CNNSI.com Take on Switch to 3-4

[DonHutson]

I have zero idea if Kampman can excel at linebacker. I did hear some comments on radio that Kampman looked stiff when he has dropped into coverage in current scheme. Chewy says he will be helpless trying to guard a tight end. But that may all be wrong.

Who knows how it will work. However, most of the 3-4 OLBs would have trouble guarding a TE man-on-man. That's not how the zone blitz works. Plus, Kampman isn't going to be asked to drop back much, but it will give him the ability to move around a bit. Athletically, I think Kampman is fine for the spot. The bigger questions might be: 1) how will he adjust to rushing without a hand on the grand, 2) a lot of his pressures now happen because he has the ability to set up the OT. He won't get benefit now. I have a funny feeling that he'll be a pretty damn good SOLB in this scheme. A lot like Bryce Paup. The guy didn't always look like he'd be effective, but in the end he was pretty damn good.

Harvey is right on here. Kampman will be an OLB, but that doesn't mean the same as it did in the 4-3. Kampman was primarily a pass rusher before, and he will primarily be a pass rusher now.

The only difference is that he will likely have more opportunities to move around and pick his spots. He might still rush from an end spot with his hand on the ground like he did before on some plays. I would expect he'll be given a fair amount of freedom to move around and find weak links in the pass protection. He's a great pass rusher and a bright guy. I can't imagine why he wouldn't be good at that role.

He's too stiff for pass coverage? I don't know. He probably is. But it's not like he's going to chasing TE's around all day. They'll drop him back once in a awhile to help disguise what he's doing, but that's not going to be his primary job.

Some people also don't think Jenkins will be a good fit as a 3-4 end, and I don't buy that either. He's around 300# and he's experienced at playing inside. I think he's ideal. He's also a gifted pass rusher when he's healthy. I'm sure Capers and McCarthy recognize that, and they won't be content to just waste that ability by letting him plug up blockers all day. He'll need to do that a lot, but I have no doubt he will be given opportunities to get after the QB as well. A guy who can not only do the job a typical 3-4 DE does, but can also get after the QB is a huge weapon that they can utilize in many ways. Most of the time you don't have to worry much about the pass rush from a 3-4 end, but teams aren't going to know what to expect from Jenkins play in and play out. When they say Jenkins should be happy about the change, I believe it.

[DonHutson]

I don't understand your thinking at all. I suppose you are just expressing your fan attachment to Aaron Kampman.

Actually, if asked to make a list of my favorite Packers Kampman isn't a name that jumps immediately to mind. He's a nice guy and all, but a little too God-fearing and boring for me. Maybe that makes me a little twisted, but whatever.

I do however, have a tremendous amount of respect for his game and his work ethic. Every time I thought he'd maxed out his talent (which was pretty much every year for the first 5 or so years of his career) he'd come out next year and play a lot better. He's 100% football player.

And again, there's an ideal list of traits and abilities you could write up for every position. Very few players meet that ideal standard. But I trust Kampman to work harder than anyone at his weaknesses. And until proven otherwise, I trust Capers to put a plan in place that will take advantage of his players' strengths while minimizing the weaknesses. We already know Kampman can rush the passer. If that's what he's best at, I'm sure that's what Capers will ask him to do most of the time. Again, if that's not the case then Capers is the wrong coach.

[Lurker64]

Who else is a good fit in the front 7???

Kampman is an OLB, in the mold of DeMarcus Ware, in essence a DE who picks his spots.

Thompson was always going to be a better 3-4 OLB than a 4-3 DE, due to his considerable athleticism and the fact that much of his game is read and react.

Hawk and Barnett have prototypical size and athleticism to play ILB in this scheme, think Farrior (6'2" 243) and Foote (6'1" 239), (Hawk is 6'1" 248 and Barnett is 6'2" 236).

