Beilema was an all-conference Big Ten defensive lineman. I have to give him a little cred in judging talent on the D-line. Michigan State was very much on his radar screen during Worthy's years.
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Beilema was an all-conference Big Ten defensive lineman. I have to give him a little cred in judging talent on the D-line. Michigan State was very much on his radar screen during Worthy's years.
Didn't Worthy have a career game against the Badgers his last year?
Much is being made of Worthy costing a 2 pick plus whatever it was Ted paid to move up. Certainly I can see that. My thinking is that because of injuries, Worthy was not able to develop. I am reasonably certain the Packer coaches knew Worthy was a one-trick pony coming out of MSU, but thought that with time they could coach 'em up, teach him some new moves, strengthen him, and so on.
Well, the kid didn't really get on the field, and in the meantime, this other kid named Mike Daniels, who seems to be the same kind of player, did develop moves and had a similar quickness. So the coaches and GM don't really have the time/need to develop Worthy since there are only so many d-linemen you can keep. I think the drafting of Thornton plays into this as well. If you even partially buy TT's "best available" line, then Thornton was not necessarily a need pick - he just happened to have talent and was available. He's got that raw talent and needs developing, just like Worthy (still) does, and the staff probably thought they just didn't have room for both those guys plus the rest of the group.
As for Worthy now being seen as a wasted pick, it depends on how you see it. If TT had drafted Daniels in the second round and Worthy in the fourth, people wouldn't be so much up in arms as they are. In the end, the Packers drafted two similar guys. One seems to be working out well, the other isn't.
FWIW, Jason Wilde weighed in on the Homer radio show with thought that Packers didn't like Worthy's intensity. He didn't seem unhappy about being inactive due to injury. He does not have a high motor on the field. I have no idea if this is fair or true.
Wilde also pointed out that Julius Peppers is a guy with inconsistent effort, takes plays off, as was demonstrated in his sleep-walk through first preseason game. But Peppers has much more talent than Worthy.
It also seems as though the Packers are more willing to let oft-injured players leave these days.
Until Peppers obviously has nothing left, he's going to be a guy that opposing offenses will have to account for in critical situations. Hell, he can sleepwalk half of the season for all I care, as long as he shows up in the "gotta have it" moments to close out games or win in the playoffs. The guy who can make that play hasn't been around much for GB these last few years.
That was the knock on Worthy coming out of Michigan St. http://www.profootballweekly.com/pro...rel-worthy-99/
Quote:
Negatives:
Average processing speed — can be late to find the ball (and looked like he was thinking too much as he tripped over a bag in Combine drills). Too often coasted and took plays off — motor idles. Does not play with fire — mild playing temperament. Has underachiever tendencies — production did not meet talent. Struggles handling double-teams. Tired too easily and tended to wear down in games.
I think reporters are guessing on the conditions, because I have seen somewhat conflicting statements. One of the early articles stated very definitively that it was conditional only (and it said "only") on him passing a physical, and it didn't matter if he actually made the final roster. Then another said it was a graduated draft pick dependent on playing time.
I guess we will find out next off season.
Maybe if he makes the roster it's a sixth, and if he makes playing time incentives, it escalates to a fifth rounder. That would probably be the best outcome for the Pack,..
Perhaps the thread title should have been Not Worthy.