Offense Will Have New Starting Point for Year 2

In a nutshell, this is why the Green Bay Packers’ offense should be better in 2020.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In a nutshell, this is why the Green Bay Packers’ offense should be better in 2020.

“As you evaluate or you look at the whole season, yeah, for sure, there’s areas that we’ve got to improve but, as much as anything, it is the evaluation of what we did well,” quarterbacks coach and passing-game coordinator Luke Getsy said recently. “What we thought we were going to be, we maybe changed that mind-set. We went into last season maybe thinking we were going to be something and then we grew into something else.”

At this time last year, with the offseason practices having wrapped up, Matt LaFleur had more questions than answers as he looked ahead to his first training camp. On the bright side, he knew he had inherited a two-time MVP quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, an elite receiver in Davante Adams and a few premier offensive linemen.

On the other hand, at receiver, the closest thing to a sure thing opposite Adams was Geronimo Allison. Could Allison – or Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Equanimeous St. Brown, for that matter – develop into a consistent contributor? At tight end, LaFleur inherited the past-their-prime duo of Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis. Could Graham provide a bigger threat than he did in 2018? At running back, Aaron Jones was more potential than production due to three knee injuries and a suspension in his first two seasons. Could he stay healthy and flourish in a new system?

Fast forward 12 months, following a season in which the Packers scored exactly as many points than the year before, and LaFleur has more answers than questions.

At receiver, where Allison, Valdes-Scantling and St. Brown fell short, Allen Lazard filled the void. There’s little doubt he’s earned the right to start training camp as the No. 2 job opposite Adams. At running back, Jones is coming off a monster season in which he led the NFL in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns while showing he could be a true three-down back.

To be sure, questions remain. At receiver, is Lazard a true No. 2 or might he simply fill that role by default? And what about Valdes-Scantling, St. Brown and Devin Funchess? At tight end, can Jace Sternberger be the threat that Graham only occasionally provided? Can the offensive line remain a strength with Rick Wagner replacing Bryan Bulaga at right tackle?

More than the individual positions, LaFleur has a better feel for what his group does well. What the Packers did best on offense last season was run the football with Jones and Jamaal Williams and dial up play-action passes for Rodgers. On first-and-10, for instance, the Packers were a top-10 rushing attack with 4.75 yards per carry but a bottom-10 passing attack with 6.42 yards per attempt. With Jones, Williams and rookie AJ Dillon, the Packers have an offensive identity that wasn’t evident immediately last year. That should play into the hands of Rodgers, who completed 65.8 percent of his passes on play-action compared to 60.8 percent on standard dropbacks.

“Now, we get to enhance that,” Getsy said of the offense’s identity. “I’m really excited to see us do that because I think we have a really talented team and I think we have an extremely intelligent football team that can handle all the things that we want to do.”