Pickett will be fine at Nose, since at NT his responsibilities will be identical to his current responsibilities in the 4-3. He'll play 1-gap, not 2-gap, and he'll just flip from A-gap to A-gap depending on the play. He won't even really notice the scheme change. He will need a backup though.

Jenkings, we both agree, is a good fit.

So as I see it, of the front 7 we have questions at one DE spot, the one OLB spot (probably WOLB), and everybody needs backups. That's not so terrible.

Remember, when you're thinking of the 3-4 defense, don't think of the classic 3-4 defense with the huge space eating DL occupying two gaps and the big thumping ILBs that was recently ressurected by Belichick. Think of the 3-4 defense that Pittsburgh runs. We don't have the personnel for the classic 3-4, but we do have much of the personnel for a Phillips-Capers-LeBeau 3-4, in part because that scheme adapts so much to existing personnel.

[Farley Face]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/38512934.html

Article says Kampman will play Woodley's position of SOLB. A Steelers coach said that Capers will likely "use the slightly offset line more than the two-gap," and said Capers will not "override what the players can do."

Woodley is 6'1" 266. He ran the 40 in 4.74. (He ran between 4.68 and 4.84 and was given this as his official time.) His vertical leap was 38". His shuttle run (primarily, a test of agility) was 4.42.

At Kampman's campus workout, he was 6'4" 288. He ran the 40 in 4.68. (He ran between 4.66 and 4.70.) His vertical leap was 35 1/2". His shuttle run was 4.04.

Kampman tested as good or better than Woodley, and he was 288 then. He's now down to 265, so I would imagine his numbers might even better.

Makes you wonder how scouts missed on Kampman.

Kamp wasn't invited to the combine. He was a first team all-American LB in HS and the highest rated LB recruit in the state of Iowa (in addition to being a basketball and track star). He was good enough that he started at OLB as a true freshman in college, and was a darn good linebacker his freshman and sophomore years. His junior year the HC of the team changed, and the new HC moved him to end. As a junior, his first season at end, he stunk. His senior year he had put on more weight an he did a pretty decent job, but not good enough to earn a combine invite. Something weird happened at his pro day, most scouts clocked him a lot slower than the Packers did. It is possible that a Tramon Williams type situation happened where he ran bad on a unfamiliar surface, he asked the scouts to rerun on a different surface, most left but a few hung around to give him a shot, and ran substantially better on the second run (Tramon's "official" time was ~4.6 on a crappy wet track, the Texans and Packers clocked him at 4.4 on a second run on grass that other scouts didn't bother to watch). If you read up on the history of Kamp, he tells the story that they asked him why he thought they drafted him, he gave a litany of reasons about his positives, and the coaches told him straight up that he was drafted for his 40 time, and 40 time alone.

I'd love to read up on this as you suggest, but I'm lazy. Can you provide a link or links to your sources for this info? Thanks.

[Waldo]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/38512934.html

Article says Kampman will play Woodley's position of SOLB. A Steelers coach said that Capers will likely "use the slightly offset line more than the two-gap," and said Capers will not "override what the players can do."

Woodley is 6'1" 266. He ran the 40 in 4.74. (He ran between 4.68 and 4.84 and was given this as his official time.) His vertical leap was 38". His shuttle run (primarily, a test of agility) was 4.42.

At Kampman's campus workout, he was 6'4" 288. He ran the 40 in 4.68. (He ran between 4.66 and 4.70.) His vertical leap was 35 1/2". His shuttle run was 4.04.

Kampman tested as good or better than Woodley, and he was 288 then. He's now down to 265, so I would imagine his numbers might even better.

Makes you wonder how scouts missed on Kampman.

