Pickett And Raji Switch Positions

[pbmax]

According to Cover It Live blogger Greg A. Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Twitter, Greg_A_Bedard:
Both Raji and Pickett confirmed they have switched positions. Raji is now starting nose, Pickett at left end. It is permanent. #packers

[pbmax]

And Underwood has had himself cloned:

Greg_A_Bedard:
Underwood is at LC with Underwood on other side. Lee at nickel
Wednesday May 19, 2010 12:24

Greg_A_Bedard
12:24
Underwood is at LC with Underwood on other side. Lee at nickel

[hoosier]

Pickett and Raji switching surprises me. Hopefully that means Raji is starting to show signs of developing. I wonder if Johnny Jolly is starting to feel like the odd man out.

[Lurker64]

Well, I don't think who lines up as NT on the very first snap is kind of irrelevant. We'll rotate all over the DL, so Pickett and Raji may well both end up playing snaps at NT as the game progresses. I think all this really does signal is that they're not going to be lining up Raji at the 5 anymore, which is probably a good decision since his lack of length made him farm from ideal for that position.

This also likely signals that the Packers intend to play hardball with Jolly, since if the starting DL is Jenkins, Raji, Pickett we're not giving up that much without Jolly.

The only thing is, though, that I'd expect the Packers to substitute for Pickett a fair bit since he'll also be the backup at NT. Whether the first guy in is Jolly or Neal, it remains to be seen.

[Tony Oday]

This was the plan the entire time. We all talked about this last year adnaseum. Raji at End the 1st year then slide him over to NT and slide Pickett out.

[Lurker64]

And Underwood has had himself cloned:

Greg_A_Bedard:
Underwood is at LC with Underwood on other side. Lee at nickel
Wednesday May 19, 2010 12:24

Greg_A_Bedard
12:24
Underwood is at LC with Underwood on other side. Lee at nickel

Does this mean we can legally have 12 men on the field on defense, if two of them are the same person?

That would certainly help the pass defense.

[wist43]

This is Dom's idea of tweaking a unit that got slaughtered for 51 pts in the playoff loss???

I'm not thrilled with this move...

Pickett is a NT, period. Raji can play just about anywhere... but, I'd rather see him stay a fresher and used at DT/DE in obvious pass rushing situations.

Playing nose can only serve to beat Raji down and negate his pass rush... and, as I would think is obvious, Pickett isn't a DE in any scheme.

[RashanGary]

I'm surprised. Pickett seems like a nose and only a nose, but these guys know better than me.


It's going to be really interesting to see how this thing shakes out this year. We have quite a bit of talent on the DL. How it all gets divvied up, it's not nearly as cut and dry as last year when we had just enough lineman to go around. Now there will be choices. . . Who plays more, who plays where, I don't know. There are so many options, I could list scenario after scenario and eventually his something close to what happens. Last year, I hit it right on the head and was pretty sure I was right when I called it. This year, I have no clue. It could change matchup by matchup and will probably evolve over the course of the season. There aren't enough snaps to go around. We'll see how that rotation rounds out.

[Joemailman]

And Underwood has had himself cloned:

Greg_A_Bedard:
Underwood is at LC with Underwood on other side. Lee at nickel
Wednesday May 19, 2010 12:24

Greg_A_Bedard
12:24
Underwood is at LC with Underwood on other side. Lee at nickel

He hasn't cloned himself. He has great range!

[Lurker64]

This is Dom's idea of tweaking a unit that got slaughtered for 51 pts in the playoff loss???.

Yes.... since every single change to the defense over the offseason was unveiled by the second day of OTAs despite the fact that 3 guys who started a lot of games last year were not in attendance because they haven't signed their tenders.

Tomorrow in OTAs, McCarthy will demonstrate the entirety of his offensive playbook for the media.

[ThunderDan]

The only thing is, though, that I'd expect the Packers to substitute for Pickett a fair bit since he'll also be the backup at NT. Whether the first guy in is Jolly or Neal, it remains to be seen.

It's Harrell off the bench first, remember Justine Harrell. :lol:

[wist43]

This is Dom's idea of tweaking a unit that got slaughtered for 51 pts in the playoff loss???.

Yes.... since every single change to the defense over the offseason was unveiled by the second day of OTAs despite the fact that 3 guys who started a lot of games last year were not in attendance because they haven't signed their tenders.

Tomorrow in OTAs, McCarthy will demonstrate the entirety of his offensive playbook for the media.

The incredulity is born out of what should be obvious, i.e. Pickett is a NT - period; and, Raji has big upside as an interior pass rusher.

These 2 facts seem to have escaped Ernest Dominic :?:

[bobblehead]

The only thing is, though, that I'd expect the Packers to substitute for Pickett a fair bit since he'll also be the backup at NT. Whether the first guy in is Jolly or Neal, it remains to be seen.

