Packers Linebackers Seek More Big Plays

[FritzDontBlitz]

from an article in jso.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=520700

this was my thinking during the philly game when the pack forced two fumbles at their own goal line - barnett recovered one of them i think, but on each play the only person in positon to stop a runback was qb donovan mcnabb. we need to start teaching our defenders that those are potential scoring plays for the defense, not just turnovers.

[MadtownPacker]

Linebackers seek more big plays (http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=520700)
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Oct. 18, 2006

Green Bay - It was nothing more than a simple strip of the ball, but the play made Monday night by Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher on Arizona running back Edgerrin James had such a huge impact in the game, everyone in the National Football League seems to have taken notice of it.

Perhaps that's why the Green Bay Packers added a strip drill to the early portion of practice Wednesday afternoon.

If there's one thing that could overcome the inadequacies of the Packers' defense, it's the kind of game-changing play that Urlacher made when his team was trailing, 23-10, with 5 minutes to play. Other defensive plays contributed to the Bears' victory, but that one turned the game around.

So far, the Packers are waiting for their linebacker corps to have one of those moments. Defense is an 11-man game, but the Packers built their starting linebacker unit for speed and explosiveness and they came into this season expecting some momentum-changing plays.

"We want it to happen and it will happen," strongside linebacker Brady Poppinga said. "I think it will happen. It's a matter of time."

Through five games, the three starters - Nick Barnett, A.J. Hawk and Poppinga - have combined for 2½ impact plays, which can be defined as sacks, interceptions or forced fumbles. Compared to the rest of the NFC North, they're competitive: Minnesota's starting group has 3½, Chicago's has three and Detroit's has one.

As a defense, the Packers rank tied with five other teams for 21st in the NFL in takeaways with seven, and as far as making big plays when the game is on the line, they have not been present and accounted for.

"Well, I'll say this as a whole defense, impact plays and turnovers is something we put a major emphasis on," coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday. "You always emphasize it, but those are things as you go through your self-scout and your weekly evaluation, we need to get into more of.

"A.J. Hawk has shown ability to do that, so we're looking to get him more involved in certain packages. Nick Barnett has been a good pressure player for us, too. So, I think the first thing, we need to create more opportunities for them to put them in an impact position."

It'll take more than just having them practice stripping the ball, that's for sure. It might be up to defensive coordinator Bob Sanders to find ways to better use them.

Barnett and Hawk, both first-round picks, have been solid in most areas playing the middle and weak side, and Poppinga, a former college defensive end, has played better since getting burned in man-to-man coverage several times early in the season. But Hawk dropped a potential game-changing interception in the second quarter of the St. Louis loss and Poppinga dropped one in the third quarter of the New Orleans loss.

Barnett has the unit's only interception - an end-zone catch that snuffed out an early drive in the Chicago loss - and Hawk has all of the sacks (1½). Until the Rams game, none of the linebackers had a tackle for loss.

"We definitely have to make more plays," Barnett said. "I'm not saying we haven't been. We'll make more plays. But I don't think we're doing bad at all."

Part of the reason the linebackers don't have as many pass break-ups as Chicago's is that they don't play much zone. In Sanders' defense, the linebackers mostly match up on their cover assignment and don't have the luxury of dropping back and facing the quarterback in coverage

The idea in Sanders' scheme isn't to fool the quarterback but rather blanket receivers so that he really doesn't have a clear-cut read where to throw the ball.

"With this match scheme it's harder," Barnett said. "You run right onto your man and that's it. If he catches the ball, you tackle him. You're not baiting him. The quarterback sees you and knows where you are most of the time."

Sanders has given all three linebackers blitz opportunities and so far Hawk has proved to be the only one to get to the quarterback. The Packers haven't blitzed a lot with their linebackers, partly because that's not a big part of the scheme and partly because Sanders can't afford to do it with his secondary being so unreliable.

The linebackers have made their share of coverage mistakes, too, and he needs them to be more reliable. But where big plays are concerned, the area where they seem likely to make the most impact is in rushing the quarterback.

"We have a couple of new things that we're putting in to make some more plays," Barnett said. "The linebacker corps has always been ready to make plays; now we have a little bit more stuff to do. I think we have a lot of versatility to do some things: send some guys, drop some guys in coverage, create some one-on-ones if need be. We can run around with the best of them."

[BEARMAN]

Good luck. You think the rook has what it takes ? Brian Urlacher he is not, but will he contribute ? I think he is an average to above average LB'er myself, but hey, that's MY opinion. :razz:


GO BEARS ! 6 an 0 BABY !

[FritzDontBlitz]

you don't have to be a great player to rip the ball out of another player's hands while he's held up by your teammates. that type of play is based more on mindset than talent, you can teach your players to create plays like that.

i'll give an example. kgb is a very good speed rusher, and he's often on top of the qb so quick that he could easily strip the ball before the qb even knows he's there. imagine how many easy td opportunities kgb would have if he went for the strip and return instead of just settling for the sack.

the main difference is the bears players are taught to think that way on every play, and the pack defenders aren't.