So if the defense is terrible again this season?

[Bretsky]

Take out 49ers Trent Baalke and insert Ozzie Newsome from the Ravens.

I agree you add Newome; I'm not sure you take out the Niner guy

[woodbuck27]

damnit it

but this worked out just fine

A man couldn't draw those curves with a parabola.

[woodbuck27]

Say its not so. TT is the face of this organization. He saved us from cap hell. won a Superbowl. Showed the NFL how to draft. Makes us a contender every year. I pity Packer life after TT.

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 !

[pbmax]

I agree you add Newome; I'm not sure you take out the Niner guy

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.

[mraynrand]

So now when I go to church tomorrow, and the pastor starts rambling about "satin" I'll just have a goofy grin on my face.

My pastor gave me negative rep for posting that picture.

[run pMc]

My pastor gave me negative rep for posting that picture.

I can't look at that picture and think about football.

[Zool]

i haven't been to church in at least 10 years, but i think i would rather go to church then to watch fucking baseball

Would fucking baseball be anything like the lingerie football league? If so, sign me up.

[mraynrand]

Would Fucking Baseball be anything like the lingerie football league? If so, sign me up.

Sounds like a Will Ferrell movie

[Smeefers]

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?

[mraynrand]

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?

it was mentioned

[pbmax]

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?

[run pMc]

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.

[Pugger]

[Pugger]

Sorry about wasting this bandwidth.

[woodbuck27]

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.

[Fritz]

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.

[Striker]

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.

[pbmax]

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

[Patler]

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

6. Picket told Sirius radio that he intends to play in 2014, preferably in Green Bay.

[Joemailman]

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.