Bretsky
11-05-2007, 09:54 PM
Week 8: LeRoy Butler analyzes Packers-Chiefs game
Posted: Nov. 5, 2007
LeRoy Butler
5 Questions
E-MAIL
Former Packers all-pro safety LeRoy Butler teams up with Journal Sentinel beat writer Tom Silverstein in our "Questions with LeRoy Butler" feature. Following is the Q&A after Sunday's 33-22 victory over Kansas City.
Q. Charles Woodson has been getting a lot of coverage penalties lately and by his own admission has been holding receivers. Is he playing with fire by holding so often?
A. I think it's part of his game to frustrate the receivers. I think he does a good job of it because the receivers are getting frustrated because they can't separate. I used to do a little bit of grabbing myself. You don't want to give a first down so many times. If receivers always know they're going to have contact it kind of gets in their head a little bit. To know you can impede a receiver's progress, as a defensive back you're winning. I know everyone wants scores like Kansas and Nebraska in the NFL, but you have to make sure you slow down these receivers or they'll just run free all day with the protection of the referees. Charles is trying to be professional about it and show them they're in for a long day. The interference call they had on him was a dumb call. It was the worst call of the game. The guy was looking for the ball and you can't really touch the guy without them throwing a flag.
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Q: It looks like safety Nick Collins is going to be out for a couple of weeks and the Packers are going to have to start 6-4, 223-pound Aaron Rouse. Based on what you saw Sunday and his physical attributes, what do you think they have in him?
A. Seeing how they have Adrian Peterson this week, it would be good to have another big body in there. To play these eight-man fronts because you're going to see the best young running back in decades, so this is the ideal game for him. But I think the fans are going to have to be patient and understand that he's a young guy and has to go through a growing process. I'm hopeful he can turn things around. With his wing span a lot of quarterbacks can't fit balls in to tight ends and maybe he'll be a good match-up for some big, tall tight ends, especially down the road when they play Jason Witten of the Dallas Cowboys. There's a guy 6-5, 250 who runs pretty good. Rouse would match up pretty good with a guy like that. But he's going to get picked on all the time, that's why when they catch a ball on him I want the fans to be patient because he has to go through that to learn.
Q. Compare Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson to some of the backs you have seen. And how do you stop him?
A. He's identical to Eric Dickerson, straight up running style, very, very fast and very physical. You stop him by, instead of a traditional 4-3 defense, four linemen and three linebackers, you put a linebacker on the line and slide the linemen over so you have five guys on the line, two linebackers, and then you bring your strong safety down to make the third guy behind the line. So it's like a 5-3 front. The linebacker would be right over the tight end. You put Brady Poppinga over the tight end, you move Kampman down over the tackle, and you move Pickett and Jolly over the two guards, and you put Cullen Jenkins over the tackle on the other side. And you bring down the strong safety to the open side of the field. And you move to it. You don't just line up to it, you disguise it so the quarterback won't pick out which hole he can audible to. When the quarterback gets into his cadence, with about 15 seconds left on the play clock, you start to move and start getting yourself lined up. That would definitely stop it. But everybody has to understand gap control. You do it on first and 10, second and 5, things of that nature. Third and 3. It's all a guessing game, but you can rest assured he'll get the ball more than the first time the Packers played against him. He'll be getting it 30 times. He's a special, special back. I would dare - and I stress dare - Minnesota to throw the ball on me. I would lock my two cornerbacks up and tell both of my safeties you're going to come up a little bit, 8 to 10 yards and be very aggressive.
Q. Do you think that left guard Daryn Colledge has become a liability and should the Packers consider starting someone else?
A. No, I think you let the guy learn. You have to let him learn, let him get coached through it because every player goes through it. I just feel like you just can't pull a guy after one or two games. You have to let a guy feel his way through. He's going to be a good player, but he has to understand where his help is and when he doesn't have help and understand that you can always cut a guy if he makes a move on you. Just keep working.
Q. How do you think the Packers would do if they played the Patriots right now?
A. I think the Patriots would win the game because they're very good on the perimeter, they run the ball well, their quarterback has very good progression and they can throw the ball down the field, down the middle where the Packers aren't very good, down the middle with deep passes. They have to get more experienced at that. The Patriots love to throw deep so you'll see a lot of deep balls. But it could a shootout game, it could be one of those 59-48 games because with Brett and those young receivers they can score at will. So can New England. The Packers can score on any defense. They can score whenever they get ready. The end of the first half was a little mismanaged, but it also showed the resiliency of this team to go from 6-up to a point down, they still went out and took the game over.
Q. Why aren't you coaching? - David Aman, Cary, NC
A. Well, first of all there are no spots available. Really, thanks for the question, but maybe in the future. I really feel like I can help a young player get to that next level. And maybe one day in the future I'll be able to do it. I think about it every day, there's a lot of knowledge I'd like to share with players. But at the same time I have to wait for the right opportunities.
