A Packers rookie did well considering his situation
Zach Tom went to bed Saturday night knowing he was a backup offensive lineman. When he arrived at FedEx Field for game day, the Green Bay Packers rookie found out he would make his first career start. He did well considering the circumstances. Tom would start at left tackle in place of the All-Pro tackle David Bakhtiari who is still unstable with his knee injury.
Tom did well overall in his 54 snaps with the offense. Pro Football Focus gave Tom a 66.1 overall rating for his play against the Washington Commanders in Week 7. He was exceptional as a pass blocker for the Packers. Tom didn’t allow a single pressure in any of the 41 pass blocks he protected. To be fair, Tom had plenty of help, but he did his job nonetheless. That’s crazy good for a rookie who was drafted in the fourth round.
The run game was a different story
As great as Tom was in the passing game, the Packers rookie needs work on his run-blocking. PFF gave him a 47.8 rating for his run-blocking. The Packers struggled when running to the left side against the Commanders, where he was playing the tackle position. The Packers need to be able to run efficiently. Tom not being able to run block well is a problem for the offense that knows it needs to get the ball to its running backs.
It was a small sample size, but according to Sports Info Solutions, the Packers had a negative EPA when running on the left side Sunday. A.J. Dillon and Aaron Jones split the four carries the Packers ran on Tom’s side. Dillon had an EPA average of -.76. Jones had an EPA average of -.60.
This is not to excuse the Packers coaching staff for not running the ball more. They had some success running the ball and needed to continue developing better run designs to extend drives. However, it’s easy to see why the Packers had more pause before calling running plays in this game.
Here are the four plays the Packers ran on Tom’s side in Week 7. Judge for yourself how the Packers rookie did.
Here’s a successful run on the left side. But Zach Tom does not come up to reach his blocking target. He almost makes the tackle. pic.twitter.com/PdBhCOjyZq
— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) October 25, 2022
Bad play design and communication by O-Line. Tom doesn’t stay in front of his man either as he steps into a daylight running lane. pic.twitter.com/k9V7LVpDEt
— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) October 25, 2022
Tom doesn’t get his man turned. He holds the block long enough for a positive gain though. It’s a meh block pic.twitter.com/akEtMdxIL6
— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) October 25, 2022
This play fails in part because Tom fails to get his man turned. His man gets into the running lane. pic.twitter.com/uPzeQ489Fo
— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) October 25, 2022
These clips show Tom has a ways to go in learning the Packers’ offense.
A Packers rookie can’t replace Bakhtiari
Bakhtiari is hard to replace. Tom will not be able to play at an All-Pro level this season. Against the New York Jets in Week 6, Bakhtiari was rated by PFF as the Packers’ best offensive player. He earned a run block rating of 77.6 against the Jets. And the EPA proves those numbers.
According to SIS, the Packers running backs had a positive EPA when going to the left side when Bakhtiari was playing. Dillon had an EPA average of .03, and Jones had an average of .23 against the Jets. The Packers had a positive EPA when running to the left side in London against the Giants.
Expecting Tom to come in and play at Bakhtiari’s level is unrealistic. However, the Packers must find ways for the offense to run the ball with Tom playing if Bakhtiari is going to be unreliable this season. It’s up to head coach Matt LaFleur and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich to develop creative plays to get Dillon and Jones more involved. But on short notice, it can make sense how the staff looked unprepared to stick with a running game averaging 3.2 yards a carry against the Commanders. The injuries are just killing the Packers’ season right now.
1 Comment
He might be right about most of the problem made by young team mates. Problem is that throwing them under the bus will not make them play better. Only makes matters worse. Terrible leader…address problem in privacy of locker room. Don’t go out in public to deflect the problem away from self. Leaders accept the wrath and protect his team mates. Time to give Aaron a time out.!