PaCkFan_n_MD
08-25-2006, 10:01 AM
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 24, 2006
Green Bay - Coach Mike McCarthy doesn't want his defenses in Green Bay doing a ton of blitzing and is optimistic he won't be forced to do that this year.
The Packers ranked an impressive eighth among National Football League teams in sack percentage last season. They had 35 sacks, including eight by Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila as he led the club for the fifth straight season.
In reality, the Packers' pass rush was nothing more than average. They totaled just 38 knockdowns and 40 hurries, a significant downturn from 51 knockdowns and 72 hurries in 2004.
With the personnel essentially the same, the overriding question is whether the Packers can generate sufficient pressure from their front four so new defensive coordinator Bob Sanders won't be forced into wholesale blitzing.
"I would say every indication would be 'yes' right now," McCarthy said. "That's the one group that has a lot of depth. Now will you get enough pass rush from them? It's 'yes' because we're going to be rolling guys. It isn't like one guy is going to play 70 plays in a game."
For most of 2005, coordinator Jim Bates preferred to line up on passing downs with Aaron Kampman and "KGB" at the ends and with Cullen Jenkins and Kenny Peterson at the tackles.
Based on pressures per snap, Kampman ranked as the line's No. 1 pass rusher with one every 29.9 snaps. He was followed by "KGB" (one every 36), Peterson (one every 36.3) and Jenkins (one every 43.3).
Unless undrafted rookie end Jason Hunter makes the final roster, the Packers don't figure to have another up-field rusher to pair with Gbaja-Biamila. End Mike Montgomery is playing 10 pounds lighter this season at 265 but isn't an edge player.
Linebacker Brady Poppinga did that in college but doesn't figure in that role this season.
Peterson was having a decent camp, according to defensive ends coach Carl Hairston, before he suffered an ankle injury Aug. 10. He has yet to return and appears to be in some danger of being released.
Jenkins is the quickest of the six defensive tackles and, as a result, should garner one of what is expected to be five jobs.
Other than Jenkins, who among the defensive tackles has the talent to play inside in the dime defense?
"Ryan Pickett," McCarthy replied. "I (coached) against Ryan the last four or five years. He's got natural pass-rush skill. Absolutely. And (Johnny) Jolly's got to get going, too."
Pickett had just five sacks in five seasons for St. Louis. He still appears to be five to 10 pounds overweight at about 335. His conditioning needs improvement.
However, both McCarthy and Robert Nunn, who coaches the defensive tackles, said Pickett had developed as the Packers' best all-around defensive tackle.
"He's been solid," Nunn said. "Ryan does a good job of transitioning from the edge and turning it into power and walking people back."
Nevertheless, Pickett admitted that he hadn't played back to his 2005 form, when he enjoyed his finest season for the Rams. He has been asked to read and react more while penetrating less.
"I don't feel like I've been playing near as well as I'm capable of playing," he said. "I'm still trying to get comfortable in this system. It's doable, but it was a big change."
Pickett, who prefers playing the left side, is set as one starter but the other tackle hasn't been determined. The Packers don't want to start Jenkins, who lacks muscle against the run, or Jolly, who makes rookie mistakes. But Corey Williams, Colin Cole and Kenderick Allen all could wind up with the job.
According to Nunn, Williams has been the most consistent power pass rusher in four weeks of camp. He increased his strength in the off-season, added about eight pounds (to 318) and tried to stay squarer taking on blocks.
"Corey played a little light, I guess, inside," Nunn said. "That's the thing we tried to work on in the off-season, and he's done a great job. Corey has made definite improvement. He's playing stronger and heavier inside. He's in good position right now."
Cole was more productive last season than Williams, ranking No. 2 among linemen in tackles per snap and No. 5 in pressures per snap compared with No. 4 and No. 6 rankings for Williams. Nunn says Pickett has been the most effective point-of-attack run stuffer at tackle but Cole probably would rank second.
The wild card is Allen, the massive newcomer who entered camp as a starter. After an average first two weeks, he suffered an abdominal pull early in the San Diego game and didn't return to practice until Monday. He still isn't 100% but hopes to play extensively Monday night in Cincinnati.
Allen, who has trimmed his weight to 316, says he's pleased with his performance and doesn't even think about the possibility of getting cut.
"Kenderick's in good condition," Hairston said. "He's a tough guy. But it's hard to make an assessment until he gets in a game."
Under Bates, the Packers played conservatively through the first eight games, rushing five or more on just 25.9% of passes. After that, he blitzed on 36.4% of passes as the Packers finished with a blitz rate of 30.9%. They blitzed 29.4% of the time both in 2003 and '04.
"You have to attack the protection schemes and take advantage of matchups," McCarthy said. "That's my general philosophy. Now is that 25%? Is that 35%? It depends on the flow of your season.
"I don't think being an all-out pressure team is the way to go. You do too much of anything and you're going to get burned in this league."
If a four-lineman rush proves ineffective on passing downs, Sanders will have a variation of a 3-2 defense available. Last year, Poppinga had some success as a rush linebacker in the 3-2. Now it appears as if A.J. Hawk, who had 9½ sacks as an Ohio State senior, will be the featured blitzer.
"In the 3-2 stuff, he's a natural pass rusher," McCarthy said. "That's something we'll get more into as we go down the line. I think what you're seeing in the last 12 to 14 days is a young man get comfortable with what he's doing. I think we need to continue and let that (gain) a little more steam. You can't ask him to do too much."
