Hawk Starting at MLB?

[chain_gang]

From Green Bay Press Gazette:

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Practice notes: Hawk at MLB
The Packers today worked A.J. Hawk at middle linebacker in place of the injured Nick Barnett and had Brandon Chillar at Hawk's old weak-side position. Brady Poppinga stayed at the strong-side spot.

More details to come.

-- Rob Demovsky, rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/insider/index.shtml

I'm all for it, let's see what Hawk can do in at the playmaker position of the Packer LB core. Maybe it'll help cover up the injuries that have seem to have taken a toll on him this season.

[Zool]

Guess we get to find out of Hawk is more effective at shedding blockers at the point than Samurai Nick is.

[Tony Oday]

Big game then for sure for Hawk. I love it! Lets put 9 in the box: 4 LB 4 DL and 1 SS and DARE Sexy to beat us.

[Gunakor]

Don't know if this is better than having Bishop start at MLB, but couldn't imagine how it could be worse. Bishop is a hitter, and I always get pumped when he lays the lumber on someone, but I don't trust him in pass coverage and he seems to get himself turned around alot. To those who have argued for a couple years that Hawk needs to play in the middle, now we shall see.

I think the best part of this news is that Chillar will be on the field much more often, as he's been maybe the best playmaker in that entire LB corps recently. His absence in last Sunday's game was evident. It'll be great to get him back and to keep him on the field.

[KYPack]

I didn't think they'd do it that way.

Hawk didn't even play Mike at OSU, Barbi Carpenter and Schlegel played Mike there.

Also, isn't Chillar dinged? He was inactive for the Viking game. In that set, would Pop do the cover or Chillar?

We got to compensate for the injuries, hope we can pull it off.

[Gunakor]

Big game then for sure for Hawk. I love it! Lets put 9 in the box: 4 LB 4 DL and 1 SS and DARE Sexy to beat us.

Careful what you wish for. Granted the Bears don't have any kind of a passing attack, but Rex has burned us before. I'd be okay with 7 in the box, but I like having both safeties over the top in case either Woodson or Harris get a bad jam at the line and can't recover.

[Tony Oday]

We have been but he is rusty and his teams offense is predicated by the run. Stop the run stop the bears.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I didn't think they'd do it that way.

ya, I don't like the smell of this move. Hawk does not seem like a middle linebacker to me. I thought Poppinga (I almost called him "Noble") would hold-up better inside.


But who knows? We may even discover that inside is BETTER for Hawk.

[Patler]

I know they always want the best on the field, but I worry a little when one guy being out causes two changes to be made.

[KYPack]

I know they always want the best on the field, but I worry a little when one guy being out causes two changes to be made.

Same here.

They must have saw some bad action on the Viking tape. Bishop made some solid plays and did some scary stuff. He reacts well, but also makes some foolish reads.

[privatepacker]

No matter who is in the middle, if a 300# blocker is in his belly, he won't be very effective.
Another issue...ever notice how far back our LB line up compared to all other teams?

[chain_gang]

I can see giving Hawk somes reps at MLB, I believe he would be an upgrade over Bishop. It's also allows our best 3 LB's on the field. While some may say Bishop is better than Hawk vs. the run, take a look at Peterson's last TD run, B gap was Bishop's responsibility, on the play, instead he shot up the cutback lane, where if he sticks with his B gap assignment, he makes a hit on AP for a 3 or 4 yard gain. So while Bishop did make a key Fourth down stop on Peterson, he was a big reason in giving up 14 pts to the Vikings running backs. Poppinga also eliminated himself from the play, but I think he was outside containment, and Kampy just got completely wiped out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxG3bMgshws&eurl=http://www.profootballtalk.com/category/rumor-mill/

It's at around 2:20 in the video, you can see Bishop starting to his gap assignment, and then stop and try to take away the cutback lane.

[Zool]

That is a frustrating thing to watch. Pop is either out of position or over pursuing on so many plays. At the 1:30 mark Hawk has outside contain and Pop runs right behind Hawk and Peterson cuts back for a big gain.

[Partial]

He's not going to be as effective as he could be. He's a shadow of his healthy self.

[Deputy Nutz]

That means Poppinga is going to be on the field.


I thought Hawk looked like a Middle linebacker in college. The Buckeyes played a 4-3 but a lot of times Carpenter would walk up over the tight end and Hawk and that other guy would be over the guards. I thought that coming out Hawk was going to struggle in space and holding the edge against pulling guards.