Packers have more problems than anyone wants to admit
Because Aaron Rodgers is who he is, the Green Bay Packers have made the playoffs eight seasons in a row. The only season in which they did not make the playoffs since he took over for Brett Favre was his first as a starter.
Despite Rodgers’ continued brilliance, the Packers are not in good shape on either side of the ball.
Last year they featured the NFL’s No. 31-ranked pass defense, Rodgers was sacked 35 times — five less than his 40 touchdowns, for what it’s worth — and the team’s best running back was a receiver.
Making matters worse is that Green Bay lost its best offensive lineman, T.J. Lang, in free agency and a very good backup who started at center before being injured last year, J.C. Tretter. Landing Martellus Bennett might make the passing game more dangerous, but none of that matters if Rodgers ends up getting injured because of a lack of protection.
And the Packers cannot continue to feature one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses if they have any hope of seriously competing for an NFL title.
General manager Ted Thompson says every year that Green Bay will be aggressive in free agency. And every year he leaves Packers fans gnashing their teeth as he fails to aggressively pursue team needs in free agency. Unfortunately, he’s also failed to make up for that via the draft in recent years. Now the roster has significant holes on both sides of the ball.
That cannot continue to happen. If it does, then the Packers will end up wasting the best years of Rodgers’ career.