I agree you add Newome; I'm not sure you take out the Niner guy
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Ted Thompson layed out a blueprint for the teams roster as long as the CAP grows to absorb the cost of the "Big Two"..
The next GM takes that and adds some assertiveness and we'll see the Packers prosper.
This season will be a telling one for all of PACKER NATION. I hope that Ted Thompson's draft is a very good one this time.
This is a season to take stock. We'll know what we really have after 2014.
GO PACK GO !
Baalke's curve crested a bit last year. It will be an interesting year for them. The D performed at a high level most of the time but showed some cracks and they lost another guy. The O really sputtered except against GB.
The ex-Packer who was competing with Baalke (Scot McCloughan) did a lot of the drafting I believe prior to Baalke's ascension. He has some more to prove yet. Schneider has been more consistent in draft and FA. Baalke gets major credit for hiring Harbaugh which was a coup because he had multiple suitors and had to pay a lot to land him.
So, has anyone mentioned that we hired zook as a special teams assistant. He's a man with hc and dc experience. Couldn't that hiring be a hint to capers that he needs to shape up?
Got brought back to this article today: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/261284361.html
OK, here is my attempt to reconcile the disparate pronouncements made by the Packers coaching staff this offseason about how the defense will change. McCarthy has been talking about players and losing their offseason plans due to injury, Capers has been talking vanilla D, personnel packages and volume.
1. Fewer alignments. Jumbo sets (both in base 3-4 and the 2-4 tilted to play run D) looks like its not going to be featured with Pick gone and Jolly questionable to return. The Packers have some replacements, Boyd, Guion, but they are not Howard Green types. It would seem these guys (possible exception of Boyd) will see less snaps. So I take this to mean less Jumbo. With fewer alignments to learn (and more reps in certain alignments), younger players might be able to play more.
2. More personnel packages. The offensive variety the Packers see won't diminish, so you still need to matchup. But instead of an alignment change or alteration, they will sub out people to bring different skills onto the field.
3. Duplication of player skills. On a defense that is dependent on its OLB putting pressure on the QB, the Packers were dealt a serious blow with injures to Matthews, Perry and Mulumba. Its easy to read too much into Peppers signing, but a Peppers last year probably makes the D's pass rush more of a threat every down even if he is paired with Nate Palmer. I don't know if OLBs could be more important to this team, but Peppers specifically at OLB means the Packers are committing resources to the position so that even the normal run of injuries won't decimate it and cause half the playbook to be tossed aside. There are two basic types of D lineman bodies on this roster outside of Raji and its either DE from a 3-4 or a 4-3 3-technique tackle. Without much Jumbo, those players are a bit more interchangeable than last year when pass rush and quickness often had to be sacrificed for stoutness.
4. No matter how you try to square the very general pronouncements, there is always a conflict or two and we won't know the reality until preseason games. This is evident with Item #2; by going with more interchangeable body types, the skill sets kinda start to merge. There are a lot of D lineman who are supposed to supply a pass rush, but fewer who are run pluggers. this does have the advantage of making it less likely you cannot run your favorite packagers after injuries (something M3 has mentioned). However, it means you could get short handed against specific kinds of teams.
5. Capers really singles out personnel groups. So what alignments with the most successful players dictate? I'm not sure anyone knows, but they haven't shown anything in camp that is a radical departure according to press coverage. But Capers does mention Woodson, who played himself into a new position in nickel. Could the same thing happen with Peppers and Matthews?
I think you can assume Clay will miss games due to injuries, and Perry hasn't stayed healthy. Last year Neal played more snaps than I think they expected him to, and Palmer/Mulumba were rookies, so they were pretty green at the position. I wouldn't be surprised if that affected some of the plays, there wasn't a lot of experience at OLB on game day. Adding Peppers, getting people back healthy, last year's rookies being in the system a full year, and adding Carl Bradford should help the OLB depth tremendously.
I'm unclear on the DL -- I thought they wanted to get more traditional 3-4 DE's, but they drafted Thornton with guys like Urban on the board. Pickett and Jolly won't be back, and I think Worthy has to show something this year or he's gone too. I think they want more quickness and pass rush from the DL; we'll see if that works. I wonder what the run defense will actually look like, although I'm not sure Pickett and Jolly were giving that much more there than what they can get from some of the young guys.
Seems like they do have more duplicate types at spots, so some of those comments make sense. One player gets hurt, you can plug another similar player in and keep calling the same game vs. having to adjust your calls and throw out a chunk of your prep for that week.
