Greg Jennings dropped by Dan LeBatard Is Highly Questionable for an interview on Monday.  LeBatard asked Jennings a series of questions, but the most interesting one occurred near the six minute mark.  LeBatard asked Jennings if he would want a dome on Lambeau Field and Jennings said he would like one.

First off, I’m not sure how serious Jennings is.  However, that thought is blasphemy.  A dome on Lambeau Field is not natural.  It would ruin the mystique of the place.  As someone who has been to Lambeau for a couple of games, it is a hallowed ground of football.  A dome would steal some of the magic.

Football in Green Bay would not be the same in controlled temperatures.  The elements are part of football and should remain that way.

#Packers Aaron Rodgers named NFL MVP.

February 4, 2012 6:55 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@kareemcopeland

Kareem Copeland

In news that shocks no one, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named NFL MVP on Saturday.  Rodgers led the Packers to a 15-1 record during the regular season.  Although their season was cut short in the playoffs, Rodgers’s season was nothing short of fantastic.

Rodgers threw for 4643 yards and 45 touchdowns.  He only threw six interceptions and had a quarterback rating of over 122.  It was one of the best statistical seasons by a quarterback in recent memory.

Clements has been a rock for Aaron Rodgers and Matt Flynn as the quarterbacks coach since 2006. The promotion comes after previous offensive coordinator Joe Philbin left to become the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Clements has an outstanding resume as he has previously been the quarterbacks coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was also the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills before coming over to Green Bay.

In a statement released by the Packers, McCarthy points out how this was a no-brainer and that it was an obvious decision to go with Clements.

“Tom has been an integral part of our success and our staff, making it an obvious decision to promote him to offensive coordinator,” McCarthy said. “He has earned this opportunity and we look forward to continued offensive success in 2012.”

Rodgers has stated on more than one occasion how great of a coach and mentor Clements has been for him ever since he became the starter for the Packers. This decision will clearly benefit the quarterback and the team as they try to build on their success from the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Clements spoke to Packers.com about getting the new job.

“I’m happy that it’s happened and I’m happy for Joe that he’s a head coach, and I’m glad I was able to step into his place,” Clements said. “I’ve been a coordinator before, only for a few years. I’ve always wanted to get back to doing that and thankful that it’s here in Green Bay. I think it’s a great opportunity. We have a young team. We’ve had success over the past couple of years. We still have a lot of room to grow and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

The panel consists of 32 coaches and executives in the NFL who vote on the executive who is most deserving based on team accomplishments and improvements from the previous season. Obviously, it is hard to improve on a team that won a Super Bowl but Thompson was able to do that as Green Bay posted a franchise-best 15-1 record and the number one seed in the NFC. Unfortunately, the Packers lost in the Divisional playoff round to the Giants.

The top four executives with the most votes were Thompson (14), San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke (7), Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith (5) and Cincinnati Bengals president Mike Brown (3).

It is an honor for Thompson to win this award but I am sure if you asked him he would have preferred another Super Bowl ring. There is no doubt he will have his work cut out for him this offseason as the Packers try and get ready to make another deep playoff run, except this time without it ending in disappointment. Green Bay will have the 28^th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and several players who will become free agents that they will need to sign in order to ensure another successful season.

Sporting News also previously named Aaron Rodgers as the offensive player of the year. Rodgers and cornerback Charles Woodson were both named to the Sporting News all-pro team.

“My biggest disappointment with our defense was our productivity in tackling,” said McCarthy. “The tackling was not there all year and it is not acceptable. It was definitely the biggest fundamental flaw of our football team. We need to be a better tackling team next year. It is something we have talked about as a football team.”

The Packers were horrendous when it came to tackling this season. It was one of the main reasons why they surrendered almost 300 yards per game on defense. Several missed tackles took place in the Divisional playoff game against the New York Giants which cost the Packers. The biggest one by far was when Charlie Peprah attempted to take down Hakeem Nicks and failed miserably. Nicks ended up turning the play into a 66-yard touchdown.

McCarthy emphasized that the team needs to get back to the fundamentals if they want to compete at a high-level next season.

“It’s not about pressure calls or coverage calls it’s about fundamentals, and we were not a sound fundamental team this year. “

McCarthy spent all of Wednesday with defensive coordinator Dom Capers evaluating the defense. He will do the same with special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum tomorrow and offensive coordinator Joe Philbin Friday.

The Packers have several question marks going into the offseason that McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson will have to address in the ensuing weeks.

At the age of 35, Clifton had his worst season as he was only able to play in six games after injuring his left hamstring and then his back. When he finally was able to make a start in the regular season finale against the Detroit Lions, he only played two series and looked rusty in both.

Head coach Mike McCarthy decided to go with the veteran against the New York Giants in the Divisional playoff round which ended up backfiring. Clifton was constantly beat and was pulled for Marshall Newhouse before the end of the first half. Too much surprise of many fans, Clifton was in the game to start the second half.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packer offense were driving down the field with ease as they looked to come within three points of the Giants. As Rodgers stepped back to throw to a wide open Greg Jennings on the left sideline, the ball was swiped out of his hand. It was Clifton who was terribly beat and his man who forced the fumble. Clifton was the first person to pounce on the ball but instead of recovering it he pushed it between his legs where the Giants eventually ended up with it.