Kamp wasn't invited to the combine. He was a first team all-American LB in HS and the highest rated LB recruit in the state of Iowa (in addition to being a basketball and track star). He was good enough that he started at OLB as a true freshman in college, and was a darn good linebacker his freshman and sophomore years. His junior year the HC of the team changed, and the new HC moved him to end. As a junior, his first season at end, he stunk. His senior year he had put on more weight an he did a pretty decent job, but not good enough to earn a combine invite. Something weird happened at his pro day, most scouts clocked him a lot slower than the Packers did. It is possible that a Tramon Williams type situation happened where he ran bad on a unfamiliar surface, he asked the scouts to rerun on a different surface, most left but a few hung around to give him a shot, and ran substantially better on the second run (Tramon's "official" time was ~4.6 on a crappy wet track, the Texans and Packers clocked him at 4.4 on a second run on grass that other scouts didn't bother to watch). If you read up on the history of Kamp, he tells the story that they asked him why he thought they drafted him, he gave a litany of reasons about his positives, and the coaches told him straight up that he was drafted for his 40 time, and 40 time alone.

I'd love to read up on this as you suggest, but I'm lazy. Can you provide a link or links to your sources for this info? Thanks.

http://www.google.com/

Kampman "pro day" Iowa "5 Star" 4.65 4.68 4.09 all-American linebacker <- Useful keywords

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=3090229

He said he was reminiscing with Packers scout Lenny McGill, who timed him that day, earlier this week. After the draft, he went to Lambeau Field and had a positional meeting with then-defensive line coach Jethro Franklin.

Kampman said Franklin asked him if he knew why he'd been picked.

"I gave some long litany of 'Well, I try to work hard, and play this way...' He said, 'No, because you ran a fast 40."

http://www.neworleansprofootball.com/draft02/murphy2.html

http://hawkeyesports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/kampman_aaron00.html

http://armchairgm.wikia.com/Aaron_Kampman

[Farley Face]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/38512934.html

Article says Kampman will play Woodley's position of SOLB. A Steelers coach said that Capers will likely "use the slightly offset line more than the two-gap," and said Capers will not "override what the players can do."

Woodley is 6'1" 266. He ran the 40 in 4.74. (He ran between 4.68 and 4.84 and was given this as his official time.) His vertical leap was 38". His shuttle run (primarily, a test of agility) was 4.42.

At Kampman's campus workout, he was 6'4" 288. He ran the 40 in 4.68. (He ran between 4.66 and 4.70.) His vertical leap was 35 1/2". His shuttle run was 4.04.

Kampman tested as good or better than Woodley, and he was 288 then. He's now down to 265, so I would imagine his numbers might even better.

Makes you wonder how scouts missed on Kampman.

Kamp wasn't invited to the combine. He was a first team all-American LB in HS and the highest rated LB recruit in the state of Iowa (in addition to being a basketball and track star). He was good enough that he started at OLB as a true freshman in college, and was a darn good linebacker his freshman and sophomore years. His junior year the HC of the team changed, and the new HC moved him to end. As a junior, his first season at end, he stunk. His senior year he had put on more weight an he did a pretty decent job, but not good enough to earn a combine invite. Something weird happened at his pro day, most scouts clocked him a lot slower than the Packers did. It is possible that a Tramon Williams type situation happened where he ran bad on a unfamiliar surface, he asked the scouts to rerun on a different surface, most left but a few hung around to give him a shot, and ran substantially better on the second run (Tramon's "official" time was ~4.6 on a crappy wet track, the Texans and Packers clocked him at 4.4 on a second run on grass that other scouts didn't bother to watch). If you read up on the history of Kamp, he tells the story that they asked him why he thought they drafted him, he gave a litany of reasons about his positives, and the coaches told him straight up that he was drafted for his 40 time, and 40 time alone.

I'd love to read up on this as you suggest, but I'm lazy. Can you provide a link or links to your sources for this info? Thanks.

http://www.google.com/

Kampman "pro day" Iowa "5 Star" 4.65 4.68 4.09 all-American linebacker<- Useful keywords

Tried it all, still can't find the straight up quote that he was drafted for his 40 time and 40 time alone. I appreciate you trying to teach me to fish but in this instance I'm going to ask that you give me a fish. Please provide the specific source of this quote. Thanks. Again.

