A little on A.J. Hawk's future...

[bobblehead]

You absolutely need to keep Hawk; redo his deal. And IMO some year we'll see him playing in the Pro Bowl even though he's not a superstar

This is another example of a player who is edging up towards that "playmaker" status that mythically comes with team success. Truth is that Hawk is the exact player he was. No better no worse. He has always been steady. He has always stacked the run pretty good while being below average in the pass game. He now is playing in a very good D where his teammates are doing their jobs and he suddenly gets all sorts of credit. My guess is that he will not get a huge deal, but slightly more than Bishop and Poppinga have gotten.

Don't misunderstand this as a slam on Hawk, I think he is a good heady player, but again, Pro Bowl? I doubt there will ever be a season where he legitimately deserves it.

[bobblehead]

Barnett will be 30 next year. He's not going to acquire the coverage skills of a safety by dropping a few pounds. The Packers are #2 in scoring defense in part because Burnett/Peprah are better in coverage than Bigby was. Putting a linebacker at SS ain't going to happen. The only question is whether TT is willing to pay Barnett 6 mil to provide depth behind Hawk and Bishop.

Really, you see the upgrade over Bigby? I just don't. I think if Bigby is back (which I think he will be) and healthy he will start over Burnett/Peprah unless Burnett improves a lot in the off season program. I also think Skin will go deepend and drive to Green Bay and be arrested attempting to poison bigby.

[Patler]

As for Barnett. His best asset was always his sideline to sideline speed. Coming off a major knee injury, odds are against him regaining all of that speed, which will negatively affect his impact on defense.

Barnett already played all of 2009 following his knee injury, and didn't seem to lose that much speed.
He is on IR this year because of a wrist injury.

[Tarlam!]

I have always been on Barnett's bandwagon, lord only knows why. I've always been on Hawk's bandwagon, but how difficult is it not to fall in love guys named Nick and AJ.

[Bretsky]

Really, you see the upgrade over Bigby? I just don't. I think if Bigby is back (which I think he will be) and healthy he will start over Burnett/Peprah unless Burnett improves a lot in the off season program. I also think Skin will go deepend and drive to Green Bay and be arrested attempting to poison bigby.

completely agree with Joe and I absolutely see Peprah as being an upgrade over Bigby

[bobblehead]

completely agree with Joe and I absolutely see Peprah as being an upgrade over Bigby

How many times has Peprah won player of the month? Not trying to be a smartass, just pointing out that Bigby, when healthy (a big if), has actually PLAYED far superior to Peprah or Burnett.

This doesn't mean I would pay Bigby any more than Peprah, as availability is important, but when he is on the field he is far more productive in both the pass and run D...not just one, but both. I'm talking productivity, as in what they actually DO, not in image, or impression based on what we perceive about them.

[SkinBasket]

Can't believe there's still some Bigby cling-ons out there that think he's a starter. When was the last time the fucking guy even played football for more than a month at a time?

[vince]

I like Peprah, he's been a good fill-in, but when this team has had gaffes in coverage, it has often been Peprah. I'd put him on par with Bigby, although Bigby's problem obviously is that he can't get or stay healthy. That doesn't help himself or the team.

[Fritz]

I think Burnett's gotten a little lost in the shuffle, what with Peprah and Bigby and talk of moving Woodson. It'll be interesting to see how the kid comes back next year - maybe he'll get a little stronger and learn to tackle a little better. Those two things, along with getting more comfortable in the defense, will help him greatly.

[pbmax]

I think the coverage of Hawk as the signal caller might also be damning with faint praise. If that is the most positive thing an article about him can point to, then there may be nothing exceptional that the reporting revealed. McGinn has been tallying Hawk's blitzing and the numbers are mostly horrendous. Its not uncommon for him to be 0 for 10 by McGinn's count. Now some of that might be to occupy lineman to shake someone else free. It is hard to draw a conclusion just from that number and without knowing the call and design of the blitz, but the description solid yet unexceptional comes to mind.

The defense has had fewer breakdowns this year, but that is natural in Year 2. Most of the breakdowns last year were in coverage and those weren't necessarily the calls from Barnett. And the defense seemed to be fine in Year 2 for the 3.5 games Barnett was in. That includes more designed free lancing from Woodson and less improvisational free lancing. The secondary has clearly gotten its act together on communication and we cannot forget Shields makes a huge difference. Being solid and dependable on the outside means Caper is free to go nuts with the other bodies. It is also a role Woodson free lanced with last year and got burned several times.