The guy I think of when Capers talks Woodson is Micah Hyde. I think they want to train him to be a hybrid and move him around. I don't think he's near as good as Woodson, but not many are. Still, he could be someone who blitzes one down and covers out of the slot the next while letting you play Burnett and HHCD elsewhere on the field.
:oops:
:whist:
Sorry about wasting this bandwidth.
3. Duplication of player skills. On a defense that is dependent on its OLB putting pressure on the QB, the Packers were dealt a serious blow with injures to Matthews, Perry and Mulumba. Its easy to read too much into Peppers signing, but a Peppers last year probably makes the D's pass rush more of a threat every down even if he is paired with Nate Palmer. I don't know if OLBs could be more important to this team, but Peppers specifically at OLB means the Packers are committing resources to the position so that even the normal run of injuries won't decimate it and cause half the playbook to be tossed aside. .... Fr. post #91 pbmax
http://www.packers.com/media-center/...8-2ebd31570587
Video Ask Vic: Lots of Linebackers
In this 'Video Ask Vic,' packers.com editor Vic Ketchman gives his thoughts on the inside linebacker position in the Packers base 3-4 defensive scheme.
If the defense is terrible again this season, then fire Dom.
Or keep him on as the defensive backs coach, and make him go without his rug.
I hope it's more "vanilla". Get the younger guys proficient at doing the basics of the 3-4 first...then add the rocket science. The less rampant confusion in coverage, the better.
Defensive Line Updates
1. Jolly has been cleared by his Doc
2. Guion has been the backup nose for Raji
3. Daniels and Jones seem most like to start with Raji (but this observation is noticeably light on details or evidence)
4. Worthy has not taken a snap since his injure
5. Daniels has been the vocal leader
http://www.packersnews.com/story/spo.../?sf27904902=1
I'm thinking Worthy could be done here. He hasn't been healthy for a while, and didn't stand out when he was healthy. That could open up a spot for either Pickett or Jolly.
I was pretty sure Worthy was done...until I was reminded in an article that Daniels and Worthy didn't show much in their first year. Daniels jumped in his second year while Worthy was recovering from an injury.
Now I don't expect Worthy to jump, but it's possible, so I'm now withholding the judgment I previously wasn't withholding.
The Packers tend to be patient with injured players, especially early in their careers. Worthy didn't have a lot of production in his rookie year, but he was regarded highly enough that he played around 450 snaps. Last year was simply lost to his injury at the end of 2012. I would be surprised if they gave up this quickly on him.
I'm in agreement. He probably will be ready to go for training camp, and I suspect he'll get a lot of snaps in preseason to see where he's at.
I wonder if he's added any weight or worked on his quickness while he's been off.
I saw an article a while back that said he purposely lost about 20 pounds last off-season, essentially to get rid of baby-fat, then began a weight training program to build back up with added muscle weight. It was all part of their plan to reshape his body for the NFL.
Well, that's good to hear. My memory of him from his rookie year is watching him try to quick-rush at the snap, like KGB used to do, except Worthy would get swallowed up and never did, in my recollection, disengage from the blocker.
His quickness was his calling card at Michigan State; he needs that, but he needs some moves and he needs some strength. My hope is that he has both of those by the end of training camp, along with his health.
SI_DougFarrar @SI_DougFarrar · 2h
Reviewing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix tape for a piece today, and the thing I like most about him is that the dude thinks he can make every play.
SI_DougFarrar @SI_DougFarrar · 2h
There's a defiance to Earl Thomas' game. "I know YOU can't make that play, but **** off. I'm Earl Thomas." Clinton-Dix has some of that.
Well then he went ahead and wrote an article:
SI NFL @si_nfl 16m
Is Ha Ha Clinton-Dix the right man to revive the #Packers defense? @SI_DougFarrar thinks so: http://on.si.com/1jK48f3
Man, I am not getting the disdain for Perry this offseason. Now Moss is chiming in. They usually are far more relaxed about injuries.
But at least Hawk and Jones haven't missed any of the offseason and they know how to lineup correctly.Quote:
Perry returned for the final six games, but wasn't the same player. He then missed the entire off-season with an undisclosed injury.
Perry has now missed 17 of 35 games in his short career (including playoffs). And Green Bay's coaches seem to be out of patience.
"Nick Perry in my book has done absolutely zero," Moss said.