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 24, 2006
Green Bay - Coach Mike McCarthy doesn't want his defenses in Green Bay doing a ton of blitzing and is optimistic he won't be forced to do that this year.
The Packers ranked an impressive eighth among National Football League teams in sack percentage last season. They had 35 sacks, including eight by Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila as he led the club for the fifth straight season.
In reality, the Packers' pass rush was nothing more than average. They totaled just 38 knockdowns and 40 hurries, a significant downturn from 51 knockdowns and 72 hurries in 2004.
With the personnel essentially the same, the overriding question is whether the Packers can generate sufficient pressure from their front four so new defensive coordinator Bob Sanders won't be forced into wholesale blitzing.
"I would say every indication would be 'yes' right now," McCarthy said. "That's the one group that has a lot of depth. Now will you get enough pass rush from them? It's 'yes' because we're going to be rolling guys. It isn't like one guy is going to play 70 plays in a game."
For most of 2005, coordinator Jim Bates preferred to line up on passing downs with Aaron Kampman and "KGB" at the ends and with Cullen Jenkins and Kenny Peterson at the tackles.
Based on pressures per snap, Kampman ranked as the line's No. 1 pass rusher with one every 29.9 snaps. He was followed by "KGB" (one every 36), Peterson (one every 36.3) and Jenkins (one every 43.3).
Unless undrafted rookie end Jason Hunter makes the final roster, the Packers don't figure to have another up-field rusher to pair with Gbaja-Biamila. End Mike Montgomery is playing 10 pounds lighter this season at 265 but isn't an edge player.
Linebacker Brady Poppinga did that in college but doesn't figure in that role this season.
Peterson was having a decent camp, according to defensive ends coach Carl Hairston, before he suffered an ankle injury Aug. 10. He has yet to return and appears to be in some danger of being released.
Jenkins is the quickest of the six defensive tackles and, as a result, should garner one of what is expected to be five jobs.
Other than Jenkins, who among the defensive tackles has the talent to play inside in the dime defense?
"Ryan Pickett," McCarthy replied. "I (coached) against Ryan the last four or five years. He's got natural pass-rush skill. Absolutely. And (Johnny) Jolly's got to get going, too."
Pickett had just five sacks in five seasons for St. Louis. He still appears to be five to 10 pounds overweight at about 335. His conditioning needs improvement.
However, both McCarthy and Robert Nunn, who coaches the defensive tackles, said Pickett had developed as the Packers' best all-around defensive tackle.
"He's been solid," Nunn said. "Ryan does a good job of transitioning from the edge and turning it into power and walking people back."
Nevertheless, Pickett admitted that he hadn't played back to his 2005 form, when he enjoyed his finest season for the Rams. He has been asked to read and react more while penetrating less.
"I don't feel like I've been playing near as well as I'm capable of playing," he said. "I'm still trying to get comfortable in this system. It's doable, but it was a big change."
Pickett, who prefers playing the left side, is set as one starter but the other tackle hasn't been determined. The Packers don't want to start Jenkins, who lacks muscle against the run, or Jolly, who makes rookie mistakes. But Corey Williams, Colin Cole and Kenderick Allen all could wind up with the job.
According to Nunn, Williams has been the most consistent power pass rusher in four weeks of camp. He increased his strength in the off-season, added about eight pounds (to 318) and tried to stay squarer taking on blocks.
"Corey played a little light, I guess, inside," Nunn said. "That's the thing we tried to work on in the off-season, and he's done a great job. Corey has made definite improvement. He's playing stronger and heavier inside. He's in good position right now."
Cole was more productive last season than Williams, ranking No. 2 among linemen in tackles per snap and No. 5 in pressures per snap compared with No. 4 and No. 6 rankings for Williams. Nunn says Pickett has been the most effective point-of-attack run stuffer at tackle but Cole probably would rank second.
The wild card is Allen, the massive newcomer who entered camp as a starter. After an average first two weeks, he suffered an abdominal pull early in the San Diego game and didn't return to practice until Monday. He still isn't 100% but hopes to play extensively Monday night in Cincinnati.
Allen, who has trimmed his weight to 316, says he's pleased with his performance and doesn't even think about the possibility of getting cut.
"Kenderick's in good condition," Hairston said. "He's a tough guy. But it's hard to make an assessment until he gets in a game."
Under Bates, the Packers played conservatively through the first eight games, rushing five or more on just 25.9% of passes. After that, he blitzed on 36.4% of passes as the Packers finished with a blitz rate of 30.9%. They blitzed 29.4% of the time both in 2003 and '04.
"You have to attack the protection schemes and take advantage of matchups," McCarthy said. "That's my general philosophy. Now is that 25%? Is that 35%? It depends on the flow of your season.
"I don't think being an all-out pressure team is the way to go. You do too much of anything and you're going to get burned in this league."
If a four-lineman rush proves ineffective on passing downs, Sanders will have a variation of a 3-2 defense available. Last year, Poppinga had some success as a rush linebacker in the 3-2. Now it appears as if A.J. Hawk, who had 9½ sacks as an Ohio State senior, will be the featured blitzer.
"In the 3-2 stuff, he's a natural pass rusher," McCarthy said. "That's something we'll get more into as we go down the line. I think what you're seeing in the last 12 to 14 days is a young man get comfortable with what he's doing. I think we need to continue and let that (gain) a little more steam. You can't ask him to do too much."