AJ HAWK

[Bretsky]

What are your thoughts on his performance this year ? He seemed to be taking a step backwards again this year and has been missing plenty of tackles.

In one of McGinn's opinionated takes last week, he slipped the following into his article. "The Packers made a mistake by resigning Hawk and letting Barnett go."

That one kind of shocked me. Would anybody agree with McGinnn ?

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

I disagree. Barnett was overrated, 30 yo, and coming off injury. Hawk is a good player and a lot younger than Barnett. Did we over pay for Hawk? Now thats debatable.

[George Cumby]

Not with McGinn, but boy oh boy, he seems a step (or two) behind on every play this year.

I used to be firmly in his camp, but this year, I kind of cringe watching him play.....

[ND72]

I'm not thrilled with Hawks play, but he isn't supposed to be a play maker in this defense. He's supposed to be the play caller, and the guy who takes on blocks to open up tackles for others. I've kind of liked his attitude this year, kind of ticked off all the time, which I haven't seen a ton of from him. Definitely made the right move in keeping him over Barnett...would just like to see him be more "influential".

[CaptainD]

Complete horse manure. The defense turned the corner last year when Hawk took over. Last week people where complaining about Hawk and it turns out # 59 not 50 screwed up.
Today Hawk had a couple really nice tackles on D before going out. Here's the bottom line Hawk was on a super bowl D running the show something Barnett could not do...his niche is lining everyone up in the front 7 etc. Time to leave the Hawk underachieves stuff alone. TT doesn't buy it...MM doesn't buy it ...nuff said

[Upnorth]

I'm with ND72 and captd on this one guys. Hawk is the d qb and does well.

[George Cumby]

I concur that Hawk is a better leader than Barnett, I just don't have the faith in him that I used to.....

[ThunderDan]

First off Barnett and Hawk don't play the same position in a 3-4 defense. You would never take Hawk out for Barnett to play his role.

That being said Hawk's play this year has been below average/average at best. I thought Hawk started the Lions game well but so far this season Francois's play in the 2nd half eclipsed anything Hawk has done.

I also liked the spark that Smith brought stepping in for Bishop.

[mmmdk]

Hawk isn't going anywhere!

[collapse77]

I'd prefer they play DJ Smith from here on out. Can someone tell me what Hawk does well? Lining people up doesn't mean he's the best man for the job and if that was the reason the defense stepped up last year then why can't he line 'em up this year? The defense can play well with him at ILB if they can pressure the QB consistently, but he's a guy that the opposition aims to exploit and that limits what Capers can do schematically. He's a liability in coverage and he's not effective rushing the passer. So what does he bring to the table?

[mraynrand]

I don't know if Francois was playing the Bishop or the Hawk ILB position, but I don know that Hawk can't make an athletic play like that INT. He hasn't been all that effective in any coverages for a while now.

But I like the creative thread title.

[Willard]

I thought Hawk looked slow and ineffective today. The play when Stafford scrambled up the middle, Hawk stayed in coverage way too long and then seemed to run at half speed to try to catch up to the play. He looks like he Is on the purple drank he is so damn slow.

[mraynrand]

Hawk looks like a guy who has lost his confidence. Physically - before the injury - I didn't think he looked bad. But he looks like he doesn't know what to do. Thinking too much and playing on his heels.

[ThunderDan]

I don't know if Francois was playing the Bishop or the Hawk ILB position, but I don know that Hawk can't make an athletic play like that INT. He hasn't been all that effective in any coverages for a while now.

But I like the creative thread title.

DJ Smith could never play Hawk's position in a 3-4. He is too small to take on guards consistantly.

[smuggler]

Both Francois and Smith are smaller than Hawk. Those are the guys we've got.

[collapse77]

Francois is listed at 6'2". Hawk is generously listed at 6'1". He doesn't look 6.1 in person. Smith, while smaller, plays more physical than Hawk. The defense had a different look to it with Smith in the game.

[King Friday]

Hawk is generally assignment sure, but he's not very physical nor does he possess great athleticism. He's a good LB, but certainly not great.

I disagree that we should've resigned Barnett over Hawk simply from the vantage point that Barnett was getting older and was never exactly durable when he was younger. Barnett may be a slightly better player, but age and chance of injury mean he probably will be on the field a lot less than Hawk. In our current defense, Hawk doesn't have to be a huge playmaker...just play smart and make sure everyone on defense is on the same page. He's very reliable in that regard, so I'm not going to complain about him. However, he's certainly someone who could be replaced with an upgrade in the next couple years.

[RashanGary]

Jermichael Finley just isn't reliable enough to resign to a huge contract. I'd rather have a DL

[mmmdk]

Hawk looks like a guy who has lost his confidence. Physically - before the injury - I didn't think he looked bad. But he looks like he doesn't know what to do. Thinking too much and playing on his heels.

Spot on!

[MJZiggy]

I'd prefer they play DJ Smith from here on out. Can someone tell me what Hawk does well? Lining people up doesn't mean he's the best man for the job and if that was the reason the defense stepped up last year then why can't he line 'em up this year? The defense can play well with him at ILB if they can pressure the QB consistently, but he's a guy that the opposition aims to exploit and that limits what Capers can do schematically. He's a liability in coverage and he's not effective rushing the passer. So what does he bring to the table?

The defense was different last year. We were getting far better pressure from the line which meant that the secondary didn't have to cover as long because the QBs didn't have as much time to throw before they were run down. I think with Neal in maybe we can get some of that pressure back.