Carl Bradford and the ILBs

[pbmax]

I think this is an interesting situation that probably tells us something about how Ted works. http://www.espnwisconsin.com/common/page.php?feed=2&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&id=19851&is_corp=1


“I know [when] we drafted Carl, Ted felt pretty strongly that he was an outside linebacker and it really helps in our scheme if you train them outside to inside just because the way everything fits together. Then the learning is seamless jumping in and out of certain personnel groups. That was the thinking early with Brad, Jamari and Carl.”

So it was Ted and the personnel guys who wanted Carl outside, and I think its fair to say he failed that test. But rather than insist (or more to my point, quickly hire a vet ILB who's presence could ensure Bradford get another shot at OLB) they are going to stick with the coaches recommendation and keep him inside.

Now Bradford is not the only reason Ted hasn't splurged at ILB. He doesn't at safety, ILB or TE unless you are an All Pro type. But a GM who wants to see his decision triumph could make this tough on the coaches. Ted seems to be moving on.

So he clearly made a mistake, but he is content with moving on from it, not doubling down.

More from Ted on ILBs here. http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/inside-linebacker-position-may-be-turning-into-problem-for-packers-b99467481z1-297339431.html

[SkinBasket]

Another article written from the hindsight perspective with the Madden football mentality that your team should be able to find perfect players at every position every season, instead of realizing that a lot of building an NFL roster comes down to doing the best you can at each position while keeping the build of the entire unit in mind... and while competing against 31 other teams who just happen to be trying to build their own rosters. The bitching about safety and RB positions in previous seasons is especially sophomoric, considering our intrepid reporter offers no alternatives that might have worked out better - even if you were to suspend your disbelief and accept his would-be football divination as accurate.

Comes down to more harping on someone who's proven himself to be one of the best in the business at personnel year after year for not being perfect or for not using his magical Ouija board to predict the future abilities of hundreds of potential players. Yeah, there's a couple positions of concern on the roster, but most teams would love to have our "problems" instead of what they do have.

Except for Goodson at CB. That guy is garbage.

[smuggler]

Except for Goodson at CB. That guy is garbage.

Jarrett Bush 2.0

[pittstang5]

Jarrett Bush 2.0

Goodson = Good For Nothing

[Fritz]

The title of this thread sounds like the name of a 90's band.

I'm not sure why everyone's so down on ol' Dmitri Goodson. The dude hasn't even played the sport for more than a couple years. Maybe he'll bust, but maybe he'll be the Ziggy Ansah of cornerbacks. Let's give the kid a shot.

[bobblehead]

More from Ted on ILBs here. http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/inside-linebacker-position-may-be-turning-into-problem-for-packers-b99467481z1-297339431.html




That same year, Thompson neglected to recognize that backup quarterbacks Graham Harrell and B.J. Coleman weren't NFL talent and stubbornly stuck with them rather than add a more experienced backup. It nearly cost him the playoffs when Aaron Rodgers was lost for seven games with a broken left collarbone.

I guess I'm crazy because I recall him cutting Harrell and Coleman and picking up a veteran named Seneca Wallace. But hey, don't let facts get in the way of a good story!!

[smuggler]

Aced.

[mraynrand]

I guess I'm crazy because I recall him cutting Harrell and Coleman and picking up a veteran named Seneca Wallace. But hey, don't let facts get in the way of a good story!!

Yes, you are crazy. Wallace was picked up in desperation because the other two options sucked. But if you are arguing that TT isn't perfect, then you're reasonably sane.

[pbmax]

I guess I'm crazy because I recall him cutting Harrell and Coleman and picking up a veteran named Seneca Wallace. But hey, don't let facts get in the way of a good story!!

Seneca Wallace = UNSOUND!

However, while the article does suffer from the ailment Skin diagnosed (why don't you do everything at once and have it all go according to plan), I am willing to cut Silverstein some slack on this point and assume he meant the offseason plan.

Because at some point in March/April, both T2 and M3 thought they should be the backups.

[Joemailman]

I'm kind of hoping Goodson might be Davon House 2.0. But then, I'm a kool-aid drinker.

[Fritz]

Maybe if he plays better than Jumal Rolle next year, that will be enough.

[Carolina_Packer]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/24/reports-mason-foster-agrees-to-deal-with-bears/ Well, Mason Foster is off the FA board. The more I read about him, the more I said 'Meh!" Perhaps TT recalls signing Brandon Chillar and now thinks better of bringing in a guy like that after being with another team for four years, as Chillar was with St. Louis. That, and a year after he got to GB, they switched to a 3-4. Perhaps better to draft and sign some young guys this year and try and develop what you already have.

[bobblehead]

Yes, you are crazy. Wallace was picked up in desperation because the other two options sucked. But if you are arguing that TT isn't perfect, then you're reasonably sane.

He also had vince young in camp...an experienced veteran. I guess he should have gone the silverstein route and traded a 6th for Brady or Manning to back up Rodgers. I do recall that offseason well, there were something like 4 or 5 pro bowl QB's available to back up rodgers for the league minimum, but fucking TT didn't sign any of them.

