FritzDontBlitz
12-07-2007, 01:06 AM
Jeez, I almost understood the logic. Unhtil Schottenheimer started talking....
Packers safety can't net starts
Despite impressive numbers, Rouse stuck in backup role
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Dec. 6, 2007
Green Bay - There are comfort, experience and tackling considerations to make, but in determining whether Green Bay Packers rookie safety Aaron Rouse deserves to be a starter, the numbers don't lie.
Nick Collins and Atari Bigby: 21 starts, one interception, 10 passes defended.
Rouse: Three starts, two interceptions, four passes defended.
If his numbers were projected over 12 games, Rouse would lead the team in interceptions and passes defended. Even he is left wondering how much better he would be if he were allowed to continue as a starter.
"If I can get two picks in threes games, what do you think?" Rouse said Thursday.
The third-round pick from Virginia Tech won't get to find out how much more he could have accomplished, because with the return of Collins from a knee injury suffered Nov. 4 against Kansas City, Rouse is out of the starting lineup.
Instead of replacing either Collins or Bigby with the 6-foot-4, 223-pound Rouse, the coaches are sticking with the status quo. Even coming off a loss to the Dallas Cowboys in which both safeties - and the entire secondary, for that matter - played poorly.
"It's disappointing," Rouse said. "At the same time, we're a team, and the object is to win a game, and if me being a backup helps us win a game, then I have to be one of those guys who makes a sacrifice so we can get to the Super Bowl."
The Packers have been looking for stability at the safety position ever since Darren Sharper left after the 2004 season, and they thought they had it when Bigby beat out Marquand Manuel for a starting spot in training camp. Collins and Bigby give the Packers two solid tacklers with a working knowledge of the defense.
Collins is faster and can cover more ground than Bigby, and Bigby is better playing near the line of scrimmage. Neither of the two is much when it comes to big plays, however. Together, they have forced three turnovers this season.
Rouse, on the other hand, has displayed a knack for the ball during his short stint on the field. He had one interception, and nearly had two more, Nov. 18 against Carolina, and then the next week against Detroit had an interception, with the subsequent return turning the game around for the Packers.
He might have had another interception, and possibly his first touchdown, in his very first game - a relief role at Minnesota Sept. 30 - after undercutting a route, but Vikings quarterback Kelly Holcomb saw him at the last second and wound up throwing the ball straight into the ground.
"We allowed him to play, and the good thing about it is, he responded, given the opportunity," secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer said. "It wasn't like he was a rookie. He's a take-charge guy. We are very fortunate to have him. The more he plays, the better he's performed. We feel comfortable with him."
But. . . .
"We're very comfortable with the other two guys," Schottenheimer said. "We recognize that Nick is the leader of that group, and understands all the checks and adjustments with great anticipation. He has great athleticism. Atari is a young player who continues to be impressive. What we're looking for is more consistency."
Rouse, whose height and solid 40-yard dash time (4.58 seconds) make him an unusual prospect at safety, has shown much better ballhawking skills this year than he did during a horrible senior season with the Hokies, which might have been affected by a broken bone in his hand.
Even while he was sidelined with a knee injury last week, Rouse attended jog-throughs and stood behind the safeties, preparing as though he was going to play. He has done the same thing this week, and because his knee is healthy, he has been able to take some snaps with the defense, too.
"It's all about being prepared," Rouse said. "I take this job seriously. I'm always in my playbook."
The biggest concern the coaches have with Rouse is with his tackling. In his first start, against Minnesota at Lambeau Field on Nov. 11, he missed at least three tackles because he took kill shots instead of wrapping up. His angular body and lack of flexibility make him susceptible to jukes and spin moves, and he has to be more fundamentally sound.
The coaches have no problem with his reads.
"His fits are good," Schottenheimer said. "He has to improve on his tackling. He has to get his hips down, get his legs involved more. He's a big, high-cut guy. He's got good upper (body strength), he just has to get his legs more involved."
Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders was evasive about what role Rouse would play in the coming weeks and whether he would consider a change. Schottenheimer said that it was impractical to rotate the three and that Rouse would be a backup at both positions.
"To me, in my eyes, you put your best players out there," Schottenheimer said. "I think if you get a guy out there who gets a feel for it and you start seeing the same reads, the run reads, the pass reads, he has a tremendous advantage because he sees it throughout the season.
"Now is not the time you want to rotate guys in and so forth."
