O-Line, Special Teams Has Packers Seeing Yellow Again

A disturbing trend is continuing during the Packers preseason this year. A harmless looking 15-inch by 15-inch yellow piece of material with a weighted middle are being thrown at the offensive line and special teams with alarming frequency. After suffering through a 6-10 season full of near misses (or to see the glass half full, near wins), the ongoing problem with penalties is continuing. Last year the Packers committed 110 accepted penalties, second most in the NFL. They lost 984 yards (first in the NFL) on those penalties, nearly the length of 10 football fields. Not that the defense isn’t to blame for their fair share. After all, they did play an aggressive man-to-man coverage. But the attention and focus always seems to be on the offensive line and special teams, especially during critical times. The first example that comes to mind is the 24-27 loss against the Atlanta Falcons. With 1:20 left in the second quarter, Mason Crosby hit a 43-yard field goal that was nullified...