Former Packers guard T.J. Lang didn’t sugarcoat what he saw from Green Bay in Week 1.
Appearing on ESPN Milwaukee’s " The Homer Hour," the two-time Pro Bowl lineman went straight at the Packers’ coaching staff after watching the offensive line struggle to protect Jordan Love against Minnesota.
"It's so frustrating when you watch the quarterback taking shots and you watch some of the extracurricular activities that go on without anybody doing anything about it," Lang explained. "To me, it looks like it's coached... your teammates need to know that you have their back."
Lang’s point was clear: if the Vikings were getting away with extra contact and Green Bay wasn’t responding, that’s a problem that goes beyond one bad drive or one bad matchup. He said it looked as if the Packers were allowing Minnesota to keep pushing past the front line in hopes of drawing penalties, leaving Love exposed to punishment.
The numbers from Week 1 only sharpen the critique. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Green Bay’s offensive line gave up 10 unblocked pressures to the Vikings. Minnesota finished with 15 quarterback hits on Love, the most in the league so far, and the Packers posted a 9% pass-block win rate, the worst mark in the league.
That kind of outing lines up with the concerns that followed this unit into the season. PFF had ranked Green Bay as the sixth-worst offensive line in the league before the year began, and the group was already dealing with some extra strain. The Packers are operating at limited capacity in the running back room, and Tucker Kraft is still working his way back from injury, which has made his blocking less consistent than usual.
Personnel matters, but Lang’s bigger message was about coaching. He believes this starts with Luke Butkus and reaches all the way to Matt LaFleur. Green Bay’s offensive line has shown flashes over the years under Butkus, but Lang thinks the staff missed badly in this opener, and Love paid the price.
If the Packers want to avoid a season defined by pressure and breakdowns, the line has to clean it up fast. For now, Green Bay’s coaches are the ones under the microscope.
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Rodgers and Smith spent three seasons together in Green Bay, so the message carried the kind of respect that usually comes from shared locker rooms and a few battles together. Smith had only recently signed with Atlanta after a brief retirement, and he played through a shoulder issue in the opener, a detail Steelers fans will appreciate even if the note itself was aimed at an old teammate. [Read more 🡒]