We’ve ripped on Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers plenty around here this season, and there is good reason for that. Under every bit of film, every out-of-the-ordinary stat, there is a story of a coach, quarterback, and organization that has fallen behind the times.
A few weeks ago, Kevin Clark wrote an excellent piece for The Ringer on the subject of the influence of analytics in football. There are several great nuggets, but for my money the key takeaway was this:
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13652818/Ringer_Quote.jpg)
I have to plead guilty to thinking second-and-1 was a good time to take a shot downfield, but if any team should convince you of just how unwise this is, it’s the 2018 Packers.