If he didn’t have a disastrous hamstring injury we might not even be having this conversation. To sit out since week 5 and be expected to perform against the best defensive line in all of football is asking a lot. It is not like it was his decision to be put back in the game after he clearly showed he was unable to play at a high level.

Clifton has been very good for the Packers for a very long time and was a huge reason why Green Bay was able to win Super Bowl XLV last year. Unfortunately, all good things must eventually come to an end.

He still has one more year on his contract in which he is set to make $5.25 million ($203,125 roster bonus) next season.

One question I would like to ask for now is where in the world was Clay Matthews this season? I am sure many fans are wondering the same thing so that is why I am going to break it down for everyone.

Last season during Green Bay’s Super Bowl run, Matthews had 60 tackles (54 solo), 13.5 sacks, four passes defended, two forced fumbles and an interception on his way to being named runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year.

This season in the same amount of games, Matthews had 50 tackles (37 solo), six sacks, nine passes defended, three forced fumbles and three interceptions with one returned for a touchdown.

Matthews’ statistics indicate he dropped back into coverage more than ever before instead of being the relentless pass rusher we all know he is capable of being. I put this one on defensive coordinator Dom Capers. If you have one of the best sack machines in all of football, why not utilize him better? Not only do I mean stop dropping him into coverage but move him around the field. Remember last season when Matthews would line up all along the defensive line and the opposing offensive line had no idea where he was coming from? I personally cannot remember one time Matthews lined up anywhere other than against the right tackle. That means he was never moved around and the opposing team always knew where he was coming from.

How many times did we see Matthews get double or tripled team on almost every down? I put this one on general manager Ted Thompson. The man is a draft day machine and I have all the respect in the world for him for building a team the correct way while saving loads of money to pay the superstars. However, the single biggest mistake that was made in the offseason was not resigning Cullen Jenkins. Jenkins was the exact player an outside pass rusher like Matthews needs on his team. Jenkins was capable of providing interior pressure which wouldn’t allow the quarterback to step up in the pocket so Matthews could have a field day. Mike Neal was meant to replace Cullen Jenkins but hasn’t quite panned out yet due to injuries that have forced him to miss 23 games, nine this season, in his first two years.

Basically, no interior pass rush means teams only have to worry about one player which equals triple teaming Matthews every play. Capers was not about to watch one of his best players get taken out of the game on every single down so he began to drop him into pass coverage. Matthews did decent defending nine passes and recording three interceptions but Thompson did not draft him to be used that way.

Is the anger subsiding? Good, now we can look at some solutions to fix the problem. Thompson would like to say Neal will pan out next season but honestly the Packers can’t afford to wait for that to happen. One thing Thompson could do is figure out how to draft defensive tackle Jerel Worthy out of Michigan State in the first round. Worthy may not always get home to the quarterback but he applies plenty of interior pressure that would allow other players to rack up the sacks. He is also a very good run stopper which is something the Packers could use more of. Thompson hates to do what I am about to suggest but the most obvious route would be to sign a proven free agent to get the job done. Jason Jones, when healthy, is capable of being an incredible interior pass rusher who specializes in preventing quarterbacks from stepping up into the pocket.

Green Bay has one of the most talented players in the league playing outside linebacker and it is their job to figure out ways to make him a threat on every down.

Holmgren’s record as a Packer was 84-42 including 9-5 in the postseason. He coached from 1992-1998 where he had seven consecutive winning seasons. He led the Packers to three straight NFC championship games from 1995-1997 which includes back-to-back Super Bowls in 1996 and 1997. Holmgren famously brought the Vince Lombardi trophy back home to Green Bay when he won Super Bowl XXXI in 1997.

A big reason for the success of the Packers was quarterback Brett Favre and defensive end Reggie White. Holmgren was in charge of grounding Favre and making him into the Hall of Fame quarterback the NFL was so lucky to watch over the past 20 years.

When free agency began in 1992, Reggie White was the first big-time acquisition any team could make. Holmgren knew everyone wanted him so he had to be creative if he wanted to get him. White stated he was waiting for a sign from God whether or not he should join the Packers. Holmgren heard about this and decided to leave a message on his answering machine, saying “Reggie, this is God. Go to Green Bay.” The rest of course is history.

Holmgren desperately wanted to be the general manager for Green Bay when Ron Wolf retired as well as remain the head coach. Wolf could never make any guarantees which led to Holmgren looking elsewhere for work. He took a lot of heat from fans and the local media during the Packers 1998 postseason run when Holmgren was in negotiations with the Seattle Seahawks while preparing for the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos. Of course, the Packers would go on to lose the game.

He coached the Seahawks from 1999-2008 where he led the team to their first Super Bowl in franchise history, a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Holmgren is currently the president of the Cleveland Browns as he is in charge of resurrecting a historic franchise.

The 42^nd Hall of Fame induction banquet will take place in the Lambeau Field Atrium on July 21^st.