Mike Pettine’s defense should once again be able to find ways to fluster Mitch Trubisky and should be much better prepared for his ability to make plays with his feet. T

Letting Randall Cobb and Clay Matthews walk was tough but also absolutely necessary."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCDTShareTweetShareShareThursday Cheese Curds: Being nostalgic won’t win the Packers a Super BowlBenny Sieu-USA TODAY SportsAfter being able to keep a core of players together for several years http://www.packerslockerroom.com/authentic-lane-taylor-jersey , the past couple of days have been tough on the hearts of Packer Nation.As sad as it was to see Clay Matthews and Randall Cobb move on, letting them leave was also very necessary.Both players are no longer their former selves. Matthews has infamously struggled when healthy and even when he was on the field he was often invisible. Cobb had flashes, but he too was not as productive the past few seasons as Davante Adams’ star began to rise.They were both very popular with fans. and Matthews made THE play of Super Bowl XLV that stunted the Pittsburgh Steelers’ momentum and allowed Green Bay to win their fourth Lombardi Trophy. Cobb was a noted Chicago Bear killer as he scored two game-winning touchdowns against the Packers’ most hated rival. Those are moments fans will never forget.However had Green Bay brought them back, they’d be doing so based on what they did for the team more than what they can still do and being nostalgic won’t win you a Super Bowl. Same rule applies to bringing back Jordy Nelson. Green Bay is moving forward, not backwards.This offseason has been all about the Packers coming into the future and part of that means letting go of the past. As bitter of a pill as it is to swallow losing Cobb and Matthews, it was time.Their legacy in Titletown is secure, but their paths diverged from where Green Bay was headed. May their travels forever be smooth.You can read more on the tough but correct decision to let the two players walk plus how one of the new free agents could be in for a breakout season in today’s cheese curds.Packers send proper message in letting Clay Matthews, Randall Cobb walk—PackersNews.comTributes continue to roll in for both Cobb and Matthews, but the turning of the page letting both men walk feels significant. The Packers are in the process of being modernized and sometimes that means painful but needed decisions.From hoop dreams to NFL stardom: Za’Darius Smith’s path to Green Bay—ESPNMatthews’ replacement as the Packers’ featured pass rusher, with all due respect to Kyler Fackrell Vince Biegel Jersey , took a strange path to the NFL and Green Bay. Za’Darius Smith’s heart is in the right place too, as the first person he called after he signed with the Packers was mother and he told her she could quit working.New Packers OLB Preston Smith due for breakout year in 2019?—Packers WireAll eyes were on the first Smith the Packers signed, but what about Preston Smith? His pressures have gone up each of the past three seasons but his sack totals have fluctuated.This seems to indicate a player who is close and could benefit from Mike Pettine’s coaching and scheme.Jim Ringo was perfect fit for Lombardi’s offense—Packers.comBart may have been the Starr of the offense but Ringo was at the center of a legendary Fab Five offensive line.Escaped wallaby captured in Dallas neighborhood—UPIUnfortunately this is not the reboot of Rocko’s Modern Life we have all been waiting for. Even after losing to the worst team in football and getting their coach fired, the Green Bay Packers were supposed to beat the Falcons. The oddsmakers in the desert agreed, which hardly makes Green Bay’s 34-20 win a surprise in terms of the outcome. But how they did it, putting up 34 straight and throttling a talented Atlanta team, likely shocked most of Cheesehead Nation. This was the team we expected to see. Aaron Rodgers regained some of his lost accuracy, the offense hummed on third down (7/13) and didn’t bog down in the red zone (1/1). A revamped secondary did an excellent job against Matt Ryan’s high-powered offense with myriad weapons, and Joe Philbin’s team got the first truly complete win of the year. But, as the saying goes http://www.packerslockerroom.com/authentic-paul-hornung-jersey , even a dead cat will bounce if you drop it from high enough. Gruesome metaphors aside, it’s not uncommon for teams to come back and win after firing a coach. Rodgers said the team bought into Philbin’s message immediately, a potential indictment of Mike McCarthy but also an indication of the ferocity with which this team craved a new voice. Philbin made sure Aaron Jones got his touches after a slow start, as Jones put up 106 yards and a touchdown on 20 touches. The passing game found its rhythm with more short passes and underneath looks and Philbin prioritized personnel multiplicity, constantly changing formation and player groupings. Rodgers regained some of his lost accuracy and the offensive line got its act together in the second half despite all the injuries. Surely Randall Cobb’s return buoyed this offense, not just with his touchdown catch, but in providing Rodgers another receiver he trusts to be in the right spots consistently. If there’s reason to believe Sunday’s model could be sustainable though, it’s on defense, where a short-handed secondary held the Falcons under 150 yards until deep into the third quarter. The two late touchdowns were aesthetic only, with the game very much in garbage time. Jaire Alexander’s day would have looked much better had the officials correctly ruled the first two Julio Jones catches Womens Dave Robinson Jersey , but he made up for it with impact plays as a tackler and blitzer. Clay Matthews had his best day as a Packer in a long time and Bashaud Breeland looks like a player Green Bay should try to keep this offseason. Holding the Falcons to seven points during meaningful run of play didn’t have anything to do with Mike McCarthy not being the head coach. Atlanta self-destructed with some penalties, but part of that was because they struggled to block the Packers front. The defense playing like this truly does suggest a pathway forward for this team to make significant improvement, whether this year or beyond. What happened Sunday validates Mark Murphy and Brian Gutekunst. This is the team Green Bay should have been from and we saw hints of it in Week 1 when Rodgers was actually on the field. In light of what the Bears defense did to Jared Goff and the Rams Sunday night, the Rodgers comeback looks even more miraculous in hindsight. More to the point, there was nothing truly flukey about what the Packers did to the Falcons. There were no trick plays or ultra-lucky breaks. The Atlanta fumble in the red zone was lucky, but it was late in the third quarter with Green Bay still up 20. The schematic tweaks Philbin made worked and, more importantly, the team bought into them. Success begets success when it comes to confidence in a scheme, meaning this team should feel even better about the plan heading into a tough matchup with the Bears on Sunday.The last time the Packers faced the Bears, Aaron Rodgers went full Avengers and ripped Chicago’s heart out at Lambeau Field. Under the departed Mike McCarthy http://www.packerslockerroom.com/authentic-jason-spriggs-jersey , Green Bay had won eight straight at Soldier Field. Even with Brett Hundley, the Packers found enough plays to win against Vic Fangio’s defense. But this version of the Bears defense has grown since Week 1. They’re on a record pace for turnovers and interceptions. They create pressure from every angle, disguise coverages extremely well, and create big plays as well as any defense since that Broncos Super Bowl team. It won’t take long to find out if the Packers offense found something sustainable. They play the best defense in football in six days. If the Packers really are closer to the team we saw Sunday, we’ll find out this weekend. Mike Pettine’s defense should once again be able to find ways to fluster Mitch Trubisky and should be much better prepared for his ability to make plays with his feet. That would have been true no matter who was the head coach and Pettine has shown the ability to game plan for these big games. The true test will come for Rodgers and the offense. No doubt Fangio will be ready with some wrinkles after stymieing the Packers in the first half of that Week 1 game even before Rodgers got hurt. Bryan Bulaga and Lane Taylor need to get back on the field to give Green Bay any chance, but even then Chicago’s ferocious defense will test any progress that has allegedly been made.Beating a talented team like Atlanta, in particular shutting down that offense for most of the game, isn’t nothing. But we won’t know until this weekend if the Packers’ improvement is actually something.