Added Packers head coach Mike McCarthy: "I don't think it helps any player to miss a whole off-season. You have a season to get ready for. You have this much work.
"And to do it all in a nine-week period, and for a player to miss all of it, obviously it's not a good situation to be in. I think any of the players who did not take advantage of this nine-week opportunity or due to injury is definitely something they're going to have to work harder to catch up once training camp starts."
For better or worse, the Packers appear to still be married to veterans A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones at inside linebacker.
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packe...medium=twitter
The only thing that makes sense to me is that the Perry commentary is a motivational strategy. Kevin Greene failed in his efforts to motivate Perry through private channels, so now plan B is to go public. There will not be a plan C.
I actually wonder if that Moss comment was out of context from the article earlier this year. Might he have been uttering some variation of the fresh start?
Perry has been misused from the day he was drafted - I'm sure the guy is completely demoralized and wants out.
Still, mailing it in and refusing to give effort isn't any way to make friends or money - Perry will be gone as soon as his contract is up, and will be looking to land on a team as a 4-3 DE, which is where he belongs.
So Perry will be gone, Worthy will be gone, Raji will be gone... TT and Capers need to get on the same page, or this nonsense will just continue as long as Spraypaintedhair is DC.
I couldn't find that quote elsewhere, but Moss did say this after McCarthy let fly with those quotes after minicamp:
http://www.espnwisconsin.com/common/...&post_id=38251Quote:
Asked what Perry is missing, linebackers coach Winston Moss replied, "Everything. Everything." When asked as a follow-up if it's a major setback for Perry, Moss responded, "No, it’s not a setback. He’s missed everything. It’s unfortunate. It’s disappointing."
Moss's interview was played on the bill michaels show about a month ago, and the "Nick Perry has done absolutely zero" comment was in response to a question about whether Perry had made any progress since the end of last year. Moss had already stated that Perry didn't show enough last year for a real evaluation, so the absolutely zero comment was on top of that. Clearly a rebuke.
The Moss interview plays a little more than halfway into the clip.
http://media.billmichaelssports.com/...day-hour-4.htm
I don't think it is a given at all that he will fit in as a 4-3 DE either. Perry might turn out to be one of those guys who was a decent college player, but doesn't really fit anywhere in the pro game.
He is a fool if he doesn't commit himself heart, soul and body to the "hybrid" DL/LB that the Packers have been talking about for the up coming season. It could be what is best for him, a little of each but a lot of neither.
+1
I don't think Perry's problem is that he wants or is better suited to play 4-3, I think he's just hurt too much and just hasn't had time to fully learn and embrace the position.
At this point, I've given up on getting anything out of Perry. As soon as you think the lights come on and he's about to break out, he gets hurt. Time to move on for me. We have Neal, Peppers, Mathews and a whole bunch of rookies and 2nd year guys that will be chomping at the bit to play. If Perry turns it around, good, but I'm not holding out hope.
Just playing the odds of the NFL draft crap shoot on a pass rusher, Perry was probably gonna fail and probably would have failed as a 4-3 DE as well. The frustrating part is the injuries is it prolongs his evaluation when you'd really like him to fail quickly if he must fail.
TT's first round picks since 2005*
Offense
Aaron Rodgers (2005)
Bryan Bulaga (2010)
Derek Sherrod (2011)
Defense
AJ Hawk (2006)
Justin Harrell (2007)
BJ Raji (2009)
Clay Matthews (2009)
Nick Perry (2012)
Datone Jones (2013)
HaHa Clinton Dix (2014)
*players in bold have had development delayed or derailed by injury
If the defense is terrible this year it will because, with one notable exception, TT's first round draft picks on defense don't develop they way they are expected to. Player development might be part of the problem but the most obvious common denominator are the injuries that have plagued this team.
Peri was a bad pick from day one. Came in with the wrong attitude about his weight and position. Although he said some better things at the beginning of last year it seems like he still has a poor attitude behind the scenes. He might not make it out of TC this year, if he even gets cleared for it. Just a bust.
Also what is with this 'undisclosed injury' thing. I know they don't like saying anything useful these days, but we learn about things like the cyst that Harris had removed last year, the weird intestinal thing some other guy had a couple of years ago, etc. The coaches seem pissed about this one, like Peri injured himself in a stupid way just before OTA's, or that he had some sort of lingering injury and ignored advise for surgery until just before OTA's so he couldn't get the work in.