It's Harrell off the bench first, remember Justine Harrell. :lol:

Who??

I'll be honest though, I don't truly get this move. Pickett played pretty damn good at NT last year....Maybe they think Raji will be just as good and are preparing for a Jolly suspension or something.

[Joemailman]

(Ryan Pickett lined up at defensive end. Can you talk about the thinking there?)
Ryan's a true pro. He's played the nose, the three-technique, and he's played some end. The four-technique is a little different for him, and the five-technique. I think it just shows his flexibility. We're just, once again, in Year 2 of our defense, just like the other two phases, we've had a chance to go back and evaluate our schemes and concepts that we used last year, how we can better utilize our players, moving some players around to give us some flexibility to make sure we have those options throughout the course of a 16-game season, and that's definitely one of them, trying to get Ryan more on the field. I think it just says a lot about him as a person and his flexibility as a player. I think with Ryan being down in the trenches, sometimes people lose sight. He has exceptional foot quickness and he definitely has the ability to get out there and play a five-technique.

This doesn't sound like a situation where Raji is going to play NT all the time, and Pickett is going to play DE all the time. My guess is they feel Pickett may be able to do a better job at DE of occupying two blockers than Raji does, thereby freeing up the SOLB to make plays.

[Joemailman]

Speaking of position changes, when Will Blackmon returns from his knee rehabilitation, he will be at Safety. http://blogs.greenbaypressgazette.com/blogs/gpg/insider/

[Guiness]

I wonder how often we'll see the phsyco package, with Jenkins as the only DL. Worked we'll well a few times, and got burned a few others.

I can't see Jolly being the odd man out, he has played real well - and I love those batted balls! Is that an official stat? I wonder where he ranked in the league on those.
edit: I just saw Jolly hasn't signed his tender, and wasn't in camp. WHY!?!

[packerbacker1234]

This is a very telling sign as well as to what they think of the whole Jolly situation. As a player on the field last year, Jolly was extremely effective. I don't even know if thats debatable. He fit very well in the 3-4 DE position. His off the field stuff... may just be why the packers are moving picket around. Naturally, this does speak to what they really do think of picket as well. He's always been slightly underrated as a DL and this just goes to show his flexibility.

Like others, I think Raji just fits better at NT then he does at DE. Not saying he can't play DE, but you need to put players in their best positions and let them exceed. I think Picket will do just as well at DE as he did at NT last season.

[Tarlam!]

Speaking of position changes, when Will Blackmon returns from his knee rehabilitation, he will be at Safety. http://blogs.greenbaypressgazette.com/blogs/gpg/insider/

LOL, the Packers had 7 Safeties on the roster, now they have 8, right. Made me chuckle when I read this at Packers.com:


Peprah has been around long enough to know it's a waste of time to worry about the depth chart. Had he done that in the past, he never would have made it this far.

"My second year, my first training camp here (in '07), there were eight safeties - eight of us," Peprah said. "If you want to play the see-the-writing-on-the-wall game, I was like, 'Man, I'm outta here.' I wasn't getting a lot of reps.

"But I just had to focus on me. All I could focus on is what I could put on film and things like that. That's what I did and I made the team. That's all I can do, show them I'm ready to contribute any way I can."

Just like ol' times, huh, Charlie??? :D

[MichiganPackerFan]

The Raji Pickett switch seems really weird to me. Pickett did a great job in the middle. I guess there's plenty of rotation. I think the most important thing on the line is getting Jolly back and up and going. He was an aggressive beast last season, And the enthusiasm he plays with makes me think he's not another Cletidus. The line will be strong this year, and it would be a nice bonus to see Harrell get on the field too.

[hoosier]

Speaking of position changes, when Will Blackmon returns from his knee rehabilitation, he will be at Safety. http://blogs.greenbaypressgazette.com/blogs/gpg/insider/

I wonder if that is a temporary move while he continues to recover from knee surgery. Blackmon is on the light side for safety and if they are seeing this is a permanent move then they are probably slating him to be Collins's backup and nothing more. Which means he will rarely see the field except on special teams.

[bobblehead]

Speaking of position changes, when Will Blackmon returns from his knee rehabilitation, he will be at Safety. http://blogs.greenbaypressgazette.com/blogs/gpg/insider/

Am I the only one who read this and chuckled??

"and actually it helps out with me being real cerebral and stuff"

Yea will, if you are so "cerebral and stuff" you would realize switching positions means you weren't cutting it at CB.

His athleticism jumps off the screen, I'm not sure why he is better suited for safety than corner. I'm afraid its more a testament to his failure at corner but trying to justify keeping such a fantastic athlete on the roster.

[hoosier]

Speaking of position changes, when Will Blackmon returns from his knee rehabilitation, he will be at Safety. http://blogs.greenbaypressgazette.com/blogs/gpg/insider/

Am I the only one who read this and chuckled??

