Bretsky
09-09-2006, 11:43 PM
For starters, Hawk must soar with the elite
Posted: Sept. 7, 2006
Michael Hunt
E-MAIL
Here's the thing you've noticed about A.J. Hawk so far:
Not much.
He doesn't jump out on plays. The commentators rarely call his name. Except for a $5,000 fine he incurred from the league for a helmet-to-helmet shot on a backup Atlanta quarterback during an exhibition game, he has been somewhat quiet during training camp. In fact, he's just kind of. . . there.
Now here are the things that you hear about Hawk from scouts, from coaches, from teammates, from the people who should know:
He'll be fine.
Know what? He probably will.
But here's the problem:
The Green Bay Packers did not draft A.J. Hawk with the fifth pick of the 2006 draft to be fine or OK or a nice contributing player. They drafted him at No. 5 to be great.
I'm giving the kid more than the benefit of the doubt. In time, he will be a very good linebacker, maybe even better than very good. He has all the physical skills. He is a remarkable physical specimen. He has the right attitude for football. He is dedicated, smart, aggressive, and over-the-top willing to work, listen and learn. Big-time busts in the National Football League don't usually come with all those qualities; A.J. Hawk will not be a bust in this league.
But as long as his career lasts, he may never live up to the expectations created when the Packers took him at No. 5.
Linebackers are almost never drafted that high. No. 5 is the stratum typically reserved for quarterbacks and left tackles and game-breaking playmakers and such. Linebackers have to be very special athletes to make a difference in a football game, much less dominate a football game. It is also a rare occasion when a linebacker completely changes the direction of his defense or his team as a whole.
But it does occasionally happen. The Chicago Bears, for instance, seemed to have jumped on Brian Urlacher's shoulders to mold a defensive-dominated team that is currently the class of the division the Packers once owned. Can Hawk one day enter Urlacher's class? He'd better, or else the Packers will have made a huge mistake at a time when the franchise's margin for error is minimal.
During their run of 13 consecutive winning seasons, the Packers were not overly burdened by draft scrutiny. They weren't picking high enough for anyone to place any of their rookies under a high-powered microscope. In fact, they had not had a top-five pick since 1992, at least until a 4-12 finish last season returned them to the top of the draft.
Everyone remembers how the Packers botched a top-15 pick with bust Jamal Reynolds, and how they might've done better than the ordinary tight end Bubba Franks. But neither of those players was taken top five. The pressure will be great on Hawk to live up to that pick, as well as on general manager Ted Thompson to prove that he did not squander such a resource at a time when the Packers are in full-blown rebuilding mode.
Hawk is the poster guy for the Packers' ground-up restoration, meaning the franchise cannot afford for him to fail in any way. And failure in this sense would translate to a mediocre career by the weak-side linebacker, who concerned some observers when he did not have an immediate impact from the start with the Packers.
Early on, he said, "I'm just trying to make sure I do my job and good things will happen, I think."
There is every reason to believe that they eventually will.
"For now, let's understand, let's be realistic," linebackers coach Winston Moss told reporters not long ago. "He's a young guy learning a new scheme. Obviously, we expect him to be superhuman. But right now, I'm pleased with what he's been doing and the progress he's making."
And that's fine for now, but at No. 5, the Packers drafted Hawk to be just this side of superhuman.
Send e-mail to mhunt@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Sept. 7, 2006
Michael Hunt
Here's the thing you've noticed about A.J. Hawk so far:
Not much.
He doesn't jump out on plays. The commentators rarely call his name. Except for a $5,000 fine he incurred from the league for a helmet-to-helmet shot on a backup Atlanta quarterback during an exhibition game, he has been somewhat quiet during training camp. In fact, he's just kind of. . . there.
Now here are the things that you hear about Hawk from scouts, from coaches, from teammates, from the people who should know:
He'll be fine.
Know what? He probably will.
But here's the problem:
The Green Bay Packers did not draft A.J. Hawk with the fifth pick of the 2006 draft to be fine or OK or a nice contributing player. They drafted him at No. 5 to be great.
I'm giving the kid more than the benefit of the doubt. In time, he will be a very good linebacker, maybe even better than very good. He has all the physical skills. He is a remarkable physical specimen. He has the right attitude for football. He is dedicated, smart, aggressive, and over-the-top willing to work, listen and learn. Big-time busts in the National Football League don't usually come with all those qualities; A.J. Hawk will not be a bust in this league.
But as long as his career lasts, he may never live up to the expectations created when the Packers took him at No. 5.
Linebackers are almost never drafted that high. No. 5 is the stratum typically reserved for quarterbacks and left tackles and game-breaking playmakers and such. Linebackers have to be very special athletes to make a difference in a football game, much less dominate a football game. It is also a rare occasion when a linebacker completely changes the direction of his defense or his team as a whole.
But it does occasionally happen. The Chicago Bears, for instance, seemed to have jumped on Brian Urlacher's shoulders to mold a defensive-dominated team that is currently the class of the division the Packers once owned. Can Hawk one day enter Urlacher's class? He'd better, or else the Packers will have made a huge mistake at a time when the franchise's margin for error is minimal.
During their run of 13 consecutive winning seasons, the Packers were not overly burdened by draft scrutiny. They weren't picking high enough for anyone to place any of their rookies under a high-powered microscope. In fact, they had not had a top-five pick since 1992, at least until a 4-12 finish last season returned them to the top of the draft.
Everyone remembers how the Packers botched a top-15 pick with bust Jamal Reynolds, and how they might've done better than the ordinary tight end Bubba Franks. But neither of those players was taken top five. The pressure will be great on Hawk to live up to that pick, as well as on general manager Ted Thompson to prove that he did not squander such a resource at a time when the Packers are in full-blown rebuilding mode.
Hawk is the poster guy for the Packers' ground-up restoration, meaning the franchise cannot afford for him to fail in any way. And failure in this sense would translate to a mediocre career by the weak-side linebacker, who concerned some observers when he did not have an immediate impact from the start with the Packers.
Early on, he said, "I'm just trying to make sure I do my job and good things will happen, I think."
There is every reason to believe that they eventually will.
"For now, let's understand, let's be realistic," linebackers coach Winston Moss told reporters not long ago. "He's a young guy learning a new scheme. Obviously, we expect him to be superhuman. But right now, I'm pleased with what he's been doing and the progress he's making."
And that's fine for now, but at No. 5, the Packers drafted Hawk to be just this side of superhuman.
Send e-mail to mhunt@journalsentinel.com