[smuggler]

Chillar was just fine until he got injuried in a way that would never really heal again. Can't account for that when drafting and signing guys, for the most part. Frankly, Chillar at his best was probably as good as Hawk and much better than Brad Jones.

[pbmax]

Loved the Big Nickel with Chillar, even if he couldn't cover a TE. Actually, now that I think about it, I didn't love it completely.

Vince Young was a stop gap later in the year. Their plans blew up, it happens. You aren't correct all the time and no way was Flynn worth that deal Seattle gave him.

[wist43]

I don't think Bradford can play at the NFL level.

When we drafted him I thought it would be a no-brainer that they had him slotted for ILB duty - but of course 1265 didn't see it that way, and insisted on trying to shove a square peg in a round hole. Now they are going to try him there, but from what I saw of him last year - I think he might be useless altogether, as opposed to just being played out of position.

He just didn't look like he belonged on an NFL field. He was slow - very slow - to react; he didn't look like he had any instincts at all; he looked small; his short arms were very evident in that he couldn't keep blockers off of him, and he didn't know how to shed and chase at all.

Getting rid of Hawk and Jones was a step in the right direction, but I'm not convinced that Ted and MM care enough about the ILB position to do much about it.

[Joemailman]

Bradford played the last preseason game at ILB after practicing there for about 3 days. Therefore I think it might be a tad early to write him off. It's too bad it took the team as long as it did to decide he couldn't play outside. Some of the negatives you talk about - lack of speed, short arms - sound like a scouting report of Chris Borland. It will take some time to see if he has the instincts to play inside, but his physical shortcomings aren't as big a problem inside as they were when he was playing outside.

[smuggler]

He has the speed. He does not have OLB strength, but he could potentially be the cover man on the inside, opposite Barrington's thumping. If he has the interior instincts and the coverage ability, he can help the team.

[mraynrand]

He also had vince young in camp...an experienced veteran. I guess he should have gone the silverstein route and traded a 6th for Brady or Manning to back up Rodgers. I do recall that offseason well, there were something like 4 or 5 pro bowl QB's available to back up rodgers for the league minimum, but fucking TT didn't sign any of them.

The point, my impetuous friend, is that TT blew it with respect to the back up QB position. He's still an excellent GM, however.

[3irty1]

I don't think Bradford can play at the NFL level.

When we drafted him I thought it would be a no-brainer that they had him slotted for ILB duty - but of course 1265 didn't see it that way, and insisted on trying to shove a square peg in a round hole. Now they are going to try him there, but from what I saw of him last year - I think he might be useless altogether, as opposed to just being played out of position.

He just didn't look like he belonged on an NFL field. He was slow - very slow - to react; he didn't look like he had any instincts at all; he looked small; his short arms were very evident in that he couldn't keep blockers off of him, and he didn't know how to shed and chase at all.

Getting rid of Hawk and Jones was a step in the right direction, but I'm not convinced that Ted and MM care enough about the ILB position to do much about it.

He was a successful edge rusher in college and athletically the only thing that's special about him is his vertical. I can see why they'd want to give him every opportunity to succeed as an OLB for us.

I agree with your assessment though. He didn't look particularly good at anything.

[Carolina_Packer]

Probably too much thinking and indecision. He wouldn't be the first rookie to have that happen to him. I want to see what he looks like when he knows the plays and is just reacting and showing whatever ability he has. Hard to do that if you are a deer in the headlights. I hope they create a lot of competition at ILB like you'd expect. Barrington, in his second full year is now the man at that spot unless they go first rounder at that position. Perhaps Lattimore will be back to provide some depth/competition as well.

[3irty1]

Probably too much thinking and indecision. He wouldn't be the first rookie to have that happen to him. I want to see what he looks like when he knows the plays and is just reacting and showing whatever ability he has. Hard to do that if you are a deer in the headlights. I hope they create a lot of competition at ILB like you'd expect. Barrington, in his second full year is now the man at that spot unless they go first rounder at that position. Perhaps Lattimore will be back to provide some depth/competition as well.

I agree he was likely thinking too much, specifically fear. There wasn't much time left in preseason by the time he'd been switched to ILB so he really didn't have a lot of opportunities to not suck. The possibility of not making the team was very real. The entire appeal of the guy is his supposed propensity for big plays so the forgettable performance we saw at ILB could just be his conscious effort to avoid risk. I think Morgan Burnett gets into spells of that although he's never really been on the bubble so he doesn't have as good of an excuse as Bradford.

Charles Woodson is the exact opposite with inhuman confidence at all times that allows him to play risky and trust his football training. Why wouldn't he though? Charles Woodson's actual life is a fantasy land of personal accomplishment where he has no reason to think he's not a god.

[Joemailman]

What we saw from Bradford in his one preseason game at ILB was that of a player thinking instead of reacting. Under the circumstances, that's about the best that could be hoped for. Unlike a guy like Lattimore, he at least seemed to know what gap he should be in. He's a tough guy with a good motor. I think he has a chance.

[Fritz]

It'll be a make-or-break year - either they see his potential there and they stash him on the bottom of the 53, or they cut him loose. Not sure he'll be able to make enough of a jump to become a legitimate candidate to start.