Five good questions with Acme Packing Company

While the first border battle of 2019 is scheduled to begin Sunday at Lambeau Field, the stakes are high. The Vikings and Packers are both 1-0, and first place in the north of the NFC is at stake.

While both teams were undergoing a lot of changes and a new offensive look, I exchanged questions with Jason Hirschhorn, one of the editors of Acme Packing Company, site of the SB Nation Green Bay Packers. He managed to exploit the mediocre questions he had asked and turn them into solid enough answers and give an idea of ​​what the packers expect this week and as the season progresses. So without further ado, here are Jason's answers.

DN: The Packers have a new head coach to Matt LaFleur and with him a new offensive philosophy. There is continuity in the defensive staff, since Mike Pettine has been retained, and this is the second year of his system. The Packers have a lot of new players in defense and, of course, the future Hall of Fame in QB Aaron Rodgers. After two years of under-500 football, the first time since 1990-91, what are the expectations for this season?

JH: The Packers management has signaled throughout the season that it will not accept a third season without the playoffs. Although winning the division or getting a wild card spot does not seem totally unreasonable, I'm not sure either that it's a fair expectation for Green Bay in 2019. Although the defense looks much better over the first week – The Chicago Bears had no less points in a game since 2015 – the offensive did not find much pace outside of a single touchdown in the second quarter. The Bears defense deserves credit for this offensive futility, but the Packers' problems go beyond their opponent who opens the season.

On paper, the combination of Aaron Rodgers and the offensive led by Matt LaFleur makes sense. The system shares many traits with those led by Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, the coaches with whom LaFleur has worked for much of his career. This project should also be familiar to Vikings fans, as Minnesota's new offensive analyst, Gary Kubiak, comes from the same training tree as the aforementioned head coaches. Basically, the offensive consists of a multitude of games with similar appearances to mask the intention, resorting extensively to races outside the zone to create effective deep fire, and motivating the players intensively to reveal covers. All of these features should work well with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers.

However, initial results suggest that Rodgers would need a lot of time to get comfortable with the LaFleur project, which may not be so surprising. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan led the system under Kyle Shanahan and struggled for a full season before playing at the most valuable player level. When Shanahan joined the San Francisco 49ers, the offense only started to kick in late in his first year. Rodgers has the talents and intelligence to lead the offensive at the highest level. But like those who preceded him, he might just need several months of reps before everything starts.

If that happened, the Packers would probably have trouble competing for the North of the NFC or qualifying for a wild card spot in late 2019.

DN: In Thursday's 10-3 win against the Bears, there was a lot to love in the Packers' win. It was the unveiling of a new offensive and a redesigned defense that saw four or five new starters. What was the right thing to remember and the only thing that both units have to work on to go forward?

JH: On the plus side, the Packers defense delivered its most dominant performance on the road in four years. The big additions of free agents to the team all played an important role – Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith combined for 2.5 sacks and double-digit pressures while security Adrian Amos intercepted Mitch Trubisky in the end zone to stop the Bears "Last chance to score – but Darnell Savage, first-round pick, showed intelligence and closing speed to influence the game. The Chicago offense has been shot down several times, which must be taken into account in any projection of Green Bay. Nevertheless, considering the point where the defense stopped in 2018, the first week was marked by a remarkable improvement.

Because the game went so well for the defense, few negative points stand out. The Bears have completed some big games on cornerback Tony Brown, although he has had a decent stance on at least two of them. To date, Green Bay does not have enough linebackers in good health. Although that did not become a problem last week, he could play in Sunday's game against the Vikings.

The analysis turns around for the offense. The Packers' offense, their fourth training of the first half, began with a deep strike at the game against a very open Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The attack accelerated from there, with Rodgers hitting Marcedes Lewis and Davante Adams for easy receptions to move the sticks before Jimmy Graham scored the only touchdown to complete the training. This series has highlighted the effectiveness of the LaFleur scheme, even against a great defense.

But aside from this fourth possession, the Packers struggled to play games before the clock became a problem. This has afflicted them in recent years and is becoming an even greater concern in an offensive system that uses many movements before the outbreak. Pass protection did not look much different from a year ago, although the Bears' defense could obviously give the illusion of the best offensive line. Despite everything, the unit left the game with many questions to answer.

DN: I have Aaron Jones as one of the players to watch in this division in 2019. It was really used sparingly under Mike McCarthy, and we expected the Packers to use it a lot more in attack. Yet against the Bears, he had only 13 runs for 39 yards and a receiving for no yards. Why did not we see Jones run the ball more, and do you expect his litters to increase this week?

JH: Unlike other Packers offensive problems in the first week, I do not see the use of Aaron Jones as an indication of how LaFleur will use it in the future. The Bears defense ran extremely well and the game situation forced Green Bay to rely on the pass.

As a result, expect Jones to see a significant increase in his workload over the next few weeks. His skills correspond well to the intensive use of the attack outside the zone and he has become an important factor in the passing game. The Packers will move Jones out of the backfield, which they suggested at training camp but did not fully understand in Chicago.

DN: There are many new faces in the Green Bay defense. The type everyone knows is NT Kenny Clarkand for the Vikings to be successful on Sunday, they must find a way to neutralize it as much as possible. But who should the Vikings be accountable to and why?

Both Smiths look like Green Bay's biggest defense defensemen last week. Beyond the impressive numbers, the duo moved all around the defensive front during the match. In the Bears' last offensive game, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine lined up Za'Darius Smith inside, with Preston Smith on top. Chicago's offensive line was unanswered, with the two men finding a quarter for the hunting bag.

The Minnesota offensive line seems to have been improved compared to a year ago, but it could still have problems handling these overload blitzes and stunts.

DN: Agreement, big division game, home, and the Packers have already won a win against the Bears. How do you see this game unfold and what is your prediction for a final score?

JH: I never predict the scores, but I think the Packers will win it on Sunday. The Vikings still have one of the best defensemen in the NFL and their offensive has certainly improved since 2018, but they have greatly benefited last week from the multiple reversals of the Falcons. Rodgers, of course, does not return the ball often and does it less often at Lambeau Field. That should give Green Bay enough advantage to win his second victory.

A big thank you to Jason and the great people at Acme Packing Company. Here is a good match without serious injuries on both sides.