Whaaaaaaaaaaaat???? :shock:
Packers safety can't net starts
Despite impressive numbers, Rouse stuck in backup role
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Dec. 6, 2007
Green Bay - There are comfort, experience and tackling considerations to make, but in determining whether Green Bay Packers rookie safety Aaron Rouse deserves to be a starter, the numbers don't lie.
Nick Collins and Atari Bigby: 21 starts, one interception, 10 passes defended.
Rouse: Three starts, two interceptions, four passes defended.
If his numbers were projected over 12 games, Rouse would lead the team in interceptions and passes defended. Even he is left wondering how much better he would be if he were allowed to continue as a starter.
"If I can get two picks in threes games, what do you think?" Rouse said Thursday.
The third-round pick from Virginia Tech won't get to find out how much more he could have accomplished, because with the return of Collins from a knee injury suffered Nov. 4 against Kansas City, Rouse is out of the starting lineup.
Instead of replacing either Collins or Bigby with the 6-foot-4, 223-pound Rouse, the coaches are sticking with the status quo. Even coming off a loss to the Dallas Cowboys in which both safeties - and the entire secondary, for that matter - played poorly.
"It's disappointing," Rouse said. "At the same time, we're a team, and the object is to win a game, and if me being a backup helps us win a game, then I have to be one of those guys who makes a sacrifice so we can get to the Super Bowl."
The Packers have been looking for stability at the safety position ever since Darren Sharper left after the 2004 season, and they thought they had it when Bigby beat out Marquand Manuel for a starting spot in training camp. Collins and Bigby give the Packers two solid tacklers with a working knowledge of the defense.
Collins is faster and can cover more ground than Bigby, and Bigby is better playing near the line of scrimmage. Neither of the two is much when it comes to big plays, however. Together, they have forced three turnovers this season.
Rouse, on the other hand, has displayed a knack for the ball during his short stint on the field. He had one interception, and nearly had two more, Nov. 18 against Carolina, and then the next week against Detroit had an interception, with the subsequent return turning the game around for the Packers.
He might have had another interception, and possibly his first touchdown, in his very first game - a relief role at Minnesota Sept. 30 - after undercutting a route, but Vikings quarterback Kelly Holcomb saw him at the last second and wound up throwing the ball straight into the ground.
"We allowed him to play, and the good thing about it is, he responded, given the opportunity," secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer said. "It wasn't like he was a rookie. He's a take-charge guy. We are very fortunate to have him. The more he plays, the better he's performed. We feel comfortable with him."
But. . . .
"We're very comfortable with the other two guys," Schottenheimer said. "We recognize that Nick is the leader of that group, and understands all the checks and adjustments with great anticipation. He has great athleticism. Atari is a young player who continues to be impressive. What we're looking for is more consistency."
Rouse, whose height and solid 40-yard dash time (4.58 seconds) make him an unusual prospect at safety, has shown much better ballhawking skills this year than he did during a horrible senior season with the Hokies, which might have been affected by a broken bone in his hand.
Even while he was sidelined with a knee injury last week, Rouse attended jog-throughs and stood behind the safeties, preparing as though he was going to play. He has done the same thing this week, and because his knee is healthy, he has been able to take some snaps with the defense, too.
"It's all about being prepared," Rouse said. "I take this job seriously. I'm always in my playbook."
The biggest concern the coaches have with Rouse is with his tackling. In his first start, against Minnesota at Lambeau Field on Nov. 11, he missed at least three tackles because he took kill shots instead of wrapping up. His angular body and lack of flexibility make him susceptible to jukes and spin moves, and he has to be more fundamentally sound.
The coaches have no problem with his reads.
"His fits are good," Schottenheimer said. "He has to improve on his tackling. He has to get his hips down, get his legs involved more. He's a big, high-cut guy. He's got good upper (body strength), he just has to get his legs more involved."
Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders was evasive about what role Rouse would play in the coming weeks and whether he would consider a change. Schottenheimer said that it was impractical to rotate the three and that Rouse would be a backup at both positions.
"To me, in my eyes, you put your best players out there," Schottenheimer said. "I think if you get a guy out there who gets a feel for it and you start seeing the same reads, the run reads, the pass reads, he has a tremendous advantage because he sees it throughout the season.
"Now is not the time you want to rotate guys in and so forth."
Whaaaaaaaaaaaat???? :shock: