles in run game when you run right at him. His best pass rush is his counter-back inside. I don't think he has elite edge speed anymore. You need to be aware of him and he plays hard, but I think time is catching up to him. On the other side, Nick Perry is the nickel rush end. He signed a huge contract and expectations are through the roof for him. I can tell he has ability -- he flashes at times. But he's very inconsistent -- he can get swallowed up in pass rush and gets washed in the run game. Both Matthews and Perry will play on both the right and left side.

In the middle at linebacker Blake Martinez is a very good player. I really like him on film. He is physical, has a great motor, and can run. He's also very instinctive in pass rush situations when the Packers blitz him. Oren Burks is the other linebacker that gets in the mix. He is similar to Martinez when it comes to athleticism, and looks to have a bright future ahead of him.

The secondary for the Packers has been the talk of the national media this week with the trade of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. As a result, I tried to really pay attention to him on film. He is a good player and shows up in both the pass and run game. Having said that, I do like the Packers secondary. They have a lot of young talent back there. I think the Clinton-Dix trade had a lot to do with the development of rookie Jaire Alexander. He really shows up on film. His development allows the Packers to move Tramon Williams to safety. The weak link in this secondary appears to be Kentrell Brice. He's given up some big plays this year. I expect the Patriots to try and single him up.

Kicker Mason Crosby has been an interesting story. He's an established, experienced guy that has been very good. However, against the Detroit Lions he missed four field goals and an extra point. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens there.

Overall, this game will ultimately be determined by which Packers team shows up. They probably have more overall talent than the Patriots. At the end of the day, the inconsistency issues are clearly attributed to the coaching staff. Will Rodgers be able to create enough to keep up with Brady? Defensively, will the Packers be able to get the Patriots offense off the field? I'm looking forward to the matchup but I expect the Patriots to be the better team Sunday night.