So if the defense is terrible again this season?

[pbmax]

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.

He said in his rookie year that he was going to keep the weight he put on for the Combine because the Packers wanted him between 260 and 270. If true, he was abiding by instructions. Having one OLB in a 3-4 at 270 is not unheard of.

His "attitude" about the position was one pre-draft comment about preferring to keep his hand in the dirt because that is what he was used to doing. But as long as he was chasing after the QB, he didn't care. Its amazing the power this one quote had taken on given his struggles. Its a good thing he didn't admit to being a Bear fan because everyone on this board would be accusing him of sabotage in that case.

He could be malingering behind the scenes, but other than new and public complaints that he is missing the offseason, we have no evidence. Notice that no one has asked McCarthy or Moss whether or not Perry is cleared to practice. The reason they haven't asked is the offseason; McCarthy and Moss don't need to answer. We found out about other players because they or they agents talked.

He could have delayed surgery against team advice, hoping it would heal itself. But the odds are long that he is still recovering from something related to his foot unless he damaged something else training in after the season.

I think there is one piece of evidence that they do not trust Perry in the defense: he clearly played better on the right, but he didn't get a full time gig there even after Matthews was hurt. Whether its assignments, health or attitude, they haven't devoted him to his favorite side. Which means they still have doubts. Whether its more than health and rep related, we might have to wait to know.

[pbmax]

You have got to be kidding. Neal is space looks like Kampman in space. Or an Octopus out of the water.

How many times did Perry get asked to drop in coverage versus play the line? Was it above 15%?

In the 2-4, its even less in passing situations. This debate is just goofy. Does anyone think Peppers will be Matthews or Jones in space? Its two different jobs.

The only questions at this point is his health. Is he holding himself out while cleared for practice, or are the Packers trying to light a fire under his butt?

[wist43]

Perry and James Harrison are similar players??

You guys are on drugs - or maybe you need to be on drugs if that's what you're coming up with minus a buzz

[3irty1]

Better comparison than Harrison is Shawne Merriman for Perry.

Fact is that Perry was only drafted for one thing and one thing only: rush the passer. You'd gladly put up with any hole in a OLB's game as long as they can get to the QB. If Perry could cover and play in space he'd still be a disappointment. A 4-3 wouldn't change what matters enough to save his career.

[Zool]

James Harrison played the same position in the same D and was bad in coverage. That's how they are similar. Perry is not out of position or used incorrectly IMO.

Perry is quite a ways ahead in athletic ability. Merriman would be a good comparison too if Perry hadn't been so pedestrian this far in his career. Time to stop being hurt and start playing.

[bobblehead]

James Harrison played the same position in the same D and was bad in coverage. That's how they are similar. Perry is not out of position or used incorrectly IMO.

Perry is quite a ways ahead in athletic ability. Merriman would be a good comparison too if Perry hadn't been so pedestrian this far in his career. Time to stop being hurt and start playing.

He also has very stiff hips and can't sink and spin in coverage. The skill set is eerily comparable.

[pbmax]

Perry is quite a ways ahead in athletic ability. Merriman would be a good comparison too if Perry hadn't been so pedestrian this far in his career. Time to stop being hurt and start ...

using PEDS. FIFY.

[Guiness]

Not sure about play style/position, etc, but career path-wise, you can't compare Perry to Merriman. Merriman started out like a house on fire, winning DRoY and going to the Pro-Bowl his first season.

[Fritz]

Probably whoever said Perry could be a very good situational rusher is about right.

Now Perry needs to work at doing that. He needs to work hard and keep his nose brown.

[wist43]

The girl in middle - does not have stiff hips. Doubt Nick Perry can move like that

[bobblehead]

The girl in middle - does not have stiff hips. Doubt Nick Perry can move like that

This is just creepy wist. Can't you just surf asian porn like a normal pervert?

[wist43]

This is just creepy wist. Can't you just surf asian porn like a normal pervert?

Don't need porn with a wife like mine

She's pretty close to the perfect wife... when she's pissed and starts bitching (which isn't often), she reverts to her native tongue and I can't understand a word she says - usually gets me laughing if she's really pissed, lol...

[Willard]

The girl in middle - does not have stiff hips. Doubt Nick Perry can move like that

That is a 3-4 I could get behind!

[3irty1]

If you're comparing Perry to Harrison because of how much they sucked to begin their career you're saying Perry's expectations should be that of an undrafted free agent instead of a first round draft pick.

I said Merriman because he was an elite athlete in the same mold drafted to play the same position with the same weaknesses. Nobody cared if he could cover or not. My point was that saying Perry is misused implies there is a good way to use him which I don't think is true. A pass rusher whose ineffective rushing the passer isn't misused, he sucks.

[Zool]

Again, same position in a very similar D scheme is the reason for the comparison.

[wist43]

I would have posted some highlights of Perry - but there aren't any

You guys are completely nuts - the 2 players aren't in any way similar.