And I don't recall many (read: none) front seven alignment problems last year in the number 1 rated run defense with Barnett calling signals.

I don't know a team that has paid handsomely for great signal calling and alignment. This is an issue newspapers love to fret about when that guy leaves and is replaced by someone more athletic and less experienced, but teams somehow find a way to struggle through. If Barnett is expendable at his age and price, it is because of Bishop, who plays the same position and not Hawk's signal calling.

But the main concern here at ILB now, is that they still lack someone who can contend with TEs, who are the only offensive personnel to give the passing game fits this year. Neither Hawk not Bishop cover as well as Chillar or Barnett, who both have issues of their own in coverage. The best TE coverage this year has been Woodson (or on rare occasions, Collins). And for that reason plus newer contracts, Chillar is the most entrenched starter/regular contributor heading to next season with Bishop second, each above Hawk and Barnett.

And because they play different positions and have different strengths, Hawk or Barnett might be let go not because of fundamentals or athleticism, but because neither solves the TE problem at ILB. This may be one of the reasons Capers went to nickel so often this year. So it might be up to the draft to find a rare ILB who can stand in against run blockers and cover the TE better than Chillar.

Absent finding that rare player, Hawk stands to be back for the simple reason that he is the only LB on the roster who has proven he can play his Buck position.

[RashanGary]

I just don't see. A.J. was basically the same solid player that he's always been. Capers reduced his time last year in the nickel. The injuries allowed him to play the number of snaps he did his first few years. Other than that, he was dependable and a good tackler. Coverage skills and blitzing were average. The big plus is how well he performed as the QB of the defense. He's just a solid pro. Not worth All-Pro money, but worth somewhere around what Bishop and Barnett are making.

Yeah. His leadership and steadiness seem to be respected by his teammates. Bishop gets I think 4.25 per year, Barnett 6. I'd say 5 mil per year would be ideal for Hawk, then send Barnett packing.

[Pugger]

I doubt Barnett is going anywhere. In this D you can't have enough good LBers.

[MadtownPacker]

Say whatever you want but Barnett is getting old, has missed lots of time the last 2 season and talking shit to your boss in public is always a good way to buy your ticket out of town.

Plus he was always a bitch when it came to tackling anyways.

[Guiness]

snip So it might be up to the draft to find a rare ILB who can stand in against run blockers and cover the TE better than Chillar.

Absent finding that rare player, Hawk stands to be back for the simple reason that he is the only LB on the roster who has proven he can play his Buck position.

Good post pb, and it lays out things pretty well. Interesting that you see Chillar as the one with the most secure position.

I'm a little surprised to see you referring to Hawk's position as a 'Buck' LB though - what do you consider this position to be?

On a related note, what position does Chillar play? It's never been clear to me, especially when I see him on the field with Barnett.

I'm sure a lot of the confusion comes from the way Capers mixes things up, and how infrequently we're in base...

[pbmax]

Good post pb, and it lays out things pretty well. Interesting that you see Chillar as the one with the most secure position.

I'm a little surprised to see you referring to Hawk's position as a 'Buck' LB though - what do you consider this position to be?

On a related note, what position does Chillar play? It's never been clear to me, especially when I see him on the field with Barnett.

I'm sure a lot of the confusion comes from the way Capers mixes things up, and how infrequently we're in base...

In this vein of 3-4 defense, the middle LBs shift according to the offense's power. Like strong and weak safety. If I remember KYPack's nomenclature, those positions in this 3-4 are called Jack and Buck. Buck is the LB who lines up on the O's strong side and is manned by Hawk. He is the one taking on the free guard or FB so the Jack can run free to make a tackle.

In preseason, Hawk and Simpkins (I think it was him, or possibly Francois) were the only two Bucks getting regular work in the base 3-4. It was slightly different in nickel. Simpkins was let go and only Hawk remained. Bishop spent no time there and Francois only marginal time.

In nickel with Chillar, he seems to follow the TE but not for run stopping purposes, its for coverage. If I had to guess he would still be the Buck, but the role is much different.