It's Time for the Packers to Quit Playing "Nice"

The Packers have a history of having nice clean players, who don't open their mouth, and coaches who never scream. Well this is contributing to their lack of playoff success. I will show you why.

 I realize the Packers and their fans like their coaches and players to be a certain way, so I realize what I'm saying won't be very popular. However, given the skill the Packers have especially on offense, and with at the very least an average defense they should be doing a lot better in the playoffs than they have. This was their first NFC Championship game since the Superbowl win. Think about that. All of the talent they have and they can barely reach the NFC Championship. Now let's look around the league and we'll see what I'm getting at.

Let's look at teams that have won and been good consistently in the recent past. This includes teams such as the Ravens, Patriots, Saints, Giants, Seahawks, and 49ers. Now look at what these teams have. For the longest time on defense the Ravens had the trio of Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, and Terrell Suggs. The Patriots have Tom Brady and Bill Belicheck. The Saints have Sean Payton at the helm and the Giants have Tom Coughlin. The Seahawks have a whole host of notable guys Pete Caroll, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Cam Chancellor, and the list goes on. The 49ers had Harbaugh, and the really good Steelers teams used to be filled with edgy and questionable characters.

Now you're probably what these players have in common and what this has to do with the Packers. Well look at the players and coaches I listed above. They all either play or coach with an edge, have an attitude, or both. We all know that Brady and Bellicheck don't always play nice, Richard Sherman has shown his attitude, and Harbaugh is a very intense coach. Just to point out a few things from that list. This is what the Packers need.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying go get everyone with a criminal record or who's a locker room cancer. Obviously you don't want to cause major problems. However, I do believe the Packers need a guy who will ruffle some feathers and who's going to come in with an attitude. They need someone who's going to fire people up, play with an edge, and who might be a somewhat controversial figure around the league. They need either a Sherman-like player or a Harbaugh like coach, something to get the team going in the playoffs. After all, all the teams who've won have at least one of these players or coaches and some have had many, so why don't the Packers have any? For the sake of an image? Well it's time to forsake the image a bit and go get one of these players. Not someone who will cause major problems, but someone who might be a bit controversial, who will make a big hit, and maybe provide an interesting sound bite. Matthews and Peppers are good and they do play hard, but they don't have the same attitude or edge.

The Packers biggest reason for lack of success in the palyoffs is they don't have someone who has an edge or attitude. Look at the teams who have made the playoffs and have had success. Almost all of them do have one of these players or coaches. It's time for the Packers to do the same and add an edge to the team.


-Darren


Do you think the time has come for the Packers to stop being nice? Either comment below or find me on twitter @thewildman111


photo taken from usatoday.com