The overlooked guys are the most reliable

II, it’s really easy to overlook a few players’ impact in-season. What candidates do you have on your notes that the average fan has overlooked?

As a follow-up to the answer Monday about players trying to do too much, I think the overlooked guys are the most reliable, if unspectacular, in doing what their teammates count on them to do. In my eyes in 2022, that included Preston Smith, Adrian Amos, Jon Runyan, Josiah Deguara, Pat O’Donnell, and maybe a couple others.

Hi Mike. First-time question. Lifelong Packer fan. This is in response to James from Surprise, AZ. Do you think the reason players on the defensive side of the ball tried to do too much and not their 1/11th was because they do not believe or trust in Joe Barry’s defensive scheme? I only bring this up because I remember reading an article (I don’t remember the article or who wrote it, might have been a clickbait article) the defensive players were not happy with his scheme.

That’s a valid question and a possible impetus for players to focus on more than just their specific responsibilities. But another is the desire for stats that produce more dollars on their next contract. Which is it? I don’t know. Some of both? Probably, but the proportions are impossible to determine.

I realize as a team you want to do your 1/11, but Rasul Douglas is a gambler and sometimes those gambles pay off and sometimes they don’t.

But there’s a difference between taking a chance that puts an individual in a risky position and one that compromises the entire defense. Scheme-wise, veteran players know which is which, or at least they should.

Richard from Farmington Hills, MI

From Monday’s Inbox: “…defenders not getting to their pre-snap positions quickly and earnestly…” I understand you are loathe to criticize the coaches, but isn’t this a problem that should have been addressed and corrected long before the last game?

Also a valid question, and I have no knowledge to what extent it was addressed. LaFleur brought it to the forefront in the media after London, but reporters don’t get to watch regular-season practices (nor sit in on meetings). So I’d be guessing whether the coaches didn’t stress it enough, or if they were harping on it and being ignored. Either way, the results are on everybody.

John from East Setauket, NY

As you know, Aaron Rodgers statistically had the worst year in his career. Having watched every game it seemed to me that he doesn’t see or read the field as well as he once did, is slightly slower to…