Posted: Nov. 5, 2007
LeRoy Butler
5 Questions
Former Packers all-pro safety LeRoy Butler teams up with Journal Sentinel beat writer Tom Silverstein in our "Questions with LeRoy Butler" feature. Following is the Q&A after Sunday's 33-22 victory over Kansas City.
Q. Charles Woodson has been getting a lot of coverage penalties lately and by his own admission has been holding receivers. Is he playing with fire by holding so often?
A. I think it's part of his game to frustrate the receivers. I think he does a good job of it because the receivers are getting frustrated because they can't separate. I used to do a little bit of grabbing myself. You don't want to give a first down so many times. If receivers always know they're going to have contact it kind of gets in their head a little bit. To know you can impede a receiver's progress, as a defensive back you're winning. I know everyone wants scores like Kansas and Nebraska in the NFL, but you have to make sure you slow down these receivers or they'll just run free all day with the protection of the referees. Charles is trying to be professional about it and show them they're in for a long day. The interference call they had on him was a dumb call. It was the worst call of the game. The guy was looking for the ball and you can't really touch the guy without them throwing a flag.
Advertisement
Buy a link here
Q: It looks like safety Nick Collins is going to be out for a couple of weeks and the Packers are going to have to start 6-4, 223-pound Aaron Rouse. Based on what you saw Sunday and his physical attributes, what do you think they have in him?
A. Seeing how they have Adrian Peterson this week, it would be good to have another big body in there. To play these eight-man fronts because you're going to see the best young running back in decades, so this is the ideal game for him. But I think the fans are going to have to be patient and understand that he's a young guy and has to go through a growing process. I'm hopeful he can turn things around. With his wing span a lot of quarterbacks can't fit balls in to tight ends and maybe he'll be a good match-up for some big, tall tight ends, especially down the road when they play Jason Witten of the Dallas Cowboys. There's a guy 6-5, 250 who runs pretty good. Rouse would match up pretty good with a guy like that. But he's going to get picked on all the time, that's why when they catch a ball on him I want the fans to be patient because he has to go through that to learn.
Q. Compare Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson to some of the backs you have seen. And how do you stop him?
A. He's identical to Eric Dickerson, straight up running style, very, very fast and very physical. You stop him by, instead of a traditional 4-3 defense, four linemen and three linebackers, you put a linebacker on the line and slide the linemen over so you have five guys on the line, two linebackers, and then you bring your strong safety down to make the third guy behind the line. So it's like a 5-3 front. The linebacker would be right over the tight end. You put Brady Poppinga over the tight end, you move Kampman down over the tackle, and you move Pickett and Jolly over the two guards, and you put Cullen Jenkins over the tackle on the other side. And you bring down the strong safety to the open side of the field. And you move to it. You don't just line up to it, you disguise it so the quarterback won't pick out which hole he can audible to. When the quarterback gets into his cadence, with about 15 seconds left on the play clock, you start to move and start getting yourself lined up. That would definitely stop it. But everybody has to understand gap control. You do it on first and 10, second and 5, things of that nature. Third and 3. It's all a guessing game, but you can rest assured he'll get the ball more than the first time the Packers played against him. He'll be getting it 30 times. He's a special, special back. I would dare - and I stress dare - Minnesota to throw the ball on me. I would lock my two cornerbacks up and tell both of my safeties you're going to come up a little bit, 8 to 10 yards and be very aggressive.
Q. Do you think that left guard Daryn Colledge has become a liability and should the Packers consider starting someone else?
A. No, I think you let the guy learn. You have to let him learn, let him get coached through it because every player goes through it. I just feel like you just can't pull a guy after one or two games. You have to let a guy feel his way through. He's going to be a good player, but he has to understand where his help is and when he doesn't have help and understand that you can always cut a guy if he makes a move on you. Just keep working.
Q. How do you think the Packers would do if they played the Patriots right now?
A. I think the Patriots would win the game because they're very good on the perimeter, they run the ball well, their quarterback has very good progression and they can throw the ball down the field, down the middle where the Packers aren't very good, down the middle with deep passes. They have to get more experienced at that. The Patriots love to throw deep so you'll see a lot of deep balls. But it could a shootout game, it could be one of those 59-48 games because with Brett and those young receivers they can score at will. So can New England. The Packers can score on any defense. They can score whenever they get ready. The end of the first half was a little mismanaged, but it also showed the resiliency of this team to go from 6-up to a point down, they still went out and took the game over.
Q. Why aren't you coaching? - David Aman, Cary, NC
A. Well, first of all there are no spots available. Really, thanks for the question, but maybe in the future. I really feel like I can help a young player get to that next level. And maybe one day in the future I'll be able to do it. I think about it every day, there's a lot of knowledge I'd like to share with players. But at the same time I have to wait for the right opportunities.