[Bossman641]

Here ya go bud

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=3090229

Kampman didn't receive an invitation to the NFL scouting combine, and the elementary education major was student teaching when he had a workout at Iowa, running the 40-yard dash at 4.65.

He said he was reminiscing with Packers scout Lenny McGill, who timed him that day, earlier this week. After the draft, he went to Lambeau Field and had a positional meeting with then-defensive line coach Jethro Franklin.

Kampman said Franklin asked him if he knew why he'd been picked.

"I gave some long litany of 'Well, I try to work hard, and play this way...' He said, 'No, because you ran a fast 40."

[Farley Face]

Here ya go bud

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=3090229

Kampman didn't receive an invitation to the NFL scouting combine, and the elementary education major was student teaching when he had a workout at Iowa, running the 40-yard dash at 4.65.

He said he was reminiscing with Packers scout Lenny McGill, who timed him that day, earlier this week. After the draft, he went to Lambeau Field and had a positional meeting with then-defensive line coach Jethro Franklin.

Kampman said Franklin asked him if he knew why he'd been picked.

"I gave some long litany of 'Well, I try to work hard, and play this way...' He said, 'No, because you ran a fast 40."

Thanks, good read.

[steve823]

You guys think Pat LEe will ever be any good? I know hes is still extremely raw and is a develolpmental project for us..hope he works out well I think he has the tools.

[wist43]

You guys think Pat LEe will ever be any good? I know hes is still extremely raw and is a develolpmental project for us..hope he works out well I think he has the tools.

Developmental prospects like Lee are what you use 5th, 6th and 7th round picks on... not 2nd round picks.

[Waldo]

You guys think Pat LEe will ever be any good? I know hes is still extremely raw and is a develolpmental project for us..hope he works out well I think he has the tools.

Developmental prospects like Lee are what you use 5th, 6th and 7th round picks on... not 2nd round picks.

You don't find too many SEC starters with 1st round measurables in the 5th, 6th, and 7th round.

Lee looked good when he was on the field. Needs a little more work on pro route recognition, but his coverage technique is pretty good for a rookie. He looked far better than Williams, Bush, Dendy, Blackmon, etc... did when they were rookies.

[wist43]

You guys think Pat LEe will ever be any good? I know hes is still extremely raw and is a develolpmental project for us..hope he works out well I think he has the tools.

Developmental prospects like Lee are what you use 5th, 6th and 7th round picks on... not 2nd round picks.

You don't find too many SEC starters with 1st round measurables in the 5th, 6th, and 7th round.

Lee looked good when he was on the field. Needs a little more work on pro route recognition, but his coverage technique is pretty good for a rookie. He looked far better than Williams, Bush, Dendy, Blackmon, etc... did when they were rookies.

Don't know what Lee you were looking at... he was abysmal.

[Waldo]

You guys think Pat LEe will ever be any good? I know hes is still extremely raw and is a develolpmental project for us..hope he works out well I think he has the tools.

Developmental prospects like Lee are what you use 5th, 6th and 7th round picks on... not 2nd round picks.

You don't find too many SEC starters with 1st round measurables in the 5th, 6th, and 7th round.

Lee looked good when he was on the field. Needs a little more work on pro route recognition, but his coverage technique is pretty good for a rookie. He looked far better than Williams, Bush, Dendy, Blackmon, etc... did when they were rookies.

Don't know what Lee you were looking at... he was abysmal.

He did give up some passes, primarily agaisnt Atl. Was Lee the problem or the coach that put Lee in BnR man coverage agaisnt a top 5 WR with no help?

[KYPack]

I agree. Lee's got the tools, but extremely raw.

You have to pay a price for a prospect like him & sometimes, they don't work out.

He needs a lot of coaching and must become aware of where his help is coming from. The old regime really pushed press cover. I'd think a kid like Lee would do better starting to learn some off technique.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

Lee maybe raw, but he's not that young. I think he's already 25.