[Rutnstrut]

I would have posted some highlights of Perry - but there aren't any

You guys are completely nuts - the 2 players aren't in any way similar.

Sure they are, they are both of a similar skin pigment.

[pbmax]

Defensive pressure by the Numbers (part of this applies to Packers): http://www.sportsonearth.com/article...k-runs#!bjbnjH

8. Defenses rush exactly four defenders on 62.9 percent of all pass plays.

A quick survey of depth charts reveals that exactly half of all defenses are listed as 3-4's right now. Also, a quick survey of coordinators reveals that about 95 percent of them insist "we are going to be multiple and hard to categorize," and 100 percent of them are going to be both "attacking" and "aggressive." At any rate, whether a team is officially a 3-4 or 4-3, whether they use tons of 2-3-6 personnel groups and blitz safeties on 1st-and-10 or come from the Tony Dungy school of Cover-2 fundamentalism, teams are going to rush four defenders on about two-thirds of pass plays.

Innovative, wacky, ultra-aggressive coaches rush defenders four at a time, just as they pull up their pants one leg at a time. The Cardinals, Chiefs, Packers, Saints and 49ers defenses were coached by a rogue's gallery of wild men and mad scientists last year. They combined to rush four defenders on 59.2 percent of pass plays, an insignificant smidge below the NFL average. Game situation and personnel quality are greater variables in determining how many defenders rush the quarterback than coaching philosophy. A coach who does not trust his cornerbacks is not going to blitz safeties, no matter what. A conservative coach whose defense forces lots of 3rd-and-long situations will blitz more than a barbarian whose defense cannot force obvious passing downs.

Five-man rushes occur on 22.8 percent of passes; six-man rushes (a pretty big blitz) occur on 7.2 percent of pass plays. Three-man rushes occur 5.8 percent of the time, despite all of those 3-4 defenses, which of course usually feature one or two linebackers who specialize in pass rushing. Rushes of seven or more defenders are typically reserved for red zone situations.

There's a fundamental mathematics at work with the four-man rush. A minimum of five defenders are needed to match up with five eligible receivers, a sixth defender is usually needed for double coverage, deep safety, quarterback spying or what have you, and diminishing returns kick in if three or fewer pass rushers make it easy for the quarterback to check his voicemail in the pocket. The aggressive defensive innovators of the 2010s express their individuality by sending four unexpected defenders. Bob Sutton of the Chiefs might send a nose tackle, a cornerback, a safety and Jamaal Charles (he does every other darn thing in Kansas City, so why not?), but he is more-or-less as likely to send four rushers as Lovie Smith is to send two tackles and two ends.

[wist43]

Defensive pressure by the Numbers (part of this applies to Packers): http://www.sportsonearth.com/article...k-runs#!bjbnjH

Of course 4 is most common number of rushers - always has been, always will. The questions become how do you create mismatches, confusion in the blocking scheme and coverage - and, also account for the run, as teams are now lining up with 3 WR's in run/pass sitautions.

Capers accounted for the run by plopping 650 lbs of Pickett and Raji in the middle of the line. Problem with that was Pickett offered zero pass rush, and Raji wore down in the role and offered no pass rush either.

The result was that if it was a pass, we effectively only had 2 pass rushers getting after the QB; and, if it was a run and the RB had a seam thru the line, our ILB's being below average, the second level of our defense usually wasn't there to clean up; hence, we routinely got gashed in the running game.

So it was the worst of both worlds the way Capers ran his nickel.

I read an article a while back which detailed the amount of nickel that teams are running now. The Saints ran the most nickel of any team in the league at 85% - but they ran exactly 0% 2-4. Granted, they are a base 4-3 team, but the 3-3 they ran was much better suited to dealing with run/pass than Capers 2-4.

The only other teams that ran the 2-4 more than 30% of the time were Washington and San Francisco, but I would argue both of those teams have vastly superior LB's, and could make the alignment work much better than Capers could with the personnel he has.

Given that Pickett and Jolly are not back, and looking at the stable of DL on the roster now, I'd imagine Capers will necessarily have to go to more of a 4-2/3-3 look, similar to how SF looks with Peppers and Aldon Smith being similar in stature and ability.

[pbmax]

1. Raji and Pickett played some nickel, but only when the percentages (or clock perhaps) said the opposition was going to run.

2. One of the problems we have in this debate is that we think 2-4 and 3-3 are entirely different schemes. But they are not. They are counts of positions. If Perry was on the Saints he would be part of the front line 3-3. A pass rushing end. One of whom is almost always on the field and a second of which could be inserted when they take two DL off the field and put in a DB and a pass rusher. The fact that he has not been productive enough is why Peppers is here.

3. Which leads to the obvious question: how often was the Saints 3-3 nickel geared toward beef rather than pass rush? Ideally, you do not need to substitute. Which is one reason why Pickett is no longer on the team, they hope Raji does that again.