GoPackGo
07-29-2006, 03:04 PM
Chris Havel column: Defensive line looks leaner and meaner
There are a number of ways to measure improvement.
Sometimes it is reflected in what you don't see.
When the Green Bay Packers opened the 2006 training camp Friday night, what I didn't see at Clarke Hinkle Field was encouraging, especially in the defensive line.
I didn't see Grady Jackson in his jersey, shorts and sun visor waddling from drill to drill with a wet towel stretched across the back of his neck. I didn't see Cletidus Hunt, also in his jersey and shorts, standing in perpetual loaf mode.
Last year, Jackson did not practice until Aug. 29. Hunt was waived Sept. 3.
On Friday night, I didn't see defensive tackle James Lee nursing a chronic sore back, or defensive end R-Kal Truluck being mauled in the one-on-one pass-rushing drill. I also didn't see a beached whale in the bunch.
Full of potential
What I did see was size, athleticism, hustle and the potential for depth.
I saw a defensive line that at least looked the part.
Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila appeared sleek as they moved smoothly through one drill and into the next. Ryan Pickett looked like a willing worker, rather than a fat cat who signed a hefty free-agent contract in the offseason.
Kenderick Allen, at 6-foot-5 and 328 pounds, seemed surprisingly agile. Colin Cole, the starting nose tackle, looked trimmer and more explosive than last year. Cullen Jenkins, Corey Williams, Michael Montgomery and rookie Johnny Jolly jumped into drills without hesitation and seemed eager to work.
Granted, it is only one practice, and the first practice at that. But if one position group jumped out as significantly improved, it was the defensive line.
"For our first night in pads, on a good, hot night, those guys did some good things," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "There are some things we need to work on, but we got off to a good start."
A year ago, any type of start for Jackson and Hunt  good, bad or somewhere in between  would have been cause for celebration.
Trimmed the fat
This year, it appears Packers GM Ted Thompson has trimmed the fat.
The competition looks real, and if Allen realizes his potential, the Packers may have found a stud.
"(Allen's) working hard, and he's got his priorities lined up," Sanders said. "He's in much better shape than he was in the spring."
It appears Thompson wasn't fooled into overestimating a defense that ranked seventh in yards allowed in 2005. He added Pickett and cornerback Charles Woodson in free agency, and linebackers A.J. Hawk and Abdul Hodge in the draft. He also made moves such as signing Allen that went under the radar, but may pay dividends.
"We upgraded the defense at every position," Sanders said. "We need to be better against the run, no question about that. We've got to shore that up. In the NFL, you've also got to be able to take it away."
It is only one practice, but I liked what I saw almost as much as what I didn't see in the defensive line.
Chris Havel can be reached by voice mail at (920) 431-8586 or by e-mail at chavel@greenbay.gannett.com
There are a number of ways to measure improvement.
Sometimes it is reflected in what you don't see.
When the Green Bay Packers opened the 2006 training camp Friday night, what I didn't see at Clarke Hinkle Field was encouraging, especially in the defensive line.
I didn't see Grady Jackson in his jersey, shorts and sun visor waddling from drill to drill with a wet towel stretched across the back of his neck. I didn't see Cletidus Hunt, also in his jersey and shorts, standing in perpetual loaf mode.
Last year, Jackson did not practice until Aug. 29. Hunt was waived Sept. 3.
On Friday night, I didn't see defensive tackle James Lee nursing a chronic sore back, or defensive end R-Kal Truluck being mauled in the one-on-one pass-rushing drill. I also didn't see a beached whale in the bunch.
Full of potential
What I did see was size, athleticism, hustle and the potential for depth.
I saw a defensive line that at least looked the part.
Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila appeared sleek as they moved smoothly through one drill and into the next. Ryan Pickett looked like a willing worker, rather than a fat cat who signed a hefty free-agent contract in the offseason.
Kenderick Allen, at 6-foot-5 and 328 pounds, seemed surprisingly agile. Colin Cole, the starting nose tackle, looked trimmer and more explosive than last year. Cullen Jenkins, Corey Williams, Michael Montgomery and rookie Johnny Jolly jumped into drills without hesitation and seemed eager to work.
Granted, it is only one practice, and the first practice at that. But if one position group jumped out as significantly improved, it was the defensive line.
"For our first night in pads, on a good, hot night, those guys did some good things," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "There are some things we need to work on, but we got off to a good start."
A year ago, any type of start for Jackson and Hunt  good, bad or somewhere in between  would have been cause for celebration.
Trimmed the fat
This year, it appears Packers GM Ted Thompson has trimmed the fat.
The competition looks real, and if Allen realizes his potential, the Packers may have found a stud.
"(Allen's) working hard, and he's got his priorities lined up," Sanders said. "He's in much better shape than he was in the spring."
It appears Thompson wasn't fooled into overestimating a defense that ranked seventh in yards allowed in 2005. He added Pickett and cornerback Charles Woodson in free agency, and linebackers A.J. Hawk and Abdul Hodge in the draft. He also made moves such as signing Allen that went under the radar, but may pay dividends.
"We upgraded the defense at every position," Sanders said. "We need to be better against the run, no question about that. We've got to shore that up. In the NFL, you've also got to be able to take it away."
It is only one practice, but I liked what I saw almost as much as what I didn't see in the defensive line.
Chris Havel can be reached by voice mail at (920) 431-8586 or by e-mail at chavel@greenbay.gannett.com