"and actually it helps out with me being real cerebral and stuff"

Yea will, if you are so "cerebral and stuff" you would realize switching positions means you weren't cutting it at CB.

His athleticism jumps off the screen, I'm not sure why he is better suited for safety than corner. I'm afraid its more a testament to his failure at corner but trying to justify keeping such a fantastic athlete on the roster.

So you're saying that if you were in his shoes your media savvyness would have prompted you to explain "Yeah, it's because I sucked at CB" instead of trying to find something positive to say?

[run pMc]

Raji is squatter than Pickett, so a move to NT isn't too surprising. My guess is this is something they want to experiment with early and junk it if it doesn't work.

I wouldn't be surprised if they rotate Pcikett and Raji quite a bit. This might be a move to keep them both fresh for the last part of the season. Really, who else do they have at NT besides these two?

Oh yeah, this move gives TT more negotiating leverage with Jolly, too.


As for Blackmon, he's coming off ACL surgery so his speed won't be all the way back. It frees more snaps at CB for Pat Lee, and possibly affects Bush's status on the gameday roster. Might be a good move, but I've not seen him consistently cover. Then again, many people don't think Bigby can cover either.

[rbaloha1]

Good move -- 2 big run stuffers. Should allow the backers to attack ball carriers running downhill.

[bobblehead]

Speaking of position changes, when Will Blackmon returns from his knee rehabilitation, he will be at Safety. http://blogs.greenbaypressgazette.com/blogs/gpg/insider/

Am I the only one who read this and chuckled??

"and actually it helps out with me being real cerebral and stuff"

Yea will, if you are so "cerebral and stuff" you would realize switching positions means you weren't cutting it at CB.

His athleticism jumps off the screen, I'm not sure why he is better suited for safety than corner. I'm afraid its more a testament to his failure at corner but trying to justify keeping such a fantastic athlete on the roster.

So you're saying that if you were in his shoes your media savvyness would have prompted you to explain "Yeah, it's because I sucked at CB" instead of trying to find something positive to say?

No, he handled it the best way he could by embracing it and keeping a good attitude....I just liked the "cerebral and stuff" quote. I was just jabbing at him for not living up to potential at CB.

[hoosier]

Speaking of position changes, when Will Blackmon returns from his knee rehabilitation, he will be at Safety. http://blogs.greenbaypressgazette.com/blogs/gpg/insider/

Am I the only one who read this and chuckled??

"and actually it helps out with me being real cerebral and stuff"

Yea will, if you are so "cerebral and stuff" you would realize switching positions means you weren't cutting it at CB.

His athleticism jumps off the screen, I'm not sure why he is better suited for safety than corner. I'm afraid its more a testament to his failure at corner but trying to justify keeping such a fantastic athlete on the roster.

So you're saying that if you were in his shoes your media savvyness would have prompted you to explain "Yeah, it's because I sucked at CB" instead of trying to find something positive to say?

No, he handled it the best way he could by embracing it and keeping a good attitude....I just liked the "cerebral and stuff" quote. I was just jabbing at him for not living up to potential at CB.

Well for what it's worth he did reportedly score a 30 on the Wonderlic, so maybe the cerebral comment was not pure embellishment.

[pbmax]

This is Dom's idea of tweaking a unit that got slaughtered for 51 pts in the playoff loss???

I'm not thrilled with this move...

Pickett is a NT, period. Raji can play just about anywhere... but, I'd rather see him stay a fresher and used at DT/DE in obvious pass rushing situations.

Playing nose can only serve to beat Raji down and negate his pass rush... and, as I would think is obvious, Pickett isn't a DE in any scheme.
Raji did not look good at DE. He is only 6' 2" and has arms short enough that they were question marks about playing even 3 technique in a 4-3. He was also dinged for his lack of pass rush despite his initial, first step quickness.

If you need to get both on the field at the same time, Pickett at end (he looks taller though both are listed at 6' 2") might be the better option. This seems a direct answer to missing Jolly.

[Lurker64]

That 6'2" listed for Raji is pure fiction too. If I recall the combine numbers, he's 6'1 3/8.

The 5 technique was clearly not a good position for Raji. He was fine at the 3, but looks ideal for the 0 or 1.

[Fritz]

Me, I'm like smart and stuff.

[pbmax]

That 6'2" listed for Raji is pure fiction too. If I recall the combine numbers, he's 6'1 3/8.

The 5 technique was clearly not a good position for Raji. He was fine at the 3, but looks ideal for the 0 or 1.
I recall a photo where he is MUCH shorter than Harrell, but I don't recall a picture of him next to Pickett. But the NFL and nfldraftscout.com both had him at 6' 2". I can buy them rounding up.

[falco]

I can buy them rounding up.

I think it depends on where they measure from... measuring from the underside adds an inch or so.

:oops: